Read Tales of the Citadel # 32 - Core Charge for Free Online

training centre and get additional training in. It will not be comfortable, but it will work.”

    “You still haven’t told me what it is.” She bit her lip.

    He crossed his arms over his chest. “It is permanent; it could alter your talent.”

    “What is it ?”

    He winced. “My bone marrow. A transplant would provide you with the power you needed.”

    Gwiette blinked. “How do you know it works?”

    “I have done it before. My first wife was given a transplant to extend her life. We had decades more than she was initially given, but when she died, the power returned to me.”

    “You were married?”

    He grinned slightly and settled down. “I think this is the portion of our relationship where I tell you what I am and how I came to be.”

    “Good idea.”

    “Can I get you some tea? It is a fairly involved story.”

    “No. I am fine. You can proceed.”

    He sighed and rubbed his hands along his thighs. “I suppose I will begin with my parents. They were each Avatar candidates, and they were being trained together so that when the old Avatar passed, they would be good, strong bodies and minds to offer. Dolothun was a world accustomed to having his own way. He designed his people to be perfect Avatars for him. Well, my parents fell in love; it was forbidden. When my mother was pregnant, they had to run.

    “They snuck on board a shuttle, and from what I have learned, they remained on it for several weeks before it came under fire. They crashed on an ancient world and made it their home. There was an old, dying mind in that world, and it gave them power to heal themselves.”

    “What effect did that have on the pregnancy?”

    He winked. “Here I am, so she came through the pregnancy fine, but the world was indeed dying, and its atmosphere could not support them. They chose to die together, leaving me in the custody of Marsu. He used his waning power to keep me alive until a ship could be hailed. By that point, I was an adult and had discovered my talent, as well as gotten a grip on it.

    “The ship landed and I met Mirin. She was a medical officer with the Tival fleet, and she was wonderful. She taught me Alliance Common, etiquette and how to dance. We made a home together on Jeeko, and we lived together happily as she aged and I did not. What became apparent was that I do not move in standard time when it comes to aging. It is either because of my birth to two Avatar candidates of Dolothun or because of my time with Marsu. He could have put power within me that carries me beyond normal lifespans.”

    “Don’t you know?”

    “No. The Dolothun will not speak to me because my parents abandoned their duties. Marsu gave himself to the universe after I married Mirin. I cannot ask him.”

    She cocked her head. “Have you ever asked Gant to ask Dolothun?”

    He blinked. “No, I have not. I might send that request.”

    “Do. It couldn’t hurt.”

    “I will. Now, when Mirin began to die, we came across the possibility of a marrow injection under the skin. It would be held in a permeable membrane under your skin and provide you with the power you require to move four or more times faster when you need to.”

    “I will do it. Do we know how it would affect my regular talent?”

    He shrugged. “No clue. This is a chance and a minor surgical procedure for you. If you are up for it, I will contact Dr. Nywyn and make the arrangements.”

    “Do it. If it can make me more effective when the time comes, I will do anything.”

    Stop rubbed his thighs again. “There is one other thing.”

    “What?”

    “This is binding. If you have the implant, we are bound. You cannot pursue a relationship with any other men; I will feel it.”

    “I currently have not met any other men that I would start a relationship with. I have a mission, and you know what it is. We should get along just fine.” She smiled.

    “Are you sure? I have not been linked to another person in over a century. It is an intense