Halcyon Nights (Star Sojourner Book 2) (26 page)

I awoke with Lisa sitting on Briertrush's lap, and Willa beside him. My clothes felt dry. A slight headache lingered like a residue of that agony. I pressed my fingers carefully over my eyes and blinked up. The red flashes were gone. So was the intense feeling of nausea.

Lisa wiped tears from her eyes with the stuffed horse. “Are you OK now, Daddy?” Her voice was squeaky.

“I'm OK, baby,” I whispered. “Briertrush?” I rolled to my back and extended a hand up to him. “Help me up.”

He grasped my wrist and pulled me to a sitting position. I took Lisa into my arms and leaned my cheek on her head. “It's OK, Baby.” I looked around. “Where's – ?” The czar was gone. “Is he dead?” I asked Briertrush.

He nodded.

“Then where's his…”

He glanced at Lisa. “Ta czar sleeps inside his manta in thre hole.”

“Oh. Then he's really gone,” I said, more to myself, and looked at Willa.

She nodded.

“Briertrush.” I patted his knee. “You saved us all.”

He smiled that broad pumpkin smile. “Thre way yo save my people an' brought all home ta thre mountain.”

“I guess so.” I drew Lisa closer and kissed her head. “Willa. This is Briertrush.”

“Briertrush,” she said, and smiled at him. “Can I give you a kiss?”

His broad lower lip quivered. “Like Lisha do, all slobbery?”

Willa laughed and gave him a light kiss on his hoary cheek. “Thank you.” She sat next to me and I draped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “C'mere, Briertrush.” I waved a hand at him.

He shook his head. “Terrans salivate strange.”

I chuckled. “Celebrate. Help me up, old friend?”

He lifted me to my feet and I brushed myself off.
Where do you want these crystals, Spirit?

Return them to the earth where they will nourish life
.

I picked up two sacks of crystals. Damn. They weighed. I went to the crack and threw them in. “You wanted the crystals,” I whispered, “you've got them,
cabrón
.”

Briertrush followed me with the other sacks held easily in his broad arms and dumped them into the crack.

“Lisa” I called, “let's see if you can close this hole. OK, baby?”

“I'm too tired, Daddy.” She lifted her arms to Willa and Willa picked her up.

“Lisha! Yo do thris thring for yo friend Briertrush?”

“Oh, all right.” She rubbed her eyes and pouted as she stared at the crack.

We all remained silent.

I think she was enjoying her moment of fame. “It's easy,” she said.

“Hang on,” I told the others quietly. “Get down.”

We got to our knees.

Lisa stared at the crack. I felt her power stir within my mind. The earth rumbled and shifted beneath us. Willa threw me a shocked look. I put up a hand. “Don't talk,” I whispered.

The crack shifted like a reverse earthquake. The two sides rumbled and grated together. Only a ragged line of raw earth within the sun-silvered field of native grass showed where it had been. In time, the grass, nature's forgiveness, would fill it in.

“Thanks, Lisa.” I tousled her blonde curls.
Spirit
?
Did you send Briertrush to us?

I told you I would do what I could to help.

Yes, so you did
. I chuckled. I was feeling stronger as the last vestiges of the nightmare dissipated.

“This location is our secret,” I told Willa.

She shook her head. “I tried to contact the medical center for an ambulance for you, but I think the link was broken.”

“Not broken,” I said. Spirit wants this location to be a secret. If word gets out, he might still decide that we Terrans aren't worth the trouble and – “

“My lips are as sealed as a lake in winter…Julesh.”

“Very funny, Willish.” I kissed the tip of her nose.

Lisa lay curled, asleep on the grass, worn out from the events of this harrowing day, and maybe from closing the hole.

“Go now I back ta my people.” Briertrush touched his neck, then my cheek. This time I didn't move away from the sticky healing fluid. I touched my dry neck, smiled, and touched his cheek. “Go with Great Mind, my good friend.”

His hairless brows furrowed. “Na ready I ta die.”

“It's a Terran expression, Brier. It means 'stay well'.”

“Well? Water. Well, OK good.” He shook his head. “Say grubye ta sleepshead Lisha fo me.”

“I will.”

“Nice ta mat yo,” he told Willa and extended two long fingers.

