Eye on Orion

by Laura D. Bastian

  “I will still do all I can to protect you. Until you have left this planet, I will not give Ryad back his medallion. He can Travel home after you are already gone, but I will not allow him to leave with you at the same time.”

  “Jai, that is not necessary,” Amira said.

  “It is.” Jai crossed his arms over his chest. “Until you are gone, I am still your bodyguard. It will happen my way.”

  Ryad nodded.

  Amira shook her head and stood up. “We must hurry. Time is important.”

  “What would you have us do, Your Highness?” Delilah asked.

  “We will go back home immediately,” Amira said. “Jai can Heal Ramal, and if we can develop more Traveling medallions, we’ll send for him. Jai, of course, will stay on Earth with Holly.”

  I sat there in stunned silence. Jai could stay here with me. I wasn't going to lose him forever. He would leave for a short time, then fly back to be with me. The thought of losing Amira hurt. I would probably never see her again after tonight. I was too overjoyed thinking that Jai would stay here to care as much as I should.

  Amira stood. “Marshal, is the paperwork prepared?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. He needs to sign a few forms, and the house and property will be his. It has already been notarized and completed by our lawyer.” He went to the other room and returned with a legal-sized folder.

  “What?” Jai asked, stunned. “When did you do this?”

  “Not long after you Bonded,” Amira said with a slight shrug. “I knew you wouldn't be coming back with us. I didn't know if we would all have to leave, or if Marshal or Delilah would stay here with you to pretend to be your parents. You are almost old enough to be considered a legal adult here. I don't think there would be a problem for you to be the one owning the house. And hopefully Ramal can be Healed and persuaded to stay here with you as your father.”

  Jai shook his head numbly as he absorbed what she said to him.

  Amira continued, “You already have the documentation showing you are a legal citizen of the United States, courtesy of Marshal. He made us birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and passports. What harm could come from making you the legal owner of the house?”

  “You should have told me you did this. You planned to go back without me all along?” Jai said with a hint of sadness as well as hope in his voice.

  “Did you think I would force you to return home when you truly desired to stay here for all time? I couldn't do that to you,” Amira said with tenderness.

  “Thank you,” Jai said through tears he fought to contain. “I am indebted to you.”

  “And I to you.” Amira rested her hand lightly on his arm. “You have saved my life many times, and now in this small way I am trying to repay you.”

  They hugged, and I felt blessed to have known her. She would be an amazing queen. I was sorry I wouldn't be able to see it first hand, but I knew the glimpses she'd shown me would always have an impact on the way I saw myself and the world.

  Amira looked around the room briefly then said, “I believe we will need to leave immediately. I think the things I saw in my Vision have recently happened. If Shander has left Ramal, then we can only assume he will use everything he can to find us. If we leave now, we will be able to avoid seeing him completely. If it happened a while ago, who knows how soon he'll be at our door. Hopefully you will be in time to help Ramal, Jai. If you can help him, then give him my thanks. If we are too late, please give him a proper burial as he deserves. He will be honored at home either way for his service.”

  Amira wiped a tear from her eye. Everyone was quiet for a moment.

  “It will be done,” Jai answered solemnly.

  Marshal took Jai to the side and gave him instructions and information about the documents in the folder. Then hugging him as men often do, they pounded each other on the back and stepped apart.

  “I enjoyed having you as a son, Captain.”

  “Thank you, Marshal. You have been an exceptional father figure.”

  Delilah came up to Jai and hugged him too. “We will miss you. Take care of yourself and of our dear Holly. Maybe someday we'll be able to see you both again.”

  She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and came to hug me. “Don't worry about a thing, dear.” She rubbed my back. “Jai is extremely capable of taking care of himself and will return to you soon. I have enjoyed getting to know you and seeing how caring and kind you are. It has been a pleasure having such neighbors as yourself and your family. Come, I have a gift for you.” She took me to the side.

  Delilah opened an ornate wooden box on a cabinet lining the wall. “I found this stone while searching for precious metals and ores for the financing of our mission. It is not valuable as far as I can tell, but something about it caught my eye, and I kept it. It made me think of home when I held it. I would like you to have it. Hopefully it will remind you of us.”

  “Thank you.” I looked at the dark stone and felt the smoothness of the top. It felt a little heavy in my hands. Heavier than I would have thought it would be, given its size. The rock was a deep black, but tiny specks of some type of quartz reflected the light. It reminded me of the night sky. It would definitely remind me of them. Delilah patted me on the shoulder then slipped away while I looked at the stone.

  Ryad had said his goodbyes to Jai while Delilah had talked to me. When he saw I was no longer talking to her, he joined me. “Thank you again for your forgiveness when I tried to kidnap you, Holly. And for helping me see the error of my ways.”

  “Oh, no problem. I'd do anything to get out of a kidnapping you know.” I wished I could feel sure about him. They all believed him to be genuine now, but I still wondered. I hoped he was truly on Amira’s side. Without Jai there to protect her, what would Ryad do? I could tell he had feelings for Amira, but what exactly did that mean?

