Chapter 12 #3
“I am a certified Priestess with the Galactic Clerical College, here on Mazeria to complete my PhD,” Isobel said with poise and assurance.
“Linsea and Kayog are not married, but they are betrothed. I am Kayog’s spiritual advisor.
He has personally confirmed to me that Linsea is his soulmate, and that he intends to marry her this year.
She also confirmed her affections for him directly to me.
Furthermore, they have publicly been seen as a couple. ”
“That doesn’t mean that they are—”
“Careful, Doctor, about accusing a Priestess of lying,” Isobel said sternly to the green doctor. “You know there are serious consequences to that kind of slander. Additionally, you’re a Temern. You can feel that I am speaking honestly.”
He clacked his beak in a way that expressed deep frustration but also defeat.
“Now if you’re done wasting my time, I will see my mate,” I said, pushing past the doctors to enter the room.
They attempted to stop Isobel, but I grabbed her arm and dragged her in behind me.
As soon as the door closed, I rushed to Kayog’s side.
Anger bubbled inside me at seeing him in this state, his skin burning, his body shaking with tremors, and his breath shallow.
At least, the blood had been wiped off his face, although I could still see a few specs clinging to some of his feathers on the side of his cheeks.
“Thank you for helping out there,” I said absentmindedly to Isobel while glancing at the monitor he was connected to.
“No, Linsea. Thank you for protecting him,” she said in a soothing voice as she approached the bed on the opposite side from me.
“It’s really bad,” I said in a pained voice, anger and frustration bubbling deep within that the medical team had not arrived yet.
Isobel nodded. “It’s total mayhem out there. With everyone freaking out, both here and in the surrounding area, all those emotions must be wrecking him.”
My innards twisted with worry. “He’s unconscious right now, but I’m not sure if it’s still affecting him or if his current reactions are due to swelling or bleeding. He needs to be put in an isolation room or in stasis. Can you see if that can be arranged until the doctors get here?”
“Of course, right away,” Isobel said before hurrying out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, I irrationally felt abandoned.
A wave of helplessness crashed over me as I looked at Kayog.
I hated seeing him so broken when he was so strong.
I hated the vile beings who had instigated so much chaos and violence as to make Kayog spiral.
But above all, I hated myself for not accompanying him out of the hall the minute he said he was starting to feel overwhelmed.
If only I had listened to my gut before we even landed and forced him to turn around, he wouldn’t be hurt and potentially dying.
My heart leapt when Kayog suddenly whimpered. His face was constricted, and his body began to shake again. Whatever sedative they had given him had worn off.
“Kayog?” I said, leaning over him, and my hand caressing his head.
His eyes snapped open, and he immediately started screaming, startling me. Before I could speak a word, the Temern doctors burst into the room, followed by the Enforcers.
“GET OUT!” I shouted at the doctors.
Flapping my wings, I flew to the other side of the bed to block them from approaching.
“Ms. Kenna,” Agent Murphy said in a reasonable tone, “Mr. Voln clearly needs help.”
“He needs to be put in stasis. But not by these two. Get us someone else, now!”
“You do not understand what you’re doing!” the blue doctor exclaimed. “He needs to be put down now before he kills us all!”
This time, the Enforcers gaped at the doctor with shock and horror that he finally confessed his evil intent.
“Get out of my way, you stupid female!” the doctor shouted, charging towards me.
He never got to me as the Enforcers tackled him.
They each held onto one of his arms as he attempted to free himself, shouting a slew of swear words.
Seizing the opportunity created by this chaos, the green doctor rushed towards Kayog, his murderous intentions so potent they were almost palpable.
Without thinking, I yanked the blaster from the male Enforcer, who hadn’t secured it again after loosening the safety latch earlier.
He gasped and attempted to take it back from me, but I flapped my wings again, flying backward to the opposite side of the bed.
“Stay the fuck away from him!” I yelled, the blaster trained on the doctor.
He stopped dead in his tracks, a couple of feet away from the bed.
“Back away, or I’ll blow your fucking head off!” I shouted.
“Ms. Kenna! Give me that weapon!” Agent Murphy said, her voice tense as she extended a hand towards me and slowly advanced.
“Get them both out of here and send in a nurse to put him in stasis, now!” I snarled.
My heart dropped when the blue doctor yanked his arm free of the male Enforcer, who was still holding him.
Hand raised, some sort of syringe held in his fist, he lunged for Kayog.
I didn’t hesitate and shot him in the chest. Shouts erupted all around, and a violent spasm shook Kayog.
His screams grew louder. My heart broke as I realized my efforts to protect him were creating even more emotional chaos that had to be destroying him.
A couple of humans—a man and a woman—burst into the room, alerted by the ruckus, only to freeze at the sight of the scene before them. The woman rushed to the blue doctor on the floor.
“Take her out!” the green doctor yelled at the Enforcers while pointing an angry finger at me. “She’s insane.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Kayog interrupted me.
“Kill me… Lin… Linsea. Kill me,” he pleaded.
“NO! Kayog, no!” I exclaimed, my voice broken with tears as I turned my attention back to him.
“Free me. I… I can’t. Make it stop. Please. Kill me.”
“No! My love, no. You have to hang on. For me, for us. I will fix it.”
“Please…”
Movement at the edge of my vision had me jerking my head back up. The green Temern had taken the syringe from his fallen companion and was approaching the bed.
“Put that down and get away from him!” I shouted, pointing the blaster at him.
“You heard him!” the green doctor said. “He requested it! You have no authority—”
He dodged just as I was firing at him, throwing himself sideways and crashing against a rolling tray, which thankfully was empty.
“YOU, PUT HIM IN FUCKING STASIS NOW!” I yelled at the human male standing near the door.
Judging by his uniform, he was either a nurse or a doctor, but undoubtedly a medical professional.
Although visibly frightened, he approached hastily, his eyes flicking between me, my blaster, and Kayog screaming in agony. Shaking, the man started tapping instructions on the medical device next to the bed. The blue doctor began to stir as the stun from my blaster shot started wearing off.
However, it was the genuine terror emanating from the green doctor that threw me off. He was terrified of Kayog and truly believed that if we didn’t kill him immediately, something terrible would happen.
“My dove…” Kayog said, his voice broken.
Tears welled in my eyes when I glanced down at him. Beyond the atrocious pain destroying him, it was the look of betrayal he cast my way that wrecked me.
“Kill me.”
“I can’t. I’m not losing you. You fought too long, too hard to give up now. Please, hang on for me. I swear we will fix you.”
My blood turned to ice when his eyes and hands began to glow. It was a white light, but it looked red around his eyes as blood began to trickle from them again.
“We’re all going to die,” the green doctor whispered in a terrified voice as he started backing away.
The glow intensified, and in that instant, I realized that whatever was happening with Kayog was what they’d been trying to prevent from the start… what they believed would kill us all.
And then Kayog went limp, the glow instantly fading from his eyes and hands.
“It’s done,” the human said in a trembling voice, before backing away from the bed.
Something broke inside of me. I hugged Kayog’s unconscious form and wept.