Switched: Brides of the Kindred 17 (44 page)

“
True,” Commander Terex said, coming to stand beside them.
“Which is why I will be happy to escort Commander Kerov and Frankie
to the Sacred Grove for you.”

“
Well, thank you, Commander Terex.” Sylvan nodded at the other
male. “It’s very kind of you to help me out.”

“
I
do not mind.” Terex’s handsome features darkened. “I know the pain
of being invaded by another and having your body taken over by an
alien host. I imagine these two are extremely ready to be separated
and put back into their own skins.”

Frankie wasn’t sure
what he was talking about but it sounded like he also had
experience with some kind of body switching.

“
Of course,” she said, nodding. “Thank you for volunteering to
take us. We’re more than ready to Switch back.”

Kerov gave her a
look. “The sooner the better,” he growled.

Mentally, Frankie
sighed. Clearly he was still pissed at her—was it just because she
had kissed his best friend or was there something more? Was he
still mad that she’d told his parents they weren’t together? What
did the big stupid Kindred want from her?

“
We’ll go too,” Liv said, nodding at Kate who nodded back.
“Kate should come because she heard the prophesy in a dream in the
first place and she needs to tell whatever priestess you get to try
and separate the two of you. And I’ll come for moral support.” She
squeezed Frankie’s hand again and Frankie squeezed back
gratefully.

Elaina, the lady
from the HKR building cleared her throat hesitantly.

“
Do you mind if I come too? Not to butt into your
business—there’s just something…rather important I’d like to talk
to a priestess about if I may.”

“
I
don’t mind,” Frankie said, looking at Kerov. “Do you?”

He sighed. “I
suppose not. Everyone here apparently knows our private business
already anyway.”

“
Well don’t worry—we won’t tell,” Liv promised him. “We’ll
keep it under our hats.”

“
What?” Kerov frowned at her uncertainly. “Why would you put
information about me under your head covering? Is that some kind of
an Earth custom?”

Liv laughed and
Frankie couldn’t help smiling.

“
No, it’s just an Earth saying—it means we’ll keep your
private information private. We won’t tell anyone.”

“
All right.” Kerov seemed slightly mollified. “Well then, lead
us to the Sacred Grove, if you would please Commander
Terex.”

“
I
would be pleased to.” Terex nodded at them. “Come this way. And
Elaina…” He cleared his throat. “If you would like to walk with me,
I can point out some features of the Mother Ship. Have you been
aboard before?”

“
Oh, no—no, actually I haven’t.” She blushed and Frankie
thought the rosy glow in her cheeks made her look extremely
pretty.

“
Well, then…” Terex held out an arm to her in an
old-fashioned, courtly gesture that made Elaina blush even harder.
But she lifted her chin and took her place at his side, holding his
arm lightly as though it was hot to the touch.

“
Let us go,” Terex said. Giving Elaina the first smile Frankie
had seen on his handsome but dour face, he turned and led them
towards the exit.

Liv and Kate
exchanged a glance and then Liv winked at Frankie. Frankie winked
back and then looked at Kerov, wondering if he had noticed the
little display going on between Commander Terex and the HKR
employee. But to her discomposure, Kerov wasn’t looking at them—he
was staring directly at her and he didn’t look happy.

Not happy at
all.

* * * * *

Sylvan sighed
distractedly as he threaded his way through the maze of parked
ships in the docking bay. There was so much to do—so many
responsibilities weighing him down lately. He was thankful that
Terex was willing to pick up the slack on this particular item but
he wished he could delegate more.

He missed the days
when he had more time to spend with Sophie and their twins. The two
of them were growing up so fast and he didn’t want to miss their
childhood because of his duties. Still, the Goddess herself had
charged him with leading the Kindred of the Mother Ship and he
didn’t see how he could relinquish his position to another without
her blessing. Maybe if he went to the Sacred Grove and prayed about
it…

Sylvan was so lost
in thought that he barely noticed when he passed out of the docking
bay and into a narrow service corridor that connected to the
transport lifts which led to the Command Sector. He didn’t see the
large hand—exactly like his own except that it lacked a bandage on
the thumb—which shot out from a storage closet and grabbed him. And
he didn’t hear the laughter until it was too late.

“
What—?” Sylvan began but then he was yanked off his feet. A
sharp, piercing pain stabbed into his neck and the world began to
swim in front of him. The last thing he saw was a strangely
familiar face laughing into his own.

Then…blackness.

Chapter Twenty

“
And here is the Sacred Grove,” Terex said after what seemed
to Frankie an interminably long cross-ship journey. They had taken
several modes of Kindred public transport to get here including a
moving walkway and a floating bus. Liv had regaled her of stories
about another type of Kindred transport—the Take-me—which according
to her looked like a push-me-pull-you out of the Dr. Doolittle
books. Frankie was at least glad she hadn’t had to ride on one of
those—they sounded hard to control.

Her new friend’s stories were wonderful and entertaining but
Frankie couldn’t help noticing that every time she happened to
glance at Kerov he was staring straight at her with that same,
angry scowl on his face. Or rather, on
her
face. Frankie reminded herself never to make that
look—it was really unattractive on her. Also, it would probably
cause horrible wrinkles.

“
Hey,” she said as they came to the edge of a grove of purple
and green trees. “Do you mind not glaring at me like that all the
time? I’m sorry if you’re pissed off at me but it’s really hard to
see my own face giving me the stink-eye.”

“
The
what?”
He
frowned. “But neither of your eyes exude any kind of odor as far as
I can tell. I don’t—”

“
Dios de Madre!
It’s an
expression
,”
Frankie interrupted impatiently. “It means stop making such a mean
face at me. Especially since you’re using
my
face to do it.”

