True Traitor (First Wave Book 7) (22 page)

True was impressed.

“You can ride them?”

Leif laughed and changed to another stone path.

“You’re not supposed to. I didn’t say anything about not getting my ass beat for it when I got caught, but I wasn’t caught very often either,” he said with pride.

True giggled picturing him as an adorable little boy riding a wooly mammoth like a Jurassic Mowgli. Then she imagined that same adorable boy with Leif’s duckface and she burst into laughter.

“What?” Leif asked, unsure what he’d said that made her laugh so hard.

True wiped the excess moisture from her eyes and admitted, “I was picturing you as a Jurassic Mowgli in my mind . . . with that duck face!” She burst into laughter again and Leif couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“Ok, yeah, that would be funny. But, I don’t think I had duck face going on at the time. I probably looked constipated, those damn things are hard on your ass!” he said, liking that he could laugh at himself around her without feeling like a fool. He’d done enough of that around her already.

True giggled again and asked, “Are they really that hard?”

Leif nodded. “They’re uncomfortable as hell. The only reason Tara and I kept doing it was because we weren’t supposed to and the mammoths let us,” he said.

True looked at him in surprise. “They let you?”

Leif nodded and grinned at her.

“They would lower their trunks for us, then help lift us to their backs. They still do it to Tara and me sometimes when we pass the ones we used to ride. I haven’t done it since we were teenagers though,” he said, wondering if True was thinking of trying it.

True sighed. “That’s amazing. I’d love to try it sometime, when I’m not so intimidated by their size. Those things are freaking huge,” she said honestly.

Leif chuckled and squeezed her hand.

“I wouldn’t let them hurt you. Besides, since the moment we came here, none of the animals have ever harmed anyone. But . . . they might make an exception for you,” he said teasingly.

True lightly smacked him on his arm, not wanting to hurt his healing wounds.

“Keep it up and the moment you’re better, I’ll even out your man-scaping,” she threatened, chuckling as Leif sucked in a sharp breath.

They reached a gazebo by the lake and seeing Leif’s paler complexion, she pulled him towards it and pushed him down onto the seat inside before sitting next to him. His lung was obviously still healing and she didn’t want him to push it too much.

“How is your lung? Are you breathing OK?” she asked with concern.

Leif nodded. “I’m fine. Why would you think my lung was damaged?” he asked, curious if someone told her what had happened to them.

“I’ve seen that kind of wound before. Many times actually. That’s the telltale bruising of a collapsed lung after an hour or so with medibands and treatment,” she said with a small smile at him.

Leif looked at her in surprise. He had known after it happened that it was punctured, but he was surprised she’d seen it before. He felt so sheltered having grown up here, while she and her family had been out in the world fighting for their people.

“I hope you have no firsthand experience,” he said, hoping that she didn’t.

True shook her head and looked out at the crystal blue lake. “No, not me. I’ve been pretty lucky. But, I also had my father, sister and brother giving me easy missions. When Grai came, he let me finally become a team leader and prove myself. Then you kidnapped me and ruined it all,” she said with a smile as she gently bumped against him.

“For a life story, that’s kind of brief. And pitiful. Did you ever do anything fun?” he asked, wondering if it was all work for her.

True laughed.

“Every chance we got. In between training, we’d escape and explore. One time, me and a few of the other girls were able to sneak into a theme park. I have to say it was a lot of fun, but I really didn’t get the big deal about it. Nobody else did either. Sarex said it was because we weren’t getting the adrenaline rush like the humans were,” True admitted with a shy smile.

Leif wasn’t sure he understood. “Why didn’t you get an adrenaline rush? Didn’t you go on the rides?” he asked curiously.

True snorted. “We rode everything. Many times. It just wasn’t scary or even that thrilling. I guess when you’ve fought a couple of Relians in hand to hand combat, going 60 miles per hour on a little car suspended above the ground just doesn’t seem so exciting,” True said with a cheeky smile.

Leif shook his head, unsure if he was jealous, proud or frightened for her. He settled on all three. “Here we’ve been, pissed off and angry that we haven’t been able to get in the fight. I hope like hell that changes with an Alliance. I don’t think my people can put up with much more of it. Even those that don’t want to fight, have family or friends who do and they’d like to support them. Besides, I’d like to be on your team,” he said, gently pushing into her teasingly.

True was surprised by that and disappointed at the same time. “Yeah, Grai doesn’t let family be on the same team together. It’s far too much of a distraction for both of them and puts the team in danger,” she said. Even though she knew it was a good policy, she wanted to work with Leif too.

