“You don’t care for him, you don’t even like him, I can see that, so why are you taking him as a lifemate? He means nothing to you and he m-means everything to m-m-m-me!”
“You’re telling the wrong person this!” Acorna said. “You should tell him if you feel that way! I have no claim on him whatsoever. He was the first Linyaari male I met and is an old shipmate with whom I’ve shared certain adventures, but it’s his idea entirely that we should be lifemates, not mine!”
The girl looked puzzled, and wiped at the tears of anger and frustration that flowed down her cheeks. “I can tell you’re speaking truly, but I thought…”
“What I think,” Acorna said with sudden insight, “is that Thariinye is no more interested in me than you seem to think he is in you. I believe he likes all of the attention from all of the eligible females and doesn’t wish to settle yet with one-by seeming to choose me, when he must know I don’t feel that way about him-1 suppose he feels free to take his time making another, more suitable choice. He’s not unkind and I doubt it occurs to him that he is causing you pain.”
“It’s true he-he doesn’t know how I feel. I knew he was promised to you and so I concealed my thoughts, thought pointedly of plowing furrows and planting when he was around and”-she blushed-“I suppose he took my metaphor literally.” She sighed. “He is such a liuty fellow, it was very hard, I mean difficult, I mean …”
Now Acorna was amused. “I definitely think Thariinye is the one you should talk to. Good luck.”
Her amusement faded as she went about her other errands. It was true that Thariinye was not her choice for a lifemate, but on a whole planet of beings similar to herself, with many eligible males, she had not thus far met anyone who was.
In fact, Pal Kendoro, who was not even the same species as she was, inspired more warm feelings in her than almost anyone she had met here so far except Grandam and Maati.
So if finding her a mate was part of the reason for her being here, it wasn’t working out. And she would much rather be taking her chances with her aunt and the rest of the Balakiire’s crew, or any crew, than stuck down here with no real purpose and no ability to influence events or people.
What if the Khieevi had returned, what if the radio silence was because the ships, the crews, the other planets even, had all been destroyed, invaded?
Acorna firmly shook her head and put that out of her mind. It did no good to worry about such things. For the first time in her short life, it did no good to do much of anything but wait and watch and hope for the best. She did not think she was going to be very good at it.
“What do you mean ‘detained,’” Melireenya asked the official on the comscreen. She had a hard time believing she was having this conversation. The Niirians -were the last people she -would have expected to behave even rudely to the Linyaari ambassadors or tradespeople. Niirians were courteous and ethical, like the Linyaari themselves, punctilious and moral almost to a fault.
“We do apologize, madam, but the circumstances were totally beyond our control, as we explained to Vue^haanye Neeva. Probably your ship will only be impounded for the time it takes to retrieve your original representatives and return them to you, but in the meantime, our orders are very clear.”
“Not to me,” Melireenya said. “And I’m good at reading minds. So please enlighten me. What is it that your orders say?”
“All Linyaari coming within our spheres of influence are to be detained for diplomatic reasons. I’m afraid I’m not privy to the reasoning behind this. I am so sorry to be the bearer of such distressing tidings, madam. You have been a good friend for many years.”
Melireenya softened. The young official’s voice held genuine consternation and his horns seemed to droop with shame. “As you have been to me, Snoraa. I suppose there is no alternative but to trust our old friends one more time?”