Book 5

Siha: Rise of Rakhana

Part III

"Silver and Fire"

Braith's lashes flicker as she comes to from a dream in which she and Tetonbaum make love—not inside a prothean cooling vent, but inside a bath of running steam and water.

Tetonbaum is alert to her before any of the others. Aside from Jenner and Jaspin who uncurl from laying on her sides and stretch with little yawns baring small nubs of white teeth and pink tongues and palates.

Braith keeps her eyes down on her children kissing her hands to wake her further from her slumber and to feed them…She is hungry too.

Casnar comes over from sitting across the way to keep an eye on them while Ylyssus leans over to pluck up Jaspin and ask her, "…You okay, Braith? I haven't seen you so tired since you were pregnant with the twins."

"I'm fine, Ylyssus, just maybe a cold or something," she says and Casnar helps her up, taking Jenner with them.

"Feron," Ylyssus calls next to the other drell, waiting by a hall or corridor rising upwards along several broad flat steps, "…you tell Braith you've found a way out?"

Feron looks hesitantly back at him, "…Yeah…Sort of…It's going to bring us straight up into the intake valves for air of Sybilla holosphere though."

"So," Braith asks, "…what's the problem."

Even Tetonbaum looks at Braith with a perplexed aura of obvious dilemma.

The intake valves smell of sea air, rich and full of salt, brine. Braith wrinkles her nose and checks that Jaspin and Jenner are well secured upon their father's chests by their arms. "How do I look," she asks as she turns in Tetonbaum's cloak.

"You look foolish," Casnar chuffs, dropping his hand from his jaw and glaring at Feron, "…How far is it to the port of launch, Saeah?"

"A good five blocks, Casnar."

Casnar faces Braith again and sees Ylyssus trying to tighten up the cloak to make it more fitted, tying it with parts of the cloth gathered, it is huge on her, but the hood is what they want it for…Braith's head of hair and face, her bust especially will allow her to stand out on the holosphere's populace and emerging from the Archives' system to tunnels and other vents will present a problematic issue of drell, hanar, camera, and whatnot recognizing her absent persona from Elutha.

"Braith's hair…Anyone have something stretchy or a string I can tie it with," Ylyssus asks.

Tetonbaum comes over and pulls down her hood, looking down into her eyes, "…Turn," he instructs gently and Braith does so, that familiar uncertainty about her telling him she still wonders of what they have done, what he will do…What she may do…He gathers her hair and begins to braid it…A smile tugs at his lips as he remembers learning how from Kasumi, and her memory warms his heart.

Casnar watches like a hawk and Ylyssus actually chuckles as the twins observe from their arms, nearly peeling off their fathers' chests.

"Hard to see too many drells knowing how to braid hair," Feron quips.

"My wife braided her hair," Tetonbaum replies, tucking the final strands into a simple knot wound about itself and tucking it into Braith's collar and back of the cloak, "…I have watched her hands and tried it myself…It is a cathartic experience, one I very much enjoy," he whispers.

"And where is Kasumi now," Casnar edges with a raised eyeridge.

"With the gods," Tetonbaum lies as Braith moves away from him and pulls the cloak hood over her new braid…Tetonbaum sees her finally glance at him from the side of her hood, freckles and all gray eyes…Beautiful and very much a sting to his heart that shouldn't be there.

"With the gods, with the gods!" Casnar grumbles aloud, taking hold of Braith's waist and guiding her with him and Ylyssus after Feron, "…It's cryptic talk!"

Tetonbaum will say no more on the matter.

Braith is fully covered from head to foot, which hopefully should allow them to pass through the holosphere a little less blatantly than were she to have her head and hair exposed for all to see. They all climb the ladders, which are more like rounded, steep steps leading upwards to a hidden opening in the upper walls they presently face with more churning gears. Braith is careful not to get and loose cloak caught in moving parts.

Tetonbaum follows up the rear as Feron leads as the front, Ylyssus next with Jaspin and then Braith, then Casnar and Jenner.

"I wish we hadn't had to leave Wrex and Diogenese so sudden," Braith says to pass time as they travel upwards towards heavy metal and locked doors as round as pies and bigger. A hiss of hair passes through each of these structures that facilitate the air cycle.

"Better they not get sucked into this with us, Braith," Casnar replies and rises to her side on a split-off of the ladders, "…Besides, I don't know if they could have done much…The Council is rather bound by legal matters."

"Never could ask the Council for much," Braith hums and accepts Casnar's hand to guide her a step ahead of him and Jenner.

Feron works the latches on the valve above, moving it aside once he has successfully removed the stiff lock, "…Damn," he sucks his finger and glances down at Ylyssus, "…Watch your heads going through."

The holosphere air is full of food and the smell of sewage. Braith would rather be back in the Archives, but is amazed that they open here in this holosphere.

As she walks between Casnar and Ylyssus, her eyes wander to the ethnic signage for food shops that litter this area with their presence and good smells.

"I'm hungry," Braith says, and Casnar looks into a few of the shops they pass on their right.

"I'll get you something, actually we should stay focused—"

He sees Feron dodge into one of the shops and speak with the drellahna vending the food.

Tetonbaum slips away and returns without anyone noticing, handing Braith a carton of food, "…Here, you need to eat."

Braith gladly accepts it, Ylyssus and Casnar turning to stare at the woman quickly eating with her hands some buns full of meat and sauce. Tetonbaum avoids their suspicious stares as Feron comes back and the twins receive Braith's offers of the breaded food in addition to some meat and veggie bowls that inspire an appetite in Ylyssus and Casnar. Tetonbaum himself takes a bun and chews, but only after having seen Braith eat her fill.

He is watching the way the cloak reveals certain features about her and determining if she is more or less recognizable a drellahna or drell when he hears a hiss. Turning about, he, Ylyssus, Casnar, and Feron secondary to their motions notice a group of youths coming through with a boisterousness about them, showy clothes, and sticks.

They see Tetonbaum and Casnar and quickly turn to each other, whispering and glancing at the group away from them.

"We should move," Feron says, "…They're just a bunch of idiots and they might be looking to prove something. Gangs up here are a way of life."

"Seems like an innocent group of children," Tetonbaum says bemusedly, "…What would they try to do to us?"

"Up here, all you need is a gun to make yourself famous," Feron replies.

Casnar takes hold of a twin and Ylyssus does the same, "…Feron, the port, let's go."

They leave the shops area, the youths looking after them with some amount of disappointment in their eyes…Tetonbaum flashes back to another time in Merce'des, where such groups would have been broken up and the children are set in separate cells or brought into the lower confines of Merce'des to begin training.

Braith's power is sleepy, and after her meal, she is more or less content, but moving on as she feels the urgency of their predicament.

Casnar whispers to her ear, "…We have a feeling we'll be ambushed later by that group, Braith, keep your head up."

"I can barely see with this hood on," she starts to fuss with it and Casnar puts his hand on her wrist, lowering it down.

"Leave it up, Braith," he furrows his brow scales, "…You can't feel with your power for anything?"

"I can, I'm—It's just tired."

"How does your power tire?"

Braith shrugs and says no more. Casnar swings a look to Ylyssus, who agrees with him without a word.

Feron points ahead, "…Map says it's up there, we should find the port we need."

Tetonbaum takes a look about before striding up behind Braith, causing Casnar and Ylyssus to turn with the twins in their hands, "…What is it."

"I will go ahead and inspect the area…There could be th'anes waiting, or something afoot…" He moves off through the alleyways on their left.

Casnar grumbles, "…The only surprise ambush I'm expecting is the one he brings back with him, hurry," he urges the others and they begin to run towards the next block.