“I will explain,” Faron said. “Do you want the full version, or a shortened one?”
“More is usually better,” Saige replied. “Give me what you got.”
“Very well,” Faron said with a smile. “Just over three thousand years ago an event occurred which destroyed the home planet of our people. We did not have technology as we do today, but we did have what you would call magic. Much of what is possible today with machines, we did with our ability to control the elements earth, air, fire and water.
“Magic?” Saige interrupted. “Are you saying that your ancestors used magic?”
“Yes, they did, as do all Jasani males now,” Faron replied.
“You guys can do magic?” she asked in surprise.
“We do not have the strong magic that our ancestors once had, but yes, we are all born with the ability to control the elements to some degree,” Faron said.
“Wow, can you show me something?” Saige asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
Faron smiled and held out one hand, palm up. A moment later a flame flickered brightly above his skin.
“Doesn’t that burn you?” she asked.
“No, as it is magical fire that I conjured myself, it does not burn me,” Faron assured her. “We can be burned by natural fire as easily as anyone else. If it is small enough, we can control it, or put it out, or even start a fire if we wish. If it is a very large fire, there is not much we can do against it with our current level of magic.”
“What else can you do?” Saige asked.
“We are strongest in Fire and Earth,” Faron said. “We have some small ability in Water, enough to tell the severity of one’s illness or injury, but not enough to heal even small hurts. Nor do we have much strength in Air. Enough to create a small shield if necessary, but no more than that.”
“Well, if you will promise to show me more later, I will let you get on with your story,” Saige said with a grin.
“We will show you more later,” Faron agreed. He had to force himself to look away from Saige’s bright eyes and smile to remember where he was in his story.
“When it was known that Ugaztun, our native planet, was going to be destroyed, there was just enough time to create some escape pods. These pods were sent out in hopes that a few would find hospitable worlds to land on, so that our race would not perish from the universe.
“Several pods landed here, on this planet that the survivors named Jasan. However, all of the survivors were male. There were no Jasani females. Some of the older males had strong magic still, and they were able to travel to a distant world, Earth, and convince some human women to make the journey here. But there were not very many of them, and it was soon discovered that they could bear only male children. Eventually, the journey could no longer be made. It was about a thousand years before we were once again able to travel the stars. Since then we have searched endlessly, but have never found any sign of others of our race, male or female.”
“A thousand years? With only males and a few human women?” Saige asked, her brows raised.
“We are not human Saige,” Faron said, “nor do we age as humans do.”
“Oh, okay,” Saige replied easily. “Please go on.”
Faron smiled, enjoying Saige’s accepting manner. As she had told them, she did appear to have an open mind.
“As I said, we could have only male children with human women. Also, no matter how many generations removed we become from our original Jasani ancestors, our DNA never changes. Though we have human mothers, we do not have human DNA. So the problem of only male children with human women persists.”
“That's why you are always in need of women,” Saige said.
“Yes, it is an unending need for us, and without Jasani females to give us female children, we have been unable to change that. However, on the day the first pods landed on Jasan three thousand years ago, a prophecy was spoken which promised an Arima to the Jasani Princes. That Arima was Lariah.”
“There is that word again, arima. What does it mean exactly?”
“The literal translation for arima is soul,” Faron replied. “An Arima is a Jasani female who has the ability to link together her soul with those of her three men, or as we say, her male-set. Once they are soul-linked, the males’ souls are complete in a way they can never be without their Arima.”
“Complete how?” Saige asked.
“Jasani babies are always born in sets of three. Triplets. Either males or females, but never both at the same time. Each set of male Jasani triplets, what we call a male-set, share one soul divided between them. The three parts of their soul can never be whole until their intended mate, their Arima, the one woman in all the universe meant specifically for them, links them all together. Once the four of them are soul-linked, it becomes possible for the Arima to bear female children. It also increases the natural magical ability of the male-set by a thousand-fold.”
“But Lariah is human, not Jasani,” Saige pointed out. “Even if I’m wrong about Lariah, I know for a fact that I am all too human.”
