by Lea Kirk
As ready as she would ever be. She nodded her head and placed her hand next to his on Tokki’s arm so the sides of their hands touched just enough to get the job done. She allowed her eyelids to drift shut and drew on her Gift, allowing it to flow through her as the inner workings of Tokki’s body became visible to her.
Awareness of Nick’s Gift flitted alongside hers. His signature was…music? Most Gift signatures were associated with a natural, physical thing, or an element. Magister Dacian’s was clouds, Alex’s gentle, rolling waves on a beach. Even the Matiran students at the infirmary had their own signatures. But she had never heard of one being a sound.
“Let’s make a pass through the veins, arteries, and tissues, then we’ll look deeper at the organs,” Nick murmured.
The flow of information between them seemed effortless. Following Nick, she rechecked everything he checked, answered the questions they each came up with, and mentally noted the ones they could not. As they moved closer to the organs, their progress seemed to be impeded. Like wading through thick honey.
It was almost as if…. “Is the disease trying to eat her organs?” That was the closest she could come to describing what she “saw”.
“Seems more like it’s trying to breach a wall,” Nick muttered.
Yes, that was it. Eating would indicate that the organs were disappearing, but they were still there and whole. If anything, they seemed to be expanding now. Tokki’s body tensed as a distressed noise began deep inside and built until the woman released it, the long, shrill keen cutting through the air.
An icy tingle tickled Sakura’s fingertips, then began to creep up her fingers.
“Holy shit. Out, Saku. Now!” The knife-like edge to Nick’s voice left no room for questioning as his presence pulled away.
She reeled her own Gift back, jerked her hands back, and opened her eyes.
Tokki’s chest expanded farther than Sakura thought possible. Certainly farther than it would have to breathe or heave a sigh.
The warmth of Nick’s hand closing firmly around her bicep yanked her attention from the gruesome scene unfolding before her eyes. He tugged, and she had little choice but to take a couple of steps away from the bed. Not that she any objection. If Tokki’s body was about to explode, which seemed likely, putting even a few more feet between them was not a bad idea. No matter what Storo had said about containment. Nick’s face was sheet-white, and he seemed to be staring at the empty space where they had been standing a moment before, not at their patient.
Several dull pops emitted from Tokki’s abdomen. Her never-ending scream should have masked them as it continued unabated, but it did not. A violent shudder shook the sick woman, then her chest caved in on itself as her scream ended in a gurgle.
Sakura could only stare at the poor woman’s ravaged body. Tokki had just died, right in front of them, and they had been helpless to stop it.
K’rona stepped to the bedside and touched her finger to Tokki’s forehead. Then she reached under the neckline of the dead woman’s shirt and reverently withdrew a fine chain until an elongated pendant appeared. It looked like a slim cylinder containing a swirling liquid that resembled an opal. The Anferthian woman wrapped her hand around it and murmured words too soft to hear. Then she tipped her head back and howled to the ceiling. B’iha joined her, the sound eerily haunting, yet beautiful in its sorrow. Like hearing a pack of wolves on a crystal clear night when the moon was full.
A lump formed in Sakura’s throat and she blinked rapidly against the prickle in her eyes. A sharp tug on her sleeve drew her attention to Nick. His face still seemed unnaturally pale, and he jerked his chin in the direction of the door. She gave him a nod, but he was already moving, his pace and the set of his shoulders broadcasting his desire to get out of the room and away from the grieving Anferthians.
~*~
Nick stepped out Tokki’s front door. The death-howls had spread throughout the village; the passing of one seemed to affect all, not just those physically closest to her. Which made sense. The dissenters only had each other, now that they were exiled from their home world and families.
A shudder ran down his spine as he allowed himself to collapse onto a log. Not even the rays of the afternoon sun would be enough to warm him right now. That’d been a close call. Goddamn creepy apparition. He’d never expected to encounter that thing again, especially not here on Matir. Alex had called it Death, and maybe it was, but the weirdness factor of death being an actual entity seemed…mythological. With all the creatures in the galaxy, a single being couldn’t possibly be present to collect every single soul. Unless there were billions, or trillions of them. A chill ran through him.
