Page 39 of Home

Vivian sighed tiredly. “No, thank you. It’s pointless to even try. I was just going to introduce Mirilla and Au'revele.”

Quin nodded his understanding, and while gathering first one pillow, then another to plump rather forcefully, yet gently arrange behind the small of Vivian’s back, he spoke to Mirilla. “Mirilla, please meet Au'revele. She is a personal friend of Vivi’s, and has been chosen as nanny to our youngling.”

Mirilla stood, prepared to greet the beautiful female. She was unusual to look at, with the white, just slightly visible tattoos decorating her silvery skin. Her hair was just slightlydarker than her silver-toned skin, and despite her hypnotic green eyes she had very delicate features. “Forgive me for staring, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a female quite like you. Where are you from?”

“Eschina,” Au'revele answered.

“I’ve met people from Eschina, but still, there is no one I’ve met quite like you. You are quite unusual.”

Au'revele smiled demurely while keeping her eyes trained on the floor as she’d done most of her life. When no one spoke, she glanced up quickly and realized Mirilla was waiting for her to speak. She assumed Mirilla meant her appearance and rather than ask, went for the one thing that caused the females of her village to stand out, even among her own people. “The females of our village wear the symbols of our heritage on our bodies,” Au'revele explained, gesturing toward one of the markings on her arms. “If not from our village, then any from Eschina wouldn’t be marked this way. The particular shade of my skin is unique to my bloodline as well.”

From Au’revele’s posture, Mirilla was pretty sure she’d inadvertently offended her. “Please do not misunderstand me. My comments are not meant as an offense, rather they are a compliment. You will have our Cruestaci warriors stumbling over themselves to find out if you are their Ehlealah, they will be so taken with you.”

A deep snarl sounded from upstairs.

Quin’s attention snapped toward the upstairs landing, but Vivian just started chuckling.

“Vivi…” Quin chided softly.

“What? It’s funny. If he’d do something about it, he wouldn’t have to snarl so much,” Vivian said. Then she looked at Au'revele. “I said almost the same thing to Mirilla when I met her. Between the beauty both of you possess, I think I’ll just stay here in my quarters and never see the light of day,” Vivian said teasingly.

Au'revele laughed, knowing Vivian was teasing them with hiding herself away. “I shall hide with you, Sirena. A male, any male, is the last thing on my mind.”

Another snarl sounded from above.

Shaking his head, Quin simply ignored the male the snarls had come from and began speaking again.

“If I may continue,” Quin said.

“Of course, go right ahead,” Vivian said, waving her hand in the air.

“May I present Samuel? Samuel is family. He is Bart’s father, and Vivi’s nephew. Samuel, Au'revele, may I introduce Mirilla. She is employed here at the palace, has been a lady in waiting to my mother for many years, but now oversees the staff, and is a friend of Bart’s,” Quin finished.

“I am very pleased to meet you,” Au'revele said. “And thank you for your kind words.”

“Welcome to the palace,” Mirilla said, genuinely offering them a warm welcome.

“Mirilla. I’ve heard of you,” Samuel said. He was elderly, but age and life had done nothing to dim the sparkle in his eyes. His hair was thick and wavy, a mixture of light and dark silver. His naturally tanned skin, only slightly faded with age, and his high cheekbones and sharp jawline made it evident that as a young man he had been quite handsome, and even in his aged status still was.

Mirilla glanced from Samuel to Bart, then quickly back to Samuel waiting for Bart to say anything regarding his father and what he might have told him, but when he didn’t, she simply treated Samuel as she would any dignitary visiting the palace. “Samuel, I am honored to make your acquaintance,” she said, bowing to him.

“Oh, no! None of that now. We’ll be great friends. There is no reason to bow to me ever,” Samuel said as he walked toward her. He came to a stop right in front of her and without hesitation gave her a bear hug. “I’m beyond happy to meet you, dear. So happy to meet you,” he said, releasing her enough to lean back and look into her eyes. “So happy,” he repeated.

“Thank you,” she said, now having no doubt that Bart must have said something to him about her.

“Dad, Quin was just telling us the story of Ba Re’ attacking a transport on the loading dock on Command Warship 1, with Rokai’s help,” Bart said, with a chuckle.

Samuel grinned at Bart, then turned to Quin. “I’m always up for a good laugh. Sorry I missed it,” he said.

“I can repeat it!” Quin said, excited to have an audience who genuinely just wanted to converse with him instead of being updated on political or military statuses.

“Please!” Samuel said, going to sit beside Vivian. After he got settled, he took Vivian’s hand in his and held it as though it was a precious treasure in his as he completely lost himself in Quin’s story, laughing raucously, and hooting and wiping away tears as Quin wrapped up the story.

“I did have to place guards outside his quarters while on board the ship. Though my instinct said I could trust him, and did; my common sense said this male was no longer one that I knew and I had to consider his newly volatile nature to be sure that he wouldn’t attack another part of the ship.”

“Is he still so volatile?” Samuel asked.

“I don’t wish to say he’s volatile, but he is certainly much changed. I am not disappointed. He is just as dependable and capable a warrior as he always was. He was always a brilliant strategist and I’m sure that he still is. What has changed is the way he perceives a threat. It’s almost as though he is challenged by the adventure of battle with an adversary, rather than taking down and controlling that adversary in the quickest, most efficient way. It’s a game to him, now. A game he will no doubt win, but a game nonetheless,” Quin explained.

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