Arctic Blaze

by Amy Ruttan

  They loaded their gear into the boat and now it was May’s turn to act as pilot, as she brought her boat out onto the river and navigated her way toward Hudson Bay and York Factory.

  Mason settled in and kept a look out behind him. He hoped they were clear and free, or that May’s shield would be strong enough to block Parker from reaching to him, but he wasn’t so sure.

  May glanced back. “You okay?”

  He was going to tell her fine, but in the past twenty-fours since they had been reunited he was learning that neither of them could keep secrets from each other.

  “I just feel like we’re being watched.”

  May frowned. “I know the feeling.”

  “So you sense it too.”

  “When I was in Gillam and buying supplies, I felt like there were eyes on me. And it wasn’t just the towns people, who always are a bit nosey about strangers coming through their town. This was something more.”

  Mason got up and ducked under the canvas cover and took a seat next to her, looking out the bow at the muddy, wide waters of the Nelson.

  “Maybe we should plan a diversion,” he said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that we should stop somewhere and wait them out. Face them head on, so that they don’t find out where Nash and Lesa are. I am the one they want.”

  May worried her bottom lip. “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “You wanted to protect Lesa.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “You could leave me behind, but I think they might follow you.”

  She sighed. “You’re right, but let me get into polar bear country first.”

  “You want Auyuittuq to be able to come running?”

  May smiled. “Hey, he’s handy in a fight. He’s always kept me safe.”

  “What does that name mean?” Mason asked. “I thought you would’ve called him Nanuk or Gus or something.”

  “What? No, Nanuk means polar bear. I didn’t want it to be so obvious when I talk about him. And Gus? That’s odd.”

  “There was a polar bear in Central Park with that name.”

  May snorted. “No, and if you must know, Auyuittuq means the land that never melts. That’s where I found him. He was orphaned and wasn’t even weaned from his mother. Lesa said Auyuittuq and I have the same spirit.”

  “Is Lesa Inuit?”

  “No, she’s Dene from Wood Buffalo area. You’ll like her. She’s been helping to telepathically heal your brother. She does owe him a lot for saving her life.”

  Mason smiled. “That is like Nash.”

  “We escaped the GKA and Parker tracked us down. Parker would’ve killed her, and me.” Pink tinged her cheek. “Nash stepped in to save us from Parker.”

  Mason’s stomach knotted as he thought of his brother trying to kill May. Two people he loved so much.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” He reached out and took her hand.

  “I’m sorry I pushed you away, but you have to understand, I just don’t trust the Phoenix Agency. I don’t trust anything like that. I would much rather live off the grid, out here, than be under someone’s thumb.”

  “I’m not under anyone’s thumb.”

  “You know what I mean,” she said.

  “No, I don’t. May, the Phoenix Agency can help you. They won’t put you in an institution. The Phoenix Agency and The Lotus Circle are filled with people like you and me. We’re just trying to make this world safe for everyone.”

  May sighed. “Hey, I’m hungry, can you grab me an apple or something from the cooler?”

  She was ignoring him and he was pressing her too hard. He got up and opened up the cooler, pulling out an apple and a sandwich. He handed her the apple and she thanked him.

  Mason took a seat and ate the sandwich quickly. He didn’t realize how hungry he was, he’d been running on adrenaline since he ran into May.

  He glanced out over the bow and the river was wider. There were white caps in the distance and he hoped it wouldn’t be a rough ride.

  “Choppy water,” he said.

  “That’s not choppy water. It’s belugas.” She smiled. “We’re in polar bear country now.”

  A shudder ran down his spine as she spoke, but he was intrigued by the sight of belugas. He left the covered area of the boat and sat at the stern.

  And as they got closer, sure enough, the choppy water he’d seen was a pod of belugas. May slowed the boat as they passed by them. Mason watched in awe as the whales slowly arched their backs through the water and then disappeared again. They didn’t have a dorsal fin like other whales. Their skin looked smooth, and every once and a while there was a bit of mist as one of the whales took a breath.

  He smiled and leaned over the side as they passed the pod and then he caught sight of something else. Something which made him stand straight up. On the banks of the river stood a massive white bear, staring at them as it walked along the river.

  “May, you might want to stop for a moment and come out here.”

  May put the boat on cruise and dropped to a crawl as she came out to see what was wrong. She stood beside him and all he could do was point at the majestic polar bear that was watching them. He wasn’t pure white, he had some sandy brown in his white fur, probably from the mud and dirt of summer.

  May beamed and her eyes filled with tears. She cupped her hands over her mouth, and shouted, “Auyuittuq!”

  The bear sat up and seemed to respond in joy. Then Auyuittuq clambered down from the shore into the water and started to paddle toward them. Mason took a step back.

  May leaned over the side, speaking in gentle tones as the bear swam to the side of their boat. She reached down and began to rub his head, as it bobbed in the water.

  “Auyuittuq, I’m so happy to see you too.” She knelt and then placed her head against the bear’s.

  Mason watched in wonder as she seemed to be communicating with him. She then turned and looked at Mason.

  “He wants to know who you are. Come here, let him smell you and then he’ll know that no harm is to come to you.”

