She felt lost. What, exactly, had she been right about?
His expression was quite serious as he continued, “I am rather ashamed to acknowledge that there has always been an undercurrent of superiority among Estilorians, even among those of us who have lived the longest and consider ourselves more enlightened beings. When I first scribed the Great Foretelling, none of us realized that we were suffering as a result of having removed ourselves from humanity…that the relationship we once had with humans was quite symbiotic, and not as lopsided as we liked to believe.
“While we certainly have our powers and our strengths, humans have their own. They are merely different from ours, and perhaps not as obvious. We convinced ourselves even before creating this plane of existence that the ability to reproduce is not so important. Just biology, really. We could replenish our numbers in our own way, after all, and without the physical pain.”
There was a pause. Then Skye pointed out the obvious. “By using expiring human souls.”
He gave her a small smile. “Exactly. But it was easier by far to convince ourselves that our inability to reproduce was nominal in comparison to our great powers by treating the miracle of human birth quite dismissively.
“And then there is human emotion.” He paused and glanced down at his folded hands on top of the table. Then he looked again at her. “We never knew we were inherently unemotional beings. Evolving beside humans, we experienced emotions every bit as they did. Indeed, the decision to create this plane was a highly emotional one. Seeing humans warring over us all but tore us apart.”
She was deeply moved by his honesty. She also already understood with perfect clarity what he was trying to say. And she further understood the need for him to communicate it all to her.
He continued, “But rather than work together with the humans who still considered us friends to find a solution to the problem together, we placed ourselves above them. Made decisions for them. Convinced ourselves we were older, wiser and, due to our powers, obligated to do something. We know now how very wrong we were.
“I think we all subconsciously realized what we had done to ourselves within a few decades of the new plane having been created. It made itself known in subtle ways. The distancing of males from females. The scarcity of friendships. The difficulties the Corgloresti began to have in interacting with humans when they transitioned from our plane. But we simply couldn’t acknowledge our own foolhardiness. It remained an easier solution to believe that humans, due to their ‘volatile’ natures, had pushed us into making this decision for their well-being. And, very unfortunately, this has been the mentality with which young Estilorians have been raised.”
He held her gaze when he said, “What we now know is that we could not have been more wrong. Skye, you and your sisters are not ‘diluted’ Estilorians. Nor are you a fulfillment to a prophecy. What you are is perfect. The precise balance between human and Estilorian.
“In short, we owe you a tremendous apology.”
Chapter Seventeen
Skye didn’t know what to say.
Perfect? She and her sisters had just been called “perfect” by the Estilorian elders? Oh, she knew it wasn’t literal. No one was really perfect. But wow.
“We all deeply regret the reaction we caused among you and your sisters.” Knorbis’ eyes remained focused on her. She could all but feel his will behind his words. He desperately wanted her to understand him. “It was exactly the opposite effect we were trying to achieve. I know the recitation of the Great Foretelling seemed rather harsh. Please bear in mind that those words were scribed when I no longer had any connection with human emotion. Hearing them now and considering them from your perspective, they seem incredibly arrogant and, well, ignorant.”
Now, she frowned in concern. He sounded forlorn, as though he was beating himself up. That was something she truly couldn’t bear.
“Don’t say that, Knorbis. You foresaw our births, though it must have seemed completely unbelievable at the time. And we’re here, right? Gosh, you even foresaw Amber hooking up with Gabriel, though you didn’t know it would be Gabriel. And you foresaw Olivia and James, too.” She flashed a small smile. “Too bad you didn’t foresee me with anyone. But I’m guessing that’s because I’m planning to return to the human plane.”
Once again, there was absolute silence. She realized then that her sisters hadn’t conveyed that particular thought to their husbands, nor had Knorbis intercepted it. She’d never seen a group look more shell-shocked.
After realizing she had just sprung some rather weighty news on them, she held up her hands. “I’ll still help with the protections on the homelands,” she said hurriedly. “I would never bail on something so important. And I hope to stick around for the births of Amber’s and Olivia’s—um.”
She winced at the slip and then braced herself. Geez, she really was just a babbling idiot when she was nervous. As the inevitable barrage of questions hit her, she shored up her mental defenses and looked around until she caught Ini-herit’s eye.
“Olivia is pregnant?” the Corgloresti elder asked, his black brows drawn together.
It seemed silly to lie now. So she focused on keeping her voice level and answered, “She doesn’t know it yet. No one does. Except me, I guess. And now you. It won’t really be detectable for another week or so, when the baby’s heart starts beating.”
More bombardment. She felt panic beginning to rise. Then she noticed Zayna speaking to her and focused in on her.
“But how do you know that?” she was asking.
That was fairly easy to answer. “I saw it in my dreams,” she responded.
She rather expected there to be dismissive expressions and maybe even eye rolls. If she had been surrounded by humans, she was certain that would have been the case. Instead, Knorbis tilted his head and gave her a considering study. She filtered out the other comments and questions swirling around her so she could focus on him.
