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

by Laura Jo Phillips

  As she worked she wondered at Zarnia-Te’s stupidity. How could she expect to become the Supreme Queen without even bothering to learn the process by which that was accomplished? Granted, she’d lied about the procedure being taught to them as younglings. It was, in fact, a carefully kept secret, and for good reason. But that was no excuse for ignorance. Xaqana-Ti had learned the truth, therefore her sisters could have, if they’d but tried.

  Once the stinger was properly removed, Xaqana-Ti paused to savor the moment. She’d planned and plotted for so long, yet had never for an instant expected it to come about on this day, in this manner. It was almost anticlimactic. Almost.

  ***

  Doc, Darlene, Garen, and Trey arrived in the crowded Pinnacle on board the Ugaztun seconds after leaving the Vyand. Doc’s bushy white eyebrows rose as he looked around at all the people standing in front of the viewport on one side of the circular room. Aside from themselves and the Dracons, the Lobos were present, as were the Katres, the Gryphons, and the Falcorans. Since all of the Consuls had their own ships, it seemed odd to Doc that they were all in one place. He saw three huge men standing at one end of the viewport that he didn’t know and assumed, correctly, that they were the Tigren.

  “There’s a place for you right here,” Garen said, guiding Doc and Darlene forward to join the others with an unobstructed view of the viewport, and the darkness beyond.

  “What’s going on?” Doc asked Garen in a low voice.

  “It’s a long story,” Garen said. “We’ll give you the details later. For now, just watch that little spot of light out there. It’s the asteroid where the Tigren, and thousands of others, were held in hibernation tanks.”

  Doc looked where Garen was pointing and saw the object which looked tiny in the distance. Darlene reached over and clasped Doc’s hand, giving it a careful squeeze. Garen patted him on the shoulder, then walked away. “Do you know what’s going on here?” he asked Darlene quietly as he looked around at the row of people watching through the viewport.

  “No, but I have an idea,” Darlene replied. “Let’s just watch.”

  “The all clear signal and an image of Princess Gloriani has been sent to Tek of the Garakai,” Garen announced from the Control Dais in the center of the room.

  “We’ve received an acknowledgement, as well as a request that we accept data from the Garakai,” Val said.

  “Granted,” Garen said. “Accept download when ready.”

  “Aye,” Val replied. Except for the Dracons’ voices, the room remained silent, all eyes on the asteroid. “Download complete,” Val announced. Then, a moment later, “Looks like everything the Xanti have done for the past ten thousand years.”

  “Send a confirmation of receipt, and a thank you,” Garen said.

  “Aye,” Val said. Doc looked away from the asteroid to the dark red planet that was many times larger. Xantara. He tensed, his hand tightening around Darlene’s.

  “The asteroid’s graviton engines have engaged,” Val announced.

  Doc’s brows rose as he glanced over his shoulder at the Dracons. The asteroid has engines? What in the nine hells was going on here? A squeeze from Darlene turned him back around.

  “They’ll push the engines as hard as they can to build up as much speed as possible,” Trey said loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Then what?” Kyerion Tigren asked curiously. Doc thought that was an excellent question and waited impatiently for Trey’s answer.

  “They’ll aim to hit dead center,” Trey replied. “The kinetic energy of the impact will result in an explosion and shock wave that will melt the entire crust of the planet down to the mantle. No living thing on that world will survive. Not even bacteria.”

  “Why did Tek tell you to watch for navigational errors?” Kirk asked.

  “As a race, the Garakai can no more commit genocide than the Jasani can,” Garen said. “What Tek, Minka, and Ri are about to do will appear to be an accident in the eyes of their home world. They’ve done all they can to make it clear that their actions are theirs alone, a personal choice they’ve made because they feel personally responsible for what the Xanti have done.”

