WeresDigest (9 page)

Chapter
Two

Vek watched the man toss in his delirium. Three days
he and Letha had nursed him, mostly her. But he knew she had to find out, and
he couldn’t blame her. Were he in her shoes and this had been Shaja coming back
for him, he knew he’d have to figure out where his heart lay also. He would
partially feel on pins and needles until the man woke up fully and told them
why he’d come here, why he chose to turn their worlds upside down. What had
driven his ex-lover’s husband from the large were-metropolis of Strank to come
here to the smaller city of Auck, where only were outcasts and others lived?

“Letha…” the man mumbled then quieted.

Vek glanced at him closely. He mopped the man’s brows
and then noticed the change, felt it with his inner senses. His human side was
becoming aware of his surroundings. Vek pulled back as he heard a soft growl.
The man jerked upwards into a sitting position and Vek found himself staring
into a set of rare amber-gold eyes. He blinked and stared at Vek.

“You look…different.”

Those were not the words he’d expected from the
light-brown haired man. Almost as tall as himself and though athletically
built, Zi-Den was thinner due to his feverish state.

Vek adjusted himself on the edge of the seat near the
cot upon which the other man sat upright. “Glad you are out of your delirium.
Doctor Troth said you might just jump out of it.”

Vek started to touch the man but jerked his hand back
when he growled at Vek. He grinned at the feral look on the man’s bewildered
face. Zi-Den was still trying to come to terms with his whereabouts. He tried
to move but Vek was quicker and stopped him.

“Where am I?”

Vek moved back away from him once he realized the
other male intended to stay put. “In Auck. We’ve been nursing you back to
health the last few days.”

“We?” he countered then glanced around the unlocked
cell. “How did I get here?”

“A Trail-Master brought you to town. You’re lucky he
did. Our town doctor told us you had a fever from your journey. You’ve been
pretty delirious but between the medicine he gave you regularly and the sleep,
you seem to have recovered. Why have you come here?”

“I’d like to know that myself, Zi-Den.”

Both glanced towards the cell’s open entrance. Letha
stood tall there, dressed in a pair of dark green trousers, flannel shirt, and
pull on boots. She leaned her right shoulder against the cell’s door
scrutinizing both men. Vek tried not to grin at the absurdity of the situation.
She gave him a frown then slowly moved into the room, keeping a few feet away
from the cot and both men.

“You’ve gotten more…you look well, Letha.” The
recovering patient mumbled then glanced back to Vek. “Thank you…both for
looking after me. You haven’t forgotten me, I see.” He took a deep breath,
stole a glance at Letha, then looked back up at Vek. “It is you I’ve come for
though.”

Both he and Letha let out a small gasp of surprise but
she put her hands on her hips and formed the next question both wanted to know
from him the answer to. “What do you mean it is because of Vek?”

He licked his lips and from a nearby table Vek handed
the man a cup of water. He mumbled a thank you and sipped the water quickly,
then coughed. Controlling himself, he didn’t argue when Vek took the cup from
him.

“Slowly next time. You haven’t drunk a lot since
you’ve been here.” Vek refilled it for him from a pitcher that lay upon the
table. He handed the half-filled cup back to the man, who this time sipped more
slowly.

“Thanks.” Zi-Den sighed and swayed. Vek quickly caught
him and eased him down onto the cot.

“Let him rest a bit more, Letha, we’ll find out soon
enough.”

She nodded and he saw that it surprised Zi-Den. “She’s
been through some turmoil seeing you here. Now you should rest some more. We
can talk after you’ve gathered some real strength.”

The man nodded, his eyes drooping. “Yeah, soon enough.
The Trail-Master…worked for me…tell him thanks…”

When he was assured the newcomer had fallen back
asleep, Vek ventured into the outer office, knowing that Letha waited for him
there. He wasn’t wrong. This time she half sat on the desk, her arms folded
within each other, her head cocked to one side.

