Eye on Orion

by Laura D. Bastian

  When Jai noticed me, he excused himself from the game and came over.

  “What's that all about?” I whispered.

  “What?” he asked, the confusion apparent on his face.

  “You and Ryad being all buddy-buddy. You didn't seem to like him too much before, and now you and he are… are like this.” I crossed my two fingers and then felt stupid that I couldn't figure out the words to explain what their relationship looked like to me.

  “Amira instructed me to be nice to him.”

  I shook my head. “This is more than being nice. You are actually treating him like a person, instead of a criminal.”

  Jai blushed, and I felt a brief flash of irritation through our Bond. “Well, he has sworn a true-oath to Amira. That has helped me see him in a different light.”

  “A true-oath?”

  “Yes. He will serve her and only her until he dies.” He said it with assurance and finality.

  I looked at him blankly and when he noticed my confusion, he explained. “When we swear an oath, we mean it completely, of course. Like my oath to return Amira safely to her father.”

  At his words, I felt a stab of pain deep within. It didn’t originate from me, but it easily could have. I took Jai’s hand and squeezed.

  Jai swallowed hard and then continued. “But a true-oath is even more binding. He will do everything in his power to serve and protect her.”

  “Really? Did he sign his name in blood?” I asked, jabbing him in the ribs, trying to lighten the mood.

  “No.” He smiled at my tone but seemed confused at my reference. “A true-oath doesn't draw blood when you make the oath. It is more like he has pledged his life to her and if he fails, then his life is over. He will be put to death if he betrays her.”

  “Who will put him to death?”

  “I will.”

  “What?” I took my hand out of his.

  Jai looked at me in confusion. Then he glanced over at Ryad who still sat at the table playing a game of solitaire now.

  “I thought your kingdom sounded civilized. You would put him to death?” I whispered, glancing over at Ryad. “You would kill him?” My heart clenched at the thought I was connected to someone who took life this lightly.

  “Yes. He has given his word that he will serve her and support her and not Shander. If he goes back on his word, then he will either be put to death by one of us, or the shame will be so bad he will end his own life.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Why?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Don't you on Earth have capital punishment? You put people to death.”

  “Yes, but only the criminals, and they never agree to it beforehand.” I shook my head at the thought.

  “If he betrayed her, he would be a criminal. And why is that wrong if someone agrees to be punished if they commit a crime? A lot of your criminals would not be as willing to commit crimes if they knew beforehand what the punishment would be and knew it would be carried through. Your justice system is warped because you are afraid of hurting the feelings of someone who has committed a crime. I feel sorry for your victims here.”

  I looked him in the eye. He didn't seem offended by my outburst but genuinely confused that I'd reacted the way I had. I took him by the hand to get a better understanding of what he felt for me at the moment. He was concerned I was upset.

  “I agree there are things wrong in our justice system, but I hate the idea of killing someone. I just wish people wouldn't be so terrible to each other. I never thought about someone I knew being put to death. That was too much for me to wrap my mind around. I sure hope he never goes back on his word.”

  “He won't. Besides the fact he swore a true-oath, he is also falling in love with her.”

  “Really?” I whispered. I didn’t want to ask, but couldn't help myself. “How do you know?”

  “Not a word to her about this.” He brushed my hair back as he whispered, sending pleasant shivers down my arm. “She doesn't know anything, unless she's figured it out for herself. By the way he can't take his eyes off her, I wouldn't doubt she's noticed something’s up. He asked me what I thought about the idea and wanted to know if it would be acceptable to let her know. I advised him to hold off until after they get back home, but told him it's his decision. He would do well to have the approval of the king before he declares himself to her.”

  “Are you sure he isn’t just pretending, to trick you? What if he is still planning on taking her back to Shander?”

  Jai frowned. Another emotion crossed over to me. It wasn’t really anger, but I couldn’t decide for sure what it was. “It is always a possibility.”

  “But you don’t think he’s faking his change of heart?”

  “No. His oath wouldn’t allow it.”

  “Is there some kind of magic involved in this oath that makes it so strong?” I asked. Jai’s expression made me blink.

  “There is no need for magic. Our words have a power of their own.”

  “But here a person’s words don’t mean anything.”

  “That is unfortunate.”

  I nodded. “But you trust him?”

  Jai paused as if thinking for a moment. “Yes.” Though his words spoke assurance, I could tell my questions made him wonder.

  “Then that settles it,” I said, trying to comfort him. “If he is as honorable as you say he is, then Amira will be lucky to have him if she wants.”

  I knew Amira could pick who she married. She wouldn't have to marry anyone if she didn't want to. She could choose for herself. However, the approval of the king would have a lot of sway in her choice.

  “I'm sure the king would approve of Ryad if he'd protected his daughter while she'd spent time on a distant planet. Especially if he'd helped keep Shander from gaining control of the kingdom through a forced marriage,” I said.

  “That's a good point,” he agreed.

  Amira was only seventeen, and Ryad was twenty. She needed time to have fun and grow up. She was just beginning to have a chance to be a teenager. Why the rush to make her grow up and take on those responsibilities of royalty? Why force her to attach herself to someone? I couldn’t understand their culture. They were different in ways, but still similar enough that I kept forgetting where they were from.

