“He wants you to die,” Cylar says. His tone is icy and I shiver.
“What are you talking about? Why would he want me to die?”
“Because you are an abomination.”
“You are an imbecile,” Davin says, looking more angry than I’ve ever seen him. “Where is this Elder for whom you work?”
“He does not…” Cylar pauses, looking perplexed. “I do not know where he is at the moment.”
“Does Damas know of this?” Lana asks. “Does he believe this angel should die?”
Cylar’s forehead glistens as beads of perspiration quickly form. “We do not know what he believes. Apparently, he has been gone for quite some time.”
“Ari is Damas’s daughter,” Ella says.
“What you are saying is impossible.” Cylar sounds confident and calm. Too calm. Too confident. He doesn’t know.
Lana puts her hand up. “It is true.”
“How do you know this?” Cylar asks.
“Your Elder seems to have withheld some rather important information from you, Cylar. I am Ari’s sister. I held her in my arms when she was a baby. I changed her diapers. I rocked her to sleep. No Elder can make a decision of this magnitude without my father’s approval, and I can assure you that he does not wish to see his daughter harmed. I suggest you return to whomever sent you and advise him that we will take this matter up with my father, when he returns to Olympus.”
Lana looks at me and smiles.
I nod, returning her smile.
“It’s so good to see you,” Ella says, barely able to contain her excitement.
“I am happy…and pleasantly surprised to see you, Ella,” Lana says, looking a little bemused.
“Well, I couldn’t very well let my best friend go gallivanting across the universe without me. Now, could I?”
“Evidently not,” Lana says. “You were always an overachiever.”
Cylar rolls his eyes. “This is absurd. I have something that might help to explain my mission. May I show you?”
“Move very slowly,” Tal says, releasing his grip on Cylar’s arm.
Cylar reaches inside his pockets, then draws his hands out, slowly.
“Let me see.” Tal commands.
Cylar turns his hands, palms up. Inside each hand is a silvery, golf-ball sized orb.
“What are those?” Tal asks.
“No!” Ella and Lana scream as one.
“Stop him!” Reyna shouts.
Before anyone can react, Cylar flicks his wrists, and the orbs fly from his hands.
One of the orbs strikes my energy shield and falls harmlessly to the ground. Next to me, I hear a grunt. I turn, just in time to see Davin stagger and fall. He’s slumped over the table. Blood is everywhere. Oh no…
The other orb. It must have penetrated his energy shield. He looks at me with mournful eyes.
“It will heal.” His voice is hoarse. He’s gasping for air.
As I move toward Davin, a blood-curdling scream pierces the night air. It’s Cylar. He’s glowing like a light bulb, as a pulsing beam of angry white light pours out of Lana’s outstretched hand and into his chest. The smells of ozone and seared flesh permeate the air. I watch in horror as clothing and skin melt together. His mouth is agape, as if trying to form a scream, but his voice is gone, and then he’s gone—transformed into a small pile of fine gray ash.
“No,” I whisper, as I turn toward Davin. “Oh, God, no.”
I grasp his shoulders and gently lower him into a chair. “What do I do?” I ask him.
His clothes are saturated with blood. His breathing is ragged.
“I’m sorry,” he manages to say before his head sags and he passes out.
“Davin, please don’t give up. Don’t leave me.”
My sobs come in violent spasms. I kneel beside him and cradle his head to my bosom. He can’t die. I won’t let him die.
“Ari, let’s slow his bleeding.” Reyna is standing beside me, holding a small vile with a white, powdery substance inside.
She waves her arm across the table, flinging cups, plates, and flatware to the ground.
“Help me get him on his back, Ari.”
I carefully scoop him into my arms and gently lay him on the table. Reyna pours the contents of her vial into Davin’s wound. The hole in his belly is jagged and horrible.
I lean down and pick up the orb that struck me. It’s covered with razor-sharp serrations. God, it must have hurt him so much. But the bleeding has slowed. The clotting agent Reyna administered is working.
“Thank you, Reyna,” I say.
She nods and averts her eyes. She probably feels ashamed. But I have more important things to worry about. Her feelings can wait. Davin can’t.
Tal and Ella are engaged in an animated conversation with Moras—no doubt briefing him on what happened. Moras finally turns and walks away. The poor man looks stricken.
Tal and Ella approach me slowly. Ella is openly weeping.
“It will be okay,” Tal says, softly.
“I know,” I say. “I’m going to heal him.”
I place my hand over Davin’s wound and push energy into him. My hand begins to glow, but it doesn’t feel right. There’s no pain—only a slight buzzing.
“Ari,” Lana says, “The projectile is toxic. The wound will not heal until we remove it.”
“How can we remove it?” I’m on the verge of panic. “Lana…?”
“He’ll be fine, Ari. I’m a surgeon. We won’t lose him. I promise.”
Ella places an arm on my shoulder and finally speaks. “I’m so sorry,” she says, choking back a sob, “I should have warned you sooner.”
“You did what you could, Ella,” I say.
“We must leave now,” Lana says. “We must get Davin to Carina. There is a surgical theater there.”
“I’ll carry Davin to the transport,” Tal says.
