by Mikayla Lane
Bess turned swirling hazel eyes to her daughter, and BJ shook her head and stood, holding her hands out in front of her.
“Momma! No! Don’t do it!” BJ warned.
Mojo snickered and BJ shot him a warning glare.
Moments later, BJ sank into her chair as the council of elders arrived in flashes of light until the kitchen was filled with them.
“We’ve heard your call, Bess,” Rolantro said with a bow of respect.
Bess smiled at the leader of their council and took his hand in one of her own as they bowed their heads together until their foreheads touched. There was a small spark and they separated, a huge grin on Rolantro’s face.
“I agree with Bess. More extreme measures are necessary to deal with the threat to our land and our brethren,” Rolantro decided.
BJ shook her head in disbelief. She’d been so sure that the ranking council leader would see the risks involved in such a plan. She used the council’s potential ignorance of the situation to make a final plea for sanity. BJ stood slowly and faced Rolantro.
“Sir, I don’t know if you’re aware of the enemy we’re dealing with this time. It’s not some poachers looking to kill indiscriminately for fur and wealth. These are highly trained killers who have hunted and brutally murdered our hybrid kin,” BJ explained, her fear and concern bleeding from her.
Tori placed a comforting hand on BJ’s shoulder and shook her head.
“That’s exactly why this needs to be done,” Tori said softly. “We must ensure that this place is protected and that they do not return again.”
BJ felt outnumbered and outmaneuvered.
“At least let Mojo and I look at it?” she asked.
She was hoping for one last piece of information to derail the crazy train about to pull into the station. It was one thing to use the hateful stereotypes to keep their community protected, but revealing the truth to the military unit hunting their kin was the most dangerous thing the council had ever considered.
“Your vision will not dissuade the ruling of the council,” Rolantro warned.
“I’m merely trying to make sure you have all the information you need to make an educated decision,” BJ argued.
Rolantro solemnly nodded his head, and BJ glared at Mojo, daring him not to do it with the council right there. Mojo just smirked and closed his eyes. BJ joined him in the vision, and they proceeded to put forth the different scenarios they knew would be associated with the new plan.
BJ was the first to emerge from the vision and didn’t hesitate to tell them what she’d seen.
“Each of the scenarios have serious repercussions to our people,” BJ told them, confident it would change their minds.
Mojo emerged next and scoffed at her dire statement.
“Every problem we saw could be easily resolved using the hybrid, Blade. In fact, if we bring the Valendrans and hybrids in on this, I think the outcome would be drastically different,” Mojo countered his sister, crossing his arms over his chest.
Rolantro looked between the siblings and steepled his fingers while he closed his eyes.
BJ shifted nervously, knowing the elder was sifting their energy and memories. She knew he’d discover that she’d been a little over dramatic in her assessment and awaited the chastising she deserved.
“Bessemiah,” Rolantro began, “our community appreciates your commitment to protecting us. However, this time has been foreseen, and we cannot ignore our responsibility. We will defer to the path that Mojo believes we can succeed upon.”
BJ was thrilled the elder wasn’t ripping into her, but she still felt compelled to try and dissuade them.
“Sir, we don’t even know if they’re willing to do this. They fear us and who we are even though they don’t even know us,” BJ argued, thinking of how Nik had reacted to what little he’d discovered.
“Then it is up to us to show them they’ve no reason to fear,” Rolantro countered. “I do not believe that such over caution is necessary in this situation when your own fear comes from the rejection of your mate.”
BJ sucked in an embarrassed gasp while her mother stepped forward angrily, ready to defend her daughter, when Rolantro held up a hand.
“I felt his energy while he was in the grotto, and he is blinded only by the same fear you are displaying,” Rolantro added.
BJ flinched at his words, but his next had her speechless.
“Bess, you need to contact Grai T’Alq. It is time we meet your brethren.”
Bess nodded her head solemnly and immediately contacted Grai through the shengari’ before training her steady gaze on the elder.
“They will be here shortly,” she assured their leader.
Rolantro looked around the small home and shook his head.
“I fear your comfortable home is not going to be large enough for all of us, and changes cannot be made in time. We shall await you and your people in the grotto,” Rolantro ordered. “It will be interesting to see what appears to them.”
BJ wanted to crawl under the floor. She wanted no part of the plan or the use of Nik and his people. Pride and duty were the only things keeping her from finding a place to hide until it was all over. She also knew she’d be facing the major again in the morning.
BJ had no intention of letting Major Morris tear apart her town looking for her, which meant she had to be a part of whatever plan everyone decided upon. With a heavy sigh, she collapsed back into one of the chairs and put her head in her hands as the elders removed themselves to the grotto.
My whole damn life has gone to hell since I met that damn jerk, she thought angrily.
“Be strong. It is all as it is meant to be,” Tori whispered in her ear before she disappeared in a flash of light.
*****
Nik, Traze, Disc, and Grai were watching the video in the station when they all realized that BJ and the others had been outed by the recordings the captain had made during the interviews.
Nik turned to Grai.
