The Falcoran’s Faith

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Now, here she was, lying in another unfamiliar room, on a bed, with all three of the Falcorans looking down at her. There was no pain. None at all. That seemed strange. She felt something tickling the side of her face and she turned her head to see Bubbles staring at her, her eyes wide in surprise. Then she began popping and purring, her little feet tapping excitedly against her cheek. She reached up with one hand, moving slowly, experimentally, but still there was no pain. She petted Bubbles, smiling at her.

  “What’s going on?” she asked while still watching Bubbles.

  “We deliberately went against your wishes, Faith,” Tristan said. “We could not bear to watch you die. I cannot say that I’m sorry for it.”

  “What did you do?”

  “We injected you with our serum,” Tristan said. “You are in the first stage of the transformation, the regeneration stage.”

  “Regeneration?” Faith asked, still petting Bubbles.

  “It speeds up your body’s ability to heal itself. Though the knife wound was serious, you would have survived it. The poison that coated the knife, however, was killing you. Had we not injected you, you would have died within a few minutes.”

  “Does this mean I am to be your Arima regardless of whether or not I want to be?”

  “No,” Tristan said. “Faith, there are several things we must explain to you, and not a lot of time.”

  “All right,” Faith said, looking up at the three of them while keeping one hand on Bubbles. “Go ahead.”

  “The first injection speeds up your body’s ability to regenerate, as I said,” Tristan continued. “It’s taking longer then usual because you were severely injured. Whether the rest of the process will also be effected in terms of time, we don’t know. We do know that this stage, where you are awake and feeling fine, generally lasts about an hour. Less for some, more for others. When the regeneration stage is complete, you will suddenly fall into a deep sleep. That marks the beginning of the next stage in which your DNA will be altered.”

  Tristan paused. So far he’d told her the easy parts. From here, it got more difficult.

  “Go on, I’m following you so far,” Faith said.

  “That stage will take one to two hours,” Tristan said. “Once your DNA is altered, it will no longer match your physical body. At that point, your body will immediately begin to shut down. That is when we must give you the second injection. The serum will keep you alive, while at the same time beginning the next stage.”

  “Which is?” Faith asked, wondering why Tristan was suddenly so nervous.

  “Your physical body will change to match the new DNA,” he replied.

  Faith frowned. What he said made sense, but his emotions didn’t. “Why are you so tense?” she asked. “What are you not telling me?”

  “I’m not leaving anything out,” Tristan said. “I am only hesitant to say what must be said.”

  Faith waited. “That stage is said to be excruciatingly painful,” he continued reluctantly. “So much so that it is believed that should the woman be conscious during it, it might well break her mind.”

  “So, what do you do then? Knock me out? Give me a drug or something?”

  “No, that wouldn’t work,” Tristan said. “You now have a Jasani’s regeneration ability. Drugs will be thrown off before they begin to take effect.”

  “What do you do then?” Faith asked, getting nervous now herself.

  “We have enough Water magic to send you into a deep sleep, far from the pain,” he said quickly, sensing her rising tension. “You will never be aware of it.”

  “My mind won’t be aware of it,” Faith guessed shrewdly. “But my body will be, and so will the three of you. Am I right?”

  “Yes,” Tristan said. “It is our responsibility, and our privilege, to care for you during that time.”

  “Okay,” Faith said, “let’s have the rest.”

  “Once that stage is complete, you will have the body of a Clan Falcoran,” Tristan said. “But there is one more stage. The linking stage.”

  “Linking?” Faith asked, wondering why he was making her drag this out of him. Was he that worried?

  Tristan felt her growing impatience and understood it. Going slowly wasn’t making it easier for any of them. “Male Jasani share a single soul,” he said. Faith nodded. She’d read that much. “We can only be complete, the three parts of our soul linked together as they are meant to be, after we perform the soul link triad with our Arima.”

  And what, exactly, is that?” Faith asked.