“What’s wrong, Nick?” Deep concern reflected in Sakura’s eyes. “Something happened in there. What?”
She must not have seen it. “Nothing.”
“You looked like you were going to pass out. That is not ‘nothing’.”
No, she definitely did not see it, then. Why not? Why could he see it, and Alex too, but not Sakura? Dante hadn’t seen it either the day Gryf had been shot, and the thing had been standing right next to him. Should he tell her? She’d probably think he was nuts, which might not be too far off the mark.
The howling seemed to be subsiding, a signal that the Anferthians’ grief was spent. He rubbed one hand across the back of his neck. “It was nothing, Sakura.”
“But—”
“Just drop it, okay?”
Her jaw visibly tightened with her characteristic rigid stubbornness. “Fine.”
The door opened and K’rona stepped out, confusion and concern clouded her eyes. “Our ways upset you, Nicholaus?”
Nick turned the corners of his mouth down. “What? Oh, you mean us leaving the room?”
“Yes.”
“No, we aren’t upset.” Freaked out, yes, but that was just him.
“We did not want to intrude,” Sakura added.
He shot a grateful glance in her direction.
K’rona shook her head. “Your presence is welcome among us. But, you must integrate to achieve full acceptance. This transition will be flawed at first, on both sides, but please try.”
One corner of Nick’s mouth twitched upward. For once his status as Alex’s brother was not going to mean an automatic buy in. He and Sakura would have to earn their place among the Anferthians. What a refreshing change.
“We’ll do our best.”
A satisfied expression replaced K’rona’s look of concern. “Storo and B’iha are preparing the body for viewing. This is the time all will come to honor our fallen soldier, Tokki. Please, take your samples now before they arrive. When you finish, I will take you to your next patient.”
Right. He had bolted from the room without the Hello Kitty bag. Some professional he was. Nick fell in behind Sakura as she reentered Tokki’s cube. If they were lucky, the next patient wouldn’t be quite so close to death’s door.
~*~
Much to Nick’s relief, A’paz wasn’t as ill as Tokki had been. Not only had the Anferthian man been sitting on his sofa when they’d arrived, he’d also managed a wan smile and greeted them in English. Very good English. Then, he’d asked K’rona to make them kumi, the Anferthian version of tea.
“I wanted to be a medic,” A’paz sipped from his steaming mug. “No, that is not entirely accurate, I really wanted to be a Gifted healer, as you two are. I regret that the accident of birth will not allow that to happen for me.”
Sakura bowed her head in his direction. “Healer Bock and I will do everything we can to make sure you have a chance to continue following your dream to the extent possible.”
A’paz smiled, but doubt clouded his eyes. “You must not feel bad if you cannot. The task before you is great and time is short.” His hand trembled as he cradled his mug between his huge hands. “I have a request.”
“How can we help?” Nick asked.
The Anferthian’s large, grey-green gaze met his
. “It is more along the lines of how I can help you. Even though I am not an official medic, I have been studying. My desire was to discover a cure for this illness. When I was stricken two days ago, my hopes were crushed. But, with you here, I am in a unique position to help you accomplish what I cannot.”
A’paz’s gaze shifted between him and Sakura. “I understand a short while ago Tokki stepped onto the Golden Road in your presence.”
“Yes,” Sakura confirmed.
“And you took samples?”
Nick gave him a nod. “We did.”
A’paz turned to K’rona sitting unobtrusively in a corner of the great room. “Do you remember where they are?” The cryptic tone of the question startled Nick.
“I’ll retrieve them now.” K’rona disappeared deeper into the cube.
“She will bring my work to your laboratory,” A’paz said.
Nick drew his brows together. “Your work?”
