Horizon Storms - Kevin J. Anderson [155]
Until the night Osira’h had finally met her mother.
She had sensed a calling, the yearning of a strange yet familiar woman. That telepathic link had drawn at the girl’s heartstrings, forced her to break rules and go outside, slipping through the shadows. There, at the edge of the breeding camp, she had met the female green priest. Nira Khali. Her mother—a secret that Udru’h had kept from Osira’h all her life.
She hadn’t wanted to know, didn’t want to believe everything that Nira had shared with her through a swiftly forged telepathic link, but the memories were hers now, clear inside her head, and Osira’h could not deny her devastating knowledge. In her own heart, she felt everything her mother had felt, experienced the joy of love for Jora’h. It was almost too much to bear, but her mind and her heart were strong. Udru’h had trained them to be that way for his own purposes.
That night Osira’h had learned all about how the human breeding pool was comprised of unwilling slaves, descendants of secretly kidnapped humans. She had discovered to her dismay that the Designate—her mentor and the man who claimed to care for her more than anyone else in the Empire—was the mastermind of the current horrific scheme. Udru’h himself had raped her mother in order to get her pregnant with Osira’h‘s brother Rod’h. And when she had been discovered with her mother, the guards had brutally clubbed Nira and dragged her away. And all her thoughts had been replaced by an empty void.
Lies…so many lies.
Later, Osira’h had attempted to use her powers to pry deep thoughts from Udru’h‘s mind. She had tried to be subtle, but her mental touch was fumbling, and the Designate caught her each time. Fortunately, he had been pleased to see her expanding her abilities, never guessing her true intent.
From that point on, Osira’h was very careful, unwilling to let the Designate see that she now, finally and painfully, knew the truth. She did not challenge him, did not reveal the terrible things she understood. Instead, she continued her mental training, working with a furious intensity now because she wanted to make herself strong—for her own reasons.
Osira’h no longer trusted the paternal Designate, no longer took pleasure in his stories about her destiny. He came to see her, smiling and charming as always, completely satisfied with her progress. She had to steel herself not to let her heart melt under the heat of so many fond memories. Udru’h seemed to truly care for her…or was that all deception as well?
Now, whenever he checked on her, Osira’h formed a solid wall around her thoughts to prevent him from suspecting her true intentions or her grave doubts. Not once since that fateful encounter with her mother had the girl allowed herself to be completely open with him. She couldn’t risk it.
Luckily, Udru’h‘s confidence in her had never seemed to flag. In fact, of late he seemed more intense and desperate than ever…
Inside the training room, the mentalist instructors called for the attention of the children. Osira’h walked over to join Rod’h and her other half siblings.
“Exercise your minds the way a dancer exercises muscles,” said the lens kithman, a thin man with pale skin. “Osira’h and Rod’h, you have the strongest abilities, greater than mine and these others combined. But your siblings can develop their potential as well.” The lens kithman folded his pale hands. “Now concentrate, send out your thoughts and open your minds. You are a swimmer cast out into the gulf of space. Explore the uncharted seas between Ildiran worlds. Reach out to the gas planets and find…hydrogues. See if you can touch and explore their minds.”
Osira’h clenched her jaw, preparing to expend considerable mental effort. Her two youngest siblings—Tamo’l and Muree’n—quailed in nervous fear, which only gave Osira’h more determination. Beside her, Rod’h squeezed his wide, round eyes shut. His smooth