by Raine Thomas
“It was Grolkinei,” Gabriel clarified, his gaze shifting warningly to Caleb’s. He had obviously sensed his Gloresti’s thoughts. “We need to figure out how he did this and keep it from happening again.”
They all looked toward the door when Skye’s anguish became more audible. Caleb knew he was getting close to losing his own composure. He felt utterly useless.
“Let’s go to my room,” Gabriel suggested with a look that said he was feeling rather similarly to Caleb. “Give them some privacy.”
The very idea of leaving Skye, even to go a short distance away, so upset Caleb that he could only stare at his leader in response.
Sighing, Gabriel nodded. “Never mind then. We’ll wait here.”
There was another long silence filled with sobbing and the ebb and swell of indistinct voices from behind the bathroom door. Caleb crossed his arms over his chest to try and keep himself from pushing past everyone and charging into the bathroom.
“I simply do not know how this could have happened,” Malukali said tensely as she began to pace a few feet in front of the closed bedroom door. Her hands waved animatedly as she spoke. “We have put so many protections in place.”
“Are those protections weakened if you’re sleeping?” James asked.
“No,” she responded. “And even if they were, I was not—”
When she cut herself off and abruptly stopped her pacing to stare helplessly at Knorbis, Gabriel narrowed his eyes in realization. Caleb watched as the three elders looked from one to another. They all appeared to be exchanging rapid thoughts, though what about he couldn’t even guess. Gabriel clenched his jaw and gave both Malukali and Knorbis looks filled with such a range of emotion that Caleb couldn’t take it all in. He did recognize disbelief, anger, frustration and then, seemingly, acceptance.
“How is it possible her tank top was torn?” James asked. He had been lost in his own thoughts and apparently hadn’t noticed the byplay between the three elders.
Caleb had been so distracted by Skye’s physical and emotional reaction to the attack that he hadn’t even registered the tear in her tank top. Now that he thought about it, however, he realized James was right.
“What do you mean?” Knorbis asked, turning to look at James.
“In her dream, or whatever it was, the left strap of Skye’s tank top was torn by Grolkinei,” James responded. His gaze moved briefly to Caleb. “When we woke up, her tank top was still torn.”
“That is not possible,” the Wymzesti elder replied. He looked at Malukali for confirmation.
“No,” she agreed. “I can think of no dream that would produce that kind of physical reaction in the waking world.”
“But it did,” Caleb ground out, his emotion and temper flaring. He uncrossed his arms and moved slowly and deliberately around the bed, advancing closer to Knorbis and Malukali and looking steadily at each of them. “She was taken from here somehow. He had his hands on her—had her pinned beneath him. He was going to—” His throat constricted painfully and he took a sharp breath, unable to finish.
Reaching out, Gabriel stopped him and stood with his hands on his shoulders. Malukali was now shedding silent tears and Knorbis looked positively horrified. Their reactions were likely heightened because Caleb never spoke to any elder in a tone other than respectful. And just then, he sounded downright accusatory.
“Okay. Let’s hold it together,” Gabriel said quietly. Because he now faced Caleb, he looked right into his eyes to convey understanding and a request for patience. “For Skye. She’ll need our strength now. Tossing blame on anyone but Grolkinei is both unwarranted and a waste of time.”
Caleb knew his leader was right. That didn’t make it any easier. Still, he nodded. When he glanced up, he caught James’ gaze. He realized then that if anyone did understand how he felt right then, it was James. After all, Olivia had been subjected to very similar treatment by Grolkinei several weeks ago, and it hadn’t been in her mind. He would have to have a private conversation with him.
Of course, James thought.
Realizing his thoughts had been heard though he hadn’t intended it, Caleb simply sent a silent thank you to the Gloresti he thought of as his brother.
The sound of the shower shutting off had them all tensing. He moved away from Gabriel, drawing closer to the bathroom door. Malukali and Knorbis, on the other hand, eased back, probably not wanting to overwhelm Skye or her sisters. Gabriel and James stood a foot apart, by all appearances waiting to see how they would be needed.
