A way out, a way home, a plan…
“So, this order from the Overlord will be the exact cover I need to go home,” Tony explained to Simon over the voicecom. “All we will need to do is get Sarita, Nathan and Rhonda here to the port and we can leave for Refugio.”
“That solves some of the problems,” Simon said, “but I know Decoman, and his friends are watching Sarita closely. If she tries to leave, they may raise an alarm and cause trouble. I suspect he is in regular contact with someone in Amaurot over this.”
“Well, didn’t you say the Population Office wanted Sarita kept under lock and key? What better excuse for her to not be wandering around? Tell them if they ask, you are required to keep her confined and they can slip away and meet us.”
“That might work, and it would keep Decoman out of my hair until we work this out,” Simon said. “I don’t think Sarita will enjoy it. She loves to be outside, and she is very active. That worries me about her becoming harem bound. I don’t think she realizes how confined your women are. She runs several kilometers every week. Do women in Refugio have the freedom to do that?”
“I remember my grandmother used to have an enclosed garden where the harem women would exercise in the open air. It has several well-maintained, long paths I always found odd as a child. They could have been running on them for all I know. I suspect that if she provides Francos with a grandson, she could have anything she wants — but first we have to get her to Refugio.”
“You have a plan?” Simon asked. He could hear the excitement in Tony’s voice.
“Yes, what of the old wharf down the beach from the new shipping wharf? Could you get them there without anyone suspecting? We could sail down to that old wharf and pick them up there.”
“This time of year, that wharf is a favorite fishing site. It is seldom free of people, even at night.”
“There must be some way of getting them down to the beach without anyone seeing.”
“Well, there is the hidden dock. A tunnel goes from the back of a storage building to the beach around the point from the main wharf. It has a dock built into the side of the hill. I don’t know if the tunnel is still passable.”
“Can you check? That may be our only hope.” Simon could hear the laughter in Tony’s voice. “Hum, a bit of smuggling going on perhaps?”
“No, I’m afraid it was more sinister than that. My grandfather traded with Port when we were first here. He especially used it to get rid in people he didn’t want on the farm. My father continued it when he was here until the Assembly warned him. It’s been locked for several years. I can check it out, but can you do this before First Day?”
“That is only four days away, but I think I can arrange it. You see about the tunnel, and I’ll arrange for the ship.”
Simon enlisted the help of several of the children to explore the older buildings of the farm. As a cover, he told everyone he was searching for sample insects for a science project. They were able to scout out the entire length of the tunnel. Some older residents knew of the existence of the tunnel and Simon hoped Decoman didn’t remember it.
Simon messaged Tony and let him know the tunnel was passable. Now he called Sarita, Rhonda, and Nathan to his office to plan their escape. Before he was able to explain the complications that had arisen, a pale and tentative Rhonda sunk into a chair and gazed at her younger sister.
“Sarita, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Rhonda, remember when we were children, and we would dream of adventures and read the old stories like Brendan the Navigator and Neil Armstrong? We would hike out into the woods and pretend we were the first settlers here on Higgins. We wanted to be adventurers. To me, this is just the same. We are off on an adventure.”
“Do you want to stay, Rhonda?” Nathan asked his wife quietly.
Sarita could see her older sister was upset. She knelt by her chair and took her hands. “Rhonda, I won’t make you come. I am sure you and Nathan can teach me, so I am not injured when I bond with the First Successor. With what you can tell me, and what Mother can teach me, I am sure I’ll be fine.”
“I love you, little sister, but I don’t want to have my baby in Refugio. But I don’t want you to be alone, either.”
“Mother will be there, and Uncle Tony. I didn’t think about the baby. Mother said the trip might not hurt you, but I didn’t think about what would happen after we got there. Believe me, I’ll be fine.”
“If this is what you want, Rhonda, we will stay here, but we will work with Sarita to learn how to channel your manifestation.” Nathan seemed relieved.
“I don’t want to go to Refugio and have my first child there. I want to be here with Mama Morianan and the midwives of the crèche. Please understand, Sarita.” Tears welled up in Rhonda’s eyes.
“Rhonda, the baby is so much more important than I am. As much as I would love to have you and Nathan there, you need to stay. Maybe, you will be able to come and visit someday. Or Mother and I can come visit here.”
“It is settled then,” Nathan said while stroking his softly crying wife’s hair. “We will stay here.”
“In that case, Nathan and Rhonda, you two need to leave while Sarita and I discuss what is going to happen. The less you know, the better.” Simon ushered the couple out of the office. Sarita sensed trouble in Simon’s quick dismissal of her family.
“Papa Kearney, there’s trouble?” Sarita rose and sat in the chair her sister had just vacated.
“I’m afraid so.” Simon sat down by his desk. “Decoman sent messages to both the Guild of Discerners and the Population Office. They are sending an investigator down here on First Day. We need to have you out of here before then, if you are still willing to go.”
Sarita sighed to herself. What would it take to convince him she really wanted to do this?
“I want this, Papa. You remember how many men I met at the regional meeting? The attention I got from Padraig O’Brian. He tried to pull me behind a curtain and kiss me! That is someone I very much do not want to be forced to bond with.” Sarita’s head began to throb. Lights danced before her eyes, and she felt as if she were about to spew her first meal. She slumped back in the chair.
Morianan rushed through the door. “I could feel her pain clear in the laundry. Sarita, trance, now!” Sarita forced herself into the calming trance. Slowly, the pain began to ebb, but she was exhausted. “What were you doing, child?” A talented empath and healer, she placed her hands on Sarita’s head and slowed her racing heart.
“She was trying to convince me she had to go to Refugio,” Simon said softly. He was in awe of the potential power. Sarita would be a powerful wielder of compulsion when she manifested.
“To the sick room with you for now. I don’t want you burning out. At the rate you are going, you will.”
“That’s it!” Simon gasped. “We’ll announce Sarita has a fever and has to be quarantined. That way, we can slip her out to meet Tony on Rest Day and no one will know for several days. There are some rooms in the building by the tunnel that would be excellent for quarantining someone. I think they may have used them for that the last time we had a fever outbreak.” Simon smiled at his wife but looked somberly at Sarita. “I know you want to go Sarita, but I worry this will much more difficult than you can ever imagine.”
Sarita grimaced from the pain in her head. “If this headache is any indication of what I face if I don’t bond soon, then the amount of trouble won’t matter, Papa.” Morianan supported the sagging young woman and left the room, calling to some of the other women to come help her.
Later that evening, Decoman approached Simon and requested permission to see Sarita. Simon sent him to Morianan knowing full well any mention of a fever would keep him away from the quarantine building. The settlers now had immunity, for the most part, from the diseases on Higgins, but the fever was still frightening when it came. Word quickly spread Sarita was ill. Several parents approached the Healers because she had been working in the library with the smaller children. Morianan let the Healers know Sarita was having problems because of a late manifestation. The parents were reassured their children were in no danger.
***
Tony and Rita worked the next day on the bonding offer they would send to Refugio. Carlos Bethal had used the cover that he was searching for a second wife for one of his sons, but Tony was sure the gossip in Refugio saw through it. Simon had provided Sarita’s DNA scan and blood sample as well as pictures of her. There must be no mistake Sarita was of Pesch, not a Utopian family. Alam would know eventually, but all negotiations for the marriage would be done by her mother and uncle. Tony and Rita were in total accord. This was their contract, and her chance to reenter Refugio society.
Should you want to read the whole story…
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