Rayne's Return (Hearts of ICARUS Book 3)
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Rayne’s Return
The Hearts of ICARUS Book Three
by
Laura Jo Phillips
Copyright © 2015 by Kathleen Honsinger
Cover art/design Copyright © 2015 by Kathleen Honsinger
All rights reserved.
DEDICATION
For my family. This has been a long year of sadness and loss for us all. As this year closes it’s getting a bit easier to look back with more joy than loss. Day by day we heal, as is right. Those we’ve loved and lost will forever have a place in our hearts, and thus live on through us, never to be forgotten.
For Mom. My best friend, biggest fan, constant supporter, and the best listener ever, not to mention the best Mom anyone could ever ask for.
I love all of you, and appreciate each of you every single day.
And, as always, for Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma---Thank you all for the creativity you passed along to me, as well as the heart to do something with it. There is a little bit of each of you in these books, just as there is a little bit of each of you in me
Look for previews and coming release announcements at:
Website:
www.laurajophillips.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/laurajophillipsauthor
Other Books by Laura Jo Phillips
The Dracons’ Woman
Book One of the Soul-Linked Saga
The Lobos’ HeartSong
Book Two of the Soul-Linked Saga
The Katres’ Summer
Book Three of the Soul-Linked Saga
The Bearens’ Hope
Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga
The Gryphon’s Dream
Book Five of the Soul-Linked Saga
The Vulpiran’s Honor
Book Six of the Soul-Linked Saga
The Falcorans’ Faith
Book Seven of the Soul-Linked Saga
The Tigrens’ Glory
Book Eight of the Soul-Linked Saga
Quest for the Moon Orb
The Orbs of Rathira, Book One
Quest for the Sun Orb
The Orbs of Rathira, Book Two
Quest for the Heart Orb
The Orbs of Rathira, Book Three
Secrets Kept
Mixed Blood, Book One
(Available under the name Kathleen Honsinger)
Secrets Told
Mixed Blood, Book Two
Nica’s Legacy
Hearts of ICARUS, Book One
Tani’s Destiny
Hearts of ICARUS, Book Two
Rayne’s Return
Hearts of ICARUS, Book Three
Coming Soon
Salene’s Story (Not yet titled)
Hearts of ICARUS, Book Four
Books by Harvey Phillips and Paul Honsinger
To Honor You Call Us
Man of War, Book One
For Honor We Stand
Man of War, Book Two
Visit the home of the Soul-Linked Saga online at:
www.laurajophillips.com
or email Laura Jo at:
laurajophillips.books@gmail.com
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Afterword
Chapter 1
Rayne Dracon sat on a large boulder at the edge of the mesa above the caves where the Khun still made their homes, watching the festivities below. Tani and Steel’s wedding ceremony had been beautiful in its simplicity, but the celebration afterward had been long and, for Rayne, exhausting. She was never comfortable in large crowds, particularly when a large number of the guests were people she didn’t know. She’d kept her partial shield up for hours in order to hide her true emotions from her family, and her full shield up for the past hour so she could sit on the mesa alone, and in peace.
A day after the Ugaztun reached Garza with the Dracons, Nica’s ICARUS vessel, Nica’s Legacy, had arrived. The day after that had seen the arrival of the Bearen-Hirus’ Armadura, the Katre’s Vyand, the Falcoran’s Eyrie, the Gryphon’s Razor, and the Tigren’s Triskele. Tani had been truly shocked by the number of Clan Jasani who’d come rushing to aid her the moment they’d learned she was in trouble, and that had saddened Rayne. She’d never understood just how much of an outsider her youngest sister had felt, especially after learning she wasn’t a berezi.
So many changes had taken place on Garza in the past few weeks. The first time Rayne stepped foot on the planet it had been a dry, dead world. Now, it was beautiful, and growing more beautiful by the day. A river teeming with fish ran through the grassy valley below, and the mountain behind her was covered with thin saplings that would one day grow into a rich, green forest. Brightly colored birds filled the skies during the day, and the sunsets were always breathtaking.
She watched as Tani and Steel shifted into their enormous alter-forms; the deep red dragon Queen, and the glossy black dragon King of the Khun. They leapt into the sky side by side, and tears pricked her eyes as she thought of the happiness that now lit her youngest sister’s face. When they were gone, Rayne looked around for Salene. After a few moments she found her standing in the valley with her Gryphons around her. In a couple of weeks, after everyone returned to Jasan, there would be a mating ceremony for them.
Rayne was as happy for Salene as she was for Tani, but at the same time, she couldn’t help wondering who her own male-set was, or where they were, or why they hadn’t found her. She wasn’t jealous of her sisters’ happiness, but she very much wanted some of that happiness for herself. Of the three of them, she was the one who’d dreamt of finding her Rami and having a family above all things. How ironic that she would be the last to fulfill that dream. Maybe she really would put in for a spot at Arima House when they got back home.
