Charlotte Boyett-Compo- WIND VERSE- Hunger's Harmattan by Unknown Read Free Book Online Page A

him.
    “A week,” he said. “A little longer. I have
no idea. When I reverted, I just lay curled up in a fetal position and cried
with relief until they told me that such changes would be mine for the rest of
my life and that I had the goddess to thank for my predicament.”
    “Morrigunia is the goddess,” she said. “Who
is the demon?”
    “Raphian, the Destroyer of Men’s Souls,” he
said. “Tariq has told us very little about him. I believe the demon is the only
thing in the megaverse the Prime Reaper fears.”
    “I can’t believe your mother knows what
being turned into a Reaper would be like,” Shanee said.
    “No doubt she has read the file on R-9,” he
said. “The gods only know how she managed that but if she’s married to a
vice-counselor, perhaps he had contacts. No doubt she would have heard about
Regis.”
    “Regis?” she inquired.
    Once more his shoulders flexed as if he
were in pain. “Regis was a Chalean who was brought to R-9 after I’d been there
about ten years. He had been a communications specialist on a ship that had
been boarded by Alliance troopers. There was a firefight and only a few of the
crew survived. Regis was the only male and he was sent to us. The scientists
did all the tests on him and were enraged to learn he had a terminal illness
and only a few months left to live.” He shrugged. “They gave him a hellion
anyway, curious to see if the revenant worm would cure him.”
    “And it did.”
    “He was the only man among us who I have
heard was truly happy about being turned into a Reaper.”
    “I wonder if your mother knows she’ll have
powers as well as longevity,” Shanee said.
    “Oh I know she does. She’ll have learned
all she could about Reapers. She’ll know the Transference will be painful and
that she will Transition, she’ll need to take tenerse and Sustenance every day
of her life. To her, that would be worth any amount of pain and suffering, but
knowing what happens to you and feeling what happens to you are two
entirely different animals.” He laughed bitterly at his unintended pun.
    “I wonder how the Burgon is handling his
transformation,” Shanee commented.
    “Unlike my mother, Bakari has seen Reapers
in full Transition,” Ailyn said. “It was he who stopped the making of new ones
when he became Burgon because he didn’t want that evil foisted off on men who
did not ask for or want it. Vengeance was his motive for becoming one of us and
I am sure he is dealing with the change as he has dealt with everything in his
life.”
    “Like the powerful man he is,” she said.
    “Aye.” He released a long breath. “Enough
of such talk.” He got to his feet and reached for the breechclout he had
discarded earlier. “I want to go out to the stream and dive in.” He strapped on
the abbreviated strip of material. “I want to go over Mount Korak to the
village and dive off that gods-be-damned waterfall that taunts me in my dreams.
I want to pit myself against Tariq and see which one of us can swim the fastest
and the longest underwater.”
    Shanee grinned. “Men are such simple
creatures,” she said, holding her hand out for him to help her up. “It is the
truly important things in life that they contemplate.”
    “It is important to me,” he said with a
sniff. He raked his eyes down her, his gaze hot and possessive. “Despite the
fact I prefer you bare to my gaze, ionúin, I would rather no other man
does until our Joining. I believe we should cover you so I can begin
contemplating other important matters.”
    Shaking her head, she walked over to the
rock where she had left her tunic and trousers. As she reached for them, she
felt a strange sensation flitter across her body, and when she looked down, was
amazed to see she was wearing a black blouse and matching short skirt. She gasped,
swung her head toward Ailyn. “How did you do that?” she whispered.
    “Reapers can rearrange molecules,” he said
with a shrug. “It is an easy thing though