Jackson took her tiny hand in his large one and they both froze for a long moment, their eyes meeting in mutual shock. Aware that the Director was watching them closely, Jackson cleared his throat and gently shook hands with her. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Daniels,” he said. “I am Jackson, and these are my brothers, Clark and Rob.”
Ellicia shook hands with Clark and Rob, wondering if she would feel the same instant connection with them that she had felt when she and Jackson had touched hands. She was not really surprised to find that she did, though she didn’t understand that any more than she understood her sudden ability to sense their surprise along with her own.
At least they are as confused by this as I am, she thought as she retook her seat.
The Director rose and came around his desk to introduce himself, which gave Ellicia a moment to compose herself. Once the introductions were complete and everyone was seated, Ellicia turned to Jackson.
“How’s my sister?” she asked. “I haven’t heard from her for a couple of weeks.”
“Princess Lariah is well,” Jackson replied. “As are her daughters. You look much like her.”
“Unfortunately, she got all the sweetness,” Ellicia said without animosity. “I’m a little harder around the edges than she is.”
Jackson smiled doubtfully but did not argue the point. He had more sense than that.
“Tell me something, are the Dracons as big as you guys?” Ellicia asked curiously.
Jackson laughed. “They are quite a bit larger. The Dracons are the tallest and strongest of all Clan Jasani.”
Ellicia’s eyes widened at that but she made no further comment.
“Welcome to Earth,” the Director said, wanting to get down to business now that the pleasantries were concluded. “I thank you for making this journey to help us all get to the bottom of this problem of women having their minds wiped after returning from Jasan. Normally it would be at the top of our priority list, but as you may be aware, we recently had a tragedy that took the lives of many of our operatives. We are currently struggling to keep up with more emergent matters.”
Jackson, Clark and Rob all placed their fists over their hearts and bowed their heads. “We are sorry for your losses,” Jackson said as he raised his head. “It is a difficult thing to lose fellow warriors.”
Ellicia nodded, unable to speak for the sudden lump in her throat.
“Thank you,” the Director said, his voice a little gruffer than usual. He dropped his eyes to his desk top for a moment, then opened a drawer, retrieving three memory crystals which he offered to Jackson. “These are the medical records Lariah, Saige Taylor and Summer Whitney requested. I think you’ll find everything in order. I hope that the information is of help to you.”
“Those are Lariah’s medical records?” Ellicia asked. Jackson nodded as he took the crystals and placed them carefully in his pocket.
“Why do you need those?” Ellicia knew she sounded suspicious, but she couldn’t help it. She was an Agent, and suspicion was a part of who she was now.
“We have learned that women who are berezi, capable of becoming Arimas to a Clan Jasani male-set, are being targeted for abduction,” Jackson explained. “We do not know why, nor do we know how they are identifying these women. It is hoped that the medical records of the three existing Arimas, from before they became Arimas, will help us to discover how berezi are being identified.”
“Are there so many berezi then?” Ellicia asked. “From the reports I’ve read, there are a couple of hundred women missing.”
“No,” Jackson replied. “We have been fortunate enough to recover some of the abducted women, but none of them were berezi.”
“I’ve been going through the list of names that we received from Jasan last month, starting with the most recent,” Ellicia said. “So far I’ve interviewed over thirty women who we know for certain went to Jasan either as contract brides, or as Candy Brides, and who then changed their minds and returned to Earth. None of the women I’ve looked for have been missing, but they all share one disturbing problem.”
“What problem?” Jackson asked.
“Their memories have been tampered with,” Ellicia said.
“In what way?” Jackson asked.
“They all remember taking a tour of Jasan as part of a group. None remember being contract brides, none remember staying on Jasan for more than a couple of days, and all of them have the exact same set of memories for their visit there. An aerial tour of the countryside, a visit to a ranch, a tour of the women’s sanctuary, the return home. And if I question their stories even a little, they all begin to show signs of distress. Headaches, cold sweats, nausea. I don’t know what would happen if any of them were pushed too hard but I don’t think it would be good.”
“Do you have any idea how their memories were altered?” Clark asked.
“We’ve only just begun preliminary testing of a few of the victims,” the Director said. “So far, indications are that it’s drug induced, but the drug itself is still unidentified. We need more time, and more tests.”
“I don’t understand the reason for this,” Jackson said. “Women come to Jasan, decide not to stay, and return to Earth. Their memories are then wiped and they are returned, unharmed, to their lives. This makes no sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Ellicia said. “We are obviously missing something.”
“Like what?” Jackson asked.
“I don’t know,” Ellicia replied. “So far, every woman I’ve talked to has been the same, told the same story. I think we need to keep checking on these women until we find something different.”
“You’re right, of course,” Jackson said. “Would you mind if we went along with you on some of your interviews?”
“Of course not,” Ellicia replied. “In fact, I’m hoping that you will hear something in these women’s stories that I’m missing, since I’ve never been to Jasan.”
“When do you want to begin?” Jackson asked.
Ellicia’s first thought was to tell Jackson as it was her day off, the next day would be best. But then she thought of Harlan’s cousin, Hope.
