Pardon Read online

  Bryn smiled and waved at her. “Hello.”

  Lynni laughed. “Hello. I am Elder Lynni, and the monitor next to me is Elder Hrakin. He is out of the city at the moment while his Bride gets a hold of her new strength and talents.”

  The face of the Elder sighed, and he inclined his head. “Welcome to Lrrko, Bride Bryn McFarland.”

  “Thank you.”

  The Elders were staring at her, looking down at tablets and then back to her.

  Elder Lynni chuckled. “My companions are confused by the records of your training and deeds as was found when they recovered the emergency data recorder on the ship.”

  “Um, what did it record?”

  The two-toned Terran smiled. “Your survival.”

  The way she had phrased it, Bryn relaxed. “Oh, that.”

  “Indeed. It was extremely impressive. You have seen the courses that are being suggested to you?”

  “I have. I would definitely like to study as much as possible.”

  Elder Lynni looked at her tablet. “What about the issues you had on Earth?”

  Bryn froze. “What about them?”

  “Did you ever get therapy for what happened with your sister?”

  Bryn blinked as every pair of eyes in the room with the exception of Surat’s were focused on her.

  “Um, no. There wasn’t really time.”

  Elder Lynni sat back and smiled softly. “It is the first thing you are going to do here. Bryn, Surat will take you to the Brothers, and they will help you work through your issues.”

  Surat jerked. “The Brothers, Elder Lynni?”

  “Yes. It might not make sense from your perspective, but it is necessary for one of my species. Our society built in certain defaults. She has to come to grips with her emotions, and she needs tools to deal with the past. Take her. Bring her back if she is ready for harvest. In the meantime, she can deal with the situation that fills her with so much rage.” Elder Lynni looked completely calm.

  Bryn didn’t argue. She was on Lrrko and safe. It didn’t matter where she went.

  “As you wish, Elder Lynni. We will depart immediately.”

  “Go to the quartermaster and get some clothing for both of you.” Elder Hrakin spoke from the screen he was in.

  Surat nodded. “Thank you, Elders.”

  He smiled at Bryn.

  Bryn looked from Lynni’s face to his. She offered a smile and said, “Road trip?”

  The laughter from the female Elder rang in the room as Surat guided Bryn from the chamber.

  They were down the hall when Bryn finally thought to ask, “Who are the Brothers?”

  “A sect of identical Lrrko linked on the mental plane. They are the therapists of our people.”

  She was suspicious. “What do they normally deal with?”

  “Battle fatigue.”

  Bryn had to give points to Lynni for perception. That was the best description of her mental state that she could think of.

  “So, we are just going?”

  “Of course. The Elders have ordered it, and we will carry it out. It can’t hurt.”

  She hoped not. If it hurt, she might lash out, and from there, all bets were off.

  The small ship was a longer-range vessel, and it had been delivered by a man in the guard uniform of the Elder Council. Bryn had finally caught on to the colour coding that was prevalent amongst the Lrrko. She and Surat were wearing the colour of the Brides.

  “So, how long until we reach the Brothers?”

  “Three hours. They are across the continent in the middle of the lava belt.”

  She nodded. “How many Brothers are there at any given time?”

  “Nine Brothers are decanted at the same time and sent to the crèche. They are all split from the same egg, and this creates their link.”

  “So, nine copies of the same person?”

  “Correct.”

  She finally blurted out the question that had been banging around in her head. “How many copies of you are there?”

  He turned to look at her in surprise. “Only one. Each Lrrko is carefully designed from the genetic line that directs their likely occupation.”

  “Oh. What is yours?”

  He chuckled. “I am a driver and a pilot. I can manage any and all vehicles.”

  “Oh, nice.” She chuckled. She had been imagining something far more sinister.

  “There have been other assignments as well, but those are the main duties that I take on.”

  “Nice.”

  He set the controls, and they continued skimming through the clouds. “So, what did Lynni see in your file that I didn’t?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but I am guessing that she is referring to my sister’s suicide.”

  “She took her own life?”

  “That is what suicide means. She was three years older than I was; she went to school, and she was raped. They would not let her file formal charges, her fellow students harassed her and she broke. She ended her own life and explained everything to me in a letter.”

  “Your law enforcement did not enforce the law?”

  She shrugged. “He played sports, and they didn’t want to ruin his career with a report that they didn’t feel like pursuing.”

  She smiled grimly.

  “What happened then?”

  “He died in a drunk-driving accident. Out of four people in the car, he was the only fatality while the others had minor injuries. What are the odds?” She shrugged.

  “Did you kill him?”

  Bryn wrinkled her nose. “Not directly. I simply increased his chances of dying in the crash.”

  “You messed with the mechanicals.”

  “That is a very good guess.”

  He nodded. “Was she your sister by blood?”

  “No. I was adopted; so was she. We grew up in the same house, and neither of us knew our birth parents.”

  “What of the ones who adopted you?”

