| Phase 11 Bart looked at the man sitting against the wall who had his arms crossed over his drawn-up knees and his face hidden between them. � Would you care to explain yourself?� � Not particularly.� � Do it anyway. And don�t leave out details. I have plenty of time for this.� So Sigurd gave a play-by-play of what he had done. � I . . . I don�t know why I did it. I just did. I didn�t mean to . . .� he trailed off and shuddered in self-loathing. Bart thought for a moment. The stories corresponded, so there was very little for him to assume. � Will this affect the way you operate?� � I don�t know.� � I need to know something. If you can�t remain effective at your station I�ll have to move you.� Sigurd knew the prince wouldn�t wait for a decision the next morning. But just as he was about to say that he needed to be moved, the door to Kris� room slid open and she stepped out into the hallway. He lifted his head and watched her curiously. She walked over to him and knelt beside him, putting her arms around his shoulders and resting her head against his. � Don�t leave because of me,� she said quietly. � If it really bothers you that much, let me go. This has been your home longer than it�s been mine. I can find another place. It�s all I�ve been doing my whole life anyway.� He shook his head. � No. You deserve a home.� � So do you.� She tugged his arm. � Come on now, stand up.� He did so and she turned him towards Bart. � Now tell him what you�ve decided.� Sigurd looked down at Kris, who smiled reassuringly. He then realized that if he did anything other than keep his current post it would make her very upset. He knew that she didn�t blame him at all for what happened and she wouldn�t stop him if he requested a change of post, but all the same, she must know something that he didn�t. Returning his attention to Bart, he said, � I�ll be fine where I am.� Bart nodded sharply. � Good, because I don�t know if I could put you at another station that wouldn�t bore you to death.� Kris yawned and hugged Sigurd�s waist. � Good night, Sig.� She went over to Bart and gave him a hug as well. � Good night, Bart.� She went into her room and flopped onto her bed as the door shut. Bart shook his head. � She is something else.� Sigurd couldn�t have agreed more. *>*<* Nisan. Boy, that place brings back memories. Well, it would if I were there. At the moment I was skimming over the waves of the Dennin Sea, watching fish dart back and forth. I noticed tall dorsal fins farther out and headed that way. I was in luck; I spotted the knicked fin near the front almost right away. Sinari! The death scythe rose to the surface and looked up at me. Krista! What�re you doing so far north? Pickings have become slim. She waved her front flippers and made a low, creaky noise. The rest of the pod split up and began to hunt for food. We came this way looking for better meals. The growth of the young is being stunted for lack of food and room to swim. Sounds bad. Will you be okay? The pod will be fine. There is no danger yet. Once we move into the cooler waters, food should be more abundant and we should do all right. Good. If you can�t find a place, let me know and I�ll help. She creaked again and the pod regrouped. I will keep that in mind. Thank you very much. No problem. See you around sometime maybe? Sometime maybe, she replied. We will probably not be much farther north than this. Okay. I�ll keep an eye out. Bye! The pod continued north at a distance-eating pace and I started back for dry land. I was met half way by a Gear whose whole demeanor was not pleased one tiny bit. I knew I was in for the lecture of a lifetime as she stopped moving, crossed her arms and hovered, wings beating every so often to keep her up. [Bartholomew and Sigurd are having kittens.] � I�m sure,� I grumbled, flying up to her head. � So they sent you out to retrieve me?� [I am the only one who could find you wherever you are. Even Weltall cannot fly over water alone.] � Yeah, well, I can take care of myself! I�m not seven anymore!� [They�re only worried about you.] � They shouldn�t be! I�m a grown woman, for heaven�s sake! I�ve taken care of myself nearly all my life and they still get mad when I try to do something on my own! I don�t need an escort wherever I go, damn it!� [Tell them that yourself. It�s not my job.] � If it�s not your job then why did you come out and get me?!� [It is not my job to argue for you. It is my job to make sure you do not get yourself killed. That is why I came out here.] I snorted and headed for Nisan. � I�ll give them both a scare to teach them what fear really is if it�s the last thing I do!� Axyl followed me down into the secret dock and went to her stall while I glided to the elevator and took it up to the bridge, getting angrier and angrier the longer I had to wait. As the bridge door opened, Sig turned. � There you are! I was . . .� he trailed off and eyed me suspiciously. � You left a warning and he didn�t find it, right?� � As a matter of fact I did! I told him I�d be out until around dintime!� � Where did you put it?� � On his bureau!� � He said you didn�t leave anything.� � Then he�s blind as a batrat!� � Wouldn�t be surprised to hear that.� � Where is he?!� He paused. � I�m half tempted to send you to your room until you�ve calmed down some.� � Won�t do any good!� I snapped. � I�ll stew on it until you let me out and then I�ll throttle him as soon as I see him!� � You�ll do that anyway.