Eye of the Ocean Book 3 Ji'jin Station

Eye of the Ocean – Book 3: Ji’Jin Station
watching what little of the Zimmer-Priest that the Net provided. And coloring the
image in like a child with a paint box, adding pattern to see him better.
A hand on her arm and Raswini chuckled. “And here I was worried about Yian.”
Poss a'ltic blushed, making Rasi laugh out loud. Placement had Yian acting
very circumspect, her eyes more on Commander Oimit than her brother. She had
an instinct for caution when it really mattered.
A'in had taken Cayse's position outside the flitter, Kascin was still inside. Poss
a'ltic leaned closer to whisper: “Yian can have him if she can get him. I've quite
enough problems in that area.”
“Problems.” The old woman laughed again but softly and with a look at her
eldest son. “You want things too easy. Can you remember love ever being easy?”
“Is that what it is?”
“Isn't it?” She didn't answer. “Possi, where you get confused is thinking it
should be different for you than for other women.”
“You left him.”
Raswini closed her eyes a moment as an old pain crossed her face. “Could I
refuse an order from my Lady?” The words were hard but her features quickly
softened with concern. “I should have known it would come to that. A'in has you
going in circles. Possi, I would have returned to my service regardless. I'm not
any different than other women, either. I wanted everything. And Temple was as
much my two sons heritage as Haltinport.”
A thin finger ran along the pattern of braids that encased Poss a'ltic's palm.
The discipline was gone, not that Rasi would have felt it. “I've an advantage over
you,” the old woman said, taking her hand to hold it. “Time blunts the pain. It
was a very long time ago for me, the memories have faded, or I've changed them
to suit myself. The man I remember... he never existed.” She sighed. “Do you
really want to talk about this now?”
Poss a'ltic shrugged. “Now? What's different about now?”
Raswini folded Poss a'ltic's fingers over an illusionary shape. “Did you feel
guilty when you ordered me to come back? I never thought for a moment that
you might.” Knowing eyes were searching hers, but sparkling with amusement
now. “You didn't, or not much, or for long. And don't bother saying that you did.
This is the wrong end of my life for you to start lying to me.”
Cayse was with the Zimmer now. She could smell the foul air of the corridor.
“Why should I lie?” she asked. Raswini's nose wrinkled at the stink, she was
following the Net as closely, and pulling in more of what Poss a'ltic added from
the pattern link she hadn't dropped.
“Because you lie to yourself.” Her eyes were on her son, but to Cayse through
the Net, not A'in. “When I brought them both to Palace, I thought for sure that
you'd want Cayse, which shows neither of us are anything other than fallible. Less
of you around to fail perhaps, but... I've seen you blush before.”
Laurel Hickey www.2morrow.bc.ca