by Elana Brooks
Something flickered at the edge of Adrian’s vision, and Rabbi Sensei’s astral head vanished in a burst of sparkling energy.
Keiko flashed between her husband’s drifting form and Sarthex, who blinked, startled. “I will be Earth’s champion.”
Chapter 35
After a moment Sarthex inclined his head. “I have no objection.”
Keiko nodded sharply. She turned toward Beverly without taking her eyes from the Seraph. “Put Solomon into a containment field before he recovers and take him back to Earth.”
Beverly shook off her shock enough to answer. “I can’t do that!”
Keiko’s voice went hard. “As one of the Eight, I command you to do so. I know you have the ability.”
“Wait a minute!” Beverly darted to hover before her, next to Rabbi Sensei’s astral form, which was flailing as his head gradually regenerated. “I can’t just let you—”
When Keiko remained silent, staring at Sarthex, Beverly jutted out her jaw. “You can’t order me to do anything. I’m not a member of the Covenant. I’ve never taken the vows.” She hoped Keiko didn’t remember that Adrian also knew how to form a containment field. He was bound by Covenant vows. Although Beverly didn’t know whether he’d defy them to follow his mentor’s wishes.
Tears swam in Keiko’s eyes as she sent another ball of energy to blast away her husband’s half-reformed head. “Please, Beverly. As my friend, I beg you.”
Beverly gulped and held out her hands. Keiko seized them and pulled her close. Beverly felt tears well up in her own eyes, dangerously close to spilling. “But Sarthex will kill you,” she whispered.
Keiko’s gaze didn’t waver. “Tell Solomon I’ve chosen the selfish path. He must bear my loss, because I can’t bear his.”
Beverly gulped. Keiko’s action made a horrible sort of sense. Was this really less of a sacrifice for her than standing by while Rabbi Sensei was killed would be? Thinking of how she’d feel if it were her and Adrian in their places, she knew with horrible certainty that it was. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Someone must face Sarthex.” Keiko let go of her hands and patted her arm. “Quickly, please. Before I have to hurt him again.”
Beverly swiped her eyes and raised trembling hands. Strands of gray mist shot out and wrapped around Rabbi Sensei. He struggled, but she concentrated, and the mist solidified, holding him captive.
Keiko gave her a quick embrace, then pressed something round and hard into her palm. “My thanks,” she murmured. To Steve and Adrian, who both looked as if they might jump in to interfere at any moment, she said, “The Covenant can bear my loss more easily than his. Now take him and go!”
Beverly set her mouth into a hard line and telekinetically shoved the containment field toward Earth. She followed, pushing it faster. When Rabbi Sensei’s face took shape enough to glare at her in impotent, grief-stricken fury, she spun the sphere until he faced the other way.
Adrian came to her side and silently took one of her hands in his. She didn’t look at him. “I had to,” she whispered. “She told me her greatest fear was losing him.”
“I know,” he said quietly.
When Steve zoomed up beside them, she almost hoped he’d try to stop her, but he only put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “She’ll put up as good a fight as he would have. Maybe better. He’s always maintained she’s stronger than he is.”
“I hope you’re ri—”
Behind them, Keiko’s telepathic voice rang out, firm and confident. I’m ready.
All three of them swiveled to watch. They kept moving toward Earth, but Beverly slowed down, and the other two followed suit.
Already the woman and Seraph were made tiny by distance. Sarthex’s fins rippled. As the challenger, you call the start.
Very well. Keiko bowed. Begin.
Pinpricks of energy filled the space around them. The combatants were lost in the sparkling cloud. To Beverly it looked as if they’d been attacked by a swarm of carnivorous fireflies. She gritted her teeth but kept backing slowly toward the inner reaches of the solar system. She wouldn’t let herself lose sight of them completely, though. She had to know how this fight ended.
She couldn’t make out individual moves, but Keiko and Sarthex seemed fairly evenly matched. Neither gave ground, and both kept up a constant barrage of attack and defense. Undoubtedly they were fighting with thoughts and emotions as well as balls of astral energy, but that struggle was beyond Beverly’s ability to perceive.
