Kip shrugged. “Survival, madam. I planned to stay safely tucked in my home and send Lenata on her way. However, we were attacked by murderous Raviners who destroyed my lab. Lenata can’t see. Someone had to help them get across the river and to you guys.”
“Lenata can’t see?” she repeated, the concern leaking into her tone. Then her mouth tightened. “That is a topic for later.” She waved a hand. “So you knew the possible penalty for crossing the river but felt it was worth the risk in order to safely escort these women here. Is that correct?”
Kip nodded. Vanda didn’t ask anything more, but she did glance back at her fellow councilmembers. When no one seemed inclined to ask their own questions, she directed her gaze at Jenna.
“And you are?” Her tone was definitely frostier. Jenna decided that there was no point in covering for Lenata. These people were not going to be on her side, no matter what. She might as well tell them the truth. Let them make of it what they would.
“I am Jenna Forrest,” she said without hesitation.
“Are you a Raviner?”
“No,” Jenna refuted with a shudder.
“Then how did you come to be here?”
“Not by choice at all, but it’s rather a long story.”
“We will hear you,” Vanda said, though her eyes were hard.
Jenna took a breath and launched in. “It began with Lenata approaching me in a restroom in a restaurant in Omphalos with a live vid of my children being threatened.” The muttering was louder this time, but it quieted down quickly, and she continued, telling them of the trip in the taxi to the Red Zone, waking up in a medical capsule, the stay in the red room, the storm, and Lenata’s “rescue” of her and her daughter. Then she explained about the washed-out bridge, the hike through the jungle to Kip’s, and the attack of the Raviners, leading them to their escape across the river. When she finished, the room was dead silent. Not even whispers among the villagers. Vanda’s face was stark white again. Her eyes had not softened, exactly, but she looked more confused than angry now.
“You . . .” The last man on the Council, the one who had not yet spoken, rose slowly. “Lenata Topaz, you traveled to Omphalos to take this woman and her children captive?” His voice was incredulous.
For the first time, Lenata shifted uncomfortably. “It was just a job,” she muttered. “I didn’t have a choice about it. My assignment was just to give Mrs. Forrest a message and then return to the Ravine. Then I helped take care of the children while they were in medical capsules.”
The first councilman, the one who had given the order about patrolling the river bank, stood up as well. “You are a disgrace to the Roran name. Using technology! Cooperating with ruffians! No wonder The Planet has turned her back on you, Lenata. No wonder you are one of the Forsaken. She knew what you would become.” Lenata flinched, and voices jeered from the crowd.
The head councilwoman raised her hand again. She did not even look at Lenata. Her eyes were still on Jenna.
“So you knew nothing of our laws, you knew nothing about us, and you only ended up here at all because of Lenata’s actions.”
Jenna nodded. “But she did save my life, and my daughter’s,” Jenna felt compelled to add.
Vanda gave a brief nod of acceptance, though Jenna couldn’t see any sign of agreement there. She swallowed nervously. Had Lenata saved their lives from the Raviners only to deliver them to their deaths in this ghastly village?
The councilwoman’s eyes dropped to Kendra.
“What is your name, child?” she asked. Her tone was much kinder.
“I’m Kendra. Andrea Giovanna Kendra Forrest,” she added in a rush.
Vanda’s mouth twitched just a bit. “Well, Kendra, what can you tell us about how you ended up here?”
Kendra shrugged. “We went for a walk with Mrs. Smitz, and these men attacked us in the forest. I tried to . . . fight back, but I don’t know what happened. The next thing I remember, they had me and Berry and Erik in a room, and they wouldn’t let us see Mommy, and they were really mean. They tried to cut my neck,” she added, her voice trembling. Jenna drew in a shuddering breath. She would never forget seeing her terrified children on that screen and the knife biting into Kendra’s neck.
Vanda frowned slightly. “Did you know who they were?” she asked.
