Of Blood and Angels (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 3)

by J. Naomi Ay

  Thad bolted upright on the sofa, kicking me in the gut with his foot. “What? Sorry Katie. Huh?”

  “We did awesome, Thad,” Berkan repeated and high fived him.

  "Jolly good, Berk," Thad smirked and rubbed his eyes. “When’s breakfast?”

  "Is there any word from in there?" Berkan nodded to the closed sickbay door.

  "Not yet," Loman replied.

  "Don’t worry, Katie,” Thad said, punching me lightly in the arm. “He’ll be fine. I think I could go for a sushi omelette this morning, hold the squid.”

  "How do you know he’ll be fine?" I asked.

  "He always is,” Berkan replied. “Every so often he goes and gets himself almost killed and then the next thing you know he's back and telling us all to fuck off again. I don’t mind squid."

  "Really, Berk?” Thad yawned. “You would if you saw those squid dudes."

  “You really think he’s going to be fine?” I repeated anxiously.

  “Yes, Madame,” Loman replied. “Senya’s got a few guardian angels looking out for him.”

  “Actually, Dad, I could have sworn we were the ones with the guardian angels.” Berkan smiled and winked at me.

  Chapter 26

  Senya

  There was something dripping upon his chest. It was wet, sticky and smelled a bit sour. Something was grabbing his chest hairs, wrapping its fingers around them, pulling them, attaching to them with this sticky liquid which it dripped.

  Senya searched the mind of this creature. There wasn’t much there. The creature was happy. It enjoyed pulling his chest hairs. It liked propping itself up against his chest, drawing the warmth from his own skin.

  “Ma ma ma ma,” the creature said, dripping yet more fluid upon him. The creature turned its oversized head and became happier still. It wiggled i's small legs and bounced on its bottom. Senya saw through the creature's eyes. “Ma ma ma ma,” the creature said again and let go of Senya's chest hairs, pulling several along with him. He held out his arms and Senya saw his wife come closer and lift the baby away from him. She kissed the baby's face. He could feel the kisses through the baby's skin. The baby was happy and laughed sweetly, grabbing her hair.

  Now the baby emitted an explosion of intestinal gasses and a moment later, he moved his bowels and expelled a great quantity of liquid and feces. He was no longer happy. His buttocks were covered in his own expulsion and it was unpleasant against his tender skin. The baby started to wail.

  "Oh, Shika!" his wife said. "Siria? Could you please come and change the baby’s diaper?"

  Senya was surprised. His wife spoke the Noble Mishnese.

  "Of course, Madame." The Andorian took the baby and the accompanying odor departed the room.

  "Let me just clean you up a bit," his wife said, dabbing at his chest with a cloth. "Shika drooled all over you. He's cutting two top teeth. It's really cute. Actually, he's just incredibly adorable and he does look just like you. Everyone says so. I think so." She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

  He breathed in her scent and felt the soft fabric of her gown as she leaned against his body. She was not wearing the cottons and fleece she normally dressed in when not in uniform. She was wearing silk and brocade that rustled as she moved. They must be in Mishnah, he realized. If the baby had upper teeth, he must be nine months old already. He had been asleep for a long time.

  "I'm going to brush your hair a little," his wife said, leaving his side for a moment.

  He wondered what had happened in the time that he had been sleeping. He tried to remember why he would have needed this sleep. Vague images flitted across his mind, rubbery mindless creatures, a voice from the hot and cold darkness, angel men in silver light.

  "Your grandfather, the King was here when I came in this morning," his wife said, pulling a brush through his hair now. His hair must have been very long. "He has been very nice to us. He loves to just sit and hold Shika and watch you. I was a little nervous around him at first but I'm used to him now. I even kinda like him, sort of." She laughed and started pulling at the hair on the other side of his head. "I wouldn't mind going home though." She leaned in close and put her mouth on his ear. "Senya, wake up. I want to go home. Come on, baby. We need to go home while we still can."

  She pulled away and put the brush down on the table next to the bed.