Leif stood and held out his hand for her, hiding his grin when she took it and stood. He led them back to the house as he thought about what she’d said.

“Well,” he said, “maybe we could stay here and be a part of the new team to excavate and learn about this place.” 

True looked genuinely surprised.

“Do you really think they’re going to set up a team for that?” she asked, wondering if she would like being a part of it.
Hell yeah
, she thought without hesitation.

Leif opened the back door to the house for her and chuckled. “Nana has been waiting for an excuse to get a team going. She already has some of our people picked for it. She’ll get Grai’s input on which of your people want to join, but I have no doubt we could get on. I have connections,” he said with a grin and waggle of his eyebrows as she walked in the house.

True chuckled. “Yeah, you do. What would we do though? It’s not like we have any archeological experience. I don’t think ‘fan of the fluffy haired guy’ qualifies us to do much of anything,” she said with a half-smile as she collapsed onto a large and comfortable couch.

Leif heard her sigh in pleasure and he gingerly sat beside her and sunk into the comfortable and relaxing couch with a sigh of his own.

“Oh, this is heavenly,” True said as she leaned back and relaxed into the cushions.

Leif couldn’t agree more. He’d forgotten how big and comfortable this couch was and how many times he’d fallen asleep on it. Exhaustion began to overtake him as he put an arm around True and she leaned against his uninjured side. Within moments they were both sound asleep.

*****

Pfc. Mikey Davis finally got a cell phone signal and couldn’t believe his luck. Still an hour from the base, he called one of his buddies to see what, if anything the news was saying about the incident.

Mikey was stunned to learn that there had been no mention of any landslide on any of the national news networks. He had just heard an update on one of the local radio stations and knew that it was being reported somewhere and was surprised that the national affiliate hadn’t picked up the story.

That eerie sense that something was wrong, tingled up his spine, sending the tiny hairs on his neck rising. Whatever the hell was going on, it damn sure wasn’t just a landslide and that ship he’d seen in the sky near the mountain had something to do with it. He knew it. He could feel it. This time he was going to figure out where the ships were coming from and what they were.

Whatever was going on, they couldn’t keep the area closed forever without it getting national attention. He’d head to the base, ask around if anyone was responding to the incident and wait until the next day to try and go back to the area. He had three weeks and Mikey couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.

Chapter Twenty

Countdown Clock to Human Discovery

5:00 Hours

This is a WFWZ Radio News update. Cleanup has begun on I-70 to remove the debris blocking the road from the landslide that occurred overnight. We have no estimates on how long it’ll take and we’ve been unable to reach the Transportation Department for an interview.

We were able to speak with Sheriff Joe Scarborough and he assured us that crews are on the scene and working diligently to clear the roads and scientists are also on the scene studying the area for stability.

We’ll be back with more information as soon as it’s available.

Mikal stepped aside and allowed Thjodhild to see her mate, staying close to her side. Thjodhild raised her hand to her throat and gasped at the wild look in Fiorn’s eye. She took a step towards him and was shocked when he rushed the bars of the cage and tried to grab her through the bars.

Mikal pulled her back, just as the bars sparked in a golden shower that forced Fiorn back into the center of the cage. Thjodhild breathed heavily as she stared at his bloodshot eye and his heaving chest.

“What has happened to you, my love?” she whispered quietly, afraid to get closer and upset him again.

“The truth! I need the truth!” Fiorn roared, his voice causing the golden energy around the cage to vibrate erratically.

“What do you mean, Fiorn? What truth?” she asked, taking another tentative step towards.

Fiorn looked wildly at her for a moment before turning towards the door. “He comes! He wants the truth! I need to give him the truth!” Fiorn said before he grabbed hold of the bars.

The golden energy ricocheted around the cage like a Tesla experiment, golden sparks raining down on Fiorn as he grabbed the bars and shook the cage. Mikal pulled Thjodhild away from the cage just as Fiorn reached through the bars towards her.

Grai heard Tricia’s scream through the Shengari’ at the same time that Thjodhild turned her head towards the door.

“Someone is coming . . . they broke through the portal,” she said a little nervously.

“Who?” Darina asked nervously, wondering who could get past the guards.

Grai ran to the door as it opened and he stood face to face with his son and Gibly.

“What are you doing here? Your mother is worried sick!” Grai said to the golden warrior in his most fatherly tone.

Tristan folded his wings behind his back as he hugged his father to him.

“I had to come. Lara cannot fix him,” he said as he stepped back and walked towards the cage where Fiorn was nearly foaming at the mouth as the golden energy that Lara had erected around the cage bounced around him.

