The Bearens' Hope: Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Harlan opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he had been about to say froze in his mouth at the sounds coming from the living room. The breaking of glass. A scream. The distinctive buzz of an energy weapon.

  Before Harlan had a chance to react the bedroom door flew open to reveal the head caterer, a tall woman dressed in white, pointing a hand laser at them. Just as she squeezed the trigger someone fell into her from behind. The weapon’s beam hit Ellicia high on her left thigh as Harlan yelled “No!”. He leapt forward but the woman was too fast. She caught her balance and raised the weapon and fired again. Harlan was only five feet from her, so there was no possibility that she would miss. And she didn’t.

  Ellicia watched with horror as then narrow, but powerful, beam hit Harlan in the chest, then sliced down his abdomen leaving a blossoming trail of bright red behind it. Harlan’s hands rose to his chest as he crumpled backward to the floor with no more than a soft grunt of surprise. Ellicia tore her eyes from Harlan in time to see the woman step into the room and take aim at her. Ellicia knew at once that there was nothing she could do. Her life’s blood was pumping from her leg, and she had no chance of moving quickly enough to get out of the way. She could only remain where she was and wait for death to come.

  Suddenly the woman screamed and dropped her weapon to the floor, both hands flying to her head. Ellicia glanced up with startled eyes, puzzled by what she was seeing. The sight was so strange that it took her a moment to figure out what it was.

  The woman screamed again and began slapping at her head as she spun around in circles, trying to put out the fire that had appeared from nowhere. Within seconds the woman’s hair was fully engulfed in flames which were beginning to spread down to her shoulders. Ellicia forced herself to crawl forward enough to reach the weapon the woman had dropped only a few feet from her. It took her a few moments to reach it, pain and weakness causing black spots to flash before her eyes. She ignored them and gripped the hand laser, aiming carefully for the burning woman’s head before firing. The woman’s screams stopped abruptly and she crumpled to the floor the same as Harlan had.

  Ellicia reached up and grabbed Harlan’s jacket which was lying on the edge of the bed and tossed it over the woman’s still burning head to smother the flames. Once she was sure the fire was out, she turned and crawled painfully to Harlan.

  She focused on his face, refusing to let herself look at his wounds. When she finally reached him and was able to raise herself up enough to look at him, she saw that he was still conscious, his eyes still open.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. “You saved my life.”

  “Least I could do,” he replied, his voice so soft that she read his lips more than heard him. “You all right?”

  “Sure,” she replied. “You?”

  “Angel,” he said, raising one hand with great effort so that he could brush his fingers over her cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you,” Ellicia replied as she watched the light in his eyes go out. She laid her head against his shoulder and closed her own eyes.

  “Goodbye, my love,” she whispered softly just before the darkness enveloped her.

  Ellicia felt as though she were swimming through layers of darkness in an effort to reach consciousness. She was confused about where she was, or what had happened, or why she was having such a hard time waking up. She heard a soft moan and was surprised to recognize the voice as her own.

  She struggled to remember, but it was difficult to think through the pain. Pain? she wondered. Why is there so much pain?

  She remembered the VTOL landing and Jackson opening the cabin door. She had fumbled with her seat belt for a moment, but finally the latch released and she stood up just as Grace hopped out of the cabin behind Clark and Rob. Jackson held his arms out to her and she stepped into them gratefully. There was no way she could hop out the way Grace had. Not in her current condition, anyway.

  Jackson swung her around and carefully set her on her feet. She saw Rob and Clark ahead, Grace just behind them and she began to follow. She stumbled over something and felt Jackson’s hand on her shoulder, steadying her. She looked up to thank him, but was startled to see an expression of horror on his face. She started to turn to see what he was looking at, but Jackson reached down and grabbed hold of her, lifting her off the ground even as he sped forward so fast that everything around her blurred. She felt a sharp, intense pain slice through her back and into her chest, then nothing.

  She heard herself moan again and wished she could stop it. It was embarrassing to be lying here moaning, especially since she had no idea why she was doing it. With that thought, her eyes finally opened and she smiled to see Harlan’s face bending over her.

