Last of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book One)
Page 64
He felt Jake’s presence strengthen in him. He had Jake’s complete attention for the moment. More, he sensed Jake’s suffering. The poison was clearly killing him as well as Ellie.
>Not a good idea, Mike. This is a bad one.<
>I know, and from the looks of things, you can’t save her by yourself. Please let me help, for both of your sakes.<
>You understand that if I lose her, I am lost as well?<
>I kind of guessed that.<
>Okay, here you go. This stuff hurts.<
>Make it a strong sample, Jake. If we guess wrong, if we use the wrong antidote, it will kill both of you.<
>Okay. I have to go. See you on the other side.<
Mike felt Jake’s presence withdraw. He pulled his hands from Ellie and turned to the medic who was staring at him with a shocked expression.
“Any results yet?” he asked.
“No, Sire. I just started the test. What were you doing?”
“Communicating with her Rider. The poison is in me now, and it’s already working. You’d better get another bed ready.”
The medic’s eyes rose to the ceiling. With a frown, she bustled Mike off to a bed. Reba started to chew Mike out, but Val put his arm around her waist and leaned toward her ear.
“You know it’s the right thing to do. I’d do it for you in a heartbeat. In fact, I’m surprised I didn’t think of it myself. He’s doing it for her, not just for the Empire.”
“Of course he is. My god, it could all fall apart right here,” she breathed.
“No. One Heir remains, if she proves to have the Touch. I’m staying the course. Will you?”
“I choose to stay with you no matter what course we follow,” she whispered into his ear.
Mike’s body arched. He groaned, “Someone better make a decision.”
The medic turned frightened eyes to him. “It’s too soon, Sire. I can’t be certain.”
Chandrajuski’s long, jointed legs inched his bright green body farther into sick bay, the wise old eyes of the giant praying mantis swinging toward the medic until they were on a level with her own. Speaking like a father rather than the queen’s senior military commander, he said, “You must decide, child. If you choose wrong, it will not be held against you. We understand.”
She returned to her test dishes, taking samples and placing them under a microscope for visual inspection. The computers had so far been inconclusive. Switching samples back and forth, still peering into the eyepiece, she eventually said, “I believe it is most likely this one, but I can’t be certain.”
“Then the decision is made,” Chandrajuski said to her. “Administer the antidote. If this one fails, we will administer the other to Otis.”
Twenty minutes later Mike stirred, then opened his eyes. Chandrajuski took charge, turning to the medic. “Were both knives poisoned with the same chemical?”
“Yes.”
“Administer the antidote to both of them, at once.”
Both Ellie and Otis’ fevers broke hours later. Both remained in a coma as the Riders did their work, but the immediate danger had passed.
Mike was able to leave his bed the following day, though he remained weak. He found Jessie sitting by Ellie’s side, her tail curled around her feet, her body wrapped in massive bandages.
“How are they doing?”
“About the same. No worse. The poison damaged multiple organs. They’re beyond help from the medic, but she believes the Riders have a chance. They both need tanks, but the ship doesn’t carry a tank.”
“You’ve been here a while, haven’t you?”
“I have my responsibilities. I will answer to Otis when he recovers.”
“Can’t you share the job with the other cats?”
“What others?”
“You mean . . .” He paused, suddenly aware that the rest of the Great Cats were missing. They must have perished in their battle against the gleasons.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” After a time, he asked, “Were any of them special to you?”
“All of them were special to me. We were team members.”
“Why don’t you take a break, get some rest. I’ll stay.”
“You couldn’t protect her from a feather right now.”
“Neither could you.”
“You’d be surprised, Sire.”
“Okay, I’ll get Val or Reba to relieve you. Will that be acceptable?”
“Bring both of them, and be certain they’re armed. We cannot guarantee the loyalty of the crew. She is not to be left unguarded, even for a moment.”
* * * * *
About the Author
Born in 1950, I have been a pilot all of my working life and a writer for most of that time. I flew over 600 combat missions in Vietnam and have since traveled over most of the Earth flying private jets. About half of my career has been in management positions.
If ever there was a case of life experience informing what a writer writes, I am that case. I have met people from all walks of life and from all over our wonderful planet, and I have liked almost all of them. It is only a small stretch for me to imagine liking aliens.
I am a new author and am asking for your help. I need reviews. Writing reviews on Amazon is pretty easy, and a review only needs a sentence or two. Please go to Amazon.com and write a brief review right now. The more reviews I get, the sooner the next book in the series will come out.
If you liked Last of the Chosen, you are really going to like the next one, Knights of the Chosen. Our heroes are going to rise from the ashes, and it is a LOT of fun.
I encourage your feedback. Feel free to check out my website and/or send an email.
Email: larry@spiritofempire.com
Website: www.spiritofempire.com