Emergence (The Primogenitor Chronicles Book 1) (24 page)

Robin pulled away to pace back to the other side of the desk. He cleared his throat. “She hadn’t even told Dad. She told us, but I think that was so we would know she chose to go and then I could tell you. And she knew there wasn’t a way we could stop her. We were only children.”

The comforting murmur of voices drifted through the closed door from the dining hall. “That’s why I rarely allow Seers to go on missions.”

He opened his eyes and turned back to face Robin, trying to give him a reassuring smile, but he could tell Robin didn’t buy it, so he changed the subject. “So how are the Hunters doing? I meet with the Primes of the other two castes later today, and since I hear your sept is making pot roast tonight, I figure I might as well get the Hunters’ report now.”

He leaned back, smiling to himself, as he watched the young man who’d been his surrogate son pace the room. Robin’s desire to press him for the truth of his well-being was written all over his face. As was the moment he decided not to press.
I’ve taught him well.

Robin flicked his wings and shifted back to lean against the wall, pushing his hands into his pockets. The Hunter Prime stared at him a moment more before answering. “Well, I’ve divided up the three new fledges among the Lynx, Raven, and Wolf Septs. They are getting their flights all sorted out and seem to be adjusting well enough. Only had a few minor scuffles, easily sorted out. They should be ready to work soon. We’ll then be able to get back to our normal hunting and sentry rotation. The hunting is going well this year. The larder is already half full for the winter, and game is still plentiful nearby. I’ve focused on sending the hunting parties farther afield since they’ve had the added protection of a Caster in each group. Thanks, by the way. The Facility’s had a lot more people out searching.”

“I don’t think most of them are from the Facility proper. I think we have Gabriel to thank for the increase in activity. Be careful, we haven’t lost anyone for over a year. I’d like to keep it that way.”

Nodding his head, Robin pushed a stray curl of his shoulder-length chestnut hair out of his eye in irritation. “Other than that, things go smoothly within the Hunter caste.”

Marcus leaned back in his chair and smiled at Robin’s inherent gesture. “Good, I’m glad to hear that. So, on to new business. I suspect word is starting to spread throughout the valley. As soon as Kelley enters the penitition circle, people will start gathering to wait.”

Sighing, Robin concurred. “This will be the first formal discipline action in quite a while.”

“Yes. How much status do you think she’s going to lose?”

“I don’t know. That depends on how well she fights. And she is going to be facing
me
in the circle today.”

Marcus blinked and just stared at him for a moment. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? Rendering judgment is never easy, but when it’s someone so close…”

A growl escaped him and he pushed his hair back again. “I can’t let friendship get in the way of my responsibilities or duty. She’s my Second, and I know she’s no match for me, but what she’s done is inexcusable. The risk to my sister, and every other Valkyrie in the Facility, has gone up exponentially. She, and everyone else, needs to know that this is not something that luck or skill can absolve. If she fought someone else, that would be a possibility; but by fighting me, they know it’s serious. Besides,” Robin added, snorting with the lightning change of mood Valkyries were known for, his eyes twinkling. “That’s not the worst of it. She will also be removed from active hunting details. Once she heals, that is.”

“Oh, ouch. Just remember a bored Valkyrie is trouble. Well, if you have nothing else to report, I should see what is on that chip.”

“Right, I’ll be at the circle in one hour. I think that will be long enough for her to contemplate her actions. Besides, she’s going to have enough to concentrate on afterward. I doubt she’ll be bored.” He pushed himself away from the wall and sauntered to the door. “Oh, and tell Jessica she’s an idiot for me.”

Marcus stared at the door for a moment after Robin had left and considered his surrogate son.
You have matured well. I only wish I could have been there for your sister and my own children too.

A sigh escaped him and he reached into the drawer to get the disk Leslie had brought back. He set it on the blotter then swiveled around, pulling out another drawer behind him and removing a laptop computer. The chip went into an adapter, which he then slipped into a slot of the machine he had placed on the desk.

He worked his way through the multiple levels of passwords until he got the chip activated. The screen flashed and the data started to scroll by. Impatient to get to the message, he only caught key words from the data stream. He could come back later; right now he wanted to hear his father’s voice. After the data transfer, the screen lit up and Marcus leaned forward to watch and listen.

“Hello, Marcus. I hope this message finds you and Beth well. The data I’ve sent you is the latest research from the Facility’s medical staff. It should keep you and your doctors busy for a while. As you should now know, Jessica has entered stage two. Nickolas’s team is already gearing up to go get her; my hope is that they will return empty-handed of course, but if not, we’ll have to make the best of it. Remember what Jennifer said, we have to protect her. We can’t let Gabriel get his hands on her. Speaking of the devil, he was here again and removed two more from my protection. They have, of course, disappeared into the camps. My hope for them wanes as Gabriel relocates more and more from my custody. I don’t envy those he has control over. I’ve reached another dead end in my search for the location of his camp. All I can do for the moment is hope another lead breaks or more data trickles in to give me insight on where to look. I fear Gabriel suspects my true allegiance and is purposely blocking my actions.

“My talent is pushing me strongly, Marcus. I don’t think we’ll have much longer. Toward that end, I’m starting to get things in order here in case we need a change of leadership. I’ll go over that in more detail in a later sending, and once we know where Jessica is.

“On to the new research. It’s all pretty self-explanatory, but there are a few things I should mention. Some of the material has come from Gabriel’s compound. It’s worth going through and expanding on, just don’t look too closely at how it may have come about; you won’t like the sources. I have clearly marked those portions. The rest of the research I oversaw. In your last message, you mentioned how long it took your fledglings to get to the coma. It’s still taking us about twice as long from beginning to end. We also have higher aggression rates and a lot more incidences of mental breakdown. I’m not given a lot of opportunity to try and help the ones afflicted. Gabriel doesn’t care what shape they are in when he takes them. Some of them haven’t even made it to the stage three coma yet when he has received permission to remove them. Speaking of which, how long are your comas lasting on average?

