The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Vikter, Lance and Hunt all rose to their feet as well, all of them aware that the Davis family was hiding something. While Vikter might have pressed the matter with Michael and Honey, he would not do so in front of Nica, who was now studying her empty cereal bowl with far more interest than it deserved.

  “Thank you for the coffee, Honey,” he said, bowing briefly. “And thank you for the conversation, Nica.”

  The little girl looked up in surprise, then smiled widely, revealing a single missing tooth. “Bye, Mr. Foxes,” she said.

  “Nica, their names are Vulpiran, not Foxes,” Honey corrected her gently.

  “That’s all right, Honey,” Vikter said. “We’ve got an understanding between us, don’t we Nica?”

  Nica nodded quickly, her grin growing wider. Michael bent down to kiss Nica once more, then smiled at Honey. “You two have a good day today,” he said.

  Suddenly, the Vulpirans stiffened for a long moment, then turned and ran out of the house. Honey frowned, wondering what was wrong as she rose from her chair and exchanged looks with Michael. Then she heard a chorus of long, low howls that sent chills down her spine. Before the sound faded she was running after the Vulpirans, Michael right behind her. She ran through the front doorway and stopped beside the Vulpirans, who were standing with their heads back, faces pointed skyward. Honey looked up but saw nothing. She heard another chorus of howls, but before she could ask the Vulpirans what was going on, Jackson and Clark Bearen appeared in front of them out of thin air.

  “Dr. Davis, you are needed,” Jackson said to Honey, his voice taut.

  “What’s going on?” Vikter demanded. “Why are the Lobo male-sets down at the garrison howling to the heavens?”

  “Arima Lobo is in great distress,” Jackson said. “Doc says she is losing the babies, and neither he nor Jareth can stop it.”

  “Take me to her,” Honey said without hesitation.

  “Thank you,” Jackson said with relief. “Rob will bring Hope here soon to care for your daughter, if you have no objections.”

  “That’s fine,” Honey said, glancing at Michael who nodded his agreement. Jackson stepped forward to put his hand on Honey’s shoulder so that he could speed-travel her to the Lobos’ home.

  “I will accompany her,” Vikter said, his tone brooking no argument. Clark stepped forward to place a hand on Vikter’s arm.

  “We will follow,” Lance said. As the last syllable left his mouth he was already transforming into his vulpin. Honey heard Michael’s shocked gasp and Nica’s squeal of delight just before Jackson whisked her away.

  She felt a moment’s disorientation at finding herself inside an unfamiliar living room between one breath and the next. She started to say something when the silent cries of three unborn infants slammed into her mind. She flinched, but turned around and followed the cries that only she could hear. She was nearly running by the time she entered the bedroom where Saige Lobo lay, tears on her cheeks, surrounded by a room full of huge men.

  Honey barely noticed her surroundings or the other people in the room as she hurried to the bed. All of her attention was focused on Saige’s three unborn sons, and their pain.

  “Shhhh little ones,” she said in a soft, crooning voice. “It’s going to be all right.”

  She sensed the infants, three males, strong and well-formed, but too young to leave the safety of the womb at only five months gestation. Along with them she sensed the presence of many others, spirits she thought, working together to support the babies, trying to soothe them. They were in such pain, confused and frightened, wanting to escape the fire that assaulted them in what should have been a place of safety. Honey knew that without the spirits, the worst would have happened long before she arrived.

  “There are others here,” she said, speaking to the room in general, hoping for an answer.

  “Yes,” Faron Lobo replied. “The Eternal Pack of Clan Lobo works to keep our sons from giving up. Saige is their Chosen One. They will not allow her sons to pass to the next plane without a fight.”

  “You are very blessed, Saige Lobo,” Honey said, smiling at Saige in an effort to soothe her. “Let’s see if I can help your Eternal Pack.”

  Honey placed her hands lightly on Saige’s stomach, then reached for the babies again, murmuring softly to them as she examined each of them in turn. They responded to her cool, gentle touch, her soft voice, not really understanding her words, but understanding the meaning of the thoughts she sent as she spoke.

