The Source: Book III of the Holding Kate Series (12 page)

He ran the program and noted that Japan’s facility had no successful jumps for 3 months. Bulgaria’s seemed to be shut down temporarily. His jump sites had been quite busy over the last few weeks. He had scoured the planet for The Kate. As he watched, the sphere matrix at Heartwork Village lit up.

A jump was happening right now, a big one based on the displacement ratio of the temporal field.

“So, either they have reinstituted their jump therapy program or someone is running.” He smiled. “I would imagine the latter.” He heckled at the memory of them scrambling away from the monsters he’d sent.

Somehow they had been able to reinstitute the jumps much more quickly than he imagined and there on his monitor was the blossoming sphere to prove it.

“I’ve got to get back there and find the jump coordinates.”

THE ROW OF
houses on the side of the mountain already started to feel like home to Tara. Whether it was being back in the Crags mountain range on Ampeliagia, just a few hours from where they had settled Jewel City, the familiar scent of the crisp wind through the evergreens, or the staggering beauty of the spine of mountain peaks that could be seen from any view point, Tara didn’t know what made her so at home. The mountain village could easily be her dream location.

At the end of the street where the five houses stood, a large cave nestled into the mountain. Transformed into a community center with an enormous hearth kitchen and rows of timber carved tables and benches, the cave gathered the team for meals each night. A torch lit seating area to one side with low cushions and wicker furniture embraced the companions in their debriefing.

Tara threatened to stop speaking English in front of Dirk and Trip, who struggled with the language shift.

“Trip, you will learn Ampelese much quicker this way,” she insisted when Trip grumbled about it.

“Tara, how can I learn it that way? It just sounds like a bunch of gibberish.”

Tara rolled her eyes and pushed his face away with her palm. “You’re impossible.”

Dirk called the meeting to order and gave the floor to Corey.

“They are streaming in by the dozens.” Corey gave an update on the plague situation. “We have found a way to administer nutrients via I.V. and that is keeping them alive longer.” He shook his head. “The first victims died about 3 days after exposure.”

“What is this disease?” Eunavae asked. “Where did it come from?”

“We aren’t sure. One of the patients that first came to us gave a report that a dragon dropped Keida Normain, the chief bard of Ampeliagia, into the courtyard of the High Court Watshfeau and the disease spread there rapidly. Most of the castle inhabitants were dead within a week. Only those with Cheleuthi blood survived.”

“So the dragons did this?” Starlythe assumed.

“I don’t know. Dragon carcasses have been found all over Ampeliagia. The patients that actually made it this far have reported seeing scattered bodies. A band of Cheleuthi came through a few months back and told of masses of dead dragon bodies on one of the northern islands. Whatever this plague is, it killed them all immediately. It seems unthinkable that they would mastermind their own extinction.”

“Unless something went wrong,” Manifus interjected.

“We have decided that the people are dying of malnourishment and dehydration, mostly. Since they are asleep, comatose, they aren’t getting nutrients. We can keep them alive longer by giving them IV nourishment, but our supplies are severely low. Even with the fluids and medications you brought with you, we won’t have much more time. We need a cure.”

“When did this happen?”

“The dragon dropped the Amhra’n into Watshfeau’s courtyard two years ago. Ampeliagia has been without a King or Bard since then.”

“So what have you been doing for the first 35 years you were here? Couldn’t Wallace drop you closer to the plague onset?” Eunavae asked.

“We built the town. Wallace thought we would need some time to settle before the plague hit. We have been busy growing and harvesting Goyba thorns to create I.V. needles and perfecting our sterilization process. Schmitz and Wallace sent a miniature version of the detox showers so we can sterilize and reuse I.V. tubing.”

“The Cheleuthi were not affected at all?” Staid questioned.

“No, and neither are we,” Corey said.

Stealthlin added, “We hear reports from the patients pouring in here that the south has a lighter version of the disease. They sleep for long periods of time but wake up to eat and drink. They are surviving longer than those of the northern provinces.”

“The devastation is equal, though. No harvest, no planting, no workers, nothing is getting done and the kingdom is falling to ruin,” Candol said. “Except for the Crags, where your descendants live.”

“What about the Darchori?” Eunavae asked. She had lived among them for fifty years with Corey. She had married and raised a family there.

“Very few remain. They were decimated, but one family line seems to have survived. I assume they are your descendants, Eunavae. The Tondo are extinct.” Corey’s voice broke. “Whatever killed the dragons affected them the same way.” He reached out and took her hand. She leaned into his shoulder, face long and mouth dropped in horror.

Tara quickly drew the attention away from Corey and Eunavae so they would have a moment to commiserate. “So Kate, did you have any run ins with dragons before they fell out of the sky?” she asked, remembering her vehemence against going anywhere near dragons.

Kate appeared to have trouble pulling her concerned attention away from Corey, but raised her brows and focused on Tara. “Only once when we traveled to Livingstone. I don’t think they knew about our village. They never bothered us here.”

