Keeper of the Heart

Chapter 36

“Corth could make you a generator so you wouldn’t have to depend on the wind to work those ceiling fans,” Shanelle remarked from the bed as she watched the slow-moving fan above her barely disturb the air. “For that matter, these rooms, your whole house actually, could be air-cooled.”

She rolled over to see if Falon was even listening to her. He was, and he was finished dressing, too. She’d just as soon stay naked herself. It was still early morning, but the room seemed to be getting hotter by the minute.

“You know how I feel about visitor-made things, Shanelle.”

“You might be dead right now if it weren’t for one of those visitor-made things. And there are other things that are just as useful. Think of it, Falon. A room filled with cool air.”

He shook his head at her. “You will become accustomed to-”

“That’s if I survive.”

He didn’t say another word, he just picked her up and carried her into the bathroom, where the large gold tub in the shape of a chopped-off barrel had been filled with water. Shanelle had the feeling he was going to drop her into it, so she decided to annoy him by not complaining about it. He did drop her. She shrieked her head off as the cold water closed over her.

“That was a dirty trick,” she hissed at him. “You could have at least warned me it wasn’t going to be warm.”

He raised a brow, fighting to keep the grin off his lips. “Does the air not feel cooler now?”

“Go to blazes, why don’t you!”

“I give you what you want and still you complain. Is there no pleasing you this rising?”

“Real cute. Keep it up and I might start a running tab on getting even.”

He finally chuckled as he turned away toward the closets. “Best you hurry, woman. The first meal will soon be served, and you have yet to meet my sister.”

Shanelle splashed water that didn’t feel quite so cold now over her breasts as she watched Falon shrug into a black vest similar to the white one he’d been wearing. “Jadell said she’s older than both of you.”

“By nearly five years.”

“Does she have any children?”

He looked up sharply at that question. “Perhaps there is a thing you should know about Aurelet before you meet her. The battle the Ba-Har-ani were prepared to bring to the visitors all those years ago was because of my sister. She had been taken by a visitor from the planet Nida who had a small spaceship for his own use. Aurelet and her escort were Transferred, she to the man’s ship, her escort never to be seen again. He kept her for nearly two months on his ship, using and abusing her the whole while.”

“You didn’t search for her during that time?”

“My brother and I were too young to be allowed to help. My father searched. She had been taken near Tinet, a town the warriors of Ka’al sometimes would raid. My father nearly tore Tinet apart, yet no sign of her was found. We began to think her dead. Already my father mourned.”

“Then you didn’t even suspect it was a visitor who had taken her?”

“No. And when she was returned to us, it took weeks before she was calm enough to speak of what had happened. My father immediately gathered his warriors, and the call went out before them for a united battle. Warriors of other towns joined them on the way, for we were not the only ones visitors had offended, though our grievance was the worst.”

“I know this tale from our side. Though I never knew what the crime was, I know the guilty visitor was turned over to the Ba-Har-ani warriors, and the planet closed down soon after.”

“He was given to my father.”

“Did he kill him?”

“No. He brought him back to Ka’al and gave him to Aurelet for judgment. She killed him without a qualm. One month later she gave birth to his child, a boy child she has never called son. She became fifteen mat same month.”

“Stars, that young to go through that? I’m so sorry, Falon. No wonder you hate visitors so much.”

“Not as much as my sister does. This is why I could not bring you home other than as a slave when I thought you a visitor. Yet might Aurelet still see you as a visitor when she learns who you are. Your brother has already been scorned by her. If this is all she offers you at first, it is my hope you will understand the depth of her bitterness and not be offended by her. Can you do this?”

“Certainly.” But then she recalled that the Catrateri were coming here, true visitors, and it was her fault that they were. “Falon, I know you agreed to let my brother bring the Catrateri here, and that will probably upset your sister even more. Has it occurred to you that you don’t actually have to let them into Ka’al, that you could speak with them and do all the negotiating necessary through Martha-well, maybe not Martha, but you could use Brock?”

“No, such had not occurred to me, yet does this idea please me. I will ride to the telecomm later this rising to call the Visitor’s Center to arrange it.”

“Ah, if I know Martha, and I do, she probably stuck a computer-link unit somewhere in my belongings. With it you could talk directly with Dalden and let him arrange it.”

“I would prefer to ride to the telecomm than to request anything of your Martha. And do you find that unit, you will bring it to me. I do not want you speaking with that computer again.”

She frowned at mat reminder. “This has to be negotiable. For a time?”

“Forever.”

Her frown turned black. “Don’t do that to me, Falon. I can maybe see the necessity of cutting ties while I am adjusting to this new life, but not forever. We’re talking about a lifelong friend of mine, two actually, since Corth is also visitor-made. And I just solved a problem for you and gave up a visit with my brother to do it. In my book that says you owe me one.”

“A warrior could wish you were not so demanding of rights he is not even aware of. So be it. For a time, but a long time.”

He said no more on the subject, but Shanelle had been given even more hope for their future happiness. Her inflexible warrior wasn’t so inflexible after all. He just needed to be pushed on the road to reasonableness in less direct ways, to avoid his inherent “dominate-ail” tendencies. That shouldn’t be too hard to do-if she could survive the initial frustration.