The Falcoran’s Faith

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Yes, Highness, of course,” he said. “Five minutes is fine. We’ll meet you there.” Tristan disconnected and grimaced at Graysan. “They’ve changed their minds. The Dracons and Bearens are speed traveling to the Eyrie’s Observation Deck. They’ll probably get there before we do.”

  Jonathan turned from the viewport and met Tristan’s gaze. “Our Princes are not fools,” he said. “Nor are the Bearen Consuls.”

  “No, they are not,” Tristan agreed.

  Jonathan’s expression didn’t change, but Tristan felt his brother’s relief. He turned to Graysan, who arched a brow at him. Tristan realized that both of his brothers were thinking of the consul meeting a few weeks earlier, when he’d announced that he did not believe Arima Summer’s theory concerning the Narrasti and the destruction of their home world. He had not been rude, exactly, but there had been no real need to speak as he had. The Katres hadn’t taken issue with him over it, but Gray and Jon had, in their quiet way, made their disapproval clear.

  “Don’t worry, brothers,” he said, as he stood up and headed for the door, “I will mind my tongue, and my manners.”

  “Of course you will,” Gray said as he slipped his hand terminal into a pocket and stood up. He tapped his vox as he fell into step behind and to the right of Tristan, Jonathan to the left, and informed the galley that refreshments were needed in the Observation Deck as soon as possible. “Are they bringing the female with them?” he asked Tristan after ending his call.

  “I don’t know,” Tristan replied. “I just hope that this meeting doesn’t take too long. We’ve only got a week left before leaving for Onddo, and there is still a lot to do.”

  Gray considered arguing that point with Tristan, but held his tongue. Tristan knew as well as he did that aside from a few minor matters that the crew of the Eyrie could easily handle on their own, there was little left to do. Saying so would only serve to set off his elder brother’s temper. Tristan was no longer patient and easy going, just as Jonathan was no longer the light-hearted man he’d once been. He wondered if the changes in himself were as drastic as those in his brothers, and conceded that they probably were.

  The brothers stepped into the elevator and rode it silently up to Deck One, where the combination meeting room and Observation Deck was located. The Eyrie was the newest, and largest battleship in Clan Falcoran’s fleet, and they were justifiably proud of it. It was sleek, beautiful, and deadly.

  They exited the elevator and walked silently along the curving corridor that took them nearly the full length of the ship. When they reached the door to the Observation Deck, Tristan paused for a moment to compose himself.

  As Falcoran Clan Consuls, and Grand Admirals of the Jasani Navy, the Falcorans’ official rank was equal to the Bearens’. However, as the youngest of all Clan Consuls, their social rank was lower. Tristan was wise enough to understand that his impatience was a sign of his youth and inexperience, and that it was best kept hidden as much as possible.

  When he was ready, Tristan reached out and opened the doors, took three steps inside so that his brothers were able to clear the door behind them, and bowed to the Royal Princes of Jasan, Garen, Treyen and Valen Dracon. He straightened up, hiding his dismay when he saw that there were women in the group. He opened his mouth to welcome them, then froze as the enticing aroma of sun warmed orange blossoms reached him.

  “Where is that coming from?” he wondered in the fraction of a second before his mating fangs burst through his gums, and his body hardened to stone. With a distant part of his mind he felt his brothers react as he had, while his eyes searched for the one who had caused the reaction.

  Standing near the floor to ceiling viewing panel that made up the entire outside wall of the Observation Deck, stood three women. Princess Lariah was easy to recognize with her long red-gold hair and delicate build, and he bowed to her as soon as he saw her. Arima Hope, with the thick blonde braid down her back, the three differently colored braids over her ear, and the Sentinel mark on her forehead, was also quickly identified and received a deep nod. That left the third woman. She was about an inch taller than Princess Lariah and equally petite, with large hazel eyes and dark brown hair pulled back into a pony tail.

  Tristan forced his gaze away from her before he had a chance to take in more than that first, quick impression, and focused steadily on High Prince Dracon. “Greetings, High Prince,” he said, pleased that he sounded calm. “We welcome all of you to the Eyrie.”

