Heart of Stone (16 page)

“
Rrraw!”

“
I’d swear he understands
my every word”

“
Ah, actually he does. He’d
speak but cat vocal chords don’t allow it. Most of the time the
three of us communicate with him in mental pictures. Oscar’s really
a merged being, part of him is the kitten we saved but the other
part is a bit of Simon.”

Sally was impressed but her brow
furrowed in concern. “Wow. Um, but isn’t that a bit like how the
Din attach on to human auras?”

Tyra shook her head: a head these days
sporting a crop of nearly shoulder length hair the colour of
burnished bronze. “No this is different. The bit that is from Simon
is fully integrated into Oscar. It’s the same for me. I can’t
really imagine a completely separate Tyra any more, nor would I
even want to.”

Sally looked at her friend hopefully.
“So I guess you’re not going back to your job in the city
then.”

“
Oh no, I resigned that
long ago. Anyway Simon’s got me, with Mendal’s help, researching
everything I can about the Din, their history, their strengths and
weakness and the current extent of their global
operations.”

“
And Simon, he’s going to
make enough from the security business?”

“
Simon has plenty invested,
enough none of us really need to work but the Security business is
a good cover for us. A lot of the fishing shacks around the lakes
are vacant in the off-season so we’ll get enough work protecting
those to keep the business legit. Plus your brother now considers
us to be the unofficial neighbourhood watch.”

“
I think Michael’s glad
that you guys have got his back. It’s always tough being the lone
cop in these small country towns. Do you think the Din will leave
us alone now?”

“
Hard to say. They know we
mean to rescue the others. I’ll expect they’ll be watching us but
it will be hard for them to move into the vicinity undetected.
Nothing much will get past the Major’s spidery senses now he’s
based himself here.”

“
Speaking of which, I
assume the Major passed you lot on your licences?”

“
Not only that but he also
passed Thex, even though Thex didn’t do the training.” Tyra sounded
a little miffed at that. “Some technicality in the training world,
the Major called it recognition of prior learning. It was
apparently a lot of paperwork for the Major to process but he said
it would have been a complete waste of his time to train Thex. He
just spent an afternoon with him going over the regulations and a
few bits of procedural stuff. Thex and the Major are thinking of
setting up a survival training camp out at Jack’s old cabin.
They’ve got to build some more facilities out there first
though.”

Sally still didn’t understand
something. “But Thex doesn’t even exist as far as the authorities
are concerned. How can he even get a license?”

“
Ah,” Tyra paused, looking
for the right words to say without giving away too many of the
Major’s secrets. “I think the Major has contacts in very high
places. Somethings are better not to ask.”

Sally took the hint. “Well as long as
one of the Major’s secrets doesn’t include a wife or girlfriend we
don’t know about.”

“
Sally? You got the hots
for the Major?”

“
Yeah I know, he must be
about fifteen years older than me.”

“
I’d be the last one to
ever say that age was a problem, wouldn’t I? You know Simon and I
are starting up some classes in Tantra at the youth club, adults
only of course. Why don’t you invite him along?”

Sally turned bright red and had a
coughing fit.

Simon and Annie sat on the glassed in
verandah enjoying a hot cup of tulsi in the morning sun. Annie had
turned up on quick visit. She’d been talking plenty to her daughter
on the phone but it had been since Jack’s death that she’d seen
her.

“
So Annie, did you ever
tell Tyra who her dad was?”

Annie heaved a huge sigh. “No, I
thought it best at the time if everyone thought I didn’t know who
the father was. Proved to be a risky strategy as the authorities
nearly took Tyra off me, what with all the prejudice against unwed
mothers back then. Fortunately dad used his legal clout to formally
adopt Tyra but I raised her. I guess one day I should tell her
she’s my adopted sister as well as being my daughter, just I never
wanted to raise the whole subject and Tyra respected my privacy on
it.”

“
You know, he misses
you.”

“
What? I’ve never seen him
since. Anyway he must have found someone else by now. What would he
want with an old woman?”

“
He stayed away from you
both to keep you safe, he didn’t want to, I assure you. Why don’t
you go and find him.”

“
I wouldn’t know where to
look.”

“
I might. Jnarn stayed on
this plane of existence. He’s been working with Japanese
geneticists to try and figure out how Din engineered viruses have
affected human DNA. They’re looking at ways to reactivate parts of
the code that have been switched off and identify any reptilian DNA
they might have grafted in.

Annie beamed, her heart fluttered as
her mind went back the brief and intense love affair she’d had.
“Oh”, then she remembered her age, “but...”

“
Apparently you just need
to swallow his cum Annie.”

Annie sputtered. “What!”

“
The essence he gave you
when you made love was just enough to create Tyra, otherwise you’d
now be immortal.”

Just at that moment Tyra walked in
with Oscar in her arms. “Oh, Hi Mum, I didn’t know you were coming
to visit.” She bent down to put Oscar on the floor so she could go
and give her mum a hug.

Annie stared at the young woman, there
was some resemblance to Tyra but her daughter had never looked
quite that good even in her twenties. Tyra had only ever had those
eyes of clear pale blue when she was a newborn. “Who are
you?”

Tyra hugged her mum laughing, “Oh Mum,
you always say the nicest things.”

Simon coughed and looked meaningfully
at Annie. “You know what we were talking about just
now...”

Annie went wide eyed and looked at her
daughter again, understanding gelled. “Oh my, you’re immortal!”,
then she hugged her daughter right back.

Later that day, after Annie had left,
Thex, Simon and Tyra meandered down to their playroom which Simon
had moved from the lounge down into their recently refurbished
basement. Simon had said it was time the ‘bordello’ got moved now
that it was no longer his business.

