The name burst out of him and he saw the figure pause, turning in their direction. Ellora let out a sound much like a sob beside him and then Athan heard her scream out her son’s name as well. Athan repeated it, yelling louder this time as they continued down the road.
“Mama?” Kyven called. “Athan? What are you doing here?”
Athan could hear the sound of the footsteps behind them lessening and when he looked back he noticed the last bit of a tunic disappearing around the corner of one of the buildings. The Order members were no longer pursuing them. For now, they were safe.
A smile came to Athan’s lips as he watched Ellora gather her younger son into her arms for a warm, affectionate embrace.
“How are you?” she asked, leaning back to look into Kyven’s face. “Are you alright?” She took her hands from around his back and settled them on either side of his face. “Have you healed?”
Kyven looked at his mother with an expression of affection, but also that Ellora was worrying heedlessly. He nodded.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Well, I’m almost fine. I’m nearly healed. I don’t think that there is much more than can be done other than just letting my body get better on its own. The healings and the treatments have done all that they can.”
Athan could see Ellora’s shoulders lower with relief.
“Good,” she said. Her smile faded and she looked around as if just noticing where they were. “What are you doing out here?”
Kyven stepped back to allow his mother’s hands to fall away from his face.
“I’ve been laying around trying to get better for too long. I needed to do something. There are so many extra people in the kingdom right now that they are running out of food. I volunteered to come out here and get some of the food stores. What are you and Athan doing here?”
Ellora began to stammer some sort of response, but Kyven didn’t seem to notice. His eyes had fallen on Mhavrych and his expression had shifted. It was tense now, a look of surprise on it that wasn’t necessarily pleased. Ellora noticed that he was looking at the other man and stopped talking. She looked back and forth between them, then began to speak.
“We really shouldn’t keep everybody waiting,” Athan said loudly, grasping hold of Ellora’s elbow with one hand and the back of Kyven’s shoulder with the other. “There are a lot of people who are going to be hungry if we don’t get some food to them soon.”
He needed to keep them moving. They couldn’t stop here and Athan knew that the thoughts churning through Kyven’s mind were too much for him to confront right then. They needed to gather the food that Kyven had come to retrieve and get back to the village so that they could talk to Creia.
Athan stepped up to the nearest food storage building and opened the door cautiously. He looked inside before stepping out of the way and allowing Kyven to enter. Together they gathered armfuls of bags and crates and carried them out. Mhavrych followed behind them and took up two large barrels that he tucked one beneath each arm. Ellora scooped up a bag and then closed the door. They started toward the village at a slower pace than they had approached, but still faster than they usually would. The look on Kyven’s face told him that he knew something more was happening than they had told him, but Athan wasn’t going to share anything with him while they still might be near the seeking ears of the Order.
Finally they reached the edge of the village. He felt calmer and more relaxed as they made their way through the homes and shops, then on toward the meeting hall. Though he knew that they were far from completely out of danger, now that they were in a more crowded place they were more secure than they had been when out in the open crossing the planet and making their way through the back of the kingdom. Mhavrych was still with them, which was reassuring to Athan, but he still wasn’t completely at ease. They walked into the meeting hall and dropped off the food that they had brought, which was immediately scooped up by the women who were preparing meals for the visitors.
“Have you seen Creia?” Athan asked Kyven.
Kyven nodded.
“He’s in the back with Rey. What’s going on? You still haven’t told me what you were doing in the back of the kingdom, and I didn’t see you for the last two days. What’s happening?”
“We need to talk to Creia. It’s urgent. We’ll explain everything when we can, but for now we just need to talk to him.”
They made their way through the meeting hall and to the massive stone door that blocked Rey’s private chamber from the rest of the hall. Athan used the large carved knocker to announce their presence and almost immediately the door opened. Creia’s eyes widened when he saw them.
“Sir, can we speak with you?” Athan asked.
Creia nodded.
“Absolutely.” He stepped out of the way to allow the small group to enter the chamber with him and then closed the door. “Has something happened?”
“We have reason to believe that the Order is more corrupt than we originally thought,” Athan said. “Ellora went down into their lair and they threatened her. The three of us nearly didn’t escape with our lives. It has taken us two days to return here because we have been trying to avoid them.”
“Why are they threatening Ellora?” Creia asked.
Athan and Ellora exchanged glances. They hadn’t told him about Aegeus and Athan was still hesitant to do so. Though Ryan had confirmed to those in the ship that Aegeus had not been killed in the battle as had been the belief of everyone in the kingdom for so many years, he also suggested that he might not be alive for long. There was always the chance that the scientist had already eliminated Aegeus now that he had found his sons, and Athan didn’t want to tell Creia that he was still alive only to find that he had actually been killed just days before. At the same time, however, it was critical that the Denynso king understand the severity of the situation and the gravity of the threat that the Order posed to Ellora and to the rest of them so that he would be willing to act as promptly and effectively as possible. Ellora gave a small nod and Athan turned back to Creia. He took a step toward him and saw Rey stand from the chair where he had been sitting.
