Salene's Secrets

by Laura Jo Phillips

Salene’s eyes widened. “I’d forgotten all about that,” she said, one hand going to her shoulder as a vague memory of them telling her about it over breakfast the morning they were abducted rose in her mind.

  “You said that you had something you wanted to talk about,” Talus said, his eyes going briefly to the unfamiliar stone on her forehead, and the scar.

  Since there were several things that fit into that category, Salene took a few moments to consider which one to begin with. She hadn’t missed Talus looking at the stone she wore, or the scar. He already knew about the scar since she’d told them about it when they were still on the Armadura, and she wasn’t ready to discuss the stone just yet. So she addressed the most immediate problem by giving them a condensed version of finding Tonka and the children the previous morning after the raid on the settlement, and what Tonka had told her about the Nomen and the Doftles.

  “So, you want to go to this silo…why?” Talus asked when she was finished.

  “Mostly because of the innocent people who’ve been kidnapped from their home worlds to maintain the silos. And also because the silo is filled with the Doftles’ creations. Clones, humanoids, animals, constructs, hybrids, whatever you want to call them. And because some of those hybrids have human heads, including some that look enough like me that Tonka recognized me.”

  A low growling noise filled the cave. Tonka leapt to his feet, his head down, icy green eyes fixed on the Gryphons as he considered the best method of getting on the other side of the fire so that he could put himself in between them, and Salene and the children. “It’s all right, Tonka,” Salene said. Tonka’s eyes met hers for a long moment. Then he turned his gaze back to the Gryphons, not completely convinced that they were safe.

  “We apologize, Tonka,” Kar said. “Our alter form is part of our nature, and sometimes it responds in ways that our human forms would not. Our anger is not directed at Salene, you, Jinjie, or the children, nor would we physically express that anger in a way that would endanger any of you.”

  Tonka dipped his head slowly in acknowledgement, then laid back down, his eyes still on the Gryphons, but with less intensity. “Since you are upset already, I suppose it’s a good time to tell you that you three carry the scent of the Nomen.”

  “That must be from the Controllers,” Jon said with a grimace of distaste.

  “How could the Controllers be scented?” Salene asked, frowning.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied. “I remember reading a report, years ago, submitted by the Katre Consuls. Arima Summer mentioned that the Brethren male, Winicke, could tell by scent whether or not someone had a Controller, and whether or not it was active.”

  “That’s right, I’d forgotten about that,” Salene said.

  “What’s your plan?” Talus asked. “Do you have one yet?”

  “Nothing fancy but, yes, we do,” Salene said.

  “All right, tell us what it is, and we’ll help.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Salene said. “I think you three need to return to Jasan as soon as possible and have your Controllers dealt with. Jinjie and I will stay here and help Tonka. My biggest concern is the children. If you’ll promise to have at least one male-set on the Aegl make sure you shift every day, I’d like to ask that you take Mali and Tab back to Jasan with you. Rayne and her Rami will care for them until my parents return from the LMC, or until I return, whichever happens first. They’re extremely important to me, and I want them off of this planet and out of danger.”

  Talus, Jon, and Kar shifted their gazes to the children. They’d noticed them of course, but most of their attention had been on Salene and Tonka. After taking in the children’s small size, thin frames, rough clothing, and the wary expressions on their faces and in their eyes, they thought they understood. Salene had a soft heart for those in need, and these two children certainly fit into that category. They looked at each other and shrugged. It was in their nature to protect all women and children, so it would be no hardship to make a point of watching out for these two.

  “We are honored that you’d trust us with the care and protection of the children, Salene, and the promise you ask for is freely given,” Talus said. “But we are not going to leave you on this world to fight without us at your side.” He looked past Salene to where Jinjie sat on his log. “Jinjie, how certain are you that we can keep the Controllers from taking over if we shift regularly?”

  “Me do be certain completely.”

