Return Of The Fontalo
by Linda Rigsbee
Chapter 28
Nieke watched Rianne dress for the entertainment section of the ice-skating competition. Not even the Premier Infantry had a clue how well they were going to be entertained. Only those who had seen Donte and Rianne romp together had a clue. Even she had no idea how well they could ice skate until she had seen Cheska’s recording.
Beier had been assigned to protect Donte and Nieke to protect Rianne. The Premier Infantry had been sprinkled around the building. The trial preparations weren’t looking good for Fontalo. Donte and his family were the biggest reason why. On Purlieu, almost everyone loved Donte. It was no different on Oriel – and no surprise to Nieke. The McKillums adored them all, but especially Donte. It wasn’t merely his pheromones or his looks. Donte’s passion and compassion touched everyone around him. Donte liked to be active. He was always doing something on the farm, whether it was milking, cleaning out stalls or working in the garden. There was no job too big or too small. He was a willing and cheerful worker.
Rianne finished buttoning her dress and took a deep breath, looking in the mirror. “My stomach is getting big,” she said with a satisfied smile.
It wasn’t a complaint. Rianne was delighted with her condition. Her stomach wasn’t getting big, though. Her waist was thicker, but she always had a tiny waist. It was doubtful that anyone would suspect she was pregnant.
Rianne and Donte were making the best of their time on the farm. They savored every moment, whether it was sitting in the library reading with the children or cooking a meal together. Nieke had never been around Rianne and Donte for any length of time, but she suspected they made the most of any time they had together. Nieke could only hope that some day she would have a relationship like theirs. The more she was around them; the more she realized that Donte and Rianne didn’t simply luck into a great relationship. They made it. They didn’t squabble over little things, and when they disagreed with each other, they did so respectfully. If they disagreed about the way to handle a situation with the children, she had never observed it. Rianne’s comment about Donte spoiling the children indicated they didn’t always agree. More than likely, if they disagreed, it would be in private – and quietly.
Nieke followed Rianne out the door. Donte and Beier were across the rink, in another room. Lovita had worked with Rianne on the choreography. She thought they should design the theme after the recording – in a snowstorm. Right now, they were having an intermission between competitions and machines were spreading fresh snow on the ice. Across the rink, Donte and Beier emerged from a room. It was almost time for the entertainment section.
Nieke glanced up at the crowd, searching for anything that looked out of place. The McKillums were sitting together on a bench. Below them Tabia, Quade, the children and Neirin were watching the preparations. Neirin caught her eye and smiled. He had been wearing suits when they left the ranch, and tied his hair back. He looked handsome either way, but he preferred his robe for around the ranch.
Rianne and Donte stepped out on the ice at opposite ends of the rink and the lights dimmed. Snow began to fall. The music started, soft and flowing. Donte and Rianne began circling the rink, remaining the same distance from each other. Their movements were fluid and graceful as they executed solo leaps and spins. The rink became silent. They had captured the attention of the audience. They didn’t use the popular moves, but ones with which they were familiar. It wasn’t a competition for them. It was fun.
Both Donte and Rianne performed with a confidence that made their stunts look easy. They were incredibly graceful and delightful to watch.
Nieke broke her attention on them and scanned the audience. No one was moving a muscle except to take pictures. When the music began increasing in tempo, Nieke looked back at the ice. Donte and Rianne met at one end of the rink, as if they were two lovers meeting by chance. They dipped and swirled together until the music slowed to a drum beat. They lined up for what anyone on Purlieu would expect, but Oriel had never seen. The music suddenly boomed and began a lively tune. Donte and Rianne, hands on hips, began their fascinating footwork. The snow churned at their feet as they remained side-by-side. They moved together in perfect synchronization as they gracefully made their way sideways across the rink.
The audience exploded with applause and cheers. Their faces expressed surprise and delight. Donte and Rianne were in their element. Donte smiled at Rianne. It was the perfect performance – stunning, yet not so much so that it appeared to be beyond anything a human could do. In fact, they could not have competed with the professional ice skaters who performed before them. Their moves were simply different and presented in a skillful, entertaining way.