“He said he came back for you. Why do you suppose
that, Vek? Do you think it has to do with Shaja?”

“I don’t know, Letha. We’ll just have to wait and find
out.”

“Yeah,” she said listlessly with a touch of
frustration in her deep voice. “Guess we’ll have to do just that.”

Vek knew that’s all they could do. Wait until the man
recovered himself, but like Letha, he was damn curious as to why her ex-husband
had come for him and not her. He knew the Trail-Master Hajin was still around.
He’d have to go to the local bar and find out more. By that look in her face,
he knew she’d thought the same and would go with him once the doctor came by,
as he’d mentioned he would some time tonight to check up on the patient. When
Doctor Troth finally did show up, the two of them had him keep an eye on Zi-Den
while they went to the place they knew Hajin would be at.

* * * *

He slept more soundly that night, he knew, than others
in this border town, in this cell. He dreamt of what had once been and knew
would never be again, as far as he felt or could tell from seeing her lovely
face once more. He’d wronged her and didn’t believe he’d ever be able to get
her to forgive him. He just wished he could. Wished he could hold her again.
For even though he hadn’t been away long, the old feelings crept out, the old
desires simmered beneath his tormented consciousness. He’d loved her so long
ago. Before he let others tear them apart; before he’d caved in to their
societies strictures and allowed her to be taken out of his life. He still
hadn’t forgiven himself for what he’d done, but there had been someone there to
help him through it. A kindred soul, who also went through a similar
experience.

Shaja, Vek’s ex-love. The mother of his child, ihs
stepson,  asickly boy of near eight summers, would die if he didn’t bring Vek
back. How odd and maddening was that? Was life? It came back to haunt you and
kick your ass in. His former love was now his wife’s ex-lover’s current flame.
Zi-Den had smelled her essence on the man. There lay no doubt in his mind that
the two were lovers.

If only he’d had the courage to face his parents and
the strict formal rules of a were-society…He recalled her lovely young face
glancing up at him during their secret betrothal, their quiet wedding and her
face had been filled with such happiness. As his had been for her. She filled
his heart, mind, and body with something only she could…a completeness of the
soul and more. They were mates, meant for each other. So it had seemed.

Things were different now and his mate, the mother of
his son, in most facts, needed him. She knew why he came here, knew it would be
hard for them both. Shaja couldn’t leave Thane to make the journey across the
Between-lands and leave her son alone in his sick-bed. Nor was he in a position
to travel, the doctors—the damn specialists—had said. Zi-Den had no choice but
to find and bring Vek back to Strank. He’d looked for the man for years, to
tell him he’d had a son, but it wasn’t until recently that they’d learned his
where-a-bouts. He’d sent trackers to search for both of them over the years. To
search the Between-lands and other regions of his world. No luck until one
Trail-Master had found traces of them in a border town called Auck,  a small
city on the far edges of the Between-lands. Lands that lay unclaimed by most of
the Were-countries of the planet Dantra.

Mostly scavengers and outlaws roamed the untamed lands
as well as tribal folk. If one knew the way around them they made a small
fortune as guides; or if they knew them well, as a Trail-Master, like Hajin,
the one he’d hired to take him to Auck. He’d paid the man well and was glad the
were-tracker wasn’t underhanded. Zi-Den had fell into a bog, one that was
filled with vile bacteria which had caused his fever, so he was glad the man
had taken him the last few miles to Auck.

He hadn’t recalled much during those last few miles,
just bits of blurry images until he’d heard their voices some time ago. He
figured that was a few days hence. He felt a touch on his arm, a slight
shaking. Blinking open his eyes, he saw an elderly male dressed in a dark gray
suit looking down at him in concern.

“I’m Doctor Troth. You gave us all quite a scare,
young man. That fever you had was caused by bacteria from the bog the
Trail-Master told us you fell into. But you took well to the serum I gave you.
You’ll be good in no time. Just lots of rest and good nourishment will be best
for you.”