  “Yes, little ones, it will be all right,” Honey said. “You must be strong, like your mother and your fathers. They love you, need you, await your coming with great excitement and anticipation. Do not give up. You must be brave and strong, just for a short while.”

  She lifted her hands from Saige’s body, her face white with fear, and looked around until she spotted Vikter. She reached for him and he took her hand, in awe of what she was doing. All of the Clan Jasani in the room felt her power as she spoke to the infants, their hope cautiously rising.

  “Vikter, I know this might sound crazy, but do you think you can share some of your power with me? I must help these young ones, but I will need much more power than I possess to do it.”

  “You will have all of the power you need,” Faron Lobo said with a brief bow. “This I swear. If you are able to save our sons, we will be forever in your debt.”

  Honey heard, but her eyes never left Vikter’s. Only when he nodded to her did she breathe a sigh of relief and turn back to Saige, her short brown hair sweat dampened, her eyes burning into Honey’s with desperate hope.

  “I want you to relax,” Honey said. “Your tension increases their tension. Can you do that?”

  “Yes,” Saige said in a hoarse whisper. “I will do anything you want me to do.” Honey smiled at her, watching as Saige leaned back against the pillows and began breathing slow and deep. Honey looked up at one of the blue-haired men standing closest to Saige.

  “Would you get a cool cloth for her face, please?” she asked. The man immediately hurried away.

  Honey turned to Vikter again, looking into his eyes for a long moment, searching. She read there his silent promise that he would help her as much as he could. Just then Lance and Hunt burst into the room, and she instantly felt stronger, more certain of what she was about to do. She looked into their eyes as she had Vikter’s and saw the same determination in their eyes. They were all with her, no matter the outcome. Something inside of her relaxed. She turned and placed her hands back on Saige’s stomach.

  “Yes, little ones,” she said softly. “I am here. I am going to sing to you now, and I want you to listen very carefully.” Honey stood quietly for a moment, her head tilted slightly in an attitude of listening. “No, it is not time for that,” she said, her voice gentle and calm, but firm. “If you let go, so shall your brothers. You are eldest, they will follow your lead. You must stand strong for them.”

  The tension in the room went up a notch at Honey’s words, but no one moved. The Lobos, the Dracons, the Bearens, and the Vulpirans all crowded around the bed, silent and still, each one standing ready to feed all of the power and energy they could muster to Vikter the moment he gave a sign that it was needed. Vikter stood behind Honey, one hand on her shoulder, feeding a thread of his own power into her as he felt her energy flow into Saige and her babies.

  “Good boy,” Honey said. “I am proud of you, as are your parents.” Honey paused for a moment and took a long, deep breath. “Now, listen to me, most carefully,” she said. “The pain will pass, but you must listen.”

  Honey began to sing, her voice high and soft, the notes so sweet and gentle it brought tears to the eyes of all of the warriors in the room. Her song was not one of words, but of sounds, yet they all understood that she sang of hope and love, life and beauty. Her voice made them think of lavender skies and puffy white clouds, of the scent of the air after a summer rain, the sweet nectar of flowers in the spring, the kiss of the wind against one’s cheek, the t
aste of sunshine.

  After a few minutes, her voice began to fade and Vikter reached out his free hand. High Prince Garen stepped forward and grasped it, sending his power into Vikter, who sent it into Honey. Her voice strengthened again, though she had not faltered for a moment. Vikter sensed her need for more power and thickened the thread, sending more into her, faster.

  When Honey’s voice grew stronger, the Lobos began singing with her, their voices soft and rich, a backdrop to hers without overpowering her. As they sang, the pale, transparent figures of the Eternal Pack, past leaders of Clan Lobo who watched over their own from the next plane, began to appear around the edges of the room, surprising all of the Clan Jasani. None but Clan Lobo had ever seen the Eternal Pack before. Not everyone even knew of its existence. But here and now, as clan joined with clan in common cause to save these unborn sons of their race, the Eternal Pack set aside old rules and customs. The lives of the sons of Arima Saige Lobo, Chosen of the Eternal Pack, transcended such concerns.