“The second they leave for supplies, we need to get down there and kill the major and the others. We can get the rest when they come back from the store,” he said, confident Grai would agree.
“Damn straight!” Traze echoed. “We need to be done with these bastards already, and now is the perfect time.”
Grai slowly shook his head, wishing like hell they could do just that.
“We can’t. If they lose that entire unit in this town, they’ll destroy the damn place looking for clues. The valley in Fiorn’s Folly is still trying to recover from the damage left behind, and it wasn’t inhabited by humans . . . and whatever BJ and her people are,” Grai argued. “We can’t risk their lives like that. It’s too dangerous.”
Nik and Traze growled in frustration, knowing Grai was right.
“What the hell are we going to do?” Nik asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. “We can’t keep doing nothing!”
“I hate to say it, but we need to go down there and do something,” Traze admitted. “The crazy witch might scare the shit out of me, but I’m not going to let anything happen to her either.”
Grai, Disc, and Nik turned shocked faces towards him, and Traze blushed and shrugged.
“Don’t give me shit! Just because she scares me . . . and we agree on nothing, doesn’t mean she isn’t nice . . . in her own really fucked up way . . .” Traze just shut up when he realized he wasn’t making any sense.
“Grai . . .” Disc said, not needing to finish the sentence for Grai to know he agreed with Nik and Traze.
Grai also agreed that they needed to do something, but at the moment he wasn’t sure what, and he was as hesitant as Traze about going on the ground in this place. The problem was solved moments later when he heard Bess’s invitation in his mind.
“I think they agree that they need our help. Bess has just requested us below. It appears their council of elders wishes to speak with us,” Grai told them before he went to the sleeping area to wake Blade.
“Did they say w
hat for?” Nik asked a little nervously.
He was hoping that BJ’s family wasn’t looking for some kind of revenge against him for hurting her feelings.
“They know we’ve been watching the vids, Nik. I would assume they realize we need each other in this if we’re going to keep everyone safe,” Grai told him as Blade came in.
“Come on,” Traze said with a heavy sigh. “We’ll lead you to the house.”
Grai was surprised when his brother jumped out of the craft on his own. He shrugged as he looked at the others and followed Nik to the ground, closely followed by Blade.
“Good luck,” Disc whispered in their minds before closing the door to the craft.
Grai had expected to see at least some part of the home now they were on the ground and was surprised that he couldn’t see any of it in the early evening light.
“This way,” Traze said with a wave as he headed towards a large tree.
Nik and Traze led them towards the tree, and a few minutes later Grai and Blade were staring up in awe as they walked under the natural overhang towards a door hidden within.
Nik raised his hand to knock when it was opened by a smiling Mojo.
“Come on in, guys,” he invited and stepped aside so they could enter.
Grai and Blade raptly stared at the living house and its details as Mojo led them to the kitchen.
Nik had been expecting to see BJ by now and was surprised that the place was empty. He was getting ready to ask where everyone was when Mojo turned to them with a sheepish smile.
“Sorry, but we don’t have enough room in here for everyone, so Rolantro, the leader of our council, suggested we meet in the grotto. That OK?” Mojo asked, not expecting anyone to complain.
Since Nik was the only one who’d been to the grotto, Grai, Blade, and Traze turned to him.
“It’s one of the most unique places I’ve seen on this planet,” Nik assured them as he followed Mojo out of the kitchen door and down the path to the cavern.
Traze looked nervous, and Grai put his hand on his shoulder as he pushed him towards the door.
“It’s going to be fine,” Grai told his brother as he tamped down his own nervousness when they entered the cave system.
“Look at this,” Nik said in wonder as he ran his hand over the sea creatures on the wall.
Traze was completely captivated and held both of his hands to the wall as he looked at it in wonder.
“How the hell is this possible?” he breathed out in awe as he ran past Nik to look at a whale.
“I’m sure they can explain it better than me, but this place is really damn old and at one time was under the sea,” Nik said, still awestruck by the cave.
“Wow,” Grai breathed out when they stepped into the large cavern.
“Holy hell,” Traze whispered.
Blade removed his sunglasses to get a better look while Mojo joined BJ and his mother near the waterfall.
“The wall by the waterfall is their history. I was here when our transport appeared on the wall with me and Traze,” Nik whispered through their minds, causing Traze to look at the wall.
“Where do you see that?” Traze asked aloud as he walked towards the waterfall.
Nik looked at Grai and Blade strangely, wondering if there was something wrong with Traze.
“I see it,” Grai assured him.
Blade just nodded his head silently, confirming that he too could see the diorama on the walls by the waterfall.
“Our history cannot be seen by the blind of heart,” Bess said with a sad shake of her head. “But there is hope for him yet.”
She walked up to Grai, Nik, and Blade as Traze looked over the waterfall, trying to see where the mural was.
“We thank you, Grai T’Alq, for coming so promptly at our call,” Bess said, reaching out her hand to Grai.
Grai took her elegant hand gently in his own and shook it.
“Under the circumstances, we’re honored you called,” Grai replied with a nod of his head.
