CHAPTER 15
My father rose from his seat first, somehow standing taller than he has in years. He proceeded ceremoniously toward the door, the rest of us following steadily behind. He slowly opened the door to reveal Aeron and Ewenami standing silently on the front porch.
“Welcome, Mintar Omuran.” Father bowed his head forward slightly, then lifted his eyes to meet Aeron’s. “It is an honor to receive you in our home.”
“The honor is mine,” Aeron replied sincerely. “I only wish it were under better circumstances.” He smiled thoughtfully as he extended his arm forward to shake Father’s hand. He gestured subsequently to Ewenami beside him as he spoke again to my father, “May I introduce my sister, Ewenami.” My father smiled graciously as he proceeded to shake her hand as well. They all seemed legitimately at ease with the informality.
Father held open the door, stretching his opposite arm out as he indicated the way to the living area. Aeron stepped aside to let Ewenami pass through the doorway ahead of him, then followed behind her as we all made our way to the living room.
Ewenami spoke next, “Aeron, allow me to introduce Dominick and Sabela Holloway,” as she gestured politely toward each of them. Aeron reached out to shake hands with each of them as well, with no trace of surprise that Dominick was clearly human. Evidently Ewenami had already briefed him.
Ewenami looked toward me with a warm smile as she continued, “And you already know Kencane’s younger daughter, Palta.” I smiled awkwardly as Aeron turned to face me—but I didn’t move from my position, already halfway across the room.
I found myself holding my breath as he nodded slightly in my direction, his eyes fixed on mine. His eyes were kind, almost apologetic, as he held my gaze—but he didn’t return my smile. I stood transfixed, my own smile fading as a feeling of uncertainty came over me. I couldn’t read in his expression whether he was pleased to see me or not.
My father’s voice broke the silence as he stepped forward to address Aeron. “Mintar, please have a seat and make yourself comfortable.” He indicated an armchair nearby, the place of honor usually reserved for Father himself.
“Please, Kencane, call me Aeron.” He turned his attention back toward my father. “If you are willing, I wish to continue the friendship you knew with my father.” His words were entirely sincere.
My father smiled genuinely. “It would be a pleasure,” he nodded in assent.
“I do not wish to offend,” Aeron continued gently, as he turned back to face the rest of us, “but I would like an opportunity to speak with Kencane alone.” It occurred to me that the typical ruler of an entire planet probably wouldn’t concern himself with offending pretty much anyone. We all indicated in one way or another that no offense would be taken, and Aeron nodded in appreciation before turning again toward my father.
“Please, follow me.” Father gestured as he led the way to his private library. As the door closed behind them, Sabela turned toward Ewenami, offering her something to drink. I motioned for Ewenami to take the empty armchair, as Dominick sat down on the loveseat across from her. I settled into the large sofa just as Sabela returned from the kitchen with a tray of drinks. After distributing them to the group, she took her place on the sofa next to me.
“I was thinking,” Sabela addressed Ewenami, “how much better we would all feel if you and your brother had better protection here on Earth.”
Ewenami smiled, then shrugged slightly. “I won’t argue with that,” she replied. “But forgive me…I’m not quite sure what you have in mind?”
“Only perhaps a slight relocation,” Sabela hinted. “Dominick and I have plenty of extra space in our house,” she continued. “I know we have no military skill, but our family has over a century of experience in avoiding exposure. Absolutely no one, save ourselves, has set foot on this ranch in decades.”
“She’s right,” added Dominick. “We would certainly have an easier job of watching for suspicious activity here than in the middle of the city.”
“It is a very generous offer.” Ewenami was clearly grateful for their kindness. “But we can’t let you put yourselves in danger that way.”
“Our safety is of little consequence,” I interjected, “when you consider an entire planet is dependent upon you for leadership. What would become of Onontí if the two of you were killed?” I spoke the words, but I didn’t want to consider the potential reality.
“Unfortunately, Onontí might not be the only planet affected.” Ewenami’s voice trailed off as her face grew solemn.
“What do you mean?” I questioned.