  Vikter was so shocked by the appearance of the Eternal Pack that he barely heard Saige’s soft gasp. All eyes in the room went to Saige at the sound, including Vikter’s, then followed her gaze to Honey’s hands where they rested on Saige, then up her bare arms.

  Vikter gritted his teeth at the sight of the deep, red welts that were appearing on her skin even as he watched. His heart began to race with fear for her, and for one brief moment he considered breaking off, forcing her to stop what she was doing and so save herself the pain he sensed she was experiencing. But he knew that if he did that the babies would be lost, and she would never forgive him. Nor would he forgive himself.

  Honey’s voice began to fade once more, but now everyone understood what was needed. Prince Garen released Vikter’s hand and Faron Lobo took his place without faltering in his singing. Vikter felt a new rush of power and fed it to Honey, watching as the welts on her hands and arms deepened into darker, angrier looking burns. Before long the burns began to spread. Vikter sensed her growing pain, knew the burns were spreading to the rest of her body, but she never slowed, never hesitated, never gave any sign of stopping. Faron was replaced by Jackson Bearen, then Lance, then Trey Dracon and finally, Dav Lobo, and still Honey and the Lobos sang without faltering.

  By then, Vikter had realized he could not continue to watch Honey’s skin burn without going into a blood-rage, so he closed his eyes against the sight. When she stopped singing, and began to speak, his body flooded with such relief that his knees went weak.

  “What brave, strong sons you are,” she said, her voice still calm and gentle after nearly two hours of singing, though quite hoarse. “Rest now. Draw comfort from each other as you sleep. Dream of the day you meet your mother face to face. Know that there will be no more pain.”

  Honey fell silent for a long moment, then raised her hands from Saige’s body. Vikter felt her cut the flow of energy and opened his eyes just in time to catch her as she collapsed in front of him.

  He lifted her into his arms and pulled her close, his heart nearly stopping with fear as he looked at the deep, dark burns that covered every bit of skin that he could see. She looked as though she’d walked into a fire and stood there while her skin blistered and split. He threw his head back but did not howl for fear of frightening the infants she had just risked her life to save. Lance and Hunt began to crowd close, but Prince Dracon stepped forward.

  “Bring her, Vikter, now,” he said.

  Vikter turned, automatically obeying his prince, following him out into the hall, then into another bedroom where Doc and Jareth stood waiting. Hope rising in him, he laid Honey on the bed and carefully slid his arms out from beneath her before stepping back out of the way. He watched as Jareth stepped next to the bed held his hands over Honey’s prone body and closed his eyes.

  A moment later the Lobos, Bearens, Trey and Val Dracon entered the room and stood quietly, watching. With the Lobos came the Eternal Pack, once again appearing around the room.

  “What’s happening?” Vikter asked Prince Garen who stood beside him.

  “Jareth is healing her,” Garen said softly. “She did not heal Saige’s sons so much as she drew their injuries onto herself. Now Jareth will heal her as much as he can. Her burns are quite severe so he will likely require as many as three sessions. He cannot accept our power as Honey did.”

  “Why did he not heal the infants?” Vikter asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

  “Because he can heal only those he can touch,” Garen explained. “He cannot touch the unborn, so he cannot heal them.”

  “If those infants were burned as badly as Honey, it is a miracle they survive at all,” Vikter said softly.

  “That’s true,” Doc said, moving away from the bed to join the conversation. “Remember though, there are three of them, and only one of her. She has triple the injuries that each of them had.”

  “How did they become injured in such a manner?” Vikter asked. “How did they become burned?”

  “Poison,” Doc said grimly. Vikter, Lance and Hunt stared, the breath frozen in their lungs, shocked to the core of their beings.

  “Who would do such a thing?” Vikter asked when he could make his mouth work.

  “That we don’t know, though the Xanti are a good guess,” Garen said.

