How can I fight something I can’t touch?
She thought of her recent vision.
The laughing little boy with dark curly hair and blue eyes. Is he mine? Yes. Yes, he will be.
Erynn kicked and struggled against a powerful force. Her actions were little more than a slow-motion dance, a futile attempt to free herself from this ghostly assailant. Her lungs burned. Her head swam from lack of oxygen.
Through the dense white haze, she saw a flash of movement. The door swung open with tremendous energy, bounced back into sight, splintered, and cracked from striking the outer wall. The bang of the heavy door shattered the muffling silence.
I heard that? Or is my oxygen-starved brain giving me what it believes the breaking door would sound like?
The veil of fog parted. A stinging fear swarmed over her like angry hornacts. Beyond the opening, three transparent figures in long, dark fur capes appeared. Low cowls obscured their glowing faces. A bright blue light radiated from their shining outlines.
Will these ghosts finish us? Take our souls into their keeping, forever to roam the fortress of Deanaim?
An overwhelming sense of terror crashed against her and joined her own sense of dread. If her life flashed before her eyes, the vision was far too short for her to take notice.
Phantom hands released her. The heavy mist thinned. Vapor whirled and spiraled upward into the rafters in a frenzied escape.
Gravity returned with sudden alacrity. She hit the cold floor, gasping. Her head bounced on the hard packed dirt. “Aven?” She called and sucked in precious, cool, fresh air as fast as her lungs expelled it. “Aven!” She pulled herself up on hands and knees.
The three spectral forms entered the small room. One went to the stack of plates on Erynn’s cot. Another went to Aven and leaned over his still form. The third stood before Erynn.
Aven lay unmoving in the corner, tossed over the supplies like a discarded toy.
“Don’t…touch…him,” Erynn panted.
The ghostly figure over Aven turned his head to stare at her. Long dark hair cascaded beneath the hood of his cape.
Erynn pushed up, getting one foot under her, and staggered to stand. “I said leave him alone.” Her breathing steadied. Wind swirled. Her hair whipped around her face.
Aven coughed and his body jerked. His boots scrambled at the dirt floor. He labored unsteadily to a sitting position. “Erynn?” His gaze took in the three translucent forms, and he jumped up, swaying.
The glowing male shape before Erynn hadn’t taken his eyes off her until the wind gusted through the cramped space. Now he watched the effect and grinned. “Interesting.” His gaze returned to Erynn. “Am I using the correct language?”
Aven shuffled over, pushing Erynn behind him, shielding her from the three spectral figures.
Erynn held her breath.
The wind stopped.
She nodded. “Why are you trying to kill us?”
“If we wanted you dead, you’d have been unable to stop us. The Brusart are the ones who tried to harm you. They betrayed Arranon and stood with Dhoran during his attempt to rule the surface hundreds of years ago. Traitors. Their cursed human spirits reside within the walls of Deanaim, trapped here for eternity.” The apparition gestured to his two companions, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly. “We, the guardians of Deanaim, saved you.” The guardian turned in a slow circle. He studied the room, an expression of wistful recollection in his shimmering eyes. “When you showed your power to the Brusart, they moved in to kill. Before, they were just trying to scare you away. The Brusart guard the portal as we do, but for different reasons.” His attention spun to Erynn. He tipped his head, staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
“A portal?” Erynn pushed around Aven. “There’s a portal here? Which one?”
“Erynn, stop.” Aven took her arm and pulled her back.
The other two ghostly men stepped in to stand on either side of the guardian doing the talking.
His form wavered and dimmed, then cleared, and brightened. He frowned. His gaze narrowed and shifted from Aven to Erynn. “Yes. Are you searching for the portal?”
Erynn started to speak. Aven jerked her to silence, but not before she nodded.
The guardian in front of Erynn shook his head like a father reprimanding a small child. White hair escaped the hood, shimmering in a transparent, liquid fall. “Why would you seek such danger? This knowledge will gain you nothing. There are no riches to be had. The portal leads to an incomprehensible evil.”
