by Mikayla Lane
Chapter Twelve
Emily looked at the men like they’d all lost their minds while she’d napped. Of all the crazy things she’d heard since Koda arrived, this had to be the king of crazy. Granted, she was willing to try anything to get help to them, but talking to a worm in her head was asking a bit more than she could take.
“Eat. You can’t stay strong without food,” Gibly said, interrupting her thoughts.
Emily looked down at the bowl of steaming deer and wild herbs blankly before she looked back at Koda and the two males who looked at her so intently she wondered if they’d made a bet on if she’d believe it or not.
“There’s no way that I have one of those in my head. I would have known it. My mom would have. As far as jokes go, that one was kind of mean because it gives false hope. We agreed not to do that,” she argued, putting the bowl aside so she could pace.
“Hell no!” Koda said, standing in her path. “I wouldn’t do that to you! Or Joey. I’m telling you the truth. Ask Gibly.”
Emily couldn’t help but see that Koda seemed hurt that she accused him of lying to her. She put her hands on her hips and figured it wouldn’t hurt to entertain the idea—just for a moment.
“Gibly, is there such a thing as a beast that lives in the heads of the hybrids?” she asked, not taking her eyes off Koda’s face.
If he was lying to her, she wanted him to see the disappointment on her face. If he was telling the truth, she’d be woman enough to apologize for doubting him and do it while looking him in the eyes so he could see her sincerity.
“Finally he tell you about beast. You need to talk to it. Bond so it can call for others,” Gibly said, visibly relieved that Koda had said something to her.
Emily just stared at them all for a moment before sitting down hard in the chair.
“You can’t be serious,” she whispered, putting her hands on her head as if to see if she could feel the creature sharing her brain space.
Gibly put a paw on her knee and gave her a large toothy grin.
“It friend. You see. Even if it don’t like you.”
Emily’s eyes widened in shock.
“You mean it hates me?”
“No! No!” Koda rushed to say. “Gibly just means that they are individuals just like you and I. With personalities like us. My Ax is my best friend. He always has been.”
Emily looked at Koda doubtfully before turning to Gibly.
“It can dislike me?”
Gibly nodded.
“It is rare, though some have attitudes. I like the ones with attitude. I hope yours is like that. Will you let me help you talk to it?”
Gibly’s words stunned Koda, who had no idea that Gibly could help her form a bond with her beast. The cat and his people never stopped surprising him.
Emily looked up at Koda, and when he nodded his head at her, she sighed in resignation.
“All right. What do I have to do?”
Gibly chuckled.
“You relax. This not hurt,” he said as he returned his paw to her knee, closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath.
Emily looked at Koda questioningly until a jolt of electricity caused her to launch out of the chair, knocking Gibly to the side.
“What the fuck was that?” she demanded angrily as she rubbed at her arms and legs.
The energy felt like ants crawling through her veins from her toes to her chest and on to her head. Emily grasped her head as the crawling feeling attacked her brain. She closed her eyes and could swear she saw what appeared to be electrical charges detonating inside her head.
“Sit down.”
Emily heard Gibly’s order from as if in a tunnel and didn’t fight when she felt hands helping her to sit on the floor. She kept her eyes closed, praying for the crawling feeling to stop when she felt Gibly’s paw on her leg, and the sensation stopped instantly, leaving no residual effects.
“What did you do?” she asked the cat as she felt her head and arms to make sure the feeling was really gone.
Gibly narrowed his glittering black eyes at her.
“Your beast is weak from helping to lend its energy to Koda. But it is happy to bond with you. Are you ready?”
“You mean that wasn’t . . .” Emily began before Gibly put his paw back on her leg, and she was struck with what she thought was a lightning bolt to the head.
She screamed out in fear and surprise, barely hearing Koda’s roar of rage and fear for her.
“Hear me! Hear me!” she heard echo through her head and she shrieked in fear as she stumbled to her feet, away from Gibly.
“Don’t fear it. Talk to it.”
Emily looked at Gibly in fear and shock.
Was that the beast? she wondered.
“Is that the beast?” she asked aloud, not realizing the others couldn’t hear it.
Gibly gave her a patient smile and nodded his head.
“You must talk to it now.”
Emily looked around at the expectant faces and the look of concern on Koda’s face and blushed.
“I just talk to it? Like it’s here?” she asked, thinking she’d be better off getting to know the thing in private. It just seemed creepy to do it in front of the others.
Koda knew what was bothering her, and he rushed to ease her mind.
“You don’t have to talk to it out loud. It’s embedded in a part of your brain that allows it to hear your thoughts; just talk in your head to it,” he offered, then smiled at the relief that crossed her face.
Emily looked around at the others and still felt a little creeped out trying to do it in front of them when they would know that she was. It was just too weird for an audience.
“I think I’m going to go outside and commune with it in private,” she said as she headed to the door.
Koda watched her go, thinking that she could use the time alone to get to know and trust her beast. He turned from the door to see Gibly still sitting in the middle of the floor, his tail swishing from side to side, and a bad feeling crept over him.
