Page 130 of Return of the Nine

He moved around the room in silence, and she smiled, “If you are going to jump out that window, you might want to open it first.”

“You really can see through your eyelids.”

She blinked slowly, adjusting to the dimness in the room. “Sort of. I can see the energy of living creatures and track them back by the trail they have left behind. I can see it. I have always been able to see it. I have always been able to spot Daphne as well.”

Daphne turned on a light. “The better Vida knows you, the faster she can find you.”

Vida stretched slowly, not wanting to tear the patches on her shoulder. “In your case, Ambassador, I used your connection to Daphne.”

He smiled and sat nearby. “I am pleased to meet you, Vida Senior. Call me Apolan.”

“Apolan then. Call me Vida. Has Daphne explained what I am after?”

“The Tokkel ship with your people on it. Some of the first ones to be taken just as we arrived.”

“I am not looking for the ship. I am looking for my parents.”She sat up and gave him a serious look, only slightly marred by her flinch.

He scowled. “Surely, if you find one, you find the other.”

“I really doubt that they will still be on a ship.” She scowled. “If I can find their path, I can find them.”

Daphne cleared her throat. “You might need someone a little more aggressive for the retrieval mission.”

“If I can find the path, I will call Ianka. They are her parents, too.”

“Right. Ula has been working on a probe. This might just be the missing piece of the puzzle.”

Vida smiled. “Is that where she went? I have been missing the sight of her in the sky.”

Apolan frowned, “You were shot.”

She shrugged with her good shoulder. “I got in the way of a bolt gun. It won. I can’t really see inanimate objects in someone’s hand unless they always use them.”

“What use have you put your talent to?” Apolan smiled politely.

Daphne grinned, “She rescues miners, finds lost children and tracks down the elderly who have wandered off.”

“Day or night?”

Daphne snickered and waved for Vida to explain.

“I do my best seeing when my eyes are bound during daylight. At night, it is fine, but during the day, the multiple images cause me to lose focus.”

“Bound?”

“Yeah, I keep a swath of fabric to tie my eyes shut. It helps me see nothing but the traces left behind by people.”

“What about the buildings?”

“Well, I have noticed that living beings tend to walk around buildings and through doorways. If you are following a trail, you step where they stepped.”

He nodded. “How does this talent of yours work in a confined environment?”

She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “It doesn’t. I will have to send my senses out and find the path that my parents were taken down. Once we have a trajectory, I will see if I can get help in approaching their destination.”

“You wish the Nine to help you in jetting yourself across the stars in search of a Tokkel ship with folk who may be dead by now?” He spoke slowly and clearly as if working it through his thoughts.

Vida got to her feet. “I would know if they were dead. I can feel my sister, half a world away from me. My family is bound into my mind and senses.”

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