Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [107]
“Luke Skywalker.” She extended her arms toward him. “Welcome.”
Luke rose and answered her smile with one of his own. Unlike everyone else he had seen on Pydyr, her appearance remained unblemished by the illusory pox, and there was no hint of fatigue or illness in her posture. He started across the cavern floor to greet her.
“Akanah. It’s good to see you.”
She scowled at his weapons. “You have a strange way of showing your pleasure.”
Luke glanced down and flushed with embarrassment, but returned only the blaster to its holster. “I apologize.” He gestured at the birds wheeling about their heads. “I’ve been pursuing a very dangerous … being, and when I couldn’t sense these birds in the Force—”
“Naturally, you grew suspicious.” There was a slight note of disapproval in Akanah’s voice, and she cast a meaningful glance at the lightsaber still in his hand. “What must I do to persuade you that you have nothing to fear from me?”
“Only convince me that you are you,” Luke replied. “Tell me the name of my mother.”
Akanah arched a brow. “You hold a grudge a long time, Grand Master Jedi. I had thought you would be over that by now.”
Luke knew by the sly smile that accompanied her words that he was not looking at an impostor. He and Akanah had met decades before, when she had tricked him into helping her find the Fallanassi by claiming that his mother belonged to their order. And while Abeloth might have known the facts of that meeting, she could not have known how Luke felt about the hoax—that he had come to understand Akanah’s desperation and had forgiven her, and that they had even become romantically involved for a time.
Certain now that he was talking to the real Akanah—and only Akanah—Luke returned his lightsaber to his belt. “I am over it.”
He stepped into her embrace and was surprised by the sudden sense of warmth and well-being he experienced. It felt good to know that Akanah still had fond feelings for him after all these years. But there was a pang of sadness, too, as he was reminded of the arms he would never again feel—and that he never again need fear making Mara jealous when an old girlfriend held him a bit longer than was appropriate.
Akanah seemed to sense the drift of his thoughts and stepped back, still holding his hands. “I heard about Mara. I am very sorry.”
Knowing better than to force an insincere smile in Akanah’s presence, Luke nodded and squeezed her hand.
“Thanks, that means a lot to me,” he said. “We miss her, but Ben and I are doing fine now.”
“I am glad to hear it.” Akanah dropped her gaze to his weapons again. “Much more glad than I was to see you holding those. Surely you know better than to believe you have anything to fear from the Fallanassi?”
“Forgive my caution,” Luke said. He felt as though he should have been relieved to see Akanah, but he was not. There was something reserved in her manner—something that suggested he should not take her help for granted. “My quarry has some frightening abilities. I couldn’t take a chance.”
Akanah shook her head sadly. “Why do we always fear what we do not understand?” She took him by the arm and started deeper into the musty cavern, their feet slipping on the uneven, guano-slickened floor. “That is why I wanted to see you before you departed. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. I’m glad you came.” Now that they had been together a few moments, Luke could feel a flatness in her Force aura—a hint that there was something she did not want him to sense. “But you must know I came for more than the Shadow. There’s someone new among you—someone very dangerous.”
Akanah nodded. “Yes, Najee said you were looking for the pox carrier,” she replied. “There is no need to worry about her, Luke. We have the epidemic under control.”
“There is no epidemic,” Luke said, putting a bit of an edge into his voice. “And we both know it.