Ha'ven's Song (23 page)

*.*.*

Emma raised her head when she felt a warmth
caress her damp cheek. Her eyes widened when she saw the glowing
image of Ha’ven kneeling in front of her. Biting her bottom lip,
she raised her hand to gently touch the shimmering figure.

“Are you really here or am I dreaming?” She
asked in a faint voice

Her hand brushed through the image but the
warmth that flooded her when she touched it gave her the strength
to lean forward, turning until she was on her knees.

“I love you,” she whispered, gazing warmly
at the faint form.

As I love you, misha petite,
Ha’ven
replied.
I am coming for you.

“I know,” she whispered. “Captain Tylis told
me he had contacted you. I saw you… I saw you lying on the ground
covered in whatever it was that Kejon shot at you. I was so
scared.”

Emma’s eyes flew to the door as heavy
footsteps echoed. A moment later, she heard Kejon’s voice ordering
the guard outside to open the door. She turned frightened eyes to
the shimmering image as the locks disengaged.

“Go,” she whispered urgently. “Something
tells me he mustn’t realize you know where I am.”

I love you, my Emma,
Ha’ven said
before he let go of the energy he had harnessed.

“I love you, too,” she whispered as the door
opened.

*.*.*

Emma looked up as another tall male entered.
He had the same coloring as the other Curizans she had met. The
biggest difference was the coldness in his eyes and the touch of
insanity. She scrambled back on the bed away from him as he stood
in the doorway.

“What species are you?” Kejon demanded in a
frigid voice.

“Hu… human,” Emma replied as she pressed
back against the wall.

Kejon frowned staring at her. Emma could
tell he was assessing whether she was telling him the truth or not.
He slowly walked forward, not stopping until his legs pressed
against the edge of the narrow bed.

“Where do you come from?” He demanded.

“Earth,” Emma said, tilting her head up in
defiance.

“Earth,” Kejon repeated. “Where is that and
how powerful are you?”

Emma’s mouth tightened. “I don’t know where
it is in comparison to where I am at,” she stated truthfully. “And
we are very powerful. Far more powerful than you,” she bluffed.

Kejon stood staring down at him for several
long minutes. He could see she was frightened yet she stared back
at him, refusing to look away.

A sardonic smile curved his lips. He had to
give her credit for trying to hide her fear. His eyes roamed her
fair hair. He reached out to touch it.

“Don’t!” She said sharply, rising to stand
on the bed. “You will not touch me,” she hissed.

Kejon’s eyes narrowed and he stepped back in
alarm. Dark tentacles of black power swirled around her lifting her
golden hair until it floated around her. Her blue eyes glowed and
in their depths he could see the black power in them. A shiver of
warning ran down his spine. He took another cautious step back.

“What are you?” He asked as he pulled at his
own power in case he needed it.

“I am the mate of Ha’ven Ha’darra,” she
stated, clenching her fists at her side. “I am under the protection
of both Ha’ven Ha’darra and the Valdier Royal family. You will not
touch me!”

Kejon fell backwards against the door when
she lifted her hand up, palm outward. The force of the power behind
her hand knocked the breath out of him. He pulled his own power
around him like a shield. Cold anger poured through him. He needed
the power inside the small female. If he could harness it and turn
it against Ha’darra he felt confident he could defeat the Curizan
prince.

“Your mate is dead,” Kejon lied. “I killed
him. You will bow to me! I now claim you as mine.”

Uncertainty flickered through Emma’s eyes as
her mind fought with her heart. Had she just dreamed that Ha’ven
had been here with her? Had she imagined hearing his voice and
feeling his warmth?

Panic and despair pierced her heart at the
thought of never seeing or touching him again. Tears burned her
eyes as the male in front of her took a step forward as he sensed
her indecision.

“No,” she whispered. “No, I will not go
through this again.”

She glanced around the brightly lit room.
There were no shadows to hide in like before on the
Sentinel
. She closed her eyes and pictured a dark place in
her mind. If her body could not find a place to slip into to hide
then her mind would. She would never let another hold her captive
again.

