by G. R. Lyons
“Until you married Zhadeyn,” Keisen went on, “Zevic and the Elders began to realize that they couldn't actually get away with keeping you all here, since the Agori could simply come through with a show of force and outnumber our officers. And, I wouldn't be surprised, horribly out-gun them. Am I right?” Graeden nodded. “So, when you married Zhadeyn, they thought they could at least get away with keeping you here and letting the others go. They certainly wouldn't let Zhadeyn leave the Isle, and they suspected you would willingly stay for her sake if they stopped her from going.”
Graeden huffed out a breath through his nose and shook his head.
“So they're not worried about people coming through from Agoran to rescue us?”
“Not after that show you put on at the Gate,” Keisen said. “Convincing your friend that you'd be fine. I was there, out of sight. I was hoping to see you all get through, but since you didn't, we had to start making plans to find another way out. I have one idea, but it's very risky.”
Graeden opened his mouth, started to tell him there was another way off the Isle, then thought better of it. Something about the whole conversation didn't feel right, so he kept that bit to himself, just in case.
“What's your idea?” he asked instead.
Keisen gestured at him and Zhadeyn. “Get you two healed and rested, then try to sneak into the capitol at night. Distract the guards while you go through.”
Graeden eyed him skeptically. “Is that even remotely possible?”
“I'm willing to try,” Keisen said with a shrug. He nodded at Graeden's leg. “See to that wound. I'm going to make us some stew.”
Keisen got up and went to the stove, carefully shifting Zhadeyn out of the way so he wouldn't trip over her. Zhadeyn roused slightly and crawled over beside Graeden, curling up next to him and falling back asleep.
She woke again with a slight gasp a moment later, reaching out and resting a hand on his arm.
I can fix that, she said. I just need to get my strength back.
Are you sure?
She nodded weakly. You're not going to like it. It'll hurt, and I'll have to go very deep within your mind, but it'll be faster and better than stitches.
Alright, he said, digging a bottle of pain medication out of the pile Keisen had given him and chugging down a swallow. He swabbed the torn skin around his wrists and ankles, then used the bandages to wrap around his leg and keep the wound covered in the meantime, and sat silently while Zhadeyn collapsed back into sleep.
He woke her when Keisen finished the stew, and they all ate in silence. Graeden took a second helping while Zhadeyn went back to sleep, and Keisen left them alone to go outside and check their defenses.
Keisen returned just as Graeden finished his stew, and said, “I'll need to go home and try to get some rest so I can put in an appearance at the hospital in the morning, but I'll be back tomorrow night to see how you're doing. We should have everything you might need here—food, clothes. There's more medical supplies over there. Use whatever you need and stay inside as much as you can. They haven't yet found this place, so you should be safe for now.”
“Thank you, Keisen,” Graeden said.
The doctor nodded and left again, creeping away in darkness. Graeden eased down onto his back next to Zhadeyn, telling himself not to fall asleep, but the next thing he knew, he woke to find Zhadeyn looking down at him with concern in her eyes.
Thank the gods you got some rest, she said, smoothing his hair back from his forehead. How do you feel?
Awful, he groaned. How about you? Are you alright? How's the baby?
Zhadeyn smiled, resting a hand on her belly. The baby's fine. I was worried that was all going to be too much for him, but he's just fine.
Graeden sighed with relief. Good.
Are you ready?
Graeden looked down at his leg, the pain returning as the medication wore off, and nodded.
Alright. Try to relax as much as you can.
Graeden closed his eyes and felt Zhadeyn lie down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest.
Your mind is going to rebel against this, she said, but if you can relax and try to let me in, I'll be able to get in deep enough to help you.
Graeden nodded and opened his mind to her, feeling her slowly move in and crawl toward the deepest, most secure part of himself. He groaned, fighting against the sensation, feeling as though his entire identity was being ripped apart and taken over, but with a few deep breaths, he managed to step aside and let her in farther, marveling as he watched her study his cells and DNA and move her consciousness down to the wound in his leg.
She started with a scratch across his femur where the knife had nicked the bone, then slowly worked her way outward, repairing veins and nerves, then muscles and flesh. Graeden felt his hands clench into fists and his breath catch every few seconds as the pain radiated through his body—worse than the original injury, just as she'd said—but slowly and surely he felt the wounds close up, bracing himself as the last of them disappeared.
Graeden clenched his jaw, trying to focus on breathing through the last of the pain, and all the while watching in awe as he saw myriad potentials for healing and improving the human body.
He couldn't wait to get back home and start experimenting.
When it was over, he felt Zhadeyn slowly extract her consciousness from his mind, sighing with relief when the pressure was gone and he was fully himself again.
How do you feel? she asked.
Graeden sat up slowly and examined his leg and foreskin, then his wrists and ankles, finding no sign of the wounds, as though the whole thing had simply never happened. He pressed his fingers along the lines where the cuts had been, and felt neither pain nor lack of feeling, but just his normal self.
Gods, you're a wonder.
Zhadeyn smiled at him and sighed as she rolled over onto her back, catching her breath as she looked up at the low, dirty ceiling.
