The Tigrens' Glory (Soul-Linked Saga) (Volume 9)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  So great was her emotional distress that she barely noticed the low beeping sound indicating an incoming call. Eventually the sound penetrated her misery and she glanced down to see who was interrupting her in her lowest moment. She was surprised to see that it was Zarnia-Te, her eldest sister. She hesitated, then realized security no longer mattered. She was already as good as dead. She raised one foreleg and pressed the button to accept the call.

  “Greetings, Eldest Sister,” she said.

  “I’ve been duped,” Zarnia-Te blurted angrily. “And so have you.”

  “Duped?” Narliq-Li asked without much interest.

  “Duped! Tricked! Deceived! Betrayed! Swindled!” Zarnia-Te ranted. “It’s obvious that Xaqana-Ti and Mother plotted against us. We must work together against them, or give up now and sacrifice our lives.”

  “In what way were you tricked?” Narliq-Li asked.

  “I accepted the Jasani territory after both Mother and Xaqana-Ti assured me that all was well, and that one of my ships was already there. When I was unable to raise my ship, I sent another in, and it too was lost. There has been no reconnaissance asset in place around Jasan since it was handed to me, yet every time I send a ship into Jasani space, it vanishes! As of today I’ve lost five ships. Five! I’ve no doubt that Xaqana-Ti has her own ships waiting to destroy mine when they arrive. There is no other explanation. I’ll be annihilated for mismanaging the Jasani, just as they surely planned from the beginning. I stepped right into their web like a foolish youngling!”

  “You are correct, Sister,” Narliq-Li said. “I just received a month-old partial transmission stating that the Jasani swept in and destroyed all of my ships shortly after they reached Onddo. Only the one escaped, and I suspect it was destroyed while the message was being transmitted via common band transmission. The Narrasti Project is no more. All of the bio engineered sugea have been destroyed, along with their leader. Worst of all, the remaining Narrasti appear to have made peace with the Jasani.”

  “That cannot be true,” Zarnia-Te scoffed. “It is a lie. A rumor started by our youngest sister.”

  “Probably,” Narliq-Li agreed. “Not that it matters. I’ll never have a chance to prove it because I’ll be annihilated the moment Mother learns this vile news. If she doesn’t already know it.”

  “See?! See!” Zarnia-Te screeched. “We cannot let them get away with this, Sister. We must retaliate.”

  “Retaliate against Mother?” Narliq-Li asked in shock.

  “Mother is used up,” Zarnia-Te snapped. “The great game is almost at an end and she has made her choice.”

  “How can you be sure?” Narliq-Li asked.

  “Their lies give them away,” Zarnia replied. “The Jasani haven’t the strength to destroy so many Xanti ships, nor the speed to reach Onddo so quickly. Only a fool would believe that the Narrasti and the Jasani have made peace, which proves what they think of us.”

  Narliq-Li was forced to concede that Zarnia-Te had a point. Several of them, in fact. “What shall we do, Elder Sister?”

  “We will destroy both Mother and Xaqana-Ti. Then you and I will rule together.”

  It was a ludicrous suggestion, and Narliq-Li knew it. There could be only one Supreme Queen, and her reign began with four queens hatched from her own eggs. When they matured the old queens, if any were left, died. Did Zarnia-Te think she was so stupid that she didn’t understand the basic biology of their own species? Zarnia-Te just wanted help in destroying Xaqana-Ti and Mother, which was wise. She’d never succeed on her own against the two of them. And Narliq-Li was honest enough with herself to know she’d never prevail against any of them. The only question now was, which sister did she want to see win before her own death?

  “I would see you as Supreme Queen of the Xanti, Eldest Sister, so I shall aid you in your endeavor,” she said, letting her sister know she didn’t buy the co-ruler bit, but would help anyway. “Where do we begin?”

  “First of all, we don’t report our losses to Mother or Xaqana-Ti,” Zarnia-Te said. “Together, we match them in strength here in our own galaxy. But in the Thousand Worlds we out number Xaqana-Ti two to one. So, that’s where we begin. Our ships will join together to destroy Xaqana-Ti’s forces in space one at a time.”

