Chapter Eleven
“Omega Galen says you need to come. Quickly.”
Solymus burst into Kadan’s quarters, where she was curled up on the bed in a fetal position.
She’d known before he arrived. Felt it the moment it happened. Her lover, her fierce warrior, was fighting for his life. The pain was so intense she could barely move.
“It’s Kadan. He…”
She summoned her power, sent him a burst of light and love, then ruthlessly slammed their link shut. She’d be of no use to him crippled by her empathic connection. “Take me to him. Now. You can tell me what happened on the way.”
He led her to a sleek bullet-shaped craft in the docking bay and took off while she was still fastening her harness. They rocketed toward a small planet, uninhabited except for the Entity forces assigned to guard the Heart.
She looked at him for the first time. His shirt was wet and plastered to his body. “Is that… blood? My God, Solymus, you’re hurt!”
He shook his head. “It’s not my blood. It’s Omega Kadan’s.”
She forced herself to stay calm. “Is he alive?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Maia let out the breath she’d been holding, even though her rational mind expected his answer. Kadan’s presence was so strong, their connection so powerful, she’d sensed his injury the moment it happened, as though she’d taken a blow to her own body. Though his life force was weaker now, she still felt it.
“What happened?”
“Did Omega Kadan share any of the details of our operation with you before he left?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t want to worry me. All I know is that two teams were involved.”
The young man started talking.
“Omega Galen’s ship landed in the mountains at dusk. He set up camp, as though he was planning to mount an attack from the north. He made no secret of their presence, since the attack was a ruse designed to draw the guards away from the Sanctuary. Our team arrived in the dead of night. Six of us came in, two by two, in these small transport crafts. Five to do reconnaissance and stand watch, while Kadan breached the Sanctuary alone. We scouted the area and then took cover in the woods.”
He took a deep breath, then continued. She sensed fear verging on panic, held tightly in check. Solymus may have looked like a warrior, but whatever happened terrified the little boy who still lived inside him.
“Galen’s team opened fire on the Sanctuary. We saw the creatures as they swarmed out, my lady. They’re hideous. And huge—taller than our biggest warrior. They have the features of enormous insects—thick dark outer shells, with six appendages. They walk upright on two of them, like men, and wield their weapons with the other four. Their eyes are shrewd and intelligent, but cold as the seventh hell.
“Galen’s team retreated as planned and the creatures pursued them back to the mountains. Kadan waited till they were gone, then broke into the Sanctuary. He managed to breach their inner sanctum and capture the Heart. But as he made his escape, one of the guards they left behind saw him. He fired his weapon and brought Kadan down. We rushed to the Omega’s aid. Teo and I carried him to one of the transport vehicles while the others returned fire. They killed the first guard but three others charged after us. They wounded two more of our men but we were all able to make it out. We headed to Omega Galen’s encampment. That’s where I’m taking you now.”
Solymus stopped for a moment. When he went on, his voice held a tremor. “When we brought that first creature down, it fell like a stone. But the others—they began wailing as though they’d been hit too. First the one who was nearest, then the second. The third one took it up… and then it happened. The entire swarm of creatures heading into the mountains joined in. Eerie howls that would chill your blood echoed in the darkness. A chorus of death.”
“The Oracle was right,” Maia murmured to herself. “Individual beings, yet they’re connected. Together, they form the Entity. When you strike at one, they all feel pain.”
Omega Galen was waiting for her when the transporter stopped. He took her hands in his and got straight to the point.
“Prepare yourself, my lady. He’s conscious but very weak. They used some sort of laser blaster. The shot went straight through his thigh. Slashed the artery. Teo and Solymus got him here just in time. I managed to seal the wound, but he’s lost a great deal of blood. As you know, we can’t replace it…”
She broke in before he finished. “Yes, you can. Use mine.”
“My lady, while I appreciate your desire to help, medical science has shown…”
“Medical science?” Her eyes flashed. “According to medical science in your world, my healing powers don’t exist. Yet you’ve seen them at work. I’m telling you to take my blood. His body will not reject it.”
Galen fell silent. She could almost hear his mind at work. His training told him pumping the wrong blood into a man’s veins would kill him. But without a transfusion, Kadan was almost certain to die before they could get him home. If by some miracle, hers kept him alive long enough to get him back to base, a supply of his rare blood type could be rushed to Prya. It would arrive before they did.
Galen nodded once. His demeanor changed and suddenly she found herself dealing with the iron-hard warrior instead of a concerned friend.
“Very well. But you will do exactly as I say. What I’m consenting to do goes against my better judgment. I can’t have the slightest mistake contaminating your blood too.”
He summoned two of his men. “Take her to my tent,” he barked to one of them. He pulled the other aside, spoke in a low voice. “Rasgren, I’m transferring command to you. I need to perform an emergency medical procedure before subjecting Omega Kadan’s body to the stress of accelerating into hyperspace. See that our team is fed and rested, then post sentries down the mountain. We’ve driven those creatures back, but now they know we have the Heart. They’ll attack again as soon as night falls. This time they’ll be even more ferocious.”
