Riley's Paradox, page 25
part #9 of Hearts of ICARUS Series
They stopped and bowed while raising their fists to the center of their chests in salute. When they straightened, High Prince Garen stepped forward and grasped Wilder’s wrists in a warrior’s greeting, while Prince Trey and Prince Val greeted Win and West. Despite the calm faces and polite greetings, all six men were tense, and they all knew it.
“It’s good to see you, old friends,” Garen said before turning his golden eyes to Percy. “It’s been many years since we’ve seen a Lonyx of Rha.”
“This is Percy, Riley’s friend,” Wilder said. “They have defended each other in battle, saved each other’s lives, and share a bond of trust and friendship. We promised him a place in our hunt for those who’ve taken her from us.”
Garen stared into Percy’s eyes for a long moment, then nodded. “You are welcome to Jasan, Percy of the Lonyx. Wilder is correct. You have a role in the events which have enfolded all of us these past weeks, and those to come.”
“I thank you for your welcome, High Prince of the Klanaren,” Percy said, projecting his voice softly so that those outside their group couldn’t hear. “I swear by the Blue Moons of Rha that I will never in any way betray Riley, her family, or her people.”
“We thank you, Percy, for the honor you do us, and Riley, our beloved niece.” Garen turned back to Wilder.
“We realize that you want to begin your search at the earliest possible moment. I’m afraid that won’t be tonight, however. There is much that you must hear, see, and learn first, and it must be done in some order or it will make little sense to you. We promise to do all we can to see you on your way tomorrow. In the meantime, we’ve reserved a guest cabin for you on the ranch for tonight.”
“Thank you, Highness,” Wilder said. “You’re correct that we’re anxious to begin searching. That will do us little good at the moment, though, since we haven’t the first idea of where to begin. We are in desperate need of information.”
“You will receive all the information we have, Wilder,” Garen said. “Whether or not it provides you with a place to begin your search remains to be seen, though we are hopeful.”
“Since your belongings were destroyed with the Mau, we’ve taken the liberty of contacting your people on the Pharaoh,” Trey said. “They packed duffels for each of you, which you’ll find in the cabin.”
“We appreciate that very much, Highness,” West said.
“We thought you might,” Trey said with a faint smile.
“If you have no objections, we’ll speed travel to the ranch now,” Garen said.
“None at all,” Wilder replied, then looked down at Percy. “Hang on tightly, Percy, and don’t panic. We will move from here to the ranch in a matter of a moment or two.”
“Thank you for the warning, Wilder,” Percy said while digging his claws more deeply into the shoulder of Wilder’s jacket. When Garen saw that the Lonyx was ready, he placed one hand on Wilder’s shoulder so that the side of it touched Percy.
Moments later they were standing on the grass in front of a guest cabin on Dracon Ranch. Wilder, Win, West and Percy filled their lungs with fresh Jasani air, sighing with pleasure when a gentle breeze cooled their faces.
“Riley told me how beautiful her home world is, but I never imagined anything as beautiful as this,” Percy said. Then his ears flattened. “It feels wrong to be here when she is not.”
“We’ll get her back, Percy,” Win said. “Just keep that in mind.”
“I am trying, Win.”
Prince Garen led the way into the living room of the cabin, which was actually a fully appointed four bedroom home. The Katre-Laus, Trey, and Val entered behind him and closed the door.
Garen glanced at Trey, who nodded and stepped back outside, then he and Val moved to stand before the Katre-Laus. “Now that we’re assured of privacy, there are a few things we need to speak of before you meet with the Bearens.”
“Certainly, Highness,” Wilder said.
“Before meeting Riley on the skyport, did you know any of the Bearen daughters?”
“No, we did not.”
Garen nodded, having guessed as much. “About six months ago Rikki, the youngest sister, was abducted while vacationing with a friend on Argon. The friend was also abducted, and her father was killed while attempting to prevent Rikki from being taken. The friend’s mother attempted to notify the Bearens, but her messages were intercepted, and her life was threatened should she attempt to send another message off-world. Therefore, no one was aware of what happened, or even that Rikki was missing until about two and a half weeks ago. It was thought that she returned to school after the summer break.
