The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga (11 page)

“Oh,” Nica said with a sigh.  “You’ll give me rides sometimes though, won’t you? 
Dodi
gives me rides on his shoulders sometimes, and that’s fun, but
Mana
is always afraid he’ll drop me.  I don’t think she’ll be afraid if you do it though
cause you’re bigger and stronger.”

“Yes, we absolutely will give you rides, and we won’t ever drop you,” Vikter said,
barely knowing what it was he was saying.  He looked up and saw that they still hadn’t
gotten out of the driveway yet.

“Hunt,” he said, “I think you can drive a bit faster than this.”

“No, Vikter, I don’t think that I can,” Hunt admitted. 

“I’ll drive,” Lance said.  He got out of the car, took Hunt’s place behind the wheel
and put the ground-car in gear before pulling out of the driveway and turning toward
the Davis’s guesthouse.  He was driving more slowly than usual, but at least they’d
get there before nightfall.

***

Jackson Bearen smiled as he watched Hope go from Harlan, to Matt, to Weld, kissing
each of the sleeping babies very lightly so as not to wake them before tucking them
in.  Harlan, as usual, had kicked off his blanket entirely before tossing it on the
floor.  Matt had turned himself completely around in his crib so that his feet were
on his pillow and his head beneath the blanket.  Weld was the only one of the triplets
who seemed to sleep peacefully, his head on his pillow, his blanket tucked around
him just as Tess had left it when putting them to bed earlier.

When Hope was finished she left the room, smiling, but looking very tired.  Jackson
resisted the urge to pick her up and carry her to their bedroom.  Sometimes Hope didn’t
mind being
hauled around
, as she called it, but he sensed that this was not one of those times. 

“Come in to the living room,
niha
,” he said, walking down the hall beside her.  “Clark has made some hot chocolate
for you, and Rob has started a fire.”

“Plying me with comforts,” Hope said with an arched brow.  “What’s up?”

“Nothing is
up,
” Jackson replied.  “Nothing much anyway.  We’d like to talk about what happened today
is all.”

Hope nodded in agreement as they entered the living room.  She went straight to her
chair by the fireplace and held her hands out toward the flames, sighing with pleasure
at the warmth.

“Are you cold,
Aspara
?” Clark asked.

“Not really,” Hope replied.  “Just cool enough to enjoy the warmth of a fire.  It
feels so good to me, whether I’m cold or not.”

Rob handed her a cup of hot chocolate, and she wrapped her hands around the cup, breathing
in the chocolate scented steam.  “I like it too, even if I’m not cold,” he said.

“Hope, are you worried about what happened today?” Jackson asked, deciding that there
was no reason to beat around the bush.

“Yes and no,” Hope replied.  “I’m relieved that the babies are all right.  But I’m
troubled that no cause for their distress could be found.  If I don’t know what caused
it, how can I keep it from happening again?”

“Maybe Dr. Davis was wrong, and there was no distress,” Clark suggested.

“No, I don’t believe that for a moment,” Hope said at once.  “Even if I didn’t trust
my feelings about her, don’t forget that Jareth believed her even before he found
a foreign substance in my body.”

“I know, I believed her as well,” Clark admitted.  “I just don’t want to.”

“I wish Doc had been able to find it, whatever it was,” Rob said.  “This is one of
the rare occasions when our body’s ability to heal itself quickly works against us.”

“I’m going to do everything tomorrow just as I did today,” Hope said.  “Then I’ll
go to the clinic at the same time I went to Arima House, and Doc will draw some blood. 
Maybe he’ll be able to find the problem, whatever it is.  It’s the only thing I can
think of to do.”

“It’s a good idea,” Jackson said.  “We’ll be with you every step of the way too.”

“Thanks,” Hope said.  “I know you guys are as worried as I am.  But I believe that
between Honey, Doc, and Jareth, they’ll figure out what the problem is and correct
it.  Everything will be fine.”

“You’re putting that much faith in Honey Davis?” Clark asked. 

“Yes, I am,” Hope replied.  “Her talents are amazing.”

“If she has such strong talents, why isn’t she a
berezi
?” Rob asked. 

“Maybe she is,” Jackson replied.  Hope rolled her eyes. 

“Do you think that every woman with a psychic power must be a
berezi
?” she asked. 

“Of course not,” Jackson replied.  “However, the reverse
is
true.  All
berezi
have psychic powers.”

“
Berezi
or not, I don’t care,” Hope said.  “Though I hope for her sake that she’s not, since
she’s married.  What’s important to me is the fact that she’s an obstetrician with
a psychic gift that is more wonderful than any I’ve ever heard of.  I think we should
try to convince her to stay here, on Jasan.”

Jackson studied Hope for a few moments.  She was putting a lot of faith in a woman
she’d only just met, but that wasn’t what bothered him.  That she was being so adamant
about it did bother him.  That wasn’t like Hope at all.

“
Niha
, there is something else bothering you,” he said.  “What is it?”

Hope set her cup down on the small table next to her chair and sighed.  “Yes, there
is something else,” she admitted.  “I meant to speak with you about it, but with everything
that happened today I thought it might not be a good idea to bring it up.”

“But it’s still bothering you,” Clark said.

“Yes, it is,” Hope said.  “I just don’t want to upset the three of you.”

“Knowing you are worried about something is upsetting for us,” Clark said.  “Please,
share it.”

“All right,” Hope agreed.  She absently traced the owl tattoos on one wrist with her
finger while she told the Bearens about Aisling’s letter, and her conversation with
Lariah.  When she was finished Jackson shook his head. 

