Jessie (The Mark Series Book 1)

by D. A. Stafford

  Jessie was shocked Zara would say anything about the situation with her fathers. She pulled back from their hug and looked at Zara with inquisitive eyes. “Do you love Looch?”

  It was Zara’s turn to be surprised. “Jessie…I…uh…I don’t know what to say. I do love Looch, but not in the way you think. Looch and Leigh are like brothers to me. I grew up with both of them. I honestly don’t understand why my father agreed to a bonding period. It is clear you’re Looch and Leigh’s ayah. My father could have asked for almost anything for restitution, but he agreed to Looch’s declaration without any reservations. It makes no sense.”

  Zara whispered the last part to Jessie and looked around like they were being watched. Jessie seemed to pick up the Zara’s vibe because she winked at Zara in understanding and said, “Who knows why parents do what they do. They just want the best for their children. I’m sorry to cut our talk so short, but I’d like to see how Leigh is coming along with an antidote.”

  Zara stood and bowed quickly to Jessie, “Yes, Princess Jessie. I must leave as well. My father needs me.” Jessie couldn’t be for sure, but Zara looked rattled when she left the room.

  ~~~~~~~~

  During the past two and half weeks, while Jessie was visiting Looch; Riley, Lian, and Lyon were hard at work trying to find an antidote to wake Looch. Riley was in the lab with Lian and Lyon to see if they could determine the plant used in the potion Looch ingested. Once they found out what plant it was, Riley had to have Lian and Lyon who were all intents and purposes medical doctors, translate scientific names and uses for the indigenous flora. It was daunting, to say the least.

  Riley could tell you about every studied flora on planet Earth. How tall it grew, how much sun it needed, if it was edible, if it was poisonous, what the antidote flora would be for it and where it could be found on Earth. Here, not so much. Lian and Lyon were trying their best, but she just really needed to submerge herself in the books, so that’s what she did.

  When Riley was in the zone as she liked to call it she barely ate or slept. Although no one had pressured her to find a solution to Looch’s predicament, Riley was her own worst critic and pushed herself harder than anyone else would.

  Jessie would regularly come by to check on Riley and to at least keep her hydrated. A couple of times Jessie had to convince Lian to slip a sleeping pill into Riley’s drink so she’d get some rest. Jessie had observed this scene way too many times to count. After the last two and a half weeks of working towards finding an antidote, Jessie could tell Riley was close. When Riley was finishing things up, she needed the most care because everything else didn’t matter except what she was working on.

  At the start of the third week, Lian and Lyon were growing concerned for Riley’s physical well-being. Even after drugging Riley a couple of times so that she could sleep, Riley had huge dark circles under her eyes, her scent was now pungent from lack of hygiene, and both Lian and Lyon could tell she’d lost a considerable amount of weight in the short time.

  Lian and Lyon were speaking to Leigh and Jessie about their concerns with Riley when she burst through the door holding up a piece of paper. “I found it, Jessie. I’ve found it.”

  Jessie could tell all of Riley’s fight and determination had left her. In its place, exhaustion and malnutrition had crept in. Jessie almost screeched to Lyon who was closest to Riley. “Grab her; she’s going to fall.”

  Sure enough, Riley took two more steps and fell into Lyon’s arms, exhaustion taking over. As Lyon picked Riley up and cradled her like a child, Jessie rushed over and cleared a path on a nearby table so Lyon could lay her down. Lian took her vitals with a handheld healing unit. After a moment Riley’s eyes fluttered open. “I know the antidote. I just need to make it.” Riley whispered.

  Leigh came forward and gave Riley a lopsided smile. “Riley, I can’t in good conscious let you place your life in danger to save my brother’s. He would say the same thing if he were in my position. You are too essential to the survival of this planet to endanger yourself foolishly. Looch’s condition has not changed. One or two more days are not going to matter. As prince of Arenia, I’m ordering you to rest. You’ll be in the healing bay with Sloane and Looch so you may keep an eye on them both if you wish, but you will rest and take nourishment.”

  It looked like Riley was about to argue when Jessie put it into perspective. “I agree with Leigh and to add to that, you need a shower girl. You reek.” Riley looked at Jessie with humor in her eyes.

  Riley winked at Jessie. “I smell like roses and rainbows.”

