The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 183

Part 25

They took a moment to admire the colossal and other-worldly architecture all around them, the magnificence of which was somewhat reduced by the bamboo and wicker walkways that had been installed to allow access to non-flying tourists of the smaller races, as the dragons referred to them.

Then they went to their parents for hugs.

“Life just keeps getting stranger.” Mark commented with a grin as he picked Val up and returned her hug. “I know for a fact that you three are asleep with us back on Hilia.”

“We weren’t sleeping.” Val admitted with a grin. “We took a few minutes to do some thinking first, then we cast our Multiple Simultaneous Manifestations. We designed it, but we’ve never cast it before, and we figured that now would be a good time. And now that these copies are here, the copies of us back there are going to sleep. It’ll be interesting to see how well-rested we are when we reintegrate tomorrow morning, Hilia time that is.”

“Well it’s wonderful to have you with us.” Talia laughed as she picked Fire up and carried her on her right hip.

“You know all the Volunteers of course, but we’d like to introduce you to your bothers and sisters.” Mark said with a grin.

The Volunteers and their children that were with them had informed the rest of the trio’s arrival, and all of them had joined them by Translocation as the three greeted their parents. There was plenty of room for them on the huge expanse of paving they occupied between the Draconian buildings.

As they now knew was his habit, Mark reintegrated his selves, rather than have multiple copies of himself appear within sight of each other. Having more than one of him in sight was somewhat disturbing, both to him and to whoever else saw it.

“We do know all the Volunteers, but we haven’t seen them for a very long time from their point of view.” Fire smiled. “So with all of your permissions, we’d like to take a quick Reading of them to catch up on what we missed. Thank you.”

The Volunteers realized that they’d all been Read in a blink before they could decide whether they were giving their permission for it or not. Whether or not any of them would have protested it, events carried on before they had a chance to do so.

“And we don’t need to be introduced to our brothers and sisters.” Fire continued. “They know who we are, and we already know exactly who they are, and we’re going to take a moment to get to know them. Be right back.”

In the next instant she Translocated all of her brothers and sisters some three kilometers across the city to the interior of the largest building there, she Sent all the tourists who were in it outside, and slammed the giant doors shut with a mighty use of Force. She held them all floating in the air in the center of the massive nine-sided space as the mighty boom reverberated, then the look of the place suddenly changed.

The forty-four looked around and at the three in their midst in confusion.

“Let’s place things how they are.” Fire said with a nasty smile, and Translocated them all again. Now she, Val and Six floated on one side of the center of the space, facing across an open area between them and the forty-four, who all faced in the same direction looking back at them.