The Healer's Garden

by Nina Pierce

  Gabriella didn't think twice about what she asked of her. She knew Kylie would obey without question. She didn't turn back as her clipped walk carried her from the room, leaving Kylie to doubt her own decisions of late.

  * * * *

  Hopping from foot to foot, Jahara slipped off the cumbersome sandals and ran barefoot past the little shops and flower beds lining the main street. Their front windows were dark. No one was in this part of the Garden. She wondered if they'd gone home to celebrate or mourn.

  What propelled her, she didn't know. But her next actions were as obvious as the false sun slipping below the horizon. Nothing in this place was real except her love for Brenimyn.

  She watched her shadow dance along the hedges decorating the walks of the hospital. Entering the building through a service entrance, Jahara skulked the murky hall and took a circuitous route to avoid the maternity floors.

  Only the emergency clinic and the wings housing the pregnant women losing their fetuses would be occupied this time of night. The rest of the facility staff had left long before the trial began. Bresilee never intended for it to be a meeting. She had planned the charade days ago when she kidnapped Brenimyn. Jahara never liked Kylie, but even this seemed beneath her usual conniving personality.

  Pausing at the door of the well-check, Jahara listened for any woman having an unscheduled birth in one of the delivery rooms just down the hall. She heard nothing. No living soul knew what she intended to do and she wanted to keep it that way. Jahara crept into the waiting room, grateful for the portable holograms casting a feeble light on the chairs sitting in silent judgment of her actions. Ignoring the uneasy feeling, she hurried past them, through the arched door, into the exam room.

  Though she was sure it was only a figment of her imagination, the red door at the end of the hall cast a sinister glow. It beckoned her to tempt fate. Stepping closer, she felt it increase in size. Laying her palms on the smooth surface, she was sure she touched the heat of Hades and wanted nothing more than to run from this most unpleasant task. But the thought of her true love being tortured on the other side of the door propelled her forward. She pressed the button and listened to the hateful hiss as it retracted. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins, preparing her to do battle with whoever was on the other side. Only darkness greeted her.

  Stepping through the portal, she let the door hiss shut behind her. Locks clicked in rapid succession and she turned, pounding on the exit, immediately regretting her decision. Bright lights flared, momentarily blinding her.

  "Wait for the others,” a disembodied voice blared down at her from the ceiling. “We will heal...” The last word dragged out until it became a high pitched whine that pummeled her. She fell to her knees, covering her ears in a futile attempt to protect them from the pain searing through her head. Rising exponentially, the volume became a throbbing sound that blurred her vision and stole the air from her lungs. The agony surrounded her until all that was left was a black vortex of pain draining the life out of her body.

  * * * *

  She moved through the Ginia women, trying not to let the fear show. Kylie had no idea so many would congregate here. Perhaps this is where they always stayed, but she thought probably not.

  "I don't need anyone to accompany me.” Looking at the one in charge, she hoped her voice sounded strong and self assured. She had never done anything like this before.

  "He is a prisoner. It is for your own safety.” The guard stood two heads taller than Kylie. Her bulky arms were folded beneath breasts that were not softly rounded like most females, but fleshy mounds over hard packed muscle. Only the oversized nipples gave any hint the guard was female. Her hair was braided in the usual long rows of her clan, elaborately pulled back from the flat face staring down at her. The tattoo on the side of her neck danced as she flexed her thick neck, sizing up Kylie. The guards were much more intimidating when you were on the wrong side of the law.

  She didn't argue. No sense raising suspicions now. Besides, the corridors of the complex appeared to be a labyrinth of hallways. It was better to follow the two guards who had offered to escort her.

  The noise of the jovial gathering in the front room diminished when they turned the third corner, walking into the bowels of the building. Only the light padding of their feet slapping the cement floors echoed in the deep chambers where Brenimyn was held. The ghoulish orange lights did nothing to brighten the gloom.

  They stopped at one of the cubicles. The white glow of the electrical field around the opening, cut through the darkness, illuminating the stark features of the guards. No wonder they had a tendency to remain in shadowed hallways.

