Diena laughed.“Really?”
“Yup.She’s already said yes, so it is just a matter of time before we formalize things.”Eskin grinned.“My mom is so excited to get a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren in one union.”
“So you are going to propose?”
He laughed.“Of course.You don’t wait thirty years for a woman and then not lock her down.”
“You have a ring?”
He nodded.“Absolutely.”
“Wow.You are prepared.”
“Indeed.I don’t suppose that you could watch Ithal one night this week.”
She nodded.“I can do that.Are you moving in?”
“Once she accepts my proposal.How did you settle on Jenaki so swiftly?”
“Ah, he delivered my baby.He’s an excellent physician and knows when to be serious and stop flirting.He also knows to hold me when I need it and just be there.”Diena smiled.“I can respect that, and it felt good simply to be taken care of in the lull between battles.Plus, Ithal saw him and me and our child fourteen months from now.Though the description was a little vague, it was enough for me to recognize him when I saw him.”
“How vague?”
“He was shiny, and the baby had gold marks on her cheeks.”
He grinned.“Ah, that explains the comment of another shiny one.”
“Yes, apparently, the ladies of my family have a type.”
He snickered and then sobered.“What would you recommend?”
“Remember that she has been fighting for survival since childhood.She has never been able to claim her own freedom.She has earned it a thousand times over, but it was never truly hers.There was always someone putting a claim in on her, and while she does not resent it, you need to respect that.Help her stand and be strong, and back her up.That’s what she needs.She is strong enough to stand on her own, but as her daughter, I am stating that she shouldn’t have to.If either of us had had someone to stand at our backs to ensure our freedom, the story would have been different.”
He paused.“Freedom?”
“She was bought by the program.I was created by the program.Neither of us was free to walk away.When I was created, they sold her to the Lorn Empire in exchange for minerals.I got my freedom when I proved to be useless.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yes, well, Maro kept her in storage.When Ithal was born to one of the women he kept, she woke up and rescued her son.She and some others escaped, and she and Ithal spent time travelling the world to find a place they could call home.They came to Aksalla.The Sethir-Nin and the capitol had betrayed her, so they were out.Most of the henchmen at the imperial palace were Hyreno, so that kept her from settling there and gave Ithal a phobia about Hyreno who look like standard actives.He doesn’t react to the ones with more festive hides, but Techor prodded at him, and his head nearly became a stump.”
“Okay.Noted.”His eyes looked a little wild.
She chuckled.“Just make sure that no minder starts prodding, and he won’t have to use the mind spike.He will usually calm down, but the indicator is that he says the minder is being rude or impolite.”
“Ah.Masking rage.”
“Correct.He was linked to his mother when she died, and then he linked to Alody, and she was in a mood.”
“Which is code for a towering destructive rage.”
“Correct.”
“I see.You are being very forthright.”
“Well, do you prefer Dad or Pops?”
He grinned.“Right.I started it.”
