The Alien Library (7 page)

“That sounds good.” Pindari set an arm over Cam’s shoulders. “Tendar must speak to Daniel. We will witness.”

Tendar had pulled Daniel over next to the pool. He took the man’s short robe away and tossed it back, toward the walls. Cameron watched, with no real understanding of what she watched.

Tendar looked Daniel in the eyes, his voice solemn and yet touched with humor. “Daniel, wander no more. I do not supplant my mother. Always, she is first in your heart. But wander no more. Daniel, I want to give you my scent, to keep you home. With me. With Pindari, with Cameron.”

Daniel went pale. “I am Pandra-i’s. I cannot!”

“Yes, you can. I am my mother’s son. She would want you to have a home. Let me be your home.” Tendar held out his hand, “I want to give you my scent.”

“I have to find her,” Daniel trembled.

“You will. Every ship needs a home port. I will be yours. I want to give you my scent, Daniel.” His hand rose, the fingers extended toward Daniel’s lips.

Cameron had listened, some part of her understood. She tried to step forward, suddenly buried in avarice. Pindari’s arm tightened and held her back, whispering, “Your time will come, when you are stronger!”

Cam’s mouth opened, inhaled the scent glistening on Tendar’s fingers and she moaned. When Daniel nodded, slipped that finger into his mouth and sucked, Cameron couldn’t watch. She heard the splash in the pool, but buried her face in Pindari’s shoulder. She held back sobbing until she returned to the room off the kitchen. Then she collapsed, not even sure why.

Pindari sat with her, trying to explain, “My sister was the first to gift her scent mark to a human. It signaled an unprecedented level of protection. And Daniel flourished with it. For over seven hundred years, she was his compass. He grew and traveled and learned so much! When she disappeared, he lost his way. He still travels, looking for her. We know she isn’t dead because he would know. He cannot find peace, he stays less than seven days at any place he visits. He needs this. Three hundred years of walking is enough, Cameron.”

Cameron nodded, answered hoarsely, “I get it. Why am I so miserable?”

“You were prepared, primed and let down.” Pindari sighed. “Daniel doesn’t see how much Tendar has grown. He is come into his own. We talked, knowing you would say yes, even though you’d been counseled to say patience. And it would make you ill, possibly kill you before Daniel could intervene. You have kissed my nephew’s second mouth, you are as close as possible, without the actual scent. This is our secret. Your secret shield. Pandra-i left instructions.”

“How? I thought she disappeared.” Cam blinked, immeasurably weary, but determined to ask while Pindari seemed so willing to answer.

“In the library she gathered for her son,” Pindari whispered. “You disappeared, Cameron. And are not dead, right?”

“You think she’s helping the kidnappers?” Cameron tried to clear her throat, but it was useless, clogged with emotions harshly spent.

“Possibly.” The cook stroked her hand. “You must sleep. Sil will keep watch at your door. You will stay in my kitchen for two days. Tendar must win Daniel over without distraction.”

“Sure.” Cameron turned away, aware that the words chosen weren’t meant to wound her.
Distraction...

Her exhaustion left her too tired to argue further, or to fight. She sank into a sleep deeper than she’d ever known. Pindari returned just before dawn to find Cameron hadn’t moved an inch. She pulled the sheet away, bared Cameron’s back and carefully placed a single dragon scale at the small of the woman’s back. It stuck, glimmered, and faded to match the human skin. Pindari left her to sleep, content with her actions.

*****

Cam slept for over thirty hours. She woke abruptly, eyes wide open. She set a hand at her chest and inhaled deeply. A bitter ache lodged inside. Whether it heralded from physical stress or emotional turmoil she didn’t know or care. She slid off the bed and stumbled into the small bathroom, then out to the kitchen.

Pindari sat at the table, reading. She looked up at Cam. “Are you hungry?” Cam nodded but waved the Kharmon back to the table. She walked around the counter and foraged for herself. She found one left over cinnamon roll and two eggs. She studied the eggs, wondering if there were chickens. Questions like that often flew about her brain.

She looked back up at Pindari, who said nothing. Cam took a bite of the roll, still standing at the preparation counter. She couldn’t think of anything to talk about. She cracked one of the hard boiled eggs open and looked at the fragile shell. With a sigh, she asked when she would be allowed to return to the library.

“I’m not certain. I believe tomorrow. It depends on when Teemin arrives and how quickly he insists on convening a meeting.” Pindari set a bookmark in the text she’d been reading. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been trampled,” Cameron replied without hesitation. “Emotionally.”

“Regrets?” the cook softly asked.