  “Thank you, Admiral Tristan,” Garen replied. Something in the Prince’s voice warned Tristan that his attempt to hide what had just happened had failed. He glanced at the Bearens and saw that they had not been fooled either. Tristan consoled himself with the knowledge that the women would certainly have missed it.

  “Gamoto,” Hope swore softly, her turquoise eyes boring into Tristan.

  “Hope,” Jackson Bearen said in a warning tone. Hope glanced at him, then back to Tristan. “Admiral Tristan Falcoran,” she said, “I would have you know that this woman, Faith Meyers, is under my protection.”

  Tristan stared at Hope in surprise, uncertain how to react to her statement. The threat in her voice had been clear, and he half expected her Rami to chastise her. When he looked to see Jackson’s response however, he was further surprised by the expression of pride on his face.

  “We understand, Arima Hope,” Jonathan said, shocking everyone with the first public words he’d spoken in two years. “We appreciate your concern for Miss Meyers, and I assure you that we will not forget it.”

  Hope nodded, reached out to touch Faith lightly on the shoulder, and gestured toward the table. Tristan was still struggling to compose himself while everyone took seats, and had to hurry to take his own chair at the far end of the table.

  “We apologize for interrupting you on such short notice,” Garen began once everyone was settled.

  Tristan nodded his acceptance of the apology, knowing that if he pretended not to mind his Prince would hear the lie. “How may we be of service, Highness?”

  “As I informed you earlier, Miss Meyers has an extremely rare talent,” Garen said. “She sees meta-space.”

  Tristan glanced at the small woman sitting between Arima Hope and Princess Lariah, her eyes fixed on the table in front of her, then back to his Prince. “How do we know this?”

  He felt the tension in the room jump from minimal to extreme in a heartbeat, and knew he’d let his feelings show too clearly. “I do not mean to be insulting,” he said. “I meant only that I’m curious as to how this information came to light.”

  “Jackson?” Garen asked.

  Jackson nodded, then told the Falcorans what had happened two days earlier at the Skyport. That Landor Bearen-Hiru, two Skyport guards, and the pilot of the security cruiser had all seen the strange ship before it disappeared added weight to the story that even Tristan could not deny.

  “This is the reason for the increased patrols around the Skyport,” Gray said.

  “Yes,” Jackson Bearen confirmed.

  Garen studied the Falcorans for a long moment. “Tell me why you doubt Miss Meyer’s ability out of hand,” he said. Though softly spoken, it was not a request. It was a command.

  “Two reasons, Highness,” Tristan said. “We know that there are jump points on the Xanti maps discovered by Dr. Davis that we were previously unaware of, but they are all very far from our system. Therefore, it cannot be one of those. Second, I’m doubtful that we missed a jump point in our own space, let alone one that is right next to our own Skyport.”

  “Your logic is sound,” Garen agreed. “As far as it goes.”

  Tristan waited for him to say more, but he fell silent and waited, his golden eyes unblinking. Tristan thought quickly. The Dracons and Bearens certainly knew that a jump point could be detected by sensors at ranges up to 0.3 AU. They also knew that the Skyport would not have been built anywhere near a jump point so detected. Nor were any of them fools, as Jon had pointed out earlier. Therefore, there was
only one explanation.

  “I see,” he said finally, irritated with himself for not understanding sooner. “This new jump point has a different sensor profile.”

  “Obviously,” Garen said

  Tristan realized that Prince Garen wasn’t altogether pleased with him, and he knew why. He even understood it on an abstract level. But, not even for his prince would he agree to claim a female. He didn’t even want to think about such an event. Instead, he focused on what the discovery of new jump points could mean for Jasan.