“In Lariah’s case, we now know for truth that she is a direct descendant of the eldest member of our race, Eldar Hamat,” Faron explained. “We know that at least one escape pod landed on Earth three thousand years ago, and that the pod carried the Eldar’s Arima and young daughters. Riata, an Alverian Healer, was able to discern a clear familial connection between Lariah and Eldar Hamat in their genetic code.”
“I see,” Saige said. “So you think that I am also a descendent of this Eldar?”
“Not necessarily,” Faron replied. “We estimate that there were as many as 500 women and children on that escape pod. It is possible that you are a descendant of any one of them. Or perhaps you have a genetic fluke. Or, it is also possible that you do not have a genetic anomaly as Lariah had, and there is some other reason why the fates have chosen you to be our Arima.”
“Are you certain that you have not made a mistake?” Saige asked. She could easily understand and believe that Lariah Daniels was the answer to an age-old prophecy. Lariah was beautiful and kind and special. But she herself was none of those things. She was just an ordinary person. Not special at all.
“No, we have not made a mistake Saige,” Faron said. “Certain physiological responses occur when a male scents his Arima. Responses that do not naturally occur for any other reason.”
“Did you say when a male scents his Arima?” Saige asked suspiciously.
Now they were to the part that usually sent human women racing for the spaceport and the quickest off-planet shuttle they could find. Faron glanced at Dav, and again met Ban’s gaze in the rearview mirror. They looked as worried as he felt, but there was no help for it. They could not lie to her, no matter how worried they were about her reaction.
“Yes, Saige, I did say scent. Again, we are not human. We are shifters, as all Clan Jasani are,” he said, trying to sound causal when his entire being was tensed for her reaction.
“Shifters?” Saige repeated. “What does that mean? Do you guys turn into something different during the full moon?”
Faron allowed himself a tiny bit of hope. Asking questions was better than screaming.
“Not during a full moon necessarily,” Dav replied.
“We shift into an animal we call loboenca,” Faron said. “It is much like an Earth canine called wolf. Lariah has told us that our markings are much like an Earth animal called zebra, though we are not familiar with that animal.”
Saige felt a small thrill run through her as she tried to imagine what it would be like to change her physical form whenever she wanted to. She thought it would be wonderful and exciting. “That’s the coolest thing I have ever heard,” she said with a grin.
Dav and Faron looked at her in concern. “You are cold?” Ban asked, from the front seat.
Saige laughed softly. “No, I am not cold. It is an old Earth slang word that I picked up watching ancient entertainment vids.”
They stared at her for another moment, then
shrugged at the same time. “So long as you are comfortable,” Dav said.
“It means I like it,” Saige explained. “I think it’s exciting and different. I like different.”
Something deep inside of Faron relaxed.
“Can you show me now?” Saige asked, her eyes again shining with excitement.
“I am afraid that our alter forms are far too large to fit into this vehicle,” Faron said, enjoying her reaction.
“Really?” she said again, her eyes widening. “How big?”
“About twice as high as you are tall,” Dav said.
“Wow, I can hardly wait to see that! Please promise that you will show me as soon as we get wherever we’re going,” Saige pleaded, her smile so big that Faron noticed for the first time that she had two cute little dimples in her cheeks.
“Of course we will,” he said at once, certain that he would never be able to deny her anything so long as she smiled like that.
“I can hardly wait!” She was all but bouncing up and down in her seat she was so excited. Dav and Faron were having fun just watching her. Even Ban was taking quick looks over his shoulder at her as he drove. They were all smiling and chuckling along with her, her happiness was so contagious.
Without warning, Saige froze. For a long moment she didn't move or even seem to breathe. She lowered her head, placed her hands in her lap, and began breathing in and out, slow and deep. Faron asked her if she was all right but she did not respond, and he remembered she had done the same thing when they had entered Jackson's office. Dav and Ban both frowned, Dav leaning forward as though to reach for her, but Faron held up a hand to stop him. He shook his head, wanting Saige left alone for the moment. She was obviously concentrating, almost meditating, as she focused intently on what appeared to be a relaxation technique. Several minutes later she took a long, deep breath and blew it out.
