Grounding Gracus (First Wave Book 6) (12 page)

Seconds later Gracus’s jaw locked up and he shook violently as Clatz gave him an energy shock to the brain. The jolt had been quick, lasting only a moment, but it had been powerful enough that Gracus stumbled and grasped for the nearest tree.

Rebecca heard what sounded like teeth snapping together and turned to see Gracus holding on to a tree and drawing in a heavy breath. “Are you all right?” Rebecca asked with concern, wondering what had happened to him so suddenly.

“Bastard!” Gracus said vehemently under his breath before he looked up at Rebecca and smiled. “I just got a twinge in my side. I’m fine,” Gracus said, vowing to get even with Clatz later.

*****

Jalorn was crouched on a ledge, watching the new Valendran arrivals split into two groups and a slow smile spread across his face.
Damn! This was perfect. Far too perfect
, he thought.

“So we’re getting out of here right?” Blint asked, as he looked down where he’d last seen the Valendran party.

Jalorn stood and slapped Blint’s face. Hard. “You’re a fool! Get back to the others and wait for me!” Jalorn said as he grabbed his comm.

He waited until Blint was out of earshot before he tapped in some numbers. “What is it Jalorn?”

Jalorn looked around to make sure Blint was gone before he responded. “Grai T’Alq just showed up with four Valendrans. And there is another Valendran panting after a local river guide. I believe this would be a good time to get me some back up that is competent, don’t you agree?”

There was a choked sound on the other end of the comm and Jalorn smiled at being able to shock the man. “Why the hell are you contacting me instead of Dagog?”

Jalorn grinned. “Because I am no fool. If Dagog gets involved it is guaranteed to go wrong and he will blame me for it. If you send me help and I fail, he never needs to know about it. But, if I succeed, then we both get credit,” Jalorn said, hoping that his fellow warrior would help him.

He heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the comm and Jalorn waited impatiently for an answer. He didn’t have much time, so he was glad when Shinopai relented.

“Fine. I will send you four clones of an earlier class than the ones you have and two dark ones. If you can’t succeed with that, then you don’t deserve to come back. Send me the coordinates to a safe drop location and I will have them there within the hour,” Shinopai said before the comm went dead.

Normally, the disrespect would have infuriated Jalorn, but not with Shinopai. He was the closest thing to a friend that Jalorn had and Shinopai felt the same way or he would have never decided to send him the earlier, better class of clones to help him.

Like his father, Dagog was continuing to churn out clones based on clones, in order to replenish his army after Grai destroyed the mothership. With his father and most of the senior staff with it, not including thousands of the earlier clones. The cells of the later clones, based on the earlier clones were degraded.

Unfortunately, six out of ten of the new clones being produced were barely competent enough to do menial tasks.
Like Blint
, he thought angrily. Even the murderous dark ones, showed more intelligence. His only hope of accomplishing this task would be with something other than the four idiots he was currently stuck with.

Jalorn closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the best way to do this and he knew it really didn’t matter how, the outcome would be the same. Half the Relian fleet couldn’t break Grai when he was a mere child, they wouldn’t catch him now.
Not alive anyway
, he thought with grudging respect.

Jalorn looked down at the forest where Grai T’Alq had dropped and wondered if his best option was to just run. To leave behind these idiots and head back to the nearest town then disappear among the humans as so many of his people had already done.

Dagog had a hefty price on the heads of those who had abandoned him after the devastation of the mothership, but he still had not found any of the deserters and no one really expected him to. Most assumed they were all under the protection of Grai and knew the likelihood of finding one was pretty slim if the oldest T’Alq brother was involved.

Jalorn shook his head as he looked out over the beauty of this world. If Grai had taken up his birthright and had led the Relian people, it was they who would be ruling this world. Instead, they got stuck with the savage and much less intelligent brother, Dagog, to lead them.

And with every defeat, the morale and certainty of their ultimate demise was being assured
, Jalorn thought. He wondered for a moment how the escaped Relians were faring among the humans. If they had regular jobs and had found a female to share their lives with. If they had found happiness.

