The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 84

Part 13

“Yes, and here’s another one! You’re getting all wound up about possibilities, when we still don’t even know if any of that is good for anything beyond making a pretty light!

“And how do you figure that fifteen people contributed to the spell?”

“Helemia and Reggie…” he began before Valentia interrupted.

“That’s Governor Longstrider or Six, if you please.” she politely insisted.

“Fine.” Quewanak agreed with a show of patience. “General Helemia and Governor Longstrider Linked and received input from Karzog, Valentia, and Mark, as well as the eight people Mark suggested they consult with. Including myself and you, though you didn’t feel their Link. Mark Linked and received input from Talia and Alilia. Yazadril Linked and received input from Nemia and Hilsith. Helemia and Six incorporated all that input, including finalizing how to emplace the mind into Vanakit Lamitkeze, and once they had a finalized spell, Valentia re-designed and simplified it.

“The entire process was a phenomenal display of psionic ability, and you’re right in pointing out that it needs to be tested before its implications can be determined.

“So, I will allow the procedure to be completed. I see no other urgent short term uses for those spells, and any more experiments with them that involve living subjects will have to wait until they’ve been discussed in the Councils of The Just Alliance.”

“Agreed.” Helemia nodded. “All of you agree that this should be a healthy and functional mind, so long as it’s still the same as this once it’s in him. Father, Valentia, you two should be the ones to emplace it.”

“Agreed.” Mark nodded. “And it’s very mature of you to say so. But could I get you to end your display? It’s a bit distracting.”

Helemia let her energy-mind fade, knowing that her father and sister had a firm psionic grasp of the information set that it represented.

“Valentia, are we ready?”

“Yes Father. On your mark.” Valentia agreed as she sharpened her concentration.

“All right, here we go… Now.

“Okay, I think that worked.”

“We think so too.” Helemia nodded. “I’ll wake him up.”

The floating Sylvan spasmed a bit, then waved his feet around in a bit of a panic as he tried to stand. Helemia lowered him to the sand, and he found his balance.

“Hello, Jo. How do you feel?” Helemia asked him.

“Hello Helemia. I feel fine.” he replied with a slight smile, and looked around.

“You understand that you’re a new person, and that you’ve been given the body of Vanakit Lamitkeze, and some of his memories, but you are not him. You’re your own person; Jo Shanalan, Hilian citizen.”

“Sure, I understand that.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

He shrugged and smiled. “That’s the way it is, I guess. I might as well accept it.”

“Good. How would you like to be my assistant for a while, until you get your orientation at least?”

“Sure.”

“All right.” Helemia nodded. “You’re off duty right now, Jo. Have some of the feast if you’re hungry, and join the party.”

“Thanks! I’m starved, now that I think about it.” he said as he turned away.

“Have fun!” she called after him. “And go to the commissary for some clothes! The ones you’re wearing are just an Illusion!”

“But they’re very comfortable!” he tossed over his shoulder with a laugh, then was hidden by the crowd.

“That really was incredible.” Talia marveled.

“I suppose every Sylvan out there will remember having known Jo Shanalan their whole lives.” Dolimatbene stated, sounding a bit bitter.

“Right. And he’ll never happen to talk about his origins. They won’t ask because they already know him.” Quewanak stated, his eyes closed in concentration. “It’s a lot of work getting that many memories straight, even for me.

“I apologize for seeming manipulative, but I deem it necessary. If I didn’t have the ability to do this, I would have refused to allow him to be re-animated. The only alternatives were to leave him an empty shell or kill him.”

“Bah, I’m tired of thinking about it, to be honest.” Helemia stated. “Time for some exercise!”

In a moment the four young governors had Translocated a hundred and fifty meters straight up, donning their armor and weapons in the process, and began blasting away at each other with prodigious energies while swooping around and launching strikes with their weapons. In a moment it was apparent that the match was Reggie and Valentia versus Helemia and Karzog.

Nek Sibook, who was standing about two meters behind Talia with her head tilted back watching the fight, commented; “You know, some people’s parents should have more kids.”

“I’m not sure the world is ready for any more of those.” Reen chuckled as he watched, and gave her a one-armed hug.

“I’m quite sure that the world is not ready for the four we have now!” Kragorram chuckled with a deep, throbbing rumble. “They’ll make a stir when they get out in society, that’s certain.”

“I agree.” Talia giggled. “So far parenting has been pretty easy, but we won’t be having any more until these are grown and stable. I’ll want to have as much time and resources available for them as I can when they get to be teenagers. I found it to be a difficult time, and those who are greatly gifted often have problems then.”

“And often get into trouble!” Alilia laughed. “How I hope that they don’t lose their minds when puberty scrambles their brains, like it did to mine!”

“Why, what did you do?” Nek asked.

“Oh, I just forced an early marriage to my sweetheart on my parents with sheer stubbornness and obstinacy, against their strenuous objections. If they’d have continued refusing, we’d have just eloped. Then we ran away and lived like wealthy vagabonds for fifty years or so. Now I wish I’d listened to my parents. My husband Gorsh turned out to be exactly the kind of fool that they warned me he was.”

This brought a round of chuckles from everyone in earshot.

“Come, dance with us,” Mark laughed as he stood and pulled Talia and Alilia to their feet, “And we can hope I turn out to be less of a fool than he was.”

They seemed to spark a trend, and soon all the sand and air nearby was full of joyous dancers.

Later, as Sana and her team were refreshing the feast for the evening meal, Reggie’s face suddenly lit up and he augmented his voice to be heard by everyone within fifteen meters. “Zubzubweeeet! Everyone remember the name Zubzubweeeet!” he yelled, pronouncing the last vowel with a very high note and holding it for an extra beat.

“Why, who is it?” Mark asked.

“I haven’t a clue, but I know that a person named Zubzubweeeet will be the one to open the time-bubble.” Reggie proclaimed. “It’s the first prophesy I’ve had that can be tested for accuracy, and it’s a good one, because we don’t know who it is! If I’d prophesized that Falgaroth or Visinniria or one of the other gods we’re familiar with were going to open the bubble, it might just seem like a good guess. But if someone named Zubzubweeeet really does open the bubble, I’d say that was pretty solid proof.”

“Ah. So we’ll know in a year.” Mark nodded.

“I sure hope so.” Reggie said, unconsciously nodding with exactly the same motion as his father. “But it doesn’t say anything about that in the prophesy. Just that it’ll be Zubzubweeeet, whether that’s in a year or eighteen.”

“Ah. Well we’ll remember a name like that for sure. Right now my stomach’s telling me that it’s time for another helping of that whale steak!”

The meal captured the attention of many, and the celebration went on.

Many of the Homesteaders wanted to start going home as early as four hours to midnight, when many of the young Sylvan started openly fornicating. But Helemia teased many of them into staying by telling them and the adult Sylvan that there would be something funny to see at midnight. So most of those who didn’t have young children stayed and continued partying after Karzog cleared the center of the beach of fornicators, and they were all there to see the great drenching at midnight. Which did indeed prove to be quite hilarious.

At an hour after midnight, everything was cleaned up and the platoons were bedded down. The young Governors asked Quewanak to keep an eye on things for them until the morning, then they went home with their parents and got a good night’s rest.