by K H Lemoyne
“I haven’t been able to summon it like that,” Briet whispered, her eyes as large as a child’s on Christmas morning.
Mia smiled, nodding. “It took me awhile. I think we’ve established rapport. Try to ask for information.”
When Briet remained silent, Mia considered her latest searches. “Maybe about siblings.”
Briet bit her lip and then tilted her head. “Show me the siblings of Grimm.”
Nothing. Mia frowned at the screen. “Try another.”
“Show me the sibling of Ansgar.”
Again, no response. “I’ve never spoken to it. My only access has been tactile, and it was difficult.”
The screen Mia had called still shimmered in the air. “Give me your hand.”
Briet held out her hand, and Mia layered hers on top. Maneuvering, she placed them against the screen and scrolled the long list of names up and swept it away for a deeper view. She maneuvered Briet’s hand beneath her own in a series of taps and motions. She dug deeper into the text and alternated on ancestral tangents.
With a gasp, Briet smiled. “This is great. I’ve never been able to filter through this material so fast. But how do you speak to it?”
“I think it needs to be familiar with you.” Mia pressed her finger over Briet’s to tap a name, and the screen changed for more detail on Tsu. “I spent quite a few hours searching for material on your people before the screen would work from my voice. I think it may work for you now.”
“Can you find previous entries?”
She tapped Briet’s finger again at the side of the screen. “Tag entry, Sanctum weapons master, Mia.”
Briet’s finger jerked, and then she turned to search Mia’s expression. “You’ve indexed the data.”
Mia grinned. “Only the more recent material I’ve searched.” She released Briet’s hand and turned back to the screen. “Show me tags for mates and childbirth.” A list of subjects flooded the screen, all with a heading of Mia’s name. “Archives release.”
The screen disappeared. At the brief sound of disappointment from the woman beside her, she put an arm around her shoulder. “You try to call it up.”
Briet licked her lips. “Archives, show me the history of the eastern clan.”
They waited for a several seconds, and the glimmer returned. With a squeal, Briet grabbed Mia in a hug. “I can’t believe you’ve learned so much.” Her head buried in Mia’s neck didn’t hide the thick tone of tears. “Thank you.”
Mia blinked her own away and met Turen’s gaze over Briet’s shoulder. His smile bolstered her courage before he moved to the living room with Marcus’s carrier. He wasn’t out of sight or earshot but far enough to give them both some space.
“This will help bring back so much of what we’ve lost.” Briet hesitated and pulled back, glancing around for Turen. “But I understand it can’t be brought to light without jeopardizing your safety.”
Mia shook her head. The final push didn’t seem so hard after all. “We’ve considered coming out to the council. I think now it’s critical we do.”
Briet opened her eyes in surprise and blew out a breath, checking over her shoulder to gauge Turen’s compliance.
He was staring at Mia. “What new connections have you made, love?”
“If Briet’s suspicions about Salvatore’s reason for keeping Isa around are true, then he might try again with another of the women. They’re all at risk. We also have the information to prove that Isa died with her mate. Then there’s the ongoing risk to the warriors from the drugs they ingest.”
“Valid points.” Turen’s gaze didn’t stray from her face. “Why did he take so long to kill her?”
Mia turned away and considered the sequence of events. “Perhaps, like Briet, Isabella didn’t know she could access the Archives. Nothing she did provoked its presence. She was a stable test subject for him. The same elongated timing gave her access to her mate. I suppose it’s not inconceivable that she sensed her mate’s presence and pursued you under an overload of hormones.”
“Once she found Marco, Salvatore would have known. Isa wasn’t one to keep her feelings hidden.” He looked away and then back with a frown. “But she continued with the meeting for me with Xavier. Why?”
Mia glanced at Briet and back to Turen, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
Briet did. “She grew up with you. She trusted you, loved you, and knew what we all did—how much you wanted Xavier back.” Briet crossed her arms over her chest. “This isn’t your fault. All of us want him back. You were brave enough to take the risks.”
