Shalidar

By D. W. Phipps

The Third Galactic Age has dawned, but to the dismay of Princess Aurelia, Councilor of Twinsun IV, it has not brought the peace she has hoped for, but rather a dreadfully uncertain future for her Confederate Star Alliance. Though the Darkness has fled and the Necronite Empire has collapsed, bereft of the protection of the Necronite star fleet the empires outer worlds are now ripe for pirate plundering.
One of those worlds, Saba Yar, is legendary as the ancient Soras rainforested realm of mystical medicinewomen and miraculous healing botanicals. When Princess Aurelia discovers that a devastatingly addictive drug made from Sabas black Yutee flower is appearing on the streets of Port Royal, she realizes that pirates have taken Saba and are plundering it and its inhabitants for an evil purpose. Moreover, with a representative of the Tannite Empire currently in the Confederate Council chambers petitioning for annexation of Saba, she fears a collusion between the pirates and her old Tannite adversary, General Gondaga.
Unable to expose the smugglers via legal means, Aurelia calls on her friend, Captain Coreandra Flint of the Galactic Merchant Fleet, for her help. Corey agrees to use her ability to move through Port Royals seamy underground to pursue the pirates and attempt to discover the identity of their mysterious leader. However, when a chance encounter places an escaped Sabine priestess Coreys hands, the Orcan captain suddenly finds herself caught up in the girls sensual magic and embroiled in a deadly interstellar intrigue that ultimately threatens both the Confederate Star Allianceand her life!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491805701

D. W. Phipps

Donald W. Phipps, Jr. is a research scientist with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine and a Master’s degree at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He and his wife, Linda, currently enjoy the sun and warmth of Southern California. “Shalidar” is his second novel.

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© 2013 by D. W. Phipps, Jr.. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 08/03/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0570-1 (e)

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Synopsis

The Third Galactic Age has dawned, but to the dismay of Princess Aurelia, Councilor of Twinsun IV, it has not brought the peace she has hoped for, but rather a dreadfully uncertain future for her Confederate Star Alliance. Though the Darkness has fled and the Necronite Empire has collapsed, bereft of the protection of the Necronite star fleet the empire’s outer worlds are now ripe for pirate plundering.

One of those worlds, Saba Yar, is legendary as the ancient Sora’s rain—forested realm of mystical medicine—women and miraculous healing botanicals. When Princess Aurelia discovers that a devastatingly addictive drug made from Saba’s black Yutee flower is appearing on the streets of Port Royal, she realizes that pirates have taken Saba and are plundering it and its inhabitants for an evil purpose. Moreover, with a representative of the Tannite Empire currently in the Confederate Council chambers petitioning for annexation of Saba, she fears a collusion between the pirates and her old Tannite adversary, General Gondaga.

Unable to expose the smugglers via legal means, Aurelia calls on her friend, Captain Coreandra Flint of the Galactic Merchant Fleet, for her help. Corey agrees to use her ability to move through Port Royal’s seamy underground to pursue the pirates and attempt to discover the identity of their mysterious leader. However, when a chance encounter places an escaped Sabine priestess Corey’s hands, the Orcan captain suddenly finds herself caught up in the girl’s sensual magic and embroiled in a deadly interstellar intrigue that ultimately threatens both the Confederate Star Alliance—and her life!

To my wife Linda, my eternal font of love and inspiration, and to my friend Bernadette, the Light’s truest Paraclete of Justice.

1.jpg

Nobody’ll bother us here, Virge. We’cn do pretty much what we’ve a mind to.

Chapter 1

The glory of the Sodomite sunrise embraced the horizon as the first summer morning of the Third Galactic Age dawned pregnant with brilliant promise. Beams of morning light flashed from the waves and glittered from the graceful crescent of a silver hydrosail dancing across the ocean between the shoreline of the great city—state of Port Royal and its scattered offshore islands. Droplets of moisture glistened on the little craft’s wet deck like gems scattered about the bare feet of an Orcan girl as she clambered out to the edge of the rail and untied the knot securing the vessel’s main sheet. Her fingers, lean and tan where they protruded from her leather gloves, worked with nimble swiftness while sunlight highlighted the powerful sinews moving beneath the bronzed flesh of her forearms. She watched as a swift wind rippled across her boat’s chrome sail, snapping the flashing material taught and swinging the boom until it strained against the sheet. She planted her feet firmly in the stirrups set into her boat’s deck and braced herself for the strain as the line yanked tightly in her hands. Her muscles bulged beneath her dark, wet skin as the breeze filled her sail and curved it into a mirror—like airfoil that lifted her little craft’s thin hull and sent it skimming over the water on a cloud of hissing spray.

Coreandra Flint listened while the din of Port Royal swiftly faded behind her, masked by the whistle of the wind through her mast’s standing rigging. She leaned back over the steel rope rail and let the warm sea spray blast her upper body and blow wet ringlets of raven hair from her face. Her heart swelled at the sound of water rushing against her vessel’s keel as it slashed across the ocean toward the green expanse of Thunder Island. She felt unbound, as wild and as free as the offshore breeze swelling her sail and the rolling ocean flashing beneath her craft’s thin hull.

All the darkness of Corey’s past lay far behind her now, inside the galactic core between the fire of combat and the icy blackness of the Darkness. She had escaped, she had survived; and for the first time in her young life, she was in love.

Corey gazed back toward the boat’s cockpit and smiled broadly at the man gripping the tiller with his eyes set intently on the distant horizon while piloting her little boat. Sun fire glistened on his bare shoulders, his hair flew in the wind and his sienna eyes narrowed to a squint against the brilliance of morning light flashing from the water. The sparkle painted his features with a brilliant aura that reminded her this gentle human was the Great Avatar, humble channel for the Light’s power. She also recalled that her love had given him strength and comfort through his moment of greatest doubt and fear. She would never forget either that night or the forces his touch had unleashed from her soul.

Steady on th’ helm, Virge, she beamed a telepathic warning back to him. I’m gonna take her as hard—to as I can—then she’ll really fly!

Virgil Deux smiled and nodded, then shifted his weight in anticipation of her move. She tightened her grasp on the sheet line gripped in her gloved hand and drew it in smartly, sending water spraying from the rope as the boat’s lee railing heeled into the sea. She looked down between her legs and watched the coral heads racing beneath her.

