Conflict (2 page)

Kaia licked her lips. The taste of mint and citrus seemed to grow as she sat and waited.

“How did I get down here?” She looked around at the smooth white wood walls and the bright furnishings. There were a few small hints of tech in the corners and on the desk, but mostly, it was a low-tech house that any world could offer.

Gathy sat at the edge of the bed and put her hand on Kaia’s sternum. Warmth flowed from her hand into Kaia’s skin, and she concentrated on keeping her breathing even.

The moment that Gathy finished her contact, Kaia asked again. “You didn’t explain. How did I get down here?”

“It is not really for me to explain. I am strictly here to keep you alive. Now, please excuse me. I have to get my husband to run the message to the Bael.”

Gathy walked to the door, and when she opened it, a male turned with a smile. She leaned up and he leaned down.

Kaia watched their kiss with fascination. Only their lips touched, but they were more in tune with each other than many couples actually having sex.

“Tor, you can tell Bael Norwen that she is awake.”

The pointed ears of the male were far more obvious than on Gathy, but it was no doubt, Kaia was in the company of the elves of Admar.

As they parted, the male simply disappeared without walking away. Gathy turned and smiled. “There, that is all taken care of.”

“What is taken care of?”

“Bael Norwen has been checking in every three hours. Yesterday, I finally got him to agree to wait until I sent for him. He will be here shortly.”

“Who is Bael Norwen?” She frowned.

A man with huge shoulders, midnight skin and blazing red eyes came through the door, and without a word, he scooped her up into his arms, sheets and all.

They moved from the cozy room to one much larger with a definite masculine stamp. He placed her gently on the bed and smoothed her hair from her face. “I am Bael Norwen.”

He kissed her, a slow and lingering kiss that would have sent her to the floor if she had been standing. When he backed away, he stroked her hair from her face, and he smiled.

Recognition flickered through her. “You!”

He grinned and kissed her again. “Me. You recognize me then?”

“You have been sneaking into my dreams for the last month.”

“Hardly. I have been pulled into your dreams for the last month. I want to make sure you are aware of the distinction.” He smiled. “I am glad to see you awake and breathing.”

Kaia pressed her hand to her chest. “I was shot. A lot.”

He placed his hand over hers. “I thought you were dead.”

She blinked. “I am not sure that I wasn’t.”

“If you had been, Gathika could not have revived you.”

“The station was under attack. How did you get there?”

“Ah, the same way I took you from Gathika’s to here. I transported you. It is an Ikanni skill.” His hand on hers was warming her skin, bones and getting into her soul.

“Interesting. So, why did you bring me here instead of leaving me with the healer?”

He smiled and brushed her hair away from her face. “Torrimak was eager to have his wife back, and I wouldn’t allow him in his house as long as you were there.”

She blinked. “Why not?”

“Your clothing was destroyed. No male gets to see you naked but me.”

She blinked and leaned back as far as she could with him inches from her face. “Bael Norwen, I don’t know what you are thinking, but I am not the kind of Terran who jumps into bed with just anyone.”

He chuckled and leaned back to give her space. “That may be, but I have never shared dreams with another woman, and if you think I am going to let you out of my sight, let alone my bed, you have another thing coming.”

He vanished in an instant, and when he returned a minute later, he carried a tray with a pitcher, two glasses and a bowl with something steaming in it.

“Gathika told me you were to be confined to soup for a day and work your way up to toasted bread tomorrow.” He set the tray on the bed next to her.

She scooted to sit up and carefully kept the fabric of the sheet tucked under her arms. Her hands trembled as she tried to take the bowl, and he pushed her quivering fingers aside. “Let me do it.”

She scowled as he raised a spoon to her lips. “This is stupid.”

“You will be back to yourself soon, and this will become a distant and somewhat embarrassing memory.”

He was completely matter of fact about feeding her and that took the sting out of indignity of being spoon-fed.

She slurped and sucked at the spoon until the bowl was empty. By the time she had finished eating, her hands had reduced their trembling and the monstrous headache she had woken with was receding. She was able to hold the cup of water in both hands and drink carefully.

