Page 58 of Warrior's Captive
Vivian looked up, mentally shaking off her indecision. It was time to take another step forward.
“I would like some time to research and put together a proper business plan and proposal for financing,” she said. “But I think I’ll to take you up on the offer.” She glanced at Shira and hesitated, lips curving in a smile. “Everyone is craftsy, you know, it’s just a matter of finding the medium that speaks to you. I could use a partner. Two humans are better than one.”
Shira blinked rapidly and looked down at the table. “I wasn’t fishing.”
“You don’t have to. Tai’ri is your guardian, that practically makes us sisters.”
“Okay . . . okay, what the hell. I’m in if you want me.”
“Excellent,” Agata said. “Planning will give you both something to do outside of the babies those first few weeks after they’re here.”
“If Tai’ri gets his console working,” Vivian said. “Though I can’t quite figure out if it’s the console or the connection to the datasphere he’s having trouble with.”
Agata lifted a brow. “He’s having trouble with neither.”
“That’s what I thought. These marks aren’t just medtech, are they? Tai’ri has been reluctant to discuss them.”
Agata sighed. “I didn’t agree with Tai’ri’s request not to discuss the marks with you. It’s paternalistic, though we understand his desire is to spare you further distress.”
“His desire is to avoid the fallout of acting impulsively,” Abeyya muttered.
“Yes,” Agata said. “He should have controlled his instincts better. Intentions mean nothing when they infringe on another person’s autonomy. But, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, we can’t bring ourselves to regret the fact that the child exists.”
Shira looked between them, eyes wide. Flickers of alarm traveled up Vivian’s spine. The baby kicked.
“Please tell me,” Vivian said.
Agata sighed. “The nanoink used to comprise the tattoos do impart significant healing benefits to the individual. But the tattoos are one of our oldest traditions, though they’ve evolved with time and advancing technology. Originally, they were simply a marriage ritual, and the process of receiving them quite painful.”
“Are you telling me that Tai’ri and I are married?” Of all the things she was expecting to hear, this wasn’t it.
Shira’s eyes widened. “Ohshiiiiit.”
“No,” Abeyya said. “Nothing so dissolvable. And not yet. Until you accept the marks and consummate the bond, your link with Tai’ri will remain tenuous.”
“Though it would be difficult to remove the marks at this point,” Agata said quietly.
“We call those who exchange marks matebonded,” Abeyya said. “It happens when the properties in the tattoos recognize another person as being especially compatible, and not just on a genetic level though that is a good portion of it.” Her nose wrinkled. “Our Inkmasters are forbidden from disclosing the process used to produce the ink or what goes into laying the tattoos after birth.”
That caught Vivian’s attention. “Will I be required to tattoo my baby when she’s born?”
“No, nor you, Shira, though it’s rare that parents these days chose to forgo it. The marks themselves, when exchanged between a pair, confer a certain amount of mental and emotional awareness. Not quite telepathy or empathy, but similar enough.”
“And this is all tech?”
The Yadeshi women exchanged a glance. “The Inkmasters are sworn to secrecy.”
Vivian was nonplussed. “And you all just trust that they’ll . . . do the right thing?”
“It’s a sacred trust,” Abeyya said, a little stiffly. “There has never been an Inkmaster who subverted a bonding mark.”
“They weren’t originally intended for humans, though,” Shira said. “They couldn’t have been.”
“No. The fact that they work on humans is a delightful surprise, and one of the reasons our planetary council pursued the treaty with earth so aggressively,” Agata said.
“So when I was in the hospital, Tai’ri tried to . . . bond with me.”
Abeyya looked as if she was trying to choose her words carefully. “We think because of the child, and Tai’ri’s distress when seeing you unwell, the marks responded. Because they can heal, they must have—”
