The Tigrens' Glory (20 page)

“You’re a Princess?” Kirk asked in surprise.  Glory nodded.  “Why did you not tell us this before?”

“Does it matter?” Glory asked, frowning. 

“No, it doesn’t matter at all,” Kyerion said, warning Kirk with a glance to hold his tongue.  “Please continue, Glory.”

“I have two sisters, both beautiful, graceful, feminine, clever, and knowledgeable in the finer arts.  They are all the things royal Princesses should be.  I was different.”

“Different?” Kyerion asked.  “Different in what way?”

“I was not feminine.  I lacked grace, beauty, charm, and a pleasing personality.  I possessed none of those traits or skills expected of a Princess.”

Cade smiled and opened his mouth, but a signal from Kyerion silenced him before he spoke.  Glory was absolutely serious.  She was not using feminine wiles to gain compliments, nor was she attempting to elicit their pity or sympathy.  She spoke with a cool detachment that disturbed Kyerion because it was absolutely not an act.  She felt no pain at being singled out from her sisters, no jealousy, no longing to be all the things she thought she wasn’t, but most certainly was.  She spoke as if she were talking of someone else.  A stranger. 

“When I was in my ninth year, a man named Pusan-Lo came to the palace and sought counsel with my father, King Bashir,” she said.  “That same day I was placed in Pusan-Lo’s care and custody, and sent with him to learn the arts of war.”

“Did your mother not object to this?” Kyerion asked.

“My mother died when I was born,” Glory said flatly.

Kyerion, watching her closely, noted that her hands had begun to tremble, though otherwise she expressed no emotion whatsoever.  For the first time, he wondered why she always wore gloves.  He’d thought it part of her warrior garb, but now he wondered.  Had she worn them the last time they’d seen her?  When she was wearing that soft blue outfit that had tested every ounce of self restraint he possessed in order to keep his hands off of her? 
Yes
, he realized.  She had.  And he’d been so busy with his own desires and emotions that he hadn’t even noticed something that should have stood out plainly to all of them.

“You began training to be a warrior at the age of nine?” Kyerion asked in a carefully neutral tone, avoiding the subject of her mother which was obviously sensitive ground.

“Yes,” Glory replied.  “My brothers began training earlier than that, but I was female.  No one expected me to become a warrior, but Pusan-Lo insisted upon it.”

“What was Pusan-Lo like?” Cade asked softly.  Kyerion heard the tension beneath his youngest brother’s words, but Glory didn’t. 

Glory’s hands stilled and her shoulders relaxed as an expression of peace and affection crossed her face.  “At first he frightened me.  He was much larger than men I was used to, not as big as you three, or the Dracon Princes, but close.  He had sky blue eyes and snow white hair, neither of which I’d ever seen before.  He spoke little, and he had a gruff manner, but he was good to me.  And patient.  Eventually, I learned to trust him.  He taught me everything I needed to know to be a good warrior, as well as other things such as reading, writing, and Ramourian history.  He was, in most respects, my only family from that day forward.”

“Did your true family never visit you?” Kyerion asked, watching her carefully.  There was something strange about her story.  Or the way she told it.  He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

“As a member of the royal family, I was required to visit the palace and present myself to King Bashir two times a year,” Glory replied.  “On the day of my birth, and on the day before the spring equinox.  Aside from that, I saw them only from a distance.  When I was eighteen years old I was deemed skilled enough to be given a post as a junior palace guard.  In time, I progressed through the ranks until I commanded my own unit at the age of twenty-three, an unheard of feat for a female.  I was one of only eight female guards, and none of the others were officers.”  Glory paused for a moment, considering, before she said, “That’s all there is to tell of my childhood.”

Kyerion, Cade, and Kirk were stunned.  Why had a nine year old girl, a princess, been trained as a warrior?  Why had she been assigned as a palace guard when she should have been inside that palace with her family, being guarded herself?  Why had a stranger been allowed to take her from her family and raise her alone?    Why was the tale of her childhood so short?  And why did she tell the story so calmly, so coolly, without emotion or embellishment of any kind except for that one moment when her hands trembled? 

Kyerion had hoped that by telling them about her life, he’d learn more about the woman she now was.  Instead, her story raised more questions than it gave answers.  The worst of it was that Glory was not lying.  That was truly all she had to say of her childhood.  He found that singular fact chilling.

