Fire Island: Book 3 of The Chatterre Trilody (Chatterre Trilogy) (8 page)

"Affirmative."

Now, she knew for certain that the android's logic circuits were damaged. "And just how could a feline, which does not have opposable thumbs to hold tools, create something this intricate?"

"Myst-energy."GEA-4 turned away from the skull and leveled her silvery stare on her. "You saw Kazza's magical abilities when you were fleeing Kalamar and he rescued Nambaba from attack. Do you doubt he could build something with magic?"

"What I doubt is that any feline would spend the hours, days, weeks or even years that it must have taken to carve and finish something this perfect and intricate. I mean what would be the point?"

"I believe this could be some form of communication device."

"Are you serious?"

"Affirmative."

"And that is why you've been staring at it?"

"Affirmative."

"Oh." Tem-aki squinted at the polished crystal-quartz and wondered if GEA-4's assessment was another anomaly of a faulty logic program or if she could be onto something.

But who would design a communication device to look like a skull? And why? Surely, if someone wanted to create something functional out of quartz, they could have found a simpler design to carve. Probably even a more aesthetically attractive, yet simple design. She frowned. "Do you know how it works?"

"Negative."

"But you are trying to figure that out."

"Affirmative."

"Well, good luck, then."

Chapter 12

Nimri was startled awake, but didn't know what had woken her. She lay in bed, listening to Larwin and Mica breathing. Nothing wrong there. A night-bird's lonely hoot echoed in the distance, letting her know that she was not the only one awake. The rhythmic drum of the waterfall sounded constant.

She hadn't been having a nightmare, so what had startled her?

Opening her eyes, she looked around her bedchamber. Moonlight flickered as clouds flitted through it, but that wasn't uncommon. A moth fluttered past the window. Nimri rolled onto her side, so she could see Sacred Mountain's peak, but there was no omen to be seen there.

So, what had woken her?

Her gaze dropped to the crystal skull that looked out the window. The way the moonlight was caressing it looked as if a magical light was coming from inside it. This was not the first time she'd noticed the skull appear as if it was filled with light, but it was the first time she'd noticed what looked like another face staring out the back of the skull. Nimri narrowed her eyes, certain that they were playing tricks on her, but she still saw a face with shining silver eyes.

GEA-4!

Quietly, she shook Larwin's shoulder. "What?"

"Shhhh," she whispered, "you'll wake Mica. Look toward the window. Do you see anything strange?"

"Other than the skull being filled with light?"

"That's mainly it." She swallowed before she added, "Do you see anything in the light?"

"A face, but that can't be. How'd you get GEA-4's likeness in there?"

"I didn't do this and don't know how or why it's there."

"It's your skull." Larwin got out of bed and went to the window. "There isn't a candle in it, does it use moonlight?"

"I have no idea."

"Why not?" Larwin asked.

"It was great-grandfather's." Nimri sighed. "You know how little he told me." The skull and staff of power had been his most prized possessions. She'd witnessed him using the staff, and knew how powerful it was, but until now, she had assumed that the skull was some sort of strange artwork. Now, she realized that it must possess some sort of power that she did not understand.

"Does Thunder know?"

"I don't know. I mean, I know he has one, but I always assumed that... I don't know what I assumed."

"Too bad Rolf was so afraid someone would be more powerful than him."

"You believe that's why he acted the way he did?" Nimri asked in surprise.

"Makes sense to me," Larwin said. He returned to the bed and sat next to her. "When I was in school, there was a teacher, whose reputation at planning a campaign was top-notch, so I was excited to learn strategy from him. The only thing was that he was the worst teacher in the world. He seemed to bury us in trivia and be extremely critical of anyone who came up with a new idea. After a few months, some of us realized that he was taking our innovative ideas – the ones he'd ridiculed – and claimed they were his own to the War College."

"How did you find that out?"

"Battle strategy would be reported after the conflict. It didn't take a lot to figure out."

"What did you do?"

"Not a lot we could do other than boycott his class."

"Did that work?"

"Not really."

Somehow, Nimri wasn't surprised to hear that. If Larwin's teacher had been like her great-grandfather, no matter what anyone else did, they would look incompetent or worse, while he would appear skilled. She took his hand. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked in surprise.