  She wrapped her arms around herself. “The McFarlands were great parents. They were already seniors when they took me on, and they passed away two months apart the same year I entered university.”

  “So, you had lost everyone by then.”

  “Yeah. I was a little angry, and so, it came out when I needed it.” She didn’t mention that it was always close at hand. She never had to look far for rage.

  Bryn looked around and fished out her tablet, reading up on the voltage tolerance of the communications systems.

  “And when you don’t want to discuss something, you read.”

  She shrugged. “Yup.”

  Bryn lost herself in her studies for the next few hours. Surat left her to her distraction.

  Bryn slung her bag over her shoulder, and she carefully placed her feet on the rocky path leading up to the long, stone building at the top of the hill.

  Surat was following her, and he was chuckling.

  “What are you laughing at, Surat?”

  “Nothing.”

  There was a pause, and he finished. “I don’t think the Brothers have ever seen a female.”

  When they arrived at the top of the hill, she was sweating a bit, and Surat knocked at the door for her, leaving her in front of him.

  The door swung open, and a strangely pigmented Lrrko stood in front of her. The man’s gaze went to Surat, and then, his focus shifted down to see her. “What are you?”

  She inclined her head. “Bride Bryn McFarland of the Lrrko. I am here because the Elders sent me. I have issues.”

  He scowled at her, and it seemed his mind was elsewhere. In a moment, he nodded. “Come in.”

  She followed the man in the long skirt and wide belt. His silver hair was braided neatly down his naked back. The blood red of his gaze was now directed onto his path, and Bryn was a little relieved. When he looked at her, it was almost as if he could see through her.

  He led her through the structure with Surat followi
ng behind them.

  Their guide took them through a maze of corridors until he opened a door. “You can leave your things in here.”

  She nodded, and Surat followed her in.

  The Brother stopped him. “You cannot share her quarters. She must go on this journey alone. Until it is concluded, she must remain on her own.”

  Bryn dropped her bag on the bed. She turned to Surat, and he didn’t like what he was hearing.

  “Why? I am her Familiar. Her survival is my duty.”

  “That duty has been passed to us by virtue of the Elders. Bride Bryn? Please, come with me.”

  Bryn looked to Surat, but he simply smiled encouragingly. “No harm will come to you here. I will always be nearby even if I am not next to you. If you need me, I am there.”

  The Brother beckoned to her, and she shrugged and followed him.

  She took a few deep breaths as she followed the silver braid through the halls.

  She had questions about the Brothers, but they all jammed in her mind the moment that she rounded the corner and saw the wide central space surrounded by nine podiums, eight of which were hosting kneeling Brothers. When she walked in, all of those red eyes were directed at her.

  “Stand in the centre and close your eyes. Deal with the images as they come to you.”

  The escort knelt on his podium and faced inward.

  Bryn wiped her hands on her thighs, and she stepped onto the smooth platform of polished stone. She was eye to eye with every one of them. No wonder they told her to close her eyes.

  She turned slowly and looked at all of the red gazes, the silver hair, the same faces over and over again. After two rotations, she got dizzy, so she centred herself and closed her eyes.

  She felt pressure on her mind, and the anger rose. When she opened her eyes, the world around her had changed.

  Chapter Seven

  She could see herself, but it wasn’t her. It was her as a child. Bryn Maxis had lived at the group home, and the other children had learned early to stay away from her.

  When Albert and Cynthia McFarland had come to the home to pick up the frustrated five-year-old, they had been patient, kind and wary. Bryn watched them ease and coax her into their vehicle and how they watched her introduction to her new sister.

  The two girls had circled each other like dogs, but when Bryn realised that her new sister wasn’t aggressive, she calmed down and they made friends.

  Bryn felt a warming pulse in her mind, and she spun away.

  When she settled, she was holding her sister’s hand and trying to get her to tell her who had assaulted her.

  Bryn remembered the helpless fury that she felt. Sally had picked up on the fury and had cringed back.

  “I don’t want you to do anything stupid, Bryn.” Sally had sniffled.

  “It won’t be stupid. It will be well thought out.” Bryn smiled.

  Sally laughed slightly and said, “Just be here for me. That is all I want.”

  Bryn pressed her head to Sally’s, but her mind was whirling with ways to seek revenge.

  “Enough for today. Think on why you were so fixated on revenge.” Nine men spoke as one.

  Bryn staggered as she came out of the visions. She could feel Sally next to her and didn’t want to lose that feeling.

  One of the Brothers moved from his podium and walked her back to her quarters.

  “Think on what you have seen and what it means. Focus on how you felt and why you felt it. You have a lot of rage in you, and it is wearing on you.”

  He inclined his head and pulled her door closed.

  Bryn stared at the wall, and she knew that Surat was behind it. She wanted him to fold her in his arms and tell her that everything was all right, but she needed to deal with her feelings of abandonment and helplessness. It might not be the best way to work through her past, but it was necessary.