  Of course, maybe she would feel differently when she found out he loved her. She'd mentioned to me many times how much she wished she could have someone love her the way Jai loved me.

  My relationship with Jai was confusing. I liked knowing how he felt about me, but at the same time I was concerned about the strength of the Bond we shared. I'd never felt anything like it before, and at times I felt overwhelmed. I wasn't ready for this kind of commitment, but couldn't get out of it. Bonding went way deeper than just deciding you liked someone.

  Jai noticed I'd drifted off into my own thoughts, and I could tell by the emotions I felt from him he was concerned about mine. He leaned in to me and rested his forehead on mine.

  “It is so confusing to feel what you feel, but not know what you are thinking,” he said with a sigh.

  Keeping my emotions to myself was much harder than my thoughts.

  “Tell me about it,” I said. “You do that all the time. You are better at keeping your thoughts completely to yourself, but not so much at the emotions. And I suck at trying to interpret your emotions. When I do, you end up sounding like a whining girl.”

  “Please no. I'd hate to sound like a whiny girl.” He smiled and I returned it.

  “So what do we have planned to do today?”

  “First, I'm going to kiss you.” His expression was serious, but mirth bubbled in his emotions. “I don't think I have my self-control down well enough yet. I am in desperate need of practice.”

  “I suppose I could use some extra practice myself.” I grinned, unable to keep my face serious. He was too tempting.

  He pulled me to him, so we stood face to face. He rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip before nibbling on it. I smiled and pulled my
head back slightly, making him have to follow or lose connection.

  I teased him like that, back and forth until he groaned and held my head gently between his hands.

  We practiced for quite a while, stopping briefly to calm down, and then started over again. Eventually fearing my heart couldn't handle it any longer, I pulled back.

  “Okay.” I breathed heavily. “I think I'd better stop practicing.” I clung to his hand, not wanting to lose contact. “Now, what are the plans for tonight?”

  “Nothing has been set yet. Do you have any suggestions?” he asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the couch.

  I followed him eagerly, plopped down next to him, and snuggled into his side. “Well, I thought since you have a great home theater system in your basement, we could get ourselves a lot of popcorn and watch some old funny movies. You may not get British humor, but I'd really like to see what you think of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail. It's a movie my Dad gave me to expose me to the finer cultures of the world as a joke. It's hilariously stupid.”

  “I'm sure that would be fine.” He nodded then added thoughtfully, “But just to warn you, we don't really understand a lot of what we've seen with you. I find the most enjoyment in observing your response to the movie.”

  “Well, you'll get a big kick out of me this time because I can't stop laughing each time I see it.”

  “It's a date.” He kissed my forehead.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Vision

  Jai held my hand as we snuggled on the couch, watching the movie. He stole a kiss whenever he thought Amira or Ryad weren't watching. We were caught more often than not. Amira grinned like she was pleased, and Ryad looked thoughtful.

  The movie was still hilarious to me. I laughed until my sides hurt, and my cheeks had been aching since the first half hour. Every time I would laugh, Jai could feel the mirth bubble up through me, and he would start laughing too. That would just make me laugh harder.

  Amira asked, “What is so funny, Jai? I can see Holly finding this humorous since she understands the culture, but why do you think it’s funny?”

  After Jai could stop laughing enough to respond he said, “I don't technically think it is funny. I feel her humor, then I start laughing and it builds between the both of us.”

  Each time I laughed, Jai would join me, and Amira and Ryad would start laughing at the two of us. We laughed so much we would have to start holding our sides until they stopped hurting and take deep breaths to get enough air. Eventually I'd calm down until another funny part brought my giggles up again, and the whole process would start all over.

  When the movie stopped and they finished complaining about how abruptly it ended, I was so tired from all the laughing, I laid my head on Jai's shoulder and breathed slowly. I would start giggling again as I thought of the funny scenes, and Jai couldn't help but laugh with me.

  “How about we pick something a little less humorous and extend our evening. You don't have to be home early tonight, do you?” Amira asked me.

  “No, since it’s Saturday my curfew isn't until midnight.”

  Amira put in another movie. I watched out of the corner of my eye how Ryad sat next to Amira for this one. They didn't sit too close together, but they were close enough her shoulder almost touched his. I watched her for a moment and thought she was pleased he decided to sit by her this time. They shared some popcorn and settled into the couch to watch.

  I wasn't familiar with the movie at all, so I watched closely to try to get involved in it. Jai settled in to the side of me. Almost halfway through, I got bored and looked around the room at the others. Jai still watched the movie, but seemed aware I no longer did.

  I looked over at Amira and Ryad and smiled when I saw them both asleep on the couch. The dimmed light revealed his mouth hung open slightly, and it almost sounded like he was ready to start snoring. Amira looked incredibly graceful even as she slept with her head leaning against Ryad's. Her mouth was closed and smooth, but the small creases around her eyes never fully went away.

  I turned back to the movie and hoped she wasn't too overwhelmed and stressed about her whole situation. She handled it remarkably well, but who knew what she actually thought about it all. She'd been careful to not let any stray thoughts escape to be heard by us.