  He smiled at me and walked over to Amira as she finished up her goodbyes with Jai. She hugged Jai and turned him to face me.

  I could see the indecision on his face when he looked away from her to me. When our eyes met, the indecision vanished, replaced with conviction. He smiled, and walked over to me, holding his arms open. I stepped easily into his embrace and breathed deeply.

  “I will take you home and then we will drive to the Salt Flats,” he said. “They will Travel home to Rommader, and I will Travel to Ramal and see what can be done. Then I will fly back here. Shander will not ever have a chance to harm you. He'll find them gone, and he will leave to search for them elsewhere.”

  I watched as Delilah and Marshal tidied up the house, turned off the TV, gave me my DVD, and put all the things in order before they left for the last time. It happened so fast, I wondered how much planning they'd done to prepare for possible events.

  They'd arranged it so Jai could stay here and have a life with me. They were ready to return home where Amira could help her father restore order and peace to the kingdom. Their efficiency impressed me. With final decisions made, they were ready to go, and I was left wondering how it would all turn out, since I wouldn't be there to see it.

  Amira walked over to Jai and me. Giving me a hug that nearly engulfed me, she thought to me in a whisper, “I wish I could express to you how much I love you and will miss you. You have made my time here more enjoyable than I ever thought it could be. I am glad Jai has you. He needs you. He has changed much in the last few weeks. I only hope I can find something near the joy you have with him with someone myself.” I couldn't see for sure, since her head was still next to mine as she hugged me, but I felt almost certain she looked at Ryad as she whispered to me.

  Stepping back from me, she looked me in the eyes and said aloud, “Take care of him for me. I will miss having him around. He's been like a brother to me, but he is yours now and I have no more claim to him, even if he was my bodyguard. If things ever get under control back home, and Shander is no longer a threat, maybe we'll be able to come back to visit.”

  “Yeah, don't be surprised if you see us
knocking on your front door after a few months,” Ryad said.

  The magnitude of what was happening hit me hard. My eyes flooded with tears as I realized they would be gone forever in moments. They talked about coming back, but it would be almost impossible if the metal they used to make the Traveling medallions was so rare.

  “I don't know what I'll do without seeing you every day. I'll miss you all so much.” I stopped and tried to steady my voice. “And thank you, Princess, for letting Jai stay here.” How could I tell someone thanks for leaving my heart with me without sounding stupid?

  “You are welcome. Now we must send you home and get ourselves out of here.”

  Jai took me by the hand and led me up the stairs and out the front door. I could feel a mixture of his emotions: joy at being able to be with me, concern from worrying about Ramal, sadness about the others Traveling home without him, relief that things were finally happening, and excitement to be doing something without the worry of what might come.

  When he got me to my front porch, he paused for a moment. “Depending on how hurt Ramal is, it shouldn’t take me more than a couple days to Heal him. I don't know how soon I should come back here when he’s well enough to leave. There is no telling how soon Shander will find this place. I can't decide if it would be best to get a flight back here as soon as possible to be with you, or to stay in Europe with Ramal for a little while and make sure Shander doesn't come back there.” He rubbed his thumbs across the backs of my hands.

  “I think the reason Ryad thought you were Amira, besides the fact you look similar, was that you were with me. My being here could put you in danger.” He hugged me tight. “I would be devastated if something happened to you. Especially if it was my fault.” He nuzzled his face into my neck, breathing deeply as if he were trying to assure himself everything would be all right.

  “Is there any place you can go for a long visit so you are not here if Shander shows up?” Jai asked.

  “Not really. Both sets of grandparents have passed away. And my Uncle Pete and his family are stationed in Germany at the Air Force Base there.”

  “What if you pretended to be sick and stayed home for a week without going anywhere?”

  “I could probably do that,” I nodded after thinking it through. “When he finds your house empty, hopefully he will leave right away. Do you think he will suspect they've gone back home, or will he think you have just run somewhere else?”

  Shaking his head, he said, “It's hard to know what he will do. I think he will believe us to have gone home and will try to follow us back. Then they can deal with him on Rommader.”

  “Maybe you should stay with Ramal for a while.” It hurt to think he would be gone for long. “You can call me and let me know how things are going.”

  “I will miss you.”

  “I'll miss you too, but I can handle a separation of a few days now that I know you won't be leaving me forever,” I whispered.

  “I'll be back before you know it.”

  He leaned in to kiss me and I met him halfway. I clung to him, terrified of what would happen. I put all my fears into the kiss. My fears were acknowledged by him, and he kissed me fiercely. Soon his calm and strength took over. The kiss changed, becoming tender and sweet, yet full of promise there would be many more of them.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Alone

  After checking in with my parents to let them know I was home, I went back to the front window to watch Jai leave. I stood frozen there for a few minutes before Marshal’s jeep headed down the street. As it passed directly in front of my house, the headlights went out briefly and flicked back on again.