But she brushed it aside. “Nothing in particular…I’ll let Aeron explain it all later.” She took a sip of her drink and sat staring at the glass in her hands for a moment. Looking back up toward Sabela, she smiled softly. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?” Her gaze turned toward Dominick, asking for his approval as well.
“Consider it done,” smiled Sabela. “We can help you move your things tomorrow night.”
Ewenami smiled broadly, an expression of hopefulness on her face. “We don’t have much,” she responded. “We can leave most of it behind. No need to draw any more attention to ourselves than necessary.”
We proceeded to work out the details of the move for the next few minutes. Ewenami seemed confident Aeron would agree to the plan. “He’ll try to put up an objection,” she said with an amused smile, “but he never holds out for long once I’ve set my mind on something.” The glint in her eye conveyed the tender affection she felt for her brother. I gathered they share the same closeness that Sabela and I have.
The arrangements complete for a covert relocation the following night, we transitioned into more casual chitchat. At one lull in the conversation, a thought dawned on me. “Forgive me, Ewenami,” I began politely, “but it just occurred to me that you and Aeron both speak impressively fluent English for having been here only a few years. You seem to have had no difficulty at all learning the dialect.” I suppose a part of me had forgotten that they weren’t in fact American—or even human, for that matter. Suddenly their flawless grammar and lack of any appreciable accents seemed extraordinary.
“Aeron and I share an interest in languages,” Ewenami smiled meekly, “although his skill puts mine to shame.” She chuckled slightly as she elaborated, “It takes him about three days to assimilate an entire language.”
“Wow…I’m duly impressed.” I raised my eyebrows.
“His skills were growing a little rusty from disuse lately, having mastered every Onontian dialect by the time he was a toddler,” she responded. “He moved on to constructing elaborate new languages when he was an adolescent. He would teach me, and we could plot all kinds of mischief right under our parents’ noses. It was like our own secret code.” She smiled to herself at the remembrance. “It has actually paid off in a way we would never have anticipated…We use one of his codes to communicate with our contact on Onontí.” Though she continued to smile, her eyes became more pensive.
My sister spoke next, and Ewenami broke out of her reverie to pay attention. “Speaking of your contact on Onontí…If you don’t mind my asking, how are you certain he or she is loyal?”
“He,” Ewenami spoke softly, confirming the person in question was male. She paused for a moment, contemplating how to respond. Her eyes focused on her hands as they fidgeted with the glass she was still holding. The rest of us waited patiently as she took a breath in and prepared to speak again. “Our contact is a man named Imai Odele, who served as my father’s chief of security for many years before his death. It was the most devastating event of Imai’s life when my parents were killed. There were some who blamed him for the assassination—or at least accused him of negligence—but Aeron and I have never doubted his unfailing loyalty.” Her despondent expression struck me as unusually intense in the context of discussing a man who had merely served as an officer under her father’s command. I decided it must be the mem
ory of her parents’ assassination and the ensuing turmoil that weighed so heavily on her mind.
Sabela attempted to ease the angst with lighthearted small talk, and eventually Ewenami regained her effortlessly gracious smile. Just as we seemed to have exhausted all the insignificant chitchat we could muster, the door to the library opened. My father emerged, followed by Aeron, and they continued to speak to one another in subdued voices as they strolled slowly toward us.
“I must apologize, everyone…” My father lifted his voice to address us all with a polite smile. “But I’m afraid I am a very old man who desperately needs some sleep.” His exhausted eyes substantiated his claim, and we all stood to assure him that he was indeed encouraged to return to bed. Sabela and I kissed him goodnight, and he trudged slowly up the stairs.
The rest of us convened in the foyer, speaking in quiet voices so as not to disturb him. Despite the late hour, none of us felt ready to call it a night. We were eager to have Aeron’s input into our conversation. Ewenami had implied several times that there would be more to the story—details she was reserving for Aeron’s telling. Sabela suggested that we move the discussion to her house in order to give our father total peace and quiet. We were all in agreement, and we filed out to our cars to make our way there.