by Debbie Behan
Chapter Ten
Presumed What!
Stunned, Axon and Zoren stared at the news. Pictures flashed before them of an asteroid that had hit Earth. The aerial shot showed the land had been gouged deeply by its forcible entry. The news froze them to the spot.
Breaking news! It flashed across the screen.
‘Oh my god, are you getting this?’ The reporter raised his voice over the sound of the noisy helicopter that gave details of the incident.
‘Hear you loud and clear, Jerry, go ahead,’ the NBB news commentator answered.
‘Ted, I’m in the air above a farm in outback Western Australia where an asteroid hit late this morning. As you can see it has opened up the ground with a fissure a few kilometres wide by, I don’t know, maybe eight k’s long. Ted, there’s nothing as far as the eye can see, everything is gone, obliterated in this mess of smoke and gas which seems to be the only remains of what I can imagine was once a house. I can see parts of a roof that’s upside down and from the damage, it must have blown right off.’
A fumbling noise was overheard, while the view of the camera changed. Scattered remains and charred debris edged each side of the gouged track laid by what was left of the fireball of rock that now sat harmless, dug deep into the earth. ‘As you can see, Ted, no one, not even the animals, could have reacted fast enough to get out of the way of this killer. It has annihilated everything in its path.’
The feed stopped as the focus returned to the studio analyst. ‘That’s right viewers; you saw it here first, on NBB. You have just witnessed the wreckage left by the impact of an asteroid to a property in the outback of Western Australia. Details of who owns this land have not been released, but we do have a couple of acquaintances of the occupants who have just turned up worried for their friends. It’s believed that before this enormous chunk of an asteroid hit the property, there was a two-storey home complete with a massive stable full of specially bred horses. It’s believed the family were home at the time of impact and are now presumed dead. We are having trouble with the audio but have just received this message via email.’ He took hold of a news feed handed to him. ‘Still no luck tracking down the owner of this farm, but the two acquaintances of the residents who had only just met them at a barbeque said there were three men; Rory, Nathen and Zeke and three women; Caitlin, Bree and Lisha. If anyone can help authorities with surnames or who knows the whereabouts of any of these men and women, please contact the police urgently.’
Axon switched off the feed and leant up against the bench, his mouth open, clearly in disbelief.
‘How could this have happened? The location was top secret.’
‘Wait!’
Zoren put his hand up. ‘Kayden’s on the line, he may know something. Maybe your team is with him.’
Axon shook his head. ‘No, Zoren; they were meant to be at my place by now, but I called home only moments before this happened and they still hadn’t arrived. Caitlin is stressed to the max. She’ll be worse if she hears about this and I’m not with her.’
‘Hang on Axon, I’m listening to two conversations here. What was that, Kayden? You were hit too!’ Zoren’s face was generally pale but now looked white, and his phone-hand trembled as he listened and relayed what happened with Kayden. ‘Okay. I’ll tell him.’
Axon could see Zoren took this personally, stunned that the gods were brazen enough to attack teams that belonged to him, he being an archangel. His status amongst the gods was his protection and until now, had also sheltered his peacekeepers from their wrath.
Zoren had reined in his anger to relay the conversation with Kayden. ‘Cassie foiled their attack but only just.’
‘Thank the stars they’re safe.’ Axon was pleased for them but anxiously waited to hear news of his team.
‘Yes,’ Zoren agreed with him. ‘But apparently, after blowing up the first asteroid, Cassie tried to destroy the second, but even with the help of the team, she ran out of power. The beam fell short and missed the mark, the first time ever for her. You see, her health suffers too. While Caitlin is unwell, Cassie, her equal, will continue to deteriorate also.’
‘Seriously?’ Axon scarcely believed the magical sharing of the Riders could stretch so far.
‘Yes,’ he answered. ‘I’m afraid so, and that’s not the only bad news you will have to prepare yourself for. Kayden said there’s no way anyone could survive it. They drove straight there and have only just been able to get through to us; the satellites are crammed by the news feeds.’