She took a deep breath and started to sigh, then swallowed it when she heard footsteps approaching from the cliff face. Not wanting to answer questions about why she was there alone, she checked the psychic shield that prevented people and electronic devices from noticing her. It didn’t truly make her invisible, but it might as well have. When raised fully not even her sisters or her parents could sense her presence by scent or sight, but it didn’t work with sound, so she had to be very quiet.
She had to bite back a startled gasp when the Bearen-Hirus arrived on the mesa. They weren’t quite as tall as some of the other Clans, but at six and a half feet they still towered over her. They had massive shoulders, arms and necks. Even their faces looked strong with well-defined cheekbones, boldly curved noses, and high foreheads that rose almost straight up over remarkably beautiful eyes. Landor’s were violet, Con’s were jade green, and Ari’s were amber. Their hair was not as long as most Clan Jasani preferred, hanging just past their shoulders in a thick, shining black fall, though Con’s, she noticed, was pulled back in a low ponytail.
As Rayne took in the details of their appearance, she couldn’t help but wonder when they’d become so devastatingly hot to look at. She thought back, surprised to realize that she hadn’t actually seen them for years. How odd. As a child she’d thought of them as almost-uncles, like Jackson, Clark, and Rob Bearen, though she’d seen them rarely and had never known them very well. Landor, Condor, and Aridor had once been heads of security for the Jasani spaceport, but no
w they worked for ICARUS. She remembered that they used to make a point of greeting the Dracon girls whenever they passed through the skyport on their way to or from school, but the last time she could remember seeing them was when she was in her early teens. Thirteen or fourteen, she thought.
“Where could she have gone?” Landor asked with an edge of frustration in his voice.
“I don’t know,” Ari replied, impatiently pushing a lock of hair off of his forehead. “We’ve checked every cave for her scent, as well as the entire valley. I even went so far as to ask if she’d transported up to the Ugaztun already.”
“How long are we going to play this charade?” Con asked.
“It’s not a charade,” Landor said. “She sees us as uncles. We all agreed to wait until she matures, and is able to see us as men.”
“How long will it take for her to mature?”
“That I cannot answer.”
“Do you intend that we wait forever?”
Of course not,” Landor said, absently twisting the heavy gold ring he wore on his left forefinger. “Just until she grows up.”
“In that case, we’re in for a much longer wait than we expected because as far as I can tell, Rayne Dracon is as much a child now as she was when she was ten,” Con said.
“I know,” Landor conceded with a sigh. “Let’s return to the valley. Perhaps she’s down there somewhere and we just missed her.”
Rayne sat motionless on the boulder as the Bearen-Hirus climbed down the cliff face, so shocked she could barely suck air into her lungs. It wasn’t easy to wrap her mind around the fact that the Bearen-Hirus were meant to be her Rami. The moment she did accept it, pain followed. How long had they known? she wondered. A long time, from the sound of it. Probably for as long as it’d been since she’d seen them, which had to be six or seven years.
Her eyes widened in shock. From all she’d heard, seen, and been taught, male-sets had a very difficult time staying away from their berezi once they identified her. Judging by how long it had been since she’d seen them, they hadn’t had much trouble staying away from her, and that hurt. That hurt a lot. So much so that she deliberately reminded herself of what they’d said about her being immature, relieved to feel anger grow over the pain.
She remained on the mesa, alone, until the celebration below began to wind down. By the time she stood up she’d made a decision. If the Bearen-Hirus wanted to wait, then she’d give them something to wait for. There was a spaceport midway between Garza and Jasan that her parents always stopped at because they had friends there. When they reached it, she’d leave the Ugaztun and purchase a ticket to whatever destination looked good to her at the time.
She saw that the Bearen-Hirus were still down in the valley, but there was no help for it. She had to lower her shield before requesting transport to the Ugaztun or Jawn Lobo wouldn’t be able to get a fix on her. She dropped her shield and pressed the transport button on her wrist band. The Bearen-Hirus looked up at her just as a green light on her wrist band flashed, warning her that transportation would begin in five seconds. Then she felt the disorienting sensation of being transported from one place to another, along with a healthy dose of relief to be out of the Bearen-Hirus’ sight.
***
Landor, Con, and Ari were nearing the point of panic, an emotion none of them had ever experienced in their nearly three hundred years of existence. They’d looked everywhere they could think to look twice over, but they found no sign of Rayne Dracon anywhere. They couldn’t see her, smell her, or feel the persistent calm she always displayed no matter the situation, which became more and more troubling as the crowd thinned.