“How accurate are you?” he asked.
She was so relieved that he simply accepted her explanation that she didn’t even think about hedging. “Well, I can easily identify the flashes of the future from my regular dreams. And I don’t really get that many, in truth. But the flashes are nearly always accurate. Maybe two out of three.”
There were looks exchanged around the table. More questions resulted. She closed her eyes briefly against the flood and then heard Gabriel’s voice. She glanced at him.
“Why didn’t you say something?” His expression was unusually somber as he spoke.
She was having more trouble now keeping the noise around her blocked enough to hear him, but she read his lips well enough. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought it would be best for Liv and James to find out on their own. You know, in case I was wrong.”
As the next wave of voices crashed over her, she reached up to rub her eyes, suddenly exhausted. Then she took a deep breath to re-center herself. She used Gabriel’s voice as an anchor.
“Not about that,” he was saying, exasperation evident in his tone. “About wanting to transition back to the human plane.”
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking to clear her vision, and then looked at him. “Oh, that. Well, I only mentioned it to Amber and Olivia last night. I kind of thought Amber would say something to you, to tell you the truth.”
When he simply sat back in his chair and stared at her, his blue-gray eyes thoughtful, she knew she had screwed up.
You didn’t say that out loud, did you? she thought, her shoulders slumping.
Stop, Gabriel thought, holding up a hand toward everyone else at the table. He didn’t move his gaze from her.
The table fell blissfully silent. She sighed with relief. He stood, taking her arm and urging her to her feet. She didn’t argue when he led her about twenty feet away and then waved his hand, once again placing the two of them in an isolative white chamber. Although she sensed the other elders sitting where they had left them, it was a relief to have at least the illu
sion of privacy for a moment.
“How long have you been able to read our thoughts?” he asked.
Struggling against her discomfort, she replied, “I don’t read your thoughts, exactly. They’re kind of forced into my head. It’s been that way since I transitioned, though not like it was just now.”
He reached up and rubbed a hand down his face as he considered this. His wedding ring caught the light of the orbs bouncing on the ceiling, the honey amber stone and white-gold of the band gleaming radiantly. He continued to study her as his thoughts circled. Then he nodded. “Okay. What’s different now than usual is you aren’t with Amber and Olivia. I’m guessing you must be able to use them as a kind of filter, since you’re directly connected to their thoughts.”
She considered this. “I guess you’re right. When I’m with them, I kind of tune right into their thoughts. It allows me to keep pretty much everything else out.”
“Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” he asked.
How was she supposed to explain without sounding ridiculous? She hadn’t said anything initially because it scared her. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have access to the information known only by the elders. So as soon as she could, she taught herself to block the thoughts, using the techniques of Knorbis and Malukali to bolster her attempts.
And then she had learned just how odd she and her sisters were in the eyes of the Estilorians. There was the fact that they were identical in appearance, had markings around their eyes indicating their enhanced powers, had the unusual colored streaks in their hair, exhibited emotion, had the ability to reproduce...the list went on and on. So the idea of having even one more thing to make her stand out, opening her up to further potential ostracism, well, it really freaked her out.
He reached out and rubbed her shoulder. “I understand,” he said gently. “And as I’m the one who first quite idiotically pointed out the fact that you, Amber and Olivia are so different from other Estilorians, I can only apologize again for ever making you feel anything less than incredibly special.”
Her eyes widened. “Gosh. That’s really nice. Everyone’s being really, um, complimentary today. It’s kind of a lot to take in.”
“Well, we mean every word. And since you can read our thoughts, you can certainly read the sincerity behind them.” He waited for her nod. Then he continued, “These are things we should have done a better job of conveying to each of you before now. If we had, yesterday’s welcome would have gone much differently. Now that we’ve recognized our mistakes, we just really want you, Amber and Olivia to know that we understand what y’all gave up to come here. James and I were able to convey this to your sisters, and I wanted to be sure you knew it, too. We know we have a lot to learn about you, and there will be those among us who will fumble as we learn, myself included. So we ask for your patience as we do so.”
She sighed. “Thanks, Gabriel. That all means a lot. Really. And I understand now. Everything you and Knorbis said puts things into an entirely different perspective.”
He studied her silently for a moment. But you still want to return to the human plane?
I really think I do.
Now it was his turn to sigh. Okay. I’ll tell you what…if by the time we’ve finished implementing the enhanced protections around each of the Estilorian homelands you still want to return to the human plane, I’ll help you do so after Olivia’s baby is born.
She wanted to feel happy or relieved at his offer. She didn’t. But she recognized it for the gift it was, so she nodded.
Okay, she agreed. I won’t decide until the protections are all in place.
He patted her shoulder again and then waved to bring the table of elders back into view. They returned to their seats and she tried very hard to ignore the speculative looks she was receiving. It was time to face the music. And Knorbis wasn’t about to let her off easily.
