Chapter 1

"Never nurse a grudge for more than a day, for it will fester in your soul like an infected wound, and poison every part of your life."-- The Teachings of Gran Ch. 3, Lines 18-20.

When the door creaked open without a knock, Dahra cringed. She knew who it was, and what she wanted.

"Dahra, we need to talk," said Krinan, her superior, in usual plaintive tone.

"Ms. Ishtahrfelgis(1), what can I do for you?" she asked coldly, not looking up from her grading.

Krinan ignored the insult of over-formality, and sat in the only other seat in the office. Hands folded in her lap, she shifted in the too small hardwood chair. "Well, to be blunt, you've been gone an awful lot during the last month, and I have no idea what you're up to."

Dahra's minor headache shot to migraine when she heard this. "Please, can't we talk about this another time?" she said clutching her temples. "Our esteemed leader, Plek Menorfelgis, just told me that these grades are due today, two days early. And on top of that, my daughter is..."

"... taking her final today. Congratulations. You must be very proud of her." The headache abated. "I am. I just hope she isn't crushed if she doesn't pass the first time."

"I know I was," said Krinan. "It took me five tries before I passed the final."

"Three times for me."

"Really? Not bad!"

Dahra realized she was talking to the enemy, put back up her defenses, and hunched over that last test. "So, now you know what I've been up to."

Krinan kept her temper in check. She was halfway into her eighth year of life and had a generous supply of gray hairs competing with her dark brown ones. She had a flat face, pushed in nose, and a wide flat forehead (like all docrens) and stood a stocky five foot one with a build that resembled a tank. She seemed, to Dahra, to smell musty, like clothes stored in a closet too long. She also tended to glare at people, as if she were interrogating them, even during friendly conversations.

She was wearing a blue skin-tight bodysuit with a "V" neckline, and a matching knee-length sheer skirt over it. Her tights had a hole in the mid-riff, exposing her navel, as did all healers. Her navel was adorned with a bright blue polished stone. The hole around her midriff was unusually big, showing about a four centimeter diameter of the surrounding stomach. As if her aging stomach was a thing of great beauty.

The healer walked over to the edge of Dahra's desk, blocking the bright yellow sunlight that shone through the spotted window, casting a shadow over the test. "You know what I mean. As dean of archeological research, I have to know what you're working on. And I know you are working on something. You've been spending your three day breaks away from home, going Gran knows where."

Krinan's presence was wearing down Dahra's already frazzled nerves. "I'm sure you'd be the first person I'd tell if I was working on anything of great importance."

The dean's temper gave way. "Now look! I know we don't get along, but it's my job to keep track of ongoing projects. If you don't give me an outline of what you are working on within two days, I'll have to take this to the board. Do you understand?!"

Dahra nodded in glum acquiescence, as her boss headed for the door. "I bet you said the same thing to Frissa," Dahra muttered, as she scribbled a grade on the last paper.

Krinan snapped her head around, and glared down at Dahra. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Dahra muttered, as she straightened her stack of papers. "Look, I've got to get these grades to the registrar's office, and then hurry over to the geology college. The testing ends in five minutes."

She elbowed her way past the small intimidating presence that was blocking her path of egress. "I'll give you a complete accounting of what I'm working on tomorrow. But right now I've got to run. 'Bye."

"I'll be looking for it." promised Krinan, as Dahra made good her escape down the hall.

After rounding a corner, Dahra slowed her pace, and massaged her pounding temples. "Bitch!" she muttered to herself.

At that same moment, the exact same word was being uttered by Krinan to express her feelings for Dahra.

(1) For all unfamiliar terms, look to the Glossary in the back.