They’d been careful to keep their distance from her for years, so their connection to her was practically nonexistent. But they could feel her well enough that they should have been able to find her. Just as they began to discuss raising an alarm, they were hit with a mix of strong emotions. Sadness. Hurt. Anger. They looked up in the direction the feelings were coming from and saw Rayne standing on the mesa, her long, red gold curls shining in the moonlight.
“She knows,” Ari said softly.
“Yes,” Landor agreed just as she transported, vanishing from sight. “She must have overheard us.”
“But, how?” Con wondered. “We checked. There was no one else up there.”
“Yes, and we just spent the last hour searching for her and she was right there, on the mesa, probably the entire time,” Landor pointed out. “Obviously she can shield herself.”
They all thought back to their conversation on the mesa, remembering what they’d said. “I’m sorry she heard me,” Con said with a heavy sigh. “I was frustrated, but that’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“I’m sorry that our words were so harsh too, and that she heard them,” Landor said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s not yet ready for us. We’ve only reacted to her scent once, and that briefly. In addition, her constant contentment is a clear sign of her immaturity. Only children wander through the world unaffected as she does.”
“She’s certainly not unaffected now,” Con said.
“Actually, I can’t feel her at all now,” Ari said. “She just transported up to the Ugaztun, but as strong as her emotions were, we should still be able to feel her. Shouldn’t we?”
Landor and Con both reached for Rayne. “She must have shielded herself again,” Con suggested a few moments later.
“She must have,” Ari said slowly. “But why would she shield herself on the Ugaztun?” They stood thinking for a few moments, but none of them could come up with an answer to that question.
“What I don’t understand is, even with a shield hiding her presence, why didn’t any of us catch her scent up there?” Con asked.
“Maybe she can hide her scent, too,” Landor suggested.
“I’ve never heard of such a talent,” Con said.
“She’s a Dracon Princess,” Landor pointed out. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to find that she’s powerful.”
“Do you really think that’s possible?” Ari asked.
“Yes, I do,” Landor replied.
“If that’s true, it could explain why we don’t react to her scent.”
“I’ll bet it does,” Con said with a hint of hope in his voice. “The Dracons aren’t planning to return to Jasan for a few days. Since she overheard us tonight anyway, we should just tell her she’s our berezi, and ask her if she’s shielding her scent.”
“You’re right, Con,” Landor said, nodding. “That’s exactly what we’ll do. She’s an adult now, and finished with her schooling, so there’s no reason for secrets anymore.”
“Excellent,” Ari and Con said together, then smiled.
“We might as well return to the Armadura now,” Landor said. He raised one wrist to activate his transport beacon, then all three of them froze as they felt a fresh wave of emotions from Rayne. This time it was chaotic and fragmented, consisting of so many different emotions it was impossible to know which was strongest. Fear. Determination. Worry. Confusion.
They looked back up at the mesa and saw a figure standing where Rayne had stood just a couple of minutes earlier. Oddly, even though their eyes told them it wasn’t Rayne, every other sense that they possessed told them that it was. As they stood there trying to work through their confusion, the figure crumpled to the ground.
They immediately took off running across the valley and up the cliff face, dodging the few Khun who were still up and about, moving so fast that they were only a blur to the few people who noticed them at all. When they reached the mesa, they gathered around the figure lying on the ground, so stunned by the sight before them that for a long moment they couldn’t do anything but stare.
It was definitely Rayne Dracon. There was no longer any doubt of that. How she came to be bald, emaciated, covered in wounds in various stages of healing, and dressed in nothing but a coarse, ill-fitting gray shift in less than three minutes was beyond their ability to compreh
end. Even her scent was different. She still smelled like honeysuckle, but it was faint beneath the bitter scent of fear and the sour scent of weakness and poor health. As they stared, her blue-green eyes opened and she looked up at them.
“You are…the Bearen-Hirus,” she whispered, her eyes going slowly from Landor, to Con, and then to Ari. “Is that right?”
“Yes,” Landor replied, kneeling down on the ground beside her. “That’s right.”
“Where am I?”
Landor exchanged quick looks with his brothers who knelt down opposite him. “On Garza,” he replied.
“What day is it?”
Landor gave her the date and, on impulse, added, “This is the day of Tani’s wedding.”
Her eyes closed and they all felt the enormity of her relief. “A full year,” she whispered. “It really worked.”
“What worked?” Landor asked, though he had a good idea what she meant. It was impossible, of course. He knew that. They all knew that. But, impossible or not, Rayne Dracon was lying on the ground before them, looking very different from the Rayne Dracon of three minutes earlier. A person did not undergo such changes in that short of a time without some serious technological or magical interference.
Her confused expression changed to one of fear as she looked past him at the dark, starry sky overhead. “This isn’t safe,” she whispered, struggling to sit up.