Star Rider and the Golden Threads

by Heidi Skarie

  He gazed at her and felt a flood of warmth flow through him. “You’re so beautiful. When I saw you in that negligee, you took my breath away. I should have kept my mouth shut and thanked my lucky stars that you agreed to marry me.”

  “No, you did the right thing. You needed to share your concerns. We have to be able to talk about what’s bothering us.”

  “I could have done it with more grace.” She kissed his lips. He rolled onto his side, wincing in pain, then drew her close and returned the kiss. The kiss deepened and Erling slid his hand onto her breast, feeling its fullness through the thin, silky fabric. Her breathing quickened and it sent an answering response through him. He slid his hand down her side. He wanted to do much more, but reluctantly removed his hand. Kori was a virgin and might not be ready to make love. Besides, he was recovering from a sword wound. “I’d better head back to my room.”

  “Stay a moment longer. It’s been an upsetting day. I thought Zanton was going to kill you when I awoke and saw his sword at your throat.”

  “I was afraid he’d kill us both.” He drew her close and held her. She was his safe harbor as a furious storm swirled around him.

  A burning pain in Erling’s side woke him. The sun shone on his face and Koriann was nestled in his arms. He shifted his position, trying to find a more comfortable position on the bed. Koriann opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Good morning, love,” he said. He leaned forward and kissed her. “We must have fallen asleep.”

  “We were both tired.” She snuggled closer.

  The door opened and Chandra walked in. “Excuse me, Your Highness,” she stammered. “I didn’t know you weren’t alone.” She quickly left.

  “Oh no,” Koriann moaned.

  “Maybe you’d better catch her and tell her not to say anything.”

  “Good idea.” She left the room.

  Erling closed his eyes. His side continued to ache and he felt nauseated. When Koriann returned, he asked, “How did it go?”

  “Chandra can be trusted not to gossip, but she’s more than a servant. She made it abundantly clear that she didn’t approve. I’d feel more comfortable if we announced our engagement.”

  “How soon do you want the wedding?”

  “I don’t know. It’s going to take some planning. Invitations were already sent out for my wedding to Zanton.”

  “Cancel that wedding and we’ll have a small ceremony with close friends at dawn like Toe and Mich did.”

  “I guess that makes the most sense. I’d rather have a wedding that was more a spiritual union than a social occasion. I have to go to a meeting this morning. Do you want to come?”

  “No, I’m not feeling well. Do you mind if I stay here and sleep for awhile?”

  “Of course not. After the meeting, I’ll bring you breakfast.” Koriann began to dress.

  “I wish I could attend. I hate being confined to bed with the threat of an invasion hanging over us.”

  “The most important thing for you to do is recover.” She kissed him. “See you later. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Erling lay in bed, wishing he had more pain pills as the searing pain in his side escalated. After awhile he heard the door click open and turned to see Onolyn peering into the royal bedchamber. “Did I wake you?”

  “No, come in.” He smiled, delighted to see her. She looked younger than her twenty years with her girlish face, long legs, and tall, slim build.

  “Queen Koriann said I’d find you here. I wanted to see you before I left for the mission to Haklute.” She hugged him. “I would have come to see you yesterday, but between the briefing on the mission and you being in recovery, I never got a chance.” Her brow wrinkled with concern. “You look worse than I expected from what Zac told me.”

  “I need my pain medication. Can you get my bottle of pills? It’s in my room on the dresser.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  After she left, he wondered why he felt so terrible. He’d been wounded before, but never felt like this. Perhaps the wound was infected. He’d ask Onolyn to send for Dr. Tenzing.

  Onolyn returned and gave him two pills. He swallowed them with water, hoping they’d take effect quickly. His strength seemed to be draining away, but he had to talk to Onolyn.

  “Do you want me to go?” she asked.