  Doc’s heart leapt in his chest and he looked over at Darlene, who was smiling at him. He grinned back, then focused on the asteroid again. Never in his life would he have believed he’d be happy to see an entire civilization wiped out, but that had been before the Xanti had destroyed his world, Albion. They’d also destroyed Narrastia, Ugaztun, Arkandu and who knew how many other worlds and civilizations. For the safety of every other world in two galaxies, this was necessary. But not all of his reasons were altruistic. In truth, he’d been hoping and praying for this moment since the Xanti had murdered his wife, his children, and his grandchildren centuries earlier. He wasn’t the least bit ashamed to admit that he didn’t want to miss a moment of the Xanti’s extermination. In his opinion, it had been a very long time coming.

  “Tek said the primary queen lives deep below the surface,” Kirk Tigren said as the asteroid picked up speed, moving faster and faster toward Xantara.

  “Won’t matter,” Trey said. “Given the size of that asteroid and the speed it will be going when it hits, no tunnel will be deep enough. Every bit of rock and soil on that planet is going to be liquefied. There will be nothing left of Xantara but a red hot ball of lava slowly cooling in space. There won’t even be a solid surface to stand on for at least another 50,000 years.”

  “A fitting interment for the ten thousand souls lost in that trophy case,” Garen said. Soft murmurs of agreement filled the room.

  “Damn, that thing’s moving faster than I expected,” Trey said a short time later. “This’ll be big.”

  ***

  Aiming carefully, Xaqana-Ti plunged the Supreme Queen’s stinger into the exact center of her lowest segment. The pain was enormous, but she’d expected that and bore it in silence. When the pain ceased, signaling that the process was complete, she pulled the stinger out and dropped it carelessly to the floor. Without a backward glance at the empty husks of her mother and sisters, she left the Court and made her way out of the Palace Hive to perform the ritual victory song of the new Supreme Queen. The moment she stepped outside she reared up on her hind legs and threw back her head, preparing to sing her triumph to the skies. Her voice froze in her throat as she spotted an enormous dark mass falling from the heavens. She never had time to wonder what it was.

  ***

  A soft gasp rose in the Pinnacle when the asteroid reached its target. A gigantic orange-red plume shot so high that it broke out of Xantara’s atmosphere into space. At the same time, a white-hot area surrounding the point of impact began to spread in an ever-larger circle of destruction in which even mighty mountain ranges softened and liquefied, transforming the cold, dark red earth of Xantara into a mass of white, yellow and red seething lava. Within minutes their view of Xantara was completely molten. It wouldn’t be long before the entire planet was engulfed.

  “So ends the Xanti,” Garen said.

  “And none shall mourn your passing,” Lariah added, quoting from the Oraculum of the Arkandu.

  Doc’s eyes burned, though he wasn’t sure exactly why. Joy? Relief? He sighed as something deep inside of him relaxed for the first time in centuries. The Xanti were finished. Never again would they do to others what they’d done to him, his family, and his people. His loved ones had been avenged at long last, and he could now, finally, let them rest in peace, as they deserved. From this moment on, he could look to the future with a clear mind and a whole heart. He turned to Darlene and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Can we go home to our children now?” Lariah asked Garen.

  “Yes, Sharali,” he promised, pulling her into his arms. “Very soon.”

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Doc and Darlene stood side by side, studying the medi-display over Cade Tigren. Doc had to keep reminding himself not to grin whenever he thought about the destruction of the Xanti while he examined the Tigren,
but it wasn’t easy. The Dracons had explained all that had happened with the Garakai, with occasional comments from the Tigren thrown in. He’d wondered, for a moment, if any of his own people had been imprisoned within those hibernation tanks. He suspected there had been, though he’d never know for sure.

  “I’m amazed by how healthy the three of you are,” he said after switching the display off. “Seven thousand years is a long damn time. I’m not even sure how the hibernation tanks themselves lasted that long.”

  “The Garakai are an extremely advanced race,” Garen said. “They’re all healthy?”

  “They need rest, hydration, and nutrition, but otherwise yes, they’re fine,” Doc said. “How are your magical abilities?” he asked Cade.

  “Coming back,” Cade replied, hopping off the table to stand with his brothers.

  “Don’t push yourselves too hard too soon,” Doc said. “Keep in mind that your bodies have to get used to being used again. If you experience any dizziness, nausea, weakness, unexplained pain or anything else unusual, let me know right away.”