‘I have to go to Cait.’ Axon looked at his watch. She’s been waiting hours for them and will be terrified if she is watching this news report.’
‘We’ll both go. Give me a minute to get my experts moving. I want answers.’
Zoren signalled to a monitor, and within seconds the door swung open and a stream of skilled experts, some in suits, others in uniform, took their place around the table to discuss the acts of violence before them.
Monitors and screens from roof to floor switched on. The room lit up with every means they had available. This chamber in their headquarters was so hi-tech even the slightest movement captured would be picked up and analysed.
‘You have just witnessed, as we have, an unprovoked attack on two of my teams operating from Earth. This is an outrage! No one leaves here until I know who did this! Use whatever resources are necessary. I expect a full report sitting on my desk in an hour.’ He stood fuming, and added, ‘while I’m waiting, develop for me an official response to this barbaric attack – Now!’
There was a scuffle of chairs, some sitting, some standing and viewing the footage on the big screens. The sudden eruption of voices and chatter escalated as the brainiacs of the heavens began the task set for them. To find answers – fast. When Zoren said jump, they did.
Chapter Eleven
Ara Home World
(An hour earlier)
It was late morning, and Caitlin was beside herself when the winged beauties had still not appeared from the cloud cover. Rory, please be safe. She flopped in the chair, her feet sore and swollen from pacing. The clink of ice against glass distracted Caitlin. ‘Sorry miss,’ Nigel apologised for the noise. ‘Your friends are running late, so can I get you a snack while you wait?’
She flicked her fingers to dismiss him. Then she felt bad as his light grey hair bobbed down as he bowed to leave. ‘Sorry that was rude of me. Stay a while and chat with me.’ She turned her head to the side, her lips parted in a smile.
‘You must be very close.’ He looked outward towards the sky.
‘Yes.’ Caitlin picked up the iced tea and sipped the soothing liquid she had come to enjoy. ‘We have been together for a little over ten years now, except for Bree of course. She’s only been with us a short time.’
More time passed as they sat chatting. Every minute felt like an hour. Suddenly a flash of light in the clouds caught her attention. ‘There!’ she squealed and stood with her hand shading her eyes. ‘Look!’ she shrieked at Nigel and leant over the rail as if that short distance would make her see better.
‘I’m not sure, ma’am, it could be just lightning. It’s overcast today and we do have electrical storms up here.’
‘No! It’s them. I know it.’ She was fixed on that area of sky.
With a burst of electrical currents and the crackle of the portal opening, the first horse appeared with Rory, then another. Caitlin waved madly and jumped up and down as she screamed out their names. Her visitors had arrived and tears of joy ran down her face.
Nigel smiled. ‘Excused me, ma’am but I must go and greet your guests.’
Caitlin didn’t stop calling to them until the Riders were under her balcony. The procession of winged, armoured horses landed on the grass below, and the eloquent glow of magic at its finest had Caitlin’s hands clasped together in awe, overwhelmed as her friends dismounted.
&
nbsp; By this time Nigel and half a dozen of the albino men waited in greeting. Caitlin had learned that Axon’s dark hair and her red hair were unusual on this planet. By the look on the horse handlers’ faces, they were completely taken aback at Rory and the team who looked more like angels with the glow that shone from them. The stable hands shielded their eyes while her friends dismounted, and only relaxed their arms as they marched off looking straight ahead in unison, with the horses beside them. With the magical rides being taken care of, her friends waved back before Nigel had them inside and out of her sight. She moved as quickly as she could to join them.
‘Rory!’ She went straight into his outstretched arms, his big warm, friendly hug just as it used to be.
‘I’ve missed you, Red.’ Rory searched her face while he frowned at the visible marks that scarred her creamy complexion. Too moved to explain, Caitlin slipped from his grip and after lots of hugs and excited chatter, she gave her friends a tour of the twenty-four-bedroom mansion.
