A Quantum Convergence

Nexus Trilogy – Book 1

By C.A. Farlow

©2016 C.A. Farlow

ISBN:  9781942976158

ISBN (epub):  9781942976165

ISBN (pdf):  9781942976172

This is a work of fiction - names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Desert Palm Press

1961 Main St, Suite 220

Watsonville, CA 95076

www.desertpalmpress.com

Editor:  Kellie Doherty

Cover Design:  Rachel George

Map Design:  Michael King

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition — July 2016

Blurb

Lauren Beckwith, environmental scientist and pediatric oncologist, works tirelessly to identify industrial pollution and the corporations responsible. When the pollution is in the pristine wildness of northern Colorado, her own backyard, her friends challenge her professional ethics and demand that she not just identify the pollution but do something about it. Things spiral out of control, as Lauren begins to question her life choices and culpability in enabling the corporations to continue damaging our fragile ecosystem.

Alexandra Aoeron Aonwyn, Queen of Fuar Ćala, is struggling with the after effects of a heinous bio weapon released on her world. The children are falling ill with a mysterious disease. If she is not able to find information about her enemy's weapon for her healing technicians, her people are doomed to die with this generation.

A winter field trip, a ragging blizzard, and a grievous injury bring Lauren and Alex together. Will Lauren find answers to her self-doubt and professional guilt? Can she help Alex find a cure for her people? Only a soul mates bond is strong enough to create a quantum convergence and allow them to find each other and heal.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my grandfather. He encouraged me to question, to seek, to understand. He patiently listened and answered my questions. If he didn’t know the answer, we would discover it together. He held my hand, and together we discovered the world.

Acknowledgements

A book is a labor of love, frustration, pain, and joy. An author may labor alone on her story. But the production of her book is accomplished by many. She wishes to acknowledge and thank all who helped. Editors are the bane of an author’s existence, but without them the product would be a mish-mash of misspelled words, dangling thoughts, alternating points of views, plot inconsistencies, and grammatical nightmares. This author cannot thank her editors enough. J.Z., beta-extraordinaire, for her detailed review and ability to catch the tiniest of mistakes. My comma placement will never be the same. K.D. for making the story make sense and not killing it in the process. Thank you both!

To Rachel whose cover brought the book to life.

To Michael whose maps showed us the way.

To Stein who encouraged me to finish, because the characters needed a voice and their story needed to be told.

To Lee and Desert Palm Press for taking a chance on a scientist who is not a writer, yet.

Table of Contents

PartI – The Project

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Part II – The Journey

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Part III – Coming Home

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Reading List

About C.A. Farlow

Other Fantasy and Science Fiction from Desert Palm Press

Foreword

Where does science end and science fiction begin? This boundary changes through time with research and discovery.

How does the fiction author—who is a scientist—not overwhelm her readers with hypotheses and theorems? By striving to provide enough science fact to make the plot accurate, the author intersperses fact with theory and conjecture creating science fiction that is possible. If readers are interested in learning more about the theories, you are encouraged to explore further using the reading list provided at the end of the book.

Though the persons inhabiting this tale are creations of the author’s imagination, the geographic places and scientific concepts are real—Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area exists; as do Steamboat Springs and Gilpin Lake, Colorado. Unfortunately, the environmental challenges that the Yampa Valley face are all too real.

Science is facts; just as houses are made of stone, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house, and a collection of facts is not necessarily science.

Jules Henri Poincaré

Part I – The Project

Chapter One

“I THINK THIS IS the last of them, Miss.”

Miss? Really are we back in the 70s? Lauren reminded herself that she had been traveling for over thirty-six hours and her exhaustion wasn’t the cab driver’s fault. “Let’s count again to be sure I have them all—one, two, three...seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. Two duffels, camera case, and my Halliburton briefcase. Yes, that’s everything.” That was all the equipment cases and her personal luggage.

Flipping open her messenger bag, she rummaged for cash to pay the fare and tip the driver for his help getting the luggage into the foyer of her building. The contemporary glass and satin nickel-lined lobby was overflowing with all her luggage. Great, no American dollars. I’m sure the driver isn’t able to change my Malaysian ringgit. “Do you take credit cards?”

The driver frowned. “I’ll have to phone for authorization. It’s two thirty in the morning, this may take a minute.”

“Thanks, here’s my card.”

While she waited, Lauren returned her thoughts to the last five months she had been out of the States. What month is it? Forcing her jet-lagged brain to concentrate, she recited the facts. Okay, it’s the last of October. This is Denver, and I’m finally home. LAX was a nightmare with twenty-three pieces of luggage and an international arrival from Southeast Asia. Lauren leaned against the cold metal wall and watched the taxi driver through the floor-to-ceiling glass entrance. I knew I should have changed out of my jeans and into a business suit and stuffed my leather jacket into my briefcase.

I told customs they really didn’t want me to open one of the core-tubes. After sitting in one-hundred-degree heat for three weeks or more, the mud was putrid and the smell cleared the customs hall. I’ve never seen people scatter so fast. Lauren chuckled.

The driver’s crash through the front door brought her back to the present. “Sign here, and I’ll need to see some ID. This is a corporate credit card, and we have to verify the holder,” said the driver, extending a badly worn clipboard.

“Fine.” Digging again for her wallet, Lauren pulled out her passport and a business card, and handed them both to the driver.

Looking first at the photo in the passport, the driver glanced back up at Lauren. “I see that passport pictures don’t do the person anymore justice than our state driver’s license photos.”

Holding the business card up to the wall sconce, the driver squinted at the fine-raised lettering:

Lauren L. Beckwith, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief Field Researcher and Chief Project Consultant

Geodynamics, Ltd.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Beckwith, but it’s company policy. I could lose my job if I didn’t check.  We’ve gotten burned with denied charges.”

“I understand.”

Lauren looked at the charge slip. “Seventy dollars? What is this highway robbery?”

“Look, lady.” Gone was the honorific. "It’s almost three o’clock in the morning and a trip from Denver International Airport to downtown runs forty-five dollars. Where ya’ been, the North Pole? The usual rate is flat fare plus two fifty per piece of luggage over two, but it’s been a slow night, and I was cutting you some slack.”

Lauren relented and struggled to calculate the appropriate tip. She signed the slip with a flourish and returned the clipboard to its owner. A quick glance and the driver smiled. “Here’s your receipt. Sure I can’t help you upstairs with all this?”  His sweeping arm gesture took in the piles of cases filling the tiny foyer.

“No, that’s fine. I can manage the rest of the way.”

Lauren turned toward the ancient elevator just as the front door closed on a chuckling taxi driver. Pushing the up button, Lauren again leaned back against the metal facade, contemplating her trip once more. Lost in her jet-lagged state, she suddenly realized that the elevator hadn’t arrived. Why’s this thing taking so long? Reaching to punch the button again, Lauren noted a small card taped above the switch plate, announcing the nightly shut down of the elevator between twelve and five thirty, to prevent vagrants access to the upper floors.

“What?” Lauren exclaimed rereading the typed message. “Well, that’s just great.”

Sagging against the wall, a quick look at her watch told her she could wait another two and a half hours for the elevators to be back in service or she could take the stairs. Groaning, she contemplated five flights with twenty-three pieces of luggage. Well, her bed and sleep were five flights up. No way was she leaving her samples and equipment unprotected in the foyer for the rest of the night. If vagrants were getting upstairs who knew what they’d steal. She picked up the first few pieces and began the climb.

A mountain of luggage was stacked in the hall outside her fifth floor loft. All the core-sample cases sported the bright cerulean blue, open globe of Geodynamics. The custom cases each held eight, three-foot long, rigid, plastic sleeves filled with core samples gathered from the jungle floor. The cores were obtained by driving the sleeve into the ground and then pulling it out. This method collected a sample of the top three feet of soil without disrupting the internal stratigraphy. Theoretically, everything would be preserved in the order of sedimentary deposition—oldest on the bottom with the youngest on the top. Of course one didn’t just get soil. Also trapped in the core were boring-insects, plant roots, and other general organic detritus that had accumulated on the jungle floor. And coming from the jungle, they were all in a state of decay—most of it a thick rotting oozy mess. Or at least that’s what Lauren left the LAX custom agents with. She would never forget the look of absolute horror that crossed the chief agent’s face once he got a whiff of the rotting core.

Lauren sat for a moment to catch her breath and searched for her keys. Not in her messenger bag. Now where did I put them? Five months was a long time and, after several trips through the jungles on the island of Borneo and Sarawak, things were never where one would expect to find them, particularly since keys weren’t exactly a priority item in a jungle.

“Where did I put those keys?” She next checked her briefcase, finding the keys hanging from their usual hook in the top of the case. “Right where I left ’em.”

Slipping her keys into the lock, Lauren could hear the phone ringing inside. Two turns to the left and a shove cracked open the heavy steel door. But, something was keeping the door from opening fully. Another shove, this one with all her weight, forced the door open. Lauren was sent sprawling head-first across the hardwood landing, coming to a halt face-down in a pile of envelopes.  Mail littered the floor. Great, killed by slipping on contest mailings. The phone continued to ring in the dark recesses of the loft.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” she shouted into the emptiness. A jump off the landing and a vault over the couch brought her to her large desk. She grabbed the phone from between her two computer monitors. “What?”

“Lauren, hi, it’s Peter. How was your trip?” Without a pause, Peter continued, “Good, good, now listen we’ve got a huge opportunity. There’s an environmentalist plan in place to sue the electric generation plant for particulate emissions into the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area.  Colorado Power and Electric, CP&E, wants to…”

Lauren cut off the rapid flow of words spilling through the line. “Peter, wait, what’re you saying? I don’t understand. Call me in the morning, and we’ll talk. I just got back from the jungle after a thirty-six-hour trip from hell, and you are already talking about another project!” Lauren’s head was beginning to pound.

“But...”

“No, call back in the morning. I can’t concentrate on what you’re saying. I’m exhausted.”

“But it is morning, at least here in New York. It’s seven thirty.”

Lauren glanced at the clock on her desk—five thirty-one glared back at her in high-intensity red. Great, tack on another two and a half hours to the trip from hell, and all my luggage is still in the hall.

“Call me back at a decent hour, maybe in a week or so, when my brain and body are in the same time zone, and when I’ve got my luggage out of the hall.”

His voice rose. “This can’t wait! We have to talk now. My buddy at the Sierra Club said CP&E’s construction plan is going to be opened for public review tomorrow. We’ve got to reach a decision to take the project, and get a public statement out that we are representing the Sierra Club in their challenge. If we agree to partner with the Sierra Club then we’ll get some much needed exposure in the United States, and maybe stop them building another coal-fired generation station.”

“Fine. Call me back this afternoon.” After a mental calculation of multiple time zones, Lauren said, “After three your time, I need a shower and a couple of hours’ sleep. And I need to get my stuff out of the hall. Good-bye.” She hung up.

Lauren sank into her desk chair. Another project—what’s Peter thinking now? We’re looking at over a year to complete the Sarawak project. We can’t take on another project yet. And where in the name of all that’s holy is Mount Zirkel?  Another trek, half way around the globe to some fifth-world country loomed large on the horizon. I can’t deal with this now. I need a shower, some food, and then sleep. I’ve got to learn to sleep on planes. She began to drag the heavy cases into the loft.

Somewhere a phone rang. But a dream hovered near the edges of her mind. A semi-conscious thought flashed through her brain. This isn’t right. There are no phones in the jungle. The ringing continued, slowly dragging Lauren out of her deep sleep. Lauren tried to get up. She pivoted into a sitting position, but something grabbed her waist, and she fell in a heap, her knees striking a hard surface, while her face landed in exquisite softness.

“Ugh…Where am I?” I’m not some rookie who falls headfirst out of her hammock. She kneaded the softness beneath her face. A down comforter? I don’t have a comforter in my hammock. Where’s the netting? Why are my feet bare? Questions ran through her brain at light speed as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

She opened her eyes to a dimly lit room, everything orange-tinted. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows she looked at the mountains—set ablaze by last rays of the sun as it sank behind Mount Evans—their snow-capped peaks fading from burnt orange to violet to lavender. Denver. Lauren sat for a moment, bathed in the gloaming. I’m home. No view in the world could compete with the one outside her bedroom windows. Slowly, she untangled herself from the sheets.

The phone next to the bed rang again. Reaching the receiver, she answered, “Lauren Beckwith.”

“For God’s sake, where’ve you been? It’s after seven here. I’ve been calling for hours.”

“Peter, I thought we are scheduled to talk next week.” Lauren was slowly reconstructing the last day of her life. The flight, customs, the stairs, and Peter’s earlier call were slowly sorting themselves out in her sleep-starved brain.

“That’s not funny, don’t you remember our earlier conversation? Your flight couldn’t have been that bad.” Peter spoke in a rush.

“Bad? You want bad? Twenty-three pieces of luggage through LAX from southeast Asia and a rookie customs agent with an attitude.” Lauren continued to talk, but her mind strayed back to that customs agent. At least the agent had been a woman. She was interviewed and threatened with a strip-search, before they forced her to open one of the core sleeves. She laughed at herself as well as the situation. She knew she wasn’t the only one sweating in the small interrogation room.

Peter’s shout cut through her thoughts and jerked her back to the present, “We pay you plenty and always provide first-class on outbounds and returns, so no bitching.” Peter always switched into CEO-mode when push came to shove and it always caused Lauren to push back.

“Bitching, really, you want to go there? How can you be thinking about another project before this one is complete? If we find what I think we’re going to find in these samples, we’ll need to get the Malay government involved. Probably collect more samples to verify the results.” Lauren knew the cores would show high-levels of contamination. “The indigenous people are potentially being exposed to debilitating levels of arsenic and lead. Not to mention all the acid runoff that’s stripping the jungle vegetation. Catastrophic erosion and mudslides during the monsoons are devastating the landscape. Think about our priorities and promises in Sarawak, Peter, before we jump on something else. Hangin’ up now.”

She almost disconnected the call, when she heard Peter’s softened voice, “Why do we do this to each other? This new project can wait. Please tell me how the Sarawak project wrapped up. I have your last report on my desk. Sounds like you found the landslide area and got good samples.”

Lauren hung up the phone. Pointing out their corporate responsibilities had broken through Peter’s Kevlar exterior, and he’d quickly reverted to his honey-sweetened “oh, poor you” persona. It happened every time he pushed too hard and forced her to push back to keep the focus on their project priorities. He knows he can’t do this without me. I’m one of the best fieldworkers he’s got. If not one of the best in the environmental community. My work has provided some of the most important baseline data on groundwater contamination and its impact on humans and the biosphere. Its stopped corporate actions and led to forced remediation. Why is he such a pain in the ass?

Lauren returned her focus to the darkening mountains beyond her window. Her earlier conversation with Peter piqued her curiosity though. What had Peter said? Something about Mount Zirkel and particulate emissions from power generation stations. I think I’ll have a quick surf through the web, and see if I can figure this out before Peter calls back. And he will call back. I give him less than thirty minutes.

Lauren sat in front of her computer, lost in thought about the newly found Mount Zirkel when the phone rang again. Without looking at caller ID, Lauren said. “Yes, Peter?”

“Look, I’m sorry about earlier, but this is a big deal. This is our first opportunity to work in the United States. We need to make a decision now. We’ve got less than an hour to fax the Sierra Club that we’ll take the project and provide them with the data. Then they can issue a public statement about our study. That should stop CP&E from releasing their construction plans until the study is complete. And hopefully our findings will halt all future construction. Now, let me start at the beginning...”

Her foray through the web had produced some interesting but disturbing facts. Mount Zirkel—center point of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area—was located approximately one hundred and fifty miles northwest of Denver in Routt County, Colorado. It sat along the spine of the Continental Divide within the northern Rocky Mountains. The pristine wilderness area was located about twenty miles from the town of Steamboat Springs and formed the northeastern edge of the Yampa Valley. It was considered one of the last homes of brown bears in the continental United States, and contained an indigenous population of rare wild golden trout. But the latest news releases on the area gave Lauren pause.

Chemistry composition data gathered from the snowpack along the Continental Divide in that area showed alarmingly high levels of sulphur-based pollutants—presumed to be created from burning coal in the large electrical generation stations upwind. But the high acid snow readings disturbed her more. Like acid rain, acid snow is created when emissions from burning fossil fuels react with water and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, producing carbonic acid. The acid accumulates in the frozen snow and is released in a concentrated rush during spring thaws.

The acid levels recorded in the Yampa Valley were high enough to damage vegetation and contaminate the surface and ground water. It could easily be poisoning indigenous flora and fauna. It might even be high enough to dissolve exposed marble and limestone, tarnish and corrode metals, and etch glass on buildings. The minute levels of uranium and lead in the smoke-stack ash-fallout could even be responsible for an increase in cancer-related illnesses in the human and animal populations in the Yampa Valley of northwest Colorado. Lauren was shocked to learn that her “backyard” was being so grossly impacted by CP&E operating coal-burning electric power plants in the Yampa Valley.

“So, that’s about the size of it. CP&E doesn’t want to spend the money to convert their power generation stations from coal to cleaner burning natural gas. We take this project, install the monitoring equipment, do the data analysis for the Sierra Club, and they report the findings to the general public. I hope our data would help the environmentalists show the public that coal burning is the primary source of the contamination measured in the area. Then they can stop additional construction and force either a complete plant shut-down or a conversion. Any thoughts?”

Lauren snapped back to the present and realized she hadn’t heard a single word Peter said. She was still contemplating the data that streamed across her monitors.

“I’m sorry. My brain is still on the other side of the International Date Line.” Lauren stalled knowing full well that Peter had already decided to take the project. It was too big an opportunity to miss.

“Come on Lauren, I need your help on this one. You’re the only researcher that Geodynamics has that can design the project from the ground up, so to speak. This’ll be a huge deal, and I know you’re the one to make it happen.”

Lauren’s brain had skipped ahead of Peter’s pleading and was already well into synthesizing the project plan. “Stop whining, I’ll do it. But I’ll need the best for this and that means I need Jamie. We’ll need to order and assemble the monitoring stations. I can’t use anything off-the-shelf. It’ll all need to be custom builds. Looking at the topography of the wilderness area, it looks like there are a string of high-altitude alpine lakes that would be perfect for surface and subsurface monitoring, as well as sediment sampling, but only if we can get there at the earliest opportunity. And permitting for setting up these stations will take a while.”

“Jamie is on the way. I’ll call my buddy at the Sierra Club now. You complete the timeline and equipment procurement lists. And I’ll have the permits in hand within the week.”

Lauren scoffed. “That’s impossible! Jamie’s still in the jungle, collecting the control group cores. No way he can be here before next week. And how the hell are you going to get permits for a wildness area project in a week?”

“Because I already called him. Jamie will arrive in Denver tomorrow. I’m not going to waste my two best fieldworkers on a project that won’t meet its deadlines. I want the completed report on my desk by the fifteenth of March.”

Lauren felt manipulated and her irritation spiked. “No way. Jamie’s samples are the key to the whole Sarawak project. If we don’t have a control group, we have no idea what the normal soil composition is away from the gold mine operations.”

“You let me worry about the control group. Just get the project design plan completed by Jamie’s arrival tomorrow. I’ll fax a copy of the Sierra Club proposal to you later tonight.” Peter slid quickly into his locker room persona. The guy was absolutely schizophrenic. “Look, I need my best players on this. You’ve got an unlimited budget. No equipment malfunctions will be tolerated, so assemble triple equipment and recording redundancies. I don’t want CP&E attorneys crawling through a procedural loophole just because we rushed the project and lost data accuracy. Triple backups for everything.”

Lauren was stunned—triple redundancies, unlimited budget. Did she hear that right? Is this the tight wad who sent me to Sarawak with ten-year-old equipment and a handheld calculator? “That is going to cost a small fortune. Are you sure you want the data reliability that tight?”

“If I could get it tighter, I would. Now I’ve got to go. Later.” Peter hung up.

The dial tone finally caught Lauren’s attention, and she slowly cradled the receiver. Triples. I haven’t done triples since my dissertation. This is a really big deal. And it’s in my backyard, dammit! Plans began to crystallize, and Lauren lost herself in this new project. Lauren didn't realize how much time had passed until her stomach reminded her she really needed to eat.

Chapter Two

JAMIE GILCHRIST ARRIVED AT the loft in much the same state Lauren had, exhausted and not sure of the time or place. Strains of a light piano étude reached out from behind a massive steel door, and enfolded him in soft music. Was that Chopin?  Lauren must really be in a state if she’s listening to that.

Jamie had known Lauren for over ten years. They’d worked together on three major projects for Geodynamics—the last two with Lauren as project leader. Working for a woman was not on Jamie’s top ten list of ways to enjoy himself, but it’d been different with Lauren.  She was the best in her field, graduating top of her class from Stanford with a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry, and this after earning an M.D. from Johns Hopkins in environmental oncology. All completed by the tender age of twenty-five. A child prodigy was what Jamie always thought. Most others called her a freak or a weirdo, he thought they were frightened by her genius.

As a co-worker, Lauren pulled more than her weight and always approached projects from a unique perspective. Her creativity and raw genius brought a freshness to project work that had re-awakened Jamie’s intellectual curiosity. Something he hadn’t thought would happen, after twenty years in a business that routinely crushed curiosity under a mountain of mundane.

As far as Jamie was concerned, Lauren’s true talents were exhibited when she was project leader. She was fair, thorough, but demanding. This was the result of her desire that everyone do their best and excel in their accomplishments. That was all she asked—their very best. Lauren set the example by giving one hundred and fifty percent of her time, energy, and effort to the project, and more importantly to her team. She was always first up in the morning and last to retire in the evening. Jamie smirked. But the thing he liked best was the way she manhandled Geodynamics upper management. Or should that be woman-handled?  His foggy brain didn’t have an answer for that one. What gave him pause outside this massive steel door was that he realized that he knew very little of Lauren. Lauren the scientist and team leader he knew well, but who was Lauren the person?

Knocking lightly, Jamie wasn’t prepared for the apparition that opened the door. Gaunt and looking like she hadn’t slept in weeks, Lauren was dressed in a Stanford sweatshirt sans sleeves, running tights and mismatched socks, one of which was inside out. Her auburn hair hung from a single ponytail, strands curling around her face. Her tall frame was bent and she looked like she lost ten pounds. Weight she couldn’t stand losing without looking starved and drawn. The only feature unchanged was the brilliance in her green eyes. The portals to the soul. Today Lauren’s burned bright with intelligence and enthusiasm; their brilliance contrasted sharply with the dark circles beneath them.

“Great, you’re here,” Lauren said. “I’ve got the plan with budget faxed to Peter. I‘m waiting for the go-ahead to proceed, and then we’re ready to start the major acquisitions. First let’s…”

Jamie interrupted once he realized he wasn’t processing her words, he held up his hands in surrender. “Hold on, hold on, I can’t begin to think about this new project until I’ve had a shower, food, beer, and sleep—preferably in that order. You’re sounding more like Peter every day. You know that? Never taking time to relax, just work, work, work. For that matter, when did you last eat or sleep?”

Jamie’s comments slowly penetrated Lauren’s accelerated mental state. “I’m not hungry, and for your information I do not sound like Peter!” Truthfully, she couldn’t remember when she last ate, and sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. She had a new project to get off the ground and none of their standard equipment or procedures were adequate. The project had occupied her completely for the last twenty-four hours.

“I bet this is what you looked like in grad school when you were prepping for your comps and dissertation defense,” Jamie said.

Lauren was jerked back to reality by Jamie’s reference to her personal life. She never shared anything about herself with her staff, maintaining a rigid boundary around her personal life at all times. Looking down, Lauren saw what she was wearing and realized that her personal boundaries may no longer exist. “Sorry about that. I guess I’ve been preoccupied with project planning and design. Let me show you your loft.” She pointed to the metal door across the hall. “We can both clean up and then think about some food. I’m afraid we’ll need to go out; there’s nothing here to eat.”

“No problem. Remember I’ve eaten your cooking and though I survived to talk about it, I don’t care to repeat the experience,” Jamie joked.

Lauren laughed. “Let me get the key and we can get going then. I wouldn’t want to poison you after all the gourmet food you had on your first-class flights.”

While completing the project plan, Lauren had made arrangements with her building superintendent to sublease the loft across the hall. She told Jamie that the building management was only able to provide a bare minimum of furniture, and anything else he needed he could order from the rental places in town. Although they would be working together to complete the project preparations and construct the sampling equipment, leasing the other space would provide both of them with much needed privacy. It didn’t take a genius to realize, that though he had scaled her personal walls, she was only going to let him in so far.

Chapter Three

LAUREN TRIED AGAIN TO reach Sharon and Susan. She knew that she wasn’t the best at communicating and often went months without contacting her friends. But where could those guys be? She had tried their Steamboat Springs number at least twice a day for the last four weeks. Lauren started to leave another message when the machine cut-off.

“Hello, how may I help you?” A woman’s small voice echoed through the receiver.

“Oh, hi. I’m Lauren Beckwith. I’m trying to reach Sharon or Susan. Do I have the correct number?” Did they even live in Steamboat anymore?

“You have the right number. I’m Suzie, Sharon's niece. I’m housesitting for them. They should be home from Europe in the next couples of days.”

“Great. Would you please let them know that Lauren Beckwith called and that I’ll be in Steamboat for a project in late December? I was hoping to spend a couple of days with them before I begin my fieldwork in the area.”

“No problem, I’m sure they’re planning on spending the holidays in Steamboat this year. I’ll have them return your call when they get in.”

Lauren ended her conversation with Suzie and pivoted her desk chair to face the windows. As she contemplated the view, she reviewed the month of frenzied activity. Amazed by the amount of work they completed in such a short time, Lauren realized they worked well together as a team. But something nagged at her. She realized she had started to feel companionship with Jamie and looked forward to seeing him throughout their frenetic days. This realization brought Lauren up short. She’d never allowed herself to get close to anyone. She projected an image of the perfect Ice Maiden—cool, calculating, unsmiling, aloof. She’d heard this term whispered behind her back when she visited Geodynamics’ corporate headquarters in New York City.

What happened? The mountains didn’t seem to have an answer for her today. Lauren wasn’t one to dissect her feelings either. She kept as rigid a boundary on those as she did on her personal life. But something was happening. Was it the closeness of working day after day with only one other person? Was it the thrill of designing a new project and creating equipment and software from scratch? Or had she relaxed her guard? Being at home was making her soft. She shook her head ruefully and chuckled quietly. Yeah home.

But if Lauren was honest with herself, she knew it was something else. Something more. A kinship was forming with Jamie. He was becoming a friend. Why is that? She realized it was the fact that Jamie accepted her as she was, without comment or criticism, without a desire to outdo her. He wasn’t threatened by her. Jamie was secure enough in himself that he didn’t need to compete with her. They were professional equals and truthfully, intellectual equals. And most importantly, their relationship lacked the backstabbing and posturing she experienced at school or in the boardroom. A refreshing change indeed.

Just as Lauren began to acknowledge the comfort she felt with Jamie and her own feelings, the front door banged opened and Jamie rushed through. His entrance was always the same, ignoring the stairs he leapt off the landing and vaulted over the couch. Usually sliding on the hardwood floors coming to a stop in front of her desk. Today was no different as he ended his slide with a plop into a chair. “Hi, how’re things?”

“Things could be better if you’d choose to arrive at the agreed upon hour so we could get our work done, and move these piles out of my living room.” Lauren’s gesture encompassed the ever-growing stacks of electronic equipment scattered about. “It looks like a Radio Shack is having a yard sale in here.”

He grinned. “Life’s too short to continuously immerse one’s self in work. Don’t you ever want to get out of here. Even for a brief walk in the sun?” But even as he admonished her, he rose and started to sort data cables into one of the large ABS-plastic equipment cases.

Jamie’s comment seemed exceedingly prophetic, given her introspection before his arrival. Age-old survival skills kicked in and she emotionally stepped back. Caution warred with acceptance. Maybe she was letting him in too far. Where does he get off commenting on my work habits?

Letting irritation creep into her voice, she replied, “Where were you last night? I thought we agreed to finish the last of the aqueous probes?”

Jamie waved his hand, shooing away her comment like an annoying bug. “Probes, smobes, is that all you can think about? I was out last night. I needed a break and decided to explore. There are some terrific bars in Denver, you know. Or maybe you don’t. I decided to sample the local color last night and relax a bit.”

Trying to regain her composure, Lauren said, “I haven’t got time to enjoy the Denver bar scene. Unlike you, I've got work to do!”

Jamie appraised her and Lauren felt his gaze sweep across her. Did I fool him? No, of course not, but he undoubtedly noticed my rising irritation. Look at that smirk. No, he isn’t fooled. It was times like these when she wished she’d opted for the solid oak desk rather than the glass library table that held her computer systems. At least oak would’ve provided something solid to hide behind.

But Jamie let it go and turned back to the tangle of cables. “Fine, let’s finish the probes.” They had designed two different ones: one set would sample the sediments on the lake bottom and the other would gather water samples. “We’ll need to get the casing design finalized and off to the machine shop. They’ll need at least a week to complete them but we’ve got to decide on the size.”

Lauren heaved a sigh of relief as the moment passed and Jamie was once again all business. Jamie’s thoughts were now fully-focused on the design challenge ahead of them and off of her personal life, or lack thereof. She turned back to her monitors and showed Jamie the preliminary designs she had completed last night. She easily slipped back into her professional persona and moved onto the next steps of project preparations. Another small emotional conflict averted, maybe.

Chapter Four

WITH THE LAST DOWNHILL turns of Rabbit Ears Pass behind her, Lauren tried to stretch in place behind the wheel of her SUV. Her planned three-hour drive from Denver to Steamboat Springs had become a seven-hour marathon, and her tall body was not happy with the prolonged cramped position. A fierce winter storm had blown up over the northern Rockies during her drive. She left Denver in sunshine and moderate temperatures only to plunge headlong into whiteout conditions on the western side of the Continental Divide.

Lauren thought about the last two months with increasing pride. Her previous projects had required long stays in isolated camps, but there were always lots of people around—camp workers, project scientists, guides, clients, and the indigenous populace. The locals always arrived shortly after camp was set, curious about the happenings in the small cities that Geodynamics created in the middle of nowhere. But this project was just the two of them, her and Jamie. They had created custom-designed equipment, written new monitoring software, built underwater monitoring systems that could function in near freezing water, built data-storage units that would survive subzero temperatures, and collected all the winter mountaineering equipment they would need to survive in the wilderness area while deploying the monitoring equipment.

This drive was the first time she’d been alone in two months. Chuckling, she realized it wasn’t always just the two of them. Jamie quickly made friends with neighbors in Lauren’s building, people she had never met even after living there six years. Granted most of those years were spent overseas, but Jamie had been there less than a week and had given a dinner party for the neighbors. And what a party it was—great food, better wine and local craft beers—spirited conversation filled his leased loft. Lauren laughed more in those few hours than she had in the last year. Jamie was a terrific host—congenial, open, welcoming.

But it was what happened after the party that unsettled Lauren and caused her to reflect on her life every day since. She was washing the dishes and enjoying the view out Jamie’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Unlike her loft that faced the mountains, this loft faced east with a view of downtown Denver and then onward towards the eastern plains. The lights from the neighboring buildings twinkled cheerfully in the darkness. Jamie was gathering trash and other party detritus in large garbage bags, when he said, “I’m impressed, you really opened up. I learned more about you tonight than in the last ten years. I had no idea you did a residency in pediatric oncology.”

Suddenly the twinkling lights didn't look so cheerful. Their twinkling morphed into pulses that seemed to take on a staccato beat. Tiny lights beating. And then some started to go out, turned off, signaling the end of the day. Tiny hearts beating and then not, signaling the end of another life. Shut off as easily as flipping a switch.

“So when are you going to tell me about Johns Hopkins? You never talk about your medical career. How could you give up all that to work analyzing dirt?” Jamie filled the trash bags. He missed the tears that slowly tracked down her cheeks. Tears of regret, tears of loss, tears of failure. She didn’t answer. Jamie left to throw the trash bags away.

Jamie’s return from the trash chute didn’t register. Lauren was still counting the beating rhythm of the lights, counting those still on, counting those going out—one by one. And there wasn’t anything she could do to stop them from going out or keep them beating.

Lauren heard Jamie dig through the freezer. “I’ve got some Rocky Road left. Want some?”

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t, she was lost in the memories of tiny hearts stopping. Lost in memories of Johns Hopkins and pediatric oncology and her failures.

“Rocky Road, it’s your favorite.”

I don’t want any ice cream! I want the hearts to keep beating, can’t you see that?

“Lauren? Hey, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did you cut yourself?” He moved to take her hands out of the water to check. “Come on what’s going on? What did I say? What’s happening?”

Slowly Lauren turned her head to look at Jamie. “Nothing, you did nothing wrong. It was me. I couldn't help them. I couldn't stop their deaths. It was all my fault.” Her tears now fell in steady streams, dripping from her chin.

“All your fault? I doubt that. I can’t believe you did anything wrong.”

“You’re right. I didn’t do anything wrong, but I didn’t do anything right either. I couldn't defeat their diseases. They all died. As my father said, ‘I’m a sorry excuse for a doctor.’” She looked away, back to the lights.

“I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re the smartest person I know, Lauren. I know you did your best. You are the best.” Jamie tried to appease her but confusion was written across his face.

“But my best wasn’t good enough.”

And that comment led to a night of sharing her worst fears and nightmares, emotions and events that Lauren had never shared with anyone but her grandfather. How she gave up pediatric oncology and switched to trauma. At least there she only needed to stabilize the patient, and then they were someone else’s responsibility. A sorry rationalization at best. But not knowing what happened to patients long-term didn’t allow Lauren closure. So she left medicine. She took her knowledge of oncology and applied it to learning about the potential environmental triggers of the cancers that were killing her young patients. She got a PhD in environmental chemistry to try and identity potential hazards in the environment. If she could determine what hazards existed, and how they turned on a physical response in cells, determining what caused them to go berserk; then maybe, just maybe, she could stop the triggers? Clean them out of the environment. Stop the deaths.

She was thankful that Jamie sat silently and just let her talk. He didn’t judge or rationalize or admonish. He just listened. He seemed to realize how important it was to do that. It was a special moment for both of them. It was an experience that neither of them would forget. Lauren had shared the confrontations with her parents. How they criticized her actions and decisions. How they said she was wasting her life. Jamie couldn’t believe how callous her parents were and said so. It was an evening that cemented their friendship and maybe something deeper—reinforced their respect for one another.

Shaking her head to clear the memories, Lauren turned her thoughts from new friends to old. She’d met Sharon and Susan at an INESCO world heritage site in Australia. Sharon had fallen and twisted her ankle, and Susan wasn’t able to manage an injured Sharon and all their backpacking gear. Sharon was small, about five feet tall and less than one hundred pounds. Susan knew she could carry her out if she didn’t need to take water and other gear. Lauren found them sitting under a gum tree arguing about what equipment to leave and what they’d absolutely need to make it back to the car park.

Lauren quickly stepped in, assessed the badly sprained ankle, and volunteered to carry all the equipment and water. They got Sharon back to a medical facility. As a thank you, the couple treated Lauren to two nights at the Park Hyatt in Sydney.

Lauren would never forget that trip or their fortuitous meeting. Sharon and Susan were her only non-work related friends and they continued to be over the years. Often after Lauren completed a project, she would stay with them in Steamboat. They provided her with a quiet space to renew and recharge, but she realized she never returned their hospitality. Maybe after this project, she could invite them to Denver for a weekend. Share some of her life. Take Susan to the zoo. She’d love that.

Lauren quickly navigated through the center of Old Steamboat on her way toward Sharon and Susan’s ranch. Sharon was well known throughout the Yampa Valley as the founder of Steamboat Heritage, a group set on saving the valley from overdevelopment. They tried to balance economic growth with environmental impact. Susan was a veterinarian and always seemed more comfortable with the animals she treated than their human owners.

Turning on to the ranch access road, Lauren began the climb up toward their homesteader cabin. The blowing snow could not hide the signs of construction. Holes, large enough to swallow half her SUV, pocked the road, and she had to slow down to protect the electronic equipment she carried in the back.

A break in the billowing snow revealed an unexpected sight—the cabin was gone. Lauren stopped her vehicle to gaze up at the multi-storied log home that sat in its place. Wow, what a change. Lauren knew this was a project that took a long time to complete and reinforced how long it had been since she last saw them. Guilt gnawed at her. She felt disappointed in herself for not being a better friend. For not keeping in touch and sharing in all these wonderful changes happening to her friends.

Wind howled, sending white tornados whirling around Lauren as she made her way from the warm SUV toward the house. The wind cut through her light fleece jacket and she was chilled by the time she arrived at the entrance. Finally making it to the mahogany double doors, Lauren blinked snowflakes from her eyes and raised her hand to knock, but Susan opened the door before she could. She was encircled in a fierce hug. The hug eclipsed the missing time between these old and true friends. Lost in warmth, Lauren smiled and hugged her friend back.

Chapter Five

SNUGGLING FURTHER INTO THE warm, flannel-covered shoulder, Lauren sighed, "Dr. Stanley, I presume?"

Laughing, Susan replied, "Dr. Beckwith, is it?"

"That's Doctor Doctor Beckwith to you, and you better not forget it!" Lauren pulled away from the hug and surveyed her friend. Taller than Lauren, Susan had a large muscular build, probably earned from all the vet work she did. Snowy white hair fell about her face in a rustic shaggy cut. She looked like one of her furry friends. Her face was creased from the many laughs she shared with friends and family.

Susan grinned. "How are you, kiddo? Still out discovering how corporations are stealing, pillaging, and polluting? Trying to make them stop?”

Lauren nodded her head as Susan summarized her job. “Doing my best.” Lauren swallowed hard as the memories of her evening discussion with Jamie flashed in her mind. “Just gathering the facts to illustrate what’s really happening.”

"So you say.” Susan laughed and slung an arm around Lauren’s shoulders. “But neither of us will survive to tell our tales if we don't get out of this storm." Susan led the way into the brightly lit foyer, closing the doors behind them.

Looking up and up and up, Lauren spoke as she took in the dynamic structure. “This is amazing! I can't believe it. This is more a castle than a log cabin in the woods. You guys did a terrific job." Overhead, massive Douglas fir logs held up beam-trusses, which rose to meet at the peak of the central hall three stories above them. Tiered balconies wrapped around this great room where the upper floors looked down to the ground floor.

Susan shrugged. "No matter the scale, it’s still home, kiddo. And we’re glad you’re here, and in time for dinner, no less. You know how Sharon gets if dinner is late. Her stomach can't tolerate any delay."

“I know, I know. How she keeps her girlish figure with as much as she eats is beyond me.”

“So true, my gal can really pack it in when she’s hungry and she’s hungry most of the time.” Susan laughed at her own joke. “How was the trip up from Denver?”

“Fine until I crossed the Continental Divide and hit this blizzard. It was a difficult drive and I’m looking forward to some rest. It's been non-stop since Sarawak, and now we are starting a new project. I feel like I’m still jet-lagged and not sure where I am.”

Susan ushered her further into the house. “I know the feeling. I still feel like I’m on European time, and we’ve been back a week. Do you have any bags?  We have the things you left from your last visit upstairs. We set aside a room on the third floor just for you. Just like in the old house. "

"Only a duffle with some personal things and then all the gear, that can stay in the SUV. I’d like to bring the electronics in, though. They can stand low temperatures, but I don't want them to gather condensation on the inside of the casings if temperatures fluctuate too much."

"No worries, just follow the lane around the house to the garage. I’ll open the third bay from the right. Your SUV will fit, no problem. Bring anything you need into the house through the side door. I’ll see you there.”

After parking the SUV in her assigned spot, Lauren grabbed her duffle and headed through the side door. The entrance opened into the kitchen, a large room filled with warmth and the aromas of cinnamon and clove. A center island of oak and granite dominated the space. Susan was elbow-deep in a bowl. Looking up as Lauren entered, she waved a flour-covered hand. "Get over here, will you? I need you to tip the bowl so I can pull the dough out."

Never comfortable in a kitchen after all her cooking mishaps over the years, Lauren cautiously approached the island.

Susan rolled her eyes. "Come on, neither the dough nor I am going to bite you. Get your butt over here."

Laughing at herself, Lauren grabbed the large porcelain bowl and held it on edge while Susan rolled the dough onto the flour-covered surface. "You know I don't cook, so go easy."

"The big bad jungle explorer is afraid of a kitchen and a bit of bread dough.” Susan laughed. “I'm surprised you don’t starve to death. Or do all those pretty interns take care of you?"

Lauren felt a blush creep up her neck and warm her cheeks. "No pretty interns. Cooks for sure, mostly male and usually toothless, and definitely not my type. Interns aren't allowed out in the field."

Susan winked. "Too bad. Nothing fun to look at."

"What's not fun to look at?" Sharon’s voice floated over to them.

Gasping, Lauren and Susan spun around, flour flying into the air, coating both of them in fine white powder. Lauren’s heart pounded. The woman always seemed to be able to sneak up on people.

"Guess I did walk in on something then. You guys look guilty as hell. What did I miss?” Sharon smirked.

Lauren dusted off some of the flour. "Sharon. How are you? Still sneaking up on people I see.”

Sharon moved across her kitchen to stand next to Lauren. "Not so fast. You can’t deflect my curiosity that easily. What did I miss?”

Lauren towered over Sharon's diminutive frame. "We’re discussing toothless cooks in the jungles of Sarawak."

Sharon tilted her head, tapped her chin, and grinned. “I thought I heard something about pretty interns and tropical breezes."

Grabbing the smaller woman up and spinning her around, Lauren laughed. “For your information, we’re discussing my lack of cooking skills and toothless cooks.” Lauren carefully set Sharon down. “I’m so glad to see you! It's great to be here.”

