Eye of the Ocean Book 3 Ji'jin Station

Eye of the Ocean – Book 3: Ji’Jin Station
have more practical gifts to offer. But something more subtle as well; something
to match the slowness of your revolution. Are you a Salin, perhaps? A very
unusual ability for a Zimmer, but I think you might be unusual.”
“I found nothing in here or on her,” he said in protest.
“And what would you know to look for?” Oimit stretched again, another lazy
smile touched her lips as she leaned back. And moved, pulling Be'ell up with her,
one hand wrapped in the crest of the woman's hair, a fist that had the freeborn
nose to nose with him. “Tell me what you see,” his sister whispered.
Be'ell's eyes were rolling back. Oimit bit her through the ear. “Tell me,” she
hissed through the blood.
“Zimmer pattern, very weak, I wasn't sure...”
“When do you see it?”
“When the mirsasitin calls him.”
Be'ell lay quietly, with only the odd tremor that Oimit soothed, stroking her
head again. The children had woken but he put them back to sleep with the same
motions his sister used on their mother.
“We could use you in the nursery,” she said.
“Did any of that help us?”
“Knowledge always helps. Do you feel different?”
“Nothing.” He looked away, then back. “Less than nothing, a numbing. I'm not
usually this stupid.”
“I said you were beautiful, not smart.” Long fingers curled a strand of the
freeborn's hair. “Think how frustrating this must be for her. Her military training
would have been extensive, a match for yours at least...”
“You can't know that.”
“... more than mine certainly, my interests have been focused on other things.
Then one word from me and she's frozen.” Oimit shook her head. “There's a
biological imperative that says she has to obey me, even more than she would
you. That I'm Clan and she's not, overrides anything her people taught her. And
paltin... I wonder if they thought she could withstand this, or just hoped she
wouldn't have to.” The fingers stroked Be'ell's forehead now. “Can you tell me?”
Oimit whispered, bending lower. Tu'pin jumped to hold the freeborn down, the
tremors had become convulsions.
A few minutes later, they stopped. Oimit had a thoughtful look on her face as
she resumed the stroking.
“You mentioned other interests?” he asked, sitting back on his heels.
“What do you know of me?”
What did he know except that he had held the memory of her since that first
night and used her name for luck and courage. “A couple of years after you left,”
he said, “after your gin'tala, the paltin list came with your name written on it and
Laurel Hickey www.2morrow.bc.ca