“Isa took the risk.”
“No,” said Mia. “Isa trusted the wrong person. Had Salvatore not found out about Marco, she would only have lived long enough to prove she had access to the Archives. Then God only knows what he’d have done to her. This is his fault, not yours.”
He’d closed his eyes at her summary, his grief, and guilt palpable as she moved to kneel beside him and squeeze her hands over his. “We can’t bring her back, but we can help the rest.”
He raised her hand to his lips and whispered, “I cherish you, Mia.”
“You both are so rational. We haven’t had a dose of that in a long time.” Briet spoke from the other side of the room. They both glanced up in time to catch the devious twinkle in her eyes. “I think I have a suggestion to tip the balance in our favor.”
“Now there’s trouble,” muttered Turen as Mia laughed.
***
Briet walked through the house noting all the clocks. Thoughts still spun in her mind from the afternoon’s discussion. Mia had insisted she make herself at home, and while she didn’t feel comfortable with the liberty, some milk might settle her mind enough to get some sleep.
She padded into the kitchen, not bothering to turn on the light, and opened the refrigerator. The fridge light lit the room enough for her to view the clean dishes in the rack by the sink. She plucked out a glass. Back to blackness, her eyes acclimated to the moonlight streaming through the windows and the dying embers in the fireplace to orient her for the return trip to her room. She sucked in a breath and almost dropped her glass at the outline of someone seated in the chair by the fire.
Turen’s soft chuckle filled the air. “Come join us, Briet.”
She made her way to the couch opposite him, more than a little surprised to see him sprawled in the large overstuffed chair, bare chested, dressed only in jeans with a towel over one shoulder, feeding his son a bottle. Soft sucking sounds broke the silence here and there, but father and son melded in peaceful limbo by the embers’ light.
“I thought Mia was breastfeeding?” The question seemed too intimate, though she wasn’t sure how to break the awkward silence.
“This is a gift she gives me. She makes up a bottle so I can have this time with him.”
He gave a slight shrug, his smile visible in the fire’s light.
“I shouldn’t interrupt you two.”
“Stay, Briet. Neither of us minds the company.” He shifted the baby higher on his chest, the tiny hands tucked against his father’s skin.
“I can’t believe you have him. After all this time… It’s so natural to see you this way.”
The fingers of the hand cradling the baby stroked the blanket absently, and Turen nodded. “A miracle, both he and his mother.” He glanced up at her. “I want this for you, too, Briet. However, I hope you never to have to go through what Mia and I did to get to this point. I truly want my son surrounded by the children of my friends.”
“I’m not sure I’d mind going through your trials if they ended this way.” She took a sip and watched them.
“Our trials are not done.” He seemed to be trying to make up his mind about something. “I’m sorry if I frightened your earlier.”
“I knew the risk when I came.”
“And yet you walked into our home anyway.”
“I want to help. I was betting everything Mia would sense the truth.”
“J
ust Mia?”
“I still remember Xavier. I knew you would protect your family first. It’s how it should be.”
“I hate that distrust has a foothold among our people. We need to fix this.”
“We used to talk about what our lives would be like. It’s sad how far off reality was from those dreams. Your son is so real, and now you seem serious, mature.” She gave a laugh. “I’m not quite sure I could visualize Ansgar with a baby.” She felt a great lightness at the hope her brother could have something this dear. Perhaps her as well.
“It’s hard to imagine Ansgar silenced and awed even by his own offspring, but he will be an impressive father. He did well raising you.” The baby stopped sucking in response to his father’s voice, then after a moment started again.
“He’ll support you. You know that, don’t you?”
Turen didn’t answer and glanced back at his son. The baby had stopped again, the bottle’s nipple falling lax in the corner of his mouth. He moved his son to the towel and gently rubbed the tiny back until a soft burp echoed in the darkness. The little limbs and body contracted in an inchworm motion and then nestled quietly against Turen’s chest.
“He would be the best one to approach Leonis, Tsu, and Kamau. The rest should probably wait until the council meeting,” he said.