“I do have one woman I would like to try to interview today, if you don’t’ mind,” she said. “If you would prefer to wait till tomorrow, that’s fine.”
“No, we are eager to get started,” Jackson replied.
“I have a few things to go over with you before you begin,” the Director said. “Where you’ll be staying, things like that. I also have some visitor passes for the three of you, giving you temporary Agent status while you are here.”
“While you guys do that, I’ll go get the interview files,” Ellicia said. “When you’re finished here, Mark can show you to my office, and we’ll go from there.”
A short time later the Bearens and Ellicia were in Ellicia’s ground-car, heading for the western edge of the city.
“What do you know about the woman we’re going to talk to?” Jackson asked from the front passenger seat.
“Not a lot,” Ellicia said. “She returned to Earth about ten days ago, after a six month stay at Bride House. She’s an artist, and she lives alone. That’s all I know. Oh, except that her name is Hope. Hope Strigida.”
Ellicia felt the sudden tension from the three men in the ground-car. She glanced sideways at Jackson, who was wearing an expression of surprise.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Before we left Jasan, we were told...” Jackson hesitated, then turned to look into the back seat. “Clark, can you repeat exactly what Saige said? I don’t want to get it wrong.”
“Certainly,” Clark replied. “She said this exactly; The bearer of hope will bestow upon them, and only them, a gift beyond price for the Jasani people. Should they fulfill their destiny, they will be rewarded with a blessing of hope for themselves. No other can take their place. If this opportunity is lost, it will remain lost forevermore.”
“Wow,” Ellicia said softly. “I guess I can see why the wom
an’s name being Hope would be a bit of a shock. But it could just be a coincidence. Hope is not an uncommon name here.”
“Perhaps,” Jackson replied doubtfully. He had the distinct feeling that it was no coincidence.
“Agent Daniels,” he began, but Ellicia waved a hand at him.
“Please, call me Ellicia,” she said.
“Of course, Ellicia,” Jackson replied.
“Ellicia,” Jackson began again, “How much do you know about Clan Jasani?”
“Until I started working this case, not much,” she replied. “My sister is nothing if not loyal.”
“One of the things we love most about her,” Jackson said with a smile. “Since you started working this case you have learned more?”
“Yes,” she said.
“You are aware that we are shifters?” Jackson asked.
“Yes, that was in the information your Prince sent along with the list of names of women that had visited Jasan and returned to Earth.”
“Good,” Jackson said. “We shift into an animal that we call a bearenca. I just want you to be aware of that, and to know that we would never cause you, or any other female or child harm, no matter what form we are in.”
Ellicia glanced at Jackson, then back to the road. “All right,” she said. “I appreciate the reassurance, but is there some particular reason you feel it’s necessary to tell me this right now?”
“I just thought it would be a good idea to warn you,” Jackson said with a small frown. “I don’t really know why, but I try to follow my instincts in such things.”
“All right,” Ellicia said. “So if you guys start howling or turning into monsters on me, I shouldn’t be afraid, is that it?”
Rob and Clark chuckled from the back seat and Ellicia grinned at them in the mirror. “Since we don’t howl, I don’t think I can agree with that statement,” Jackson replied. “But if we growl or roar or turn into an animal much like what you would call a bear, only somewhat larger, then you shouldn’t be afraid.”
“Is there anything in particular that might cause you guys to do any of those things?” she asked.
“Extreme anger or fear can be difficult for us,” Jackson said. “Especially if we are faced with a female who has been harmed or is in danger.”
“Well, I will try not to put myself in any danger then,” Ellicia replied as she turned onto a residential street and began looking for the right address.
“Here it is,” she said, pulling to the curb and parking the ground-car.
“Ellicia, I would ask you a question, if you do not mind,” Rob said from the back seat.
Ellicia cut the power and turned in her seat to look at Clark. “Sure,” she said.
“I’ve been going through the files you gave us,” he said, gesturing slightly with his reader. “I don’t see this woman, Hope Strigida, on the list of names Prince Garen sent to you.”
Ellicia turned back in her seat, wondering how best to explain herself. “I have a friend who told me about her,” she said, knowing she couldn’t lie. If she tried to lie, her face would turn bright red. She’d never been able to control that. “He told me that she spent six months at Bride House, and just got back about ten days ago. It’s his cousin, and he isn’t able to check on her himself, so he asked me to do it.”
Jackson nodded. “Then let’s check on her,” he said.
Ellicia flashed him a grateful smile and opened her door. They could have asked her a lot more questions, and she’d been expecting it. Either they were being polite, or they didn’t really care how she knew about Hope. She thought it was the latter. Their reason for being on Earth was to find out what was happening to the women who returned from their world. How she found out about the women probably didn’t matter to them at all.
Ellicia led the way into the residential building, noting that it was a nice, clean, average building suitable for a nice, average citizen. She also noticed that they were collecting stares as they crossed the lobby toward the elevators and it took her a few moments to realize why. She turned to look at the Bearen brothers, and hid a smile when she saw the discomfort on their faces. They didn’t like being the center of attention, that much was clear. For such big, good-looking men, that seemed a little odd, but she decided she liked that about them.
