Damia. Part 15

'The mare is Birdie, Cera, and, Jeran, your gelding is Cricket,' Ian said, genuinely enjoying his role.

If Afra had been told about the ponies, Jeff, Isthia remarked to her son later that night when her grandchildren had finally been put to bed, there'd've been no fits on leaving.

I forgot you still had to use those wretched beasts, Jeff said ruefully for he had stopped riding the moment he had learned how to teleport accurately. Afra will be immensely relieved. He was talking about sending out a c.o.o.nie or two to keep her from being too lonely.

Thank you, no. There's enough livestock to be cared for about the place. As it is, it took a lot of persuasion to get Damia to sleep in her bed instead of out in the paddock with Jupiter.

Jeff chuckled. Jupiter?

Yes, Damia was so pleased by that. She has a remarkable appreciation of her environment, doesn't she? Anyway, rea.s.sure Angharad that all's well.

I will, but I may not mention that she's been displaced by runty-legged manure-makers.

The Rowan knew that the children had arrived safely and were settling in but she'd given himself and Afra such a b.o.l.l.o.c.king for the way they had practically abducted her children that he decided not to risk another storm.

She was resting now, more deeply than she had in many months.

That was something he wouldn't mention though he was intensely glad to see how effective the lifting of her maternal burden had been.

Those run legged manure makers are the best possible antidote for unsealed kids. Damia had firm control over Jupe in about five minutes.

Cera wasn't all that pleased with the effect of a long ride on her tender behind but Besseva slathered her with an appropriate salve.

Jeran's being pompous. He's so much like your father at moments!

Jeff chuckled because he knew exactly what his mother meant. Then I shall expect to see him much improved when we get a chance to visit.

Ah, about that! Leave it a while. Angharad really oughtn't to travel - too much stress. And let the children settle in completely.

Rhodri and Ian took half a dozen tapes which I'll get Morfanu to zip off to you. That should rea.s.sure you both.

I am, I am, Mother, and can't thank you enough for pitching in like this.

Oh, I had my reasons.

But when Jeff probed to find out what they were, Isthia refused to admit him.

Besseva, noting Isthia's smug grin, raised her eyebrows enquiringly.

'I've rea.s.sured the doting papa that his little ones are safely asleep in their cots,' Isthia said and resumed her smile slightly.

'We're going to have to watch that youngest one,' Besseva said.

'Oooh, but she's powerful.' 'Hmmm, yes.

'But really, Isthia, aren't they a bit young?' 'Not at all,' Isthia replied stoutly. 'They'll have fewer inhibitions.' 'And get into more trouble, too.

'Besseva, we've got to develop our own Talents, and that requires Talent. One blind man can't lead another effectively.' 'But they're children!' Besseva's voice rose slightly in protest and Isthia, mentally and physically, shushed her.

Ian was working in the corner, giving his niece's saddle a good soaping to soften the leather.

'And a little child shall lead them,' Isthia said, her eyes sparkling.

'You are the absolute end, Isthia Raven.

'On the contrary, I'm the beginning,' Isthia replied.

'And, if I'm going on as I mean for them to begin, I'm going to need a good night's sleep.' She gave a gusty sigh.

'Why do children have the reserves of energy people my age so desperately need?' 'Huh!' Besseva said in contradiction to that complaint.

Lying in a new bed into which she had been tucked by her fascinating grandmother, Damia was still reviewing all the wonderful things that had happened since the capsule had opened. Being on Deneb was much better than hearing Daddy talk about it. And why hadn't he ever mentioned that Deneb had ponies? She sighed and, to make sure he was all right, she 'reached' to touch Jupiter. He'd stopped eating and was idly flicking his tail, as much to discourage the minute nightfliers from settling on Birdie's head as to keep them off himself.

His mind was drowsy with sleep.

Just like Rascal's when he was curled up on her bed. Was Rascal missing her? Damia wondered. He'd have no-one to sleep with. A sad feeling made her throat constrict. Poor Rascal! Maybe, just tonight, Daddy would let him sleep on the foot of their bed. She loved having a pony but a pony couldn't sleep at the foot of her bed and she missed the comforting presence.

'Mrrow?' came a plaintive call from outside her door.

Damia had been given a proper bed without railings.

She crawled out from under the covers and opened her door.

'Mrrr?' 'Who are you?' Damia called sleepily. A large orange and white cat marched into the room, rubbing himself against her leg. 'Oh, you're beautiful.' Though the animal was as tall as her waist, Damia hoisted him into her arms, once again exerting kinetic energy without realizing what she'd done in her wish to do what she needed. 'There,' she said, '9' glared ferociously at Damia so that she knew she'd suffer his retribution, too, if she tried any of her tricks.

