“Very cool,” Gweneth said.“I want one.”
Ellard grinned at her, and some of her earlier apathy lifted.“Yes, we will follow the given coordinates.”Their ship purred to life.
“I brought my camera—my depiction machine—with me.This is exciting, even with the circumstances.”
Ellard shared another smile with her, and her pulse rate did a type of bump and grind, leaving her momentarily breathless.He scanned the instruments.“The ship is equipped with heat-seeking vision.Phrull, I forgot to ask about their appearance.Computer, do you have depictions of Sheera and Leeam?”
“Bringing up depictions,” the computer stated.
Two pale faces appeared on a screen.Both had a rosy glow in their cheeks despite their pale skin.Their hair, however, didn’t resemble the normal pale white of most adults.Nor did their clothes.Gweneth figured they wanted to express their individuality.Sheera wore her hair long and in curly blue spirals that matched her clothing, a soft pale blue tunic and darker blue trews.Leeam had colored his hair black and it fell down his back in a straight shiny curtain.His clothes were black and contrasted with his pale skin.
“Attractive kids,” Gweneth said.
Ellard frowned at the screen.“They don’t seem old enough to think about mating.”
“Different species have different habits and expectations.”
“True.Computer, state the basics of the mating habits of the Incorporeal race,” Ellard instructed.
“Ellard!That is personal.”
“Information is power,” Ellard stated.“It might save our lives.Computer?”
“The Incorporeal people are an old race.Their powers have made them valuable to those who seek to benefit from a symbiotic relationship.Greed has led other races to snatch Incorporeals from their clans, and this has caused widespread loss of life.”
“Explain,” Ellard said.
“Each clan must live near a species that produces energy during their mating process.Without that energy, the Incorporeal fades from sight and loses the ability to function.It is possible for them to exist in this state for many rotations, but they are unable to become visible.Each clan has a leader, and when the clan is in a state of hunger, the other Incorporeals give their energy to the leader so that he may function.It is his responsibility to search out food.”
“Computer, what happens if there are too many Incorporeal beings?”Gweneth asked.
“There is not enough food.The clans search out a new compatible food source and split for both groups to prosper.”
“Niran mentioned this,” Ellard said.
“If the Incorporeal race can conjure anything out of air, no wonder other races seek to harness that power,” Gweneth said.“They couldn’t force them to make everything they asked for, not if they can blink out of sight at will.”
“They could if someone threatened their families or other races they care about,” Ellard said.“And no doubt, there are other ways of controlling them.Most of us have a weakness of some sort.”
Gweneth flinched at a flash that shot through the sky on the horizon.The storm did seem closer.“That is true.”
“Not all races would produce the correct type of energy for them to feed on.Some races lay eggs or have artificial breeding.Others don’t require a mate and can breed without another.”
Gweneth turned from the window to stare at Ellard.“They can?”
“Yes.”
“But what fun is that?Sex is about pleasure.”
He scowled and stared out the window at the nearing storm.“You shouldn’t be discussing this with me.”
“Why not?I mean, I know about sex.I can give myself pleasure—”
“Enough,” Ellard snapped, his glare off-putting as he turned to scowl at her.“I don’t want to know about that…that stuff.”
Interesting.Gweneth turned away to stare out at the scenery.The buildings gave way to trees.She could see an occasional clearing, the glint of water and splashes of yellow, red and blue flowers.She bit back a grin as she thought of sex and Ellard.The sec she mentioned anything relating to sex, he turned into a grumpy cat.Keeping him off-balance might be the key.Keep him confused, and maybe she’d find a way forward.
Ellard concentrated on the scenery and the instruments.The instruments picked up several heat patches, but since they flew over farms and dwellings, he didn’t worry about stopping to check on identities.