  He knew I watched them, so he waved goodbye with his lights. I followed them with my eyes as far as I could see from my window. When the taillights disappeared behind the house on the corner, I focused my attention on my feelings and felt Jai getting farther and farther away. How far away would I be able to feel him?

  I went outside in my back yard and sat on the bench under a maple tree in the corner of the yard. The flowers growing around the bench gave off a delicious scent. The warm night made my T-shirt and shorts just right.

  I looked at my watch a few minutes after midnight. I planned to stay awake, paying attention to his presence to see if I could feel when he Traveled. Would I know the moment he left? I sat quietly looking at the stars while keeping my focus on the sense of Jai's person. As the minutes passed, I could tell he moved farther away, but it didn't change my awareness of him.

  I kept checking my watch, wondering how long it would take them to get to the Salt Flats. I'd never been there myself, just knew its approximate distance. As the end of the second hour approached, I closed my eyes to block out even the distractions of the silent stars filling the clear night sky. I wanted to be completely aware of him and where he was.

  A short time later, he disappeared. I knew he still existed, but I couldn't feel him anywhere. I felt lost momentarily then focused my attention on trying to find him. I breathed slowly and deeply for a few minutes, willing myself to feel him. I got panicky that he was gone too far, when deep inside me I felt him. I felt a flicker of strong emotion and then he disappeared again.

  What had he discovered in Scotland?

  I opened my eyes to look at the stars, and wondered how long it would take them to get to Rommader. I'd never really asked them about the way Traveling worked since that first night up on the mountain. They said it happened at the speed of thought. If so, they should already be there. I hoped they were safe and would find everything well.

  ****

  In my bed a little while later, I lay still, focusing my attention inward. In the place where I figured my soul was, I could tell he was safe and well. By paying close attention, I never lost the connection. That gave me peace, and eventually sleep found me.

  First thing in the morning, I searched deep inside myself to feel his existence. It took a few minutes, but when I found him, I relaxed and lay on my bed thinking of him.

  I felt tired. Like I'd put in a hard day at work instead of staying up until after two in the morning. I went into the bathroom to get dressed and saw my face. I could pass for being ill right now. Had I cried in my sleep? It might explain my face, but I couldn't remember anything other than holding on to the feeling of Jai as I drifted off to sleep. The purplish bags under my eyes, my puffy red nose, and my pale face could easily convince my mom of my claim. As I concentrated on trying to find Jai, my head started hurting and my appetite was gone.

  Going down stairs to meet my parents at the breakfast table, I gave them a little performance of not feeling well and begged off going with them to church. My mother insisted I eat a little bit of toast before going back to my room but didn't question my sincerity.

  In my room, completely alone with my thoughts, tears flowed. I'd handled my emotions much better last night. I cried for the loss of Amira, deeply upset I would never see her again. She'd become a closer friend than any one I’d grown up with. I missed her more than Celia when she moved.

  Why did she mean so much to me? Was it because of Jai that I loved her, or did she have something of her own? Thinking of all our times together, I decided it was for herself and not because of Jai. I liked her before Jai and I had Bonded. I would never see Amira again, no matter what they said. I would never be able to call her, e-mail her, or even send her a birthday card. I didn't even know when her birthday was.

  How would Jai handle the separation of those he knew and loved from home? He was an orphan from an early age, but raised by a king and considered a brother to Amira as well as her eventual bodyguard. I didn't know how I would handle that myself. I marveled again at the strength of the Bond we shared. Would I ever be strong enough to leave my family and world for him?

  Maybe Shander would get in an accident here on Earth. Maybe he would get struck by lightning. Maybe he wouldn't know how to drive and end up crashing into a lake. Maybe as he crossed a street, a bus would hit him because he didn't underst
and the red hand meant Don't walk. I chuckled at my evil wishes and then felt bad for being so cruel. But I still couldn't help wishing he could just be taken out of the picture all together, without any inconvenience to Amira, her father, or Jai.

  ****

  Later in the day my parents checked on me. They both agreed I should stay home from work the next day to try to get on top of whatever I'd caught. The day spent resting hadn’t helped me at all. I felt weaker too, though all I’d been doing was sitting quietly, focusing my attention trying to find him. I could catch his presence far away but then lose it too soon. Each time it disappeared, I would focus harder. After a few hours, my headache was excruciating. My appetite vanished completely as well.

  My anxiety increased as I thought about him. As more time passed with no news from Jai, I started to feel really sick. Why hadn't he called? Was he too busy taking care of Ramal? Or in trouble himself? What if Shander hadn't left Ramal as soon as they thought he would, and Jai had arrived there to be found by Shander? Is that why I'd felt such a strong emotion just after he Traveled?

  By Tuesday mid-morning I was a wreck and actually physically sick. I hadn't eaten much of anything the day before besides the toast and the homemade chicken soup my mother insisted I eat. My head hurt from trying to search for Jai constantly. I couldn't sleep much with the nightmares of Shander hurting Jai plaguing me. My energy had been sucked away. I smiled briefly to myself as I remembered my doubts about being able to fake sick long enough to convince my parents. Mom was talking about taking me to the doctor.