In a flash, it was over. Keiko’s minute form diminished by half, as the upper portion of her body dissolved before one of Sarthex’s attacks. Beverly clenched her fists and pressed them to her mouth. After a moment of agonizing indecision, she twisted Rabbi Sensei’s containment sphere around until he faced them. He deserved to witness his wife’s death.
But Sarthex didn’t follow his strike with a finishing blow to Keiko’s tether. Instead, her gradually regenerating form was obscured by dark mist.
His voice echoed, distant but still powerful, in Beverly’s mind. I have what I sought. She is my hostage. I’ll keep her alive until the ship reaches your planet. For every attack you make against us, she will suffer. Every casualty you inflict will bring her torments beyond your imagining. Any infiltration of our ship or hint of espionage will be repaid with pain. Every day we orbit your planet while you prevent us from disembarking or beginning the process of transformation, she will beg for death. The smug self-satisfaction in his tone made Beverly want to vomit. If at any time you wish to offer concessions in exchange for her release, I'll be willing to listen and consider whether I’ll accept.
For a moment Beverly could do nothing but shake with fury and loathing. Then she ripped away the containment field around Rabbi Sensei. “Damn it, the motherfucker tricked us! He’ll be sorry when I stuff his tail down his throat until it comes out his—”
“No.” Rabbi Sensei’s voice was quiet, but it cut off her rant more effectively than if he’d shouted. He gazed at Sarthex, who was rapidly retreating with the dark bubble in tow, with a look of such chilling bleakness that Beverly froze. All her rage drained out through her toes, leaving nothing but aching emptiness.
“We can’t allow him to lure us back to the ship. Surely that’s what he intends. He’s probably prepared a trap for us there. We barely escaped last time; our chances of rescuing Keiko and getting away are far too slim to risk being captured again. We have to return to Earth and continue with our plans as they stand.” He swallowed. “Keiko chose her path. She wouldn’t welcome any weakening of our commitment for her sake. When she joined the Covenant and became one of the Eight, she pledged her life to defend Earth against the Seraphim.”
The calm reasonableness of his tone would have fooled Beverly if it hadn’t been for the dead look in his eyes and the traces of agony that seeped through his rigid shielding to brush her mind like the echo of heavily muffled screams. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “We can’t just leave her—”
“Yes, we can. We must.” She opened her eyes to find him gazing back at her steadily.
She closed them again. “Oh, god. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have listened to her, I should have refused—”
His hands wrapped around her clenched fists. “I accept your apology. I’m sure the Almighty does as well, since you address it to Him. You did what Keiko asked out of friendship and love.” He swallowed. “I must thank you. For since I wish above all things that I were in her place and she in mine, I know that she would feel the same way. I must believe that she has indeed chosen the easier path and left me to bear the harder burden. I won’t begrudge her that choice.”
Adrian’s warm arms enclosed her from behind. He addressed Rabbi Sensei over her shoulder. “Sarthex will torture her with visions of you in pain.”
Rabbi Sensei’s eyes closed briefly before he nodded. “I know.”
“Until the ship reaches Earth, the time lag will make your soul bond useless to protect
her.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to try to rescue her? Miheel and the other Bleaters would help.”
“I’m sure.” His voice was bleaker than ever, but still certain. Beverly felt Adrian’s nod against her shoulder.
Steve moved closer. His voice was gentle, but underlaid with steel. “What if she betrays them? Sarthex is going to keep trying to extract the purpose of Adrian’s mission from her.”
Rabbi Sensei gave him a dark look. “She won’t break.”
“How can you be sure? What if he tricks her into believing you’re there, that he’s going to kill you? That almost worked before.”
Rabbi Sensei gave a mirthless laugh and shook his head. “She knows I won’t come after her. Nothing he can do will fool her into believing I’m truly there. And she can endure anything else.”
