The Children of the Stars

Half-Sick of Shadows

After the guests had been returned to their quarters in the name of their own safety, Tenel Ka permitted Allana to remove her disguise as Amelia and to visit Valin in the holding cell.

"The warden reports that he has been asking for you specifically," Tenel Ka explained. "And that he seems to be in a clearer state of mind than the others. I think it's important that you talk— for your own peace of mind, if nothing else."

Allana had found that to be surprisingly kind for the Queen Mother. She had quietly thanked her mentor and hurried down to the level beneath the Fountain Palace where the holding cells were.

Developed in Ni'Korish's time, these cells were created for the Queen Mother to hunt down and execute Force-sensitives within the borders of the Consortium. When Teneniel Djo married Prince Isolder and took over as the Queen Mother of Hapes, those policies had obviously changed.

But the cells remained, an unspoken contingency plan. Given the events of earlier in the evening, Allana supposed that she should be grateful that Teneniel and Tenel Ka had not chosen to destroy them.

Her skin still crawled when she entered the corridor of cells, however. She could feel it in the force— the echoes of screams and the fading of pain inflicted on those who had been so unlucky to be born in the Hapes Cluster with such a gift.

Captain Espara nodded, and the door to the corridor was closed behind her.

"He's been asking to see you," a minor lieutenant offered. "The Horn boy seems different."

The psychosis must have broken its hold on him, Allana realized. She tried to keep her face stoic, but she suspected she wasn't being very successful on that front. "I would like to speak with him."

"There's an antechamber to each cell, Your Grace," Captain Espara explained. "You will be perfectly safe inside, and you will be able to speak with him without endangering the Chume'da."

"Thank you." Allana picked up her skirts, and she thought she could have flown with how quickly she crossed the corridor. She was following one of the Chume'doro to Valin's cell. The door was opened for her, but the Chume'doro remained outside, as a way of granting privacy.

The cells had been renovated, however, since the Djos had come into power. They now had freshers with partitions for privacy, a bed, and a few amusements that could be carefully controlled.

It was one of Teneniel's reforms, Allana remembered. One that had been instated after Tenel Ka had joined Ben after the fall of Luke's Academy. She had feared that one day she would have to put her beloved daughter there to save Hapes and the galaxy.

Lucky for everyone, Teneniel had been wrong.

Valin was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, staring at the other wall in an expression that Allana could only describe as contemplation mixed with guilt.

Allana sat on the spindly chair provided in the antechamber, viewing through the glass for a moment, unsure of how to capture his attention. Then she gave him a gentle little nudge in the Force.

He blinked and scrambled to his feet before approaching the transparisteel barrier between them. He stood a foot away from the glass, a remorseful look on his face. And his eyes were hazel.

"Allana, I'm so sorry," he murmured. "I tried to fight it— I keep trying but—"

"I know." Allana could feel the struggle. "It's my fault, I delayed and let the psychosis grow more powerful. You shouldn't be a danger here."

"Good." Valin nodded. "There's something I need to tell you— something I was able to get from him."

"And what is that?" Allana's heart rate increased.

"There's a reason that we all believe you are really you, I think, there's something undeniable," he said. "Something special. You have some power over this, or will be the key."

"Like the imps we found outside of the observatory on Jakku," Allana realized, putting it together. Then there was the final piece, one that she had carried all her life. "I'm supposed to have some great destiny on a Throne of Balance— what if that wasn't a metaphor? What if it's real and aI can control it?"

"Then you need to find it, Allana, as soon as negotiations are over." Valin nodded, and then placed his hand on the transparisteel. "I'm so sorry all of this happened. I believe you can save us, however— because I love you."

"I love you, too," Allana answered, placing her hand over his on the transparisteel. "And I will put this right. I promise."