“Blood and tissue samples I have taken. And, do not worry, I was discrete and used sterile procedures. It is best if this is not common knowledge. Most of my people understand and support my efforts, however there are a few who would be offended I violated the victim’s post-mortem. Rest assured, I received consent from most of them, the patients, that is. The ones who would not or could not give their consent, I did not touch.”
That would explain why K’rona had rushed them through the sample taking before Tokki’s viewers showed up.
“I also have a control group of healthy Anferthians,” A’paz continued. “K’rona, Storo, Ita, Dacey, Nero…I am sorry. Not all of them you have met. Suffice to say there are about four dozen in the control group, including me before I was struck.”
Nick cocked his head to one side. “How is it you know English so well, A’paz?”
A shuttered look came to the Anferthian’s eyes. “I was an interpreter during the invasion of your planet.”
“That seems like a limited career with translators.” Nick gave the device attached to his ear a light tap.
A’paz seemed to deflate. “It is a useful skill for an interrogator.”
Sakura leaned forward. “High Linguist Jasan. Did you know him?”
A wistful smile softened the man’s features. “Dyras Jasan was a good friend, but we were aboard different ships.” He shifted in his seat as though relieving discomfort. Or maybe pain. “He was assigned to the slaver stationed in the part of your world called Asia, while my ship was on a vast plain on the continent you called Australia.”
“Yes, he was. Near the border of India and Bangladesh,” Sakura murmured, her gaze distant. “I heard he died during the uprising.”
“You heard correctly, I fear.” Furrows appeared between A’paz’s pale brows, curiosity lighting his grey-green eyes. “It was you, wasn’t it? The Terrian servant Dyras told me about. Yes, by your expression I can see you are the one. It always amused him how others tried to guess the extent of your rela—”
Sakura’s wide eyes appeared to glaze over and the mug slipped from her hands, hitting the floor and splattering kumi in several directions. Her hands fluttered, matching her expression of dismay. “Gomen’nasai A’paz-san! I am sorry. I am so sorry.”
What was going on with her? She’d never had a clumsy moment since he’d met her. Where was the grace and dignity she usually wore like a royal mantle? He reached down and picked up the mug.
“Do not worry, lini.” A’paz pointed in the direction of a doorway. “There are towels in the kitchen. I would take care of it myself, but….”
“No, no. I will clean this. I will be back.” She snatched the mug from his hand and fled in the direction A’paz had indicated.
Nick stared as she disappeared through the doorway. That was weird. It sounded an awful lot like she was hiding something. Had she had an affair with some Anferthian officer she’d met during the occupation? But, she was so tiny, was that even physically possible? Although, he had heard speculation about Ambassador K’nil and Mrs. B. for years. Ugh! He was so not going there. It was no one’s business, least of all his. Nor was his disipula’s past, even though his mind seemed determined to linger in speculation. He cast a glance of curiosity in A’paz’s direction.
The Anferthian quirked one pale eyebrow and shook his head. “That is her story to tell, Healer Bock. I have apparently already said too much.” Then he went back to sipping his kumi as though nothing had happened.
~*~
Sakura’s hands shook as she dropped the damp towels into a laundry basket. Of all the topics to come up, she had not expected that one. The question about Dryas had popped out of her mouth before she had considered the consequences. Then she had dropped her kumi to distract everyone. Never in her life had she done something so rude. What an idiot she was. Now she had to go back into the other room and face Nick again. Would he grill her in front of the Anferthians, or wait until they got back to their cube? Either way, one question would lead to another, then another, until the truth came out. A truth she did not want him, or anyone else, to know about. The things that had happened, the horrible, horrible choice she’d had to make.
Enough of this. If she did not go back soon someone would come looking for her. And, if that someone was Nick, he might corner her here in the laundry room and demand some answers.
She wiped her sweaty palms on her damp, stained leggings, then grabbed some extra towels to wipe up the kumi she had spilled on A’paz’s utilitarian floor. K’rona met her at the kitchen door.