When she raised her eyes again she looked exhausted. As much as Faron wanted to understand what had just happened, he sensed now was not the right time for it.
“I think you should lie down and rest now,” he suggested. She only nodded her head wearily and started to lie down on the seat. Faron reached over and pulled her into his lap, frowning at how limp her body felt. Dav opened the compartment beneath the seat and pulled out a couple of blankets and quickly spread one over the seat. Faron laid her down on top of the blanket and reached down for the pillow, tucking it beneath her head as Dav spread another blanket over her.
“Thanks guys,” she said softly, her eyes already closing. “I'm sorry, just a little tired.”
“There is no need for apologies,” Faron said softly. “Sleep now. We will finish our talk another time.” Faron ran his fingers through her short, silky hair as he studied her carefully. Her breathing seemed fine, though her color seemed too pale. She did not have a fever or any other sign of illness that he could detect.
He shook his head, again wishing he could kick himself. The woman had been through hell over the past few days, had only just been rescued from a small box a few hours earlier for star's sake. And he was wondering why she was tired? Fool.
He tucked the blanket carefully beneath her chin, and bent down to kiss her lightly on the forehead. “Sleep easy beautiful one,” he whispered. “We will watch over you.”
Chapter 7
Captain Graey checked the time again. The past two hours had dragged by unendingly. He stood up and began pacing back and forth across his stateroom, idly wondering if the carpet would need replacing by the time this bloody trip was over.
While he paced, he went over the Lobo’s visit in his mind. He thought perhaps he’d pulled off the bumbling idiot captain act, but he wasn’t sure. Those Lobos were sharp, and that bit he’d done when asked about his refusal to return the ship to Jasan had been pure spur of the moment panic on his part.
Lucky for him that they’d gotten distracted by something in that first woman’s compartment. Otherwise he had no doubt they would have seen right through him. Even so, he had a feeling that once they had time to think it over, they’d be looking at him more closely.
One thing he found puzzling was that the Lobos had obviously not scented the Xanti in either of the compartments they had checked. He knew for a fact that the Xanti had been in both compartments. Because of that, he had briefly considered showing the Lobos the wrong compartments. In the end he had not dared. While he was relieved that they had not scented the Xanti, he did not understand how it was possible and that worried him.
He abruptly decided that it was time to quit gambling. If he did that, he had more than enough money to live in comfort. This would be his last trip. When he got back to Earth, he’d put in for retirement and find some nice, quiet planet to live out his days on. And it for damn sure wouldn’t be Jasan.
But first, he had to make that bloody call. He didn’t want to do it, but he knew that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have to worry about either his retirement or his bank balance. A fool might believe that there was no way for the Xanti to learn about the call the Lobos had made from his vid terminal. But Certus was no fool. He only acted like one when it suited him. Somehow, someway, the Xanti always found out everything. If he delayed making the call even by a few minutes after it was safe to do so, there would be hell to pay.
He checked his watch again and realized with a start that at last the time had come. He sat down at his desk and took a deep, calming breath. Then he reached out with trembling fingers and typed in the code he’d memorized two years earlier, but hoped he’d never have to use. The sight of Za-Queg’s image filling his vid screen made cold sweat break out on his forehead. But this time he did not reach for his handkerchief to mop it off. Instead, he opened his mouth and repeated every word of the conversation he had listened to between the Lobos and the Bearens.
“Willy, you awake?” Frank whispered as softly as he could.
“Yes,” Willy replied just as softly. “Where are we?”
“We’re in the trunk of a damn ground-car on our way to hell,” Frank replied morosely.
“What does that mean?” Willy demanded, his voice not quite as soft as it had been before.
“It means that Lucky is dead and we are on our way to see the High Prince of Jasan.”
Willy absorbed that for a few moments. “Any ideas on how to get out of here?” he asked hopefully.