  Lyon wrinkled his nose and turned to Lian, telling him in no uncertain terms, “Sloane is never to smell of roses or rainbows.”

  Jessie and Riley laughed a bit. “All kidding aside Riley, do you have enough strength for me to help you shower?”

  “Ayah, let me call Meesa to help you. I don’t want you hurting yourself. Looch will be upset with me if you were hurt.”

  Once Meesa helped Jessie get Riley showered, and in bed, Meesa brought some food and drink to help nourish Riley back to health. While Riley was eating, Leigh, Jessie, Lyon, and Lian were sitting at the end of the bed listening to Riley explain the plant which will act as an antidote for Looch.

  Riley was all smiles when she finally got everything off her chest about the antidote. On the contrary Leigh, Lyon, and Lian had scowls on their faces. “What’s the matter? Why aren’t you smiling?”

  Leigh was the first to speak. “Have you told anyone about your discovery?”

  “Of course not.” Riley shrieked.

  Leigh raised his hands in surrender. “The reason I ask Riley is due to the type of plant you speak of. The yahmo plant has been widely extinct in the wild for some years now. It is only grown in private collections. If what you say is true there are only a handful of Arenians who produce this plant in the world, and just about three of those Arenians are in the immediate area. This makes one of those three a potential suspect in poisoning Looch.”

  “I said yahmo was the antidote, not the cause of Looch’s ailment.”

  Lyon spoke up, “You are correct Riley, but there’s no need to grow yahmo unless you have the poisonous plant, sertave within your garden. The other thing we must take into consideration is yahmo can’t be ingested. It must be applied directly to the poisoned area. With Looch being asleep I’m unsure as to where to apply yahmo.”

  It was Jessie’s turn to speak. “So it’s basically like an aloe vera plant on a sunburn?”

  Jessie could tell the wheels were turning in Riley’s head. “I’ll make a massage oil out of it, and you’ll apply it, Jessie.”

  “What?”

  Recognition dawned on Leigh’s face. “Of course, ayah.” Leigh pulled Jessie’s face up to his for a sweet kiss. “This is the reason the Goddess has sent you to us ayah. You and Riley both are going to save Looch. Riley will make the antidote, and you’ll massage it onto Looch’s body.”

  Jessie looked at Leigh with fear etched on her face. “Riley is assuming that’ll work. What happens if it doesn’t?”

  “As you Earthlings say it, we will go back to the drawing board. It will not harm Looch. The only thing we will need to worry about is Looch and Zara are still within their bonding period. You must get permission from Zara to perform such an act.”

  “Are you serious? Can’t your mother order it or better yet, can’t you order it since you’re a healer and a Prince?”

  “It’s not that simple Jessie. A bonding period isn’t something we take lightly. It’s exclusivity between the partners. If Zara were in the same situation as Looch, you’d need to ask his permission before administering any type of treatment.” Leigh took several moments looking thoughtfully. “I’m going to suggest you give Zara a massage.” Leigh brought his hands up to silence the objection about to come from Jessie. “It’s so she understands what will take place. If she knows it’s only to help Looch she’ll be more amenable to the idea.”

  Riley looked at Jessie with understanding i
n her eyes. Riley knew this would be difficult for Jessie to do, but also knew it had to be done. Riley winked at Jessie and finally blurted, “Suck it up buttercup. Looch needs your help.”

  Jessie huffed, “Ok I’ll do it.”

  When Jessie talked to Zara about massaging her, she wasn’t very receptive, but finally consented. Leigh had fashioned a padded massage table, complete with heat and a bolster. Zara was laying face up on the table with a sheet clutched tightly over the top of her. Jessie gave Zara a soft smile. “You look nervous Zara. Don’t worry; I won’t hurt you and by the time I get done, you won’t want to get up because you’ll be too relaxed. I promise.” Zara nodded and gave Jessie a half-hearted smile. “Okay, Zara let’s begin. I’m going to start on your head and face, so you know what to expect. Are you warm enough?” Zara gave Jessie another slight nod. “Alright, I’m just going to start massaging your scalp. You tell me if the pressure is too much or too light. Also, try and relax your arms and take them out from under the sheet. This will help release tension on your shoulders.”

  When Zara complied, Jessie noticed Zara was still wearing her mother’s necklace. “Zara, won’t you be more comfortable taking off the necklace? It might get in the way of your massage.”

