The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure - By Storm Constantine Page 0,210

were so angry and you were… you were not the kind of har to trust. You were nothing like the annoying but cute little brother I’d once known.’

Terez smiled mordantly at that. ‘I’m not going to ask why you did it. I know why. You were human and you didn’t understand. You wanted to keep a living relative.’

‘That’s it. Exactly.’

‘But you should have told me. Another thing you don’t understand is what a relief it is to know the truth. I thought the Uigenna just abandoned me. You let me think that.’

‘Terez, I can’t apologise for that, because I did not act in malice. The Uigenna are bad news, but I didn’t really know that until after Flick and Ulaume came and told me what they knew. What I did to you was a tragic mistake, a desperate act. That’s all there is to it. Believe me, I tortured myself about it for years, but ultimately I know there is no point to that. And if the two of us have any future, it has to be in truth. It’s always lain between us, this dark secret and now it’s out.’

Terez sighed deeply. ‘I know. The strange thing is, it’s irrelevant now, but it was a shock. I didn’t expect to hear that.’

‘Are you angry?’

‘I don’t know. I was just back there for a while, that’s all.’ He turned to her fully. ‘I haven’t had a normal life, Mima. I’m an outsider, as you are, for different reasons. But I am har, through and through, and the fact that the feeling could spill from me in that way tonight only proves to me I’m right.’ He paused. ‘We both suffered. We were both in darkness for a long time. But if none of it had happened, you might be dead and I might be with the Uigenna, which I now realise would not have been the best path.’

‘With the benefit of hindsight, we could say that.’

He put his head to one side and closed one eye, a gesture reminiscent of the boy he’d once been. ‘How are you?’

‘Fine,’ she said. ‘It’s good here. Bit tame, maybe, but safe.’

He nodded. ‘Lileem told me you took aruna with a har. Is that right?’

‘Yes. But… it’s complicated. I take aruna with Lileem now, nohar else.’

‘Oh.’ He seemed surprised. ‘You are har, though, you and she?’

Mima smiled at him. ‘Yes, in our own way. We’re not chesna, Terez. We’re really close and I love her, but it’s not… We’re just finding a way. Comfort.’

He smiled back and for long moments, they held each other’s gaze. Then, he said, ‘Thanks, Mima.’

She inclined her head. ‘Sorry I ruined your life.’

They both laughed, hesitantly, then fell silent. ‘Come here,’ Terez said, and held out his arms.

Mima pressed herself against him, held him tight. ‘Don’t ever believe them,’ she murmured, kissing his hair. ‘Family does matter. Ours does.’

First thing the following morning, Mima did not go to work, but instead took Terez to Exalan in the government offices at Kalalim, to make sure it was acceptable for her brother to become part of their household. After speaking with Terez briefly, Exalan interviewed Mima in private. She told him that Terez knew nothing of the Kamagrian and believed herself and Lileem to be a strange kind of har.

‘For the time being, let him think that,’ Exalan advised.

‘But if he lives here, he’s bound to notice differences in the parazha and hara around him. I’m not sure how to deal with that. What is the official line?’

Exalan smiled. ‘This is a rare circumstance – relatives from the past turning up – so there are no protocols for dealing with it. I will speak to Opalexian about it. But for now, if you are happy to be responsible for your brother, I can see no reason why he should not become part of your household. We are not Gelaming, Mima. We don’t want to make harsh rules. The happiness of our citizens is of prime importance. I trust you will act wisely, should any difficult situations arise, and I am here to advise you, should you need me.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Take Terez to work with you. I’m sure you can find something to occupy his time.’

‘I will.’

Mima was unsure how Terez would feel about this, as he’d been a loner for so long. Would he be prepared to fit into the community and work for it? Now that she’d truly found him again, she was anxious about losing him. But he seemed to accept