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  Sonic senses and determination take her to the Citadel, but only a sense of purpose can keep her there.

  Yllin has been raised in privilege and has never felt like it was the right life for her. She honed her skills for sonar as a waitress at a busy restaurant and jumped at the chance to apply for a position in Citadel Ohkhan.

  Her acceptance is a delightful surprise that isn’t enjoyed by her family. With reluctance, they give her their blessing and she sets out to be the best Citadel Novice she could be.

  Her first assignment as a Specialist lands her in an archaeological dig in an ancient buried city. She throws herself into the day-to-day routine and wishes for something more exciting. Unfortunately, she gets it.

  Specialist Nearing was her flight instructor and is now her pilot. Despite his urge to fly free, he finds himself drawn to her over and over. His mother really needs to stop assigning them together.

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  Lost and Sound

  Copyright © 2014 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0166-5

  Cover art by Carmen Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  Lost and Sound

  Tales of the Citadel Book 40

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Yllin Gerocard flexed her fingers and waited for her turn at the testing unit. The Citadel was holding trials for those who thought they might have a talent suitable for working in the stars.

  Yllin rubbed her hands on her leathers and she waited. Waiting was not her strong suit, but she tried to keep herself calm while name after name was called and those around her were taken in ahead of her.

  Many of those applying had psychic talents or thought they did. Yllin had to wait for the Citadel Master who was interviewing physical and sensory talents.

  Yllin breathed deep and drummed her fingers silently on her knees. When she heard, “Yllin Gerocard?” she jumped out of her seat and was at the man’s side in an instant.

  He towered over her, and the scarlet of his skin glowed brightly. His eyes were far narrower than any person of her acquaintance, but then, she hadn’t met an alien before.

  He looked down at her with surprise. “Yllin?”

  She smiled nervously. “That’s me.”

  He inclined his head and extended his hand. “I am Combat Master Wercor. Please come with me to the testing ground, and we will see what you can do.”

  She gripped his hand in hers, and he was surprised at her grip. That much was obvious.

  “May I ask what you do for a living?” He released her hand and escorted her through one of the halls in the city centre.

  “I am a waitress. I serve food.”

  “You have quite the grip.”

  She chuckled. “It goes with the job. I get charged for breakage, so I try not to drop things.”

  The testing ground was located in the convention centre, and the maze of structures was designed to keep her from getting around with any sort of speed.

  Master Wercor stopped at a red line on the floor. “Yllin, I want you to go through the maze and pick up three of the nine orbs hidden in the warehouse. You have an hour.”

  “That is it?”

  He went to a counter and pulled out a narrow box. “Nearly. You need to wear these sensors on your forehead. They won’t interfere with your talent, but they will tell us what is going on when you use it.”

  She nodded and settled them on her skin. One on each temple and one in the centre of her forehead.

  He set his tablet and smiled. “When you are ready, I will start the clock.”

  Yllin lifted her head and she said, “Now.”

  The pulse went from her mind through the facility, reached the edge of her range and returned to her. She ran for the furthest orb of the three, and she had to tip over part of the maze to get to it. It was buried under the wall. Holding it in her hand, she ran toward the second, left, right and left again.

  She had to lie on the floor and reach behind the podium, but she found the second orb. The shiny gold ball just fit in her left hand as she ran to the third and final orb. The six in the far reaches of the space were unnecessary. She just needed the third orb.

  The third orb was hidden under carpet, so she flicked her knife open and knelt, digging a hole in the turf-style carpet that was thrown in front of the start line. The orb popped out, and she caught it between her left arm and her chest while she put her knife back in her boot.

  Yllin gathered the prizes and walked back to the line. “Anything else?”

  Master Wercor showed her a map of the facility on his tablet. “Please show me where the other six are located.”

  She tapped the screen at the locations and smiled, “The last one is tricky, there are two located there, one on top of the other.”

  The locations glowed on screen and when he tapped the page, a map overlaid her selections with bright marks.

  “You are perfectly correct. How did you make the determination?” He set the tablet down and took the orbs from her.

  “I looked for the material that appeared nine times in the field. The first scan missed those that were buried underground. Can I take these tabs off now?”

  He nodded his head. “I will have to run this past our council, but I believe you have a very strong chance at joining Citadel Ohkhan.”

  She brushed her hands on her thighs. “Great. I will look forward to a call.”

  Yllin bobbed her head and headed out of the convention centre. She knew that she had run and retrieved the orbs within ten minutes, but she didn’t know precisely how well she had done.

