“Cale is in the Medical Unit with Jaer. He won’t let anything happen. With so many people around, they couldn’t. No one would dare.”
As if in response to Tam’s mention of Cale, an alarm tone signaled from the DVSL in Erynn’s room, followed by an announcement. Cale’s haggard expression matched the anguish in his tone. “I’m placing the base under alert. Area restrictions are effective immediately. Nonessential personnel in levels seven, eight, nine, and ten will evacuate ASAP. Stand by for further orders.” The screen went back to a view of the massive hangar, but the low tone continued to echo softly in the small space.
Erynn pulled herself together and shook her head, her attention returning to Tam. “We don’t know who can be trusted. Dhoran could—no—he has followers here on the base, helping him. He’s waking up, you know. That means someone from the Med Unit must be altering the drugs he’s being given. Maybe some of those guarding him are working on his release. Communications are out—”
“We don’t know what’s going on with the COM. It could be completely unrelated.” At that moment, Tam’s COM buzzed in her pocket. She slipped the clip behind her ear. “It’s Aven. He’s nearly here.” She stood up, stuffing trembling hands deep into the pockets of her jacket. Her voice wavered. “We are going to get answers.”
Tam is scared. She understands. This is more than just a flurry of unrelated coincidences.
The door slid open again and Aven strode in. He grabbed Tam and she wrapped her arms around him. He held her, burying his face in her neck. His hands, gloved in soft black leather except for his fingertips, clutched at Tam’s heavy white jacket, pulling her close. The gloves were no longer sticky with Jaer’s blood.
He must have changed them.
Erynn stood up and watched them with longing. She wanted to see Jaer, touch him, stay with him, but she wouldn’t interrupt Tam and Aven. She closed her eyes.
No one is promised tomorrow.
The image of Jaer surrounded in a pool of blood, had them snapping back open.
Aven smiled, kissed Tam’s forehead and sighed. His whispered words echoed through the preternatural silence in the tiny quarters. “I promised to take Erynn to Jaer. Come with us.”
Tam leaned away, stroking Aven’s cheek with the backs of her fingers. “Of course.” Some of that sparkle had returned to her eyes.
Erynn sidestepped toward the door.
Aven turned to her. “I told Cale I’d stop and check on Cace and his mom. Cace’s pretty upset. He wants to see you, Erynn, even if it’s just long enough to know you’re okay. Hearing about Jaer really shook him.” Aven wiped his palm over his forehead. “Never thought . . . This attack against Jaer has everyone on edge.”
Erynn opened the door and paused, reluctant to step into the corridor. No young warrior stood outside against the wall.
Aven must have sensed Erynn’s hesitation. “It’s okay, Erynn. I released him. I called a meeting and Roni is conducting a briefing for all available Anbas and security. Communications are still down in the lower sections of the base, everything below level six. We’re dispersing teams. They’ll report by sending messengers at regular intervals to a station set up on five. At least until we can evacuate those areas.” Aven shook his head. “It’s consuming time and personnel, but I think that’s the enemy’s intent.”
They hurried through the narrow hall connecting the quarters, then the empty common room, and out into the main corridor.
“The Medical Unit is below level six, and the Science Unit, and the holding cells—”
“I know,” Aven stated a little too loudly, cutting off Erynn’s inevitable conclusion. “Tiar and Sean are outside Dhoran’s cell. Roni injected Dhoran with Anestipace from our own supplies. He’s out again.”
Two security officers stood outside Cace’s door. They nodded, parted, and allowed Aven, Tam, and Erynn access.
Cace, his young face wet with tears, leaned against the counter between the tiny kitchen and the small parlor. Still and silent, he appeared to sink in on himself, shrinking inside the oversized gray sweater he wore. His youthful innocence faded with each attack against what the boy held dear. Cace’s mom had her arm protectively around her son. The pale yellow and purple of bruises from his recent injuries at the hands of the Shifters still colored the skin around his brown eyes and across his tear-tracked cheeks. He was pale—paler than Erynn had seen him since his miraculous recovery from a terminal illness a few weeks ago. Cace grimaced. “It’s true then. Jaer . . . How could he allow . . . He’s an Anbas Warrior . . . the Fayn.” Cace hitched in a breath. “Nothing will ever be the same, will it Erynn?” His voice shook and fresh tears welled.