Sharon smiled sympathetically and patted her side. “Well, we’ll take good care of you and put some meat back on those bones. You know Susan won’t let you go hungry.” Sharon moved around the island and cuddled her partner. “Will you, honey?”

Susan encircled her shoulders and pulled her close. “Honey is it? I see where this is going. You’re just trying to butter me up to make sweet bread for dinner instead of rolls.”

“No not really, just trying to acknowledge your amazing culinary skills. But buttering up could have potential later.” Sharon wiggled her eyebrows at Susan and giggled.

Shaking her head, Lauren smiled, she was used to being ignored when these two got going. After several long minutes, she said, “All right, guys, still here, remember me?” Lauren sketched a small wave but they continued to ignore her. “My room’s on the third floor, right? I think I’ll head in that direction.” Lauren knew Sharon and Susan were lost in their moment, so she took her leave and went in search of her room.

A mumbled, “We’ll eat in an hour,” followed Lauren out of the kitchen.

“I should have left a trail of bread crumbs, so I can find my way back to the dining room. This place is huge,” Lauren muttered. The halls stretched on endlessly, and she was just about to call Susan on her mobile for directions when a black, tan, and white ball of energy tore around the corner.

“Boscoe, my boy! How are you?” Lauren dropped to her knees and grabbed the Welsh Corgi around the neck. “You’re looking good.” The dog tried to wash her face and, laughing at the doggy kisses, Lauren rose from the floor.

“Come on, Boscoe, we need to find Sharon.” At the mention of his mistress’ name Boscoe took off down the hall, tearing back around the corner. It was all Lauren could do to keep up. How that dog could move that fast on legs so short was beyond her. He and Sharon were the same. Short legs aside, they both moved with the same boundless energy.

Boscoe made it down three flights of stairs and around several corners before heading down the central hall of the house. Lauren watched his bobbed tail disappear through a doorway and assumed this was the dining room. A sharp bark told her that Boscoe had found his mistress.

Lauren followed him and stopped short. She gasped. A long rectangular room stretched before her. A table that could easily seat thirty people was centered under three wrought iron chandeliers. The chairs, covered in Frasier formal tartan, that represented Sharon’s family, looked elegant and regal. Only one end of the table was in use, set with three place settings of china and crystal, ready for their evening meal.

Lauren let out a breath. “Wow, if you ever wanted to entertain the town, this is the place.”

Laughing at Lauren’s comment, Sharon replied, “Not the town, but we can feed all the ranch hands, and their families at one time. We use this room mostly for board meetings. Now have a seat. I’m starving.”

“Sharon, really, where are your manners? Let her focus on the room so she won’t notice that I burned the béchamel sauce.” Susan wagged a finger at Sharon as she pulled out a chair for her partner.

Lauren sat as well. “I wouldn’t notice if you burned the sauce. I spent five months in Sarawak eating food that was cooked, buried in coals in an open pit. They burned it every time. Those guys weren’t barbeque pit masters, let me tell you.”

“We promise to minimize any charred foods from here on. But the potatoes may be a little dry without the sauce.” Susan’s joking couldn’t hide a hint of embarrassment that Lauren picked up on. Obviously they had lost track of time once Lauren left the kitchen. No wonder Susan's cheeks were so flushed.

“No worries, it looks wonderful, and I’m starving.”

Susan began filling plates. “How were the wilds of Borneo and Sarawak, really? I mean it’s a place out of time, but is the modern world encroaching?”

Lauren chewed on a bit of bison roast before replying. The meat was delicious, tender and rich. “Oh, the usual for the jungle. Hot, wet, bug-invested, fascinating, and frustrating. I enjoyed the trip. We had a good team, the local camp helpers were terrific, and the guides were patient with us outsiders. This is the first time we ever worked that closely with the indigenous people.”

Susan sipped her wine. “Why? You said they always show up when you arrive?”

Sitting back, Lauren let fond memories of the field project wash over her. “Yeah, they do. You would too if strange white people dropped into your world and built a small city. But we try not to create too much disparity amongst the indigenous populations. I look at it like Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches on the Beaches story.”

Susan spluttered into her wine. “Oh this I’ve gotta hear. You have a Ph.D. and an M.D. and you’re using a kid’s story as your analogy for field work in a fifth-world country?”

“Well, yeah. When we enter their world—we are Sylvester McMonkey McBean with the machine that puts stars on and takes stars off. The tribes are the Sneetches. Before we arrive, no one has a star on their belly. If we give things to some of them…that’s like getting a star…it differentiates them from the rest, and jealousies arise. Everyone sat back to contemplate this vision.” After several more bites, Lauren continued, “We worry that items we provide will disturb tribal dynamics and most of our stuff is unsustainable. If we help one group or give them things, we are potentially impacting the entire culture.”

“So, how do you manage this volatile situation?” Susan was so engrossed in the topic that her plate was forgotten.

“That’s something we continually struggle with. We try to provide services rather than give them things. At this site we built a bridge.”

“No way, a bridge. Really?”

“Really. The tribe was effectively divided into two parts because this huge ravine created a geographic barrier. So we designed and built a bridge to span the ravine. The shamans blessed the bridge and then decorated it in jungle vegetation. After they were done you could barely see that a bridge existed.” Lauren went back to enjoying her roast. “This is really good! It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed such a terrific home cooked meal.”

Susan smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Sharon paused, her fork hovering in front of her mouth. “That all sounds great but what’s the long-term impact of your interactions.”

Lauren wiped her mouth allowing her time to gather her thoughts. “We recognize that most places we visit are out of time and space. This project was a high-priority because the environmental damage was evident. Effluent from a mining operation located upstream of the tribe was potentially contaminating the water and soils. That could have long-term effects…increase in birth defects, retardation of children, cancers. If our results show contamination, the tribes would need to be protected and a clean water supply provided or the tribe would need to be moved until remediation is completed.”

“Don’t tell me. I can see it now. Some company comes in and makes a mess of one of our last virgin rainforests for profit, and then leaves when they’ve ripped all of the commodity out. It’s unacceptable how governments can allow this.” Sharon pushed her plate away.

“It is unacceptable. But that’s what I do at Geodynamics. Help identify environmental issues that force cleanup. Try and make a difference.” Lauren could tell a change of subject was needed as Sharon continued to glare at her plate, her jaw working. “Susan, the potatoes aren’t dry at all.”

“Thanks, Lauren.” Susan looked up at her and shrugged.

Quiet settled over the immense room, broken only by the sound of cutlery on plates and Boscoe’s soft snuffling as he explored under the table for handouts. A telephone rang in the distance and interrupted their meal. Susan jumped up. “I’ll get that. It’s probably the office. I have three patients in recovery.” She left the two as she went to answer the phone.

“Does she ever slow down? Three patients? I thought she was selling her practice,” Lauren mused.

Sharon huffed again. “I know. We’ve been back from Europe for a little over a week, and she is already back at it full time. The owners don’t want her to quit her practice but it’s the furkids she can’t leave.”

Lauren laughed at the term of endearment she always heard Susan use for her animal patients. Susan had explained early in their friendship that May Sarton coined the term in one of her early novels.

Susan hurried back into the dining room. “I’ve got to run down to the office. We’ve got three cats coming in that were in a car accident.”

“Do they know which one was driving?” Sharon inquired dryly.

“None of them were driving. Their mom was.” Susan laughed. “Their car got hit on Rabbit Ears Pass. Probably a damn tourist who thinks having four-wheel drive means you can still drive the speed limit in a blizzard. I’ll probably stop in and see their mom and let her know how her furkids are doing. Don’t wait up, hun, I’ll see you all in the morning.” Leaning down, she kissed Sharon on the cheek. After a quick wave, Susan bolted from the room.

“She is the absolute best, and the locals know it.” Sharon shook her head, as she watched the swinging kitchen door. “It’ll be close to never before she fully gives up her practice.” Sharon turned her penetrating gaze back on Lauren. “So, tell me about this project you’re planning. Where exactly is this fieldwork of yours?  All you said in your voice mail was something about Mount Zirkel.”

“Yeah, no jungle this time, but I imagine it’ll be as cold on that mountain top this time of year as anywhere I’ve ever been."

Sharon paused and eyed Lauren. “Where exactly in the Zirkels is this work?”

Excitement bubbled up in Lauren. "This time it's just a short trip up the road. Quick in to Gilpin Lake, drop the probes through the ice, set up the monitors and recorders, and a quick out. Not more than four days and three nights. Jamie will be here tomorrow. This is going to be a great project. And with an almost unlimited budget no less. We’ve designed all new monitors, probes, and casings. It’s going to be groundbreaking. I’m surprised that your Steamboat Heritage group isn’t involved as well.”

She paused to take a breath and noticed how quiet it was in the room. A frown furrowed Sharon’s brow. Even Boscoe had stopped his food hunt and stared up at Lauren with big, sad eyes.

“What did I say? "

Sharon’s frown deepened, her eyes narrowed. “We are involved. We’ve been fighting CP&E for the last five years. There is no end to the fight. But you blast in here and think this is some winter camping trip with a little science thrown in for good measure. You gotta get a life.”

Sharon’s angry. What’s going on? We’re on the same side of this issue. “But, Sharon—”

“Don’t!” Sharon held up her hands. “You and your projects. You need to be looking for the truth.  The truth is that all these corporations use your precious data to further their own interests.”

“I—” Lauren couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Sharon steamrolled on. “Because you are the best, and they know it! The best at getting the information. Getting the best data. Data they want, data they can use to bend the truth. Twist it into their truth and then if it doesn’t fit, lie about what’s actually happening in our world and to our planet to justify their endgame. Make more money!”

“That’s not true. You’re making it sound like I’m working for the corporations. That’s not the case and never has been. Geodynamics only works to stop corporate polluters. The Sierra Club is our partner on the Zirkel project. We’re gathering the data to stop CP&E’s construction of another coal-fired electrical generation plant.” Lauren felt out of her element. When Sharon got going no one could stop her. It was the same in Australia when they first met. Sharon seemed so caught up in her views of the world that she couldn't see a broader reality. Couldn’t debate alternatives to shutting down exploration or development all together. Couldn’t rationalize how Lauren’s work helped stop corporate polluters, helped force cleanup while, doing so in an economically-viable way.

“You and Susan are the most intelligent people I know but neither of you have one ounce of common sense.”

Lauren felt that was unfair. “Hang on. You can’t stop every bit of exploration and development around the world. We’d all be thrown back into the Dark Ages. And don’t think I don’t understand what’s going on. That’s why we’re doing this project the way we are. We don't want CP&E to gather their own data and misrepresent the results. The Sierra Club will need the unbiased data that we gather to support their case.”

“But can’t you see how CP&E will use your data to lie and twist the truth. It’ll be another example of what happens when your data are used for corporate gain.” Sharon pushed away from the table.

Lauren shook her head, her anger starting to rise as well. Sharon wasn’t listening. “You’re wrong. My data are used by environmentalists to stop corporations from irreparably damaging our world and forcing them to clean up their messes. My data allows people to make informed decisions that help everyone. Informed decisions that balance exploration and development with environmental accountability.”

“Really, do you think CP&E will clean up this valley or the wilderness area?” Sharon bristled.

Lauren’s ire rose. “Yeah, I do. The Sierra Club is preparing the needed legal briefs now. All they’re waiting on is our data to show the extent of the damage. Then they’ll demand change.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Sharon, come on. Let’s calm down here and discuss the project. I can’t believe that your Steamboat Heritage group won’t want to partner with us too. You can reinforce our findings with local observations made by members of your group.”

“You are so naive. Do you know that I have to paint the brass doorknobs on the west side of the house with clear coat to prevent them from tarnishing? That the acid snow is etching the paint off the ski lift stanchions on Mount Werner. That’s tangible damage that is happening in this valley today. CP&E doesn't care about data or damage already done. They just care about corporate profits. And to make a profit they have to produce electricity. To make electricity they have to burn coal.” Sharon threw her napkin down on the table. “Stop gathering data that can be twisted and turned by corporate raiders. Do something that makes a difference. Do something to stop them now.” Sharon shook her head and looked at Lauren with a fierce glare. “Maybe you need to admit that you’re doing more harm than good. Maybe you need to go back into medicine where you can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

Sharon stood so quickly that her chair tipped backward, crashing to the floor. Boscoe whined. She stormed from the room without another word. Lauren felt like all the air was sucked out of the room with Sharon’s rage, leaving her in an emotional vacuum. She looked down at Boscoe. “What did I say?” The Corgi exhaled explosively and trotted from the room, obviously as upset as his mistress.

“She can’t believe that, can she? My data isn’t misused that way.” Everything that she believed in—her data, her science, her work, the last twelve years of her life—were all called into question. And all the failures of her past coalesced with the present. Jamie had at least listened to her and been supportive. He tried to understand, to see the whole picture. But Sharon just threw it all back in her face, without allowing Lauren the opportunity to respond.

Am I really colluding with corporate pirates? No, it wasn’t true. She gathered data using scientifically reproducible and approved methods. Is that how the data are being used? Something I’m responsible for?

“Is it?” Lauren asked the silent room, wondering if she’d missed the point all these years. She never reviewed projects after they were completed or followed what they did with the reports after that. Perhaps she needed to start.

Susan bustled into the kitchen in a swirl of cool air. “Hey, kiddo, why’re you still up? It’s four in the morning. And you know we’ve got a dishwasher, don’t you? No need to get wet.”

Lauren stood at the kitchen sink, elbow deep in soapy water, lost in a repeating loop of internal debate and self-doubt. Sharon’s comments had melded with her discussion with Jamie and sucked her back into her past. Into her parents’ disapproval of her decision to leave medicine. Into her failures to help her patients. She couldn't help the kids then, and now it looked like she wasn't helping the planet either.

“Finally got the cats settled. A little bruised but no injuries, thank heaven. I went and saw their mom. The docs are going to keep her for observation. She has a nasty head wound from hitting the side window. They think it’s just a gash but wanted to rule out concussion.”

Lauren was still lost in her past. She let Susan’s words wash over her. Seems all her introspection occurred while elbow deep in dish water. A thought that would be funny if it weren’t so true. Gotta stop doing dishes.

“Lauren?” Susan stepped up behind her and asked, “Hey, you ok? What’s going on? How come Sharon left you with all the cleanup? That’s not fair, a guest shouldn't have chores.”

Susan touched Lauren on the shoulder.

Lauren started. “What, oh, you’re home. What do you need, I’m doing the dishes from dinner?” Lauren slowly pulled her arms from the sink. “See, dishes.”

“How long have you been standing here?” Susan grasped Lauren’s wet hands, wincing. “The water is ice cold. Look at your hands. What happened?  Where’s Sharon?”

Susan grabbed a towel and handed it to Lauren to dry her hands. “Happened? I’m not really sure. We were talking about my new project. Sharon said that the data we collect would be misused to cover up corporate misdeeds. That I’m not helping the environmentalists gather information to support their work. That I’m actually helping corporations justify their actions and continue polluting. She thinks I need to go back into medicine, since I’ve wasted the last twelve years of my life and maybe done irreparable harm to our world.”

Susan tugged on her shirt, pulling her away from the sink and onto one of the bar stools at the counter. “Slow down. Tell me what happened. What did Sharon say? You know she’s not the most tactful person in the world. And she has a one-track mind when it comes to the environment. It’s all or nothing with her.”

Lauren, still in a haze, nodded and leaned against the counter. The solidness of the cool granite grounded her. “We were talking about my projects, and I was telling her about the new project, you know, the one in Mount Zirkel. And she got so upset, so angry, that she left.”

“What do you mean left? Who’re you working for?” Susan was quiet for a moment, and then her eyes widened. “You aren’t working for Colorado Power, are you? They’re trying to expand their operations in the Yampa Valley.”

“No, not Colorado Power. We’re working for the Sierra Club. I don’t know what I said. I don’t know what upset her.” Lauren still didn’t understand why her friend had gotten so angry.

Burying her head in her hands, Susan groaned. "Oh boy, this is so not good. We’ve really not kept up with each other. Sharon’s been working non-stop for the last six months to halt the construction of another coal-fired power plant in the valley. She’s been immersed in endless rounds of information gathering and photo tours to capture images of the acid snow damage in the valley. Our trip to Europe was to visit areas around Aosta in Italy to see areas damaged by industrialization and acid rains. We toured their reclamation projects, seeing what they are doing. Now you show up with a project that will provide data to support this new construction."

"But that’s just it! We’re gathering information to stop the construction not support it.”

Susan sighed. “Sharon believes that all data will be misused. But it sounds like she stopped listening. You better get to bed. I’ll talk to Sharon, and see if I can clear up this mess. And leave the dishes. I’ll get them later.” She waved at the sink and headed out of the kitchen.

Lauren wandered off to her room. She knew sleep wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. She wondered if she would ever sleep again, given all she knew about all the projects she had completed. I am as culpable as all the clients who lost control of the information.

Lauren watched the dawn paint the eastern sky with streaks of oranges and reds.  “Red in the morning sailor take warning…a storm is coming. Great. Maybe we can get an early start tomorrow.”

Hoping to beat Sharon and Susan to breakfast and avoid another confrontation, Lauren headed to the kitchen. But the enticing aromas of frying bacon and coddling eggs that filtered down the hall told her at least Susan was already up. She smelled cinnamon the closer she got to the kitchen. Sharon must have sticky buns in the oven. Lauren sighed.

Both women were already seated at the table huddled over steaming coffee mugs. Trying to gauge the mood in the room, Lauren said a quiet “good morning.” She knew she wasn’t going to escape an uncomfortable situation. “Seems we’re all up early.”

Settling at the table, Lauren considered Sharon. The gulf that separated them was far wider than the distance across the table. Lauren knew that she and Sharon were at an impasse and that if a resolution was to be found, she knew they both needed to make the effort to acknowledge each other’s position. Their friendship hung in the balance, and she didn’t want to lose that.

“Sharon, do you have something to say?”  Susan prodded, in her usual take-charge way. She wasn’t going to allow either woman to get out of talking. She rose to serve breakfast.

Sharon stiffened in her chair and opened her mouth, but Lauren spoke first. “I’m sorry we disagree about the Zirkel project, but I believe gathering the best information and knowing how it’s gathered will help environmentalists do good work. I’ll do my best to see that the Sierra Club will share the project results with you and Steamboat Heritage. And I promise, I will follow the data through to its end-use. I’ll do everything I can to ensure Colorado Power doesn’t misuse or misrepresent it.”

Susan placed a mug of coffee in front of Lauren, and she immediately encircled the cup, warming her hands on the ceramic surface. “Your concerns are valid, and I realize I need to review how the data are used.” Lauren slumped in her chair as if these admissions cost more than simple words could. She realized that Sharon had called her entire professional life into question. Acknowledging that she would review her professional choices was important, and she was committed to do that. But clarity of thought would only come with time and research.

Sharon cleared her throat. “I was hoping you would decide to help us fight the corporate enemies directly, but I appreciate your willingness to help us partner with the Sierra Club. Your experience, science, and intelligence will be invaluable, and I know we can block this construction.”

Lauren jumped as Susan slid a dish piled high with eggs and a huge sticky bun in front of her, but she ignored the food. She leaned closer to Sharon. “I’ll do what I can. But I have a responsibility to complete this work first.”

“I understand. But you don’t realize how hard it is to fight all the time.” Sharon looked so sad, so defeated. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m tired. The fight never seems to end. Now that it’s in our backyard, the costs of failure are so much higher.”

“I understand.”

Breakfast was finished in silence. Standing, Lauren turned to Susan. “I’ll get the dishes. It’s the least I can do for your wonderful meals. Jamie will arrive today. We’ll spend the rest of the day running the final checks on the electronics. Tomorrow, we’ll head out to the trailhead around five in the morning. I’m not comfortable waiting any longer with how the weather is looking.”

She leaned down and hugged Susan. “Thank you both for your hospitality.” Then she turned to Sharon, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I promise I’ll address your concerns. I don’t want to lose either of you over a job.” Lauren started clearing the table.

“Sharon’ll give you a hand.” Susan pushed Sharon from her chair. “Won’t you, honey?”

Sharon nodded. “I’ll get the dishes. Have another cup of coffee and relax. When is Jamie getting here?”

It seemed a truce was forming and Lauren allowed herself a small smile. “Around noon. Okay, to use the garage to complete all the final run-throughs?”

“Absolutely.” Susan finished her coffee and placed her cup in the sink. “I’m going into the office this morning to check on the cats. Do you want to come with me or spend the morning here with the grump?” She pointed over her shoulder at Sharon. “We got a new ultrasound machine. It has digital printouts.”

“I think I’ll come with you.” They both laughed. Susan knew her too well. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing some new toys.” Lauren stood. “I’ll go get my coat and meet you in the garage. We can take my SUV and fill it up on the way back.”

Susan grinned. “If you see Boscoe, send him to the garage, and we’ll take him along.  He loves to ride in the car and go to the office.”

Jamie arrived late that afternoon.  “Man, look at this place. I thought you said they had a cabin in the woods. This is a frickin’ log mansion. It’s incredible.”

“Yeah it is, but they earned every bit of this and more. I’ll take you up to your room so you can get settled, and then we can head over to the garage and go through everything. I’ve got the equipment laid out and sorted. All I need you to do is check the monitor software, the battery charges, and pull a couple of probes out of their casings to ensure that there’s no corrosion on any of the electrical connections.”

Jamie brushed snow off his shoulders as they walked through the foyer towards the stairs. “Sounds like you’ve been busy. But you need to chill. No need to be this stressed, we’ve got it under control.”

“Right, that’s what I’m worried about.” She sighed. “Nothing is ever under control when we’re in the field.”

The pair headed up the three flights. “Here you go, I’m right across the hall.” Lauren pointed to an open door. Entering the spacious bedroom, Lauren turned. “After you freshen up, head downstairs, turn right at the bottom of the stairs, and go straight down the hall, through the kitchen, and out the door on the left. That’ll take you into the garage. I’ll meet you there.”

“What’s all the hurry? I thought we had a couple of days to sort all this out and then head to the lake.”

Lauren blamed the weather, but that was only one reason. She knew that she was trying to distance herself from her confrontation with Sharon and all the emotions it brought up as quickly as possible. “There’s a cold front headed this way, with more than a foot of snow forecast for the Yampa Valley. Who knows how much will fall in the surrounding mountains? I don’t want to get trapped in the mountains in a tent during a blizzard. Let’s plan on leaving here at five tomorrow morning.”

Jamie’s eyes widened and he flopped onto the bed, bouncing on the quilt covered surface. “Geez! Are you kidding me? Five a.m.? We’ve got plenty of time to get all the stations set up. If we can’t head out before the storm, let’s wait until there is a clear forecast.”

Lauren shrugged. “No can do. I want us outta here by tomorrow morning.”

Chapter Six

“WE’LL LEAVE THE TRUCK in the trailhead parking lot. I’m sure Peter doesn’t want any problems with a violation of Forest Service regulations.” Lauren took mental inventory of their supplies and sampling equipment as they drove. “With weather like this I’m not sure how long we’ll have to set up the stations.”

The skies had darkened to a slate gray and the ceiling was slowly sinking towards them as they climbed along Seed House Road toward Mount Zirkel. “The National Weather Service reported cloudy conditions for several days ahead of the approaching cold front. We should have plenty of time to ski into the lakes and get the stations set up before any real weather hits the area.”

Lauren wasn’t as sure. She never fully trusted weather predictions. She’d been sunburned, windblown, sandstormed, frozen, snowed-in, typhooned, monsooned, and hurricaned in too many remote areas when clear weather was forecast to fully trust weather forecasts. “Let’s try to make the deployment as quick as possible.”

“At least the area has already had significant cold, and we can count on three to four feet of good ice on the lakes.” Jamie’s comments swirled around Lauren as fast as the ground blizzards kicked up in their wake.

Silence shrouded the SUV for the remainder of their trip. Lauren couldn’t get feelings of foreboding out of her head. Come on, Beckwith. You’re just shaken by what Sharon said. Put it behind you and get your head in the game. This weather and the terrain are too dangerous to be distracted.

Yesterday, while they completed their equipment checks in the garage, Lauren shared everything Sharon had said about CP&E. Much to her surprise Jamie said he also shared her rising unease and unsettled thoughts about their data and its use. His twenty years in the industry gave him a broader perspective. He’d worked on both ‘sides’ of environmental projects. What he’d learned was that ultimately everyone came to this point. That everyone needed to balance the objectives of their work with their personal ethics. That everyone needed to make their own decisions about their place in the world. Place in the world indeed, no pressure there. But Lauren’s respect for Jamie increased exponentially.

Arriving at the parking area, they began pulling equipment from the SUV and preparing the first sled loads. They would use the sleds to transport all the probes, monitoring equipment, electronics, fuel, ice drills, and miscellaneous survival gear needed for an outdoors stay in the winter of the northern Rockies.

The two worked well together and were comfortable in their roles. They were on their way with the first load faster than she’d expected. Darkness fell early at this latitude so daylight hours were precious. She had planned five two-hour round trips skiing into the campsite and back to ferry in all their equipment. However, the three-feet of thick powdery snow that had fallen over the last weeks made skiing almost impossible.

Not twenty minutes down the trail, Lauren gasped out a halt. “Let’s switch to snow shoes and take turns breaking trail so we don’t exhaust ourselves too fast.”

Soon they were beyond speaking, too winded from the altitude and deep snow to waste their breath on words. Two hours later, rounding a turn, Jamie halted suddenly.

Lauren, head hanging, missed his abrupt stop and plowed into the back of his sled. “Hey, signal next time!”

Without turning Jamie raised an arm to signal for her to join him at the corner of the trail. Setting her sled’s brake and releasing her harness, she made her way up to him. She stopped beside him, breathless. What happened?  She gasped.

Lauren had studied the topography and geology of the area during project planning and chose this area specifically for its isolation and internal drainage. Mountains completely ringed the northern and eastern sides of the area creating a circular basin. The enclosed space contained thirteen lakes fed exclusively by snowmelt from the surrounding peaks. No one could argue that their results would be tainted by water flowing in from elsewhere. However, no amount of fact finding, analysis, or study prepared Lauren for the sight before her.

The huge bowl was filled with a forest of Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and Aspen trees. Granite arêtes ringed the basin. The soaring rocky ridges sparkled orange in the mid-morning sun. Ice-covered lakes dotted the floor of the bowl, scattered through the emerald forest like a string of milky smooth pearls. Snow covered tallis slopes dipped gently away from the sheer rocky peaks. Frozen waterfalls marked the route of the internal drainages that fed the lakes. Centered in the bowl, Gilpin Lake shined like a beacon.

A herd of female elk with their yearlings clustered in the center of the basin. Four bull elk stood equidistance from each other and the herd in the first stand of trees. As if sensing the intruders, the four bulls raised their heads in unison. They regarded the pair with the disdain only an animal without a predator could.

“How can we invade this space?” Jamie whispered. “It’s totally unspoiled by the outside world. Maybe Sharon was right. Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

Lauren could not take her eyes off the vista before them. “Except if the reports are correct, the outside world is already invading it on the winds. Those lakes will be sterile in a few more years, and the forest stripped bare by acid snowfall. We’ve got no choice. We have to collect these data. No one else can.”

“Okay then, we collect the best data we can. Let the data show what is really happening here. Make sure that the Sierra Club fights a good fight. Insure that CP&E doesn’t skew our results. And we arm Sharon to fight for change.”

Given the unspoiled scene before her, Lauren gained a true appreciation for Sharon’s quiet fury. She couldn’t believe a company could put profits before such a gorgeous place. That a company didn’t care about preserving a place like this. “I really don’t know anything anymore. I’m glad we decided on underwater sampling devices though. Nothing’ll be seen once the snow covers the marker buoys. But let’s minimize our impact and set up camp outside the basin. We’ll only go down to the basin floor to set out the monitors.” Retracing her steps back to her sled, Lauren began the slow process of turning her sled and heading back down to the last clearing large enough to hold their campsite.

The work had gone well. They had set up all but the last two stations without disturbing the elk. The herd quietly grazed around the basin floor while they completed the deployment of equipment. Sampling had already begun, and the first monitors were returning data through the company’s satellite.

Snow began to fall as Jamie and Lauren headed to the next-to-last station position. Lauren contemplated the darkening sky as the wind velocity increased, her worry growing with each passing hour. Now she watched as black clouds spilled over the northern ridge and began to fill the basin.

Tearing her attention from the clouds. “This weather’s arriving a lot faster than predicted. We won’t have time to finish deploying the last two probes if we do it together. Let’s split up and each take one site. We need to get out of this basin before that storm arrives.” She motioned to the building clouds. “You head downstream, and I’ll head upstream, let’s set the last two stations, and then meet back at the camp. Whoever gets back to camp first can begin breaking down the camp and load their sled. With just our camping gear we should only have one outbound trip each.”

Jamie hitched up his pack. “I really don’t feel comfortable splitting up.”

“We’ve got to do it there is no other way.” Lauren knew the dangers of splitting up, but they didn’t have any time left, the weather wasn’t going to wait for them. And if all the monitoring stations weren’t set at the same time, their data would be useless.

Reluctantly, Jamie agreed to split up. Lauren hiked up to the first lake and made it to the coordinates for the last monitoring station. The snow was falling heavier now and soon the lake shore was lost in the swirling winds. She pulled her headlamp out of her pack; the narrow beam lit a small circular area in front of her. I gotta hurry. If I can’t see the trail back up the ridge, I’ll never find our campsite.

The auger worked quickly cutting through the thick ice, and soon black lake water welled up to the surface. Wasting no time, Lauren pulled the last probe from her sled and hooked up the wires. She gently lowered the probe into the icy water. Just as the probe reached the bottom, and the wires went slack, a loud boom echoed around the lake. Jerking her head up, she surveyed the tree line. Was that a gun shot? What fool would hunt in this weather? No way they could see their target clearly in this storm.

Shaking her head, Lauren tried to connect the probe’s lead wires to the monitor buoy, but, the lake water had soaked her outer mittens. The mittens were freezing stiff preventing her from completing the fine connections. Even though her fingers were starting to tingle, Lauren pulled off the mittens, dropping them by the hole. She quickly completed the connections. Carefully, she lifted the wired buoy from the sled just as another boom crashed around her. Lauren looked up at the clouds billowing overhead. Could that be thunder flurries? Those clouds look thick enough to contain convection. If that was the case, Lauren had run out of time. Gotta speed it up here.

She gently lifted the buoy and placed it in the hole. It bobbed in place, its satellite antenna waving in the air. Lauren began refilling the hole with the leftover ice shavings and was packing those tightly around the antenna, when a third boom shook the ice surface. The wind had blown the frozen lake surface clear of snow and she now stood on a dark crystalline surface. Lauren watched in horror as cracks began to radiate outward from the buoy hole. A tinkling—like breaking glass—sounded as she watched the cracks expand.

“Oh no! This is so not happening.” Lauren leapt across the growing cracks, pushing the sled in front of her. As she approached the shore, Lauren gave the sled a final shove, and it slid easily up the bank, on to solid ground. But the cracks caught her. Heart pounding, she dropped to her knees and then spread-eagled on the ice, trying desperately to distribute her body weight evenly across the surface. She watched as the cracks surrounded her from all directions. She held her breath and tried to remain still. But, with a small pop, the ice gave way, and Lauren was dropped into the freezing lake.

The cold pressed in on all sides. Her limbs refused to respond. Panic rose in her throat and she fought to hold her breath. She was going to die. Here in a lake in her own backyard. Not thousands of miles away, not in some jungle, not brought down by some unseen parasite or viral infection, nor shot by terrorists. No, here, in Colorado. She was going to die!

Her brain and body began to shut down as the cold water penetrated through her expedition wear. But a part of her refused to give up, refused to give in to the cold. Oh hell no, not here, not like this. And she started to struggle. Fighting the lethargy in her limbs, Lauren clawed her way to the surface, and gasped for breath. Keep moving. The shore is so close. I can do this.  But every effort took monumental focus to complete.

Think, a voice screamed in her head. Use that oversized brain and think. What did she know? I’m close to shore. Shore means shallow water, shallow water means…means what? Thrashing in the water, pushing ice blocks away from her face, Lauren suddenly realized that shallow water meant she should be able to stand up. But could she? She couldn’t feel her legs, and she was so disoriented that she wasn’t sure which way was up. With supreme effort, Lauren got her legs under her, and her feet touched the bottom. Lauren rose from the icy water. She stood shakily in several feet of water, three feet from shore. With the last of her energy, she dragged herself to shore, collapsing beside her sled.

Lauren was in survival mode, acting by rote. Skills drilled into her over years of repetition kicked in. She knew, if she didn’t find shelter soon, and get out of the driving wind, she would die of exposure. Cold, so cold. Trying to rise, Lauren realized her parka and expedition pants were beginning to freeze. Just moving the stiff clothing required energy she didn’t have, but she knew if she didn’t move, she wouldn’t survive.

Lauren turned to her sled. The wind tore at her clothes and ice crystalized on her eyelashes, starting to freeze her eyes shut. She tried to get her sleeping bag loose from the sled but couldn’t get her hands to work. Couldn't get the bungees loose. Move.

From somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, a map of the basin came into focus. Where am I? Caves, there are caves just a bit to the northeast of this lake. Caves equal shelter. Slowly, Lauren grasped the sled harness and began slogging her way to the northeast. Got to keep moving. This was her mantra. Setting one foot in front of the other, she moved slowly toward the dark rock wall in the distance. Each step was becoming more difficult, and less coordinated. Keep moving.

Head down, focusing on her feet, Lauren slammed into the cliff face. Staggering backwards, she dropped to her knees. Caves. She was so cold. Looking along the cliff face, Lauren couldn’t see more than ten or so meters in either direction. Go north. Lauren staggered to the left—to the north. She kept the cliff off her right shoulder, as she searched for the caves.

A darker patch in the cliff wall appeared. Lauren missed it at first and was several meters beyond when something pulled her back. The voice in her mind told her to turn back, to look closer. Lauren pulled the sled to a halt and retraced her steps.

A vertical fissure marred the smooth granite wall. It was just wide enough for Lauren to squeeze through, dragging the sled after her. As she passed into the cliff, Lauren’s body tingled and shook. It was enough to jerk Lauren out of her frozen stupor. Hypothermia.

The crack widened into a small cave. The beam from Lauren’s headlamp swept across the space. How had my headlamp survived the freezing water? But Lauren was beyond reasoning. She needed to get warm. Just being out of the wind seemed to help, and it felt warmer in the cave. Lauren dropped the sled harness and fell to her knees. Got to get warm. Dry. Get the sleeping bag. Got to rest. Rest. Warm then food. Disjointed thoughts tumbled one over another. She clawed at the sled bungees, finally able to release enough of them to free her sleeping bag.

Lauren struggled to get her wet expedition gear off, she needed to get dry. Her polypropylene underlayers were stuck to her skin, and she couldn’t peel them off. Giving up, Lauren wrapped the sleeping bag around her, closing it over her head, desperate to get warm.  As her body heat began to accumulate in her down cocoon, she dropped into a dreamless sleep.

Lauren stirred. She didn’t know if it was day or night. Time had lost meaning for her. All she could hear was the howling of the wind. The storm had descended on the basin with all its fury. Her headlamp had dropped off during sleep, and she found it under her bag.

Pulling herself over to the sled, she dug around for her grub bag. She crawled back into her warm down nest. Rifling through the bag, she found trail mix, granola bars, oatmeal mix, and chocolate bars. Lauren’s stiff fingers refused to function and she couldn’t get the wrapper off a granola bar. Her hands were so cold. Too cold. Where are my mittens? An image of the frozen lake surface and the buoy hole returned, she’d taken her mittens off to hook up the buoy’s wiring. Terrific! The trail mix bag proved more cooperative. She roughly tore it open and ate several handfuls.

Dry clothes next. Lauren slipped out of her damp underlayers. She pulled a wool sweater and fleece pants over her damp body. Her hands were blotched white and red.  Frostbite. Warm them slowly. Curling into a ball, Lauren huddled in her bag with her hands jammed in her armpits.

As warmth again seeped into her body, Lauren fell back to sleep. Her dreams were chaotic, filled with storm clouds, thunder, driving winds, white outs, and freezing water.  Several times she started awake when she felt herself drowning. Awake, all she could hear was howling. Was that just the wind?  No. It sounded like wolves howling in the night. But the wolves were only in her dreams. She knew wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park but hadn’t been seen this far south. Coyotes, yes, it must have been coyotes. Once she thought she felt another warm body snuggled up beside her and fell back asleep to dream of former lovers.

Lauren dreamed she was caught in an avalanche and was suffocating under the weight of snow. Trying to move through the dream-snow, she flung her arms out. She connected with the solid mass of her sled. The cave was shrouded in darkness. Switching on her headlamp, the warm glow of LED light brought her surroundings into focus.

Lauren rose and had her first good look around her cave. Warmer now, she flexed her fingers. Let’s sort out this mess and then see what’s going on outside. Her equipment was strewn around the cave floor. Her outer gear lay in a sodden wet pile. Everything smelled of wet fur. Wet fur? Lauren shook her head.

Beginning with the sled, Lauren removed everything. Pulling the thermo-pad from the bottom of the sled, Lauren placed it down in the back of the cave. She placed her sleeping bag on top of the pad, turning it inside out to dry. Lauren upturned the sled and used that as a drying rack for her outer gear. The watertight cases were next. These contained her handheld GPS unit, her satellite and mobile phones, and her laptop and tablets. Flipping on the phones and GPS unit, she noted that they all showed full-battery indicators but didn’t have a satellite signal. Of course. You’re in a cave. No way for them to see the satellites overhead through solid rock.

The booming voice of Hans, her survival instructor from Global Marine, filled her head. Keep it simple, keep it organized, keep it prioritized. Those that survive, usually do so because they don’t get overwhelmed and panic. One task at a time will help you focus, and prevent panic. Shelter, heat, food, medical needs, location.

Shelter—check. Heat—check. The cave was wind-tight and relatively warm.

Food—check. She had three grub bags of food. Enough nourishment for about two weeks. All that was needed was water to rehydrate the freeze-dried meals, and she had snow outside the cave entrance. She dumped all three bags out to inventory her choices. Right, plenty of food. If you don’t mind dehydrated chili with M&Ms. Lauren’s laughter filled the small cave. God, I’m going to kill Jamie when I get back. I told him I hate chili and to get something else. But it was on sale. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars designing and building electronic probes and monitoring stations, and all he brings is chili because it’s on sale. He is definitely going to be dead.

Medical was easier for Lauren. Her full-range medical kit sat next to her sled. Lauren ran a hand lightly over the marred and dented red top. It was like an old friend. Oh the places we’ve been and the things we’ve done. It had saved her life on more than one occasion. Stocked with enough supplies to perform even minor surgical procedures, she could treat anything from headache to compound fracture. Looking at her hand resting on the kit top, Lauren realized that maybe she should be treating herself.

Her fingers were swollen and had a blue and red mottled appearance. The skin was drawn so tight that her fingernails were white at the base, and she couldn’t make a fist. Ok, what are the steps for treating frostbite? Lauren ran through the list of symptoms and treatment options, as she searched for her silk glove liners in her gear bag.  She took ibuprofen, amoxicillin, and covered her hands in a triple antibiotic cream before donning the silk liners.

Location—next item on Han’s list. Where am I and can I reach anyone to come and get me?  Pulling a fleece jacket over her head and grabbing up the GPS and phones, Lauren headed out the cave entrance. As soon as she rounded the second bend in the fissure, the wind hit her full in the chest, and she staggered back against the granite wall. An all-out blizzard raged in the dull light of day. Lauren couldn’t see two meters in front of her. Checking her watch, Lauren noted that it was just after noon on Saturday. Oh my God, I slept for three days. Jamie’s going to be frantic.

Just like inside the cave, the only response she got from the three devices was “searching for satellites.” Of course, the blizzard’s cloud cover was so dense it could be blocking any signal. She’d try again when the storm abated. Lauren turned back. Looking down, she noticed several large paw prints in the soft sandy floor. Whoa, those are huge. Lauren knelt to examine the prints. Definitely canine, but the size would rule out a dog. Coyote? Perhaps, but it is a big one, the print is several inches deep and four inches across. Other than a wet fur smell, there was no scat or ruminants of past meals on the cave floor. Hope he doesn’t return. This is my house, now. She knew it was bravado but wouldn’t let herself be frightened by what might happen. Tonight, she would sleep with her Swiss Army knife close at hand.

Lauren returned to the calm, warm interior of ‘her’ cave, and made a meal of chili. She washed it all down with a mug of herbal tea heavily-laced with honey. With her snug cave organized, food in her stomach, her frostbite treated, Lauren settled down to rest. Rest was going to be as important as calories for survival.

Chapter Seven

THE SMELL OF WET fur and warm breath ghosting across her face brought Lauren out of her dream. Rolling over, she yawned, filling her mouth with damp fur. A large white dog slept next to her, jerking fully awake she screamed.

“What?” The sound reverberated in the small cave. Lauren untangled herself from the depths of her sleeping bag and tried to get away from the dog. No, not a dog…a wolf!

Ice blue eyes regarded her with interest. Lauren grabbed her knife and crabbed over to the far side of the cave. The wolf seemed to smirk at her antics. Now what am I going to do? She was now trapped against the granite wall and couldn’t make it to the exit. The wolf watched her. I am so screwed here.

With a huge yawn that showed all its teeth, the wolf rose to sit on its haunches. It wrapped its tail elegantly around its legs, and regarded Lauren with an intelligent but stoic gaze. Lauren’s panic began to settle. Sitting still, it looked like a big, white-ruffed dog. But she’d never seen a dog with such cold blue eyes.

