Telepath

by Jolea M. Harrison

  Dynan stood next to him, staring down at Ralion, his friend and protector, and his eyes filled with tears. Dain felt his whole body start to shake, denial that this could be happening forming in his mind, contrary to the reality of his friend lying there, still cut open and dying before him. Already dead.

  The thought blasted through him, and he refused to accept it, blinking at Geneal’s instructions again, unsure what they meant, but unwilling to give up.

  “Move,” he said more harshly than he intended, and Dynan jumped as Dain climbed up on the bed, straddling Ralion’s body. He ran his fingers along his ribs to the center of his chest, then up a space. He put one hand on top of the other, so that his palm lay flat against skin.

  He pulled in an unsteady breath, hesitant and unsure, almost cringing as he pushed down hard. On the third compression he heard a muffled crack, and felt Ralion’s ribs breaking.

  A choked sob shook him. He fought down a wave of bile that rose to his throat. Anger swept through him, at himself, at the events that caused this, the entire catastrophe their lives had become, and even at Ralion. He struck him, fist pounding into the guard’s chest, then again, and again, until grief and his brother finally stopped him.

  Dynan grabbed him. “No, Dain, let him—”

  They both froze as the monitor chirped, and the dreaded tone stopped. Dain grabbed up the monitor, laughing, aware that the sound was more a sob of relief. He saw immediately that Ralion wasn’t out of danger yet. His blood pressure dropped, taxing his heart, threatening to stop it again.

  He jumped down, grabbed Dynan by the arm, and quickly attached the transfusion module to his arm. He started giving Ralion one injection after the other, trying to keep his heart beating. He read Geneal’s instructions again, under the heading of heart failure and shock, and saw what might have happened. He turned back to the transfusion controls, slowing the flow of blood into Ralion’s body, amazed that something so simple could cause near catastrophe.

  Slowly the guard’s condition stabilized, until finally the biomonitor told him the danger had passed. Dain leaned on the bed, eyes closing. His whole body shook. Weariness swept through him, and he still had to close the incision. “Don’t ever let me do anything like this again, okay? Don’t let me.”

  Dynan smiled at him, patting his shoulder, then moved to Sheed with another biomonitor, getting a little tangled up by the transfusion tubes. Dain started to close the wound, trying to steady his shaking hands while he sealed tissue back together, and finally skin.

  “Not bad for your first surgical procedure,” Dynan said, smiling as Dain finished, moving to repair the broken ribs. At last, the monitor told them Ralion would survive. “Not bad at all.”

  Dain shook his head, fairly sure he was going to be sick any moment. “Can you keep an eye on him? I’m going to get cleaned up.”

  “Sure, but can I take this off now? I’m starting to get a little dizzy.”

  Dain checked the monitor, and nodded. “How’s Sheed?”

  “He’ll be fine. He’ll need to stay off his feet for a day.”

  Dain nodded, left the hold, and managed, just barely to make it to his room.

  Later, much later, after they’d moved Ralion into the crew bunkroom, Dain sat beside him, watching his friend peacefully sleeping it off, and managed a weak smile at the thought. His body ached. His mind refused to hold a single thought for long, replaying in snippets the events of the day; men dying around him, the XR-30 jarred from laser blasts, the feel of Ralion’s ribs breaking beneath his hand sent a shiver through him.

  Dynan came in, watching him a moment. “You all right?”

  Dain nodded after a while, staring at Ralion’s still face, shivering again. He looked up at his brother. “And I thought I knew what fear really was. Next time we go home, back to the Base, Geneal’s coming out with us, or maybe one of Drake’s Medics, but I’m not...I don’t think I could ever do something like that again.”

  “All right.”

  “And until then none of you are allowed to get hurt.”

  Dynan laughed. “We’ll do our best, I promise. How’s he doing?”

  “Sleeping. Like it never even happened.”