Erynn hurried over to him. She took his thin shoulders and stared him straight in the eyes. Her shaking fingers brushed a long strand of dark-brown hair off his forehead. “We’re going to be okay. Jaer’s going to be okay. And yes, I believe our lives are about to change.” She glanced around the tiny space and back to Cace. “Change is inevitable and will be what we make of it. Remember, your life has a purpose.”
Cace nodded. He wiped the back of his hand across his still-swollen cheek and winced, his lips trembling when he attempted to smile. He composed himself and watched Erynn. “No matter what happens, or where we all end up, promise me something. Promise me we’ll see each other again.”
Erynn pulled Cace into a hug. “I promise.” She took a deep breath that shuddered in her chest. “Besides, I need you, Cace. Who else could translate Comhra symbols for me? We are a team—all of us—and together we will beat Dhoran.” She released Cace and stepped away, biting at her lower lip. Erynn turned, walking toward the door. Before leaving, she glanced back at Cace and grinned. “I bet Dhoran regrets having ever introduced us.”
Dhoran had no clue introducing me to Cace in the Medical Unit that day was the beginning of his downfall. The Anim Blath recognized Cace’s potential and healed him.
The glowing sentient colony of the Anim Blath was still a mystery to Erynn. Half plant, half animal, they were her link to Arranon’s living consciousness.
Signs of impending death had been heavy in Cace’s sick room the first time Erynn saw him. The Anim Blath had come to her as they always did. Their colorful pinpoints of light had swirled around and through her. Their sweet, spicy aroma had replaced the underlying scent of illness. Cace’s spirit was strong, his will powerful, but his body didn’t have the energy it needed to survive. The Anim Blath changed Cace’s future. They knew they needed Cace—in time, he would play a part in healing Arranon. In one touch, they blazed through Erynn with a bright, white-hot force and into Cace, giving him their energy, burning away the dark disease that intended to claim the boy’s life.
They saved Cace from certain death. They can do the same for Jaer.
A powerful resolve swept over Erynn, filling her with a transformed strength of purpose.
Death hadn’t won then, and it wouldn’t win now.
Chapter 5
IN THE WIDE CORRIDOR OUTSIDE the therapy rooms, Erynn paced a tight line—her path short, back and forth in front of the curtained cubicle where Jaer lay. She squinted against the harsh lighting that glared off polished floors and stark white walls. Every few laps Erynn glanced up at Cale, who stood in a small gap between the pale-blue curtain veiling Jaer and the wall—watching.
From the main corridor, Roni rushed into the unit, panting, face red. She stopped in front of Erynn, her long brown hair falling in a tangle over one shoulder. Roni’s recent time in the Medical Unit in Tamaagra after a battle with a gang of Dhoran’s human followers remained evident in the dark circles under her light-green eyes. “Where’s Jaer?”
Erynn pointed numbly toward the curtain.
Roni’s gaze darted to the drape. She nodded to Cale before returning her attention to Erynn. “I’ll stay with him. He stayed with me when I was injured. Didn’t leave me until he knew I was going to be all right.” Roni straightened, her expression stony, eyes cold with determination. “Someone
will always be close to Jaer. I will not allow . . .” Her voice cracked. She took in a deep breath and leaned into Erynn, whispering, “No one will know the Anbas are watching him.” Roni stepped back against the corridor wall and nodded.
“Thank you, Roni.” Erynn turned to face the curtain and waited.
From the other side of the drape, Maire softly called out orders to the other techs. In communication with the byan on her way to the base, Maire’s decisions and contact with Byan Skye would keep Jaer alive. Since the discovery of Dhoran in Nev’s body, Maire’s new duties included supervision over the Medical Unit. Moreover, she’d taken excellent care of Cace after the Shifters tormented and tortured him.
Hushed conversations drifted from the other side of the curtain. Muttered words floated across that impenetrable veil. Time passed in slow ticks and measured beats. When Maire finally opened the drape and stepped from the cubicle, Erynn could only stare.
Jaer’s motionless body lay attached to life support units. A soft beep issued from the bright space, steady and slow. The gentle whoosh of a respirator kept beat.