As Nieke scanned the audience, her attention stopped on Lovita. She had her hands under her chin; a rapt smile on her face. She was enjoying the show.
As the music slowed, Rianne and Donte came together, stepping between each other’s feet as they swooped and turned, snow thrown in an arch around them with each step. It was beautiful to watch, smooth and serene. The music stopped suddenly and they turned to the audience on each side, bowing and smiling.
The audience clapped and cheered. Slowly the audience began standing, cheering and clapping their appreciation.
Donte escorted Rianne back to her side and returned to his side, where Beier was waiting with a big grin on his face. Nieke followed Rianne into her dressing room.
“That was as stunning as it has been every time I have watched you two romp. You are quite the entertainers. The audience was delighted with your performance.”
Rianne smiled; her face radiant. “It was the ice. It was so smooth!”
Sure, it was the ice. She sounded like Donte. It was the pheromones. Did either of them ever accept credit for their amazing talents?
***
Donte hadn’t been nearly as enthused over the ice-skating performance as Rianne had, but it certainly had produced the desired result. Suddenly the plight of Purlieu was front page news. People were interested in the trial and there were articles everywhere about the purpose. The McKillum’s had dinner parties with important people who wanted to meet the Mascots of Purlieu and talk with them. At one point, the Judge who would be handling the case had been present, although they didn’t know until after he left. Donte had the opportunity to talk to government officials about the independence of Purlieu. Of course, they couldn’t give Donte answers immediately, but they started working on a plan.
Getting things done on Oriel was nothing like getting things done on Purlieu. On Purlieu, the length of time it took generally depended on how long it took to get leaders together. On Oriel it depended on how many times they got officials together and how many months they waited to discus that specific item. On Oriel, the legal system moved as slowly as their city traffic.
Donte had been naïve about how long they would need to be on Oriel. Two months passed before the trial actually began. He had been certain they would be back on Oriel before their baby was born, but he was no longer certain of that. If the trial took as long as the preparation, it could be several more months before they could leave.
Meanwhile, Donte was beginning to feel that they were a burden on the McKillum’s. When he expressed his concern, they assured him that wasn’t the case. They said they had understood how long it would take and were enjoying the company.
When the trial finally started, it went on for weeks. Jason picked Donte and the others up every day and took them to court. Jason had been trying to convince him that they needed a judicial system on Purlieu. Watching the proceedings, Donte was certain they didn’t need anything like that on Purlieu. Jason said it was difficult building a case against Fontalo because they were so powerful. That statement was confusing. If that was true, then how was their justice system any better than one where the most powerful people made the rules?
Donte had to sit in the witness booth once and tell what Captain Pacilio had done to the colonies. When he said that the captain had told them that they owned the Mascots, the judge made them take it out of the records and instructed the jury to disregard it. How did a person unhear something?
At one point the prosecutor asked a leading question and when Donte evaded it, the man insulted him. Donte was shocked at such behavior. The Judge interrupted the trial and gave them all a lecture about professionalism and common courtesy. He looked down at Donte and gently instructed him to answer the questions as they were asked.
Finally, Quade and Neirin were allowed to tell what happened to cause the Plague and how Fontalo had abandoned them, leaving the three spaceships behind. At one point they stopped Neirin mid sentence because part of what he said was irrelevant. They had instructed him to tell the whole truth, but they wouldn’t let him.
None of it made sense to Donte. It was obvious that Fontalo had illegally altered humans, but that fact wasn’t mentioned. Jason assured them that the case was going well and he expected to win. Jason expected to win. This was justice?
Donte was ready to walk away from it all and call it a loss. He would have if he had been the only one involved, but he wasn’t. It wasn’t about him at all. It was about Purlieu and he couldn’t walk out on that responsibility. Instead, he tried to focus on what he would do when he returned to Purlieu.
