Laura Jo Phillips (32 page)

“Probably not,” Ellicia replied honestly.

“We love our Princess,” he said.  “Lariah means much to all of our people.  But all things happen for a reason, Ellicia.  If not for you, she would not have been rescued.  She would not be our Princess, and she would not have given birth to Salene, Rayne and Tani.  Had you been kidnapped instead, you would not be carrying your own children now.” 

“I know,” Ellicia said with a sigh.  “I understand what you are saying, and I know you are right, but I still struggle with it all.  But, I am so happy for Lariah now, and knowing that she has the means to protect herself means everything to me.”

Jackson felt sad for Ellicia, but he didn’t know what else he could say to her.  He decided to think about it.  Perhaps he would find a way to help her release her guilt over what had been done to Lariah.  For now, a change of subject was in order.

“When would you like to try finding Hope again?” he asked.

“Now would be good,” Ellicia said.  “I feel relaxed and a little more energized than I did earlier.”

“General LeJune has offered us the use of his office whenever we want it, and has promised absolute privacy,” Rob said.

“Great,” Ellicia said.  She had tried to read the earring several times during the flight, and again right after they reached the base, but there had been too much noise and too many distractions for her to concentrate.  She needed a place that was safe and quiet.  And she needed a bathroom.

As they entered the base she spotted what she needed and veered toward it.  “Be right back,” she said as she hurried into the building.  A few minutes later she came out to find Rob waiting alone.

“Where are Jackson and Clark?” Ellicia asked.

“They’ll be along in a few minutes,” Rob replied as they began walking toward the base Headquarters Building.  “They thought you might like something to drink so General LeJune took them over to the...what’s it called?  Mess?  No, that can’t be right.”

Ellicia laughed at the grimace on Rob’s face when he said that.  “Yes, that’s right,” she said.  “What you might call a cafeteria is called the
mess
.  But it’s not what you think.  It’s actually a derivative of an old French word, meaning a place where people gather to eat.  its many centuries old, but the military is nothing if not traditional.”

Rob returned Ellicia’s smile.  “Yes, we warriors revere tradition.”

“Rob, would you guys mind staying with me?” she asked as they entered the building.

“Of course not,” Rob replied.  “We will do whatever you need.”

“I need to feel like I am completely safe before I can let myself relax into a trance.  I think that being in a strange place is why I couldn’t focus before.  If you guys are nearby, I’m sure I’ll be able to do it.”

“I am glad that you feel safe with us,” Rob said.  “I promise you, your faith is not misplaced.”

Ellicia smiled up at him, noticing, not for the first time, how very handsome the Bearens were.  Hope Strigida was a lucky woman, she thought.  Or rather, she would be, as soon as they found her. 

Rob guided Ellicia down the hall, through one waiting room and a small outer office, before they reached the General’s inner sanctum.  It was just slightly larger than the outer office, and was furnished with the usual military issue desk, chairs and bookshelves. 

Ellicia looked around the office and selected a spot beneath a window where a beam of sunlight fell on the floor.  She lowered herself a bit awkwardly and leaned against the wall with a sigh.  It felt good to be off her feet.  She reached into her pocket and removed the tiny gold and pearl earring, placing it carefully on the floor in the sunlight. 

“There is much depending on that little bit of a thing,” Rob said. 

“Yes, there is, but don’t worry, Rob,” Ellicia said.  “I just know that it will lead us to Hope.”

“We have faith in you,” Rob assured her. 

“Just remember,” Jackson added, entering the office in time to catch part of their conversation, “if we are unable to locate our Arima, it will not be for lack of trying, nor will it be your fault.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Ellicia said as she accepted a cup of steaming hot chocolate from Clark.  She raised it to her nose and breathed in.  “Hmmm...this smells wonderful,” she said before taking a sip. 

“Shall we leave now?” Jackson asked.

“She asked that we remain here with her,” Rob said.  “She needs to feel safe before she can go into a deep trance.”

“Of course,” Jackson agreed.  “Is there anything in particular we should or should not do?”

“I need to concentrate at first, so it would be helpful if you remained really quiet.  After I go into a trance, I think you could transform into your bearencas and roar the place down and it wouldn’t bother me much.  If you all left, I would sense it though, so if at least one of you could remain with me, I would appreciate it.”

“We will not leave you alone,” Jackson promised.  “Do you know how long this will take?”

Ellicia shook her head.  “When I read objects, it usually only takes me a few minutes, or less.  But for some reason, when I read the earring last night it took hours.  I don’t know why, and it really surprised me.  It might take that long again.  I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Jackson said.  “We are very lucky that you are able to do this at all.  Let us know when you wish to begin.”

Ellicia sipped more of her hot chocolate and began staring at the earring again, studying it as she had the day before.  It did not take as long this time before she felt she had each detail firmly set in her mind.  She reached out and turned it over, repeating the process.  A few minutes later she set her cup down and picked up the earring, placing it in the center of her palm and closing her fingers around it.  Then she closed her eyes and pictured the earring in her mind.

“Tell me a secret,” Harlan said, smiling.

Ellicia jerked in surprise, pulling herself out of her trance.  She hadn’t expected that memory to pop in.  She took a long, slow, deep breath, and refocused on the earring and Hope. 

“Tell me a secret,” Harlan said, smiling.

Ellicia tried to stay relaxed, realizing that, for some reason, she had to relive this memory.  She didn’t want to, but it didn’t appear that she was going to get a choice.  She refocused, and began again.

“Tell me a secret,” Harlan said, smiling.

Ellicia had a feeling he was up to something, but she couldn’t imagine what it could be.  “Okay, you first,” she replied.

“I want to ask you to marry me,” Harlan said. 

