The Anialwch Connection
Chapter 8
They all boarded the tram to Bergen the next morning. From there, the group would take the tram from Bergen to Vlaktes. There would be a short layover in the station lobby. Donte might be able to talk to Pieter and continue to Vlaktes with the others.
Celyn sat next to the window and Mai sat beside her. Kenyon sat on the other seat, facing Celyn. Donte sat next to Kenyon and Rianne sat beside him. Quade and Neirin were in another seat, talking to each other.
Donte had dozed off for a minute, so he didn’t hear the conversation between Kenyon and Celyn that led into an argument. His first realization that something was amiss was Celyn’s accusing remark to Kenyon.
“I saw you go into her room that first night.”
Kenyon’s brows shot up. “You know, for a little kid, you have a nasty mind.”
She made a face at him. “What else was I to think? She grabbed your arm and dragged you into her room and you didn’t protest.”
Kenyon watched her for a moment. “You could have thought that she wanted to talk to me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh sure.”
It had gone on far too long already. Everyone looked uncomfortable and Kenyon didn’t look like he knew what to say.
Donte gave Celyn a stern look. “Celyn.”
She looked at him and shrugged. “I know what I saw.”
Donte held her gaze until she turned and looked out the window. Kenyon should have known better than to argue with her.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Rianne’s warm hand found his and squeezed it. He laced his fingers through hers. It was her signal that she thought he had handled the situation well.
When the tram reached the station at Bergen, Beier was waiting for them. He told Donte that Pieter wanted to talk to him. This time, he simply delivered the message and left.
Rianne looked up at Donte. “Are you going to go?”
Quade looked at him. “Do you mind if I go with you?”
“You are welcome to come with me, of course, but I need to speak to him privately.”
Quade thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. “I can speak to him another time. Are you coming back?”
Donte nodded. “If our discussion doesn’t make me miss the tram.” He looked at Rianne. “If I don’t make it back in time, you can go on with them.”
“No. I’ll wait here. If you don’t arrive by the time the tram leaves. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
***
When Saskia answered the door, she silently hugged Donte and directed him to Pieter’s office. Pieter glanced up from the papers on his desk and directed Donte to sit in a chair on the other side of the desk.
Pieter folded his hands on the desk and waited for Donte to sit. He looked old and tired. When Donte was seated, he launched into his speech.
“Donte, saying that you and I don’t agree is an understatement, but that doesn’t mean we have to be at each other’s throats all the time.”
Donte waited. It wasn’t his impression that they were at each other’s throats, but it didn’t matter what he thought. Pieter was the ruler.
Pieter sighed. “I don’t want to fight with you. I have decided to name another second.”
Donte didn’t comment. It came as no surprise and he wasn’t going to resist.
“Unless you protest, I will submit my request tomorrow morning.”
Donte met his gaze. “I will not protest. It has always been your decision. I accept that.”
Pieter looked uncomfortable. “I hope this doesn’t mean you’re going to leave Bergen.”
Donte shook his head. “It doesn’t. I wish you good luck.”
Pieter watched him for a moment. “You don’t appear to be very upset.”
“I expected this. I’m disappointed. I don’t know how it will affect what I’m must do, but It isn’t going to change my plans.”
“You are going to continue…organizing…the colonists?”
Donte leaned toward Pieter. “You don’t understand. I’m not organizing or inciting the colonists. I am doing my best to prepare for my responsibilities regarding The Prophesy. I don’t want the colonists to take over any more than you do. I want us all to unite. If we are fighting among ourselves when the Fontalo returns, we won’t have a hope of defeating them.”
Pieter frowned. “No Donte. You don’t understand. If the Fontalo returns, the only way they will leave us alone is if we are doing the job we were assigned. We must show that we are keeping the colonies organized.”
“The Fontalo doesn’t want to help us. They want to annihilate the Mascots.”
Pieter leaned back in his chair, scowling at Donte. “There is no proof of this.”
Donte wasn’t going to be drawn into another heated argument with him about the subject. Neither had the information required to prove their case. He stood.