It was another ten minutes before the door actually opened and the sisters came out. Amber walked out first, followed by Skye, with Olivia exiting last. The evidence of the emotions experienced by each of the sisters was apparent on their lovely and solemn faces.
Skye’s softly curling hair was tied back in a damp ponytail. Loose tendrils had escaped and framed her pale face. There was a hollowness in her gaze that pulled at Caleb’s heart. She was wearing a floor-length, long-sleeved robe over her pajamas. He had never seen her dressed so conservatively because she got hot so easily. When she reached up with a trembling hand to close even the small gap in her robe near her throat, her eyes drifting to the ground, he sent a pained glance toward Gabriel and James.
“Hello, Amber, Olivia and Skye,” Malukali greeted them. The elder had apparently taken the time during their wait to steel herself and now appeared serene and empathetic. “I know it has been a difficult night.”
The sisters all stared back at her, unable to muster a response.
“Skye, I need to speak with you now about what happened,” she continued gently, taking a step closer. “I cannot begin to understand what was done and how it was done until we revisit it together, and without that information, there is a chance such a thing could happen again. I can meet with you privately—”
“I’m not leaving,” Caleb rudely interrupted. His tone brooked no argument.
Skye’s eyes moved to him. Then she looked back at Malukali. “It’s okay,” she said in a subdued voice. “We can talk as a group. It’s just family.”
“Let’s go to our room,” Amber suggested. “It’s bigger and will fit us all better.”
She reached out to put an arm around Skye’s waist. It was an uncharacteristic show of affection from the usually more reserved sister, and its effect on Skye was instantaneous. Her eyes again welled with tears.
They all moved forward silently then, walking through the adjoining doors until they were at the end of the row, in Gabriel and Amber’s room. They filled the seats around the table on the left side of the room. Gabriel and Knorbis remained standing.
Malukali sat beside Skye and took her hands. She paused, seeming to consider her words carefully. Then she said, “I believe it would be best for you to verbally tell me what you experienced. I do not want to intrude again on your mind right now, so soon after...” she trailed off. When Skye pulled a hand away from hers to wipe at her wet cheeks, the Orculesti elder continued, “I would like to exert some of my power toward you, to aid in calming your emotions. You should find this experience less stressful that way.”
After a moment of consideration, Skye shrugged. Since tears continued to fall unchecked from her eyes, there really didn’t appear to be much choice.
Malukali nodded and briefly closed her eyes. There was a brief surge of dark green light. After a couple of seconds, Skye’s pupils dilated. The tears stopped. Still, the sight of the light in the room glistening on her cheeks made her look terribly vulnerable.
Keeping Skye’s hands in her own, Malukali opened her eyes and studied Skye’s expression. “Better?” she asked.
“Yes,” Skye said. She sounded calm. Her gaze was focused entirely on Malukali.
“Okay, good. Then we should begin.”
Chapter Seven
Taking a centering breath, the Orculesti guided, “Skye, I would like you to tell us what you remember first. Although it might be difficult for you, please be as detailed as possible. I do not know
what is most important among the images you can recall.”
Skye nodded, still not moving her gaze from Malukali’s. “I understand.”
Her voice sounded distant. It was such a difference from her usual vibrancy that Caleb found it painful to hear.
“I was standing in a meadow,” she began. “Green grass. As high as my knees. Some kind of purple flowers. Heather maybe. It smelled nice. Like spring. The sun was nearly directly overhead. There were huge clouds in the sky. A forest on one side and a cliff of some kind on the other. I felt my hair move in the breeze. I thought it was the most vivid dream I’d ever had.”
“You recognized it as a dream right away?” Malukali asked.
“Yes.”
“What made you realize it?”
“Caleb wasn’t there. He’s always near.”