They flew as though suspended in space by Port Royal’s crystalline tropical water. Nearing the island, Corey let off on the sheet to slow her craft while it sailed through the inlet of a turquoise lagoon surrounded by dense, verdant foliage. Moments later the boat’s prow nosed up onto a starkly white beach of powdered coral. Corey and her companion splashed out into the gentle breakers, tugging their silver boat safely up out of the water’s reach. Virgil opened a locker in the cockpit and extracted a plastic container with a lunch packed inside.

Looks like we have this place to ourselves, he noted, glancing up and down the apparently deserted beach.

Yeah—come on, she urged, grasping his hand and pulling him toward a stand of broad—fronded trees, I wanna show you something.

She plunged boldly into the foliage with Virgil following closely behind her. He spread the leaves and pushed through a jungle bursting with brilliant, fragrant flowers, until he came upon a small clearing. There, a basin of volcanic rock formed a natural pool fed by a broad cataract that constantly replenished it with warm, clear water. Flowers of all descriptions adorned the hillside and permeated the air with their intoxicatingly sweet fragrance.

Corey, it’s beautiful in here. He looked around, taking in the splendor surrounding them, then turned back to the Orcan. I’d never have imagined this sort of paradise could exist so close to the city.

Yeah—pretty big change, all right. This must’ve been what Port Royal was like before it was settled, she replied, then added, it’s sort of my secret place, Virge. I used t’sail out here when I wanted t’get away. She cast her eyes about the bright flowers and thick foliage. This island’s a wildlife sanctuary. Nobody’cn ever spoil what’s around us. I—I bet you think that sounds pretty funny comin’ out of th’ mouth of a freighter jockey, don’t you?

No, I don’t think so at all, he replied softly. I know you better than you think. Underneath that armor of yours lies a heart that loves and cares more than anyone else’s I know.

You—you really think that ’bout me?

Of course I do, he smiled. You ought to know that by now, after what we’ve been through together.

Corey paused, searching his face with her black eyes for a moment. Then, the Orcan turned and stepped into the pool, feeling the warm water closing over her feet. She waded out until she stood waist—deep. The misty spray from the waterfall in front of her dusted her hair with glistening droplets as she slowly unfastened the catch holding the thin sport water suit that covered her breasts and lower abdomen. The fluorescent yellow and green elastic fabric peeled away from her body to float on the water beside her. She walked forward, her eyes closed and her head held back so that the droplets cascading from the rock overhead splashed against her throat.

Hey! What if someone comes in here?

Nobody’ll bother us in here, Virge, Corey explained, beaming her thoughts to her companion. We can pretty much do what we’ve a mind to.

In a few moments, fingers closed about her shoulders, a gentle touch of warmth that caused her to lower her face and turn. The Orcan’s eyes, as large and black as the night, mirrored her companion.

It seems so long ago since that night on the ship, he spoke softly, that night you and I— He hesitated, then admitted, I was so damn scared. I—I didn’t think I was going to survive the fight on Aura. You saved my soul that night, Corey. You know that, don’t you?

An’ you saved mine. Corey brushed the hair from his face and explained, after I thought I lost Papa, I was a hollow shell—nothin’ left inside me. I didn’t care if I lived or died. If I had, I damn well wouldn’t have gone lookin’ for Aura! But you—you showed me I could still feel love. You made me care—made me feel things I never dreamed were inside me. You gave me a reason t’live. She bit her lip and lowered her eyes. I—I spent a lotta time thinkin’ ’bout what I would do if we were ever together like that again—if you came t’me, th’ way you did that night.

Virgil brushed his fingers against her cheek.

If I did—what would you do? he inquired with his eyes fixed on hers.

She wordlessly closed her eyes, trembling as her lips brushed gently against his. Virgil returned her kiss. Coreandra grasped him tightly and sealed her lips against his with all of the power in her Orcan soul, closing her eyes as she felt the warmth of their bodies once again so close it took her breath from her. His hands washed warm pleasure slowly down her back when she pulled away from him. She gazed into his brown eyes while Sodome’s rising sun painted Virgil’s sienna hair with touches of red and gold as it beamed down behind his head and placed a halo of nebulous light around his face.

She stepped back, then cried out as her body splashed backwards into the water. Virgil’s hands quickly moved beneath her to hold her up.

Hey—careful! he admonished, you’ll take a tumble.

I think I already did. She gazed up at him, the moisture on her face glistening like teardrops. I—I think I stepped on a rock—maybe cut my foot. Could you help me get to shore so I’cn check it out? She glanced to her right, then added, those reeds over there look mighty soft.

Virgil located the spot along the bank where the vegetation formed a matted, grassy bed, then reached below her legs and swept her up. Silvery droplets sprayed from her dark skin as he lifted her in his arms.

Is this how you carried me outa that storm when we were shipwrecked on Antitia? she inquired, placing her arms about his neck.

Yeah, it went something like this, he smiled.

I—wish I’d been with it so I could remember. She held on to him while he carried her to the shore then laid her body gently in the bed of soft reeds lining pool’s bank.

Here—let me check out your foot. He started to get up, but Corey kept her arms about his neck.

It’s—okay, Virge. If it is cut, it’ll heal okay. She gazed up at him, her black eyes windows to the endless depths of interstellar space she often called home. Tropical breezes gently rustled the foliage over their heads and the voices of thousands of exotic birds filled the air as she drew him down beside her. I—I love you, she spoke with a trembling voice. I—I’ve always loved you—an’ I always will! She read her words echoed in his thoughts and sensed his desires mixing with them. You remember what I told you before we crossed th’ Rim o’Light? How when you touch an Orcan inside, she becomes a part of your soul?

I remember, he replied. It was very true, that Orcan saying.

He pressed his lips gently against hers, exploring her with the tip of his tongue. The rushing splash of the waterfall carried all the cares of the galaxy away, isolating them as though they were alone in the universe. Corey issued a soft moan at the touch of Virgil’s lips against the softness of her throat. She began to perspire, the droplets of moisture sparkling on her naked skin growing spicy with an aphrodisiac scent of Orcan arousal that undertoned the sweet fragrance of the blossoms surrounding them.

He caressed her body with a soft and taming gentleness that could hold a heart as wild and free as a night wind. Her skin flinched as his lips slid over the curve of her left breast, then her body stiffened and her loins suddenly burned as a warm wetness lingered on the hard, black areola. When he looked up into her eyes, he witnessed the embers that had been smoldering within her soul since their first union flare once again and come blazing out of their dusky darkness like a nova.

