She’d never seen herself look so pretty before. There was a brightness in her eyes, color in her cheeks, and a secret smile on her lips. She was happy. Really and truly happy in a way that was completely new to her. She grinned at herself. She was in love, and she couldn’t wait to tell the Falcorans her decision.
***
A couple of hours later Faith smoothed the already smooth light pink blouse that she wore with another pair of jeans. She wished she’d bought another skirt, or a dress when she’d gone shopping, but she’d never expected to wear the one that the Falcorans had bought for her. Well, it didn’t matter, she told herself. The blouse was pretty and brought out the pink in her cheeks, and the jeans fit really well.
She wasn’t surprised to find that her hands were trembling, or that her pulse seemed a bit too fast. She was a little nervous, but mostly she was excited. It didn’t matter that she’d only known the Falcorans for a couple of weeks. It didn’t matter that she could never have children. It didn’t matter that she practically had more scars than not. None of that mattered. All that mattered was that they loved her, and she loved them.
She ran a brush through her hair one last time, then put Bubbles on her shoulder and left the bathroom just as a knock sounded on her door. She opened it, already knowing it was the Falcorans.
“Hi guys,” she said.
“You are so beautiful,” Gray said, smiling at her appreciatively.
“Thanks,” she replied. She noticed that they were still wearing their uniforms. They usually changed into regular clothes for dinner, so she knew something was up. She arched a brow and waited.
“We were going to spend some time in the Roar Room,” Tristan said. “But if you’re ready for dinner now, we can go change. It won’t take but a minute.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Bubbles needs to get some exercise anyway. All she’s done today is eat and sleep.”
Bubbles raised up and gave her several quick kisses, tapping her check with her forepaws in excitement. Faith pulled her door shut and walked up the corridor with the Falcorans, grinning at Bubbles antics as she danced around on her shoulder. They passed the elevator alcove and continued to the far side of the ship where the Roar Room was located, and went inside. Bubbles gave her another series of kisses, then leapt onto Tristan’s shoulder.
“Right after you guys shift, I’m going to run back to my room real quick,” Faith said.
Tristan paused. “We can go with you.”
“There’s no need for that,” Faith said. “I just want to grab my hand terminal. It won’t take but a minute. You guys go on and play. I don’t think Bubbles can contain herself any longer.”
Tristan smiled at the raktsasa prancing back and forth from one shoulder to the other. “All right but please, don’t leave this deck, okay?”
“Sure,” Faith agreed easily. She didn’t know why he seemed worried, but saw no reason to argue since she didn’t want to go anywhere else anyway.
Tristan hesitated another moment, then went through the door into the shifting chamber. Faith watched as they all transformed into giant, black furred birds with brightly colored eyes, a thrill of excitement running through her as she imagined how she’d look as a falcoran. A moment later Bubbles shifted and began running around the room, leaping high into the air now and then with happy roars. Faith watched them for a few minutes, then turned and left the ante room. She hadn’t gone far before an eerie sensation began crawling up her spine. She tried to tell herself that she was simply not used to being alone any more now that she had Bubbles, but for some reason, that explanation didn’t make her feel any better. She walked faster, her arms crossed in front of herself, her eyes and ears straining for sound, but she heard nothing unusual. She shook her head at herself. She was being ridiculous. This was a Jasani battleship, for goodness sake. Not a dark street in a big city.
She passed the elevator alcove, the half way point, berating herself for her silliness. Suddenly a big hand came down hard on one shoulder, another clamped tightly over her mouth, and she was yanked off her feet and dragged backwards. She reached up for the hand at her mouth, trying futilely to pry it away when suddenly both hands released her and she fell to the floor. She leapt to her feet, heart pounding as she realized she was in an elevator, and the doors had just closed, trapping her. She spun around to face her attacker, then froze in shock.
***
Tristan saw Faith turn from the window and leave. He felt unaccountably worried, but there was no logical reason for it so he decided to keep it to himself.