  “We will,” Kyerion said. “If we’re finished here, we would very much like to see Glory.”

  “Of course,” Doc agreed after a questioning glance to Garen, who gave him a brief nod in return. Doc led the way through the exam room, up a hall, and into a room that held a row of healing tanks. Unlike the hibernation tanks that the Tigren had been in, these tanks were horizontal, and rectangular. They were also connected to medi-displays providing detailed readouts on every aspect of the patients’ condition. Doc led them to the one holding Glory.

  The Tigren looked into the tank, shocked to see Glory’s familiar face lying beneath the glass. “Why is she in a tank?” Kyerion growled.

  “This is a healing tank,” Garen explained. “It’s what’s keeping her alive.”

  “Remove her from it and we shall heal her ourselves,” Kyerion said, sickened by the sight of Glory in a tank. It reminded him too much of the ones they’d been trapped in, though he was glad to see that, unlike them, she wasn’t naked. Instead, she wore a snug white garment that left only her face bare.

  “That’s not a good idea,” Doc said.

  “Why not?” Kyerion demanded, his fists clenched tightly with the effort required to stand there and do nothing but stare at Glory’s motionless body. What he really wanted to do, and would do if he didn’t like Doc’s answer, was reach down, smash the glass top of the tank, and yank her out of it. She’d freed them. He could do no less for her.

  “Glory has an unusual genetic profile,” Doc explained. “She’s partly human, but she carries a strong strain of Jasani, too. We’ve never encountered this before. Jasani genes always overwhelm human genes completely. Well, almost always. Glory is the sole exception. The bad news is that she has enough Jasani in her to prevent the tank from healing her. The good news is, she has enough human in her for it to keep her alive.”

  “She told us she was human, but mentioned nothing about being part Klanaren…Jasani,” Kirk said.

  “I don’t think she’s aware of it,” Garen said. “In fact, I’m certain that she isn’t.”

  “That’s a discussion for another time, Kirk,” Kyerion said, casting his brother a stern look before turning back to Doc. “We are Druids. Healers. Remove her from the tank and we will heal her ourselves.”

  “Removing her from the tank is a process that takes over an hour at minimum,” Doc said. “She was very close to death when I put her into the tank. She won’t live more than a few minutes once I deactivate it. You’ll never have a chance to heal her.”

  “Doc has more experience with our physiology than anyone alive, Kyerion,” Garen said. “I promise you, he is to be trusted.”

  “What if we try to heal her through the tank?” Kirk asked.

  “You can do that?” Doc asked.

  “Perhaps.” Kyerion frowned. “We’ve never attempted to heal a human since we’ve never seen one before today. Do you have a human with an injury we can attempt to heal? If that works, then we can try to heal her through the tank.”

  “The problem isn’t whether or not you can heal a human, but whether or not you can heal someone who has genetic markers for both Jasani and human,” Doc said. “From what Trey tells me, Jareth was unable to heal Glory because of her unusual genetic profile, and I’ve never seen him fail to heal anyone before.”

  “Who is Jareth?” Kyerion asked, the idea of an unknown male laying hands upon Glory making his hackles rise.

  “Why did she need healing?” Kirk demanded.

  “Jareth is an Alverian Empath Healer,” Garen said. He cocked a brow at Kyerion before adding, “They heal without touching, so you can stop imagining the worst.” Kyerion lowered his chin in a brief nod, thanking his prince for the information, but in no way apologizing for his behavior. He was not ashamed or embarrassed at their possessive and protective feelings toward Glory. It was their nature.

  “She weakened herself to a dangerous degree the first time she Dream Walked with the three of you,” Trey said, answering Kirk’s question. “She indicated that it was necessary to feed some of her energy to Cade.”

  Cade’s face paled. “I am sorry, my brothers,” he began, but Kyerion held up one hand.

  “Glory did what was necessary, Cade. She saved your life, and ours, by sharing her energy with all of us. We can only be grateful to her. We will thank her most profusely for all of our lives once she is healed.”