Kaia leaned back and sighed with her eyes half closed. “That is much better. Thank you.”

“You are welcome. It is the smallest thing that I can offer you right now. Sustenance and protection.”

Kaia yawned. “I am so sorry. It seems I am tired.”

“Gathika put a sedative in the soup. You should be slightly more energetic when you wake up. Take a nap and relax. I will be here when you wake.”

The room was going grey and fuzzy, but she felt a final kiss on her lips before she slipped into the safety of sleep.

A human woman was sitting on the edge of her bed when she woke up. “Hello, Kaia Whynot. I am Lillibeth Hislar, and we are both stuck on Ikanni.”

“You were Base Command.”

“I still am. And you were orbital defence, but that is now over. You are officially ground bound for the foreseeable future. There is even talk of you getting a Heshi of your own.”

“A what?”

“A Heshi. They are hard to explain, but the nuts and bolts are that an alien race evolved into an energy form, floated around the universe for an undisclosed amount of time and then got bored and returned to Ikanni. The Admaryn were already here building a new settlement, and the Heshi jumped into their bodies to live a life and have a natural death after all that time. They give you interesting talents, like the transporting. Some get healing, but I got the voice of command.”

“You have one of those in you?”

Lillibeth shrugged. “I do. They are not invasive, they simply want to ride our lives, and they offer their skills and power in return.”

“How does this happen? Do they just jump us when we aren’t looking?”

“No. You are taken to the place where the Heshi simply live in a giant ball of fire. They will assess you and give you the best Heshi for your needs. You can give them a request if you like.”

“You aren’t really wearing a lot of clothing. Is that normal?” Kaia had to know.

“It is within my clan. These armbands mark me as Bael, it was a title that came with my Heshi.”

“What is a Bael?”

“Leader, protector, counsellor, a Bael is also warrior, strategist and organizer for their people.”

“That is a tough list.”

“I organized space bases. The Ikanni are a piece of cake.” She grinned and patted Kaia’s foot.

“So, when do I get my freedom?”

“Are you willing to take a Heshi?”

“Does it hurt?”

“No. Not really.”

“Will I hear it think?”

“No, but it might sway your emotions unexpectedly. Mine holds me back and let’s Orriko get away with far more public displays of affection than I would normally allow.”

“So, it changes your personality?” Kaia was worried.

“No, it gives you confidence to act on your impulses. My sex life has definitely gotten more adventurous since the Heshi moved in.”

Kaia watched the blush climb up Lillibeth’s cheeks. She was embarrassed, but there was a pleased gleam in her eyes that was not something Kaia saw often.

“Okay, I will accept a Heshi. How does it work?”

Lillibeth wrapped her in the sheet and lifted her with only a slight grunt. “Heshi also make you stronger.”

“So, how do you go and transport someone?”

Before the sentence was complete, they were no longer in Bael Norwen’s bedroom but standing on a cliff over a huge chasm of darkness. A light began to emerge from the deep black. It swirled and twisted and writhed, a thousand tongues of flame all together in one huge mass.

Kaia muttered, “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

Chapter Three

“Kaia, stand here and wait. Speak with the Heshi if you like, they will return the favour.” Lillibeth backed away and left Kaia swaying on her own two feet.

If not for the small bit of energy she had gained from the soup, Kaia would have tipped right into the chasm, but as it was, she looked into the swirling globe of flame as she stood on her own two feet.

“Hello.”

The ball of flame pulsed and twisted. “Greetings. We wish to know what you want from your Heshi.”

“I want to still be me.”

A low chuckle rippled from the centre. “You will be yourself. We will come to you and merely watch your life unfold, enriching it as we can. Our minds are linked to the whole. We do not need to challenge control of your body.”

“Comforting thought. What are my options?”

She waited, and images flickered through her thoughts. One image caught her attention, and it began to flick more consistently in her mind until a lick of flame parted from the whole and it dove into her chest. Kaia gasped and staggered back as the heat spread through her.

“You have chosen well, Kaia. She will be a good mix. She was one of our greatest warriors.” The ball was cheery, spinning happily.

Kaia fell to her backside and watched the hypnotic motions of the mass of Heshi as one began to settle inside her.

