The Silka
Chapter Twelve
Dinah signed where Colin had placed the post it tab that said 'sign' and put it on the pile to her right and picked up the next sheaf of papers from the pile on her left with a sigh. Lantana had made it plain she had to deal with some of these issues if she didn't plan on attending the next meeting of the Assemblies and the General Assizes. She reminded herself she wanted to finish before they reached Dragon World in the morning otherwise she was pretty sure it would be days before she got back to it.She fingered the hair back from her face and took a sip of coffee. Cold, she thought and made a face. Then she shrugged and swallowed the rest of it and went back to the document she was reading.
Two hours later she signed for the last time and then stood up and stretched, consulting the inner sense that was wholly given over to keeping track of Marc and his wellbeing. Satisfied, she dropped the papers where Colin would find them in the morning. Ten minutes later she was relaxing in the tub, a glass of scotch next to her and the candles lit. She'd pinned her hair up, added bubbles and Galway was playing nocturnes softly in the background as she leaned back, her eyes closed and let the heat and steam and scotch soothe away the day.
She sensed his presence rather than heard him arrive. He was leaning on the door frame watching her. He smiled when she opened her eyes.
"I'd like to keep that picture in my head at all times," he said, as he came in to sit on the corner edge of the tub. He'd brought his own scotch.
"Feel free, love," she said, smiling at him. "All finished getting ready to go to war?"
"Haven't thought about it," he admitted. "I've been too busy puzzling about our friends among the First Ones."
"What about them?"
"Don't you find it odd that beings as powerful as they are are coming to us?"
"I hadn't really thought about it. Too busy signing paper for Lantana," she said.
"Ah, glad it's your House and not mine," he commented with a contented grin.
She growled. "It's OUR house," she said, flicking water at him.
"Yeah, but I refuse to do the paperwork." He dodged the next flick of bubbles and water.
"I'm also wondering what the dragons think we're going to tell them."
"What we're going to do? What we think they should do?" she suggested. "What we think about the First Ones and what's happening."
"I'm not answering that last. That's their choice."
"I also think," she said, ignoring his last, "that we're the bridge for them between the past and what they've wanted to long. We're tied up in the whole thing for lots of reasons."
"I don't see why. Yes, you're the heir, but they've spent hundreds of years among the Houses, and they hardly know us."
"Yes, the heir to the one who was supposed to help them. And we're the ones the First Ones asked to help them; we're the ones who crossed the Rift with them. Mostly though," she went on, standing up and dripping bubbles, "they trust us because we've never treated them as children or pets or prize horses. We've treated them as sentient adults."
Marc frowned. "I really want to get back to the caverns. I'm not interested in a war."
She stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around herself. Then she picked up her glass and taking his arm, drew him into the bedroom. "Nor do I, so we've got to find a way to either stop it before it starts or end it fast and hard so the Star Lords get the idea that we aren't easy pickings."
Marc pulled the pins holding up her hair and let it spill down over his hands. "We probably are," he said.
"Maybe, but we don't have to tell them that," she said, sighing at his touch.
"I need to talk to McGee. Maybe he can get the Silka to brief us on the Star Lords. We really can't plan any sort of defense until we know what they are capable of, and what they can bring to bear against us."
"He's changing," Dinah said, offering him her brush. "The loneliness is eating him alive suddenly. I wonder if it was seeing Eden."
He ran the brush carefully through her hair, enjoying the touch. "Perhaps. The part I don't understand is Zaf, how he fits in, what he is. He's not... he doesn't scan right. I mean, he seems perfectly normal on one level. On another... I'd have liked to see him react to Eden, and her to him."
"I know," she said, her eyes closed. "The dragons don't have a problem with him, which I find interesting. Maybe we can get Kalie to tell us more about the First Ones and maybe I can get some time to finally try to access the memories Mac got from them. See what's in there."
"Yeah. Good idea. I'll lock you in this room and make you stay here until you figure them out. And no sex."
"Bet I'd hold out longer than you," she said. "Wanna find out?"
Hmmm. Well, let's not find out, for either of us. Seriously, you need to take time, alone, to look at all that. Tomorrow I'll bolt the door and keep everyone at bay until you tell me otherwise."
"Chicken," Dinah said, grinning. "As much as I hate the idea, I agree. But it'll have to be the day after tomorrow since tomorrow we're promised to the dragons. So seriously, what's your take on all this, the First Ones I mean and their plan and like that?"
"I'm worrying about how little we know of them and these other Star Lords as they called them. We've no idea really what their motivations are. We aren't even sure we're playing on the side of the angels at this point."