  “Guess that means you did a good job.” Dynan smiled when Dain looked at him, then kissed him on top of his head. “Why don’t you go get some rest? It’s getting late. I’ll sit in here a while, if you think I need to.”

  “No, he’ll be all right. The monitor is relayed out to the hold. I have to go crawl up into the engines. I’m surprised we haven’t dropped out of sublight as it is.”

  “Let me do it, Dain. You’re tired, and the last thing—”

  “You? You don’t know anything about repairing this ship.”

  “Sheed then. He’s up. He can do it.”

  “Right. Like I’m going to let him stagger around up there, and kill himself on the phase relays. I’m all right. Most of it is minor stuff anyway, right now at least.”

  Dynan relented, and left him to get something to eat. Dain couldn’t think of food just yet, so he sat for a moment longer, watching Ralion breathe. To his surprise he stirred, muttering as he woke, eyes fluttering briefly until he realized where he was.

  “Hey,” Dain whispered, leaning close. “You’re going to be all right.”

  “It doesn’t feel that way,” Ralion mumbled. “Can I get a drink?”

  “No, not yet, sorry. I can give you something for pain. Hold on.” He retrieved the dermal injector, and administered the medication. “You’ll be up and around in no time, so just take it easy while you can.”

  Ralion whispered something unintelligible, then paused. “Remind me to never doubt your instincts again, all right?”

  Dain smiled. “You can count on it.”

  “Thanks. Knew I could. Everyone else all right?”

  “Yes. All’s quiet. I’m about to go fix the engines.” Ralion grunted. Dain saw the medication was starting to work, dragging at his eyes. “Say Ralion? Thanks for not dying on me. I don’t think I could have handled that.”

  Ralion managed a weak smile, and held up his hand. Dain took it, smiling in return as the guard’s eyes closed, and he drifted back to sleep.

  ~*~

  Chapter 10

  Carryn watched while the King paced his office, even as he spoke with one of his aides over the comterm. Finally, he paused to conclude the discussion – Carryn wasn’t really listening to what it was about – and then pressed the companel controls again. “Frendic, please see that I’m not disturbed,” he said to his secretary.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. Your next appointment is—”

  “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to reschedule my appointments for today. I’ll get back with you in a moment.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Drake smiled at the dismay he heard in his secretary’s voice. “Give my apologies where needed.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  He turned to Carryn. “You were right.”

  Carryn nodded, and understood why she’d been summoned to the King’s office. The worry in his eyes was evident. “It wasn’t unexpected, and they did get away.”

  “I didn’t expect it,” Drake said. “I thought the precautions we put into place were sufficient enough to keep them from being found.”

  “But the alternative—”

  “They could die,” Drake said, and paced the office again.

  “Yes,” she said. “I’m not sure what the alternatives are, Your Majesty.”

  Drake stopped walking back and forth. “I recognize that having them here is an impossibility. If Maralt found them out there then it’s certain he’d find them here.”

  “They would be easy targets here, yes,” Carryn said. “I wish as much as you that we could bring them here, but they are right in this, as little as you or I want to admit it. Even if you kept your fleet on first alert status, and you would have to, it wouldn’t guarantee their safety here.”

  Drake nodded to that too, calming som
ewhat as the reality of the situation reasserted itself.

  “I have considered bringing Dynan back, if only for a little while,” Carryn said.

  Drake looked at her. “Do you think he’d let Dain be the one to lure Maralt away from us?” He shook his head.

  “Probably not.”

  “I don’t think he would, even if it is a sound idea. Dain, I’m sure would even agree with you, if for no other reason than to give himself that much more freedom.”

  “I don’t know what the answer is. There isn’t much we can do that we haven’t already put into place.”

  “Except make sure you have the tools to maintain as high a degree of safety as possible. I’ve commissioned a ship for you,” Drake said. “An X-class Cruiser. Holds a crew of a hundred. It’ll be ready in four months.”

  Carryn gaped at him, then smiled. That size ship was a formidable force. “Just what do you suggest I do with a Cruiser, Your Majesty?”