  He clasped her hand. “No, don’t go. Onolyn, I don’t like you and Zac going to Haklute alone. It’s a dangerous mission. It would be better if I went with you.” He gazed fondly at her pretty face, framed by short, strawberry-blond hair. They’d spent a lot of time together during the past year. He’d been her flight instructor at a Coalition outpost, she’d been on his team during the mission to overthrow General Bhandar, and more recently they fought together in the war on Tismus.

  “Zac is reckless,” Erling said in a weak voice. “He’s a good pilot, but young and inexperienced. Furthermore, he hasn’t had enough training for this type of mission. You’ll have to help him.”

  “Don’t worry. Hendora formulated a good plan. Just get better. Your hand’s hot and sweaty.” She frowned and put her hand to his forehead. Her eyes widened with worry. “You’re burning up! I better get the doctor.”

  Erling’s whole body ached. He couldn’t think clearly. “Onolyn,” he whispered, hardly audible. “I see danger in the future for your Soul, protect your Soul.”

  She leaned closer. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

  “I’ll come to you in the Inner Worlds. Wrap yourself in the Light and Sound.” He felt himself slipping away when a stab of pain shot through him and he gasped.

  “What is it? Where does it hurt?”

  “My side and stomach feel like a battlefield … something’s wrong. It’s not just the wound.” The world began spinning and he felt himself falling into a dark void.

  20

  Death’s Door

  Koriann stood next to the bed, staring at Erling, hardly able to absorb what was happening. Erling’s complexion had a bluish cast, and his breathing was shallow and irregular. Koriann kissed his burning forehead.

  “Erling, don’t die,” she whispered. “Please don’t leave me. I love you.”

  The doctor and Onolyn entered the room.

  “Dr. Tenzing, I’m so glad you’re here.” Koriann deeply trusted the doctor who’d served her family when she was a child. “Yesterday Erling was recovering well from the surgery, but today he’s taken a turn for the worse.”

  The doctor began examining Erling. “What were his symptoms before he lost consciousness?”

  “I was with him at the time,” Onolyn said, clasping her trembling hands together. “He was feverish, his stomach hurt, and he was in a lot of pain from his wound. I gave him his medication.”

  “Perhaps his wound is infected.”

  When Dr. Tenzing finished examining Erling, he said, “The wound isn’t infected. His symptoms seem like poisoning, judging from his skin color, dilated pupils, stomach pain, and decreased blood pressure. Is it possible that Zanton’s blade had poison on it? Perhaps a slow working type that releases gradually into the bloodstream.”

  Koriann’s chest tightened. “It’s possible.”

  “I’ll take some blood samples and run lab tests. If it is poison, it could take days to isolate and analyze it. I don’t think he’s got that long. The poison’s already been in his system for too long.”

  “You mean he could die?”

  “Your Majesty, I hesitate to say anything yet. Let’s do some bloodwork before we jump to conclusions.”

  “If the sword was poisoned, there’ll be an antidote in Haklute,” Onolyn said. “Zac and I can fly there and search for it. If it’s not poison, contact us and we’ll begin our mission.”

  “Leave immediately,” Koriann said. “Time is against us. Hendora can go with you and return with the antidote once you find it.”

  After Onolyn left, Dr. Tenzing said, “Do you want Erling moved to the palace infirmary? I’ll be calling in
other doctors and lab technicians. It will be hard to keep quiet that he was in your bedroom.”

  “Could moving him endanger him?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know what’s wrong yet, so I can’t say for sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “If it’s an anticoagulant, moving him could kill him.”

  “Then leave him.”

  “That might be best. I’m going to get some assistance and start taking blood samples. I’ll be back shortly.”

  After the doctor left, Koriann went over to the bed and clasped Erling’s fiery hand. Kneeling down on the floor next to the bed, she began to cry. Zanton’s last words to Erling echoed in her mind. You’re a dead man.

  At the time she thought he meant to come back for revenge, but now she knew his true meaning. The poison on the sword was Zanton’s instrument of death. “Oh Erling, Erling!” she cried out in anguish. “Don’t leave me!” She sat down on a chair, wondering what she could do to help Erling. Then it came to her; she could ask her inner teacher, Master Bakka, for guidance. She sat on the bedside chair, focused inwardly and began to sing HU.