I shake my head. “I’ll carry him, Tal. Take the others and get to the transport as quickly as you can. Have it ready to go. Okay?”
Tal nods. Then he, Ella, and Reyna take off sprinting toward the landing area.
Lana walks up to me and places her hands on my shoulders. “You are in no condition to carry him, Ari.”
“I can do it. I have to do it.”
“You are trembling. Please, we need to go. Let me carry him.”
She’s right. I’m a mess, and the last thing I want to do is risk hurting him more. “Okay,” I say, choking back a sob. “Let’s go.”
I help Lana lift Davin into her arms, making sure he’s as comfortable as possible. Then we set off down the path.
“You knew we are sisters?” she asks.
“I can be smart. Sometimes.”
“You’re far too modest,” she says.
“It’s a family trait.”
A soft glow appears around Lana.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m sharing my energy with him. It will slow the effects of the toxin. It will help to sustain him until I can operate.”
“What is this toxin?”
“The weapon Cylar used is called a core disruptor. It releases a deadly poison, while disrupting the absorption of energy. The victim cannot heal.”
“But we can heal him after the orb is removed. Right?”
“Yes. I will remove the projectile, and then you will heal him.”
“I wish I felt as confident as you sound. Are you a good surgeon?”
“I am very experienced.”
“Can I really heal him, Lana?”
She gives me a warm smile. “You can.”
I wonder if she knows the extent of my abilities…if she knows what Thalia, Davin, and I have been agonizing about for the past several months. “How are you so sure?”
“You really don’t know?”
“Should I?
She smiles sweetly. “You are special.”
That’s really profound. Profoundly cryptic. “Meaning…?”
“Have you not be
en wondering how Dad was able to turn your mom into an angel?”
“Of course. And you know how?”
“I do. It was love, Ari.”
“That tells me a whole lot.” I look up at her and frown. “Can you take a more direct path to the point, please?”
“Love is the fuel of miracles. It helps to strengthen our abilities. There was enough love in Dad to change your mom. And there’s more than enough love in you to heal Davin.”
“Dad didn’t change me. Did he?”
“He didn’t have to. You were born an angel.”
“He really did change my mom before I was conceived?”
“Yes.”
I shake my head. I was born an angel. “Thalia was right.”
“She figured it out, huh?”
“Yes.”
“She is brilliant.”
“I know.”
“When did you and Davin commit?”
“Last night,” I answer.
“Congratulations,” she says.
I give her a tight smile. “Thank you.”
“You do realize that every unattached female angel on Olympus will be utterly crushed?”
“As long as we are together, nothing else matters.” I’m really not in the mood for humor, although I’m pretty sure she is right. Davin is that desirable.
“I can sense your love for each other. It is very powerful.”
“I can’t lose him, Lana. I just can’t. And please, must you be so flippant about this. My heart is breaking,” I say, choking back a sob.
“I’m sorry, Ari. You won’t lose him. I promise.”
“Last night I was dreaming about spending eternity with him. Now…”
“He is going to be fine. You are going to be fine. I’m sorry if I was crass, but it’s only because I know he’ll be fine. Davin and I have been friends for a very long time. And now we’re family. I love him. I love you both.”
“I just can’t lose him.”
“You won’t. I…”
The words seem to catch in her throat.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“It hurts me to see you like this. I didn’t mean to sound flippant. I just…”
“You were trying to help. I understand.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. Lana’s perspective is different. She knows more about what I am…about what I’m capable of.
She lets out a deep breath. “I assume you changed Ella. Am I right?”
“She was badly wounded and I healed her. I guess I did a pretty good job.”
“You did. She was positively brilliant tonight.”
“She was.”
“Do you know how powerful you are?”
“Not really. I can only go by what Thalia and Davin say.”
“Don’t be frightened by it, Tink. It’s a blessing. A really, really big one.”
Tink. I smile at the memory. Mom had just started her residency, and Dad traveled all the time. So they hired Lana to care for me. I adored her. She was amazing. So full of love and laughter. She called me Tink because I reminded her of Tinker Bell. After Dad’s funeral, Mom said that Lana decided to go back to college. I was heartbroken.
“I’ve missed you, Lana.”
“I’ve missed you, too. I so wanted to be a part of your childhood. When Dad was called home, I was devastated. Then I had to return to Olympus. I didn’t want to leave you. But I had no choice. I hope you understand.”
Her eyes fill with tears.
“At the time, I was angry. I thought you didn’t care about me. I was so young, and I loved you so much, and you left me. I didn’t understand.”
“I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“You did what you had to do. Let’s just concentrate on moving forward, on being good sisters.”
“That’s a very worthy goal, Tink.”
“Yeah. It is. Thank you Lana.”
“For…?”
“For making my grief a little more tolerable.”
“You have nothing to grieve over. This incredibly handsome angel in my arms will be fine,” she says, as we approach our waiting transport.
Lana, Davin, and I are in the back row of the transport. I cradle his head to my chest, stroking his cheek, as I speak to him in a soothing drawl.
“We couldn’t have come this far only to have it end. There are so many things we have to look forward to, so many adventures to share, so many things… ”
Did his lips move? Is he trying to answer me? “Davin?” I lean down, placing my ear near his lips.