Lauren pointed her knife at the creature and stuttered, “Be a good girl. Be a good girl, and I’ll give you some trail mix.” That’s just great. Wolves don’t eat trail mix. They eat meat. And I’m going to be dinner. Had she just called the wolf, a she? How’d I know that? But thinking of the wolf as a female seemed to make it easier for her to calm down.

As the wolf tilted her head, Lauren felt her panic continue to recede. The wolf’s ice blue gaze cut straight through her, but she wasn’t exhibiting any aggressive behaviors. Had she insulted the wolf? Could you insult a wolf?

“If you aren’t a girl, I’m sorry,” Lauren whispered, thinking herself crazy.

The wolf seemed to smile. She slowly dropped down, to lie sphinxlike on Lauren’s thermo-pad. Lauren jerked, as she heard a gravelly female voice. “I am a girl.”

“Who said that?” Lauren frantically looked around the cave. I’ve lost my mind. I’ve got terminal frostbite and I’m hallucinating. Or I’ve died and this is my brain shutting-down from oxygen-deprivation. She couldn’t rationalize having a conversation with a wolf, she just couldn’t.

The wolf cocked her head. “I spoke to you. I am speaking to you.”

Fear again filled Lauren’s throat and nearly stopped her heart. She pointed her knife at the reclining wolf. “No, you are not! Wolves don’t speak. I’m dying or dead.”

“You are not dead. I am speaking to your mind from my mind. And I can, and do, speak. I am Sneachda, but you may call me Snow, Lauren.”

Just as Snow finished introducing herself, Lauren brain stuttered to a halt. She stopped trying to rationalize the situation. Her vision tunneled. “I am not speaking to a wolf.”

“You do not need to shout. I can hear your thoughts as easily as I can hear your vocalizations. My hearing is very acute.”

Lauren struggled to push her panic away as another white wolf strolled into the cave, shaking snow from her thick coat. This is not real. The appearance of the second wolf was too much for Lauren to process, and she slid into unconsciousness.

A wet rasp was dragged across Lauren’s face. “Stop it, Boscoe.” Lauren pushed the head away. “I’m awake, just give me a minute here. I don’t need my face cleaned first thing in the morning.”

Opening her eyes, Lauren blinked up into ice blue eyes, but Boscoe had brown eyes. Didn’t he?  Her surroundings snapped back into sharp relief, as the wolf leaned down for another tongue swipe. “No, stop it! I’m awake!”

“Lauren?” The gravelly voice echoed in her mind.

“Yeah, I’m awake.”

“I am Deigh, you can call me—”

“Ice. I can call you Ice.” Somehow, someway, Lauren knew her name. How do I know that?

The wolf slowly backed up. She moved to lie across the cave entrance. “How do I know your name? Why are you here? How can I talk to you? How can you talk to me? What’s going on?” Questions tumbled one over the other, as Lauren sought information to understand.

Nothing was forthcoming from the stoic Ice, so Lauren gave up questioning the beast. She moved over to her food bags to prepare another meal, her hunger outweighing the need to rationalize a wolf in her cave. Especially, a wolf she was having a conversation with. Whether this is all a hallucination or not, I still need to eat.

This game of watching each other went on for the remainder of the day. They didn’t speak to each other nor was she allowed to exit her cave. On the second day, Lauren approached Ice. “I need to go out and check the storm. If I can get a satellite signal, I need to contact someone and tell them where I am.”

Slowly Ice rose and arched her back, stretching like a well-mannered house cat after a long nap. “Very well.”

Pulling on her parka and her inner boots, Lauren moved through the fissure to exit the cave. What greeted Lauren was a world completely altered by the blizzard. Snow was piled in towering ridges, odd cornices, and crescent dunes. Between the dunes, bare ground was visible, evidence of how powerful the winds were, as the storm scoured the landscape. A black sky filled with stars arched over Lauren’s head. The Milky Way formed a wide gauzy swatch across the southern portion of the sky.

“Clear skies. Should get a good signal,” Lauren whispered, her voice loud in the quiet of this surreal winter landscape.

The words "searching for satellites” blinked up at her from the screen of her GPS. She gave the device a good shake. “What is it with this thing? I can almost see the satellites myself, and you can’t find a signal.” Pulling the sat phone from her pocket, Lauren flipped it open, but it blinked with the same message.

“That’s impossible,” Lauren shouted. Returning to the cave, Lauren grabbed her gearbox and dug out her analog compass, muttering, “This doesn’t need batteries, just the magnetic field of the Earth. I can at least triangulate off the mountain peaks and plot my position on my topographic map.” How old-school. She chuckled. The needle slowly swept across the brass compass face, coming to rest pointing north. Lauren turned in that direction. “Hang-on a second. That’s south!”

Puzzled, Lauren scratched her head and reviewed their trek into the lake basin. They entered the basin over the southern rim. Therefore, the basin and its lakes were always north of their campsite position. She could see Gilpin Lake sparkling in the distance from here. Maybe she got turned around during the storm and traversed across the basin to the south instead of to the north. But there aren’t caves in the southern basin wall. What’s going on here? How else can I find where I am? Astronomical position?

Looking up at the stars, Lauren searched for Polaris, the North Star. During the course of the night, she knew that Polaris didn’t rise or set but remained in a nearly stationary position above the Earth’s geographic North Pole, while the other stars rotated around it on the celestial sphere. Find the Big Dipper. Trace a line between the stars that make up the bowl of the dipper. That line will point to Polaris. She could almost feel her grandfather pointing over her shoulder up into the night sky.

She easily found the Big Dipper. She traced her line away from the bowl, but it ended in a blank spot of black sky. What the? The only star near where the North Star should be was way too bright to be Polaris. That has to be a planet. Lauren retraced her line but again found only blank sky and that one bright star. Unable to determine where she was, Lauren surrendered and went back into her cave. Ice rested on Lauren’s thermo-pad.

“Would you mind getting off that? I don’t want to smell wet dog all night.” Lauren grabbed a granola bar and eyed the large wolf.

With a huff and a wolfy-snort, Ice rose from the pad and stalked from the cave.

“I’m only fifteen miles from the trailhead. Tomorrow morning I’ll pack up and head there. Once I find the road, I can ski into the town of Clark and call Susan and Sharon from the General Store.” Comfortable with her plan, Lauren rolled up in her sleeping bag and dropped into a deep and dreamless sleep.

She woke early and ate a hearty breakfast of trail mix and chili. Chili for breakfast, she was definitely killing Jamie. Lauren packed her sled and headed out of the cave’s fissure into a brilliant white wonderland.

Donning her dark glasses, Lauren pulled her compass out of the chest pocket of her parka. The compass needle still pointed in the direction Lauren knew was south. And now that she could see the sun, her internal compass was correct. The direction the arrow pointed was south. Well, I guess this is the last trip for this compass. She would put in a place of honor on her mantle in the loft with other things her grandfather had left her.

Lauren soon discovered that skiing was easier than snowshoeing. The snow was frozen solid and so wind-scoured that it held her and the sled’s weight. She traveled in a direct line toward the south rim of the basin and the Slavonia trail.

Once on the valley floor, Lauren’s pace picked up. The drifts were smaller and spaced farther apart here. Looking around, she realized she couldn’t see the elk herd. That storm must’ve cleared them out to lower altitude. I hope Jamie made it out, and back to civilization without any trouble. Thoughts of Jamie pulled at her heart. Lauren knew Jamie would never stop looking for her and fully expected to see his head pop up over the next line of drifts, or at least be waiting at the trailhead. He'd never stop searching for her. And, neither would Susan and Sharon. They’d be frantic. Those two would mobilize as many resources as needed to find her. She knew they wouldn't rest until the search was successful. An image of a search and rescue party led by Susan and a team of barking Corgis sprang to mind.  Lauren’s laughter filled the basin with sound.

The south rim of the basin soon rose above her. Now that I’m here…where is the trail out?  Lauren traveled slowly along the ridge, knowing that the blizzard had drastically altered the landscape. She could easily walk past the trail. If it was buried under a snow bank, she’d never see it.

Four hours later and still nothing, Lauren sighed. Not a trail marker, not a track nor sign of human visitation, no animal tracks. Looking up, she realized that there weren’t any jet contrails from aircraft traffic overhead either. Nothing. Night was fast approaching, and she didn’t want to be out after dark. She was going to have to find the trail soon or return to her cave. The nighttime temperatures would fall well below zero with these clear skies. She knew her hands wouldn’t tolerate another dose of cold without exacerbating her frostbite. So she decided to take one more pass along the ridge before heading back to the cave. Turning her sled to make her final traverse along the ridge, she stepped into a hole and caught her ski edge, tumbling to the ground.

Picking herself up, she saw what had tripped her. “What’s this?” Dropping to her knees, Lauren looked at the depression in the snow. It looked like a hoof print? This has got to be a horse. But the print was huge. Maybe a draft horse got loose from one of the ranches around Clark. Looking around she saw that this wasn’t an isolated print. A trail of prints led off to the north back into the trees in the center of the basin. This was the first sign of civilization that she’d found, so Lauren followed the line of prints.

The print trail led Lauren deep into the forest where the fir trees blocked the waning light of the setting sun. Soon the trees began to thin. Lauren entered a grove of trees, the pungent aroma of fresh cedar filled the air. Lauren smiled, remembering her grandfather’s aromatic closet. Still trapped in old memories, Lauren didn’t realize she had cleared the trees until the reflection of the afternoon sun off the snow nearly blinded her.

There in the center of the clearing was the horse. Tall and massively muscled, it stood facing west. The setting sun shimmered off its ebony coat. Four feathered white socks rivaled the snow in brightness. But the horse wasn’t alone; a body was draped across its back, slumped in the saddle.

The rider’s black cloak trailed the ground beneath the horse on the left side. His right arm dangled limply along the horse’s shoulder, as if reaching for the ground. Frozen in motion, the rider appeared to be falling out of the saddle. But it was the red stalactite stretching from the rider’s fingertips down into a red ice puddle that captured Lauren’s attention.

Too much blood, even diluted in the snow. It’s too much blood to lose. Setting the sled brake and removing her harness, Lauren circled the horse so she could approach it from the front. Once the horse noticed her, he swung his massive head around. Two black pools of longing and pain held her gaze.

“Easy there, big fellow. I’m here to help. Just let me see to your rider. I promise I won’t hurt you.” She slowly raised one hand to the horse’s head. Stroking his long nose, Lauren cooed reassurances in a low tone.

As she slid her hand down his neck, he buried his nose into her shoulder and blew warm exhalations into her fleece jacket. “There now, it’s going to be okay. I promise.” Lauren continued to scratch his nose. “That’s a good fellow. Now let’s see if we can help your rider, shall we?”

Keeping a hand on a warm shoulder, Lauren moved to the right side. Just as she reached out to begin her examination of the rider, she noticed movement in the tree line. Flashes of white were circling the clearing. The shoulder beneath her hand began to tremble. So the horse sees them, too. I'm not hallucinating. They’re real.

“Easy, easy big fellow. It’s okay. It’s just Ice and Snow. They’re friends of mine,” Lauren whispered. “I hope.” When Ice and Snow had changed from hallucinations to friends Lauren didn't know, but now was not the time to dwell on talking wolves.

“Let’s see to your rider. I’ll look after him while you keep an eye on them, okay?”

Lauren ran her hand up the rider’s arm to the neck, searching for a pulse. It was weak and thready—shock, probably due to blood loss and exposure. Time was of the essence. She rubbed the horse’s shoulder again. “How long have you been standing here? Awhile, I bet. Frost is starting to form on your flanks. We’ll get you warm, soon.”

The horse was taller than she at the shoulder and getting the rider down was going to be a challenge. Lauren guessed the rider stood more than six and a half feet tall. And he probably outweighed her by a hundred or more pounds.

“What to do?” Talking aloud always helped Lauren reason a problem out. “I won’t be able to move him easily once he is on the ground, so I should try and get him directly from the horse onto the sled. If I rolled him off the right side, I should be able to control his slide into the sled.”

Lauren looked back at the horse. “Ok, fellow, here’s the plan. I’ll empty the sled and move it up beside you. Then I’ll slide your rider off and into the sled in one motion.” She patted the trembling shoulder under her hand. “I can’t see where he's injured while he’s on your back. Where are Snow and Ice?” Somewhere close, that much she knew, she could feel their eyes on her.

Raising his head, the horse seemed to make a pointing motion with his head. Looking off to the west, Lauren saw the wolves, silhouettes outlined in the setting sun. Their white coats glowed, but Lauren couldn’t see their faces. “Still keeping their distance. Good.”

Lauren maneuvered the sled alongside the horse and emptied its contents into a pile. She placed her medical kit next to the sled. “All right now, hold still.”

Lauren walked around the front of the horse, giving his nose a rub, before stopping along the left stirrup. She pulled the rider’s boot from the stirrup and made sure the cloak and other articles of clothing wouldn’t catch on the saddle.

Lauren returned to the right side. “Here goes!” Straddling the sled, Lauren reached up and grabbed the rider’s shoulders. Lauren tried a steady pull but his body didn’t budge. Tugging harder, the rider’s weight shifted suddenly, and he slid toward her. She collapsed into the sled as the full weight of the rider landed on top of her. Air was pushed out of her lungs by his weight, and she struggled to breathe. She couldn’t push the rider off her. She wiggled an arm free and grasped the edge of the sled, using that as leverage, she was gradually able to work her body out from under the rider.

Once she was out, she huddled on her knees in the snow, gasping for breath. Lauren was covered in blood. Get it together. You’re his only help for miles. You can do this. Her internal pep talk reenergized her, and she stood on relatively stable legs. The horse had turned and nuzzled the rider’s head.

“Back off there. Let’s see where the injury is and get this bleeding under control.”  Lauren pulled back the twisted cloak and stared at the injury to the rider’s upper chest. The shoulder was a torn mass of burnt and blackened tissue. Bone fragments stuck out at odd angles from his shattered clavicle. Red bubbles rose out of the wound with each exhalation.

“Terrific.”  Lauren quickly realized just how severe his injuries were. “I’ve gotta stop the bleeding. Stabilize the arm and shoulder. Determine if the chest cavity is breached and his lung collapsed.”

As Lauren worked on the rider, she lost touch with her surroundings. Her focus narrowed to just her patient and his injuries. After pulling on a pair of sterile gloves, she covered the wound with a pressure bandage. She tore strips from the saddle blanket and immobilized the damaged shoulder. She started an intravenous drip of Lactated Ringers solution, which should begin to replace some of his lost fluids and electrolytes. Hopefully, this would raise his blood pressure a bit. She listened to his breathing with her stethoscope and gritted her teeth. One of his lungs had collapsed—pneumothorax.

Standing, Lauren knew that was all she could do out here. She needed to get him to shelter and out of the cold. Then she would remove the remainder of the clothing and look for other injuries. Turning to the horse, she asked, “Now, it's your turn. You’re going to have to pull the sled. Can you do that?”

The horse replied with a whiffled snort and a nod of its head. Lauren staggered back at seeing the wolves beneath the horse’s legs. “What are you two doing? Get out of here.”  Waving her arms, she tried to shoo the wolves away. But they just looked at Lauren and smiled their wolfy grins.

“Lauren.” Snow’s voice filled her head. “We will help you transport the rider and break trail for the horse.” A snort billowed in steamy clouds from the horse as if he heard Snow’s comments and disagreed that he needed help.

Exhausted, hungry, and worried for the rider, Lauren just gave up. “Lead on then. We need to get back there before dark. I’ve more work to do to save his life and even then I don’t know that I can.”

A deep female voice filled her head. “We know you will do your best, Lauren. And by the way, I am a girl, too. My name is Ffrwyn.”

Gasping at this new mind-voice, Lauren shook her head and stared at the horse. “I will do my best, Ffrwyn. But we need to get moving.” I’m exhausted and none of this is probably real anyway, so just go with it. Pinching her arm to test if she was awake, Lauren yelped. Or maybe I am awake, and then who knows what’s happening to me.

Lauren secured the sled to the saddle. She piled her gear around the rider as best as she could and strapped the rest of the gear boxes on to the saddle. As she tightened the last bungee cord, she noticed a sword beneath the saddle bag. It looked like a large two handed broadsword. Lauren had seen swords of this construct in the British Museum. What held her attention was the large sapphire embedded in its pommel, above the leather-wrapped hilt. The stone caught the last rays of the setting sun and throbbed with a pulse-like beat. It seemed almost alive. “Ok, Ffrwyn, here we go. I know the load is heavy but it’s not far back to the cave.”

But the horse didn't move. Turning her head towards Lauren, Ffrwyn stated, “I think you will need your gloves and the rest of the supplies once we get back to the cave.”

Looking around, she realized that she had left a pile of medical supplies and her outer gloves in the snow. Grumbling, she loaded the medical items back in the sled and pulled on her gloves. “Right.” The trip back to the cave was completed quickly. Lauren hung on to the right stirrup to keep herself upright. She knew if she stopped moving she might fall and not be able to get up. The horse slowed and stopped. Lauren looked up and realized that they were back at the cliff wall. The fissure opened before her.

“Nothing like home,” Lauren muttered as they arrived at the cave entrance and headed inside. It was a tight fit with Lauren, the rider, her sled, two wolves, and the horse. Lauren huffed out a breath. “Look, guys, we gotta set some ground rules. There isn’t room for all of us in here. Take turns staying outside or something. But I need room to care for the rider and check him for any other injuries." If the animal companions were going to be around, she might as well accept them and move on. But the rider was her first priority.

Lauren turned to the task of removing his clothes. Large bandage scissors in hand, Lauren began to cut away his garments. But the scissors proved ineffective.  They simply wouldn't cut through the black cloth or underlying liner.

“Well, we'll have to remove it the hard way.”  Lauren sighed as she loosened all the fasteners she could find. She peeled layers away one at a time—the heavy wool cloak, the outer coat of light wool, the silk-like under layer. She rocked back on her heels. Under these three layers was a metallic mesh, with a matte finish, a black so dark it seemed to absorb light. No wonder the rider weighed so much. This metallic material must cover his entire body. Continuing her search to find a way to remove the mesh layer, Lauren found a seam running up the left side of his body from hip to shoulder. Pulling on the seam, Lauren attempted to separate the two parts, but it wouldn’t open.

Lauren moved to his head. If I can’t get the body layer off, I’ll check for face and neck injuries. She removed a woolen hood and tossed it aside. The next layer, a form-fitted cap, was made of the same black mesh as the body-layer but had a finer texture. The cap had a translucent shield that covered the rider’s face from the hairline to beneath his chin. It fit so closely Lauren wondered how the rider was able to breathe. The shield fluttered. Expanding and contracting with each breath. Ah, it must be a pneumatic membrane, interesting. Lauren couldn't find any seams, fasteners, or breaks in the texture of the mesh cap to allow her to remove them. The rider groaned.

Frustrated, Lauren huffed, “I’ve gotta get this off now.”

Snow came into the cave and sat down beside the rider's head. With a motion as delicate as the falling flakes that made up her name, the wolf touched a large paw to a spot below the rider's right ear. With a small twist, a seam appeared and fell open.

"How?"

"This is just a matter of experience. The tunic will open in much the same way. Press on the top of the seam under the left arm and twist to the right. The seam will open and you will be able to remove it. But be careful, the tunic is providing positive life energy, and I would not remove it too quickly." Snow sat back.

"Right, of course you do. And of course it does. And I’m Alice and somewhere in that blasted blizzard, I fell down the proverbial rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland." With a scoff Lauren carefully removed the face shield and cap.

And then she knew she was in Wonderland and ready to set the tea table for the Mad Hatter, because looking up at her from under the face shield were ice blue eyes—exactly the same color Snow and Ice had. An aquiline nose and perfect lips made up the rest of the heart-shaped face. Only the streak of dried blood that ran from the corner of the mouth and disappeared under the chin marred the perfect face. But neither the blood nor the deeply etched lines of pain could alter the soft features of this woman.

Lauren reeled back. "Oh my god, who are you?”

Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.

Stephen Hawking

Part II – The Journey

Chapter One

LAUREN HEARD, “CÉ MISE? Cé go bhfuil tú?” But in her head Ice’s voice echoed over the sound, “Who am I? Who are you?”

“I’m Lauren. You’re injured. Please try and stay still.”

Struggling to sit up the woman gasped. “Níor chóir duit a bheith anseo, ba chóir aon duine!” “You shouldn’t be here. No one should!”

Lauren realized Ice was providing a simultaneous translation. Did the wolves know this woman?  Are they related somehow?

Turning to Ice and Snow, Lauren pleaded, “You’ve gotta make her stay still. Any motion could increase her bleeding.”

Lauren watched as Snow approached the injured woman, staring intently into her eyes. Lauren could almost see the silent communication occurring. Snow’s gravel-voice rang in Lauren’s head. “She will be quiet, but she is confused and is trying to understand what happened.”

She’s not the only one. “Let her know that I found her, injured and unconscious. I couldn't treat her injuries while she was on her horse, so we moved her back to my cave.”

Never taking her eyes from the woman, Snow huffed a puff of steam into the cool air.

Ice crawled up beside Lauren and nosed her hand. Lauren looked down. “You have to calm down, too. We are here to help you and help Alex. Until you both learn to communicate directly, we will let you know what the other is saying. But eventually you will understand her without our help.”

Lauren frowned. “Her name is Alex?”

“Well, her full name is Alexandra Aoeron Aonwyn nighean mhic Fionnaghal, Rigain Rìoghachd Fuar Ćala. But that’s quite a mouthful, so we just call her Alex.”

“Alex it is then.” Lauren stopped questioning her ability to converse with the animals. At this point, her focus was on Alex. “Please get her to be still.”

“Snow is trying to explain that to her. But she is confused about when we are and how you are here. But first, she has to help Alex understand who you are and that you are a friend. Just give her a bit of time.”

“Ice, I’m going to have to get Alex back to civilization. We don’t have time. She needs medical care.” Lauren’s frustration and anxiety came through in her strained voice. “We need help and we’re going to need it soon.”

“Civilization is far from here. You have to do what you can to help Alex now. Then wrap her in her jacket. After she has rested, we will all travel to Fuar Ćala. We will find more help there.”

Fuar Ćala? Lauren waved her hand dismissively. “No, that isn’t going to work. We need help now. I’ll stabilize her injuries as best I can and hike out to the road and go for help. I should be able to get a satellite signal once I’m out of this basin. Then I can call for help. A search and rescue helicopter can come in and pick Alex up from here, now that the weather is clear.” Lauren began to organize her medical kit as she removed items from the sled around Alex.

“You must listen to me. We are not near a road. You are here now. How you managed this, I do not know, but you must save Alex. She must be returned to Fuar Ćala.” Rising on her haunches, Ice shook her muzzle, her hackles standing up on end. She growled. “You are not listening to me. You cannot go home, because you are not when you think.”

Pausing in her organizing efforts, Lauren turned to stare at Ice. “What did you say? Not when I think? You’re not making any sense. I know where I am, Ice.”

“I cannot explain any of this either, you should not be here. But you are, and we need you to heal Alex. Alex must be returned to Fuar Ćala. Alex may be able to explain things when she is well.”

“The only way I know to get her well is to get help, and I will.” Lauren returned to her medical supplies before checking on Alex again. The woman had lapsed back into unconsciousness. Lauren checked the pressure-dressings and noted her bleeding had slowed. She adjusted the blankets more closely around her, and placed the black-mesh tunic on top of the blankets. “Sleep well, Alex, in the morning I’ll ski out and get help.”

Lauren woke early. She quickly checked her patient. Alex seemed to be resting comfortably. Knowing Alex needed help sooner rather than later, Lauren prepared to ski out. She ate a quick meal of trail mix and tea. Leaning down, she placed her hand on Alex’s forehead. “I’m going to go for help. I won’t be long. Promise.”

After filling her pockets with technology and food, Lauren moved toward the cave entrance. She glanced back. Ice followed Lauren’s actions with her ice-blue eyes. Snow and Ffrwyn had left the cave some time ago.

Lauren whispered, “I have to get help.” The wolf huffed and snarled with a curled lip.

As Lauren left the cave, the sun was just cresting the rim of the basin behind her, and the lake sparkled. “Okay, you can do this. South and west, it’s only about seven miles.”

The snow crunched under her skis as Lauren schussed across the basin floor. Reaching the southern rim, Lauren didn’t waste time looking for the trail. She climbed, making it out of the basin in less than an hour. Stopping to drink some water, Lauren pulled out her mobile and her GPS. Still no signal. She shook her head and sighed. Why did none of her technology work?

Jamming the mobile and GPS back in her pocket in a fit of ire, Lauren grabbed her poles and sped down the slope toward the road. She only had a few miles left and the snow was perfect for skiing. After an hour Lauren left the narrow valley and broke out into a wide treeless meadow. A broad river meandered across the flat frozen landscape.

“What the heck is this?” Lauren muttered.

Pulling the topographic map from her pocket, she knelt in the snow. Lauren traced the path of the narrow valley she just left to where it opened onto the meadow. “Okay, that’s the Elk River,” she said, while looking at the meandering watercourse. Looking behind her, she added, “And that is the Seed House Road valley. I’m too far north. I just missed the road to my south.”

Signs of civilization—roads, fence lines, power lines, farmsteads and barns, and the town of Clark—littered the map. Surveying the landscape before her, Lauren saw none of these. The deep snow could have covered fence lines, but the manmade structures should be visible. All the geographic features noted on the map matched, but all the signs of civilization were missing.

“This isn’t right. Where are the farms, the buildings? I don’t understand.” She’d never been in a situation where she couldn’t explain things. She was always able to gather data and use that to solve problems. This time, nothing made sense. Her observations were at odds with her understanding of her physical world. The sun climbed higher, crossed the sky, and began to set. But Lauren remained kneeling in the snow, tears tracking slowly down her cheeks, as she struggled to find a solution. I’ve got to find help for Alex.

Slowly, the cold seeped through the knees of her expedition pants. Lauren realized that the sun was heating her right cheek. Lauren looked at her watch. Only a couple of hours of sunlight left. Rising, she eyed her surroundings. Lauren was home but not. Her only conclusion —she was alone. There was no one to help Alex. Resigned to her situation, she turned back to the narrow valley.

Lauren arrived back at the cave before the sun set completely. Rising on all fours, Ice stalked toward her. The wolf jumped on Lauren and knocked her flat. Pinning her down, Ice bared her teeth. “You will stop this nonsense of coming and going and listen to me! This is not Earth as you know it. This is Terra, a planet that until four hundred cycles ago was uninhabited. We are the last of a civilization that traveled to this planet when our planet was attacked by the Comin. They released a weapon on our Homeworld that destroyed the biosphere. Alex is Queen of the Country of Fuar Ćala—Cold Harbor. She traveled to the Comin world using a nexus between the two worlds. She went there to search for a cure to the Comin bioweapon. She was attacked by a Comin patrol, only just making it back to this world when you found her. Now help her. We will leave for Fuar Ćala when she is able to be moved.”

Lauren sank into the frigid blue pools of Ice’s eyes. She couldn’t look away, caught in the grip of a forced mindlink. Suddenly a kaleidoscope of images spun through her mind—a blue-ocean world not dissimilar to Earth but with landmasses in patterns she didn’t recognize, and a dead reddish-brown world buffeted by harsh winds and ravaged by giant cyclonic sandstorms. Images she did recognize came next—a circular caldera containing a large lake surrounded by giant fir trees, steam rising from geothermal features, and a river cutting a deep canyon through yellow rocks layered with volcanic flows. Yellowstone? In the middle of the lake rose a giant granite castle—a Keep.

“We are going there. Get her ready. It is days away and we must hurry. The Comin are coming. Alex cannot die!” Ice pulled out of the link and stalked back to curl up beside Alex.

Lauren gasped for breath as a crushing headache burst in her skull, as she was forced out of the link. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t absorb what had been forced into her mind. Her mind simply surrendered.

Chapter Two

A SHOVE ROLLED LAUREN over on her side. “All right, Jamie, I’m up, no need to get physical.” Another shove rolled her over again. Lauren opened her eyes and sat up to push Jamie away only to have her forearm sink into a ruff of fur. “Arghhhh.” Snow peered down at her.

“Up now, Lauren. We must prepare to leave here and travel quickly.” Snow's deep voice burred through Lauren's mind. “The Comin may have followed Alex across the nexus she opened and be here searching for her.”

“Snow, I don’t know who these Comin are, but I promised Ice I would help Alex. And I will. But you need to explain things to me. Ice shared some crazy things. Things that I need to try and understand.”

Drawing a breath to continue, Snow interrupted her. “I do understand, but we do not have the time for explanations. I regret that Lauren. Alex must get back. That is what we must focus on. Explanations will have to wait for later. Later we will have time.”

Time, right. Lauren crawled over to the sled. Alex's lips were pale but not white-rimmed, and her breathing seemed less labored. She seemed to be sleeping and not unconscious. Setting a palm gently on Alex’s forehead, Lauren found no fever. Just a bit clammy. Good. We’ll need to get her out of these bloody clothes and into something dry before we move her. As Lauren lightly stroked down her cheek, Alex’s eyes fluttered open. “You are Lauren?”

Lauren smiled encouragingly. “Yes.”

“I am Alexandra Aonwyn nighean mhic Fionnaghal: Rigain Fuar Ćala. Thank you for all you have done for us. It is a pleasure to meet my healing technician and savior.”

Heat flooded Lauren’s cheeks. An odd buzzing filled her ears, but she ignored it. “I may be your physician, but a savior I am not. Your body is doing all the hard work. I just helped it along.”

“Be that as it may, we would not be here, safe and warm without your intervention. For that I am eternally grateful.”

“You’re welcome. I understand that we need to travel soon. To get you ready, I’ll need to check your shoulder wound and then change your clothing. Do you have other clothes?”

“In the bottom of the saddle bags should be clothes. But you must leave my energy-armor on.”

Suddenly, Lauren realized that they were conversing in English. Great, another thing I need an explanation for. “Well then, I’ll find the clothes and then we can get you changed. How are you feeling? You don’t have a fever and the bleeding’s stopped. But I’m concerned that moving you will tear the shoulder wound open again. Do you need something for pain?”

Alex shook her head and winced. “No, no medicines.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to suffer.” Lauren placed a gentle hand on Alex’s left forearm. “I can give you something, and you’ll rest easier. The wolves are demanding that we travel soon, and you’ll be in considerable pain.” Lauren didn’t want to admit that she was conversing with animals, but how else do you explain the need for haste?

Lauren looked down where she was touching Alex. She felt tingling as if energy was passing between them. Alex seemed to be projecting a quiet confidence, Lauren recognize this. It was something she herself projected to others, but this seemed to be more. She could feel herself actively sharing strength with Alex. Lauren felt emotions too—unease and stress—vibrated between them. Alex was shaken to her core—adrift in a sea of confusion and barely holding herself together. How she knew that she could feel these things was beyond her, but for now, Alex’s wellbeing came first. “I’ll be as careful as I can.”

Pulling back, a snap of energy crackled as their physical connection was broken. Lauren started. That was strange. It felt like touching a live electric wire. Lauren rubbed her hand, wondering why it was suddenly so cold. She placed it back on Alex’s forehead. Was she developing a fever? No, Alex was cool.

“I’m afraid this is going to hurt. We’ll move you out of the sled and then get you cleaned up. Slow, small movements are needed or your wound will open. Let me find your clean clothing and then lay out some blankets next to the sled. We’ll shift you over to those and get you changed.”

Lauren tried to convince herself that the journey was even possible. She knew it might quickly turn into a nightmare of epic proportions. “I really don’t know how we’re going to travel all the way to Yellowstone. That’s over five hundred miles. I only have supplies for four days at the most, and nothing for the animals. I won’t be able to pull the sled with you and all the gear. None of us will tolerate the cold. We’ll have to find shelter. My tent won’t be warm enough at night, especially if the weather turns again.” Her mind reeled, and she knew she was babbling.

Alex lifted her hand. “Please calm down. Ffrwyn will pull the sled, and the wolves, as you call them, can take care of themselves. We will stop each night at supply caches I left on my way here. They are all in caves, and those will provide adequate shelter. But we do need to return south to Fuar Ćala as soon as possible. I cannot make the journey without your help.”

Lauren slumped, dropping her head in her hands. She was overwhelmed with everything that was happening. With everything that they would face on such a journey. The buzzing continued, and she rubbed her ear, annoyed. “This is not happening. I’m not here. I’m not talking to animals and you’re not speaking English.” Get it together, Beckwith.

Alex tried to sit up. “Listen to me. This is real. I cannot explain how you got here, but you are here. I must get home to Fuar Ćala. We understand each other because Snow is facilitating a simultaneous translation through her mindlink with each of us. Do you hear a buzzing in your ears?” Lauren nodded. “That is the sound of me talking in my language. Snow is masking that sound and using the mindlink to let you ‘hear’ the translation. Soon I will be able to speak your language. I am learning it as we speak to each other. What I do not understand is how you can mindlink with my companions.”  Alex sighed and sat back into the sled.

Lauren lifted her head and winced. “Don’t do that again. You’ve got to stay as still as possible. I’m sorry. I’m just so confused. Nothing’s right. You say we need to travel south, but Yellowstone is north of where we are. You say Snow is translating for us, but I’m not supposed to be able to converse with animals. Yet I’ve spoken to two wolves and a horse. You’re learning English, my language, but how’s that possible?” Not to mention the whole when versus where thing. “I’ll help you as much as I can, but when I can’t understand things I get really frustrated.” Tears slowly slid down Lauren’s cheeks.

Alex frowned. “Do not cry. Please. Nothing may make sense to you, but this world is real. In fact, some would say it is the same world and only different because it exists in another universe. I do not know how you got here…to this world, I mean. You had to cross a nexus, but I thought that was impossible for someone not of my world. All I do know is that you are here now. Please trust me. You have fortuitously been pulled from your world into mine. And I need your help.”

Lauren placed her hand on Alex’s good shoulder and gathered her courage. “Of course, I’ll help as best I can. All I ask is that sometime you try and explain all this to me. I feel like I’m lost in a science fiction novel that’s written in a foreign language.”

“I promise. I will explain as best as I can. But I fear that we may need the technicians in Fuar Ćala to fill in the details. Let us get me changed and settled so we can start our journey.” Alex turned to look at Lauren and chuckled softly. “But I think you are going to need a change of clothing as well.”

Lauren looked down. The entire front of her parka and snow pants was encrusted with dried blood, turning the red fabric a rusted brown. “This is the only outer gear I have. We’ll just have to live with it. Let’s get you changed, and I’ll pack our gear to get us ready to leave in the morning.”

“Thank you. It means more to me than you know.”

“No worries.” Except I am totally worried, about everything!

Getting clothing and bandages changed turned into a major ordeal. Alex lost consciousness part way through the process. Wrapping a shirt around Alex, Lauren huffed. “Snow, I tell you this is one stubborn woman. I told her she needed to take something for the pain before we started. But no, she wanted to tough it out.” Settling the shirt in place, Lauren tugged blankets over her. “Well, she’s settled now. I’ll finish the packing and fix some dinner. What can I get you, Snow?”

“I am fine. Please just tend to Alex. We will capture our meals, and Ffrwyn can eat pine boughs and grass from the riverbanks.” A picture of a bloodied elk filled Lauren’s mind.

“Enough. I didn’t need that visual. I think we’ve seen enough blood for a while.”

A huff of air grazed Lauren’s neck as Snow peered over her shoulder. “You need to cover her with the energy tunic.”

“But the tunic’s a mess. It’s soaked with blood from her injury. We can’t put that on her clean bandages.”

“You must cover her with the tunic. It will keep her warm and aid in healing.”

“But, Snow, it’s made out of metal. It’ll pull the cold into her as we travel and chill her to the bone.”

“Just as Alex asked that you trust her, I will ask the same of you. Please cover her with the jacket and if you must, cover the jacket with blankets. It will not get cold.”

Lauren glared at the wolf. “Fine, I give up, whatever you say. I’ll cover the tunic with my sleeping bag when we travel.”

It took the rest of the evening to complete all the tasks needed to travel. Later, Ice and Ffrwyn returned and crowded into the cave. They stood over Alex. Snow sat to the side but cocked her head in a way that made Lauren think they were having a conversation.

“Lauren, she is unconscious.”

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Ice. She’s been out since I changed her dressings and cleaned her up. She refused pain medication and wasn’t able to withstand the movement. I think she is just sleeping deeply. Her breathing is even, her pulse has returned to normal, and she has some color.”

“Fine,” Ice huffed in annoyance.

Spinning around, Lauren lost her temper. “I’m trying my best here, but I haven’t got the resources I need. She’s as comfortable as I can make her. Her wounds are clean, and she’s not bleeding anymore. No fever. No infection…yet. But she is gravely injured. Now we need time…time for Alex to heal. And, Ice, you need to lose the attitude. If we’re to get her back to your home safely, it’ll take all of us working together.”

A snorted guffaw broke the stare down between Lauren and Ice. “You both need to leave off. Alex needs her rest. We have a long day tomorrow.” Snow came up to Ice and shoulder bumped her. “Let us go get some dinner.”

Lauren released a breath she didn’t know she was holding as the wolves left the cave.

Ffrwyn’s compassionate brown eyes blinked down at her. “You are doing a good job. Do not let Ice disturb you. She adores Alex and is frightened about her condition, but mostly she is angry that she did not protect her in the first place. This is not your fault.”

“Thanks, Ffrwyn.” Exhausted beyond words and unable to handle any more stress, Lauren rolled herself into her sleeping bag. Everything had been packed for their departure. Lauren would check on Alex in two hours and set her wrist alarm.

Sleep pulled at Lauren, but her mind wouldn’t shut off. If medical help was in Fuar Ćala, then that was where Lauren would take her. She would transport her as quickly and as safely as she could. All other concerns were secondary to Alex and her survival. Alex would not die on her watch. Not like the children. Not again.

Alex had promised she would explain everything else once they arrived in Fuar Ćala. Some of the things that Ice and Alex said about where and when she was sounded familiar. Although Lauren spent time in jungles and other faraway places, she still tried to keep up with scientific debate and discovery in various fields. Her natural curiosity needed regular feeding. Now a table loaded with more than she could possibly eat sat before her.

She knew the cosmology and quantum physics communities were debating theories that included the existence of parallel universes. Multiverses and multidimensional worlds might exist within the boundaries of string theory. But it was just that—theory. No one had proven the existence of parallel universes or even the validity of string theory for that matter. But if Alex’s people came from another world, they would be more advanced in science far beyond Lauren’s understanding. If the planet Terra was not her planet Earth, she was very likely in a parallel universe now. Evolution could and would follow different paths in each universe. Too tired to continue her internal debate, Lauren checked on Alex one more time before curling up in her sleeping bag beside the sled. Within minutes, she was deeply asleep.

Chapter Three

FFRWYN AND THE WOLVES woke Lauren from a dreamscape of battles fought under a blood-red sun. The smell of wet fur greeted her, and she forgot the disturbing dreams as her cave came into focus.

“Time to rise. We cannot stay here longer. We must begin our journey now. Snow found signs of others nearby. The Comin are coming.”

“Let me up.” During the night she had snuggled along Alex’s left side. She quickly rolled away, embarrassed that she was clinging to her patient. “I got everything ready last night. I’ll just check on Alex, get some breakfast, and we can be off. I’ll pull the sled outside before we hook it to the saddle.”

Alex was still unconscious. Lauren checked her dressings, changed the IV bag, and injected another dose of antibiotics. She listened to Alex’s chest. Thankfully, she didn’t hear a rattle and the lung was re-inflated. I’ll watch for signs of pneumonia over the next few days.

Fitting the last of her personal items into her pack, Lauren took that and her skis outside. She saddled Ffrwyn and pulling the stirrups up she tucked them under the edge of the saddle. She left the leathers hanging loose. Loading the last of the gear packs onto Ffrwyn, she led her out of the cave.

Lauren made several more trips and piled the remainder of their gear away from the fissure. She asked, “Ffrwyn, stand here. I’ll go get Alex, and we can harness the sled.” Slowly, she dragged the sled out of the cave. Kneeling down, she tucked the corners of her down bag more tightly around Alex, securing it in place with a bungee net. Then she used duct tape to lash the sled pulls to the loose stirrup leathers on Ffrwyn’s saddle.

Alex faced the rear of the sled and was propped up to facilitate her breathing. Lauren tucked the IV bag between Alex’s legs to keep it from freezing. The early morning temperature felt well below zero, and with clear skies, it wouldn’t rise much. I’ll keep checking her for frostbite.

“Ffrwyn, the only time we’ll have to be careful is on the downhill. I don’t want the sled to trip you up if it bumps the back of your legs.”

“I will be fine.” Ffrwyn turned her head and regarded Lauren with a small smile, or it seemed to Lauren as if the horse smiled at her. “It is going to be all right.”

Ice, ever the pessimist, snorted. “Well, I want away from here now. Snow and I are going to climb the ridge above the cave entrance. We will try and knock down as much snow as we can to cover evidence of our presence.”

Lauren nodded. “Then let’s get this show on the road.” Turning to the wolves, she warned, “You two need to be careful. I don’t want to have to dig either of you out of an avalanche. And let us get far enough away before you drop any snow down on the cave.”

She stepped into her ski bindings and pulled on her pack, gliding away from the cave. Traveling toward Gilpin Lake, Lauren looked back over her shoulder at the gray crack in the granite wall and felt a pang of regret at leaving the cave behind—her cave. She had felt safe there. But now she’d only one direction to go to get help for Alex, so she turned forward and skied into an unknown future.