“No, they all had masks on, and their voices were really funny. They did something to Berry and to Erik that made them go to sleep again. Then I don’t remember anything for a while. I had a lot of dreams,” she added matter-of-factly. “Dina talked to me, tried to get me to wake up, but I couldn’t.”
Vanda noticeably straightened. “Who is Dina?” she asked casually. Only her eyes boring into Kendra’s and the slight lean forward betrayed her interest.
Kendra shifted uncomfortably. She glanced up at Jenna, and Jenna knew what she wanted to know. Was it OK for Kendra to talk about her “imaginary friend”? Only now Jenna wasn’t sure that Dina was imaginary. She gave a small nod and smiled at her daughter reassuringly. They might as well find out everything they could.
“Dina is my friend,” Kendra said nervously. “She talks to me in my head. Sometimes she plays with me.” There was a rustling in the crowd behind them.
Vanda leaned forward even more. “She talks to you in your head?” she repeated. “And how does she play with you?”
Kendra frowned, glancing behind her at all the heads staring impatiently at her back. “She just does,” she finally whispered.
The door in the back of the lodge suddenly heaved inward and slammed into the wall. Every head in the room turned to see the commotion. Jenna whipped around, afraid that the Raviners had found them and were storming the lodge. But the latecomer was a large Roran man wearing the green and gray that seemed to be common with the guards. He strode up the middle aisle, his long legs covering the length of the lodge in only a few seconds. He had dark hair streaked with a little gray that was pulled into a knot at the back of his head, and his face was craggy.
“There she is!” he shouted. The entire lodge went completely still. Jenna couldn’t even hear the rustle of cloth or feet scuffing the floor. He was staring straight at Lenata, completely oblivious to everyone else in the room. Was this Lenata’s husband? The one she had run from?
Oh no.
Lenata was the only one who had not turned around. She stared straight forward in the direction of the seated councilmembers. Jenna noted that Vanda’s mouth had tightened at the interruption. The man reached Lenata and grabbed her shoulder, swinging her around.
“Lenata,” he murmured. “You’ve come home.”
Lenata didn’t reply. Jenna saw the set of her shoulders, and when Lenata turned her direction, Jenna studied her face. No relief, no surprise, not the slightest sign of happiness. Just resignation. She must have feared this from the beginning.
“I respectfully request that the Council release Lenata into my custody. As her husband, I am ultimately responsible for her. Any penalty required can be applied to me.” His voice was confident and strong. Either he didn’t know that Lenata was facing a charge they deemed worthy of death, or he knew they would never impose it on him.
The tall, dark councilman rose from his seat. “The Council accepts your request, Floyd, and we remand your wife to your custody.” Jenna saw the flash in Vanda’s eyes and the way she clenched a fist around a fold of her robe, and she knew the woman was displeased. Was it because she knew Lenata had left to escape her husband? Or because she didn’t like the way the other councilmember had usurped her control of this hearing or judgment or whatever they wanted to call it?
“You may take your seats with the other villagers until the judgment has concluded, Floyd,” the councilman continued, gesturing at the semi-empty bench to the right. It was the only remaining place to sit in the building, though there wasn’t really space for two grown adults to sit there.
The words sounded considerate enough, but Jenna noted that Lenata’s stiff posture didn’t relax in the slightest. She still didn’t speak, though she continued to stare expectantly in Vanda’s general direction. Vanda opened her mouth, clearly about to object, when the same man from the back spoke again.
“Of course, Floyd. We will leave Lenata to your care and inform you of the judgment later,” he answered, his voice cool and smooth.
Floyd nodded respectfully and then gently took Lenata by the arm. Jenna was close enough to see his fingers tremble as he touched her and wondered briefly if maybe he wasn’t the monster Kip had implied. Perhaps he had truly missed his wife and was anxious to repair things.