"For that man taking your good ideas and making you feel inferior."

"He did it to everyone, not just me." Larwin turned his attention on her. "It wasn't like what you had to deal with. Rolf made sure you were isolated and dependent on him for everything. Plus, you really didn't have anyone to talk to other than him or people he had control over." He caressed her cheek. "I had a barracks full of classmates to talk to and conspire with. Trust me, you had it a lot worse than me."

While she wasn't so sure about that, it wasn't worth arguing about. Besides, it was nice being held in the dark while looking at the skull and listening to the sounds of night.

"Tomorrow, if you like, I'll head over to Thunder's and ask him what he knows about the skull," Larwin said.

Nimri kissed his chin. "Thank you."

"That is what you wanted, right?"

Nimri nodded. "I believe GEA-4 is trying to tell us where she is, but I don't understand what she is trying to tell me."

"And you hope Thunder does." She nodded in agreement.

~0~

To Nimri's surprise, Thunder arrived at her kitchen door shortly after morning meal. While Bryta bustled around, happily making him something to eat, Nimri knew that he hadn't come for Bryta's biscuits, no matter how mouth-watering they were.

And when he zeroed in on her, instead of Larwin, she knew he hadn't come to discuss a new construction project.

Transferring Mica to his carry-basket, she motioned for Thunder to follow her outside. Once they were out of earshot of Bryta, who not only tended to overreact, but also was one of the tribe's worst gossips, Nimri asked, "Did you see something in your skull?"

"How did you know?" He quickly held up a calloused hand. "That was a dumb question. For a moment, I forgot you had one, too." He pulled her into the shade of a stately pine tree and faced her. "Did you see them, too?"

"Them?"

He nodded so vigorously that the tiny feathers, which were woven into his hair looked like they were attempting to fly. "Of course, them. GEA-4 and Tem-aki."

"You saw Tem-aki, too?"

"You didn't?"

"No."

He frowned. "What do you think that means?"

She chewed her lower lip, before she admitted, "I don't know. I woke in the middle of the night and noticed the skull was glowing, but at first thought it was the moonlight." Thunder nodded in agreement. "Then, I realized that two shiny eyes were looking out the back of the skull, and initially thought it was an odd trick."

"But it wasn't."

"I woke Larwin and he studied it, too."

"But only saw GEA-4?" Nimri nodded. "What do you think caused it?"

"Don't know." Nimri continued chewing her lip, as she looked past Thunder to her sleeping son. "I thought that maybe she was trying to tell me she was alive."

"And now?"

"If you saw Tem-aki, too, then I'm not sure what it might mean." She rubbed her temples. "I always associated that thing with death – it is a skull, after all, and an image can't get much deader than that."

Thunder plucked a pine-bud off the tree and rolled it between his fingers. The strong, clean scent of crushed pine began to surround them. "Dad once told me it was used to communicate with those who were gone."

"Did he mean dead?"

Thunder shrugged. "That's what I thought he meant at the time, but since last night, I wonder."

"Why? Are you afraid that if you now have proof that Tem-aki is dead that we should rethink telling Larwin?" Nimri rubbed the back of her neck, bent down, repositioned Mica's basket, and sat down next to it. She lightly wrapped her arms around her legs and put her chin on her knees. "What good would telling him serve? He can never return to his world, so he will never be able to see any of his family or friends, again. In fact, they are already gone."

"True." Thunder leaned back against the tree's rough bark. "But what if she isn't dead?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly that: what if she isn't dead and is trying to contact us to help her?"

"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"GEA-4."

Nimri blinked, not following his logic.

Thunder pushed away from the trunk and began to pace. "Think about it. GEA-4 is something called technology. If she died, which is something I'm not sure is possible, would she be at the same place as a person?"

That was an excellent question and one she didn't have an answer for. "Would Larwin know?"

"I don't know, but if anyone does, it would be him." Thunder frowned, "But to tell him and explain all this, we need to tell him about his sister." Thunder sat down on the dried pine needles and faced her. "Do you think that would be wise?"

"I don't know, but if there is a possibility that she is alive and we can rescue her, then yes, I think so."