  “I thought it might come in handy, should you feel an overwhelming need to go check on them. You’ll soon have the means to do so quickly, with little in the way of resistance.”

  “I’m sure King Lorton will appreciate that ship stopping through his System, or any of the other System leaders.”

  “I’ll make sure they understand your peaceful intentions.”

  Carryn nodded, laughing as she thanked him. She wanted nothing more than to bring Dynan and Dain back to the Base, but understood they wouldn’t be any safer there. Part of that fear was due to her inability to personally oversee their safety. The last time that had happened they’d been forced from their home, barely managing to escape with their lives.

  She feared Maralt, and his power. The thought of Dynan and Dain facing him alone, with very little in the way of self-protection terrified her. She wanted to believe they were capable of stopping her brother, but knew how malicious in his intent Maralt had become.

  With the King reassured, she left Drake a short time later, thanking him again for the promised ship, and then returned to the Base. The size of the organization had grown considerably over the last few months, but the numbers coming in had dwindled substantially. Carryn thought Kamien had finally managed to slow the exodus, perhaps guessing where those troops disappeared to; if not exactly, then surely he knew they came to Trea.

  “How’d it go?” Frazier asked her when she came into the office they shared beside the Command Center’s conference room. “Did he explain what he wanted?”

  Carryn nodded. “He’s afraid he’s making the wrong decision and Dynan and Dain will die because of it.”

  “Just like the rest of us.”

  “He understands we can’t bring them back here. He gave us an X-class Cruiser.” She smiled at Frazier’s astonished expression. “A guilt offering I’m sure.”

  “That’s more than a guilt offering,” Frazier laughed. “Trevan will be ecstatic. Look Carryn, why don’t you and I go to Murunde in a month or so? We’ll take Geneal with us. She can give them a once over, make sure they’re eating right, and that sort of thing. We’ll see for ourselves what sort of security precautions they’re taking. For that matter, you can stay with them for a time if you want, if for no other reason than your peace of mind. Boral and I can manage here on our own while you’re gone.”

  “Feeling the confinement too?”

  Frazier smiled easily. “We all are. If you want my opinion, it wouldn’t hurt any of us to get a change of scenery. Call it field training if you want. I imagine Ralion and Sheed could use a break too. From what we’ve heard, it sounds like they’ve been through it.”

  “It does sound appealing. Except for the danger they face, it’d almost seem a holiday.”

  “As I said, we should go for your peace of mind, and Drake’s too. You think about it. I’ll get a contingency plan worked up, just in case.”

  “All right. Don’t tell anyone else. They’ll all be clamoring at my door to come with us.”

  “Not a word,” Frazier said, then left her to ponder the thought. She’d already decided, had decided on her way back from seeing Drake, and didn’t find it surprising that her Lieutenant Commander shared her thoughts.

  ~*~

  Chapter 11

  Murunde provided an almost identical location in a small town named Falurn. This time Ralion forewent turning the place into a small farm. Adjusting to a cool spring came easily, and they enjoyed the bright days, but a sense of unease permeated the atmosphere; memory of their real purpose intruding too often to be forgotten.

  Ralion recovered from his injuries, and soon felt well enough to resume his duties, going into Falurn, leaving Sheed to return to managing the house. They settled back into their normal routine, if not more warily this time.

  One night a month and a half after they’d arrived, just after Sheed and Dain finished turning down all the lights for the night and switching on the house security system, the perimeter alarms sounded, jarring the quiet of the evening, and stirring the entire house into immediate motion. Dynan and Ralion rushed down the stairs in the dark before Sheed could check the system to see what had caused the alarm.

  “There are three of them, crossing over at the lane,” he said, face darkening as he turned to the others.

  “Dynan, you and Ralion stay here,” Dain said, quickly pulling on a black, hooded cloak, while tossing another to Sheed. “We’re going to go see who it is. If I say move, you head for the ship.” Before anyone could argue with him, he was out the door, sword in hand, and Sheed had to hurry to catch him.