“If you are through with me, I would like to return to the station where the others are waiting for me. I think I have time to get back before the tram to Vlaktes arrives.”
Pieter slammed his fist on his desk. “Donte! Why must you run away every time we try to discuss this?”
Donte kept his voice calm. “Papaw, we are not discussing this. We are arguing again. Your new second will agree with you. Why does it matter what I think?”
Pieter looked like he wanted to cry. It was possible that he was using the threat to manipulate, but if he was, he was getting desperate.
Pieter waved a hand at the door. “Go then. Don’t let a crippled old man stop you from having fun.”
Donte stared at him. In the time that he had known Pieter, he had never used pity as a tool. Donte put his hands on the desk and spoke quietly.
“Papaw, either you trust me or you don’t. It’s that simple. I have enough to worry about without having to fight you every step of the way. I want this position. I admire and respect you. I think that one of the reasons you chose me is because you thought I would be a strong leader. I’m sorry I have disappointed you, but if you expect me to alter my actions or beliefs to keep this position, you simply don’t know me at all. In fact, I don’t think you’d even like me if I was that way.” He straightened. “I’ll talk to you when I get back.”
He left the room and closed the door gently behind him. When Saskia gave him an anxious look, he smiled and made his voice cheerful. “I’m going to Vlaktes with Rianne and Petra. I’ll see you in a few days. I’ve got to go or I’ll be late.”
He felt relieved as he walked away. Instead of waiting on the lift, he took the stairs, two at a time. He arrived at the station as the tram to Vlaktes came into the station.
A hand touched his shoulder and he turned. It was one of the cabinet members. The old man rubbed his beard.
“Donte, what should we do? You are the choice of the people, but if we don’t go along with what Pieter says, he will replace us. We must think about the people.”
In a rush and out of patience, Donte looked down at him.
“Pim, the purpose of the cabinet is to represent the people who elected them, not the one person they were elected to keep in check. If they allow anyone but the people they represent to sway their decision, then they have already been replaced.”
He turned away from the man and found the others watching him. He took Petra from Rianne’s arms and picked their bag off the floor. “Are you all ready to go?”
They boarded the tram in silence. Donte took a seat next to the window and Rianne sat beside him. Petra went to Rianne and Donte turned his face to the window. He wouldn’t have said anything if he had realized the others had been listening. It was bad enough that Papaw was disappointed in his grandson, but to threaten the cabinet was inexcusable. He knew he should do something to help the people, not run away on a tour. Sitting in Pieter’s office, he had thought it was between the two of them. It wasn’t. Maybe he wasn’t the one the people needed, but he was the one they were asking for, and he had betrayed them by not fighting to get what they wanted. He wasn’t angry with the cabinet. He was angry with himself. He had accused them of doing what he was doing.
He gradually became aware that Celyn, sitting in the seat directly opposite him, was watching him. He met her troubled gaze. For a moment they merely looked into each other’s eyes, but suddenly they were communicating. They weren’t talking to each other telepathically. There were no words. Instead, she was including him in a vision – as if he was seeing through her eyes. What he saw was the tram from above as it moved along the track. The vision lasted for no more than a few minutes, but he continued to stare at her.
“How did you do that?”
“I don’t know. It has never happened before.”
Rianne looked at them. “What happened?”
Donte finally broke his hold on Celyn’s eyes. “I saw her vision. I was looking down at the top of the train.” He looked at Rianne. “This is what I was looking for. I knew there had to be a way that we would work together. It was brief, but we made a connection.”
Celyn looked at her father. “I want to stay with them for a while.”
He nodded. “You have my permission.”
If she could transfer her visions to him, and he could transfer his ability to sense things around him to her, they would make a powerful team. It would take a lot of practice to learn to do it on command, though.
When he became aware of the expressions around them, he found them interesting. Akira looked a little frightened, while Quade had his usual calm collected expression. Rianne was smiling, as though she was proud of their achievement. Mai looked confused and Kenyon appeared to be intrigued. Neirin watched his daughter with a mixture of pride and sadness. He had lost a little girl today.