  Jai pulled me closer as I focused my attention back on the movie. He leaned toward me, and I knew he wanted to kiss me before his lips got anywhere near mine. We enjoyed a nice lingering kiss and worked on keeping our emotions under control. We were getting much better at it. We weren't perfect yet, but I enjoyed the practice. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. I felt his contentment and sent him a response of mine.

  Ryad and Amira both began to stir and grumble in their sleep. I looked at them, the movie forgotten in the background, and Jai and I got more and more concerned. We could tell they were both seeing something that disturbed them, but we couldn't wake them from the Vision in case they needed to get all the information they could.

  Jai used the intercom on the wall to tell Delilah and Marshal to come join us.

  “Do you think they are seeing the same thing?” I thought to him.

  “Since they are twitching at the same time, I would guess they are.”

  When Delilah and Marshal got to the bottom of the stairs, Jai said, “We think they are having a Vision of something. We wanted to let you be here for the information when they awake.”

  They turned the dimmed lights up in the room and came to sit on the couch with us while we waited.

  I feared this might be the signal they waited for. My happy little pretend normalness was about to be shattered when they awoke. Shander must have made a move that would cause them to leave. Jai felt my concern and hugged me closer, trying to reassure me that everything would work out for the best.

  I watched Amira and Ryad closely, and when they started reaching together — Amira with her left hand and Ryad with his right — I wondered what she saw. Ryad must have been assimilating Amira’s talent. She turned her head sharply to the left, and Ryad turned his head to the right. The movement caused them to shift closer against each other and the jarring of their shoulders hitting caused them to wake up startled.

  They both sat upright and said together, “He has come.”

  When they said the words aloud, a heavy cloud of despair fell upon me. I'd only had Jai in my life for less than a month. Now he would have to leave to protect his princess, and I might never see him again. I tried to fight the tears that threatened to come and focused my attention on what came from Jai.

  He responded in a way I didn't expect. He seemed relieved the moment had finally come. Like he'd been waiting to face it head on. I wanted it to stay away forever, but he wanted to get it over with. He wanted to move on with his life. I admired that in him, but at the same time I still worried.

  He felt sure things would work out for the best and was ready to let things fall as they may. I worried about it not working out the way I wanted it to. I didn't want it to come at all. My time in limbo had been heaven.

  “What did you see?” Jai asked, leaning forward as he sat on the edge of the couch.

  Speaking together, Amira and Ryad began, “Shander has discovered the other Traveling medallions.”

  Amira looked over at Ryad with her eyebrows raised.

  “My apologies, Princess,” Ryad said with a slight bow as he slid away from her.

  Amira began again. “Shander has the other Traveling medallions. He has forced my father to reveal his plans for our return and has taken both of them. It seems he thinks he can bring both of them and Travel multiple times. He is here on Earth and has found Ramal. He tortured Ramal, trying to find our location.” She shook her head and swallowed before continuing. “Ramal didn't give him any answers.”

  Amira turned to Jai with tears in her eyes, “Ramal is in terrible shape. He may not recover without Healing.”

  Jai clenched his fists and looked frustrated. I could fee
l conflicting urges pass over him.

  She beckoned Jai to come sit on the coffee table in front of her. “Shander has taken Ramal's cellular phone, and his Traveling medallion and has left him to die. He has the intention of finding us through our phone number. The kingdom is in a panic because my father is so ill, and I'm not there. Shander has changed the workings of the kingdom, and the people are getting worried. The Grand Council has called a meeting in his absence. I think it would be best for us to leave as soon as we can. But my concern is Ramal will die if you don't go to him.”

  “But if I do, I cannot protect you and return you to your father.” He slid off the table and knelt in front of her then bowed his head as if he felt like he had failed her.

  “I would be honored to return the princess safely to Rommader and to her father. I will protect her with my life,” Ryad told Jai.

  Jai looked at Ryad and then at me. We didn’t need to speak our thoughts. I knew he wondered if my doubts of Ryad’s change of loyalty had any truth to them. Jai turned back to Amira. “I can’t allow you to go with him. I must return you to your father.” Jai’s voice was so low I wasn’t sure if I heard him.

  “I won’t be alone. Delilah and Marshal will be with me,” Amira said.

  Marshal stepped forward. “I won’t let anything happen to her. I will make sure she is in her father’s protection first thing.”

  Amira nodded and lifted Jai’s head to look at him. “You have to Heal Ramal.”

  Jai sighed. “If I Travel to Scotland to Heal Ramal, I can never return home to protect you. My medallion would be used up.”

  Amira looked over at me as she answered Jai. “I could never ask you to leave Holly and return home with me.” She reached to touch his cheek softly. “It would be worse than torture for you. And no one knows what would happen if you were to be separated that far. Your connection is more than just love. You must stay here with her for both your sakes. I will not be the one to ask you to bear that kind of pain. Ramal is one of my father’s most trusted friends, and I will do what I can to help him since he has given so much to protect me. You are released from the oath you gave my father.” She touched Jai on the head, and he visibly relaxed as if a weight had been removed from him.