  “Thank you,” Talus said, dipping his head. Then he looked back to Salene. “We’ll make sure that the children are safe and cared for, and we’ll bring a few dozen of our men from the Aegl to help free those held in the silo. But, we will go with you, Salene. That is not negotiable so please do not ask it of us.”

  For Tonka’s sake, as well as the prisoners, Salene could not turn down Talus’s offer. But there was one question she needed an answer to. “Why do you want to do this? Is it just because it’s what I want to do?”

  “In part, yes,” Talus replied honestly. “But there are other reasons, too.”

  “Which are?”

  “After weeks of useless struggle against the Controllers, we had only a few moments remaining to us before we knew we’d never be close enough to anyone who could help us again,” Talus said. “At the last minute Tani and Steel showed up. If not for their actions, we would be forever lost. In their honor we will help free the people being held here by the those who’d held their people captive not so long ago.

  “In addition, we admire, support, and share your desire to help those in need for no other reason than that they need it. We ask that you allow us to guard your back, and help you in this cause with the men and weapons we have at our disposal.”

  “You’re certain you wish to do this?” Salene asked, squashing the wave of relief that tried to overwhelm her.

  “Positive.” He leaned toward her, his eyes fixed steadily on hers. “Most importantly, all Doftles, Nomen, Controllers, clones, creatures, and hybrids aside, you are ours to love, honor, and protect, Salene Dracon. We will never turn away from you of our own free will.”

  Salene sucked in a deep breath that caught in her throat as she fought to control the sudden rise of emotion. She wanted to cry, and laugh, and throw herself into their arms and beg them to never let her go again. But she held herself back. There was still one more thing they had to know. Well, there’s more than one, she admitted silently. A lot more. But this was something they had to know now, before committing themselves any further.

  She glanced at Jinjie, who somehow understood her silent question. He gave her an encouraging nod, so she turned to face her men. She opened her mouth, but she was suddenly so scared that no sound came out.

  What if they didn’t understand? What if they insisted she break the power bond she had with Wolef? What if they decided a relationship with her was too much trouble after all? What if they didn’t want the children?

  She looked over at Mali and Tab, who were both watching her in silence, their gray eyes sad, as though they already knew they’d never come first with her, or anyone else. She lifted her chin. Her men meant the world to her and she loved them with all of her heart and soul despite their lack of passion for her. But these two children meant just as much. How that was possible in so short a time she neither knew, nor cared. It just was. She wanted the Gryphons to understand and accept the things she’d done, the decisions she’d made, and the changes she’d undergone over the past several weeks. But this time, unlike before, she knew that she could go on without them if she had to. She had a purpose now, but it wasn’t the power bond, or Wolef, or the Doftles like she’d thought. It was Mali and Tab. They needed her. And she needed them, too.

  She smiled at the children, her heart aching at the surprise on their little faces. Then she looked back at the Gryphons with determination in her eyes instead of fear. “There is something you must know before you are fully committed to this endeavor.”

  Talus frowned, but di
pped his head in a slow nod of acceptance. He’d seen her fear, and had seen her make a decision of some sort. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. There was nothing that would ever induce him or his brothers to leave this or any other world without her.

  “When you were in the infirmary on the Armadura, I told you about Wolef. Do you remember?”

  Talus frowned, then looked at his brothers questioningly. They both shook their heads. “I’m sorry, Salene, but no, we don’t remember. Who is he?”

  “Wolef was a golden dragon held captive by the Doftles for five hundred years,” she said. “The Doftles mutilated him so horrifically that he couldn’t even open his eyes, though his mind remained intact. He was able to communicate with others in much the same way that Tonka does.

  “It was Wolef who sent Rayne back in time one year, saving her life, and by extension, your lives as well as many others. By his own choice Wolef perished when the space station he was on was destroyed, freeing him from the prison his flesh had become.”

  Jinjie sniffed, and everyone looked at him, then away just as quickly, giving him the only measure of privacy they could. “Jinjie and Wolef were fellow prisoners of the Doftle for several centuries,” Salene said softly. The Gryphons held their fists to their hearts and bowed their heads. Jinjie bowed his head in acknowledgment and reached for the cup of cold tea in front of him.

