Laura Jo Phillips (21 page)

“Don’t worry,” Aisling said.  “Berta and I will be fine.  You three just get to that town safely and soon.  We’ll be waiting for you to come and get us.”

“Count on it,” Hope said.  “We’ll go as fast as we can.”

Hope, Grace and Karma left the house, crossed the compound and, using the key Grace had taken from one of the guards, let themselves out through the gate.  Hope debated whether or not to lock the gate behind them.  On the one hand, it would be easier for Aisling to leave if she needed to for some reason.  On the other hand, it would warn anyone coming to the compound that things were not as they should be.  In the end, she locked the gate and tucked the key deep into the pocket of her jeans.  Then she checked the sun, turned to the northwest and started walking.

Hope called a halt several hours later when they came to a group of gigantic boulders near dusk.  They found a sheltered area within the group that had a small overhang that looked perfect for a campsite.  Hope spent a few minutes making sure that the area wasn’t home to anything they didn’t want to sleep with, and they began setting up their first camp. 

They were all very grateful to Berta for her idea of collecting sturdier fuel for a fire as they walked.  Even though they had all collected everything they saw that looked burnable, they still didn’t have very much.  Hope divided the thicker sticks and twigs up, along with the dried brush they’d also gathered, setting aside enough for a small fire in the morning. 

Without fire, they couldn’t heat water, and without hot water, they couldn’t regenerate their food.  They had some protein bars, cheese, crackers and lunchmeat that would work for lunch or snacks while they walked, but they needed a fire at least twice a day in order to use the regens.  Without those, their food wasn’t going to last very long.

Once the fuel was divided, they only had enough to cook a meal and heat some water for tea before the fire began to dwindle.  But they didn’t mind.  It had been a long day and they were all looking forward to some sleep.

“How far do you think we walked?” Karma asked Hope as they sat watching the fire die down.

“I think about fifteen miles,” Hope replied.  “On average, in this terrain, I think we can safely guess at three miles an hour.”

“At that rate, it’s going to take us days to reach that town,” Karma said.

“If we‘re able to maintain a steady pace, and walk ten hours a day, it will take us three more days,” Hope said. 

“That’s a lot of walking,” Karma said.

“Yes, it is,” Hope agreed.  “How are your feet?”

Karma untied her shoes and pulled them off, then slipped her socks off so that she could look at her feet by the light of the dying fire.  “They feel fine,” she said.  “They look fine.  They’re a little sore from walking, but I think the shoes are working out.  I owe Aisling big time.”

Hope smiled, pleased to hear Karma praise Aisling.  Personally, Hope thought Aisling was courageous as hell.  She hoped they were able to get help back to her before anyone decided to go check the compound. 

“How are you doing, Grace?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” Grace said.  “I love hiking and I run every day, so this is easy for me.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Hope said.  “I used to run, but I haven’t done it for a while.  I just got back from six months on Jasan and I didn’t run much while I was there.”

“Wow, that’s funny,” Karma said.  “I just got back from Jasan as well.”

“Why were you there?” Hope asked.

“I went as a contract bride, but when I met the male-set I was contracted too, I changed my mind.  How about you?”

“I spent six months in Bride House, but I didn’t meet the right guys,” Hope said, thinking that it seemed odd that both of them had just returned from Jasan. 

“What about you Grace?” Karma asked with a grin.  “You just get back from Jasan as well?”

Grace shook her head, but something about the expression on her face gave Hope pause.  “What is it?” she asked.

“I didn’t go to Jasan, but I have an identical twin sister, Faith, and she did.  She spent three months there in the women’s sanctuary, then came back to Earth about two months ago.”

“She only stayed for three months?” Hope asked.  She’d heard about the women’s sanctuary on Jasan.  Usually when women went there, they stayed for a long time.

“We had a death in our family so she decided to come home,” Grace said.  “I have a feeling that those idiot guards were supposed to get Faith, not me.  Frankly, I’m glad they got me instead.  Faith’s had a rough year.  What I don’t get is, why the heck are they going after women who spent time on Jasan?”

“I don’t know,” Hope replied.  “There must be a reason, but whatever it is, we can’t hope to understand it without more information.  Right now, I think we need to get some sleep.  Dawn comes early.”

Chapter
23

Earth, Redoubt of the Brethren

Jarlek entered Stalnek’s office and closed the door.  He both hated and coveted his brother’s office, resulting in a feeling of instant tension every time he entered the room.  His own office was less than half the size, and it wasn’t because of a limited amount of space.  Stalnek ruled the Brethren with an iron fist, and one of his many rules was that no one was allowed to have anything bigger or better than what he had. 

Jarlek crossed the wide expanse of silk carpet, rounded the carved, antique mahogany desk and sat down in the custom calibrated chair that cost more than his house.  He activated Stalnek’s vid terminal and logged in using the information Stalnek had provided in the message he’d just received in his own office.  He didn’t understand why Stalnek’s message had ordered him to do this, but he had learned many centuries earlier to obey Stalnek’s orders, no matter how strange they might be, without question. 

He activated Stalnek’s personal messaging program, found the message addressed to him, and played it.

“Jarlek, I sincerely hope that you are alone.  If you are not, stop this message at once and send everyone else out before you continue.

“I have received word from Xaqana-Ti that the Directorate has learned of the Brethren.”

Jarlek’s jaw opened in shock as he listened to Stalnek relate everything that Xaqana-Ti had told him, and what was being done about it.  He was relieved to learn that there was a plan to evacuate the Brethren should that become necessary, but horrified by the idea of abandoning Earth.