As Lauren and Ffrwyn traveled out of the Mount Zirkel area, she continued to look for signs of civilization. She couldn’t believe there were no roads or other man-made structures as they made their way to the Elk River. Lauren could easily ski for hours on the unbroken snow and flat terrain. At this rate and if the weather held, they might traverse fifty miles a day. But Lauren knew one couldn’t count on traveling that fast in the winter. The terrain would change, the weather would change, they would tire, and now there was the threat of the Comin finding them.

The rhythm of skiing made the morning pass quickly. At noon the pair stopped for a lunch break. Lauren kicked out of her skis and dropped her pack. She examined Alex. Pulling off her glove, she gently felt the skin around Alex’s eyes and nose. The skin was warm to the touch and didn’t show any signs of frostbite. Lauren smiled. Alex really was striking. A perfect nose and a strong chin, a face that made a person look twice. But Lauren knew that it was Alex’s glacial-blue eyes that really captured and held her. Besides their unique color, Lauren was intrigued by the intelligence that Alex’s gaze contained. Hers are truly windows to the soul. Just as she finished that thought, those very same eyes opened and held her transfixed.

“Yes, they are,” Alex softly said.

Flustered that Alex caught her daydreaming, Lauren didn’t realize she had spoken aloud. “Hey there. How’re you feeling?”

“Much like a caterpillar must feel in its cocoon. But the pain is tolerable.” Lauren arched her eyebrow and Alex chuckled. “Really. Please do not worry. I am healing and will sleep more as we travel. Where are we?”

“About twenty miles from the cave. We’re traveling along the Elk River valley. Well, it probably isn’t called the Elk River to you, but to me it is. Later this afternoon, we’ll start climbing up toward the Continental Divide north of Steamboat Lake. Traveling will be more difficult as the slope steepens.”

Alex frowned. “We should be traveling south to reach Fuar Ćala.”

“Right, well to you we are traveling south, but my internal compass is oriented to the directions of my world where Steamboat Lake is north of here. Sorry.”  Lauren felt a blush warm her cheeks, and she chastised herself for sounding like a schoolgirl trying to justify her answer to Ms. Colson in her second grade science class.

“You need not be sorry. I trust that you and Ffrwyn know where you are going.”

Ffrwyn snorted and turned her head towards the pair. “We do know where we are going, and we are making exceptional time. I am most impressed by Lauren’s stamina on those feet-sticks. At this rate, we may skip the closest cache and head for the next one.” Ffrwyn looked off toward the horizon. “I am uncertain how long the weather will continue in our favor, and I would like to make as much distance as we can.’’

Lauren got up and rubbed Ffrwyn’s nose. “I understand, but I don’t want to push things. And those sticks are called skis. Even though Alex is being all brave, movement is still not good for her. We’ll stop as soon as we can. And you know we’ll slow down considerably when we start climbing. No way I can maintain this pace in the mountains.”

Ffrwyn gently head-butted Lauren. “We can maintain our current speed if you hold onto a stirrup and let me pull you along as we climb.’

“I don’t know if that’s gonna work.” Lauren rubbed her temple as she thought about the geometry of the horse’s suggestion. “That’ll be awkward for both of us, and when we’re back in the trees, there won’t be enough room to travel abreast.” Walking back to her skis, Lauren realized something else. “And the snow between trees won’t be wind-packed, and I’ll get bogged down pretty easily.

Alex shifted in her cocoon. “Can you rig a rope from the saddle that allows you to be pulled behind the sled? That would be a comfortable configuration for Ffrwyn and would allow the sled to pack the snow for you.”

“That might be doable. Let me get some gear out and try a couple of rope positions while we rest.” Looking down at Alex, she asked, “Do you want some water or anything for the pain?”

“No, I am fine. Please work out your tow configuration and get plenty of food and water for yourself. If Ffrwyn is correct and we can make it to the second cache, you and the companions will eat well tonight. And all of us will sleep warm and snug. Where are Snow and Ice? I cannot hear them.”

Looking around, Lauren didn’t see any sign of the wolves. “I don’t know. We haven’t seen them since leaving the cave this morning. They wanted to stay behind and cover our tracks. Snow thought she found signs of others near the cave.”

“A wise tactic.” Alex nodded her head. “I imagine Ice is being cautious and not wanting to mindspeak from that distance for fear of being overheard, especially if the Comin are in the area.”

Worry laced Lauren’s voice. “What if these Comin find us Alex? Can they get into the caches? Will Snow and Ice be able to find us if we bypass the first cache? They’ve got a long distance to travel to catch up. Ffrwyn is setting a blistering pace.” Lauren smiled as she looked up warmly at Ffrwyn.

The horse chuckled and whiffled. “They will find us. I have not known either of those two to miss a meal.”

“Are we covering our tracks well?” Worry now seemed to shadow Alex’s voice with a gruffness Lauren had not heard before.

“The snow is so compact that we leave few marks. And the winds quickly sweep away any that we do make. When we arrive in the trees I will ensure that we leave no tracks in the softer snow.” Turning her head back to face the approaching mountains, Ffrwyn rolled her shoulders.

“That is good, Ffrwyn. The Comin cannot track what they cannot see.” Alex turned her head and gazed up at Lauren. “Do not worry. We will quickly outpace a patrol. We know where we are going and they do not. They must keep their pace slow to not miss any signs of our passage. That gives us the advantage.”

“If you say so.”

“Well, all right then, I shall return to my sleep. Please wake me when we arrive.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t want you to miss anything.” But Lauren was worried now, too. What if the Comin caught them? She wouldn’t know what to do in an attack. What if they didn’t make it in time to help Alex? Even though the other two appeared relaxed, Lauren could feel the worry rolling off of them.

The remainder of their lunch break was spent trying various pull-rope configurations and discussing modifications with Ffrwyn. Once they worked out the best one, Lauren packed up and stepped back into her skis.

The afternoon passed quickly until they reached the headwaters of the Elk River and the steep uphill grade. Taking the pull-rope down from the top of the saddle, Lauren stretched it back over the sled. “Okay, Ffrwyn. Nice and slow please, I haven’t water-skied since I was a kid.”

Ffrwyn pulled away, picking a path through the trees that minimized the chance her charges would be swept by low-hanging branches. Slowly Ffrwyn increased her speed as Lauren got accustomed to skiing while being pulled. “You are very athletic.” Lauren felt Ffrwyn praise her efforts and smiled. “Just keep it steady.”

Lauren leaned back slightly, trying to distribute the stress of being pulled across her mid-back, taking some of the strain off her shoulders and arms. Lauren smiled. I should’ve thought of this before. I can keep an eye on Alex from back here without having to stop. Alex rested quietly in the sled in front of her.

Lauren knew Alex was awake. She felt her watching her as they flew through the trees. And sometimes when she saw Alex move, Lauren swore she felt a sharp pain in her own shoulder. But she ignored it. Got to be from being pulled.

Soon, the trio topped the Continental Divide. Ahead of them stretched an unrestricted view of the basins and ranges of southern Wyoming. Lauren knew they had to move to the northwest. Or was that the southeast? Whatever. They would head for the Green River. Once there, they could follow the western slopes of the Wind River Mountains to the foot of the Tetons. Yellowstone was just a short distance from the Teton Range, but that was still many miles away.

“One day at a time, Lauren. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Lauren quietly chastised herself. The rest of the day passed in a schuss of skis and horsey whiffles.

Chapter Four

FFRWYN SNORTED AND SLOWED. “We are nearing the cache. I will need Alex to open the shield so we can enter.”

Lauren stared at the horse. Open the shield?

Alex gently stirred awake. “Lauren, I must have my sword to open the shield. Would you please get it and give me my arms back?”

Laughing, Lauren stepped from her skis and moved up to Ffrwyn’s side. “You’ve got arms! I didn’t take them. Or did you lose them on the trip?”

She pulled the sword and scabbard from the saddle dees and turned around to see Alex struggling to get out of her cocoon. “Alex, no!”

Dropping to her knees beside the sled, Lauren carefully placed the sword down on the ground and unfastened the bungee net from around the sleeping bag. “Please stay still, and let me get you loose.”

“I feel so helpless. I hate this!” Alex fell back onto her pillow and huffed, sounding a lot like Ice.

“I know you’re frustrated, but you’re far from helpless. You’re healing amazingly well. Faster than I would have predicted given your injuries.” Tipping back on her heels, Lauren looked around. “What do we need to do here?” They were in a stand of trees with a low hill nearby. Lauren couldn’t see a cave or dwelling of any sort.

Alex sat upright. “I will have to stand.”

Lauren gently pushed her back down. “That isn’t going to happen. You’re too weak to stand.”

Alex frowned. “I must stand to open the shield with the sword. There is no other option. Please help me. You can hold me upright while I open the shield.”

“I don’t know how we’re going to do that.” At Alex’s glare, Lauren speculated, “I guess, you could stand up in the sled. Let’s get your coverings off, and I’ll close the IV.” Removing the tunic and blankets, Lauren looked at Alex. “This isn’t going to be easy. And you’re going to have to be careful to not tear anything open again. I don’t think you can tolerate any more blood loss.”

“I will pull the sled to the edge of the shield and hold steady. Just get her to her feet, and she will do the rest. Once she finishes, I will pull us into the cache.” Ffrwyn sounded as worried as Lauren felt about this.

“Okay. Alex, don’t help in any way when I get you up. I‘m going to slide in behind you and grasp around your waist. As I stand, I’ll pull you up with me. You need to lean back into me so I can support your body weight.” This isn’t going to be easy. As Lauren spouted instructions, she shutoff the IV and made sure that Alex’s body wasn’t tangled in anything “Can you hold the sword while I lift us up? I won’t be able to let go of you once we’re standing.”

“Yes, I can hold the sword. Just pull it from the scabbard and place the hilt in my left hand.”

Lauren slowly moved Alex’s right arm around to her chest. “I’m going to tie your arm into your shirt through the front opening. It needs to be immobilized against your chest to prevent more damage to your shoulder.” Or what’s left of your shoulder.

Lauren looked up at Ffrwyn and realized the horse was scowling at Alex. “What’s wrong, guys?”

“Nothing is wrong, Lauren, but you must not touch the bare blade. Alex knows this.”

"It will be all right. I will keep my hand on the scabbard as she pulls the sword free. I will draw the energy to me. She should not have to touch the blade.”

Lauren picked up the sheathed blade and extended it to Alex. The sapphire pulsed slowly, but as she took ahold of the blade, the pulse increased and the gem began to glow brighter. “What is that? It pulsates like a heartbeat.”

“It is a heartbeat. My heartbeat. I am bound to the stone and to the sword.” Alex spoke as if everyone knew how a person could be bonded to an inanimate object. “Now hand me the sword and help me up please.”

Right, bound to a sword? You’re so out of your world. Lauren grasped the hilt and pulled the broadsword slowly from its sheath. The exposed blade caught the fading light of the setting sun and flashed a deep blood red.

Carefully, Lauren laid the bare blade at Alex’s side, placing the hilt under her left hand. Lauren worried and started to babble, “All right, I’m going to slide behind you now. No matter what we do, this is going to hurt, a lot. Please let me know if you feel anything tearing. You’re probably going to feel lightheaded and maybe faint-that’s from orthostatic hypotension. Just do what you need to do quickly. As soon as we get you back in a prone position, the lightheadedness will ease.”

Holding Alex upright, Lauren slid in behind her. Gathering her legs under her, Lauren stood. Groaning under their combined weight, Lauren said, “I’ve got you.”

Standing behind her, Lauren realized that Alex was at least three inches taller than she was, probably more. She isn’t even standing up straight. Never found a woman taller than I am. God, focus or you’ll drop her.

Alex swayed to the left. Pain shot through Lauren’s shoulder and she grasped Alex more tightly, muttering, “Quickly now.”

Raising her left arm Alex attempted to point the blade toward the low hill. But she didn’t have the strength to lift the heavy sword. “I…I cannot lift it.”

Lauren felt Alex’s knees buckle and quickly reached around her to grab Alex’s arm and hold it up. But her hand closed around the blade instead, palm and fingers pressed against the cold metal. Pain lanced through her arm, stiffening her spine, as the blade’s power burned through her.

Chapter Five

COLD, BLACKNESS, ICE SHARDS, slicing, cutting…lost

Warm, brightness, dew drops, holding, healing…safe

Ffrwyn stood within the parted shield holding it open with her body and mind. She could hear Alex and Lauren struggling to escape their dreamscape. She was trapped under the shield. She knew the sled wouldn’t fit into the cave entrance.  She didn’t have the mental strength to hold the shield open and help them. All she could do was wait. Wait for the wolves to arrive, and wait for Alex and Lauren to wake up. If they wake up!

How long she stood, she didn’t know. But the sun had long since dropped below the horizon. It was a new moon, and the darkness was thick and impenetrable. Hoarfrost was precipitating on her back, and still she waited.

She heard them before she saw them. “Now what?”

“Ice, you must put this anger away until you have time to deal with it. We have greater problems now.” Ffrwyn was angry with the situation and exhausted from holding the shield open.

“Are they dead?” Snow nosed Alex’s left hand that still held the sword hilt. The blade had sunk into the snow beside the sled. “Alex is warm, and the sapphire still pulses.”  Snow tilted her head. “Though, the pulse is different.”

Ffrwyn watched as Snow touched her nose to Lauren’s cheek and the wolf jumped back. “She is frozen. Her skin is stiff and cold. I fear she is dead.”

“Good riddance. One less worry.”

“Ice, you cannot say that. She saved Alex. Alex would have bled to death and then where would we be?”

“Will you two leave off? I cannot hold the shield open much longer.” Ffrwyn’s muscles trembled with fatigue. “We must get them into the cave. Ice, can you get the sled off? It is too wide and long to make the turn into the cave.” The wolves inspected the sled pulls.

Ice struggled to tear the duct tape with her teeth. “We are going to have to tear the leathers. I cannot tear this gray material.”

Ffrwyn continued to brace herself against the pressure of the shield. “I do not think you can chew through the stirrup leathers.”

“No, the gray material will not tear and I cannot chew it.” Ice’s frustration clear in her mindvoice.

Snow suggested, “Ice, we will each take a side and chew the leather only.”

“Hurry, you two, I cannot hold the shield open much longer.”

“We came as fast as we could, when we heard Alex’s scream.” Snow gnawed at the dangling leather.

“I do not think that was Alex that you heard. I think that was Lauren.”

“Ffrwyn, how did this happen?” Snow asked.

“Lauren helped Alex stand in the sled. As Alex lifted the sword to open the shield, she couldn’t bear the sword’s weight and began to collapse. Lauren tightened her hold on Alex and grabbed for her arm. She must have gotten ahold of the blade instead. As they fell, the blade sliced an opening in the shield. I began to move through the shield when they dropped the blade and I was trapped.” Her trembling increased. “I was blinded by a backlash of light. When I could again see, they were lying as they are now.”

“Lauren should not have touched the blade. Only Alex can use this sword. It is bound to her and only her.”

“I understand that Snow.” Ffrwyn whinnied in frustration.

Ice growled as she continued to pull and tear at the stirrup leather as the saddle slid back and forth on Ffrwyn’s back.

“Ice, stop. Let us try to uncinch the saddle and pull it all off together.” Ice trotted around to Ffrwyn’s other side.

The wolves grabbed the girth and pulled. Their combined weight was too much for the worn strap and it broke above the buckle. The wolves fell backwards, rolling head over tails, ending up in a furry snowdrift.

“I hate when that happens.” Ice huffed, blowing snow from her nose.

Ffrwyn pulled out from under the saddle and turned around to the sled. “Come on, now that the shield is fully open, let us get them into the cave and out of the cold.”

Ice and Snow each took a sled pull and began dragging the sled and its occupants through the shield. Once the five were through, Ffrwyn dropped her mindlink, and the shield closed with a resounding pop.

This cave was larger than Lauren’s. It was a huge inverted bowl that was hollowed into the low rocky hillside. Soft light emanated from phosphorescent algae that covered the walls, casting a diffuse glow on the occupants. A small spring trickled from a crack in the rear cave wall and created a pleasant sound in the otherwise silent interior. Stacked neatly to the side of the entrance were a number of supply crates and to Ffrwyn’s delight, fresh hay in stasis-bags.

“Should we try and get Alex off of Lauren? See if she lives,” FFrwyn asked her furry companions. She stood over Alex and whiffled her hair. Bending low she nuzzled her cheek.

Weight, heavy, can’t breathe, sinking…lost

Ffrwyn startled back from the pair in the sled. “I can hear their pleas.”

Snow came up beside Ffrwyn. “I think we should try. I do not think Lauren can breathe with Alex’s weight on her chest, and she is lying across the edge of the sled. That had to hurt when she fell.”

“But she made Alex fall. And taking the sword from her could have killed Alex.”

“I do not think so, Ice. Alex does not seem to be hurt, at least, no more than she was. I can hear her again.” Ffrwyn continued to nuzzle Alex’s face.

The horse watched as Snow stomped over to Ice and growled in her face. “You have got to stop this. I am tired of your whining and anger. Lauren is not to blame for any of this. Truth told, she has probably saved us if she really did position the sword to open the shield. You know none of us can do it without Alex. We are inside and safe. No one will find us here and we can stay here until they wake.”

“Fine, I am going out to hunt. You two can take care of them.” Ice ran off into the night.

Snow collapsed beside the sled.

Ffrwyn’s booming voice rumbled. “It is going to be all right, Snow. I can feel it. We just need to make it back to Fuar Ćala. Ice will either get over her anger or she will not. Alex is healing even Lauren said so earlier today. And you said we are safe here.”

Looking up at the horse, Snow’s voice trembled over the mindlink. “I do not know what to do for them. I do not know how to help. Lauren was taking care of Alex and now she needs taking care of.”

“Just pull Alex off of her and let her breathe. She will survive or she will not, but Alex is warm and needs to be comfortable.”

Ffrwyn watched Snow try to pull Alex off of Lauren and the sled. But all the tubing kept getting tangled, and Alex would not let go of the sword so its weight was being dragged too. After pulling and pushing and tugging and tearing, Snow finally had Alex resting beside the sled.

Lauren rested across the sled where she fell. Her body was still ice-cold to the touch and did not respond to either physical touch or mindvoice calls. Snow and Ffrwyn could do nothing else for either of them but watch and wait.

Quiet, dark, breathe easier, sinking, hurt…lost

Warm, light, sunlit smiles, rising, healing…found

Alex began to stir. Her eyes fluttered and with a great exhale she shot to a sitting position. “What happened?” Rubbing her forehead, Alex realized they were in the cave, and she was reclining against Ffrwyn. The great horse provided a warm sturdy backrest. Snow curled around the sled at Lauren’s side trying to share her body heat,

“Alex, can you hear me?” Snow huffed, not wanting to leave Lauren.

“Yes, I can. What a relief. I thought I had lost you forever and would never hear you again.” Taking stock of the situation, Alex saw that Lauren was draped in an awkward position across the sled and appeared to be unconscious. “How did we get in here? The last I remember I was not able to lift the sword and then I was falling.”

“Lauren caught you and lifted the sword to open the shield. But as she did so, she touched the blade. The two of you were knocked unconscious by the energy backlash. Ffrwyn was trapped under the shield. We broke her saddle to release the sled. Then we dragged you into the cave.”

“Touched the blade! Does she live?” Alex reached out trying to touch Lauren, determining if she had a pulse. But with her right arm tied across her chest she could barely move.

“She does, but her life-energy is very weak. It is draining away, and I can no longer hear her.” Snow continued to nuzzle Lauren’s face, her voice now little more than a whimper.

Shaking her head to clear her muddled brain, Alex asked, “How is that possible? She should be dead and all of us trapped outside the shield.”

“We do not know. But she does live. We must help her, now.”

“I know. Neither the sword nor the shield should have responded to her, but they did. And none of you should be able to hear her much less talk to her. None of this makes any sense. She should not even be here.” Alex waved her good arm towards Lauren’s reclining form. “Yet here she is.”

“You must try and calm down. We have been able to talk to Lauren since we found her in the cave. When we found her, she was freezing from falling into the lake. We kept her warm until she woke and then were able to talk to her. Somehow she crossed the nexus between her world and ours when she entered the cave. Now she is trapped here. We do not understand how any of this happened. But we do know she has taken good care of you and of us.” Snow tilted her head. “We could not talk to you because of your injuries and loss of blood. Lauren saved you. She saved all of us.”

Ffrwyn added her thoughts, worry mellowing her normally-booming voice. “Lauren is very confused too, Alex. She knows or thinks she is on an Earth as she calls this planet, but she cannot understand why nothing is as she knows it. She is lost and very sad. But she put all of her personal concerns aside and focused her efforts on saving you. It seems she has done a very good job. Your energy-armor was damaged in the Comin ambush. It was not able to heal you as it should. She tended your wounds in her way and the armor did the rest. Can you help her, Alex?”

“We cannot hear her any longer, but you may be able to. You must try and reach her Alex, or she will just slip away as her life-energy seeps back into the earth.”

Alex realized she had a tube running from the back of her left hand into a plastic bag. Strange device. She pulled at the tubing in her left hand, tearing it from the vein. She tossed the tube aside and rose unsteadily to her knees. But these simple tasks exhausted her, and she fell back against Ffrwyn panting.

Cold, dark, buzzing, lost…done

Alex heard Lauren’s whisper brush the edge of her mind. “You are not done! Lauren, do you hear me?” Alex said, her shout echoing within the bowl of the cave. Reaching out with her mind, Alex searched for Lauren. “Snow, I need to touch her. Can you help me over to her side?” Snow crouched beside Alex and provided a sturdy support as Alex inched her way over to the sled and Lauren.

Alex reached out with her mind again as she placed her left hand on Lauren’s arm. Alex recoiled from the pain she felt. The physical connection transmitted far more pain than their mindtouch did. But Alex maintained both connections.

“Come on. You are not a quitter. I can feel your strength. Use that. We are here and will add our strength to yours. You cannot die, Lauren. It is not your time.”

Cold, hurt, angry, lost. Done. Whispers continued to float from Lauren’s wounded psyche.

Snow curled tightly against Lauren, stretching out along the entire length of her body. Placing her head across Lauren’s legs, Ffrwyn closed her eyes in concentration. “We are losing her, Alex! You must do something. She is slipping away.” Ffrwyn’s anguished plea drove Alex on.

“She will not give up. Lauren, hear me!” Alex commanded, her anxiety causing her heart to pound against her chest.

Alex gathered the mental strength of her companions to her and pushed their combined power outward, crashing like a tsunami into Lauren’s inner-being. “You cannot leave us. We need you. I need you!”

Cold, hurt, new, need…done

“No you are not. Come back to us. We will help you, and you will help us. We are together. Come back now!” Alex’s shouts rang through the cave and the companions.

Ice crashed back into the cave. “Quit screaming! What are you doing? I heard you miles away. You will call the Comin.” But the three barely heard Ice and couldn’t stop. They were lost in their shared mindlink.

Ice jumped on Snow and then tried to push Alex away. Ffrwyn just mumbled in her discomfort. Alex reached out, grabbing Ice’s mental energy and pulling it into the link.

Cold, hurts, loud, found…not done?

As if from the opposite end of a long tunnel, Lauren’s voice echoed back toward them.

“There! I have you now,” Alex exclaimed. “Come on, Lauren, come toward us. Come toward the warmth.”

“Her psyche is shredded from the blade. We will need all the pieces to put her back whole. Do not let her be hurt more,” Snow pleaded as she snuffled through the darkness, trying to locate all the pieces of Lauren’s mind.

“I will not. I will protect her as best I can, but I am so tired. Need to get to her soon. She must come the rest of the way to us. She must want to come to us.”

Warm, hurts, bright lights, want…no, not done

Lauren’s voice grew stronger. “Help me, Alex!”

Alex smiled. “Come on, Dearheart. You must come to us. We need you.”

Lauren could not feel her feet or her legs, but she knew she must walk to the end of the tunnel toward the echoing voices. She knew she must meet this voice. The one who called to her heart and pulled at her soul.

The tunnel was a quagmire of thick, oozing mud. It grabbed her, trying to pull her back, back to the darkness. Like hands holding her in place, the mud pulled at her. Hands on arms—arms on bodies—faces on bodies—faces—faces she knew—faces of everyone she had lost.  Memories. She recognized the faces, but she knew she was never safe with them. Would she be safe with the new voice? Go back or go forward? She was so cold and everything hurt. Suddenly the light in the tunnel began to fade, and she knew she needed to decide. Go back to what she knew or go forward to something new.

Lauren heard a booming voice in her mind. “Ffrwyn?”

“Yes Lauren, come on. We have you now! Do not let go.”

Lauren watched someone leap into the tunnel, struggling through the morass of her memories, trying to catch her up. “Who are you?”

“Hear me. We are here for you. Here is living. There is death. Do not leave us!”

Lauren wanted to give up. Struggling through the memories was too hard. Just as she turned to go back to what she knew, a mind reached out and grabbed hers, just as a hand caught hers. A jolt of anguish tore through the mental link, jarring her. Her palm was raw, branded from where it had touched the blade. But the grip on her hand tightened, regardless of the pain.

Pain, hurts, the voice, need…see.

Lauren looked down at their joined hands. They looked so right together.

“This way. Come this way.” Lauren moved toward that voice. “That is it, this way.” Lauren struggled toward the figure—against the hands pulling at her from the mud—picking her knees up higher she reached out with her other hand. “Help me. I can’t escape the memories.” The figure reached out with a burst of mental energy and grabbed Lauren around her waist. “There I have you.  Let us go this way. This way is home.”

Chapter Six

LAUREN’S EYES FLUTTERED OPEN, and she tried to sit up but was held in place by a great weight on her chest. “Ice, get off me. I can’t breathe.” She tried to push the wolf away but didn’t have the strength to budge her. Her legs were trapped under Ffrwyn’s head, and she was sandwiched between Snow and Alex. Alex gripped her left hand tightly. Her branded palm ached. “Alex, let go of my hand.”

No one moved. She lay looking up at the ceiling. It sparkled like tiny stars where crystals in the rock matrix caught and reflected light. She could hear water trickling in the distance.  Where am I? I remember helping Alex to stand, helping her lift the sword. But then, nothing.

Lauren tried to sort out the muddled images. It looks like we’re in a cave. Somehow, we must have opened the shield.

The weight on her legs lifted, and Ffrwyn’s warm eyes filled her vision. “There you are. What’s going on? Is everyone hurt? Unconscious? I can’t get them to wake up. Can you help get these guys off of me? I can’t breathe.”

“Of course.” Closing her eyes, Ffrwyn reached out along her bond to the others. Lauren heard the horse’s voice booming in the back of her head. “Wake up. Lauren is back with us.”

Ice woke next. Lifting her head, she looked into Lauren’s eyes. “You are awake. Well, I guess we are going to have to tolerate you a while longer.” A frown moved across the wolf’s face, and clouds gathered in her eyes.

Frustration rose in Lauren. “You know, Ice, I’m over your sarcasm and back-handed compliments. Get your butt off of me!” Lauren’s loud voice stirred the other two companions. Rising, Ice peered down at Lauren as a string of drool ran out of her mouth and dropped onto to Lauren’s cheek. “Ew…that is so gross!” Lauren tried to wipe her face, but Alex still held her hand, and the other was trapped under Snow.

“Quiet, please. My head is not ready for loud noises.” A honey-tinged alto voice rang in Lauren’s head and made her smile.

“Sorry about that, but I can’t stand drool. And Ice knows it. She did that on purpose.” Lauren glared at the wolf.

Alex lifted her head. “Hello, Lauren.”

“Hello. Do you mind letting go of my hand?” But the pain was not the only thing Lauren felt. Astonishment, too. “Wait, I can hear you.”

“Of course, you can hear me. I am speaking to you.” Alex released her hand and Lauren felt cold. Must be a reaction to the burn.

“No, what I mean is, I can understand you. Before I couldn’t, and the wolves were translating in my head. Now I hear your voice.”

Alex nodded. “As I, too, can now understand you. The wolves are my bonded companions. I can hear them, because I am bound to them as they are to me. I do not understand how you are able to hear them, but I am grateful you can. I am sure you would be even more lost were we not able to communicate.”

Lauren glanced down at her hand. Too true. I would be totally freaked instead of only half freaked. I’m acting like an idiot. Alex needs my help, focus on that not on yourself.

Alex chuckled. “I do not think you are an idiot. I think you are a highly intelligent and resourceful woman. One whom I am lucky to have met when I did, or I would be dead or a prisoner now. I owe you a heartfelt apology for the delay in my properly thanking you for your aid.”

Lauren leaned away from Alex, tilting her head. “How did you hear me? I called myself an idiot, but I thought it.”

“Because I can hear your thoughts. It seems we are bound as well.”

Lauren gasped. “That’s not possible.” Lauren’s fear drove her to her feet in an attempt to distance herself from Alex and the companions. Snow huffed and rolled onto her side, still asleep. I can’t be bonded to Alex, or anyone else for that matter. I can’t be part of a relationship. It never works. Focus on the immediate needs: Alex’s injuries, getting her back to her home, getting myself back home. Thoughts whirled through Lauren’s bruised mind. And I’m certainly not bound to another without my consent.

Lauren stepped out of the sled. Everything that had happened coalesced into a blinding fear. Moving to the far wall, she raised her hands, trying to create a physical barrier. “Please just leave me alone. I don’t understand what’s happening. I’ll continue to care for you as I promised. I’ll help you get home. But nothing more than that.” Overwhelmed, Lauren hugged herself.

Alex slowly approached Lauren. “I cannot make it stop. I do not understand all that is happening to you or to us. Somehow, you crossed a nexus membrane from your reality into mine. Something only my family can do. In doing so, you bonded with my companions and then with me. Something else only my family can do. But you have done all these things. That is all I know. That is why you can hear us in your mind, and we can hear you. That is how you are learning my language, and I am learning yours. I understand that you feel lost. We may all be lost. There is only one thing to do and that is to make it back to Fuar Ćala.” Reaching out, Alex gently laid her hand on Lauren’s arm, and Lauren felt an electric shock shoot up her arm.

Lauren recoiled. “Please don’t touch me. I’ll care for your injuries and get you back to Fuar Ćala as safely as I can, but then I’ll go back to my cave and try and find a way back to Colorado.”

Alex pulled her hand back. “All right, I will not touch you, but the situation remains the same. We are bound. The bond is what you felt when I touched you. And it is growing.” Alex rocked back and hung her head. “I must reach my home. I must warn the Keep that the Comin may have crossed the nexus.”

Lauren pushed past Alex, her thoughts too jumbled to make sense of. “I said I’d help you, but I won’t stay after that. I need some air and some space to think. I need some distance from you and talking animals for just a bit.” Always the physician, she added over her shoulder, “You need to settle down and get some rest. I won’t be far. If you need me send one of your companions. And I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Lauren left the cave, thinking some distance would do her some good, but somehow she knew in her heart she couldn't escape this reality.

Chapter Seven

LAUREN CLIMBED A SMALL hill a short distance from the cave. Anguish tore through her. She'd always kept her emotions in check. Never revealing herself to others. Never being introspective. Well, except with Jamie. Worry resurfaced as she thought of Jamie. He was her friend.

She always knew where she was going. Always! She’d never been lost before. It didn’t matter if she was working or in school, she always had a focus, a project to guide her, a goal to accomplish, a direction to go. But here she was lost, lost in a world she didn’t know, with beings from another race, another world even. Where they could hear her thoughts. No privacy. Here it would be impossible for her to maintain the emotional distances she needed to protect herself from others.

She sat down, overwhelmed by all these emotions. What could she do? Relaxing back on her hands, she looked up. The celestial sphere arced across the night sky. The stars didn’t twinkle here. They blazed and flared, and tonight there was no moon to mute their brilliance. So small. This was her only conscious thought. She lost herself in the multitude of stars.

As her mind quieted, other questions came to her. How did I choose a direction? You never asked yourself, did you? You just followed one direction and then another and another. All the directions just flowed one into the other, creating a meandering path through your life. Did you ever choose a direction or did you let the direction choose you? Lauren huffed at herself.

It’s not about the direction. It’s about the journey. She heard her grandfather’s age-mellowed voice in her head. And your life’s journey has brought you here. It doesn’t matter where here is, at least not right now. It matters that you are here. So, what are you going to do about it?

She watched shooting stars trail across the sky. For all the marvels that the night sky held, she realized that the life as she knew was over. That’s it. It’s in the past, and Lauren couldn’t change it. At least she couldn’t change the past in her reality. Here, she wasn’t sure what was possible.

Thoughts of “here” threatened to break her fragile grasp on calm. But what was reality really? Nothing but a construct of presumptions people took for granted. What are the facts? The universe was made up of galaxies. A galaxy was made up of solar systems—stars and their planets. Earth revolved around one such star. North was one way and south another. The day was twenty-four hours long. Wait a minute. Stars! What did I see back in the Zirkels when I was trying to find my way back to the trailhead? I was looking for the North Star.

Lauren knew the North Star was a celestial body that was aligned with the rotational axis of the Earth. What does that mean? That alignment makes the North Star appear to be in a fixed position above the Earth. But the universe is expanding. And our galaxy is moving. And, if the Milky Way galaxy is rotating, then over time the star that is the North Star would change.

The axis of the Earth was tilted. Therefore, as the Earth rotates, the axis scribes a circle—making the planet appear to wobble about its axis. The planet would act like the handle of a toy top, which scribes a circle as it’s rotation slows down. With a rotating galaxy and a wobbling Earth, the star that occupies the position above the Earth’s axis would change through time. Does this reality even have a North Star? Probably.

Lauren continued to muse. If this is a parallel universe, then it's possible that more than the geography on this planet would be the same. The talking animals and humans that physically and emotionally bond with one another came from another planet. But other parts of the physical realm on this planet should be the same as on her Earth.

What did Professor Chowdury say? Think. Come on, dust off that cerebral file cabinet from Astronomy 101. He said, ‘Over time, various stars occupied the position in line with the rotational axis and were the North Star.’ It hasn’t always been Polaris. The Egyptians would have recognized Thuban in the constellation Draco, as their North Star. And five thousand years in the future of Lauren’s time, Deneb in constellation Cygnus would be the North Star. So, if I can figure out which star is the current North Star? Or South Star? If I know the star, can I figure out when I am? Would that help me reconcile where I am? Perhaps.

Lauren stared at the sky, lost in her internal game of what ifs. I can locate Polaris using Ursa Major. She narrowed her eyes, slowly pinpointing the huge dipper-shaped constellation. There it is.  What constellation is in the polar position now? She searched her memory for the name as she stared at the constellation in the shape of a kite. Lyra! She shifted her gaze to the bright star at the end of its tail. What was the name of that star? Vega! One of the brightest stars in the northern heavens of her world. Excitement coursed through Lauren. If I stay here, and Vega doesn’t move away from its position in the sky then I know what the new North Star is.

Lauren crossed her legs to wait, watching the stars move across the heavens. After an hour or so, Lauren again looked to find Vega. It hadn’t moved, though the other constellations had moved around it. Ok then, Vega is the North Star in this time. Lauren knew that Vega sits opposite Polaris on the circle circumscribed by Earth’s rotational axis. She shook her head. She knew it took Earth’s axis twenty-six thousand years to scribe one rotational circle. So I must be about thirteen thousand years away from my time. In the future or in the past?

As Lauren continued to try and find herself in space and time, she felt Ice creep into the tree line. She’s keeping watch over me. She heard the wolf grumbling about the cold and lack of dinner. She’s uncomfortable. Lauren picked up random thoughts at the edge of her consciousness. Ah, Ice. She couldn’t believe she was out in the night freezing her butt off, missing dinner, to watching this crazy one pace back and forth in the night. The stray thoughts got clearer as Lauren focused on them.

“Snow should have come out here, but no, Alex had to make me do it. I do not even like this human. If she even is human.”

Well at least Ice and I agree on something. But I’m not crazy, just frightened, lost, overwhelmed. Lauren struggled to catalogue her emotions, so she gave up on that and went back to her astronomy puzzle.

Okay, I know approximately when I am. What else do I know? Still looking up at the sky, Lauren realized that she hadn’t seen any satellites orbit by. That explains why my phone and GPS handheld don’t work. She sighed. That really does make this a different world. Humans leave an imprint everywhere they go on my world. So what do I have here to find my way? Only her broken compass that pointed in the wrong direction. In this universe, what if that isn’t the wrong direction, but the right direction? If my north equals Alex’s south, what does that mean? What would cause the compass directions to change? Lauren knew how a compass worked, aligning its magnetic needle with the magnetic field of the Earth. But what if the magnetic field of the Earth was different here? What could cause that? The polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field flips every hundred thousand years or so. This flipping was recorded in volcanic rocks around the globe. When a flip occurred, north would be south and south would be north.

I would be in the future, then. In her time, north was still north and had been through the recent geological past. But the planet was nearing the end of that period of magnetic stability. Maybe a polar reversal happens sometime in the future. Ok, I can work with that.

I’m on Earth, thirteen thousand years in the future based on Vega being the current North Star. And a magnetic reversal has occurred that caused the poles to switch. This planet is Earth, maybe not my Earth, but an Earth none the less.

How did I get here? That question brought Lauren up short. One step at a time, Beckwith. She felt a bit more comfortable now that she had determined where and when she was. Even if this is a parallel universe, she knew this was an Earth.

None of this answered her questions about Alex and the companions. Talking animals, really? And Alex? Oh Alex. Lauren was realizing that Alex was more. More what she couldn’t—let’s be honest—wouldn’t acknowledge yet. What should she do now? Go back and check on Alex. The woman was moving around too much, and I could feel—no, not feel—I could see the pain on her face. Lauren couldn’t accept she felt what Alex felt. And apologize for being a crazy person and running out on her.

Lauren rose and turned around. From the top of this small hill, she saw white snowy plains stretch in all directions. She hadn’t paid attention when she left the cave. Terrific, I’m lost. She didn’t know how to get back.

A gruff voice echoed in her mind, “Come on, Lauren. I will take you back.”

Chapter Eight

LAUREN COULD FEEL ICE’S anger roll off of her as they walked back to the cave. And if she was truthful with herself couldn’t blame Ice for being upset. I’d be angry, too, if someone I cared about walked off into the night.

Ice bumped Lauren with her shoulder. “I do not care about you and would appreciate it if you did not think I did.”

“Oh, yes you do.” Lauren leaned down and hugged Ice’s neck. “Why else would you come out in the dark and cold and bring me back?”

Ice shook her off. “Stop that! I came out to watch over you because Alex made me. That is all.”

“That’s not all. I like you too. Even if you are a grump sometimes.” Placing a kiss on the top of Ice’s furry head, Lauren moved back into the cave. A huff followed her.

Lauren stopped short. Alex had removed most of her bandages and was poking at the shoulder wound. Lauren rushed over. “Hey, stop that. You’ll get dirt in the wound and get an infection.” Dropping to her knees beside Alex, Lauren took her hand and pulled it away from the wound. “Let me clean that up. We’ve got to keep that shoulder stable or the bone fragments will continue to shift and cause damage to the joint. And pain…”

Alex’s face was drawn. She was pale and perspiring. Lauren watched Alex’s jaw work as she ground her teeth against the pain. “And where is your IV?” Lauren lifted her left hand and looked at the small wound on the back.

“I do not need any more of that. It was uncomfortable and no longer useful.”

“Oh, so you’re the doctor now? I don’t think so. Given the extent of your injuries, I’m surprised that you’re even alive. You’ve got remarkable healing power.” Pulling on a pair of sterile gloves from the medical kit, Lauren began to examine Alex’s shoulder wound.

“Well as much as I said you’re not the doctor, you’re right. The wound is healing well, except for your collarbone. That is shattered, we have to keep your arm immobilized. It needs surgical reconstruction. For now, we’ll just continue to monitor you for infection and pneumonia. I want you to breathe as deeply as you can to keep your lung fully inflated. I know it will hurt but deep breaths keep the chest clear.”

Lauren pulled out her stethoscope. Fitting the earbuds, she instructed, “Take as deep a breath as you can, but stop if it becomes painful.” Lauren moved the stethoscope around Alex’s chest. “And again, again, once more please. Lean forward for me and breathe normally.” She repeated her examination on Alex’s back. Her lung sounded clear. Breath sounds were strong and even. “It’s only been four days since I found you. This is amazing. Really unbelievable.”

Alex shifted. “It is the jacket. The mesh is tuned to my bio-signature. When I am injured, the jacket facilitates accelerated healing. However, it was damaged by the blast that injured my shoulder. Without your intervention, the jacket alone could not have healed me this time. But it is not I who needs healing now, I think.” Alex looked down at Lauren’s palm. “I am sorry you are injured.”

“What?” Lauren looked down and saw the angry welts branded across her palm. The burn was patterned like a curled scaly tail. She glanced at the sword beside Alex. An opened-mouthed dragon was etched from the tip of the blade down its length, and the design ended with a curled tail at the hilt. She must have been burned when she touched the blade and the pattern transferred onto her skin.

Alex moved the sword away. “I am afraid that the energy backlash burned your hand. That is the tail of my dragon on your palm. The symbol of my clan.”

“It’s okay.” Lauren flexed her hand. “It doesn’t hurt, although it looks like it should. Maybe sitting out in the cold helped?”

Alex never took her eyes off the burned palm. “You will probably scar. I hope it does not hinder the use of your hand. I truly am sorry.” Alex traced the curling dragon tail across her palm with a fingertip and bent her head and placed a gentle kiss in the center of the palm. Lauren jerked at this show of intimacy but a sense of well-being swept over her. Wow, that felt amazing, I wonder if she can feel it too?

“I can and I do, Lauren. Our bond is calming to me as well.”