“Tristan! Get back! He’s dangerous!” Grai shouted as he ran to block his son from the crazed Fiorn.

Tristan looked into his father’s eyes and smiled. “I love you, Father. More than I have ever been able to express, but you must let me help him. It is partly my fault he is like this,” Tristan said, sending enough energy to his father to make him let go.

Grai let go of his son, just as Thjodhild turned to the Warrior/Child.

“What do you mean you are at fault?” she asked, her voice quavering.

Tristan turned sad eyes to Thjodhild. “I didn’t know that he’d integrated himself into the energy here. When I told him it was time for the truth, it triggered something the energy had placed in his mind. Right now, both energies are competing in his mind. He has lost all sense of reality. If we don’t help him soon, it will destroy his mind and we will not be able to save him,” Tristan said, his heart aching for Thjodhild and Fiorn.

Thjodhild shook her head. “Wait, how did he integrate himself with the energy? He’s rarely been here since it was discovered,” she said, not understanding what was going on and worried about whether the Chimera had done this to her mate.

Tristan smiled patiently. “The colors, the auroras you see, are energy strands, portals from and to other realms. Some of those realms, I command. Others I do not and I am unfamiliar with them. It is one of those strands that forced a bond with Fiorn, if he hadn’t, Fiorn would have never been allowed to discover this place,” Tristan said, trying to help her understand what happened to her mate.

Thjodhild shook her head. “I don’t understand, if this strange energy had bonded with Fiorn so long ago, why is it doing this to him now?”

Tristan sighed.

“Lady Warrior, it is I who triggered this when I asked him to face the truth and sent him energy. Whatever the energy here bonded into his brain had to do with the truth and it triggered the problem,” Tristan explained, feeling the conflict of Fiorn’s energy from this distance.

Thjodhild still wasn’t sure what it all meant or why the aurora energy would bond with Fiorn, but she grabbed onto the hope that the chimera child could save him. She took a hesitant step towards the warrior, her steps increasing in confidence until she stood before him and took one of Tristan’s hands in her own.

“Please, help him if you can,” she said quietly.

Tristan nodded.

“It is why my brother called me here,” he said turning to smile at Mikal before he walked to his brother and pulled him into a strong hug.

There were few dry eyes as they watched the two brothers interact for the first time. Mikal leaned back and looked Tristan up and down with a big grin on his face.

“Little brother, I always knew you were special . . . but wings? Come on! How can we compete with wings?” Mikal said teasingly, the tears in his eyes betraying his pride and love for his baby brother.

Tristan chuckled and pulled his brother’s head towards his own until their foreheads touched.

“If it were a competition, I would never win against honor and courage such as yours, my brother. I am very glad you called for me,” Tristan said hoarsely, his love for his brother emanating from his energy.

The unusual brothers held each other for a moment before Tristan kissed Mikal’s forehead and turned towards Fiorn. He held his hands out in front of him, palms up and ignored the gasps behind him as a golden net of energy sprang from his hands and enveloped Fiorn, in the cage.

The moment the net touched him, Fiorn immediately calmed and the wildness left his eye. Fiorn held his arms out, the net of energy remaining around him and he looked at everyone curiously.

“What’s going on? Why am I here,” Fiorn asked warily, seeing the tears in Thjodhild’s eyes.

Tristan stepped forward and smiled kindly at the confused warrior. “Sir, there was an energy when you found this place, that is conflicting with the energy in your mind and causing bouts of . . . insanity and rage. In order to help you, I need to know everything you remember about discovering this place,” Tristan said calmly.

Fiorn shook his head and looked at Thjodhild, not understanding why his beast was silent and he couldn’t use the Shengari’ to speak to his mate privately. Giving up he spoke aloud.

“My flower, what is going on?” he asked quietly, moving to stand close to the bars.

Thjodhild ran to the cage and clasped his hands in her own as she looked at him. “Please, my love, please, just tell them what happened so they can help you,” she begged, the tears sliding unchecked down her face.

Fiorn looked confused and he tried to comfort his mate as he looked at the others trying to remember who they were. “I don’t understand what’s going on . . .” Fiorn began but Thjodhild cut him off.

“Fiorn, listen to me, you are very sick. You have to tell us what you remember,” she said, squeezing his hands tightly, hoping he’d realize the urgency.

Fiorn shook his head to try and clear it. He knew something was wrong, he could feel it, but he wasn’t sure what had happened that led to him being in a cage at Beta Base. The last he remembered, he was at the folly.

Whatever had happened must have been truly terrible for his mate to be this upset. If he was in a cage . . . Fiorn couldn’t finish the thought, but he had to know.