Maia summoned a smile and pulled aside the flap to the tent. Kadan was lying on a cot, his face as pale as the sheet covering him. He opened his eyes, saw her, and glared at Galen.
“You sent for her?” he roared. “After I forbade it?” She thought she’d seen him angry, but she realized he’d only been playacting with her. Despite his weakened state, his shout was fierce enough to rock her back on her heels.
“You can kick my ass later,” Galen replied mildly.
Maia rushed to him. “Sssh. Calm down. Your body is under enough stress already.” She fell to her knees and laid her head on his chest. Closing her eyes, she summoned all the strength she had and poured it into him.
He jerked as though he’d been punched in the gut. “Woman, what did you just do to me?”
Exhausted from the effort, she could barely lift her head. Maia vowed she’d never let him see how much it cost her. “So—you felt that, did you? I may not be an Omega Warrior, but I have other talents… my lord.”
“I look forward to seeing you demonstrate them all—tomorrow.”
He gave her the ghost of a wicked grin and her heart soared.
Galen ordered another cot brought in and placed next to Kadan’s. She lay down and reached out to clasp his hand lightly in hers. “When the transfusion begins, I’m going to open my mind to yours. It’s important that you allow me to make the connection without holding yourself back in any way. While Galen pumps my blood into your body, I’m going to send more light and energy into you.”
They stayed like that for hours. Galen fussed over them, a seven-foot-tall bearded mother hen. He was stunned as he watched the color return to Kadan’s face, the strength flowing back into his limbs.
“I would not have believed it had I not seen it. You’ve performed a feat of magic. Not only did his body accept your blood, his wound is nearly healed.”
She shook her head. “No magic. What you see is only the healing energy of the Universe—and the power of love.”
Maia was shocked at how drained she felt afterwards. She told herself it was due to the loss of blood combined with the intensity she brought to his healing. She’d poured herself into healings before, but never to this degree. And she’d never demanded so much from her body.
She drifted off to sleep, her hand still clasping his.
* * *
She woke to darkness filled with a horrible, ear-piercing thrumming that vibrated through her bones and sent slivers of pain stabbing into her skull.
She jerked up, panicked, and felt Kadan’s arms close around her.
“Don’t be afraid, my love. They’re still far away.” His mouth was next to her ear, calming her, soothing her. “You’re hearing the high-pitched buzzing noise they make. We think they send out the waves of sound to disorient their enemies before they attack.”
Close by, shouts and curses rang out. Kadan jumped up, heading for the doorway. Maia squeezed her eyes shut when the tent flap opened and a blinding light pierced the darkness.
“Kadan. You have to leave. Take Maia and the Heart and go. Go now.” Galen stood in the opening of the tent holding a lantern. “They sent a raiding party out ahead of the swarm. Two of our sentries are dead. Three others are missing. We don’t know how far they’ve penetrated our line of defense. Solymus is waiting outside. He’ll help you get to a transport craft we have hidden beyond the next ridge.”
The Heart. She’d been so worried about Kadan when she arrived, she hadn’t given it a thought. She glanced around wildly, still disoriented by the buzzing sound and the sharp pain in her head.
Kadan was at her side in an instant. Already half dressed, he put an arm around her and urged her to a sitting position. When he tried to slide her boots over her feet, she came out of her stupor and pulled them on. He yanked his shirt over his head, scooped up a cloth-wrapped bundle the size of a newborn baby, and stuffed it under his arm.
He held out his hand. “Can you walk? Or should I carry you?”
She got to her feet and stumbled when a wave of dizziness hit her. She hid it by crouching down and pretending to tie her boot. “I’m fine, my love. I just tripped on the lace.” Then she grabbed his hand, grateful for the support it gave.
As soon as they stepped out, Solymus appeared and slipped an arm around Kadan. “I’m all right,” he snapped. “Help Maia.”
Solymus wrapped a powerful arm around her waist. He headed toward the woods behind the tent, half-dragging, half-carrying her.
The journey that followed was a nightmare. They hiked up the side of the mountain for what seemed like hours, though she was sure her crushing fatigue made the climb feel much longer and steeper than it really was.
She was worried about Kadan, but the wound in his leg didn’t seem to slow him down. He’d moved on ahead and she caught a glimpse of his face in the moonlight. Jaw set, eyes constantly raking the area around them for signs of danger, he was in full warrior mode. A place where pain and exhaustion couldn’t faze him. Weapon in one hand, precious bundle cradled in the other, he moved through the unfamiliar terrain as though he’d been born there.
They came to the top of the ridge and Kadan started sprinting ahead when he caught sight of the transport vehicle. Without warning, two hideous creatures sprang at him out of the trees.
Maia screamed a warning but he’d already seen them. He tossed the bundle on the ground behind him and changed direction, heading along the ridge away from the craft. They raced after him.
Maia’s scream drew two others. They appeared at the edge of the woods, blocking the way to the transporter. Their heads swiveled, seeking the source of the sound, and she found herself staring into cold dead eyes. She stood rooted to the spot, hypnotized by their gaze.
Solymus jumped in front of her and pushed her away.
“Run!”