  At first, she was too upset to focus inwardly and her mind raced, but gradually she became calmer. A high-pitched vibration sounded in her inner ears and the Master appeared.

  Her eyes widened in surprise at seeing him in the room with her.

  Your heart is heavy, he said telepathically.

  Master Bakka, will Erling live?

  The Master walked over to the bed and looked down at Erling. His life hangs in the balance.

  Koriann rose and joined Bakka. Her movements seemed different, almost as if she was floating. Then she realized she’d crossed over to the Inner Realm and was in her Light Body.

  She looked back at the chair and was startled to see her physical body still sitting there. It looked lifeless and a luminous, bluish cord connected it with the luminous body she now wore. She gazed at Erling who struggled to breathe, then at the Master.

  Erling’s not in his body right now, Bakka said.

  In her heightened state, she could see the poison flowing through Erling’s body. It looked like fiery red and black flames. Horror swept over her, jolting her back into her physical body.

  A short time later, Michio and Toemeka entered the room. “We came as soon as we heard about Erling. How is he?” Toemeka asked.

  Grief welled up inside Koriann and tears filled her eyes. “Worse. He could die.”

  Toemeka and Michio crossed over to the bed. When Toemeka saw Erling close up, her face drained of color. “He looks almost comatose. Everything’s the same as the vision I had when I first arrived in Jaipar.” Michio put his arm around her and drew her close.

  “You foresaw this!” Koriann accused. “You knew Erling might die!”

  “I warned Erling, but he didn’t take me seriously.”

  “Will Erling live? What else do you know?”

  Toemeka shook her head. “Nothing else. I just saw a glimpse of the future.”

  “The future isn’t fixed,” Michio said.

  Dr. Tenzing entered the room with two lab technicians who took blood samples.

  A few hours later they had reports. Tests confirmed that Erling was poisoned with an unknown substance. By radio, Michio contacted Onolyn’s aircraft to let her and the team know the bloodwork results. “Erling’s life depends on the success of your team finding an antidote,” Michio told them.

  Later that night, Toemeka assisted Nurse Jetty as she gave Erling a sponge bath to lower his temperature. When they finished, Jetty carried the supplies away. On the other side of the canopied bed, Koriann was falling asleep in an armchair.

  “Koriann, why don’t you go to bed?” Toemeka said. “You must be exhausted.”

  Koriann yawned. “You must be just as tired.”

  “I’m all right. I had a nap.”

  “I don’t want to leave him.”

  “Why don’t you just sleep next to him? On some level, he’ll sense your presence.”

  Koriann lay down on the bed. “Any word from Onolyn and her team?” she asked, suppressing another yawn.

  “They arrived on Haklute. It’s early afternoon, in that time zone so they hope to find the antidote today.”

  In the royal city of Haklute, Onolyn stood in a weapon store, looking at many different swords, blasters, Juggernauts and laser rifles on the rack. She’d never seen so many different kinds. Haklute was obviously a warrior culture.

  “Can I help you?” the storekeeper asked, absentmindedly scratching a purple scar on his square chin.

  “Yes, I’m looking for a Borithon sword.”

  A flash of recognition crossed his dull eyes. “I’ve never heard of a Borithon sword.”

  Onolyn wondered if she’d only imagined the flash of recognition. She started toward the door, not knowing what to do next. If Borithon swords were commonly used in formal duels, why hadn’t anyone in the royal city heard of it? They checked every weapon store and she was beginning to lose hope of finding the antidote. A gut feeling that the storekeeper had lied made her turn and cross back over to him. “I’ll pay you well for information concerning the Borithon sword.”

  “How much?”

  “I have international credits.”

  “I might know something for five hundred dockras.”

  “Five hundred! That’s outrageous.”

  He sneered. “Giving out information about the Borithon sword is dangerous, curious one.”