“
Forgive me,” Kerov said stiffly. “I didn’t realize I was
giving you an odiferous ocular. I will try to control my
expressions more carefully. But I’m sure you don’t have to
worry—doubtless you’ll have your own body back soon and then you
can make whatever faces you like without me to
interfere.”

“
Which is a good thing, right?” Frankie asked, feeling
exasperated. “I mean, you can’t tell me you don’t want your own
body back too.”

“
Of course I want it back,” Kerov burst out. “I
just—”

“
Just what?” Frankie prodded when he stopped
abruptly.

“
Never mind.” Kerov shook his head. “Let’s just get this over
with.”

“
Before we can go further into the Sacred Grove, we must
remove our footwear,” Terex said. “It shows proper respect to the
Goddess to go barefooted in her presence.” He frowned at the Hobbit
feet slippers Kerov was wearing. “But in the case of your footwear,
I’m not sure. It appears you have bare feet already—albeit
extremely hairy ones.”

Frankie felt herself
blushing. “Oh, those slippers are a joke—they’re from a movie back
on Earth,” she explained quickly. “I don’t think it would be, uh,
reverent to wear them into the Sacred Grove.”

“
I
will, of course, remove them,” Kerov said in a stiff voice. “I only
wore them because they are the only kind of footwear I was able to
find to keep Frankie’s feet warm. For some reason no matter how hot
it gets outside—and it gets very hot where she lives—her feet are
always cold.”

“
Well your feet are
huge,”
Frankie said, frowning as she pulled off his tall black boots.
“I’m really looking forward to not wearing a size fourteen
anymore.”

“
My feet are the correct size for my body,” Kerov shot back.
“And at least I do not strap them into ridiculously high-heeled
contraptions and go tottering about like a fool.”

Frankie was
beginning to be really pissed off now.

“
Listen, the only reason you ended up wearing those really high
heels was because you also put on the ugly dress that went with
them. How come you
always
pick
the worst thing to dress me in?”

“
I
am not the only one who dressed their host body inappropriately.
Why did
you
neglect to bring
my
chunnel
so that I was forced to
wear another’s at the banquet?” Kerov shot back. “I will never live
down the shame of that!”

“
Well, you—”

“
Children…children. The Goddess does not allow discord in her
Sacred Grove,” a soft but powerful voice interrupted their
argument. Frankie looked up and saw a young priestess with long
blonde hair streaked with green speaking to them from the edge of
the trees. A flowing white robe was draped around her slender frame
and Frankie thought she would have looked like an angel if not for
her strange eyes—both the irises and the whites of them were
green.

“
Hello, Priestess.” Commander Terex bowed low, respect clear
in his deep voice. “We seek your guidance and the wisdom of the
Goddess.”

“
Of course—we have been expecting you.” The priestess smiled
at him and then looked at Elaina. “But there is one among your
number who is here for a different reason—is there not?”

Blushing and
trembling, Elaina stepped forward.

“
Yes—that’s me,” she said, keeping her chin high. “But I don’t
want to interrupt you—I can wait.”

“
I
am not the only attendant in the Sacred Grove this day,” the
priestess said, smiling gently. “Nirobe,” she called. “Would you
kindly come here?”

At once an older
priestess appeared, smiling. She held out a hand to Elaina.

“
Come, daughter—the Goddess is willing to hear any
supplicant.”

“
Well…thank you.” Elaina smiled back and the priestess led her
away, into the depths of the rustling purple and green
leaves.

“
Now, then.” The first priestess clasped her hands together
and looked at Frankie and Kerov. “The two of you may come with me.
The rest should wait here.”

“
But, priestess—Kate here had a prophesy about these two she
needs to tell you,” Liv protested.

“
I
know of what you speak…

An old threat made new

Within silence grew

Can only be solved

By one who jumps True

She into he and he into she

Unless they are one

Apart they’ll not be

Exchange of the souls

A switch of the roles

But jumping between

Will take a harsh toll.”

The priestess recited the words easily, as
though she had known them all her life.

“
How…” Kate cleared her
throat and shook her head. “But how could you…?”

“
You are not the only one
the Goddess speaks to, daughter.” The priestess smiled at Kate
gently. “Though I can tell you are favored by her. But come—time is
wasting and the matter at hand is urgent and pressing.” She held
out a hand to both Frankie and Kerov. “Come, my children—into the
Sacred Grove. Let us seek the wisdom of the Goddess
together.”

Frankie followed her, and
Kerov did the same. As they passed into the silent grove of green
and purple trees, Frankie felt as though a soothing hand had
touched her soul. The lush grass tickled her bare feet and the
sunlight from the green Kindred sun above made dappled patterns as
it shone through the canopy of leaves. There was a warm,
fresh,
growing
scent that made Frankie feel lighter and more clearheaded
than she had been in days as she breathed it in. Slowly she felt
her anger and frustration slipping away until, by the time they
came to a stop in front of a statue of the Kindred Goddess, she
felt almost calm.

“
Now then, my children.”
The priestess turned to look at them, a slight smile gracing her
lovely face. “Tell me how I may help you.”

“
You can put us back into
our own bodies,” Kerov said quickly.

“
And keep us
there—
permanently,”
Frankie added.

The priestess frowned. “Ah…as to that I am
not certain it is possible.”

“
What?” Kerov exploded.
“But we were told you could help us!”

“
It’s the whole reason we
came up here!” Frankie put in. She leaned forward and put a hand on
the priestess’s arm. “Please, you have to help us. I can’t be
trapped in the wrong body forever—I
can’t.
I’m so tired of being a
guy!”

“
And I am sick and tired
of being trapped in a weak female body without the strength to
defend myself,” Kerov growled. “I cannot accept that there is no
way to Switch us back.”