Page 48
“How can you tell?”
Hazor grinned. “Look at them.”
Cloudy looked at them, and she saw it. They weren’t lovers, but there was an attachment. He got drinks and food for her while she talked to locals with polite interest. It wasn’t until she turned to look at Cloudy that she jolted with primal fear. The solid black eyes that pierced her soul softened in an instant. The gentle smile crossed the woman’s features, and she inclined her head, making a gesture that Cloudy couldn’t interpret. It was like manual but not.
Vecchin walked up next to her. “The gatherer says congratulations on your new life, with new life.”
“Uh, how can she tell from fifty feet away?”
Vecchin chuckled. “She has a talent for souls but will not approach, as she will unsettle you. She unsettles me, but I am not vulnerable to her occupation.”
Hazor nodded. “This makes her the third gatherer I have seen in my lifetime, including her apprentice.”
Vecchin nodded. “Twelfth for me. They are not common, but they are terrifying.”
Cloudy looked at Vecchin. “I don’t think that Hmrain have a register for terrifying.”
“When it endangers our populations, we do.”
“It is rare to see two of them from the same species,” Hazor murmured.
Vecchin shook his head. “Her apprentice is Praorcan. He has taken that appearance to blend in.”
Cloudy tried to think of the species and drew a blank. “What do they look like?”
A soft voice said, “He is normally nine feet of purple jello. This is his attempt to blend in. Hello. Thank you for hosting this party, Vecchin. I have already thanked your daughter.”
Vecchin stood, and his wings snapped a little in nervous response. “Lady, does something specific bring you here?”
Cloudy watched the woman smile softly. “A party has drawn me here. I appreciate the opportunity to see some of the survivors. It is good to see life dancing and progressing.”
The woman slowly reached into her black Jedi-style robes and held out the item in her palm. “A gift for the growing mother. It will take some life from your mate and transfer it to you when you need it.”
Hazor looked excited. “You carry transfer crystals?”
“Of course. Don’t you? Please excuse me. I have to rescue Vrex before he tries to rescue certain members of the dessert table.”
Cloudy grinned as the astonishingly still woman made her way after her apprentice. She turned to Vecchin. “Do we know her name?”
“She will be listed as Terran gatherer in the visa applications. I don’t know if the masters use names anymore.” He was watching the woman.
Cloudy watched her and blinked when Kazi walked up to her, took her hand, and bowed over it. The woman smiled and nodded to Tiffany. “Okay, I have to know: what is a gatherer?”
Hazor said, “From what I am given to understand, gatherers can seek out evil and pull the soul from the body, keeping the evil in crystals before launching them into nearby stars.”
“So why are they scary?”
“Because they can do it to anyone. They choose to extract evil, but they could rip the souls out of anyone here without hesitating.”
Cloudy blinked. “Oh.” She looked at the pendant, shrugged, and put it on.
Hazor grinned. “Moments like this are important. She is remembering her people and recognizing life. It is important, just as it is for Hmrain, but she was not designed or remade to guard planets; she was created to harvest threats. She is teaching her apprentice how to recognize the difference in behaviours and how to read for hostiles.”
Vecchin looked around at the visiting Terrans. “Your people are very violent.”
“We are. We are young, but we are learning that we don’t need to be constantly on guard. We were welcomed here, and we will defend our new home to the death.”
Vecchin nodded. “Well, granddaughter, I will keep that in mind.”