  Cade nodded, and Kirk clapped him on the shoulder. Kyerion turned to Doc. “What is the injury that threatens her?”

  “She suffered a severe brain hemorrhage,” Doc said. “We have two options at this time. The first option is surgery. Now, I can do some minor surgery, and the infirmary medi-bot is capable of performing a number of routine procedures as well. But I’m not skilled enough to tackle an injury such as hers, nor would I risk her life and mind to a machine. If we go that route, we’ll have to find a skilled surgeon after we return home.”

  “What is a surgeon?” Kyerion asked.

  “It’s a person trained in the art of manual healing,” Garen said. “Her skull would be opened so that the injury could be repaired.”

  The Tigren looked as though they were going to be ill. They also looked furious. “No,” Kyerion declared. “Such a thing will not be done to her. We shall heal her ourselves if it takes a millennium, but no one shall cut into her head.”

  “I understand your feelings,” Garen said. “We owe Glory an enormous debt of gratitude for all she’s done. We will not allow her to come to harm, or to die.”

  “Agreed,” Kyerion said with a sharp nod. “What is the second option, Doc?”

  “She is regenerating,” Doc said, surprising all of them. “She appears to have just enough Jasani in her for a minor ability to self-heal. But, I warn you, it is a very weak ability, and is occurring at an extremely slow rate. I wouldn’t have even noticed it yet were she not being monitored so closely by the healing tank. At this rate, it could take years for her to fully heal her current injury, and she’d have to remain in the healing tank for all of that time.”

  “If we have to wait years, then that’s what we’ll do,” Kyerion said. “In the meantime, we shall attempt to heal her through the walls of the tank.”

  “Is your magic strong enough for that now?” Garen asked.

  “Maybe. If we fail, we will wait a few days and try again. We will continue trying until she is healed no matter how long it takes.”

  “Is Glory your Arima?” Trey asked, finally voicing the question they all wanted an answer to.

  “That’s an odd question, Prince Trey,” Kyerion said.

  “Why is it odd?” Garen asked.

  “Because she’s not Klanaren, or at least, has very little Klanaren in her,” Kyerion said. “We assumed she was our Arima for a long time. After she told us that she was human, we continued to believe that, somehow, she was still meant for us. We still believe that, but we’ve accepted that she can�
�t be our Arima. I don’t see how having a tiny strain of Klanaren could be enough to change that.”

  Garen sighed and shook his head. “There’s so much you don’t know. Before we go any further you must be informed of certain facts.”

  Kyerion studied the Dracons’ faces for a long moment. “Very well, Highness,” he said slowly. “I would ask one question though, if I may.”

  “Of course,” Garen agreed.

  “Is there a possibility, however slim, that Glory could truly be our Arima? That she could become fully Klanaren and Tigren?”

  “I’ve no wish to give you false hopes,” Garen said carefully, “but I believe that yes, there is a possibility.”

  “Thank you,” Kyerion said as fierce joy lit his golden eyes.

  “We’ll go to our private dining room to talk,” Garen said. “If you’re hungry, we can order some food as well.” He turned to Doc and Darlene. “If you’ll wait here for a few moments, Trey and Val will return to take you back to the Vyand.”

  Darlene waited for the Tigrens and Dracons to vanish, then turned to Doc. “Do you think they’ll be able to convert Glory if she’s their Arima?”

  “Good question,” Doc said. “Their genetic profile is different from the other clans, but how much of that is due to the fact that they’re Tigren, and how much is due to the fact that they’re a seven thousand year old version of the Jasani of today, I have no idea. Since each clan has different DNA and we’ve no Tigren to compare them to, I’d say it’s a toss-up.”

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  The Tigren sat around the table with the Dracons in their private dining room, trying to process everything they’d just been told. It was difficult to accept that the physiology of their people had actually changed. They understood how long they’d been in stasis, but at the same time, it felt like but a few days had passed since they’d last stood on Ugaztun. Lesser minds would have broken under the strain of all they were attempting to assimilate in such a short time.