Tonka sat down as he thought about that for a long moment. “I want them safe too, Salene. But I told Oberto that I would watch over and protect them.”
“I swear to you that keeping them safe and protected is my only reason for wanting them off this planet. I’d never harm them, or allow them to be harmed.”
“I believe you, and I thank you for that. But how can I keep my word to Oberto if I am not with them?”
“What would Oberto say in your place, Tonka?” Salene asked. “Wouldn’t he want to see the children off of this hellish world, even if it meant he would never see them again?”
“Yes, he would,” Tonka said, relieved. “He would have done anything for such an opportunity, and that is not a guess. He once told me that it was his greatest wish. I agree, the children must go where they will be safe.”
“Thank you, Tonka,” Salene said, relieved. “What about your legs? They must still be sore and that’s going to make breaking a trail hard on you.”
“They are not sore enough to mention, and thanks to you the bones are strong.”
Satisfied, she looked back down at the Jotunn on her shoulder. “Jinjie, Rayne told me that she’s been teaching you about computers and that you’ve already surpassed her expertise.”
“Lady Bear do be skilled, and she do be teaching Jinjie, yes.”
“When we get to this silo, I want you to find a computer and get everything out of it that you can.”
Jinjie grinned, showing teeth that were once again blunt and square. “Jinjie do be happy to be doing this.”
“Good,” she said, then headed back into the tunnel. “I’m hungry and that stew has to be hot by now.”
Chapter 12
“There,” Kar said, pointing to a holographic image of the planet below them. A planet they hadn’t seen at all until they passed through the outer extent of its Blind Sight range while following the signal from Salene’s tracking dot.
“What’s there?” Talus asked, staring at the tiny blip on the hologram that indicated her position.
“Just a moment,” Jon said, stepping away to speak with the Captain up on the bridge. The ship changed its orbit, its scanners imaging the planet as they passed above it. It took several minutes during which Talus attempted to remain patient. Finally new details began to show up on the hologram, fed into it by the ship’s optical scanners and other sensors.
“It looks like she’s inside of that mountain,” Kar said. “The entire area is covered with snow so my guess is that she found a cave to use as shelter.”
“Is she alone?”
“No telling,” Kar replied. “The tracking signal is coming through loud and clear, but I can’t get infrared through the rock of that mountain.”
“Have any life forms shown up?”
“Lots of animals, including some large unidentified flying creatures, though there seem to be very few of them. There are no cities, no villages, no humans or humanoids in numbers large enough to register, and as far as I can tell, no Doftles.”
“Let’s go down and get her,” Talus said.
“I don’t think we should aim for the exact location of the ping,” Kar said. “Transporting through that much dense mineral material is always risky and we don’t know the dimensions of the cave she’s in. A few feet of lateral transport error and we could materialize inside solid rock. The mountainside would be better.”
“Agreed. Let’s go.”
When Tonka, Jinjie, and Salene returned to the cave they found Tab awake, and both children hungry. The stew was bubbling hot, so Salene pulled it off the fire and ladled it out. After serving everyone else, she dipped a spoon into her bowl and raised it half way to her mouth before stilling for several heartbeats. She returned the spoon to the bowl and set it down, her movements very slow even though her heart was suddenly racing.
“They’re here,” she said tightly, hating the fear that washed through her.
“How do be you know?”
“I can’t sense them from a distance anymore, but they’re still my destined Rami, which means I can still feel them when they’re nearby, bond or no bond.”
“There are three of them, and they sound…nervous,” Tonka said while testing the stew with the tip of his tongue. Apparently it was still too hot because he pulled his head back with a quick jerk.
Salene nodded. It was their nervousness that told her they were close. “Can you tell if they’ve come inside yet?” she asked Tonka.
“It doesn’t sound like it, no.”
Salene got to her feet. “You two stay here with the children and eat your breakfasts. I’ll be right back.”
“You do be not wanting me to come?” Jinjie asked in surprise.
“No,” she said. “I can feel their emotions, something I’ve only just realized that I couldn’t do before, on the Armadura. It makes sense, too, though I didn’t realize it at the time. Controllers don’t have emotions.”
“Do be call if need help. We do be hearing.”
“I will,” she promised. Then she took a calming breath, turned around and left the cave. She moved quietly along the dark tunnel with one hand on the wall since she’d forgotten the flashlight.
“We don’t know how far in these caves go,” Talus said, standing in the deep snow just outside the cave entrance. “Let’s get a fix on that ping before we enter.”
“All right,” Kar said, pulling his hand terminal from his belt. “Wait,” he said with unmistakable excitement. “She’s close. Very close.”
“I feel her,” Jon said, staring into the darkness. “She’s hiding her emotions, but I can feel her.” A few moments later they all heard the sound of approaching footsteps and then there she was, standing just inside the cave a mere half a dozen feet away, staring at them with an unreadable expression on her face. After a long, uncomfortable moment, she broke the silence.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Of course,” Talus said, frowning. She didn’t approach them, she didn’t smile, and there was a wary look in her eyes that they’d never seen before. They’d never been able to remember how she’d gotten the scar that cut across her cheek, and that bothered him. Then his gaze caught on the red stone set in filigreed gold that she wore on her forehead, and he wondered for a brief moment where it had come from and why she wore it before moving on to the more important question of why she was armed. Not just armed, but battle ready with hand lasers, knives and sai covering her weapons vest, around her waist, and even a sheath on one arm. He’d never seen her carry a weapon before, and now here she was, carrying as many as she could find a place for.