Cam had to think about that. She bit into the egg and chewed. She’d found her kitchen dress in the bathroom and slipped into it. The dim light in that room meant she hadn’t noticed until then that it had been dyed. It was several shades of pink, with brown here and there. She admired it, avoiding Pindari’s question.

She swallowed the egg and looked up to see Pindari had stood and stared at the door leading toward the main room. Her head tilted, then she shot a look at Cam as she hissed. “Hide!”

Cam dropped to the floor, then reached up to recover the roll. She scurried toward the pantry door and disappeared into its shelves.

“Pindari!” A hearty voice preceded the speaker into the room. The cook relaxed and began to smile as her sister, who managed the mountain province burst into the room. “We hurried. Did we beat the sneak?”

“Yes, Parlani, you did. Thank you for coming.” Pindari embraced the taller Kharmon. “But there is much to tell you.”

“I hear the library is being restocked! Delightful news!” Parlani chuckled. “I want to see it. Come on, I’m restless after that dash across the province.”

Pindari paused. “Wait. You heard of restocking, anything else?”

“Some mysterious woman. I didn’t believe the official news. Theo is a dear. But not a librarian, so I dug.” Parlani leaned over the table, resting her hands on the top. “What aren’t you saying? Why am I here?”

“An unregistered Thinker. A librarian. Cam! It’s safe, come out,” she called but there was no answer. She strode into the kitchen and then to the pantry entrance, “Cam?”

“Just a minute…” A small voice came from the darkness. “Light?”

Pindari saw to it and went looking for Cam. She sat on the floor, a mess of flour and sand at her feet. She grimaced at the Kharmon. “I knocked it over but caught most of it.”

“I see.” Pindari surveyed the flour dusting the woman’s hair. “Oh, dear. Just do your best. I want you to meet my sister. She’d like to see the library.”

“Oh. Grand time for a tour. Okay, I’ll take care of it.” Cam got to her feet, put a hand at the small of her back and absentmindedly scratched. Then she pulled several rags from the dish towel bucket and bent to clearing up the mess. Pindari returned to the kitchen to find Parlani had discovered the cookie stash and happily treated herself.

“Unregistered…unclaimed?” the older sister asked.

“No. Tendar claims. Tradition. She knows books, she belongs to the library,” Pindari replied.

“Interesting tactic. Might work.” Parlani sighed. “Most Thinkers know books, it’s a shaky link. Was she a librarian?”

“A bookstore manager.” Pindari smiled crookedly. “You’ll like how she’s organizing the books. And the books arrived with her.”

“None of the other were possible candidates?” She licked her fingertips. “Nice recipe.”

“I guess I won by default.” Cameron stood in the pantry doorway. She’d realized how badly her hair was dusted with flour and did the best she could with a rag to wipe it away before joining the two Kharmon. She’d tied two clean rags together and used them to bundle her hair behind her head. She gazed up at the newcomer with eyes wide opened. “I didn’t want the job. But I do now. I don’t want to leave.”

Parlani bowed her head at the shorter human. “I am Parlani.”

“I am Cameron.” The woman bowed and held out her hand. The Kharmon took it after a moment, familiar with the custom. Then she asked to see the library.

Cam looked at Pindari. “Should I change?”

“No, we’ll be alone. You’ll be fine.” The cook led the way.

Cameron wanted to see the books again, wanted to be surrounded by what she knew and welcomed the excuse to return. She inhaled deeply as they entered the aisle leading to the center and her shoulders relaxed slightly.

Parlani whirled, admiring the way the bookshelves spun from the center like the spokes of a wheel. “There is a long way to go.” She nodded at the many empty shelves.

“I only had three months before everything got complicated.” Cameron sighed. “I was putting the romance section together.”

“Oh! I like your romance stories.” Parlani grinned. “But business before pleasure. Forest management? Natural energy sources? Geothermal engineering? Water conservation?”

Cameron blinked. “Uh, I have a section set aside for environmental sciences. I unearthed one crate so far, but hadn’t had a chance to shelf them yet.” She led the way to a small alcove, not far from the medical section. “I can search out what interests you as I continue to sort and unpack. Geothermal engineering? Are you generating heat via natural sources or through artificial means?”

“How would one do it through artificial means?” Parlani opened the crate and looked down at the brightly colored books. “Oh. Photographs? How unusual.”

“The new books are often full of color photographs,” Pindari explained.

“Artificial, uh, burning coal to run turbines? Wood? Nuclear fusion? Or is it fission? I never can remember. I’m not sure artificial would be the correct term.” Cameron spread her hands. “I know we have energy but I have no idea where it comes from.”