  The night was nearly completely black; the early moon already set, leaving only dim starlight above. Dain moved to the lane trying to see ahead. The fields on either side lay in shadow. He stepped off to one side, careful to be silent in his movements. Sheed followed him, equally cautious, and together they crept toward the coming company, crouched down and wary.

  Before too long they heard the crunch of boots on old winter leaves. Dain frowned, realizing this particular group was making little effort to disguise their approach. He met Sheed’s quizzical frown with one of his own.

  “Whose idea was it to walk anyway?” a voice, distinctly feminine sounded through the still night.

  Dain’s eyes widened, and Sheed began to rise, but Dain pulled him back down, shaking his head. He saw someone turn at the slight movement, but Dain felt fairly certain all that could be seen were darker shapes within shadow. They remained still until the group had passed.

  “Maybe we should start including you in Boral’s training exercises,” Frazier’s voice reached them.

  “I’m a doctor,” Geneal said. “Not a field grunt,”

  Sheed turned to Dain, his face questioning silently. Dain only grinned at him, waiting a moment longer before creeping silently to the road. Sheed followed him, apparently understanding his intentions because he moved just as carefully.

  “Next time, we take a carriage,” Geneal said as Dain approached from behind.

  “I doubt we could have gotten one at this time of night,” Frazier said. “The house is dark. Do you suppose they’re all asleep?”

  “Quiet,” Carryn said, and started to turn.

  Dain grabbed Geneal, frightening her badly, and making the others jump as well. Carryn’s sword flashed out even as she turned. Dain’s reflexively rose to meet it, blade clashing against blade.

  “Hello, Carryn.” He smiled, and turned Geneal to face him.

  “Dain Telaerin, you scared me to death. What are you doing out here sneaking around like—”

  Dain effectively stopped her protests with a kiss. After a moment of resistance, she accepted his enthusiastic greetings with several of her own. Frazier chuckled, while Carryn turned from the display to Sheed. “I take it you were alerted to our presence?”

  “Yes, we were. What are you doing here?”

  “A story better saved for indoors, if you don’t mind. We’re tired, we’ve just walked here from town, and we would like to get inside.”

  “Dain?”
Dynan asked silently.

  “It’s all right. We’ve got company,” Dain answered, pulling away from Geneal reluctantly.

  “Company? Who?”

  “You’ll see.”

  ***

  Dynan did see, and after his initial surprise and pleasure at seeing them all, they settled down in front of the fire to talk. Sheed served them mulled wine to drive out the chill, and Geneal was soon in a frame of mind to forgive Carryn the long jaunt.

  They exchanged stories, and Carryn explained her desire to get off the Base, and check on them at the same time, but Dynan suspected some other reason. Geneal soon tired, and Dain leapt at the opportunity to show her upstairs. They disappeared together, and didn’t reemerge until late the next morning. The others waited an appropriate amount of time before they too departed for bed, leaving Carryn and Dynan to themselves.

  “Still can’t block him out?” she asked.

  “No,” Dynan said easily, smiling. “It’s good to see you, Carryn. We could have used your help a few months ago on Crinalda.”

  “Tell me what happened. Your message was necessarily brief. I’d like to hear all the details now.”

  “Dain knew Maralt was coming before we were actually attacked,” Dynan began, then went on to give her all the details she could ever want.

  “I’ll have Geneal give Ralion a physical tomorrow. Frazier and I, in fact, have discussed the option of sending him or Sheed back to the Base for a rest.”

  “You’ll have to ask him, and if he says no, he can stay. I think he feels like he failed us somehow, in getting himself injured. It could just as easily have been Sheed, or even Dain.”

  “Then maybe Frazier and I should join you for a time. We plan to for at least a month, but perhaps I should reconsider that timeframe. I didn’t expect Maralt to send those numbers against you, only because that requires trust on his part, and he’s never been a very trusting person. Leaving just the four of you out here seems too risky.”