| |
After taking Arielle to the hospital in Tanarille to receive treatment for her injuries—x-ray and CT scans confirmed two rib fractures and a sprained wrist—Instructor Zelo and Tiru flew them back home for dinner.
The castle reminded Arielle of a fairytale. Spires soared up from crenelated, blue-green stone walls overlooking the large estate on the outskirts of Tanarille. Flowers filled an enormous garden along the left side of the grounds. Icelet bushes formed a perimeter around most of the garden. Star blossoms rested on the surface of a small pond at its center. Beside the pond, flowering Mooncup vines covered a gazebo. At the back of the estate grew an orchard of purple melon trees imported from Niveum.
Instructor Zelo landed the aircraft on the private runway and pulled it into a mini hangar alongside the house.
“Wow, this is your place?” Dirk asked.
Arielle wanted to give him a tour of the grounds, but wasn’t sure she had the energy for it right now.
Tiru chose for them, whisking everyone into the castle. Lavish paintings of natural Sundara settings hung from the walls. Potted pink Janthems and light purple Purgias rested on tables throughout. The pleasant, earthy scent relaxed Arielle. Or it could be the medications the Azzaro doctor had given her.
They passed by Instructor Zelo’s study, with wall-to-wall bookshelves filled from the floor to the ten-foot ceilings. Little critters peaked out from between books on various shelves.
“Are those rea—” Arielle cut herself off as she realized they were little statues.
Instructor Zelo’s grin indicated she wasn’t the first to make that mistake. “They are so life-like that even I do a double-take now and again. Tiru and I are far too busy to take care of animals, so these are my substitutes.”
Arielle’s stomach grumbled, and she covered it, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
Tiru steered them on to the dining room. “No apologies. When did you last eat?”
Arielle considered it for a moment. “Not since breakfast before we left for the Triplet Geysers eruption.”
“Well, have a seat.” Tiru gestured to a large blackwood table surrounded by sixteen chairs. “We’ll retrieve lunch.” She looped an arm through Instructor Zelo’s and pulled him into the kitchen.
Dirk pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. “After you.”
“Thank you.” She slid down onto the chair. Thanks to the meds, the pain from her fractured ribs no longer overpowered her. Still, she winced as Dirk pushed the chair and her closer to the table. Then he took a seat beside her.
Instructor Zelo returned first, with a large platter filled with sliced cheeses and a couple of loaves of dark bread that smelled wonderfully of yeast. Tiru followed with a tray of crackers surrounding a large bowl of a dark green dip. On their second trip, they brought out vegetable skewers, purple melon slices, and two bottles of wine.
Arielle passed on the wine, not wanting to mix it with her medications.
“I’d planned something more extravagant for dinner last night.” Tiru set plates before them. “With our mad search and rescue, I didn’t have time to prepare anything fresh today.”
“This is wonderful,” Arielle assured her as Instructor Zelo filled up Tiru’s glass with a bubbling white wine.
“I’m just thrilled to be here to enjoy a meal,” Dirk said, raising his glass. “Thank you. Thank you both for rescuing us. For saving my life.” With his free hand he reached out and clasped Arielle’s hand, squeezing it. “And thank you for fighting so hard for me. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for all you did to save me.”
Unshed tears filled his eyes. Arielle blinked back her own tears. She was too overcome to trust herself to reply, so she nodded and squeezed his hand back. It was a relief to touch him again.
“I can promise Rassa will trouble neither of you further,” Instructor Zelo said as he sliced the dark brown bread.
Arielle’s mouth watered. If not for her ribs, she might’ve lunged across the table for a slice.
“How can you be sure?” she asked, not wanting to put a damper on the mood, but it worried her. “This was the second time he captured us.”
“Not after this time.” Instructor Zelo shook his head. “We have ample evidence against him. After his judgment he will be exiled to Joorm, our moon. He’ll never return to Sundara.”
Arielle had her doubts, but kept them to herself. For the next several minutes they ate in silence.
It was Tiru who broke it. “Will you two stay the night? We have guest rooms prepared.”
“I’ll need to leave in a couple hours.” Dirk gave her an apologetic grimace.
Arielle hated that he’d have to leave so soon. They’d spent so little time together. Then she remembered she had the briefing to finish for Berren to review by lunch tomorrow.
“I can stay, but I’ve got to write a briefing this evening.” The thought of working on it underscored her exhaustion. She wanted nothing more than to sleep. And she needed another day off to recover from the Lusus. Would she ever see Bayru, Gavie, and the others again?
“Well, you may not have to finish that briefing if you don’t want to,” Tiru said, smiling.
“Why is that?” Arielle wondered if Tiru had informed Berren about everything that had happened. But while he might give her an extra day to work on it, she doubted he’d let her off the hook.
“Our public diplomacy officer was recently promoted to a new position on Araxia.”
Arielle stared at Tiru, her food forgotten. Did she dare hope?
“I’ve spoken to Ambassador Zaman,” Tiru said. “The position is yours if you want it.”
“Yes. Yes, course!” Arielle exclaimed, barely stopping herself from squealing like a little girl. “I’d love it. Thank you.”
Tiru nodded. “The transfer will be initiated tomorrow, though it might take a couple of weeks before you start.”
Now Arielle wished she wasn’t on medication so that she could have a drink to celebrate.
Dirk squeezed her hand again. “That’s wonderful! I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you,” she said, not quite believing her good luck after the last twenty-four hours. She half expected to wake up in the cell where Rassa’s men had imprisoned her. Then she moved a little too much in her excitement, and the pain in her ribs made her gasp for breath. This was real and not a dream.
“Careful.” Dirk leaned closer, eyes and mouth drooping with worry and obvious exhaustion.
“I’m okay,” she assured him when the pain had eased a little.
“You’ll also be happy to know the role comes with regular travel,” Tiru continued. “You’ll need to visit all Sundara’s major cities and some rural towns.”
“That sounds great.” After the travel restrictions on Gleeson, the opportunities would be nice. And she would not let her encounters with Rassa cause her to hide away and fear others. She got into diplomacy to meet and work with other people and species. Learn about new cultures. She was more determined than ever to do just that.
“You’ll also have more freedom to go off planet on your own time as well.”
This time Arielle squeezed Dirk’s hand as she turned to him. “I’ll be able to visit you more.”
“I’d love it.” He wore a mischievous smile that made her blush and turn her attention to her food.
She looked forward to many more moments with him. Their time together had been limited over the summer. But after this weekend, with how close she’d come to losing him, she intended to make up the time. Hopefully there would be more dinners here at this table, with the four of them.
“Thank you,” she repeated to Tiru and Instructor Zelo. “Thank you both for everything you’ve done for me.”
Tiru raised her glass in salute. “You have a great future ahead of you, Arielle. I’m glad to help you along.”