His voice is barely audible. “Monsoon. Remember.”
Lana gives me a confused look. “Did he just say ‘monsoon?’”
“He did.”
“What could that mean, Ari?”
“It means his mind is working. It means everything.”
My finger traces the strong line of his jaw. “I love you, Davin. I won’t let you leave me. I promise.”
Chapter 26
The ride back to Carina takes less than fifteen minutes, but it seems like an eternity. I’m curious when we pass the beach house and turn inland, toward an isolated area on the far side of the island.
“Where are we going, Tal?” I ask.
“If Cylar’s associates have tracked us, we need to be in a secure position. There is a sanctuary here. It is impenetrable. And it has a fully-equipped infirmary.”
As the transport nears the ground, a strobe light flashes. Then the ground slides away, and we land inside a lighted shaft, approximately twenty feet deep. Tal powers down the transport and opens the doors.
“I can carry him now,” I say to Lana.
I need to hold him close to me. I need to touch him.
She nods.
As we disembark, the top of the shaft slides closed, and the lights inside come on.
We enter a large hallway, with several doors on either side. “The infirmary is in here,” Lana says, as we approach a white door.
As she opens the door, my heart begins to beat wildly. I can’t lose him. I can’t live in a world without him. I can’t.
It looks like a very high-tech emergency room. Banks of electronic instruments and monitors line one wall. Six gurneys are parked along another. A single bed stands alone in the center of the room, surrounded by computers and scanners. Lana walks toward it.
“Lay him down on the bed, Ari.”
I carefully set him down. Overhead lights illuminate him, and the full impact of just how close to death he is hits me like a sledgehammer. The color has drained from his face, his clothes are red with his blood, he seems to be gasping for air, and my heart is breaking. I need Thalia. I need her reassurance.
“Should we call Thalia for input?” I ask.
“We can’t,” Tal says. “I activated an emergency lockdown. Communications in and out are blocked to prevent detection. Lana is a talented healer. Davin is in good hands.”
Lana turns to the others. “I need you to wait outside while Ari and I tend to Davin.”
“Of course,” Tal says. “If you need us, we will be in the living quarters.”
Ella and Tal hug me and then leave the infirmary, along with a sad-looking Reyna.
“We’ll need to clean up and change into jumpsuits,” Lana says. “Stay with Davin. I’ll be right back.”
She returns with two jumpsuits, a surgical drape for Davin, and a cleaning wand. Lana and I step out of our dresses, wave ourselves clean, and don the jumpsuits.
I carefully remove Davin’s clothes and cover him with the drape, while Lana prepares the surgical equipment and tools she will need.
“Please be careful with him, Lana.” My voice is cracking, and the tears begin to flow again.
“I need you to stay calm. Okay?”
I’m a long way from calm. “I can’t stay calm. He’s dying!”
“Ari, listen to me. He is going to be fine. We will not allow him to die.”
I put on a brave face and nod.
“Goo
d. Let’s begin,” she says, as she aims an injector gun at Davin’s upper arm.
I stroke his face, trying to soothe him. I know he probably can’t feel it, but it’s all I can do.
Lana is now sporting a strange-looking glass monocle. “Ari, this is an imaging scanner,” she says, as she positions a device next to the hole in Davin’s belly. “The picture will appear on my eyepiece and on the wall screen.”
I look up at the screen and gasp. It’s not like an x-ray or an ultrasound. It’s like watching a high-definition video. A video of Davin’s insides.
“I see the orb, Lana.”
“Yes. Thank God it is not embedded inside an organ.”
“Now what?” I ask.
“I will remove the orb, and then you will heal him.”
I watch in awe as Lana directs a thin robotic arm through Davin’s entry wound, guiding it around organs and arteries until it reaches the orb. The robot wraps flexible tentacles around the orb, and then Lana pulls it back out through the wound.
Clearly, she’s done this many times before.
“It is done,” she says.
“That was amazing,” I reply, as she passes a wand slowly across the gaping hole in Davin’s belly. When she’s finished, a thin membrane covers the wound. Its edges seem to feather into the surrounding skin.
I reach down and touch his face. It’s warm. I place a finger above his lips—lips that can melt my soul—and feel the warmth of his breath. I have to save him.
But what if I screw up? What if I can’t focus? The love of my life will be gone. Panic squeezes my chest in a vice. The room begins to spin, and I stagger.
Lana catches me and gently turns me to face her, as she cups my face in her hands. “You must have faith in your power, Ari. You have to believe.”
“I’m trying, Lana. I’m really trying.”
“You need him, Tink. He completes you. He is your destiny.” She pauses and stares into my eyes. “I believe in you.”
Gosh, she is one hell of a motivator.
“I’m ready,” I say, steeling myself.
“Good. There is a bedroom through that door,” she says, pointing across the room. “Let’s move Davin inside. You will be more comfortable.”
The room is spacious. A large bed centered on the far wall is flanked by two tables, topped with pretty lamps. Cheerful virtual paintings are embedded into the walls. There are three doors, not counting the one we entered through.
Ariel Rising Page 24
