Page 36 of A World Enough

“And we can make her life go right this time,” Davor said angrily.

That thought drove Ninti and Kartog to make sure that didn’t happen. “Indeed.”

Davor’s anger turned to smiles in an instant. “The rest of the council don’t have the same drive as you and I, Ninti. We are the only remnants of the first empire, the grand old days when everyone on that council made that kingdom with their own sweat and toil, and their ancestors’ sweat and toil.” He took another sip of his drink. “They think controlling a number of planetary systems is success, when we know that is our species hardly getting off the ground.”

“That is true. But we must educate them if we want our council to be strong again. We know only anarchy lies without a twelve person council.”

Ninti wanted to remind Davor that while he was certainly the leader of the council, he couldn’t lead it like a dictator. It was tradition that the Abnobians led by the council of twelve, because as the saying on Abnobia went for millennia, Chaos reigns when gods come to blows.

“Of course, madam. I just wanted to emphasize that we are the heart and soul of that council, and we must keep pushing the council onward.”

Ninti had struggled over the years to follow her own morality while keeping her position on the council. Kartog had encouraged Ninti, when she felt at her lowest, when the guilt of her actions got too much to bear alone.

The resistance could have no greater asset than a god, sitting at the table of gods. So she kept going. If Davor knew what an influence Kartog was to her, he would have Kartog killed. Escheal were slaves to their masters, a higher class of slave than others, but a slave all the same.

But Kartog was no slave. She came from a long line of protectors on her home world, and Ninti knew Kartog would defend her to Ninti’s last breath. Not because of obligation or fear, but because she loved her, in the purest way anyone could love another.

Kartog opening her heart had been the greatest gift anyone could ever give her, and that had saved her soul.

“If you can be successful in your project,” Davor said, “and I get my hands on the Map Keeper, we will be unstoppable.”

Chapter Nine

An incessant jarring beep interrupted Camber’s beautiful, dreamy sleep. She stretched out her body and felt someone else’s heartbeat under her head. Her head was cushioned by it. She turned on her side, and her eyes flitted open to see two amber eyes.

Camber had been using Brogan’s wolf as a pillow and cuddling into her fur. She jumped up onto her feet. She saw a neat pile of clothes to the side of their sleeping area. Brogan stood up and whined.

“I’m sorry. I must have moved in my sleep, unconsciously, I mean,” Camber blustered.

Brogan walked over to her clothes and nosed them. Camber knew what she was trying to say. If she shifted to skin now, she’d be naked.

“Okay, yeah, you want to get dressed. I’ll go to navigation and give you some privacy.”

Camber rushed to her seat at the navigation panel and stared down at the controls. She wasn’t fully taking in the alert message that was beeping away, or any of the navigation alerts.

In Camber’s mind, her eyes were on the back of her head. She imagined the wolf shifting to skin, and tall, strong Brogan standing behind her. The thought made Camber shiver and her heart pound.

The thing was, Camber couldn’t remember ever sleeping as well as she did last night. She was trained to sleep light, to protect herself, but without thinking her unconscious mind found comfort in this wolf she hardly knew.

“Was that the alarm you were waiting on?” Brogan said while buttoning her shirt.

Camber appeared flustered, then seemed to pull herself together, and her fingers flew over the controls.

Brogan had woken up before Camber and felt such calm as she held her fur. It was a sense of peace that she hadn’t known since coming to this realm.

Her wolf had never experienced this before.

When Camber had opened her eyes, they’d melted Brogan’s heart. She loved women, but this hadn’t happened since her first love.

It was just a protective feeling for Camber, she was sure. But then why did Camber’s sleepy look make her wolf zoom around her stomach excitedly?

“Yes, it was the contact I was waiting on. We can get going now.”

Brogan felt she had to say something about how they woke up. “I hope you don’t mind me sleeping in pelt. I haven’t shifted for so long. I thought if I can’t run, at least I could let my wolf just be for a few hours.”

“No, no, that’s okay by me, you can…yeah, whatever you want,” Camber rambled.

“Okay.” Brogan was a little perplexed at Camber’s nervous answer. “Now that you’ve had the message you were waiting for, can we go?”