WrappedInThought by Viola Grace Page B

eye. “Release her. She will be questioned privately. She has done us a great service and we need not inconvenience her any more than she has already been.”
    The guards hesitated. The woman cleared her throat and jerked her head. The restraints fell off without anyone touching them.
    “Thank you, child. I know it has been a stressful day. Resume your routine. We will call upon you later.” The woman touched her shoulder and nodded.
    Ali got out of there as quickly as she could. There was no way that she was going to do well with that much guilt and hostility near her. If it had been coming from the bomber, it would be one thing, but her casual assessment had been reading the guards as they had fastened her arms together.
    When she returned to the stall, most of the produce was gone and she was relieved. She put on a cheerful face. “All sold out?”
    Her mother nodded, concern in her features. “Yes, are you all right?”
    “I just need a moment to myself, Mama. But it was the right thing to do.”
    She sat back on her stool and touched her shoulder where the robed woman had made contact. As she closed her fist, she smiled sadly. No good deed went unpunished and she was about to meet her destiny whether she wanted it or not.
    The Citadel was coming for tea.

    Chapter Two
    With their stall shut down for the day, the remaining produce put away, there was nothing left to do but go home and wait for the authorities.
    “Ali, what do you think they are going to do to you?”
    “Mama, I have no idea. I am glad I did what I did, but I have no idea how I am going to explain it.” She flipped the switches on their skimmer and they flew home with the wave of daily traffic leaving the city.
    “I know, honey. I am glad that your dad will be with us when they come. A united front is better than you facing them on your own.”
    Aliiva grinned and the moment that traffic peeled away, she gunned the skimmer down the rural lanes and whipped it onto their property.
    The commercial harvest was sold, only the small farmer’s market supply remained and the storehouse that the family used was bursting at the seams. The Egrar farm was doing well and had enough cash to carry it into the next decade if anything were to go wrong with the seasons.
    Her family’s farm had been endangered when she was a child due to drought and her father swore never to let it get that close to disaster again. He was as good as his word and while they had spent several lean years on the edge of insolvency, they had eventually pulled away and now were in a secure position.
    If she was arrested by the Citadel, at least she knew that her family was going to be fine. Her three younger siblings were almost adults and were all blessedly normal. Talent seemed to collect only in the eldest child, so the younger ones were safe from the kind of adjustments she had been forced to make.
    Aliiva settled the skimmer neatly in the off-load area and started to unload the vehicle, storing the remaining squash and other produce, crate by crate.
    Huge and familiar hands joined hers. “Your ma tells me that we are getting guests this afternoon.”
    Her father towered over her as he hauled off two of the heavy crates easily to her struggle with one. “Yes, we are. I am sorry, Papa.”
    “You did what your conscience told you to do. There is nothing wrong with following your sense of duty or saving lives.”
    “Mama told you that I saved lives?” She leaned against the stack of crates and blinked at him in the dimness of the storage barn.
    “She didn’t have to. I know you, blossom. You would never risk yourself if there weren’t others at stake.” He gave her a quick hug and they returned to unloading the skimmer.
    After everything was stored and the climate control was running, she entered the house and her mother ordered her to go and freshen up.
    “They will be here within the hour. I was told to expect four of them, so Viinya is working on the parlour and Riisha is