She was afraid, and there was no sense in denying it. Not to herself, anyway. But, she’d spent most of the past couple of years being afraid. Years spent running and hiding. When she wasn’t in a healing tank. She was tired of it. All of it. Now she had a chance to do something important. Something no one else could do. Did she want to throw that away because of a little more fear?
“Thank you, Lariah,” she said. “But I said I’d do this, and I will.”
Hope started to say something, but at that moment the doors opened and the Bearens and Falcorans entered the room and retook their seats.
“We have little time, Admiral, so I must have your decision,” Garen said once everyone was seated again. “Will you accept this task, or will you not?”
Tristan wanted to refuse. Rarely had he wanted anything more. But he didn’t have to look at his brothers to know what they wanted, or to feel their worry over what he might say. “We will, of course, High Prince,” Tristan replied.
“How much time do you think you’ll need?” Garen asked.
“That’s hard to say,” Tristan replied. “It depends on what we find. I would say a few days at minimum. We’ll take the cutter and a small crew, which will allow us to cover a larger area more quickly.”
“That’s about what we expected,” Garen said. “We ask that you begin with the jump point near the Skyport. We just received word that the sensor readings have changed, which is why we changed our meeting plans this morning. All of the accumulated data will be downloaded to the Eyrie immediately.” Before he’d finished speaking Trey was tapping his vox to give the orders. Tristan glanced at Gray, who tapped his own vox. Within moments of the data reaching the Eyrie, it would be downloaded to the cutter.
“When can you be ready to depart?” Garen asked.
“I’ve already given orders to have the cutter prepped,” Graysan said, disconnecting his call with the Eyrie’s Captain. “As soon as Miss Meyers returns with her belongings, we’ll be ready.”
“Faith brought her things with her,” Hope said.
“In that case, we’ll need about half an hour,” Tristan said.
“Then I might as well start now,” Faith said, turning to stare directly into Tristan’s emerald green eyes. “There’s another jump point out there.” She gestured toward the viewing window behind her as she spoke. “I’ve studied the current jump point maps, and this is not on them.”
“Will you show us?” Garen asked, his voice noticeably gentler than it had been when he spoke to Tristan.
Faith nodded and stood up, doing her best to ignore the conflicting emotions coming from the Falcorans. She walked to the window, the Bearens and Dracons following, the Falcorans trailing behind them. “It’s pretty far away,” she said, pointing to a distant spot that, to her eyes, looked lighter and, somehow, thinner than the space surrounding it. “Almost dead center of that triangle of stars.”
“Can Miss Meyers see jump spots on images?” Tristan asked, unwilling to ask the woman directly.
“It doesn’t seem so,” Trey replied, cutting a look at him that said he’d noticed, and wasn’t pleased. “We showed her a few images and she saw nothing in them that we didn’t see.”
“I assume that, because of...this, we are pushing the Onddo departure date back again?” Tristan asked.
“That will depend on how long this takes,” Garen said, turning to face the Falcorans. “Onddo is a priority, Admiral. We cannot begin our attack on the Xanti until we settle the matter of the Narrasti at our backs. However, the security for our people, our world, and our space, must come first. We know the Xanti have a new Blind Sight system, and now we know that they have a jump point directly into our space. Miss Meyers saw not just the jump point, but she also saw through the Blind Sight camouflage which hid the ship from the eyes of everyone else.”
Tristan’s eyes widened slightly. How had he missed that rather obvious point? Prince Garen was right. Checking their space for hidden Xanti ships was of the utmost importance.
“Understand me clearly, gentleman,” Garen continued, “Miss Meyers is to be protected at all costs, and her identity and abilities kept secret.”
“Yes, Highness,” Tristan replied, bowing formally. “You have our promise that we will guard Miss Meyers with our lives while she is in our care.”
Chapter Three
Faith looked around the small, but very nicely appointed cabin that the Falcorans had directed her to on the cutter. It was larger than the stateroom she’d had on the passenger liner, and appeared to be brand new. The bed looked like it might even be comfortable to sleep in. She set her duffle on the floor and opened one of two doors. The first was a closet. Narrow, but more than large enough for her few belongings. The second was a small, but private, bathroom. That was a shock. Even the huge passenger liner had private bathrooms in only a handful of extremely pricey luxury staterooms.
After unpacking and stowing her duffle in the closet, she took a few moments to splash some cool water on her face and try to relax. Maintaining an appearance of calm in the presence of the Falcorans after the Dracons and Bearens left her alone with them had taken a lot of effort. She already missed Hope. After knowing her for just an hour she’d understood why Grace had bonded with the woman. There was something about Hope that drew her, as well. But she was on her own now, and she had a job to do. She braced herself and left the cabin.
The cutter was bigger than she’d expected, but not so big that she had any trouble finding her way around. It took only a few moments to return to the big auxiliary control room with its armored viewports that the Falcorans had shown her earlier. They hadn’t seemed too happy at having to use the auxiliary room in order to hide her ability from the rest of the crew, but that hadn’t been her choice, either, so she certainly wasn’t going to apologize for it.