  * * * *

  Master Wercor looked at the other Masters in the boardroom. “I want her in the Citadel.”

  Master Liash frowned. “We are already near our maximum. This will be the last candidate that you can choose. Are you sure that she is worth the space?”

  Wercor sent copies of her performance evaluation to the other three Citadel Masters. “Let me know if you think I am wrong here.”

  The other three looked down and blinked as the recording of Yllin sending out a sonic burst that she analyzed and acted on immediately played out in front of them.

  He watched the image of the slender woman with huge eyes, and then, his glance flicked to the other Masters in the room. When Yllin retrieved the orbs and returned to him within five minutes, the others sat back and two nodded.

  The third smiled. “I will leave one of the weaker psychic talents behind so that you can have Yllin.”

  Master Wercor sighed happily. “And I will put Missambra onto the recruit rotation for next year. Anyone who does not
make this year’s list will be pushed to the front of the line for next year’s assessments.”

  Master Liash smiled. “Excellent and done. Now, on to the other candidates.”

  Wercor put in his comments as the other candidates were brought forward, but mentally, he congratulated himself in gaining the extra seat on the physical talent side. Missambra was known for providing strong psychics, but their history with battlefield talents was weak. Yllin Gerocard might change all that, even though she looked like a doll that his sister used to play with.

  * * * *

  Yllin carried the trays balanced on her arm as she delivered food to three tables at the same time. She swayed easily between tables, dodging rising diners and other servers.

  She reached with her foot to grab stands for the trays from the corner rack, and with them arranged on her arm, she finished her walk to her section.

  She dropped the three racks, settled the appropriate trays on each of them, distributed the plates and was on to the next table in moments. She asked everyone if they had what they needed, and when they smiled at her, she assessed the level of liquid in their glasses and gathered the stands.

  She returned to her tables with the refills before turning to greet the new arrivals to her section.

  Until she knew if she was accepted into the Citadel, she needed this job and she was going to do it to the best of her ability.

  After an eight-hour shift, every part of Yllin throbbed. She collected her evening wages, changed into her street clothes and headed for home.

  The streets were empty except for other workers, like her. She kept her senses aware, avoided two alleys that contained men with knives and made her way to the apartment that housed her family.

  Yllin forced herself to take the stairs as she hauled her way up thirty floors. Her knees were quivering and her thigh muscles jumped randomly, but she managed it.

  Her passkey got her access to the penthouse at the top of the high rise.

  Hermia was waiting at the door. “You walked again?”

  Yllin sighed and slumped past her family’s loyal housekeeper. “I did. I am in training, of a sort.”

  “Still trying to see the stars?” Hermia rubbed her back.

  “Yes. Today, I actually got through for an interview.” She had been trying to get into the Citadel recruitment for six years. It had started when she was fourteen. She had no grasp of her talent then, but she had wanted to go.

  Each year, she had continued, but her vague understanding of what she could do held her back. This year, her work at the restaurant had shown her what her applications were missing. Since she hadn’t known what she could do, her applications were unfocused. This year, she was precise, businesslike and direct. Her research into herself had paid off.

  “Do you need something to eat?” Hermia kept rubbing her shoulders.

  “No.”

  “Your parents are in the common space. You have had a call. I will get you something to drink.”

  Yllin looked up at Hermia and her friend smiled.

  She straightened and walked into the firing line. She sat on the long couch and faced her parents. Their faces told her that they were unhappy with her life choices…again.

  Hermia brought in her drink and Yllin thanked her.

  Her father started. “We received a call today from the recruiters for Citadel Ohkhan.”

  Yllin smiled. “Did you?”

  Her mother scowled. “I thought you were going to give up on that after last year.”

  “Last year I spent the recruitment window in a med station on life support because you refused to immunize me against Urdal fever when I was a child.” She narrowed her eyes. “My dream to touch the stars has never waned.”

  Her mother fluttered. “Your siblings were fine.”

  Yllin sipped at the beverage in her hand. “I went into medical care before I was contagious. Now, I am sterile.”

  Her father waved that away. “Anyway, they called and offered you a position at Ohkhan.”

  Yllin beamed. “Excellent. When do I go?”

  Her mother said, “We want you to decline.”

  Yllin narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

  “It isn’t seemly. It is bad enough that you are a physical talent, and now, you want to sprint around in a suit advertising your body to all and sundry?”

  Yllin looked down at her leather trousers, tunic, belt and boots. “As if this isn’t advertising? You got me this clothing and the rest of my wardrobe for the holidays.”

  Her mother sighed. “That is different. They are traditional clothing, not spacesuits.”

