Soul's Blood by Stephen Graham King

Author:Stephen Graham King [King, Stephen Graham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2015-12-09T00:00:00+00:00

*

“First Mind?”

“Yes, Qoios?” Elai looked up from the cup of tea she had been staring into. Still shaken by Keene’s horrific injuries, she had been using the spicy heat and nostalgic memories of her Nanima’s secret blend as a familiar remedy to calm herself. In her mind, Giri’s love was sweet and hard, like rock candy that lasted for hours. It lapped against her in languid waves. (I must go / loss / alone / pangs / sadnessaches / reunion soon / inevitable) Giri’s only response was an enfolding embrace that filled her, became one with her and stretched away on a slender, but unbreakable thread.

“The Technarch wanted me to tell you that Sei Ota Chiaro is going to be fine. He will be released from the medical centre and back with us tomorrow.”

Elai felt the weight of her fear leave her in a gush. She had been linked with the others when Keene had been burned, and his agony had seared across her mind. Had she not already defeated her foe, she might have lost all control at the shared experience of his wounds. It had taken all her discipline not to invade his mind and monitor his recovery from within. Her growing affection for him had been a sore temptation to violate her taboos. She could do nothing but leave him in the hands of Daevin’s medicine.

“Thank you, Qoios. That’s good to know.”

“The Technarch would like you to wait for him in his office if you would.”

She stood, and the pain in her joints eased in the wake of her joy at Keene’s recovery. Her step was lighter as she walked from her quarters to Daevin’s office, her head higher. Daevin was not there when she arrived, but Qoios opened the door for her. She could see it had been tidied in Daevin’s absence, but the stacks of flimsies still dominated the desk, the deevee set to a soothing idle pattern, but in multiple displays that must have hidden reams of data behind the soothing swirls of colour. She smiled and felt close to her friend in that moment. The controlled chaos felt familiar and warm to her, like a favourite shirt. So many times she had watched Daevin navigate his way through a volume of information that made her head ache.

She had only been there a few moments when Daevin arrived, barely looking at her when he took his seat behind the desk. She could see the circles under his eyes, feel the frayed edges of his fatigue. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when he raised a hand. She waited, taking no offense.

“Qoios, have Bach report to my office, now.”

“Yes, sei.”

She heard the edge in his voice, something she rarely heard from him. Even in the tensest of situations, he managed to stay calm. “You should get some sleep.”

He looked at her, seemed to finally really see her in front of him. “I will, later.”

She saw the set to his jaw and knew this mood, this resolution. It had been in his eyes the day before

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