One day he brought the fresh milk into the kitchen and set the pail on the counter. He leaned against the counter and began examining some notes and a sketch he had made.
Rianne turned from the stove. “If you hang around in the kitchen, I’m going to tie an apron on you and put you to work.”
Donte looked at her over the paper. Her eyes expressed humor but her lips were sober. He straightened and turned, leaning on the counter.
“Come here and look at this.”
She leaned against the counter beside him. “You forgot to say please.”
He spread the paper out on the counter. “I’ve been thinking about that abandoned farm house. I think I could put it in livable condition without too much effort. We could expand the kitchen here and put a dining area in, leaving this area for a family room. There are enough bedrooms. We could make this one into a nursery and use this one right beside it – maybe put a pass-through door into the nursery from our bedroom.” He looked at her. “What do you think?”
She studied the paper for a moment and then looked up at him. “It seems to me that you are not planning on being the ruler when we return.”
“Would you mind?”
She shook her head and put an arm around his waist. “I wondered how long you would stay in that position. The cabinet wouldn’t like it, you know.”
“Gerritt is qualified.”
“I’m sure he is, but the cabinet wants you. They chose you – even above Pieter’s recommendation.”
He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “I know. It isn’t as if I don’t want to be the ruler. Being here has reminded me how much I liked the farm.”
“Donte, in the last decade you have survived four attempts on your life and an incredible amount of responsibility regarding The Prophesy. You keep going no matter how tired or frightened you are. I think it would be normal for a simple farm life to be appealing at this point. I think the question to ask yourself is; will you be content with that long-term?”
Maybe that was the appeal of the farm. Right now, things were quiet – even pleasant, in spite of the fact that he missed Bergen. Would he miss being the ruler?
Rianne put her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her hands, looking up at him. “Donte, Quade is a doctor and the president of Libertad at the same time. Why can’t you be the ruler of Bergen and have a farm at the same time?”
She had a point. He had been gone for months now. There was no reason he couldn’t be the ruler and live someplace besides the Groot Thuis. Things would not be the same after they returned. They would no longer be preparing for The Prophesy. Life in the Groot Thuis might even become mundane. Gerritt could handle the every day things there, allowing Donte to spend more time on the farm; assuming Gerritt was still interested by the time they returned.”
Rianne smiled. “There will always be someone coming to get you because an ursidae is troubling them, or asking you to speak for them.”
She was right about that too. He enjoyed those things more than being ruler. Maybe everyone would be so satisfied with Gerritt that they would want him to be ruler.
Rianne sighed. “Right now, I’d be happy simply to be back on Purlieu, in Bergen with you and our little family. I miss it.” She stood. “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll be there for you. I hope you know that. Now, I’d better get that milk strained before it spoils.”
***
Nieke watched Jason’s car come up the long drive. He said they might have a verdict any day. Hopefully he had good news. She had seen all of Oriel she wanted to see. The McKillum farm was beautiful, but trying to get around in the city was enough to make a person go crazy. Why did everyone want a car? Why did they like to live all cramped up together on lots too small to grow anything to eat? They said their monetary system encouraged the growth of a healthy economy, but it looked to her like it created an environment of greed. Oriel’s lifestyle was so dependent on money that they could not fathom living without it.
They had learned so much about what not to do since they arrived in Oriel that she wasn’t sure if they had learned anything valuable that they could emulate. The people of Oriel would probably feel the same way about Purlieu. Maybe it was simply a case of how a person was accustomed to living. Maybe neither way was better.
She glanced back at Neirin as he lifted Andras to the back of an equine. He and Beier had agreed to take the children for a ride. She would have liked to ride with them instead of Beier, but it was her turn to guard Donte and Rianne. Where was the Premier Infantry?
She turned toward the house as the car came to a stop in the drive. Jason got out of the car and started toward them. It was impossible to see his face from that distance, so she had no idea what, if anything, he had discovered at court. It was odd that he wanted to talk to them first instead of Donte. Maybe he thought Donte was still in the barn.