  “When you awaken after your body has finished changing, you will soon go into what is called a mating fever,” Tristan said. “The three of us must join with you, all at once, so that we are all connected to you and, through you, to each other. We will then inject you with our serum for the third and final time. Afterward, we will all be soul linked. Forever.”

  “And what if we don’t do that?” Faith asked.

  “The mating fever will kill the woman if the triad is not performed almost immediately,” Tristan said. “However,” he said quickly as Faith’s eyes widened in fear, “We may be able to get around that. We have enough Water magic that I think we can put you into another deep sleep and soothe your body until it passes.”

  “Suppose you do that, and it works,” Faith said. “Then what?”

  “Then you will be healed, and you will not be linked with us,” Tristan said. “I do not know if you will be able to shift or not since such a thing has never been tried.”

  “What about later?” Faith asked. Tristan looked at her blankly. “What if we decide we want to be linked later? Can we do the whole thing over again?”

  “No, Faith, that is not possible,” Tristan said. “After the third injection, our mating fangs are shed.”

  “Shed?” Faith asked. “I don’t understand. If they’re shed, does that mean you grow another set if you decide to mate someone else?”

  Tristan’s eyes widened as he realized that Faith had yet another misconception about them. One that he had to correct, right now. “Faith, you seem to believe that Jasani mate only once as a matter of choice. That our culture, our belief system, limits us to only one woman throughout our existence. Am I right?”

  “Yes,” Faith said, frowning. “It said that in the book. No divorce. I’m sure of it.”

  “Yes, it does say that,” Tristan said. “But the meaning is different than what you think. It’s not a choice for us. We are physically able to mate with one woman only.”

  It took Faith a minute or two to absorb that. It wasn’t easy, but she knew that Tristan would never lie to her about something so important.

  “What if you walked away right now?” she asked. “What if you don’t give me the second and third injections? Can you find another woman?”

  “No,” Tristan said. “Faith, we do not want you to accept us out of guilt. Do not forget that you asked me not to do this. We did it anyway, against your wishes. Therefore, you needn’t concern yourself with us. We ask that you only consider what you want.”

  “What I want,” Faith repeated softly. “What if I say I don’t want you to continue? Will I die?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so,” Tristan said. Faith shrugged as though it didn’t really matter. And it didn’t. She smiled gently.

  “I asked you not to do this because, first of all, I didn’t want you to take such a big risk. And secondly, because I thought dying was inevitable. I didn’t want to die. I sure as hell don’t want to die now.”

  “That’s a relief,” Tristan said as all three of them took long, deep breaths.

  “You guys love me, I love you, and I decided earlier today that I wanted to be your Arima. I was going to tell you tonight, after dinner. I can’t say the process sounds thrilling, but if it means that we all get to stay together, then I’m all for it.”

  “There are a couple of good sides to this for you,” Tristan said, smiling for the first time in hours.

  “Yes, well, I suppose getting to shi
ft into a giant bird will be fun, though the idea of flying sort of scares me,” she said.

  “Aside from that,” Tristan said.

  “The ability to heal fast will also be good since I can’t seem to avoid making people want to kill me,” she agreed.

  “No, that’s not it either, though we will be greatly relieved when you are more difficult to harm.”

  “Okay, I’m stumped,” Faith said. “What is it?”

  “Your body will be remade, Faith,” Tristan said. “Completely. According to the new DNA you’ll have.”

  “Remade?” Faith asked. “Do you mean...the scars will be gone?”

  “The scars, the injuries, everything.”

  Faith’s eyes widened and she swallowed hard. “Children?”

  “Yes, Fedea,” Tristan said. “We will have children. As many as you want.” Faith blinked back tears.

  “And you’ll be able to eat normally,” Jon said, lightening the mood.

  “And drink coffee,” Gray added.

  “Wow, unlimited coffee consumption, that’s the big one,” Faith said. “I’m convinced. Let’s get on with it.”