Kate stood next to Candol across the room from Corey.
How strange to see them in the same room together and not be touching
. Tara guessed after thirty seven years, they had moved past the newlywed stage. A little disappointed, she thought they would be one of those couples who were smitten even into their old age.

She glanced at Trip and saw the perplexed look on his face. Leaning over, she began translating everything that had been said so far. Dirk inclined his head to listen.

She watched Kate and Candol as she translated. They spoke with gestures and expressions, the language of close friends, understanding the meaning behind an arched brow or a slight shift of the head. They shared a secret communication of the night’s events. Four decades together had solidified their bond.

Kate’s face brightened as she looked to the doorway over Tara’s shoulder. Tara turned to see a strikingly beautiful woman with long black hair and dark skin standing there.

“Najwa!” Kate cried. “Come in. I want you to meet our old friends.”

Tara caught a peculiar exchange. Candol stiffened as she watched the exotic beauty meet Kate in the middle of the room. Stealthlin, her husband, moved to stand beside Candol and they exchanged dark glances.

“Everyone, this is Najwa. She came to us just after the first victims of the plague started pouring in. She is from the Darchori tribe and was trained in the medical school that Corey and Eunavae started. She is brilliant and I don’t know what we would have done without her these past two years.” Kate had crossed the room and wrapped her arm around Najwa’s shoulders. Kate seemed especially petite standing next to the voluptuous Darchori. Kate’s eyes twinkled as she spoke of her new friend. Together they blinded the room with their beauty. Where Kate was lithe and lean with gentle feminine curves that had not altered over the thirty seven years, Najwa was hourglass shaped and seemed to carry a sensuality that beckoned to every man in the room. Her clothing was cut to accentuate her curves.

“It is a pleasure to meet the great warriors that Kate and Corey have praised so highly.”

She had an accent that rang familiar. Tara assumed she remembered the Darchori lilt, but it seemed different. Perhaps she was from a different Darchori sect.

“I need to speak to Cianti Todura,” she spoke to Kate.

Corey rose from his bench beside Eunavae and escorted Najwa out the door into the night air. Tara translated again for Trip and Dirk. Something about the whole situation made her uneasy. She eyed Candol and Stealthlin as they moved to one of the corners and spoke with their heads together.

“Corey resumed his old title?” Eunavae asked Kate. “I never thought he cared much for being called Cianti Todura.”

“Well, that was mostly Najwa’s doing. She started calling him that and it stuck with the others. I guess they still have stories at the Darchori school about the founders.” Kate poked Eunavae’s arm, pointedly.

Eunavae snorted, stood, and stretched. “I’m gonna head back to the hospital. There’s a patient I want to check on.”

Manifus stood with her. “I will accompany you. I too want to check on him.”

Eunavae stepped to the door and waited while he kissed Krenne, and then they left.

Corey popped back in and called Kate. She walked over to him and he said something, then pecked her lips before he rushed out. Tara sighed. That little peck eased her suspicions.

Kate turned, caught Tara’s observation, and sauntered over.

“How long were we gone before you jumped behind us?” she asked.

“’bout an hour,” Trip answered.

“So you just fought the dragons at Heartwork and then jumped here?” Kate exclaimed.

Tara nodded. “Yeah, we’re awesome like that.”

Kate grinned and rolled her eyes. “Still, I imagine you are exhausted.”

The Cheleuthi warband had migrated to one side of the room and Tara noticed everyone in the room had segregated without realizing it. “Okay, this isn’t going to work. We have to teach you guys Ampelese ASAP!”

“You are right to immerse them in the language. That’s how I learned.” Kate shifted back into Ampelese. “Corey refused to speak English to me.”

Tara nodded and cut eyes to Trip.

He groaned.

“Pick your poison, guys. I am about to assign a permanent language tutor to you, preferably someone in your cabin.”

“Better make mine Brashtor. Drayse has been preoccupied with all of the pretty girls,” Dirk laughed.

“You, Tara. I pick you.” Trip pitched his voice low, and the intensity of his tone drew Tara’s scrutiny. His eyes simmered the dual meaning in his declaration.

Tara felt heat rise in her cheeks at his potent gaze. She slowly leaned back and cast her eyes about the room, seeking an anchor to keep her heart in check. Kate intercepted the whole exchange. She beamed at Tara with her eyebrows raised.

“Come on,” Tara stood and pulled Dirk up. Taking his hand, she dragged him over to the Cheleuthi.

“Brashtor, Dirk needs a permanent tutor to drown him in the language. Would you oblige?”

Brashtor bowed and smiled at Dirk. “It would be an honor.”

“We were just talking about sending scouts around the country to see how widespread the devastation of the plague is,” Starlythe said.

“That is a great idea. I’ll go. Who wants to come with me?” Dirk replied after Tara translated.

“Since I am now your language tutor, I should accompany you.” Brashtor bowed slightly.

“If we take the spheres we can cover more territory. We will have to get coordinates from Wallace. First thing in the morning we will jump back home and have Wallace send us to target sites.”