“How long have you searched for us?” he asked.

“I’ve sought some sign of shifters for as long as I can remember, though it wasn’t easy on Ramouri,” she said.  “They keep a tight control on information, especially for women.  About six weeks ago I learned that a race of shifters lived on Jasan, and made arrangements to leave Ramouri for the first time.  It’s amazing, really.  I’d never imagined leaving Ramouri before, and here I am, on my way to Xantara.”

“Will you return to Ramouri after you’ve found us?” Cade asked.

“No, that isn’t an option for me,” Glory said.  “Before my departure King Bashir gave me a choice between marriage to a man I despised, and banishment.  I chose banishment.”

“Why would a father do such a thing to his daughter?” Cade wondered.  “You are his blood.”

Everything within Kyerion stilled as something dark flickered in the depths of Glory’s eyes.  It was there and gone so quickly that Kyerion knew he’d have missed it if he hadn’t been watching her so closely.  Yet there was no more emotion in her voice or manner now than before.

Glory shrugged dismissively in response to Cade’s question.  “I’ll not return to Ramouri, so it is of no importance.  Once the three of you are safely returned to your people, I plan to travel the galaxy.  The Thousand Worlds is very big, and is only a tiny part of an even larger galaxy--there are many peoples, many cultures to see and explore.”

“Who is this man your father chose for you to marry?” Kyerion asked, his voice deceptively soft.

“Rollo Shorif, Master and Liveryman of the Ramouri Merchant Guild,” Glory replied.  They were coming to know her better with each word she spoke, so they all sensed her distaste even though she gave no obvious sign of it.  “I’d never met him, but I knew of him.  He is renowned for his cruelty and greed.  Though I chose banishment, he still followed me to Jasan in an attempt to Free Claim me.”

“You sound amused,” Kyerion said, struggling to calm his tigrenca at the thought of any male following her, or claiming her.

“I am, a little,” she said.  “In his arrogance, Shorif committed several grave offenses when he reached Jasan.  High Prince Garen contacted King Bashir and made it clear that if Shorif wasn’t punished to his satisfaction, Jasan would go to war with Ramouri.  King Bashir immediately stripped Shorif of his rank and office, confiscated his property, and sentenced him to three years on a penal planet for his crimes on Jasan, plus three more for nearly starting a war.”

“I grow to like these Princes of the Jasani,” Kirk said with a rare smile.

“Yes, they are good men,” Glory agreed.  “In truth, all of the Clan Jasani I’ve met so far seem to be good people, both men and women.  What surprises me most is the affection the men and their Arimas have for each other.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“The bond between an Arima and her Rami has always been such that they cannot bear separation for more than a short period of time,” Kyerion said.  “I trust that has not changed.”

“No, it hasn’t,” Glory confirmed, though she appeared slightly puzzled.  “Princess Lariah Dracon left her infant sons and young daughters behind to join her men in this attack against the Xanti.  I’ve seen her in her dracon form, and she’s quite formidable, but Lariah isn’t a warrior.  Arima Saige Lobo is here as well, and although she is a warrior, she is also very close to giving birth to her sons.  Several more consuls wives are here too, all equally devoted to their Rami.  It has been a rare privilege for me to get to know these women.”

“Glory, how is it that you’re able to join us here, in this place, and touch our minds?”  Kirk asked, seemingly changing the subject.

“I suppose it’s because I’m a Dream Walker,” Glory said.  “I didn’t know that until I went to Jasan, but I know it now.  That’s the explanation for all of it.  The dreams I had when I was young, the daydreams I’ve had for the past few weeks, this valley and the way I’m talking to you now.”

“What is your physical self doing at this moment?” Cade asked.

“Sitting in the middle of my bed in my room aboard the
Ugaztun
, meditating.”

“Meditating?” Kyerion repeated the unfamiliar word. 

“It’s a beneficial mental state reached by relaxing and calming both the mind and the body,” she replied.  “It was the first thing Pusan-Lo taught me, using a method he called the
Garra-Atea.
  The Flame and the Door.”

“Interesting,” Kyerion said.  The word had not been familiar, but the concept was.  As a Druid he was fully aware of several different types of meditation and its benefits, but he wanted to hear what Glory had to say about it.  “Will you explain this to us?”

