Power in the Dance: An Alien Invasion Series - The Second Generation, #3

By Patricia Renard Scholes

A child being hidden because of her exceptional abilities. A nefarious evil intending to gain control of those abilities.

 

The future of the planet depends upon her gaining control over her inheritance. If given she is given enough time.

 

The small family's goal: protect her at all costs Tadessa continues to grow in the power of the Dance, her one great weapon against the growing darkness.

 

What will it cost this family? The abduction of her mother by an entity-infested brother? The disappearance of her father, just when she needs him the most? The false arrest of her aunt, her last remaining protector? Who can she turn to when all her caregivers are gone?

 

Tadessa must learn to use what she needs to stay alive.

 

The alternative is unthinkable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorekeeper Publishing Services
• Release date: Oct 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781975769987

Patricia Renard Scholes

Born into an abusive home, Patricia determined to make a better home when she married. She realized as soon as her first child was born that she needed to relearn how to parent. After much reading, trial and error, and advice, she accomplished her goal so well she began to parent other children in her home. That is the background Patricia brings into her stories. Her "children" are heroes, survivors who lived through tough childhoods and went on to become successful adults. Although her work is mainly science fiction, her characters are based on composites of real people who also must live with their decisions. Patricia and her husband, live outside of Durango, Colorado, surrounded by national forest, a great environment for a writer.  

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

At the pounding on the door of the shop, Chalatta ran for her room, trembling. She remembered the other times Security had invaded her home. Last year one of them hit Aunt Su in the face with a gun, nearly putting out her eye. She didn’t live with her aunt anymore, but that didn’t mean she feared the Security any less.

She knew they wouldn’t believe her father, certainly not her. They never did. Security always shoved their way into people’s lives, demanding answers that too often people never owned in the first place.

Except this time, she and her father intended to deceive them, which neither one liked.

The pounding continued, this time with loud shouting outside.

Yesterday—had it only been just yesterday?—she had gone to play with, Mikka, her only friend. Mikka’s parents, however, had other plans for the girl’s life, and locked her in a box until she complied. Chalatta didn’t understand all of it. She felt her friend’s pain, but what they did to her slid by her ability to grasp its reality.

You’re too young, Daddy Snake told her. Mikka was too young. We did what was necessary to save her.

The banging on the door continued. It was very early in the morning, still dark outside. She felt, more than heard, her father pad to the shop in front of their apartment. Much shouting followed. The tinkle of one of Berita’s jars breaking told her they were not being gentle, as usual.

She sat on her window-seat bed and pulled the quilt around her. She wasn’t cold. She was terrified.

I asked you where Berita diZilla was. The Security’s raised voice punctuated the sound of a fist on flesh.

I answered you truthfully, Sirra, Snake said, keeping his voice respectful. She went to be with her mother. Some kind of an emergency, I believe.

Did she take a little girl with her?

There are no little girls in this apartment. My nephew and I live here. My sister, who runs this shop, will be back next mooncycle, if everything is right with her mother.

Let me talk to this nephew of yours.

Come here, boy, Snake said. Reveal nothing, he warned. And never let it slip that you’re not a boy.

She threw the quilt on her bed and came out of the alcove. She wanted her quilt back, but she forced herself to face the Security officers. They were no longer in the shop. Two of them held her father’s arms. The third walked toward her. She squared her shoulders.

When she saw her father’s face, a bruise forming over one cheek, tears sprung to her eyes.

Maybe your son has something to add. A cruel grin crossing his lips.

Nephew, Snake said.

Did I speak to you? The Security officer landed several more blows to her father’s face and stomach, splitting his lip and doubling him over.

Uncle Snake! She whimpered, hating that she sounded so helpless, worse that she felt as helpless as she sounded. Nothing she said would help.

How do you remember what happened yesterday?

She swiped at her tears and forced herself to face the one speaking to her.

Uncle Snake made me apologize to Mikka’s mama for being rude and disrespectful to her. I sat on the floor while they talked. She made him some kaffa. Then Mikka’s mama’s lolliboy came home, and almost started a fight with Uncle Snake, and we went home.

Was your aunt at home then?

Yes, but she had to leave because she got a message that her mother needed her.

How did the message come?

Messages come through messengers, she said. We don’t got a comm here. She put a few things together and left. Why are you hurting my uncle?

That’s all? One of the guards seemed mollified, as if he needed to make amends for the abuse. He let go of Snake’s arm.

What do you want me to say? Fresh tears slid down her cheeks. I’ll say anything. What am I s’pposed to say? Please don’t hurt my uncle anymore.

All you need to tell me is the truth. Did you see Mikka last night?

"I got mouthy with Mikka’s mama yesterday because I didn’t see her. I wanted her to come out and play. Her mama was being mean. She gave Snake a guilty glance. I mean, I thought she was being mean because she wouldn’t let Mikka outside, so I sort of told her off. So, Uncle Snake made me apologize. After we left there was a huge argument over there. Everyone in the neighborhood coulda heard them."