  The Falcorans chuckled, their hearts suddenly lighter now that they knew Faith was not going to refuse them. But Jon needed to hear the words.

  “Are you certain that you won’t mind being linked with us, Faith?” he asked.

  “I want to be your Arima,” she said. “I love you. And I don’t have to second guess myself now because I made that decision before you guys came to my door this afternoon. So yes, I am certain.” She paused a moment, then sat up slowly in the bed, smiling as all three of her men reached out to help her. She glanced down at herself, then gasped.

  “What is it?” Tristan asked, tensing immediately.

  “I’m a mess,” she said with a grimace as she stared at the blood smeared hospital gown. She pushed the blanket back, groaning at the dark blood stains on her jeans. “Damn,” she muttered. “This was my favorite pair.”

  Tristan grinned, then chuckled, before giving way to a full blown laughter. Gray and Jon joined him until the three of them were nearly doubled over and out of breath.

  “I’m glad that I amuse you so much,” she said primly as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. She wavered just a little, then headed for the bathroom.

  “Where are you going?” Tristan asked, no longer laughing as they rushed to her side and hovered anxiously around her.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” she said. “I’m a mess. Actually, I suppose I should go to my room since I have nothing to change into.”

  “I brought a nightgown and your toiletries over,” Tristan said. “But you’re going to have to let us help you with the shower, Faith. In fact, a bath would be better. You could fall asleep very suddenly at any moment and hurt yourself.”

  “Okay,” Faith said, surprising herself with her lack of concern. Well, what the heck, she thought. They’d already seen her, up close and personal. Then she froze. “Wait...,” she said, holding up one hand. She grinned widely. “It’s just starting to sink in. I’m going to have a new body. No more scars. No more special diet. No more limitations. Is that right?”

  “Yes, Faith,” Gray said. “that is correct.”

  “Amazing,” she said softly. She turned to smile at Bubbles who hadn’t stopped purring since she woke up. “I’ll get to go into the Roar Room and play with you,” she said, scratching the raktsasa lightly under the chin. “Won’t that be fun?” Bubbles popped at her a few times and continued purring. Poor Bubbles, she thought. This must have been very hard for her. That reminded her.

  “What about Eric? Did you guys catch him?”

  “Yes,” Tristan replied as they guided her into the bathroom. He lifted her up and set her on the counter while Jon started the water running in the bathtub and Gray retrieved a stack of clean towels from the cabinet.

  “Is he still alive?” Faith asked.

  “For now,” Tristan replied. “The Katres have him on the Vyand to prevent us from killing him in a blood rage until we get some answers out of him.”

  “Answers about what?” she asked. “I can tell you with absolute certainty that he’s the one who stabbed me.”

  “Yes, that we know,” Tristan said, reaching behind her to untie the hospital gown she wore. “We’d like to know how he got out of prison, and how he got onto the Eyrie, among other things.”

  “I’m stupid,” she said with a sigh, reaching beneath the gown to unfasten her jeans. “I never even thought of those things.”

  “You’ve been a bit busy with more important issues,” Tristan said. “Like staying alive.”

  “True,” Faith admitted. Tristan coaxed Bubbles onto his own shoulder so that he could slide the gown down her arms. Faith immediately clutched the thin fabric against her chest, then deliberately released it, letting it slip to the floor. She looked down, searching for the wound caused by the knife, but there was nothing there but unmarked skin.

  “As I said,” Tristan said as he lifted her off the countertop, “you now have our ability to heal.”

  “Amazing,” Faith said, smiling happily as Tristan set on her on her feet so she could step out of her jeans and underwear. Then he lifted her again and carried her to the tub where Jon was already waiting, his arms out for her. A few short minutes later they were all in the steaming water, with Bubbles sitting contentedly on the edge, her eyes never leaving Faith.