“Mostly from my plants and engineers.” Parlani gazed at the books. “Oh. I want them all.” She sighed. “But I know they are best here. I will arrange a schedule for borrowing from Tendar.” Her eyes moved to Cameron. “We have natural sources, hot springs and gases.”

“Oh, you live in a geologically active area. Earthquakes? Volcanic eruptions? I have books on recovering from natural disasters,” Cameron answered.

“Disasters? Life is simply subject to shifting. We do not build tall and have flourished despite our active fault lines and volcanic vents.” Parlani reached out to take Cameron’s hand. “Cameron. You belong to the library. Tendar is fortunate.”

Cameron took a step back at the Kharmon’s name. Her hand dropped back to her side. “Uh, can I show you the romance section?”

Parlani’s brows drew together. She shot a glance at her sister who only sighed and then turned away “I would like to see that. Then you can leave me. I’ll unwind over some bit of nonsense I barely understand,” she joked.

Cam snorted. “You and me both. I’ve read romance, along with most every genre of writing, but I’ll never really understand it.” Once she led them upstairs, Pindari asked her to wait at the window, she needed a quite word with her sister. Cam could hear them softly bantering for several minutes as she looked out the window. She’d opened it briefly, but the night air proved chilly and she’d quickly shut it.

Pindari returned and gestured toward the steps. Cam sighed. “I’m not going to bolt or go looking for them. I know when I’m not welcome.”

“Oh, what nonsense.” The cook sounded angry. “You are deliberately being difficult.”

“Sure. Fine.” Cameron wouldn’t look at the normally friendly Kharmon.

“You are wanted. You are wanted desperately.” Pindari tried to break through Cameron’s bruised feelings.

Cam shook her head and softly replied, “No. My intellectual abilities are wanted. My
book
skills. I’m just the flesh that holds them. No. I don’t want to hear anything more. Please. I don’t want to cry again.”

Pindari let her lead the way and said nothing else as Cameron returned to her small room. The Kharmon stood outside the door, listening to the shower start up and knew Cam washed the flour away. She put Sil on watch and went in search of her nephew.

Cameron forced her way back into dreams. She painted pictures in her mind, of being back on Earth. She dreamed of rescuing a cat from the shelter, planning a trip to Spain. She’d always wanted to see the works of Gaudi. She fled in her sleep, looking for anywhere but where she found herself.

She woke to pitch dark in her room. She heard breathing and felt a weight at her feet. Tendar spoke her name, “Cameron.”

“Go away.” She burrowed deeper into the covers.

“Cameron. Tell me how you are.” He set a hand on her foot. She jerked it away.

“I’m fine, go away!” she hissed.

“You are not fine. You are angry. Are you hurt?” He sounded worried.

She sat up suddenly, backed against the head of the bed. “Angry? Why should I be angry? You used me, you bastard! Used me to get Daniel!”

Tendar sighed. She heard it, even if the darkness was too thick to see him. She was shaking with anger. She inhaled, trying to dissipate it. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. This level of anger could raise her pulse rate too high. She had to keep her head, stay in control.

“I did not. I need Daniel to stay. To see you stay healthy.” Tendar hesitated as he answered.

Silence filled the room. Then Cameron spoke again, “Oh. You are using him to keep me alive. Don’t demean your gift by coaching it in such terms.”

“No!” The Kharmon left the bed. “Daniel…Daniel is…Daniel needs us. He needs to have a home.”

“But not for the last three hundred years?” she softly asked. “Only when it became convenient for you to have him here? Otherwise, he could drift forever? Oh, you are a selfish thing.”

She heard him swallow and sank back into the bed. A glint of red outlined his frill. She covered her face. “Go away, please. I’ll stay. I’ll be your librarian.”

“Convenient, oh. No, it isn’t that way. Try to move past your anger. You're hurt. I will make it up to you. And will spend as long as it takes to make it up to Daniel. You’re right, I let him wander. I hoped he’d find her. I miss her, Cameron. But I have to let her go. I can choose to do that. Daniel can’t. He needed us. A new home.” Tendar sat on her bed again. “Cameron. I am sorry I hurt you. Your anger disturbs me.”

Her voice was muffled, buried in the cover. She tried to choose her words carefully. “I can’t help it. I know why you did what you did. I am even glad for Daniel. I also feel betrayed. I can’t just ignore that. I don’t want to feel this lead weight at my heart. Go away, please. Just go away and I will be fine. I’ll handle it.”

“Teemin will be here tomorrow, with my father and uncles.” Tendar reached for her leg. She flinched away from him and he sighed. “You need to be prepared.”

“Go away. I’m prepared. I’ll hide behind Pindari and Parlani and keep near Sil. I won’t go anywhere without an escort. I won’t be rude to your brother if I see him. I’ll just hide.” She shivered.

