Breaking the Sound

Chapter 1

 
                                      Chapter 1



A tone connected perfect partners. This tone, essentially became you. It was everything you were or could be. The tone contained your memories, hopes, dreams, and a measure of your power. The tones of True Mates combined into a shining sound that sang in your blood.
 
  Most people say there isn’t just one person out there that can be your true mate. Because experiences shape us a small number of people can have very similar lives. The only way to find a mate was to enroll yourself in the Hall of Bonding; the cost of doing so turned away all but the desperate and the wealthy.
       
  Once a year on Founding Day and the week before did the cost lower to almost nothing; a mere thousand credits. Hordes of people would flock to the Hall, determined to find the mate of their hearts.
     
      Ever since Neylan was small, she dreamt of finding her perfect love. She saved almost every coin and credit she ever managed to earn or beg out of her family. Two years ago, she finally saved enough to enroll in the Hall. She didn’t want to wait for Founding Week to enroll with the masses of people waiting for hours just to get an appointment. No, she had saved the full ten thousand credits. She had wanted the full spa treatment, not the rushed scan that most people got. She had gotten an appointment last week for the third day of Helxia, which was two weeks away. She could hardly wait.
   
  Walking down the long maze-like corridors of the Hall of Bonding she studied the rows and rows of crystals that hung in glass displays. Each one was different, each one held the tone of someone hoping to find that perfect mate. She always managed to find her way to the oldest part of the Hall, where she would sit on a bench and stare at the larger exhibits. They held more than just the crystals.

  People resided in tubes, held in stasis waiting to find that perfect mate no matter how long it took. Family names that meant nothing to her inscribed on golden plaques, dates of birth and installation posted beside the columns. Some of them were almost three hundred years old. Sometimes there were pictures of the sleeper within the display, but most were stark. The only color was the multifaceted crystal spinning slowly on a slim chain above the sleeper. The viewing windows on the stasis tubes were covered. She remembered an old tale telling of a young woman who became so infatutaed with a sleeper she killed herself when she discovered he was not her True Mate. She could only hope the tale was pure fiction.
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      Neylan sighed and rose from the bench. It was becoming late and her family would start to worry about her. She had work to do and she had to call her mother to tell her she made it to her apartment. She went through the ritual done every night so overprotective mother didn’t worry about her youngest child living on her own.

  She turned to follow her way back through the corridors when a tone rang through the Hall. The sound echoed off every crystal; changing as it searched for it’s mate. It was rare to hear a tone ringing this deep in the Hall. Only the sleepers resided in the oldest part of the Hall. The sound of running feet approached her. Rounding the last corner was her Aunt Maysa; she must have just completed her enrollment. Tall and vibrantly blond Maysa seemed to have it all to Neylan. Running in her platform sandals Maysa struggled to keep up with the sound. The tone stopped a few cases from Neylan; it resonated its sound through the corridor. Maysa and Neylan rushed over to the case. It was a sleeper from over one hundred and fifty years ago.

  A harried white- robed caretaker had managed to keep up with Maysa. He slowed down as he approached the two women.
  He smoothed his robe and examined the ringing crystal in the exhibit case.

“Ahh, I wondered if this gentleman would find a mate within my tenure here.”  He placed his hand on the control plate next to the case. A heavy clunk sounded and the case slid open. Maysa paced back and forth nervously.

” How long before he is awake?” she asked. The caretaker waved impatiently at her as he fiddled with the controls on the stasis tube. Maysa shut her mouth with a huff, and slid over to Neylan.   

  “Oh Neylan I won that bet and got the last four thousand credits I needed to enroll!” She was breathless and excited. She grabbed Neylan’s hands vibrating with glee.

      Neylan could hardly believe her energetic aunt had been secretly saving money to get the full treatment she herself craved. She pulled her aunt to sit down on a nearby bench so they could wait without getting in the way. More caretakers appeared they industrially gathered supplies beside the case. The first caretaker watched the life support readout as the sleeper slowly awakened. 
     
  With a slight pop the stasis tube opened. A moan echoed throughout the corridor as a figure all but tumbled out of the vertical standing tube. The caretaker supported the tall man and helped him into a wheeled chair. Maysa stood up, tears rolling down her cheeks as her perfect mate was wheeled over to her.
   
  “Miss Maysa Jaimini, may I introduce Anwar Siraj second son of Nadir Siraj, twenty-third king of Zaynala.,” The caretaker said. The man in the chair was slumped over, not having the strength to hold himself upright. He was a handsome man a little older than Maysa with the darkest skin Neylan had ever seen, the color of damp earth. He raised his head a little to peer at the woman he had been waiting more than a century and a half for. His eyes were the color of new green; a color rarely seen anymore.
     
  “Hello, Maysa. I have been waiting for you,” He managed to say, his voice husky from sleep. He seemed to get stronger by the minute.

    Maysa was speechless her mate was a prince! She held on to Neylan for support as she approached the wheeled chair, she kneeled in front of him and grasped his hands.
   
  “I am Maysa, second daughter of Dandin and Eshe Jaimini, healer of the red robes and I would be happy to be your mate.”

  Anwar smiled at the lovely blond woman in front of him, she was like a breath of life to his existence. He could feel her healing ability emanating from her; she was itching to heal him.

  The Caretaker looked at Maysa and then Anwar as they stared into each other’s eyes.
 
“You can use your abilities to help strengthen him but no more.”

  Maysa needed no further word as she sent her power through her hands into Anwar. He gasped as the energy surged through him awakening his body; the power he felt was strong and he knew she was not at the limit of her abilities. Maysa let go of his hand after a moment. She did not get up, she remained kneeling in front of Anwar looking at him. The pair seemed lost in each other’s eyes for several minutes before the caretaker coughed deliberately. Maysa jolted out of her daze, looked around and stood up,
“Oh my, we have a lot to do don’t we?” she looked over at the caretaker who nodded.

“Yes, there are several things to be done.” He motioned Maysa to walk ahead while he pushed Anwar in the wheeled chair. She took a few shaky steps forward then looked back. She seemed almost afraid of Anwar leaving her sight.

“I’ll push him if you don’t mind.“ She politely moved the caretaker away from the chair so she could push it. Anwar looked back at her and smiled. She returned the smile beaming with happiness.  Neylan watched them leave knowing she could not follow, soon she might be experiencing the same thing. 

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