  At her first sight of him, Kylie had to bite her tongue not to cry out in front of the women. Naked and bleeding, Brenimyn lay on his side in a broken heap on the floor. Drool oozed from the corner of his bloated lips. His eyes were nearly swollen shut. One arm wrapped around the bruised ribs, holding the shattered bones together. The other lay on the floor at an odd angle. Never, until this moment, had she wished she was a healer.

  "You have done well by your duties I see.” Kylie held herself tall, despite her desire to heave the contents of her stomach on their feet. “Dr. Bresilee will be pleased. Did he give you problems from the government building to this place?"

  "No, but he has harmed a woman. It is the worst offense. It was the least we could do for you, Kylie Giavenic.” Tipping her head down at Kylie, the guard could not hold back her smile.

  They'd done it for sport, not her honor.

  "Then I thank you for defending my reputation.” She bowed low to the woman. “You are a great leader among the guard. Now, as a member of the Governmental Body and victim of the accused, I seek the right to face my attacker. I choose to be alone. Open the shield and leave me now."

  "We cannot let down the shield and leave him to run. Though I'm not sure how far he'd get like that.” The guard let out a horrendous cackle.

  "Then open the shield and I will go in with him. You can close it behind me and leave us."

  "But he may harm you again."

  "You dare argue with a government official?” Kylie pushed out a laugh. “Besides, you said yourself he is incapacitated. Leave me one of your communication devices and I shall call you when I am done meting out my own justice. I am tougher than I look."

  "As you wish."

  Kylie watched her punch the code in the panel and the electrical field dissipated. Taking the communicator the guard offered, she stepped into the small chamber. Brenimyn had neither moved nor uttered a sound since her arrival. After the current hummed again, she spoke to them. “Go back to the other guards. You have all done well. They should be rewarded. When I'm finished here, I'll talk to Dr. Bresilee about sending some food and spirits for a celebration."

  "Thank you.” The women bowed and Kylie held her breath until their laughter and congratulatory back slapping no longer echoed in the hall.

  "Brenimyn.” She knelt over him, still he didn't stir. “It's Kylie. Are you conscious?” She wanted to touch him, but his whole body seemed to be aging into good wine before her eyes.

  "Hrere to grloat?” His words slurred. They'd broken some of his teeth. “Hraven't you done enough hrarm?” One eye focused on her. The other was too damaged to work.

  She pushed herself up and looked down at him with contempt. “I have a right to face my assailant."

  He tried to laugh, but coughed up blood instead, spitting on the floor at her feet.

  "I demand you stand and face me. It is my right.” She watched him roll to his stomach, fighting to bite back his cries of pain. Even in his brokenness, he maintained his air of nobility. The crowds had been right to believe in him. It took all her self control not reach down to help him.

  He shoved himself up on his hands and knees, the effort making him wretch. He used his hands to haul himself up the wall until he was standing, albeit crumpled in the corner. His shaky knees barely held his weight.

  "Where am I?"

 
; "In the isolation section of the healing facility. In the bowels of the Garden where you belong. These cubicles were originally built as disinfecting units. I'm not sure they've ever had to use them to cage anyone."

  "Such an honor. Garden's first prisoner.” He wheezed as he pulled air into his lungs. Kylie wondered how much internal damage had been done by the beating.

  "Breeder, you have gotten nothing less than what you deserve.” She shot a glance up at the camera, feeling the mechanisms click beneath her unyielding gaze. “You have broken the first law and you shall pay.” The red light blinked for the last time. Satisfied, she flicked her gaze back to Brenimyn.

  "Breeder, can you walk?” Her mind focused on the control panel for the electrical field. “I want you to stand before me so I may dispense my own form of justice. The guards aren't the only ones who want a piece of you."

  * * * *

  "You are nothing if not predictable, Jahara."

