First Forest - Viola Grace Page 0,18
you are near, I will protect you, anywhere on this world.”
She smiled and closed her eyes. “I need a purpose. These past days have been very instructive, but I was trained to bridge the gap between the village and the rest of the world.”
“And so you shall. Now, let’s go and wish the new couple well.” He lifted her hand and kissed the palm.
“Very well, but my purpose had better extend beyond your embrace, or you are not going to have a quiet moment.”
He shrank to nearly human size and offered her his hand. They entered the house together. “I do love your threats. It is like an angry kitten trying to stake out territory.”
She hissed at him lightly, and he grinned as they made their way out to the garden to greet the new couple. The village folk gave them a wide berth, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It meant that their whispers went unheard.
Chapter Eight
Abiha smiled at a few of the villagers, who nodded to them in passing. They were researchers and physicians, the men and women that her father had become friends with before his illness.
She spoke to several of the elders politely, and when she finished, she walked back to where Kiloh was speaking with the theology professor. She just got close to him, and his arm reached out to pull her to his side.
“Abiha, I believe you know Professor Agwith.” Kiloh smiled.
“Of course. Professor, you were a good friend to my father.”
The professor inclined his head and smiled. “Professor Nahe was a good man. It is a pity that the local physicians were unable to cure him.”
“His damage went way beyond what is able to be cured. He was injured before he arrived, destroyed before his family began. It was only a matter of time, and time is what took him in the end.” She smiled slightly.
“Perhaps the lord of the forest could have helped him.” The professor looked to Kiloh.
Abiha smiled tightly. “I did not know that you were aware of the nature of my father’s illness. Progressive radiation poisoning due to degrading grafts isn’t a common condition. I am surprised that you are aware of the nature of rehabilitated cyborgs. They aren’t exactly thick on the ground anywhere.”
The professor stepped back. “Cyborg? They are illegal.”
“Yes. My father was aware of that, but the damage that was done could not be undone. He needed to live out his last days pursuing knowledge and fostering a greater understanding of the first forest.” She smiled. “Just because his body wasn’t natural, didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the beauty of the natural world. He and the Honoured Kiloh spoke many times.”
Kiloh sighed. “There was nothing that I could do but relieve the symptoms of his decline, and eventually, there was no way for me to stop his decline.”
The professor was still blinking. “A cyborg?”
Abiha looked at Kiloh. “You need to allow books about technology at least or put a school outside the walls of the village for them to study. The ancient arts are wonderful, but the knowledge that could be offered to those outside the walls and what those inside could learn are growing every day.”
Kiloh looked at her with a slight smile. “We will discuss this later.”
There was a glowing promise in his eyes. She smiled. “Isn’t it too early for that look?”
He chuckled. “It is never too early for that look. However, we are at a public function, and I do not believe that you would forgive me if indulged my impulse at this moment.”
She looked around at the garden where the villagers were celebrating her sister and Jimon. “Yeah, you have judged that correctly, Honourable Kiloh.”
She left the two men and returned to her sister, nodding to Jimon. “Do you two need anything? Beverages or otherwise?”
Ledana looked at her in relief. “I need some assistance for a moment. Can you help?”
Abiha nodded to Jimon. “Perhaps you could stretch your legs as well.”
He blinked and smiled in relief. “Thank you, sister.”
Abiha helped Ledana to her feet, and then, she walked with her slowly toward the restroom.
Ledana murmured as they walked, “Does it bother you that you didn’t get a wedding day?”
“Um, not really. The folk around here don’t like me very much, so it wouldn’t be much of a party. This is a better thing.” She smiled and helped her sister into the chamber to navigate the many layers of formal robes before she was able to relieve herself.
Once everything was managed, washed,