Steve looked at him narrowly for a long moment, then changed tactics. “Will you be able to give the commands necessary to lead us in the fight against the Seraphim, all the time knowing what it will mean for her?”
“I’ll have to.” Rabbi Sensei met Steve’s uncompromising gaze. “If you see me start to falter, to hesitate, you must tell me. If I find I can’t continue, I’ll step down.”
“All right.” Steve gave a grim nod. “And if you don’t?”
“Then you must lead the others to remove me from the Eight. It will take unanimous agreement from the rest of you. It’s only happened a few times in history. But we can’t let our ultimate purpose be endangered by a compromised leader.”
“I will,” Steve said. “I promise.”
“Thank you.” Rabbi Sensei took a deep breath.
Beverly remembered the smooth, hard weight clutched in her fist. She peeled stiff fingers open and held it out. “Keiko gave me this.” She frowned. “How—?”
They all stared at the gold medallion, its tautly drawn bow bright with all the hues of the rainbow.
Rabbi Sensei cleared his throat. “A bit of her astral substance, transferred to you. I can show you—but no matter. She’s chosen you as her successor.”
Steve drew an identical disk from his pocket and showed it to her. “Each of the Eight has one. They were made in Egypt not long after the Covenant was founded.”
“Rabbi Sensei showed me his once.” He’d brought it out again now, Beverly saw. Or at least an astral copy of the real thing.
He held it up so the gems flashed in the starlight. “We argued over which of us would be privileged to pass theirs on to you. Keiko let me think I’d won.” He smiled, though his eyes remained deeply shadowed. “She contrived to have the final word after all.”
Beverly pressed the cool gold to her mouth. “But I can’t—I’m not even a real member of the Covenant yet. I ran away, deserted. I don’t deserve to be one of the Eight.”
“You’re free to decline, if you choose,” Rabbi Sensei said. “But you’ve shown you’re able to face and defeat the strongest of the Seraphim. You’ve more than earned your place.”
Steve nodded. “The others will have to vote to accept you. But no one will dispute Keiko’s choice. Not after Solomon and I tell them what we’ve seen you do.”
“Please, Beverly,” Adrian said. He moved beside her and took her hand. “Earth needs you. The Covenant needs you. I—” He broke off and looked away. “But you know that. You have to decide for yourself.”
She stared at the ancient emblem and thought about the enormous weight of history and responsibility it symbolized. We are the weapon in the hand of God, the arrow aimed at the heart of the enemy.
It frightened her. But she’d gotten a taste of what it felt like to defy her fears, to act even though her heart was racing and her legs were jelly and her stomach was hollow. She liked it. It was exhilarating. And she’d been able to do so much more than she’d ever dreamed she could.
If she accepted this, she knew she’d be confronted with much more to fear in the future. Sarthex was stronger and more ruthless than ever. The Seraphim were coming to Earth, no matter what the Covenant did. Humanity would learn about them in the coming days, and who knew what sort of chaos the revelation would provoke. She might well be called upon to make the same sort of sacrifices Keiko and Rabbi Sensei had. Or worse.
On a personal level, too, becoming a one of the Eight was fraught with risks. The other five were strangers—would they accept a half-trained novice into their club? Would she be able to absorb all the knowledge and skills she still needed to master quickly enough to do any good? How would Adrian feel about her leapfrogging him to the top of the Covenant hierarchy?
His hand was warm and firm in hers. He’d known all along this would happen, and he’d never done anything but encourage her to embrace the full extent of her abilities. He’d been willing to die so she could live and be free. He’d suffered horrible tortures at Sarthex’s hand for her sake. The soul bond would compel him to remain with her, but even if it could somehow cease to exist, he’d be there for her anyway, supporting her, believing in her. He loved her.
She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “All right. I’ll do it.” She slid the medallion into her jeans pocket. “Now let’s go home.”
Chapter 36
The disorientation of rejoining his body lasted longer than usual. Adrian guessed that made sense—he’d never traveled in astral form so long before, and his brain had a lot of new memories to absorb from his mind.