Jalorn looked to where Grai was and shook his head as he stood. He needed to stop thinking of things that were not worth his time and concentrate on the things that were. The potential capture of the man who would have been the greatest leader their people had ever known.

But Jalorn was no fool, he was a first generation clone and he knew the outcome was more likely to lead to his death.
Unless, he changed tactics
, he thought. He noted where the woman and single Valendran were and where Grai and his team had dropped. Scanning the area, a thought occurred to him and a slow smile spread across his face.

Jalorn stared in silence as the plan formed in his mind and when he knew it was as solid as he could make it on such short notice, he headed back to his useless men.
Well, they would make great cannon fodder
, he thought with a grin.

Chapter Ten

Gracus smiled at Rebecca across the evening fire, his senses on high alert for any indication that the Relians were close. He’d been tense since Grai had told him of the enemy somewhere nearby and he’d set up his tent very closely to Rebecca’s when she had decided to camp for the night. She had looked at him strangely, but he’d ignored her and continued to set up camp.

“We made excellent time today. We should be near the base of the mountain by mid-morning,” Rebecca said with a smile as she warmed her dinner in the fire coals.

Gracus nodded his head as he looked around the darkening forest around them. He hated that they were this exposed. Rebecca had chosen a great spot for them, hidden among some trees with a few large boulders at their backs, but it didn’t stop him from worrying about the enemy among them and how close they were to his mate.

They ate in silence and Rebecca couldn’t help but notice how distracted Gracus had become since they had stopped earlier in the day. It was as if he had decided that he didn’t want to be here any longer and Rebecca couldn’t help but think it was because of all of her talk of the cave and mysterious symbols.

She sighed and looked down at her now warmed dinner as she pulled it from the coals. She wasn’t real hungry anymore and she just poked at it a few time with a stick, her mind turning as to how to fix the awkward silence between them so they could return to the easy banter they’d had earlier. Before her crazy trumped his accidental drug overdose.

Gracus scanned the area once more and contacted Amun through the Shengari’. “Are you close? Do you sense anything?”

Amun sat tensely in the dark a few yards away from them with Decano at his back, weapons at the ready and senses on alert. He scanned the area once more before he responded to his friend.

“All is well. There are no signs of a Relian presence nearby. Concentrate on your mate, my friend. Bond with her. We will watch your back,” Amun assured Gracus.

Gracus sighed in relief but still had to make sure. “Grai, have you found them yet?”

Grai responded immediately. “Not yet. Gibly has caught their scent and we are tracking them now. I will let you know the moment we find them.”

Gracus could hear the heaviness in Grai’s words and knew that he must be jogging or navigating rough terrain and he wondered just how far Grai had traveled ahead of them. It was obvious that Grai wasn’t stopping anytime soon and although Gracus felt bad about it, he was also grateful that they were just as determined as he to protect his mate.

“Thank you, Grai…,” Gracus said, thinking the words did not do justice to how he felt right now. He could never repay Grai for all he had done for him and was continuing to do.

“You are welcome, my friend. Talk to your mate, get to know her. She’s a wonderful woman and you are both very lucky to have found one another. Try to enjoy the first days, you can never do them over again,” Grai said with a smile as he jumped over a small boulder in pursuit of Gibly.

Grai listened closely, ensuring that Niklosi and Scaden were still keeping pace behind him. He suspected that Gibly and his cats had set such a grueling pace to get even with him for offending them and though he’d felt bad about it before, he really felt bad about it now.

It wasn’t that any of them were out of shape, they trained religiously in order to maintain active status on the warrior duty and mission rosters. It was the thinner air due to the elevation and the rough terrain that was taking a toll on their bodies and tiring them quickly.

That and the fact that Gibly had not stopped since they had split from Amun and Decano. Six hours ago. He had to admit, he needed a break and slowed to a stop, calling out to Gibly as he did. “I need a break and we need to talk!”

Scaden and Niklosi collapsed on the ground, still wearing their packs as Grai pulled his off his shoulders and slung them to the ground. He grabbed two canteens and handed them to Scaden and Niklosi as he pulled out another for himself before sitting with them.