She paused just inside the hatch and watched the three brothers as they stood together facing the viewport, their backs to her. She had to admit, if only to her most secret self, that they were striking men. They were tall, broad shouldered and looked immensely powerful. Suddenly, as though she’d called to them, they all turned around to face her at the same time.
They had sharp cheekbones, bold noses that curved slightly in the center, and long black hair that fell below their shoulders in waves. They also had the brightest eyes she’d ever seen. Tristan’s were emerald green and so bright they seemed to glow. Grayson’s were also green, but much lighter in color, like new grass on Earth. Jon’s eyes were a bright, mesmerizing purple. She was having a difficult time not staring at them, which bothered her more than she liked.
“Welcome, Miss Meyers,” Graysan said. “We hope you found your cabin to be satisfactory.”
“Please, call me Faith, and yes, thanks, it’s very nice. I’d like to thank whoever gave it up.”
“No thanks are needed,” Tristan said. “Are you ready to begin...working?” The blatant sarcasm struck Faith on the raw, setting off her temper. She was glad for it. Anger beat fear every day of the week.
“Look, Admiral Falcoran, or whatever I’m supposed to call you,” she said. “Let’s just get a few things out on the table. I don’t like you, you don’t like me, and the thought of a long term relationship makes us all break out in hives. I’m here as a favor to the Dracons and the Bearens. I’m not getting paid, so I’m not an employee. Therefore, I see no reason why I should put up with your nasty attitude. If you intend to treat me like some kind of disease while I’m here, then turn around right now and take me back to the Skyport. I’m sure there must be someone else on Jasan who won’t mind helping me do this job. Preferably someone who won’t hate me quite so much as you so very obviously do.”
“We do not hate you,” Jonathan said, his purple eyes dark with emotion, though his voice was flat. “On behalf of all of us, I apologize for making you feel that way. I ask that you give us another chance. The discovery that you are our Arima is as big a shock to us, as it is to you.”
Faith doubted that,
but saw no reason to say so. “Look, I don’t want to get you guys in trouble with your Princes, so I’ll tell them I’m the one with the problem. Just take me back and you can forget you ever laid eyes on me. I’ll go repack my things.”
“Wait, please,” Tristan said. “I apologize for my behavior, Miss Meyers. I assure you, my feelings have nothing to do with you.”
Faith took a deep breath and forced herself to pay attention to the emotions she felt coming from the three of them. Tristan was sincere in his apology, though she still felt the anger simmering just below the surface. Graysan was wary, of what she had no idea, but also a little relieved. Jonathan was relieved too, and something more that she couldn’t get. He was the most difficult to read, she realized. It was as though he kept his emotions hidden behind a wall. Well, she could certainly identify with that.
As much as she wanted to get away from the Falcorans, this was the most important thing she had ever been asked to do in her life, and she wanted to do it. But she could not do it alone. Like it or not, she had to work with these men, or others like them, so she needed to find a way to make the situation one that she could live with.
“There’s one thing we need to be clear on,” she said. “I am not going to be your Arima. I know you don’t want me anyway, but I just want to be sure that there’s no confusion on this.”
“Do you dislike us so much?” Jonathan asked in his peculiar, flat voice.
“No,” Faith replied. “I don’t know you any better than you know me. This isn’t personal. If we’re clear on that, then we can try working together.”
“Agreed,” Tristan said. “If you’ll join us, we are approaching the area in which you saw the first jump point from the Skyport. As Prince Garen mentioned, the sensor readings have changed from what they’ve been since monitoring began two days ago, but we are uncertain what the changes mean. We’ve never seen readings quite like this before. It is hoped that you will be able to see something that will explain them.”
Faith crossed the room and stood at the far end of the viewport, putting as much distance between herself and the Falcorans as she could while still able to look out the window. The Skyport was to her left, looking much larger than she expected from the outside. The jump point, a patch of darkness that seemed lighter than the surrounding darkness of space, was not quite as she remembered it.
“It’s different,” she said.
“Different in what way?” Graysan asked, squinting intently in the direction she was pointing.
“When I saw it before it was like a hole, only in reverse,” she said.
“In reverse?” Jon asked, frowning uncertainly.
“If you dig a hole in the ground, then look into it, it’s dark. Well, this was like that, only it was lighter than the space around it, while still giving the illusion of depth.”
“And how is it different now?” Gray asked.
“It doesn’t look like a hole any more. It looks more like a...thin spot.”
“Thin spot,” Tristan repeated. Faith couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic again or not, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and let it go.
“Imagine that space is like a piece of carpet that’s been folded and bent here and there,” she said. “In some places the nap of the carpet is completely gone, worn all the way down to, and through, the backing. That’s a hole, or jump point. A shortcut that lets you go instantly to whatever bit of carpet is on the backside of the fold. You following me?”
“Perfectly,” Graysan said, while Tristan and Jonathan nodded. “Now, imagine that there are areas on the carpet where the nap is worn partially away. Some areas more than others, some less, leaving thin spots in the carpet. The thin spots don’t go all the way through, they aren’t holes, but in some places, they’re very close to being holes, going all the way down to the backing, but not through it.” Faith turned back toward the viewport. “This place right here was a hole when I saw it the first time. I saw a ship come through it, then turn around and go back again. Now, it’s a thin place. A very thin place, like the thin backing of that piece of carpet, but it is no longer a hole. It’s like a door that was open, but is now closed.”