  “When I left Earth it wasn’t exactly a secret that I was going to Jasan,” Faith said thoughtfully as she relaxed in the hot water. “But it wasn’t common knowledge either. The only family member I have left is my baby sister, and she’d already been sent to live on another world with cousins for her own safety. I don’t have anyone else. The Director knew, of course. My therapist knew I was leaving, but the Director didn’t think it was a good idea for me to spread my destination around, so I didn’t.”

  “Then how did Eric Kick find out where you went?” Gray asked.

  “I don’t know,” Faith said.

  “An even bigger question is, how in the seven hells did he learn you were on the Eyrie?” Tristan asked. “Your identity and your current location are closely guarded secrets by royal order. Even if he’d followed you straight to Jasan, how did he find you here?”

  “Again, I don’t know,” Faith said. “The Bearens speed traveled me off the Skyport not long after I arrived, so I know he couldn’t have followed me even if he’d been standing there watching it.”

  “It’s a good thing Loni Katre took him to the Vyand for safe keeping, considering how many questions we need him to answer,” Tristan said.

  “I’m so tired of this,” Faith said with a sigh. “So tired of people wanting to hurt me, or kill me. So tired of being afraid. So tired of running and hiding all the time. Will it ever end?”

  “It is ended,” Tristan said. “You will never have to run again, Faith. Before this night is over, you will be falcoran. Anyone who tries to harm you does so at their peril. You will be able to shift into a creature that is strong enough to destroy them. Or, you can fly away if you choose. Not only that, but you will be very hard to kill.”

  “That helps,” Faith said, smiling. “A lot, actually.”

  “Did Eric tell you why he was trying to kill you?” Jon asked. “Not that it matters, really, I suppose.”

  “He said that his sister never had friends because she was too pretty, until me, and that my betrayal of her is why she kept coming after me. In his twisted mind, that makes me responsible for her death,” Faith said. “It’s all garbage of course.”

  She tilted her head a little as she studied the Falcorans. Her own excitement and curiosity had prevented her from noticing much else, but now she realized that they all seemed to be tense. “What haven’t you told me?” she asked.

  “We’ve told you everything, I believe,” Tristan said, frowning. He looked to Jon and Gray, but they couldn’t think of anything else either.

 
“Then how come you’re all tense?” she asked. “Something’s wrong.”

  Tristan sighed. “As much as we’re looking forward to being soul-linked with you, and with each other, we are nervous about the process itself.”

  “Why? Is it dangerous?”

  “No more than what we’ve already told you,” Tristan assured her. “Until a few short years ago, we hadn’t had an Arima in over three thousand years. When the Dracons found Lariah, they were afraid to link with her, and had, in fact, decided not to do so because she was human. They had no idea what would happen to her, and were afraid to take the risk.”

  “Why did they change their minds?”

  “Because she was attacked and nearly killed. Injecting her with their serum in an effort to speed up her ability to heal was the only option they had, just as it was our only option with you. But they soon realized that the process was much different than it had been for our ancestors. Three injections are needed now rather than the two our ancestors used. This is so that the human body can be changed to a clan Jasani body.”

  “Wow, that must have been difficult for them,” Faith said, remembering how protective the Dracons were of Lariah.

  “Yes,” Tristan agreed. “Very difficult. But they had no choice. Since then, several other Arimas have been found, and the male-sets began writing down what their experience was like as they are often different from each other. All Jasani read the reports, so that we will know what we might expect.”

  “That makes sense,” Faith said. “So what has you worried?”

  “The portion of the ritual during which your body changes,” Tristan said. “We know that you will not feel it, which helps a great deal. But from what we’ve read, the male-sets involved consider it to be the most horrific experience of their lives.”

  “Why?” Faith asked, confused. “You said that I would be in pain, but not aware of it. You guys won’t be in pain, will you? Tell me the truth, please.”

  “No,” Tristan said. “You needn’t worry for us, Faith. If only it were that simple, we would not mind. We will have to watch you go through the pain, and after what you’ve already been through this day, it will be very difficult for us to watch.”