He watched Gibly come walking towards them with his head held high and his tail swaying back and forth hypnotically. Grai couldn’t help but smile at the cat.
He’d proven his point very, very thoroughly
, Grai thought. 

“I think it’s safe to say you have incredible stamina, Gibly. Even under these conditions,” Grai said as he spread his arms around him.

Gibly smiled and bowed his head slightly. “We are used to surviving and hunting in the mountains of Valendra and because we are a well-traveled species, we have adapted to running in different climates. For days at a time, if need be,” Gibly said, surprising everyone.

Scaden put down the canteen and stared at the cat. “Are you serious? Your people can run for days? In this terrain?” Scaden asked, looking around at the slippery, rough and craggy terrain around them.

They had long passed the beautiful forested area and had been running through a much less densely treed area that was steep and more rock than earth. They could see the valley they had come from, spread out behind and beneath them.

Gibly nodded his head regally at Scaden and smiled when Niklosi whistled low. “That’s pretty damn impressive, Gibly. Personally, I need a damn break for a minute, you and this terrain are killing me,” Niklosi said honestly as he pulled his packs off his back and grabbed another canteen of water and four food bars.

If Grai hadn’t seen the Relian tracks for himself, he would have thought that Gibly was taking them the long way. “It’s obvious they are looking for something up here. There is no other reason for the erratic path they are taking. It appears they are heading towards the cave,” Grai admitted to the men.

Scaden and Niklosi nodded, having deduced the same thing after Grai told them of the cave the day before. After he told Gracus. It was Scaden who said, “It doesn’t appear that they are very sure where it is or they wouldn’t have taken this… ridiculous route.”

Grai shook his head. “No. I don’t think they have a clue. Which could work in our favor…,” he said as his mind already began to formulate a plan.

Niklosi and Scaden exchanged wary looks as Gibly nodded his head slightly, as if he were listening in on Grai’s thoughts and approved of what he was hearing. Knowing very little about the cat’s abilities, it was actually a possibility.

Grai stood abruptly and turned to scan the mountain that they ran, only until they would have been forced to climb. It was then that the Relians had decided to stay on the lower part of the mountain. The part easier to travel. That’s what they had been running for the last two hours.
It was a half effort attempt at finding the cave, but one that would work
, Grai thought.

They had traveled tens of miles out of their way in order to follow the Relian trail. If they had gone the path that Rebecca was taking they would have been at the cave hours ago. Which means the Relians had no clue where it was and that was a major plus. Although, if they kept going the way that they were, the Relians would come across the cave and Grai didn’t want that to happen.

As Grai was scanning the mountain and formulating a plan to divert them away from the cave, he saw the craft de-cloak in the distance. “We have company!” he shouted as he pointed at the craft.

Scaden, Niklosi and Gibly all saw the telltale flash of a de-cloaking craft and Niklosi cursed. “I’m betting that wasn’t sent by our people,” he said needlessly.

Grai shook his head. “No, it’s not ours. They know we are here,” he said.

Scaden turned to look back where Gracus and Rebecca were and said, “At least we’re between them and Gracus. Maybe we should call in our own backup.”

Grai turned to look at the two men, before turning back to where the craft had re-cloaked and left. “No. The most men that ship could carry is ten. Whoever is out here either doesn’t know it’s me or doesn’t want my brother to know if he fails to kill me. Which means that whoever is leading them is very stupid. If we bring more teams, they will panic and do the same and this will get out of control very quickly.”

Scaden and Niklosi could see where he was going with this and nodded. “If we bring more, they will turn this area into a war zone. If we don’t, we have the advantage of knowing they’ve brought help and can plan accordingly,” Scaden said.

Niklosi added, “And we know exactly where they are now.”

Grai grinned and nodded his head as Gibly said, “Griff and Dorch are close and will be able to tell us how many have dropped.”

Grai chuckled. “Your people are invaluable, Gibly. Remind me again if I ever forget it.”

Gibly grinned proudly. “I most certainly will.”