Maire waited, giving Erynn a moment to comprehend the scene before her. “I need a little more time, Erynn. Then you can come in and sit with Jaer. I’ll let you stay as long as you want.” She turned to Aven. “General Athru has sent for Byan Skye. She should be here within the next two huairs. Could you send someone to meet her? Make sure she arrives safely?”
Erynn knew Cale had already assigned personnel to this task. This was Maire’s attempt to give Aven something to do, a purpose to take his mind off the serious condition of his brother.
Aven stared at Jaer’s still form and nodded. “Already handled, Maire. Roni sent a team. Anbas. To Byan Skye.”
Roni stepped forward. “I’ve taken care of Skye’s safety, Maire. She’ll be fine.”
Maire moved back across that mystical line and pulled the curtain in place.
Erynn stood listening. Whoosh. Beep. Beep. Beep. Whoosh. The cycle repeated again and again and again. Aven’s voice broke the rhythm, and Tam’s followed, words that held no meaning for Erynn, as if they spoke a different language.
Aven guided Erynn to a chair against the wall and indicated she should sit. He leaned against the clean white stone, his arms around Tam. Time slowed. They listened to the machines keeping Jaer alive.
Whoosh. Beep. Beep. Beep. Whoosh.
Erynn stared at the pale-blue drape surrounded by absolute white. The total sum of sounds and lack of color hypnotized Erynn, pulling her into a whirling vortex. Thoughts spun around and around, but she found no clear path out of this nightmare. Her vision blurred to a blinding colorless expanse stretching in all directions.
Maire appeared, pushing through a brilliant silver fog. Her blue jumpsuit cleared, then the warm brown of her long hair, and then her somber face. The skin around her green eyes tensed. Her lips thinned and tightened. “You can come in now. But before you do, I want you to know . . . Jaer is not conscious. We don’t know why. His wound was serious but not critical. We can find no reason why he shouldn’t sit up and tell us to stop wasting so much time on him.” Maire stared down the wide, bright corridor. “Perhaps Byan Skye can tell us what’s wrong.”
Erynn swept past Cale, brushing by the heavy drape, and into the cubicle. Jaer’s long hair lay dark against the clean white sheets and blanket that covered him to the chest. A bulky bandage was just visible. Her gaze snapped to Maire. “Why does he have the bandage? Can’t you repair the wound?”
Erynn thought about Kira and frowned. She worked in Medical Unit records, or something. A Shifter had attacked Kira, leaving her bleeding from a severe laceration to her forehead. There hadn’t even been a bruise after Nev repaired the damage. Erynn smiled briefly as the memory of Kira’s first impression of Jaer filled her mind. Kira had deliberately stared, gasped, and used her feminine charms to catch Jaer’s attention. She didn’t even try to repress her interest. Jaer hadn’t returned her flirtation, making it quite clear his attraction was for Erynn.
Then there was the time Nev mended a deep gash on a little boy’s arm, the repair again flawless.
Kent. The boy’s name is Kent. And it wasn’t just Nev—either time. It was Dhoran in possession of Nev. Why hasn’t Maire done the same for Jaer?
Aven and Tam stood at the foot of the bed. Aven laid his hand over Jaer’s blanket-covered foot. He glanced up at Maire, waiting for an answer to Erynn’s question.
One of the med techs shook his head. “We’re not surgeons. We’ve cleaned and dressed the wound, controlled the bleeding. The rest Byan Skye will do.”
“He’ll be okay until she gets here.” Maire smiled and glanced down at Jaer. The smile dropped from her lips. “We’ll leave you alone. If you need us, the call button is here.” She indicated a depression on the lowered top rail of the bed. Maire and the remaining tech slipped quietly from the small space.
Cale continued to stand vigil at the edge of the curtain, watching.
Erynn sat on the bed close to Jaer. She reached out and put her palm over his heart against smooth warm skin. The slow steady beat under her fingertips matched the beep, beep, beep of the monitor. His powerful chest rose with each whoosh of the respirator. His face no longer exhibited the chill and pallor of near death. But there was more to Jaer’s injury than a deep laceration and blood loss.
His unconscious state worried the staff. Their emotions pulsed over her. An unpleasant implication raced at the back of Erynn’s mind.
If Maire or Skye don’t find the reason Jaer isn’t improving—and soon—he’ll die.
She pushed the negative thought away. “Jaer, can you hear me? You said you’d always be here for me. I need you. I love you. Your family needs you. They love you. Jaer, you can’t leave us.”