‘He lives in a castle,’ Lisha gushed.
Rory and Bree snapped up the first room they saw. It was huge and had a big living area which included a kitchenette. The boys, as she’d expected, quickly laid claim to the next two rooms that had a balcony and a spa in the ensuite.
‘That’s not fair,’ Lisha sulked when hers was dull, nothing special, not like the others. She’d held out for too long making a decision as she thought a better one might come up.
‘Ah!’ Nigel bowed upon seeing her disappointment. ‘For the fairest of maidens, come.’ He backed away from her before he turned and stood upright, the shuffle of the elderly gent easy to keep up with as he led them to a door that opened up to another set of stairs.
As they reached the top, a heavy-set door automatically opened into an elegantly furnished room. ‘This is where Zoren sleeps when he stays over. I’m sure if you don’t move his antiques around, he won’t mind it being used for a few nights.’
Lisha jumped on the monstrosity of a bed. The huge four-post outrageous sleeper took up most of the space in that room. There were two doors on the other side. One led to the ensuite complete with a spa that looked more like a swimming pool. The other door took them into a kitchenette.
Nigel opened up the curtains to a magnificent view of the woods far below them. ‘Come, fair maiden.’ He inclined his head to Lisha who had apparently won his attention. Caitlin knew Lisha was drop dead gorgeous but apart from that, she could act incredibly spoilt and insensitive at times. She wondered how long Lisha would stay polite and sweet now she had the best room in the house. Not wishing to miss a thing, Lisha kicked up her feet and struggled to get off the bed. It looked like a tortoise stuck on its back and made them laugh at her. It ticked her off. Here we go, Caitlin mused.
‘What!’ Her voice indignant and cross as she emerged from inside and peered out over the balcony. A sudden chorus from the wolves broke out. Many lined the trees on the edge of the woods and upon seeing her, they howled in unison.
‘What’s wrong with them? They’d better not be laughing at me too or they are so dead.’ Unimpressed Lisha put her hand to her ears to drown their noise out.
‘The wolves call to you and your friends.’ Nigel tilted his head, confused at her curtness. ‘They think you are angels that come from the sky; they serenade you.’
‘Well, they can quit that racket. Shooo!’ She turned to Nigel. ‘Tell those stable hands to hurry up and remove the bridles from our horses. Not putting up with that howling all night.’ She huffed, turned with her head held high, her attitude impatient.
Nigel closed the balcony door on the wolves to quieten them down and with his head hung and shoulders hunched stood next to Caitlin. She nudged him. It hadn’t taken Lisha long to show her true colours. She had insulted his pets and showed indifference to what he thought wondrous.
‘She must like you, she is generally worse.’ She tried to apologise for her friend, saw his look and grinned. ‘Ah, you like her. May I say you are not the only male that has fallen for her on sight.’
Nigel bit his lip to prevent a smile. ‘Will that be all ma’am?’ His posture straightened, not giving away any secrets.
‘Yes thank you, Nigel. I’ll call if we need anything further.’ He’s a dark horse. She grinned as he nodded and left.
Chapter Twelve
Friends Forever
Caitlin, aware after staying with Axon over the past days and nights that his life was all about his work, was not expecting to see him until late into the evening. With this in mind, she organised a swim before the midday meal, but her joy was soon upset when Rory spotted the bruises she had not been able to hide.
‘Cait, what happened to you?’ He pulled at her arm and spun her around to face him. ‘You have scratches everywhere, and what the hell, your feet are a mess, they’re black and swollen.’ He held her two shoulders firmly. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were so banged up? Hell Cait, this isn’t funny. How did you let this happen and more to the point, why?’ His voice rose, and his tone and reddened features made her cringe.
Axon had naturally downplayed what had happened to keep their heads in the game. The last thing he wanted was to send out an uptight team leader, worried about a team member. If she’d known he’d react this way, she would have stayed dressed. Thanks for the heads up, Axon.