One of the officers drew the other two aside to hold a whispered conversation. Chalatta listened.

I’m thinking they trumped up this charge because they did something to their daughter, he said. You saw how badly the woman had been beaten.

His partner nodded. The kid’s right. Everyone we interviewed heard those two.

The third looked uncertain. He walked toward Chalatta.

Just answer me this: Did you see Mikka?

When I went over there, I didn’t see her. I sat down where they told me to. I never saw her come into the room where I sat. Uncle Snake and I walked home alone. I don’t know where Mikka is.

Good enough for me. He gestured to the other two. Let’s get out of here. We’ll take that couple into custody. I’ll bet we find the body of a little girl on the Mound in a few days.

We’ll have to let them go if there’s no body within a handspan.

So? They need some time to cool off anyway. Let’s go.

They left far more quietly than they arrived.

She ran into her father’s arms, weeping into this tight embrace.

I was so scared, Daddy.

"You did very well, little one. I am beginning to see why you were born into two cultures. You handled them better than I ever could. What was that weaving you spun around them?"

I reminded them that we were a good family, with a business and everything. I told them that Mikka’s folks were Illegals, and that you couldn’t believe anything they said. I kept telling them that over and over. Oh, once I asked them why they would hurt a man who cared so much for his family.

"I know what you said. That was not what I meant. What was the weaving?"

"Oh. Family, family, family. One of them has a kid. Another wants to start a business someday. The third one hates guys who hit women. I spun good family, respectable family, around our place. They wanted to believe it, so they did."

Snake laughed, then winced. He touched his lip. "I think I need to take care of this. What you told them was the truth. There is never a more powerful weaving than the truth."

CHALATTA AND HER FATHER sat on a slab of broken plastiform blocks, enjoying the sun. Snow had fallen the night her mother and Berita took Mikka to the Village, but today was brilliant with the sun shining on the snow. From the looks of the gathering clouds, another storm intended to tumble over the Blue Sentinels.

We are the Krindarwee. We are peaceful. We were willing to share our world when others came from the stars, because their leader was a person of peace.

A Neevee?

A Neevee priest.

But if he brought peace, why is there no peace?

We do not know. When we approached them with anticipation and Song, we were met with slavery and war.

He musta lied.

We do not think so. We believe something unforeseen happened, but with Searchers looking for our Many-Threaded, we could not find out.

He paused, and she waited.

You’re learning to wait for me to gather my thoughts.

She smiled on the inside at the praise.

Because you were not raised among us, we have many gaps to fill.  Even though you learned the basics, I still have much to teach you.

"Then how will I remember?" Remembering life lessons was not the same as memorizing one of Berita’s herbal recipes.

"You will never forget my words. I impress them upon your mind so that you never forget. But I could do more if you allow it. Do you remember when Berita showed your mother how she could teach her in a way in which she would never forget a thing?"

Chalatta nodded.

We will do something similar now, except it will be more complete. The difficulty is that when we do this, the child never forgets anything. Sometimes remembering is painful. This is why I must ask permission.

Have you done this before?

Many times. When our chosen ones, the Many-Threaded, reach a certain age, we tug a little on the corners of their minds.

Am I that certain age?

A little young, but I will provide you with a vault, a place to store difficult memories so that you can come back to them later.

For some reason, Chalatta noticed, her father was afraid that someday they would be separated. She was ready to ask him about his floating thought, but in that moment he placed his hands on her head, one hand on each side.

Be very still and let me.

In the silence that followed, she felt Snake’s warm presence flood her mind. It was as if he opened every door and window. She followed his movements, memorizing the path he took.

That is what you must do—follow me. I pull this specific thread thus. Yes, you see it. I take these ends and tie them together. Now, you have what you need for the day when you share this path with others.

When he finished, he dropped his hands and turned her to face him.

"I must ask you another question."

She met his eyes in expectation. But it took several long moments before he responded, as if he struggled with something.

I must ask you for permission to change you.

Change me into what?

Krindarwee. Completely Krindarwee on the inside. Outside you will remain as you are. Culturally you will still be a product of both Irelli and Krindarwee cultures.

What do you mean? How will you change me?

Right now, you are biologically similar to your mother. When you mature, you will be able to bear any number of children. If I change you, you will only be able to produce one or two children. We live long lives, several lifetimes that a human does. It is not wise for us to have as many children as the Irelli do. Your maturity will be delayed as well. You will appear to be an adolescent while in your mid-twenties.

She was about to speak, but he waved her silent. There is more, Tadessa. You will not remember what I do until much later. At that time, you will also remember this conversation and your answer to it. You may become resentful, or you may remember this day with gratitude, depending on the way you mature. You may not understand why until your memory of this time returns.