“Now for some new orders. Send Robin out to the warehouse in Marysville on Sunday. I’ll have a shipment waiting for him. We’ve managed the normal supplies, but I’ve also gathered a bunch of medicines requiring refrigeration, so tell him to come prepared.

“I also have finally managed to get the last of Jillian’s assets freed. Dustin has the paper work to get it transferred into the Auroran accounts. She’ll need to go and sign them to get the ball rolling. Dustin can get word to me if things don’t go smoothly, otherwise the next communication from me will be Tuesday. I’ll have more for you then. As always, I wish I had more time and that we could talk in person. Clear skies.”

The screen went dark and Marcus drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment, then reaching for pen and paper, he wrote down the questions his father had asked and organized his own thoughts. From the desk drawer, he took out a blank disk and switched it for the one in the computer. He secured the disk from tampering then sat back, hitting the record button.

“Hello, Father. Two months? It takes your fledglings two months to complete the change? I suspect the pharmaceutical cocktail you feed them delays their rate of change. You might want to check their levels of B vitamins. Confined Valkyries get highly stressed, running through B’s at an alarming rate. That could account for the breakdowns. Since our emerging Valkyries are not confined, this isn’t a problem for us. We mostly run into bone stress and muscle damage from our fledges trying to fly too soon. Though, most of those injuries are usually all repairable. The trickiest part of the emergence for us, the part that gives us the most fatalities, is the coma. It lasts for us anywhere from five to seven days. Any insights you have would, as always, be greatly appreciated.

“Ok, now for my questions. How is Jessica doing? She sure seems to have led Nick on a merry chase, from what I understand.

“And speaking of Nick, what the hell is going on with him? The pair of Hunters I sent out to try and bring Jessica in reported that Nickolas was using his abilities to track her? And that she would have stayed free otherwise. I thought his abilities were locked down? This was not good timing for him to discover his other senses.

“Will this interfere with our current time plans? Unfortunately, my Hunter may have made things worse; she approached him telepathically in an attempt to get him to release Jess. She’s being severely punished for endangering Nickolas with her actions. Robin is the Hunter Prime now, so it should be doubly effective. And it looks like we’ve already had some repercussions from her contacting Nickolas. Last night, which would be the night Jessica was brought to you, one of the Seers on the night watch reported that someone tried to mentally contact us. Could it possibly be Nickolas? My standing order, until I hear otherwise from you, is to not respond to any other communication attempts.

“I expect by the time you get this, you will already know Nicky is stretching himself, but I thought I would warn you just in case. I will heighten security, since things seem to be heating up, and keep a more wary eye out for unexpected occurrences. Beth sends her love, and Robin wishes you to tell Jessica she’s an idiot. Please be careful, you have the more dangerous job. Clear skies.”

He reached forward and switched off the recorder, sighing, then ejected the chip and closed the laptop. Idly spinning the chip between two fingers, he leaned back.
Jessica, this would have been so much easier if you had come to us freely.
He picked up his cold coffee and took a drink.
*Well, love, has the news spread?*

*Somewhat. No one knows the details yet, just that there’ll be a discipline battle. Though there is speculation. Everyone’s already gathering on the field.*

*Then I guess it’s time for me to put in an appearance.*
He put the computer away then grabbed his mug on the way out of the office. He crossed the deserted common room to the kitchen door. The soft sound of humming floated through as he walked in. “Morning, Chrissie, you should be getting over to the practice field.”

“I will in a moment, Marcus. I just needed to finish this up.” She placed a cloth over the bread dough she had just punched down then wiped the flour off of her hands. “There. I’m done. See you at the arena.”

With a wave, she hurried out the door. Marcus located the coffee pot and poured himself a fresh cup. Opening the refrigerator, he splashed a little milk into the mug and replaced the jar.
I have to remember to call a meeting with the engineers; I need to know if we are still short on solar panels or wind generators.
He pushed the door shut then followed in Chrissie’s wake.
It wouldn’t do if our power ran out again like last year. We need the refrigerators. Cooking with wood is one thing, but it’s pretty difficult to use it to keep the milk cold.

Still making lists in his head, Marcus stepped outside of the longhouse and into the midmorning sun. He followed the path around the building toward the nearest footbridge, sipping his coffee. The practice grounds were a bare, earthen rectangle on the far side of the grassy area on the other side of the creek. They extended from the base of the rocky cliff, three quarters of the way to the creek. The ground had been dug flat, and a rise built up around the perimeter to act as a viewing space. He could already see what appeared to be the population of the entire valley surrounding the practice grounds.

It still amazed him to see several hundred fully fledged Valkyries in one place. Some lounged in the grass, while others flew in or stood talking in small groups. The largest concentration congregated at the creek side of the field, where they obscured his view of the grounds.

Once over the bridge, he followed the path that cut between a stand of trees and the fighting circles, that way avoiding the large crowd. Marcus chose a place on the rise where he could remain separated from the others and still get a clear view of the ring. He scanned the ranks of those waiting on the sidelines. A few caught his eye, and he nodded a greeting, but most politely kept their distance and continued on with their quiet conversations. He spotted Beth on the other side of the grounds. Smiling, he sent her a quiet caress. She lifted her wings in acknowledgment but otherwise kept on with her conversation.

Marcus studied the crowd for a minute then turned his attention away from those gathered to watch and focused on the circle of stones set against the cliff wall in the left corner of the field. Within it, Kelley sat motionless, meditating, as she prepared herself for the coming battle.

“Fight well, Kelley.” He whispered a soft prayer for her strength.