“
Niha
, you cannot be saying that you believe we should allow the Narrasti to go unpunished
for all they have done,” Jackson said.  “They killed your sister, and Grace.  They
imprisoned Berta for her entire adult life.  The crimes and sins laid at their door
are too numerous to count.”

“It was the Brethren who did those things, not the Narrasti,” Hope said.  “That the
Brethren are part Narrasti does not make the Narrasti responsible for their actions.”

“It is difficult for me to separate the two, I admit,” Jackson said.  “But the Narrasti
did rescue the Brethren from Earth, so they are obviously allies, at the least.”

“I don’t like the Narrasti or the Brethren,” Hope said.  “But Jackson, I have suffered
more personal loss at their hands than you.  So why is it that your anger with them
is so much stronger than my own?”

“The Jasani have always been at war with the Narrasti,” Jackson said.  “Maybe it’s
something bred into our blood and bones.  We battled from the beginning, and we will
battle until the end.  Our preference is that we win that battle, and only by wiping
them out can we be certain of our victory.”

“How do you know that you have always been at war with them?” Hope asked. 

Jackson opened his mouth, then closed it. 

“Everyone knows it,” Clark said.  “All of the stories say so.”

“But how do you
know
it?” Hope insisted.  “Is there proof?  Writings? Paintings?”

“Eldar Hamat has taught us the stories handed down for generation upon generation,”
Jackson said.  “He is the only member of our race who lived before the Dark Time. 
Are you saying that he has lied to us?”

“Of course not,” Hope said.  “Eldar Hamat would never do such a thing.  I am sure
he taught you the truth exactly as it was taught to him.  I’m only asking how true
the stories are that he was taught.  That’s all.”

“Our world was destroyed,” Jackson said.  “We have nothing that speaks of a history
other than the one we know.  At some point we must choose to either believe what we
are told, or not.  We believe it.”

***

Michael awoke just as Honey was getting ready to climb into bed.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, relieved to see that his color was back to normal,
though he still looked tired.

“Better,” he said.  “I’m hungry though.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so hungry.”

“Probably because you aren’t used to using your psychic ability,” she said.  “Luckily,
Aunt Berta sent dinner over for us and she sent enough for a family of ten.  Why don’t
you go jump in the shower and I’ll heat up some food for you.”

“Thanks, Honey,” he said as he dragged himself out of bed.  “In return, I’ll tell
you all about my day.  You won’t have to ask me any questions at all.”

“In that case, I’ll even give you some desert,” Honey said.

Michael paused in the bathroom doorway and turned to look at Honey carefully, hearing
the worry in her voice.  “It’s going to be fine, Honey,” he said.  “You’ll see.”

“I hope so, Michael,” she said.  “I really hope so.”

“Just give me a few minutes,” he said.  “Then I’ll tell all.”

Honey watched Michael close the bathroom door, then she reached for her bathrobe and
left the bedroom.  She closed the door quietly behind her, not wanting to awaken Nica.

She entered the kitchen, turned on the light and opened the chiller.  As she took
dishes out and removed the covers, she thought about the Vulpirans.  The more she
saw of them, the more obsessed with them she began to feel.  She’d been so surprised
when they’d returned with Nica earlier.  She hadn’t expected that, and wasn’t sure
how she felt about it.  Nica had a tendency to say things that shouldn’t be said in
front of anyone other than herself or Michael.

Honey didn’t blame her.  She was only five years old and the things she saw and heard
were, for her, normal.  Talking about them was normal too, for a child.  But the Teriens
didn’t see things that way, and the older she got, the more difficult it became to
keep her with them all of the time without isolating her completely, and they didn’t
want to do that.  Nica was a very social child, and like any other child, she needed
to interact with people outside of her own home.

Which was why Michael had worked so hard for the position on Earth so much earlier
than they’d originally planned.  It had always been the first step in their long-term
plan to break free from Terien completely, but it was still only the first step. 
They were not free yet.

Now, here they were on Jasan.  Definitely not a part of their plan, but the opportunity
for Michael had been too good to pass up.  She’d never dreamed that so many people
could be so accepting of psychic abilities, but from what she’d seen so far, the Jasani
didn’t see them as being anything out of the ordinary.  It was a nice change, but
she wasn’t sure getting used to it was a good idea.  It was dangerous to forget, even
for a moment, that they were under the thumb of the Teriens. 

By the time Michael entered the kitchen a few minutes later, Honey had a plate heaped
with hot food waiting for him.  She opened a bottle of wine and poured them each a
glass as he sat down and began eating.  She waited patiently, sipping her wine as
he satisfied the worst of his hunger.

Then he began talking.  He told her about the Xanti that had been captured after trying
to kill her Aunt, and that it was being held in a special enclosure right there on
the ranch.  He told her about his meeting with Sergio Farnswaite, and all that the
man had told him.

Then he told her about connecting with the Xanti psychically.  He didn’t give her
too many details of that, and she didn’t want them.  Instead, he focused on his reasons
for feeling it was necessary.  When he was finished, he emptied his wine glass, as
though trying to wash away memories of the Xanti.  She refilled it for him as he returned
to his food.

“After we left the Xanti’s cell, I collapsed,” Michael said.  “They took me to the
infirmary, had a doctor named
Doc
, of all things, check me out.  Then the Vulpirans brought me home, and here we are.”

Michael pushed his plate back and picked up his wine, letting Honey sift through everything
he’d said.  She understood why he’d revealed his psychic talent to the Vulpirans. 
But she was still scared. 

“What happens if the Teriens find out?” she asked. 

“I’m not sure it matters,” Michael said. 

His offhand manner made her angry, but she held onto her temper.  Getting mad wasn’t
going to solve anything.  “If you’re not careful, Michael, you’ll lose everything,”
she said in a low voice.  “
We’ll
lose everything.”