by Shae Mills
Chelan blinked at him. “I don’t understand.”
“When the blast hit, we all went down, all of us scorched. I looked up to see a secondary fireball descending. The next thing I saw was the blackness of a shroud. A strong hand gripped mine and pulled me to the sheltered area by the doors. The fire then hit the remaining men.”
“How do you know it was a man?” she asked.
Terig smiled. “I’m not a small man, my Lady. The person who dragged me had the strength of a mammoth. I was nothing to him.”
Chelan shook her head, her hands trembling at her lips. “Where did he come from?”
“I know not, but after the fire suppression system extinguished the flames, he disappeared into the tube.”
Chelan’s brows furrowed. “Why you?”
Terig shook his head ever so slowly. “I don’t know. There were men closer to the corridor. He could have saved any one of them. You will have to ask him, my Lady.”
Chelan glanced up at Korba, but he remained very still, his azure eyes fixed upon Terig. Chelan clasped her hands tightly in her lap and looked at Terig. “I will find him,” she whispered.
Terig’s hand managed to find its way out of the sheet, and he reached toward her. Chelan was startled to see so little damage to it, and she grasped it with a desperation born out of love and inevitable loss.
“My Lady,” he uttered weakly. “We must talk quickly.”
Chelan’s eyes suddenly filled. “Yes?”
Terig swallowed hard, his features contorting momentarily, then he squeezed her hand tight, his eyes riveted to her. “I speak directly as I have little time.”
Chelan nodded and watched as Korba moved closer so as to not miss anything Terig said.
“I wish to be buried within the bailey. Then I wish you to close the castle down.” He spoke softly now, almost a whisper, his words labored. “Take what you want from it. Salvage what you wish. Then let it go. Let the security field fall. Let the winds and sand reclaim all that was once of Earth.”
Chelan’s tears flowed. “But your estate—you put so much work into her. She’s so beautiful.”
“Who will maintain her? And for what cause? She was my dream, and mine alone.”
“But in a way, she is my dream too,” Chelan blurted out.
“But you cannot hold on to her now. You will soon be far from here. She will be but a memory.”
Chelan was floundering. “I... I... The contents... What about Kip?”
Terig would have laughed if he had the strength, but he did not. “And how would you explain it, my Lady? No, Kip is now probably happily married. To her, I too am but a memory.”
Chelan felt herself losing control and she squeezed his hand in an attempt to calm herself. “Is there anything else I can do, my Lord?”
Terig shook his head. “Nay, lass. I have had a wondrous life serving his Lordship and you. I die a happy man.”
Chelan finally burst out crying. “Damn you, stubborn Scot. I don’t understand any of this. This isn’t fair,” she whimpered.
“Nay, ’tis not fair. But it is done.” Terig looked up at Korba and said to him, “I have loved serving the Empire, my Lord. It was indeed a privilege. I only wish I could live long enough to thank you properly.”
Korba’s closed his eyes and bowed his head briefly. “It was an honor, my Lord, to have you by my side.”
Terig smiled. “Ah, well. I thought I would be by your side for decades to come. It seems I miscalculated and failed in that one mission.”
Korba smiled, but it was a smile wracked with pain.
Terig then closed his eyes. “I need to sleep now. I am terribly tired.”
Chelan cleared her tears as best she could. A solitary finger touched his oozing cheek. “I will miss you, my Lord,” she whispered.
“Aye,” he returned. His eyes did not reopen. “And I will miss you, Chelan, with all that I was.”
Chelan stroked his hand. She swallowed the giant lump in her throat. “You sleep now, my friend. Go in peace.”
Just as her words were spoken, his hand relaxed, and he was gone.
Chelan sat in stunned silence, staring at Terig’s now unrecognizable yet tranquil face. She continued to hold his limp hand, unable to let him go completely. Then she raised his fingers to her cheek. “Terig Fraser Mackenzie, the bravest, stubbornest, most loving Scot ever to live. And, damn you, you halfwit. How dare you leave us like this?!” And her tears flowed anew.
