Reclamation

The woman, Aria Stone, hesitated, until Eric said something in their own language to her. Perivar tapped his translator reflexively. At one time, he'd had Eric help him set it for the Realm's jaw-breaking language. Since they had parted ways, though, Perivar hadn't needed that particular information and the disk's assembly time was going slow.

The woman walked across the threshold, blinked at the lighting change, got a look at Kiv and the kids, and froze.

The translator finally had the file reconfigured and Perivar heard Eric mutter, "I warned you."

So she's straight out of the woods. Wonderful. Perivar strangled a fresh sigh.

Kiv responded to her stare by uncoiling himself until his scalp brushed the ceiling so she could get a really good look. Sha, Ka, and Dene scrambled up on their parent's back, whistling and draping themselves across his shoulders and his lower arms. They wanted to be looked at, too. The other two kept themselves still. Having been raised with humans, all the kids could read the difference between a stare of wonder and a stare of fear. The motionless two chose to acknowledge that difference.

"I wish well-come to you and yours Eric Born and Aria Stone," announced Kiv politely, although Perivar figured he must have been getting the hint by now. Kiv could be willfully dense some days.

"Thank you," Aria croaked. She stepped back and seemed to try to collect herself.

"She says thanks," Perivar told Kiv as the Shessel touched his translator set in his lowest ear and cocked his head.

"Obscure language." Aria wore a translator disk in her ear, so she could understand Kiv, but since she didn't speak any of the languages Kiv's disk was set for, all he could hear from her was gibberish.

"Ah," Kiv shrank back to his normal stance, depositing children on assorted flat surfaces.

Perivar turned to Eric. "We need to talk for a minute." He jerked his chin toward his living rooms.

"I assumed we would. Aria." The sound of her name finally got the woman to tear her gaze away from Kiv. "I'll be in the next room. If you…"

"I'll be all right." Her voice held steady but Perivar caught the slight trembling in her hands before she clenched them into fists and pressed them against her side.

Eric opened his mouth to say something but obviously changed his mind. Jaw firmly shut, he brushed past Aria and headed for Perivar's rooms. Perivar's glance wavered between the pair of them for a moment before he followed Eric.

The living rooms were as crowded as the workroom. The chairs and tables were all padded blocks of no style or period. They were functional and sturdy and that was all. The one luxury was the windows. Two walls worth of transparent polymer let the sunlight in, even if the view of the warehouse cluster was less than inspirational.

Perivar slid the door shut and faced Eric.

Gods, he's changed. Wouldn't know him from anybody on the colony.

"When'd the Vitae get hold of this place?" The worried note in Eric's voice shocked Perivar.

"Three, maybe four local years ago. We're a late acquisition. What's the problem?"

"I wish I'd known," Eric said wearily.

Silence fell, thick and heavy.

"We're not on the network anymore, Eric," Perivar said, at last. "Nobody's listening. I need an explanation for this, now."

Eric's shoulders stooped even farther than usual. "I'm in trouble, Perivar. That's the explanation. The Vitae tried to stash me in Haron Station, which is where they had Aria."

Perivar felt the blood begin to drain from his face. "What in the name of all the gods would they do that for?"

"As soon as I know, you'll know." Eric's fingers hooked around each other. "They're after something in the Realm of the Nameless Powers. I'll be drowned and washed away if I know what it is. I thought it was my"—he stared at his bare palm—"power gift, but she…Aria"—his hand swept down toward the door—"isn't gifted. The Vitae picked her up out of the Realm and reeled me in to help deal with her.

"I'm on the run again, Perivar." Eric looked up again and the expression in his eyes made Perivar's throat tighten. "I'm going to try to find out what the Vitae want from the Realm, and from me, and from Aria, for that matter, and then I'm going to try to find a way out of it, whatever it is."

Perivar knew the tone he used. He would do as he said, even if it killed him.

Perivar wanted to shout. This is not two runners nobody liked and a quick bit of mutiny. This is the Vitae! Remember them? The ones who control half the Quarter Galaxy! The ones we spent two years ducking AFTER we got away from Tasa Ad! But saying it aloud wouldn't have budged Eric any farther than the silent thought did.