The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure - By Storm Constantine Page 0,178

don’t know that either. All we can do is observe the results. Kamagrian are part of Wraeththu, yes, and sometimes they are born to Wraeththu, like throwbacks maybe, but until someone discovers the truth about how both species were created, we are in the dark.’

‘But why were we created?’ Lileem asked. ‘Why would humans do that?’

‘The threat of extinction through infertility is my guess,’ said Tel-an-Kaa. ‘Or perhaps a scientist genius somewhere did it simply because he or she could. Perhaps they had an insatiable curiosity to tamper with the clay of life, to create new and wondrous beings. One day, we might find out, but for now we have to deal with the simple problem of Wraeththu fear and conceal ourselves among them. There are too few humans left for us to incept and unfortunately we have not yet been able to procreate. This is perhaps evidence that in some ways we were the failed experiment and Wraeththu was the more successful one. Too many questions, and no answers.

‘This is astounding,’ Mima said.

Lileem appeared troubled and Mima sensed it was because Ulaume and Flick were their family and now Tel-an-Kaa had somehow taken them away.

‘You cannot live openly among Wraeththu,’ Tel-an-Kaa said, and her words were the death sentence. ‘You must come with me to Jaddayoth, where our tribe, the Roselane, live. Our progenitor, Opalexian, has established a Kamagrian city there, called Shilalama. There, you can be trained and live in safety. There are some hara there too. It is a spiritual place.’

Mima went cold. She and Lileem stared at one another for some moments, and Lileem’s eyes were full of tears. Mima knew they were both thinking, ‘We could run. We could kill this Kamagrian and run. We’ve done it before, we could do it again.’

‘Kamagrian are called to Roselane,’ Tel-an-Kaa said. ‘It was the call you felt within you, Lileem. It is where you belong.’

‘I wasn’t called,’ Mima said.

Tel-an-Kaa appeared slightly uncomfortable. ‘That is unusual, and perhaps somehow connected with who your brother was.’

Mima glanced at her sharply. ‘You know about him?’

‘I know you were the Tigron’s sister when he was human, yes. Ulaume told me.’

Mima wasn’t pleased about that. She wished Ulaume had kept his mouth shut. ‘I should be with him,’ she said.

‘No,’ Tel-an-Kaa said. ‘You can’t. Not yet. Things may well change, but this is a delicate time for Wraeththu. It is essential they do not yet become aware of Kamagrian. Elements within Wraeththukind would seek to exterminate us.’

‘I don’t believe that,’ Mima said.

‘I don’t care whether you believe it or not,’ Tel-an-Kaa said. ‘It is the unpleasant truth.’

‘Can Ulaume and Flick come with us to Roselane?’ Lileem asked.

‘If they so wish it,’ Tel-an-Kaa replied. ‘Given their own situation, I think it would be the best option for them. One thing you should be aware of is this: Kamagrian have far greater powers than Wraeththu. Psychically we are more developed and are able to channel the life force of the universe more effectively. In some ways, we lack what Wraeththu have, but in others we are greatly superior.’

‘Can we tell Ulaume and Flick about all this?’ Mima asked.

Tel-an-Kaa nodded. ‘Yes, but not yet. We need to shed the Parsics first. I need also to be absolutely sure your guardians are trustworthy.’

‘They are!’ Lileem cried.

‘I am not criticising them,’ Tel-an-Kaa said. ‘I just need to reveal this information to them gently and observe their reactions. If they are not what I’d expect, then certain details must be kept from them. You must respect this, Lileem, because should the information land in the wrong ears, many lives would be at stake. In telling you all this, I am burdening you with a great responsibility. I hope you appreciate that I admire you enough to trust you. Initially, I wasn’t going to speak to either of you until we’d left Megalithica, but in the short time I’ve known you, you’ve impressed me.’

‘We love them,’ Lileem said simply and the tears finally spilled over onto her cheeks.

Mima reached out to take one of Lileem’s hands and Tel-an-Kaa placed cool fingers over both of them, where their hands were joined before her. ‘There should be no grief,’ she said. ‘You were always separate from them, and you cannot shelter in ignorance. Now, you can love them freely, without fear or confusion or doubt. You just have to love them as brothers.’

Lileem dissolved into tears, because she was young and a little drunk and Mima held her closely. They had