“It is well, Disipula Yamata,” she said, taking the clean towels. “The spillage I will attend. You are needed in a different capacity.”
In the living room, A’paz reclined against the back of his large, well-cushioned chair, Nick was bent over him, fingers on the Anferthian’s pulse-point.
“Where does the pain emanate from?” Nick asked.
“Gastro tract,” A’paz said, his voice weary. “This is in my notes, but the illness strikes the weakest points of the victims’ bodies. I have had digestive issues all my life. Tokki had respiratory problems as a child and, as you probably know, her heart and lungs were most affected.”
“Do you take anything for the pain?”
A’paz shook his blond head. “It is not yet bad enough.”
Nick huffed and placed his fingers against the man’s wrist. “Seems bad enough now.”
“Ah, Healer, I am useless if my mind is clouded with drugs.”
K’rona muttered something under her breath as she wiped the floor. Just her expression was enough to tell Sakura that the other woman had been trying to convince A’paz to take something prior to their arrival.
Nick made a noncommittal noise. “Disipula Yamata and I can try to block the pain. It’s only a temporary measure, but it won’t cloud your mind.”
A’paz nodded. “Very well, Healer Bock. I am intrigued enough to allow you to try.”
Sakura moved to stand on the Anferthian’s other side. “Same as before? I’ll follow you?”
“Yup.”
She set her hand on A’paz’s lower abdomen, her fingertips just brushing against Nick’s. Then she centered and focused on their patient, calling on her Gift to reveal the inner organs of the friendly Anferthian.
Red, inflamed hot-spots dotted A’paz’s stomach and intestines like glowing ulcers. The disease must be creating weaknesses to breach in the final moments. Battering the same spots over and over until it made its final assault.
“I can set up a block while you soothe the inflammation, magister.”
“Let’s do it,” Nick replied.
Sakura refocused her concentration to A’paz’s spinal cord. Blocking this way was very similar to an epidural, but without a needle or drugs.
The sick man grimaced. “I did not learn any of the Asiatic languages of your planet. Does your name, Sakura, have a meaning, Disipula Yamata?”
Sakura slid her hand under his lower back, and pushed forward until her fingers fel
t the knobs of his spinal cord. Torpe. The power of her Gift tingled in her fingers for a couple of seconds, then receded. “It means cherry blossom in Japanese, my native language. They bloom on cherry trees every spring. How do you feel now?”
“Lovely.” The strained edge had disappeared. “You and Healer Bock complement each other well.”
Warmth rose to her cheeks and she slipped her hand out from under him. “That is fortunate since we will be working so closely together to find a cure for your people.”
“Most true.”
“I’m finished, Sakura,” Nick said.
“Me too.”
She studied A’paz’s face. His eyes seemed clearer than when they had arrived.
“My thanks, healers.” The Anferthian sat upright. “How long will it last?”
Nick shook his head. “Normally, a full day, but this disease isn’t normal.”
“No, it is not,” he sighed. “I have kept you long enough. There are others worse off than I who need your help.”
Nick stood. “We’ll check in on you tomorrow. If you need us before then, don’t hesitate to comm.”
Chapter Eight
It was well after midnight when Sakura pressed her palm to the ID reader of the healers’ cube. They had visited the inflicted Anferthians in all five of the villages, walking the entire way. Before today, she had believed she was physically fit, but now she was not so confident. The door opened and warm light streamed through the entry as she stepped inside. A nice hot bath, just what she needed. Then she would crawl between the fresh sheets on her bed and sleep like the dead.
The wall door whooshed shut behind Nick as she sank to the floor and pulled off her shoes, a groan escaping her. Two and half miles from Center Village to East Village. After visiting the patient there, K’rona had led them on the narrow roadway that circled around Center, connecting all the Directional villages without having to return to Center. The layout was logical. It kept the dissenters close in proximity without creating a densely populated community. Hopefully she would never have to walk it alone, though. If she did, she would be the first and only person in the history of the universe to get lost traversing a circle.