If she hadn’t been so intent on Malukali, she would have seen how her words impacted him. Nothing else she might have said would have struck him more powerfully. He turned his gaze to the table, not wanting to see any of the looks his family was sending his way. That would push him right over the edge.
“And when you realized it was a dream?” Malukali prompted in her soothing voice.
“I thought how dreams can be fun, be a kind of escape. And then…” she paused. Blinked. “He spoke.”
They all knew who “he” was. “What did he say?”
“‘What are you trying to escape, Skye?’”
“Okay. What happened then?”
“I turned to face him. I said, ‘Hello, Grolkinei.’”
Caleb sent a thought to Gabriel, knowing he would circulate it among the others. She said that out loud, too. That’s when I woke up.
Gabriel nodded.
“How did you feel?” Malukali asked.
Skye paused. “Surprised. And I thought his black clothes were clichéd.”
Caleb supposed he would have to wait until later to get an explanation for that comment. But he saw Amber’s lips twitch in an obviously unexpected flash of amusement.
“Then he said something about how I looked just like Olivia, and he figured Amber must look just like us, too. He said that nature must have decided to distinguish us through our eye color and the colors of our markings. He seemed very interested in this.” She paused again. Her grip tightened on Malukali’s hands. “That was when I realized I couldn’t respond.”
“Your body was paralyzed?” Malukali asked with a thoughtful frown.
“Yes. And my voice. He said that Layla was causing my paralysis, but I didn’t see her. He said that they had been experimenting to try and get him into my dreams, and tonight they succeeded. He knew there are protections in place, but they got around them somehow.”
Malukali exchanged a brief look with Knorbis. It was when he saw the guilt and devastation in that look that Caleb suddenly understood. His eyes widened in shock.
Don’t, Gabriel ordered vehemently. This isn’t the time.
He would never disobey his leader, but he couldn’t stop himself from catching Gabriel’s gaze and thinking, But they left her vulnerable!
We’ll discuss it later.
Unable to refuse the direct order, he swallowed his fury and turned back to Skye. He deliberately avoided Knorbis’ gaze, knowing the Wymzesti elder was trying to get his silent attention.
“I wanted to move away from him,” Skye was saying in a voice that seemed to grow smaller. “But I couldn’t. He touched my hair. I could smell soap on his hands. It was so vivid. He said that Layla didn’t like me. She wanted to make me feel as helpless as possible.”
There was another pause. Malukali prompted, “All right. Then what happened?”
“I used the techniques you and Knorbis taught me. I was able to push free of Layla’s influence for a moment. I called out for Caleb. I thought he might be able to hear me.”
Again, Caleb felt the stares from everyone around him. Again, he ignored them. They already knew she had also shouted his name in reality. It was apparent that her instincts had again proven accurate.
Now she shifted in agitation. There was another soft glow of dark green light and she calmed. “I wasn’t able to bring forth my light. I guess Layla kept it suppressed somehow. And I couldn’t resist her for long. I really only managed to call for Caleb and get a very short distance away before she got me again.” Her gaze faltered and dropped to Malukali’s chin. “I couldn’t fight her. I’ve been trained to, but I couldn’t. It was like I was bound head to toe.”
Her voice wavered. “He said he found it interesting that I called for Caleb and not someone else. He wondered what it signified. That was when I became afraid that he would be able to read my thoughts, find out things he isn’t supposed to know about us…about Estilorians. So I focused as much as I could on fighting Layla off so I could try to escape.”
Caleb chanced to see movement out of the corner of his eye and realized that Olivia and Amber were both crying silently. The movement he had seen was them wiping their tears. And he knew what was coming.
“He touched me,” she continued, and the heartrending words pierced him. Even with Malukali’s influence, her eyes filled. Tears spilled. “I told him not to,” she said wrenchingly, a sob escaping, “but he did. He laughed, and he—he touched me under my clothes.”
Her confession pushed him right over the edge he had been teetering against for the past hour. But he was far from alone in his emotion. Embarrassment would have been absurd.