"I'm trusting the dragons on that point," she said, turning around to face him, letting the towel drop to the floor. "What can I trust you with?"
"You can trust that I love you," Marc replied reaching out to cup her breasts with his hands and bending to kiss first one nipple and then the other.
"I will."
Two hours later she signed for the last time and then stood up and stretched, consulting the inner sense that was wholly given over to keeping track of Marc and his wellbeing. Satisfied, she dropped the papers where Colin would find them in the morning. Ten minutes later she was relaxing in the tub, a glass of scotch next to her and the candles lit. She'd pinned her hair up, added bubbles and Galway was playing nocturnes softly in the background as she leaned back, her eyes closed and let the heat and steam and scotch soothe away the day.
She sensed his presence rather than heard him arrive. He was leaning on the door frame watching her. He smiled when she opened her eyes.
"I'd like to keep that picture in my head at all times," he said, as he came in to sit on the corner edge of the tub. He'd brought his own scotch.
"Feel free, love," she said, smiling at him. "All finished getting ready to go to war?"
"Haven't thought about it," he admitted. "I've been too busy puzzling about our friends among the First Ones."
"What about them?"
"Don't you find it odd that beings as powerful as they are are coming to us?"
"I hadn't really thought about it. Too busy signing paper for Lantana," she said.
"Ah, glad it's your House and not mine," he commented with a contented grin.
She growled. "It's OUR house," she said, flicking water at him.
"Yeah, but I refuse to do the paperwork." He dodged the next flick of bubbles and water.
"I'm also wondering what the dragons think we're going to tell them."
"What we're going to do? What we think they should do?" she suggested. "What we think about the First Ones and what's happening."
"I'm not answering that last. That's their choice."
"I also think," she said, ignoring his last, "that we're the bridge for them between the past and what they've wanted to long. We're tied up in the whole thing for lots of reasons."
"I don't see why. Yes, you're the heir, but they've spent hundreds of years among the Houses, and they hardly know us."
"Yes, the heir to the one who was supposed to help them. And we're the ones the First Ones asked to help them; we're the ones who crossed the Rift with them. Mostly though," she went on, standing up and dripping bubbles, "they trust us because we've never treated them as children or pets or prize horses. We've treated them as sentient adults."
Marc frowned. "I really want to get back to the caverns. I'm not interested in a war."
She stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around herself. Then she picked up her glass and taking his arm, drew him into the bedroom. "Nor do I, so we've got to find a way to either stop it before it starts or end it fast and hard so the Star Lords get the idea that we aren't easy pickings."
Marc pulled the pins holding up her hair and let it spill down over his hands. "We probably are," he said.
"Maybe, but we don't have to tell them that," she said, sighing at his touch.
"I need to talk to McGee. Maybe he can get the Silka to brief us on the Star Lords. We really can't plan any sort of defense until we know what they are capable of, and what they can bring to bear against us."
"He's changing," Dinah said, offering him her brush. "The loneliness is eating him alive suddenly. I wonder if it was seeing Eden."
He ran the brush carefully through her hair, enjoying the touch. "Perhaps. The part I don't understand is Zaf, how he fits in, what he is. He's not... he doesn't scan right. I mean, he seems perfectly normal on one level. On another... I'd have liked to see him react to Eden, and her to him."
"I know," she said, her eyes closed. "The dragons don't have a problem with him, which I find interesting. Maybe we can get Kalie to tell us more about the First Ones and maybe I can get some time to finally try to access the memories Mac got from them. See what's in there."
"Yeah. Good idea. I'll lock you in this room and make you stay here until you figure them out. And no sex."
"Bet I'd hold out longer than you," she said. "Wanna find out?"
Hmmm. Well, let's not find out, for either of us. Seriously, you need to take time, alone, to look at all that. Tomorrow I'll bolt the door and keep everyone at bay until you tell me otherwise."
"Chicken," Dinah said, grinning. "As much as I hate the idea, I agree. But it'll have to be the day after tomorrow since tomorrow we're promised to the dragons. So seriously, what's your take on all this, the First Ones I mean and their plan and like that?"
"I'm worrying about how little we know of them and these other Star Lords as they called them. We've no idea really what their motivations are. We aren't even sure we're playing on the side of the angels at this point."
"I'm trusting the dragons on that point," she said, turning around to face him, letting the towel drop to the floor. "What can I trust you with?"
"You can trust that I love you," Marc replied reaching out to cup her breasts with his hands and bending to kiss first one nipple and then the other.
"I will."