She pushed the call button for the elevator and was glad when the three Bearens took up so much room that the other people waiting for a car decided to wait for the next one.
A few seconds later the elevator doors opened and Ellicia stepped out into the hall, the Bearen brothers right behind her. She checked the number on the nearest door, then turned to the right and headed for the far end of the hall. She had just reached out to press the doorbell when a low, deep growl caused chills to race down her spine. She spun around and saw that Jackson, Clark and Rob were all standing stiffly, their fists clenched at their sides, their eyes glowing. The growling was coming from Jackson.
Ellicia sensed their growing fury and felt panic rise quickly within her. She automatically shoved the panic aside. In her line of work, panic was not a helpful reaction to a stressful situation, and she was used to ignoring it whenever it rose up unexpectedly. Once she had control of herself, she remembered what Jackson had told her.
“Hang on guys,” she said softly. “We’ll be inside in just a moment. No scenes out here in the hall, please.”
She was reassured when Jackson nodded to her, clearly understanding what she’d said. She turned back to the door and hit the doorbell repeatedly, urging the woman who lived here to hurry up. She waited a few moments, then hit the doorbell again, but still there was no response. Nobody yelling that they were on the way, no sounds of footsteps, nothing.
All of a sudden, Ellicia knew that they were too late. She didn’t know where the knowledge had come from, but she knew that the apartment behind this door was empty, and the woman who lived there had not left on her own. She reached out to test the doorknob and was not at all surprised when it turned easily in her hand.
“Oh hell,” she whispered softly as she pushed the door open and stepped inside the dim apartment. She felt for a light switch beside the door, found one and flipped it on as the Bearens squeezed inside around her, fanning out so that the three of them completely blocked her from the rest of the room. Ellicia closed the door and locked it behind them.
The Bearens remained standing like a wall in front of her, so she pressed her way between Jackson and Clark until she was standing in front of them. The soft growls coming from all three of them were troubling, but she forgot about them as she found herself staring at a huge mural covering one wall of the living room.
“What the hell are those?” she asked, not really expecting an answer.
“Good question,” Jackson replied tightly, his voice too deep and growly.
Ellicia turned to face them, studying each of their faces for a long moment. “What’s going on here?” she asked.
“The woman who lives in this apartment is our Arima,” Jackson replied with obvious effort. “We can scent her fear, and anger. We are struggling to maintain our current forms, and not roar our fury as our instincts demand.”
“Hang on, and step apart a little,” Ellicia said as she started to squeeze between them again. Jackson and Clark stepped apart to let her through, and she hurried back to the door. She opened it and looked closely at the door jamb, then the door. After a moment she nodded to herself, closed the door and locked it again.
“Like most apartments in buildings this age, this one is sound-proofed,” she said. “You guys can go ahead and roar. No one will hear you.”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she almost wished she could take them back. She clapped her hands to her ears as Jackson, Clark and Rob all threw back their heads and roared loud enough to shake the floor. Ellicia was a little surprised when she realized that the roars didn’t frighten her. But she sensed the pain and fear in them as clearly as if it were her own. There was anger too, at whoever had
taken Hope she guessed, but she knew that she was not in any danger.
When the roars stopped, Ellicia lowered her hands and watched as the three brothers stood close to each other, staring into each other’s eyes. She sensed that they were drawing strength from each other and she remained still and quiet so as not to interrupt them. After a few minutes Jackson took a deep breath and blew it out before turning to face her.
“Our apologies, Ellicia,” he said with a bow. “And our thanks for your help.”
Ellicia shrugged, embarrassed by the underlying emotion in Jackson’s voice. “No apologies are necessary, and you’re welcome,” she said briskly as she stepped into the living room again. “Now we need to find out where this woman was taken.”
“How are we going to do that?” Jackson asked.
“I have my ways,” Ellicia replied vaguely. “First things first.” She stepped close to the huge mural on the wall and reached out to brush her fingers lightly over the paint. She nodded to herself as she stepped back to get a better look at it.
“This mural is new,” she said. “The paint isn’t even fully dry yet. You guys don’t know what those three animals are?”
“No,” Jackson said, but his voice sounded uncertain.
Ellicia frowned at him. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I don’t recognize the animals, but I feel as though I should,” Jackson replied. He glanced at Rob, then Clark, both of whom nodded. They felt the same way.
“That’s strange,” Ellicia said. She turned back to the mural, wondering how you could not recognize something, but feel like you should. She shook her head and studied the painting.
There were three creatures, all the same but for the color of their fur. One was white, one brown, the third a deep, dark red. Even though they had fur, they looked like birds, but not any bird that Ellicia was familiar with. They had very large, round, amber colored eyes, round faces with sharp hooked beaks and pointed ears. The one in the center, the white one, stood with its wings spread widely behind the other two. Ellicia had never seen birds with ears or fur so, overall, the creatures looked very alien to her.
The Bearens' Hope: Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga Page 13