Semylyn blinked. She looked at the box her father held, and slowly her hand came to her throat. "Are...are those..." Her voice weakened and tapered to a whisper.

"These are the bonding bracelets of Jatar." Omree removed the cover from the box to reveal two, identical silver bands. "The Warder has never instructed their use in Sitnalta, until now. Also, he has commissioned the construction of a second pair."

Despite herself, Semylyn's head shook in silent denial. Fearful tears spilled from her eyes. "No," she murmured, glancing beseechingly up at her father.

Omree stared gravely back at her. The comforting smile she was accustomed to seeing now swept away by dutiful resolve.

"I'm sorry, Semylyn. We must do as the Warder has instructed. He has made it clear that to ensure the highest success rate for our plan, you, and Xerell's son Troyak, must be bonded to two of the Sun-dwellers—with the bracelets."

Semylyn took a step backward, then another, holding an arm out in front of her.

"No! I can't!" she said, as her hip made painful contact with the corner of another capsule, "I would be imprisoned, connected to him in the most intimate and private way. What you ask is unthinkable. I can't do it!" Her words slurred as she muttered, "I — would never be free."

"Semylyn." Omree reached toward his daughter.

She waved off his hand and retreated another step.

Her thoughts pushed a wave of revulsion through her body. Not just with him, But WITH him, intimately exposed. Mind. Heart. Soul. Forced to stay near him like an orbiting moon for the rest of my life!

Semylyn gestured toward the open box. "I cannot! I will not! You will make me his prison, and he mine! He will hate me. We will hate each other..."

The thought of what those bracelets meant induced a claustrophobic pressure that sucked the air from her lungs. She choked, gasping for air, her knuckled fist pressed painfully against her mouth.

Strong hands squeezed her shoulders, giving them a shake.

"Semylyn, you must get control of yourself." Omree pleaded. "Remember your training."

She closed her eyes and desperately searched for that one still spot inside her soul that only she could inhabit, her most secret place, a place to hide until the storm passed. Slowly, her heartbeat slowed and her lungs filled with air. She opened her eyes.

Her father stared at her remorsefully. "I'm sorry...I cannot spare you this pain. The Warder insists it must be done as I described."

The calmness of her voice surprised her, sounding as if it came from someone else. "Can you tell me why the Warder is adamant on this course?"

"He said it was the only way to ensure the Sun-Dweller's cooperation and the future of Sitnalta."

Semylyn chewed her bottom lip. She could see the cold logic. How better to hold someone? Even if they could find a way out of Sitnalta on their own, the further away the bonded Sun-Dwellers went from Semylyn and Troyak, the sicker they all would become until death overtook them. 

The Sun-Dwellers would never leave.

She lifted her head and jutted her chin forward in a defiant tilt. "Is there any room for choice?" she asked, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.

Omree met her eyes levelly. "If you deem it a viable one, you can deny the Warder's command. You, the Sun-Dwellers, and Sitnalta would then be forced to accept the consequences."

The answer was NO! How could she put a whole world at risk to save herself? 

She saw in her father the same turmoil she felt. If the two of them knew anything, however, it was each other, and in that beat of time, they both knew which path she would walk.

Omree opened his arms to her and she rushed into them. The embrace he gave her was not that of a High Guardian but of a grieving father.

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