"You don't sound confident."

"I'm not." Nimri's fist clenched in frustration. "Despite what you apparently think, I can't read minds and while I know Tem-aki is special to him, I don't know how he'd react."

"React to what?" Larwin asked as he emerged from behind the pine tree's trunk.

The feathers in Thunder's hair stood out straight and he gulped. Nimri's fingernails dug into her palms and Mica woke with a scream. Nimri picked up Mica and soothed him, leaving Thunder to explain why he had not mentioned Tem-aki to Larwin, when he had initially returned from securing the Star Bridge.

Larwin glared down at them. "Well?" Fisted hands, on hips, his glower urged them to speak. "Which one of you is going to tell me why you felt it was necessary to have a chat about my sister way out here?"

"We didn't come out here to talk about her," Thunder said.

Larwin's fist smacked the palm of his other hand, as he silently urged her brother to defend his statement.

Thunder cleared his throat. "Did you see the skull when it was glowing, last night?" A brief look of confusion crossed Larwin's face and his stiff posture relaxed, as he nodded. "Well, my skull glowed, too," Thunder said, "and that is what I came here to discuss with Nimri. We came out here to talk in private because I don't think either of us knows what to think about this and we didn't want to alarm anyone." Thunder looked at her for confirmation.

Nimri nodded as she settled a now calmer Mica into her lap. "You know how Bryta gossips. If she knew that the skull had glowed and we had seen GEA-4, she'd be running down the mountain right now instead of making biscuits."

Larwin looked from one to the other, his expression unreadable. "And she would get the facts mixed up, and get everyone upset." His eyes narrowed. "Is her gossiping your only reason for coming out here to talk?"

Nimri felt heat climbing up her neck. "You saw GEA-4 in the skull, too."

Larwin gave a short nod. "You know I did."

Nimri swallowed. "Thunder saw her in his, too."

"Fine, so what does that have to do with my sister?"

"I sat up looking at the skull for most of the night," Thunder got to his feet, then added, "and for a brief time, your sister was shown in there with her."

Both Larwin's hands clenched into fists. "And how would you know the person you were seeing was my sister?"

Thunder tensed, then straightened his shoulders and looked Larwin straight in the eye. "Because I met her during my return from Kalamar."

"And it took you this long to mention that to me?"

"I apologize."

Larwin turned to Nimri. "And you knew about this." She nodded. "But you didn't say anything, either." She shook her head. "Explain."

Nimri looked at Thunder, willing him to talk, instead his lips flattened, which meant he was not about to speak. "It was complicated."

"Of course it was, but if he could figure out the words to explain it to you, then why not me? She is MY sister, after all."

"Exactly!" Nimri stood up to face him. "You have an emotional attachment, I don't."

Larwin put his fists on his hips. "So she is hurt?" Nimri chewed her lower lip, uncertain what to say. Larwin's eyes widened. "DEAD?"

"We don't know!" Thunder said. "And that is our problem. We didn't want to burden you before we knew facts."

Though Larwin grabbed Thunder's arms in a bruising grip, her brother didn't attempt to fight. "You," Larwin said, "will tell me everything from the beginning and this time, do not skip any details." When Thunder nodded, he relaxed his grip, but did not step back.

"I don't know where to begin."

"How about the beginning?"

Thunder frowned. "I'm not sure when that is, because where it began for Tem-aki differs – a lot – from where it began for me."

A small muscle in Larwin's jaw twitched. "And how would you know when it began for her?"

"She told me," Thunder said.

Larwin stiffened. "You spoke to her?"

"After she came aboard Nambaba, yes."

"And that was – is Raine's ship," Larwin said. Thunder nodded. "And you have not mentioned this until now." Thunder nodded, again. The small muscle in Larwin's jaw twitched several times. "Might I ask why not?"

"The unknown," Thunder said, as if the simplicity of his reason was obvious.

Larwin closed his eyes and Nimri could hear him counting in his native language. "Unless you want a lesson in hand to hand combat, you'd better explain your remark."

"The fact is that we lost her and don't know how, where or why." Thunder cleared his throat. "I assure you that as soon as we discovered something concrete about her location, we – I – would have told you."