  Narliq-Li nearly pointed out that destroying all of Xaqana-Ti’s ships would not give them any more of an advantage on the ground than they currently had, but kept silent. Knowing she would soon die changed her perspective. She would destroy as many of Xaqana-Ti’s ships as she could, and take pleasure in the act.

  “Where shall our ships meet, Elder Sister?”

  Chapter Five

  “How are you feeling, Saige?” Lariah asked after greeting her best friend with a hug the next morning. Saige was just shy of six weeks from her due date, and since she wasn’t a big woman to begin with, she looked even closer than she was.

  “Like you don’t know,” Saige said with a tired smile. “I’m usually exhausted, always hungry, and my feet have become complete strangers. All indications that things are progressing normally.”

  Lariah smiled sympathetically. “It won’t be long now,” she said. “In fact, that’s one reason why I’m here.”

  Saige raised her feet to the ottoman in front of her patio chair and sighed with pleasure. “Let me guess,” she said. “My guys went to your guys to get the assault on Xantara postponed.”

  “Of course they did,” Lariah agreed, unsurprised by Saige’s guess.

  “Now your guys want to know if I feel that’s necessary,” she added.

  “They won’t do anything that will endanger you or your sons,” Lariah said. “You know that. At the same time, we’re all concerned that the longer we try to keep this plan secret, the more likely it’ll be discovered by the Xanti. You’re the only one who knows how you feel. They will trust your judgment in this.”

  “I appreciate that,” Saige said with a sigh. “This isn’t an easy decision, Lari.”

  “Yes, I know,” Lariah replied. “The Lobos are duty bound to accompany the Dracons as Prime Protectors, but they cannot wield their full power without you. Aside from that, there’s the fact that you are one of the Three, and therefore, according to Riata, you have to be there, as do both Summer and I. If we postpone until you give birth, the problem gets worse.”

  “Yes, it does,” Saige agreed. “Every day that passes it becomes more likely that the Xanti will learn of our plans, and I’ll either have to leave my newborn sons here, alone, or take them into battle. If we wait until they’re old enough to be without me, then Aisling will be nearly as far along as I am and we’ll have the same issue again.”

  “Not quite the same,” Lariah objected. “The Gryphons could remain behind, though I know they don’t want to.”

  “I don’t understand something,” Saige said. “From the story Faron and the guys told me, the first Jasani to arrive on this world were able to do big magic without their women present for quite some time. Why can’t our guys do the same?”

  “I asked that same question,” Lariah said. “Garen thinks it’s because their home world had either more magic, or a different type of magic that allowed them to absorb more within themselves than they can here, on Jasan.”

  “As that’s the world they evolved on, that makes sense,” Saige said. “Speaking of evolution, have you heard about Hope’s daughters?”

  “Yes,” Lariah said solemnly. “Hope told me when I went to visit the boys yesterday afternoon.”

  “How is she handling it?”

  “She’s nervous about it,” Lariah said. “It’s not that she has a problem with it exactly, but no one wants to hear that their babies are different in a way no one has ever seen before.”

  “I certainly can understand that,” Saige said. “What do you think of Honey’s theory?”

  “I think she’s right,” Lariah said. “Or at least, on the right track. Elder Vulpiran is the leading expert on Clan Jasani genetics. Garen and Jackson spoke with him this morning an
d he agrees that Honey’s hypothesis is likely correct, but wants further evidence before accepting it as a definitive explanation. He’s agreed to come over to meet with Honey and Doc tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Doc?” Saige asked in surprise. “Isn’t he still on his way back from Onddo?”

  “That’s another thing I wanted to tell you. Faith found another new jump point near Onddo. It goes to Terien and, as you know, she also found a jump point in Jasani space to that world. They’ll arrive tomorrow morning, after about one and a half day’s travel. It took longer for their message to reach us than it will take them to make the trip.”

  “That’s amazing,” Saige said.

  “It certainly is. Especially since it means we don’t have to get permission from Sheara 3 for our task force to cut through their territory. That was a problem because, even though they’re happy with us for removing the Xanti from their space, they’re a cautious people who want nothing to do with war.”