“Stubborn woman.” Daniel’s voice intruded. She hadn’t realized he’d been there all along.

Cameron shot out of the covers, rolled on the floor and fled to the bathroom. She huddled in the shower, head buried in her arms. She just shouted. “No! Go away! Or I’ll beg to be reassigned!”

“Let her be.” Pindari pushed Tendar away from the bathroom door. “You’re just driving her away. Daniel, especially you. Give me until the afternoon to reconcile her to accepting.”

“Accepting? No! Just go away!” She began to sob again.

Shit, how many people invaded her room?

The voices faded away and Cameron huddled, crying. She finally stood and turned on the water, trying to wash away the tears. She filled the room with steam and recovered control. She wasn’t going to think about them or attempt to understand. She just didn’t want to care. The numbness necessary for that equanimity seemed beyond her and she worked on steady breathing instead. The dark had thinned when she crawled back into her bed, alone. She wanted to be alone.

Sil brought her a tray when it was fully light. He’d also brought her library tunic and set it at the foot of the bed. “I will escort you when you are dressed.”

“Thank you. I’ll be fast.” She nodded at him, not meeting his eyes.

She could feel pity surrounding her. Pity and fear. She was tired of it. When she entered the library, she set her mind free and went to the environmental sciences, determined to assist Parlani by making everything readily available. Cam decided to ignore the coming of Teemin and all it meant. She would stay in the books and find shelter there.

*****

The debate began immediately. Teemin acted surprised to see Daniel present, but hid it quickly. His entourage stood in the staging room. “I’ve always known Tendar took care what Thinkers he sent to me. I don’t need deep Thinkers. I need strong backs and nimble fingers. But to send three already in the throes of fade? That isn’t fair.”

“They weren’t in the throes of fading. They were fine, and understood they were to help with growing food and housing the workers.” Tendar sighed.

“They were dull before we arrived back to the fields.” Teemin looked wounded. “I brought them with us. Daniel is here, he can attest to their abilities or lack thereof.”

“Where are they? I will go immediately to assess.” Daniel offered and was told where they’d been settled.

Teemin watched him leave. “He must be eager for the road himself.”

Tendar said nothing. They suspended the debate as he addressed his uncles and waited for Daniel to return. The battle regarding the three Thinkers escalated when Daniel came back, accompanied by Darjing, who testified that the three humans weren’t the same three Thinkers who left with Teemin.

“Of course they are!” Teemin shook his head. “They do resemble each other, but I wouldn’t make that mistake.”

“They do not have the tattoos I personally placed at the back of their knees. Each Thinker that left here was marked with personal numbers, to better keep track of them,” Darjing replied.

Parlani nodded. “I thought it a good idea. The numbers are on the registration contract. Thandin agreed, spoke of seeing if the rest would be interested in being marked. Didn’t you read the contracts, Teemin?”

“I seldom bother with such details.” Teemin flushed. “Fine, they are lost in the general field workers. My claim remains the same, they are faded! And not a year gone by. Not even six months!”

“I will travel to the fields and see if I can locate them,” Darjing offered. “With Tendar’s permission?”

“I will go with you,” Daniel spoke up. “We will use Parlani’s backalong, it is speediest.”

“Granted. You will be gone less than a week.” Parlani smacked at the table. “Discussion suspended until Daniel returns.”

Teemin had no choice in the matter. He grudgingly nodded. “Fine, we will linger. I can send someone to help.”

“No, we will travel faster on our own.” Daniel nodded at Teemin. “I am already packed. Darjing? Have you need to gather anything?”

“Very little. We can leave within the hour,” replied the Kharmon as he bowed.

“My home is yours,” Tendar softly said. “The library is undergoing renovation and closed off.”

“Rumor has it you have set Theo as librarian,” Teemin chuckled nastily.

“Is that what rumor is saying?” Tendar said nothing more. He had seven days to keep Teemin company, along with his father and lazy uncles. They would all be on their toes, keeping the humans safe. Cameron’s stubborn refusal to accept coaching meant she would simply not be seen. She’d be unhappy, but safe.

*****

But Cameron wasn’t unhappy. When she discovered the doors blocked and Sil standing guard, she found herself comforted. Her emotional outbreak earlier had frightened her. She hadn’t understood it. Daniel’s voice had sent her rocketing from the bed without a conscious thought. She didn’t want to see any of them.

For the next week, she stayed in the library, working long hours. She asked Sil if he minded being stuck with her and he shrugged. “No, Cameron. Teemin’s company is stressful. It is quiet here, you are restful.”