“I’m not comfortable with all this.” Lauren shook her head as she slowly pulled her hand out of Alex’s grasp. “This mindspeaking thing is so foreign to me, and it feels invasive. I’m afraid of it. And I’m scared I don’t have any privacy in my own mind.”

“You have privacy. You can block anyone from reading your thoughts with conscious thought-action. Just think about building a wall around the thoughts you do not want to share and when the wall is high enough, no one will able to hear them.” Alex eyed her as Lauren rubbed her palm. “I wish I could heal you as you have healed me.”

Lauren shook her head. “Wasn’t me. As you said, it was your jacket.”

“No it was you. I am here because of you. We are all here now because of you.”  Alex reached out and took Lauren’s uninjured hand in hers and smiled up at her. “And you continue to heal me.”

Chapter Nine

THE EVENING PASSED IN companionable silence. Everyone had a meal and prepared for bed, knowing that tomorrow would be another strenuous day. “Good night, Alex,” Lauren said as she crawled into her sleeping bag.

“And you, Lauren. Tomorrow we will travel fast and far. The terrain will be easier for everyone.”

Lauren heard a soft sigh and then a string of thoughts tickled her mind. She is amazing. So strong and resilient, but our travels will be arduous. “Sleep well Lauren and may your dreams be peaceful.”

“Yours too.”

Deep in the night, Lauren woke with a start. Something had entered her dreams and prodded her awake. She heard soft snores and quiet whiffles from the sleeping animals disturbing the quiet in the cave. But Lauren felt Alex was awake. “Hey, what’s the matter? Are you in pain? Can’t sleep?”

“I am fine. I am unable to calm my mind enough for sleep. We are facing a difficult journey. I am afraid many dangers are just around the corner.”

“I can relate to that. I’m worried too, and it seems even your furkids are worried.”

“Furkids? What is this term?”

“Oh, sorry, maybe our understanding of each other’s language isn’t as good as we thought.” Lauren sat up and crawled over to sit beside Alex where she reclined in the sled. “Let’s see if I can explain. ‘Furkids’ is a term of endearment that my friend Susan uses to describe all our animal friends. Like you say companions, she would say furkids. Anyway, I like the term and use it. Somehow I think it is appropriate for your companions, too. Though I doubt Ice would be enamored with the moniker.”

“True, Ice can be difficult at times. But I have learned the more she complains the more she cares about the one she is complaining about. My being injured worries her greatly. She shows us her anger to hide her worry.”

“Can you tell me a little about you and your world? I seem to be trapped here now and always do better when I’ve some data…information.”

“It is a long and not so happy story. One I do not think we can finish this night. But I will start, and we can continue as we travel.”

As Alex paused to organize her thoughts, Lauren interjected, “Would you like something to drink? I’ll mix up some hydration powder. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.”

“That would be nice, thank you. I believe I will start with the Comin, as they are relevant to our current situation. Although our history is long, the Comin are a race we only recently encountered.”

Handing Alex a drink bottle, Lauren settled beside the sled to listen. “The Comin are a misogynistic race with a history steeped in conquest. Their culture is one of dominance and war. They do not want anything but information and technology. They conquer to add these to their world. And unfortunately, the only technologies they want are those that can increase their ability to be more successful in future conquests.”

“Sounds familiar.” Lauren shook her head at the parallels with some of the cultures on her Earth.

“Approximately four hundred years ago, the Comin came to my Homeworld of Terra Prime. Under the guise of diplomacy, they requested admittance to our court. My Great Grand’Mere welcomed them, and began trade and diplomatic talks. Our only knowledge of them was through their behavior in court.” Alex shifted on the sled.

“They come from a planet on the far side of a gaseous nebula, an area of space we had only explored briefly. There were no usable elements within the nebula, and so we left it without traveling to the other side. It was too large to go around. We always considered it a safe and impenetrable boundary around one-third of our space.” Alex paused to take a drink.

“How long have your people been able to travel in space?  My people made it only as far as our moon with manned flights. Though we’ve sent various probes out into space, only a couple of those traveled beyond our solar system.”

“We have been a spacefaring people for about twenty millennia. Some of my ancestors were born on generational ships that traveled the galaxy looking for a new world. That is how Terra Prime was discovered and settled.”

Lauren was puzzled. “How do you power your ships? I’ve been taught that faster-than-light speed isn’t possible. Although Einstein thought differently, we don’t have the knowledge to do that.”

“Well, your Einstein was correct. We travel at plus-light speed using a combination solar-gravitational drive. I am sure one of the Fuar Ćala technicians would be able to explain it far better than I. But as I understand, we gather and condense energy from the solar emissions of nearby stars and use that to open space-gravity tunnels through which our ships move.”

“Space tunnels? Wow, that’s cool. I wonder if you could be generating wormholes or gravity wells? That’s amazing.” Lauren was in awe at this, her scientific curiosity spiked.

“I will be happy to feed your scientific curiosity later. Let us focus back on the Comin. A diplomatic relationship was established by my Great Grand’Mere. And the Comin held a place in the court of Terra Prime. Twenty or so years later, the Comin requested a trade of technologies of our terraforming and water filtration systems for their proto-atomic weaponry. Although we had traded these technologies in the past, we had no use for a trade involving weapons of mass-destruction.”

“This sounds like a story with a very unhappy ending.”

Alex nodded at Lauren’s comment. “We said ‘no’ to the trade. My Great Grand’Mere referred the Comin Ambassador to our trade councilors to develop a more appropriate trade. The Comin were angered, saying we had traded this water-producing technology before and would trade it to them or they would take it. Great Grand’Mere was not pleased with a threat.”

“Sounds like your great grandmother was quite the woman.”

“Oh, that she was.” Alex returned to her story. “By this time, our diplomatic delegation which had traveled to the Comin Homeworld, started sending back disturbing reports. Reports of racial atrocities and genocide. Rule on the Comin Homeworld was one of despotism. Political control was maintained through threat, murder, and torture. Some of the atrocities reported were so heinous our Council did not believe them. Great Grand’Mere recalled her ambassadors and prepared to cut off diplomatic ties with the Comin. She then asked the Comin Ambassadors to leave Terra Prime.”

Taking a drink, Alex seemed to hesitate in telling more of the tale. “My Grand’Pere was one of the delegates that went to the Comin world. They were ambushed on their return trip to Terra Prime and lost within the nebula. Their last communique was a warning to prepare for an attack by a weapon that could potentially cause planet-wide destruction.” Tears fell down Alex’s pale cheeks, and she drew a ragged breath.

“Oh, Alex. I’m so sorry.” Taking Alex’s hand in hers, Lauren began to slowly stroke her thumb over the back. “What a nightmare for your family!”

“The defenses around Terra Prime were increased. All shipping was stopped at the outer planets and inspected. Nothing was allowed into the inner solar system without proper review and authorization. Our fleet was mobilized, and it actively patrolled the boundaries of the nebula. But no attack came. Several decades after our diplomats were killed in the nebula, a single probe—so small it passed by our defenses unnoticed—made it into the inner solar system. It landed on one of the moons around Terra Prime.”

Oh this is going to be bad. I can feel Alex’s anguish. “You don’t need to go on.”

Tears streamed down both of their faces and fell on their joined hands. Lauren felt herself pulled into Alex’s nightmare. The verbal images were being reinforced by Alex’s emotions. “It is said on my planet, ‘Do not disregard the minor irritation of a single thorn prick. It could be the first of many, and many can be dangerous to one’s wellbeing.’ Or in this case, the wellbeing of an entire planet. This was the first of many small probes to penetrate into the inner planets. The first was discovered on Terra Prime by some hunters. It was imaged in situ, and then taken back to their homestead. The images were transmitted to the Institute for Offworld Scientific Discoveries. Though it was treated with all care, once back in the capitol it became active and transmitted a signal. The signal could not be stopped and our worldwide energy grid was not able to dampen it. The signal activated all the other probes throughout our solar system.” Alex’s hand began to tremble in Lauren’s grasp. Her emotions rolled unchecked across their bond to Lauren.

“Well, that single prick grew exponentially and all the probes acted in concert to release a bioweapon into the atmosphere around their landing sites. It brought a rapid painful death to all living organisms. Soon the planet’s biosphere was lifeless. The weapon vaporized all liquid water within the planet, drying the seas, even dehydrating the minerals in the planet’s crust.”

Lauren gasped and exclaimed. “I saw it.”

“What do you mean?” Alex looked up at her sharply.

“When Ice was trying to convince me that there wasn’t a way for me to get you help, because I wasn’t on my Earth. She flooded my mind with a cascade of images. The last ones were of a barren orange planet. It was awful. The amount of destruction was unimaginable.”

“Oh, I am sorry you suffered that.”

Lauren looked down at their joined hands. “But I only suffered the images. How did you survive? How do you survive now?” With her question, she looked up into Alex’s darkened eyes.

“Luckily, I was off-planet in school when the attack was launched. That is what saved me, my companions, and my advisors. Had I been home, I too would have perished. Ironically, the technologies the Comin wanted were ones we would have gladly traded, if not given freely, had they simply told us of their plight and the environmental damage to their Homeworld. Their planet was dying a slow painful death from abuse and overuse. They did not have to take them by force and destruction.”

Lauren began to cry again. “But your world, your people, your family. How do you survive that?”

“I survived the moment by just doing what I had to in order to survive. To protect as many of my people as I could. To escape.” Alex smiled through her tears and squeezed Lauren’s hand. “Do not cry. We did survive and we found Terra.”

Sorrow permeated the cavern. “It was a long time ago. My people survived and now live here. We have re-established our civilization. Representatives of all but one of the original thirteen clans made it safely here. Only three thousand survived to make the journey, but now we have a thriving colony.”

“But Ice said you were just on the Comin world. That you were searching for a cure to the bioweapon there. Why do you need a cure if you traveled safely here?”

Alex looked up at Lauren and shook her head. “Unbeknownst to us at the time, some of the survivors we picked up along the way carried an agent from the weapon. We do not know how it happened, but it seems that the agent somehow attached something to their genetic material. This they transmitted to their offspring.”

Lauren looked up sharply at the mention of children.

“It was several generations before the first grandchildren became sick. We have successfully isolated these children and are holding them in stasis. If we can isolate the agent and remove it, then we can wake them and hopefully treat them. We have not found a cure as of yet, and if we are unsuccessful, our race is doomed to die with this last generation. Those of us who were off-world at the time of the attack are now also infected. I was trying to cross the nexus to the Comin Homeworld in hopes of finding an antidote or enough research on the agent to give our technicians a starting point.”

“To use a weapon like that is an act of such evil I can hardly comprehend how soulless the Comin must be.” Lauren shook her head. “Unfortunately, we’ve developed weapons of mass destruction, but their existence created a state of mutual deterrence. And luckily only two were ever used.” Taking a calming breath, Lauren asked. “Did you find anything? On the Comin world, I mean.”

Alex shook her head. “I didn’t find a cure, but before I was discovered and attacked, I did find the research materials on the original project. My understanding of the Comin language is rudimentary, though. So I copied them and brought them back with me.” Alex’s expression suddenly turned severe, and she tightened her grip on Lauren’s hand. “If anything happens to me, you must get the datanode back to Fuar Ćala.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you.” Lauren hoped, while she mentally crossed her fingers for their safety.

“Anything can happen. But please, you must swear that you will take the datanode to Fuar Ćala if I am unable to. Deliver it only to the Seneschal. It may be all that saves my people.” Alex dropped Lauren’s hand and rose.

Their conversation and roiling emotions woke the companions who rose as one to face Lauren, too. Lauren felt her fear rise as the companions’ faces matched Alex’s. “Please, calm down. I swore I’d do everything I can to get you back to Fuar Ćala. I’ll help however I can.” She feared for them and for herself. “It seems that I need you as much as you need me.”

“I know you will. We will be successful and we will all make it back,” Ffrwyn mumbled into their shared mindlink.

Ice shook her shoulders. “Well, we will not if you all continue to shout and fill the air with your discontent. You know Snow saw signs of others in the forest near the first cave. Who they were or why they were there we cannot say. But they are there. We will not be safe until we are home.”

Turning toward the agitated wolf, Alex admonished. “Ice you know we are safe within the caches, here no one can ‘hear’ us. Though your concern about mindspeaking outside the caches is valid. We must be cautious while traveling. Tonight, let us relax, and get some rest.”

Ice’s admonishment seemed to alter the atmosphere within the cave, and everyone took a proverbial step back from the horrific images their earlier conversation had created.

“Sleep is what all of us need because tomorrow we have another long day,” Snow said as she curled into a ball, her tail covering her nose.

Lauren lay down beside the sled and took Alex’s hand. “I’ll sleep better if I know you’re feeling well. And I seem to know how you feel if I touch you. Is this all right?”

“Of course. I can feel you when I hold your hand, too.”

Chapter Ten

THE NEXT DAY PASSED quickly. Ffrwyn was able to increase their overall travel speed across the relatively smooth basin floor. Snow and Ice patrolled around the trio in a circular pattern, each wolf circling in the opposite direction. This allowed them to cover the most ground while the trio moved toward the next cache.

As night approached, Ffrwyn alerted Alex that they were nearing the next shielded cache. “Wake, Alex. We are approaching the next cache. We have made good time today and can rest well knowing that the trip is progressing.”

“I am awake, Ffrwyn. Lauren, will you help me to stand so I can open the shield?”

Ffrwyn stopped beside a stream in a small copse of cottonwood trees. “We are here.”

“Okay, thanks, Ffrwyn,” Lauren said as she kicked out of her skis and rolled up the towrope, stowing it on the saddle. “Alex, I think you know the drill. Let’s try and get it in one this time and skip all the drama and burns.”

Alex chuckled, but stopped as pain radiated from her shoulder. “Exactly. I would like a quiet evening and not one filled with Ice telling us how we made a mess of things again. Please help me up and bring me my sword.”

“Your sword, Your Majesty.” Lauren presented the sheathed blade to Alex hilt first, bowing deeply as she did.

“Do you think you are being funny? You are beginning to sound like Ice. Remember, sarcasm can become a very ignoble habit, if you are not careful.” Reaching out to take the hilt and pull the sword from the scabbard, Alex froze. “Lauren, did you touch the sword any other time besides yesterday?”

“No, I noticed it when I originally found you, but yesterday was the first time I actually touched it. Why?”

“The stone does not look right. Its color and pulse are altered.” The stone had darkened to a deep midnight blue and now contained green inclusions. And it beat with a doubled rhythm, the green inclusions flaring in opposition to the pulse of the blue matrix. Alex couldn’t believe it. Lauren looked puzzled.

“Alex, I told you the stone was different yesterday after Lauren touched the blade.” Ffrwyn turned towards them.

“Do you understand what this means, Horse?”

“No, I do not understand, and my name is not horse! My name is Ffrwyn.” Puffs of crystalline breath punctuated her statement.

“What’s wrong with the sword?” Lauren asked.

Alex couldn’t help worrying, too. What if we can’t access the caches?

“Alex, what’s wrong?” Lauren sounded worried.

“I fear that you have imprinted the sword and a bond is beginning to form.” Alex continued to speculate about the changes she saw in the stone. “There is nothing we can do here. The bond technicians may be able to unravel all of this once we return home. We do not need to worry as long as the sword still works to open the shields so we can access the caches.”

Closing her hand around the hilt, Alex pulled the blade from its sheath. Lifting her left arm, she moved the blade in a wide arc, stopping with the sword pointed toward the shield. A bright flash lit the dark glade of trees, and a cave entrance appeared in the stream bank. Lauren lowered Alex back into the sled, but Alex resisted. “It is all right. I wish to see if I can walk into the cave.”

“You really want to push it, don’t you?” Lauren shook her head. “Or is it that you just can’t let others help you?”

Smiling down at Lauren, Alex stated, “I will always accept help from you. Riding in the sled all day, I am getting soft. My injuries continue to heal, and I must work to regain any strength I can.”

“Oh, all right. Have it your way, but if you take a header into the stream, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Handing the sword hilt first to Lauren so she could replace it in the scabbard, Alex began to slowly walk through the shallow stream toward the cave. Lauren reached out for her. “Whoa there. Let me at least keep a steadying hand on your belt.”

Together they entered this new cave. This one was carved into the sandstone of the stream bank and had a packed dirt floor. No sooner had they entered then Ice and Snow plowed in. Shaking vigorously, the two wet wolves drenched the two women where they stood. “Oh, this is just great. Thanks, guys. I needed a shower.”

“I am wet because Alex chose to place this cache in a river. I got wet entering the cave.” Ice huffed, continuing to shake herself.

“I would have to agree with my companion,” Snow added.

“I only got my feet and legs wet. I am tall, and I am a horse.” Ffrwyn reinforced her identity, as she shook her legs dry, showering the group again.

Lauren grinned. Alex’s laughter filled the cave, some of her worries momentarily forgotten.

Chapter Eleven

ON THE AFTERNOON OF the tenth day of travel, Lauren’s knee began to ache. This was a sure sign of a change in barometric pressure. She called to Ffrwyn, “Do you think the weather is changing, or is it just me being paranoid?”

“I do think there is a storm coming. We should make all haste to the next cave. I am afraid this may be a bad storm.”

Lauren eyed the sky. Dark clouds began to sweep across the mountain range to west of their position. “Alex, wake up. A storm’s coming, and we need to double-time it.”

Sitting up, Alex looked around. “How far are we from the next cache? I don’t want to be caught out.”

“We are about thirty minutes from the next cave, but if we could make it five hours and cut across the river, we could be at the Teton cache you originally established. That would be much more comfortable if we are snowed in for several days.”

Lauren listened to their conversation, dreading their decision. Five hours was longer than she felt they had.

“You are correct. It is larger, and we would be much more comfortable there. But can we make it?” Alex sat up straighter in the sled. “I do not like the look of those clouds. We will have to ford the river. Do you think it is frozen over or are we going to have to swim?”

“I am hopeful the river is frozen. If Lauren were able to hang on, I could increase my speed to a canter pace. That would have us there faster.”

Alex looked back at Lauren. “I think we should try to make it to the Teton cache. I do not want to be stuck eating horse hay for dinner.”

Laughing, Lauren considered their options. “Right, no hay for me either. Let’s try for your Teton cache.”

The wind picked up, swirling small white whirlwinds of frozen crystals around their feet and the sled. Lauren pulled her gear bag off the top of the saddle and rooted around inside it. “Here we go—goggles and my balaclava. These will work great.” She also removed Alex’s face shield from the depths of the pack. “Alex, let’s get your face shield settled in place.”

Soon the trio was outfitted for the fast trek to the Teton cache. Lauren pulled the balaclava over her face and settled the goggles over her eyes. “Ffrwyn take it easy at first please. I think if you accelerate slowly, I should be able to hang on at a faster speed.”

“Ice, Snow, can you hear me?” Lauren called to the pair.

“We can hear you. What is happening? We do not like the look of those clouds in the distance.”

“We’re heading down to the river to cross and then along the other side to the Teton cache.”

Ffrwyn took off like a shot, and Lauren missed the wolves’ reply. It was all she could do to hang on. Let alone try and carry on a conversation. Ffrwyn’s great strides ate up the terrain, and the world closed down around Lauren. The sled was lost under a continuous stream of broken snow and ice, thrown up by the horse. Her shins took a beating in the backwash hitting her.

Their pace slowed as they came to the wide river. All that marked the river’s course was a smooth snow-white ribbon that meandered across the basin floor. Trotting along the bank, Ffrwyn looked for a place to safely drop down to the edge of the ice with the sled in tow. The slower pace allowed Lauren to have a look around. Alex was completely encrusted in snow and ice with only a small darker spot where her face would be. Bet that’s a warm spot where she exhales. But she probably will want out as soon as possible.

“I do want out. I cannot move under all this. You may want to remove some of it to lighten the load for Ffrwyn,” Alex said across their bond.

Chuckling, Lauren unhooked herself from the sled, coiled the towrope, and fastened it under the remains of one of the stirrup leathers. Moving back to Alex, Lauren began to gently break up the ice encrusted on the sled. Once it started to crack, Lauren was able to pull large chucks off Alex. “There you go. Better?”

“Much. Thank you.”

Ffrwyn found a path down to the edge of the river ice. Carefully, she stepped out on to the frozen surface. “Do not follow behind me, Lauren. Let us not stress the ice too much.”

Lauren moved off upstream to a smooth water course between some boulders.  She lashed her skis to the sides of her pack. Hopping from rock to rock, she was soon across. Turning, she watched the horse and sled make their way. Even from here, she could hear the ice groaning beneath Ffrwyn’s weight. About three quarters of the way across the ice, a step went wrong, and Ffrwyn’s left front leg fell through the ice.

“Ffrwyn!” Lauren screamed and began running back toward them.

The horse raised her head. “Stay where you are! I am fine. I am standing on the bottom and can pull my leg out.”

Creaking and cracking ice marked the rest of the journey across the frozen river. Once on the far bank and standing beside Lauren, Ffrwyn hung her head, breathing deeply. Lauren knelt beside the sled and unfastened the bungee net from around Alex. After Alex was free to move, she reached up and placed her gloved hand on the side of Lauren’s face. Lauren heard a whispered mindvoice. “Ffrwyn is hurt. Please see to her. She will not let you know she is hurt, so you must act as if you just found the injury.”

Nodding, Lauren rose and moved to the left side of the saddled horse. Looking down, Lauren saw a growing red puddle in the snow beneath Ffrwyn’s left forefoot.

“Ffrwyn, you’re hurt. Let me have a look.”

“I am fine. Let us continue as quickly as we can.”

Putting her hands on her hips, Lauren said, “What is it with you all? No one’ll admit they’re hurt or ask for help. And then you all refuse help when it’s offered. You’re bleeding. Let me have a look.” Marching to the horse’s head and staring into her big brown eyes, Lauren softened her voice. “I don’t like to ask for help either. But we need everyone working together to get where we’re going. Now let me have a look. Please”

Ffrwyn curled her lips at Lauren. “If you must. It is just a scratch I got when I fell through the ice.”

“Fine then, if it’s just a scratch, no worries about wrapping it up and getting on our way.” The cut was open and bled freely. Lauren couldn’t see any internal damage to muscles or tendons, though her knowledge of horse anatomy wasn’t the best. I wish Susan were here. She applied a light pressure bandage which stopped the bleeding. With that done, they headed on. After another half hour, Lauren’s worry grew again.

“How much farther?” Lauren called to Ffrwyn. The sky was now a solid gun-metal gray, a menacing morass of thick swirling clouds was sinking slowly toward the ground ahead of them. The wind howled along the river.

“About another two hours or so. We will travel about another hour along the river and then I will need to turn toward the mountains. The cache is at the base of the tallest peak. We will be out of the wind then.”

Lauren gritted her teeth and tried not to fall. Large flakes blown by the wind began to accumulate on Lauren’s face. She shook it off the best she could. Soon Lauren couldn’t move her arms or flex her hands. She was encased in a freezing coat of snow and ice. “We gotta stop. I can’t move. I’m frozen solid.”

“Cannot…stop. Not enough time. Storm…here…soon not able…find the trail. I am following the shield energy…more than trying to see with my eyes.” Ffrwyn’s breathing sounded labored. Lauren could almost feel her struggling for breath.

Alex’s voice blossomed in her mind. “Concentrate on your breathing. We must share our strength with Ffrwyn. She is struggling.”

“How do we share our strength? How will that even work?”

“Just continue to breathe. She will draw strength from us as we breathe along our bond with her. Slowly in and out. Make each breath deep and slow. Try to breathe in the same pattern she does,” Alex instructed.

Breathing slowly and as deeply as she could, Lauren held on as they plowed through the blinding blizzard that raged around them. She was too tired to think about bonds and sharing energy. They just needed to get to the cache. Needed to breathe.

“We are…near…open shield…get in.” Disjoint thoughts slammed into Lauren.

“Lauren, get me up. I must open the shield. Hurry.” Alex struggled within her ice cocoon.

But Lauren couldn’t drop the rope. Her hands were frozen in place. She beat her hands against her thighs to break up the ice crust. Pieces flew in all directions. When both hands were free, Lauren tried to get out of her ski bindings but ice coated them, too. “Screw this, I’m coming Ffrwyn.”

Schussing up to her head, Lauren inspected the horse’s face. All she saw was a solid white mask. “I’ll get you out as soon as I can.”

Knowing she couldn’t bash at the ice the way she did with her hands, Lauren pulled her frozen mittens off and placed her hands over Ffrwyn’s nose. Lauren saw the horse’s chest work like a bellows, trying to blow the ice from her nasal passages. She moved her hands over the horse’s eyes and began warming her eyelashes. With a mighty sneeze, Ffrwyn blew the partially melted ice out of her nose and all over Lauren. The blast blew Lauren backwards and coated her face in slime. She wiped her face off. “Thanks, that’s just what I needed.”

“You are welcome. I can breathe now. Thank you. Let us open the shield.”

Lauren moved back to the sled. Looking at the ice-covered mass, all Lauren could make out was the edge of the face shield.

“We will freeze to death out here if we stand around. Get the sword and hold it against the ice. The energy of the blade should melt the ice.”

Lauren rolled her eyes at Alex’s comment. Right, why didn’t I think of that? Oh yeah, I never worked with a sword before, let alone one that is almost alive.

Lauren pulled the sheathed blade from the dees. Ffrwyn’s body heat from the long run kept the blade free of ice and snow. Laying the blade carefully along the length of Alex’s body, Lauren stood back. Ever so slowly the blade melted down through the ice toward Alex.

“Unbelievable,” Lauren muttered, shaking her head.

Once the ice thinned, Alex pushed the remainder away. The ice cocoon splitting in two like a chrysalis. Lauren helped Alex to her feet and out of the sled. The snow battered them, driven by the wind. They were caught in a true whiteout. Lauren couldn’t see the details of the mountain at all. All she could make out was a slightly darker area in one direction. Lauren moved them around to Ffrwyn’s side.

“Here, Lauren. Stop here.” Alex grasped the blade. Slicing upward, she parted the shield, and a wave of warm air washed over them.

Chapter Twelve

SLOGGING ACROSS THE LAST few meters of snowy ground, they made it into the Teton cache. Lauren shook herself off as best she could and then simply stood in place to let the snow and ice melt so she could remove her outer gear and get out of her skis. This cache dwarfed all the others. Lauren couldn’t see the back of the cave from the entrance. The cave was awash in a dim light that emanated from phosphorescent algae covering the rock walls and ceiling. A wall of storage containers and stasis bags were piled to the right of the entrance.

“We stocked all the caches to the north of us from this one,” Alex explained. “It is large, and we will be most comfortable here while we wait out the storm. And looking at those clouds, I fear we will be here for a while.”

Lauren glanced back outside. “Can you hear Snow or Ice? Shouldn’t they be here by now? I haven’t seen them since we crossed the river.”

“They should be here soon. They decided to hunt on the way—preferring fresh-caught game to something that has been in stasis. It seems they have caught an elk and are trying to get it to the cave.”

“Just tell them to leave it outside. No bloody things in here, please. Speaking of bloody, let me have a look at that leg, Ffrwyn.” Lauren didn’t ask this time. She just pulled the forefoot up to have a look at the cut. “You’re going to need stitches for this to heal properly. If we don’t, it’ll leave a scar.”

Lauren stripped out of her outerwear and unsaddled the horse. She pulled the med kit from the sled. “Let’s throw a couple into that leg.”

Once she stitched up the horse, Lauren noticed dark patches on the worn saddle blanket covering Ffrwyn’s back. “Ffrwyn, are your haunches injured?”

“I am a little sore, but nothing that a few days’ rest will not help.”

“Right, let’s have a look.” Lauren pulled the large horse blanket off. The sled pulls had rubbed Ffrwyn’s sides raw. Lauren shook her head at the deep abrasions. “It’s gonna take more than rest to heal these, Ffrwyn. I’ll put some antibiotic ointment on them and then let’s try and keep them clean and dry. Okay?”

Ffrwyn lowered her head. Lauren could tell the horse was more tired and hurt than she let on. She was worried about how they’d make it to Fuar Ćala if the horse couldn’t pull the sled. She’d never be able to pull the sled with Alex and the supplies. Right now, she could barely stand.

Running a hand down the horse’s side, she whispered in her ear. “I hurt, too. We can all benefit from a couple days’ rest and some good food. You’re doing an amazing job. We wouldn’t be here safe and sound without you.” Lauren buried her face in the warm neck and inhaled the scent of warm horse, sweat, and safety. A whiffle into her hair returned her feelings.

The ointment stung and Ffrwyn wasn’t an easy patient to deal with. She snorted and whinnied, shying around the cave while Lauren worked on her injuries. It was only a bag of hay that finally got her to relax and settle for the evening.

While Lauren tended to the horse’s injuries, Alex got herself out of the sled and began to unload supplies. “Be careful, Alex, that shoulder isn’t stable enough for you to do any heavy lifting,” Lauren warned as she glanced over her shoulder at the growing pile of supplies Alex was building from items she pulled from the packing containers.

Once Lauren got both patients settled, she began to prepare a meal. She found fresh vegetables in stasis and soon had a hearty stew bubbling over her camp stove. Lauren redressed Alex’s shoulder while they waited on the stew. After they ate, Alex relaxed into a nest of blankets.

Lauren rummaged through her gear bags, obviously searching for something and not having much luck. Alex called from her blankets. “Lauren, what do you need? Please come and relax with us. You have taken care of us, and now you should rest, too.”

“Gotta find some clean clothes.” Lauren turned and pointed down at her sweat soaked and bloodstained underlayers. “I’m afraid these’ll stand up by themselves once I take them off. But I just hate putting clean clothes on over a dirty body. I’ll have to heat some water and take a sponge bath before getting dressed.”

“No need to sponge anything. I may have something better. Come this way.” Alex rose from her nest and walked to the back of the cavern.

“Now where have I heard that line before?” Lauren laughed as she followed Alex through a small tunnel that exited out the back of the cave. The subtle teasing was gradually increasing, and Lauren smiled, thinking they were becoming friends, maybe even more than friends. Oh right, Lauren, you’re so outclassed.

She felt the heat and smelled the highly mineralized air before she turned the last corner. Alex stepped aside and ushered Lauren into the small cavern. A bubbling hot spring cascaded from a fissure in the far wall. The spring flowed from the crack and dropped into a depression in the center of the cavern. The circular pool was a deep sapphire blue. The pool’s edge was ringed by multi-colored algae. Steam rose from the water and filled the small cavern with hazy warmth.

“Oh my gawd, this is amazing. How hot is the water? Is it safe to bathe in? How deep is the pool?” Questions spilled from Lauren as she approached the edge.

“You are such a technician.” Alex’s laugh took the sting out of her comment. “The water in the pool is hot but not dangerously so. It is safe to bathe in, and I have on a number of occasions. The pool is deeper than I am tall in the center. But there are some shelves around the edges that make good seats on which to sit and soak.”

“I’m going to love soaking.” Lauren knelt beside the pool and drew her hand through the water. It was slick to the touch, an indicator that the water was loaded with minerals.

Alex came up beside her. “I would enjoy a bath. Do you think I could get in the water? I will keep my shoulder out of the water.”

“I bet we can cover the dressing so you can sit in the shallows. I know you‘ll feel better after you get clean. Neither of us smells very good.”

“You are right about that. The Comin could find us just by using their noses.” Just as that comment crossed their bond, Ice ran into the cavern and took a running leap, landing in the center of the pool. Her belly flop soaked Lauren and Alex.

“I swear I am going to banish you one of these days,” Alex reprimanded the wolf.

“No, you will not. You love me too much.” A wolfy-grin graced Ice’s face as she climbed from the pool, shaking herself. “I had to get all the elk blood out of my fur.”

Lauren shuddered. “I so didn’t need that visual, Ice. Now, I really need a bath. Smelling like wet dog is far worse than how I smelled before. Alex, I think I can cover your shoulder in some plastic from the stasis bags. If we tape the edges that should keep it dry, but I wouldn’t submerge completely.”

“Good enough for me. I will enjoy being clean again.”

Moving back into the main cave, Lauren and Alex gathered clothing and dressing materials. Lauren pulled a couple of microfiber towels from her bag, too. “Ready?”

“I am more than ready.” They headed back to the hot springs, arms loaded with supplies.

Lauren gently removed Alex’s tunic and the pressure dressing, covering the shoulder with a large piece of plastic. Alex released the closure on her trousers, and they fell open. They slowly slid down her long, muscular legs to pool at her knees, catching on the top of her boots. “Should have taken the boots off first.”

Alex sat on the ground and raised a boot to Lauren. “I cannot pull these off with only one functioning arm. A tug, please.”

Grasping the heel of the boot in one hand and the top of Alex’s foot in the other, Lauren pulled. But the wet boot didn’t budge. Pulling harder and leaning backward, Lauren tried again. “Alex, these have shrunk in place. We may have to cut them off.”

“Absolutely not! These are a gift from Merilyn. I will not have them ruined.”

“Merilyn, really…who’s she? One of your ladies-in-waiting?” Though Lauren was half joking, she couldn’t keep a hint of jealousy out of her voice. Just how many Merilyns does she have back home?

A guffaw of laughter burst from Alex.

“Are you laughing at me?” Lauren dropped Alex’s foot and put her hands on her hips.

“Never, I am laughing at how my Seneschal would react to being called a lady-in-waiting. She is a formidable woman who has served my family for many years. She runs my Keep.” Alex paused and tilted her head. “And me if I stop and think about it, I would characterize her as the power behind the throne. And although I know she does not want to be the power on the throne, I would never cross her or ignore her.”

“Sounds like she’s a wonderful mentor.”

“Without a doubt, I was immensely lucky that she was able to reach us when the bioweapon was released on the Homeworld. And that we were able to retreat together as we escaped the solar system.” Sadness darkened Alex’s features. “I have known her all my life and would not be able to rule Fuar Ćala without her, let alone find my boots. Speaking of which, we still need to get these off.” Alex held up her leg, waggling a leather-clad foot at Lauren.

“Okay then, let’s give it another go.” Lauren grabbed the boot and pulled hard. The boot came loose suddenly, and Lauren tumbled over backward into the pool. Water splashed across the cavern’s floor from the overfilled pool.

Bursting from the hot water, Lauren spluttered and threw the boot onto the floor.  “That’s great. I was going to wash my clothes, but now I don’t have to.” Lauren climbed from the pool and peeled her wet clothing off.

The second boot proved less problematic. Soon both women were naked and immersed in the warm waters. Lauren floated in the deepest portion of the pool, while Alex rested in the shallows, the water lapping at the top of her breasts. Moving to the edge of the pool, Lauren found one of the niches and settled. She tipped her head back. “Oh, I could so get used to this.”

“It is very enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable. That’s all you can say? This is absolute heaven. I couldn’t ask for better.” Lauren looked over at Alex. Her eyes were closed, a small smile gracing her face. She is so striking. A small voice niggled in the back of her mind. Be careful, Lauren. Remember, she probably does have any number of ladies waiting at home for her. I’m already lost. Her libido was nonexistent, given all the stress, Alex’s injuries, the uncertainties of her location, and their arduous journey. Lauren was exhausted but not so tired that she couldn’t appreciate a beautiful woman.

“I feel you looking, Lauren.” Alex’s thought was a gentle caress brushing across her mind.

Lauren dipped below the surface of the pool, embarrassed. The heat seared her skin, but was not as hot as the blush creeping up her cheeks. Acting like a love-struck teenager, again.

“You are beautiful when you blush, Dearheart, and you are hardly a youngster.”

“I’m so sorry, Alex. That was incredibly rude.”

“It was not rude. I, too, have been enjoying the view.”

Lauren surfaced and shook water from her hair. “You are a beautiful woman. I can’t help myself. I just thought I was being a bit more discreet.”

“Well, while we are both being discreet, why don’t you tell me something about yourself or your home?”

“Okay, but there isn’t much to tell really. Seems all I’ve done with my life is school and work.” Lauren sat back on the small shelf and gathered her thoughts. “I’m a field researcher for a company called Geodynamics. We study environmental pollution.” Realizing that she probably needed to explain more, she continued, “We measure the presence and distribution of various contaminants in water and soil that may be harmful to the environment. So I spend most of my time in field locations and away from home.”

“Where is your home?” Alex sat up a little straighter. She appeared to be listening intently.

“Denver. It’s a large city east of where I found you. Well, toward the rising sun, not sure what direction that would be for you. I’m hardly ever there though, my job has me traveling all over the globe.” Lauren continued to soak.

“How does a researcher of fields learn so much about medical care?”

“No, not a researcher of fields.” Lauren chuckled, running a hand through her wet hair. “I’m a field researcher. Someone who goes to an area where the contamination is thought to occur. But I also have a degree in medicine, in addition to the one in environmental chemistry. I did my residency in pediatric oncology, before changing to trauma surgery.”

“What is this oncology?”

“It’s a subset of medicine that deals with cancer and tumor identification, and treatment. I studied cancer in children.” Lauren sat up, the relaxing effects of the warm water forgotten as memories of her residency surfaced.

“Cancer?” Alex matched Lauren’s tension.

“Cancer is one of the primary killers on my world. It's a disease that can attack any organ of the body.”

“I do not know that I have heard of this illness. Killers of my people are traumatic injuries. Usually those that occur in space or from accidents. Until the Comin released the bioweapon on my world, illnesses were very rare.”

“Tell me about this disease that the Comin released. Are only the children affected? What are the symptoms? How do the effects of the weapon manifest?” Lauren moved across the pool to sit beside Alex as they delved deeper into this mystery together.

“The first symptoms seem to be weakness, fever, and a general lethargy. These gradually become worse, and then other things happen, like strange red spots and bumps that appear on the chest and back. The lungs fill with fluid, and breathing is compromised. Sores form in the mouth and on the lips. The person loses weight and cannot gain it back. They waste away. The worst is near the end, when the weapon attacks the brain. When this happens, the person no longer recognizes anyone and slowly goes mad.” Tears filled Alex’s eyes as she spoke, and Lauren reached out to hold her, pulling her into a warm hug. “That is why I risked crossing the nexus into the Comin world. We must find a cure.”

Alex started to pull away from Lauren. “Easy there. You don’t have to be strong around me. It’s amazing that any of you survived, and for as long and as well as you have.”

Alex continued to silently cry into Lauren’s shoulder. Her warm tears mixed with the hot water in the spring pool. Finally, she sat up and swiped at the tears that continued to trail down her cheeks. “I am sorry.”

“You’ve nothing to be sorry about. We’ll get you back to Fuar Ćala and get your doctors all the information you brought back. I’m sure that will help them find a cure. Let’s just take it one day at a time.”

Alex smiled a half-smile at Lauren and hugged her back. “Thank you. Thank you for everything you have done for us.”

“Well, that goes both ways. Had I not had someone able to explain what happened to me, I would’ve gone round the bend.” Lauren pulled back and caught the last of Alex’s tears on her fingertips and smiled. “Remember, you owe me the rest of that explanation about nexi and quantum membranes.”

“Once a technician always a technician.” Alex laughed. “I hope your relentless search for explanations does not mean you have forgotten to look around you and just enjoy the day or a sunset or sunrise. Life is too short to miss out on nature’s beautiful moments.”

“Wow, a warrior and a philosopher. That’s a potent combination.”

“I have seen too much pain and death in my life to not appreciate the quiet moments we are blessed with in nature.”

“I agree. I know I’ve spent too much time in my life looking down at the ground and not up at the scenery around me.” Lauren pulled herself from the pool and began drying off with one of her small towels. “What is that you are using?”

Looking at the cloth in her hands, Lauren laughed. “This is one of the best inventions ever. It’s made of a fabric that is highly absorbent and dries quickly. It doesn’t mold when it’s wet for long periods. I couldn’t have survived in the jungles without it.” She handed one to Alex to try. Realizing that she was standing naked in front of this beautiful woman, she turned away. Not embarrassed, really, just not wanting her body to be found lacking.

“Let’s get you into some clothes and redress that shoulder. And then, I think we both need to head to bed.”

The main cave was quiet. Ffrwyn slept curled on a mound of straw. Snow was in her usual furry ball with her tail across her nose, sleeping contently on top of Lauren’s sleeping bag and thermo-pad. Ice was nowhere to be seen.

“Where am I supposed to sleep?” Lauren frowned. The warm water had relaxed her and eased some of her aches. Now all she wanted to do was sleep.

Alex shifted over on her blankets. She whispered, “You can share my area. We have spare blankets in the storage cases. I do not snore.”

Snoring isn’t what worried Lauren. But if she could survive being naked in a hot spring with the woman, sleeping next to her shouldn’t be too bad. She pulled some blankets from an open container and moved back across the cave to drop them in a pile next to Alex. “I think I’ll check on the storm. Do you need anything for pain?”

“No, I feel remarkably well. The warm water helped. Do not stay up too long. You are tired, too.”

“Sleep well.” Heading to the cave entrance Lauren tugged her fleece jacket over her head, and pulled on some gloves. The tunnel into the cave had three bends in it. These effectively blocked the wind and weather from entering the main portion of the cavern.

Stepping around the third corner, Lauren was nearly blown off her feet by the force of the wind. Squinting into the storm, she couldn’t see anything but a wall of white. Ice sat by the entrance, her fur ruffling in the wind.

“It will be many days before we can travel. The snow will be deep and dangerous. But it also means that the Comin will be delayed, and they do not have the benefit of our caches to protect them. I would not want to be in a tent during this.”

Lauren knelt beside Ice. Placing her arm around the wolf’s shoulders, Lauren leaned into the warm fur. “Ice, thank you for standing guard, but don’t you want to get some sleep? Or have another dip in the pool?”

“No, I am dry and warm. The storm calms me.” Ice turned to Lauren.