Corey drew a deep breath and her hands moved below the small of his back, her legs locking behind him to hold him down against her. The Orcan’s glossy perspiration lubricated her as though her flesh had been rubbed with oil, revealing every muscle and sinew flexing beneath her skin as she moved. Her heart pounded with such force in her breast that she could feel its rhythm shaking her whole body.

Make it happen like before, Virge. Make it happen again! she moaned softly, squeezing her legs about him, closing her eyes and laying her head back against the dark, moist foliage. She could feel his warmth against her swollen labia as she grasped his buttocks. Her fingers pressed deeply into his flesh as she tightened her grip.

Corey’s biceps flexed abruptly and she issued an involuntary gasp as she felt a solid warmth slide quickly inside of her body. For a moment, neither of them tried to move; they simply looked up into each other’s eyes. They allowed their minds to intertwine as their bodies had done, their thoughts winding together like smoke swirling up from a pair of bonfires. Corey’s soul basked in the brilliant aura of a love she thought would be forever forbidden to her. She closed her eyes and felt the power of his life pulsing gently inside of her sensitive tissues. A wonderful sense of strength and wholeness overcame her heart, as though by filling her inside, Virgil’s touch also filled a vast emptiness in her soul.

He moved gently, as if a pas de deux with an inexperienced partner. She knew he was patiently allowing his beloved friend to lead, putting her pleasure above his own. With mind and body she revealed her wants to him, while deep inside, Corey’s internal chemistry altered in response to the gentle ripples of pleasure radiating from her loins. Cool water squirted between her legs and her hips flattened the soggy reeds, but the passion that had suddenly exploded inside her made her oblivious to the discomfort. The Orcan gripped her partner tenaciously, her back arching and her fingers gripping his shoulders to pull him down against her, an action that sent her breasts quivering with each thrust. Crying gasps escaped her parted lips with explosive force as her heart pounded as though it would burst from her chest.

She felt her whole body rising the up, as though lifted by the face of a smooth wave. She dug her fingers into Virgil’s shoulders, splashed by a numbing aura that stiffened all of her muscles at once.

A lick of lightning struck inside her and the power of her climax exploded with the force of a concussion grenade. A flurry of multicolored birds burst from the forest canopy in panic at the long cry tearing from her throat.

Vir—VIRGE!

Cold silence returned to her.

Oh—Shades o’Sirena! Coreandra moaned, then sat up abruptly, still shaking, her painfully swollen and exquisitely tender insides twitching their final spasms. The Orcan dropped back on her bedding as the last vestiges of her vivid dream evaporated.

She swallowed, shivering while a trickle of musky perspiration dripped down the side of her throat. She wiped the spicy moisture from her face, and looked around.

Her nude body lay partially covered by a warm blanket on a low, soft bed. The first rays of the Velarian sun painted the morning clouds brilliant vermilion through the skylight over her head.

Oh, Virge! What’ve we done? She closed her eyes, the dryness in her mouth and throbbing ache between her ears reminding her of the brandy she’d consumed the previous night. The events of the immediate past came flooding back to her as reality chased fantasy from her mind.

In the last weeks, Captain Coreandra Flint of the Galactic Merchant Fleet had lived enough adventure for several lifetimes. She had used her extraordinary piloting skills to penetrate into the Great Void, the dusty unknown reaches surrounding the galactic core, while seeking the treasures locked in the legendary artificial Soran planet of Aura. She had confronted the withering powers of Lord Morlock with her friends Virgil Deux, Lady Aurelia and Lord Thor, and had helped them imprison this last wizard of the Darkness. She fought Morlock’s Necronite forces to escape Aura as the planet exploded, returning out of oblivion with her friends safely aboard her ship and a blazing cache of Soran gems in her hands.

Corey completed her travels by flying her ancient Orcan Swift freighter, the Supernova, back from Twinsun IV’s crystalline Imperial Citadel, to the arboreal planet of Velair. A family of Mustelites lived deep in the great forest outside the city of Chirab, in the shadows of the sharp hills the locals called Smoky Ridge. Although Corey had been born on Sodome, far across the sky from Velair’s beautiful forests, after the Necronites destroyed her home the Orcan’s father had brought Corey to live with the furry creatures before going off to assist the Confederate Star Fleet. While he made a reputation for himself as the most daring blockade runner and master pilot during the Necronite War, Toby and his mate May had cared for the little Orcan girl, and they came to love her as though she was their own child. She had promised them that she would come back to them when she completed her voyages, and kept that promise late the previous day.

During the course of the evening Corey and her father, Correlleus, enthralled their hosts with tales of their exploits. Toby, the Mustelite patriarch, was one of the finest astromechanics in the Quadrant, and had made a number of special modifications to the Supernova to enable her to out—run or out—fight her adversaries. It was Corey’s hope to enlist his aid to inspect the boats of the Starlight Limited freight line, currently offered for sale in Port Royal. She explained to her hosts that she and her father planned to use her Aurian cubonites to make a bid for the company, and stood an excellent chance of getting it.

However, all that would come in time. Ever since leaving Toby’s isolated homestead, the closest thing to a real home she knew, she longed to return to the pleasant refuge and wander through the wildness of the back woods she had once explored as a child. As she now gazed up through the skylight over her head and observed a thin cloud edged with vermilion sailing across the deep indigo of the dawn sky, she recalled how she had deliberately not shared all of her experiences with the Mustelites—especially her real part in the trinity of souls that stood against Morlock’s Darkness. She’d made a difficult decision when she left Twinsun IV and her friends behind her, but she felt that under the circumstances it was her only choice. However, try as she would to block it out, their memory persistently haunted her soul.

Corey hoped that her hosts hadn’t heard her crying moans as she raised herself on an elbow. She reflexed her coverings, observing her clean, dark flesh underneath. The Orcan’s powerful abdominal muscles rippled beneath her skin, flattening her stomach so that it resembled rolling hills with a black copse of brush covering the gentle rise of her pubic region. She rubbed her hand along the smoothness of her belly.

The Orcan felt a slippery warmth leaking between her buttocks.

No—

She flexed her knees and reached down, shuddering and closing her eyes involuntarily while her finger wiped inside her swollen, sensitive tissues. She recovered her hand and observed a pale, bloody mucus.

Aw—aw, FRASS!

Corey stumbled out of bed, her naked flesh shivering in the chilly air of her quarters. A stringy clot surrounded by an irregular red splotch stained the white bedding beneath her.

