Laura Jo Phillips (3 page)

“Greetings, Olaf,” Jackson said as he rose from his chair.

Aisling turned to look at the men who had just entered the room, her heart rate speeding up at the sight of them.  They were not so tall as the Bearens, but they were, to her eyes, far more handsome.  They were all dressed head to toe in black which, somehow, set off their deep tan complexions and green hair.  But it was their eyes that really captured her attention.  Nearly hidden beneath their stern brows, they were clear and bright and warm.

Aisling took in all of this in the quick second before she dropped her eyes and turned her face away, hunching her shoulders and letting her hair fall forward to cover her face.  All three of them had been staring straight at her when she’d looked, and she found that more disconcerting than her own reaction to them.

She listened to the men greet each other with only part of her attention while she struggled to gain control of her emotions.  By the time the Gryphon brothers were seated, she was fairly satisfied that she looked no more or less interested in them than the other women in the room.

“We have just come from the Dracons’ ranch,” Olaf said.  “Your new home is complete, and the Dracons are looking forward to your arrival.”

“That is good news,” Jackson said.  “How is Princess Lariah?”  Even though the full extent of the Princess’s grief was not common knowledge, those who were closest to the Dracons were aware of it, and very concerned.

“Your visit to the ranch upon your return to Jasan was extremely beneficial to her,” Olaf replied carefully.  “Since then, she has been less well than could be desired.”

Jackson glanced at Hope, then Clark and Rob.  The Dracons had offered to build a home for them on the ranch, such as the Lobos had.  It was, without doubt, the safest location on all of Jasan for their Arima, and the babies.  The entire ranch was protected by the Dracons’ magic, and enhanced by the Lobos’ magic.  Once they relocated, the Bearens would add their magic to the defenses which would make them even more formidable.

Moving to the ranch had not been an easy decision for them to make.  But the sudden and unexplained disappearance of Mara Winicke from her home in Berria had illustrated how easy it was to penetrate Jasani defenses and transport someone off-planet without detection.  Jasan was now able to penetrate the Blind Sight camouflage system, but they didn’t know how Mara Winicke had been transported, so they didn’t know how to guard against it.

Their sons were the first, and only, members of Clan Owlfen, and their safety was of the utmost importance.  They would not risk the safety of their Arima or their sons.  The fear that they might be transported away from them at any moment was enough to convince them that the Dracons’ ranch was the safest place for their family.

While they waited for their new home to be built, the Bearens had returned to Berria in order to set things up so that they could perform their duties from the spaceport in Badia rather than from the Council Complex in Berria.  With their new, stronger magical abilities, they could now speed travel to the spaceport and back to the ranch in moments.  Without that, they would have tried to find another way to secure their home rather than be more than a few moment’s travel from their Arima and their sons.

“How far along is the Princess now?” Hope asked.

“Seven months,” Olaf replied.  “Doc is especially concerned about her emotional state.”

“Seeing the boys would be good for her,” Hope said.  “It helped her before.”

Olaf offered her a short bow of thanks for her insight.  “It is thought that would be helpful, yes.”

“Our preparations for relocating to the ranch are complete,” Jackson said.  “I think we can leave tomorrow without too much trouble.”

Jackson looked to Hope who nodded agreement.  “That’s fine,” she said.  “We only have a few things left to pack.”

“I will contact the air field and let them know we will need transport tomorrow,” Clark offered. 

“If we can be of any assistance, we would be glad to help,” Olaf said.

“Your offer is appreciated,” Jackson replied.  “Actually, we have just discovered that Aisling has a gift for translating languages.  I was about to ask her for help with translating the Book of Knowledge.”

Olaf turned to Aisling, his eyes wide with surprise.  “This is so?”

Aisling knew he was talking to her though she didn’t look up.  She kept her eyes on her lap as she nodded her head reluctantly. 

“Would you be willing to assist us?” Olaf asked, gentling his voice as he spoke.  Her self-effacing manner tore at his heart.  He wanted to assure her that they would keep her safe while at the same time, he wanted to find who had made her fearful, and remove him, or her, from the plane of the living.

“Yes, of course I will help,” Aisling said.  Her voice was soft, but her words were clear and firm.

Olaf turned back to Jackson.  “Perhaps you should inform Prince Garen of this,” he said. 

Jackson frowned, uncertain why Olaf would suggest such a thing, but certain that he had a reason.  He looked at Clark and nodded shortly.

Clark rose and left the room, tapping his vox as he went.  He returned a scant two minutes later with Prince Garen at his heels.

The Bearens and the Gryphons all rose at the unexpected appearance of their High Prince.  Garen acknowledged their bows with a polite nod, then spent a moment greeting Hope and the other women. 

“I apologize for my abrupt visit,” he said to Jackson when all of the greetings were complete and everyone was sitting once more.  “Clark’s news that Aisling can translate languages is so exciting that I felt it warranted my speed traveling over to see it for myself.”

“There is no need for apology, my Prince,” Jackson said.  “It is exciting, and Aisling has agreed to assist us.”

Garen nodded, then turned his attention to Aisling.  “We would very much appreciate your help with the book, Aisling,” he said.  “But there is something else we would like translated even more, if you are able.”

“Which is?” Aisling asked, looking up at Prince Garen.  She had met him a few weeks earlier when they had first arrived on Jasan, and she liked him and his brothers, as well as all of the people she had met on the ranch.

“We have possession of a Xanti bio-mechanical suit,” Prince Garen said.  “With the generous assistance of Arima Katre, our scientists have successfully extracted a large amount of data from its on-board computers.  Unfortunately, all of it is in Xanti, a language known only by the Xanti themselves.  We believe this data may reveal the locations of other slave compounds, as well as details about the Xanti, and their plans.”