  Mason’s blood ran cold as the bear’s black eyes tracked him as he came closer.

  “Kneel down and touch him. He won’t hurt you.”

  “Isn’t he tired of treading water?” Mason said, slowly kneeling down, his eyes locked on the bear’s. Every fiber of his being was telling him to run for the hills.

  “No, here the river is starting to get shallow. He’s standing on his hind legs.”

  “He’s huge,” Mason said, as he slowly moved his hand toward the bear.

  Auyuittuq snuffed and then placed his cold, wet nose against Mason’s palm. The bear’s eyes locked with his and he could almost see the bear’s emotions running through his mind. Mason smiled.

  “He likes you,” May said. “Good, it means I can definitely trust you.”

  Auyuittuq broke the gaze and turned back to May, who was stroking him. She pulled a whole arctic char out of a bag.

  So that’s why she bought the fish.

  Auyuittuq gobbled up the fish gladly.

  “Go now. You know where to meet us, and stay out of sight.”

  The bear snuffed again and then turned in the water, swimming back to shore. Mason stood and watched as Auyuittuq clambered out of the water and up the shore, disappearing into the brush.

  “He’s been patrolling the headlands, keeping an eye on Lesa and Nash. As well as keeping the other polar bears from attacking them, but in his memories he’s seen the GKA planes overhead. I think there’s no point in waiting it out somewhere for them to come. They’ll be at the mouth of the river, just before it bleeds out into the Hudson Bay. The GKA will be there.”

  Mason nodded. “Well, we’ll face them.”

  May nodded. “They can’t get to Lesa. If they found out she was a telepathic healer…”

  Mason nodded. “I know. It’s bad enough they know about you.”

  “I’ll be okay. You know I can handle myself,” she said, and then she reached up
and touched his cheek gently. He cupped her face and kissed her.

  He wished that she wasn’t involved in this.

  He’d just found her again and he didn’t want to let her go, because no matter how hard he tried to shake it, he just felt like this was it.

  That he was going to really lose May at the end of this.

  And this time it would be forever.

  C

  hapter Six

  May’s pulse was racing and she was overcome with emotion as Mason kissed her, like he was kissing her for the last time. Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t want to cry in front of Mason. She didn’t cry in front of anyone.

  As much as she felt he betrayed her in the past, she realized she’d been a fool back then and she wasted too many years, scared of him.

  Scared of what she was feeling for him.

  She was still scared of her feelings for him.

  May clung to him for a few moments as they puttered down the Nelson River. She just held on to him. She didn’t want to lose him, but she really didn’t have a choice. He was Phoenix Agency and she was so scared of it all.

  Yet, last night, making love to him again had felt so right.

  Mason was the only man for her. He’d been the only man for her and even though she ran from him it didn’t change the fact that she still loved him.

  May pulled away from his kiss and closed her eyes, trying to collect herself. She had to be strong to face the GKA again. She couldn’t let her emotions get the better of her.

  “It’ll be okay,” Mason whispered, and he gently touched her cheek.

  “I know.”

  “I won’t let any harm come to you or Lesa…or Auyuittuq.”

  May laughed gently. “Thank you.”

  She turned back and took control of the boat, speeding it up and trying not to think about what was waiting for them.

  Mason stayed at the stern and began to ready his guns. She wanted to tell him that the weapons would be useless in this case. It wouldn’t be an attack with weaponry, but with extra sensory powers.

  General Knight’s second in command Commander Denham was telepathic and had a way of breaking through ones barriers and torturing you, until you basically begged for death. She remembered all too keenly what he’d done to her.

  What he’d shown her.

  Things that weren’t true, but he had raped her mind in a way she never wanted to experience again. And she was pretty sure that’s why Parker was now a slave to the GKA. That he’d shut down, and the only way his psyche knew how to protect itself was to do the Commander’s bidding.

  Mason’s spine stiffened and she could hear the static, the screech in his mind. It was like nothing she heard before, but he wasn’t used to the extrasensory assault that was happening.

  They were getting closer.

  “If I tell you to run, you run okay, May?”

  “I don’t want to abandon you,” she said.

  “You get to Lesa and Nash. I’ll handle Parker.”

  “You’re sure it’s Parker?”

  Mason nodded. “It is. He’s alone, or at least that’s what they want me to think.”

  “We’re almost there.” May could see the river widening out as it met the wide expanse of the Hudson Bay. This is where the fur traders had come before them. This had been the hub, the bloodline of Canada’s frontier, and it was unchanged, just like it was all those years ago.

  It was still vast, lonely, and wild.

  Dark clouds were gathering out over the bay and a chill ran down her spine. She eased her boat to the shore. They weren’t completely around the headland and York Factory was still southeast of them, but she knew that this was the place.

  She’d seen it in Mason’s mind. He’d dreamed of it.

  Mason helped her moor the boat and they each grabbed a rifle as they scrambled on shore and climbed the rocky embankment up to the headland.

  There were signs posted, warning them that if they saw a polar bear in the area they were to leave immediately.

  Mason winced.

  “The polar bears won’t harm us,” she gently said.