  “I can get a hold of four hundred dockras, but your information better be good.”

  He studied her a moment before saying, “Agreed. Four hundred dockras.”

  “I’ll be back in less than an hour.”

  Onolyn hurried to a nearby café where her team was meeting. When she entered the crowded dining area, she quickly spotted Zac by his bright red hair. He sat in a corner booth with Hendora. They made an incongruous pair. Zac was young-looking with a cheerful expression, while Hendora looked like a seasoned Feniod warrior with her grim expression, olive skin, broad face, and almond-shaped eyes. Onolyn squeezed her way through the center tables to get to their booth.

  “Did either of you find out anything?” Onolyn asked, sitting on the bench beside Zac.

  “No,” Zac replied with his mouth full. He finished chewing. “You?”

  “Keep your voices down,” Hendora said, glancing around to be sure no one was listening.

  Onolyn leaned closer and whispered, “The shopkeeper knew something about Borithon swords in the last store I was in, but he wants four hundred dockras for information.”

  Zac whistled. “That’s pretty steep.”

  A serving android came to the table and asked if Onolyn wanted anything. She waved him away, not wanting to take time to eat.

  “Do you trust the shopkeeper?” Zac asked.

  “We can’t afford to trust anyone, but we have to find out what he knows. He’s our only lead,” Hendora said. She pulled out her purse and her straight black hair swung across her flat face. “I have some money we could trade for dockras.”

  “So do I,” Onolyn said.

  Zac glanced around, then said softly, “I have enough dockras. Koriann foresaw that we might need it and gave me a sizeable sum.” He grabbed his meat-and-vegetable wrap off the plate and they left the restaurant.

  “Zac, don’t give the shopkeeper any money unless he tells us how to get the antidote,” Onolyn said.

  “We might have to use force,” Hendora added.

  “I hope not,” Onolyn said. “He’s tough-looking.” She glanced down at Hendora, who always made her feel like a giant because she was a head taller than the Feniod woman. Though Hendora would probably win in a wrestling match for she was muscular with a compact build.

  When they entered the shop, the shopkeeper looked suspiciously at Zac and Hendora. “Who are they?” he asked Onolyn. “You didn’t say anything about bringing anyone else.”

  “These are my friends
. They brought the money.”

  “The price just went back up to five hundred dockras.”

  Hendora glowered. “We won’t pay you anything unless you tell us what we want to know.”

  The shopkeeper folded his arms across his chest. “What do you want to know?”

  “What do you know about Borithon swords?” Hendora demanded, moving closer to the counter.

  “Only the upper class has them. They’re made on commission by specially trained artisans.”

  “What kind of poison is put on the blades?” Hendora asked.

  “It’s a special poison made here in the royal city.”

  Onolyn moved forward eagerly. “Is there an antidote to the poison?”

  The shopkeeper cocked an eyebrow. “Someone you know has been in a fight, huh.”

  “Yes, my brother,” Onolyn said. “Do you know how we can get some?”

  “Your brother, I doubt; a lover, more likely. Yes, I know where you can get the antidote. Show me the money.”

  Zac set out four hundred dockras.

  “Five hundred is the price.”

  Zac laid out another hundred and the man put his hand on it. Zac put his hand over the other man’s. “Not until we get the information.”

  “There is a wit-” he stopped and corrected himself, “a woman named Seetva who makes the antidote. She lives outside the city walls.” He looked up her address and gave it to Zac.

  “You better be right, or we’ll be back,” Zac said.

  They walked to the autonomous aircar they’d rented. Hendora slid into the driver’s seat and Zac took the remaining front seat. Onolyn climbed in the small rear seat, glad they didn’t have to drive in an unfamiliar city. After putting the address into the navigational system, the aircar flew upward to the fourth grid and joined the flow of vehicles flying between the tall city buildings.

  Gradually the traffic became lighter and a dense forest appeared. At sunset, the aircar parked itself in front of a small house built into the side of a hill.