Frack! What a mess! she moaned, sinking to her knees at the bedside. She felt sick as she looked at the bloody discharge and felt the insides of her thighs sticky and cold where the secretions began to dry on her skin.

The annunciator on the wall of her room beeped softly.

Corey? a gentle voice speaking in accented Orcan called out from the comline. Child, are you all right in there? Can I come in?

Y—yeah, May. Corey turned toward the device and answered the call. I—I’m okay. It’s nothin’. She fought her nausea and got back in bed, quickly pulling the sheet around her body. Come on. I—I was just gettin’ up.

The partition leading into the Orcan’s room hissed aside and a dark creature with flashing black eyes pushed into the warm light of the Velarian morning. The female Mustelite gazed down at her guest momentarily, the brightening glow from the skylight shining from the coarse black fur on the top of her raccoon—like head and highlighting the twin white stripes racing down her back to her bushy tail.

Ah’ve got breakfast on, Toby’s mate announced. It’ll be ready in a micron or two. She regarded the Orcan’s features. Corey’s body shivered almost imperceptibly, but enough for the sensitive Mustelite’s eyesight to detect. What’s the matter, child? Y’all look so pale!

It’s nothin’, Corey shook her head.

Y’all were dreamin’, weren’t you? May inquired. I heard you callin’ out in your sleep a moment ago.

Oh— Corey rolled her eyes and dropped back on her pillow, her face crimson. Yeah, I was havin’ a dream—just between us girls, one I’m too embarrassed t’describe in detail.

Ah understand. May made a gentle smile, revealing her dog—like canines, and sat on the floor beside Corey’s bed. The Mustelite reached over and stroked Corey’s face with a dark—skinned hand. Corey looked at the soft, furry creature whose kind rural demeanor and seemingly eternal patience became her ideal image of motherhood. Corey’s heart embraced the Mustelite from the beginning, for through the fury and violence that had dominated most of the Orcan’s life, May represented practically the only gentleness she had known.

Child—somethin’s mighty wrong. Ah know, May said quietly. Ah figured y’all didn’t tell Toby an’ th’ boys everythin’ that went on up there, did you?

No. Corey lowered her gaze from the creature’s black eyes. No, I didn’t tell ’em everythin’. There’s some of it that—well, they wouldn’t understand. Hell, I’m still not so sure that I do.

It’s got something t’do with this dream, doesn’t it? May pressed her gently. Y’all don’t haveta tell me ’bout it if you don’t want to—but if it’s troublin’ you, maybe I can help.

Yeah, May, Corey replied, her voice strained, I think maybe you can. She swallowed, and explained, remember I told everyone how we crossed th’ Rim o’Light usin’ Papa’s old range data? Well, the night before we went through to th’ Great Void, Virge came t’see me.

What? May looked at her quizzically. Did his mate know that?

Yeah, I’m sure she did, Corey replied, adding, she wasn’t his mate yet, y’know—I mean, it’s not like I did anythin’ really evil—Virge was still a free man. She looked at May, expecting some reproach. The tender creature gave her none, but her ears quivered.

Corey—what’re y’all tryin’ t’say? What happened?

May, he was hurtin’. Bad, Corey continued. I—I think he’d convinced himself he was gonna die on Aura. He couldn’t tell Aurelia he was afraid. He was her Great Avatar—I don’t think he wanted her t’see him scared. He had plenty t’be scared of, too—an’ I guess he thought I’d be th’ only one who’d understand that. She paused, then continued with a low voice, I gave him th’ only thing I thought could take his pain an’ fear away—me.

You gave him your maidenhood? May inquired with enlarged eyes.

That’s one way t’put it, Corey nodded.

Did—did you love him?

Somethin’ awful, Corey admitted, closing her eyes and leaning back against her pillow. "I fell for Virge the micron I laid eyes on him in Enirum, when he came t’charter th’ ‘Nova. Truth is, I’d been tryin’ t’get him t’take me since we’d been shot down over Antitia—so when he showed up at my door, I guess I kinda took advantage of th’ situation. I tried t’talk myself out of it, but I couldn’t. I wondered if you’d figured that out when we touched down here th’ first time. Corey stopped, her black eyes searching the depth of the Mustelite’s as she continued, I knew Aurelia loved him first—’though I didn’t understand why ’till later. Any decent girl would’ve kept her hands off him. Well, I guess I wasn’t so decent, then."

He loved you, too, Sugar, May pointed out. Even ah could see that.

I know he did. At the time, what I did seemed like th’ right thing, Corey replied. Later, after we got back, I found out he was destined t’be Prince of Twinsun. The Twinsunnite wizard Enid pretty much up an’ told him he was fated t’be with Aurelia. He had t’do what he was meant t’do, an’ that was it. I knew it, and so did he. So—so when th’ time came, I—decided t’make it easy for him. Corey paused, taking a breath. "When I walked up the ‘Nova’s boardin’ ramp on Twinsun, it was for th’ last time. That way their lives wouldn’t be complicated by th’ likes o’Coreandra Flint."

Oh, Sugar! May gently grasped her bare shoulders. Y’all mean you just walked away an left your heart in pieces?

That’s ’bout th’ size of it, Corey’s voice cracked as she spoke. After th’ airlock door closed, I was all numb inside—like my guts got spalled through so bad I was too hurt t’know I was dyin’. I just sort o’stood there ’till Deedy came an’ got me. Then I wiped off th’ tears, an’ it was over. She read the Mustelite’s thoughts in her eyes, and added, I had to do it, May. For Virge’s sake, an’ for Aurelia’s, too. I had t’waltz outa his life like that, an’ be done with him. I—I just had to— She looked away from the Mustelite so that the creature couldn’t see the water threatening to spill over her cheeks. Corey sniffed, regained her composure, and said, "I figured I’d just take my fortune, get th’ Starlight Limited, an’ go on with my life without ever lookin’ back. That is—’till th’ dreams started."

Tell me about th’ dreams, May urged her, tell me about them, Sugar.

The first one came the night after I left Virge an’ Aurelia. They came pretty regularly after that—every other night, Corey explained to the Mustelite, then continued to relate how the vivid, intensely erotic visions exploded in her brain every few days, bringing her from sleep with moaning cries and leaving her deeply empty when she awoke to find herself lying in her bunk alone, her body racked by fleeting vestiges of penetrating images that invariably left her wet and trembling in the throes of orgasm.