Did you really do what I think you did to those men, or was I just imagining it? he asked, turning onto his side and looking down at her.
She nodded, closing her eyes. I've never tried anything like that before. All those minds at once…Gods, that was hard, but it was amazing at the same time. It was just…the first thing that came to mind, and I had to try something. I had to stop them.
Graeden shivered, recalling the sight of a dozen men howling in pain while male organs fell from their bodies in a spray of blood.
Remind me never to get you angry.
Zhadeyn laughed and shook her head. She opened her eyes halfway, reached for the buttons on the coat he wore, and closed her eyes again as she stared undoing them.
Come here, she murmured.
You're exhausted, he argued, but she finished with the buttons anyway and pushed the coat back off his shoulders, then started on the coat she wore.
I think we could both use a little comfort right now, she said.
Graeden breathed a laugh and eased himself down on top of her.
That's for damned sure.
They made love, slowly and gently, and then collapsed into sleep without moving apart from one another. When they woke, they ate what was left of the stew, made love again, and then went to bed properly, curled up under the blankets in the dark, enjoying a few hours of oblivion while the world went on outside.
Chapter 29
WHILE WAITING for Keisen to finish his shift at the hospital and return, Graeden and Zhadeyn spent the day cooking, napping, and digging through an assortment of clothes, trying to find something that would fit. Zhadeyn kept tugging at her trousers, unaccustomed to the feel of them, but amazed at the ease of movement they allowed.
“You can wear those on Agoran, you know,” Graeden pointed out. “Well, maybe not those, exactly, but we can get you some that fit properly.”
Her eyes went wide. “Women wear men's clothes?”
“They wear whatever they want. They're just clothes. We don't really distinguish between m
en's and women's, because each person decides what's right for them.”
Zhadeyn shook her head, amazed, and reached for another pair of trousers to try. Before she could pull them on, Graeden grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into bed, making love until they collapsed in exhaustion and went back to sleep.
When Graeden woke, he heard whispered voices. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and saw Keisen and Zhadeyn standing apart in the shadows, bent toward one another and arguing about something.
Zhadeyn stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at Graeden with a smile.
“You're awake,” she murmured, coming to his side and handing him his glasses. “Are you hungry? I just finished making some more stew.”
“What's going on?” Graeden asked, tucking the blanket around his waist and looking from her to the doctor and back.
“We were just trying to decide the best way to get you both off the Isle,” Keisen said, smiling at them. “Zhadeyn insists you both want to head north, though I can't imagine why. There's nothing but more of the same in any town you'll come across. But, I think there's a way we can get you through the Gate here in the capitol, if we're very careful.”
Zhadeyn jumped up and ladled stew into a bowl, handing it to Graeden as he asked, “How's that?”
“We wait until midnight,” the doctor said, “then get as close to the capitol building as we can. Zhadeyn thinks she can take out the guards, if she has the energy. Though, I must say, the risk, considering her pregnancy…”
Graeden saw a strange look pass between the doctor and Zhadeyn, but so quickly that he wasn't sure he'd simply imagined it. Still, it left him feeling unsettled, so he guarded his mind fully and made a mental note to keep his eyes open for anything unusual.
“But,” Keisen continued, looking suddenly cheerful, “if she can manage it, then there'll be nothing to stop you going through.”
Graeden looked over at his wife, who was plucking at a loose thread in her trousers, and asked, “Can you do it?”
She looked up. “I think so. Depending on how many there are. One at a time is one thing. Getting inside many heads at once, though…” She paused and shrugged. “It just requires an extreme amount of energy and focus.”
Graeden took her hand and gave her a half smile. “Well, once we're through, you can sleep all you want, I promise.” He looked around the room. “Would be easier, of course, if we had some guns.”
Keisen grimaced. “Unfortunately, we've never managed to acquire any. There used to be some excellent archers in the rebel movement, but they've all since left or died out, and those of us still here have lost the skill. I'm afraid we've got nothing.”
Graeden sighed. “Well, distraction it is, then.” Another strange look flashed across Keisen's face, and Graeden resisted the urge to look over at Zhadeyn, figuring they were up to something but not wanting to let on that he'd noticed.
“Alright, then,” Keisen said, slapping his hands on his knees and taking a step back. “It's a few hours still until midnight. You two get some rest, and get ready to move quickly. I'm going to go do a bit of scouting.”
He left without another word, and Zhadeyn got up to get herself a bowl of stew while Graeden turned to his, eating mechanically while he tried to make sense of what was going on.
Zhadeyn set aside their empty bowls and turned toward him, taking his hands.
Graeden?
Yes?
If…If we both don't make it through–
Don't say that.
No, listen, she insisted, staring intently at him. If we both don't make it through, or if something happens…
Graeden waited, but she couldn't seem to finish what she wanted to say. She looked down at their hands, her jaw tight as she held back tears.
I love you, he told her.
She looked up at him, startled, and gave him a questioning look.
Is that what this is? she asked, pressing a fist to her chest, right over her heart. This…wonderful, awful feeling? Painful and beautiful, like it might tear me apart?
Graeden nodded, bringing her hand to his lips.