  Zara looked like she was about to cry. “I want to keep it on.”

  “No problem Zara, there’s nothing to get excited over. I’ll just work around it.” Jessie started Zara’s massage first with her scalp and face. By the time Jessie reached Zara’s arms, she was almost asleep. While Zara’s eyes were closed enjoying the Jessie’s manipulations, Jessie noticed Zara’s necklace didn’t move at all. A handful of her massage clients would leave their jewelry on, and when the client was face up the necklace would slip into the hollow of their throat. Zara’s necklace seemed to be glued in place. “That’s odd.” Thought Jessie.

  Jessie continued to massage Zara, covering and uncovering arms and legs as she went. Finally, Jessie had Zara roll over onto her stomach so she could massage Zara’s back and shoulders. Jessie placed the sheet just above Zara’s buttocks lightly tucking the sides under her. Jessie took a long stroke down her back near Zara’s spine, then stroked back up Zara’s sides, when she noticed Zara’s body jolt, then tense. “Zara, are you alright? What’s the matter?”

  With Zara’s head down in the face hole, it was hard to hear, but Jessie thought for sure she heard a whimper of pain from Zara. Jessie brought the sheet back over Zara’s body and slowly helped Zara up to a sitting position. When she did, she looked at Zara’s tear-stained face. “I’m so sorry Zara; I never meant to hurt you. A massage is supposed to be relaxing and therapeutic. “

  Zara shook her head vehemently. “Your massage was wonderful. I fell yesterday, and it seems I hurt my ribs.”

  Jessie was utterly perplexed. “Why didn’t you go to a healer so they could put you in a healing bay?”

  “I’ve been busy attending Looch.”

  Something didn’t add up. “Zara, I’m calling Leigh in to help you. You need medical attention.”

  Zara all but screamed. “No! I’m fine. There’s no need to burden Leigh with my frivolous clumsiness.”

  “Zara, I have no choice. I can’t just leave you to suffer.” Jessie grabbed her comlink and told Leigh Zara needed healing. Jessie and Zara didn’t say a word to each other while waiting for Leigh.

  When Leigh arrived, he noticed two things; one, Zara’s scent was intermingled with Jessie’s and making Leigh almost queasy and two, Leigh saw the tears cascading down Zara’s face and yet he couldn’t scent anything wrong with her. Leigh rushed to Zara’s side with his handheld healing unit to access her condition. In turn, Zara gripped the sheet tightly around her. Leigh looked at the handheld then to Jessie with a frown. “Zara, the readings show you have four cracked ribs. Your pain must be excruciating. Why did you not come to the healing ward?”

  Before Zara could answer, Jessie interjected. “Wait. What do you mean ‘Your pain must be excruciating.’ You can’t tell?”

  Zara bowed her head and her eyes focused on the floor. Leigh looked at Jessie with pleading eyes then spoke in such a gentle tone towards Zara. “How are you hurt this bad and yet I can’t scent your pain, Zara? It doesn’t make any sense. Please explain Zara. I’ll understand my dear friend.”

  Once the words left Leigh’s lips, Zara cried out in pain and grabbed at her neck and convulsed back on the table almost falling off. Leigh stood there dumbfounded on what to do, but Jessie put it all together in a second. “Get the necklace off her!”

  Leigh immediately jumped into action to try and get the necklace off Zara. Zara thrashed about, jerking in pain. Leigh grabbed at the necklace and was assaulted by the same electrical shock Zara was. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the necklace off.

  Jessie noticed Leigh’s struggle and felt powerless to help Zara and Leigh. She took in the horrifying scene in front of her. Suddenly she noticed the huge black jewel in the center of Zara’s necklace glowing red. “Leigh, the pendant! Break the pendant!”

  Leigh stopped trying to pry the necklace off Zara’s neck and grabbed his tractin turned it around and brought the cap down on the big black stone. The stone shattered like glass. Once the pendant was demolished the necklace released from Zara’s neck. When the necklace was free from Zara’s body, her pain and pent-up emotions flowed from her. Leigh fell to his knees overwhelmed by the scent of Zara’s anguish.

  Jessie was immediately on her comlink calling Lyon and Lian to their location and got down on the floor with Leigh. “Lian and Lyon are on their way, just hang in there. They’ll know what to do.”