  “Hi,” she said, annoyed that her voice was little more than a whisper. “What are you doing here?”

  Harlan smiled but didn’t answer her question.

  “Ellicia, don’t move,” Jackson said.

  Ellicia shifted her gaze from Harlan to Jackson, puzzled by the expression of fear and worry on his face. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Jackson shook his head helplessly. Ellicia looked to her other side and saw Rob, Clark and Grace all gathered around her, all wearing the same helpless expression as Jackson.

  “Harlan, what’s happening?” she asked.

  “Its time for you to come away with me, Angel,” he said.

  “What about the babies?” Ellicia asked, suddenly afraid for them, though, oddly, she didn’t feel afraid for herself.

  “Tell them to get Hope,” Harlan said. “Hope needs to be here.”

  Ellicia looked at Jackson again, who was now staring at her with what looked like confusion. “Hope,” she whispered. “Get Hope.”

  As soon as Grace stood up and started hollering for Hope, Ellicia felt herself relax a little. Everything was going to be the way it was supposed to be. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she felt peace at the knowledge.

  ***

  Darck opened his eyes, momentarily uncertain what it was that he was looking at. He blinked, shook his head, then looked again.

  “Damn,” he said softly as he finally realized he was looking at what had been Lenny’s face. It was now a little deformed, and covered in blood. Looking at it reminded him of what had happened. The windshield was gone, most of it lying over the hood of the ground-car from what he could see. He took careful inventory of himself, relieved to discover that he seemed to be unhurt. His head ached, but other than that he seemed fine. He pulled himself up, sliding sideways on the seat to get out from under the steering wheel, shoving Lenny aside to give himself more room.

  When his legs were free, he turned to look into the back. It was apparent that something, some part of the VTOL probably, had shot through the window, and then through Garid. Darck shook his head. He was on his own now.

  He climbed out of the ground-car through the opening where the wind-shield had been, his sharp ears catching the sounds of people talking nearby. He was very careful to make no sound as he moved over the hood of the car, avoiding the glass as much as possible. Once he was out of the vehicle, he crouched down and moved along the side of it, exiting the VTOL, but keeping the back of the vehicle between himself and the people a dozen yards away on the ground. He peeked over the rear of the car, stunned at the size of the three men crouched on the ground only a few yards away. No way was he going to tackle them on his own. They looked strong enough to rip him in half without breaking a sweat.

  He turned around and made his way back into the VTOL. Reaching through the broken windshield on the passenger side, he quietly opened the small compartment in the dash. He could barely get his hand into the compartment, and from his position he couldn’t see into it at all. He felt around carefully, stretching up on his toes to reach more deeply into it. Finally he felt the small, round shape he was after. He slid it along the bottom of the compartment with his fingertips until he was able to grasp it firmly between two fingers. He nearly laughed out loud in triumph as he pul
led his hand back with Garid’s vox enclosed in his fist. He shoved the vox into his pocket, saying a silent thank you for the rule requiring him to confiscate all communication devices before leaving the guards at the compound.

  He worked his way carefully to the front of the VTOL and climbed out through the broken windshield. A few minutes later he was jogging steadily east through the desert. He’d put a few miles between himself and those huge men, then he’d call his father for help.

  ***

  Ellicia looked into Harlan’s amber eyes. “Tell me,” she said.

  Harlan smiled, but he didn’t speak. Ellicia didn’t mind. She understood now. And she knew what needed to be done.

  She heard running footsteps approach and looked up at the new face standing over her. The woman’s face reminded her of Harlan, except she had beautiful bright turquoise eyes instead of amber. “Hope?” she asked.

  The woman knelt down by her side, next to Jackson. “Ellicia?” Hope asked. Ellicia nodded, watching as Jackson leaned forward and whispered something to Hope. Hope’s face paled and she swallowed hard.

  “Ellicia, are you talking to Harlan?” she asked, her voice hoarse with emotion..

  “Yes,” Ellicia said softly.