  “A couple of days after the last time the four of us spoke on the Armadura, Wolef came to me in spirit form.” She paused, looking at them meaningfully, then glanced quickly at the children before looking back with an arched brow. Talus nodded, indicating that he knew exactly which conversation she was talking about. Salene returned the nod, then continued. “He’d been invited to act as Spirit Guide to Rayne. He knew that Rayne wanted nothing more than to settle down with her Rami, have her babies, and live in peace, and he wanted that for her, but he also knew that neither of them had any choice in the matter. The only way around it was for him to form a power bond with another person, thereby rendering himself unsuitable to be Rayne’s Spirit Guide. He asked me to be that person. I requested time to think about it even though I’d already realized by then that there was no longer any real purpose to my life.”

  “No purpose to your life?” Kar asked, stunned by the imagery those calmly spoken words created in his mind. They all understood that Salene had been hurt. But until that moment, he hadn’t truly appreciated how deeply hurt she’d been or, perhaps more importantly, how the sudden loss of their relationship had impacted her life. He looked up at Talus, then Jon, and knew that they’d had the same revelation. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe around the pain in his throat.

  Salene didn’t…couldn’t…respond to Kar’s question. If she did, she’d break down completely, and she was not doing that in front of Mali and Tab.

  “What did you do?” Jon asked hoarsely.

  “I thought about it for a couple of weeks, and then I accepted Wolef’s offer.”

  “He gave you his powers?” Talus asked, unable to imagine how such a thing was even possible.

  “Yes,” Salene replied. “I am power bonded to Wolef the golden dragon, and will remain so until I return his powers to him.”

  “I see,” Talus said, relieved. “It’s good to know that you can return the powers whenever you want.”

  “I can, and yet I can’t.” The Gryphons tensed, and for the first time she felt a twinge of guilt over her decision. But it was far too late to change things now. “I promised Wolef that I would use his powers in the fight against the Doftles, and that I would see it through to the end. Even if I were to learn right this moment that Rayne’s life would not be interfered with, I wouldn’t break that promise.”

  A ball of golden light suddenly appeared a few feet above the fire, startling everyone. Mali jumped up, grabbed little Tab and flung herself at Salene, who immediately wrapped her arms around both children and held them close.

  “Shhh,” she whispered to Mali who was shaking like a leaf in a high wind. “It’s all right, honey. It’s just Wolef come to visit. He would never harm you, even if he could.”

  Mali nodded, but she continued to tremble. Salene understood that the ghostly specter of the dragon was just one too many new and unexpected things for Mali to take. She was mature far beyond her years, but she was still just an eight year old little girl who’d lived a very bleak and lonely life. “I’ve got you, and I’ll never let you go,” Salene said softly. “You’re both safe, I promise.”

  Talus, Jon, and Kar watched Salene and the children in frank surprise, wondering how they’d missed the connection between the three of them. It couldn’t have been more obvious if there’d been glowing ropes tying the three of them together. Talus was particularly annoyed with himself. Salene had told them in plain words how she felt about the children, but they’d been so focused on their own concerns that they’d practically dismissed the subject, and her feelings. There was no excuse for that.

  “I do apologize, Princess Salene,” Wolef said. “I did not intend to frighten the children. That was careless of me.”

  Salene felt Mali relax when she heard the apology, and bent to kiss the top of her head. “It’s all right Wolef. I know it wasn’t intentional. The children have been through a lot over the past twenty four hours, that’s all.”

  “They certainly have,” Wolef agreed. “So, these are your Gryphons?”

  “Yes, this is Talus, Jonus, and Karius Gryphon,” she said, most of her attention still on the children in her arms. “You know Jinjie, of course, and this is Tonka of the Brun.”