“I know what you mean about wind being calming. I lived through a typhoon once on a small island. We were underground in these relic bunkers, and I felt so claustrophobic. So I sat by the door and watched the wind sweep the island clean. But even with all the destruction, I felt an incredible calm.”

Ice turned back to the storm. “The storm does speak sometimes. I was hoping I would hear something. But I cannot hear anything tonight. It is too strong.”

With nothing else to say, Lauren leaned into the strong body and watched the storm rage.

“You should get some rest,” Ice stated.

“I’m tired, but I don’t think I can sleep. And I don’t want to disturb Alex if I toss and turn. She needs her rest more than any of us.”

“She is remarkably strong. Her recovery is assured now. In a few more days, she will be healed.”

“I appreciate your optimism, but her shoulder will need reconstruction.”

“I am not saying she will be able to lift her sword single-handedly with her injured arm. But she will be much improved and able to function as we complete our journey. The technicians will fix her shoulder once we return home.”

“If I didn’t know you better, I‘d say that is a pretty optimistic statement coming from someone who always thinks the glass is half empty.”

“I do not know about a half empty glass, but I do know Alex. She is very strong.”

“She has to be to have survived. Her injuries were very severe. But I still worry about her blood loss. She seems so very thin and tires easily. Maybe while we’re here, you and I can get her to eat more?”

“We can try, but she is very good at seeing ulterior motives. Perhaps, if you ate with her?”

Lauren pulled back and looked skeptically at Ice. “Are you saying I’m too thin?”

“You have lost weight since we began.”

“Right, so you want to fatten me up? What am I, your next meal?”

“Lauren, I may not like you, but I do not want to eat you.”

“What, I’m not tasty enough for you?”

“No, I think you would be quite tasty, but too tough to chew.”

“Oh, I’ll give you tough, you dog.”  Lauren pushed Ice over on her side, jumping on top of her. Pulling and pushing, the two tumbled out of the cave and into a building drift. Soon they were both covered in snow. But that didn’t stop them from trying to get the upper hand, or paw as it was.

“I’ve got you now, dog.” Lauren had Ice in a strangle hold.

“Enough, both of you!” Alex stood in the entrance, a hand on one hip. Two snow-covered heads popped out of the drift.

“Oh, Alex, I’m sorry. Did we wake you?” Lauren blinked snow out of her eyes, and she could see Alex’s blue eyes spark.

“Not just me, but everyone else too. Now get in here and dry off. Then let us all get some rest. Morning will come soon enough.” Alex spun on her heel and marched back down the entrance tunnel.

“Oh, boy, I think she’s mad.”

“Yes, I would agree. She is very irritated with us.”

Lauren and Ice clawed their way out of the drift and headed into the cave. Once inside the snow quickly melted and left them soaking wet. Ice handled this by vigorously shaking herself, but Lauren had to change clothes again. At this rate I’ll be out of clothes by tomorrow.

“Now that we are all here and awake,” Alex said as she frowned at Ice and Lauren, “this storm is not going to abate any time soon. We are safe and warm, and have more than enough supplies for a long stay. All we need to worry about is snow closing off the entrance.”

“And the Comin finding us,” Ice added helpfully.

“Yes, Ice. And the Comin. But they will not be able to travel in this weather and this cache is shielded.”

“The wind looks like it’s keeping the entrance blown clear, but there’s a large drift forming about two meters out.” Lauren agreed. She didn’t know what to make of a threat from the Comin, so she ignored Ice.

“I suggest we set up a watch schedule to monitor wind direction and watch for avalanches. We might be able to dig out of a drift that has closed the entrance, but we could never get through an avalanche. Two should watch at the same time just to be safe. The Comin are another matter.”

“We have only seen signs of others twice. They seem to be traveling on a parallel course, but not headed directly toward the Keep or us.” Ice was all business now.

“Then, let us be vigilant for them as well.”

With this edict, Snow and Ice took the first watch. They would wake Lauren and Alex when it was their turn. Ffrwyn would continue to rest her leg, exempt from guard duty for now.

Chapter Thirteen

SNOW WOKE LAUREN THE next morning and after a good breakfast, she and Alex made their way out of the tunnel. The winds had increased. Lauren’s wrist chronograph showed that the barometric pressure was continuing to fall. “This really is a monster storm.”

“These storms are common place in the winter.” The two stood shoulder to shoulder just inside the edge of the shield, keeping watch on the raging storm. Lauren understood why Alex was worried about the wind direction. If it shifted by as little as ninety degrees, the drift that was building would move and fill the cavern’s entrance.

Around noon, they headed back in for some lunch. “I think we can set up a schedule to check the entrance every hour. That way no one is standing in the cold for long periods,” Alex said.

Lauren was shoulder deep in a storage container. “Sounds good, but I’m going set my chronometer to monitor the barometric pressure on an hourly basis. I’ll set an alarm for low pressure and one for rising pressure.” Lauren stood, pulling several large food containers with her. “Bet the wind will shift once the pressure starts to rise.” She moved over to the table they’d built from stacked containers and placed the food down. “What sounds good for lunch?” Lauren sorted through the items. “Looks like we can make another stew or a soup. This grain looks like rice and we have some crackers.”

After eating, the five companions spent the afternoon relaxing. Alex reclined against Ffrwyn while she slept. Ice and Snow curled up on Lauren’s down bag and thermo-pad. Lauren eyed them. I’m never getting my bed back. Oh well, Alex really doesn’t snore, and the blankets were warm. Thinking about waking in the early hours of the morning and finding they had rolled towards each other, Lauren smiled. Of course, the shared body heat didn’t hurt either.

Lauren pulled her personal gear out and began sorting items that needed repair or cleaning. Unfortunately, she was wearing her last clean clothes, so doing laundry was required sooner rather than later. I hate doing laundry. From her waterproof electronics box, she sorted her laptop, mobile and satellite phones, GPS unit, eReader, mass storage drive, and tablet with their various transformers and cords. She knew she would need to charge them soon.

Lauren pulled solar panels and a battery pack from the lid of the case. She could recharge all her electronic gear with just a couple of doses of sunlight. Of course given the storm’s cloud cover, it would take quite a while to store enough energy for a full charge. Lauren headed for the cave entrance. “Can’t help that. I’ll just set it up and store as much energy as I can before nightfall.”

A boulder with a sloping face stood a few meters from the cave entrance. This proved to be the perfect spot to set out the five flexible solar panels. Lauren placed some small rocks on the corners of the panels to hold them in place should a gust of wind try to blow them off the boulder. Stepping back, she attached the battery pack and watched as the indicator lights began to glow faintly. “Not a lot, but enough to start charging the pack.”

“What is all this?” Alex peered over her shoulder.

Startled by Alex’s sudden appearance, Lauren fell backward, landing on her butt. “Stop that, it’s not nice to sneak up on people.”

“I called out from the tunnel. But you were concentrating so hard on all this tech,” Alex waved her hands across the solar array, “you did not hear me. What is this contraption?”

“These are solar panels. They gather energy from the sun and store it in this battery pack. When the pack is fully charged, I can then transfer the stored energy into my other electronic devices.”

“Interesting.” Looking closely at the panels, Alex ran her finger lightly over the outer coating. “These look like the panels we have in Fuar Ćala. But ours are not charged by the sun. We circulate hot water from the earth, storing thermal energy to heat water and spin turbines to make energy for devices and to heat the Keep.”

“Geothermal energy is very efficient.” Lauren continued to watch the faint flicker of the charge indicators. “This is going to take a while. At least my eReader holds a charge for about three weeks. I’ll be able to read as much as I want before it needs a boost. But my computer needs a charge, now.”

Looking up at Alex, Lauren noticed she didn’t have a jacket on. “Where’s your coat? It’s cold out here. Don’t want you getting chilled.”

“I am fine. I am more interested in this eReader. What do you mean you can read as much as you wish?”

“I’ll show you. I’ve whiled away many a rainy afternoon in the jungle reading on my eReader.”

Settling on the nest of blankets they had created last night, Lauren pulled her eReader from its shock-proof case and gave it to Alex. “This is a digital storage device that holds books, documents, newspapers, and journals. It allows you to read them on this screen.”  Flipping the on-switch, she waited for it to power up. “I’ve stored over a thousand books and such on this—a combination of reference texts for work, journals I subscribe to, and reading materials for pleasure. I can also upload documents from the web.”

Perplexed Alex looked up. “How does a spider’s web store information?”

Lauren laughed at another disconnect between their realities. “Not a spider’s web, a web of interconnected computers. Like a huge reference library, with information easily accessible in digital format.”

Alex held the eReader in her hands as if it might explode. Reaching across, Lauren pointed. “This first screen is a listing of all the stuff stored on this device. Use this little button to move up, down, right, or left.” Lauren demonstrated the mouse button. “If you find something you want to read, move the line down to it, and when it’s highlighted, depress this button to open it.” She scrolled down the list and stopped at a document titled Lost Treasures. Depressing the mouse button, the screen filled with the text of the document.

“This is a great one. It’s by one of my favorite authors.”

Alex scanned the page. Lauren reached over and depressed another button, turning the page for Alex.

“These devices have been a godsend to field work. I used to carry several large containers of books and reference materials. That was a pain, and the books deteriorated rapidly in changing climates.”

But it seemed like Alex didn’t hear anything Lauren said. She was intently focused on the eReader screen, quickly flipping pages, as her eyes rapidly scanned through the document.

“All right, then.” Lauren turned back to the pile of dirty clothes. “Do you need anything washed?”

No answer. Terrific. I’ve lost something else. First my bedding and now my eReader.

Chapter Fourteen

ONCE ALL THE LAUNDRY was done, Lauren reentered the main cavern with her armload of wet clothes. No one stirred. Snow and Ice were still sleeping soundly, quiet wolfy whiffles the only sounds they made. Ffrwyn eyed her from her reclining position on the hay pile. “I do not know what you have done, but I have never seen Alex this still, for this long. This is good for her. Thank you, Lauren.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad she’s enjoying the reading.” Alex never looked up as Lauren strung nylon cord across the side of the cavern and hung her wet clothes to dry. Lauren glanced at her chronometer, the barometric pressure was even lower. Better check the entrance. She glanced at the horse. “Ffrwyn, how are you feeling?”

“I am fine for now, Lauren. I would like some more hay and perhaps some oats. The oats are in the blue containers.’

“You got it. I’ll be back in a bit.” Lauren moved down the tunnel.

It was just after four o’clock in the afternoon, but between the snow and their latitude, it was dark outside. Lauren stepped out of the cave entrance, and snow continued to stream past. The drift was now about ten meters high, its sparkling face dipped towards Lauren. Glad I’m in here and not out there. If anything it’s blowing harder than it was. But with the pressure still falling, the center of storm hasn’t reached us yet. Lauren gathered up her solar array. She headed back in to feed Ffrwyn and find a snack for herself.

Pulling a blue container from the pile, Lauren dug out a bag of oats and brought it over to the horse. “Here you go, kiddo. Enjoy. Let me know when you want some hay, and I’ll pull a bale out of stasis.”

“Thank you.” Ffrwyn crunched on her food.

“Ffrwyn, stop it, I cannot hold the screen steady with you moving around.”

“Alex, she’s hungry. Just move over here. Let her eat in peace.” Lauren gestured to their blanket nest that she sat in.

Alex got up slowly, awkwardly almost. “I have a better idea. How about a soak? I would like to loosen up these stiff muscles.”

“Sounds like a plan. Let me get Ffrwyn her hay, and I’ll meet you there.”

Lauren found Alex fully clothed standing beside the pool. “Something wrong?”

“Hmmm…no, nothing except I am tired of being unable to handle simple tasks by myself. I cannot unwrap my shoulder or take off my tunic without help. I do not like to need help.”

“No worries, I’m here. We’ll get you settled, and you can relax.”

The water was warm and soothing, and both women again enjoyed the pool. Lauren was up to her nose in the deepest part of the pool, while Alex relaxed on one of the natural shelves near the edge. “Did you find something enjoyable to read?”

“Yes, I most enjoyed the stories. I am surprised to find that your literature has such strong female characters, especially after some of the things you shared about your world.”

“There is a large community of strong, independent women who wish to read about characters like themselves, so they write stories and share them on the web. There are some amazing authors out there. I always hoped some of the stories would provide role models for younger women who are searching for an identity.”

“On my world things are different. Women tend to hold positions of power. I am the fourteenth female in my family to be named ruler. I cannot imagine some of things the characters faced in those stories. Especially those who must answer to misogynistic males.”

Lauren nodded. “Men in power are a fact of life. When I was in school, I had to deal with male students who wanted my answers or would sabotage my work. And at Geodynamics, I worked for a guy who was so afraid of being shown up by women that he went out of his way to treat us as second-class employees. He would construct situations where a woman would easily fail. I think he felt insecure about his position and abilities. In fact, I don’t think he ever left New York City. But his uncle owned the company, so that’s all Peter needed to justify his position.”

Alex grinned. “I think you will enjoy our society. Everyone holds their position by being the best for the task. Our only exception is that the ruler is female.”

“Has your family always ruled?” Lauren flipped over in the water.

“No, each ruler is chosen from several candidates based on their competence and ability to rule. It is fortuitous that my clan has ruled for so many generations. I almost was not chosen after the Comin attack. A number of other clans thought my Great Grand’Mere’s failure to prevent the attack, or to at least recognize the Comin’s weapon, was an indicator that future women in her family would also fail to rule.”

“You never told me the details of how you survived.” Lauren swam over to sit beside Alex.

“The Comin probes bypassed the small planet on the outskirts of the solar system where my cousins and I were in school. We were overlooked in the initial attack.”

“How old were you?”

“Nineteen, just completing my education.” Alex’s eyes lost focus as she was pulled back to that tragic time. “After we received an initial message from my mother of the attack, we waited for instructions from the Homeworld. When these did not come, I took charge and began planning our exodus from the system. The instructors and technicians in the school had transports and supplies. And most fortunate, a copy of the central database core node.”

Lauren hugged herself. “You were so young to take on that much responsibility.”

“Leading is a trait my family seemed to always have. As we traveled out of the solar system toward our interstellar shipping docks, we sent probes back to the Homeworld. We needed information and didn’t want to risk sending anything larger for fear of detection. One of our probes made it into the inner planets and returned the images Ice shared with you. When we received those, we knew we must leave.” Alex’s lip trembled.

“How did you find this planet?” Lauren felt herself being pulled along by Alex’s roiling emotions.

“During the journey, our technicians were mapping gaseous anomalies and discovered this small system of planets, hidden in another arm of our spiral galaxy. It was in the opposite direction of the Comin Homeworld. Going there, we hoped we could escape detection. When we arrived in this system, we didn't detect any signs of established civilization, and thought it would be a place to start over.”

“I know you traveled from Terra Prime in spacecraft, but how did you travel to the Comin world? And how did I get here?”

“You do not ask easy questions.” Alex smiled down at Lauren. “I do not understand your presence in this world, but I traveled to the Comin world easily. Several thousand years ago when we were developing faster-than-light travel, one of our prototype ships disappeared during a test flight. Years later, the prototype was found floating derelict on the edge of our solar system. No one was on board, but the computer logs recorded that the ship had encountered a nexus membrane and crossed into another universe.”

“Wormholes?” Lauren’s curiosity spiked, and she scooted closer to Alex.

“No.” Alex shook her head. “Quantum tunnels, connections between different realities.”

“Parallel universes?”

“So it would seem.” Alex stared into the warm waters. “After the prototype was discovered, our technicians hypothesized that many universes co-exist in different dimensions. Our technicians now call this the infinite stratified universe. The connection point between universes is a nexus, the travel pathway is a quantum tunnel, and the transition boundary is a membrane. The trick is finding the proper connection point between the universe you are in and the one you want to travel to. Some of my race are able to identify these and can then transit between the many universes. I am one of the few still able to find and cross the membranes.”

Alex slid her hand along the top of the water pushing ripples across the pool. “The technicians have many analogies to explain this. The one I like best is the quilt analogy—one universe is the top layer of fabric and the other is the bottom layer. Where the two layers are stitched together are the nexus points. The thread is the quantum tunnel from one layer to the next. The fibers of filling would be the many possible combinations of pathways that could be caught up in the nexus ‘stitch’.”

Lauren laughed, but she understood this apt analogy for such a complex theory.

Alex lifted her gaze and stared at Lauren. “Your being here creates a quandary. The five of us are now living in a quantum convergence…the merging of two realities in a single time-slice. To my knowledge this has never happened before. I am sure that others would explain it better.”

Lauren frowned. “How was I able to cross the membrane from my world to yours?”

“While we have traveled, that question has been what has occupied my thoughts the most. We have not had visitors from other worlds before, so you would be the first. The technicians will be thrilled to have you to study.”

Lauren’s frown deepened, and she started to move away, physically distancing herself. “Alex, I don’t mean to offend you, but I’m not going to be anyone’s lab rat. I just want to get you home and find the way back to my world.”

“I understand. I would not want to be subjected to an examination either. I was just trying to say you were unique…unique to be here and unique as an individual.”

Unique, huh? Great. “If we are going to have a friendship, you’ve got to understand something about me. I’ve always been different. It started when I skipped a number of years in school, and was younger than my classmates. I was always the weirdo. I didn’t fit in anywhere or with anyone.” Alex moved closer to where Lauren sat on the pool edge. “The only thing I could do was carry on. In school, I just studied by myself, which only made the problem worse. The more I studied, the faster I moved ahead in school, and the bigger the gap became between my classmates and I.” Lauren felt tears leak from her eyes. Alex hugged her and rocked her slowly, pulling her against her chest.

“Please calm down, I did not mean to upset you so.”  Alex placed a soft kiss on the top of Lauren’s head.

But the dam had broken. Lauren sobbed into the soft shoulder. A small part of her noted that she was acting like a spoiled child, but she couldn’t stop the tears. Everything—her past, her present, and the unknowns of her future—catalyzed into this one moment of anguish. “I don’t want to be unique. I just want to be me. Get along. Be accepted.”

The two huddled together at the edge of the warm pool, steam rising around them in soft clouds. Lauren’s tears eventually dried, and she raised her head only to get lost in an ice-blue gaze. Alex smiled down at her. “All right now?”

“Yes, I think so.” Lauren wiped her cheeks. “You’ve got the most amazing eyes. It’s like looking into the heart of a glacier.” Gawd, did I say that out loud?

“Oh really, you are comparing me to a pile of old ice and snow? Is this pay back for the ‘unique’ comments?”

“I’m not comparing you to the glacier’s age. It’s the color. Bottomless and blue. Really, I mean, they are a truly an amazing color.” Lauren ducked her head. “Babbling here, sorry.”

Alex tilted her head up with a finger on her chin. “You must not apologize for such a compliment. I am honored you think this. Some are frightened of my eyes. Others think my bonding with Ice and Snow gave me the eyes of a wolf. Still others think they are inhuman, and therefore do not trust me. Your compliment is the most wonderful one I have ever received. Thank you.”

Lauren nodded, trying to calm her quickening heartbeat. She relaxed back into Alex’s shoulder and enjoyed the moment and the closeness they shared.

Chapter Fifteen

NEITHER OF THE WOMEN seemed to notice how close they were becoming during this time. But the animal companions noticed. The three watched with sly expressions as Lauren and Alex did everything together—from bathing to cooking to reading to sleeping. It was during the sleep-time that the animals noticed the most change. Each of their souls would unconsciously reach out and hold the other.

“If they do not do something with all this energy they are emitting, we are going to have to tell them to get over themselves and release some of it,” Ice huffed into her tail from her vantage point curled up on Lauren’s thermo-pad.

“Ice, you will not say or do anything to hurry them along. They will find each other when they are supposed to.” Snow’s usually calm voice burred with annoyance at her companion.

“That is what I am worried about. They will not find themselves. And we will have to continue to put up with all these pheromones they are releasing in this small space.”

Ffrywn couldn’t contain her internal laughter. The snort she released did not go unnoticed though, and Alex turned toward the three. She tilted her head, listening. “What are you three up to now?”

“Nothing, Alex, we were just talking about how comfortable this pad is for sleep.”  Snow pasted her best innocent grin on her face.

“You know it is rude to talk about people behind their backs. What did Ice just say Snow? Ffrwyn?”

“Nothing, Alex.”

“Not a thing.”  These two responses did not seem to quell Alex’s curiosity, the animals felt her mental questioning and felt her intent gaze. But soon they were released from her scrutiny and settled back down to sleep.

Lauren’s chronometer sounded a shrill alarm that shattered the silence of an afternoon of reading and napping.

Ice was on her paws immediately. “Make it stop!”

Lauren silenced the alarm and noted the rising barometric pressure. Making her way out the entrance tunnel, she stiffened in preparation of getting smacked by the wind as she turned the last corner. But there was no wind. Their drift—as they called it—reached towering heights just outside the entrance, and Lauren had to tilt her head back to see the top. Stepping carefully out from the entrance, the silence was deafening. A beautiful landscape of peach, pink, and ochre tipped snowdrifts was all Lauren saw all around her. The sun was just setting behind the mountain, and the low-angle sunlight created a magical landscape.

The next thing Lauren noted was the cold. She knew with clear skies, it would be colder still, at night.

“It is too cold to travel safely.”

Lauren gasped. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop sneaking up on me? One of these days you’ll stop my heart from the shock.”

“Shock is not the way I have been thinking of stopping your heart,” Alex said so quietly, that Lauren barely heard her. Speaking louder Alex continued, “I am sorry for startling you.”

Lauren could tell by the smug look on Alex’s face that she wasn’t sorry at all. “Right.”

Clouds of condensation rose around them as they stood marveling at the winter scene. “I agree it is too cold to travel. Or to be standing out here admiring the view.”

“I think the view is amazing,” Alex stated emphatically. But Lauren noticed she wasn’t looking at the storm-sculpted scenery. Her gaze was locked on Lauren.

“I can feel you looking.” Lauren laughed.

“Good, then I can just look openly and stop seeking opportunities to do so when you are unaware that I am.”

Turning fully around at this comment, Lauren moved into Alex’s warm one-armed embrace. “But it is an amazing landscape.”

Walking back into the cavern together, Lauren held on to Alex. “When can I get this bandage off my arm and shoulder? I cannot properly hug you with only one arm.”

“You’re doing a great job with one arm, Dearest. And I’m not comfortable releasing that arm. You don’t have much of a clavicle left, and that bone is what supports a lot of the weight of your arm. So, sorry—you’ll just have to make do with one arm.”

“Yes, Doctor.” Alex waved her free hand across her right shoulder. “But can you take it off while I bathe tonight? I would like to soak the shoulder, and I cannot with all this.”

“All right. We’ll see what we can do.”

“Good. I will enjoy tonight’s bath. And then we can plan the rest of our journey to Fuar Ćala. We are within fifty kilometers of the Keep. We should be able to make that distance in no more than a day and a half.”

“Don’t you have a way to contact the Keep?” Lauren had been wondering about that for a while.

“I do and can communicate with the Keep using mindspeech, but the companions and I have agreed that it is too great a risk. We are worried that the Comin would detect a spike in psi-energy if we tried. Also, there are factions within the Council that would use my absence against me. Only one person knows I am away.”

“Psi-energy?” Lauren rubbed her head and stepped away from Alex, immediately feeling the distance. “You say things like that, but I haven’t a clue what it means. It’s another thing that reinforces me being out of place.”

“Psi-energy is what we use when we mindspeak to one another. The farther the distance you are trying to reach, the more energy is required. If the amount of energy used is high enough, it can be detected and used to track the speaker’s location. I cannot speak to the Keep, because I would release a huge burst of psi-energy. Our location would be lit up like a flare in the night.”

“Right, so if I can mindspeak to you and the animals, am I using this energy, too?”

“It would seem so. I do not know of another way for us to hear you without using the energy.”

Lauren continued rub her head as her frustration grew, trying to understand another aspect of her new environment. It was giving her a headache. “Where’s this energy come from?”

“A lot of it is generated from within your brain and then channeled through the speech-center. You focus on the individual you wish to speak to and channel your speech-thoughts at them. But if you are speaking across a long distance, your own energy is not enough. Then, you have to gather energy from others around you, or from the earth itself.”

Thinking about brain anatomy, Lauren said, “Broca’s Area is the part of the inferior frontal gyrus of the brain that is involved in speech. Are you saying that this energy comes from there?”

“Well, we call that the psi-centroid. The energy is gathered from the excess energy produced naturally as the neurons fire. We focus that excess neuron-energy through the centroid to mindspeak.”

“Fascinating.” The science amazed her once again.

“There are those within my race who cannot mindspeak and those that lose the ability after a head injury. Merilyn has been most interested in studying these individuals to determine the differences or changes in their brains. We consider mindspeech one of our greatest gifts. I have no idea how anyone can survive without this ability.”

Lauren wondered aloud, “It must be genetic then. Some have it and some don’t. Probably a recessive trait. Is it gender specific?”

“It is a gift that dominates in females. This is especially true in animals. We have yet to find a male animal able to hear our thoughts, except one.” Alex smiled. “One of my Councilors’ can speak with his male horse. It turns out he is one of the best long-distance mindspeakers as well. But no one has as strong a mindvoice as I do.  And the connection I share with my companions is unique in its strength and depth.” Alex motioned toward the three furkids cuddled together.

“Yeah, or the males can hear you, but are too lazy to gather the energy needed to reply.” Lauren laughed.

“Perhaps. The women in my family have all been very strong. My mother was able to warn the settlements on the outer planets of our solar system when the Comin attack began.  It is said that she could not mindspeak after she sent out that warning.”

“I can’t imagine how much energy it would take to carry her thoughts that far.”

Alex nodded. “Since we left the second cave, you seem more at peace with being here, with us, and with mindspeech. I know at times you are disturbed by something we say or do that appears unknown or foreign to you, but for the most part you are not as stressed now. What happened to allow this?” Lauren recognized this as a dodge. Alex needs some distance from her dark memories.

Lauren leaned back into their blanket nest and gathered her thoughts. “I figured out where I am, and more importantly when I am.”

“When?”

“Yeah.” Lauren smiled, thinking back. “During one of the first direct mind-to-mind talks I had with Ice, she said ‘when you are’ not ‘where you are.’ I missed that comment in the moment when I was distracted by your injuries and freaked out about all the unusual happenings. But Ice was right. When was the most important question to answer.”

“Told you I knew when we were.” Ice preened with the compliment.

“Yes, Ice, you were correct. This once at least.”

Four of the five companions laughed hard, leaving Ice to pout

Lauren thought back to the process of how she tried to locate herself with her technology. “Well, my technology was useless. The instruments—satellite and mobile phones, and GPS locator beacon—use signals from orbiting satellites to triangulate global position. Without the orbiting satellites, I didn’t have a signal. No signal means I couldn’t locate myself.”

“We have satellites in orbit around this planet, but they look outward not inward.”

“Really?” Lauren glanced up, even though they were in a cave.

“Yes, they are passively-searching for any signs that others of our race survived. If they pick up anything, they signal the Keep and our technicians analyze the information. If it proves valid, we would then send out an active signal telling the survivors we are here.”

“That’s cool. But I wouldn’t want to send out a signal to the wrong people.”

Alex chuckled. “True, our technicians have unique identifiers that cannot be replicated. We would not misidentify an enemy. But tell me how you decided when you were.”

“Oh, right.” Lauren grinned, happy to be the one explaining things for once. “Since all my tech was non-functioning, I used an analogue compass. This works by aligning an iron-needle with the magnetic field of the Earth. But the compass pointed its north needle to what I knew was south.”

Alex nodded. “That is why you kept questioning me about direction. I thought you were just confused.”

“Not confused in the sense I didn’t know north from south or that the sun rises in the east. Anyway, I decided that a polar reversal had occurred. And that combined with knowing that your North Star is Vega and not Polaris, allowed me to determine when.”

Alex gawked at her. “That’s an amazing piece of deduction.”

Lauren shrugged. “Not really, just the application of simple scientific principles. But, I will admit I was plenty freaked about all these unusual events. I feel much more settled because I’ve got an explanation for my observations. I know when I am, and you helped explain where I am.”

“I know you must feel very unsettled by being removed from your reality and thrust into mine. I know I can speak for all of us—we are all very glad you are here.” Alex waved her good arm at the three furry-companions. “When we reach Fuar Ćala, and I have taken care of the Comin risk, I promise I will help you find your home, if that is what you want to do.”

Alex does understand. Lauren smiled. “Had you said that three weeks ago, I would’ve jumped at the chance…now, I’m not so sure.” A feeling of gentle calm settled over Lauren’s soul as Alex reached out with a mental caress. “I still feel displaced, but I don’t feel alone anymore.”

“You are not alone. We are here.”

“Ice, I gotta say, you really do know how to state the obvious.”

“Is that good?”

Lauren rubbed Ice’s head. “Yes, it’s good. Sometimes we miss the obvious, because we’re so caught up in ourselves. So, thank you for pointing out the obvious, and thank you all for taking me in.”

“You are welcome.” Their heartfelt replies warmed Lauren to her core.

Chapter Sixteen

AFTER A HEARTY SUPPER of elk stew with veggies, Lauren and Alex went for their evening soak. Settling into the warm silky water, Lauren released a sigh and closed her eyes. “I’m so going to miss this when we leave tomorrow.”

“I promise the warm baths beneath Fuar Ćala are better than this one. Our architectural technicians sculpted the pools into baths of varying temperatures and water chemistry. They are truly something special. We use the waters to relax, as well as part of a healing program.”

“Hydrotherapy. I’ve loved the times I needed to use water to heal an injury, so much so I had a hydro-tub installed in my loft.” Lauren frowned as she thought of her loft.

Alex drifted closer. “Dearheart, what is bothering you?”

“Nothing really.” Lauren lowered her gaze. “Thinking about my loft in Denver and the sunsets I watched from my balcony, made me think about Jamie, Susan, and Sharon. I miss them a lot, and I worry about them worrying about me. I know they’ll never stop searching for me. And with nothing to find, they won’t be able to stop. Do you think there was anything left behind?”

“I doubt it. It seems you brought all your gear and equipment through the nexus with you. Did you go anywhere besides into the cave?”

“I really don’t remember. I was so cold and so disoriented.” Lauren shivered with the memory. “All I remember is struggling to get out of the blizzard.”

Moving to Lauren’s side, Alex gathered Lauren to her side. “I am sorry you got pulled away from your home.” She placed a tender kiss on Lauren’s head.

Leaning her head on the bare shoulder, Lauren sank deeper into the water. The warm water covered her naked body and provided some solace. But as she snuggled against Alex, she realized that this was where she drew strength—from Alex. Such a comfort. “I realize I don’t miss my loft. I hardly spent any time there. It was just a place. Not a home. Does that make any sense?”

“It does. Make sense, I mean. I have always felt that I am home when I am with my companions, or my cousins, or with Merilyn. It is always a person that gives me a sense of belonging, not a physical place.”

“That is a concept I’m just beginning to understand. It seems I needed to travel to another reality to start to understand myself.” The embrace tightened and another kiss was placed on the top of her head. Lauren smiled. “This is something else I could get used to. You give great hugs. I feel so safe and loved.” Lauren stiffened as she realized she had said that out loud.

“I feel the same way, safe and at peace with you near. And I would agree that I feel love, too.” Lauren looked up into a face flushed from the temperature of the water as well as from a blush that painted Alex’s cheeks. A blush similar to the one she knew covered her face. But it was the smile that stopped Lauren’s heart.

“You are beautiful,” Alex said softly.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

The two moved deeper into their hug and shared a tender kiss.

“Dearheart, you saved me, you healed me, and now you have captured my heart and soul. And so quickly, I didn’t see it happening. It just is.”

“It is you who have captured me.” More words were exchanged without speech, while their kiss deepened. Each seeking to open themselves to the other and share all they were. Slowly pulling back to place butterfly kisses along Alex’s jaw, Lauren slid her hands up Alex’s torso, brushing the sides of her breasts. Resting their foreheads together, Lauren whispered, “Where did you learn to kiss like that? That was the most amazing thing ever.”

“You were an equal participant in making it a truly amazing experience.”

Lost in the deepening blue of Alex’s eyes, Lauren exhaled a sigh and sat back. “I can’t think for wanting you. Alex, I want you so much. But it’s so fast, too fast. I’m overwhelmed by all that’s happening.”

“I agree. It is fast. But it is so right, too. I can feel your want. I cannot breathe without you.” Alex’s smile and slow caresses seemed to calm her racing heart.

Lauren released a slow breath. “Let’s relax and enjoy the moment. Things will happen as they will.” Alex leaned down and kissed her again. The kiss went on for an eternity.

Lauren opened her eyes, blinking in the soft light. She looked up into the ice blue eyes of her love. But something was wrong, different. Alex’s eyes were now streaked, the ice-blue contained flecks of green. Panicking, she struggled to sit up, water splashing over the edge of the pool. “Your eyes, what’s happened to your eyes?”

“Easy. Relax.” Alex smiled and placed gentle fingers on her cheek. “Probably the same thing that has happened to yours. Yours are now streaked with blue.”

“And yours with green.” Lauren tried to relax, but a sharp edge of panic hovered.

“It is the bonding. Our souls merged when we sealed our bond emotionally. We now hold a piece of the other inside.” Alex withdrew her fingers, and Lauren gasped at the sudden pain of their separation.

“Did I hurt you?” Alex reached out to touch her again. Fingers hovering millimeters from her face.

“No, I was just startled. I felt a physical jolt as you pulled away. I felt separation. Pain of loss.”

“I understand. You felt the physical reaction to our bond releasing.” Alex placed a hand over Lauren’s heart and smiled. “Place your hand over my heart.”

Lauren did and felt a surge of energy flash through her being. She was paralyzed, paralyzed with softness, tenderness, love. A cascade of emotions tumbled through her soul. Awed by this physical reaction to a simple touch, Lauren closed her eyes. And for the first time in her life she stopped thinking and let emotions take her away.

“Come back, Dearheart.” Lauren heard Alex call from far away. But she was so comfortable floating in the pool of their emotions that she didn’t want to come back. She didn’t want to leave this place. “Come on. Though I would love for us to stay here forever, spiritually inside each other, it would be hard to travel this way.” Lauren smiled and opened her eyes.

“Imp.” Lauren laughed and splashed water at her. Sitting back, Lauren realized she felt whole—complete for the first time in her life. “I guess it’s true what they say. Soul mates do hold the other half of your soul. Nah, you aren’t complete until the two halves are reunited.”

“I agree. I feel it, too.”

Moving to stand up, Lauren grasped her spinning head. “Whoa, dizzy. Too long in hot water.”

Laughing, Alex swam slowly to the pool edge, turning to rest on a shelf. Lauren twined their fingers together beneath the warm water. Pulling Alex’s hand toward her, Lauren placed kisses on her knuckles. A contented smile spread across her face.

That’s how Snow found them several hours later. “If you two are through now, I suggest you get out of the water before you dissolve.”

Opening one eye enough to look at the wolf, Alex growled, “We will get out when we are ready, Snow. Now go away.”

“No, we are not going away, because we wish to use the pool too before tomorrow’s journey.”

“That’s fine, Snow. What’s stopping you?” Lauren joined the conversation. “The water’s terrific.”

“Well, here I come then.” And with a spectacular leap over the women’s heads, Snow landed in the middle of the pool. The backwash swamped them as Snow surfaced. But before they could clear their lungs, Ice landed in the pool and set off a tsunami that completely submerged them. Alex came up first and moved to grab the closest wolf. Lauren wasn’t far behind, and a dunking contest ensued. Tired and wet and relaxed, the four left the warm pool for the last time.

Ffrwyn was the only one who didn’t take part in the swim party. “I see you have gotten that out of your systems.”

“Horse, put a sock in it. Just because you didn’t join in doesn’t mean we can’t have our fun, though, you’d have drained the pool with your bulk,” Lauren stated from beneath the towel she was using to dry her hair.

“Are you making crude remarks about my size, Lauren?”

“Never, Ffrwyn, never. No one but you could have gotten us here. I wouldn’t tease you about your size.” Lauren moved over to the reclining horse and placed a warm kiss on the horse’s broad nose.

“And tomorrow will be a long day if we want to be home before dark.”

“Then I suggest you get some rest, since you are going to pull the sled. I myself will relax and just enjoy the ride.”

A chorus of “Yes, Your Majesty” sounded.

“Stop that, all of you. You know how much I hate that,” Alex growled at the others.

Quiet snickers and whiffles were the only sounds in the cavern as the five snuggled down for a sleep. They all knew tomorrow would be a very long day.

Chapter Seventeen

THE FIVE COMPANIONS LEFT the cavern before dawn. The cold was still deep and brittle. Lauren leaned over the sled and pulled the balaclava lower on Alex’s face. “You’ll get frostbite if you don’t stay covered up.”

Straining up against the bungee net, Alex rubbed noses with Lauren. “I will miss you today, Dearheart.”

“And I you, but at least we can watch each other. I’m staying behind the sled and letting Ffrwyn pull us. We seem to make better time that way.”

“Well, you watch for frostbite, too. Things freeze quickly in this cold, and I do not want you losing any parts as we travel.”

Laughing, Lauren leaned down again but this time for a warming kiss. “I’ll remember that. No lost parts. I’m kinda fond of all my parts.”

“As am I!”

“Are you ready, or do we have to continue standing in the cold while you make puppy eyes at each other?”

“Ice, we’re ready.” Lauren jumped up and promptly threw a snowball at the wolf.

The sled pulls creaking in the cold and the crunch of snow broke the stillness of the day. They left the majestic Teton Mountains behind at midmorning. By noon, they had traversed more than twenty miles and were at the edge of the Yellowstone area. Lauren looked back and marveled that the three towering peaks looked even more majestic in this reality. It must be the clarity of the air.

After another five miles Ffrwyn halted, and Lauren saw Alex struggle to get out of the sled. “Easy there, let me unfasten the bungees.” Lauren bent over the sled and helped Alex up, and then pulled the sheathed sword from the dees.

“The shield protecting Fuar Ćala is more extensive and more deadly than those around the caches. We will need to be careful when entering, especially as your bio-signature will not be recognized. I will open the shield with the sword, and hold it open while the companions enter. Once they are through, I will pass under the shield and hold it open with my body; so you can pass. I am hoping that the strength of my bio-signature will allow you to enter.”

Alex stood before the invisible barrier, sword outstretched in her left arm as if waiting for a sign to open the shield. She closed her eyes. Lauren stood back, not knowing what would happen. Her heart raced. The sword had begun to glow. The dragon writhed on the blade, seeking escape from the metal. Lauren’s palm itched as the tail-brand twitched. I’ll never get used to this.

When a beam of pure, blue energy leapt from the sword tip, Alex raised the sword higher. But, as she swung the sword down, an explosion ripped open the earth beneath them. Lauren saw a flash and watched as Alex was propelled backwards. Then the shockwave hit her. The concussive blast tossed her through the air like a ragdoll.

Lauren opened her eyes, blinking the snow away. Ffrwyn neighed and reared in the sled pulls. Snow and Ice dashed toward the trees. Pain radiated across Lauren’s chest and down her side. She rubbed her chest and looked down at her hand, expecting to see blood. But there wasn’t any. The pain deepened. Slowly, Lauren picked herself up, groaning. Then she saw Alex’s crumpled body several meters away.

“Alex!” She stumbled toward her. “This is not happening. Alex, can you hear me?” Her shouts sounded muffled beneath the ringing in her ears.

Alex didn’t answer. She lay on her right side, curled around the sword. A pool of blood expanded around her in the snow. Carefully rolling Alex onto her back, Lauren gasped at the gaping wound in her lover’s side.

“No, oh please. Not again!” Lauren was paralyzed by the sight. She watched in horror as the flesh at the edges of the wound began to dissolve. What happened? What kind of weapon did this?

Ffrwyn head butted her, knocking her face first into the snow. Lauren pushed herself up. “Listen to me.” The horse’s deep voice echoed. “That blast was from a long-distance Comin disruptor weapon. We have no time to waste. You must get Alex on the sled, and we must leave before the Comin arrive here.” Ffrwyn unceremoniously pushed Lauren closer to Alex.

The Comin? Lauren’s hands shook. Fear exploded through her. She quickly removed her parka and used that to put pressure on the wound. Ffrwyn had pulled the sled close, and Lauren picked Alex up and placed her on the sled.

Her mind was a fog of despair and she worked by rote. Lauren wound the bungee cords tight, securing her lover. How could this happen? They were so close. She pulled the sword out of the snow and looked at the bloodied blade. Using her left hand, she tried to wipe as much of Alex’s blood off the blade as she could. She tucked the blade beside Alex.

“Lauren, get in the saddle. We must get away. Snow and Ice are trying to find the Comin, trying to corner them. We will only have one chance to get away from here.”

Lauren slowly turned toward the horse, looking up but not really seeing her. “On the sled. Alex is on the sled. I can’t get on the sled…too heavy.”

“I will need to move as fast as I can. Gallop to escape, and I cannot do that pulling you behind the sled. Get in the saddle.”

Moving like an automaton, Lauren staggered to Ffrwyn’s left side. She reached up and grabbed the cantle and pommel of the saddle. She jumped trying to get herself into the saddle but couldn’t pull herself up that high.

Jumping a second time, Lauren got most of her upper body across the saddle, but her legs still dangled off the left side. As Ffrwyn felt Lauren’s weight settle on the saddle, she bolted.

Tossed about in the saddle, Lauren had nothing to hang onto. “Stop! I’m not in the saddle.”

“I cannot stop. We must get away.”

Grabbing the cinch and the stirrup leather, she did her best to find purchase. Lauren lost track of time and distance as Ffrwyn galloped madly across the snow. Sunset was approaching, and the long rays painted the snow red—blood red. What happened? Where are we going? What are we going to do now?