  As Grand Admirals of the Jasani Space Navy, the Falcorans were fully aware that known jump points would take them to Onddo in seven to eight months. If they were able to use those on the Xanti star maps that Dr. Michael Davis had extracted from the Xanti bio-suits, they could make the same journey in roughly half the time. Unfortunately, the scouts they’d sent out to a sampling of those jump points had all reported a heavy Xanti contingent guarding them. Since certain secret plans required the future use of those jump points, Jasan couldn’t risk letting the Xanti know they were aware of them. Yet. With that option closed to them, time was a serious issue. The longer it took them to settle the Onddo matter and return, the longer it would be before the Jasani could, finally, take direct steps against the Xanti.

  In recent months the Xanti had progressed from kidnapping their women to poisoning their unborn infants. All of the Arimas with children now had to live on the Dracons’ ranch to keep them safe, and there had been security breaches even there. The Xanti had to be stopped, and the sooner, the better.

  If there was even the remotest possibility that this woman could identify otherwise unknown jump points, they had to let her try. Tristan put his personal feelings away and remembered his duty.

  “We are, of course, at your service, Highness,” Tristan said. “What would you like us to do?”

  “You are to escort Miss Meyers through Jasani space so that she can search for new jump points,” Garen replied. “We considered you to be the obvious choices for this mission. You are the best pilots and strategic space commanders we have, you are Falcoran Clan Consuls, Grand Admirals of our Navy, and you have the highest possible security clearance.”

  “Security clearance?” Tristan asked. The frowns he received from the Dracons, the Bearens, and even his brothers, surprised him.

  “Faith Meyers’ identity is classified information, Admiral Tristan,” Garen said, his tone colder than Tristan had ever heard it. “The same goes for her gender, her appearance, her origin, her talents, and anything else about her. In all documents and communications, she is to be referred to by code name only. Unblind.”

  “Unblind,” Tristan repeated, nodding. “I understand, High Prince. I apologize to all of you if I seem to be taking this less seriously than I should be. I assure you, that is not the case.”

  Prince Garen studied Tristan for a long moment, letting him know exactly how close he’d come to being formally reprimanded. Perhaps even stripped of rank. Tristan’s face paled as he realized how insulting his attitude had been, not just to Faith Meyers, but to the Royal Princes as well. When Prince Garen nodded in acceptance of his apology, Tristan very nearly sighed out loud in relief.

  ***

  Faith sat between Hope and Lariah, her hands clenched into fists in her lap. If she hadn’t promised the Dracons and the Bearens that she would put her talents to work for them, she would have already left the room. She hadn’t allowed herself to look directly at the Falcorans, but she was viscerally aware of them, and their feelings. The one called Tristan didn’t want her there. In fact, he was furiously opposed to her presence. The other two were less angry, but they weren’t thrilled by her presence, either. She didn’t understand how she knew what they were feeling, but she was certain that it wasn’t her imagination.

  So much had happened in the past couple of days that she was feeling a little dizzy. Not only had the Bearens and the Dracons believed her when she told them there was a jump point outside the Skyport, they’d formally taken her under their protection, then worked with her to pinpoint it’s location. It hadn’t been easy for them either since she had zero knowledge of space, distances, or their instruments. But they’d been endlessly patient with her and, eventually, they’d successfully aimed sensors at it. Hopefully, they’d be able to tell when another ship came through it.

  Then they’d waited for these Falcorans to arrive from the far side of the planet with their new ship. The plan was for the Falcorans to take her around Jasani space to look for jump points, Xanti ships, and to explore her talent in general. She’d not only agreed to it, she’d been excited about it. That these people didn’t doubt her ability, and that they thought of it as important, was a unique experience for her. It gave her something positive to focus on for a change, and she liked that.

  But that was before she’d met the Falcorans. Now that she had met them, she wasn’t so sure that she wanted to be in the same room with them, let alone stuck on a ship with them for several days. They didn’t like her and, so far, the feeling was mutual.

  Before this meeting drew to a close she had to make up her mind, once and for all. Should she continue to go along with this plan? Or should she refuse? She looked up at the sound of the door opening and saw several young men, boys really, enter with trays of refreshments.

  “Admiral Tristan, since we seem to be taking a small break, I wonder if you and your brothers would mind showing us your bridge?” Jackson said. “We’ve heard much of Eyrie’s new design and would enjoy seeing it.”