Then as he turned, his gaze met Jenna’s for a second. It was over so quickly that Jenna could have imagined it, but she was certain she had not. Floyd had the darkest, iciest eyes she had ever seen. Cold, calculating, and bright with triumph.
Lenata pulled free of his grip and turned back to the Council. “You have to put Kendra through the Trial,” she urged. “I know she will pass it!”
The Council didn’t answer, and Floyd encircled Lenata’s shoulders with an arm and forcibly turned her away. The without another word, he towed her out of the lodge as quickly as he had stridden into it.
37. Jay Forrest’s Secret
Jimmy had expected Grier to transfer at the QE resort tube station to the tube that would take them to the security wing, but instead he led the way to the tube that would send them to Quintan Tower.
“Why the Tower?” Jimmy asked. “Isn’t the whole rescue being coordinated by Quintan Security?” It only made sense to go straight to the communications hub so he could find out what was going on.
“I’m taking you to your father,” Grier answered.
“My father is awake right now?”
Grier made no answer. That wasn’t a good sign. The security posted at the Quintan Tower tube waved him through the scanners without asking any questions; obviously they were expecting him. A few minutes later, he climbed out of the tube capsule and onto the platform where Quintan Tower residents—and employees of the resort—would wait to travel to work. He looked around warily. Nothing much had changed since the last time he had been here. The hole in the wall where attackers had blown up the door leading to the prototype gate lab had been walled up. It was quiet and empty and clean. You’d never guess that half a dozen people died in here, he thought. He swallowed thickly. He had killed more than one of the men personally. He had almost bled to death on the floor.
As usual, he dealt with it by cracking a joke.
“I don’t see any plaques to my bravery,” he said lightly. “Shouldn’t there be a memorial or something—‘Here James August Trimble Forrest III heroically saved the residents of Quintan Tower from certain death when a squad of saboteurs detonated a bomb in the basement’?”
“If anyone gets a plaque, it should be your wife,” grunted Grier. He looked away from Jimmy. That night probably haunted Grier as well.
Jimmy reached the door to the lifts before Grier, refusing to look back at the platform. “Yeah, Jenna was heroic too, but it was my voice command that sealed the gate room and protected us,” he boasted.
Grier just shook his head, frowning. “If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Forrest, you and every other person within a block of that gate would have been vaporized. Not to mention all the people on the Marah side.”
Jimmy’s mouth quirked up. How like Grier to know what had really happened. Jimmy felt a little better just remembering that night. Jenna had been their savior that night—she had made it through the nightmare better than he had. Surely she would survive this too. What was a Zorian jungle compared to facing down fusion-level energy releases?
It took longer than Jimmy would have liked to make it to his father’s suite. They had to stop on the main floor and get the help of a security officer, who used his code to override the lift and allow them to reach the twenty-first floor. Once half the floor had been Zane’s suite and the other half had been Jax’s home and lab. Now, Jimmy assumed that Moriel lived in the general manager’s suite, and Jax’s old quarters had apparently been remodeled into a couple of VIP apartments. He shifted uncomfortably, not sure about how he felt facing his father. The old man was trying to help, but that didn’t exactly bridge a decade-long breach.
When the door opened, it was neither his father nor his father’s personal bodyguard. Instead, Lev stood in the doorway. Apparently, the man never slept. Which was fine with Jimmy. He wasn’t sleeping either these days.
“James!” Lev greeted in relief. He stepped into the foyer. “Thank you, Grier,” Lev said. “I know this is awkward, but I need to have a private word with James. Would you mind waiting out here?” Grier jerked his head in assent and took up a post next to the door, staring at the lift doors as if enemies might burst through at any second. Lev gestured into the VIP apartment. “Please, James.”
Jimmy walked into a small but beautifully furnished sitting room. It was empty, and both doors leading from the room were closed. He glanced around at the selection of chairs and an overstuffed sofa and elected to remain standing. When Lev came back into the room and the door slid shut, Jimmy couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Where are my kids? Where is Lilah? Why aren’t you trying to find them?” he fired at Lev, frantic worry making politeness impossible. Lev should have been in the communications center, coordinating this whole disaster.