After th’ dreams started, it didn’t take long ’fore I noticed th’ changes.

What changes? May inquired.

I lost my appetite some three STU’s out of Twinsun, Corey went on. I ain’t ever been space—sick in my life, May, but I puked up everythin’ I put down that mornin’. Fortunately, I managed t’blow breakfast down the ship’s head before either Papa or Deedy found out. Then, fifteen decs out of Velarian space, I found out I was late. I ain’t really been regular anyway, but I’ve never missed a cycle. At first, I thought it was th’ stress o’combat—hell, I’d been practically runnin’ on pure stimulin. Later, though, I wondered if it might be somethin’ else. Funny what goes through your mind like that—the what—if’s, I mean.

May’s black eyes enlarged slowly and she put a hand to her mouth as she listened.

I started rememberin’ Enid’s ’xact words, an’ the more I thought about it, the more I realized that ‘though that Soran legend said Virge was supposed t’be papa to th’ new Soran race, it was pretty hazy on who th’ mamma was gonna be. Corey continued, explaining how the Supernova’s long range sensor package alarm interrupted their lovemaking when it warned them that the ship had crossed paths with Morlock’s titanic astrofortress, the Black Dwarf. However, an orgasm had already exploded inside her loins, and she never really knew if Virgil had done the same, nor if she carried away anything of him inside of her.

May stroked the Orcan girl’s hair with black fingers. As Corey slowly reached around her friend’s body and hugged her, May felt the girl’s arms trembling.

Oh, Coreandra! She grasped the Orcan girl to her breast and held her. Oh, Sugar, it’s all right! You’re gonna be all right, believe me. You’cn stay right here with Toby and me—we’ll take care of you, just like we did before. Neva you mind, now—I know just what t’do! Why, ah gave birth t’all my cubs right here in this very room. By th’ Light, we’ve all had ’nuff practice by now! But—you gotta send word t’Prince Virgil at once! You gotta let him know, Sugar! He wouldn’t want y’all t’go through this alone! You gotta tell him—

Corey stopped shaking, and looked into the worried creature’s eyes. She released her grasp, then reached down and slowly pulled away her bedding.

That ain’t necessary—now. The words stuck in her throat as May stared at the crimson mucoid stain on the bedding. She turned sympathetic eyes to the Orcan pilot, then took her back in her arms again. Corey shook, fighting to hold back her tears. I think th’ stress did it. I just—couldn’t hold on to it, May.

Oh, Sugar! She rocked gently, holding her. Baby, there were so many times when I wished I was your real mamma, an’ this is one of ’em.

Corey sniffed, and looked up at her.

Th’ gods help me, May—I gotta forget him, Corey swallowed, wiping her face with her hand, but I don’t know how! How can I do it, May? How can I ignore what I feel inside? An’ how can I shake these dreams?

Sugar, you love him deep inside, May replied gently, an’ no way will that love will ever leave your heart. As for th’ dreams, the Mustelite explained, they’re just your heart’s way of havin’ what it can’t get. Ah think you’re wrong t’turn from your friends like you have. Fact is, ah think y’all ought t’tell Prince Virgil and Princess Aurelia just how you really feel inside.

What good would that do—other than hurt them? Corey inquired.

That depends, May replied, on just how much they both love you themselves. The Mustelite sat back and rose up on her legs. Corey, what you feel inside ain’t somethin’ you can fight. You can’t gun it down or fly your way out of it, ’cause it’s part of what you are.

I won’t hurt my friends, the Orcan replied resolutely.

If they are your friends, you can’t hurt them, May explained. They’ll always love you, Sugar, and stand by you, come what may. And, they wouldn’t want you hurting either—would they?

Corey sat quietly, looking up at the creature.

I love you, May, she sighed, then said, maybe you’re right—but I can’t go back right away. It—it’d just hurt too much, that’s all.

Ah know, baby, May stroked Corey’s face, Ah know. But in time, you’ll find your way back. You gotta have faith in th’ Light. It’ll show you the right way, if y’all have faith! The Mustelite’s fingers caressed the Orcan’s curly hair, as she said, I love you so much! Y’all got a smile as bright as th’ sunshine, an’ ah’d sure love t’see it now.

Corey put on a broad grin, and the vermilion light from Velair’s sun gently brushing her dark cheeks made her whole face seem to momentarily glow.

That’s much better. The Mustelite reached down and stroked her face again, Now, it’s a new mornin’ an’ breakfast is nearly done. Y’all get up an’ shower off. Ah’ll take care of th’ bedclothes, don’t you worry.

May helped Corey to stand. The Orcan stumbled over to the wall and pushed open the partition into the bathroom, feeling the smooth and solid floor tiles beneath her bare feet. She touched a silver plate on the wall and a tiny embedded processing unit analyzed her body temperature, then activated a dozen water jets in the walls of her crystalline shower stall that filled the booth with a warm, hissing fog.

Corey’s head still throbbed from the brandy she’d consumed in some quantity the night before, and she cursed as she stubbed her toe on the edge of the shower’s white ceramic ridge. The clear glass door automatically slid closed once she had entered.

The Orcan allowed warm water to blast into her face for a while, its force reviving her and clearing her head. Then, she reprogrammed the shower to produce a thin mist of steam from overhead, while pulsing jets from the walls first doused her body with detergent and then clear water. She rubbed her legs to remove the last traces of mucus, then touched the shower’s programming block so that it created a gentle jet up from the floor at her.

Corey placed herself over the jet so that the soft fountain douched the last traces of straw—colored fluid from inside her, staining the water as the last red strings of mucus swirled into the floor grating.

She rubbed her hand across the flatness of her abdomen. Coreandra Flint had never in her life considered herself the type to act as the progenitor of anything, but as she witnessed that possibility vanishing down the drain at her feet, she experienced a sudden and overwhelming sensation of emptiness. The reality that she had nothing of Virgil inside of her, and that she would never have, impacted her like a torpedo blast.

She leaned against the tiled wall, her face contorting in a grimace as her hand went involuntarily to cover her eyes. The Orcan’s shoulders shook, the soft hiss of the shower jets masking her sobs from the world outside her tiny cubicle. Then, as often she had, Corey called upon her inner strength to dispel her pain. She sniffed and blinked, wiping her private tears away and steeling herself back into her role as the captain of a transgalactic astrofreighter.

She heard the comline annunciator sound off once again.

I’m in th’ shower! she cried in Orcan over the sound of the water.