Chapter 35
THE FUNERAL ON CLEOS the next day was to be a small affair, but it turned out to be massive. Thousands of Cleosans came out to pay their last respects, along with just as many Iceaneans and all the Centurions. Throngs of people spilled forth over the moors that surrounded the castle as the main procession gathered within the keep. Chelan stood quietly through the whole ceremony while speaker after speaker spoke of the great Earth man.
When all was done, Chelan retreated inside the castle with Korba by her side. She was not sure why she needed time within Terig’s domain, but Korba had granted her as much as she needed. Work was halted on RIBUS 7 as a sign of respect, and for a while, time on Cleos stood still.
CHELAN AWOKE ON THE third day since Terig’s burial and stared up at the stone ceiling. Korba was already in the control room, watching over both Imperial reports and RIBUS 7’s progress. The Telesians had worked tirelessly on the details of the disaster and had isolated the properties of the two alloys that rendered them so combustible when fused with heat. The ship was once again remapped, every trace of the Zenatropium found and logged into all the computers so that if repairs were needed, those areas were dealt with only using cold fusion methods.
There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Chelan rose just as Jason peeked in. The young boy beamed. “I have breakfast ready in the kitchen.”
Chelan beckoned to him and he ran to her, snuggling into her as she dragged him into the giant bed with her. She kissed the top of his silver-blonde hair. “You have breakfast ready?”
He looked up at her with his huge azure eyes and nodded enthusiastically.
Chelan squinted at him. “Uh-huh. And from whence did you acquire these culinary skills?”
Jason pushed to his knees next to her. “Leeman helped, but she told me to tell you that I did most of it.”
Chelan smiled broadly. “Ahhh... I see you are a man of many talents. I cannot wait to try what the two of you have come up with, I think.”
Jason’s lips thinned a little. “I was supposed to be serving something referred to as ‘eggs Benedict,’ but that kind of did not work out.”
Chelan tried to hide her amusement. “Oh, I am sorry. What happened? Did the sauce not thicken?”
Jason frowned. “No. That was fine. But Auntie Marri let Shanna try to crack the eggs, and things did not go quite as planned.”
Despite seeing the disappointment on Master Jason’s face, Chelan began to splutter, her eyes watering as she tried to hold back her giggles. Finally she pulled herself together. “I would imagine Shanna is a bit young to manage that successfully.”
Jason cleared his long locks from his face. “You would think, but Auntie Marri said she is very advanced, and so she decided to let her try.”
Chelan sat up, automatically hugging a sheet to herself, her inherent shyness still with her. She touched Jason’s face. “Making the eggs Benny with scrambled eggs would have worked just fine.”
Jason gave his mom a lopsided grin. “Yes, I thought so too, but Leeman seems to be a perfectionist. She wanted nothing to do with the blunder, nor did she wish to waste the eggs.”
Chelan nodded. “Dare I ask what is for breakfast?”
Jason finally smiled. “Something much better, actually. Something called ‘pancakes’?”
“Oh, my boy, pancakes are wonderful! I cannot wait. But what did Leeman do with all the Hollandaise sauce?”
Jason laughed. “Well, Shanna kind of dealt with that too.”
“Oh my god... What happened?�
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“Leeman was in such a flap over the eggs, Marri got distracted trying to console her. In that brief bit of time, uh, Shanna kind of dumped all the English muffins into the sauce. I think originally she was trying to float the pieces on the top like small boats, but in the end, it became just one big sticky mess.”
Chelan had tears of laughter running down her cheeks. “And you were watching? You did not try to stop your sister?”
Jason’s lips quirked devilishly. “To tell you the truth, I was supposed to be watching her, but I did not like the taste of the sauce myself, so I did not really care if she ruined it.”
Chelan threw herself back into the pillows, laughing so hard her sides hurt. “Oh god, Leeman must hate us all.”
“She was none too happy. But I assured her that the pigs out back would like the concoction. I do not think that suggestion went over too well either. But no matter, eventually we got the pancakes sorted.”
Chelan rubbed the tears from her eyes. Then she sat up and kissed Jason on the cheek. “Okay. I will get ready right away and come down for breakfast. If we delay and the pancakes get cold, poor Leeman will expire from frustration. You run off and get your dad, and I will meet you downstairs.”