Briet nodded, relieved Turen had already accepted the loyalty of his team. Not that she was surprised. Turen’s insights into the loyalty and fairness of others made him a man to be trusted. He would have been a far better choice to lead than Salvatore, but he’d been too intent on Xavier’s salvation. It was lucky he hadn’t taken on the mantel. Salvatore wanted the leadership and she didn’t doubt he would have orchestrated Xavier’s downfall. If Turen had stood in his way, Salvatore would have destroyed him, too.
“And the women?”
Turen smiled again. “I think Ansgar can work the plan with you and Tsu.”
“Tsu wasn’t happy to have Quan go into cryo.”
“For good reason. Her skills were almost as advanced as Drogan’s. Not to the level of reading minds, but reading dreams would still have been much too dangerous for Salvatore to monitor. The women secured in cryo served a number of unnatural purposes. Tsu has kept a vigilant eye on the cryo hold, his sister’s safety paramount. He will support your efforts.”
“He knows I’m out?”
“I am certain he’s known all along.”
Briet finished her milk. “How soon do you want me to get together with Ansgar?” She watched Turen rub his cheek against the top of his son’s head.
“The sooner the better.”
“Tomorrow it is.” She rose. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”
He gave a small sigh, but she heard it in the stillness of the night. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more welcoming. We have nothing if we can’t trust those who have proven themselves friends.”
She knew he thought of Xavier, but that conversation was too painful, even for the peaceful quiet of this night. In her heart, she knew Turen wouldn’t have hurt her. Sent her to the ends of the earth perhaps, but he would never have harmed her. “Your reasons were good ones. Your responsibilities are first to Mia and Marcus. Good night, Turen.”
“Peace, Briet.”
CHAPTER 22
Tadpoles twitched beneath the water’s surface in a shallow section of the creek bed. Ansgar watched them while he caressed the black-furred muzzle nudging his leg.
The birds overhead stilled with the silent fold of two people to the grass bank beside him.
“Good girl.” He rewarded the panther with one more stroke before he shook his head at the men, cautioning silence, and motioned with his eyes for the group to follow him.
Several yards upstream, around a sharp bend, the creek gave way to the louder rush of a two-hundred-foot waterfall. Buried behind the rock and water, accessed by a steep and narrow pathway, lay a grotto hidden from view. Only six other people knew of this location. Ansgar trusted each one with his life. Now he would trust them with his sister’s life and their people’s future.
“Ansgar—”
He held up his hand, and a crackle of thunder permeated the sound of the falls, followed by an immediate, steady rain. They proceeded farther into the grotto’s enclosure, where a gentle pat of soft rain tapped at the leaves twining along the inside walls. The vines stretched from the ground to the several chimney openings in the rock ceiling high above them.
“So this is about him?” Tsu’s voice was low but held no censure. He pressed his own hand to the grotto wall. Slender shoots of green snaked their way from the existing vines and twined through exposed rock to tickle the air above. The vines were ultrasensitive to artificial resonance. They added Tsu’s power to Ansgar’s to detect any electrical charges and movement the rain didn’t discourage.
“Sera, guard.” Kamau stroked the panther’s head before she stalked back to the grotto’s entrance and lowered to her haunches to watch the path along the stream.
“I have new information.” Ansgar had mulled over how to deliver the details in the last several hours since he’d spoken with Briet. He’d waited for her to leave the lighthouse and allowed her plenty of time to make it back to Turen’s. When the caller ID had signaled from the disposable cell phone she’d purchased, their signal she was safe, he initiated contact with Kamau’s feline to summon his brethren to this place.
The grotto wasn’t on the Sanctum grounds but embedded in the mountains surrounding Eden’s far perimeter. A location remote from Salvatore’s surveillance. Xavier’s sister, Sagari, had formed the rocks and fissures centuries ago while practicing her art of demolecularization. No one else knew of this location except for himself, Tsu, Kamau, Grimm, Turen, Briet and of course, Sagari. Ansgar counted on the secrecy. “Turen wants to come in to the council.”
