He found it affecting enough when the Queen adopted her static position. Zara was such a sensitive empath, lots of things that didn’t bother him or the others made her fret. At the conclusion, when the Queen became stationary and the tape wound on and on with that scene Zara burst into tears and fled the room. Damia cast a quick anxious look at Afra and then followed her.
Zara’s `Dinis did not. Fok and Tri conferred for a moment and left the room, too.
When the tape finished, Keylarion, Xexo and Herault, the station manager, wanted to see it again.
So Afra keyed for a repeat.
Rojer slipped out then. He didn’t quite know what to do: should he tell Zara that he had felt sadness and the Queen’s loneliness, too.
He doubted his mother would find that a suitable reaction: but it was genuine. But Zara might be reassured to know she wasn’t alone in her sensitive response to the Queen.
As he started up the stairs, his mother was coming down and her expression told him she was very worried. But she cleared her face and smiled down at him, pausing beside him on the step. To his surprise, she touched his cheek.
`I’m very proud of you, Rojer. Now I’m glad that Father seconded you. He’s very pleased, too. Even about your fussing with the pieces!’ She gave him a droll grin.
`Mother, is Zara all right?’ `You’re sweet, Rojer. She’ll be all right,’ and Damia gave a heavy sigh. `She’s just getting used to being womanly and is a bit … volatile right now.’ `Oooooh,’ and Rojer drew out the soft exclamation as he understood. Then he shook his head.
`Laria wasn’t!’ `Laria has an entirely different personality. A much stronger Talent. In fact,’ and Damia let out a sigh, `I’m delighted you’re back. What with menstruation hitting her so hard, she’s been useless in the Tower for all she’s a T-1. I’ve never heard menstruation causing a dysfunction in Talent before, but I suppose there’s always an exception.’ Damia sighed again. `I hope you and your father are rested enough to push out some big-daddies this morning.
Morag was a great help – at least with the Tower,’ and Rojer didn’t need a `path to realize that Morag had probably been acting the maggot.
She could be quite domineering and Zara was too pliable to resist her.
`How much is there to `port, Mother?’ Rojer asked crisply. `I need to work off several breakfasts. Will you need me to hunt?’ `A lot and yes. We’ll warm up the generators while the others have a second gawk at that raree tape you brought back.’ Aware now of her animosity towards the Hive Queen, he was glad he hadn’t revealed his private reaction.
Afra joined them in the Tower and brought the rest of the Tower staff with him.
`Did you hear Xexo saying that three more pieces have been added on to your start?’ Afra said as he took his couch.
`No, but I’m glad of it. And it wasn’t my start, Dad. Seventeen other people found it, too.’ Damia grinned at her son, then nodded for them to get set for the first `portation. There was a backlog to send so they didn’t clear the loads until almost lunchtime. Rojer’s stomach gave embarrassing growls as they made their way back to the house.
Morag had lunch ready, looking slightly smug and officious, Rojer thought, and decided to hunt her legs off in the afternoon; take her down a peg or two. Morag could be a pain in the neck when she tried to compete with her siblings. There was really no need for her to do that. Of Zara there was no sign, though she should have been helping.
Kaltia and Ewain had fed all the Coonies, Slithers, Darbuls and horses, mucked out the stable, and evidently still had time to replay the tape for they were watching it again before lunch.
`Where’s Zara?’ Afra asked, glancing about.
`Leave her, Afra,’ Damia replied, and obviously added a private explanation for Afra said no more about his missing daughter.
Deliberately leaving all the `Dinis home, Rojer took Morag out with him, taking the short cut – which meant hard and careful riding to the next valley. He knew of a couple of scurrier dens and rabbit warrens which he hoped had remained his secret. They were difficult to access, which was all to the good. At first Morag was delighted to show him how good a rider she was and kept her pony at Saki’s tail on the way up. On the narrow decline trail, especially where the open side dropped hundreds of metres down to scree, she was not quite so cocky. They had to go through stiff underbrush but he’d put on his leathers and she was only in a shirt. She was definitely sweaty, branch and thorn marked, and not at all as smug when they reached the ravine at the bottom. By the time Rojer reached his destination, she was thoroughly chastened but determined to endure.