  Leigh took several ragged breaths. “Zara… they… must sedate Zara. Her scent is too overwhelming.”

  Jessie peeked at Zara. She was still writhing in pain on the massage table. Jessie just noticed she was still screaming and crying. Just then, Lian and Lyon burst through the door and Lian went to his knees as well. Jessie could tell Lyon was struggling too, but he managed to get to Zara and inject her with a sedative.

  As Zara calmed then finally fell unconscious, the men started to breathe easier. Lian spoke first, “What in all molinka was that?”

  Leigh slowly rose from his knees. “We must find Councilman Cerin. He’s to blame for Zara’s pain. He will pay for his heinous crime towards Zara. Although I’ve nothing to prove it, I think Cerin poisoned Prince Looch.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  When Leigh broke the pendant on Zara’s necklace all her pent-up emotions radiated out from her body like an emotional bomb. Leigh had never felt so much anguish in all his life. He couldn’t fathom the depths of her pain and sorrow. If it were the last thing he did he’d kill Cerin just as he did his brother.

  After Leigh informed the guards to protect the Queen and Kings from Councilman Cerin, he and Jessie sat with Zara in the healing ward. Leigh was distraught with the realization Heloc and Cerin were torturing their daughter. He was also confused as to why Zara didn’t confide in himself or Looch. It sickened him to think of any female being mistreated.

  While he and Jessie waited for Zara, everyone frantically scoured the palace for Cerin, but he was nowhere to be found. While the guards searched Cerin’s room, they discovered he had a well-hidden garden in a secret room, with numerous plants only used in old world poultices and tinctures. When King Taavi arrived to inspect Cerin’s room, he concluded several of the plants to be so old; they had to have been passed down for several generations and most likely the only ones in existence.

  Zara had been in the healing unit for several hours when Jessie noticed her eyes start to flutter open. Jessie motioned Leigh to look, and sure enough, he noticed Zara was finally stirring. Jessie rounded the healing unit and stood on Zara’s other side. “How do you feel?”

  Zara looked down at her body as if she was discovering it for the first time. After she looked at her limbs in awe, Zara continued her self-examination by touching her ribs, testing their tenderness. Finally, when Zara was satisfied with her assessm
ent, she said in a hushed whisper. “Did you find my father?” Zara recognized her mistake in calling Cerin, father and grabbed at her neck where her necklace would typically rest, to find it gone. Looking up to Leigh in panic Zara asked, “Where did my necklace go?”

  “Calm Zara. You’re safe now. He won’t harm you ever again, but we do need you to explain what happened.”

  Zara looked tentatively to Leigh, then to Jessie. “You all know the story of my mother’s gruesome death and when I woke from shock I had the necklace on.” Leigh and Jessie nodded. “I didn’t put it on. My fathers did. At the time I did not know why, but as the months progressed after my mother’s passing, my fathers were increasingly cruel to me until one day father Heloc slapped me.” Zara touched her cheek remembering the incident.

  “To say the least I was shocked and when I ran to escape, father Cerin assaulted me with a painful electrical shock through the necklace. I immediately fell to the floor. Father Heloc screamed I’d end up like my mother if I did not comply with their wishes. The abuse had continued ever since. They would only heal the outward signs of the abuse and rely on the scent inhibitor in the necklace to mask my pain.” Zara lifted pleading eyes to Leigh and started crying. “What was I to do? These males were my fathers. My mother was gone.”

  “Shh. You’re safe now. My family and I will protect you at any cost, but Zara I need you to be honest with me. Did you have anything to do with Looch’s poisoning or do you know what Cerin is planning?” Zara was hurt Leigh would even imply such a thing. Leigh held up his hand to quiet her. “Don’t answer that Zara. I know the truth. I’m sorry I asked. Do you forgive me?”

  “Of course I forgive you, Leigh. Though I don’t know what Cerin’s plan is, he is planning something.”

  Jessie finally spoke up and asked Zara a critical question. “Do you know what your father used to poison Looch?” Zara shook her head adamantly. “Riley feels she has an antidote, but I have to massage it onto Looch’s body. Since you and Looch are still in your bonding period, I gave you a massage first, so you knew what to expect. I was hoping to talk you into letting me try it on Looch.”