  "Ok," she said, leaning in again and touching her lips to his. "Oh, dry." Now she was spreading something on his mouth, a lip balm that smelled like aloe. "Better?" She kissed him again. "Yes, thank you, Katie Anne. Much better."

  "Oh, you're very welcome, my darling," she replied to herself. "Would you like me to massage your feet for a bit?" She moved down to the end of the bed and lifted the sheet. She placed her hands upon his left foot and massaged it, pressing into the pressure points and rubbing between his toes though the sensation was faint to him even when she pressed hard. "Yesterday, Luci took me to that gallery that's on the south end in that old building, you know? I got to see portraits of all your esteemed relatives. There's a lovely portrait of you in there too. I couldn't believe all the people who were standing around to get in while we were there. I mean, the crowds were enormous. I asked Luci if Tuesdays were half price or what. Nope. Turns out they were standing around to look at me. That was totally creepy." She started on his other foot. "Senya, I’ve gotta tell you, I really don't like so many people being constantly focused on you, us. I really just want to go home and be left alone. I know that's what you want too but you’ve gotta wake up first so we can do that." She covered up his feet again. "Do you want to hear some of your messages this morning?" She was sitting again and he could hear the sound of her fingers tapping keys on a tablet. "First from Berkan re: weekly status update ship build- tail number 002 - skinning has begun. Interior mech work has also commenced. Tail number 003 - framing has commenced. Discussion regarding design changes to 004 and subsequent tabled until HRH is able to contribute to the discussion. Thank you for the update, Lord Berkan. Next message from Thad re: software issues on cerebral guide wires. Are you interested in hearing this?"

  He wanted to say no. He couldn’t speak yet. His throat was too dry and he couldn’t move his mouth. He couldn’t move anything. He was just now starting to feel his extremities, the dull ache in his chest and abdomen. He tried to remember what happened to him and with the awareness of his body, the memory of what was done to it came back.

  "Hey, are you waking up?" his wife says, running her hands along his chest. "Your blood pressure just jumped."

  Her hands were soft and warm and familiar but he wanted to cringe at their touch. He didn’t want to be touched by anyone, anything ever again. She drew away as if he had said this though he knew he did not speak.

  The door opened and the room became crowded now. The temperature rose considerably and the odors were all a mix of hospital scents and exhalations. He recognized the doctors’ voices. They were from SdK Mishnah, the top physicians on the planet. He hired them himself.

  "Pardon me, Your Royal Highness," one of them, perhaps his name was Kellen spoke.

  The doctor pulled at his eye lid. There was an intake of breath from a nurse, from his wife. His eyes must have changed again, filling with beta proteins, turning silver. He could feel his strength coming back and his hunger. Someone pressed his hand. He drew it away. He could move his hand now.

  "Sir!" Kellen ordered him. "Sir, you need to wake up now. Listen to me!"

  He wanted water. His throat was too parched, his tongue too dry to speak. Water. Water. A nurse shrieked.

  “I got it,” his wife said. She moved quickly, catching the water pitcher as it flew across the room. “Get him a cup and a straw.” A straw was pressed against his tongue. The water was cold slipping down his throat. His wife leaned into him, holding the cup. She smelled like lavender, the lavender soap that is used in the Palace. She stroked his hair.

  “Don't touch me,” he thought. She stopped and moved away.

  “Can you speak, Sir?” It was Kell
en again. He was feeling claustrophobic. There were too many people in this room crowding around him.

  “Kari-fa!” he gasped, his voice hoarse. “Leave me alone!”

  “Do as he commands!” another voice boomed. It was Loman, his large, heavy presence disturbing the air, weighing upon the polished floor. “Out of here, all of you except Dr. Kellen.” The doctors and nurses filed out. His wife and Kellen remained. Loman stood at the end of his bed. “Senya, are you awake?”

  “Ay yah,” he rasped. “More water.” The straw was thrust in his mouth again.

  “Well son, you've returned from the dead yet again,” Loman chuckled.

  “Ay yah,” he agreed and then turned away from all of them to sleep a normal, exhausted sleep.