  “He’s dead, isn’t he?” Hope asked, dreading the answer, though in her heart, she already knew.

  “Yes,” Ellicia replied. “I’m sorry Hope, I know this is hard for you, but there isn’t much time.”

  Hope nodded and straightened her shoulders. “Tell me what you need,” she said.

  “The babies have to live,” Ellicia said. “They are more important than you can imagine. More important than I ever guessed.”

  “How far along are you?” Hope asked.

  “Just short of eight months,” Ellicia replied, suddenly having to work harder to speak, even in a whisper. The pain was growing as well, but she pushed it aside. This was more important than anything else, and the pain would stop soon. Very soon.

  “They’re small, so you’ll need to get them to medical help real quick,” she continued. She turned her gaze to Jackson and strained to raise one hand so that she could touch him. Jackson immediately lifted her hand for her, cupping it gently in his own.

  “I need you, all four of you, to promise me you will take care of our sons. Raise them as though they were your own, but tell them about me and Harlan. Tell them we loved them. Will you do that?”

  Jackson raised one fist to his heart. “You have my word of honor, we will love them and care for them as our own,” he said, his voice breaking.

  Ellicia smiled and turned her eyes to look at Rob and Clark, who also held their fists to their hearts. She relaxed a little more and turned back to Jackson.

  “Their names are Harlan, Mattlan and Weldan,” she whispered. She waited for Jackson to nod before taking a deep, painful breath. She knew her time was almost gone.

  “What are their surnames to be?” Jackson asked. He was still stunned by the knowledge that Harlan was dead. He knew that Harlan was the babies’ father, but he did not know the man’s surname.

  “They are Clan Jasani,” Ellicia replied, her voice suddenly clear and strong, though she had no idea where the words were coming from. “Like all Clan Jasani, their surname is their Clan.”

  Jackson, Clark and Rob were rocked by Ellicia’s words. Jackson struggled to get beyond his shock. Ellicia had little time left.

  “I apologize for my lack of knowledge,” he said gently. “What Clan are your sons?”

  “Owlfen,” Ellicia said, shocking both herself and the Bearens further.

  There are no Owlfen, Jackson thought. The Owlfen were one of the Lost Clans. How could this be?

  Jackson was yanked from his thoughts as Ellicia asked him another question, her voice once again weak and whispery. “Are you going to be able to do what needs to be done?”

  “What needs to be done?” Jackson asked, feeling dazed by all that was happening.

  “The babies,” she gasped, fighting for another breath, “you have to get the babies out.”

  Jackson’s eyes widened in sudden understanding. “No, I can’t do that,” he said, shaking his head. “No, Ellicia, you need to hang on. We’ll have help here in just a few minutes.”

  Ellicia’s heart stuttered in fear, stopped, started, stopped and then began to beat erratically. She looked at Hope with pleading in her eyes, unable to speak now, fighting for each breath, unable to let go until she was certain her babies would be saved.

  Hope reached out and placed a gentle hand on Ellicia’s cheek. “Don’t worry,” she said softly. “I will do what must be done. This I promise.”

  Ellicia nodded in relief, still fighting to breathe, knowing that her fight was almost over. But she didn’t mind. Her babies would live. Hope had promised.

  “Tell Harlan I love him,” Hope said, tears streaking her cheeks. “Your children will know their father through me.”

  “And they will know their mother through us,” Jackson promised.

  Ellicia smiled her thanks, and turned her eyes back to Harlan. Harlan reached out to her, and she lifted her arm to place her hand in his. He gave her a gentle tug and she rose up to stand beside him. The pain was gone. Her children would live, and be cared for and loved. Her business was done.

  Chapter 42

  “We have to hurry,” Hope said, turning to Jackson as the light went out of Ellicia’s eyes. The knowledge that her beloved Harlan was dead was too painful to think about right now, so she pushed it aside. She would deal with it later. Just as she would deal with the intense feelings that had exploded within her the moment she had neared these three men who were the living embodiment of the mural on her bedroom wall.