Frank rolled his eyes. He was not an idea man, and Willy damn well knew it. He didn’t even bother to respond.
There was a long silence broken only by the occasional sound of a ground-car whooshing by. “I wonder if there’s a catch inside this trunk,” Willy whispered. Frank thought about that. Not a bad idea, he thought, but Willy was the one nearest the end so he’d have to check. He quietly told him so.
“Oh, yeah,” Willy said. Frank rolled his eyes again. And everyone thought he was dumb.
Willy fumbled around for a while but evidently didn’t find anything as the trunk did not suddenly fly open. That was a thought that Frank spent a few moments on. What if the trunk did fly open? What were they going to do? Leap out of a speeding ground-car? He shook his head.
“I think there’s bugs in this trunk,” Willy whispered. Frank heard the man shifting around and grunting.
“Why do you say that?” he asked as he felt a small burning sensation in his shoulder.
“Feels like something bit me on the shoulder,” Willy replied, his voice no longer a whisper. “Burns like hell,” he added.
The burning sensation on Frank’s shoulder grew worse. “I guess I got bit too,” he said as he tried to rub his shoulder against the floor of the trunk in an effort to ease the burning. “What the hell kind of bug burns when it bites?” he asked.
“Why ask me?” Willy snapped. “Do I look like a bug expert or something?”
Frank heard Willy shift around some more.
“Damn it hurts,” he said, not even bothering to keep his voice low now. Frank’s shoulder had begun to burn enough that he was no longer listening to Willy a
nyway. The burn seemed to be spreading, getting larger and larger until he felt as though his entire back was on fire.
“What the hell?” he thought as he tried to rub his back against the floor again. Is there some sort of poison bug on Jasan that burns you up when it bites? he wondered.
“Damn!” Willy yelled suddenly, startling Frank so much that he tried to sit up and banged his head against the trunk lid.
He shook his head once, then forgot about the pain in his head as the burn in his back seemed to double, then triple. He opened his mouth to scream, but Willy beat him to it, emitting a long high-pitched squeal. Frank thought briefly that Willy sounded like a pig. Then Frank began screaming right along with Willy, and never thought another thought again.
Chapter 8
Faron heard the voices in the trunk and did not, at first, concern himself with them. The voices quickly grew louder, and then became yells. At the same moment that the yells became screams, Faron caught a faint whiff of burning flesh. Without even thinking about it he threw himself full length across Saige's sleeping body and held tightly to the seat beneath them. A split second later the trunk of the ground-car exploded into flame, tossing the ground-car into the air where it flipped over twice before landing upright at the edge of the road with a spine jarring crash.
Faron scooped Saige into his arms and kicked at the side door with all of his formidable strength. The door flew off with a harsh screech of tearing metal. Faron leapt out and ran several yards away before pausing to lay Saige carefully on the cool grass a short distance from the burning ground-car. He spent one precious moment checking to be sure she breathed and was not bleeding or otherwise in immediate need of attention before turning back to the ground-car for his brothers.
The ground-car was nearly engulfed in flame by the time he reached it, but he entered it anyway and snatched up Dav’s broken and unconscious body before leaping out once more. He laid Dav down near Saige and returned to the burning vehicle for Ban.
Ban was conscious, but trapped between the seat and the steering wheel and injured too badly to muster the strength to free himself. Faron did a partial shift into his loboenca and jumped over the burning car. The moment his feet touched the ground on the driver’s side he was already grabbing for the door handle. He pulled the door open and reached through the flames separating himself from his youngest brother. Grasping the steering wheel with both hands, he jerked hard, wrenching it free. He tossed it aside and reached back through the flames for Ban. He grasped him by the shoulders and yanked him out of the car so hard that they both flew backwards several yards, landing hard on the pavement just as the fuel tank exploded. Faron threw his body over Ban’s and raised his arms to cover his own head just as a large piece of metal slammed into his back. He had one fleeting moment to hope that he had saved Saige’s life, and then he thought no more.
The Lobos' Heartsong Page 8