Kejon’s furious yell echoed in the room as
Emma focused inward. She shut out everything but the shadows in her
mind. She was safe in the darkness. She was safe since no one could
find her there. She imagined the calming blackness surrounding
her.

Her body tingled as she pictured herself
slipping through the invisible door. Peace washed over her as she
fell into the shadows. She glanced back through the doorway one
last time and saw her body crumpled on the bed. She felt a moment
of triumph as Kejon turned her limp form over. He might be able to
touch her physical body but she was no longer there. She turned
back, following the golden thread that guided her away.

Ha’ven came back into his body with a
shudder. He breathed in deeply as he refocused on his location. A
hand on his arm drew his attention and he saw both Arrow and
Adalard warily staring at him. His gaze flickered around the bridge
and he noticed the other warriors were watching him with more than
a trace of unease.

“What is it?” He asked looking back at
Adalard.

“You tell me,” Adalard muttered.

“I think we need to take this into the
conference room,” Arrow suggested giving Ha’ven a strange look.

Ha’ven nodded and strode into the conference
room off the bridge. He walked over to the viewport, looking out
into deep space as he waited for the door to close. He turned to
look at his two brothers. They were standing with their arms folded
across their chests, grim expressions on both of their faces.

“What is it?” He asked again,
impatiently.

“You don’t know?” Adalard inquired
lightly.

“I don’t know what? Will you just tell me
what is going on?” He replied.

“Where were you a few minutes ago?” Arrow
asked carefully as he walked over to the conference table and sat
down.

Ha’ven frowned and watched as his younger
brother pulled up a star chart. He frowned as he studied it. The
location of the
Rayon I
was incorrect. They should be closer
to the Sanapare Spaceport not the Razzine Spaceport favored by the
rougher freight pilots. It was run by the Tiliqua, a small
two-headed reptile species that were skilled businessmen. It was
impossible for them to have journeyed so far in a matter of
minutes. Razzine was more than two days away.

“I was on the bridge,” he said uneasily.
“Why?”

“Yes, but where else?” Adalard insisted.

Ha’ven glanced at Adalard before he turned
back to the star chart. “I was with Emma,” he answered quietly.

Arrow sat back and looked at Ha’ven. A slow
grin curved his mouth and excitement made his eyes glow. Adalard
shot his twin a warning glance but Arrow ignored it, shrugging his
shoulders.

“You were glowing, bro,” Arrow said. “Hell,
the entire ship was glowing with you. One minute we are almost two
days behind the Marastin Dow’s warship and the next we are parked
next to Bahadur. I thought he was going to shit his pants when we
suddenly appeared next to him. By the way, he is pissed as nothing
normally shakes him. He just landed in Docking Bay 1.”

“What happened? How did you do it?” Adalard
asked quietly.

“I don’t know. I heard Emma,” he began as he
studied the star chart again. “I needed to find her... go to her.
I’ve had trouble harnessing and controlling my power since my
captivity on Hell. It was to the point I feared I would have...,”
he paused running his hands over his face before he sank down into
one of the chairs. “I asked Melek to terminate me if it got worse.
I was out of control and dangerous.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Adalard demanded,
anger making the scar on his cheek stand out. “I could have helped
you.”

“No you couldn’t,” Ha’ven replied. “We have
all heard the tales of what could happen if a power is left
uncontrolled.”

“Children’s stories!” Adalard responded
waving his hand in dismissal. “Told to keep children and young boys
in line.”

“No, not just stories,” Ha’ven quietly
explained. “Like you, I thought the same thing until… Aria awakened
a darkness inside me that continued to grow. I could no longer
contain or control the power inside me. I built a chamber under my
home where I would go to release the excess but even that was no
longer a guarantee.”

“That was why you have spent more time
away,” Arrow stated. “And why you wanted the
Sentinel
modified to use your energy. I couldn’t understand why you would
want to take a chance of draining your power when it wasn’t
necessary.”

“You still should have told us. We could
have helped you,” Adalard said stubbornly.

“Emma has done that,” Ha’ven admitted. “I
feared the darkness that threatened to consume me would frighten
her but the moment she touched me… She is not aware of the power
she holds within her body. Her touch soothes me. The magic in her
soul calls to mine. She balances me.”

