The Rowan
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Серия: Tower and the Hive #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «The Rowan». Краткое содержание книги:
The kinetically gifted, trained in mind/machine gestalt, are the most valued citizens of the Nine Star League. Using mental powers alone, these few Prime Talents transport ships, cargo and people between Earth's Moon, Mars' Demos and Jupiter's Callisto.
An orphaned young girl, simply called The Rowan, is discovered to have superior telepathic potential and is trained to become Prime Talent on Callisto. After years of self-sacrificing dedication to her position, The Rowan intercepts an urgent mental call from Jeff Raven, a young Prime Talent on distant Deneb. She convinces the other Primes to merge their powers with hers to help fight off an attack by invading aliens. Her growing relationship with Jeff gives her the courage to break her status-imposed isolation, and choose the more rewarding world of love and family.
"I shall never forget how you comforted me, Turian, coming through the Straits, and that you knew I needed comfort. That was so generous of you and it was a kindliness with which I am totally unfamiliar. It disarmed me completely, you know." He nodded, understanding at several levels in his mind what she was trying to convey to him.
"What are you really, Rowan?" "I'm an orphan, I'm eighteen, I'm a Talent, and I serve in Altair's Tower."
She heard the sudden intake of his breath and felt awe color his mental image of her.
"Like Prime Siglen?" For though he knew what Tower personnel did and how they did it, he couldn't quite place his companion in that context.
"Well, I'm not a Prime," she said with a laugh, hiding the half-truth. "But it's a lonely job and I've got to isolate myself from the people I work with. I can't be the sort of informal captain you are. Being your crew has been such a marvelous experience all by itself. Working with you to set the Miraki to rights, just the two of us, was as far from my life in the Tower as you can get. I haven't ever had such a wonderful week. I certainly didn't intend to repay your friendship with a sexual imposition."
"Imposition?" He almost shouted at her, and she knew she had struck just the right note. "I've heard it called many things, but not an imposition!" He gave a bark of laughter and suddenly all the tension and dismay dissolved from his thoughts. "Imposition, indeed." The dawn was brightening the sky and she could see the amused expression on his face, echoing the recovery of his mental equilibrium.
"Well, then," she began in a meek voice though she was emboldened by his resilience, "without prejudice and seeing that this is a unique opportunity, unlikely to recur, could we impose on each other again?" "If you've any Talent, Rowan," and his expression mirrored the desire in his mind, "you'll know I'd like that more than anything else right now." Then he smiled, ruffled her hair, and added, "except perhaps some breakfast to give us both the energy we're going to need." It was late afternoon when they reached the wharf at Favor Bay. The Rowan could, and did, make certain that an easy companionship had grown up between them on the return voyage. He had talked a good deal about previous voyages around the planet, about his many relations, and, sitting as close to him as possible, she had learned more about her native planet than she had ever thought to know.
They were both silent as they moored the ship and did the final chores, setting the ship to rights, cleaning the galley, but there wasn't much more, or too much, to be said. She stuffed her salty clothes into her backpack, climbed on to the wharf, and collected her cycle. Turian stood in her way for a long moment and she knew he was equally loath for this idyll to end.
"I must leave, Turian. Clear skies and good sailing." "Good luck, Rowan," he said in a low voice, heart and mind reaching out to her but he stepped. aside and she cycled past him, feeling his regret as sharp as her own.
By the time she had cycled up the long hill from the anchorage, she was sweating so it didn't matter if some of what poured down her cheeks happened to be tears. It had been a beautiful interlude. Lusena had been right to suggest it, however obliquely. Would Lusena know what had happened?
Lusena knew just about everything else about her. Such a magical incident would take a lot of camouflage from her eagle-eyed guardian.
Did she really want to cover it all up? Wouldn't Lusena rejoice that she had met such a lovely lover?
She had entered the cottage, slung her backpack down the corridor to the laundry room before the sustained squeal of the answer phone penetrated her self absorption.
There was a sheaf of messages, curling down from the machine to the floor. So many in just thirty-six hours?
"Now what?" The Rowan resented the return of the pressures she had been able to forget. She tore off the final sheet and bundled the whole screed up, settling herself first in a chair before reading any. The first, from Lusena, had arrived just after she had left the cottage for the Miraki's journey and announced the triumphant arrival of twin girls and the prognosis of a speedy recovery of their mother from a prolonged and complicated labor. A second, also from Lusena, was a confirmation of Lusena's opinion that both babies had recorded high-potential Talent at birth. The third was her pleasure that Finnan had come to view his nieces and there had been a marvelous family reunion. The fourth was a query from Gerolaman about her lack of response to messages. The fifth which had come in the previous evening was an order from Siglen to contact the Tower immediately. The sixth, and the first words made the Rowan yearn for Turian's supportive presence, burst the fragile bubble of the idyll.
MUST INFORM YOU THAT LUSENA SHEVALLOW AY KILLED IN GROUND VEHICLE COLLISION. REPORT IMMEDIATELY. SIGLEN
The dateline was 1220 today as the Miraki had been plowing across the Southerly Current under full canvas through the seas still running high from the previous night's storms. She and Turian had been side by side in the cockpit, warm with companionship and shared love.
The tears streamed down the Rowan's face. "Must inform," she muttered. "No regrets, Siglen? No regrets at all that a fine loving woman is gone?" She let grief take her then, vainly searching for a mind touch that was lost forever to her, lost as the comfort of the woman who had cared for her with such dedication. The ache expanded, closing her throat, pushing down into her belly, shoving upward to crowd into her brain and press behind her eyes. Tears flowed and the sobs wracked her body. Turian would comfort her. Surely she had the right to ask that of him. But why involve him in a private grief?
It was something one had to live through; the ache of the heart, the fruitless searching of the mind, and the sorrow of the spirit.
Lusena! Lusena! Lusena!
The comunit's piercing summons was a harsh intrusion.
Irritably, she 'ported the connection open and the screen lit up.
Fortunately it displayed a worried Gerolaman.
"Rowan! Where have you been?" "I was sailing. We were weathered in last night in a deserted anchorage. I'm only just in the door. What's happening with…" "Siglen had a fit when the accident report came in. She was positive you were with Lusena and she was in some state." "Thought she'd got rid of me, huh?" Gerolaman's scowl reproved her. "We were all worried, Rowan. Especially after Finnan said you hadn't accompanied her." "Bardy needed her mother. She didn't need me hanging about and at eighteen I'm well able to take care of myself for a few days of holiday." She knew she sounded querilous but she couldn't help it. "Oh, Gerolaman, Lusena was…" and she covered her face with her hands, weeping bitterly.
"I know, honey, I know. It won't be the same. It's just that… we didn't know where you were. And you had to know." "Siglen herself broke the news." "Give her some credit, Rowan," and Gerolaman's voice was rough, "she was upset, too. And got worse thinking you might have been killed. Secretary Camella's handling arrangements which is very good of her. Now I know where you are, I'll come and get you."