  The next time he awoke, he was feeling much stronger and healthier. His head felt clear without even a trace of a migraine. He realized immediately that the beta protein levels were normal again. The excessive cycle that had plagued him for years had finally ended. He whispered a quick prayer of thankfulness and then turned his attention to the surroundings. He was alone and from the silence of the infirmary and the lack of heat against the room's windows, he judged it to be darkness still, a few hours before dawn.

  He pushed himself upright, to a sitting position, and removed the IV's and other attachments to his body. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and cautiously stood. His left leg felt weak. He tested it and a pain shot through it, nearly toppling him. He sat down again on the side of the bed and with his hand, he examined the length of his leg. The muscles were sound, the bones were whole, the nerves and synapses all intact. This pain did not come from this time then. This pain was a memory from the future, something that he would cause himself.

  “Kari-fa,” he whispered to himself and hoped this future time would be a long way off for this pain would surely cripple him.

  He stood again and hobbled to the bathroom, relieving himself and then showering to remove the months of being bed ridden from his skin and hair. He shaved the beard that was more than a few days old and then returning to the bedroom, searched briefly through the closets for some clothing. There was only a robe there. In his wardrobe room, in his suite, there was clothing suitable only for wearing in Mishnah. He wanted his normal clothing, jeans, a t-shirt, running shoes, but there was nothing but dress blues, black and whites with sashes, brocades, gold and silk, satin embellishments. He put on the robe and fumbled through the pockets, searching for a cigarette. Finding one, he put it in his mouth and lit it. It was a weak, filtered Mishnese cig and he recalled how months ago, he sent Susie to purchase a case of Camels for him. He wondered if she ever did.

  He took a long drag on the weak cig, relishing it. He was hungry too, he realized, and contemplated what he wanted to eat. He knew the answer in an instant and tested the sturdiness of his leg, the strength of his shoulders and arms. Satisfied that he could manage, he listened to the hallway outside his room. The infirmary was quiet, probably he was the only patient but surely there would be security posted in several locations. He thought he could feel someone sitting outside the door.

  His best option would be the window. It was large enough and opened outward from a latch in the center. It was raining outside and cold, but he didn’t care. He removed the robe again, climbed up on the window ledge and greeted the wind, willing his molecules to rearrange, to turn himself from man to beast and then he leapt into the sky in search of blood.

  Chapter 27

  Katie

  The window was open and rain had formed a huge puddle on the floor beneath it. His robe lay in the puddle, completely soaked through. Loman stooped to pick it up, shaking it out and then handing it to a guardsman.

  “Give it to his valet to be cleaned,” Loman barked. The guardsman scurried from the room as Loman shut the windows. He looked at me and raised a bushy white eyebrow quizzically.

  “I think he must be feeling better,” I said and shrugged a little. “I don't think he was kidnapped again.”

  “No, no, I don't think so,” Loman agreed. “Surely my security is better than that.”

  “He probably was just hungry.” I attempted to straighten the bed sheets for no reason other than I felt I must do something useful. “The early morning hours he seems to crave something…fresh.”

  Loman nodded and told me to stop fussing. “He probably won't come back to this room anyway. Perhaps, he has already returned to his apartment.”

  I followed Loman out the door and across the passageways. The infirmary was located in a building on the opposite side of the courtyard from the Big House. We were half way across the complex when a SdK limousine landed right in front of us. Berkan got out and seeing us, waited until we joined him.

  “Good Morning, Madame,” he said and bowed.

  “Good Morning, Lord Korelesk,” I replied formally, even though it seemed silly. After all, he was just Berkan. “Are you coming to see me?”

  “As much as I love to visit with you, Madame,” he replied. “I am, in fact, coming to see His Royal Highness, the MaKennah. I have a 10AM meeting scheduled in his office.”

  “Really?” Is that where he is?”

  “I assume so.” Berkan replied. “It was on my calendar this morning, so I figured I had better show up.”