“The beast is too weak to call. I cannot help it without taking away from Joey and you,” Gibly said to the room before he trotted outside to keep an eye on Emily as he sat on the porch.
“What does that mean?” Tom asked.
Koda roared in rage and knocked the chair over before sliding to the floor.
“I think that means she can’t use the worm thing to call for help,” Elmer suggested, looking to Koda for confirmation.
Koda nodded his head as he drew his knees up and rested his arms over them.
“It’s too weak to communicate on the Shengari’. If I’d thought about it sooner . . .” he let the sentence trail off, mentally kicking himself for being a fool.
He’d known she was a hybrid for weeks, and it had never occurred to him to have her bond with her beast and call for help on the Shengari’.
*****
Emily looked back at the cabin and hoped she was far enough away for no one to hear her.
“Are you there?” she asked tentatively, wondering if she’d hear the voice again.
“I am. I have always been here,” came the reply.
Holy shit! Emily thought. It’s real!
“I believe I just verified that for you,” the voice replied, sounding confused.
Emily looked around to make sure no one else was around, not wanting anyone to hear her.
“Can you call for help? Through that shenshi thing or whatever?” she asked.
“You speak of the Shengari’. As I told Gibly, I do not have the energy for such a thing. The moment the child joined our life force, I have been compelled to send all reserve energy to your fallen mate,” the beast replied.
Emily sighed and sat heavily on the ground, her hopes completely dashed that she could use the creature to call for help.
“I am sorry that I cannot help. You may not understand it, but I truly care for you and the small one you care for so deeply. I do not wish to see you harmed, not just because my existence de
pends upon your own,” the beast assured Emily softly as she was suffused with a brief feeling of warmth.
Tears erupted unbidden in Emily’s eyes.
“Thank you. You’re really sweet,” she said quietly, forgetting to speak in her head.
“You are welcome, Emily.”
“So we’re really stuck with no way to get help. Now five of us will die,” Emily said, simply stating the obvious.
“What of the Hyperborean?”
“What is that?” Emily asked, wondering if the creature was speaking a different language.
“Indrid. The one you call angel. The energy required for such communication comes from a part of your brain I cannot access, and therefore that energy is currently untouched,” the beast assured his host.
Emily sucked in a breath of surprise.
“You know of Indrid?” she whispered in awe.
“I have been with you from the beginning. I know of him. I am there, but I cannot speak to him. Or to Mikey. You must keep trying to reach them,” the beast encouraged.
“Mikey may not have said anything to Indrid. He may not think I’m real. I’ll try again,” Emily said, knowing it was their only hope of getting help.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, visualizing the angel place in her mind.
She opened her eyes and smiled at the familiar buildings and stone streets. As much as she would have loved to wander the peaceful looking streets and explore the old buildings and their ancient architecture, she was trapped in that one spot. It had always been that way when she came to the angel place. She’d never thought to ask why or care until now, when she needed to find someone the most.
As if hearing her thoughts, she saw Mikey turn the corner and stop in his tracks as he stared at her.
“Did you find him?” she asked him immediately.
Mikey just stared at her for a moment and closed his eyes. She watched him slowly open them again. Wondering why he hadn’t answered her, Emily tried again.
“Please, it’s really important that I talk to Indrid. Have you seen him?”
Emily was glad when Mikey moved closer, looking around him a few times before his blue eyes met hers.
“No, I haven’t seen him. I was gone for a little while though, and he could have come while I was gone,” Mikey whispered as he continued to look around him.
“Is there any way that you can get hold of him for me? Please. It’s very important,” Emily said, her desperation clear in her voice.
“I’m sorry, I only met him once. Can’t one of the other . . . um, angels here help you?” Mikey asked, looking uncomfortable.
“No, I don’t know any of them. Indrid always helps me. Is there someone you can ask? Please, I don’t know what else to do,” Emily said with a sad shake of her head.
Emily looked at the large man coming up behind Mikey and squealed when she saw Koda. Thinking something horrible had happened, she disappeared. She opened her eyes to the woods surrounding the cabin and struggled to get to her feet.
Finally gaining her footing, she tore off through the brush until she reached the porch and collapsed to the ground in tears when she saw Koda standing there.
“What happened?” Koda demanded as he leaped to the ground and centered his energy so he could take her in his arms.
“I . . . I went to see Indrid and saw you there. I thought you’d died and were with the angels,” Emily said between her sobs.
“What?” Koda asked, looking to Elmer and Tom to see if they knew what she was talking about.
Emily realized they had no idea who Indrid was or what she’d been trying to do, and she quickly calmed herself and dried her tears. The last thing she wanted to do was give Koda false hope that Mikey would be able to find Indrid in time to save them.
“Sorry,” she said, smiling weakly at Koda. “I must have fallen asleep and had a bad dream.”
“You fell asleep out there?” Koda asked.
Emily stood and wiped her face dry as she avoided Gibly’s penetrating gaze.
“Yeah, I guess I’m more tired than I thought. My beast told me there isn’t enough energy for it to talk on the shen . . . thing. Whatever that is. I think I’ll get some sleep while Joey’s still out,” she said as she headed inside the cabin, hoping Koda would let it go.