He cracked open bleary eyes, feeling exhausted. Despite the surreal, dreamlike quality those memories now had, they weighed on him. God, what he’d seen. Even though the worst of it hadn’t been real, it felt as if the images were still lurking just behind his eyelids, ready to assault him again at any moment.
And parts of it had been all too real. Keiko was in Sarthex’s clutches right now, subject to his tortures, because she’d been willing to help Beverly rescue him.
He groaned and tried to sit up, but gentle hands held him down. “Hold still for a few more minutes, sir,” someone murmured. “As soon as we get you unhooked from the equipment, you can get up.”
He made a face but lay back while the guardians removed an IV from his arm and monitors from his head and chest. It was all necessary, he supposed. How many days had his body lain in a coma-like stupor while he’d been gone? And he’d probably have to do it again before long. This surely wouldn’t be his last long mission to the Seraphim ship.
Finally they helped him sit up and gave him a cup of water to sip. The cool wetness felt wonderful to his dry mouth and throat. The change of position made him dizzy, but that soon cleared. The minute the guardians let him, he climbed from the bed and traded the hospital gown for his own clothes.
He looked at the diamond ring on his finger for a long time. Where did things stand between him and Beverly? When he’d put the ring on, he’d expected to die wearing it. Now he’d have the chance to offer it to Beverly after all. But he was far from sure of her response.
She’d come back, to him and to the Covenant. But now that their lives were no longer in danger, what would she want? Now that she understood just how strong she was, maybe she’d finally realize how badly they were mismatched. Maybe she’d rather keep him at arm’s length, just close enough to keep the soul bond happy.
He’d accept that if it was all she was willing to give him. But he wanted more. He wanted everything.
Eventually he pulled the ring off and returned it to its box. He stuffed the box in his pocket and went in search of Beverly.
She was in the cubicle next to his, lying still while the guardians tended her. He withdrew to give her privacy. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but it would have to wait. They’d shared a brief kiss a few minutes ago, before they parted to re-enter their bodies, but now it felt as unreal as everything else he’d experienced while in astral form.
Low voices came from another cubicle. His stomach clenched. He ignored a strong urge to hurry back to Beverly’s side and forced himself to push the door op
en and go in.
Rabbi Sensei sat on the edge of Keiko’s bed, grasping her limp hands. Her face was pale and tranquil, her dark hair loose on the pillow around the monitor wires, her body motionless under the thin sheet except for slow, even breathing.
Steve, standing on the other side of the bed, broke off what he’d been saying when Adrian entered. Rabbi Sensei looked around. Adrian swallowed. His mentor looked about twenty years older than usual. His shoulders slumped, the skin sagged loose on his gaunt face, his eyes were yellowed and dull. His clothes, usually immaculate, were rumpled, and his always perfectly groomed white hair was flattened in back and disordered where sensors had been yanked from his forehead and temples, leaving rims of dark adhesive behind.
But his voice was steady, if not as strong as Adrian was used to. “Her body remains in good health. The guardians assure me they can maintain her for months or even years if necessary in this state. They’ll insert a feeding tube as soon as we leave. It will be better for the long term than the IV nutrients they’ve been using thus far.”
Adrian swallowed and nodded. “Is Sarthex… can you tell…”
Rabbi Sensei closed his eyes for a moment. “I haven’t yet perceived any pain through our soul bond. Although the time lag restricts my awareness to what happened several hours ago, it seems that so far Sarthex is doing only what he told us he would.”
In a low voice, Steve said, “If that’s the case, he’ll start torturing her tomorrow morning when the first strike force hits. Are you sure—”
Rabbi Sensei laid his hand on Keiko’s chest, between her breasts, where Adrian knew her tether originated, invisible to his physical eyes. “I know my wife, Steve. As long as any hope remains, no matter how small, she’ll want to live. No matter what pain she must endure. It’s possible that eventually we’ll find a way to rescue her without endangering our mission. Or she may succeed in freeing herself. I can’t rob her of that chance.”