Ain’t y’all ready yet? She recognized Toby’s eldest son, Izzy, at the other end of the line. While her father ran supplies across the Necronite blockades, she grew up with Izzy and his brother. They’d adopted her, teaching her the secrets of their forest home and honing the weaponry skills that would later make the pretty Orcan girl one of the deadliest gunfighters in the galaxy. Guess y’all put quite a load away last night, Izzy pointed out over the comline, then asked, you still game t’go out this mornin’?

Damn straight I am! the Orcan shot back, shutting off the water. A little hangover ain’t gonna keep me away from this fishin’ trip.

She triggered the drier, allowing a blast of desiccated air to blow the last traces of moisture from her body while she shook out her soft curls of raven hair so the wind could penetrate them.

Well, okay—I’ll get th’ chariots ready, the Mustelite announced. Ah just hope y’all don’t get sick on th’ water.

That’ll be th’ day! Corey scoffed. You’d better not get th’ notion that you’re gonna bring home th’ biggest catch, either.

She returned to her quarters and regarded the green duffel bag lying at the foot of the bed. She unzipped its fastener and spread the bag open, then lifted a camouflaged jump suit out and slipped into the clothing. She placed her feet in her cushioned space boots and triggered their pneumatic closures, feeling the shoes swell with a hiss and tightly grasp her ankles.

The Orcan selected a Titanite chain mail vest from the duffel bag and slid it around her shoulders. She didn’t expect trouble, but made it a rule never to go outside without some armor on her body. She regarded her pistol resting in its holster, then reached down and picked up her gun belt. A number of potentially dangerous animals—including the occasional two—legged ones—inhabited the forests surrounding the Velarian city of Chirab. She placed the belt about her waist and fastened the buckle together with a secure metallic click, then adjusted the belt to drop low around her hips before securing the holster to her right leg with its thin cord. Corey unfastened the flap securing her weapon, then whipped the gun up into firing position, testing the draw. She regarded the pistol resting in her grip as though a natural extension of her arm and recalled how in the hands of the Twinsunnite Wizard, Enid, she witnessed its normally dull black finish transformed into the brilliant chrome silver that now reflected the Velarian morning light. For a moment, in her mind she pictured the bright creature standing before her, his penetrating azure eyes and aluminum colored fur alive with light as he addressed her.

YOU WILL MAKE THIS WEAPON A SYMBOL OF JUSTICE, AND YOU WILL BECOME KNOWN BY IT. ALTHOUGH MORLOCK AND HIS DARKNESS ARE GONE, THE EVIL THAT GAVE SUSTENANCE TO HIS KIND YET REMAINS IN THE SKY. YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN SPECIAL GIFTS, COREANDRA FLINT, AND NOW IT IS YOUR DESTINY TO USE THOSE GIFTS IN THE SERVICE OF ALL THOSE BELEAGUERED BY THAT EVIL. AS YOU TRAVEL THROUGH THE GALAXY, THE LIGHT WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU. IT WILL BE FOREVER AT YOUR SIDE, WATCHING OVER YOU, GUIDING YOUR HANDS AND YOUR HEART. IT WILL MAKE YOUR WAY CLEAR TO YOU, AND MAKE A ONCE AVENGING ANGEL ITS TRUEST PARACLETE OF JUSTICE.

Corey shook her head, dispelling the vision hanging before her eyes. She replaced the pistol in her holster with the same firm thrust that she’d used when accepting it from Enid’s hands, although admitting to herself she had little idea of what she had really accepted along with the weapon. She realized that Confederate forces alone wouldn’t round up all the criminals in the galaxy, and that there were regions of the sky in which a gunfighter like herself represented the only force of law and sense of right.

However, the Orcan cared not to ponder her destiny beyond that moment, outside the boundaries of her visions. The snap of her holster strap dispelled the thoughts as she fastened down her gun, then automatically checked the clips secured to her belt. Satisfied, she walked over to her door and triggered the panel. When it whisked open, a nigrescent creature covered with shining fur waited for her on the other side. Izzy rubbed his black nose, then wiggled his ears.

Well, it’s ’bout time y’all got yourself primped up! he feigned a huff in Orcan. Ah’ve had th’ chariots ready out back for a dec an’ a half! Come on—let’s get breakfast, then make trails for th’ river.

May had, as promised, prepared a splendid breakfast for Corey and her company, and served it with the wide vista of giant Velarian conifers that towered outside the dining room of Toby’s low dome—like lodge as the backdrop. Corey seated herself at the heavy wooden table—actually a slice cut from across the trunk of one of the massive trees—while May set a steaming plate of food before her.

Toby says they’ve been takin’ quite a few lunkers in those slows below the North Bend, Corey’s father, Correlleus, pointed out. The old Orcan pilot grinned, and added, considering you an’ Izzy are probably the best anglers on the Ridge, I expect we’ll have quite a supper tonight.

You’cn count on that, Papa. Corey shot back a wide smile. You sure I can’t talk you into comin’ out with us?

"Naw. You better go on ahead, Gridgen. I’m gonna help Toby do a little work on th’ ‘Nova, anyway."

Ah do declare! May looked over at him from across the table, finishing laying a plate of food before her eldest son. You an’ Toby are like a couple o’cubs when it comes t’that old Swift! Ah’m surprised there’s a part left on her that y’all ain’t gone over already!

There isn’t, Correlleus grinned, but she’s always been Toby’s best baby.

Besides, if I’m gonna fly back t’Sodome in her, I wanna be sure she’s in top shape, Toby replied to his mate. She looked at him with some note of surprise, then at Correlleus. Toby pointed up at the ceiling. "Well, if they’re plannin’ t’buy th’ Starlight Limited’s whole fleet, they’ll need a decent astromech t’make sure they don’t end up with a bunch o’scrapscows, won’t they?"

May heaved a great sigh.

Ah don’t know what t’do with either of you! she scolded. Toby—if ah didn’t know better, ah’d tell y’all you was far too old t’be scootin’ across th’ galaxy like that.

That’ll be th’ day, the creature huffed in mock scorn. "‘Sides—I ain’t gonna be gone long. Correlleus says if he get’s his bid, he’ll come back an’ take me out t’Port Royal. He’s gonna pay my way back on the Persephone—first class on a lux liner! I’ll only be gone three weeks, tops. Repairs been slow this season, an’ th’ boys can keep up with the salvage business while ah’m away."