  There was only one thing of importance at the moment, and that was saving the lives of Harlan’s and Ellicia’s unborn babies.

  “Hurry?” Jackson asked, his heart aching at the tender smile on Ellicia’s face, the emptiness in her eyes.

  “The babies,” Hope snapped. “If we don’t get them out now we are going to lose them, too.”

  Jackson shook his head, the idea of doing what Ellicia had asked of him, of what Hope was suggesting, making him feel sick. He was a seasoned warrior and had seen many horrors in his life, but this was beyond him.

  “Move then,” Hope ordered giving him a shove. It was like shoving a boulder but he did as she asked and shifted out of the way. Hope reached for the knife at her belt and moved into a better position to do what she had to do. As she reached for the hem of Ellicia’s blouse she felt the stares of all three of the huge, identical men kneeling around her.

  The stares she might have been able to ignore. But she felt their deep sorrow at Ellicia’s passing, and she felt their horror at what she was about to do. As long as they were watching her, and feeling the way they were, she wasn’t going to be able to do what was needed.

  “Don’t you think you should go check on the men in that car?” she asked through gritted teeth.

  “Yes,” Jackson said at once, leaping to his feet. “We’ll do that.” Clark and Rob were right behind him and within a couple of seconds, they were gone.

  Hope let out a slow breath of relief and focused on the task before her. She bared Ellicia’s abdomen and held the knife poised in one hand for a long moment.

  She suddenly realized that this was going to be the most difficult thing she had ever had to do in her life, but she could not back out of it. She had promised not only Ellicia, but in her heart, she had promised Harlan as well. She reminded herself that Ellicia was beyond pain now, and still she could not make her hand move the knife.

  “If you do not do this, those babies are going to die,” Grace said in a hard voice. That did it. Hope’s hand came down and with one quick gesture, the most difficult part was done.

  “Grace, I need something to wrap these babies in,” Hope said as she reached for the first infant. Grace jumped to her feet and ran away as Hope laid the tiny baby on his mother’s chest, then reached for the next
one. By the time Grace returned all three babies were safely out of their mother’s womb. But there was still a lot of work to be done. Hope ignored the tears pouring down her cheeks, and focused on the work before her.

  Jackson had so many emotions roiling through him he could barely think. Heartache that they had lost Ellicia. Joy that they had found their Arima. Shock that, somehow, Ellicia’s babies were members of the Lost Clan of the Owlfen. Horror at the thought of doing what Ellicia had asked of him, and pride that Hope, their Arima, had stepped in to do what had to be done. Relief that, finally, he had a good reason to transform into his bearenca and release some of his raging emotional highs and lows.

  Jackson’s bearenca head was too large to fit through the window of the ground-car, but he was able to get his nose far enough in to sniff the body of the male in the front seat. His nose burned slightly at the scent.

  Narrasti, he thought. Not full Narrasti, or even half, but some. He used Air magic to break the rear window and sniffed the male in the back seat. His scent was much like the first one. A little Narrasti, a lot human.

  There was also a third scent, one that was much more Narrasti than the other two, but there was no body to go with it. He paced slowly around the wreck in one direction while Rob and Clark circled the other way, amazed that anyone had lived through the collision, let alone was well enough to climb out of that vehicle.

  A moment later he found the remains of their own pilot. He’d been a nice young man, and an excellent pilot, and Jackson regretted his death. But it had all happened so quickly that there hadn’t been time to do more than try to get out of the way. One moment he was walking away from the VTOL with Ellicia, the next a ground-car was flying toward them at full speed with a large expanse of cloth plastered against the windshield. He had gotten himself and Ellicia out of the way only because he had drawn on his bearenca’s super speed and Air magic.

  But it hadn’t been enough. Something, some piece of metal from either the VTOL or the ground-car, it didn’t matter which, had hit Ellicia with the force of a bullet. It had gone through her back and out her chest, leaving massive damage in its wake. Jackson had known with one look that there was nothing they could do to save her life. Even if there had been a Healer present, it would not have mattered.