“I closed my eyes,” she whispered. “I told myself it was just a dream. But it felt so real. I could feel him…” She took another shuddering breath. Her voice grew stronger. “But then I was able to focus enough to get free of Layla again. I used Knorbis’ techniques, did a dance routine in my head. It felt like coils of rope falling away from me when I pulled free.”
“Very good,” Malukali encouraged when Skye paused again. “You took him off-guard?”
“Yes. I shoved him away. He did look surprised. He said I was stronger than he thought, that I was making it more interesting for him. I had trouble getting away from him and repelling Layla at the same time. My head felt like it was being squeezed like an orange. And then he said…” she swallowed, “he said that he had decided I would make an acceptable mate for him.”
Caleb closed his eyes against the blinding outrage that seared through him. Gabriel’s curses earlier were mild compared to what roared through his head at her words. And he knew that regardless of the consequences, he would take Grolkinei’s head with his sword if it was the last thing he ever did.
When he opened his eyes again, he expected his leader to censure him. After all, he was sure the thought had been more than loud enough for the perceptive Gloresti elder to pick up.
Just make sure he suffers, Gabriel returned, his emotion-filled eyes shining dark blue. A lot.
“When he said that,” Skye said, turning Caleb’s attention from his amazement over Gabriel’s reaction, “I think it really ticked Layla off. She did something…my head felt like she had driven an ice pick through it. I think I screamed.”
“You did,” Amber confirmed. “That’s right when we got there. Scared the hell out of me, truth be told.”
Scared her? Caleb thought to himself. He was certain he had never been as scared in his life as materializing in that meadow only to hear Skye’s tortured scream. And when they had looked downhill from the place they materialized and saw her standing beside Grolkinei, who then pulled her to the ground, his terror had shifted instantly to murderous fury.
“We couldn’t extend our wings,” he remembered aloud. His level tone pleased him in light of the ache that still sat in his chest.
Skye turned her gaze to him. She seemed to shake off Malukali’s influence so she could focus more fully on him. Then she raised her eyebrows. He imagined she saw the wetness on his cheeks. She didn’t comment on it, however.
Instead, she said, “You saved me. You pulled him off me.”
Not soon enough, he thought. He didn’
t save her soon enough to spare her this awful pain.
“Grolkinei knows we can join our powers now,” Gabriel explained, looking at Knorbis and Malukali. “He knows that’s how we got to Olivia. He made a comment about the changes to my Estilorian form.” His voice hardened. “And he exerted his power toward Amber.”
The elders glanced at Amber. She nodded, then caught Gabriel’s gaze. “Since we’re telling all,” she said carefully, “I figure it’s important to mention exactly where he hit me with that power.”
Gabriel looked confused. “But I thought—”
“I didn’t want to upset you any more than you already were,” she interrupted quietly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away. You assumed I’d been hit in the chest and shoved. I didn’t correct you, but that wasn’t true. He hit me lower than that.”
“The baby?” Skye gasped. She pulled her hands from Malukali’s and reached over to rub Amber’s upper arm. Caleb was glad to see that some of her color was returning.
Amber flushed. “No…a bit lower than that.”
There was a rather awkward pause as everyone envisioned exactly where on the female body that meant. But her reaction combined with the deliberate vagueness clued them in.
Caleb looked at Gabriel as realization set in. His leader blinked as he processed the new information. Then he took two steps backward and sat on his bed, staring into nothingness for a long moment. Amber got up from her chair and hurried over to him. She didn’t speak, just wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his hair.
Emotions flashed through Caleb that he knew were not his own. Above all else, above the rage and above the shock, he knew Gabriel felt like he, an elder with centuries of being and remarkable power, had failed to protect his wife. His avowed.
“Thank you for sharing this with us,” Malukali said then, looking from Skye to Amber. “I truly believe this gives us more insight into what has happened.”