“What’s wrong?” Gray asked.
Tristan tried to shake his feelings off. “Nothing,” he said. “I just feel like its a bad idea to let Faith out of our sight.”
“I feel the same way,” Gray said, troubled.
“Me too,” Jon chimed in.
Tristan’s worry increased. “I’m going after her,” he said. Before he finished speaking, Bubbles let out a deep roar of fear and fury.
By the time they were able to land and shift, Bubbles had already broken down the door leading into the ante room, and the one out of it into the main corridor. The moment their feet touched the floor they raced after Bubbles, who was moving faster than they’d thought she was capable of. Using Air magic, they moved more quickly than the human eye could see, but by the time they caught up to her she’d already used her claws to pull one of the four sets of elevator doors open. She stood on the edge of the empty elevator shaft, her body tensed as though she were about to jump down into it.
“Bubbles, shift,” Tristan commanded, his voice tight with fear. The raktsasa would not survive such a fall, and Faith would not easily forgive them for allowing Bubbles to come to harm. He was relieved when Bubbles turned to look at him, her large red eyes filled with tears, before she shifted back to her small form and leapt onto his shoulder.
“Down,” Gray said, already pulling the door open leading to the stairs. Tristan placed one hand on Bubbles to ensure she remained in place and moved with as much speed as Air would allow, racing down the stairs to the lowest deck.
“Male, human,” Gray said as he and Jon followed one step behind Tristan. “Unfamiliar.”
***
“Eric,” Faith said, surprised but, somehow, not as surprised as she thought she should be. Maybe some part of her had known she wasn’t finished with this episode of her life.
“Faith,” Eric said, smirking. “You don’t seem too shocked. I’m glad you realize you have this coming.”
She’d been too stunned to react at first. But when Eric said that, her anger flared. “Oh, go to hell you stupid bastard,” she said with disgust. “You and your sister are as crazy as fricken’ bed bugs. Stop blaming me for all the shit you two immersed yourselves in, and grow the fuck up. You wanna kill me? Go ahead. Just don’t bore me to death with the same old sad, sorry song of how everything that ever happened to you and Cinthy is all my fault. I’ve heard it before, and to be honest, I’d rather be dead than have to listen to it again.”
“Wow, not bad,” Eric said, smiling. “If it helps, I don’t blame you for everything. But I DO blame you for my sister’s death.”
“Of course you do! It makes perfect sense! I’m obviously responsible for her asinine decision to use a stars-damned gamma rifle to blow off Rick’s head and hit me with the fall-out while I was hanging from the ceiling by my wrists. After being raped, which, let me guess, was also my idea.”
“Nah,” Eric said, shrugging lightly. “It’s your fault because you made friends with her. Cinthy never had a female friend before you. Other women were always jealous of her because she was so pretty. But not you. You were nice to her, Faith. Until you betrayed her. That’s why she kept going after you. Because she cared about you, and you hurt her.”
Faith stared at Eric in surprise. That was a theory she’d never heard before. It didn’t change anything, of course, and it was absolute crap, but she could almost see Cinthy thinking that way.
; “So, now that I’ve made that perfectly clear,” Eric said, then paused and frowned at her. “It is clear, right?”
Faith nodded slowly, unable to think of another thing to say.
“Good,” Eric said. Moving suddenly, he grabbed her by the throat with one hand and shoved her back against the wall of the elevator, then punched her hard in the stomach. She tried to bend over, but his hand held her in place. Her hands came up to cover the area he’d hit, but they encountered a strange object. Faith frowned, trying to figure out what it was. Realizing that Eric no longer held her, she looked up and saw him walking away from the elevator without a backward glance. Then the doors closed again and the car started going back up.
She looked down and saw what appeared to be the hilt of a long, heavy knife sticking out of her abdomen. Then the pain hit. She took a deep breath, which increased the pain enormously. Too much, she thought, before falling to her knees. She tried to scream, but no sound would leave her throat. She was reminded of a dream she’d had repeatedly as a child. Something really horrific would happen and she’d try to scream, but never could. How odd, she thought. That really happens.