� He wrote on the clipboard. � He�s supposed to be escorting Marguerite to the cathedral.� I thanked him and left, taking a short-cut over the lake to the cathedral. I landed and stalked in. Initially, all I saw and heard were the sisters singing a hymn, but then voices above caught my attention. I flew up and stopped there, hanging even with the upper level. � Kris! Where�ve you been?!� I crossed my arms and glared at him in answer. � Kris?� He detected the cold malice and instantly realized his wrong. � What did I do this time?� I reached out and drug him across the guard wall, letting him hang from my hands. He held my wrists so tightly he nearly broke them and swallowed. � Plenty. Now you and I are going outside because what I have to say can�t be said in a place like this.� The wings arched and we floated almost too quickly to the floor. I let him go and he followed me outside. I touched the ground and spun on him. I stopped my fist just in time to keep from caving his face in. He hadn�t tried to block me; just shut his eyes (well, eye) and prepared to take whatever I was going to dish out. When I didn�t connect with his face his eye opened slowly and carefully, ready to shut again at a moment�s notice should it be necessary. � So what did I do again?� he asked meekly. I grabbed his eyepatch and nearly ripped it off his face so I could see both of his eyes (I hate that stupid thing!). � You didn�t even bother to take a look at your bureau, did you?!� � No,� he admitted. � Damn it, Bart! I always leave my notes on your bureau! Do I have to tape them to your forehead now?!� � No,� he repeated. � So I took half an hour out of my flight to find out that you�re too thick-headed to realize that I know to leave notes when I go out?!� � Yes.� I scowled. � Being agreeable will only get you so far.� � Did you do this to Sig?� � No. Why?� � He wasn�t involved. I�m sure Axyl told you he was, but he wasn�t.� � What did he say?� � He said he was sure you were okay and you were just testing the wings.� � You know why he said that?� He blinked. � Because I left him a note too!� He blinked again. � This is where that possessive thing comes into effect again,� I told him, giving him a rough shake. � And this is the point where it starts to get on my nerves.� I let him go abruptly and turned to stare out over the lake. � There�s nothing wrong with being possessive. It�s a healthy thing to have. But if you take it too far, trouble brews. Just like it�s doing now. I don�t need you to control my life. I can do that just fine without your help.� There was some quiet and then his hand rested lightly on my arm. � This was my fault. I didn�t pay any attention. I�m sorry.� � I bet you are.� I shoved the patch at his chest as I walked away. He caught it and watched me go. ~He stood, quickly and expertly painting the portrait of the woman who was sitting quietly nearby. Finally she spoke, drawing his attention though her voice was soft. � . . . Lacan . . .�~ I whipped around and stared up at the the cathedral. That painting . . . was the one of Sophia in the topmost room . . . Lacan? . . . Why was that familiar? � . . . Kris?� I blinked and looked at Bart. � What?� � Are you okay? You really spaced out there for a minute.� I massaged my temples. � I just . . . I saw something.� � What was it?� � I don�t know. It was weird. I saw Sophia. She was alive. Somebody was painting her portrait. You know, that huge picture?� He nodded. � She called him Lacan. The name seems so familiar . . .� � But Kris . . . That was five hundred years ago.� � I know! That�s why it�s so weird!� Pain streaked from one side of my head to the other and I clutched my head defensively, hissing as I sank to the path. Bart knelt beside me, but didn�t touch me. Last time he did, the pain nearly put him in a coma. After that, I forbid him from getting too close to me when this happened. In a moment the agony dissipated, though a strong ache remained. I let out the breath I didn�t know I�d been holding and sucked in another. Bart took that as an okay signal and held my face gently in his hands, his thumbs pressing against my temples just hard enough that it didn�t hurt, but so that the built-up pressure didn�t hurt either. I shut my eyes and sighed, pushing past his hands to lean against him. His arms closed around me and he laid his head on mine. The headache slowly went away and I got to my feet to brush myself off. It was then that Fei and Citan appeared from inside the cathedral. Fei pretended to be surprised. � Bart? You�re still alive?� Bart rolled his eyes. � I think I�d rather be dead, but yeah.� I leapt off the path and was almost touching the water before the wings began to flap and lifted me up into the air. � You�re legs are going to shrivel up and fall off from lack of use!� Bart warned in a yell, his hands cupped around his mouth so I was sure to hear him no matter where I was. I blew him a raspberry and headed into Nisan. � Then the same thing�s going to happen to your eyes!� � Why you!� I glided through the town and up one of the flights of stairs. I all but collided with poor Maison, who probably had a mild stroke at my sudden appearance only a few rhals from him. � Krista! Have you seen the young master?� � Uh, yeah.� I turned and looked back the way I�d come. � They were kind of but not quite right behind me.� He gave me a look. � I see.� � Of course you do.� � Do not mock me, Krista,� he ordered sternly. <--Phase 10 Phase 12--> |