  “Certainly, Consul Jackson,” Tristan replied, understanding that Jackson wished to speak with them alone. “If you will excuse us, Highness, we will not be long,” he said, before leading the way out of the Observation Deck, both of his brothers and all three Bearens behind him. They went just far enough down the corridor to prevent their conversation from being overheard, then stopped and faced each other in a tight circle.

  “Our Arima was kidnapped on Earth, by the Brethren,” Jackson said without preamble. Tristan, Gray and Jon all nodded. They had read the reports, as had all Clan Jasani. “Three other women were kidnapped at the same time,” Jackson continued. “One of those was a woman named Grace.” Jackson paused a moment, and bowed his head. “Grace was a close friend of Hope’s, fatally wounded by the Brethren just before they escaped to Onddo with the aid of the Xanti.”

  Tristan, Gray, and Jon all raised their fists to their hearts and bowed their heads in silent sympathy. Obviously the Bearens had known and cared for the woman Jackson spoke of, though Tristan couldn’t understand why they were hearing this story right now when there were other more important matters to discuss. After a moment Jackson continued.

  “Grace had a sister. An identical twin sister,” he said. “Faith Meyers is that sister. In honor and memory of Grace, we have placed Faith under our protection, and sworn to see to her care in all things.”

  Tristan felt instant sympathy for the woman and clenched his jaw against it.

  “Grace died in my arms,” Clark added in a low voice. “There are no words to explain what it is to have a woman die as you hold her, so I will not attempt it. I will say only that I, personally, will tolerate no harm, or insult, to Faith Meyers.”

  “We understand, of course,” Tristan said. “But I must ask why you feel it necessary to warn us so strongly against harming her? Have we given you the impression we would harm any female?”

  Jackson met Tristan’s gaze without blinking. “We know of your unfortunate experience. We also know that it has had a lasting effect on the three of you. It is clear that Faith is your Arima, and that you all feel a rather high level of resentment toward her because of it. As though she had a choice in the matter.”

  Jackson’s voice chilled considerably, and with good reason, Tristan thought. Blaming Faith Meyers for a choice made by fate was unconscionably unfair. Tristan understood that, and silently vowed to make an effort to moderate his behavior toward her. But he had no desire for an Arima, and ab
solutely no intention of accepting one, no matter who she might be.

  ***

  “What was all that about?” Faith asked Hope the moment the doors closed behind the Falcorans and the Bearens.

  Hope wasn’t sure how Faith was going to take this, but she wouldn’t lie to her. “It seems that the Falcorans are your Rami,” she said.

  Faith frowned as she rolled the vaguely familiar word around in her mind for a moment. “Oh no,” she said, suddenly understanding. “That was definitely not part of the deal.” She pushed her chair back and stood up as though to leave before remembering she didn’t know where she was. This speed traveling stuff was kinda cool, but it could also be annoying.

  “Relax, Faith,” Hope said. “You will not be forced into anything.”

  “Are you sure?” Faith asked. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be insulting, I just need to know what I’m getting myself into here.”

  “Miss Meyers,” Garen said. “As Hope said, you will not be forced into anything. In truth, you could not be safer anywhere in the Thousand Worlds than you will be with the Falcorans. By their very nature they can do no other than protect you, and care for you.”

  “Maybe that’s true for most Jasani, but I’m not so sure about them,” Faith said. “They don’t like me, and they don’t want me here.”

  “Perhaps they have had unfortunate experiences in their lives, just as you have had in yours,” Hope suggested mildly.

  “If you wish to change your mind about helping us, we’ll understand,” Lariah said gently. “This must be your choice, Faith.”

  Faith was so tempted by that offer that it took her a few moments to muster the courage to decline. This entire world was putting some of its plans on hold, and changing others, while they waited to see if she could find new jump points, or more Xanti hiding in their space. She’d spent a little time with Hope and her family, had met Lariah’s sons and daughters. The thought of invisible Xanti murdering those children, and others like them, while an unsuspecting and unprepared Jasan stood helpless against an enemy they couldn’t see, decided her.