He roared and charged, spraying them with his blaster. It didn’t seem to have any effect on their thick shells. They came at him with their beaked mouths snapping open and shut like sharp pincers.
She heard him shout something about “the Heart,” then his words were drowned out by loud shrieks of the creatures as they overpowered him. Maia was suddenly filled with rage. She’d never used her powers for anything but good before, but she summoned a blast of energy and hurled it at the creatures.
It didn’t even slow them down. She caught a glimpse of Solymus between them and knew she couldn’t save him. He was on his knees, one arm dangling uselessly at his side, while he struggled to keep the snapping beak of one of the creatures away from his face with the other. Their eyes met for an instant. His were filled with a silent plea.
Maia didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. She knew what she had to do. Gathering up a massive bolt of energy, she aimed it at Solymus’ chest. His heart stopped an instant before the creatures tore his body apart.
Lost in a killing frenzy, they had forgotten about her for a moment. She darted ahead, snatched the Heart off the ground, and ran in the direction Kadan had gone.
Before she’d gone a hundred yards, she heard it. The vicious buzzing sound stopped abruptly, replaced by a thin high-pitched wail coming from a creature somewhere nearby. A second wail joined in, then a third. Within moments, the eerie howls spread through the woods and rose up, echoing off the mountain peaks around her.
The chorus of death. Kadan must have killed one of his pursuers.
She was on the verge of collapsing, but Maia ran on with tears streaming down her face. Solymus sacrificed himself to save her and the Heart. She wouldn’t let his death be in vain.
A shout rang out over the keening wails of the creatures and she saw Kadan, beckoning to her. Behind him, in the distance, she spied the transport vehicle. She headed toward him, stumbling and weaving. Kadan shouted again, pointing and waving frantically. She glanced behind her and saw an army of the creatures. They were advancing toward her, slowly but steadily, as though her capture was a foregone conclusion.
She summoned the last reserves of her strength and ran toward him full-tilt. Then stopped, horrified.
Somehow, her path had diverged from Kadan’s. He stood there, no more than a body’s length from her—but they were separated by a deep chasm.
“You can do it, Maia. I know you can. Jump.” His voice was calm, compelling. But through their connection she picked up the fear he was trying so hard to conceal.
She stared into the black hole yawning at her feet and shook her head wildly. “I can’t! I won’t make it.” She glanced behind her at the advancing horde. “The transport vehicle! You could go for it, then fly across and pick me up.”
He shook his head. “There’s no time for that. Trust me, my love. Jump.” When she hesitated, he narrowed his eyes. His voice lashed out like a whip. “Are you disobeying your lord’s command?”
There it was. The masterful tone that made her ache for his touch. A touch she might never feel again.
“The Heart!” She threw the bundle to him.
He caught it, tossed it to the ground carelessly, and held out his arms. “Jump. Now.”
She backed up, took a running start, and hurled herself through the air.
* * *
One minute she was flying toward him, arms outstretched, and the next she was gone. He stood there, stunned—and heard a wild shriek.
Kadan threw himself on the ground and peered down. Eight feet below him was a narrow ledge, barely deep enough for fingertips to grasp. Somehow Maia had managed to catch hold of it. He leaned out, stretched, but couldn’t reach her.
“Hang on, my love. I’m coming down to get you.”
“You can’t. The cliff face is sheer and this ledge will never hold your weight.”
On the other side of the chasm, he saw the creatures getting closer. They’d be able to bridge the gap easily. Kill them both and recapture the Heart.
He looked back at Maia. He could see the strain on her face, her arms shaking. She’d been weakened by healing him and it was clear she couldn’t hold on much longer. He met her eyes and saw that she knew it too.
“Go. You have to get the Heart to the Oracle. To your people.”
“Fuck the Heart. I’m not letting you die.”
Down on his belly, he scooted forward a little further. He leaned down, hanging over the cliff face as he stretched both hands toward her.
“Trust me, Maia. Let go with one hand and grab mine. I’ll pull you up. “
The creatures were drawing nearer. He could hear their wild shrieks.
“Hurry. We don’t have much time.”
Though he knew she was terrified, the trust in her eyes as she stretched her hand up toward his touched his heart. Their fingers brushed, then the weight of her body dragged her back down. She flailed desperately, clawing at the cliff face, before finding a new hold.
“I can’t do it.” She mustered up a brave smile. “Go. Please, my love.”
“I won’t leave you.” He got to his knees, ripped the thunder dragon belt from his waist, and wrapped the end around his fist. “Grab this,” he ordered, throwing himself back down on his stomach. “I’ll pull you up.”
The belt dangled in front of her face. She let go again, with the other hand this time, and reached for it. Caught hold and hooked her fingers through the buckle. He wiggled backward frantically. Toes scrabbling in the dirt, he managed to drag her up a few inches.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the slight movement. Watched the Heart he’d jostled when he moved rolling toward the cliff. Maia saw it too, as it teetered on the edge.
“I love you, Kadan,” she whispered. “I’ll always love you. Fulfill your destiny. Save the Heart. Save your people.”
“Noooo!” His wild cry echoed off the stone walls of the canyon as he watched her fingers slowly unclench, leaving the belt dangling weightless in his hands.