“What? Oh.” She shook them. “Nice to have met you too, Briertrush.”

He nodded, turned, and trotted back to the cave.

Willa watched him go. “You know, either you should learn Kubraen, or teach him Interstel.”

I draped an arm around her shoulders and smiled. “It wouldn't be nearly as much fun.”

Jules was lying asleep in my bed. Moonlight came through slits in the window shutters and striped his face. He looked so innocent and cute, but I was afraid to get into the bed beside him. After all, he was a man. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I was sleepy too and my sofa is lumpy. I put on my flannel pajamas with the little colored horses romping around, some upside down.

Now, Willa,
I thought,
all you have to do is get into bed, close your eyes and go to sleep.

I crawled into the bed as quietly as I could and curled up with my back to him. I gently covered myself with some of the blanket. I don't know what felt better, the soft, warm mattress and pillow, or being so close to him. I could smell his scent. It was pleasant. I shivered from an excitement that started in my loins. I thought of my mare, Ginger. When she was in season she invited Galahad, the chestnut stallion, to mount her.

Go to sleep, Willa, and stop dreaming about what you'd rather be doing.
At twenty-two years-old I was still a virgin. Most of the kids in Laurel were brought up pretty conservative. It wasn't that sex was a sin. It was more like there was a place for it, and that place was within a marriage. It made love more sacred in a way. But I didn't think that many of the single men and women in town were
really
still virgins. I think they just liked to say they were.

I turned halfway and ventured a glance at Jules. I wanted to touch his smooth cheek. To kiss his parted lips. To run my hand through his mop of blonde hair. I wanted his strong arms around my body…his –
Go to sleep, Willa.

He stirred and said something in his sleep. Then he threw an arm around my shoulder and snuggled closer.

Oh, God
. His body against mine felt so good.

“Al,” he mumbled and sighed. His hand was draped over my breast. I lifted his wrist with a thumb and forefinger and lowered his arm to my waist.

I was drifting off into that space just before sleep where images come out of a fantasy behind our eyes and nothing really makes sense. So when he kissed my cheek I thought it was just another wishful thought.

It wasn't.

“You cut your hair, Al,” he whispered, then sat up. “Willa?”

I turned toward him and pulled the covers up around my neck. “You were dreaming, Jules.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He rubbed his eyes. “I'll sleep on the couch.”

“It's lumpy.”

“What?” He looked down at himself.

“The couch. It's lumpy.”

“Oh.” He grinned. He was so cute when he grinned.

“I've slept on worse.”

“You can sleep here. It's a lot more comfortable.” I couldn't read his expression in the striped darkness.

“You sure?”

“Sure. I'm sure.” My heart did strange thumping things against my chest.

He laid back down with a sigh. “I should check on Lisa.”

“I just did. She's sleeping. She's curled up with the stuffed horse I made for her. Now she calls it Ginger.”

“The horse she's been riding?” He got up on an elbow. “I don't know how to thank you, Willa, for all you've done for Lisa.”

I could think of ways
. I thought of Ginger and her invitation to the big stallion.
Now, Willa, you're not a mare.
“I enjoy having her at the ranch,” I told him. “You know, it gets kind of lonely around here sometimes an' I like kids.”

“Don't you have friends? You must have a boyfriend.”

“No. I mean, friends, yeah. I've got friends, but no boyfriend.”

He grinned. “How'd they let you get away?”

“I guess the right tag just never showed up.”
Until now
.
Oh my God, he's a tel!
“Do you…ah, always read everybody's thoughts all the time?”

He stared into my eyes. “That wouldn't be polite. We should probably get some sleep.” He laid back and sighed. “It'll be morning soon.”

“For some reason I'm not sleepy.”

He rolled his head to look at me. Did he consider that an invitation? This was all so new to me. I was glad for the darkness because my cheeks felt hot and I was sure they were flushed.

“You know,” he said softly, “you can release that death grip you've got on the blanket. It's not going to fly away.”

I realized I was holding the blanket tight against my chest. “Oh, yeah. It…it's just a habit.” I laughed and let it go.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Twenty-two, going on twenty-three next month. You?”

“Twenty-six, I think. Going on ninety.”

We laughed.

'It's not the years, Willa, it's the experiences.”

“You've had a lot of them, huh?”

