Chapter 24
Au'revele looked up when the door to Zahn’s room in the medical suite opened, and quickly rose to her feet.
He inclined his head in greeting. “I’ve come to see Zahn’s condition for myself, female.”
“Is anyone out there?” she called out, clearly calling for assistance while trying not to be so obvious.
Vor smiled to himself. He knew right away that the female was concerned that she didn’t know him and was worried for Zahn’s safety. “Zahn served under me as part of the Sirena’s guard until I resigned my position in order to follow my Ehlealah to her home planet.”
“You didn’t come with us from the ship, did you?” she asked.
“No, I did not. But many of us have arrived to assist Sire Zha Quin. I’ve volunteered to step into the position of Captain of our Sirena’s Guard until Zahn is recovered enough to resume his duties.”
“Did you call for assistance,” Au’revele?” a nurse asked, coming to stand right behind Vor.
“Yes, do you know this male?” Au’revele asked.
The nurse looked at him and shook her head. “Not personally, but I was advised that more that an entire battalion of warriors from Command Warship 1 has arrived. And the security outside allowed him entry.”
Au'revele nodded. “Thank you.”
The nurse smiled at her and walked away.
“I understand your mistrust. Here,” he said, taking his dagger out of its sheath and holding it out to her.
“I don’t…” she started to protest, but it was that exact moment that she noticed the Vor wore the same scars across his face that Zahn did. Vivian had told her that they’d received them wh en they tried to rescue her and she attacked them with the only weapon she could find, the very chain that kept her prisoner. “I don’t need that,” she said.
“Take it. If I do anything you don’t feel comfortable with, cut me.”
She tried to object again, but Vor simply waved her off and walked over to Zahn’s beside. He laid the dagger on Au’revele’s side of Zahn’s bed, then looked down at Zahn. “They surely caught him unaware. He was always one of our strongest and no doubt still is.”
“He wasn’t clothed properly; had no protective uniform on. He ran to assist when he heard me scream, and chased my attacker outside. He had no weapons in hand and still killed two of them. He injured more before he finally lost too much blood and lost consciousness.”
“Always take your weapon, Zahn,” he whispered to the male.
Vor reached out and touched Zahn’s hand. “I know you’re not able to hear me, but we’re here. All will be well. I will cover for you until you can resume your position, my friend.”
Zahn’s hand twitched.
Vor noticed it right away. “Do you hear me, Zahn?”
Somewhere deep inside Zahn must have heard him, because his hand closest to Au'revele started trying to find her arm.
Au'revele sat down again, and moved her arm closer to his searching hand. The moment he felt her arm he gripped it, locking her in place. “Zahn, do you remember…”
“Vor,” Vor said.
“Vor? Do you remember Vor?”
Zahn’s eyelids began to flutter as he fought to open them.
“They are keeping him sedated for the time being. He’s not fully healed and they want him to heal before he jumps up and tries to join the other warriors,” Au'revele explained.
Vor smiled. “It is a real concern with Zahn.”
Zahn continued trying to open his eyes until he could just barely squint at Au’revele .
“Your friend is here,” she said.
Vor walked around to Au'revele’s side of the bed and knelt down for Zahn to better see him. “What did you do this time?” Vor asked.
Zahn did his best to focus on Vor for several seconds before one corner of his mouth just barely pulled back in a not-quite-there smile.
“Do not worry, my friend. I am here. Many of us are here. We’re not leaving until this is all straightened out. I’m assuming your position until you are strong enough to do it yourself.”
Zahn closed his eyes for a long, long blink, then opened them again. He struggled, but managed to lift Au’revele’s hand into the air just a couple of inches above the bed. He looked directly into Vor’s eyes, though his own were bleary and just barely open.
Vor nodded and smiled at him. “I understand. She’s yours. She will be kept safe.”
Zahn closed his eyes and let go of Au'revele’s arm.
She pulled her arm back, and sat back in her chair.
Zahn opened his eyes again to see where she’d moved to.
“I’m not leaving. I’m staying here,” she said.
“I’m assigned to protect Sirena Vivian. But I’ll send two of our warriors to guard your door along with the guard already here,” Vor said.
Zahn looked directly into Vor’s gaze once more before he closed his eyes and fell into another sedated sleep.
“I feel it only right to tell you that we are not mated. I am not his female as of this moment,” Au'revele said.
“Are you to be his?” Vor asked.
“I believe so. If he still feels as he seems to now.”
“Did he say you’re his?” Vor asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you’re his. I belonged to my Ehlealah for months and months before she finally accepted me.”
“He didn’t seem to like me very much until a day or two before all this happened. ”
“He’s never wanted a mate. Seems like he found one anyway. You’re his. I will keep you safe.”
“Thank you,” Au'revele said.
“Will you do me a favor, please?”
“If I can,” she said.
“If his condition changes, let me know. I will be with the Sirena, but I would like to know his status.”