When will it return?

When you come into your own.

I don’t understand.

Um, when you know you are the true Tadessa, or you realize that you are not. There is no date for this. You may be an old woman, or simply an older child. I cannot guarantee this will be good for you if you discover you never were the true Daughter. Are you willing to take that chance?

Yes. She knew it was right. No matter what Snake said to discourage her, in her heart she knew that she needed to be more Krindarwee than Irelli.  Still, she hesitated.

There’s more. She felt it but couldn’t identify what she felt.

Yes. If you discover you are the Chosen Daughter, you will reach a crossroads. You will know your purpose, and you may or may not wish to fulfill it.

What if I don’t want to do what I’m s’pposed to?

I cannot decide for you. Only you can choose which path you will take.

That sounded scary.

Do you still want me to change you?

Yes. She squared her shoulders. Even if I don’t want to do what I’m s’pposed to. I know I’ll do it anyway. At least I hope so.

I hope so as well.

Snake placed his hands on both sides of her face again, then her shoulders, her hips, her feet. She felt him blending, tying adjusting and rearranging the threads in her mind and her body. He reached into vital organs, making changes. He touched her heart, her spleen, her liver, her groin, identifying each with an additional touch to her mind.

You will not be able to understand my next actions until I pass on the Knowledge, he told her. Although culturally you will still be both Irelli and Krindarwee, what I do now will make you, internally, completely Krindarwee.

You already said that.

I wanted to be sure you understood. We could back out now with the process incomplete.

It’s all right, Daddy.

For a moment his touch brought wonder. In the next instant it was forgotten.

She blinked, knowing she had forgotten something important.

You’ll remember it later, he said.

Chalatta blinked again, and the world blossomed. It held more color, resonated with deeper sounds, flavored with sharper scents. Her skin felt variations in temperature. She even felt the touch of wind-blown motes of dust. She stared at her father in amazement. This was far more than what Berita had worked in her mother’s mind. She decided she liked her new awareness.

As you observe your world, you will be able to draw on everything you see, hear smell, taste and touch. You will also be able to recall it at any future time.

Can you do this?

He chuckled. Of course, little one. I was born this way. We are the Krindarwee. Of all the people that have come to inhabit our homeworld, we alone were its original residents. Before, in your physical being, you were half Krindarwee. As of this moment, you are now one with our people.

He continued. We resemble the Neevee in one important detail. We are not human. And now, Child of My Heart, neither are you.

CHAPTER 2

Snake began Singing. Feeling as if he expected it, Chalatta took out her flute and accompanied him. The flow of ambigah filled the air around them, weaving patterns of thread both within and without their bodies.

Time seemed to stretch. Past and future blended into the moment. She saw a green land, bright with flowers, and never a snowflake in sight. She heard the laughter of Krindarwee children as they played within ambigah. Born to it, they Sang and Danced. They played games with fingers, with balls and sticks, with much running and jumping.  They made bright symbols in the air that glistened before disappearing into the hot, liquid, tropical air.

Chalatta wanted to Dance with them, but she was stuck as an observer.

Suddenly guns boomed as aircars landed in the village. Many people, mostly adults, perished. At gunpoint, the Nevian invaders (Daddy calls them Neevee, she reminded herself.) herded children into huge transports. But the Nevians weren’t the enemy after all, she realized in surprise. Behind them, as hardly more than wisps of energy, a cluster of Zocassari laughed at everyone’s distress.

The scene changed. The people who had once been Krindarwee were sick with alien dominance. The world turned dark as the Zocassari changed the green, dancing world into the blackness of misery and horror, filled with enslavement and punishment.  The Zocassari danced, not the people, laughing at the misery around them.

Snake stopped Singing. In an instant, all of it vanished. Chalatta realized she had also stopped accompanying him. She found herself sitting on a broken slab of plastiform staring across the empty lot, enjoying the last rays of an early winter sun. Snake sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders.

She snuggled against him, shivering. What happened?

You were given a gift, Snake said. You were shown what you are to prevent, and what you are to restore. However, you were not shown how you are to accomplish this feat. That will be revealed at a later time.

You saw it too?

I did. I called the vision with Song, but I am not a seer.

Am I?

Probably not. The Daughter has never before been a seer, but she is sometimes given certain insight, just as you have been given.

What do I do with that vision?

Nothing—for now. Just learn more of your history. When the Neevee transported our half village into this City, they told us shelter existed to shield us from the encroaching winter. In the Southland, they enslaved us. Here, we are mere prisoners.

Chalatta had seen the Wall once, a structure without gates.  It surrounded the City, holding everyone inside, both Irelli and Krindarwee. Only aircars could fly over it, and only Nevians owned air vehicles.  

"We had been travelling across the main continent for years