Waymakers (Champions of the Crystal Book 9)

Chapter 3.1

A tug at her awareness startled her, and she realized that Mara was calling for everyone's attention. She'd never realized Mara used the Crystal like that before.

"Let us go through to dinner," Mara instructed. "You may not be hungry, but I have not had fresh food in five years, and I am famished."

How did they deal with the lack of raw materials for producing food and spare parts? Ford wondered as they went through to the dining room.

Leave it to you to wonder about the footnotes, Sabrina thought, amused. She was pretty sure the answer would turn out to be Mara and her ability to transform and transport matter via the Great Crystal.

They seated themselves at the long table in the Guardian's dining room, arranging themselves by precedence out of long habit. Mara sat at the head, with Seuréa at her right hand and Baldaran on her left. Ford and Sabrina sat immediately beside Baldaran, while Acting First Chair Aboulrawn sat beside Seuréa. Prime Minister Betharn, who had arrived in their absence, sat on Sabrina's other side, with Commander Rigeon following. The other royal siblings sat in descending order of age down to the foot where Tirqwin was. A smaller table near the back of the room accommodated the staff, including the King's secretary, a military aide probably accompanying Rigeon, and one of the First Chair's staff in addition to Liara, Marvan, and Terel.

Sabrina caught sight of Marie, whose mental disability caused by a Kyan parasite had lessened somewhat due to diligent research and experimentation. She was still not the bright, lively girl she had been, but she was able to learn now and care for herself. Tirqwin spoke quietly to her, and she responded to him with only a little hesitation, Sabrina was glad to see.

The servers were all Baldaran's, Sabrina noticed. The Guardian's staff had been mostly on leave the past five years, and it would doubtless take some time to assemble them again.

She dug into the soup a split second before Mara did, causing Ford to chuckle inwardly as he noticed Baldaran blink in surprise. Ford leaned over and whispered to his brother, "She's pregnant. Don't get between her and food."

Baldaran smiled. "Congratulations, and noted. You've displayed your usual sense of timing, I see."

"I'm not taking the blame for this," Ford said. "We'll talk later."

Aboulrawn looked impatient, and after he finished his soup, he must have remembered that royal protocol didn't apply to the Guardian. "Guardian, may I ask whether you intend to convene a Council of the Realm?"

"There is no time," Mara replied. "I shall go to each of the Realm worlds instead and inform them of the situation and what we ask of them. I will go back in time for each trip and thus accomplish them all at once, from your perspective."

"I hope not before you preside over the funeral for my predecessor," he replied.

Mara nodded. "Yes. That must be done as soon as possible so that you may be formally installed. I assume by this time you have re-excavated Giandrah and retrieved Aunt Imari's remains?"

"Yes. The arrangements have all been made; we have lacked only your presence."

"Excellent. I will confer with my Chief Attendant tomorrow, but I hope to have the ceremony in a matter of days," Mara said. She paused to allow the servers to clear the soup dishes and present the main course. "In the meantime, I will speak to the people of Praxatillus. With His Majesty's permission, of course."

"My communications staff are at your disposal," Baldaran said. "I assume you will want Commander Rigeon to put the system on a war footing?"

"You are not already?" Mara sounded surprised.