Chapter Eighteen

AS TWILIGHT TURNED TO darkness, Lauren realized that Ffrwyn was slowing her headlong dash. They were entering a stand of trees. They continued further into the grove. Stepping out of the trees into the open, Ffrwyn moved to a stone archway that sat in the middle of the clearing and stopped. Lauren felt her sides heaving, and saw steam rising from her sweat-covered flesh.

“We…are…here.” Ffrwyn labored breathing tainted her mindvoice.

Dazed not only from the ride but also from the explosion, Lauren slid to the ground. Her legs collapsed, and she fell, ending up in a heap beneath the horse. “Now is not the time to lie down. Snow and Ice will be here any minute. The Comin are following our trail, but they cannot track us easily in the dark.”

Lauren rubbed her hands over her face. “Ffrwyn, what’re we going to do? Alex didn’t get the shield open, and she’s hurt. I don’t know what to do.” Tears fell and froze on Lauren’s cheeks. “She is going to die. Out here in the cold, within sight of Fuar Ćala, and I can’t do anything to stop it.”

The horse nudged Lauren’s side. “We are going to help her. We are going to get her into Fuar Ćala. But I cannot go forward without Snow and Ice. We will enter this archway. It connects to a tunnel. We can take her directly to the Postern Gate and into the Keep.”

Ice and Snow burst into the clearing. “Quickly. They are close behind. Maybe fifteen minutes.”

“What are you doing sitting down? Get up, Lauren!” Ice’s annoyance was obvious.

“Please get up.” Snow nuzzled her cheek. “We will need your strength to open the archway and enter the tunnel.”

Gathering the last of her strength, Lauren rose on shaking legs. “Tell me what I need to do.”

“Use the sword to open the archway, and we will close it behind you.”

Moving back to the sled, Lauren could hear Alex’s ragged breathing. She placed a hand on a cold cheek. “Hang on, Dearest. We’re going to get help.” Pulling out the sword, Lauren walked to the arch. Turning back to the companions, she said, “Now what?”

“Raise the sword like Alex did to open the caches, and then move it down in a slicing motion across the arch.” Lauren did as instructed and sliced into the shield with a blaze of blue light. The shield parted and a dark opening appeared within the center of the arch. “Lauren, hold the sword steady while we get through, and then you step through.”

Once the companions were through and the sled slid under the archway, Lauren stepped across the threshold. She pulled the sword out of the shield. It closed with a crash. “We’ve gotta hurry. Alex isn’t going to be able to hang on for long.” Lauren could feel a pull on her core. That must be my bond with Alex. It was a connection she hadn’t really felt until now. But it was rapidly draining her. Alex was pulling on her soul across their bond.

“We feel it too, Lauren. Alex is drawing life energy from our bond with her, too. If she does not get help soon, she may drain all of us to death.” Looking down into Snow’s ice-blue eyes, she saw longing, exhaustion, fear, and anger, but also a spark of something else. Hope. She grabbed onto that spark. As the spark of hope settled in her chest, she felt her bond flair and energy course through her body.

“We’ve got no time to lose.” Lauren knelt beside the sled and placed a hand on Alex’s forehead sending her strength through physical touch. “Hang in there, my love.”

A dark tunnel stretched before the companions. Ice took the lead, followed by Ffrwyn, the sled, and Lauren, with Snow bringing up the rear. The space was too narrow for them to travel abreast, the roof of the tunnel too low for Lauren to ride Ffrwyn. As they made their way forward, dim lights popped on and illuminated their path, extinguishing as they passed.

After a long walk, Ice stopped suddenly. Sniffing, she yelped and darted back. A flash of light shimmered across the tunnel. “Oh no, they have dropped the shield across the tunnel exit.” Ice’s anger filled the small tunnel. “When we did not return, they must have feared that Alex was captured. They closed the secret ways into the Keep.”

Lauren stared down the tunnel. “If this is part of the large shield around the Keep, how are we going to open it? I thought only Alex can do that.”

Snow paced the width of the tunnel. “Only she can. We are trapped here.”

“Well, can’t you call out to the Keep and let them know that we’re here? Get them to open the shield?”

“That would alert the Comin. No one would hear us without Alex in an active link with us,” Snow said.

“What if Lauren opens the shield with the sword?” Ice asked.

“Alex said she was the only one that could open the Keep’s shield,” Lauren interjected.

“It would not recognize her, and it would kill her.”

“She might be able to open it far enough for one of us to wiggle through. Then we could bring help back to save Alex.”

“Do you think that I can open the shield? Guys? Can I do this?”

“No, it is too dangerous. We will think of something else.” Snow shook her snout in frustration.

“It is the only way. Lauren must try. Alex is dying. She is draining all of us, and we will all die here if we cannot get through.”

“Do you think I can open the shield far enough for you to get through?” Lauren returned to Ice’s original suggestion.

Ice nodded. “Yes, I think you can. But I also know the shield will kill anything or anyone it does not recognize.”

Grabbing the sword out of the sled, Lauren stepped to the front. “Okay, if this is our only option, then let me through.” She pushed Ffrwyn aside.

She faced the shield. But before she raised the sword, she turned back to the companions. Overcome with emotions, she knelt and placed the sheathed blade on the ground.

She moved first to Ice and grasped her ruffed neck in her fists, burying her face in the fur as she said, “Ice, I know you don’t like me and think that I caused all this, but I tell you that I care about you very much. I respect you and your feelings. Please realize though that anger is a very negative emotion, one that will make you bitter and taint your heart. Try and put your anger aside Ice, and see all the love around you.” Nuzzling her fur again, Lauren looked down into those ice-blue eyes so like Alex’s. “I love you, Ice. Take care of your companions.”

Stepping up to Ffrwyn, she placed her forehead against the broad nose. “You, Horse, are a tower of strength. Your heart is so large you can do anything. But you don’t always have to do for others. Let others do for you sometimes, too. Be well, my friend, and thank you for everything you did for me.” Lauren pulled back and lost herself in brown pools of sadness. “I love you, Ffrwyn. Thank you. Take care of your companions.”

She knelt before Snow, tears falling. Pulling Snow into a hug, she said, “You, Snow, are the voice of reason and compassion. You love unconditionally, and see only good in others, and the world around you. Take care of your companions.”

She turned to Alex last. “I don’t know who saved whom. You melted the ice around my heart and took away my aloneness. You made me whole. The short time we’ve known each other has been the best time of my life. Thank you, Dearest.” Lauren bowed her head and placed her hand over Alex’s heart. “I love you, Alex. You hold half of my soul. I freely give you the rest to make you whole. Don’t grieve. Let the companions care for you.”

Lauren returned to the shield, she could see flickers of energy moving across its surface. The discharge made the hairs on her neck rise. Taking the sword in both hands, she raised it above her head. “Ice, get ready to move as quickly as you can.” She pulled the sword downward in a sweeping arc.

Sparks flew as the sword sliced into the shield. The shield pushed back, but Lauren held the sword in place. Blue bolts leapt from the shield and enveloped Lauren in a sheath of energy. Pain tore through her body. Her mind screamed.

A tear formed in the shield, ripping away from the blade’s point. When it was wide enough, Ice leapt through. Lauren felt the shield ripple as Ice crossed the boundary, and she released her grip on the sword. But she couldn’t let go, her hands were locked around the sword. Lauren’s muscles were frozen. Pain continued to lance through her body. Suddenly, the shield spat out the sword. Lauren collapsed to her knees. Head bowed to her chest. The sword still held in her hands. Her breathing was ragged. Her muscles twitched spastically.

Snow nudged her and leapt back as static discharge stung her nose. “Lauren, can you hear me? Please speak to me.” She nodded at the wolf. “Lauren, you are alive.” Awe filled Snow’s mindvoice.

Lauren reached out to the wolf with her mind. “I can hear you, Snow. Just give me a minute. That hurt like hell. I feel like I did when I was a kid and I tried to take an electrical outlet out of the wall to see how it worked.” Lauren couldn’t feel her hands. Her arms tingled with a million needle pricks. An epic headache pounded behind her eyes. But she was alive. How, she didn’t know, but she was alive. Suddenly, she realized that her life energy was still being drawn across her bond. Draining her faster now that she used so much to open the shield.

Ffrwyn burst into their thoughts. “The shield is parted. I can get through with the sled.” The horse raced forward, the sled in tow.

I hope we’re in time. Lauren could barely stand, but Snow helped her maintain her balance by pushing against her side. They moved through the torn shield, stepping out into a broad meadow. Lauren looked around. The meadow sloped down to broaden into a wide plain. In the center of the meadow sat a massive fortress. Even in her current state, she was awed by the sight.

Moonlight danced off the slate roofs of four immense towers. The roofs were crenulated like the overlapping scales of a fish. Or a dragon. Each tower marked a corner of the fortress. Massive granite walls stretched between the towers, and formed the outer edges of the Keep. Even from her vantage point above the Keep, the walls were so high she couldn’t see inside.

Ffrwyn rushed ahead, pulling the sled rapidly across the snow-covered meadow. But before Ffrwyn reached the granite wall, a party burst from a small opening Lauren hadn’t noticed.

Clothed in the black-mesh armor similar to Alex’s, broad swords visible above their right shoulders, five black-clad individuals ran toward the galloping horse. They were accompanied by three figures dressed in long, flowing silver robes. Their robes glowed in the night reflecting energy. Ffrwyn skidded to a halt and the party surrounded the sled. One of the robed figures knelt in the snow. A yellow glow enveloped the sled.

“She is determining what is wrong with Alex,” Snow said.

Pain seared up Lauren’s arm. “My hand. My arm!” Lauren clutched her left arm to her chest. The dragon-tail brand on her hand glowed the same yellow color as the diagnostic glow surrounding Alex. She watched in horror as the color moved up her arm. The dragontail burned and writhed under the skin of her palm. Pain now followed the color as it moved up her arm. Lauren fell to her knees in agony. Pulling up the fleece sleeve, Lauren stared in horror as a complete dragon writhed beneath the skin of her arm. Alex’s dragon.

Snow grasped Lauren’s right arm in her mouth and pulled her down the slope. “Come on.” Ice came up and pushed her along. Lauren staggered to her feet, struggling to keep up with the wolves. Reaching the gate, Lauren watched as Ffrwyn pulled the sled through the opening. Lauren, with Snow and Ice, followed them into an enclosed yard.

The three robed figures continued to hover around the sled. More people filled the courtyard. Everyone seemed to speak at once. One voice rang out demanding quiet. Silence fell over the courtyard. Through a break in the crowd, Lauren saw the guardsmen lift Alex from the sled and place her on a floating palette. The robed figures led the palette away toward one of the buildings that rimmed the inner courtyard.

The last of Lauren’s energy drained away in a rush, and she collapsed. Her mind fogged over, and her vision blurred. She didn’t know how long she sat there in the darkness. When she finally became aware of her surroundings, she was alone. Only her sled remained, left where Ffrwyn had pulled it.

The three companions were gone. Alex was gone. She began to remember events as her mind cleared. Alex taken away by the robed figures. The companions being led away. The weight of the silence was crushing her soul. Reaching out with her mind, Lauren called out. Nothing, only a roaring silence filled her mind. I can’t stay here, doing nothing. I need Alex. I must find Alex.

A thought touched her mind, just grazing the surface. A feminine voice, “Patience.”

“Patience, really! We were ambushed and shot. I have a freaking dragon crawling under my skin. Alex and the companions are gone. And you want me to be patient,” Lauren screamed. She searched the courtyard in a methodical pattern. I’ve got to find Alex. There was only one door, the door used to take Alex away. After banging on the oaken door to no avail, Lauren sighed. Great!

Knowing she couldn’t stay out in the open, out in the cold, Lauren went to the sled to pull some warmer clothing on. Her parka was gone. She remembered using it as a pressure bandage on Alex’s wound. It disappeared with Alex. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled gear bags out. She found another fleece and pulled it over her head. A dim glow radiated from the depths of the sled. The sword. How did that get here? I thought I dropped it at the shield boundary when my arm was burned. Lauren pulled the sword out of the sled.

The blade reflected the dim moonlight, scattering moonbeams around the courtyard. Lauren noticed that all the blood was gone. The blade scoured clean. The dragon was missing from the blade. No, now it was in my arm. Must’ve been from the shield energy. Grabbing up the scabbard, Lauren resheathed the blade and placed it back in the sled. Picking up the sled pulls, Lauren turned and dragged the sled back to the Postern Gate. There she found a small niche, just large enough for herself and the sled. Probably where a guard stands so he can be out of the wind and weather. But its function didn’t matter. What mattered to Lauren was it was sheltered and reasonably warm. She took the remaining gear out of the sled and piled it to the side. Then she flopped down into the sled and pulled the down bag over her body. She held fast to the blade—her only connection to Alex—as exhaustion captured her. Before she could form another thought, she slept.

Chapter Nineteen

SOMETIME IN THE EARLY morning, Lauren woke. Not knowing where she was, she panicked, thrashing to escape the folds of her sleeping bag. Okay, okay. Calm the heck down here. I’m in the gate, at the Keep. Then other things came rushing back, Alex, her blast injury, the mad dash through the tunnel, opening the shield. She pulled her fleece off her sweating body. Clad only in her wool underlayer, Lauren saw a faint yellow and blue glow through the thin fabric.

“What the…?”

Pulling back the left sleeve, she watched Alex’s dragon slowly roll under her skin. Its piercing ice-blue eyes searching. Its eyes pulsed with a strange double beat, like the sapphire in the pommel of Alex’s sword. Lauren continued to stare at the rolling dragon. The shield energy must have transferred the rest of the dragon to my arm. Just like the brand on my hand when Alex fell and I touched the blade. Oh gawd, Alex, where are you? Are you alive?

It may have been denial, but Lauren knew that Alex still lived. I know I would’ve felt her passing if she had died. Her stomach rumbled. She rummaged in her gear bags for a snack. Trail mix would do. With her stomach appeased for the moment, Lauren again tried to call the companions. Reaching out mentally, Lauren tried to contact them.

“Snow, Ice, you out there? I really need to hear you. I need to know how Alex is.” Nothing, just like last night. A void of silent darkness expanded in her mind. “Horse, you there? Leave all the good hay alone, and talk to me.”

Getting up, Lauren left the confines of her niche and stepped into the courtyard. Nothing, no signs that anyone had even been in the yard last night. Even her foot prints from her search about the courtyard were gone. The snow was a smooth sheet of unbroken white. Panic rose in Lauren once more. Where was Alex? Where did they take her? I’ve got to find Alex. I can still feel her pulling on my life energy. She’s alive. I know it!

The door opened in the inner building, and a figure stepped out. The figure slowly scanned the courtyard. Then her gaze settled on Lauren. “There you are.” A woman’s voice. Although she wore the same robes as the figures from last night, Lauren knew that this person was not one of them. Her walk was different. Her robe glowed, but its silver was muted and shot through with darkness.

Stepping silently across the yard, the woman approached Lauren. A few stray thoughts brushed Lauren’s mind. “Such an impudent child and causing so much trouble.” For some reason, Lauren knew she shouldn’t let this woman know she could hear her thoughts or converse with mindspeech. So she waited in silence. Carefully constructing a wall in her mind just as Alex taught her while the figure approached.

When the tiny woman came close, Lauren demanded. “Where is Alex? How is she?”

“Alex is not your concern. She is where she needs to be and with those who care for her.” The diminutive woman looked up at Lauren from the depths of her hood.

“I want to see her. I want to see Snow and Ice and Ffrwyn.” Lauren took a step forward, causing the woman to step back.

“You will not see anyone, you impudent child. You are the cause of all this strife. You will take your unworldly things and leave here now.” The figure swept her arm out to encompass all of Lauren’s belongings stacked in the sled near the gate.

“Not before seeing Alex, I won’t. Take me to her now,” Lauren said, anger filling her as she towered over the figure. She felt the dragon roll over, lightening burning under her skin.

The woman was not impressed. “Gather your things and be gone. Alex does not need nor want you. No one here wants you. You have one hour to be gone, before we seal the tear in the shield you created. Once that is done, the shield will cleanse away anything, or anyone it does not recognize!”

Lauren realized she had stopped hearing the woman’s thoughts. Was her rage blocking her ability to ‘hear’ what this one was thinking? Slowly, she released her anger and opened her mind to the psi-energy swirling around her. Snippets of thoughts chased across her mind from all directions. “She is injured badly…torn.” “The flesh is melting.” “Stop the bleeding.” But the figure before her was a blank, her mind now closed and impenetrable.

“I will speak to Ice and Snow and Ffrwyn before I leave.”

“You will speak to no one. One hour. Then we will allow the shield to kill you.”  Spinning on her heel, the woman stormed back across the yard in a billow of darkened robes.

Dropping her head in her hands, Lauren sank to her knees. She tried the mindlink again. Only silence greeted her, nothing remained of her companions. I’m not leaving here without seeing Alex. The other woman said to be patient, that she would speak to me this morning. Lauren stood, energy renewed with her defiance. I will only go if Alex wants me to.

Lauren felt it before she heard it, a scream of such pain that her heart stuttered. Her chest felt like it was being torn apart. She grabbed her side to hold herself together. Was that Alex? The pain-driven mindenergy blast tore through her body and mind again, and drew more of her lifeforce to it.

The scream resolved into a shout. “Go now…leave…no…more…alone…leave me.”

Lauren ran across the courtyard toward the mindvoice. “No, please don’t send me away. Dearest, please no. We hold half of each other’s soul. We are only whole together.” She reached the inner building and began pounding on the oaken surface of the door. “Let me in! I have to see her!”

But no one came. Her mind slowly closed down against the pain, shutting out the continuous screams in self-preservation. Her heart began to rebuild the walls she had dropped because of Alex. Had it all been a lie? No, the connection they shared couldn’t be a lie. But Alex told me to leave. Dropping her head Lauren turned back to the courtyard defeated. She would honor Alex’s wishes.

Not knowing how much time was left in her hour ultimatum, Lauren hurried back across to the Postern Gate. Throwing the rest of her gear into the sled, she moved out into the meadow and stepped into her skis. She grabbed the sled pulls, and turning to look back at the Keep, she realized that a metal door had closed. The Postern Gate had closed behind her. That left only one direction to go. Back through the tunnel and out through the arch and then, Colorado. She would try to find a way back home. No. Not home. Her home would always be here, with Alex and her furkids, here in this reality. With those she loved.

The black mouth of the tunnel loomed before her, as Lauren began the long climb up the slope. She had no feelings left, except pain—pain of separation—pain of loss. Reaching the tunnel, she turned for a final time. The sun painted the crenulated towers a blood-red, and a light flashed from deep within the Keep toward the sky.

“Alex, I will never forget you or your companions. Be well.” Lauren turned her back on the Keep and entered the black tunnel—alone.

Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events.

Albert Einstein

PART III - Coming Home

Chapter One

“YOU HAD NO RIGHT!” Anger poured off of Alex in waves, as she stood gripping the parapet with white knuckles. She gazed to the north, a direction that drew her focus for some reason. She longed to go in that direction, but her injuries prevented travel. And she doubted she would be allowed out of the Keep after her last disastrous trip. Her gray robe billowed in the early morning breeze. Its color matched the somber gray granite of the battlement and her rapidly deteriorating mood.

Merilyn moved to face her. “I had no choice, Alexandra. Without invoking the Ruler’s Rite you would have died from that blast injury, from that molecular disruptor. And then where would we be.”

Whirling around, Alex yelled, “It took my memories! What kind of healing is that if you cannot remember anything about the injury when you are well? It feels like a piece of my soul is missing.” She absently rubbed her chest.

“Well, you were hit with a blaster.”

Alex took a step forward. "Really, sarcasm?  That is your response? You had no right!”

But Merilyn stood her ground. Alex knew Merilyn was a woman who didn't take anything from anyone. She exuded power from her glare and stance. Her silver robes glowed all light and reflected energy. Whereas Alex's black mesh-armor absorbed light and reflected nothing, this robe formed an aura around Merilyn. An aura of strength pulsed around the woman. An aura that enlarged her personal space. Power. But it did not intimidate Alex.

Merilyn took a step forward into Alex’s personal space. “I am Seneschal and have been in service to your family for more than four generations. I did what was needed in the name of your mother. Had she been here, she would have done the same. I will not let that upstart of a Hebridean witch win. She will not be ruler of Fuar Ćala’s through an act of fraud.” She placed a small, worn hand on Alex’s forearm.

Merilyn’s touch calmed Alex, somewhat. "I understand. But the cost was too high. I barely remember my name. If the Council knew that, I would be ousted regardless. Why was I out of the Keep in the dead of winter, and why did I travel so far?”

"I will tell you what I know. But you must calm down. This anger is not good for healing.” Merilyn's voice lowered. “You left to find a nexus to the Comin world, and when there, to look for information on their bioweapon. I do not know if you were successful in your mission, but it seems the nexus membrane was opened. As I understand it, we have a Comin patrol on this planet. Somewhere nearby.”

Rubbing her head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs from her brain, Alex replied, "I cannot remember anything but the pain and the cold. But in my sleep I see…a face. Auburn hair. Emerald eyes!"

"I understand, but you are alive to handle these challenges. We will take things one at a time until your memories return."

Alex dropped her personal concerns, and focused on the Keep’s needs. “Most important is finding the Comin. We cannot let them roam around. And we must determine if the nexus is still open. An open gateway between our worlds would spell disaster."

"You are in no shape to go gallivanting around the countryside, or getting into another battle situation. As to the nexus, my understanding of the physics is that without constant energy input, your energy signature to be exact, the nexus would spontaneously close. So the nexus is closed, the Comin patrol is trapped here, on this side.”

“But we need to be sure. Did I find the information I sought?”

“We know you opened the nexus, but we do not know if you went through or not. We have not found the datanode amongst your personal belongings. It was not in Ffrwyn's saddlebags. So we have no way of determining if you completed your task.” Merilyn pulled a small device from within her robes. “This may be from the Comin. It is not our tech.” She held the device out to Alex. “We cannot seem to make it work, or read the language that appears.”

Alex reached for the tablet. Turning it in her hands, she commented absently, “It is an eReader that stores books and reference materials. There are some entertaining stories within its database.”

“How do you know this?” Merilyn demanded.

“I haven’t a clue how I know this, but I do.” Alex continued to turn the tablet over, her fingers activating it. She scrolled through the digital material by rote. Tucking it into her robe pocket, she stated, “Our first priority remains. And that is the capture of the Comin patrol. Then we must look for that node. Perhaps the companions will know something."

"Let your Black Guard take care of that. They left this morning at first light and should be reporting back anytime. Guardian McLaran the Elder is with them, so we will be able to maintain contact. Once we hear from them, we will be able to plan our next steps."

"I need to be out there. I do not want anyone else hurt. Doing something, anything, may bring my memories back.” Alex’s agitation increased. She paced the battlement, her robes whipping about her ankles.

Merilyn released a sigh. “Alexandra, please calm yourself. This stress is not good for healing, and neither is this cold. Come inside and sit down. I will call for some tea.” Merilyn turned to leave the battlement and enter the solar that filled the top of the western tower.

With another longing look to the north, Alex followed Merilyn into her rooms. She threw herself down on one of two leather chairs arranged before the large stone fireplace. “I feel so lost, so alone. Something important is missing, and I do not know what it is.” Alex shook her head. “Where are my companions anyway?”

“Snow and Ice will be here soon. They are out hunting their morning meal. Ffrwyn is in the stables with poultices on her injuries.” Merilyn sat in the other chair, stretching her feet to the roaring fire. “The healing technicians assure me that your mindspeech will return as soon as your body recovers enough. It seems you were barely healed from an earlier injury before you were shot again. Though the wounds from the first injury were healing well, I have no idea how you made it as far as you did with injuries as bad as you had. Nor how you treated yourself.”

“Nor do I.” Ice and Snow padded in, interrupting their conversation. The wolves immediately approached Alex. Alex could not hear them. She knew they were trying to communicate with her. She reached out and gathered Ice into a hug.

Snow settled beside Merilyn and leaned into the chair, she seemed to be seeking some scratches of her own.  “Snow, go lie by the fire. You will tip me out of this chair if you keep pushing on it like that.”

“Snow, come over here, leave Merilyn alone. You know she does not want to smell like a wet dog all day.” Alex leaned back in her chair. Like a wet dog? I would never call Snow a dog. Where have I heard that phrase before?

The tea was delivered with the morning posts. Alex and Merilyn began sorting and prioritizing the needs of the Keep. Hours moved toward midday as they worked. Alex was glad for the company and glad for the work. She felt a nuzzle on her hand. Ice had risen from her nap by the fire. “What, Ice? I do not have time now. I will give you a brush this afternoon.  Let me finish with the posts first.”

Alex watched Ice bolt from the room. “What Snow, where is Ice going?

Snow turned sad eyes toward Alex and whiffled. Alex turned back to her work.

Alex continued to brood throughout the afternoon. She wanted her memories back, and she wanted these feelings of loss and emptiness to resolve. She hardly noticed when Snow, curled up by the fireplace, gazed longingly at the door. One way or another she knew she would have to get her answers and soon. The sun painted burnished shadows across the Keep, when Alex noticed Merilyn stiffen in her chair. “What is it now?” Alex demanded.

“Just a minute Alexandra, Guardian McLaran is calling. I’ll try and share as much of the conversation as I can, but let me hear what he has to say.” Sitting back in frustration, Alex didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t hear him call.

Speaking aloud, Merilyn returned his call. “Yes, McLaran, I do hear you. I trust you have news for us. I am speaking aloud, so Alexandra can hear as well.” She paused. “You have found the Comin. Fire fight? Is your Guard all right? No one hurt?”

Alex leapt from her chair and began to pace as she felt Merilyn’s anxiety rise.

“Newkirk is not hurt badly?” Merilyn turned to Alex. “Newkirk was slightly injured, nothing serious. All but two of the Comin patrol were killed in a fire fight.” Merilyn’s eyes lost focus as she turned her thoughts back at McLaran. “Are you returning with the prisoner? We need information immediately.”

The delay in her learning what was happening as her Seneschal carried on the mental conversation was driving Alex mad. Finally, Merilyn spoke. “Is it safe to go after the Comin by yourself, McLaran? We cannot afford to have you injured or gone for an extended period. I do not want Alexandra facing the Council without you at her side.”

Another pause. “We will interrogate the prisoner when your Guard return.” And another. “Very well, McLaran. We will deal with the prisoner when your Guards return in the early morning. Yes, I understand, no matter what shape he’s in.” Merilyn looked at Alex. “The prisoner was hit over the head and is unconscious. McLaran does not know how badly he is injured.” Alex watched as Merilyn continued her conversation with McLaran. “Travel safely and return quickly, you are needed here. Keep me informed of your progress. I expect reports every four hours. Thank you, McLaran. I will give her your regards.”

Alex interrupted, “Tell him to be safe. If the weather turns, have him return to the Keep immediately. A single Comin out in winter will not survive long.”

Merilyn relayed Alex’s message.

Chapter Two

SNOW WOKE AT THE Seneschal’s call. Raising her head and growling, Snow cuddled closer to Alex, who was curled up with her on a massive bear rug.

“Leave, Snow, she needs to get ready for the Council.” Merilyn pointed to the door.

“She also needs her rest. She will heal much faster if she can sleep. Her new armor is working, but it is taking a lot of her energy,” Snow retorted.

Watching rapidly changing expressions cross Snow’s face, Merilyn said, “I know you are trying to communicate with me, but I cannot hear you. Please wake Alexandra so she can prepare for the Council.”

Softly nuzzling Alex, Snow pushed her nose into her ear.

“Stop it, Lauren, you know I hate that.” Alex swiped at the wet nose.

“You remember Lauren! That is wonderful.” Snow pushed her nose into Alex’s ear again.

“I said, stop it.” Alex jerked up, and swung around toward the offending nose.

Snow reared back to avoid a collision with Alex’s hand. “Oh Snow, it’s you. You know I hate to wake up with your wet nose in my ear.”

“But you remembered Lauren, can you hear me?” Snow nuzzled Alex again. But she could not. Snow shook her head.

A soft chuckle from behind her caused Alex to spin around. “Twisting hurts Merilyn. Stand over here, so I can see you and not pull my wound.”

“Of course, Majesty,” she said with a sweeping half-bow. “I would not want you to hurt. But a wet nose in your ear seems to be a decent method of waking you. I will have to remember that in the future.”

“You enter my rooms unannounced, and disturb my rest while making jokes, it must be a disaster.” Alex smiled at Merilyn to take the sting from her words. “Really, to what do I owe this visit, Seneschal? It must be truly a matter of great importance.”

Bowing low and touching her forehead, Merilyn held the position of obedience. “It truly is of great importance. I had a visitor first thing this morning.” She stood and drew a scroll from her sleeve and waved it at Alex.

“The Council requests your presence this day.” Merilyn read formally from the scroll. Looking up, she frowned. “I am afraid we cannot avoid this meeting.”

“Oh, stop that. You know I hate all the bowing and scraping done around here. And what of this meeting? I thought we were telling them when I would appear.”

Standing to her full though slight height, Merilyn explained, “So I thought, too. But Oswein gathered his lackeys and called for a meeting to assess the health and competence of the Ruler. All joking aside Alexandra, this is serious business. If they are not convinced that you are fit, they can demand you be removed. We have less than two hours to be ready.”

“Fine. I will be ready. Let me have a bath, and I will dress. I will pass their tests.” Alex placed a gentle hand on Merilyn’s shoulder. “Seneschal, all will be well.” She watched Merilyn worry her bottom lip, knowing that was a sign of how concerned she truly was. “Those Hebrideans will not win the day. Have no worry, Seneschal.” Alex trotted down the stairs into the circular bathing room beneath her solar.

Alex didn’t spend much time soaking, climbing out of the hot pool after just a quick bath. Wrapping one of the thick towels around her, she headed back up to her sleep-room. Just off her sitting room, this room reflected Alex in all her personas.

The walls were burnished a deep-red and curved bookcases covered three-quarters of the outer stone walls. Tall floor-to-ceiling window slits gathered as much light from outside as was available in winter. During summer months, the room blazed. Furs from animals Alex had hunted through the years covered the floor. Not all of the species represented were from Terra. Some were from worlds visited in her childhood. But it was the enormous bed that was the centerpiece of the room. The four corner posts were intricately carved ironwood tree trunks, more than eighteen inches in diameter. Each poster chronicled an event from Alex’s past with all the key elements represented. A four-step ladder sat on each side of the bed to allow easier access to the down-covered surface.

Alex threw her wet towel in the general direction of the bed and strode to the armoire. Pulling the double doors open, Alex perused the contents. Knowing she needed to present an image of strength, control, and dominance, she took her formal Guard uniform off the rod. She selected a starched high-collar shirt from the shelf above. She also grabbed a pair of highly polished, over-the-knee boots from beneath the uniforms.

Alex went to Merilyn’s side and watched as Merilyn affixed the badges of rank and honor to the royal purple wool uniform overcoat. The ancestral badges of power were stored in a black walnut case on one of her bookshelves. Today, Merilyn chose the crossed swords and orb badges from amongst the collection—badges of rule. The remaining twelve badges, rings, bracelets, coronets, and medals had been worn by Alex’s foremothers during their reigns. The entire history of Alex’s family rested in this one box.

Merilyn pulled a purple ribbon through the crossed swords medal and attached the orb closure on the other end. This she laid beside the overcoat. A leather belt followed. The gold buckle depicted two loons and when closed their beaks touched. The loon was the signet of Alex’s mother—Fionnaghal. The leather was six inches wide and dyed a purple so deep it appeared black in low light. Lastly she unrolled the Baldric, a purple sash embroidered with gold thread and trimmed with golden piping. This would hold Alex’s sword in a position that allow her to sit or walk without becoming entangled with the dangling weapon while also allowing her to easily draw the sword should it be needed.

The final piece of her uniform was a flowing cape of black armor mesh lined with red silk. The mesh of this cape was much finer than her working armor but still carried all the properties of healing and protection. In a sword fight, a twirl would wrap the cape around her shoulders, protecting Alex’s neck and upper chest from injury. Alex donned the regal outerwear.

As Merilyn slipped the baldric over her head, she instructed, “Get your sword and let us get this over with. Try and avoid questions. If pushed, give answers that are just vague enough to be truth but not open us up for further inquiries.”

Alex turned toward the large tapestry that hung on the wall opposite the bed. A scene of wolves running under a silver moon danced across its surface in muted blacks and silvers. The wolves glowed with a pure white aura. The tapestry covered a smooth rock wall, its surface broken only by a small numerical pad. Alex entered a sequence of numbers into the pad with ease. “How is it I can remember things like this fourteen-digit combination but not what happened two days ago?”

After she entered the last number a faint click sounded, and the stone wall rumbled away. Inside was a metal-lined vault. Alex crossed the threshold and waved her hand before another pad on the inside wall. Warm light glowed from hidden fixtures. The walls were lined with shelves that held weapons of all types—from ancient broadswords to the most modern blaster. A rectangular stone table stood in the center of the room. Carved from a block of anorthosite recovered from the lunar satellite that orbited Terra, it glowed white and blue in a background field of the blackest black. On top rested fourteen long wooden boxes

Alex approached the table and reverently stroked each box in turn, murmuring the name of each foremother as she did. A soft smile graced her lips. She stroked the box that held her sword and bowed her head. She whispered a soft prayer for strength, guidance, and wisdom to settle matters without bloodshed. Alex opened the platinum clasps and tilted back the lid, she gasped. The box was empty. “Where is my sword!”

Rushing into the weapons vault, Merilyn looked into the empty box. “Without the Sword of the Ruler, you will not be able to open the Council.”

“Where did I last have the sword?” Think, Alex! “I would have taken it with me. I would need it to open the caches and the nexus. I pray I did not lose it on the journey back, or that the Comin did not find it.” Alex trembled as she realized the magnitude of the disaster they faced.

Merilyn bowed her head as Alex ranted. A slow smile crossed her face. Circling the table, she stopped before a weathered box. One scarred on its face and charred on a corner.  She held her hand above the box, and a glow began to surround it. Slowly, it rose to levitate above the table.

“This one. Please open this box, and remove the sword.”

“Are you mad?  We cannot open the Doouglas’s box.” Alex shrank away from the table as if the box would strike her down.

“You will and you must,” Merilyn demanded of Alex.

Shaking her head, Alex continued to move away from the table. “But I would be carrying the sword of my Foremother. Just touching that sword will kill me.”

“Not if it is the sword of the First Foremother. Your Grand’Mere was in the countryside away from the Keep when the first bioweapon went off. As the bioweapon expanded and overtook more of the planet, your mother used her sword to open the communication nexi to warn all the outlying planets in a single burst. The energy was too much for her sword, and it shattered.  With communications failing, she took up the Doouglas sword—the first sword—and held the nexi to all the worlds open.” Alex bowed her head as the weight of those memories crashed over her. “That sword can be used at a time of great need, by the rightful head of state.” Merilyn’s gaze burned into Alex. “And this seems like just such a time. You are the rightful ruler.”

“If the sword saw Mother as the rightful head of state, then Grand’Mere was already dead.” Thoughts of her mother and grandmother brought tears to her eyes.

“Your Mother may have only ruled for half a day, but she saved our civilization and allowed the leadership to pass uninterrupted to you. She would roll over where she sleeps, if she knew what was happening here now.”

Alex slowly approached the floating box and tentatively reached her hand out. Once she touched the box, it sank back to the stone table. Releasing the two electrum clasps, she lifted the lid. Inside rested the sword. Dull and flawed. The hilt was a cage of filigree gold and dull silvered metal. The blade, nicked in several places, was broader than her own.

But for all the imperfections in the sword, it was the jewel in the pommel that drew Alex’s attention. A diamond the size of a large egg flashed in the light. It was a stone of infinite depth and totally flawless. A crystal that size should appear cloudy, but instead the stone shone with an internal light, as white and pure as a silvered moonbeam.

Alex reached in and closed her left hand around the hilt. It morphed to fit her hand, as if it were made for her. “It fits me.” Alex looked up at Merilyn. “How is that possible? I am the only left-handed ruler in fourteen generations.”

“The sword has chosen you.” Merilyn stepped back. She bowed deeply and knelt before Alex.

As Alex lifted the sword from its case, the blade caught the light and flashed.

“We must go. The Council is waiting,” Merilyn whispered, head still bent.

“This ought to make quite the impression.” Alex moved the sword, watching it flash in the light.

“Hopefully, using the First Sword will distract them from other concerns, and allow us to garner their acceptance without questions. I know it will stop the Hebrideans in their tracks.” Merilyn chuckled softly.

Pulling the sheath from the box, Alex affixed it to her baldric and slid the sword home.  “It may amaze the Council, but my missing sword is still a problem. At some point, we will need to find that absent blade, or we will have more trouble on our hands than we can manage.”

Stepping from the weapons vault, Alex closed and sealed the door, dropping the tapestry back into place. As she descended to the main floor of the Keep, Snow trotted to her side and moved in step with her. Her long lopping strides shortened to match Alex’s march step.

Merilyn stopped before the large double oaken doors and turned back to Alex. “Ready?”

“Absolutely. Let’s do this!” Alex said.

Merilyn fixed her with a strange look, but Alex ignored it. Head held high, she waited for her Seneschal to strike the knocker and open the doors to announce the ruler’s arrival.

Chapter Three

AS ALEX ENTERED THE Council Room, Lauren was far away continuing her trek back to the original cave in hopes of finding a way across the nexus membrane. Having to pull the sled herself slowed Lauren down. Her thoughts were focused on Alex. How could she turn me away like that? All she knew was she had to find a way back to her reality. Maybe there she could heal her heart and soul.

Lauren located the first supply cache by accident. While digging out some foodstuffs for lunch, she noticed that the sapphire in the sword was pulsating strongly. The same glow it had when Alex used the sword to open a cache. Pulling the sword from the bottom of the sled, Lauren moved the blade back and forth in front of her. She watched as the intensity in the jewel changed. Pointing the blade in the direction of the highest intensity, Lauren swung the blade in a wide arc. As the sword traced a path in front of her, the shield opened, and Lauren found a small supply cache. Had she not seen the sword, she would have missed the cache entirely. Oh, Alex, you’ve saved me again. I hope me having the sword is not causing you difficulty.

This cache allowed Lauren to rest for a day and to restock her food supply. She knew where the cache was at the base of the Grand Teton. That was her next goal. There she planned to rest for several days. When they had left that cache, there were plenty of supplies left in stasis. And with the hot pool, she could clean her gear and herself.

Rising on the third day of her trek, Lauren crawled from her tent to be greeted by a slate gray sky. Black cumulous clouds scuttled across the horizon. Lauren quickly collapsed her tent and stowed her meager gear in the sled. Another storm was coming. She grabbed one of the grub bags and slung the sled harness over her shoulders, planning to eat while on the move. Gawd, another blizzard.

As the day progressed, the wind continued to build. Soon, driving snow cut Lauren’s vision. Ground blizzards swirled around her knees, obscuring her feet. By late afternoon, the blowing snow and decreasing light further hindered her progress. I could ski right past the cache and never know I missed it until I ended up in the Snake River. How am I going to find it in the dark? And then it struck her. The sword.

Lauren pulled the sword from the sled. The stone glowed a deep blue and pulsed with its steady double beat. The sheathed blade radiated a warmth that touched Lauren’s soul. Holding the sword to her chest, Lauren spoke. “Alex, hear me. I left as you asked, but I left a part of me there with you. I don’t know if I will ever recover from that. Why? Please answer me, Alex. Why did you make me leave?”

Listening with her entire being, Lauren heard nothing but silence, felt nothing but emptiness. Sighing, Lauren trudged to the front of the sled and again gathered up the harness. She slid the sheathed blade into the belt of her snow pants, the hilt crossed her chest with the sapphire resting over her heart. In this position, Lauren could see, as well as feel, the stone pulse.

She was exhausted. The terrain was more rugged near the mountain ridge, and she was losing hope of finding the cache before nightfall. Approaching a large stand of fir trees, Lauren knew she could shelter under their drooping branches until morning. She bent over to duck under the branches, but the sword got in her way. Lauren pulled the sword free of her belt. As she grasped the hilt, the double pulse strengthened, and the stone began to glow. What the? She almost dropped the blade in shock as a blue beacon shot from the stone, cutting through the darkness like a laser.

The cache must be close. Lauren began to move the blade in a wide arc. The laser light tracked across the trees and illuminated the nearby rock face. The beacon settled on one spot of the wall and highlighted the cache entrance on the granite face. She had found it. Thoughts of a warm bath made her smile.

Chapter Four

ALEX WATCHED MERILYN GRASP the golden boar’s head and drop it on the knocker plate. The metallic clang combined with a deep wooden throbbing rang through the Council Room as the knocker struck home thrice. As the reverberations from the third strike dissipated, Merilyn pushed on the massive doors. The seam between them split, and the doors swung silently inward.

Stepping into the Council Room, the Seneschal announced Alex, her voice rang through the circular space. “I present Her Royal Majesty, Alexandra, Rigain Rìoghachd Fuar Ćala, Queen of the Country of Cold Harbour. All rise and pay homage to your Rightful Ruler and Sovereign.”

Rightful Ruler and Sovereign. That is a nice touch. Alex barely had time to wipe the smirk from her face before Merilyn stepped aside and opened the way for her to stride forward into the room. Ahead of her stood the Table of the Thirty-Six. In the shape of a dodecagon, three chairs sat along each side. It was carved from the trunk of a fir—Hyper-arborea Sempervirens. This species of fir was indigenous to the Homeworld and reared from seeds that survived the journey after the Comin attack. Though it’s top was flattened into a table, its core and roots still lived. The roots grew deep into the substructure of the Keep, where they were fed and watered by the royal gardening technicians. It is said Sempervirens possessed some sentient properties.