  “The Teriens are just as cautious, and far more grasping,” Saige pointed out.

  Lariah grinned. “Yes, but they owe us.”

  “Ah,” Saige said, nodding. “Because their Princess kidnapped Nica, murdered Sila, and attacked Adori?”

  “Yes, and also because we sent a couple of ships into their space two days ago and destroyed four Xanti cruisers, then gave them the coordinates of the new jump point to our space, and to Sheara 3. Since Teriens own a large percentage of liners that pass between Earth and other worlds, the new jump points are going to be very profitable for them. We also gave them the transmission codes to break through the newest Blind-Sight system.”

  “That’s a lot of concessions,” Saige said.

  “Not really,” Lariah said with a shrug. “The Blind Sight codes are being sent to all planets within the Thousand Worlds anyway. We never intended to keep that secret. And, once we’re finished with the Xanti, the new jump points will be shared throughout the Thousand Worlds as well.”

  “Excellent,” Saige grinned. “So what did Jasan get in return?”

  “The right to pass freely through Terien space, without notice, for one decade,” Lariah said smugly.

  “Oh, they’re going to hate that when they see a full-blown Jasani Naval task force cruising through their system,” Saige said with a laugh.

  “They probably won’t notice it too much,” Lariah said. “The jump point is just inside their territorial border, which is far from their home world. They tend to keep their technology to a minimum and don’t regularly monitor so far from their home planet.”

  “How long will this make the trip to Xantara?” Saige asked.

  “For one ship to go from Jasan to Terien will take about six hours,” Lariah said. “From Terien to Onddo, about four hours. From Onddo to the Xantara jump point, about three days. With the entire task force, it will take a bit longer of course, so we’re still looking at about a week, which is astounding.”

  “Faith has turned out to be quite the treasure,” Saige said. “Whether we prevail against the Xanti or not, the Thousand Worlds owes her a debt of gratitude for all she’s done.”

  “Absolutely,” Lariah agreed. “I’m so happy that she and the Falcorans have become soul-linked. After all they’ve been through, it’s almost a miracle.”

  Saige nodded, then placed her hands lightly on her stomach as she made her decision. “No, Lariah, I don’t want the departure date to be moved. I prefer to make this journey with my sons safely in the womb. Thanks to Faith, it’s only a two week round-trip. There’s plenty of time before these guys are due.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Lariah said. She didn’t point out that there was no telling how long it would take to subdue the Xanti. Saige was fully aware of that fact. “I’d do the same thing. And now that you’ve made your decision, I can tell you about the Tigren.”

  “Tigren?” Saige asked, her eyes wide. “They’ve been found?”

  “Not exactly,” Lariah said, then filled her in on Glory and her dreams. When she was finished Saige studied her friend for a long moment.

  “Something’s got you worried, and sad,” she said. “Tell.” Lariah smiled, but it was a half-hearted attempt that didn’t fool Saige for a moment. “Wow, whatever it is must be really bad.”

  “Maybe not,” Lariah said. “It’s just that I have a strong feeling that Glory is the Tigrens’ Arima.”

  “Her dreams alone indicate that,” Saige said, nodding. “Why are you worried about it?”

  “The physiology of Clan Jasani, those who’ve lived on Jasan since the destruction of Ugaztun, has changed to allow conversion of human women,” Lariah said. “There’s no reason to believe that the same will have happened to the Tigren. For all we know, they’ve never even heard of humans. If that’s true, they won’t be physically capable of converting Glory to Clan Jasani.”

  “Oh damn,” Saige whispered, stunned. “Their mating fangs would shed after only two injections, and the conversion process for human women requires three.”

  “Exactly,” Lariah said. “They may not be able to take her as a human mate, either. The potion that makes that possible was designed for members of the seven clans. The Council scientists might be able to alter it for the Tigren, but there’s no guarantee it would work. It’s been over seven thousand years since our clans have interbred with either Tigren or Owlfen. We have no idea what Tigren DNA looks like.”

  “How is Glory taking the news?”