  “Yesterday, when Honey met Arima Hope, she sensed distress in her daughters,” Doc explained. He told them what had happened with Hope, and about the faint trace of chemical that Jareth found.

  “I searched carefully but could find nothing out of the ordinary,” Doc continued. “Hope’s body regenerated too quickly, so there was nothing left for me to find. Early this morning, Saige began having contractions. Faron called in Jareth right away and he was able to stop them, but he’s not able to examine the infants since he can’t touch them. He had a hunch though, thank the stars. He started looking for something in Saige’s system that shouldn’t be there, and he found what he’d found in Hope yesterday, only a lot more of it.

  “He called me, but by the time I arrived her body had already thrown off the poison. All I knew was that the babies were in extreme distress, and there was nothing I could do. So the Bearens came to get Honey, hoping that she could help.”

  Vikter, Lance and Hunt listened intently to every word Doc said, but their eyes remained on Honey. They began to breathe a little easier as the burns covering her face began to lighten. Then Jareth began to weaken, and they knew that he would not be able to do more until he’d rested.

  Then, one member of the Eternal Pack glided forward and placed a ghostly hand on Jareth’s shoulder. Jareth blinked and looked around. He stared at the apparition, nodded once, then began healing once again.

  It required four more members of the Eternal Pack to feed power to Jareth before Honey was healed, but in that time, no one said a word. They could only watch. When the healing was complete, every warrior in the room bowed solemnly to the Eternal Pack in thanks. They returned the bow, then faded slowly away.

  “For what she has done this day, your Arima will be honored by Clan Jasani for all time,” Garen said to Vikter.

  The Vulpirans tore their eyes from Honey and stared at their Prince in surprise. Garen frowned. “She is your Arima,” he said. “Of this I am certain.”

  “She is,” Vikter said in a low voice. “She is also married.”

  Garen stared, his golden eyes fixed on Vikter’s pale yellow gaze for a long, breathless moment. Then he smiled, a faint turning up of the corners of his mouth. “All will be well, Vikter,” he said. “Your Arima is meant to be with you. I know that it’s not easy for the three of you. But there is a reason for all things, and for all things there is a reason. Be patient.”

  Vikter, Lance, and Hunt raised their fists to their hearts and bowed to their Prince, touched and comforted by his words. “We thank you, Prince Garen,” Vikter said, “and we are honored by your words. We shall follow your advice, and allow time to run its course. If I may, though, how did you know she wa
s our Arima? We have told no one other than the Falcorans, and they have said they would keep the information to themselves.”

  “The Falcorans did not break faith with you,” Garen said. “It was easy enough for all to see when you acted as a conduit to feed our power to her. If she was not your Arima, such a thing would not have been possible.”

  Vikter nodded, accepting Prince Garen’s words, though he had not been aware that such a thing was possible only through their Arima. He knew that Clan Jasani were able to share power with each other, especially between brothers. He’d never heard of such a thing being done with a woman before, though. Perhaps that was why.

  “In that case, I wonder how she knew, or at least believed, that it would work?” he asked.

  “Probably for the same reason you thought it work,” Garen said. “Instinct. Or need. Perhaps both.”

  “She will require much rest,” Jareth said tiredly, his usually white skin now gray with his own exhaustion despite the assistance he’d received. “Perhaps a full day and night. If she is not awake by this time tomorrow, I must be summoned.”

  “She is healed?” Vikter asked.

  “Yes, Consul Vikter, she is fully healed. She needs only to replenish her own energy.”

  “We thank you, Jareth,” Vikter said. “We are in your debt. If ever there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to call on us.”

  “We have no wish to argue who is most in debt,” Faron Lobo said with a wry grin. “Nevertheless, Jareth, please call us if ever you have need.” He turned to Vikter. “I have been asked to tell you that from this moment on, whenever Honey heals an injured infant, she will be able to do so without drawing the injury onto herself.”

  “The Eternal Pack?” Vikter asked. Faron nodded.

  “If it is possible, please thank them for us,” Vikter said. He could not express what it meant to him to know that they would never have to see her go through such an ordeal again, so he didn’t try.