almost before he appeared.
"And we'll be with Lissa," Connegar and Reemagar coalesced right behind Pheligar.
"You're guarding us, aren't you?" Kiarra looked up at Pheligar, who offered a lovely smile before lifting her in his arms and giving her a kiss.
"I love you," he said in answer, before disappearing with her, Adam and Merrill.
"Are you sure?" I turned to my Larentii.
"Very sure," Connegar replied.
* * *
Campiaa—present
Tybus' Journal
"Just stand here, with your arms around both," the journalist's assistant posed me with Reah and Kay.
"When will the marriage take place?" the journalist tapped notes on a comp-vid.
"Six moon-turns," I replied. "My assistant is working out the details now."
"Yes, just like that," the assistant said as I pulled Reah and Kay closer. The cam-recorder dutifully reproduced our image, which would be broadcast across both Alliances before the day was over. Our part of the attack had been initiated.
* * *
Breanne's Journal
"This is always the most difficult part," Charles sighed. "Separating." It was. I did and didn't recall that memory. He was the Mind; of course he'd remember.
"How many times?" Ashe lay naked on the tiled floor nearby, where his corporeal body had been left. The bodies in the Larentii Archives? Decoys.
"Four."
"Will we get it right this time around?" Ashe heaved himself into a sitting position. As he was strength, obviously he'd rise first.
"I sure as hell hope so," Charles muttered. "Bree?" He turned his head in my direction. I drew a weary breath as I blinked into his gray eyes. He was himself instead of the Charles everyone else would recognize. It took power to assume a disguise. None of us had that at the moment—handing power to a new crop of godlings and coming back to a corporeal body exhausted all of us. I was the only one still too tired to speak, however.
"Where?" I croaked eventually.
"We're at your house. The one you asked for," Charles managed a grin. "It's huge, just as you wanted. Nobody knows where this is—I hid it on purpose. Are you cold, Love?" All of us were naked—it wasn't just Ashe. Likely, Charles had arranged for the clothing we'd worn before to be transferred to the decoys.
"I'm cold. Too tired to do anything about it."
"Hey, now," Charles scooted toward me. "None of that. We'll get warm together."
"What will people think?" I asked.
"Someday, maybe we'll tell them that we were Three in the beginning, instead of the One," he smiled before kissing me. "Maybe we'll tell them that we joined our energy to defeat other versions of the General in the past."
"Someday, maybe I won't care what they think." Raising a shaking hand, I rubbed my forehead. I'd forgotten what it was like to have a headache. I had one now, and it throbbed against my skull.
Bones . Something I'd been without for six Earth months. I felt every one of them, now. "Do you ache, too?" I asked Charles.
"I do," Ashe volunteered. "Corporeality sucks, sometimes."
"You weren't complaining after energy sex on Avendor," Charles pointed out. "Give me a hand, I need to get up."
"Was that a pun?"
"Take it any way you want."
"How long will we be like this?" I asked as Ashe rose unsteadily to his feet and held out a hand for Charles to take.
"A while," Charles grunted when Ashe pulled him upright. "All we can do now is watch and wait."
Chapter 4
Earth—past
Trajan's Journal
I listened while Jayson's cell phone rang in the media room next door. "Hey bro," he said. James Rome Jr. was calling. Likely, the call concerned their father's estate. With everything that had happened in the last six months, I'd forgotten about Rome Sr.'s death.
I'd suggested reactivating Jayson's old cell number, in case someone from the enemy camp started looking for him again. Bill had seconded that suggestion—we could work from this end of things to start tracking them. This call came almost immediately.
"Yeah, I can come," I heard Jayson say after several seconds had passed.
"And we'll be with Lissa," Connegar and Reemagar coalesced right behind Pheligar.
"You're guarding us, aren't you?" Kiarra looked up at Pheligar, who offered a lovely smile before lifting her in his arms and giving her a kiss.
"I love you," he said in answer, before disappearing with her, Adam and Merrill.
"Are you sure?" I turned to my Larentii.
"Very sure," Connegar replied.
* * *
Campiaa—present
Tybus' Journal
"Just stand here, with your arms around both," the journalist's assistant posed me with Reah and Kay.
"When will the marriage take place?" the journalist tapped notes on a comp-vid.
"Six moon-turns," I replied. "My assistant is working out the details now."
"Yes, just like that," the assistant said as I pulled Reah and Kay closer. The cam-recorder dutifully reproduced our image, which would be broadcast across both Alliances before the day was over. Our part of the attack had been initiated.
* * *
Breanne's Journal
"This is always the most difficult part," Charles sighed. "Separating." It was. I did and didn't recall that memory. He was the Mind; of course he'd remember.
"How many times?" Ashe lay naked on the tiled floor nearby, where his corporeal body had been left. The bodies in the Larentii Archives? Decoys.
"Four."
"Will we get it right this time around?" Ashe heaved himself into a sitting position. As he was strength, obviously he'd rise first.
"I sure as hell hope so," Charles muttered. "Bree?" He turned his head in my direction. I drew a weary breath as I blinked into his gray eyes. He was himself instead of the Charles everyone else would recognize. It took power to assume a disguise. None of us had that at the moment—handing power to a new crop of godlings and coming back to a corporeal body exhausted all of us. I was the only one still too tired to speak, however.
"Where?" I croaked eventually.
"We're at your house. The one you asked for," Charles managed a grin. "It's huge, just as you wanted. Nobody knows where this is—I hid it on purpose. Are you cold, Love?" All of us were naked—it wasn't just Ashe. Likely, Charles had arranged for the clothing we'd worn before to be transferred to the decoys.
"I'm cold. Too tired to do anything about it."
"Hey, now," Charles scooted toward me. "None of that. We'll get warm together."
"What will people think?" I asked.
"Someday, maybe we'll tell them that we were Three in the beginning, instead of the One," he smiled before kissing me. "Maybe we'll tell them that we joined our energy to defeat other versions of the General in the past."
"Someday, maybe I won't care what they think." Raising a shaking hand, I rubbed my forehead. I'd forgotten what it was like to have a headache. I had one now, and it throbbed against my skull.
Bones . Something I'd been without for six Earth months. I felt every one of them, now. "Do you ache, too?" I asked Charles.
"I do," Ashe volunteered. "Corporeality sucks, sometimes."
"You weren't complaining after energy sex on Avendor," Charles pointed out. "Give me a hand, I need to get up."
"Was that a pun?"
"Take it any way you want."
"How long will we be like this?" I asked as Ashe rose unsteadily to his feet and held out a hand for Charles to take.
"A while," Charles grunted when Ashe pulled him upright. "All we can do now is watch and wait."
Chapter 4
Earth—past
Trajan's Journal
I listened while Jayson's cell phone rang in the media room next door. "Hey bro," he said. James Rome Jr. was calling. Likely, the call concerned their father's estate. With everything that had happened in the last six months, I'd forgotten about Rome Sr.'s death.
I'd suggested reactivating Jayson's old cell number, in case someone from the enemy camp started looking for him again. Bill had seconded that suggestion—we could work from this end of things to start tracking them. This call came almost immediately.
"Yeah, I can come," I heard Jayson say after several seconds had passed.
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