He shook her slightly and received a stare with no response. ‘Is this how he found you?’ His voice was raised and angry.
Caitlin snapped at his outburst, hurt. ‘It was an accident, and why do you care? You haven’t even called me.’ She threw her hand up in the air and released herself from his grip. ‘Leave me alone!’ She turned, moved as quickly as she could up the stairs and threw herself on the bed.
Rory already knew she wouldn’t do this deliberately but for her to do it at all worried him. ‘I’m sorry!’ he apologised after following her. He dropped down on the bed beside her. ‘I just freaked out. When Axon said he was taking you for a couple of days, I was ticked off, sure, but thought it necessary for you two to work things out. That’s why I didn’t interfere, left you alone with him and didn’t insist you come home. After all, you were terribly angry with him, and he being the boss it made for a very strained visit all round. Until now, that was what I thought your episode was all about; you wanted his attention. When I first saw you, it damned near floored me, Cait. You’ve lost weight, your face is drawn and there’s barely a spot where you’re not scratched or bruised.’
‘It wasn’t about him, Rory, and I hope you believe me.’
‘Then it was me!’
‘What? How did you come to that conclusion?’
‘The way I treat you. We were closer than best friends. You must have known how I felt and when you didn’t return my advances and Bree came along, I threw my relationship with her in your face, didn’t I?’
She sniffled into her tissue. ‘Yes, it hurt.’ She looked up at him. ‘We both hurt each other, Rory but this didn’t happen because of you two, that’s silly.’
She faced him. ‘Axon believes my session with Woody was incomplete. The magic he used to make me open up to him and then heal the wounds he exposed must have caused me to flip out a bit. There is no other reason for me to have been so angry at Axon. I had only just met him and yet I expected him to feel as I did. I was irrational, couldn’t eat, sleep, and worse of all didn’t have a clue why. My mind was frazzled and yet if you were to ask me why I would have shrugged.’
‘Woody wanted you to remember your childhood, but why?’
‘He feels my powers will never be fully developed until I face my past.’
‘Then it is my fault. I let you close the door on it, Cait. Why remember so much pain? Maybe if I tell you how I found you?’
‘No!’ She put her hand to his lips. ‘It doesn’t work like that. I have to do it.’
Caitlin took her hand away, her features s
oft as she looked at him. ‘Please don’t blame yourself. I would be so much worse without you. I hold you so deep in my heart and don’t blame you for choosing Bree. I know now it would never have worked between us and recently I worked out why.’
‘Why, Caitlin? I need to hear you say it. I need to know this thing between us will not destroy our future together. I too have missed you, but on my team.’ He smiled, the kindness in his eyes unmistakable.
‘Rory, you hold me when I cry, laugh when I laugh, care when no one else does; you alone taught me how to live and love but as a brother figure. If you were thinking straight back then you would have seen it too.’
He grinned. ‘I see that now, although you have to cut me some slack too. I was your everything until our team grew and suddenly our relationship changed. You became better friends with the other members, while I became buried in paperwork and keeping you all safe. I felt left out of all the fun you guys had together. We both had to change and grow. Somehow we both have, and you know what, I reckon we’re going to do just fine aren’t we?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled back.
‘A truce, finally.’ Rory flopped on his back. ‘Anyway, I wanted someone who can look after me, not the other way around.’
‘Oh, that’s it! Hang it on me now, after ten years. What… I bet you even make Bree wipe your arse, you chauvinistic prick.’
He laughed at her indignant pose. She looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, yet she sure did have one. He blamed the way he and the boys spoke in front of the girls. He would have to stop that now.
‘You’re such a bitch sometimes Caitlin, but so much fun.’ He got serious. ‘Just promise me you will never talk like that in front of anyone but me from now on. We all have to start becoming a little more upper-class and leave the gutter talk behind, okay.’