“
I still don’t know how you
and Mendal managed to get the ship moved before dawn came that
day.”

“
Ally, the local
electrician was a big help, she and Upal worked on the wiring while
Mendal, George and I readied the rest of the ship. George and
Mendal make a fearsome engineering team. Anyway we managed to get
enough of the ships systems back up and we parked her at the bottom
of the deepest lake around here, Lake Shannon. We used a
transporter, which is now parked in the other bay of the volunteer
fire station, to get back here before dawn. There were a few out of
town reports of sightings of a Southern Lights aurora but it was
all put down to the meteorite strike that the football club claim
hit their grounds in the middle of the night. The insurance company
is taking a while paying up on that one but it should come
through.”

Tyra positively cackled with glee.
“And Ally’s tower?”

“
Oh well that’s classified
as an historic monument, she’s getting a government grant to get
the stonework refurbished.”

Tyra shook her head, it was always a
mystery to her how taxpayers dollars got spent. “We can’t get money
for the youth club but we can get a disused church fixed? I’m happy
for Ally though. What about Steven, has anyone seen
him?”

Simon began removing his clothes,
watching Tyra like a predator about to get a meal. “We think that
once he lost his guardian demon, so to speak, he high-tailed it out
of the area. No one’s seen him and the Major should pick him up on
his psychic radar if he comes near the town again.”

Thex followed Simon’s lead and shed
his clothes and began walking towards Tyra edging her backwards
towards the whipping frame.

Tyra looked around nervously when she
noticed where they were heading her. “Now...what are you guys up
to?”

Thex began undressing her then gently
planted soft kisses down her torso, distracting her while Simon
cuffed her to the frame. He rose back up to his full height, a
vision of some ancient god, leaning in he took her mouth
prisoner.

Simon stepped up behind her and
whispered in her ear. “Annie told us why she came today. Apparently
it’s someone’s birthday. We thought we’d take you out to dinner at
the pub to celebrate but then we had second thoughts. We thought
we’d eat in instead.”

Tyra gulped, she’d get revenge back on
her mother later for dobbing her in. “Um, what’s on the menu guys?”
As if she didn’t already know.

In answer Simon kneeled and nuzzled
between her legs, his tongue seeking her inner warmth. Thex’s
incisors lengthened as his mind found the right image to create
them. He nudged Tyra’s neck as if asking for permission. “I want
your essence too Tyra, I want part of you to be part of me. We both
love you, we accept you, we are one.”

Tyra let go of her boundaries and
surrendered, inwardly smiling deeply, “Yes
please...Sirs!”

They manifested inside a small
mountain cave. Simon lit some candles he’d left on previous visits.
 The light revealed the staggering beauty of the crystal lined
cave.

“
Silwa and his people blocked off the entrance millennia ago
to keep out the curious and to hide it from the Din.” Simon
motioned to the ceiling, made up of crystals of clearest quartz.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it? Can you feel it? They each hold a piece
of high-level consciousness that has protected Arion and kept him
company all these years. I seeded it with the necessary particles
long ago in the hope they would flourish here and help to heal him.
 They have grown beautifully.”

Thex smiled at his lover’s care of his
friend. “You sound like a gardener.”

Simon liked that idea,
“indeed!”

Thex walked over to the contorted
crystal that graced the back of the cavern. He leaned forward to
touch his forehead to the cool stone. Seeking with his mind he
tried to find Arion’s essence but couldn’t. He turned with anguish
back to Simon.  “Are you sure this is him?” he asked with a
rare tear threatening to travel down the side of his
face.

Simon sighed heavily. “It has been
difficult to reach him. He’s contracted so far inside himself.
 That is why I grew the crystals here, in the hope of giving
his soul comfort. Silwa comes here often but he has many duties in
the area that keep him away.  Arion hasn’t had the same
ongoing companionship as you’ve had from me and your human
guardians. Unfortunately there is another of your team, Kiana, who
is even more isolated.” He walked over to Thex’s side. “Let’s try
together to touch Arion’s mind.”

Thex worried at the suffering of the
rest of the seven but let it go for later.  He and Simon
rested their heads against the crystal and sought contact, first
with each other, then using their combined mind they reached out
into the centre of the crystal. And there it was! Just a spark of
mind but it was there. “Arion!” Thex just about yelled with his
mind, “are you still in there my friend?”

“
Thex”
 
the mind’s response was at first weak but interest and
yearning awoke in it. “
Are you really
here
?”

Relief flooded Thex’s mind and into
their three-way mind link. “You bet old friend.  Simon is with
me too.  Simon and my other mate Tyra got me out.  Simon
seems to think it won’t be long and you’ll be out too.”

“
You mated SIMON? Somehow I can’t imagine you being his sub.
Who’s Tyra
?” There was a tone of jealousy
in the question.

“
Tyra’s the lovely human who came to my rescue.  She and
Simon started to get me out when they were attacked by the Din.
Simon was badly injured but a now good friend turned up and dealt
with the Din.  Tyra called Simon’s mum, together they finished
freeing me and then Ma healed Simon who’d been gravely wounded in
the attack.” Thex relayed pictures of the events to Arion’s mind.
“Oh, and it's Tyra who plays Simon’s games, not me.  Simon and
I have made our own arrangements, usually involving Tyra, who’s
immortal now by-the-way.”

Arion was fascinated for
the first time in longer than he wanted to remember, jealous but
fascinated. Simon had been but a boy at the time of the great
defeat but he had gotten to know him through his visits to his
prison over the years. He didn’t dislike the bloke, in fact they
had formed a tangible friendship over the years, but he would never
have imagined Thex and Simon as mates. There was tinge of sadness
in his heart. “
So what you are saying is
that you’ve moved on
.”