Laura Jo Phillips (27 page)

Chapter
30

Hope, Grace and Karma came up over a long, steep rise and paused to rest, all of them out of breath.  Hope had considered walking around it, but after walking along it for several minutes they hadn’t been able to see the end of it.  It seemed better to tackle the rise than to go miles out of their way to avoid it.  Now that they were at the top, overheated, thirsty, and out of breath, she wasn’t sure she’d made the best choice.  Their water consumption increased when they exerted themselves like that, and they couldn’t afford to be careless with their water.

There was no shade at the top of the rise so they sat down on the sand and reached for their water bottles.  Hope lifted the hem of her t-shirt and wiped her face with it, too hot and sweaty to care what it looked like.  When she looked up again she noticed that both Grace and Karma had copied her actions, and they all smiled at each other. 

“Hope, see that line of green over there?” Grace asked, pointing behind her.

Hope stood up and squinted into the distance.  “Yes, I see it,” she said after a moment.  “Trees maybe?”

“I think so,” Grace said.  “What’s more, I think the green indicates water.  Maybe a stream or a creek.”

“Water?” Karma asked, scrambling to her feet to look as well.  “Do you think it’s clean?”

“Probably,” Grace replied.  “We can boil it before we drink it to be safe.  I’m sure it’s snow melt.  This time of year, even the desert has streams and rivers from snow melting in the mountains.

“It’s a lot further west than we’re going,” Hope said.

“Not by that much,” Karma argued.  “Besides, it would be nice to wash off some of this dust and sweat, even if we can’t drink it.”

“I’ll bet there’s a lot of wood there too,” Grace added. 

Hope nodded, but she was still uncertain.  It was difficult to gauge distances out here, but she thought the trees looked about five or six miles away.  She looked up at the sun, checked her watch and did some quick calculations.  She thought they’d made good time that day, walking perhaps 25 miles.  If they walked to that tree line, they’d be walking several miles in the wrong direction.  Sort of.  On the other hand, it would be foolish to pass up the chance to refill their water bottles.

“Okay, let’s do it,” she said, making up her mind.  The moment she said it, she had the overwhelming feeling that she had made the right decision, and that if she had not agreed to this, something very bad would have happened.  Her skin pebbled and she shivered, though not from cold.

“You okay, Hope?” Grace asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You just turned white,” Grace said.  “Maybe we need to rest a bit longer.”

“No, I’m fine,” Hope said again, shaking off the strange feeling.  “We have a few miles to go and its getting late.  We don’t want to be walking out here in the dark.”

Grace nodded, though her eyes remained concerned.  Hope offered her a reassuring smile, then turned and led the way down the far side of the rise before turning towards the tree line in the distance.  She wasn’t sure what had happened and she didn’t want to think about it.  She focused on keeping the pace up.  Things looked closer in the desert than they really were, but after walking all day long she thought she had a good idea of the distance.  Nevertheless, she wanted to reach it ahead of sunset so they could get a good look around before setting up camp.  If she’d guessed wrong, they were going to have to make camp in the open, and she really didn’t want to do that.

***

Ellicia was very glad she had agreed to have dinner with the Bearens when the waiter set a plate in front of her loaded with food.  She was a lot hungrier than she’d thought.  They ate quietly for a little while, until the worst of their hunger was sated. 

“How well do you guys know Lariah?” Ellicia asked curiously.  “Well enough that you get to see her sometimes?”

“Yes, we see her, and the Dracons, as often as we can manage,” Jackson replied.  “The truth is, we spend as much time with the little ones as we can.  They have captured our hearts.”

Ellicia smiled.  She could feel their love for Lariah’s daughters when Jackson spoke of them.  “Tell me about them, please,” she said. 

For the rest of the meal, and through dessert, the Bearens told Ellicia stories about the nieces she had never met.  By the time they were finished, Ellicia felt as though she really knew the little girls.  Jackson, Clark and Rob didn’t just tell her funny little incidents.  They gave her true insight into each of their personalities.  The things they liked, the things they didn’t, the way they interacted with each other and with other people in their lives. 

Ellicia was amazed at how much the Bearens knew about Salene, Rayne and Tani.  How could three big, single men love three little babies that were not their own so much?  And they did love them.  She felt that. 

When they were finished telling her about the girls, they told her about Saige, the Lobos, their daughters, the Dracon men, and most of all, Lariah.  Ellicia was so happy and relieved to hear how much Lariah was loved by everyone who met her, and how happy she was on Jasan.  She had worried about that.  Lariah had always been so quiet and withdrawn and, worse, the past few years before she’d gone to Jasan, she’d seemed unaccountably sad.  Now, Ellicia felt as though a weight she hadn’t known she carried was lifted from her. 

“Thank you,” she said when they were getting ready to leave the restaurant.  “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to hear such wonderful stories about my sister and her family.  You’ve made me feel as though I know all of them.  And you’ve made me feel how happy they are.  These are gifts I didn’t expect, but which I appreciate, and will cherish always.”

Jackson, Clark and Rob looked at her with startled eyes.  After a moment Jackson cleared his throat and they all bowed.  “It is our pleasure to speak of those we carry in our hearts,” he said.  “We are happy that it brought you pleasure as well.”

Ellicia wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but she felt the Bearens’ sincerity, and knew they didn’t expect a response.  

“All right, where do you want to go?” Jackson asked as they left the restaurant and climbed into the ground-car.  “Your place or the office?”

“I think my place,” Ellicia replied.  “This is going to be different from what I usually do.  I’m sorry, but you guys need to know that it might not even work at all.”

 “Why is this going to be different?” Jackson asked.