Jason hugged her hard, kissed her on the cheek, and then sprang from the bed and sprinted off.
Chelan shuffled over to the edge of the bed and then burst out laughing again. She could only imagine the chaos in the kitchen. Poor Leeman!
DRESSED IN HER UNIFORM, she descended into the kitchen and found her whole family there, along with Yanis and several other warriors, about thirty in total.
Korba stood up from the table, as did all the warriors, and they bowed to her. She signed, and everyone resumed their seats, everyone except her mate.
Korba reached for Chelan and embraced her, kissing her gently. “Good morning, my Lady.”
“Good morning,” she whispered as she peered about the kitchen. In the past, the room had always been orderly and pristine. This morning it looked like the decks of RIBUS 7, the entire area seemingly riddled with small explosions.
Then she looked over the men and women at the table, all of them tying into stacks of pancakes supplemented by bacon and bowls of fresh fruit. Finally, she glanced up into Korba’s smiling face. “This is quite the gathering. And by the way, dare I ask, where are Marri and our daughter?”
Korba grinned. “Occupied elsewhere for the moment, for the sanity of all.” He nodded to the warriors at the table. “I thought some of the fighter pilots who have been patrolling the grounds could use a good home-cooked Earth breakfast.” He leaned in to her and whispered in her ear. “And the influx of personnel has served to keep Leeman happily busy toiling over the stove, thus taking her mind off of running our precocious child through with a butcher knife.”
Chelan laughed. “Good plan.” Then she dared to look over at the stoves, where Leeman was flipping dozens of fresh pancakes. Chelan patted Korba on the shoulder. “You sit with your warriors and finish your meal. I will go help Leeman before she collapses.”
Korba kissed her again and joined his people. Chelan ran her hands down her uniform and cautiously approached Leeman. The tall Cleosan woman swung around with a plate full of steaming pancakes and almost ran headlong into Chelan.
“Oh, my Lady! What a pleasure to see you.”
Chelan grabbed the plate and saved the pancakes before they tumbled. “I hear it has been a very busy morning. Why do you not join our guests while I finish cooking?”
“Oh, thank you for the offer, but I quite enjoy this. You join your mate and dig in. You had better be fast, though. It appears this fare is rather popular, as it is disappearing as fast as I can cook it.” And she took the plate back from Chelan and floated over to the group. Roars of appreciation went up as Leeman placed the fresh pancakes in the middle of the table.
Chelan’s brows rose. Leeman had found her calling: cooking and caring for a very large, although very temporary, family. The woman was positively aglow. Then Chelan’s heart gave a telltale thud. What was Leeman going to do now that her beloved Terig was gone?
She shook herself free of her sad thoughts and walked over to the table, taking the empty chair between Korba and Jason. Another cheer went up as the warriors acknowledged her and the food once again, and Jason passed her the pancakes. It was indeed a wonderful meal.
DURING HER TIME AT the castle, Chelan lovingly cleaned and restored all that had been disturbed by her visits. Every room was straightened, every garment hung or folded, and every sheet laundered. Today, after breakfast, she knew everyone would leave the estate, and its Lord would forever rest in peace within it, his empire untouched for an eternity except by the wind and sands of Cleos.
While Korba readied for their departure, she retreated to the tower room and took with her a small travel pod. Within it, she lovingly placed the brown linen gown she had worn for so long. Then she added several of Terig’s white linen shirts, his family plaid, his dirk, and, most precious to her, his claymore.
She closed the pod and sat very still. She needed a part of him and Earth with her forever, and this pod contained all that was both.
Slowly, she made the bed for the last time. Then she walked about the room, making sure it was as she had first seen it, the beautiful tower room.
Picking up the pod, she wound her way down the stone staircase to the hall and then stopped. Despite the morning revelry, it was now devoid of human comfort, the castle already seemingly cold and desolate. A shiver went through her and she could bear to stay no longer.