  The words echoed into her head from a distant place. She tried to open her eyes, but the bright light overhead brought back memories of the pain. Though it hadn't killed her, the remnants of the agony it caused still throbbed in her temples. Attempting to shield her eyes, Jahara found her arms pinned at her wrists.

  "Don't bother to struggle.” Bresilee's words carried humor. “You're bound. But if the light is bothering you, I can shut it off. I'd like you to see where you are."

  A fingernail ran the length of her naked torso.

  "It's no surprise you are so desired, Jahara. You have a beautiful body.” Flattening her hand, Bresilee ran her palm slowly from Jahara's knee, over her thigh and splayed her fingers into the thick triangle of curls. “It's a shame you prefer men. There's so much we could have done together here at the Garden. My intellect and your healing power.” Her hand moved over Jahara's belly and she only hoped Bresilee couldn't feel the life growing within her. But the director didn't pause as her hand moved up to fondle Jahara's breast. “You could have been part of something big, Jahara. A new era of woman is about to begin. There is so much more going on here. But you chose poorly.” She emphasized the statement by painfully pinching Jahara's nipple."Alas, it's such a waste that I must eliminate you also.” Sighing, she bent over Jahara's face.

  The spit flew from her mouth, finding its mark just below Bresilee's left eye. A hulking shadow moved into Jahara's peripheral view, but stopped when Bresilee lifted her hand.

  "Leave her.” Bresilee's eyes never left Jahara's. She swiped at the spittle running down her cheek. “I would have expected nothing less from you, Jahara. Bound, stripped and held prisoner like your lover, still you waste the last hours of your miserable life fighting a battle you cannot win.” Leaning in close, Bresilee's hot breath flowed over her face, her nails dug angrily into the soft flesh below Jahara's chin. “Lay here, thinking of how your breeder has been emasculated by my knife, never to give you the offspring you desire. He lies outside the walls bleeding to death in the jungle as we speak."

  Even as her heart stopped beating, Jahara kept her stare fixed on Bresilee.

  "Your eyes betray you, Jahara. I see how that has broken you. Think about him and your own pitiful life. Your Dame, the great Ryniah Hriznek, will not even mourn your accidental death.” Her tongue ran the length of Jahara's cheek and she leaned in close to her ear. “I wonder who will remember you when you're gone. I have guests upstairs celebrating the demise of the new world order. It's time their hostess joined them. There's nothing left to do for you here at the Garden, Jahara Hriznek. Think about that."

  * * * *

  Brenimyn hobbled through the dimly lit corridors. He didn't have much time. Kylie would only be unconscious for a few minutes and then the guards would be alerted. He'd slipped away as the electrical field had shorted out.

  He heard the whir of an approaching vehicle up ahead. He looked for a place to hide, but the cubicles had given way to cement alleyways that seemed to crisscross in odd intervals. There had been no side hallways for quite awhile. His only hope was to stand and fight. In his condition, he knew it would be little more than a skirmish.

  The vehicle rounded the last corner. Its lights focused on him. There was no running now.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  "I keep telling you, I don't know where he went. He knocked me unconscious.” Kylie sat on the floor, useless tears running down her cheeks. The pain in her face was all too real. Holding her chin, she cautiously moved it from side to side. She ran her fingers through her hair, gingerly touching the knot forming on the crown of her head.

  "We need to alert Dr. Bresilee.” The guard spoke to no one in particular. There was no cheerfulness in those assembled in the front room of the isolation complex now.

  "No.” The word burst from Kylie's mouth with a little too much emphasis. “I require medical attention first.” Her voice softened. “Call for Dr. Linsig. I'm sure she is at Dr. Bresilee's residence. But tell her nothing more than the fact I require medical attention. Tell her to send a car to pick me up. I will inform Dr. Bresilee myself when I arrive at her mansion.” She batted her lashes. “You shouldn't have to shoulder the responsibility of the breeder's escape. It is I who will take the brunt of Dr. Bresilee's disapproval."

  Hauling Kylie to her feet, the guards nodded. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of one of Bresilee's tirades.