“If I can translate Xanti, I will certainly do it,” Aisling said at once.  “The problem is, I didn’t even know I could do this until a short while ago.  I have no idea whether I can translate Xanti or not.”

Garen smiled grimly as he reached into his pocket and removed a hand terminal.  Jackson turned off the image currently displaying on the wall and a moment later it was replaced by one from Garen’s terminal. 

This was an image of writing on a section of blackened metal.  Aisling couldn’t tell what the metal had been, but the writing was clear enough.  She shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at the Prince, wondering what it was he wanted her to do.  She was surprised to see that everyone in the room was looking at her.

“Can you read that?” Prince Garen asked her.

Aisling frowned, realizing that what looked like Standard to her once again appeared incomprehensible to everyone else.  “Yes,” she said.  “It says
One Prime Controller
, beneath that it says
Warning: confirm berezi status before use. 
Below that it says
The contents of this case is strictly regulated by Xantara Inter-Brood Secret Police as per Security Directive 19378-1960-475, and shall remain the permanent property of Xantara superseding all purchase agreements.”

“Excellent,” Garen breathed.  Aisling could sense the excitement of the warriors in the room, and knew enough about the Xanti to understand it.  But she was a little worried about one thing.

“That’s interesting,” Jackson said with a frown.  All eyes went to him.

“What?” Prince Garen asked.

“I wasn’t there so I may be wrong, but I thought that Darleen Flowers had one of those Prime Controllers,” he said.

Prince Garen frowned as he nodded.  “Yes, now that you mention it, she did.  I wonder if that means she is a
berezi
?”

“It only says to confirm
berezi
status,” Hope pointed out.  “I don’t think it means that it’s for use on
berezi
only.”

“True,” Prince Garen agreed.  “I would like to know what it does mean, though.  Perhaps we’ll learn the answer to that question when Aisling translates the Xanti data.”

“Where is the data that needs to be translated?” Aisling asked, finally getting a chance to voice her concern.

“At the Council Complex,” Prince Garen replied.  “That won’t be a problem.  They will set aside a room for you to work in where you won’t be disturbed.”

“Is there any way for me to take the information with me to the ranch and translate it there?” Aisling asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Prince Garen replied after considering it for a moment.  “The data is in the council’s secure network and cannot be transferred without incurring an unacceptable security risk.”

“But the Bearens are leaving for the ranch tomorrow,” Aisling said.  “I won’t have a place to stay when they’re gone.”  

“You are welcome to remain here in our home,” Jackson offered.  “My only concern is that you would be alone.  If it gets out that you can translate Xanti, I am concerned that your safety will become an issue.”

“We will assign guards for you,” Garen said.  “They will watch over you very carefully.”

Aisling blanched at the idea of having strange men watching over her every move.  She already felt like she was living under a microscope.

“Perhaps it would be best if she stays with us,” Olaf offered .  “We would see to her safety and her care, of course.”

“That would be the best solution, I believe,” Garen said.  “I thank you for your generous offer.”

Aisling felt stuck.  She had already agreed to help and, in truth, she wanted to help.  She’d been useless for so long, and the thought of actually being able to DO something for a change was exciting to her.  Especially something as worthwhile as this.  But she was nervous at the idea of being alone with men she didn’t know.  These three men in particular.  There was something about them that caused feelings that she didn’t understand, and wasn’t sure she wanted to explore. 

“Aisling, I will remain with you, if you like,” Karma offered.

She turned to Karma, no longer surprised by the other woman’s generosity, or her insights.  She didn’t know much about Karma, but she knew that the tough girl exterior was a front.  Despite their rocky start when they’d first met, the two women were becoming good friends.

“That’s very kind, Karma, but honestly, you’ve done enough for me,” she said, choosing her words carefully so that Karma had an out if she wanted it. 

One corner of Karma’s mouth turned up, letting Aisling know she understood the out.  “I don’t mind,” she said.

“Thank you,” Aisling said.  “I would like your company.”

Karma smiled one of her rare, genuine smiles and turned to Olaf.  “If you don’t mind taking the both of us, we’ll accept your offer.”

“We are pleased to have the both of you,” Olaf said, relieved that Karma would be staying with Aisling.  They’d never had a lone female stay in their home before.  It would be better if there were two of them.  He hoped.  

 “When do you want to leave?” Karma asked.

“We do not want to rush you,” Olaf said, “but we would prefer to leave as soon as it’s conveniently possible.”

Aisling felt a leap of excitement race through her, and her hands clenched into fists before she could prevent it.  She was surprised and confused by her reaction. 

“No problem,” Karma said casually, leaning forward on the sofa and blocking the Gryphons’ view of Aisling.  Clearly Karma thought she was afraid rather than excited, but that didn’t change her protective intentions, or how much they meant to Aisling.  “Neither of us brought much luggage with us, so it won’t take us long to pack.”

Aisling forced herself to relax her hands.  When she was sure she was fully composed she rose to her feet, stiffening her spine in an effort to control her limp as best she could.  For some reason, she didn’t want these men to see just how bad her limp was.  Which made zero sense to her.

“Come on, Karma,” she said, pleased that her voice sounded calm.  “Let’s go pack.”

Karma rose at once and turned to face Aisling, her back to the Gryphons. 

“After you,” she said.  Aisling had to fight back sudden tears at Karma’s understanding.  She turned and began walking out of the room, Karma close behind her, hiding her from the Gryphons’ view as much as possible.  Aisling knew that Karma could not really hide her, but she made the effort, and that meant the world to Aisling. 

Once they were out of the living room and several feet down the hall, Aisling paused and turned to face Karma.  “Thank you,” she said simply.