The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure - By Storm Constantine Page 0,229

asked.

‘We don’t know,’ Flick said.

Opalexian stared at him, and he was sure she could see right into his mind, even though he wasn’t aware of mind touch. ‘I can only take a dim view of the Tigron being invited to my city. You are all aware that it is the wish of the Roselane for the Gelaming, if not Wraeththu as a whole, to remain ignorant of their existence. The Tigron’s presence here puts every citizen in jeopardy. You were given sanctuary here, a home and a life. Is this how you repay us? I am waiting for your explanation, if indeed there is one, beyond the fact that Mima Cevarro cannot surrender her old human ties.’

‘No I cannot!’ Mima said, and Flick put a hand on her arm to restrain her.

‘We can explain,’ Flick said. ‘This is not how it seems. As you know, Pellaz consented to come here. He is sitting outside this room like a common har. I hope you understand the message in that. It is not his intention to cause you trouble. He is here because of me, and because of his family.’

‘Tel-an-Kaa has informed me of the circumstances surrounding your journey to Shilalama. I am aware of Mima’s and Terez’s connection with the Tigron, and of yours. But in this city, all hara, parazha and humans are equal. Such weighty connections have no bearing here, and I had hoped you all felt the same. You accepted our way of life and have benefited from it. Where is Terez and the parage, Lileem?’

‘I think you know,’ Mima said.

‘I would like to hear it from you.’

‘We believe they took aruna together,’ Flick said, ‘with the inevitable consequences.’

‘And you summoned the Tigron here to ask for his aid?’ Opalexian enquired.

‘No,’ Flick said. ‘That was coincidence. I have been meeting him in the mountains for some time. I told him nothing about the Kamagrian, not until last night.’

Opalexian took a deep breath, clearly having difficulty controlling herself. Flick sensed she’d like to bawl them out, but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it and destroy the illusion of the character she had built. ‘It is forbidden for hara and parazha to become intimate,’ she said. ‘You all know this.’

‘Sometimes, feelings get in the way of common sense,’ Flick said. ‘That is the only explanation I can give.’

‘Your friends are lost to you now.’ Opalexian fixed Mima with a cold gaze. ‘I hope you realise you cannot risk doing something similar in an attempt to find them. If you do, you will all die.’

‘They are not dead,’ Mima said.

‘Effectively, they are,’ Opalexian said. ‘The matter is closed, and you will deal with your grief as you see fit. Now, as to the other question…’

‘Pellaz is not your enemy,’ Flick butted in. ‘He will speak for himself, of course, but in my opinion, it would be in your best interests to befriend him now. He will not betray you if you offer him loyalty.’

Opalexian hissed and seemed to grow taller, her hair lifting from her head like a cat’s fur. Flick realised who she reminded him of now: Thiede.

‘I do not need some little har telling me how to conduct my affairs,’ she said. ‘I offer loyalty to none but my own tribe. The Gelaming are warmongers and tyrants. Their worldview has no empathy with mine.’

‘Pellaz is an individual,’ Flick said. ‘He is not the whole tribe of Gelaming. He has been placed into a role by Thiede. He is not entirely happy with it. He needs allies.’

Opalexian raised an eyebrow, and Flick realised that with those last three words he had somehow captured her attention, and perhaps her co-operation. It came to him as a blinding revelation: Thiede and Opalexian were known to one another, and they were not in accord.

‘I will speak to him,’ she said, ‘but first, I want the entire story from you two, with no details omitted – and, trust me, if you lie or prevaricate, I will know. We have methods of extracting information from the mind, so I suggest you co-operate willingly. It will save time, trouble and possible hurt in the future.’

‘Your parazha have no idea what you’re really like, do they!’ Mima said. ‘Humble priestess, my ass!’

Opalexian smiled at this. ‘You are correct,’ she said. ‘Become accustomed to it.’

Chapter Thirty Three

Lileem came to her senses, buried naked in sand. She was lying on her back and only her face wasn’t covered in the scouring, shifting granules. She opened her eyes to