Erynn chose to tell this guardian of the portal the truth. “I understand. I have come to destroy the gateway to Dhoran’s world.”
“Erynn, no!” Aven snapped too late.
The three exchanged glances. Their radiance brightened and pulsed.
The specter in the middle nodded. “How do you propose to do this?”
“I don’t know. Because Deanaim is the oldest site on Arranon, I came here to learn if there was information about the portals, or how to find them.” She slipped around Aven to face the three apparitions. “Dhoran has returned. He will amass an army in another attempt to take Arranon by force. Our only chance to stop this war is to destroy the portals and imprison Dhoran below, forever.”
A slight smile touched the guardian’s ghostly lips. “The two of you take on this massive task alone?”
“No. Just me,” Erynn asserted, standing to her full height.
At the same time, Aven stepped next to Erynn. “Yes, both of us.”
She glared at Aven.
Aven gazed down at her, his mouth twisted. His eyebrows bunched together, and he dipped his head toward the three ghosts.
“You are both brave. This is an admirable quality, but foolish.” The three figures blurred, turned toward the door, and disappeared into the night. Their blue radiance blinked off like a switch had been flipped. A voice swirled in on the breeze. “Return to your home. Next time, the Brusart may not flee from our presence.”
Erynn ran to the door and shouted into the dark. “I’m not leaving. You may not care if Dhoran takes over Arranon, but I do.” She pulled the door closed, and it sprung open a few centimeters. Tugging again, she got the same results. “The door’s broken.” She frowned and turned to Aven.
He tore at the bedding on the cots, pulling the pads and blankets free. “We’re sleeping in the Herk tonight.”
Erynn nodded and followed him outside. “We can set up a new base tomorrow.”
Aven grabbed the handle to the cargo door, and it opened with a whoosh. He tossed in the bedding. He spun to her, his face set, determined. “We’re leaving tomorrow. I’m getting you out of here.”
“Aven, no. There’s a portal here—”
“Then we’ve accomplished what we came for. We can advise Cale. Let him figure out a way to get around the ghosts. You have the plates with the symbols. Concentrate on getting them to Cace. Find out what they say.”
She sidestepped to stand in front of him. “Okay. We’ll leave, but not first thing in the morning. Give me that long to search for the portal. Then I’ll go with you. The Brusart won’t be back before dark.”
He shook his head. “We don’t know that. I’m getting you out of here, Erynn. I should take you right now.” He studied the Herk. “I want to go over the ship before we fly, though. Make sure it’s not been tampered with. I need light for a thorough inspection.”
“While you check the Herk, I can search—”
“Erynn. No. We can come back after we have a plan to deal with the Brusart.” Aven held up his fisted hand, the first finger extended at her. He tucked his chin, staring at her under hooded eyes. “No argument.” He motioned for Erynn to get in the cargo hold. After jumping in, he closed the door, securing it. “Try and get some sleep.” He arranged the bedding, more tangled than straightened. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
She glared at him. “You told me no argument. I have nothing to say.”
He turn
ed to her, his eyes sad, still attempting to spread the blankets. “My brother loves you. More than anything. And I love my brother. I’m getting you out of here.”
Erynn curled on her side away from Aven, resolved to take up the conversation in the morning. In the light of day, their ghostly attack might seem less traumatic. He had to agree to let her search, at least until he was ready to go. If not, she would find a way. She was too close to give up now.
Chapter 17
LATE AFTERNOON SUNLIGHT SPILLED IN the open hangar doors. Loud bangs and shrill whirs from the various tools in service battered Jaer’s ears. In a far corner, two helmet-clad workers ground at the frame of a Herk. White sparks jumped, bounced, and disappeared. The smell of hot metal and scorched cloth hung in the air. Jaer wound through the people and aircraft in the bay to the scramble pad.
