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“Why would I not? It would be obvious the moment that Kyda went to the stronghold. There is no hiding her features.”
Kyda was stunned. “I never thought she was alive for some reason. Did she have the children she wanted?”
Nandy paused. “No. Nothing outside of that first donation was viable.”
“Oh. That is sad.”
Ados nodded. “It is sad. Very sad. Three decades have passed, and she and her mate have been alone. She wants to meet you.”
Nandy gasped. “What?”
“She wants to meet Kyda. It was a condition to her agreement.”
Kyda blinked. “What do you mean? What would she agree to?”
“Do you have a birth parent to represent you in the Sethir court?”
She frowned. “No. I was grown in a surrogate; she was destroyed when I was six weeks old. Same with Kynor. They didn’t want anyone trying to rescue or reclaim us.”
Ados squeezed her hand. “Exactly. So, I showed Aluhara your image, and she cried. I then showed her images of Kynor with estimates of what he actually looks like. She has gone from never having children to learning there are two adults with her genes.”
Kyda thought about it and nodded. “Oh. Right.” She asked, “What about her mate?”
“He is delighted by the thought of children. Aluhara’s pain has echoed through him.”
Kyda blinked. “Huh. I have never thought about who the male donor was.”
Ados and Nandy stared. Nandy brought up a report and cocked her head. “Well, that explains a bit. If this is the case, you didn’t have a gestational parent. The Sarathoans provided gestation tubes, possibly in exchange for one of the embryos.”
“How can you tell?”
“You are half Sarathoan.”
Kyda looked at her hands. “I thought they were colourful.”
Ados smiled. “Your other half is Sethir. Aluhara’s genes were particularly strong. That is why the government wanted her to have children. Her activation stopped her from carrying to term.”
Nandy nodded. “Getting the initial samples forced her into a near-death state. When those were stolen, she and her mate were devastated.”
“Oh, that is horrible.” She had never given a thought to the genetic donors. She supposed she had always imagined it was voluntary.
“So, once you are stable, she and her mate would very much like to meet you.”
Nandy smiled. “If she has eaten, she is stable enough for a visit. She just needs to change into a court gown.”
Kyda blinked. “A what?”
“Court gown.” Ados nodded. “You have one. Arcady packed it for you.”
She frowned. “How did she know I would need it?”
“I suggested it might be necessary.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to bring you to court to finalize the contract.”
Nandy looked excited.