You don’t have t’sell me, Toby, May replied, I’ll be okay while you’re gone—but I’ll miss you somethin’ awful. I worry ’bout that scruffy hide o’yours.

I’ll be travelin’ with Deeadori, Corey and Correlleus! Toby shot back. I’d be safe across th’ Zone with a crew like that!

Toby! Don’t make those kinda jokes, the Mustelite dam shuddered. "You stay well away from there! And I don’t wanna hear that y’all did a side—trip t’Ovina, either! If you come back on a transstellar freightliner with ten cases o’whiskey instead of on the Persephone, I swear ah’ll tweak off both your ears!"

Flint broke out in a laugh, unable to contain himself at the images that May projected. Corey joined him, watching the Mustelite astromechanic pouting across the table from her.

They finished breakfast, then Izzy excused himself and got up. Leaving the others behind, he led Corey on out through a corridor, then triggered the back outside door of Toby’s lodge. The cold crispness of the Velarian morning brushed against the Orcan’s face as she climbed up from the shallow pit leading to ground level. Beyond, Toby’s three dilapidated cranes hovered over the landing pit that contained Corey’s Orcan Swift. She walked over to the edge and peered down at the ancient boat’s deflection plating, air—blasted and pitted from the gunfire of Necronite Vee—fighters. Izzy watched her staring down, looking, it seemed, beyond the ship, a suddenly wistful expression crossing her dark features.

____________________

Twinsun IV lay closer to the heart of the Confederate Star Alliance, some twenty thousand lumons from the Velairian system. The planet orbited a close pair of stars that spun rapidly about each other, their eternal astral ballet producing intense climactic variations on the surface that created dramatic juxtapositions of verdant grasslands, shallow oceans and desolate barrens. The Twinsunnite Imperial Citadel, perched high above the clouds on the summit of a mountain range overlooking one of the oceans, stood as one of the wonders of the galaxy. Its ancient domes and towers fabricated entirely from brilliant crystal, the walled capitol beamed a warm glow from the setting suns’ last vermilion light over the farm lands of the ancient kingdom below it, as though to provide a reminder that this seat of the Imperial House of Twinsun was forever the last defender against the Darkness. The gentle bastion of peace and justice since antiquity and the eternal guardian of the Light of souls, the lives of the planet’s furry, rodent—like inhabitants wound like a golden thread throughout the entire fabric of galactic history.

When the First Galactic Age came to a close, a tumultuous clash of gods and mortals tore the skies asunder. The ancient Soran people, the first defenders of the Light, fought against the force of Darkness—nine Shadow Lords, creatures of energy that gained their sustenance from the power of hate. They had incited such malice and war throughout the sky that the love of the Light almost extinguished from the heavens before the Sora were able to defeat eight of them, but only at the cost of their own civilization. Before they vanished, the last of the Sora entrusted their knowledge to the Twinsunnites alone. The gentle creatures kept it alive during the Great Darkness, preserving and studying the ancient Soran records through the span of the Second Age, until their last wizard, Lord Xandu, discovered how to call forth the Avatar of Light, disguising him as a man of Earth until the complex alignment of destinies across the skies would bring the demigod to Aura, and there his powers would defeat the last Shadow Lord, finally ending millennia of their influence over the hearts and minds of all the galaxy’s inhabitants.

Prince Virgil was Lord Xandu’s creation. Now, with the battle against the Darkness behind him, he stood on a lawn beyond the glow of the Imperial Palace dome and watched the first stars appearing in the deepening indigo overhead. The great wizard’s final prophecy played through his head as he gazed deeply into the haze of stars defining the Milky Way.

Your eyes look far away, my love. Your thoughts are not on Twinsun tonight, are they?

Virgil turned, his white cloak glistening in the dusky light. Princess Aurelia glided up beside him, past a small silvery fountain, a little globe of orange light floating before her to light her way. She stopped, then waved her hand before the sparkling cubonite medallion at her chest. The small fireball winked out.

I—I guess not. I just felt like taking a walk, Lilac, Virgil replied, using the princess’ familiar name in his thoughts. It’s sort of nice out here—away from the lights and the people, I mean.

Yes—it has been awfully busy these last few days, after all, she admitted. The obligations of royalty, I’m afraid. We are very much in the minds of many, at least for the moment. I know that you’re not used to this sort of attention—it requires a certain practice to handle it. But—there’s something else, isn’t there? It isn’t just the crowd that you took your leave of?

No, Virgil beamed back simply. He turned to her, her large black eyes mirroring the brightening specks of light twinkling overhead. To quote a line, what a long, strange trip it’s been. Lilac, I don’t know how to describe what I feel inside right now. Sometimes I feel I’m dreaming—I still think I’m going to wake up back on Earth.

Your life has indeed led you on a long, winding journey, Princess Aurelia agreed. It was a great shock, no doubt, to suddenly find yourself the Light’s great Avatar. But it was necessary for you not to know until the final moments—even I realize that. If Lord Morlock knew of your existence, he would have taken you for his own dark purposes long ago.

Oh, I’m not complaining about what Xandu or Enid did with me, he replied. I’m glad it all worked out like it did. Only—lately I’ve been wondering about the future. Is the adventure really over? Do we just live here on Twinsun and raise children?

Well, I somehow think that Lord Xandu may have had that in mind, she snuggled against him, but I scarcely think that our lives will be so idyllic as all that. The galaxy is changing, Virgil—changing with a frightening speed. One of the oldest orders in the sky has been all but swept away, with no power to take its place. Our role as the keepers of the Light, and the peace, is being challenged with each passing day now. Our children may be the future guardians of the Light, but they will doubtlessly be the inheritors of a legacy greatly determined by what we forge in the short time ahead. No, love, our journey is far from over. I don’t believe Morlock’s defeat was its end, but rather its beginning.

Virgil looked back towards the heavens, which had darkened rapidly. The galaxy began its brilliant show, spanning the clear mountain sky with ribbons of light. His eyes fell on a particular spot, drawn there by something unseen.

You feel something pulling you, don’t you? she inquired gently, then pointed to the heavens. There—toward the brightness of those stars that you see?

Yes—only how did you know? he inquired, turning to her.

Because at the moment, I feel it myself, she admitted. Do you know what that is, that condensation of stars?

Well, I can’t say I do, he smiled. I’m not used to identifying places in the sky like countries on a map—at least not yet. I’m afraid that’s something that only Corey could— He stopped, his thoughts suddenly rippling like a brook diving over a jumble of rocks. The Twinsunnite Princess slipped her arm about him, pulling him closely against her.