  Yllin put her drink down on an end table and leaned forward. “I want this, Mother, Father. I want this more than I have wanted anything in my life, except for my life. Last year proved that I am not even safe at home. Nearly killed by a simple microbe? That is no way to be remembered.”

  Her father sat back and gave her a considering look. “It seems you have finally grown up. You have my blessing. Keep us apprised of your adventures when you are able.”

  Her mother gasped and spluttered.

  Yllin grinned and got to her feet. “I will let you two hash this out. Know that I don’t have to agree with you to respect you. Excuse me; I have a call to make.”

  She picked up her drink and headed down the hall to her bedroom. She had a call to make.

  Chapter Two

  Four weeks between acceptance and liftoff had been mind numbing, but her mother had come around to the cachet of having a daughter as a member of the Citadel.

  Yllin had posed for pictures with the other recruits, and her mother now put the image in a place of pride next to her siblings’ graduation photos.

  She sat nervously with the other recruits in the shuttle. Their pilot spoke gently, and as the ship lifted off, she looked out the window for one last time.

  Her family was watching from the VIP area, and she tried not to wave as the ship took her further and further away from everything she had known.

  She held her breath and let it out in a rush when her world got smaller and smaller while her potential was suddenly unlimited.

  “Your name is Yllin, isn’t it?”

  The man next to her smiled brightly, and she felt a pressure on her mind. She closed her thoughts and inclined her head. “My name is Yllin.”

  “I am Trobie. My family was sitting in your section at the restaurant on Mikkada Street. You were the best server we have ever had.” He gave her a condescending grin.

  “Ah, the Moringale party.”

  He seemed pleased that she remembered. “Yes, my family was hosting a fundraiser for High Prefect Gerocard’s favourite charity.”

  She nodded. She hadn’t been able to get out of serving that night, so she had pretended to not be her father’s daughter.

  Trobie proceeded to tell her how well off he was and how his family was one of the highest in the country.

  He grinned. “So, what was the most memorable part of the fundraiser for you?”

  She could tell that he wanted it to be his handsome features, but she had to answer, “Well, if I am honest, it was the lousy tip. Normally that many people are a good night, but I took home half wages for all my efforts.”

  “Well, we were doing it for charity.”

  “And so you would take the poorest-paid citizens and pay them even less. That makes total sense.” She raised an eyebrow.

  He blushed and turned to speak with the woman on the other side of him. She was properly appreciative of his high status.

  Yllin propped her head on her fist and stared out at the stars. Her contract with the Citadel stated that as soon as she became profitable, ninety percent of her funds would be returned to Missambra and her sponsoring of girls getting into trades, as it was now. She worked so they could work. It seemed a fair cycle.

  Her parents had let her set up the fund as long as she kept their names out of it, so she worked jobs during s
chool and banked all the money. Two years ago, she had begun her program, and it had put two dozen women into trades that they had been unable to train in because of financial restrictions. Helping them get an education fulfilled something inside her.

  The trip took twelve hours. They were taken to the galley in groups of four for the meals. Working the in-flight lav was tricky but, apparently, good practice for the Citadel itself.

  Yllin interacted with the others, but once they learned she was not a psychic talent, they became arrogant and turned their noses up at her physical talent. The other physical talents were older than she was and they held themselves apart, completely.

  She didn’t blame the other physical talents. Their world did not respect them, and it was easier just to pretend that they didn’t have anything special about them at all. Eventually, they would begin to believe it, but the Citadel had come calling before that happened. They had the aspect of people in a dream, terrified that they would wake up.

  The pilot and the recruiters were friendly enough, and the time passed swiftly. When they arrived at Citadel Ohkhan, Yllin filed into line with everyone else for the initial medical checks and were called by name into the scanner.

  “Yllin Gerocard.” The medic smiled and beckoned her forward.

  Yllin winced, and she heard several of the recruits gasp. She paused and turned to them. “We are all novices at the Citadel. The social positions we held on Missambra are gone and your family cannot help you here. This is about you and what you choose to do with your life. I am choosing the Citadel.”

  The medic raised her brows and smiled in approval. Her rich amethyst skin and wide silver eyes made her bald scalp elegant and the gills on her neck almost invisible.

  “Come with me, Novice Yllin.” The medic led her behind the partition and the scans began.

  When the scans were over, Yllin was handed a bodysuit in gleaming white with a robe that swung from shoulder to ankle in a wide vest. A hood was attached to the neck and she flexed her hands, stretching until the suit was comfortable.