Arrow looked thoughtfully at Ha’ven before
he slowly nodded. “I’ve read about that.”

Adalard and Ha’ven looked at their younger
brother in shock. “You’ve read about it? Where?” Adalard
demanded.

Arrow grinned. “You really should have paid
better attention during our lessons. Salvin talked about it
continuously for over a month. I wanted to know more so I snuck
down to the archives. Took me a week to break into the forbidden
section. Salvin had a ton of locks and spells on it. After I was
able to get in, it took me another two years to finish reading
everything in it.”

Adalard rolled his eyes and sank down into
the chair next to Ha’ven. “Have you ever even been laid or have you
just read about it? I swear you can’t have had time.”

Arrow flicked his wrist at Adalard, sending
a small bolt of power at his twin. Adalard barely had time to catch
it before it hit him in the face. His loud curse drew a chuckle
from Arrow.

Adalard growled as the shock burst through
his body making his hair stand straight up. His eyes flashed at the
amusement in his twin’s eyes. He hadn’t been expecting the little
extra ‘pop’ in the powerball.

“Very funny,” Adalard grunted as he sent a
surge of power to relax his hair.

“I thought so,” Arrow replied. “And yes, I
have been laid before… more times than you can count.”

“Enough,” Ha’ven growled out. “What did you
learn from the archives?”

Arrow opened his mouth to respond when the
door to the conference room opened. Bahadur strode in without
waiting for permission to enter. His eyes flashed at the three
brothers.

“You startled the shit out of me!” He
snapped. “Where in the hell did you come from all of a sudden?”

Ha’ven gritted his teeth and counted. The
Curizan general was their best but he also followed his own rules…
which made him the best. He and Bahadur had fought side by side and
he respected the other male too much to comment on his lack of
respect for authority. It wouldn’t do any good anyway. The other
male would just agree he totally lacked the respect.

“That is just what we were about to find
out,” Ha’ven replied in aggravation.

“Good,” Bahadur said walking over to the
replicator and ordering a stiff drink. “Then I’m just in time.”

Arrow rolled his eyes at Ha’ven and Adalard
behind Bahadur’s back before he continued.

“I read a scroll in the archives that talked
about the ‘Joining’. It is said long ago the Goddess Aikaterina
gave the Curizans the ability to harness the energy around them.
Each was given a different ability so none would be more powerful
than the other except for one. The Goddess gave one Curizan warrior
the gift to harness unlimited energy from around him but cautioned
him that with that power came great responsibility. She gave him
this gift because she was impressed by his courage and honor. He
had been willing to sacrifice himself to protect his people. She
explained that one must be more powerful than any other if balance
and order was to be maintained. But, she cautioned the
warrior
,
that if the power was not
balanced within himself, it could destroy the world he had been so
willing to give his life to protect. Afraid that the power would
corrupt him, she told him he would need to find the one that would
balance him. Only when they ‘joined’ as one would the power
stabilize. If left unbalanced, destruction and death would follow.
The Goddess, aware that such power needed to also be balanced
throughout the star system so that the Curizans could not have
absolute control, gave three additional species equal powers but in
different forms.”

“What are the other three species?” Bahadur
asked leaning forward from where he had taken a seat.

Arrow frowned. “The legend states she gave
the Valdier their symbiots. The other species were the Sarafin. She
gave them the gift of nine lives.”

“That is only two more,” Adalard said. “What
of the third? Is it us?”

“No,” Arrow admitted. “The scroll was torn
and the description of the last species was missing.”

“Great! A missing species that we have to
worry about now,” Bahadur muttered. “So, what has all this got to
do with you suddenly appearing out of thin air?”

“If my assumption is correct,” Arrow said
looking at his older brother with a raised eyebrow. “You are the
one who has been gifted with unlimited power. Emma is your balance.
When you claimed her, the joining was completed. You have the
ability to harness and control unlimited energy. Your desire to be
with her, to protect her, allowed you to bend time and space and
‘transport’ the
Rayon I
to the location where she is being
taken.”