“Thanks, doc. I appreciate what you did.”

He shrugged but smiled. “Just what would make a big
city were like yourself come to Auck?”

Zi-Den slowly sat up with the doctor’s help. “It’s
complicated.”

“I have a few hours before the sheriffs come back.”

He glanced quizzically at the man. “You mean Vek and
Letha?”

He nodded. “Guess you do know them then. Word gets
around fast in this small town. Yeah, they are the border sheriffs around here.
So, you going to enlighten an old doctor? I’ve heard many things, so don’t
think you’ll be surprising me, boy.”

Zi-Den grinned. He liked the amicable man. “Don’t be
so sure, doctor.”

The older man chuckled and said, “Try me.”

For some reason, he trusted the older were-being. And
Zi needed to vent to someone sympathetic, so he did so…

* * * *

Hajin was a tall were-person, a shifter about five
years older than himself, Vek thought. Black shaggy hair, slightly trimmed and
though temperamental at times, a good person and trustworthy; which is why the
man had a good reputation. He got the job done quite well, for whatever he was
hired for. He and Letha sat across from the man drinking a cup of wolf-ale.

“So you going to tell us what brought him here?”

He glanced around before he answered Vek’s question.
“He paid me a lot to look for Letha over the last few years. Not until I saw
you both here last year did it occur to me she was who he’d originally looked
for. And you. Never told me why, just that it was important. Life-threatening
he said. A child’s life depended on finding you, Vek. That’s all I know. Now
you going to let me finish enjoying my ale or what?”

Vek turned to Letha, who nodded at him. They’d spoke
mentally just moments ago. Then he turned back to Hajin. “Yeah, but make
yourself available to us. We might be taking a trip back to Strank.”

Letha pulled her hand out of her pocket, her fist
closed as she slid it over to Hajin. “This should cover your upfront fee. Keep
yourself available. That clear?”

Vek grinned as he saw the slight hesitation on the
Trail-Master’s face, but knew the man thought Letha’s request over quickly.
Letha had a reputation in this town and she lived up to it. People didn’t mess
with her.

“Yeah, but it’s gonna cost you.”

Letha chuckled. “I’ll pay it. Stick around town until
one of us calls for you.”

“Understood.” Hajin slid his hand over hers and took
the coins she passed to him. “Anything for you, Sheriff.”

She pulled her hand back firmly. “Good. We should head
back, Vek.”

The two arose together and left the tavern. Though
they were just in a minor, outskirt section of the town, it was their territory
for now, and they covered it well. The main Sheriff’s headquarters for Auck and
the Between-lands Patrol offices were on the other side of the small city.
Though Auck was spread out and not a shanty town, it was only a third the size
of the metropolis of Strank, where both of them had lived before.

Glancing at her, snuggled down in a lightweight
jacket, Vek knew she had a lot on her mind.

He didn’t speak to her orally but through their minds.
“You’re coming with me.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Again, she
didn’t look at him but nodded.

“We’ll have to have our positions covered then.”

“Yeah, ahead of you on that.”

She was a quick thinker, quick to analyze and know
what needed to be done. “Then you contacted the Border Department already.
Major-Sheriff Braden?”

“Yeah.” This time she opened her mouth and glanced
over at him as they walked back to their local sheriff’s office. “He’ll be
sending some officers to cover our area while we’re gone.”

He stopped in the middle of the walkway near their
office. Not taking her hands out of her pockets, she did also when she realized
he stopped. Vek didn’t reach out to her but kept his eyes on her as she slowly
looked up at him. He knew then she’d figured out they would have some journey
to make.

“I’d hoped to burry it all, like you, Vek. Part of me
felt it might hit us, come back to haunt us. Our past that is. Perhaps it is
time we faced it, put it out of our miseries.”

“It won’t be smooth, Letha. The minute I saw him, I
sensed trouble was brewing. Are you sure you are ready to face it all, face
what he has to say?”