them?”
“It’s for the prestige. An acting mother is a
rare thing. Should you match up with a powerful warrior, it will
make them more important in their peer’s eyes, as will the birth of
sisters, for their friends will grow up to vie for the girl’s
hands. The better the girl’s matches, the more connections and
power they will grow to have. Even now, they discuss who is the
best warrior they know in hopes of introducing you to him. I’ve no
doubt they followed you to the practice room and stood outside your
door, waiting to waylay you.”
Nonplussed, she considered that. She was
about to adopt budding politicians. “Did they learn these bad
habits from you?”
His answer was a sly smile.
She sighed. Compassion had prompted her to
extend her word to the boys. Honor wouldn’t let her take it back.
It was disappointing to hear that they hadn’t been prompted by a
real need for her, but surely her instincts hadn’t been that far
off. Maybe deep inside, they really did want a mother. The passage
of years hadn’t stilled the fierce yearning that she still felt for
hers. Though they might not admit it, the boys might feel the
same.
It made her edgy that Dagon was their
guardian, and that she was about to become the other half. It was
too much like…best not to go there. Determined to go into things
with her eyes wide open, she asked, “Who is their mother? Does she
really not care what happens to them? I don’t want to step on
anyone’s toes.”
All expression left him. “You won’t. Ellyn
herself said you might have any of her sons.”
Shock made her eyes widen. Vana didn’t know
what to say. If Ellyn was his mother, too…ouch. Now the kid’s
search for a new mother made more sense. The woman’s callousness
toward her sons made Vana want to slap her. “Does she have any more
sons? She spoke of fifteen.”
He raised a brow. “Four are not enough for
you?”
“I’m just curious.” That came out a trifle
defensive. She hadn’t even adopted the first batch yet, and already
she wanted to mother the rest. Why couldn’t she listen to her
selfish instincts when it really mattered?
Dagon sighed. “Some of them died in battle.
One did not survive childhood.”
Pain upon pain. They were definitely not the
Brady Bunch. “I’m sorry. Does anything good ever happen in your
family?”
“Possibly you, though I’m reserving judgment
just now,” he said with the hint of a smile.
The soft light in his eyes made her uneasy.
She cleared her throat. “That still leaves a few, doesn’t it? Where
are they?”
“The others are with their fathers. Ellyn was
not always faithful.”
Gape mouthed, she blinked at him. His
revelation was at odds with the reserved, elegant picture she’d
formed of Ellyn. “But…what did your father do about that?”
“What could he do? She was a woman,” he said
harshly. Apparently that said it all.
“Why do you act so offended? I saw some of
your television programs while I was on Earth. Your women do worse
things. As far as I can tell, they have no morals at all.”
She sputtered. “You can’t judge us all by
what you saw on TV! Everybody knows that it’s filled with garbage.
Besides, look at me. You took me because I was….” She clamped her
mouth shut. Had she really almost brought up her virginity with the
man?
Eager to change the subject, she said, “But
that’s not right! Ellyn, I mean. You make it sound as if a woman
could get away with murder. Isn’t there any penalty for these
things? I know that women are important to you, but still….”
A shrewd gleam appeared in his eyes.
“Perhaps, as a woman, you could be impartial in these matters. Do
you truly believe that a woman would be better tried by a jury of
peers?”
Like she had to think hard to answer that
one! “Well, yeah. You guys don’t seem to be doing so hot at
it.”
The gleam turned into a satisfied, piratical
smile. “I’ll remember you said that. In the meantime, you have
“It’s for the prestige. An acting mother is a
rare thing. Should you match up with a powerful warrior, it will
make them more important in their peer’s eyes, as will the birth of
sisters, for their friends will grow up to vie for the girl’s
hands. The better the girl’s matches, the more connections and
power they will grow to have. Even now, they discuss who is the
best warrior they know in hopes of introducing you to him. I’ve no
doubt they followed you to the practice room and stood outside your
door, waiting to waylay you.”
Nonplussed, she considered that. She was
about to adopt budding politicians. “Did they learn these bad
habits from you?”
His answer was a sly smile.
She sighed. Compassion had prompted her to
extend her word to the boys. Honor wouldn’t let her take it back.
It was disappointing to hear that they hadn’t been prompted by a
real need for her, but surely her instincts hadn’t been that far
off. Maybe deep inside, they really did want a mother. The passage
of years hadn’t stilled the fierce yearning that she still felt for
hers. Though they might not admit it, the boys might feel the
same.
It made her edgy that Dagon was their
guardian, and that she was about to become the other half. It was
too much like…best not to go there. Determined to go into things
with her eyes wide open, she asked, “Who is their mother? Does she
really not care what happens to them? I don’t want to step on
anyone’s toes.”
All expression left him. “You won’t. Ellyn
herself said you might have any of her sons.”
Shock made her eyes widen. Vana didn’t know
what to say. If Ellyn was his mother, too…ouch. Now the kid’s
search for a new mother made more sense. The woman’s callousness
toward her sons made Vana want to slap her. “Does she have any more
sons? She spoke of fifteen.”
He raised a brow. “Four are not enough for
you?”
“I’m just curious.” That came out a trifle
defensive. She hadn’t even adopted the first batch yet, and already
she wanted to mother the rest. Why couldn’t she listen to her
selfish instincts when it really mattered?
Dagon sighed. “Some of them died in battle.
One did not survive childhood.”
Pain upon pain. They were definitely not the
Brady Bunch. “I’m sorry. Does anything good ever happen in your
family?”
“Possibly you, though I’m reserving judgment
just now,” he said with the hint of a smile.
The soft light in his eyes made her uneasy.
She cleared her throat. “That still leaves a few, doesn’t it? Where
are they?”
“The others are with their fathers. Ellyn was
not always faithful.”
Gape mouthed, she blinked at him. His
revelation was at odds with the reserved, elegant picture she’d
formed of Ellyn. “But…what did your father do about that?”
“What could he do? She was a woman,” he said
harshly. Apparently that said it all.
“Why do you act so offended? I saw some of
your television programs while I was on Earth. Your women do worse
things. As far as I can tell, they have no morals at all.”
She sputtered. “You can’t judge us all by
what you saw on TV! Everybody knows that it’s filled with garbage.
Besides, look at me. You took me because I was….” She clamped her
mouth shut. Had she really almost brought up her virginity with the
man?
Eager to change the subject, she said, “But
that’s not right! Ellyn, I mean. You make it sound as if a woman
could get away with murder. Isn’t there any penalty for these
things? I know that women are important to you, but still….”
A shrewd gleam appeared in his eyes.
“Perhaps, as a woman, you could be impartial in these matters. Do
you truly believe that a woman would be better tried by a jury of
peers?”
Like she had to think hard to answer that
one! “Well, yeah. You guys don’t seem to be doing so hot at
it.”
The gleam turned into a satisfied, piratical
smile. “I’ll remember you said that. In the meantime, you have
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