ROMULUS (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 1) (42 page)

"One day in the near future the two cultures will inevitably blend together. There must be a reason why a Terran and a Noronian never heard the mating cry of their souls before, but we have, and it cannot be denied. Perhaps it's because it is time to begin the joining of the two races. Wasn't that the original intention when the rebels were exiled there?"

"May I speak?" Aster's voice cracked with strain.

"She dares to speak..."

"to us?"

The voices actually sounded emotional, which frightened Aster that much more.

"I wish to hear what she has to say," the feminine voice declared.

Aster squeezed Rom's hand as hard as she could then ventured bravely into the enemy's territory. "I
do
understand that the people of Norona and Innerworld need this man. And I would give him up if I truly believed that was best for him. When I first arrived in Innerworld, I learned that being productive and enjoying what you do were mandatory. Wouldn't you want the same for your chosen? You've offered him no chance for happiness. He's prepared himself for this appointment and if he passes it up, sooner or later it will cause him distress and resentment. If he accepts it but cannot be joined with me, he will never feel whole again. You can't simply tell him to find another."

When she received no response, she continued, no longer trying to appear submissive. "I am meant to be his mate, his shalla. If he is so special to you, how can you treat him with so little compassion? Have you never known a love so deep you would rather die than be separated from that person?" Aster stopped when Rom's fingers bit into her palm. She had gone too far.

A deadly silence filled the room. Seconds tiptoed by as Aster fought back the tears in her eyes.

"It has been a very long time..."

"since anyone dared remind us..."

"of our humanity..."

"or our youth. This is a difficult decision."

"She is not bound by our code of honesty. What if she is not what she appears?"

"We should touch her mind to be certain."

"No, you will not," Rom stated firmly. "She has as much right to her privacy as anyone else. She has proven her loyalty to Norona at the risk of her own life. Without her help, I would not be here today. She completed my assignment in Outerworld when I was unable to and could have stayed there and betrayed us if that was her intent. She returned to Innerworld because that is her home now, and she returned to me because we belong to each other."

Aster stared at him. His tone of voice suggested there was a good reason for his refusing to allow them to touch her mind. She would trust his judgment.

"Aster Mackenzie..."

"it is your decision."

"Will you give us permission to touch your mind?"

Aster hesitated and looked to Rom for confirmation. "No."

"Then we will base our judgment..."

"on what we have read and heard today."

"You will receive word tomorrow."

There were no words of dismissal. The doors behind them reopened and the Tribunal's heads bowed. A moment later Rom and Aster were inhaling the fresh air outside as though it were a precious gift. Aster turned and looked at the building they had just escaped. Made of the same crystal-prism construction as the other buildings in the area, there was nothing about it to hint of the power housed within.

"That was really spooky," Aster finally muttered.

"Spooky? I never thought about them like that. I suppose they are." Rom smiled as they walked to the commuter.

"How old are they?"

"I'm not sure. They've been here forever... at least three or four hundred years. There's always speculation about who will replace them when they die though no one's really sure they will."

"Why didn't you want them to touch my mind? I have nothing to hide and it might have helped."

"I don't know. Too many people have been warning us about the Tribunal. I didn't know what to expect. It sounds terrible but I didn't trust them to get inside your head and leave it alone. Hey, don't look so sad. We got a lot further than we had any reason to hope for. At least they're considering the possibility of us as a team."

"I don't know how you can sound so casual about this. I'm still shaking."

"Then let's stop talking about it. You know my parents are waiting for us to return and to report everything to them but afterward, what do you say to a replay of our first picnic?"

Aster raised an eyebrow and snuggled closer. "If you want, I could pretend I'm still innocent."

"Hold that thought."

Late that night, comfortably settled in the big bed in the sanctuary, Aster thought about Rom's parents' reaction to the interview. It was their belief that the Tribunal's allowing her to speak was akin to their planet suddenly revolving in the opposite direction. But their picnic and afternoon at the lagoon had dispelled most of her gloomy thoughts.

Rom's eyes closed and his voice dragged sleepily. "I think I liked this afternoon even better than the first time. I don't know if I'm sorry it flew by so fast or glad because we're that much closer to tomorrow."

"We can always have a repeat performance tomorrow, after we hear the decision." When Rom didn't answer, Aster leaned over and kissed his slightly open mouth. He was already asleep. She nestled beside him and drifted off soon after.

* * *

Aster Mackenzie. Aster Mackenzie. You cannot deny me now. Come to me and give me the proof I must have.

Aster moved the drapes aside and rose from the bed. The drawbridge opened before she reached it. A great gust of warm wind stroked her naked flesh as she stepped outside. The wind lifted her within its tentacles, encircling her and covering her like a cloud.

She floated inside the cloud above and beyond the lagoon.

When her feet touched the ground once again, the cloud and the wind abandoned her in front of a doorway. The door opened and she walked inside.

"You have come, as I knew you would. My powers are as strong as they ever were," the ancient one stated proudly. "Ah, you are a beauty, Aster Mackenzie," he said, as his black eyes surveyed the gifts nature had given her.

Aster remained standing before him, oddly unashamed of her nudity.

"Even one as old as I could be distracted by one who looks like you." The old man removed his purple robe and wrapped it around her. Without it, his shrunken body and hunched back were harshly displayed.