“Nieke,” Neirin called.
Nieke turned and he waved at her. “Petra wants to get a sweater from the house.”
Nieke nodded and waited while Petra joined her. As they turned to the house, Jason passed them…only it wasn’t Jason. It was Captain Pacilio. Nieke turned to watch him.
Neirin was preparing to mount, but he saw the captain and waited. Beier was holding the equine for Andras, waiting on Petra.
The captain reached around to his back and lifted his coat. That was when Nieke saw the gun.
“Neirin,” she called. “He has a gun!”
It all happened so fast that she barely had time to react. She reached in her pocket for the laser weapon as she raced toward the captain to stop him. Neirin swung around, putting himself between the Captain and Andras. Beier drew his laser and fired too quickly, missing the captain. The captain shot Beier once in the head and he dropped to the ground. The captain brought the gun around and hit Neirin over the head. He dropped as quickly as Beier did.
Nieke had her weapon out and the cover pulled back when Petra ran between them. Nieke grabbed Petra and tried to get a clear shot at the captain, but he was already mounting the equine behind Andras. He kicked the equine into a run. His back made a good target, but she didn’t dare shoot for fear of hitting Andras.
Petra turned and ran for the house, screaming for Donte. Nieke raced the other direction, pausing over Beier. He was dead – shot between the eyes. Neirin sat up, groaning. He looked at Beier and Nieke, then after the retreating back of the captain.
Nieke tapped her medallion. “Donte, Captain Pacilio took Andras.”
***
Donte folded his paper and stuck it in his breast pocket. He could plan all he wanted, but he wouldn’t know what was possible until after the verdict. He glanced up and saw Jason’s car in the drive. Maybe he had news. Donte headed for the door to meet him.
Something made a loud pop in the back. Judge McKillum looked up from his book and frowned. “That sounded like a gunshot.”
Donte raced to the door and as he grabbed the knob, his medallion beeped. He tapped it.
“Donte,” Nieke gasped. “The captain took Andras. He shot Beier and hit Neirin over the head.”
Rianne came from the kitchen, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide. Donte looked at her. “Get Dad and Tabia out here as fast as you can.” He didn’t wait for her response. He raced out the door, nearly colliding with Petra.
She looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks. “He took Andras and I couldn’t stop him. I think he killed Beier.”
Donte pulled her into the house. “Stay here with your mother.” He ran around the corner of the house and spotted three equines. Nieke stood beside Neirin, supporting him while he held his head. Beier lay on the ground near the other two equines.
Donte ran to Beier first. When he saw Beier’s face, his stomach contracted and his mouth went dry. Quade wouldn’t be able to help Beier.
Nieke pointed to a figure in the distance as it disappeared into the forest. Donte grabbed Beier’s laser from his hand and looked at Nieke.
She shook her head. “He missed the first time and the captain didn’t. I’m sorry. I was halfway to the house with Petra. I thought it was Jason until…” She shook her head. “I let him get past me. I’m sorry.”
Neirin patted her arm. “By the time we realized what he was going to do, it was too late. It isn’t your fault.” He looked at Donte. “If you’re going after him, I’m going with you.”
Nieke gasped. “You’re not in any condition to ride.”
Fyfe ran up to Donte. “What happened?”
Donte explained briefly. “I’m going to follow him. You take some troops and go opposite directions around the base of those rocks up there. Be careful. He has Andras.”
Donte mounted one of the equines and looked down at Nieke. “Stay here with Rianne and Petra in case he comes back.”
She nodded and turned toward the house. Quade and Tabia joined them. Quade kneeled beside Beier while Tabia examined Neirin. Donte and Nieke explained what had happened.
Neirin pushed Tabia away and mounted. “I’ll be fine. Let’s get going.”
Quade mounted the other equine. Donte looked at Tabia. “Stay with Beier, will you?” She nodded.
They all rode after the captain.
Soft Science Fiction