“Stressful? How goes it? Any mention of me yet?” She tried to act unconcerned.

“No, Tendar wants to establish Teemin’s desperate act first.” Sil sighed. “He thought you’d be angry, stuck here.”

“No. This is smart. I’m too unstable to deal with strangers right now. And there is so much to do, especially if I am forced away.” She looked at the shelves. She’d spent hours sketching her overall vision of how the library would look once she was finished, which Sil had suggested she do. At the time, she thought it was because he was worried she’d never have a chance to finish. A blueprint would enable others to see it done.

Sil snorted. “Not a chance in hell. Chana is assisting Pindari in the kitchens. Much strategizing goes on there. You aren’t being surrendered, Cameron.”

“Sure. Okay.” She tried to believe him and stayed busy. She wanted to ask about Daniel, about Tendar and Pindari but she found names stuck in her throat. She kept her queries general. She slept very little. At least some part of every section would be done by the end of the week.

On the sixth day, she sat, tired, at the top of the stairs and set her head at her knees. The afternoon sunlight was nearly gone from the single window. Sil spoke softly to someone deep in the shadows. He’d admitted to her there was a second way in and out of the library. “I can’t show it to you, Cameron. I was told not to.” He’d frowned.

“Not a problem. I knew there had to be something, how else were you getting the food in? And the news? It’s fine. I know Pindari thinks I’m going to bolt,” she’d replied.

“No, more likely Teemin or one of the others will intrude,” he’d answered, confused. “Why are you so certain they think ill of you?”

“Ill of me? I don’t know if I think of it as
ill
…just realistic. I don’t understand why I’ve gone from emotional equilibrium…no, emotional flat lined, to emotional rollercoaster. I’m not certain of myself right now!” She laughed it off.

She looked down at the center rug and stretched her back, arching it and wishing it would crack. She’d always had a tough back to crack. She heard Sil hurrying to her and stood up, a sense of fear riding her skin. He smiled up at her. “A near complete rout!”

“How?” She slowly sank back to her ass. “Tell me.”

He moved to sit next to her and explained, “Daniel and Darjing found two of the Thinkers and brought them back. The third wasn’t faded. He hid. Evidently, they were served a native plant that deadens the brain. He didn’t like the taste and faked eating it, then noticed how the others were wrong. By the time they’d reached the fields, he’d heard enough to understand it was deliberate. And he let them think he’d been affected.”

“He heard enough to definitively see Teemin as trouble?” Cameron sat up straight, a small grin played along her lips, happy at the good news.

“Unfortunately, no. Nothing directly from Teemin. Who is claiming he knew nothing about it and that his field foreman was overanxious about needing new workers and poisoned the humans so they’d be put out in the fields, instead of housed and
pampered
,” Sil snarled. He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Teemin says he will deal with the foreman, and make certain the plant is eliminated from the area. And has dropped all claims against Tendar.”

“Oh, good news. Can Daniel help the other two? And will the third still be in danger? Why did he stay?” She found it easier to say the doctor’s name than she remembered. Maybe the isolation gave her the distance she needed.

“Daniel believes he can see them well again. They will stay here until a definitive answer is found. The third man, he is determined to help the field workers and see their living quarters improved. Daniel returned livid at how poorly the workers looked. He demanded Teemin feed them more and ensure they have regular days off.” Sil snickered. “Parlani agreed to check often to make certain the guidelines are being followed. Tendar’s other brother, Thandin, arrived in time to hear Teemin’s admission and will also keep an eye on the humans. It’s a good outcome. Thandin finds Teemin irritating and takes the care of humans seriously. He’ll see conditions improve.”

“Oh. Very good.” Cameron closed her eyes. “Does Teemin know that Daniel took Tendar’s scent?”

“He’s figuring it out. Daniel is settling in, showing no signs of needing to take the road. I don’t think he expected Daniel to be here when he first arrived. Now, he’s back and speaking of staying to tend the ailing Thinkers.” Sil turned to address Cameron directly. “Tendar wants to open the library soon. To see your assignment out in the open while Teemin is still reeling from such a humiliating defeat.”

“Hard to say how that will go. He might get his back up and fight twice as hard. But, all right. I’ll get back to work.” She stood up.

Sil took her hand and urged her back down. “No. Eat first. There is a meal ready.”

“Sure, I could use the fuel.” She nodded. It was a good soup, with fresh bread and Cameron enjoyed it. She didn’t notice that Sil ate something completely different.

The sleeping draught inside the soup took her under very fast. Pindari tucked her into bed as the rest of the working crew moved into the library and set about putting the books away, leaving room for her to personalize things when she woke up, using the plans she’d drawn up.