  We walked to the second floor where the King's and Senya's offices were. There were two sets of secretarial offices one must pass through before entering Senya's office and guardsmen were posted in each doorway. Kinar sat at a large desk in front of the last set of heavy mahogany doors. He stood up when he saw us.

  “Is he in?” Berkan said and pointed at the door.

  “Yes sir, Lord Korelesk,” Kinar replied. “You are expected, but you are early. Please have a seat until he is available.”

  Berkan sat down on a leather sofa and started thumbing through the messages on his cell.

  “Can I go in?” I asked.

  “Sorry, Madame,” Kinar sat back down and looked at his screen. “Not without an appointment.”

  “Kinar? Are you serious? You have never stopped me before!”

  Kinar smiled apologetically. “Sorry Madame. This is Mishnah, the rules are different here.”

  28

  Berkan

  "How are you feeling?" I said, entering what used to be the King’s office but now belonged to Senya.

  The King and his few files and staff had gladly moved to what had once been Akan's office, a short walk down the hall from here. Senya's office was far bigger and had an amazing view of the ocean from the wall of picture windows and French doors behind his massive desk. The office was cold and drafty even as a fire roared in the great stone hearth.

  "Fucked up, but better," Senya replied as I made obeisance on the floor before his desk.

  Technically, I didn’t have to do this. Technically, a bow would have been sufficient but since Senya was effectively ruling anyway, now we all made obeisance as if he were already the king.

  I stood up quickly, not waiting for his permission as he was busy scratching away at the document in front of him. Dickon’s undersecretary stood by his side, waiting for the document. With a slashing motion, Senya signed his name and thrust the paper at the man.

  “So, Berk,” he said, taking the next document off the secretary’s stack. “Tell me about the squawks on the EMP system. You have resolved all but one, yes?”

  “Well,” I started to say, when the massive doors opened again and my father entered, leading the King, the King of Karupatani and Prince Sorkan.

  Immediately, I fell to my knees once again, as did Dickon's young assistant. Out of the corner of my eye, as I knelt on the floor, I noticed Katie slip through the door just before it closed. She scurried into a corner, behind a pedestal that held an antique vase dating back to Markiis Kalila's reign. As she ducked behind it, she bumped the pedestal, sending the vase rocking.

  I held my breath as the priceless artifact toppled to one side. Without even glancing up from his paper, Senya pointed
a finger at the vase and it resumed its upright and undamaged position. He signed the next paper and let it float down to the floor where Dickon's man waited.

  "How are you feeling, son?" King Yokaa said when Senya finally deigned to let his silver eyes drift upward to the royal assembly before him.

  Senya didn’t respond, fortunately, for I feared he would reply ‘fucked up’ to the King, as well. Rather, Senya leaned back in his great chair and produced a cigarette from nowhere. He lit it with a brush of his finger and took a long drag, his blind eyes flickering at the kings.

  “No,” he said after a time and after what appeared to be a great deal of thought, answering a question that was never posed out loud. The kings look at each other with a sort of exasperation whilst only Prince Sorkan dared to speak.

  "Senya," the Prince said calmly and kindly. "It is time for you to come home."

  Senya focused his gaze upon his father and breathed out smoke. “I will not,” he replied. “I choose to remain on Rozari.”

  “King Yokaa and I are in agreement on this,” the Karupatani King spoke. His voice was hoarse and even from my prone position beneath them, he looked ailing to me. “You will do as we ask and reside here now in this Palace with your wife and son.”

  “You may call my official residence however you like.” Senya shrugged and drew another document from the stack on his desk. “But I will come and go as I please. My wife and son will remain on Rozari until I see fit to bring them here.”

  “Sehron,” King Yokaa sighed. “Must you always argue with us? Is it not obvious to you that you cannot be protected on Rozari? Any creature can do as these Andromedeans have just done and next time you may not survive it.”

  “A thousand guardsmen would not have protected me regardless of whether I was here or there. All that would have happened is that a thousand guardsmen would now be dead. I can and I will protect myself. You do not need to risk anyone else on my behalf. Berkan, get up off the floor. I wish to speak with you.”