The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 182

Part 26

“They stick together like a pack of thieves, covering for each other and lying for each other constantly. They flatly refused to swear a vow of justice on the Truthstone until I forced it on them when they were nine, because I simply couldn’t stand having them constantly lying to me and I was tired of having to interrogate them psionicly all the time.

“They’re willing to do almost anything in the name of ‘just having fun’. They bullied the other children in Homestead and picked fights with the Sylvan. They skipped their lessons and their chores at every opportunity. They’re almost never angry and tend to take everything in stride with a laugh, including any discipline they might be subjected to.

“They haven’t taken part in hardly any of the community military training or exercises, or the ones we did with the Sylvan, because they won’t follow orders and no one else wants to work with them.

“I’ve spent more of my time being angry and arguing than a man should have to face in a millennium. Everyone argues with them, then everyone argues about what to do about them. I spent a lot of my time as forty-five people, one to keep each of them out of trouble, and one to enjoy life and get everything else of a practical nature done.

“Even my relationship with Talia and Alilia has been strained at times.

“We just couldn’t get through to them at all until two years ago, when I told them that we were never, ever going to let them leave Hiliani, even after the time-bubble opened, until they developed some maturity and responsibility. They thought we were bluffing, until I swore to it on the Truthstone. That finally got through to them. At twelve years and three months old, they’re still not nearly as reliable as you are at seven, but at least now they’re trying.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love them all to bits with all my heart, and if there’d been only one of them it probably wouldn’t have been much of a problem. If one of you three had turned out like that it wouldn’t have been any harder than what any parent of a willful and precocious child faces. They’re no worse than some of the kids I grew up with. But with forty-four of them at once, all egging each other on all the time, it’s been a trial.”

He paused for a moment for a sip of tea and a bite of a tart, and Talia smiled and laid her hand on his arm.

“But at the same time…” she gently prompted.

He smiled and swallowed. “At the same time, The love of a child is always a wonderful, wonderful thing, and each of them is a unique and beautiful person. We’ve had an incredible amount of fun with each and every one of them. Despite them often being brats and missing you three so much, Talia and Alilia and I have enjoyed a lot of really beautiful love in the last thirteen years.

“And the love I’ve shared with the Volunteers is a constant blessing.”

“It’s hard not to love them.” Talia smiled.

“We had to, it was either that or strangle them from jealousy!” Alilia laughed. “We couldn’t keep them out of our home or out of our husband’s bed, so we had to take them into our hearts!”

“Yes, it sure hasn’t been all bad.” Mark smiled. “We’ve had a lot of love and a lot of happiness along with the problems.

“I suppose I shouldn’t have made the forty-four out to be such incorrigible brats the first time I told you about them. They really are a lot better now.

“But right after re-melding and realizing what it’s been like with you three for the last few weeks out here in the real world, it reminded me so strongly of what it was like raising you on Hiliani, and the contrast is so striking that I can’t figure out for the life of me why they turned out so different from you, and all of them so similar in their attitudes.”

“And maybe you just needed to vent some frustration.” Fire laughed.

“Maybe.” he agreed with a smile as he ruffled her hair.

“Where are they now? Still on Hiliani?” Val asked.