“Too many. I'd like to just settle down in some small town like Laurel.”

I turned to look at him. “What would you do here?”

“I'm an astrobiologist. There's plenty of work for me on Halcyon, but…”

I waited.

“Lisa has to go back to Earth. Her mother lives in Boulder, Colorado with Lisa's stepfather. Her grandparents too. You know where that is, maybe from World Systems in school?”

'Sure I know.” He made me feel like a kid. “She'll miss you.”

I saw tears glisten in his eyes. “I…I shouldn't have said that. It ain't none of my business.”

“It's OK.” He reached out and stroked my hair. “It's so silky.”

“I brush it a lot.” I tousled his hair. “It's so blonde.”

“I'm out in the sun a lot.”

“It's nice.”

“The sun?” He smiled and I was lost in that smile. ”You're teasing me.”

'Yeah. I'm sorry. I only tease people I like.”

“You make me feel like your kid sister.”

He shook his head. “Believe me, Willa, you're a woman now.”

“Oh? You noticed?”

He grinned. “It would be hard not to.”

I suddenly felt comfortable with this sweet man. I laughed and cuddled closer to him.

“Willa?”

“Yeah?”

“Don't do that unless you mean it.”

I drew back. Did I really have that much power as a woman? It was exciting and scary. “What…” I cleared my throat. “What if I mean it?”

“I think you're a virgin.”

“What gave me away?”

“Your innocence. I think we'd both better get some sleep now.”

Damn!
Why did he have to be so honorable?

“Well…there's a first time for everything,” I said.

“Thing is, Willa, am I the right tag for the first time?”

Oh, was he ever. I ran my hand through his hair and kissed him lightly on his cheek. Then I felt giddy and scared as he turned and embraced me. The power of his body was suddenly frightening. I shivered as he rolled on top of me and lifted to his elbows. What had I started! He kissed me gently on my lips and my cheek. I felt my body relax under him. I put my arms around his back and ran them over the ripples of his muscles. I found pleasure in his strength.

He pulled the blanket from between us, then chuckled.

“What's so funny?”

“Oh, all your little horses.” He unbuttoned my pajama top. “I always thought flannel was sexy.”

I lifted and he got the pajama top off me, then kissed my breast. “But this is sexier.”

“Oh, Jules.” I pushed him away.

“Don't tell me you changed your mind?”

'I'm, I'm just a little scared.”

He gently kissed my neck. “Me too. I never made love to a virgin. I didn't know there were any left.”

“Probably won't be in a little while.”

'I'd better lock the bedroom door,” he said. “Lisa – “

“I already locked it.”

“You – You're a vamp, woman.”

I shivered as he pressed me into the bed with his weight. There was a sensation in my loins that I can't describe. I never felt that way before, like I wanted him inside me. I helped him pull down my pajama bottom. The blanket slid off us and I realized he was naked. I wasn't surprised at what I saw. I'd seen Ginger and Galahad mate more than one spring season. My colt Puny was their son.

He kissed my cheek, my lips, and then my breast. I arched my back against him and moved my legs apart.

He smiled down at me. “Will you love me in the morning?”

I laughed. If he only knew! I didn't have to wait till morning to know. I felt him press his penis against me. It hurt but I stayed quiet. I figured the first time would be a little painful. How does pain and pleasure get so mixed up together?

I knew he was climaxing, but I wasn't. It must have been hard for him to hold back and not push harder into me.

When it was over we lay cuddled together. I liked this part best. I took his hand and kissed it and knew that I loved him. But I wouldn't tell him that unless he said he loved me first. My lover was like a stallion: headstrong and proud and brave and beautiful, and no woman was going to hogtie him.

* * *

It was early afternoon when I heard him in the shower.

“Daddy's taking a shower,” Lisa said and went toward the bathroom.

“Wait, Lisa! Wait until Daddy comes out.”

“But I always take a shower with Daddy. He washes my hair for me.”

“You're not just fooling now, are you?”

She shook her head and hugged the stuffed horse closer.

I shrugged. “OK.”

She ran toward the bathroom door.

'Hi, Squiggles,” I heard Jules say. “You want to take a shower with Daddy?”

There was a pause, then “Oh, no, you can't bring Ginger in here. She'll get soaked.”

