luncheon.
Ioko finally broke the silence. “So, Iara, you are in charge here?”
Rion answered for her. “Citadel Master Iara is the first master of Citadel Lowel.”
Ioko scowled. “I was speaking to my sister.”
Rion picked up Iara’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “You were speaking to my intended.”
Ioko was shocked. “You would try to take her without checking with her family?”
“The same family who sold her into servitude?”
Iara felt his confusion before her brother said, “What?”
Iara touched Rion’s shoulder. “They didn’t tell them. It was too great a shame.”
She turned to her brother and saw Reekan paying close and rapt attention. “Mother and Father sold me to King Learith of Saroo as a passive bodyguard. I served for twelve years until he died, and then, I joined the Citadel.”
Ioko’s shock was almost palpable, and the rage that boiled inside him a moment later took some quick manoeuvring to quell. She could see the muscles of his neck flex as he got under control.
“What did they tell the council, that I had run wild and stolen a shuttle?”
He swallowed and reached for his tea. “No, they said you had gone to live with great-gran’s family. I wondered why we didn’t hear from you, but Father said that you were not allowed to use the coms. After a while, we forgot.”
She twisted her lips. “Did cousin Sradu visit around then?”
He blinked, “How did you know?”
“He’s a forgetter. He would wear on your memory of me until you simply knew I was somewhere and you didn’t care precisely where. It is a good trick with enemies. They forget where he is standing and he can attack as he likes.”
Reekan cleared his throat. “Are you serious?”
She gave him an amused look. “My talent lets me touch other minds for identification purposes. I had met Sradu twice before I left the battleship. I know what he does.”
Rion squeezed her hand. “He tried to make you forget what you were.”
She nodded. “He did. Instead, he became so calm that his talent wouldn’t work.”
Rion laughed, “How calm?”
“He fell asleep.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Ioko sat back. “Well, hell.”
Iara looked around the commissary and she relaxed her calming field.
She looked to Rion’s brother. “So, Reekan, do you have any embarrassing stories about Rion?”
He did.
Two hours later, their entire table was laughing as Ioko shared his story of Iara climbing through the air ducts in order to calm down the manhood ceremonies for her eldest brother.
The ritual battle had frozen in place and everyone had been confused as to the cause, except her immediate family who were frantically trying to find her.
She had crept back the way she came, but Ioko had found her in the ducts. He hauled her out, got her cleaned up, and when their father burst in, he pretended to have been watching her the entire time.
At that point, if she couldn’t see a target, she couldn’t calm it.
Iara grinned. “I remember that. I think Father knew. You had put my dress on backward.”
Rion smiled, “How old were you?”
She bit her lip. “I was three. I think I was—”
Shouting broke out a few tables away as a group of Kozue got on each other’s nerves. Before she could quell them, Rion had locked them in place.
At Rion’s urging, Reekan and Ioko helped him turn the three men involved in different directions.
“Master Iara, are you ready?”
She nodded and prepared to grapple with the now-locked minds. The moment Rion let them go, she blasted them, and they fell to their knees, going from rage to calm in a moment. Sighing, she resumed a thicker blanket on the facility.
Ioko scowled. “I guess that is the end of our visit.”
“It is time to return everyone to the station. Sorry, but no overnight guests here unless they are prearranged.” She touched his arm and unable to hold herself back, she hugged him.
He stiffened for a moment and then crushed her in his
Ioko finally broke the silence. “So, Iara, you are in charge here?”
Rion answered for her. “Citadel Master Iara is the first master of Citadel Lowel.”
Ioko scowled. “I was speaking to my sister.”
Rion picked up Iara’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “You were speaking to my intended.”
Ioko was shocked. “You would try to take her without checking with her family?”
“The same family who sold her into servitude?”
Iara felt his confusion before her brother said, “What?”
Iara touched Rion’s shoulder. “They didn’t tell them. It was too great a shame.”
She turned to her brother and saw Reekan paying close and rapt attention. “Mother and Father sold me to King Learith of Saroo as a passive bodyguard. I served for twelve years until he died, and then, I joined the Citadel.”
Ioko’s shock was almost palpable, and the rage that boiled inside him a moment later took some quick manoeuvring to quell. She could see the muscles of his neck flex as he got under control.
“What did they tell the council, that I had run wild and stolen a shuttle?”
He swallowed and reached for his tea. “No, they said you had gone to live with great-gran’s family. I wondered why we didn’t hear from you, but Father said that you were not allowed to use the coms. After a while, we forgot.”
She twisted her lips. “Did cousin Sradu visit around then?”
He blinked, “How did you know?”
“He’s a forgetter. He would wear on your memory of me until you simply knew I was somewhere and you didn’t care precisely where. It is a good trick with enemies. They forget where he is standing and he can attack as he likes.”
Reekan cleared his throat. “Are you serious?”
She gave him an amused look. “My talent lets me touch other minds for identification purposes. I had met Sradu twice before I left the battleship. I know what he does.”
Rion squeezed her hand. “He tried to make you forget what you were.”
She nodded. “He did. Instead, he became so calm that his talent wouldn’t work.”
Rion laughed, “How calm?”
“He fell asleep.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Ioko sat back. “Well, hell.”
Iara looked around the commissary and she relaxed her calming field.
She looked to Rion’s brother. “So, Reekan, do you have any embarrassing stories about Rion?”
He did.
Two hours later, their entire table was laughing as Ioko shared his story of Iara climbing through the air ducts in order to calm down the manhood ceremonies for her eldest brother.
The ritual battle had frozen in place and everyone had been confused as to the cause, except her immediate family who were frantically trying to find her.
She had crept back the way she came, but Ioko had found her in the ducts. He hauled her out, got her cleaned up, and when their father burst in, he pretended to have been watching her the entire time.
At that point, if she couldn’t see a target, she couldn’t calm it.
Iara grinned. “I remember that. I think Father knew. You had put my dress on backward.”
Rion smiled, “How old were you?”
She bit her lip. “I was three. I think I was—”
Shouting broke out a few tables away as a group of Kozue got on each other’s nerves. Before she could quell them, Rion had locked them in place.
At Rion’s urging, Reekan and Ioko helped him turn the three men involved in different directions.
“Master Iara, are you ready?”
She nodded and prepared to grapple with the now-locked minds. The moment Rion let them go, she blasted them, and they fell to their knees, going from rage to calm in a moment. Sighing, she resumed a thicker blanket on the facility.
Ioko scowled. “I guess that is the end of our visit.”
“It is time to return everyone to the station. Sorry, but no overnight guests here unless they are prearranged.” She touched his arm and unable to hold herself back, she hugged him.
He stiffened for a moment and then crushed her in his
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