Nothing. Not a twitch of a finger or a tightening of muscle around his closed eyes. No sense of a dream or even a nightmare from his mind came to her—just a yawning blackness, empty and silent. Erynn’s consciousness drew back before she was sucked in, unable to find her way out of the void.
Is this what Jaer feels—a vast dark nothing?
Erynn closed her eyes and concentrated on the Anim Blath—their high voices, sweet spicy scent, and sparkling pinpoints of vibrant colors. Her thoughts spiraled, settling on her first encounter with this intelligent colony that shared both plant and animal characteristics.
A cave. Running from the alien assassin. They helped me escape. Please help me now. Help Jaer. Can you hear me? Where are you? Please?
Nothing.
Erynn stared down at Jaer. “Aven’s here. He’s taken over until you’re well. This must be difficult for him. But he’s Anbas. Like you. Strong. Committed. Loyal.” She sighed and took Jaer’s hand, holding it between both of hers on her lap. “Cale is here, too. He sent for Byan Skye. She’ll figure this out.” Erynn glanced at Tam and tried a smile, but her lips refused. Her attention drifted back to Jaer. “Tam is waiting for you to sit up and ask what all the bother over you is about. Jaer? Can you hear me?”
Cale touched Erynn’s shoulder. “I’m going to step into the corridor with Aven and Tam. We’ll leave you to sit with Jaer . . . alone.”
Erynn nodded. Her gaze didn’t shift from Jaer. When the shuffle of footsteps faded and their quiet conversation receded down the hall, Erynn whispered, “There’s something I need to tell you. It’s important you listen. It’s proof that you are going to be all right. Zander showed me a vision of our future when I was in Deanaim. My courage weakened. I doubted myself. He gave me the strength to go on. Now I want to do the same for you. Jaer, you were in this vision, with a little boy, your—our little boy. He has dark hair, almost black like yours. But it’s curly—like mine. His eyes are ice blue. So I guess he got my eyes too.” Erynn smiled thinly. Heat rose in her cheeks. “You were holding him, both of you laughing. You were so happy. See? It’s proof. You’re going to be okay. Jaer. Do you hear me? Open your eyes!” she demanded.
Whoosh. Beep. Beep. Beep. Whoos
h.
“Jaer, I’m going to leave you for a little while. I need to talk to Dhoran.” Erynn squeezed his hand. “You should be awake and you’re not. I think Dhoran knows why. It’s the only explanation.”
The curtain separating the cubicle from the corridor yanked back, screeching across the rod. Shan strode in, glaring at Erynn. “Get out,” she spat. “Get away from Jaer and get out. You have no right to be here. I am Jaer’s cheille—his legal bound cheille.”
Maire rushed into the space and moved to stand in front of Shan. “Jaer can only have one visitor at a time and you don’t have clearance.”
Aven burst through the curtain and stood at the foot of Jaer’s bed. “What are you doing here, Shan?”
Shan’s dark piercing gaze never left Erynn. “I am Jaer’s cheille. Why shouldn’t I be here? Ask her what she is doing here. Jaer doesn’t belong to her. He belongs to me. I should have been informed of his condition. Instead I find out from gossip in the dining hall.”
Aven’s hands fisted. “The papers for your separation came days ago. It’s over between you and Jaer and has been for a long time, if there was ever anything to start with.”
Shan lifted her full lips in an angry sneer. Long deep-brown hair swung as she turned on Aven. “Yes they did. But Jaer hasn’t signed them yet. So officially, legally, we’re still committed to each other. That gives me certain rights.”
Erynn rose and straightened Jaer’s arm next to him on the bed. She stared down for a reaction, a twitch, or a turn of his lips. Nothing. She understood there wouldn’t be—not until she found out what Dhoran had done to Jaer. Erynn struggled to wrap her thoughts around the unpleasant possibilities.
Magic? A dark spell? Did Dhoran attempt to take Jaer’s body? Is his malevolent spirit still inside Nev? Or is Dhoran free, roaming the base in yet another form? Does Zander know? Or the Anim Blath? Why hasn’t Arranon communicated with me?
The questions layered, growing until Erynn’s head felt as if it would split.
Storm of Arranon Allies and Enemies Page 3