Damia was far too entranced with her new friends to think of any 'tricks'. She listened, very carefully, to the instructions Linna Maybrick gave the cla.s.s - hearing it on two levels - and sometimes puzzling at the contradictions.

But when she saw the others obeying what was said aloud, she followed their example.

At the morning break, she let Jorg lead the way to the playground where the four tablemates played together, climbing all over the 'mountain' and down into the 'tunnels' and swinging over the rivers' and revelling in noise and happy dirtinesses, for the play area was dirty and full of shavings.

Linna Maybrick, their teacher, watched carefully from the doorway.

Alla climbed to the top of the 'mountain' and hesitated for a moment at the top of the slide down for it was, for a child, a huge drop. One of the more aggressive older boys was behind her and he lost patience, giving her a push on her way. His thrust was off-centered and caught Alla just as she was bent to sit on the slide. Thrown off-balance, she teetered to one side, a two-metre free-fall to the playground below.

Alla screamed. Damia, who had been waiting at the bottom, gave a horrified shout, then 'concentrated'. Linna, who had started running the moment she saw the boy shove Alla, came to an abrupt halt as the little girl bounced gently on to the hard ground. Damia rushed over to her friend and helped her up.

'Are you OK?' Alla nodded shakenly. 'I got pushed.' Then she c.o.c.ked her head. 'Did you do that?' Damia turned suddenly shy. If she admitted to doing any 'tricks' she wouldn't be able to ride Jupe. 'Do what?' she asked ingenuously.

Alla narrowed her eyes at Damia. 'Well, someone did something.

Jorg, who had watched the whole incident wide-eyed, looked at Damia critically. 'You're not from here.' 'I am, too. I live with my grandmother and my uncle.' She pointed towards Ian who was playing with older boys on an adjacent field. Jorg peered in the direction but his eyes were suspicious when he turned back to her.

'I know about the Ravens. My dad says they're all FT&T freaks.' Damia didn't know the word 'freak' but she did know FT&T. Everyone she knew worked for FT&T and were proud of it.

'Why, thank you very much,' Damia said while Alla gawked at her in stunned surprise.

So did Jorg, having antic.i.p.ated a far different response to the insult.

'But you're a freak!' he shouted and she picked up on the pejorative this time.

'There's no need to shout,' Damia said, dismally aware that the three of them were suddenly the centre of attention.

Abruptly Jeran and Cera made their way through the tight knot of children.

'Who called my sister a freak?' Jeran demanded, fists clenched at the ready. Beside him, Cera a.s.sumed a similar stance. Jorg nervously retreated.

'Actually, he said I was an FT&T freak, Jeran,' Damia replied, worried lest her brother realize she'd done something that could be accounted a 'trick' even if it had saved Alla from injury.

Jeran frowned intently at his sister for a moment and then, bracing himself again, unerringly settled on Jorg as the culprit. But the recess bell sounded and Jorg was the first one into the school.

Back in cla.s.s, Jorg quickly spread the rumour that Damia was a freak. She felt miserable, especially as Alla wouldn't even look across the table at her. On the other side, Jenifer's grin turned slightly malicious and she kept staring at Damia.

When Isthia collected her after school, she naturally asked how Damia had liked her first day at school, and was taken aback by the fierce answer.

'I hate it. I'm not going back.' On the flitter ride to the Raven compound, Isthia deftly drew out the reason for Damia's discontent.

She was both saddened and angered that her grandchild had had such an unfortunate encounter on her very first day.

'Jorg is wrong. You are not a freak,' Isthia a.s.sured her, 'even an FT&T freak. And you were very quick about saving your friend from injury.' 'She's scared of me now and Jenifer just stares at me, grinning!' 'Stare back at her and I'd suggest you give Alla a little time to get over being rescued. She must have been surprised to bounce on the ground when she expected to crash.' Damia considered that.

'Yes, I guess she was more surprised than anything else. Least she wasn't hurt.' Isthia ruffled her hair affectionately. 'That's right.' Damia regarded her grandmother solemnly. 'Then rescuing Alla isn't a real trick and I can still ride Jupiter?' The incident, as embellished by Jorg, set Damia apart from the others and while in time even Jorg was glad of her unprejudiced use of Talent to protect her playmates from the worst ravages of the playground, Alla was willing only to be her acquaintance. The lack of a close friend disturbed Damia and worried Isthia. To compensate, the youngster would often accept greater challenges in school and, at home, would often take off on Jupiter for lengthy adventures.

I fear she is a solitary soul, Isthia remarked in a conversation with her parents.

That's not a Raven trait! Jeff, who had always had a pack of boys to lead on excursions, replied.

No, its more apt to be a Greyn trait, I'm afraid, the Rowan said bitterly. I thought that it was just being Ward of the Planet and having much older foster siblings, but perhaps it is a personality thing.

