had lingered, Danson shut the door of the
conference room. "Ari, we can't be certain anything
happened, and we shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"You knew an adult symbion's first and strongest instinct
after joining would be to mate, and that mate should be me ."
Again, Danson spread his arms, and in response this time,
Arilani mimicked the posture with her wings.
61
Icarus Rising
by Bernadette Gardner
"We will get them back, and once I've tinkered with his
biochemistry, I'm sure everything will be fine. I believe the
problem is just a matter of blocking some of the receptor's to
Caleb's brain so he can better control the symbion's natural
urges."
"And if he impregnates Zara in the mean time?"
Danson shrugged. "That won't preclude him from
accepting you as a mate, if Jidar agrees to it."
Arilani reared back, shocked by Danson's cavalier
assessment. "I will not share my mate with another female.
That is not how we do things. I am next in line to mate, and
since Jidar and Namara cannot produce offspring together, it
is my child who stands to one day assume Jidar's position."
"I understand that, Ari. Even if Caleb does ... have
intercourse with Zara, she won't conceive. The women here
all suppress their fertility with medication."
"And this medication never fails them?"
"No. Hardly ever." He sputtered a bit, and she advanced a
step.
"If it should occur, you will have to see that she does not
produce a child. I cannot take a mate who has already seeded
another womb."
"All right. I'm aware of the Icarian traditions, but in light of
the situation—"
"Those traditions can only be changed if we have a new
leader, one who is not opposed to the human ways of doing
things. With Caleb and I ruling as regents, we could double
our population in a year and in ten be poised to double it
again when the next mating cycle approaches."
62
Icarus Rising
by Bernadette Gardner
Danson sighed. "Ari, you know I'm on board with this. I
will do anything necessary to see that this project succeeds."
"Including destroy any offspring Zara conceives with
Caleb?"
Danson looked uncomfortable. Arilani leaned close,
determined to make him understand that he would know
much more than just discomfort if Arilani lost her intended
mate to Zara.
Finally, he nodded. "Yes. If she conceives, and I doubt that
will happen. We'll find him before he has a chance to do
anything. If it happens, I will convince her that the fetus
won't be viable and get her to terminate."
Arilani smiled. "Good. Now, I'm going to search for my
mate. Be ready to fix whatever went wrong. I expect to be
well on my way to sitting in Namara's chair by this time next
year." She whirled around, making sure to brush her wing
tips over Danson's chest as she left the room. She uttered her
final warning before the door slammed shut behind her. "If
you don't take care of this, Raymond, I will."
Zara woke to the sound of rushing wind and flapping
wings. For a moment, she believed she was falling, and every
muscle in her body tensed for impact. With a sharp gasp, she
realized she lay on a flat surface, unmoving and safe for the
moment.
Her last memory was of Caleb dragging her into the air
and sailing off with her over the dark ocean. She'd blacked
out from fear ... or no, he'd done something to her to knock
her out.
63
Icarus Rising
by Bernadette Gardner
Anger and indignation replaced her fear, and she sat up,
cursing. "Caleb, where are you?"
No answer. He'd abandoned her. But where?
A pink glow suffused the place in which he'd left her, and it
took her a moment of staring at the rough-hewn walls and
ceiling to figure out he must have taken her to one of the
Icarian aeries. Atop the towering islands that freckled the face
of Icarus's ocean, the planet's dominant species built their
dwellings out of carved sandstone and the thick, hardy vines
of an abundant plant called alor .
Zara recognized the alor growing from cracks in
conference room. "Ari, we can't be certain anything
happened, and we shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"You knew an adult symbion's first and strongest instinct
after joining would be to mate, and that mate should be me ."
Again, Danson spread his arms, and in response this time,
Arilani mimicked the posture with her wings.
61
Icarus Rising
by Bernadette Gardner
"We will get them back, and once I've tinkered with his
biochemistry, I'm sure everything will be fine. I believe the
problem is just a matter of blocking some of the receptor's to
Caleb's brain so he can better control the symbion's natural
urges."
"And if he impregnates Zara in the mean time?"
Danson shrugged. "That won't preclude him from
accepting you as a mate, if Jidar agrees to it."
Arilani reared back, shocked by Danson's cavalier
assessment. "I will not share my mate with another female.
That is not how we do things. I am next in line to mate, and
since Jidar and Namara cannot produce offspring together, it
is my child who stands to one day assume Jidar's position."
"I understand that, Ari. Even if Caleb does ... have
intercourse with Zara, she won't conceive. The women here
all suppress their fertility with medication."
"And this medication never fails them?"
"No. Hardly ever." He sputtered a bit, and she advanced a
step.
"If it should occur, you will have to see that she does not
produce a child. I cannot take a mate who has already seeded
another womb."
"All right. I'm aware of the Icarian traditions, but in light of
the situation—"
"Those traditions can only be changed if we have a new
leader, one who is not opposed to the human ways of doing
things. With Caleb and I ruling as regents, we could double
our population in a year and in ten be poised to double it
again when the next mating cycle approaches."
62
Icarus Rising
by Bernadette Gardner
Danson sighed. "Ari, you know I'm on board with this. I
will do anything necessary to see that this project succeeds."
"Including destroy any offspring Zara conceives with
Caleb?"
Danson looked uncomfortable. Arilani leaned close,
determined to make him understand that he would know
much more than just discomfort if Arilani lost her intended
mate to Zara.
Finally, he nodded. "Yes. If she conceives, and I doubt that
will happen. We'll find him before he has a chance to do
anything. If it happens, I will convince her that the fetus
won't be viable and get her to terminate."
Arilani smiled. "Good. Now, I'm going to search for my
mate. Be ready to fix whatever went wrong. I expect to be
well on my way to sitting in Namara's chair by this time next
year." She whirled around, making sure to brush her wing
tips over Danson's chest as she left the room. She uttered her
final warning before the door slammed shut behind her. "If
you don't take care of this, Raymond, I will."
Zara woke to the sound of rushing wind and flapping
wings. For a moment, she believed she was falling, and every
muscle in her body tensed for impact. With a sharp gasp, she
realized she lay on a flat surface, unmoving and safe for the
moment.
Her last memory was of Caleb dragging her into the air
and sailing off with her over the dark ocean. She'd blacked
out from fear ... or no, he'd done something to her to knock
her out.
63
Icarus Rising
by Bernadette Gardner
Anger and indignation replaced her fear, and she sat up,
cursing. "Caleb, where are you?"
No answer. He'd abandoned her. But where?
A pink glow suffused the place in which he'd left her, and it
took her a moment of staring at the rough-hewn walls and
ceiling to figure out he must have taken her to one of the
Icarian aeries. Atop the towering islands that freckled the face
of Icarus's ocean, the planet's dominant species built their
dwellings out of carved sandstone and the thick, hardy vines
of an abundant plant called alor .
Zara recognized the alor growing from cracks in
Similar Books