The bright sunlight outside did nothing for her flagging spirits. She trudged out into the bailey and then stopped. She stared almost numbly as Shabby and Zar approached.
Shabizar gazed upon her. “Korba is returning us to Centurion, my Lady. I hope you do not mind our intrusion.”
Chelan almost smiled. “Hardly, Shabby. I will be glad for the company.”
They followed her out of the castle grounds, the main gates closing behind them. She looked out over the heather; the transports were already loading the Centurions. She watched until they were all gathered, Shabizar and Zar included.
Finally, she took the last segment of her Cleosan adventure as she plodded over to Korba and his fighter. She handed him the pod, which he carefully stowed. Then he helped her to her seat. She fitted her helmet, and as the fighter rose and gently hovered above the castle, Chelan’s eyes misted. It was magnificent, its battlements and towers stretching majestically above the cliffs and moors. Then the fighter drifted out over the lands, and finally to the beautiful clifftops where she had first arrived. Through teary vision, she said her final good-bye to all that was Terig, and to all laid out before her that had represented her brief trip back in time to an Earth of long ago.
WITHIN THE WEEK, WORK had resumed on RIBUS 7. New specifications and safety measures implemented right after Terig’s death to deal with any alterations to the transport tunnels ensured that any further accidents were averted.
Korba sat with Chelan in the Command Center on RIBUS 1 as they both watched the progress reports scroll by alongside expected completion dates for each project. Finally, Korba turned to Chelan. “There are a lot of things we need to discuss,” he began quietly.
Chelan glanced at him. “Like what?”
Korba nodded. “Well, to start with, all the loose ends of our personal lives.”
Chelan slumped down. “Things have gotten complicated, haven’t they, even in this time of relative calm.”
Korba nodded. “I want to make sure that you are at peace with what has happened over the last year since we began this voyage.”
Chelan gave him a small smile. “I will never be at peace with what happened to Terig. Regardless of anything anyone says, I still feel responsible for his death.” She sighed. “But I have made my peace in my own mind with the decision that Fremma ended up making, again, all because of me. I have focused on the fact that he is alive and wishes to live...” She
sighed. “... wishes to exist on that godforsaken hunk of a planet.”
She took a deep breath and stared back at the screens. Then she looked to her mate, and her heart filled with love. “And I am forever grateful to you for not ferreting out our visitor for now, giving me the time to assimilate all that has happened in that department.”
Korba folded his hands in his lap. “You were drawn to the ship. You always have been. And now that you have been on her, you seem to be able to feel this being. And he seems to pose no threat to you or us. When you are ready, we will go ahead and try to draw him out. You have my word: he will not be hurt.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Then an indicator light flashed. Korba stood. The doors to the Command Center opened, and security ushered Leeman in. Chelan rose, surprised to see the Cleosan woman.
Leeman curtsied deeply then smiled lightly at Chelan. “My Lady,” she whispered. “My Lord.”
Chelan approached the woman. “I am so glad to see you again, Leeman.”
Leeman stared at Chelan nervously. “I wish to speak to you on a very personal matter, my Lady, if I may be permitted to do so?”
Chelan reached for Leeman’s hand and ushered her to a chair. She nodded in Korba’s direction. “Do you mind if his Lordship stays with us?”
Leeman bowed to the Emperor with respect. “I would be honored if you stayed and heard what I have to say as well, my Lord.”
Korba and Chelan sat. Leeman looked between them. “Korba told me of Terig’s last wishes, but I wish to offer you my knowledge of the man I knew so well for so many years. I wish to offer you an alternative to the destruction of all that he built.”
Chelan felt her heart beat faster. “Yes?”
Leeman bit her lip. “I know his Lordship made his last request out of love for all of us. He did not want anyone to be burdened by the maintenance of his estate. Plus he knew that no one in Iceanean or Cleosan society would have the desire to take on such a task, because no one in those cultures had any connection to his roots.” She hesitated, then pushed on. “Over the years, he also told me of his love for a Scottish woman named Kip. I could see in his face and his eyes that what he wanted above all else was a family with whom to share his labor of love, but he could never bring himself to make the offer to Kip.”