The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 5.1

They had very little to report to Mara when she called about an hour later, but she had news for them. "Several Deltarrans have volunteered to staff the treatment facility," she said without preamble. "Some of them are amateur historians in addition to being physicians and psychologists, and they are willing to trade the risk of contamination for the chance to interview this...incarnation of the Pharon Emperor." Her expression twisted a little in distaste. "I promised Sabrina that his delusions would be catered to, and I think this group will carry out the spirit as well as the letter of that promise. Homeworld is sending two scientists and providing the facility."

She paused. "Tirqwin, I wish you would talk to Sabrina again. She's beginning to falter about all this. She has some idea that she is betraying Niavar by agreeing to this confinement. If she decides to spirit him away, we may have great difficulty in finding them. And we both know that such an action would put them both at risk."

"Yes, I know, though I cannot help but sympathize with her," Tirqwin replied. "I could not have borne to be the subject of scrutiny while we adjusted to our link, Mara. She cannot relish the prospect of condemning herself and Niavar to that fate."

Mara sighed. "Surely it's not the same, Tirqwin. They cannot be linked, not as we are. Sabrina is not crystal sensitive. She cannot hold a link for long."

"She is full of resonance right now," Tirqwin said. "And evidently Niavar is displaying powers no one ever dreamed of. Sabrina said she had never seen anything like his manipulation of matter, not even from you."

"Sabrina has by no means seen all that I can do," Mara retorted.

Tirqwin frowned at her. "This is not a competition, Mara. We are talking about our son, an ancient power, and the woman who helped raise you. She has a quite clear idea of how you were taught to use your abilities. If she says this is different, we ought to believe her."

Mara rubbed at her forehead. "I know. I know." She sighed. "I'm just tired, Tirqwin. All this disruption...and I'm by no means up to full strength yet. To have to deal with this right now...."

"I know." His voice gentled. "It is terribly unfair to have the Inheritor's birth overshadowed by this mess, which could so easily have been avoided if my own government had shown a little foresight. Sabrina evidently saw disaster in their orders from the beginning; I cannot imagine why my own people did not."

"Perhaps they did," Mara said.

Tirqwin was quiet, glad that Scotty and Aurora were having a quiet meal in the galley and that Nllata had returned to Madat. "You suspect they intended this?"

"Not this, no. Or even the logical outcome, in which Malvarak prevailed. But...they certainly meant to cut Niavar off from home and endanger him." She paused, her lips compressed into a thin white line. "They have resented and feared his existence since they first learned of it. They could not prevail on us to surrender him at his birth; perhaps they are trying to compel us to surrender him now." She squared her shoulders. "I'll not allow that, Tirqwin. If they try something underhanded in his treatment, I'll blow them out of existence. I don't care how big a war I start."

"Mara, calm down. There is no need for such talk. We have no reason to suspect that this is anything underhanded. And Sabrina will be there to look after him. She will certainly not allow any harm or undue influence to be visited upon him."

"Sabrina is not stable," Mara said bluntly. "Have you not spoken with her? Have you not seen this? If she were herself, I would cheerfully back her against any number of Homeworld's mindshapers. But she is not. She may well be a broken tool, Tirqwin."

"Not a tool, and not broken," Tirqwin snapped. "Weary, yes. Strained, yes. But she is resilient. She will recover."

Mara's frown twisted. "You believe that because you need to believe it. I cannot afford to."