  * * * *

  The car slowed, pulling close to Brenimyn. The shadowed faces were difficult to see through the slits of his eyes. Leaning against the wall, he lifted his fists, ready to fight as long as his strength held out.

  "Brenimyn.” He dropped his hands, relief flooding through him. “What in Hades did they do to you?” Emotion choked Xylice's words. “Get him into the vehicle. Kiladryn, can you heal while we transport him out of here?"

  "I've never had to fix broken bones. Jahara had no reason to teach us how to do it."

  Strong hands gripped Brenimyn and a gasp of pain escaped. Time was critical so they ignored his discomfort. Carrying him to the back of the vehicle, they stretched him out, his head cradled in Kiladryn's lap.

  "There's so much damage.” Kiladryn sounded overwhelmed. Brenimyn focused on the warmth of the healer's hands as the vehicle turned and headed back in the direction it had come.

  "Shahara?” The name came out of Brenimyn's mouth on a labored breath.

  "Don't speak, dear friend.” It was Lukiam talking to him from behind the wheel. “All we know is that she left the government building alone. We can't find her."

  "Kylie, she is..."

  "We know. She's our ally. It was she who called and told me where to find you.” Xylice laid her hand on Brenimyn's arm. “She figured out that I had fixed the cameras at your residence. She doesn't know you're my brother, but she knew who could help you escape."

  "She's telekinetic. She turned off the cameras and the electrical barrier. She wanted me to hit her.” Brenimyn sucked in air. “I couldn't. She flung the communicator at her own face hard enough to knock her out. I watched her crumble to the floor. I wanted to take her with me.” Kiladryn had reduced the swelling in Brenimyn's face so his speech was no longer slurred.

  "It's not what she wanted. She made me promise to leave her, no matter how it looked.” Xylice held her brother's hand. “With her still there, it buys us time to get you to a safe place. It will take them days to search the entire Garden. In that time we can come up with another plan."

  "I know, but Bresilee will figure out she helped me."

  "After what I saw on the cameras today, I'm thinking Kylie can hold her own.” Lukiam shot an amused look over his shoulder. “I don't think telekinesis is her only talent."

  Moving away from his face, Kiladryn's hands moved lower to repair Brenimyn's broken ribs. Brenimyn watched the cement ceiling of the tunnel give way to the twinkling stars of the night sky. He'd been at the Garden long enough to know which direction they traveled by the position of the moon overhead. The vehicle turned sharply on t
o the main road, heading out to the agricultural section.

  "Lukiam, turn around, take me home.” Brenimyn tried to sit up, but the pain in his abdomen stopped him. “There're things I must do."

  "But that's exactly where Bresilee will expect you to go. As soon as they know you've escaped, they'll look for you there first.” Lukiam could not disguise his worry.

  "It's also where Jahara may be."

  * * * *

  Kylie held her head still as Linsig moved her palm over her chin. The pain eased.

  "Tell me one more time.” Gabriella stalked about her office, pulling at her bottom lip. It was obvious the news she'd brought hadn't been something Gabriella expected.

  "The breeder is more cunning then we thought. He overpowered me. It was his fist that did the damage to my face, but when he slammed my head against the wall, he rendered me unconscious.” Linsig's hands moved to repair the damage she had done to her own head. She had told no one of her telekinetic gifts. “I don't know how long I lay there. The communicator was broken on the floor when I came to. So I had to stumble my way to the front of the complex.” She looked over at Gabriella, her smile shaking under the woman's probing gaze. “It was stupid of me to think the guards had incapacitated him with their beating. I take full responsibility for his escape."

  "And you have no idea how he disabled the electrical field?"

  Kylie shook her head, not trusting her voice.

  "It doesn't matter. With Jahara held prisoner here in my lab, it will take only a short time before we find him. It is she he will seek.” Gabriella's hand absently ran down Kylie's hair. “As long as you are all right, dearest.” There was no real concern in her voice. “Let's get back to the party. We still have much to celebrate."