“In fact, all three of the sisters spent this past summer away from home. Riley interned on an ICARUS ship as you’re aware, and Rose remained at the Interstellar Training Academy for a special summer training program.”
Garen paused when the door opened and Trey entered. “They’re waiting,” he said after locking the door behind himself and joining Garen and Val.
“Thank you,” Garen said, then continued with his story. “The Bearens had no idea that anything was amiss until Rikki voxed Hope asking that one of her fathers come to the skyport to pick her up. Until that call, they thought she was in school.
“From the moment they saw Rikki they knew that something terrible had happened to her. She was too thin, exhausted, and weak. Worse still, it was readily apparent that she’d been severely traumatized both physically and emotionally. They had no choice but to give her time to rest and heal before pressing her for answers. Especially given her obvious reluctance to speak about whatever had happened.
“The following day they decided to contact Rose and Riley at their respective schools to assure themselves of their safety. They were unable to reach either of them. In addition they found that, like Rikki and her friend, they’d been removed from their school’s databases. There was no official record that they’d ever attended their schools.
“It was the Bearens’ attempt to backtrack Riley’s movements that led them to discover the events that occurred on the New Ugaztun Skyport. From there they learned that she’d gone aboard the Mau with you.”
Garen paused, looked at each of the Katre-Laus, then continued speaking, though he seemed to be choosing his words with care now. “We‘ve seen the recording of the attack on Riley and Percy by the Nomen, as I mentioned earlier. It is our assumption that you told skyport security that Riley was your Arima in an effort to protect the secret of her ability to shift.”
“That’s correct, Highness,” Wilder said. “In truth, we’d only met her less than an hour before the attack took place. She is our berezi, though.”
Garen’s brows rose and he exchanged quick looks with Trey and Val. “You reacted to her?”
“Not at first, no. Later, on the Mau, we did. We promised Riley that we’d speak with only you or the Tigrens on certain matters, and we will not forget that. However, she did tell us everything regarding her self-healing, and the effect shifting has on her life span. She agreed to link with us once we reached Jasan, with you and the Tigrens nearby in case help is needed.”
Something in the set of Garen’s shoulders seemed to relax. “We’d hoped that Riley’s Rami would be a mature male-set such as yourselves, with the patience and understanding she so desperately needs.”
“Thank you, Garen,” Wilder said slowly. He glanced at Win, then West, and decided he had to ask the question on all of their minds. “You speak as though you’re sure we’ll get her back.”
“We can make no promises, Wilder. You must remember that.”
“Of course,” Wilder agreed.
“If those who have Riley are the same as those who took Rikki, we can tell you that it’s exceedingly unlikely that they will intentionally cause her physical harm,” Garen said. “In fact, they will probably take great pains to keep her as healthy as possible. It’s finding her and getting her back that will be the problem.”
“You’ve answered our greatest fear, Highness, and we thank you for that,” Wilder said. “As long as she is alive, we will find her and we will get her back. We will not rest until we do. She is our everything.”
Garen, Trey, and Val raised their fists to their chests and bowed their heads.
“We will do all we can to aid you in your search,” Trey promised.
“Highness,” West said, “you didn’t say if the Bearens learned anything about Rose.”
“They did not, unfortunately,” Garen said. “We know more about what happened to Riley because of the events that took place on the skyport. We have no such information about Rose and, in fact, don’t even know when she went missing exactly.”
West started to speak, hesitated, then looked at Wilder.
“We made no promises, nor did we infer any,” Wilder said. “We must share what little we know. It may help in the search for Rose, and that supersedes all other considerations. Besides, Riley would want us to do whatever we can to aid her sister.”
Garen’s golden eyes flared in surprise. “If you know anything that might help us to find Rose, no matter how trivial, we would hear it now.”
