The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 5.1

Tirqwin stared at his wife's image in frustration, longing for the restoration of their mental link. It had been too long since they had had to depend on verbal communication to exchange ideas, and he wondered if they had always been this bad at it. He hoped something lay behind Mara's words that he was missing, something that wasn't this awful suspicion and harsh dismissal.

"Mara," he said, his voice breaking. He paused and tried again. "I cannot stop believing in Sabrina any more than I can stop believing in you. And I will not surrender her, any more than I surrendered Scotty. You never gave up then; do not give up now."

Mara shook her head slowly. "I did give up, Tirqwin. You know I did. I never believed you could bring Scotty back. I could not afford to. I have had too many losses in my life already. And I am glad that I mourned him, for even though you brought him back, he is not the same. And I am going to mourn Sabrina, for after this she can never be the same. I am not sure Niavar can be, either."

Tirqwin didn't know what to say to that. It took a long time for him to answer. "I do not want you to hope, Mara, if it will hurt you to do so. I never want you to be hurt. But I cannot give up hope."

She summoned a weary smile. "You can hope for us both, Tirqwin."

Tirqwin sighed, suddenly very tired. Then his head snapped up as he realized what was really bothering him. "Mara. You are speaking about this situation more as a Queen than as a mother."

"I have to, Tirqwin. This is serious. And not just with Homeworld. Realm worlds have sensed the disturbance. They will have to be told some measure of the truth. Niavar must be seen to be treated as the threat he is. I'm trying to find some way to have Sabrina come out of this with her image untarnished, but—Tirqwin, I have to be careful. If we're seen to harbor a Pharon, it could be the end of the Realm. You don't understand how deeply the fear of them is embedded in the psyche of the older races."

"I do understand. But this is not a Pharon. He is our son."

"Right now, he is Pharon. He is not our son. Ask Sabrina."

"Sabrina said no such thing. And I cannot imagine her doing so."

"She didn't need to. Tirqwin, did you not look at her? Did you not listen, really listen, to her?"

"Of course I did. She sounded no more traumatized than she should have, considering."

Mara shook her head. "It's almost as if we spoke to different people, Tirqwin. What I heard was someone who was afraid of Niavar waking up, who didn't want him to wake up until she had help dealing with him. That is enough to tell me that she is not dealing with our son."

Tirqwin thought about it. He'd been bemused by and a tiny bit jealous of how quickly Niavar and Sabrina had warmed to each other. Then he'd been glad that they'd both found a source of comfort and support. They didn't avoid each other, even if they had furious arguments on occasion. If Sabrina were truly dreading Niavar's awakening, then Mara was right: something was very wrong. "We don't know what kind of person this Emperor is," he mused aloud.

"No, we don't. But we can guess, can't we?" Mara said.

"I do not want to," Tirqwin said softly.

"Neither do I. But I have to, Tirqwin. I have to. For the sake of the Realm, and the galaxy, and most of all, Sabrina."

Tirqwin's shoulders slumped. "All right. Point conceded. But I do not want them forcibly separated, Mara. If Sabrina chooses to be separated from Niavar, then fine. But she has to make the choice. I promised her they would not be separated."

"I wish you hadn't, Tirqwin. You and I of all people know how unlikely it is that Sabrina will consider her own interests in the face of someone else's distress. She probably made Niavar some kind of promise, and she'll not want to break it, even if it's necessary to her own sanity."