Nojan reached out a hand to take one of hers. “Why not try to access your powers? Concentrate, and see if you can determine which colony city is the one we want.” They had to work at unlocking her powers before reaching Vartik so they could get on with the business of finding Jazmine’s brother.
He felt it was imperative to have Mayra’s powers awakened before they reached his home. It wasn’t so much the pressure he felt from his father and older brothers, but the fact that if he wasn’t the one to unlock those powers, someone else might be. The king assumed she’d become the oracle after her virginity was taken.
Nojan wouldn’t allow anyone else in the galaxy to have that role. He knew he was behaving irrationally, that he was being more selfish than he ever had been in his life. Still, he would not budge from his vow to himself. He would initiate Mayra into the universe of pleasure. She would surrender to him and to no one else.
At least until he was forced to give her up.
Mayra closed her eyes and seemed to delve into herself. Her delicate brow furrowed and her plump lips pursed as she tried to access her abilities. Those lips began to move as if she were whispering frantically to herself. Nojan leaned in, beginning to pick up some of what she was saying.
“Three. Six. Nine. Seek and ye shall find. Two. Four. Six. Don’t fall for its tricks. Four. Six. Eight. Soon it will be too late. Five. Six. Seven. An angel ascends to heaven.”
Nojan squeezed her hand. “The sixth colony, Mayra? Is that what you’re saying?” Each rhyme she’d whispered had featured that number. “Should we start there?”
“Six. Six. Six. Among the lunatics.”
“That’s it,” he said, using the hand not holding hers to punch in a course for the sixth colony. “Lunatic, from Luna, another name for Territh’s moon.”
Mayra’s eyes slowly opened and she turned her head to catch his gaze. “Do you think I could be correct?”
Nojan nodded, concern filling him when she raised both her hands to her forehead. “Are you okay, angel?”
She tried to nod but suddenly stumbled. Nojan caught her, pulling her into his lap. “What is it?”
“It was so strange,” she murmured. “I concentrated on the vision, and suddenly, the words started coming out, as if another voice was speaking through me.” Her eyes were wide. “I’ve never felt anything like that. It takes some getting used to, I suppose.”
“You’re starting to get control of your powers,” he said, kissing her neck, his arms wrapped around her. “Soon, you’ll be calling up visions whenever you want. It’s just as you say. It will take some getting used to.”
“I hope so.” Her voice was so soft, he had to strain to hear her. “But I have a feeling it won’t be that easy.”
There was a beeping at the console and then a call from the landing station of Lunar Colony Six. “Approaching vessel, you’ve been assigned berth seventy-three. Please set down there and bring your payment to the cashier’s office. Remember, weapons are not allowed on the moon, and all vessels are subject to search for illegal cargo. Welcome to the Lunar Colonies. A small step for you, a giant leap for joy.”
Nojan almost laughed at the tinny voice’s unenthusiastic welcome. Although Territh’s moon had once been a major tourist destination in the quadrant, it hadn’t been in vogue for several centuries. Now the colonies were a waystation for those moving from Territh to colonies on planets in and outside of the solar system. Most of the ever-shifting population were emigrants. Or smugglers.
“Stick close to me when we leave the ship. I don’t want you wandering out of my sight.”
Mayra nodded, sliding the visor back on to cover her face. “Let’s go.”
