“I did.”
It had been kind of hard to miss.
“Then you must have guessed the relationship between the two.”
Kira nodded.
“Therein lies the complication.Although Torvald and Amaris have been companions for longer than I’ve been alive, it’s a relationship that technically shouldn’t exist.”
“Why?”Raider asked.
“It’s difficult to explain to someone who didn’t grow up among us.The best I can do is say that Lady Amaris is considered a special existence.Something of a holy figure.”
“You mean like Loudon,” Kira said suddenly, referencing the Tuann who’d played an instrumental role in betraying their House during the Sorrowing.A time when so many children were stolen from across the Tuann empire.
“He was an insect compared to her,” Harlow snapped.
Loudon’s betrayal had hit him the hardest.Understandable, since the man had been an old friend.His oshota once upon a time.
Harlow composed himself.“Using a human example, that man would have been a low ranking priest.”
“Oh, I know what you’re saying.She’s a pope,” Raider explained.
Kira shook her head.“I’m still lost.Remember—I’m not as versed in religion as you.”
Humanity’s belief in the divine was as diverse as it had always been.On some planets, like the one where Raider was born, religion had flourished.On others, it had faded to a forgotten note in the history books.
“Think admiral versus an ensign,” Raider explained.
“You’re implying Amaris is the equivalent of an admiral.Do I have that right?”Kira asked.
Raider gave a shrug.“Close enough.Except there is only one.”
Kira looked back at Harlow.“Why is it a problem if Amaris and the emperor are together?”
She’d think their union would be a cause for celebration.
“The Tuann are a war-like race.We were created to be aggressive and territorial.Over the millennia, we’ve learned to temper ourselves but there are throwbacks.”Harlow nodded at Kira.“You could consider those able to access their primus as one of them.”
“What does this have to do with Amaris?”
Rather than answer, Harlow asked a question of his own.“When in her presence, did you notice anything unusual?”
Now that Kira thought about it, she had.She’d thought it was her imagination until now.
“In simple terms, Amaris is able to suppress some of a Tuann’s natural attributes,” Harlow explained.
“Like my primus,” Kira realized.
No wonder it had been so quiet.
“Among other things,” Harlow said.“If she wanted to, she could cut off your access to the Mea’Ave—and ultimately, yourki.”
Since the Tuann’skiwas like a finite resource replenished from the Mea’Ave, Kira could see how such a thing could be a cause for fear.She, personally, had never fallen into the trap of relying entirely on her soul’s breath, but she had a feeling other Tuann weren’t so smart.
To her,kiwas a tool.A convenient one but a tool nonetheless.No different from the wave board she used to ride into battle or the rifle she carried at her side.
“We refer to people like her as the Mea’Ave’s voice,” Harlow explained.