  The attack on the ship had let her know that she was no longer willing to think things through, and fortunately, Lynni caught onto that.

  It seemed more was more than just stunning colouration to the Elder of Terra. She knew what she was looking at when she read a file.

  The second round came an hour after breakfast the following day. The Brothers had a fairly basic diet, and she was only going to be here until she was able to get a handle on herself.

  She wasn’t as nervous as she had been the previous day, but this time, she was led to the same type of circle outdoors.

  “Feel free to speak if it is needed. Today will not be pleasant for you.” Her guide gave her a slight smile.

  She nodded and stepped into the circle. The red gazes fixed on her again, and as she closed her eyes, they pushed her into the most painful day of her past.

  “Sally? I have some cupcakes for you. Sally?” There was no answer at the door. Bryn fished out her spare key and opened the door. The smell was choking, but there was no mistaking what it was.

  Bryn walked in and looked for Sally, finding her in bed with a note clutched in her fist.

  Dear Bryn,

  I know you will be the one who finds me, but I just can’t take it anymore. What started as a horrible night has turned into something that has wrecked my life. I get laughed at in class and stalked to my room. There is nowhere to hide, no way to move forward, and I can’t work out a future with this in my past.

  The police have all the information of the man who did this and the guys who helped him. I am sorry that you found me this way, but it had to be you.

  Tell Mom and Dad that I love them and there was nothing they could have done differently. This was my life, and it has run its course. I was thrown away as a baby, and now, I have been discarded by society again.

  I love you, I love Mom and Dad, and I wish you nothing but the best. Do what you can for others, Bryn. I know you are going to be great.

  All my love,

  Sally

  Bryn had to hand the letter over to the police, but by the time they arrived, she had found the second letter that her sister had hidden in the unicorn coffee mug that Bryn had made her for her fifteenth birthday.

  There was a series of names in that short note, and finally, Bryn knew the name of her sister’s attacker. It would take some time, but she would make him pay.

  She staggered back and opened her eyes, staring blindly at the projection of her standing over her sister’s grave with the note clutched in her fist, her parents sobbing at her side.

  “What is that?” She whispered it to the nine Brothers who were watching her memories unfold.

  “We are sharing your pain as only another Lrrko could do. It is our purpose.” The ringing of the voices on the stone surrounded her.

  “Close your eyes and return to your moment.”

  She took a deep breath and returned to her grief.

  It went faster now. She watched her parents decline and waited until her revenge could be enacted. When she had buried everyone who would be affected by her actions, she enrolled at the same university that had taken her sister’s life.

  After she watched the rapist for a few weeks, it was simple to find the car that he never let anyone else drive and tamper with it. Toxic compressed gas in the air bags was the final touch.

  He liked to drive drunk, so after that, it was a waiting game that just involved swerving at him on the highway. The rest went like clockwork. The three passengers in the car were banged up but alive. Their injuries were just enough to knock them off the team for the season, which lost them their scholarships and out they went.

  Her grief welled up again, and she looked for a purpose to substitute for revenge.

  “Enough for today.”

  She staggered and looked around. The sun had moved dramatically, and she was a little scorched. She had been in her own memories for about five hours.

  Surat was waiting on the other side of the circle. “I will not speak with her, but her body is mine to maintain, and she has gotten a sunburn.”
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  Bryn blinked, and a projection of Surat appeared in the circle. It was his face as he worked on her hand in medical. She had been peeking through her lashes as he carefully rebuilt her fingertips.

  She hoped that her blush wasn’t visible, because her gaze had drifted down his neck, to his shoulders and lingered on his bicep.

  Bryn cut off her memory before it turned into the fantasy that had followed. That wasn’t something she wanted Surat to see.

  She quickly moved out of the circle, and the image faded. Her exhalation was all relief.

  One of the Brothers came to her side, and he frowned at Surat. “You cannot offer her comfort.”

  “I wish to attend her body.”

  The Brother closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded. “I will accompany you to make sure that you do not undo her therapy.”

  He opened his eyes, and the ruby red was gleaming.

  Surat led her back through the halls to his quarters where the med kit was waiting. He waved for her to take a seat as he pulled out an anesthetic spray. “Close your eyes.”

  She nodded and closed them before he misted her face. The cool substance felt lovely on her skin. The next layer was a moisture cream, and the third pass was with the tissue regenerator that worked on surface skin. He used it on her scalp as well, and when he was done, he stood back.

  “You need to hydrate.” Surat’s voice was tense.

  “Your opinion is not needed, Familiar. She will return to meditation on what she has learned today. Our estimate is two more days here and she will have discovered and dealt with her rage.”

  Bryn snorted. “I doubt that I can be cured in two days.”

  The Brother looked at her with a puzzled look. “We are not here to cure you. We are teaching you focus. You will know how to use your pain in a calculated manner when we are done.”

  She blinked. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. We are here to rehabilitate warriors, not coddle the weak.” The Brother smiled. “Now, back to your quarters for contemplation.”