Ellicia’s heart skipped a beat.  “Seriously?” she asked.

“Oh yes, very seriously,” Harlan replied.  “If I ask you, will you say yes?”

“Hmmm...,” Ellicia said, tapping her chin with one, delicate pink nail.  “Let me see if I have this right.  You want to ask me to marry you, but before you do, you want to know what my answer will be.  Is that it?”

“Yes, that’s absolutely correct,” Harlan replied with a grin.

“Well, here’s my secret,” Ellicia said.  “From the moment I first saw you in the Director’s office, I knew that we were meant to be together.”

“That’s no secret,” Harlan said.  “I’ve known that as well.”

Ellicia smiled, but her mouth was dry with fear.  “Yes,” she said, her voice so soft he almost couldn’t hear her.

“Did you say yes?” he asked.

Ellicia looked up, meeting his amber gaze with her own.  “Yes,” she said again, more clearly this time.  “Yes, if you ask me to marry you, I will say yes.”

Harlan stood up and approached her, his grin fading as he took both of her hands in his.  “Will you marry me, Ellicia Daniels?”

“Yes, I will marry you, Harlan Hontza.”

“Ah, Angel, that’s just what I wanted to hear,” he said as he released one of her hands and reached into his pocket.  He pulled something out without letting her see it, and she felt something cool slide onto her finger.  He turned her hand over and kissed her palm before releasing it.  Ellicia raised her hand, gazing at it in wonder. 

The engagement ring was narrow, with a delicate design of vines and leaves etched all the way around it.  On the top was a flower made of gold and platinum petals, with a round diamond glittering in its center.  She could not imagine a ring more uniquely beautiful.  She threw her arms around Harlan’s neck and kissed him deeply, ignoring the tears of happiness pouring from her eyes.

Ellicia opened her eyes as the memory faded and looked down at the earring in her hand.  She didn’t understand why that memory had come to her instead of an image of Hope, but she sensed that until she figured it out, she would get no further in her search. 

She stared at the earring and thought of her engagement ring.  It had been the only piece of jewelry she had ever worn constantly.  From the moment Harlan had placed it on her finger she had not taken it off.  When she’d awakened from the healing tank, it had been gone.

Nobody remembered seeing it, nobody admitted taking it off of her hand.  She had tried and tried to use her psychic ability to search for it, assuming that since she had worn it constantly for several months that it would be easy for her to find.  But, she’d been wrong.  She had never gotten so much as a hint as to what had happened to her ring, and was forced to conclude that it must have been destroyed during the attack, or afterward.  It had nearly broken her heart to accept that, on top of everything else, her ring was gone forever. 

After a while she had convinced herself that it didn’t matter.  She remembered every single detail of the ring, but more than that, she remembered the love and thought that Harlan had put into selecting it for her.  Those were memories that were forever etched in her heart, and that was something which could never be lost or stolen.

Is that it?
Ellicia wondered. 
Am I searching for the wrong thing?
 

She closed her eyes again and deliberately remembered how she’d felt every time she had looked down and seen the ring on her hand.  She remembered the happiness, the joy, the laughter, the love that had filled her heart to overflowing every time she looked into Harlan’s eyes.  She reached for and embraced all of the hopes and dreams that the ring had symbolized for them both, and suddenly, she saw it.

There, on the work-roughened hand of a middle-aged woman, her precious engagement ring sparkled and shone.  As the image grew in Ellicia’s mind, so did the story of what had happened to it. 

How the blood on her hands had caused the ring to slip off as she was carried from the building and placed into the Med-Carrier for transport to the hospital. 

How the ring had bounced on the pavement and rolled into the gutter where it landed in a tiny puddle of muddy water. 

How it had sat there for days, unnoticed as the puddle dried up around it, leaving it caked with dirt. 

How a little boy walked by it on his way to school and dropped his stylus, which rolled off the sidewalk and landed next to the ring. 

How the little boy spotted the ring and picked it up, rubbing the dirt off to reveal the shiny metal beneath.

How happy he was to know he had a gift to give his poor, hard working mother for her birthday.  Something as beautiful as she was on the inside, even though she was so tired and worn on the outside. 

How the little boy’s mother had worried and fretted about the ring, so pleased that her son had thought of her, but afraid it belonged to someone who would want it back. 

How they’d taken it to the police station and filed a report, and the ring was put in a plastic bag and shut into a dark room on a shelf for many weeks. 

How excited the little boy was when he and his mother returned to the police station, and, since nobody had claimed it, the ring was the boy’s to give to his mother after all. 

How every day, as she scrubbed floors and washed windows and changed linens, the boy’s mother saw the beautiful little ring on her hand, reminding her why she worked so hard, day after day, never doubting that her beautiful son was worth it.

Ellicia felt her heart swell with happiness for the woman and the little boy, She was so glad to know that her beloved ring was a source of such happiness to someone who needed it, and deserved it. 

And she understood that she had found her ring because she had looked for it with her heart, where the true importance of the ring resided within her. 

She opened her eyes and looked at the earring.  She had to do the opposite now, if she were to find Hope.  She had to search for the heart that was connected to this object.  Not the earring’s twin, but the heart that loved the earring because of what it symbolized for her. 

Ellicia hesitated.  She couldn’t find people.  She’d tried that so many times she’d lost count years ago.  But she had to try.

She straightened her shoulders and wrapped her fingers around the earring once more before closing her eyes.  She
would
find Hope.  For Harlan’s sake.  For the Bearens’ sake.  And, most importantly, for the sake of her unborn children.  She didn’t know how or why, but she knew that Hope Strigida was going to be essential in their lives.  Therefore, she
would
find her, and she would not give up until she did.