“Aegeus didn’t die in the battle,” Athan said, trying to choose his words carefully. “When we were on Penthos, Ryan told us that he was still alive.”
“Alive?” Rey asked, coming toward them, his eyes wide. “What do you mean he’s alive? Where has he been?”
Athan took a breath. He needed them to stay calm. They couldn’t afford any hysteria that might bring too much attention to them. He noticed that Mhavrych was sinking back away from the two leaders, trying to stay out of sight. Athan was still confused by his actions, not understanding what was causing him to be so evasive even while trying to help them. For now he couldn’t concentrate on that. He needed to inform the Kings of what was happening so that they could make the decisions that needed to be made.
Aware of Ellora’s presence and the impact that what he was going to say would make on her, Athan told Rey and Creia what they had learned when they were on Penthos. He explained the Valdicians appearing on the ship and the image of Ryan that had told them of the danger that was awaiting them. He could see their faces darkening, the anger building even more as he gave more details than he had before, but he continued forward, pushing forward to describe Ellora going down to confront the Order and the threat that they now posed. The confusion radiating off of Rey was palpable and Athan felt guilt gnawing at his belly.
“The Order?” Rey asked.
Creia looked at Athan darkly. He knew that he should have called Creia out of the room to discuss this. Rey didn’t know about the Order or what they did, and telling him could have put the entire kingdom, and everything that they had already done, at risk. Athan took another step toward the King, looking at him imploringly.
“I’m sorry, Rey,” he said.
“I am King,” Rey said. “I should know everything that is happening within my kingdom.”
“It isn’t just you,” Athan tried to explain. “The majority of th
e kingdom doesn’t know about the Order.”
“That’s unacceptable,” Rey said, his usually calm and gentle demeanor breaking under the obvious distress that he was feeling. “As King of the Mikana it is my responsibility to take care of my people and make sure that they are properly protected and managed. How am I –“
“Sometimes taking care of your people means accepting that you don’t know everything,” Mhavrych said, cutting Rey off as he stepped forward, finally revealing his presence fully to the Kings. “You are no different than the kings of the Mikana that came before you. In the earliest days of the Order, the King was a part of it, but that changed. For many generations now, the rule of the kingdom and the control of the Order have been separate. It is better that way. You have been kept from knowing about the Order and its responsibilities for a reason, and that reason has not changed. The fact that you know of it now makes no difference. You are not a part of the Order. You have no say in its operations and no control over it. You will not be able to resolve its corruption on your own, and when we have found victory over those who have corrupted it, it will carry on as it has…without your interference. Do you understand?”
Rey looked taken aback by Mhavrych’s boldness and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he spoke.
“Who are you to tell me what I am allowed to know or what I am permitted to do within my kingdom?” he asked angrily. “It is clear that you are not even Mikana. You are not a member of my kingdom. What authority do you have over me or over any of my kind?”
Mhavrych drew close to Rey, his jaw set and no intimidation on his face or in his stance. There was a long, still pause and Athan could feel the tension building in the room. Finally Mhavrych spoke.
“You will never know who I am or why I matter. It is not for you to know. You are not the Order. You will never be the Order. What I am means more to you and to all of the Universe than you could ever understand. The sooner that you accept that, the better the chances will be that all of you will survive.”
Athan stepped up to Mhavrych’s side and looked at the Kings.
“It is urgent that we get off of Uoria as soon as possible. The Order is now turned against Ellora, Mhavrych, and me. They will turn against any who is aligned with us and everyone will be vulnerable. Because of the nature of the Order, they are a hidden threat, a disguised danger. I have only recently learned that even I do not know all of the men who are members. That means that we have no way of knowing who in this kingdom we can really trust.”
“What are we to do?” Creia asked.
“We need to get to Penthos,” Ellora said. “My husband and my other son are waiting there. There is a war happening and the only hope that any of us have is to fight in it. Getting us off of Uoria will protect us from the Order here, but it will also mean giving them the help that they need on the battlefield. We have to defeat Ryan and the army that he created.”
“I don’t understand what any of this has to do with each other,” Rey said. “You said that the Order has been around for many generations. Even if generations before Ryan started the experiments that he is doing now, they could not have started this, they couldn’t be the beginning of the Order.”
“There are still many things that we need to figure out,” Athan admitted. “We are just now unraveling what all of this means. What matters now is that we get off of Uoria and to Penthos. From there we will be able to bring this all to a close.”
“We will leave tomorrow,” Creia said. “We’ll gather everyone into the ship and be to Penthos as soon as possible.”
Athan started to agree, but saw Kyven shaking his head out of the corner of his eye.
“We can’t do that,” Kyven said.
“Why?” Creia asked. “The danger is only going to continue to build. Athan already said that we won’t be able to recognize the members of the Order and that means that the longer we stay here, the more danger that we are all in. They could come for us at any time and we would never be able to get to Penthos to help Maxim and those who are there.”
Kyven shook his head again.