That’s the direction of the Velarian star system, the Twinsunnite noble explained. He quickly looked up toward the brightening haze of light where an arm of the galaxy slashed across the heavens, then back to the little creature beside him. Velair lies several thousand lumons away, its sun only one star among that great multitude. We can’t see it, yet we both know it’s there. We both know she’s there.

You miss her, too, don’t you?

Very much, Aurelia admitted. I regret that I came to understand the most about our Orcan friend only the moment before she left us.

What do you mean?

It was when she walked away to the ship, Princess Aurelia recalled. She let go, Virgil. In that moment, she released all the thoughts and memories that she had of the two of you. That was when I saw the real Coreandra Flint, the girl under the armor. Aurelia paused momentarily, then beamed, she told me how much she loved us both, by promising never to come between you and I.

Corey told you that?

Not in words, but in her heart, Aurelia explained. I had touched her mind before, but even then I didn’t realize just how much she loved you. She was holding back a wall of pain, which she thought I couldn’t see. But I knew. Coreandra made a sacrifice as great as giving up her life. Virgil, I don’t know if I could do what she did, were our positions reversed. The little creature grew silent for a moment, then commented, I believe that she’s the finest woman I have ever been privileged to know.

Virgil’s thoughts retreated as he looked back towards the heavens.

Do you think she’ll come back to us?

I’m certain she will, eventually, Aurelia replied, then asked, Virgil—be quite honest with me. Have you perhaps dreamed about her lately?

He looked at her, his eyes misty and his heart confused.

Damn me! I can’t lie to you, even to spare your feelings. I’ve dreamed about her, he admitted, some of the dreams were pretty intense, too. I tried to forget her—but something inside me won’t let me. I—I wondered if you knew. I didn’t want to hurt you.

Aurelia stood in silence.

If Coreandra gave you the courage to speak what’s in your heart, I bless her for that, she said, then added, you can’t hurt me by loving Corey, for I love her, too. She’s been close to my thoughts as well—and I believe for good reason. Remember, Lord Xandu brought our three souls together across the whole of the galaxy, and with the Light wove them into a ring of love against the Darkness.

But, Morlock’s gone, now, Virgil pointed out.

Yes, Virgil, Morlock is gone, but our circle of souls remains, Aurelia explained. Corey is a part of it, just as we are.

I should never have let her leave us like she did. Virgil cast his eyes back toward the sky. Do you remember her face just before the hatch closed? How she was crying?

Yes—painfully, Aurelia admitted, but there was nothing either of us could do to stop her then. Coreandra answers her own calling, and will always do what she feels in her heart is the right thing.

But what are we going to do? Virgil inquired. She’s hurting—I know it. I have to try to help her, just as I’d have to try to help you. He thought, then suggested, you know the exact location of Velair—we could use our medallions to go to Toby’s homestead. We could talk to her and perhaps convince her to—

Princess Aurelia held her fingers to his jaw to interrupt his thoughts.

That wouldn’t be a good notion. Besides being terribly rude to Toby and May to have us appear suddenly in their midst, I think we’d be hurting Corey rather than helping her. Aurelia told him, then explained, she needs to make her decisions alone, Virgil. Our presence would only confuse her.

What decisions?

What to do about her feelings toward you and I. I’m certain that she’s feeling a great turmoil inside her heart. She loves us both, and wants to be with us, but she doesn’t understand why. Her head tells her that you and she can’t share the passion she desires, but her heart tells her otherwise. She has discovered that our ring is not complete without her love, but she’s afraid to make it whole.

There must be something we can do! Virgil insisted. We can’t just let her go on like this, can we?

There is little we can do, Princess Aurelia explained, then added, however, perhaps destiny itself has already taken a hand.

What do you mean, destiny?

It’s something I’ve seen in a vision of her I had quite recently.

Lilac! You’ve had a dream about Corey, too?

Yes—several times, actually. Always in the moments before I wake, she explained.

What’s this dream like? he inquired.

In my dream, we’re all together again here in the Citadel, Aurelia explained. Coreandra wears no armor, and carries no weapons. She’s older, and her face has that soft, luminous quality about it that comes of a woman at peace with her soul. I see her sitting and telling stories to our children—and Virgil—she has a child of her own with her.

Virgil turned suddenly to her.

Corey—has a child in your dream?

Yes, a beautiful little girl, Aurelia replied, smiling. She’s Corey’s image, her skin is dark and her hair resembles a shower of meteors across the night sky. But she has great eyes the color of forest bark. The Twinsunnite Princess paused, then said, the color of your eyes, my love.

Virgil’s eyes widened. He gazed at his mate and directed his thoughts in a narrow pencil beam to prevent any of the transmission from straying beyond her mind.

Lilac, you do know what happened the night before we ran across Morlock’s AFT trail? All of what happened?

Yes, I know all of it, she assured him. Corey told me you made love to each other.

But your dream! You don’t suppose that— Virgil stammered. He dropped his eyes and stared into the darkness near the fountain. My God! I didn’t think we were alike enough for her to get pregnant. He looked up swiftly. Lilac, are you certain of that dream? That it was my child you saw?

Aurelia grasped his hand gently.

I’m very certain. I’m from Twinsun’s Sixth Province, you know. I’m a seer, and I must admit that this is my most vivid vision. Corey will bear you a daughter—when, I can’t say, but she will. It’s not impossible that your single act of love bore fruit, for you are before all the embodiment of love, Virgil. You are made of all creatures, Corey’s people included, Aurelia explained, then grasped his jaw and turned his head so that she could gaze into his great brown eyes. So many terrible things happened to all of us out there. Perhaps the Light willed that something brilliant and wonderful be born from all of that awful chaos.

Do you think Corey would tell us if she’s pregnant?

In her present state of mind, I don’t think she would, Aurelia replied. I’m sure she’d be concerned such a thing would drive a wedge between us, and she loves us both far too much to risk it. I believe she would fear a scandal—one that my political adversaries might use to their advantage.

Is there any truth in that?

No, the princess assured him. In the first place, you had a human form and had made no pledge to me when you were with Corey, that puts any scandal to rest. Any other attempt would be so weak that it would cheapen the reputation of the accuser more than it would cheapen mine. Corey’s love for you was, and still is, pure.

I’ve got to see her,