“What have I done?” he asked on a choked whisper. His heart sunk when no one answered and Thjodhild looked away from him.

“Oh Gods, what did I do?” he asked hoarsely as he slid down the bars to the floor.

Tristan kneeled down in front of Fiorn and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You did nothing. The conflicting energy in your mind caused you to act irrationally. It is nothing that cannot be fixed, but you need to tell me what happened when you arrived here,” he asked, trying to sift Fiorn’s energy.

Fiorn shook his head, willing to cooperate if it would make his mate stop crying and fearing for him.

“We’d gone too far, I pushed too hard, the only thing keeping us alive was our beasts at that point. I saw the auroras and followed them here,” he said, trying to remember what happened next.

“Tell them how you got into the canyon,” Thjodhild said encouragingly.

Fiorn shook his head slightly, trying hard to find the memories in his foggy mind. “I . . . heard a voice. I thought I was hallucinating. When it asked if I would be a guardian of the truth . . . I remember agreeing. None of us remember anything after that. We awakened by the lake on the canyon floor,” he said, looking at Thjodhild as she smiled at him.

Tristan smiled at Fiorn, understanding what happened. “You have a truth you’ve been hiding. One you needed to speak of, when I touched you earlier and asked you to reveal that truth, the energy in your mind believed that I was asking for the truth that you are protecting here and rebelled. In an attempt to protect itself, the energy began to take over your mind, making you want to get the truth and protect it from discovery,” Tristan explained, figuring out how to correct the problem as he spoke.

Fiorn nodded, keeping his eyes averted from the others.

“I know the truth you speak of, but I don’t understand what I am protecting here,” he admitted.

Tristan nodded.

“I know. We will deal with that in a moment. Both must be revealed in order to correct the energy in your mind. I will help you with the one and Lara with the other. It is time, Warrior, a mistake should never be taken this far or cause so much harm,” he said with a small smile of encouragement.

Fiorn nodded and kept his head bowed, his shame not allowing him to look up. “It was my fault that Granala Skardard, Grai’s mother was taken from Valendra,” Fiorn said to the shock of everyone.

Before anyone could say anything, Fiorn continued.

“I had grown arrogant in my belief that no one would dare attempt such a thing while I was in charge of the protection of our planet. When I heard that she’d gone missing, every instinct I had screamed at me that she’d been taken and had not gone lost in the mountains,” he said shaking his head in disgust before he spoke again.

“It had been early enough since she’d gone missing, that if I had followed those instincts, I probably could have saved her. Brought her back home. But, my pride . . ., I would have had to admit that I had been arrogant and stupid . . .” he said sadly.

Ivint erupted in fury. “You let them have her to save your pride? You let those animals torture her to save your reputation?”

Grai put his arm on Ivint’s shoulder and shook his head.

“What does it matter now? What does any of it matter? It is the burden of my brothers and I to forgive and we do,” Grai said, turning sad eyes to Fiorn.

“How the hell can you do that?” Reven wondered, wanting to tear Fiorn apart himself.

Grai chuckled.

“How should we quantify this then? If he hadn’t done what he did, I and my brothers wouldn’t be here. Would you even be here? If he hadn’t ended up on that outpost, none of your people may have survived. You could be extinct right now along with me. So how do we quantify something that led us all here?” he asked, unwilling to argue with fate and her fucked up ways.

Ivint looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

“The things your mother endured — Ivint began before Grai interrupted him.

“Would not be avenged by taking it out on Fiorn. My mother was the strongest and bravest person I have ever known. She had many opportunities to end her own life, and instead she chose to remain strong and raise my brothers and me with love. I would never have become the person I am without her,” Grai said before looking kindly at Fiorn.

“Nor would I be here at all if Fiorn had done anything differently. I and my brothers found happiness and forged friendships that we cherish, I don’t believe for a second that my mother would have changed anything if she knew what the outcome would be for her children and grandchildren,” Grai said, hoping to make them understand why he felt no animosity for Fiorn.

Reven shook his head.

“How can you forgive this?”

Grai chuckled.

“How can I not? I am just as selfish for being grateful that he did make a mistake or I wouldn’t be here to enjoy the happiness and love that I have found. Even saying that is just as bad as what you perceive he has done wrong. And my mother would never want him to be put through this. She was kind, loving and forgiving. Do not use her as an excuse to vent your own frustration,” Grai said honestly.

Fiorn almost choked on his emotions. He’d never thought to be forgiven by the mutant. His hatred for Grai had only been a reflection of the hatred he felt for himself for failing Grai’s mother and his people.