Aster felt his cold, claw-like fingers touch her cheek.

"I am Lamed." His voice was weak and sounded much older than it had earlier that day. "Mem and Nun have agreed that you and Romulus should be given permission to join and govern Innerworld together. However, the final decision must be unanimous. Therefore, your fate is up to me. I am swayed by them but not convinced. An alien in a position of power is not acceptable to me and yet, I sense a quality about you that is not alien at all. It has occurred to me that you could be a descendant of a Noronian sent to Earth many millennia ago. Do you know our history?"

"Yes."

"Your ancestry would not be difficult to discern and a genetic connection between you and the Noronian people would be reason enough for me to have a change of heart. My mind was already made up against you in this matter. Then you spoke your young, passionate words. You awakened a memory I had believed dead. You spoke of
love
as though it were a living entity. It has been too many years since I held a female's body, soft and warm beneath my own. I had forgotten the deep feelings and emotions of youth. I do not want to die without knowing them again."

His breathing became labored and it took him a moment to continue. "I am not accustomed to talking so much. Even that small act has become very tiring. My purpose in bringing you to me tonight is twofold. The first, as you must realize, is to ascertain your fitness to be Co-Governor of Innerworld. The second is personal. For both, I must touch your mind. In doing so, I will also be able to trace your ancestry.

"I am not a villain, Aster Mackenzie, despite what Romulus fears. Yes, if I were in his position, I would have thought the same thing. I am an honorable man and I assure you, you will remain unchanged. I would like to offer you a compromise. If you agree to let me touch your mind, you may join with Romulus and govern Innerworld together." He paused to catch his breath and Aster held hers.

"I want to be young again, Aster Mackenzie, for one night, and you can do that for me."

"I don't understand."

"Let me possess you this night and you will have all you wish for in the morning."

Aster's eyes widened and she took a backward step to the door. It was as if, up until this moment it had all been a very peculiar dream, but his outrageous request shocked her into wakefulness.

"Ah, you need not be so horrified. Our language is alike but not identical I see. I do not refer to possession in a physical sense. I am afraid even your merest hug would crumble these brittle bones. What I desire is to enter your mind, your private world of hopes and dreams, fears and sorrows, to live anew through your thoughts and feelings. It would not harm you and it would give me new, fond memories to cling to in my final days as a mortal. I want more than to touch your mind and learn the facts of your past and your suitability for Romulus. I want to dwell there and relive your experiences with you. I considered forcing you, but that would not do. You might hold back from me and I need it all. Will you agree?"

Aster opened and closed her mouth several times without being able to form a response. This shriveled, white-haired skeleton was asking permission to crawl around inside her head, vicariously experiencing her memories and feasting on her emotions. It was almost as bad as what she first thought he meant. An image of her afternoon at the lagoon with Romulus flashed before her and she knew he meant to indulge himself with those feelings as well. If she denied him, he would probably cast a negative vote tomorrow. If she agreed...

"Romulus does not want me to allow this. He would surely find out, if not now, then after we're joined."

"If you approve, I can ensure you will have no recollection of our night together. There will be nothing for him to learn."

"Will you tell me one thing and allow me to remember it?"

He nodded.

"Who sent you the communication about Romulus and me?"

Lamed looked at her curiously. He had expected a deeper question, more philosophical perhaps, but that was the difference about being young and, of course, she was only a Terran after all. "His name is Edward, a career counselor in Car-Tem One. It appears that he expected a commendation and promotion for his loyalty. We have learned of his guilt in other crimes aimed at disparaging Romulus. We do not reward criminals whose jealousy overrules their common sense."

Edward? Jealous? Aster remembered his snide comments about Romulus. Suddenly she pictured him passing a paper to Victor at the dance and knew he had been involved in her kidnapping as well. "I will remember this?"

"Yes, but not how you came by the knowledge. By the time you return to Earth, he will have been exiled to another colony, a cold, remote place, where everything he sees will be ugliness. Only the fact that he is a direct descendant of mine will save him from reprogramming. It grieves me to say he is my great-great-great-grandson and I am somewhat to blame for his crimes. He thought he could impress me by showing that his distaste for Terrans was as great as mine. I was grossly mistaken in my attitude."

Aster believed him and her intuition told her she was safe in Lamed's care. He held no threat for her or Romulus. In fact, she felt very sorry for him. She could not imagine how horrible it would be not to remember any of the emotions that were so familiar to her. She looked into the large dark eyes waiting for her answer.

"Promise me you will not hurt me, nor will you take any existing memory away, nor leave any new thoughts, other than about Edward."

"I so promise."

"And Romulus will never know what has transpired here?"

"He will not awaken until you are again at his side. I will be the only one with this memory and I will horde it."

"Then I agree."

The slash in his masklike face opened a little wider but it could hardly be called a smile. He sat in a comfortable low chair and directed her to kneel at his feet. His crooked fingers shook as he brought them to her temples and made contact. She forced herself to relax when she heard him sigh and realized she would not be seeing where his journey would take him.

Young Lamed emerged in the playground of Aster's mind. For the remainder of the night he frolicked in green meadows, cried tears of desperation, felt terror and helplessness and the joy of personal achievement. He fell in love and rediscovered depths of passion long forgotten, all while Aster slept dreamlessly.

Chapter 24