  “It is our honor to meet you, Wolef,” Talus said as all three of them bowed their heads. “On behalf of all Klanaren we offer thanks for all you’ve done for our treasured Princesses, Rayne and Salene, and by extension, ourselves as well as so many others.”

  Wolef dipped his head in acceptance. “You are welcome, if course, though most of the credit must go to Princess Rayne.” He narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied the three men for a long moment. “Some of the Doftles’ devices are even more insidious than what you suffered, as difficult as that may be for you to believe at the moment. Take great care, young Gryphons. Do not give those things another toe-hold or it may not turn out so well for you, or those around you, a second time.”

  “Your warning is understood and appreciated, Wolef,” Talus said. “I assure you, we will be exceedingly careful.”

  Wolef nodded, then turned his eyes to Tonka. “It is my great pleasure to meet you, Tonka of the Brun. I’d heard talk of the Doftle’s sentient guard wolves in years past, but I am extremely pleased to find that my imaginings of your kind could not have been more wrong. You are a worthy companion to Princess Salene.”

  “I thank you for your kind words, Wolef, and hope only that I’m able to live up to them.”

  Wolef dipped his head again, then turned his attention to Jinjie. “It’s always good to see you, my friend. I cannot tell you how pleased I am to find your power restored to you at long last. Do not allow the Doftles to get their hands on you again.”

  “If little blue thugs do be put hand on, do be find surprise,” Jinjie said. “Me do be no longer teekla cub.”

  “That’s certainly true,” Wolef said with a knowing smile. Then he turned his attention to Salene. “Greetings, Highness.”

  “Greetings, Wolef,” she replied. “Eavesdropping, were you?”

  “As I told you before we made our bargain, Salene, I will not steal your life from you as the Doftles stole mine from me,” he said without answering her question. “Now that your Gryphons are returned to you, I will not hold you to your oath. You may pass the power back to me, and I will find another.”

  Salene looked at the Gryphons, then down at the children in her arms. “Wolef, your offer is both kind and generous, and I appreciate it. But what these children have gone through is an abomination. What Rayne went through, what you went through, what Jinjie suffered, and Tonka, along with all the other Brun of this world,
what the Gryphons went through and must still struggle with, it’s all an abomination. So many have suffered, and so many more will suffer for as long as the Doftles are allowed to continue unchecked and unchallenged. I could never look at myself in the mirror again if I were to take what makes me happy and turn my back on the rest. I made an oath to you, and to myself. I will not break it.”

  After she spoke a heavy silence fell. She took a deep breath and looked up at the Gryphons. She was surprised to see pride shining in their eyes where she’d expected anger or at the least, disappointment. She looked at Tonka, then Jinjie, and saw the same expressions in their eyes as well.

  “I honor you, and your commitment, Salene,” Wolef said. “But you must understand that as long as our power bond is in place, you will not be able to soul-link.”

  “I understood that before I accepted the power bond, Wolef,” she said, not quite daring to look at the Gryphons again.

  “Jasan must be extraordinarily proud of their princesses,” Wolef said after a long silence. “If they are not, they should be.”

  “We are,” Talus, Jon, and Kar responded all at once.

  “Good,” Wolef said shortly. “I cannot pretend that I’m disappointed with your decision to continue on as you’ve begun, Highness. But never forget that the choice is yours. You may stop at any time, and I will never think less of you for it.”

  “Thank you, Wolef.”

  Wolef nodded one last time, then slowly faded away. The children relaxed and after a few moments, Mali shifted. Salene immediately released her hold so she could stand up with Tab still in her arms.

  “I’m sorry,” she began, but Salene reached up and placed a gentle finger on her lips.

  “Please don’t be sorry,” she said softly. “You may come to me at any time, for any reason. Never forget that. All right?”

  “Thank you,” Mali whispered. She set Tab on his feet and led him back to their place. Once they were settled Salene gave them each a vanilla flavored nutrient bar to ensure they got all of the vitamins and nutrients they needed after having only stew for two meals running. While they were busily unwrapping them, she turned to face the Gryphons.