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Helios helped me back to our room, back to our bed, and I knew the worst had passed. It
was safe now. Safe to grieve, safe to rage and weep and suffer and love. It was safe to remember
An Uncommon Whore 2: When I Fall 41
Suzan and her sharp wit. It was safe to remember that she d loved Helios nearly as much as
she d loved me, and that the baby the Landaun had torn from her dying body might very well
have had copper red hair.
That final memory was too much. He held me as I shook and trembled. He held me in arms
that were powerful yet so very gentle. In them I grieved and finally came to the weary
understanding that I was still alive, no matter how painful life might be. For that, I was grateful.
The death of our just-born daughter had been too much. He must never know of that final,
horrifying loss.
I was alive, I was loved, and after so long, I was safe.
I slept that night and did not dream.
42 Belinda McBride
Chapter Five
It felt incredibly good to have a powerful horse beneath me. Helios and I rode side by side,
scrambling up the rocky slopes of the canyon. The higher we climbed, the more rugged and
beautiful the terrain became. Helios had dispatched geologists to determine the source of the
gemstones that littered the floodplains and waterways, and had decided a day trip was in order to
check their progress.
We certainly could have been there in a much shorter time by taking a skimmer, but like
me, Helios craved something to do other than play at politics all day. This outing allowed us to
actually see and experience the environment we were living in rather than rely on maps and
surveys.
In the beginning, Helios had suspected the site of the original settlement on Neo Domus
was unsafe. Once we physically inspected the miles of fields that surrounded it, we knew the
gentle valley was actually a floodplain. Helios quickly ordered the relocation of the village, and
that area was given over to farming. Every member of the council had been churlish about the
move, resenting the sweeping changes Helios had rapidly instituted when we had arrived.
He d come in like the wind, setting up surveys, sending out engineers, and interviewing
hundreds of people, from council members to the most common of citizens. He d worked with
engineers and geologists to relocate and plan the new capital city. He d overwhelmed the council
with new duties as food and commodities were distributed, homes were built and assigned, and
crops were planted.
It was only at night, behind closed doors, that he allowed his fear and insecurity to emerge.
As a whole, his instincts had been right, and his risks had paid off. Now that we were past just
surviving, Helios s attention had shifted elsewhere. He was hunting, but I wasn t certain of his
quarry.
An Uncommon Whore 2: When I Fall 43
 I think if horses and wildlife have survived on Arash, there might well be more human
survivors. He glanced over at me and then forward again.  Do you think it is likely we can
approach the planet undetected by the Landaun?
 No, we cannot. My tone was clipped.  However, we have no evidence that the Landaun
still occupy the planet. They were very efficient in their rape of the timber and minerals. Our spy
drones have noted no significant surface activity in over two years. There s been no significant
space traffic either. This wasn t news to either of us, but the fear of the Landaun was deeply
rooted in us all. If we were to actually launch a team to our former home, it would have to be
conducted in secrecy. The citizens would be frightened of the consequences of such a mission.
Helios focused on his horse as they clambered up a rocky embankment. I followed on my
gelding. It was a pity he d been castrated, as our stock was so low. While I knew Helios would
love to recover some of our herd, his mind was more focused on the human survivors.
 Griffin, I believe Carlotta might have some information she hasn t shared. I know she has
contacts among the few survivors of Talis.
We rode awhile longer before I replied.  Do you think it safe to bring in more Talisian
refugees? After their betrayal of our people? I liked Carlotta; she was one of the few people in
the world I trusted. It worried me deeply that she might be withholding information about her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]