"Thank you," Aria croaked. She stepped back and seemed to try to collect herself.
"She says thanks," Perivar told Kiv as the Shessel touched his translator set in his lowest ear and cocked his head.
"Obscure language." Aria wore a translator disk in her ear, so she could understand Kiv, but since she didn't speak any of the languages Kiv's disk was set for, all he could hear from her was gibberish.
"Ah," Kiv shrank back to his normal stance, depositing children on assorted flat surfaces.
Perivar turned to Eric. "We need to talk for a minute." He jerked his chin toward his living rooms.
"I assumed we would. Aria." The sound of her name finally got the woman to tear her gaze away from Kiv. "I'll be in the next room. If you…"
"I'll be all right." Her voice held steady but Perivar caught the slight trembling in her hands before she clenched them into fists and pressed them against her side.
Eric opened his mouth to say something but obviously changed his mind. Jaw firmly shut, he brushed past Aria and headed for Perivar's rooms. Perivar's glance wavered between the pair of them for a moment before he followed Eric.
The living rooms were as crowded as the workroom. The chairs and tables were all padded blocks of no style or period. They were functional and sturdy and that was all. The one luxury was the windows. Two walls worth of transparent polymer let the sunlight in, even if the view of the warehouse cluster was less than inspirational.
Perivar slid the door shut and faced Eric.
Gods, he's changed. Wouldn't know him from anybody on the colony.
"When'd the Vitae get hold of this place?" The worried note in Eric's voice shocked Perivar.
"Three, maybe four local years ago. We're a late acquisition. What's the problem?"
"I wish I'd known," Eric said wearily.
Silence fell, thick and heavy.
"We're not on the network anymore, Eric," Perivar said, at last. "Nobody's listening. I need an explanation for this, now."
Eric's shoulders stooped even farther than usual. "I'm in trouble, Perivar. That's the explanation. The Vitae tried to stash me in Haron Station, which is where they had Aria."
Perivar felt the blood begin to drain from his face. "What in the name of all the gods would they do that for?"
"As soon as I know, you'll know." Eric's fingers hooked around each other. "They're after something in the Realm of the Nameless Powers. I'll be drowned and washed away if I know what it is. I thought it was my"—he stared at his bare palm—"power gift, but she…Aria"—his hand swept down toward the door—"isn't gifted. The Vitae picked her up out of the Realm and reeled me in to help deal with her.
"I'm on the run again, Perivar." Eric looked up again and the expression in his eyes made Perivar's throat tighten. "I'm going to try to find out what the Vitae want from the Realm, and from me, and from Aria, for that matter, and then I'm going to try to find a way out of it, whatever it is."
Perivar knew the tone he used. He would do as he said, even if it killed him.
Perivar wanted to shout. This is not two runners nobody liked and a quick bit of mutiny. This is the Vitae! Remember them? The ones who control half the Quarter Galaxy! The ones we spent two years ducking AFTER we got away from Tasa Ad! But saying it aloud wouldn't have budged Eric any farther than the silent thought did.
"This is all making my partner very uneasy, Eric," Perivar told him instead. "The Shessel don't really understand the spirit of human legalities, so they follow them by the letter."
"So now I owe you," Eric muttered.
"That's not what I care about." Although it would've been once, Perivar realized with a shock. "Just finish it fast. I've gotten used to not having to look over my shoulder all the time. I like it this way."
"Maybe one day I'll get to see if I like it too." Eric kissed the tips of his own fingers and raised his hand to the ceiling.
Perivar laid his fingers over his heart. "I hope we both live that long."
They met each other's eyes for a silent moment, weighing, judging, and hoping, but finding no guarantees. Finally, Perivar knew he had nothing to fall back on but their old, brittle trust. It was no comfort to know Eric was doing the same.
"What are you going to do now?" Perivar asked.
Eric looked over Perivar's left shoulder. "Ultimately, I'm going to try to crack the Vitae private network."
"Are you out of your mind!" Perivar couldn't hold back this time. "You might as well try to crack a mountain with your skull! Even you can't get on a Vitae line!"
"Where else am I going to get what I need?" Eric's calm snapped. "Knowledge is power. Somebody"—he stabbed a finger at Perivar—"told me never to forget that."
"I also said there's always somebody out there who knows more than you do," Perivar reminded him.
Eric's eyes shone coldly. "If that wasn't true, there wouldn't be contraband runners. Are we done quoting your words of wisdom now, Perivar?"
You started it, thought Perivar childishly. He forced his voice into a semi-even tone. "Do you have any kind of plan for this insanity?"
"Not really." He shrugged. "After this, I'm going to talk to Dorias. Between the two of us we should be able to string together something."
"If anyone can," Perivar added for him. Eric wasn't looking at him anymore and Perivar couldn't help wondering why not.
"As you say." Eric shrugged. "What else can I do, Perivar? If I don't put an end to this, then I'm a fugitive until I become a corpse or a slave."
Perivar said nothing for a long moment.
"There's nothing else I can tell you," Eric said.
"What about something about your…friend?"
"She's no friend of mine." Eric's eyes seemed to see something other than Perivar's face at that moment. "Although, Notouch or not, I could maybe wish she was…she's all right, Perivar. She's stubborn and she's got some secret she's keeping to herself, but she learns fast and she seems as determined to stay out of the Realm as I am."
"I'll have to take your word on that." As well as on everything else.
"I'd give you more if I could."
"I know." Perivar pushed the door open. "And I appreciate it."
In the workroom, Ri and Dene had Aria under close scrutiny. The pair of them had crammed themselves into the capsule that now hung from a post maybe six inches from Aria's nose. The wariness was gone from her face. Instead, her expression shifted from bemused to bewildered as she tried to keep pace with the kids' yes-and-no questions.
"Will you be staying…" Ri started.
"…with us?" finished Dene. Aria shook her head.
"You came from a long way…" Dene started.
"…away? How far?"
Aria nodded and spread her hands, unable to answer completely.
Perivar glanced through the membrane to Kiv. He was saying something soft to Ere where she lay on his shoulders. The remainder of his brood was draped across his back, whistling encouragement as their representatives tried to get information from the stranger. Kiv's legs were retracted, but his arms and eyes were extended. He was relaxed and, Perivar was willing to bet, a little amused.
"The lines on…" began Dene, but Ri saw Perivar step into the workroom. She squeezed her sister's mouth shut with her secondary hands while she swung her eyes toward Perivar and Eric.
Aria also turned all her attention toward them.
"I've set things in motion." Perivar felt his glance slide past Aria to Kiv, who did nothing more than swivel an extra eye toward his children in the capsule. Perivar faced Eric. "Are you going to stick around and watch?"