“Why now?” Tsu leaned back against the rock wall and stared at the opaque sheet of water covering the entrance.
“He and his mate want to elicit sanction. They plan to bring their infant son.”
Tsu turned in astonishment at the same time Kamau’s head whipped up. “No shit,” said Kamau as Sera gave a low growl from her position.
Ansgar smiled. “No shit.”
“The woman from the park?” Tsu asked. “The one with the minimal skill set?” A bit of humor rang in the question. Tsu had trained Turen and most of the warriors at the Sanctum. While the method of skill and battle preferences differed from warrior to warrior, Tsu was intimately aware of every fine distinction that defined each warrior’s technique, a master to rival all, with the exception, perhaps, of Xavier. Tsu was the only warrior Ansgar couldn’t best in a challenge. Few would be foolish enough to try.
“Mia. She’s human—was human.”
“The layers of lies continue.” Kamau’s brow rose, but he seemed to shrug off another comment. “Mia and the child, they’re both safe?”
“Healthy,” Ansgar answered. “They had a hard time when Turen was restrained. Between hiding from Salvatore’s death knell, Xavier’s threats, and Isa’s death—it’s hard for them to feel safe.”
“If this is the good news, you’d best get on with the bad.”
Ansgar winced at Tsu’s insight; the man was too observant. “There were pictures with the emails which lured us to the park.”
“Emails sent by Mia.”
“Yeah, as well as photos she didn’t send until now, the medical examiner’s shots of Isabella.” Ansgar sat on a rock and linked his hands. “The cop, Marco Valencia, had Isa’s mark on him. They were mates.”
Kamau fingered his hawk’s leather jesses. Ansgar had seen the bird perch, stationed within sight of the grotto’s entry outside. “You didn’t mention the pictures to the council.”
Ansgar passed a hand over his mouth. “I took blood samples from Isa. I put her in cryo.” He closed his eyes, not quite able to hold back a shudder. “I took samples from Maitea’s frozen cord.” He glanced up at Tsu. “Took samples from Turen, too, while he was out cold.”
“Explains many things.” Sadness laced Tsu’s voice but not reproach as he moved to sit on a rock near Kamau. “So has Briet determined anything from these samples?”
Ansgar felt the rush of sudden fear and tried to shrug it off. With the revelation of secrets so close, he was terrified for Briet’s safety. “Who else knows?”
Tsu looked at Kamau and raised his brows in question.
Kamau shook his head. “I guessed, but I didn’t know for certain. I would only have suspected she was out because I grew up at your side, Ansgar, and hers.” The last was more of a growl.
“You never said anything.”
“It’s your business. I know Briet. I understand how hard this would have been for her. She was strongly opposed to the dictate. Many of them were. Many of us were. I respect her choice.” Kamau glanced back at Tsu, who took a deep breath.
“I would have supported Quan if she’d chosen the same. Given her powers, she conjectured Salvatore would feel less threatened if she willingly went into cryo. She’d no proof, and she couldn’t read anything from him.” Tsu leaned forward.
Ansgar nodded. “Briet’s stubborn, but she’s smart. She earned the right to make her own decision. Almost went to shit when Salvatore barged into the lab with Turen.” He took a deep breath. “At any rate, she requested the samples. She’s run a million tests.” He glanced up at his brethren. “Maitea’s and Isa’s samples both confirmed infection of an artificial compound tailored for each of them. I couldn’t give the council the photos and risk Briet, so I chose to keep all the information quiet.”
“Xavier was right.” Kamau frowned at the floor. “And Turen’s tests?”
“His sample came out clean.” Ansgar watched Kamau’s shoulders sink with relief. “Mine and Grimm’s didn’t.”
Both men stared at him, and he shook his head. “It’s not the same compound used on the women. Briet can explain it all better than I can. The contaminant’s out of my system. I can’t speak for Grimm.”