Everyone chuckled at the cat and Grai warned, “Tell them to remain hidden and to not engage them unless they have to. I don’t want them to get trapped or injured.”

Gibly nodded, his black eyes glittering in the light of the rising moon. “Of course.”

Grai sighed and contacted Gracus, Amun and Decano to let them know of the new arrivals before he turned to Scaden and Niklosi.

“I have a plan. I’ll tell you about it as we run,” Grai said as pulled his packs back on.

*****

Gracus listened to Grai tell him about the new Relians that were now in the forest with them and he cursed out loud before he realized that Rebecca was staring at him with wide, startled eyes.

“Good job asshole,” Clatz said, with a chuckle in his mind.

Gracus cleared his throat and tried to think of what to say. “I’m sorry… that was uncalled for. My mind is just a little… preoccupied,” Gracus said with a blush.

When Rebecca just nodded at him, Gracus scanned the area for danger and moved to sit beside Rebecca. When Rebecca moved a little farther away, Gracus sighed.

“I was hoping you could show me the journal you brought. I understand if you don’t want to…,” he said as he got ready to get up.

He was surprised when Rebecca put a hand on his arm to stop him. He looked into her beautiful eyes and sat back down with a
thump
. Gracus watched as she reached over and pulled out a plastic covered book and took it out of its protective casing.

She held the leather covered journal tenderly in her lap before she sighed and opened it. “I never even noticed the symbols until around two years ago. They drove me crazy until I figured it out,” Rebecca said, hoping that seeing the proof in the journal would assure Gracus that she really wasn’t crazy.

Gracus scooted himself closer to her, not just to better protect her if they were attacked, but because he wanted to feel the touch of her body next to his. He hated that he had to stop himself from taking her hand or putting his arm around her, but he knew he’d already done enough damage by ignoring her since they’d set up camp.

Knowing he needed to fix the damage his silence had caused, Gracus was determined to make it up to her. “What made you notice them two years ago?” he asked, as he looked over at the book she’d opened in her lap.

Rebecca looked up at him, searching his eyes for a hint that he wasn’t really interested. He’d been so quiet since they had set up camp that she was seriously beginning to doubt his curiosity in going with her.

Seeing only actual interest in his eyes as he looked over at the pages, Rebecca answered, “I don’t really know. I’d read them before, many times, I just never really noticed that the symbols were there.” She looked up at him and added, “I know that sounds crazy.”

Gracus chuckled. “No, that’s not as crazy as you think. It’s pretty common to look at something for so long, you forget it’s there. I can’t tell you how many times that I have done that as well. Show me one of the symbols?” Gracus asked, skimming the empty sides of the pages that were opened in the journal.

Rebecca looked down at the book in her hands and said, “Right along the margins.”

Gracus looked back at the margin area of the pages and saw nothing. Assuming he must not understand what she meant by the margin, he tried again. “Point out one that you think is the most telling.”

He was beginning to wonder if maybe she’d turned to the wrong page and didn’t realize it. The only thing he could see on the open pages was a very neat, masculine handwriting in the English language.

Rebecca looked up at Gracus for a second before she ran her hand down the margin on the left page and pointed to the one symbol she had seen before. “This one. It’s on a rock not far from here. I’ve passed it before, but had no idea at the time that it was part of the code to the cave.”

Gracus tried to stifle his gasp of surprise as symbols began lighting up in small flashes of blue as she ran her finger along the left side of the page.
Whoa
, he thought,
that was really… strange.

The symbols had disappeared after a few seconds, leaving only the one that Rebecca held her finger on, still visible on the page. How was that possible? He wondered as he studied the symbol until she took her finger off and moved to the other page.

“This one, I think I saw before as well. Along the same path as the other one,” Rebecca said, as she pointed out the symbol on the page.

Gracus nodded absently and stared at the glowing blue symbol until she again removed her finger and it disappeared. He was not only curious about how the symbols were there and yet weren’t there, but also about how she could bring them to life. However, at the moment he couldn’t think of how to even ask her about it. According to Grai, Rebecca had no idea that she was a hybrid.