I went to the refrig and took out some eggs and butter and bread. Then i paused. Well, I guess they were a little more open-minded on Earth than here on Halcyon.

Jules and Lisa came out dressed in fresh clothes. He was towel-drying her hair. His own wet hair was stuck to his neck and forehead. Just seeing the two of them made the sun shine brighter in the room.

“Are you hungry?” I asked him. Lisa and I had already eaten.

He sat at the table and grinned at me. “Well, if you don't need one of those horses out there, you can put him on my plate.”

“How about eggs and mock bacon instead?”

“Sounds really good.”

I turned to the stove.

“Oh. I've got a present for you.” He went to his jacket, which was hanging on a hook, and pulled out four bumpy green fruit. “Lis',” he said. “did Mommy ever give you an avacodo to eat?”

She shook her head.

He flipped her one. She caught it, then dropped it. The avacodo rolled and Lisa chased it. Jules sat at the table and sliced another one open. It was green and yellow inside with a big pit.

“Where'd you get them?” I asked. “I never saw a fruit like that. Is it ripe?

“It was right outside the Wolf Ridge cottage you two were held in. Compliments of the czar's winter garden. They're ready to eat.”

It was soft and creamy and sweet and we shared the delicious fruit.

“You like it, Squiggles?” he asked Lisa.

She nodded. “Uh huh. It tastes like green chocolate.”

I laughed. “Now there's a leap. She's got your imagination, Jules.”
And his beautiful blue eyes
, I thought.

Lisa climbed on his lap with the stuffed horse. She giggled as he made believe it was galloping across her back and down her chest.

“Galump, galump,” he said. But he turned quiet as he ate.

Lisa went outside to play with her dog, Tikkie. Jules stared out the window as though he were in his own world.
Which one is that?
I wondered. God, let it be Halcyon. I didn't want to hear what I knew he was building up to saying. That he was leaving.

“I hear Tikkie ate your chickens,” he said, I think to break the tense moment.

“He left us feathers.”

“Sorry.” He studied the eggs in his plate. “I'd like to pay you for the hens.”

“No, that's OK. I saved some frozen fertilized eggs from the hens a while back. They're already thawed out.” I sipped tea. “Few more days they'll be hatching. An' in a couple o' months, they'll be producing eggs.” I smiled at him.

He smiled back sadly. “I feel bad for the hens Tikkie killed. No animal should have to go through that kind of death.”

I caught myself staring at him. Growing up on a ranch, you get to know that death is just a part of it all. I've had to put down sick animals. But I blinked back tears at his tender concern for the birds.

He sighed and stared out the window.

I didn't want to hear what I knew he was building up to say. That he was going to leave. That he had to take Lisa back to Earth, and from there, who knew? I loved the tag, but you never knew which way he was going to jump.

“Well, I'd still like to pay you for your time and your trouble,” he said and bit his lip.

“I wouldn't think of it! I do all right with the credits from the trail rides an' the farm produce an' eggs I sell in Laurel. Well, the eggs I
will
be selling again in Laurel.”

We laughed.

“I didn't mean to insult you, Willa.” He sipped coffee and took a long breath, about to say something important again.

I threw open the Friday edition of
The Laurel Wreath
newspaper and flipped to the Calendar of Events. Anything to hold him here just a little while longer.

Events. Events. Hell's twisted spokes. Nothing. Wait!

“Oh, Jules, look! There's a ballet troupe from planet Terrapin landed here. They're going to perform
Night of the Carapace!”
Whatever the hell
that
was.

He paused with the raised cup. “A ballet?”

“I
love
ballet.” I leaned forward. “You mean you don't?” I widened my eyes innocently. I knew he loved to look into my eyes.

“I don't know.” He took a sip. “I've never seen one.”

Neither had I, but I wasn't about to tell him that. “Be good for Lisa to be exposed to some culture.” I nodded for emphasis.

“When is it?” He stared toward the window, where we could see Lisa playing with Tikkie.

“First performance…says here, tomorrow night at the Community Center.”

“I was going to tell you, Willa, I have to – “

“It's for charity!” I pointed at the page. “Says it right here.”

“First performance… says here, tomorrow night at the Community Center.”

“I was going to tell you, Willa, that I have to – “

“It's for
charity.
” I pointed at the page. “Says it right here.”