He stepped into what remained of a bright day under a blue sky. Cold air swept around him in a mild wind, clearing his lungs. His long hair stirred, fluttering blue-black strands along his back and over his shoulders. The chill penetrated his heavy, dark tunic. Ice crawled like stick fingers along his spine. He shivered.
An omen.
Driven by the breeze, icy powder drifted and danced across the smooth rock surface. Three Interceptors waited, glistening in the golden glow of the fading day. Tam, Sean, and Tiar would be leaving soon. He would have answers about Erynn’s and Aven’s safety.
He stared out over the rocky crags and below to the trees decorated with snow. His chest tightened around his heart and squeezed.
There would be time before the Interceptors reached Deanaim. He intended to visit the Medical Unit and have a talk with Nev during the wait.
Cale moved from the hangar bay and stood next to Jaer. “It won’t be long. We’ll have contact with Aven and Erynn.”
Jaer detected the low edge of worry winding through Cale’s words.
Cale crossed his arms. His gaze followed Jaer’s. “It will be winter soon. Farglas Lake has ice around the edges that hasn’t melted for days. The snows can be cruel here in the upper regions.”
Jaer nodded again. His gut churned.
More snow, more ice, more cold. Erynn in the snow, in the ice, in the cold, dying.
Cale’s voice broke the vision and the image scattered like the snow skipping over the pad. “They’re fine, Jaer. You know Erynn. She’s dug in and is compiling enough information to keep Cace busy for a month.”
Jaer frowned, sucked in a breath, and turned to Cale. “Something is wrong. I have a…feeling. It is crucial we reach Erynn in time. Before…”
Cale’s features tightened. “Before what?”
“I do not know, but I cannot shake the sense that time is running out.”
“We’ll know soon. It won’t be long,” Cale repeated, his voice low. He gazed out over the rim of the scramble pad.
Jaer nodded. The twist in his stomach tightened. “Shan knows Erynn is of mixed parentage.”
Tam, Sean, and Tiar walked out onto the pad and went to inspect their fighters. Their ground crews followed.
Cale’s gaze whipped to Jaer. “What? How? No one that knows would have spoken to Shan about this.” Cale’s gaze drifted to Sean and Tiar. “They wouldn’t have told…anyone.”
Jaer ground his teeth. “There is one that knows. One that believes Erynn’s mother is Arranon. One that would use this information for his gain.”
“Nev,” Cale whispered.
Jaer watched a single aleun catch an updraft and ride the wind, dark wings a silhouette across the blue sky.
Another omen.
“I will discuss this matter with the byan after the Interceptors are on their way.”
Jaer entered the bright Medical Unit, his left hand resting on the hilt of his dygaer. His staser hung holstered on his right hip.
The guard stationed in the outer recess stood up and stepped around the desk. “No weapons allowed. I’m sorry, sir. You can leave them with me.”
Jaer stepped to within centimeters of the man. “I learned a lesson not long ago, when given a similar request. I keep my weapons.”
The man stumbled back. “Sir. It, it’s the p-policy of this unit—”
Jaer leaned in. “It is my policy that concerns me, not yours. But I will not enter if you send the byan out.”
The man frowned, scanning Jaer up and down. “Are you injured?”
“I am here on a personal matter, involving only the byan and me.”
“Stay here. I’ll see if Byan Nev is available.” He turned and hurried into the wide white corridor and out of sight.
After a short wait, Nev came through the door. A smile touched his lips. “Jaer. I wondered when we’d finally talk.”
Jaer spread his arms, his broad shoulders squared. “If there was something you wanted to say to me, I am not hard to find.”
Nev sat on the corner of the security guard’s desk, his posture relaxed. Jaer read the gesture differently. He could sense Nev’s tension running like wind through taut wires, singing, revealing his unease. Jaer repressed his pleasure and a smile.
“So what brings you to me, Jaer?” Nev’s smile widened. “Let me guess. Erynn?”
“No, Nev. That will be a discussion for another time.” Jaer squeezed the hilt of the dygaer to keep from grasping the throat of the man who wanted his Kipa.