***
Nieke was at the tram station when Donte arrived with a tour group. She hurried to the message center and got a piece of paper, quickly scribbling a message on it. As she walked toward the group, she folded the message down to a small piece of paper and tucked the end of it under her shirt sleeve. It was the only way she could think of to get a private message to him. She walked up to him and stuck her hand out.
“It’s nice to see you again, Donte.”
Donte smiled and grabbed her hand. “It’s nice to see you, Nieke. Do you live here in Kliffen?”
“No, I’m only visiting.”
His expression never changed and his voice gave no indication as he accepted the message. He stuck his hand in his pocket and introduced his mate.
“I think you already know Rianne.”
Rianne nodded. “We met at the celebration. It’s nice to see you again.”
Nieke looked at Donte. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m in a bit of a hurry. I hope you all have a nice visit. I’ll see you later.”
When she left the station, Nieke went to the stable and got her equine. She had an errand she needed to run before she met Donte that night. She had spent most of her time in the saddle since she arrived, but it had been worthwhile. With Bram’s instruction, she had tracked down the people planning to form a militia and convinced them to talk to Donte before they did anything.
She was supposed to meet Anouk in a few minutes. She was going to be late, but it couldn’t be helped. She rode out of the stable and circled around to the back, taking a narrow road that led to Anouk’s cottage. It was always eerie riding that road at night – even more so with a full moon and wispy clouds. Between the clopping of the equine’s hooves, she could hear rodents running through the fields of grain beside the road.
Eventually a yellow glow became visible in the distance. That would be a window in Anouk’s cottage. Nieke urged the equine faster. When she reached the yard, she tied the tether lines to a tree and climbed the stairs. When she knocked on the door, she heard a stirring inside before Anouk opened the door.
“I expected you earlier.”
“I know. I saw Donte at the station and gave him a message to meet me later tonight.”
Anouk frowned. “Why?”
“I thought I would have some information for him. Did you find out?”
“I don’t like all this spying on people; especially her.”
“Why would she be any different than anyone else?”
“Because he isn’t going to believe it no matter how much evidence we have.”
Nieke sank into a chair. “He’ll listen. We can’t make him believe. We can only warn him.”
“He’ll be angry with us and then he won’t believe anything we say.”
“He isn’t like that.”
Anouk rolled her eyes. “If he ever falls off that high pillar you have him sitting atop, he’s going to get hurt…and so are you.”
Nieke sighed. “So, what did you find?”
“She has talked to at least three of the council members…always when he is away.”
“See? I told you.”
“It doesn’t prove anything. She knows a lot of people.”
Nieke turned her palms up. “What proof do you need? Add that to the fact that she has met Beier several times…again, always while Donte is gone.”
Anouk shook her head. “It’s all circumstantial. She’s the representative for Bosvrouwen. It could be innocent business.”
“Sure. It must be innocent. Do you know she is almost a month into pregnancy? He hasn’t even been back a week.”
“How do you know all this?”
Nieke shrugged. “Lots of people ride the tram.”
Anouk gasped. “You have people that listen to their private conversations?”
“How else are you going to learn things?”
Anouk’s voice turned sarcastic. “I’m sure Donte can count well enough to know when he was there and when she got pregnant. He doesn’t need us counting for him. What’s the difference between this and gossip?”
“We’re doing it to help him.”
Anouk laughed. “It isn’t helping someone to tell them their mate is cheating.” She sobered. “Even if he left her, he wouldn’t consider you – not if you are the one who tells him.”
It was Nieke’s turn to gasp. “I’m not doing this to break them up. I know he isn’t interested in me. I simply think he should know if someone is working against him.”
Anouk lifted her hands in submission. “All right. But if you want to continue looking up dirt on her, I’m out of this. He loves her. If she was unfaithful while he was gone, it was probably because she was lonely. He probably knows that. This is something personal. It has nothing to do with The Prophesy. Leave them alone.”
“It has to do with losing his job. Beier wants his job and he should know that. He should know if Rianne and Beier are plotting against him.”
Anouk nodded. “Yes, but we don’t need to toss infidelity into the mix – especially when we don’t know it for a fact. He’s had enough tragedy in his life.”