Has she changed as much inside as she has outside? he wondered sadly. If she has, how will we ever get things back to the way they were before?
“We’re glad to find you alive,” Jon said.
“You’re injured,” Kar observed with a note of worry as he stared at the bruised bump on her forehead.
“Not seriously,” she said, still watching them carefully.
Talus raised one arm from his side and stretched his hand out toward her. She eyed it uncertainly and, for a moment, he was afraid that she would back away, but she didn’t. She didn’t reach for it, either.
“Thank you for sending that message to Tani,” he said, lowering his arm. “It arrived just in time for her to save us.”
“You had Controllers?”
“Yes, we had Controllers.”
“They’re gone?” she asked, looking into his eyes searchingly.
“They’re gone,” he said, nodding. She slid her gaze to Jon, and then Kar, but there was nothing in her expression or in her eyes to tell them what she was thinking, which was something else new. They’d always been able to read her. But she’d never tried to hide from them before, either.
Another long silence fell while the four of them stood there, staring at each other uncertainly, the Gryphons outside the cave in the snow, Salene inside with darkness at her back. Time stretched out until Talus could no longer bear it
. This time he raised both arms and spread them wide, unable to hide the trembling of his hands. “Please, Salene.”
She hesitated for another moment, but the raw need in his voice finally convinced her that they truly were, once again, her men. For the moment, that was enough.
She threw herself into his arms with a small, inarticulate cry that sounded as though it had been torn from the depths of her being. Talus hugged her tightly while Jon and Kar joined them, pressing themselves against her as closely as they could. The four of them stood that way for a long time, giving and receiving comfort, soaking up the warmth of each other’s bodies, their hearts beating in tandem, letting the relief flow through them.
“Do you feel it?” Talus whispered, and both Kar and Jon nodded, their throats too tight to speak.
“Feel what?” Salene asked.
“Our bond is being remade,” he said, pulling her even tighter against him. “Can’t you feel it, Salene?”
Salene searched her feelings, then nodded slowly. “Yes, I feel it now,” she whispered. “You love me again.”
“We never stopped loving you, Salene,” Talus said, his arms tightening nearly to the point of pain. He felt her begin to tremble and leaned back so he could see her face.
“Don’t cry,” he said softly. “It’s going to be all right now. The Controllers are gone, and we’re back together the way we belong, and we love you as we always have, Salene. It’s all over now. We won’t let anything separate us again, I promise.”
“That’s a promise that cannot be kept, but I thank you for it anyway,” Salene said through her tears.
“We should transport up to the Aegl, where it’s safe. Then we can talk.”
“No,” she said, stepping back out of their arms and wiping her eyes. “We need to talk first.”
“Here?” Talus asked, frowning. “I don’t understand.”
“I know,” she said. “But you will. Please, bear with me for just a little while.”
“Of course,” he said, swallowing his impatience and reminding himself of what they’d put her through.
“Come inside,” she said, turning back toward the tunnel. “We’re just having breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” Jon asked blankly.
“It’s only leftover stew from last night, but it’s hot and it’s what we have.”
“We?” Talus asked as they all fell into step behind her.
“Jinjie is with me, and there’s another here named Tonka.”
“The name Jinjie is slightly familiar, but I can’t quite place it,” Talus said.
Salene frowned at him over her shoulder. “Jinjie is a Jotunn. He’s about nine inches tall including really big, bright orange horns. He was a prisoner on the same space station where you were.”
“That’s right, I remember now,” Talus said as a brief memory of a tiny humanoid on Rayne’s shoulder flashed through his mind. “A little. I don’t remember the name Tonka though.”
“Jinjie and I found Tonka and the children here after our life pod crash landed yesterday. He’s the one who led us to these caves when the storm got bad.”
“What children?” Talus asked.
“It’s a long story.”
They passed several caves before Salene stopped, moved a sheet of thermal fabric aside and entered the one where her companions waited. “Everyone, this is Talus, Jonus, and Karius Gryphon. Guys, this is Jinjie,” she said, gesturing to where Jinjie sat on top of his log. The tiny Jotunn nodded, his round eyes studying them intently.
“Jinjie,” Talus said, nodding briefly, though he didn’t notice the Jotunn’s appraisal. None of them did since they were unwilling to take their eyes off of the enormous silver wolf lying on the other side of the fire. The Gryphons were much taller than Salene, but Tonka’s head still reached their lower chests when he rose to his feet at their entrance. He lowered his head, held his tail stiffly, and kept his eyes fixed on them as he returned their stares.
Even though they all had their eyes on Tonka, Salene decided to finish the introductions anyway. “This is Mali, her cousin Tab, and Tonka of the Brun.”
“Brun?” Kar asked after nodding to the children who watched them with guarded, distrustful eyes.