West nodded. “Whether this will help find her or not, I can’t say, but it’s my hope that you, or the High Druids, might be able to make some use of it. It’s also information that we don’t believe anyone else has.” He paused and looked to Wilder, who declined the offer to tell the story himself.
“Riley took a call on her hand terminal from Rose while Wilder and I were with her,” West began. As he related all that he and Wilder had heard of the conversation between the sisters, he wasn’t surprised to see the Princes grow angry. He was tempted to leave out some of the more inflammatory things they’d heard, but for Rose’s sake, he told them everything.
“We don’t know anything else about the male-set, but we do know a couple of things that may help,” he concluded. “The exercise Rose spoke of took place on Norbu-Cutt one week before the reicere was hand delivered to her dorm room. She voxed Riley within a couple of minutes of receiving the document, and the call took place the morning after Riley was attacked on the skyport.” West paused a moment to think. “That’s everything we know.”
“It seems Rose Bearen has more honor than her intended Rami,” Val murmured softly, though his eyes flashed brightly with anger. “It will be a simple matter to determine which Gryphons were on Norbu-Cutt at that time.”
“I don’t know if there’s a way to use this information to find Rose, but the Tigrens might,” Garen said thoughtfully. “If nothing else, your information tells us that Rose wasn’t abducted more than a day before Riley. It’s not much, but it’s more than we had.”
“We will identify and summon the male-set in question,” Trey said. “On that you may depend.”
“Thank you,” West said. “I admit, this matter has troubled us greatly these past two weeks.”
“Understandably so,” Garen said.
“Is there a possibility that Rose could be wherever Riley is?” Wilder asked.
“From what we know now, I believe that it’s very possible,” Garen replied.
“We will keep her in mind during our search, then,” Wilder said, then shook his head and sighed. “The Bearens must be half out of their minds over these events, and we’ve no wish to add to their troubles. We just don’t have any idea where else to begin.”
“I promise you, Wilder, you will not be adding to their troubles,” Garen said. “Their daughters are already missing, and they’ve known about it since a day after Rikki came home. Their greatest hope, our greatest hope, is that you will be able to find them. For this reason, you need to hear Rikki’s story which, I warn you, is truly horrific. After speaking with you, the Bearens will decide whether it would be best for them to tell you her story themselves, or if it would be best to take you to meet Rikki and her Rami.
“We and the Bearens prefer that you meet with them tonight. They are ready and waiting to do this now, unless you prefer to wait until tomorrow.”
Wilder felt the muscles along his spine tighten, but gave no outward sign of his increasing tension. “We were hoping that we’d be able to speak with them tonight. We don’t want to upset Rikki, though.”
“She’s hasn’t been home three full weeks yet, so she is still traumatized, of course,” Garen said. “She’s stronger than any of us knew though, and she’s doing much better already. We’d say more, but it will only raise questions before you’re ready for the answers.”
“We understand, Garen. I apologize if we seem impatient.”
“Actually, you’re doing far better than we’d be doing in your place, Wilder.”
“The Bearens are waiting for you now at their home,” Trey said. “If you like, we’ll speed travel you there, but something tells me that the three of you might benefit from a short run first. Percy, you may enjoy stretching your wings a bit as well.”
“I would, Highness,” Percy said. “It has been a very long time since I’ve smelled fresh air, or felt the wind in my face. Do not worry, though. I have made promises to Riley that I will not break in this life or the next. Her absence does not change that.”
“We were not worried, Percy, but your loyalty to one who is a cherished member of our family touches us. We thank you for it.”
“A run is a good idea,” Wilder agreed. “It’s been many weeks since we’ve breathed Jasani air, and that’s not counting the time we spent in those life pods. It’ll only take us a few minutes to reach the Bearens’ home from here.”
“Before you go, we have a request,” Win said.
“Very well,” Trey said.