Lillibeth came to her side. “How do you feel?”

“I am getting stronger. Is that right?” She got to her feet and the sheet dropped.

An Ikanni male appeared, and he was scowling. “Bael Hislar, what are you doing here?”

“I am answering a call by the Heshi, Orvar. What are you doing here?”

He blinked. “I felt activity here. This is my purview if you will recall.”

“I do recall. Reel your eyes back into your sockets. This one is not for you.”

Kaia realized that the male’s red eyes were blazing and had taken on a heavy-lidded look. A distinct bulge was swelling in his trousers.

Kaia’s blood rose in outrage, and she frowned at the stranger. “Stop staring.”

“You are very lovely, child. So perfect.”

Kaia stepped out of Lillibeth’s embrace and advanced on the male. His scent was hypnotic, but she was perturbed that he would ruin this very private moment for her.

She heard Lillibeth gasp, and Orvar backed away, disappearing as suddenly as he had arrived.

“Wow. That is a new one. I have been researching the talents that the Heshi bring to the Admar, and I will swear that I have never seen anything like that.”

Lillibeth gestured to her arms, and Kaia looked down to see two large energy spikes coming from the back of her wrists and extending a foot and a half beyond. Kaia clenched her fists and the spikes extended.

“Oh, wow. This is something that I didn’t imagine.”

Lillibeth chuckled. “What did you wish for?”

“I wanted to remain a fighter.”

“It seems that that is what the Heshi gave you.”

Kaia stared at her hands, and the energy blades slowly retracted. “Interesting. Now, how do we get home?”

Lillibeth smiled. “Put the sheet on again, and I will have you back to Bael Norwen before he notices you are gone.”

Kaia had her doubts, but she wrapped herself in the fabric, and the other Terran wrapped an arm around her. Together, they shifted from the cavern to the bedroom where a furious Bael Norwen was waiting.

“Bael Hislar, I should have known it would have been you.” Thunder crackled in the distance.

“Bael Norwen, I had hoped to have her back before you noticed she was gone.” Lillibeth helped settle Kaia back in the bed.

“I noticed the moment that you transported out of my bedroom with Kaia, I just had no idea where you went.” The sound of rain on the windows was impressive.

“Calm down, Bael Norwen.” There was something in Lillibeth’s tone that had not been there before.

“Leave my home, Bael Hislar, and do not return without an invitation.” He crossed his arms over his chest, but the rain ceased as suddenly as it started.

Lillibeth smiled and inclined her head. She grinned at Kaia. “Have a good rest. I hope you feel better in the morning.”

She disappeared just like the Admaryn that Kaia had been exposed to. “Is it the Heshi that lets you come and go like that?”

Bael Norwen ran a hand through his snow-white hair, “You know about the Heshi?”

Kaia couldn’t stop herself, she rubbed at her sternum. “I am learning.”

He was at her side in an instant, running his hands over her arms and looking into her eyes. “You have one? How?”

“Lillibeth took me. A huge ball rose up and rifled through my thoughts until it presented me with a match for my instincts.” She rubbed between her breasts again. “It feels strange.”

“She knows where the Heshi cavern is?”

“Well, I have a Heshi with a very interesting talent inside me, so I guess she does.”

He frowned and stroked her hair. “Don’t leave like that again.”

“I don’t think I can. Oddly enough, I can’t pass through space like you can.”

He sat back and took one of her hands. “Give it time. I will show you the first steps of it once you are feeling better.”

Kaia blinked in shock. “Wait, you mean I will be able to pop in and out like that?”

He stroked the blue and green strands of her hair idly. “Of course. The Heshi take us apart and put us together where we want to go. There are distance restrictions, of course, but we can move freely on Ikanni.”

“Nice.”

“Of course, the inclusion of a Heshi into your body now makes you a member of an endangered species. Leaving Ikanni is no longer an option.”

She leaned back against the headboard. “Why?”

“All the Heshi in the known universe are here with us. They live within us, and they die when we die. We are their gateway to the next world. You cannot be put in a position that will have you die off world.”

Kaia’s mind whirled. “You knew that when you brought me here.”