“I will.”
Vor turned to leave.
“Oh! Your dagger!”
“You keep it for now. I’ll feel better knowing you can protect yourself if you need to.”
~~~
Mirilla wandered around the captain’s quarters of the vessel she’d been able to board.
The sound of the hydraulic doors whooshing open had her spinning toward them.
“You have to relax, female. You have no chance of blending in if you do not learn to pretend that you are accustomed to traveling alone,” the captain said, shaking his head.
“I’m trying. I just know that I’m not supposed to be here. And I had to be smuggled onboard, which makes me even more nervous.”
“You’re as safe here as you’re going to be until you return home.”
“I may not be returning home. Depends on what I find.”
“What is it that you’re looking for?” the captain asked.
“My brother.”
“Does he wish to be found? If not, locating missing family can be challenging.”
“Hopefully it won’t be too challenging. My entire future depends on locating him.”
“Then for your sake, I hope you find him. ”
“As do I,” Mirilla said.
“Here, I borrowed these for you,” he said, tossing a few garments toward her.
“What’s this?” she asked, holding up the clothes she’d just caught.
“Suitable clothing. It should help to hide the fact that you’re a female. It’s not something you want to advertise on some of the ports you’re planning on searching.”
Mirilla nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
“An’ Der is a friend of mine. If you weren’t his granddaughter you wouldn’t even be here.”
“I’m not…” she started, but clamped her mouth shut when she realized if she told the captain that she wasn’t An’ Der’s granddaughter, he might have put her off the vessel. And she needed this vessel to allow her to accompany them for as long as she could.
“You’re not what?” the captain asked.
“I’m not going to do anything to attract attention to myself. I’ll try to blend in everywhere we go.”
“Good. I hope you’re successful.”
Mirilla nodded, thinking to herself how thankful she was that she’d not finished her sentence before thinking better of it.
“You’ve got several of hours before our first stop. We’ll be in port for about three hours. I suggest you visit the drinkeries and taverns. Describe your brother and see if anyone will admit to having seen him. Don’t offer any compensation unless you have reason to believe they actually have information. Maybe leave out a detail and if they happen to know it, you know they’ve seen him. Don’t accept anything to drink or eat, or even wash your hands in front of anyone for any reason. You could very easily be drugged and go missing yourself.”
Mirilla nodded.
“You may want to get some rest if you can. I’ll wake you one hour before we’re set to dock at the first stop.”
“Thank you for your kindness. ”
“This is business. But I don’t want to have to go tell your grandfather the next time I see him that you disappeared and are probably bought and paid for by now.”
The captain walked out of his quarters on his way to do whatever it was he does, and Mirilla sat uneasily on the foot of his bed. “What have I gotten myself into?” she wondered aloud.
~~~
“Mirilla, open the door, dear. I must speak with you,” Eula said. “I know that you are innocent. We simply have to wait out the process of investigation, but I have no doubt things are exactly as you’ve said.”
Eula gave Bart a bit of side eye, when there was no response, then knocked on the door again. “Mirilla, are you here?”
“You see? It’s just like both other times I’ve been here. She won’t answer at all, and there’s no sound coming from inside,” Bart said.
“Mirilla? If you don’t open the door, I’m going to have to have someone open it so that we can be sure you’re alright,” Eula called.
Eula and Bart allowed a few more moments, but when no answer came, Eula tried once more. “Mirilla, I order you to open the door.”
Still, silence was their only response.
“Very well,” Eula said. She looked over her shoulder at one of the four guards following them around. “Please find the circuitry engineer and have him program a new passkey for me. I’m aware it will take a short while. I want one for myself, it will open every door in this palace. In addition, contact the Steward and have him send his metalsmith. I want him to remove this door as soon as possible. Momentarily, even.”
“Yes, Sovereigna,” the warrior answered, and rushed off to do her bidding .
“Do I meet you back here?” Bart asked.
Eula smiled. “No. We wait. The metalsmith will arrive before we even get tired of standing here.”
Sure enough, less than five minutes had passed before a very brusque, very large, and very sooty male rounded the corner of the hallway with his toolbox in hand and a canvas bag tossed over his shoulder.
“Ah, Ee’ Venn, thank you for coming so quickly,” Eula said.
“It is an honor to be of service, Sovereigna. What is it that I may do for you?”
“I would like this door removed from its hinges.”
“At once, Sovereigna.”
Eula and Bart watched as the large male unpacked some of his tools, a cannister of some type of gas, connected it all and knelt before the door. He lowered goggles over his eyes and aimed the nozzle at the metal hinges on the doors. “You should look away, Sovereigna, else you’ll burn your eyes.”
Both Eula and Bart hurriedly turned their backs to the male as he got to work.