  “She doesn’t know,” Lariah said. “Nor do I think we should mention it to her just yet. She hides it, but she is deeply wounded, Saige. As much, or more, than anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “Do you like her?” Saige asked.

  “Very much,” Lariah said. “I think she’ll be a wonderful friend.”

  “Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Saige said. “You’re Nahoa-Arima. The more time you spend with her, the more quickly her heart and mind will heal.”

  “I hope so,” Lariah said. “We’ll be spending lots of time together very soon. The big day is almost here.”

  “I know, and I still haven’t finished packing,” Saige said with a grimace. “Have the final decisions been made for the Consuls?”

  “Yes,” Lariah replied. “The Bearens will be staying to oversee the defense of Jasan. They aren’t really happy about it, but they agree that Jasan must be protected, and that’s their responsibility. The Vulpirans will stay too, in part because Honey is needed here. The Gryphons and Falcorans will go, as will the Katres, you Lobos, and of course, we Dracons.”

  “I’m glad Honey will be staying here, especially since Doc is going with us,” Saige said. “Which reminds me, how’s Summer doing?”

  “Maxim sent a message saying that she’s doing better,” Lariah replied. “As horrible as it sounds to say, she was only about three weeks along, too soon for her to form a bond with the babies, and that helps. Still, I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for all of them. She’s wanted to have children for a while now.”

  “I know,” Saige said. “And she will, in time.”

  “Yes, I’m sure she will,” Lariah agreed. “Oh, Doc and Darlene are married.”

  “Finally!” Saige said, smiling. “Did they get the pardon?”

  “Yes,” Lariah said. “I’m so glad you were able to convince Garen that it was what Riata really wanted. He’s changed his mind about Darlene over the past couple of years, but it was still hard for him to forgive her for Riata’s death.”

  “I know, I had a hard time with it at first too. But it wasn’t as though Darlene actually killed her, or meant for her to be killed. And yes, I know, that doesn’t change the fact that Riata wouldn’t have died if Darlene hadn’t done what she did. But honestly, Riata has never been more insistent on anything before. She was a little angry that Darlene hadn’t been pardoned already and I’ve never seen Riata angry.”

  “Which is why Garen did it,” Lariah said. “Well, that and the fact that Darlene has helped save so many lives sinc
e then, and plans to continue to search for women that have been taken after we’re done with the Xanti. She and Summer meant it when they swore to find or account for every woman the Xanti kidnapped.” Lariah paused, bit her lip, then blew out a quick breath. She’d intended to keep this next bit of information from Saige, but she just couldn’t do it. It felt too much lying. “She declined it.”

  “What?” Saige asked.

  “Darlene said that she can’t accept a pardon for something she believes is unpardonable,” Lariah said. “She’s happy, relieved, and very grateful to know she won’t be sent to prison, and she thanked Garen very graciously for the pardon. Then she asked that the wording be altered slightly so that it doesn’t pardon her for her role in what happened. Please don’t be upset, Saige. It’s what Darlene wants.”

  Saige smiled, her eyes tearing up a little. “I’m not upset in the least. Darlene has certainly changed over the past few years. I’m proud to call her friend now.”

  “Yes, so am I,” Lariah agreed. “I find it a little difficult to imagine her as a mother, but I have no doubt whatsoever that she and Doc will make wonderful parents.”

  “Lariah, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s the deal with the Dracon-Bats and Nica?” Saige asked. “We were told that our daughters couldn’t be identified as berezi until they were adults.”

  “And that’s true,” Lariah said. “The Dracon-Bats themselves aren’t even sure how it happened. They were just able to sense that Nica would one day be their Arima, but their fangs haven’t descended or anything like that. In fact, they plan to leave Jasan altogether before she reaches puberty. They don’t want to have a premature response to her for their own sakes, as well as hers.”

  “That’s a relief,” Saige said. “I was worried with so many male Jasani coming and going on the ranch all the time. I don’t want any of them trying to claim our daughters.”

  “Well, don’t worry, because it’s not going to happen,” Lariah said, then sighed. “You know, leaving our children behind is really the only part of this whole thing that bothers me. But we can’t take them into war with us.”