Jarlek, you must contact our informant at once and verify the things I have told you.  You will have to make the final decision whether or not to evacuate our people from Earth based on the information you get from him.  It’s not possible for me to reach home in time to handle this crisis myself.

“I have forwarded your personal vox code to the Captain of the vessel on its way to you.  He will contact you when they reach Earth’s orbit, so keep your vox with you at all times. 

“At the end of this message I will give you the codes for the vault.  Do not forget to take the relics, Jarlek.  They are more important than any ten members of our race.  You are charged to keep them in your personal possession at all costs.  Failure to do this will not be forgiven.

“The compound on Li-Hach-Cor is abandoned, and William is missing.  I have information that he may have been taken to Jasan and I am on my way there to determine if that is true.  In the event that William is lost to us, I have decided that Darck will be the next Chosen.  Command him to the Redoubt at once and put him under guard for his safety. 

“I am entrusting you with the future of our people, little brother.  Do not fail me.  Do not fail the Brethren.”

When the message ended, Jarlek leaned back in Stalnek’s chair and considered everything his brother had told him.  Once he was sure that he had assimilated the shock of the situation, he made a mental list of what he had to do.  Then he sat forward and prepared a message to their informant.  He played it back twice, listening to himself with a critical ear.  It would not do to reveal his true feelings, especially to a man he had never met.  Satisfied, he sent the message, turned off the vid terminal and left Stalnek’s office. 

The next item on his list was to get a hold of his son.  He was excited that Darck was to be the next Chosen, but his relationship with his son was not very good.  Darck had a tendency to ignore messages from him.  What should require no more than a quick vox call would probably turn out to be one of the most difficult tasks facing him.

Chapter
24

Ellicia was exhausted.  She had been through the bedroom, both bathrooms, the studio, office, kitchen and the living room, but had not found a single thing that hinted at Hope’s current whereabouts.  She had gotten a lot of impressions about where Hope had been recently; Jasan, various ships and liners, the train, the grocery store and even a small diner down the street.  But nothing current.

“You need to stop now,” Jackson said, looking at her worriedly.  “I am afraid we have allowed you to work at this for too long.”

“Allowed?” Ellicia asked archly, though with no real heat.  She was tired, hungry, and needed a break.

“As much as we want, and need, to find our Arima, we cannot let you cause harm to yourself in the process of trying to help us,” Clark said.

“I am tired,” Ellicia admitted.  “Perhaps it is time to call it a day.  We can come back tomorrow and try some more.”

Jackson nodded and led the way to the front door, holding it open for Ellicia, Rob and Clark to go through before locking it behind them.  Ellicia had found Hope’s handbag containing some keys, a wallet and a few personal items on a shelf in the living room, so at least they could manually lock the door behind them.  Ellicia had hoped that there would be a picture of Hope in the bag, but there hadn’t been.

As the four of them stepped out of the building and onto the sidewalk, Ellicia was surprised to find that it was dark outside.  They had spent the entire day in Hope’s apartment, and she had found nothing useful. 

“Would you like me to drive?” Rob asked.

Ellicia looked at Rob doubtfully, but her head ached from using her psychic ability for such an extended period of time.  “Do you know where we’re going?” she asked.

“I believe so,” he said with a hint of a smile.  “If you sit in the front with me, you can let me know if I make a wrong turn.”

“It’s a deal,” Ellicia said, tossing him the ignition card and letting herself into the front passenger seat.  She had to force herself to keep her eyes open so she could be sure Rob didn’t make any wrong turns on the way to her building, but luckily that didn’t take long.  Within fifteen minutes they were there. 

Since the Bearens were staying in the apartment across the hall from hers, she didn’t need to worry about dropping them off anywhere.  She led the way from the parking garage up to their floor, pointed them at the door to their apartment and pressed her hand to the scanner beside her door.

“Ellicia, do you live alone?” Jackson asked, noticing that the apartment was dark when she opened the door.

“Yes,” Ellicia replied shortly, suspecting where he was going, and not really in the mood for it.

“Do you mind if we check to make sure it’s safe for you?” he asked, surprising her.  Of the things she expected him to say, that was not one of them.

“I do not mean to insult you,” he said quickly.  “It’s just that, with Hope missing, it would help us feel better if we could be certain of your safety.”

“Sure, come on in and do your thing,” she replied.

She reached in to flip on the lights, then stepped aside to let the Bearens enter her apartment.  A few minutes later they came back to the door. 

“Everything’s fine,” Jackson said.  “Your scent is the only fresh one here.”

“Thanks guys,” Ellicia said. 

She waited for the three men to enter the apartment across the hall before closing her own door and locking it.  She activated the security systems, thought about eating, and went straight to bed.

The Bearens closed the door to what was to be their home during their stay on Earth and wandered through the apartment.  It was not fancy, but it was clean, and the furniture was new.  There were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the kitchen was fully stocked. 

Jackson sat down at the table in the kitchen and frowned.  “We didn’t take very good care of Ellicia today,” he said.  “She stayed in that apartment all day long without a break or a meal.  We should have insisted on taking her someplace to eat before bringing her home.”

“I can go and knock on her door now,” Rob suggested.  “Offer to take her out.  She’s only been in there for a few minutes.”

“No,” Jackson replied.  “I think she was more tired than hungry anyway.  She had to fight to keep her eyes open all the way back here.”

“She should eat though,” Clark said.  “It can’t be good for her to skip meals` in her condition.”

“I agree, but she’s home now, and I’m sure she has food in her own kitchen,” Jackson said.  “I think we should leave her be.”

“I don’t understand why she’s working at all,” Rob said.  “Or why she lives alone.”