Purity Read online

  “What do you call these little guys, anyway?”

  “A vox.” Abrahams shrugged, smiling. “Ilesca coined the name and it just stuck.”

  The vox leaned forward eagerly, sniffing at Boone’s face. Its eyes, which had been crystalline and clear a moment before, were now a deep bluish-green, not that different from the color of Boone’s own eyes, K saw. Suddenly it shot out a long pink tongue and licked his cheek.

  Boone laughed in surprise. “Friendly little guys, aren’t they?”

  “They feed on positive emotions as well.” Abrahams nodded at the vox. “In fact, it’s possible to tell what the person holding the vox is feeling, simply by reading their eye color. This little one senses your happiness to hold him and your interest in him.”

  “Really? You can tell all that by its eye color?” K was interested despite herself. “Do they live only on emotions or do you feed them other food as well?”

  “They get a daily ration of nutrition feed, of course, though they can fast for up to a solar week with no ill effects. However, without a sentient being to hold and touch them every day, they will become weak and ill almost at once. I think you can conjecture which type of ‘food’ is more important to them.”

  “Is that right?” Boone murmured. “I don’t suppose the trace amount of human DNA you used in them was Erian?”

  “As a matter of fact, it was.” Abrahams nodded. “Excellent deduction, Doctor Boone.” He looked at K. “I should have asked you earlier—would you like to hold one, my dear?”

  “You mean…touch it?” K bit her lip uncertainly. The idea should have filled her with revulsion but somehow it didn’t. The animals were so small and sleek and furry with their big eyes and funny little pointed faces. What had Boone called them? Cute. They were cute.

  Boone was watching her with a slight frown on his face. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, darlin’. Though I think you can see they’re pretty harmless.”

  “No,” K said, surprising herself and, from the look on his face, Boone as well. “I’ll hold one. For a moment.”

  “Excellent.” Abrahams bent down and scooped up another of the little voxes to put in her hands. “They make wonderful pets, you know,” he said as K accepted the little creature from him, being careful not to make skin-to-skin contact during the transfer. “Most everyone in our settlement has one now. They eat so little and give so much affection. All they really ask is a little attention and access to your emotions. Would you like one?”

  K held the soft, furry vox carefully. “You’re very generous but if you know as much about my kind as you claim, I’m sure you’ll see that would be a bad idea. We are taught from an early age to purge our emotions—to feel nothing. I fear I would starve such a creature to death. I cannot give it what I do not have.”

  “On the contrary, my dear.” Abrahams motioned to the vox. “Look at its eyes.”

  K glanced down to the little pointed face that was upturned towards hers and had to repress a gasp. The vox’s eyes were swirling with a blend of colors, changing so rapidly it was hard to keep track. Red…black…gray…orange…dark, stormy purple—each shade came and went in an instant.

  “My, my, my.” Abrahams shook his head. “Anger, fear, worry, distrust, desire…you are a maelstrom of negative feelings, my dear. A veritable emotional vortex—this little one will be full for a week at least.”

  “I…that can’t be right.” K stared at the little creature who was looking back at her intently. She looked up at Boone who was studying her quietly. “It’s somewhat more difficult to control what I feel without the suit but I never thought… Here.” She thrust the vox back at Abrahams. “Take it back.”

  “Are you sure?” He took the little creature from her. “If you hold him just a little while longer you may be relieved of some of your pain and doubt.”

  “I have no pain and doubt.” K crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

  “Very well, my dear. If you say so.” Abrahams put the vox back, ruffling its fur gently. He looked at Boone. “What about you? Would you like to keep yours?”

  “Well…” Boone looked indecisive until the little animal leaned forward eagerly and licked his cheek again. “Hey,” he said, laughing. “That’s cheating.”

  “He’s quite taken with you. He must like the taste of your emotions.” Abrahams smiled. “You can give him back at the end of your stay if you like but in the mean time if you wouldn’t mind it would help me out immensely if you let him stay with you. It gets quite tiring holding each one enough every day to give it sufficient nourishment. Not that I don’t enjoy it but it takes time away from my work.”

  “Poor little guy, just looking for three squares a day, huh?” Boone scratched the vox between its pointed ears. It closed its eyes and made a soft humming sound. “Aww…okay, then,” Boone murmured. “I’m sold. I’ll help you out with this one—at least while we’re here.” He lifted the vox up to his shoulder and it curled up beneath his ear with a contented sigh, its long tail wrapped around the back of his neck.

  “Excellent. I thank you, truly I do.” Abrahams nodded earnestly. “Well, then, now that you’ve seen my work shall we adjourn to the other room where I can fully explain our problem?”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me.” Boone nodded, looking relaxed.

  “Good. This way if you ple— ” Abrahams was interrupted by a shrill yip-yip-yip coming from the vox cage. The animal K had held was standing on its tiny hind legs and begging. How she could tell them apart and know it was hers, K didn’t know but it seemed obvious somehow.

  “What…what does it want?” she asked. It was an effort to speak since her throat was suddenly dry.

  “Hmm.” Abrahams bent down again. “I do believe it wants you, my dear Paladin.” He shook his head. “Most unusual for them to form a bond so quickly. Would you like to take it back and keep it for me while your ship is being fixed?”

  K shook her head quickly. “I can’t. I told you, it would starve to death with me.”

  “Come on now, darlin’, we both know that isn’t true.” Boone spoke quietly and his vox’s eyes went deep blue. K wondered wildly what the color meant—sadness? Was Boone feeling sorry for her for some reason?

  “It is true,” she insisted. “And I don’t think you should have been so quick to accept a strange animal as a pet, Boone. How do you know what its long term effects on you might be? It’s dangerous and you’re being irrational.”

  “You’re the one who’s being irrational.” Boone frowned and his vox’s eyes flared reddish-orange. “Here,” he said to Abrahams. “I’ll take that one too.”

  Abrahams smiled and nodded, rubbing his hands together. “If you’re sure you don’t mind…”

  “Not at all. Bring ‘em on.” Boone held out his hand for the second little animal and Abrahams scooped it up and gave it to him. It turned toward K and yipped appealingly but Boone shook his head. “Sorry little guy. She doesn’t want you. Here, you get the other shoulder.” He placed the vox on his other shoulder where it curled up reluctantly, though it continued to stare longingly at K.

  “Now that’s settled, if you’ll follow me.” Abrahams swept out of the glass enclosed room leaving them alone for a moment.

  Boone started to follow him but K grabbed his shirt. “Stop.”

  “What?” He turned back, frowning.

  “I think you should put those things back. I don’t trust them.”

  “You don’t trust anyone, K—that’s part of your problem. Like denying you have feelings all the time. ‘I am a Paladin. I fear nothing, I feel nothing,’” he mimicked softly.

  “I have admitted to having some emotions since you took away my suit,” K said tightly. “Though not nearly enough to feed one of those things.”

  “That’s a lie and you know it,” Boone said. “The only reason you don’t want one is because they tell on you—they know what you’re feeling even when you don’t want to feel anything at all.”