Nik did his best not to stare at BJ but failed miserably. Not that it mattered since she was doing a great job of keeping her eyes trained on the back of her mother’s head to avoid looking at him.
He felt terrible when he saw the dark circles running under her glazed and tired eyes. Nik wanted nothing more than to go to her and at least apologize, but he knew it wasn’t the time, and he tried to concentrate on Bess and Grai.
“Our council has decided to reveal themselves to you, which you will come to realize is a great honor. My only request is that you continue to keep the open minds you are currently displaying, or like our young doubter, you will not be able to take part in the discussions,” Bess warned sharply as her eyes swirled.
“What the hell is she talking about?” Traze whispered loudly as he joined them in front of the waterfall.
“Rolantro, this is Grai T’Alq, Blade Djornav, and Niklosi Jevasari. The doubter is Grai’s brother, Traze,” Bess said as everyone looked behind them.
Everyone but Traze sucked in a sharp breath as they turned around and saw small sparks of light gather in the middle of the cavern before they flashed. In the place of the lights stood some of the tallest, most beautiful people they had ever seen.
The largest man in the center stood at least seven and a half feet tall and was almost twice the size of Grai in his build. His eyes had no whites in them at all but were a starburst of every shade of blue imaginable. What gave Grai a little pause was he was heavily armed with swords, daggers, and a shield.
His hair was a shoulder length flowing mane of blond streaked in various lighter shades, and his bronzed skin seemed to glow from within. Grai could see the tops of white wings that appeared to be carefully folded behind his back.
Grai bravely stood his ground while the giant advanced to within two feet of them.
“I am Rolantro. We are honored to meet the brethren of our brethren,” he stated as he held his hand out to Grai.
“Who the fuck is she talking to?” Traze whispered as he looked around the room.
Grai automatically held his hand out to Rolantro, shaking twice.
“We are honored to meet you as well,” Grai said as he dropped the elder’s hand, shocked at the contact with the strange energy.
“Grai?” Traze asked, looking at Grai curiously as his brother shook hands with and spoke to thin air.
Rolantro looked at Traze, and his blue eyes began to swirl in the same unnerving way Bess’s did.
“I believe the young one should be silenced while we speak,” he stated and waved his hand.
Grai and the others turned to see that Traze had been completely frozen in place, leaning forward towards Grai.
“Do not fear for him; he will be fine when we leave,” Rolantro assured them. “Since he cannot see us or hear us, he will be a distraction we do not have the time to coddle.”
Grai could see Traze breathing, saw Bess’s challenging stare, and he nodded his head before turning back to the elder.
“I understand,” he said, even though he really didn’t.
Those behind Rolantro chuckled, drawing everyone’s attention past the giant leader to the several dozen others who stood behind him. All of them were over seven feet tall and had an otherworldly beauty.
Grai was suddenly really uncomfortable and questioned his decision to come. Rolantro’s grin did nothing to quell his nerves.
“It is normal that you feel a little unsettled. Most never see us unless it is in the worst of circumstances,” Rolantro stated. “Obviously, the situation is most dire, and we appreciate the inner strength you are displaying in our presence. We understand that our energy must be unsettling for you,” Rolantro explained. “It is not our intention to make you feel uncomfortable. However, we feel that in order to establish trust between our peoples for the sake of our shared brethren, we must be honest about who we are.”
Grai took a deep breath through his nose, steeling himself for whatever Rolantro was getting ready to admi
t to. A part of him didn’t want to know, but he knew he had to understand exactly what they were dealing with.
“Although our history is there for you to see, it doesn’t really explain who we are,” Rolantro began. “We have been here since before the beginning of humanity. We reside in small communities throughout the world. In our language we are called ‘the Qur bak’ Taq,’ which means the ‘immortal soul keepers.’”
Grai still wasn’t sure what Rolantro was telling him. None of it made sense to him except for the part about them being immortal. That got his attention, and his mind ran through all of the immortal beings he could think of in Earth history to try and figure out who they were.
“In fact, you will not remember it, but you have met Illiatrona,” Rolantro stated, then gestured behind him to a tall, ethereally beautiful woman with dark hair.
Grai stared at the incredible woman and just shook his head, knowing he’d never met the woman in his life.
I would have damn sure remembered seeing her. There’s no way in hell I’d forget seeing someone that beautiful, Grai thought.
Grai watched in surprise as the woman moved towards them with a fluid grace, her beauty captivating him, Nik, and Blade as she stopped next to Rolantro.
“You would not have remembered me, but I held you in the sand and spread my wings above you to absorb the impact. Your son traced an ancient sigil on you that called to us to provide protection,” Illiatrona said in a voice that held a lyrical quality to it.
“What?” Grai mouthed, trying to understand what she was talking about. He knew he’d never met her before even though he remembered the symbol Tristan had traced on his forehead before he’d gone to Africa with Balduen.
“On this world and others, we are known by many names, but our duties to the Forefather, the One God, is the same. You would call Illiatrona a Pa’sarpa in your father’s language,” Rolantro explained as the color drained from Grai’s face.
Grai sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back, almost tripping over a still immobile Traze. Nik and Blade helped him to steady himself.