“So,” he said calmly. “You can read our thoughts and you can see the future. Is there anything else you have left out that you think we should know?”
The protection ritual for the Wymzesti homeland was successful.
Caleb might have been imagining it, but it didn’t seem to take quite as much out of him this time. He didn’t even need Ini-herit’s healing power to remain on his own two feet.
Because they had conducted the ritual within the Wymzesti welcome area due to its geographic location, he now carried Skye back to their accommodations so she could sleep. Gabriel walked in front of him carrying Amber and James beside him with Olivia. The path back from the welcome area was rather short but not exactly private, and quite a few curious Wymzesti had appeared to watch them. Caleb realized with a frown that Xavier was waiting for them near the door to their rooms.
“Is Skye—that is, are they all right?” he asked as they neared. He sounded sincerely concerned.
“They’re fine, thanks,” Gabriel replied. His gaze moved to encompass all of the Wymzesti hovering nearby. “They just need to rest.”
There were a few murmurs and nods as the three Gloresti walked into their accommodations and let the door close behind them. Caleb was grateful for the peace and quiet. He was even more grateful to leave Xavier on the other side of the door.
Laying Skye in her bed, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Gabriel and James were fully occupied with situating their wives. Then he turned back around and made sure she wasn’t on top of her hair, since he knew she didn’t like sleeping on it because it resulted in snarls and knots. He smoothed a few stray curls away from her face. And if he allowed the backs of his fingers to stroke the smooth skin of her cheek, what of it?
It didn’t mean he was in love with her.
He backed out of her chamber and walked into the common area, sinking into one of the cushioned chairs. James and Gabriel joined him after another few minutes.
“I think that went rather well,” Gabriel said when they were all seated together. “It helped to know what to do and how to do it. It didn’t take as long.”
Caleb and James nodded in agreement.
“We’ll give them enough time to recover,” he continued. “Then we’ll head down to the Scultresti homeland.”
“Do you think that’s enough time between rituals?” James asked.
“I think so. We’ll gauge it upon how long it takes the girls to awaken this time. I suspect it’ll be a bit sooner than last time. They’re building in strength as they do this.” He paused. “And, in truth, I’m really hoping we can get done with this and back to Central before Amber really starts to show. As it is, she’ll be close to five months along by the time we make the rounds, at this pace.”
Caleb and James nodded. It was still highly unknown how Estilorians would react to the news that a baby was on the way. They all hoped it would be welcome news, but there was always a chance it would be greeted with suspicion or jealousy…just about anything, really.
To pass the time while the sisters slept, they discussed the specifics of each of the different homelands. Caleb and James had only ever been to the various homelands during their first years on the plane, as a part of their orientation to their new existence. That had occurred nearly eight decades ago. Their remaining years before they left to guard the sisters’ Estilorian forms had been spent solely at the Gloresti homeland. So they reviewed the layouts, the existing chains of command, the expected accommodations and the likely tone of the greetings they could expect at each homeland. It helped Caleb feel more prepared for what lie ahead.
A few hours into their wait for the girls to awaken, there was a knock on the door. Caleb was closest, so he rose and opened his senses as he approached the door. Then he stopped short.
Clenching his jaw, he reached out and yanked the door open. “What?” he asked abruptly.
Xavier stood on the other side. He was holding a deep blue glass vase containing a bouquet of brightly colored flowers inside of it. After an initial flinch at Caleb’s dark expression and tone, the young Wymzesti brought himself up a
nd attempted a smile.
“I brought these for Skye,” he explained, lifting the vase as if his gift wasn’t already obvious. “She commented how much she liked the freesias and violets when we were walking earlier. I thought these would bring a smile to her day.”
“She’s sleeping,” Caleb pointed out, irritated beyond reason.
“I understand,” Xavier said affably. “She and her sisters are admirably courageous to take on such a risky responsibility. May I leave these for her?”
With what he considered heroic patience, Caleb stepped aside and let him enter the common room. Gabriel and James glanced up from their conversation over a map of the Waresti homeland. Their eyebrows rose at the sight of the flowers.
“Where may I leave these so that Skye can see them when she awakens?” Xavier asked politely.
“Oh,” Gabriel said, reaching up to scratch his jaw consideringly. “Hmm. Well, right over there on the table outside her room would probably be fine.”
“Thank you, archigos.” He walked over to the small white table Gabriel had indicated and set the vase down. When he stepped beside the table, the movement caused the door to Skye’s room to open. He paused to stare down at her for a long, silent moment.
Then he found himself being ushered bodily toward the door leading out of the common room.
“I’m sure Skye will thank you later,” Caleb ground out as he hauled the Wymzesti away from Skye’s room. “For now, she deserves her privacy.”
“Of course,” Xavier stammered. “Thank you. If you could please just tell Skye that I—”
“I’m not your messenger,” Caleb interrupted in a near growl when Xavier again stood outside the door. “If she wants to, she’ll see you when she wakes up.”