9
Ydia Tuskcat snuggled closer to Wolfkin Starna on their plush chocolate couch as they watched the evening news. The fire didn’t quite ward off enough of the winter chill, so Ydia pulled a warm throw over her and sipped her mug of hot nightbrew.
“Amusing report, don’t you think, Ydia?” Wolf asked, putting his arm around her.
“The report was quite poor though. We still know nothing of their plans,” she replied. “Only that they are throwing out current registrations.”
“That is annoying,” Wolf admitted. “The simplest thing in the world is to have all the dead people vote. Their registrations normally continue for many years. Then, there are the ones who have moved away, and never cancel their registrations. All the easy targets… gone.” He sighed.
Wolf continued. “Thankfully, the Curator had already foreseen this possible problem and found another solution for us.”
“I don’t suppose you can blow up any of the stations again?” Ydia asked.
“Not with more A’mara in town. That’s simple stuff – they should feel ashamed of missing it the first time, really,” Wolf replied. “Even you would have thought to look for something like that.”
“So, we mostly relax this time?” she asked.
“Yes. We relax until election day, then we help our members be available to come to the aid of the polling stations when things go wrong,” he replied. “Good thing we’ve been working so hard making friends in the Projects.“
“Good thing you’re still two steps ahead of the A’mara,” she said, smiling. “Come spring, you can upgrade the heating in this place!”
“You think I’ve overlooked that?” he asked, putting her mug aside and kissing her. “Or maybe it’s just a good excuse to share a bit more. A good excuse to get a bit closer...”
Ydia met his eager kisses passionately, allowing him to push her back against the cushions.
At the warm, but cramped, Orivesk apartment, conversation dwindled and yawns increased. Jenna was finding it hard to stay awake. She wanted to cuddle up with Tle-sun now, but they had delegated the couch to the others tonight, hoping Tirry’s emotions would fly to the man sitting next to her and break down his guard. Her husband was certain that Yewan was struggling just as much as Tirry, but was refusing to recognize his feelings for what they were. Jenna yawned again.
“I think it’s time for me to go home,” Tirry excused, standing.
“I can walk you home,” Yewan offered. “It is right on the way, after all.”
“Thank you. It’s nicer to not have to walk alone,” she replied.
Jenna smiled, thinking about the fact that with Tirry living immediately across the street, there was no risk in walking. She wouldn’t point it out though. It gave her hope that maybe Yewan was beginning to admit his feelings. It amused Jenna that stoic Yewan seemed to be hunting for excuses to be with Tirry.
“Oh, with the others coming tomorrow, everyone is invited for pizza!” Tirry announced before putting on her winter coat.
“I’m looking forward to it!” Jenna said with almost too much enthusiasm.
Tirry left with Yewan.
“What do you think?” Jenna asked her husband as she put leftover food away.
“I keep feeling it from him,” Tle-sun replied, filling the dishwasher. “He is very much taken with her – but has yet to fully admit it even to himself.”
“Yet, he keeps finding reasons to spend time with her!” Jenna said.
“All the same, he hasn’t given in yet. His emotions are still under strict guard.”
“Yet Tirry’s an absolute mess of emotions! What do we do?” Jenna asked.
“We keep doing exactly what we are doing – making sure they’re together whenever there’s a halfway decent excuse!” Tle-sun said.
“I’m glad Tirry has already offered to host a pizza party,” Jenna replied, closing the chiller with another yawn.
Tle-sun nodded. “Let’s go to bed. You’re exhausted!”
Jenna went with him gratefully.
Yewan sat on an icy crate on the cold Complex rooftop. He was grateful for the amazing properties of his cloak which repelled the freezing temperatures while holding in his own body heat. Such a great invention, he realized.
He thought about the impending election, stretched out his awareness through the leya to try to figure out where any darkness might erupt next. He knew there must be plans to ruin this election as well, but he couldn’t work out how it would be disrupted.
Her face appeared in his mind again.
Yewan sighed. He knew that he really needed to stop thinking about Tirry so much – though with them working so closely together, it was easy to find a reason to think about her. Yet, it still felt unprofessional to let his mind dwell on her when they had a job to do. The fact that he could feel her fighting her feelings hadn’t helped matters.