“What do you think happened to change the hole to a thin place?” Jonathan asked.
Faith shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m not a scientist,” she said.
“We are fully aware of that,” Tristan said. “Your opinion is asked anyway.”
“Fine,” she said. “I think it means that the Xanti have a way of punching holes into thin areas of space.”
Tristan nodded in agreement, his throat dry with fear for the first time in his life. “And when they’re done,” he added, “they close it back up so no one can follow where they go.”
Faith nodded. That’s what she thought, too.
Chapter Four
Jackson Bearen sat on the floor with all three of their young sons. Harlan, currently in his Owlfen form, perched on his right shoulder, while Mattlan, also in Owlfen form, perched on his left. Weld sat on his knee, giggling as he transformed his human arms to fur covered wings, and back again, over and over.
Jackson heard the Sentinel in his mind as it attempted to convince Weld to transform fully, to no avail. “Weld doesn’t appear to be in the mood for seriousness right now,” Jackson said, knowing that the Sentinel could hear him.
“Apparently not,” the Sentinel replied tiredly. “Perhaps we’ve done enough for today.”
Jackson agreed, smiling when the Sentinel winked out of his mind. Suddenly both Harlan and Matt released their Owlfen and he had two squirming toddlers on his shoulders, their bright peals of laughter joining Weld’s as he reached up to grab them before they tumbled to the floor.
Clark and Rob each plucked one of the boys from his shoulders and tossed them lightly into the air, earning even louder shrieks of mirth, while Jackson stood up with Weld in his arms. As he watched his brothers with their sons, Jackson felt his heart swell with the love and happiness that now filled their lives. They had longed for a family of their own, and children, for so many long, lonely years. It was gratifying to know that every single moment of the wait had been worth it.
He and his brothers were finally linked, the three parts of their shared soul now whole as it was meant to be, and connected with Hope’s soul, also as it was meant to be. They’d found the one woman in space and time meant especially for them, and she was perfect in every way. The boys, Owlfens by birth, but true sons in their hearts, were a joy almost too big for words. And soon, very soon, they would have three daughters to hold in their arms and add to their hearts. It brought tears to his eyes and a lump to his throat just thinking of it.
“Are you all right?” Hope asked as she came to stand before him. She wrapped one arm around his waist and stretched up on her toes to kiss Weld. When Jackson didn’t answer she looked into his eyes and frowned. “Jackson?”
He shook his head quickly and smiled. “I was just thinking.” He smiled, remembering the Bible instruction that he, Clark, and Rob had taken on Earth in an effort to understand Hope’s beliefs more fully. “I now understand something that I didn’t understand the first time I heard it.”
“Which is what?” Hope asked, noting the suspicious brightness in his pale green eyes, the wide smile on his face.
“Our cup truly runneth over,” he said softly.
Hope smiled and hugged him tightly. She knew exactly what he meant, and felt the same way. Then she sighed.
“What is it, Niha?” he asked.
“I want Faith to have this happiness too,” she said, then shook her head and sighed again. “Sometimes its confusing for me. I didn’t know Grace for very long, but it was an intense time. We bonded during those few days, and I felt as though I’d lost a life long friend when she died. I didn’t think it was possible for me to develop the same bond with Faith. I do care about her, though, and I want her to be happy for her own sake, not just because I want to do something for Grace.”
&n
bsp; “I cannot pretend to understand why the Falcorans are so set on refusing their true Arima,” Jackson said. “Why anyone would deliberately deny themselves this kind of happiness defies my comprehension.”
“I think it’s called cutting off your nose to spite your face,” Hope said.
“An apt statement, though it draws an exceedingly unpleasant image in one’s mind,” Jackson grimaced.
“Yes, it does,” she agreed. “My biggest problem is that I can’t decide whether I think Faith would be better off without them, or with them.”
“As she was made for them, so too were they made for her,” Jackson said.
“I know,” Hope said. “But after what the Director told me she’s been through, and knowing what the Falcorans have been through, it’s clear that they’ve all been altered in unexpected and tragic ways. How can they possibly still be right for each other?”
“That, Niha, is an age-old question,” Jackson said. “I do not believe anyone has ever yet found an answer to it.”
“I have a theory on that,” Clark said as he and Rob joined them, each with a tired, but happy, boy in his arms.
“Please share,” Hope said.
“I don’t think that our experiences matter,” he said. “It doesn’t matter that we’ve lived for centuries here, on Jasan, members of a race of mostly males, while you lived a fraction of that time in a culture completely different from our own. We had nothing in common with each other in terms of life experiences, beliefs, or even customs. It is our souls that were made to be together. Meant to be together. Not our bodies, or even our hearts.”
“Does that mean that Faith and the Falcorans will eventually come around and accept each other?” Hope asked.
The Falcoran’s Faith Page 4