“Leaving now could be just as dangerous. I have seen Penthos and the army that they are facing there. No matter how dedicated the people here who want to go with us are, they are not prepared for what they will experience. They need all of the preparation possible. We need as much food and water as we can gather and get onto the ship, and the army needs to be trained. Besides, Rain hasn’t returned from the settlement. We need her to pilot the ship and the people she has with her to boost our numbers. We have to stay here, at least for a time. We need to be ready if we are going to give any benefit to those who are waiting for us on Penthos. An untrained, unprepared army will be more dangerous than no army at all.”
“How will Athan and Ellora remain safe?” Rey asked. “We don’t know the faces of the Order. They could come in to our homes, into our training grounds, and destroy us without anyone ever realizing it.”
“No,” Ellora said, her voice sounding as though a realization was just settling into her mind. “No, they won’t try that. Remember what Athan said. They don’t want to call attention to themselves, especially now that Mhavrych is with us.”
“What does he have to do with protecting us?” Rey asked.
“Aegeus knew Mhavrych, but even Athan didn’t know him. He is someone far more important than any of us understand right now and his existence has been hidden away for so long. They might want to destroy him, but they also know that his very presence among us means that we are aware of the threat. As long as we stay vigilant, we can do everything possible to stay safe. We accept only those we know into our training grounds. No one is ever alone. We speak to no one about what is really happening. Those who are willing to fight must be willing to do so without having all of the information. If they press for more, they are removed. That is the way that it is going to have to be. Rain and her kind will be here soon. We should be ready to leave in no more than a week.”
“Will those on Penthos be able to hold the hybrid army off until then?” Creia asked.
“All we can do is have faith in them,” Kyven said. “And know that they will stay strong until we are able to be there to end this before it can get any worse.”
Chapter Six
Jonah dropped the final match to the bathroom counter just as he heard the front door close on the floor below. He hurried out of the bathroom and rushed down the stairs to greet Aubrey. As she had every other day that she had returned home from work that week she looked exhausted and completely depleted of every bit of energy and spirit that had been within her. The large bag that she usually carried across her chest and hanging by her hip fell from her hand and slumped to the floor. She lifted her eyes to him as she shrugged out of her jacket and Jonah saw a slight smile come to her lips. That was a moment that he looked forward to every day. Though he hated that she was so exhausted and everything that she had to go through each day, it always made his heart soar when she returned home in the evening and looked so happy that he was there waiting for her.
“Another hard day?” he asked, coming down the steps and reaching for her jacket.
Aubrey nodded.
“I honestly think this project is going to be the death of me. They wanted me to stay even later, but I couldn’t do it. I told them that I was going to grab a bite to eat and I escaped.”
“Aren’t they going to notice that you’re gone?” Jonah asked with a laugh.
“I don’t know,” Aubrey said. “At some point they’ll probably realize that they’ve been talking to my empty chair for a while. I don’t care, though. I just couldn’t be in that lab for another minute. My brain seriously might have just liquefied. They might be mad when I get back there tomorrow, but I’ll come up with some sort of excuse as to what happened to me.”
“Like what?” Jonah asked, carrying the jacket down the short hallway leading off of the entryway so that he could hang it in the closet.
“I’m not sure.
Maybe I was horribly allergic to whatever I ate for supper and I ended up in the hospital.”
“They wouldn’t ask for a doctor’s note or anything?”
Aubrey let out a long sigh.
“They probably would. Alright. Well then maybe I had a car accident.”
“Again. Doctor’s note.”
“I just can’t catch a break.”
Jonah laughed again and held his arms open to her. Aubrey stepped into them and sighed as she nuzzled her face into his chest. This wasn’t the same sigh as she had just released. That was exasperation and exhaustion, frustration and resignation. This was happiness and contentment, a sense of safety and comfort that came from being cradled in his arms. He loved that sound and the feeling that it gave him each time that he heard it.
“Well,” he said, taking her by the shoulders and gently guiding her down the hallway back toward the stairs, “what if I keep brainstorming that excuse note for you while you relax. I have a surprise for you.”
“You do?” Aubrey asked as they made their way up the stairs toward their bedroom. “I could really use something wonderful right now.”
“I can’t promise wonderful,” Jonah said, guiding her into the bathroom, “but I hope that you like it.”
Aubrey gasped as she saw the candles strewn across the counter and along the edge of the bathtub. Plush white bubbles floated invitingly on the surface of the water, the dancing light from the candles causing them to shimmer.
“This is incredible,” she said, turning toward Jonah with a look of pure joy on her face. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course,” Jonah said. “I know how hard you’ve been working and I wanted to do something to help you relax. I am so proud of everything that you do and I wanted you to know that I’m here to support and encourage you in any way that I can. Even if that is just drawing a bubble bath for you so that you can relax at the end of the day.”
Aubrey rose up on her toes to touch a kiss to his lips then stepped back to kick off her shoes then start undressing. Jonah watched as she peeled away each layer of clothing, revealing the luscious body that he craved every moment. When she was completely naked, she reached back and swept her hair up off of her neck. Jonah’s mouth began to water as she wound her thick mane around, causing her breasts to rise and press toward him. She secured her hair with a clip and then stepped down into the water.
The Alien's Back! (Uoria Mates V Book 1) Page 5