“Yes, that is what his people call themselves.”
“How do you know that?” Talus asked, glancing quickly at the children, then to Salene.
“He told me,” she said simply.
Talus returned his attention to the wolf who continued to return their perusal, taking his time as he studied each of the Gryphons. “Friends of Princess Salene are welcome to our fire,” he said finally, shocking the Gryphons and nearly causing Salene to smile.
“Thank you, Tonka,” Talus said with a deep nod, understanding the gigantic wolf’s…er…Brun’s warning perfectly.
Salene sat down and picked up her bowl, glad to find that her hands weren’t shaking nearly as hard as she’d feared, though her appetite had vanished. “I’m afraid we just divided up the last of the stew, but I can make some tea if you want.”
“No, thank you,” Talus said. “Salene, how did he speak into our minds?”
“How do you three communicate with each other when you’re flying?” Salene asked, watching Tonka lay back down on his blanket and test the temperature of his stew with his tongue. His ears popped up.
“They fly?”
“Yes, they do,” she said. “Gryphons look like a cross between a predatory bird, and a lion.”
“I don’t know what a lion is.”
“I’ll show you an image one day,” she offered, nervously moving her spoon around in her bowl, glad to have something to do with her hands. The Gryphons no longer had Controllers and were once again the men she loved, and who loved her back, just as they had before. But a lot had changed over the past several weeks. She had changed. And she had no idea how they’d feel about that.
She looked up to find that the three of them were staring at her. “You might as well sit down. There’s a blanket or two over there if you want.”
“No, we’re fine, thank you,” Talus said as they all sat cross legged on the floor in the empty space between Salene and Tonka.
“We found the Ember,” Jon began.
“If Gryphons do be not minding, me do be check for Controller sign,” Jinjie interrupted.
Salene glanced at Talus, who nodded. “Of course, Jinjie,” he said. “Tani and Steel forced us to shift which destroyed the Controller, but it can’t hurt to be certain.”
Jinjie set his bowl down, then stood up and turned so that he was facing the Gryphons. He studied them silently for a long moment, then leapt from his log to the floor in front of Talus. He closed his eyes and held his hands out toward them, then went still. The air around him sparkled with tiny flickers of orange, but nobody moved or spoke. The only sounds in the cave were those of the fire popping and soft breathing.
When Jinjie opened his eyes he looked worried. “Controller do be rebuilding.”
“What?” Talus demanded, his tone equal parts fear and surprise.
“How long do be since shifting?”
Talus’s eyes widened and he looked at his brothers who appeared just as shocked. “Not since Tani and Steel forced it on Garza,” he said grimly. “That was three days ago. We haven’t even thought about shifting since then. How can this be?”
“You must do be shifting,” Jinjie said.
“Yes, of course,” Talus said as all three jumped to their feet. He paused and turned back to Jinjie. “I would ask a favor of you, Jinjie of the Jotunn.”
“Favor do be what?”
“If you can protect yourself from anything we might do against our will, I ask that you come with us. I suddenly don’t trust myself, and I would have a witness to be sure we shift.”
“That do be wise, Talus Gryphon, and Jinjie do be agreeing.” He leapt up onto Talus’s shoulder, then turned to look down at Salene.
“Princess Salene must do be staying here.”
Salene
hesitated, then nodded. “If you think that’s best, Jinjie.” Her agreement caused a knot to relax in Talus’s stomach. There was a distance between them now that hadn’t existed before, and he didn’t think watching them writhe around on the floor screaming would improve matters. He nodded to Salene and Tonka, then turned around and led the way back into the tunnel. He paused at the entrance to the next cave.
“Where should we go Jinjie?”
“Next cave do be better.”
Talus nodded and continued walking. Once they were in the cave Jinjie directed them to, Talus removed a flashlight from his belt, turned it on and laid it on the floor so that it illuminated the cave enough for all of them to see clearly. Then he turned his head so he could see Jinjie where he stood on his shoulder.
“When Tani and Steel forced us to shift, we were grateful, but it was extremely painful. As men we can control our reactions. Our gryphon alter forms see no logic in such folly. We would prefer that Salene not be subjected to our screams.”
“Me could do be what asking, Talus Gryphon, but me think do be bad idea.”
“Why?”
“Hiding from Princess Salene not do be good.” Jinjie paused a moment, his forehead creased in thought. “Me do be block sound up to ending. Yes?”
“I’m assuming you have Salene’s best interests in mind.”
“Always.”
“Then I shall trust you to do what you think best.”
“Jinjie do be honored,” he said solemnly, surprising Talus. He’d gotten the distinct impression that the tiny Jotunn cared very little for him and his brothers. “Jinjie, I do not ask that you violate confidences or break promises. But, if you can, will you tell us why you don’t like us? We have only a very faint memory of you, so if we offended you, we would appreciate it if you would tell us about it so that we can attempt to address the matter.”
“Me do be hearing what Gryphons do be saying to Princess Salene on Armadura.”
Talus had been afraid of that. He bowed his head, fist to heart, mindful of the Jotunn on his shoulder. “Though it was not done for our sake, we would thank you, Jinjie of the Jotunn, for watching over Salene.”
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