“This is an earring that Hope wore all the time,” she said.  “If it’s true that she never took them off, then the earring I have doesn’t really have a recent physical connection to its mate.  Earrings don’t touch each other when you’re wearing them.”

“I see,” Jackson said, trying to hide his disappointment.  Ellicia wasn’t fooled though.  She didn’t need his face or his voice to tell her how disappointed he was, how disappointed they all were.  She could feel it.

“On the other hand, they are two halves of one whole,” she said.  “In order for me to be able to help find stolen military shipments or drug shipments, we make these little metal tags that have a number stamped on each end of them.  Then we break the tags in half.  I keep one half, and the other half is placed inside of certain high-risk shipments that are prone to thefts.  By holding my half of the tag, I am able to find its other half.  I’m hoping this will work that way.”

“We understand, Ellicia,” Jackson said.  “You will do your best, and that is all we can ask of anyone.  It is also understood that none of this will matter if Hope is no longer wearing the other earring.”

Ellicia turned to look out the window beside her, hiding the sudden tears that blurred her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks.  She hadn’t wanted to remind them of that last fact, but of course they realized it.  They were intelligent men. 

There was a good chance she wouldn’t be able to find this woman, and she knew that.  Now, they knew it too, and she felt their fear, worry and sadness as though it were her own. 

No
, she thought suddenly. 
I cannot fail in this, and it’s not just because of the Bearens either.  I have to find Hope for my children’s sake.

Ellicia wasn’t sure where that thought came from or what it meant, and she didn’t really care.  She needed her stubborn streak to kick in, and that had done it.

She blinked back the tears and set her jaw.  She would find Hope Strigida.  She would lead the Bearens to their Arima, and they would free her from whoever had her.  She would do this no matter what it took.  She was Agent Ellicia Daniels, and she had the highest arrest record of any other psychic in the history of the Agency’s Special Operations Directorate.  When she made up her mind to do something, nothing got in her way.

Chapter
31

By the time Hope, Grace and Karma reached the line of trees, the sun was just touching the horizon.  It had been a bit further than Hope had guessed, more like nine miles than six judging by the nearly three hours it had taken them to reach it .  They still had time, and enough light, to get a good look around and select a camping spot.  But first, they all wanted more than anything to indulge themselves by washing their face and hands.

The stream was small, but it was clear, clean, fast running water over a bed of small pebbles and sand.  It was icy cold and felt wonderful against their hot, dusty skin.  The water was only about knee deep but Karma waded into the middle of it and started to sit down.

“No, I don’t think you want to do that, Karma,” Hope warned.  “That sun is about to set, and then its going to get very cold here.”

Karma grimaced, but waded back to the shore.  “I’ll save it for morning then,” she said. 

“We all will,” Hope agreed.  She turned around to pick up her pack, feeling refreshed now that her face and hands were clean.  As she bent down for her pack she glanced back the way they had come and froze.

“
Poutanas yie
,” she swore softly.

“What is it?” Grace asked at once, hurrying over to Hope, Karma right behind her. 

“Look,” Hope said, pointing.  “Out there.” 

Karma and Grace looked where she was pointing and both gasped aloud at the tiny cloud of dust racing across the desert in the fading light.

“That’s exactly where we were at,” Grace said.  “That little rise they just passed.”

Hope followed the faint trail of dust behind the speeding vehicle until it faded to nothing.  “That’s the direction we were walking too,” she said.  “That car would have practically run us over if we hadn’t detoured.”

“How do you know that would be a bad thing?” Karma asked.  Grace and Hope both stared at her.  “Maybe those are nice people in that ground-car.  If we’d kept on the way we were going, then maybe we’d have a ride out of this desert right now.”

“Maybe,” Hope conceded.  “But since it’s heading back the way we came, and I saw for myself that there isn’t anything else around for about a hundred miles, I think we’re lucky that whoever is in that car didn’t see us.” 

“Do you think it’s safe to camp here?” Karma asked, suddenly realizing that Hope was right.

“Yes,” Hope replied.  “That car is moving fast, straight toward the compound.  That’s at least thirty miles from here, and I deliberately didn’t tell Berta or Aisling which direction we were going in.  We’re safe here for tonight.”

“Lets pick a spot for our camp before it gets any darker,” Grace suggested when they could no longer see either the car or its dust trail.

“Good idea,” Hope agreed.  They picked up their packs and walked back and forth along the line of trees twice before deciding to wade across the stream to the other side.  There they found a group of boulders surrounded by trees with a small clear area in between them.  It was a perfect spot for their camp, giving them a sense of safety.

It didn’t take long for them to start a fire and set up their beds.  The small enclosure helped to hold in the heat a little so that when the sun went down, they were warmer than they had been the night before.  Feeling warm and safe encouraged them to relax a little, in spite of the ground-car they’d spotted racing for the compound.

They took advantage of the water supply, and the abundance of wood, to heat up some water just so they could wash up a bit more.  Hope couldn’t believe how luxurious it felt just to have a clean face.  After they’d eaten dinner they indulged themselves with a second cup of hot tea as they sat around the fire.

“Do you think that Berta will be able to hide Aisling in her room like she said?” Grace asked.

“I know she’ll try,” Hope replied.  “Berta’s pretty sharp.  I think if it can be done, she’s the one to pull it off.”

“I didn’t realize you hadn’t told them which direction we were going in,” Karma said.  “That was smart.”

“It was Berta’s idea,” Hope said.  “Like I said, she’s sharp.”

“How are you feeling?” Grace asked Hope. 

“I’m good, why?” Hope asked, mildly surprised by the question.

“You keep worrying about us, I thought maybe we should check on you for a change,” Grace said.  “You look to be in great shape, but you did say you haven’t run in six months, so I thought you might be getting sore.”