“You relax your body and picture a calm, empty space in your mind,” Glory said.  “Then imagine a burning candle, and a door.”

Kyerion had a sick feeling growing within him, but he was even better than Glory at hiding his feelings when he put his mind to it.  “Go on,” he urged her gently.

“You feed negative and stressful emotions into the flame, burning them to ash, releasing them from your mind and body completely.  Once you’ve shed emotion it’s easier to find your center and obtain peace and calm.”

“I see,” Kyerion said thoughtfully.  “And what of the door?”

Glory opened her mouth, then closed it.  She didn’t want to tell them this.  She hadn’t meant to tell them as much as she already had. 

“Glory?” Cade asked, frowning in concern at the near panicky expression on her face. 

She sighed, unable to think of a way around answering the question without giving the matter more importance than she wanted it to have.  “The door is for locking away memories that interfere with your day to day life, yet serve no real benefit.” 

Kyerion nodded, giving away nothing of his true feelings.  He wasn’t sure why he’d feared this answer, but he had.  “Why is the door here, in this valley with us?”

“I’m not sure,” Glory said, her expression one of bafflement.  “I’ve always used the Flame and the Door when I meditate, because that’s how I was taught.  When I built this valley in my mind I didn’t include either of them.  Yet the door is here, while the candle isn’t.”

“Well, it matters little,” Kyerion said, waving a hand in dismissal.  He thought it mattered a great deal, but Glory didn’t need more to worry about.  She had enough to deal with just trying to help them.  “It feels as though you’ve been here a long time, Glory.  As much as we enjoy your company, we don’t want you to overdo.  Perhaps it’s time to return to yourself now.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’re right,” Glory agreed.  She was feeling a little tired, now that he’d mentioned it.  “There is an important subject we must speak of first, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” Kyerion said. 

“We’ll be going through the jump point to the Xanti’s home galaxy, which we call the Large Magellanic Cloud or the LMC, very soon, and expect to reach Xantara shortly afterward,” Glory said.  “Time is running out, and I still don’t know where you are.  Now that you know what I’m doing in order to speak with you, I wonder if you can help me figure out how to find your physical bodies.”

“We shall give the matter our full attention, Glory,” Kyerion said.

“Thank you,” Glory said.  “I’ll try to be back tomorrow evening.  If it doesn’t work, I’ll see you the next day.”

Kyerion watched Glory close her eyes, then vanish.  The valley around them shivered as her vision ended, and was immediately replaced with their own copy.  The three of them sat quietly, thinking on the things Glory had told them, and those things they’d read between the lines. 

Kyerion replayed the sound of her voice in his mind.  Such a cool, calm voice.  Until he listened more deeply with his returning Druid senses.  Only then did he discover that it vibrated with so much pain it took his breath away.  Pain that Glory herself seemed completely unaware of.  How long had she lived with such pain?  It had to be a long time in order for her to have become so inured to it that she no longer noticed it.  Years.  Many years.  Since childhood?  Yes, it had to be.  Somehow, someone had caused the child she’d once been so much pain that it haunted her still. 

***

Glory’s eyes opened and she spent a few moments stretching muscles stiff from staying in one position for so long.  Just as she’d told the Tigren, she was sitting in the middle of her bed aboard the
Ugaztun
, the mosaic lying on the blanket in front of her.  She climbed off the bed, waving her hand over the sensor on the bedside table to turn on the lights.  According to the clock it was the middle of the night, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet.  Talking about her life had stirred up too many unpleasant feelings that she didn’t really understand because she no longer possessed the memories to go with them.  She knew only that she was tired, but tense. 

She walked over to the vid-terminal, pulling up the
Ugaztun’s
general
Ship’s Status and Events
screen that Prince Trey had told her about.  According to the current data, the
Ugaztun
would reach the jump point that would take it to the LMC the following afternoon, with the remainder of the task force arriving by that evening.  The next evening, after everyone had a chance to rest and prepare themselves, the
Eyrie
and the
Ugaztun
would make the roughly 160,000 light year jump to the Xanti’s home world, Xantara.  It would be the first known voyage by a vessel from the Thousand Worlds to another galaxy.