You bestow your affections frugally, Angharad dear, Isthia said gently, but where you do you are selfless.

But I was so lonely! the Rowan cried. I didn't want Damia to be lonely, too.

It may be in Damia's nature to be solitary, Isthia replied.

But she's not lonely. There's Jupiter to ride about on, most of the workdogs when they're free, and Marmalade on her bed at night.

She's not lonely. She does have companions at school even ,f she hasn't established a true-blue friendship. That'll probably take a little more time.

Well, maybe she'll be happier for a brother.

How are you feeling? Isthia asked hopefully.

The Rowan responded with a mental sigh. Jeff added, She hates to admit it but she's been doing much better since the children left.

Isthia could feel the mental nuzzle Jeff sent to his love. She can concentrate on growing this new one, can't you, luv?

I should be able to manage as much as you did, Isthia! the Rowan complained guiltily Ah, yes, but I was not running a power Tower nor was my husband absent all day long on another world. Then again, as soon as my el&st was able, I had him minding babies. Your Jeran's a solidly responsible boy, Angharad, and I love him dearly but he's not quite ready to baby-sit Dam:a.

The Rowan chuckled at the thought of the self-contained Jeran trying to handle his wild-mooded sister. Well, maybe he'll be able to sit for this one.

Damia awoke with a gasp. Someone was crying. Someone felt bad.

Instinctively, with a sense of compa.s.sion which was fundamental to her nature, Damia reached out to calm the person. Her mental 'hand' stretched far, farther than she actively remembered. Whoever was crying was upset because it was cold and wet and had been warm just a few moments ago. Something rough was rubbing against it.

It's a towel! Damia exclaimed as she identified it. It's all right, you'll be warm and dry in a moment!

The someone was awestruck.

It's all right, Damia repeated soothingly. You'll be all right now.

The someone was calmed, felt sleepy. Warm and sleepy.

Damia continued to send soothing thoughts, herself growing drowsy in her efforts to send the other to sleep.

She yawned, turned over and drifted off.

'I've never seen anything like it!' Elizara exclaimed to Jeff Raven as they took a late celebratory libation, 'That child was all set to cry his lungs out and then-' Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'Did you do anything?' 'Me? No,' Jeff replied, confused. 'I had thought it was you. It certainly wasn't the Rowan.' 'No!' Elizara agreed. 'Not under anaesthetic.' 'Will it take her long to recover from the Caesarean?' Jeff asked, the thoughts turning from his newest son to his greatest love.

Elizara shook her head, grinning. 'This isn't Deneb where some of your obstetrics are still pretty archaic.

Microlaser surgery heals seamless. She'll be fine in three to four days.' She raised a cautioning hand. 'But it will be months before the abdominal muscles recover from the intrusion.' 'So if it wasn't you, it wasn't me and not the Rowan, who?' Jeff, rea.s.sured, returned to the original topic.

'Afra?' Elizara shook her head. 'It was a female touch.

'Then it was Damia!' Jeff announced firmly. 'That little minx!' 'Really, doting Daddy,' Elizara said in one of her rare moments of mischief, 'isn't that a long way for such a young child?' Jeff shook his head slowly, his smile rueful. 'I don't think any place is a long way where Damia's emotions are concerned.' For the first few months of young Larak's life, both his mother and father 'felt' his sister touch his mind, causing him to smile.

'Has to be wind,' Brian replied sceptically when the Rowan remarked on her daughter's range.

Afra would smile. 'She promised she'd be the best sister ever.

'It's not as if he has much conversation, Afra,' Brian protested.

'Ah, the heart needs no words,' Afra replied and, with a totally uncharacteristically dramatic gesture, placed his hand on his heart.

Then he picked up the colourful origami birds he was arranging as a mobile for Larak and, with delicate movements, tied them to the string harness.

Brian shot the Rowan a puzzled look before he left the Tower.

However, at some point in Larak's first year, Damia found out that Alla loved ponies as much as she did, and the two became inseparable.

The incidence of contact diminished slightly but occasionally, and for no apparent reason, Larak would giggle. His laughter was so infectious that he could set off anyone else in the house. But every time his parents, or Tanya or Afra, tried to explain these bursts of hilarity, they found nothing, not even Rascal, to account for them.

'Damia checking in,' became the standard explanation.

'A merry child,' his mother said, 'is a double delight.' Afra forebore to mention that Damia had been a merry child, too. But he did not object to merry Larak and he had become adjusted to the lack of Damia in his life.

'He's here!' Damia cried excitedly, turning to her teacher 'My brother's here!' 'Shush, Damia,' the teacher scolded, for the girl was old enough to respect cla.s.sroom manners. 'Continue with your studies.