When she got inside she was surprised to see that Koda was waiting for her and holding her blanket up so she could lay down on the makeshift pallet underneath it. She sunk to the floor and moved under the blanket, sighing in relief when the warmth of the blanket helped ease the chill she’d gotten from outside.
“I’m sorry. I guess my emotions are a little on edge,” she said with a small smile as Koda knelt next to her.
“I think after all you’ve been through it’s expected,” he said softly, tucking her short curls behind her ear.
“I’m scared for you,” Emily whispered, trying not to cry again.
Koda sat on the floor and took her hand in his own, concentrating his energy so she could really feel him.
“I’m scared for you and my little Roo, too,” he said then chuckled at his unintentional rhyming. His smile widened when Emily laughed with him.
“If you start rapping, I’m out of here,” Emily teased.
“I think I would fail rather quickly if your reaction is anything to go by. I’m not musically inclined in the least,” he admitted.
“No, you’re the mechanical genius who builds spaceships. I think your time is much better spent doing that. I’d really like to go up in one of your ships one day. Is space as beautiful from up there as it is from down here? So peaceful?” she asked with a yawn.
“It’s even more beautiful up there. I can’t wait to show it to you. The best part is, there should be no spirits up there,” Koda said softly.
When he heard a small snore from Emily, he let go of her hand and nodded to the door. He popped outside and waited for Elmer and Tom to join him.
“She’s lying. Something happened out there,” he said the moment the two men appeared beside him.
“What could have happened? We were right here,” Elmer argued as his eyes scanned the area.
“Too bad we can’t ask the cat,” Tom mumbled.
“Wait . . . no,” Koda begun, then shook his head.
“Spit it out,” Elmer said as he crossed his beefy arms over his chest. “After aliens, space ships, talking cats, and sentient brain worms, I doubt you could shock us, and we’re already scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas, so go for it.”
Koda looked up at Gibly sitting on the porch, and instead of telling the guys what he was going to do, he grabbed a stick and watched Gibly’s eyes track the movements of the stick. Then he started scratching at the ground.
Tom looked down and chuckled, shaking his head.
“No way in hell he can read,” he said, his laughter stopping when Gibly jumped to the ground and stood in front of the hastily scribbled word on the ground.
“Read what? It take you this long to say something and you give me a riddle?” Gibly complained, laying dramatically on the scribbled word.
He had no idea the three men were jumping and cheering around him.
“I’ll be damned!” Tom exclaimed. “Space cat can read!”
“What are you going to say?” Elmer asked, his face broken out in a grin.
Koda scratched another word on the ground and waited for Gibly to look at it. He added a question mark as Gibly walked over to it.
“Grai looking for you. He not give up. You don’t give up,” Gibly argued, looking around the area as if trying to see Koda.
Koda used the stick to scratch out where he’d written Grai’s name in the dirt, before writing Emily’s.
Gibly sighed and shook his head.
“The spirits not come because her light go out. She be fine when she bond with her beast. It will help them conserve energy,” the cat explained, guessing at what Koda was asking.
“What light?” Tom asked.
“
I think he means the light she emits that we followed to her,” Koda explained.
“We already figured that out. Give him more to go on,” Elmer complained.
Koda shot the man a dark look before scratching out Emily’s name and scribbling something else instead.
How long to contact Ranger?
Gibly shook his head.
“I tell you before. Days. Two at the least. The child will not make it,” he growled emphatically.
“What are you guys doing?” Emily asked from the doorway, wrapping her arms around herself to block out the chill.
“He try to talk to me, but he not good at it,” Gibly said as he trotted back into the cabin.
“I could have asked him for you,” Emily said, looking a little hurt.
“We were just messing with the cat. You know . . . for fun. I bet Tom he couldn’t read,” Elmer lied.
“I wouldn’t put anything past Gibly; he’s smarter than most humans I know,” Emily said with a backward glance at the cat.
Koda figured he’d take the opportunity to distract Emily from what they were doing and popped up beside her on the porch and gestured to the open door.
“You need to get inside; it looks like snow is coming soon,” he said.
“It is freaking cold out here,” Emily agreed as she headed back inside the warm cabin.
Elmer and Tom followed them inside and closed the door quietly behind them so they wouldn’t wake Joey.
“Why are you up? You were sound asleep a half hour ago. Are you feeling all right?” Koda asked worriedly as he saw the deepening shadows beneath her eyes.
Even with all the sleeping she and Joey were doing, Koda and the others couldn’t help but notice that the two looked worse every day. They’d become pale, the dark circles under both of their eyes were darker, and even with the plentiful food that Gibly was hunting, they had both lost weight.
Koda tried not to think about the changes that had occurred in his body as well. The symptoms that Emily and Joey were suffering from were also affecting his body. He knew he’d lost a significant amount of weight over the weeks, but he was still a little horrified to see himself not only without his leg, but without at least 75 pounds. His normally light tan skin had an odd grayish hue to it that make him look more dead than alive.