She realized that the carpet beneath her was going to be ruined from all the blood, but there was nothing she could do about it. Then she wondered if there was a way to force herself to pass out, conceded that there might be, but that since she didn’t know what it was, it didn’t matter. She wondered if the Falcorans would find her before she died. She hoped so. She wanted to look at them just one more time. Just one look. Was that too much to ask? The answer never came because at that moment, her eyes closed, and she knew no more.
***
Tristan pushed the door open onto the engineering deck just as a tall, sandy haired man was reaching for it. The man was wearing the gray and red uniform of the Jasani navy, but his scent matched the faint scent they’d caught outside the elevator shaft where they’d found Bubbles.
“Arrest him,” Tristan said just as Bubbles began growling threateningly. The man spun around and tried to run, but he was no match for them in either speed or strength. Gray picked him up by the back of the neck and raced toward the engine room. He tossed the man to the floor just as a Katre male-set came through the door.
“Arrest him, and don’t let him out of your sight,” Gray said, his eyes glowing with fury. “You are responsible for him.”
“Yes, Admiral,” the eldest Katre said as his two younger brothers lifted the man off the floor. Each of them wrapped one hand around a wrist, effectively shackling him. He’d never break free.
“If Faith is harmed,” Gray said, leaning forward to stare directly into the man’s eyes, “even the smallest bit, you will pray to your Gods for death for a very long time before it is granted to you.”
Gray had the momentary satisfaction of watching the blood drain from the man’s face. Then he heard his brother’s roar, distant and faint, but clear. He spun around and was gone.
“Whoever you are, you made a very large error in coming aboard the Eyrie,” the eldest Katre said as he stepped in front of Eric. He held up one hand, transformed it into a huge paw with long, hooked claws, then used it to tear the shirt from Eric’s body, revealing several knives and two hand guns tucked into a body harness. Two quick swipes and the harness lay on the floor.
Eric tried to tell himself that dying in the act of avenging his sister was worth whatever they did to him. For some reason, he wasn’t having much luck with that.
***
Tristan and Jon reached the elevators on Deck One just as the doors opened. They stood frozen as the scent of Faith’s blood hit them like a wave, their minds struggling to decipher what their eyes were seeing. Tristan roared in fury, already beginning to shift, when Jon stepped in front of him and grasped his arms firmly.
“She needs us,” he said between clenched teeth, fighting his own blood rage.
Tristan nodded tightly, then took a deep breath before pulling free of Jon’s grip and stepping into the elevator. Bubbles had already leapt from his shoulder and now sat on Faith’s shoulder, her eyes sad as tears dripped down her tiny face.
“Vox the Vyand,” Tristan said as he knelt down beside Faith, her blood immediately soaking into his pants. “Tell them to get Doc over here now.”
Before he finished speaking Jon was making the call, watching as Tristan carefully turned Faith over, searching for the injury responsible for all the blood. They both saw the hilt of the knife protruding from her abdomen at the same time, forcing them to struggle even harder to maintain their human form.
“Yes?” Jon heard Ran Katre say into his ear, a welcome distraction.
“Ran, get Doc over here,” Jon said. “Faith’s been stabbed and it’s bad.”
“We’ll be right there, Jon,” Ran said, then disconnected.
Tristan stared at the knife, offended by the sight of the cold steel protruding from Faith’s body. She was still alive, barely, and he feared that removing the knife might kill her, so he gritted his teeth and left it in place. He slipped his arms beneath her as carefully as he could, then lifted her from the floor, wishing that their Water magic was strong enough to do more than heal small wounds and put people to sleep. But the three of them, even working together, could never heal the horrific wound caused by the knife in Faith’s body.
He stood up and pulled her close, making certain that he didn’t touch the knife. When he turned around, he saw Gray standing beside Jon, his eyes glowing.