“I’ll look forward to that meeting. Yes? What is it?”
Jaer took a step closer, glaring down at Nev. “It has come to my attention that sensitive information has been leaked regarding one of your patients. Your records are confidential, are they not?”
Nev frowned, and his eyes took on a steely glare. “This isn’t acceptable. I will look into the matter.”
Jaer’s jaw muscles worked. “Then I have your word this will never happen again?”
“Of course.” Nev stood up and started to turn. “Oh wait, have you heard from Erynn? I’d like to know how she is.”
Jaer clenched his hands. He took in a deep breath, relaxed. “Erynn is not your concern.”
“Is she yours, Jaer? I met Shan. She’s your cheille. Must be nice to have her here with you.”
So this is your game. I do not think I will play. Yet.
Jaer nodded in Nev’s direction and turned, striding from the Medical Unit.
Dhoran leaned back in Gaden’s chair, his feet propped on the desk, his hands over his stomach. He stared up at the rock ceiling. “Jaer may be a problem. If he continues to interfere with my attempt to get Erynn to bond with me, it will be necessary to have him eliminated.”
Gaden stood before the desk, his head bowed, his brown eyes staring down. “Yes, My Lord. They are sending Interceptors to Deanaim to check on Erynn and Aven.” He raised his head but kept his gaze on the floor. “They still have not been able to contact them through the COM.”
Dhoran laughed low in his throat. “I told you that damaging their communication equipment wouldn’t stop Erynn.” He jumped up and came around the desk. “The oddest thing, Gaden…Nev, his consciousness, likes Erynn. We truly enjoy her company.” He held his arms wide and glanced down. He smiled and closed his eyes. “She produces such a pleasant sensation. A thrill rushes through me—us—catching my breath whenever I see her smile. I actually look forward to being with her, to touching her.” He opened his eyes, and the grin turned to a sneer. “To making love to her.”
A chime sounded.
“Enter,” Gaden called, glancing to the door.
The door glided open, and a woman shuffled inside. She saw Dhoran and bowed her head. “My Lord.” Her tone was timid, her voice shaky. She half turned to General Gaden. “General, sir, you requested to know when the Interceptors reached Deanaim. They will make their first flyover in less than five timnents.” She bowed again and left in haste before being dismissed.
Erynn tossed in her sleep. Her eyes tightened against a brightness glaring on her lids.
“Wake up.” A whisper, an icy breath, tickled her ear. “Erynn, wake up.”
&n
bsp; Erynn jerked upright. “Aven, what?” She blinked and squinted. An intense white-blue light filled the Herk. Her first thought was the Brusart. She scrambled back, pressing into the cargo straps dangling from the brackets on the interior bulkhead. Her breath came in short gasps.
The brilliant light dimmed. The voice of the glowing blue spirit originated in the radiance and swirled around her. “You’re here to help Arranon. We understand your intent, perceive your purest desires, and have decided to help you.”
“Do you know where the portals are?” Erynn whispered and pulled her knees up under her.
“No. But you’ve seen one.” The air pulsed before her. Pinpoints of silver sparkled at the edge of her vision.
“Yes. The portal of water. I know where that one is. I was there not long ago.”
Memories of three days in the forest not far from Glaskra filled her mind. It was where her friendship with the maejen began and she first encountered the ghostly apparition of her father. This was also where she’d found the jeweled statue and the chamber below, leading to the portal of water. A round, high-ceilinged room with lines of symbols on the walls held a door that opened with the use of her father’s dagger. The exit from the chamber led to the underground river and the waterfall cascading from the pond above. Mysterious and magical incidents had happened to her in that place. She had been transported through the portal, a passageway up through the pond and back to the surface. It seemed like a long time ago and far away.
She glanced at Aven. His chest rose and fell slowly as he slept.
How can he sleep through this?
The glittering moved inward, filling the small space. “No. Another. I speak of the portal of air. I know nothing about the doorway of water you describe.”
Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice Page 13