In a matter of seconds the metal had melted and was beginning to drip to the stone floor. Another few seconds and Ee’ Venn turned a gauge control to top the supply of gas to his nozzle, extinguishing the blue-white, laser looking streak of hotness that had effectively melted all hinges on the door. He grasped the heavy door and leaned it against the wall before telling Eula she could face the door again.
“You may turn around, Sovereigna,” Ee’ Venn said.
When Eula and Bart turned back to him, Ee’ Venn was already standing and disassembling his tools to repack them and the door neatly leaned against the wall to the right of the opening it once filled.
“Be careful, Sovereigna. Do not make contact with the molten metal on the floor. I will clean it up and take it with me when I go.”
“Thank you so much, Ee’ Venn. I appreciate your attentiveness when I call for you. Please give my thanks to your Steward as well for sparing you for my request,” Eula said .
Ee’ Venn’s brows wrinkled a little as he regarded her. “He did not send me. I took it upon myself when I was told you needed my assistance.”
“Oh, well thank you so much. And if he gives you any trouble for leaving your foundry, please tell him that he should speak with me as it was me that called for you.”
“He’s not there, Sovereigna. It won’t be a problem.” Ee’ Venn knelt on the floor and began scraping the semi-cooled metal off the floor and into a leather pouch.
“Where is he?” Bart asked.
Ee’ Venn looked up at Bart from where he knelt on the floor, and on seeing that the Sovereigna, too, was waiting for an answer, he decided to answer. “He has not returned.”
“From where?” Eula asked.
“He has not been seen since the night the new Sire was attacked.”
“Oh,” Eula said. “Does anyone know where he is?”
Ee’ Venn shrugged. “Some are out hunting those responsible. Perhaps he is with them.”
“Those hunting, or those being hunted?” Bart asked.
“Could be either,” Ee’ Venn answered as he took out what looked like an iron bristled brush and completely cleaned the floor before he stood, tucked his brush back into his tool box, slammed his arm over his chest in a pledge of loyalty to Sovereigna Eula, then walked away as quickly as he arrived.
“The Steward is missing?” Bart asked.
“We are aware that there are a number of warriors unaccounted for. It’s as Ee’ Venn said, they could be in either role, hunted or hunting. I’m sure that they will all be identified and tracked and taken to task if necessary now that Quin’s warriors have arrived to work with those we trust implicitly from our own warriors.”
Eula took a step into Mirilla’s room and paused just on the other side of where the door had been.
Bart walked past her and into Mirilla’s room, his eyes sweeping every surface he saw. He walked over to the one door in the room, and upon opening it saw that it was a cleansing chamber. “She’s not here. There is no wonder that her room has been so silent with no answer at all to my pleading. She’s gone.”
Eula walked over to Mirilla’s bed and picked up the key and the band Mirilla had left lying on her discarded uniform. “I don’t think she plans on returning,” Eula said, thoughtfully.
“Why not?” Bart asked, going over to see what Eula had found.
“She left her passkey, her uniform, and this,” Eula said, holding up the band.
“Is that a credit band?” Bart asked.
“Yes. It’s as though she’s left behind anything that has to do with us.”
Bart sighed, shaking his head. “I think it’s more that she’s hurt by all the accusations and is distancing herself.”
“That’s exactly what I believe it is. If we don’t think she was deserving of the credits she earned, then she doesn’t want them. But what worries me, is that if she’s gone off without credits, how is she to take care of herself?”
“Someone has to have seen her. We’ll find her.”
“I should have come to her right away. I was staying beside Vivi and Alexandrus for their safety and my own piece of mind. But I should have made time to come to Mirilla. I sent her to her room to keep her away from controversy until it could all be worked out, but I never once thought her guilty of anything intentional. I should have come sooner,” Eula said, obviously worried about her.
“I should have defended her, rather than add to the questions she was already receiving from Quin.”
“What have we done, Bart?” Eula asked sadly.
“I will find her. I will find her and protect her.”
“If she’ll let you.”
“Even if she won’t, I’ll at least make sure that she is safe and has anything she needs. Then I start working on earning her forgiveness.”
“There is one other thing,” Eula said.
“What’s that? ”
“The Steward that has been missing since the night Alexandrus was attacked?”
“Yes,” Bart said.
“He is Mirilla’s brother. His name is Mir’ Ahn.”
“Do you think she went in search of him?”
“If she thinks he may be responsible, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“He would certainly have been aware that she had a passkey,” Bart said.
“And I will confirm it, but I believe I remember her telling me that he had access to her room. It would have been her choice to give him access. All they have left is each other— their parents are gone.”
“So she’s out there, searching for her brother, thinking that he might be the one who stole her passkey, arranged for Alexandrus to be attacked, and left her to try to prove she wasn’t involved?”
“Perhaps. It is certainly a possibility. Especially since he went missing before she did,” Eula said.
“I’ve got to speak to my people. I’ve got to get out there, I have to find her.”
“Anything you need, I’ll get you. Protect her, Bart. She’s dear to me.”