“Lead the way to the infirmary,” he said sharply. Gray spun around and disappeared. Tristan followed as quickly as he dared, Jon bringing up the rear. By the time they reached the infirmary seconds later, Doc was waiting with Darlene, Ran and Loni Katre.
“Put her down here,” Doc said, moving to one side of a high exam table.
Tristan did as Doc said, sliding his arms out from beneath Faith as gently as he could.
“Son of a bitch!” Doc exclaimed as they all got a good view of the heavy steel hilt protruding from the center of her abdomen. He gave his head a single shake, then got to work.
“Darlene, we need to get this top off of her,” he said. Darlene stepped to the other side of the table, a pair of shears already in her hand. “I hope one of you can take the raktsasa, Tristan, cause I don’t think my losing an arm right now would be the best thing for your Arima,” Doc said, eyeing Bubbles carefully.
“Bubbles, come here to me,” Gray said. “They’ll take good care of her.”
Bubbles raised her head and looked at Gray with such sadness it brought tears to his eyes. She raised up and pressed her tiny black nose to Faith’s cheek and gave her several popping kisses, then leapt to Gray’s shoulder.
While Darlene cut Faith’s blouse, Doc prepared the scanner over the bed. “It would be best if the lot of you waited outside,” he said. “None of you are going to enjoy watching what happens next, and I can’t be worrying about a Jasani blood rage.”
“All right Doc,” Ran said. He turned to the Falcorans and gestured toward the door. Tristan hesitated, then forced himself to turn around and leave, Gray, Jon, and Loni following behind him in a line.
“What happened?” Ran asked when they were all standing in a small waiting area up the hall from where Doc and Darlene fought to save Faith’s life.
“We aren’t sure,” Tristan said. “A human male did this, but we don’t know who he is, or why.”
“Or how he got on board,” Gray added. “I left him with the Katres in engineering.”
“Perhaps now would be a good time to learn answers to our questions,” Tristan said, already turning.
“No,” Loni said, his firm tone pulling Tristan up short.
“No?” Tristan asked, his eyes narrowed on the Katre. Loni was dangerously close to crossing a line that Tristan was in no mood to tolerate.
“You will go into a blood rage and kill him,” Loni said. Then he shrugged. “I agree his death is imminent. But you will regret killing him before he gives you the answers you
seek.”
“You are correct, Loni,” Tristan said, unable to argue with Loni’s reason. “What do you suggest?”
“Allow me to take him to the Vyand,” Loni said. “I give you my word that you will have the opportunity to question him when you are in a better state of mind.”
“That’s a good idea,” Tristan said. Loni bowed, then took one step sideways and vanished.
“Tristan,” Ran said, his voice low and even. “Perhaps it would be helpful for all of you if you cleaned yourself up.”
Tristan looked down at himself. Ran was right, he realized as he saw the blood covering him. Faith’s blood. “I’m afraid to leave,” he admitted as he stared at his bloody hands.
“My friend,” Ran said, then waited for the Falcoran to look up. “Do not forget that, if necessary, you can save her by transforming her.”
Tristan nodded slowly, hope rising within him. He wasn’t altogether sure that Faith would agree to such a thing, but it was, at least, a hope.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, then turned and headed toward his room, his head down as he contemplated a future without Faith. If Doc couldn’t save her, and she didn’t wake up, what would they do? Or worse, what if she did wake up, and refused the transformation?
An hour passed, then two, and still there was no word from behind the closed doors of the emergency treatment room. Finally Doc stepped into the waiting room, his face drawn and tired. He sat down in the first chair he saw, then rubbed his face with both hands. “The news is not good,” he said, meeting Tristan’s gaze directly.
“We have a healing tank on board, Doc,” Gray said in a low voice.
Doc nodded. “If all we had to worry about were the injuries caused by the knife, she’d already be in it.”
“I don’t understand,” Tristan said. “What else is wrong? Was there an injury I didn’t see?”
The Falcoran’s Faith Page 28