Zhadeyn threw herself at him, kissing him frantically as she pushed him back on the bed. They were out of their clothes again in moments, alternately rolling on top of one another as they clung to one another and wrestled across the makeshift bed.
I want to try something, Zhadeyn said, looking up at him and panting.
What's that?
Open your mind to me, she inwardly whispered.
Without thinking, Graeden did just that, and felt her do the same, their consciousnesses coming together and melting into one another, their minds joining while their bodies connected.
Blinded by ecstasy, Graeden forgot worry and danger and everything else while his very being was entwined with hers, feeling her pleasure as though it were his own, and also feeling his own at the same time. He caressed her and gasped as though it were his own body being touched, and she grabbed him and moaned as though it were herself being grabbed.
All the while, Graeden felt a strange pressure in his mind, unlike anything he'd ever felt. A fleeting thought occurred to him—that their consciousnesses could be confined together permanently if they weren't careful—but the thought vanished from his awareness as he became overwhelmed by the intensity of their united passion.
The shared orgasm was explosive, beyond anything Graeden had ever imagined, and while their bodies and minds were still connected, Graeden felt tears stream down his cheeks, simply because Zhadeyn was crying.
They pulled back to themselves slowly, panting and staring at one another, and lay like that for a long while, neither of them able to let go.
When he felt Zhadeyn fully leave his mind, the strange pressure was still there, but he ignored it, too dazed by what they'd just shared.
* * *
SNEAKING DOWN dark and empty streets with Keisen ahead of him and Zhadeyn just behind, Graeden sent up a silent prayer to the Mother for keeping them concealed, Her moon just a sliver peaking through the clouds.
Keisen led them toward the capitol, darting from building to building and altering course as needed whenever an officer came in sight.
Finally, the steps of the capitol building could be seen just ahead, and they stopped to catch their breaths while they tried to figure out how to get past the guards.
Four officers stood in a row at the base of the steps, all of them armed.
Graeden looked back at Zhadeyn and saw her narrow her eyes in concentration. She started panting while her hands trembled, and she broke off with a gasp, shaking her head.
At least one of them is too strong, she said, pressing a hand to her chest. I can't get inside his mind without him knowing, and I don't think I can fight him while also holding the others.
Very well, Keisen said, rising to a crouch. Distraction, it is.
Keisen! Graeden called, but the man disappeared around the corner, his soft footsteps quickly fading away. Now what?
Just wait, Zhadeyn said, putting a hand on his arm.
Almost two minutes passed in utter silence, until Graeden saw movement far across the plaza, at the other end of the capitol building, and Keisen came running out of the darkness between two buildings, roaring something unintelligible and drawing the attention of the officers toward him.
The officers went after Keisen, turning their backs on where Graeden and Zhadeyn were hiding.
Now! Zhadeyn shouted, taking his hand and breaking into a run.
They sprinted toward the capitol, hurling themselves up the steps as fast as they could go. Pressing themselves behind a pillar to catch their breaths, they glanced around and crept silently toward the front door, opening it just enough to slip inside and ease the door shut again.
Graeden held his breath, listening, and tried to see anything in the dim moonlight that found its way into the building. Squeezing Zhadeyn's hand, they crept forward as quietly as they could, heading toward the door at the back of the room, leading into
the lofty chamber where the Gate was housed.
The doorway stood open, and Graeden pressed his back against the wall right next to it, with Zhadeyn at his side. He peeked around the door frame and saw two officers of the Eagle guard standing at attention before the glowing, shifting surface of the starglass Gate.
Two of them, he mentally whispered to Zhadeyn.
She nodded and closed her eyes, squeezing his hand while she focused. After a moment, she doubled over and almost let out a cry.
Gods, they're stro– she began, then cut off as her eyes went wide. And now they know we're here!
Rapid footsteps echoed across the chamber, coming toward them. Graeden pressed back against the wall, took a few deep breaths, and told Zhadeyn, Be ready to run.
She nodded, clinging to his hand, and Graeden counted down, trying to judge the distance of the officers by the sound of their tread.
Three…two…o–
A shout sounded outside, followed by a series of pounding footsteps coming up the steps and toward the front door. The doors burst open and Keisen came running inside, four officers right on his heels.
Now! Graeden shouted, and pulled Zhadeyn through the doorway just as the two Gate guards stepped through, leaving their way unblocked.
Graeden sprinted across the chamber, pulling Zhadeyn as she struggled to keep up, and felt her hand get yanked out of his. He spun around and saw two officers pulling her back while Keisen was being held down by two others.
The last two officers came for him.
“GO!” Zhadeyn shouted, struggling against the officers. “Graeden, go now!”
“No!” he shouted back, starting to move toward her, then taking a step back as the two officers approached, raising their guns.
Zhadeyn put out her hands, and Graeden felt an invisible force shove against his chest, pushing him back toward the Gate.
I'll find a way to you, she said. You'll remember at the sight of me…or him.
“Wha–” he began to shout, trying to make sense of her words, then just as the officers fired their guns, Graeden felt another wave of energy shove against him, like an intense gust of air, and a bullet tore across his arm as he tumbled backward through the Gate.