“All right. I get your point. I’ll just give him the facts and let him draw the conclusions.”
Nieke told Anouk what she had learned about the militia group and Anouk nodded.
“That’s something he will be glad to hear.”
Nieke left the cottage and returned to Kliffen. She was headed for the meeting place when Bram stopped her.
“Have you sent him a message yet?”
“No. He is here in Kliffen. I’m supposed to meet him in a few minutes.”
“Good. The group wants to meet with him tomorrow evening.”
Nieke groaned. “It’s a good thing he is here. I don’t know if he can make it to the meeting, though. He’s with a tour group. They should have given him more time.”
“I think some of them are getting impatient.”
“I’ll tell him. That’s all I can do. I’ll talk to you after a while. Where will you be?”
“I’ll be at my mother’s house tonight. I’m going back tomorrow.”
“I’ll meet you there later.”
In spite of her rush, she was late arriving at the meeting place and Donte wasn’t there. It troubled her to think that she had let him down. The only thing she could do was find out where he was staying and go there.
***
When Celyn was finally alone with her father in their accommodations, she told him something she couldn’t even tell Donte.
“I knew what he was thinking. He was hurting when he sat in the seat across from me. I could feel his pain. He was thinking about Pieter.”
Neirin frowned. “Do you mean you had a vision?”
She shook her head. “No. It wasn’t like that at all. I couldn’t hear his thoughts or see things that he saw, but I could sense how he felt. I know what happened to make him so sad.”
Neirin watched her for a minute, as if trying to decide whether it was right to ask. Finally, he gave in to curiosity.
“What made him sad?”
“Pieter is going to name someone else as his second.”
“His second? What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, but I think it means Donte won’t be the next ruler of Bergen.”
Neirin pulled back the blankets on his bed, his expression reflective.
Celyn sat on the edge of her bed. “The Prophesy says that when we lead the colonies to freedom, he will be wearing the uniform of Bergen.”
Neirin sat on his bed. “Don’t tell anyone this information.”
“Only you.”
Neirin smiled. “How did you connect with him today?”
“I’m not sure. I was looking at him and realizing that I could feel what he was feeling. All of a sudden, I started having a vision. I was flying over the tram, looking down at it. When Donte looked at me, I…” She shivered at the memory. “I knew he was seeing the same thing. We just stared at each other and shared it.”
“Was there something wrong with the tram?”
Celyn shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Usually, when you have a vision with him in it, he is in danger. Is that right?”
She looked at the floor. She had been having visions for years that she hadn’t told him about. At first the visions came without warning, but now she could control when they happened. She couldn’t see him when he was on the spaceship, or when he was inside – unless he was by a window, but when he was outside, she could see him any time she wished. Today was the first time she could sense his feelings, though. She wasn’t sure how much of that she wanted to share with her father, but she should probably tell Donte. Today he had been pleased it happened.
She shook her head. “Not always. Sometimes I see him when nothing is wrong.”
Neirin studied her for a moment. “Can you read my mind?” He looked worried.
She smiled. “No, Papa. Only Donte.”
He looked relieved. “Remember that a person has a right to privacy, and there are some times when you should not intrude.”
“Like his feelings for Rianne?”
He looked uncomfortable. “That would definitely be one.”
She had seen Donte by the pond in Bergen one day. She wasn’t floating over him like she usually did, but floating on the surface of the pond. Once she saw him walking there with Rianne. They were holding hands. She tried to feel what Rianne did, but she couldn’t connect with her. That would be another of those private moments where she shouldn’t intrude.
She pulled her covers back and crawled into bed. The excitement of the day had left her exhausted. She wanted to contact Donte, but she was simply too tired to put forth the effort. He would be with Rianne now, anyway.
Neirin lay awake for a long time, thinking about the situation with Donte and Pieter. Donte shouldn’t have walked away from it. Maybe Pieter didn’t think Donte was actually interested in the position. To be honest, Neirin sometimes wondered if his only interest in wearing the uniform was because The Prophesy indicated he should.