“I have teams searching for all of them. Sixteen officers are sweeping the area near the ransom meeting, and I’m certain that if Ms. Armenta and Erik are out there, they will find them. We are also trying to get accurate information on where the kidnappers’ ship may have gone, based on the last info we received from Zane’s implant. That’s harder, but we have our best minds trying to pin them down. We got some good vid footage from our officers, and I’m confident we’ll have the ship identified shortly.”
Jimmy listened to this impatiently. “Why don’t you ask the Armada for help? Send the ship footage to them. They probably have better resources for that.”
Lev frowned. “I doubt it,” he said flatly. “Besides, I don’t want the Armada involved here.”
“What does it matter, if they can help us find my kids sooner? I’ll contact the admiral myself. Then I’m heading out to look for Erik. Grier can come with me,” Jimmy said, starting to pace the room.
Lev closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. “James, I need your help here. We have another problem.”
“What?” snapped Jimmy. “What could possibly matter to me more than finding my missing children?”
Lev winced, and Jimmy remembered that Zane was missing also. Technically. If he hadn’t planned this whole fiasco in the first place. “Your father is dying,” Lev said simply.
“What?” Jimmy gasped.
Lev stared at one of the closed doors for a moment. “I always thought you knew about your father’s condition. However, Jay explained when he arrived that you did not know, and he wanted to keep it that way. I am breaking my word to him right now by telling you.”
Jimmy stared at Lev in growing horror. What secret had his father been keeping?
“During a visit to Mullanur some twenty years ago, he contracted a parasite that invaded his lymph system. He didn’t have any symptoms for quite a while and didn’t even know anything was wrong until he returned to Terra.”
“A parasite?” Jimmy was horrified. Something twisted unpleasantly inside his stomach.
“It’s not uncommon on Mullanur, and there the doctors can treat it quickly enough that there are no lasting effects. However, no one on Terra could even diagnose him correctly. By the time they did, his entire immune system was permanently dama
ged.”
“Permanently damaged,” repeated Jimmy incredulously. “But he’s fine! He’s been fine. You said this happened twenty years ago! You can’t mean it took twenty years for someone to figure out something was wrong?” Jimmy was irrationally angry, though he didn’t know who he was angry at or why. But the thought of his father dying . . . no, he couldn’t even consider it. Not right now. That was too complicated a mess of conflicting emotions to sort out, and he had no time for it.
“There is a nanobot treatment available that essentially functions as his surrogate immune system,” Lev explained. “It has kept him well all these years. But passing through an interdimensional gate . . .”
“Deactivates the nanobots, yeah,” Jimmy finished. “Everyone knows that. But he’s got resources. Surely he can get a new treatment here?”
Lev just looked at him sadly.
“What? Are you seriously trying to tell me that he wouldn’t plan ahead? He’s got money spilling out of his ears! Surely you would make sure that those nanobots were on hand and ready to be injected right into his body the minute he stepped off his ship!”
“It’s not just the problem of the immune system, though yes, we knew he would need nanobot injections, and he’s had those already. It’s the parasites. There’s no permanent cure for them. He had a special nanobot treatment, imported from Mullanur, that suppressed them. But when the nanobots were deactivated, the doctor suspects there must have been a resurgence of the parasites. I don’t know because we can’t test for them here. It seems that the new immuno-nanobots can’t keep up. Your father has been exposed to a slew of minor illnesses local to Zenith since he got here, and he just can’t fight them off.”
“That shouldn’t kill him! Not with access to the best medical care!”
Lev sighed deeply. “We are in over our heads here. It is a foreign disease, and it is not reacting to the treatments we have. Of course, your father knew it was a risk. That is why he has never traveled by gate since that ill-fated trip to Mullanur. Until now.”
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