The Starborn by Viola Grace Page A

recognise.”
    “Braenar is a good man. He has Hirn in his biology as well, so you two would be a good match when I am gone.” There was amusement in his tone.
    She was a little surprised at his comment. “You are fixing me up with your Avatar?”
    “He volunteered to help me through the last days of my star system when Sovalli failed, and so, he will keep command of the power in his body after I have burned my last.”
    They took a turn around the gardens as if the shrubs were still in place. Wia remembered her laughter and the exhilaration of running on her chubby legs through the gardens, hiding from her parents while Suek watched from above.
    She had been ten before it occurred to her that the purple colouration of her father’s eyes was related to the sun in the sky. The mask in his skin had been a lovely frame for the bright purple swirl, and from that moment, she knew that when the man with the purple eyes spoke, her father was not the one behind the words.
    “How did you find him?”
    “Sovalli was dying, his body had lived dozens of generations past his life span, and he was tired.”
    “Like Father.”
    “Yes, like Danyer. Braenar was here on assignment, working to record my history and store it in the Archive. I asked him, and he agreed to be my Avatar when Sovalli breathed his last.”
    “Is he happy?”
    “He is busy. Happy will come later.”
    “How old is he?” She bit her lip. It wasn’t like she wasn’t going to be older than all the men she was attracted to. She was one thousand five hundred twenty-four years old. It was unlikely that she would find a man her own age.
    She shook her head for considering the thought of mating with her father’s choice. “It doesn’t matter now. I will return to Citadel Aria, and Braenar will engage in his own life once you have burned bright.”
    “So cold, little one. I wonder what made you so cold?” There was a change in the tone, and she jerked away from the man who was no longer speaking for the star that had spawned her.
    “Braenar, I presume?” She moved a few feet away and had a problem looking into his frank and open gaze. His eyes were crystal blue, and they seemed to see far too much.
    “Wiali of Suek. I have looked forward to meeting you. Your father has told me much about you.” Braenar stepped forward and kissed her hand.
    Warmth unrelated to the fluctuating sun ran through her. When he released her fingers, she folded her hands in front of her. “I was aware that there had been a transition, but not that Suek had called another Avatar.”
    “I was assigned to information gathering and was interviewing Sovalli-Suek when Sovalli faded. Suek asked me to take over, and knowing that there would be an end to the position, I gratefully agreed.”
    “Why?”
    “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not everyone can be a star-born power.” The full curve of his lips was hard to look away from.
    “I do not consider myself a power.”
    “You are working with the Citadel, are you not?”
    She frowned. She was an excellent ancient studies instructor considering that she had access to the entire Archive in her memories. “I suppose I am, but it was the method of my storage that created the desirable talent, not my bloodline.”
    “May I question you about your family? Get additional details for the archives?” His hopeful expression made her remember where she was.
    “Most of my family is dead, and the last member is dying. This is not the day to talk about it.”
    She looked around at the garden and remembered it as it was, her parents standing arm in arm while she played with the flowers and stacked rocks in the centre.
    Wia swallowed and tried to put on a smile. “I promise you that one day I will tell you what you want to know. Everything in my memory will be offered to you, but not today. Today, I am here as a representative of the Citadel and an instructor with her students. I will be here for eight days, and then, I will leave