  “No, not that. It’s the sound. The screeching.” He touched the side of his head and then his face relaxed. “He’s here and he’s calling for me.”

  May nodded.

  “Keep out of sight, May. I mean it.”

  “I’m not leaving your side.”

  “May, I called the Phoenix Agency.”

  Her stomach twisted. “You did what?”

  “I know that I promised you I wouldn’t call them, but I had to. We need back up.”

  “I can’t believe you broke your promise to me. Again!”

  “May, it’s for the best.”

  “I can’t be here when they land, Mason. You know that. I’m going to find Lesa and we’re going to leave.”

  Mason nodded. “I understand.”

  What she wanted to ask him was whether he would follow her, but she couldn’t form the words. She was angry at him for calling the Phoenix Agency, but she understood. She didn’t like it, but she understood. She just couldn’t be around when the Phoenix Agency came. She just couldn’t.

  You can. Face your fears.

  She shook those thoughts away and walked behind Mason. As they wound through the brush, Mason paused and crouched down. May followed him.

  “There he is,” Mason said in her mind.

  May craned her neck and could see Parker standing at the edge of the headland. His back was to them. The black uniform of General Knight’s army stuck out like a thumb against the green of the tall grass and the blue of Hudson Bay.

  There were dark clouds brewing offshore and a cold wind blew down from the north then. It was as if Parker’s presence was causing the storm that was brewing and May realized then and there that Parker was stronger than Mason knew.

  Mason looked at her and he understood too. He realized Parker was stronger than he originally thought. She could see the pain etched on his face, because he knew that this might not end well for him and his brother.

  She could sense the devastation in him.

  It broke her heart.

  Mason glanced down at his rifle and he knew that it would be useless. He handed it to her and then touched her face.

  “I love you,” he whispered in her mind.

  A tear slid down her cheek and she kissed him and rested her forehead against his. I know. I love you too.

  It was killing her that this was their final good-bye.

  Mason nodded and then stood and he slowly made his way toward Parker. Parker spun around and May took shelter in the brush, taking advantage of the tall grass to hide and watch.

  “Parker!” Mason shouted as he slowly walked toward his brother. His pulse was thundering in his ears. Nash and him had been looking for Parker for so long. It was so hard to hold back the rush of emotions he was feeling right now.

  This wasn’t a projection. This was Parker LaCroix standing twenty feet from him.

  As Parker turned, his expression was blank and his eyes were dark, cold, as he looked through him, as if he didn’t know who Mason was.

  As though they were strangers.

  “It’s me, Parker. It’s Mason.”

  “I know who you are,” Parker said. His voice was controlled, but as if he was holding back the part of himself that made him Parker. Or it was being held back by mind control.

  “Parker, you have to come back.”

  Parker didn’t respond. “I’ve been ordered to bring you to my Commander so that you can release General Knight from his prison.”

  “I’m not going to do that, Parker and you don’t have to follow the Commander’s orders.” Mason stepped closer. “You can leave with me and Nash. We’ll take care of you. I know this really isn’t you talking.”

  Parker didn’t respond. He just stared through Mason.

  “I know you didn’t mean to hurt Nash. It’s okay. I’m here.”

  “I’ve been ordered to bring you to m
y Commander so that you can release General Knight from his prison,” Parker repeated.

  “Parker, you don’t have to do this.” And as Mason tried to step forward to touch Parker, he was hit by a force, but, although he staggered backwards, it didn’t knock him down. Parker sneered at him, clearly angry that the mental blow he had just used didn’t strike Mason to the ground.

  “You’re a strong telekinetic. I’m surprised that the Commander doesn’t use you to break General Knight out.”

  “I do not know the location. He’s been moved again. You do and, together, we can both overcome the Phoenix Agency and release General Knight. The Commander needs you.”

  “As fodder, just like you are right now,” Mason snapped. “He’s using you, Parker.”

  Parker winced. “I’ve been ordered to bring you to my Commander so that you can release General Knight from his prison.”

  “I don’t think so.” Mason’s hands lit on fire and he pushed back against Parker’s energy and, where Parker had failed knocking Mason to the ground, Mason was able to push Parker back and hold him down. Effectively binding him.

  “Let me go!” Parker screamed. “You’re burning me!”

  Mason wavered and then Parker was able to break free of the hold and ran at Mason. Mason dodged him and his flames ignited a fire in the dry tall grass on the headland.

  Parker stared in horror as the wildfire spread.

  “Parker!” Mason shouted. “This is for your own good.”

  Mason used his telekinetic energy and pinned Parker to the ground again. Parker was screaming, but Mason wasn’t sure if he was burning him or he was fighting against the mind control. As he held him down he heard the distant sound of the Phoenix Agency chopper overhead. It was flying low, circling to make a landing.

  Mason glanced over his shoulder to see May pop up and run into the bush toward the York Factory site.

  “Let go of me!” Parker raged.

  “I can’t do that. You know that I can’t.”

  Parker struggled and then fell silent. Mason controlled the wildfire with his mind, but something was not right about this. He was able to defeat Parker too easily. Something was wrong.