How did Rianne feel about his reactions to Pieter’s demands? Unlike Saskia, Rianne had retained her position in Bosvrouwen. Did she expect to go back if Donte didn’t succeed Pieter? Pieter should feel lucky that he didn’t have to deal with Rianne instead of Donte. He had a feeling that Rianne would know how to handle Pieter.
He’d like to talk to Donte about the responsibilities of leadership. The people deserved someone who would fight for them. Donte would do that if and when he became the ruler, but the colonists needed him now. If Pieter named someone else who would agree with him, and replaced all the council members who feared him, then the colonists would no longer have a voice. Wasn’t that what Donte had been trying to tell the council member in the Bergen station? He was telling them to stand up to Pieter when he wouldn’t do the same.
Neirin had been thinking this was none of his business, but it was. If Bergen fell; the other colonies would topple or be forced to turn on them. The situation would be little different than that in Nyumbani when Farasi had been in control. He considered talking to Quade about it, but where Donte was concerned, Quade had a blind spot. Quade was too soft on Donte. What Donte needed right now was a good strong shot of patriotism. This was way bigger than Donte and Pieter. But then, he wouldn’t be telling Donte anything new. Donte was making every effort to prepare for The Prophesy, but Pieter was tossing one problem after another in his path. They certainly weren’t working together. From what he had seen, Donte hadn’t spent much time trying to convert Pieter. Was that because Pieter was his grandfather? As the current ruler, Pieter could certainly veto anything Donte tried to do. Maybe he didn’t know Pieter well enough, but it seemed to him that Pieter was testing his grandson. Why didn’t Donte dig in his heels with Pieter the way he did with every other leader?
Neirin fell asleep with no resolution to the issue.
***
Akira lay with her back to Quade, enjoying the feel of his arm around her. After all those years of short relationships, she had finally found a man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. He was kind but strong; strong but gentle; and gentle but stern. For the first time in her adult life, she knew unconditional love. Quade didn’t expect her to be flawless. Sometimes he brought things to her attention, but he never harped on it. He trusted her to make the right decision. And yet, if she didn’t make the right decision, she knew he would still be there, helping her pick up the pieces from her mistake and working beside her as she started over. She couldn’t imagine what she had done to deserve a man like Quade, but she was grateful that he was in her life.
Quade wanted to help Donte; she could tell by the way he kept watching him. The conversation they had overheard at the station between Donte and the cabinet member indicated there might be a power struggle between Donte and Pieter. She didn’t like Pieter, but to be fair, Donte wasn’t exactly cooperating. Pieter was the ruler, but Donte seemed to be challenging him one moment and turning his back on him the next. She had been certain that three years in service would teach him the meaning of subordination, but it seemed that he was even worse than before. As if that wasn’t enough, he didn’t seem to care if he became the next ruler. That part must be frustrating to Pieter.
Pieter had a haughty attitude toward the colonists, but Donte had made it worse meeting with them instead of joining the high officials from other colonies. Sure, the colonists were going to leave in the morning, but so were the leaders. Donte and Rianne had romped through every tune, ignoring the leaders. Donte hadn’t ignored Sima and Rianne hadn’t ignored Damian. They each got to romp through one tune with them. Then there was the romp Donte had with Celyn. What was that all about? Even with Donte on the tour with them, King Neirin had to request time with Donte. Yet Donte had made time for Celyn.
What did Rianne think about the way Donte and Celyn acted on the tram? How could their relationship survive if Celyn came to live with them? Surely Rianne knew that Celyn was in love with Donte. If she believed in The Prophesy, then why wasn’t she concerned about the fact that Celyn would take Donte from her in the next five years? Sometimes she wondered about Rianne. What did she plan to gain from all of this? More importantly, what did their children have to lose? How could they justify bringing children into the mess that The Prophesy indicated?
She snuggled closer to Quade, reminding herself that it didn’t concern her. Quade’s arm tightened on her waist, gently pulling her onto her back. Her movement had awakened him. He kissed her neck. He had misinterpreted her intent, but that didn’t matter. He had an exciting way of taking her mind off any problems.
Soft Science Fiction