“The Mau’s auxiliary flight data recorder has been found, and the person responsible for the sabotage on the Mau has been identified. There’s a security vid showing him, personally, setting the charge that disabled the Mau’s transport disrupter, which makes him directly responsible for Riley’s abduction.”
“The man worked entirely alone?” Trey asked, his eyes even brighter than before, though not quite glowing yet.
“No, there were three men involved, but the other two have Controllers. The first does not, and he is clearly shown using the Controllers to force the other men to help him.” Win removed a small memory crystal from his pocket and gave it to Trey. “This has a copy of the relevant video feeds. Commander Jawn Lobo will be able to provide you with a copy of the full recording, and tell you which ship has the recorder.”
“Where are the three men?” Trey asked, placing the memory crystal in a pouch on his belt.
“All three of them are currently in hibernation onboard two of the other ships sent to search for us. We don’t know which ships, or when they’re expected to reach Jasan. If we did, it would be too tempting to wait for them, and we must focus our full attention on Riley. Commander Jawn Lobo does have that information, however.”
“If you’d like us to deal with the matter, we are more than happy to do so,” Trey offered.
“That is exactly what we hoped for, Highness,” Win said. “You have our thanks.”
“I apologize for forgetting this, but we have one more thing to ask,” West said.
“Of course,” Garen said.
“Did you receive our request to speak with you about our dreams?”
“We did, and I, too, am sorry for forgetting that,” Garen said. “We will, of course, set time aside to discuss the matter tomorrow. However, if I might ask, what is the subject of these dreams?”
“A small white cat with a pale blue tear drop on her forehead and turquoise eyes,” West replied. “We believe that the cat represents Riley.”
Garen exchanged quick looks with his brothers. “We were hoping it would be something like that. I ask that you tell the Bearens about the dreams. They will be able to help you understand them far better than we can.”
“Thank you, Highness,” West said.
“We’ll leave you now,” Garen said. “If you’d like to speak with us tomorrow for any reason, just call. We’ll make ourselves available.”
“Thank you, Garen,” Wilder said.
A moment later the Dracons vanished and Wilder turned to face his brothers. “I think we’re going to learn far more than we expected or even hoped for, and I have a feeling that very little of it will be good. We must guard our tempers. The last thing we need now is to lose control to blood rages. Especially in front of Rikki Bearen.”
“Do you think the Bearens will mind my presence?” Percy asked.
“No, Percy, I do not. In fact, I think they will be quite happy to meet you.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Two reasons. First because, like our Princes, they’ve seen the security vids from the skyport and know you fought at Riley’s side. Without you, the Nomen would have had her the first moment they’d grabbed her.
“And second, because they know that you’re Riley’s friend.”
Win watched Percy’s reactions to Wilder’s words, and saw that while the first reason was accepted, the second was not. Not because he wasn’t Riley’s friend, but because he saw himself as one of many, and therefore not that significant.
“Percy,” Win said, then waited for the Lonyx to look toward him. “From what Riley told us, you had little trouble sensing her emotions despite her shield ring. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s true,” Percy replied.
“Wilder and West could not feel her emotions until she removed the ring, but I did. Since we are her intended Rami, we’re able to delve deeper into her emotions than others would be able to do.”
“I’m not sure I understand, Win.”
“I imagine that when she was irritated but acted calm, you were able to feel the irritation anyway. Am I right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“We’re able to feel her emotions in that way, but at the same time, we sense more deeply than that. Not just what she’s feeling in the moment, but her constant overall emotional state. The way she feels even if she isn’t feeling any particular emotion at the moment.”
“I think I understand,” Percy said.
“When we met Riley on the skyport the first time, I was angry with her as I’m sure you remember.” Percy dipped his head in a nod. “My anger vanished the moment I reached for her emotions. What I found was loneliness, sadness, and grief so deep and so profound that I didn’t understand how she could stand before us with an appearance of calm, or even function with such pain. In time I realized that she’d felt that way for so long that she’d become accustomed to it. It had become her normal state of being.”