His whole life, he had remained immune to the feelings of the young women who found him attractive. Usually, they waned on their own without him having to hurt anyone. That had always seemed to be the best course of action. The assignment would end, they would drift different ways again and that was the end of it.
Yewan determined he would continue to ignore the turmoil until after the election was completed. Then, he and Tirry would do their separate tasks again.
Except that just today, he’d offered Tirry a huge role in the projects he was working on. They would be working together for a lot longer – and he had orchestrated that.
Yewan forcibly returned his mind to the election and continued meditating on what was going on in Loxos.
< You promised not to ignore loyalty. > he felt the impression in his mind.
It suddenly and briefly recalled to his mind a time when he observed his former maqla, Jerreck Mastin (the Terrenden abári at the time) and Jilia Thule, the woman he would eventually marry. She had been loyal for decades and Jerrick had been scared of allowing her into his heart. It had been hard to watch, knowing they would both be happier together. Yewan had promised himself to not ignore such loyalty.
<Well, in this case, it has been hours, not decades!> he reminded himself. Surely, he could safely ignore all the emotions for a couple more days, at least!
He sighed and forced his mind back onto the elections, wondering how the Neví were planning to ruin the elections and make the A’mara look foolish again.
Other Chapters of this set
Acting the Part - chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Building on Promise - Chapter 1
Maps and Guides
- continents of Alacantis and Kranisis (five maps)
- continent of Almara (five maps)
- countries of Kri'enden and Yezi'im (four maps plus "other places")
- characters, pronunciation and glossary
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Brighid's Blood 2006 and 1200 B.T.C.E. Katja and Rachel are so desperate for love that they cast two love spells one night. But the Guardians do not consider spells "fun", but rather as cries for help from the very depths of your soul. Certainly Katja and Rachel could not have possibly imagined where these spells would take them! |
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Birth of the Neví 829 T.C.E. It is a tumultuous period of Terrenden history. As is all too common, there are those who wish to profit from the misfortune of others. Some of these come together in a new "charitable organization" and step on the toes of the notorious Uugli. Combine this with draconian new measures to combat pollution and Terrenden has a situation ripe for a power struggle. |
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Rebound of Power: 850 T.C.E. Collection of Romance Terrenden is being terrorized by a previously underestimated Neví who, through the mysterious “Curator,” have been controlling elections all over the planet. In this collection, we meet some interesting women. Iyva - a homeless teenager in Irola whose untrained power leaves her close to death; Marc’la - a breeder of prized caballus in Kasago whose heart lives in the past; Zukie - an abused widow whose heart is afraid to try for future happiness; Jenna - an elections assistant manager and masseuse who has a prejudice against A’mara; Kami - a chola student in Varkevand who has been assigned to protect Ardin, a man who has his own reasons to distrust A’mara. |
| COMING SOON | TO AN EBOOK STORE NEAR YOU!!! |
| Rise of the Neví - 830 T.C.E. The Neví begin their rise in power with the completion of several large housing projects that seem totally charitable, but also hide a great evil within. The draconian measures brought in the previous year has caused major distress throughout the world, perfect for giving the Neví a further foothold on the Terrenden stage. Will the A’mara, now removed from the Council of Peers, be able to shut down the Neví? |
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Acting the Part - 851 T.C.E. Collection of Romance The Neví have infiltrated the Terrenden Freedom Party. Dr. Jarly is on the run and the Curator still dominates the Terrenden stage. Famous actor, Derick Aiden has released his Neví expose film and now the Neví want him dead... In this collection, we meet more interesting women. Kauri - a simple receptionist who doesn’t realize one of her wildest dreams has come true; Tirry - an elections manager who is always the bridesmaid and never the bride; Zara - a chef who has all but given up on finding love for herself; D'zani - who isn’t even looking, but has to chaperone her more vulnerable roommate; Soala - an heiress who is expected to marry, but refuses to marry someone she doesn’t love; Moxara - one whose past griefs have locked away her heart. We also get updates on some of the lovely ladies we met previously. |
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Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
verified author on Goodreads
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