Each set of three chairs was swathed in the Tartan of one of the original twelve clans. The thirteenth clan had no direct representatives and had no place at the table. No chair was larger nor smaller than the others. All equal. One chair sat empty, the one before Alex. But she didn’t sit. Instead she stood behind the chair, and pulled the Doouglas tartan off. With a swirl, the tartan settled around her shoulders. Alex sat. She noticed Merilyn’s smirk out of the corner of her eye.

“Let us get this meeting started so it can end, and I can go back to the more important task of rounding up the Comin patrol that is hounding our borders.”

Chapter Five

LAUREN HEADED TOWARD THE laser-tagged spot that marked the cache entrance. As she moved into the open, snow exploded around her as an energy pulse struck near her feet. Another energy bolt cut through the branches over her head, blowing more snow and pine needles into the air. Lauren was thrown back into the sled. Stunned and barely able to breathe, she struggled to roll out of the sled.

Lauren crawled back into the stand of fir trees, hiding behind the trunk of a giant spruce. Another blast followed her, striking the trunk just above her head. What is going on? Her heart raced as another bolt tore into the trunk, sending pine splinters exploding into the air. Lauren curled into a ball and covered her head as best she could.

“Come on out, you Comin bastard, you are trapped,” a deep, growling voice called out.

Comin bastard? She wasn’t Comin. Lauren tried to make herself as small a target as possible, but in her red fleece she knew she couldn’t hide for long. There was no escape through the deep snow drifted around the tree. I can’t stay in these trees for long. Her only chance to survive was to hide as best she could. A blast again tore through the trunk above her head. At this rate, the tree will fall and crush me. She pulled the sword closer to her body.

Another blast exploded near her head, rolling her over on her back. Lauren watched the shooter advancing toward her, his blaster leveled. Lauren raised her arms to cover her head and held her breath, waiting. I’m going to die. Alex! Help! But nothing came. Peeking between her crossed arms, Lauren saw the shooter kneeling in the snow a dozen meters away. His blaster was loosely held in his hand, his head was bowed, and his eyes were closed. What the hell?

Slowly Lauren lowered her arms. Turning to face the shooter, Lauren stood. “Who are you?” She spoke Alex’s language—Terran.

“I am Guardian McLaran, McLaran the Elder, m’lady.” He never lifted his head.

“I’m not your lady, and I don’t know what a Guardian is. Stand up so I can see your face.” Lauren had no idea who this man was, but for some reason a sense of safety and calm washed over her. Just like I feel with Alex.

McLaran rose to his full height. His blue gaze reassured Lauren. This man was related to Alex.

“I beg your forgiveness, m’lady. I had no idea who you were or I would never have brought a weapon to bear upon you.”

What the hell is he talking about? Has Alex told him about me and sent out a search party to look for me? Why does he think I’m Comin? These questions and more streaked through Lauren’s mind. “No forgiveness needed.” Lauren looked at him. “McLaran was it?” He nodded. “I don’t know about you, but I’m freezing. Let’s find the cache and take this discussion inside, shall we? No one is going anywhere tonight.”

Before McLaran could respond, Lauren turned back to the granite wall and raised the sword high above her head gripping the hilt in both hands. Slowly she swept the blade in a wide arc. Lauren watched the sapphire, trying to determine if its flash was brighter in one direction or another. When she glanced over her shoulder, she noticed his shocked expression, his blaster lying in the snow. He was kneeling in the snow again. Shrugging, she focused back on the sword.

Chapter Six

“Why are there Comin hounding our borders? How did they get here?” MacDonald asked from where he slouched in one of the high-backed chairs.

Leave it to MacDonald to get the meeting started with a deflection. Alex chuckled to herself.

“Yes, that is exactly what we want to know, Majesty,” Oswein's use of the title sounded more like an insult than an honorific. “How did they get to Terra?”

A quiet settled on the large room. Alex settled deeper into her tartan and calmly surveyed the Council. A few, the Seneschal, McLaran the Younger, Newkirk the Younger, and MacDonald were comfortably settled in their chairs. Others were not so calm. Oswein and his cronies sat forward in their chairs, stiff ready to defend, as if waiting for Alex to pounce on them from her seat. But it was the Hebridean contingent that was of most concern. They were too calm, too quiet, yet unwilling to meet her gaze. A true sign of conspiracy, or at least guilt about something untoward. The quiet became increasingly uncomfortable. Small movements increased as some began to fidget in their seats. Alex let the time drag. When the weight of the silence became unbearable, Oswein stood from his seat.

“Seat yourself, Oswein! You will not stand when Her Majesty is seated,” the Seneschal snapped, fire lancing in her eyes. But it was Snow that got everyone’s attention. Her growl rumbled around the circular room shaking it to the foundation. She stood stiffly on her paws, all her hackles upright. Alex reached a calming hand toward her companion. Wait. Not yet.

Dropping back into his chair, Oswein dipped his head toward Merilyn and restated his question. “How did the Comin come to be in our land?”

Slowly turning her head toward the Hebridean puppet, Alex smiled. Her smile feral and challenging, her lips curled in a silent growl. Alex dropped her left hand onto Snow’s shoulder and felt her growl continue to rumble. Reaching up with her other hand, Alex lifted the tartan to clear the path to her blade on her right side, accepting his challenge with her gesture.

“It’s the Doouglas blade,” MacDonald exclaimed, pointing at Alex.

Alex nodded. “I just thought I’d change it up, and wear something different this afternoon.”

MacDonald jumped from his seat and rounded on Oswein, hand instinctually going to the hilt of his blade. “You scum! You called this meeting to challenge Her Majesty and her right to rule, yet she carries the Doouglas blade. You touch that blade, and see if you are the one to rule as you say. Or should we have your Hebridean witch take up the blade, since you both think she should rule this fair land!” MacDonald spun to his left and thrust his arm at the small woman seated diagonally across the table.

Oswein shrank in his seat. He paled and turned pleading eyes on Gwenhwyfach. All he got for his entreaty was a raised eyebrow.

Turning to the Seneschal, MacDonald bowed his head and settled back into his chair. “My pardon, Your Grace. I cannot tolerate this insult to the throne! How can I be of service to you and Her Majesty?”

“As we speak, the entire Comin patrol but one has been dealt with. All dead but two. One wounded and being returned here for questioning. The other under watch for information gathering and being followed. You may be of service by allotting troops to the Guardians. By continuing to safeguard the Keep in winter.” Though she never raised her voice and did not this time, her words reverberated around the room.

With that the Seneschal stood, and banged her staff on the floor three times. “The Council is dismissed!”

In a swirl of tartan, Alex stood and strode from the room. Snow pawed at her side. The great oak doors parted before them without Alex’s hand touching their surface.

Chapter Seven

THE SAPPHIRE PULSED AND flashed as Lauren swept the sword back and forth before the granite wall. Lowering the sword, she unsheathed the blade and with a sweeping move, sliced through the air. The blade sang as it cut through the shield. The cache’s arched entrance stood open and inviting. Since the wind couldn't penetrate the shield, no snow covered the ground behind the shield.

Lauren resheathed the blade. “I’ll go get my sled, and we can get comfortable while we wait out the night.”

“Sounds excellent. I believe I lost my toes several kilometers ago.” McLaran lifted his snow-covered foot and stared at the fur boot.

“It was a terrific shelter the first time we were here. And I know there is fresh food in stasis.” Stomping off to her abandoned sled, Lauren was worried about why McLaran was there. And why did he call me Comin? Where are the ones that attacked us? I should be more afraid. But I feel so calm around him.

Just as Lauren pulled the sled into the cavern, a body tackled her from behind. Lauren struggled to rise, only to be pushed back down as the weight on her back settled over her. “What?” Lauren gasped as all remaining air was forced from her lungs. “Ice?”

A familiar, rough tongue swept down the side of her face and landed in her right ear. “Get off me.” This is where the feeling of calm came from. Ice must have been close all along.

Rolling to her back, Ice exposed her ice-encrusted belly to Lauren. Lauren sat up and rubbed Ice’s stomach. “You’re such a brat, Ice.”

“I am not. We must leave now, Lauren. You must come back to the Keep. Alex is sick and lost. She cannot remember. She cannot hear me. You must come back.” Ice turned and started back out of the cavern.

“I’m not going anywhere tonight. Tomorrow, I’m going back to the Mount Zirkel area to try and get back to Colorado. She told me to leave, so I left.” Speaking the words out loud caused Lauren to really hear them, and the reality of it all hit her harder than Ice landing on her back.

Ice crawled over to her and placed her head in Lauren’s lap. Soft eyes gazed up at her. “It will be all right. You must come back. Alex will fix this.”

Lauren turned to McLaran, who watched from the entrance of the cavern. She waved him in, and the three settled down. Lauren shook out her sleeping bag and turned toward her thermo-pad in her corner. The wolf lay to the side of the pad. Ice smiled a wolfy-grin up at Lauren. “Ice, what’s wrong with you. You’re not on my pad. Did you learn to share all of a sudden?” Lauren teased with her hands on her hips.

“Lauren, I am comfortable here. This is the spot I choose. The sandy floor is warm and soft.”

“Whatever, Ice.” Lauren waved her hand, dismissing the wolf. “I just want some food and a soak, before I go to sleep. Maybe you should see if McLaran will share his blankets with you?” And she began to shoo Ice away. But moving a hundred and fifty-pound wolf that didn't want to move was harder than it looked. Ice wasn't budging. Laughter from the other side of the cave didn't help her mood or her attempts at removing Ice’s furry butt. “If you think this is funny, you can get over here and help me.”

“M’lady, you are not going to unseat a wolf that does not wish to move. Ice probably weighs more than you, and she is staying put. Perhaps when dinner is ready, you could use food as an enticement. But if I know Ice, she will move when she chooses.”

“Fine, I’m going to take a bath. I’ll figure out dinner later. Hope you like chili.” Chuckling, she disappeared to the back of the cave in a swirl of towels.

Dinner did indeed consist of chili, supplemented with veggies from stasis. “You know, we could have Ice hunt for us and augment the supplies in these storage cases with fresh meat.” McLaran’s comment elicited a wolfy smile from Ice and a grimace from Lauren.

Lauren waved the suggestion away. “McLaran, I’ve seen what Ice eats from her hunts, and I would sooner become a vegetarian, then eat what she would bring back.”

McLaran glanced up from his chili. “What is a vege-terran?”

“It’s a person who eats nothing but vegetables and fruits, eliminating meat from their diet.”

“Are they out of their minds? How does a Terran survive without meat?” McLaran shook his head and took another spoonful of chili.

Lauren shrugged. “Terrans might not be vegetarians, but where I come from its a common choice.”

“Well then, your people are crazed.” McLaran pointed his spoon at Lauren. “No one should voluntarily give up meat.”

Following their meal, Lauren began to make tea. McLaran settled in his bedroll and asked, “Are you willing to share your story with me?”

“I’ll gladly tell you what I know. But first, I ask that you tell me about Alex. Is she all right? I’m so worried about her.”

McLaran eyed her. Worry rolled through Lauren in waves and her hands shook. “Let us make a deal, I will tell you what I know, and you will tell me what you know. It seems you can converse with Ice. Perhaps she can add additional information as well. Deal?” He stretched out his hand toward Lauren.

“Deal,” Lauren said. McLaran clasped her forearm in his large hand. Lauren looked down at their joined arms. Peace and calm traveled along their physical connection. She had so many questions, but she was half afraid of the answers she might get. Her unease continued to settle as McLaran looked her in the eye. “You start. And drop the m’lady thing, I’m not a member of any royal or ruling class, I’m just Lauren.” Alone again.

“Her Majesty returned from a journey that no one knew she had taken, gravely injured. She is healing but has isolated herself from everyone. The Seneschal stands guard over her like a mother bear over her cub. No one has seen or heard from her in days. But we know she is in her solar. Somehow, a patrol of Comin militia was found within the boundaries of Fuar Ćala. The Guardians ran them to ground and killed all but two. Or so we thought. I headed off to track the second one, as the injured man we caught was returned to Fuar Ćala. What I thought was the remaining Comin patrolman, turned out to be you. Who are you?” It’s like he’s giving me a military report.

Lauren slowly sipped her tea. Shaking her head, Lauren placed her cup in the sand next to the corner of her pad, and placed a hand on Ice’s head. “My name is Lauren Beckwith. I was setting up a series of scientific experiments in the mountains of northern Colorado when I dropped through the ice into a lake during a blizzard. I was able to make it to a cave.”

“Where is this Colorado? I have never heard of such a place.”

“Colorado doesn’t exist in your world, your time. What I’m going to say about that would have me committed in my time. Here not so much, it seems.” Lauren shared her tale: starting with her hypothesis that Terra exists as a parallel universe—a self-contained, separate reality, co-existing with her own—and ending with the hooded figure who demanded she leave the Keep. It was as detail oriented as any project report she would write for Geodynamics.

McLaran stayed quiet, occasionally sipping his tea, letting Lauren share her story at her own pace. Time stretched after Lauren completed telling of their journey. Ice slept at her side with Lauren absently stroking her furry head.

McLaran nodded at the wolf. “How are you so comfortable with Alexandra’s companion, and she with you? No one at the Keep can get close to them. Even Her Majesty’s closest allies are hesitant to be near them. And yet, you can communicate with her.”

Smiling, Lauren answered, “I haven’t a clue how I communicate with them. Alex thinks I bonded with them in some way, and they with me. They taught me your language as we traveled, and helped me get Alex back to her home.”

McLaran frowned. “Then that is how you use her sword. You know it is the Ruler’s Sword?” Lauren nodded. “If I were to touch it, it would kill me instantly. You not only touch it, you use it. You opened this cache with it.” He shook his head in what appeared to be wonder. “How is that possible?”

“I understand nothing about any of this. I only know that I’m here in this now. And all I want to do is get back to my time, my reality. Perhaps when you return to your Keep, you can ask Merilyn. Alex seemed to hold her in high regard and thought she would be able to answer some of these questions.” Lauren rose from her thermo-pad. “I’m going to try and get some sleep. Rest well, McLaran, and thanks for not shooting me.”

McLaran motioned her to settle back down. “I acknowledge your distress, but I feel I must take you back to Fuar Ćala. You, your abilities, your actions fly in the face of everything we know to be true. We must have answers before we allow you to leave us.”

Lauren couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could he make demands of her? He has no right to do that! “You want answers? That’s all I’ve wanted since waking up in that cave in the Zirkels. But no one can or will answer my questions. So why should you get answers? All I want is get back to my reality.”

Her outburst may have vented some of her frustrations but it did nothing to assuage her deep despair. Defeated, Lauren hung her head as silent tears slid down her cheeks. “Please, just leave me alone. I can’t take much more. I’m trying to be strong, but I’ve about had it. I haven’t much more to give.”

McLaran sighed. “I am sorry, Lauren, but my duty is to Her Majesty and Fuar Ćala.”

“Don’t you understand? I patched her up and got her home. That’s what she wanted. I’ve done my duty, and I’ve no allegiance to Terra or Fuar Ćala. Alex sent me away.” The only duty I have left is to protect my heart as much as I can. She settled down, pulled her sleeping bag over her head, and tried to clear her mind. Figuring out how she would convince McLaran that she would not go back to Fuar Ćala would have to wait until tomorrow. Silent tears tracked down her cheeks.

Chapter Eight

STRIDING DOWN THE ENTRY hall toward the grand stairs, Alex smiled. Not having to say a word in her own defense was as powerful a message as carrying the Doouglas blade. But it wouldn't stop whatever the Hebridean contingency was planning. Treachery ran deep on that side of the table and would need to be dealt with. Oswein was a puppet, but Gwenhwyfach was another matter altogether.

“Majesty, please wait a moment. Please.” MacDonald chased Alex down the hall.

Alex slowed and turned. “I am tired and must contact McLaran to see where we stand in pursuit of the remaining Comin. The wounded patrolman will be here in the morning, to be dealt with.”

When MacDonald came abreast of Alex he knelt. She frowned. “Get up!”

But he stayed on his knees, head bowed, right arm across his chest. “Not while you wear the tartan and carry the blade.”

Looking down, Alex noticed the tartan still draped over her shoulders. Twirling the fabric off, she handed it to MacDonald. “Here, take this back to the Council Room and then come to my solar. We’ll explain everything there. If you see the others, bring them along, too.”

“Come,” Alex called when a knock reverberated throughout her rooms. She had changed from her formal uniform to soft riding pants and an open shirt. The blade was back in the weapon’s room. A fire blazed on the hearth, and she had arranged finger foods and drinks for her guests.

MacDonald strode into the room followed closely by McLaran the Younger and Newkirk the Elder. Alex was schooled with MacDonald, McLaran, and Newkirk the Younger. The four were the bane to all their tutors. But the bonds formed in childhood had only strengthened over time. Their relationships carried into adulthood, reinforcing those shared between their parents. These four clans formed the core of the Fuar Ćala ruling group.

“Welcome, my friends. The Seneschal will be here shortly. What may I get you to drink?”  Ever the gracious host, Alex served her closest allies.

As the Seneschal swept into the room, Snow rose from her place by the fire and hurried over, beseeching her with her eyes. Merilyn pushed her away. “Snow, let me pass.”

“Come here, Snow. We will all discuss what we know together.” Alex reached out to ruffle the wolf’s neck. “Seneschal, where are we with the Comin?”

Sketching a quick bow to Alex, Merilyn dropped into the other armchair. Snow was curled in front of Alex’s chair. Alex looked down at her three friends where they lounged on the rugs. “Before the Seneschal begins, I will ask for your oath that anything discussed here this night will remain here, and never be shared elsewhere.” Alex rose and pulled her dirk from the belt sheath. She drew the razor-sharp blade across her palm. A thin crimson line blossomed, and she held her hand out to the others. MacDonald took the blade and drew it across his palm, the action repeated by the other two. Then each clan member clasped Alex’s bleeding palm in theirs, melding their blood and sealing their oath of silence. They sat back down, and Alex slipped her feet beneath Snow’s warm body, murmuring a quick thank you.

“Well then, let us begin with what we know. A Comin patrol followed Alex back into our world, across a nexus membrane that she opened into theirs.” The gasp that rose from the floor stopped Merilyn’s summary.

Questions tumbled one over the other. Holding up her hands, Alex quieted the barrage. “Let Merilyn finish. She will put everything in context.”

“Thank you, Alexandra.” Merilyn dipped her head to Alex. “As I said, Alex crossed over to the Comin Homeworld. She traveled to the nexus with her animal companions. The purpose of this trek was to recover information about their bioweapon. Information that we hoped would allow our healing technicians to create a cure. As she reached the Keep’s shield boundary on her return, she was ambushed by that same patrol. She was hit by a blaster bolt. They were using molecular disruptors.” The trio stiffened and more gasps rose from the floor.

Merilyn continued through the interruption. “Her blast injury was healed by invoking the Ruler’s Rite. However, Alexandra’s near-term memories were lost during this healing. They should come back, but until they do, we do not know what happened on her trek. The datanode she took across the nexus is missing. And without that, we do not know if Alex found the information we need or not.”

Merilyn paused to sip from her goblet. “We have two remaining Comin alive. One will be here in the morning with the Guardians. McLaran is following the other, and he should report back soon.”

“Father will find the bastard and take care of him.” McLaran the Younger stated with the absolute assurance of a proud son.

“He will, and when he does, we may begin to understand more of this disaster. Until then, we must maintain a state of calm and quiet authority. The Hebrideans will not rest until they have usurped the throne. This information about Alex and her trek would only fuel their cause.”

The group continued their discussion, but Alex remained stoic, lost in the fog of her silent mind.

Snow rose suddenly. She barreled across the room, jumping over the three on the floor, scattering drink and food in her wake. Stopping at the door she spun around.

“Snow, for the love of all that’s holy, sit down and quit interrupting, or get out!” Merilyn barked at the anxious wolf.

“She is trying to tell us something.” Alex coaxed the wolf back over. “What is it? Will you focus for me? Maybe together we can understand.” Alex placed her hands on either side of Snow’s ruff, grabbing the fur beneath her ears. She lowered her forehead until it rested on Snow’s broad brow. “Focus on one thought at a time. What do you want to say?”

Closing her eyes, Alex focused on Snow, trying to pull her thoughts in. Glimpses slipped in. “Going…Ice running…cold…hunting.” But hunting what? “One at a time, Snow. Slow down your thoughts.”

A huff blew across her face, as Snow released some of her frustration. And then things began to clear. Images of blowing snow, and running through the woods brushed against her consciousness. Searching for something, no someone. “Is Ice looking for McLaran? Is McLaran hurt?” Fear curled around Alex’s heart.

The spoken questions brought the other four in the room to their feet. Alex looked up at them and made a snap decision. “I need your help to connect. I cannot do this by myself.” Alex felt her mental energy declining. But she needed to hear what Snow was trying to say.

Merilyn knelt beside Alex’s chair and instructed. “Place one hand on Snow and one on Alex. Try and send only energy to strengthen their connection. Do not send thoughts or let your anxiety seep through, these will only confuse Snow, and complicate the connection.”

Once they all touched Snow and Alex, the four were pulled head over heels into a kaleidoscope of jumbled images. Alex couldn’t stop the cascade from hitting them. She fought to sort out Snow’s thoughts, but they were coming too fast—a swirl of snow in her mind’s eye.

Snow called out mentally, “There Alex, hear Lauren! Ice is with her and McLaran. They are in the Teton cache. We must go now!” But Alex remained deaf and blind, hearing only Snow’s mewling and seeing only swirling snow in her mind.

As the group’s combined mind energy built and continued to strengthen the connection, a blue laser light lanced through the room, blowing the five apart. Snow dropped to the floor as Alex was thrown backward out of her chair. Merilyn was tossed to one side, partially sprawled over Snow. The three others were scattered throughout the room.

Lauren cradled Ice’s head and cried into her fur. Ice howled and rose. The cave filled with blue laser light as the sword’s sapphire sprang to life. The gem pulsed, projecting streaks of blue and green across the cave walls. Lauren grasped the hilt and pulled the blade to her. “Hear me. Alex! Why did you ask me to go? Tell me why.” Lauren’s soul couldn't rest, all she could ask was why, but she never got an answer. Now she had reached her limit.

McLaran was pulled from his sleep. He covered his eyes against the intense light emanating from the stone. He crawled back toward the entrance. “Get back, the gem is gathering energy. Drop the blade! It is going to destroy itself.”

Lauren held Ice close, as she grasped the sword in her other hand. “No, it won’t hurt me. It’s trying to reach Alex. Ice, can you feel Alex? Can you feel Snow? Ice you gotta try and help me reach them.” Burying her head in Ice’s fur, Ice combined her mind energy with Lauren’s. Lauren screamed for Alex to hear her. Blue plasma energy exploded from the sapphire, filling the cave, Ice, and Lauren with its energy.

Pounding rang through the solar. Roused by the noise, Merilyn was the first to recover. Rising from her place on the floor, she surveyed the damage. Tapestries dangled from their moorings, burn marks still smoldered, the walls were streaked with blue and green. Laser energy had melted the gray stone walls in places. The low table lay in pieces beneath MacDonald and McLaran. Newkirk was heaped on a pile of broken furniture against the far wall.

The Guardians were trying to enter by destroying the door, something that couldn’t be done even with molecular disruptors, when it was sealed from within. Another blast hit the door.

Shouting above the noise, Merilyn called, “Enter!” The analyzer recognized the Seneschal’s voice and unlatched the door. It swung open. Four Guardians tumbled into the room in a tangle of arms and legs, adding to the chaos.

“Your Grace, there’s been a terra-tremor. We must evacuate everyone from the Keep. The foundations are ringing with discharged energy. Hurry now so we can help the others.”  The Guardian leaned over Merilyn and reached out to help her up.

“No, it was not a terra-tremor. The Keep is safe. See to the others, and pass word to the communications center that everyone will be fine.”

The Guardian moved closer. “But, Your Grace, the Keep walls around the western tower are deformed. This energy came from without, not within.”

“I appreciate your concern but the engineering technicians will tell you that the Keep is sound, and all is well.” Merilyn continued to deflect the Guardian’s concern.

Snow whined.

“Snow, are you hurt?” Merilyn reached out to the disoriented wolf. As she placed a hand on the ruff, the wolf spun around and growled. “Easy, little one. I understand you are confused. Easy.”

Alex groaned and rolled off the remains of her chair. Kneeling up on all fours, she shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her brain. Her mind was filled with disjointed images and sounds. Perhaps they were image-remnants from her earlier journey. A throbbing, deep in her head, began to erase the images. No, I cannot lose those. They are important. Focus on those images.

Snow came over to lean against her. The physical contact added Snow’s energy and strengthened her focus. Her head began to clear. Little by little the images sharpened, and she was able to sort through them in some coherent manner. The trek to the Comin Homeworld, finding the information and recording it in a datanode, her escape but near-fatal injury, being found and treated by…Lauren? Yes, Lauren found me and healed me. The journey back to Fuar Ćala and the ambush. It was all clear. A smile stretched across Alex’s face as she was finally able to fill in the missing pieces of her memories. Turning, she buried her face in Snow’s fur and cried. “Oh, Snow. Where is Lauren? Snow?”

But Snow didn’t answer her. Nothing but silence. An absolute silence rang in her mind. By all that is holy, I cannot hear. I am deaf. And her smile faded, as the reality of what the silence meant seeped into her psyche. But some of my memories are clear.

Shaking her head slowly, Lauren glanced around the cave, surveying the damage. Stasis crates lay in jumbled piles, the sandy floor was rippled in concentric rings, and the walls were tinted a green-blue. A cloying odor lingered in the air—ozone. Lauren still grasped the sword and had an arm wrapped around Ice. McLaran moved back into the cave, shook his head at the destruction. He sat, staring at them.

Ice nudged her. “Lauren, I am speaking with Snow. You made a connection back to the Keep. Merilyn wishes to speak with you. Speak with you through me, it seems.”

Lauren grinned. A connection? Finally. Excitement coursed through Lauren. I might get some answers. Lauren overrode a connection through Ice and spoke directly to the Seneschal. “Merilyn, this is Lauren Beckwith. I’m with McLaran and Ice. I wish to speak with you too. I can’t get Alex to hear me.”

Lauren sat back on her heels and waited. From a great distance Lauren heard a voice mellowed with age but edged with the whip of authority. “I hear you. This is Merilyn, Seneschal of Fuar Ćala. I am in the solar of The Ruler. Her Majesty is here with me, as are three of her allies. You may speak.”

“I need to speak to Alex, now!”

“Child, I know not who you are, but we have neither the time nor the requirement to speak with you. Say what you have to say and do it quickly, I am much too busy sorting out things here.”

A third voice entered their mindlink. Lauren recognized the deep voice instantly. McLaran. “Seneschal, please give m’lady Lauren a chance to explain. You will find her information a revelation.”

“What? I can barely hear you, McLaran.”

“Seneschal, I am in the Teton storage cache with the young lady who brought The Ruler back from her trek. She healed her wounds, and with the companions got her home.  You should hear her out.” Lauren felt urgency coloring McLaran’s words.

“All right, Lauren Beckwith, speak.”

“I need to speak to Alex.”

Lauren waited for Merilyn to answer. When none came, she glanced at McLaran. The man had a glazed look on his face. They were talking without her. Her anger rose. She concentrated harder and was able to break into their conversation.

“What is going on there, McLaran? We have suffered an energy blast of unknown origin, and things are a bit of a mess here.”

“Lauren is not unknown to Alex. It seems that they traveled together. She healed Alex of her initial wounds, and somehow a bond of tremendous strength has formed between them. She and Ice can converse. I gather Lauren can speak with all the companions. The sword responds to her. We experienced an energy-discharge here from the sword, as well. I think that Lauren’s emotions generated it. That may be what you experienced. I think Lauren was trying to contact Alex and projected her emotions through the sword back to the Keep.”

“Would you ask Lauren if I may speak to her again? Please let her know I appreciate all she has done, and that I will attempt to answer her questions once I myself understand what happened. Also, ask that she return here. If she carries the sword, we need it back.”

Finally, Lauren couldn’t take being ignored any longer, and she broke into their conversation. “McLaran, I can hear you both. I don’t appreciate you two talking about me as if I don’t exist.”

McLaran blanched. It seemed he didn’t realize she could hear them. “I am sorry. Please, let us go back to the Keep. Merilyn will be able to answer your questions better in person.”

Lauren grew silent for a moment, considering her options. It sounded like Merilyn wanted to help. It made sense they’d want the sword back, but did they have to be so rude about it? She hated that they talked about her as if she wasn’t there. Her anger spiked. “Of course she does. But she also wants the sword. Since you can’t touch it, the only way to get it back is for me to return it to the Keep. I’m only a courier, nothing more.”

Merilyn’s voice rang in Lauren’s head. “I apologize for my harsh words, but we are in a dire situation here. With the energy discharge you created, we have another incident to explain. We need you and the sword back here. As you are able to wield the Ruler’s sword, you are able to return it to Alexandra. If you are bonded to her, I do not know how this would occur?” Lauren felt Merilyn draw a mental breath before she continued. “What I am about to tell you is known only by Alexandra’s closest allies. Lauren, she has lost her ability to mindspeak. She can hear neither you nor her companions. But more grievous, she also lost her near-term memories. She does not remember what happened during her trek.”

Lauren knew how much trust Merilyn was placing in her by sharing this news. She knew how much Alex cherished her mindspeaking abilities. And all her anger dissipated. “Will she recover?”

“Yes, she is recovering from her injuries. The healers think she should recover her memories. But in the meantime, certain members of the Council are trying to usurp the throne. We were able to hold them off today, but I do not know how long we can continue to do so, if a true challenge to the throne was made. If that occurs, Alex must have her sword back.”

Lauren shook her head. Poor Alex. How is she coping with all of this? And here I am acting like a spoiled brat. Lauren looked across the cave to where McLaran sat with his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, McLaran, I didn't know.”

To Merilyn she projected, “And, Merilyn, I apologize for my words as well. We’ll head back at first light. I don’t know how fast we can get back. It took me five days to come this far. In the new snow and with the cold, it could be awhile.”

“McLaran, is Gríobhtha not with you?” Merilyn asked.

“Yes, he is. I have not invited him into the cave. As upset as Lauren was, I did not want to frighten her more. He can get us back in a day or less. I’ll call my companion.”

With his invitation to Gríobhtha, Ice rose and growled deep in her throat. Lauren circled Ice’s neck in a warm hug and tried to settle her hackles. “Easy, Ice.”

“You do not understand. Gríobhtha is just another horse to me, and I tolerate him because he is the bondmate of Ffrwyn. But he did not treat her well when we left on Alex’s journey. He tried to break their bond by refusing to allow her to go with us.”

“Ice.” Lauren whispered into the wolf’s fur. “Please, let’s get along until we’re back. Then you can sort all this out with Ffrwyn, okay?”

“If we must,” Ice huffed.

A warm whiffle blew past Lauren’s cheek. “McLaran call Gríobhtha, and let’s get some rest. Hopefully, together we can make good time tomorrow.”

At that moment, a huge, white horse trotted into the cave. Lauren fell on her backside as she stared up at the gigantic horse. A mighty shake broke its icy covering, and shards flew about the cavern. “Thank you for joining us and thank you for the snow shower. Sorry you were outside for so long.” Lauren laughed as the horse continued to shake and wiggle. A roan coat began to appear as the icy covering fell away. McLaran wrapped his arms around the horse’s head. They exhaled in unison.

A deep rumble filled Lauren’s mind, rattling her skull. “A pleasure, m’lady. I owe my thanks to you for the care you gave Ffrwyn on your journey.” The horse bent a foreleg and bowed low to the floor.

“I’m the one that owes Ffrwyn thanks. Had she not done all the heavy lifting, we wouldn't have made it back. She is a tower of horsey-strength.” A deep rumbling that could only be a laugh echoed around them. “That I will share with her, indeed.”

Merilyn’s voice interrupted everyone’s thoughts. “I am glad you are all safe and together. Thank you for agreeing to return to Fuar Ćala, Lauren. When all is settled, I promise I will assist you however I can. And McLaran, please protect Lauren as you would Alexandra. Obviously, Lauren holds a special place with Her Majesty. She must be kept safe.”

“The fate of Terra may rest with this woman.”

Lauren realized she wasn’t supposed to hear this final thought Merilyn projected at McLaran. Alex once called me her savior, and I balked at that. But what if Merilyn says is true? What is going on there? She could read between the lines of Merilyn’s thoughts. She could feel her worry and concern, projected through her mindspeech. Alex needs me, and that’s what I need to focus on.

Chapter Nine

THE MORNING DAWNED CLEAR, although the air was brittle cold. A cold so deep it cut McLaran to the bone. Gríobhtha was first out after a breakfast of hay and warm oats. McLaran joined his companion as they stood surveying the drifted snow. “We will need to make all haste, my friend. There is no time to waste.”

“Do not fear. I can go at top speed, regardless of the weather. Ffrwyn said she pulled Lauren behind her using a rope. At the speeds we must travel, that would not be safe. She must ride behind you.”

“That is a lot of weight.” McLaran frowned.

“I can carry anything.”

McLaran knew that the horse would kill himself to get them back to Fuar Ćala in as short a time as possible. “Yes, I know you can, my friend, but there is no need to overtax yourself. Let us try and make the trip in a day. Once we pass out of the forest and onto the river plain, we should have clear travel. There the winds should have scoured the landscape clear of drifts.” McLaran rubbed the large horse’s nose.

“Gríobhtha, can you speak with Lauren?”

“I can, just as she can converse with Ice. It is strange speaking with her. Her mind is very different from yours. It is complex and deep, but also thoughtful and bright. It is a pleasant experience. I now understand why Ffrwyn enjoys her company so. But she is also very sad.”

“Indeed, she is unique. And yes, she is very sad.” McLaran’s comment caused a shiver to pass down Gríobhtha’s spine under McLaran’s hand.

Lauren sorted through a pile of personal gear, eyeing McLaran as he entered the cave. “I know we’ve gotta go, but I need to know what I can take with me. Are we going to be able to pull the sled?”

“I do not believe so. Choose what you need, but limit the weight as much as possible.”

Lauren continued to toss things into two piles. She filled her backpack with items from the smaller pile. Once everything was packed, she strapped the sword to the side of the pack in place of her skis. “That’s everything, I think. I eliminated all the food except one grub bag and all the cooking gear. I sure won’t miss chili.” Lauren chuckled at her own joke.

“I will. I enjoyed your chili very much.” McLaran sorted through his saddle bags, eliminating items.

“I’m going to kill Jamie when I see him. I’m sure he thought it was a big joke.” Lauren rocked back on her heels and dropped her head. Ah gawd, I may never see him again. Oh Jamie, I’m so sorry. I’ll eat chili every meal for a month if I ever get back to Colorado. Back to you and Susan and Sharon.

Pushing aside those thoughts, she continued selecting items to take with her. “I won’t give up my electronic gear and their solar panels. And I don't want to be caught out without a sleeping bag and another layer of cold weather gear. We’ve got to take my med kit.”

“I am sure that Merilyn will be able to replace any clothing for you, but your tech is unique. That we could not replace,” McLaran interjected.

Lauren looked up. “Will you be warm enough?” She eyed his black skin-tight armor. “I’ve got another couple of layers here if you need them.” She pointed to a small pile of clothing beside her thermo-pad.

“I should be fine. My armor absorbs the sun and generates energy. I can channel the energy into heat and stay warm. I was planning on wrapping you in my cape, it works the same way as the armor, therefore, you will not need the sleep bag.”

“How long do you think it’ll take us to get back?” Lauren stood and tightened the closures on the top of the pack, med kit in her other hand.

“A day’s hard journey. I am planning only one stop to allow Gríobhtha and Ice to eat and rest. We can eat then, too. But we should be at the Keep no later than middle night.”

Lauren slung her pack over her shoulder and started for the entrance, when she stopped and turned back. “Oh wait, I almost forgot.” Digging through the gear still piled on the sled, Lauren pulled out a small orange box and stuffed it into her pack.

“What have you got there? We need to take care about weight”

“Alex said I was only to give this to Merilyn.” Lauren stood and slung her pack over her shoulder. Though Lauren had no reason to doubt McLaran’s sincerity nor distrust his integrity, she would honor Alex’s request. No one was to touch the box or the datanode inside but Merilyn.

The trip back to Fuar Ćala passed in a blur of white landscape and howling wind. Lauren sat behind McLaran, atop Gríobhtha’s broad back. The horse’s gallop was fast and Lauren clung to McLaran tightly. They cut a path through the drifts in a straight line toward the Keep. True to his word, the party did stop in mid-afternoon to rest and eat. During the break, Merilyn mindspoke to McLaran. “Are you making progress?”

“We are well on our way. You should know that besides the sword, Lauren has a box that Alex said only you are to have. I suspect it contains something Alex took from the Comin Homeworld.”

Lauren eyed his back, listening in on their conversation. She felt bad eavesdropping, but her curiosity won out.

After long, silent minutes, Merilyn replied, “This increases the urgency of your mission even more. Get back here as soon as possible. We must have whatever Alex may have brought back. If it contains what I think it does, it may be vital in aiding the healing technicians. Alex’s memories of her journey are returning, slowly. It seems the blast of emotional energy we experienced accelerated the healing process. Anything she brought with her through the nexus may fill in some of the remaining blanks.”

“I understand.”

“Come in through the Sally Port as quietly as possible. Lauren will be able to open the shield with the sword. I want to get Lauren in without others knowing about her. We must keep your arrival masked from observation.”

Lauren munched on trail mix from her small grub bag. She eyed Ice. So the sword and the datanode are more important than I am. She wants to keep me hidden. What’s that all about?

“It is not polite to eavesdrop.” Ice snorted to reinforce her admonishment. “But to your question, the Seneschal is only trying to protect things that are vital for Alex’s safety and to protect the Realm. If Alex’s memories are returning, things will be all right.” Ice snorted again. She was stretched out in the only beam of sunlight that penetrated the branches of their small clearing. “It is not about you.”

“Thank you for keeping my perspective in place.” Lauren again chastised herself for her self-centered thoughts.

“That is why I am here, to keep everyone in perspective.”

“One day, Ice, your ego is going to grow so large that you will not be able to pass through a door,” Gríobhtha commented from across the glen.

“Both of you stop it.”

“You and Alex argue, all the time!” Ice whiffled.

At that, Lauren dropped out of their conversation. She shoved her trail mix back into the grub bag and stood, grabbing her pack up. She headed off into the woods. Maybe some physical distance from the other three would allow her space to calm her emotions. She knew Ice didn’t mean any harm, but her comment only reminded Lauren of what she and Alex had and so obviously had lost. Would they ever have that again? What if Alex never regains all her memories? She shrugged her shoulders. Back to the Zirkels, I guess.

“Lauren, where are you?” McLaran called.

“Here. I’m coming. Just taking a break.” Lauren reentered the clearing, her head back in the game.

“We need to be off.” McLaran tightened the girth on Gríobhtha’s saddle. “Once we clear the forest, our speed will increase. It is important that you keep your seat as best as you can.”

Shock rippled through her. “You mean that wasn’t his top speed?”

“Not by any means. Once we are in the clear, he will be able to lengthen his stride and his speed will increase.”

“Okay, then.” And that was the last clear thought Lauren had until they slowed at the edge of the shield in the dark of night.

McLaran turned to her in the saddle. “It is absolutely critical that you do not mindspeak to anyone. Psychic energy can be detected if people are scanning. And your mind pattern would be new and alert others to your presence.”

McLaran slid from the saddle and turned to help Lauren down. Lauren swung her leg over the horse’s back, and then leaning over the saddle, slid off. McLaran caught her round the waist and slowed her descent to a controlled fall to the ground. Once on her feet, Lauren wobbled a bit. She placed her hands on Gríobhtha to steady herself.

“Good job. We’re here.” Gríobhtha’s sides heaved. Lauren placed her head on his side and sent a measure of her remaining strength through their mindlink.

“No more running for you, I think,” McLaran said, patting his horse. The horse’s chest and sides were coated in foaming sweat that was quickly freezing, his nose filled with slushy-mucus from breathing in the cold air, and steam rose from his back in glimmering waves.

“We’ve gotta get Gríobhtha into a warm place and rub him down.” Lauren continued to stroke the horse’s heaving sides. At that moment, Ice ran from the darkness to join the trio. The wolf’s fur was covered in icy rime.

“I wish for a warm place by the fire and a sleep. I fear I have torn a ligament.” The wolf raised a forepaw up for inspection. If Ice was admitting a weakness, Lauren knew she was severely injured. “Let me have a look.” Lauren bent down to examine the wolf’s leg.

McLaran stepped back. “We will all be warm and able to get some rest as soon as you open the shield. It must only be large enough to allow Gríobhtha through. A larger opening in the shield will alert the guards and rouse the Keep. So carefully please, Lauren.”

Lauren brought the sword around until it was pointed directly toward the Keep. The sapphire pulsed steadily. Slowly, Lauren advanced a step at a time until the tip of the blade touched the shield with a spray of blue sparks.

McLaran stepped up beside her. “Slide the blade in slowly and carve a hole the size of Gríobhtha. Once we pass through, you can step inside and pull the sword out. The shield will close behind us.”

Lauren held the hole open and then followed the companions inside. Pulling the blade free, the hole closed with a snap. Turning, Lauren realized they were quite close to the Keep. Its granite walls loomed far above their heads as a solid black edifice in the darkness of the night.

In a whisper, McLaran said, “This way.”

McLaran led the small party up to the wall. Lauren could feel the cold radiating off the stone in front of them. “Just here, Lauren. Walk toward the wall, the Sally Port will open as you near it. It will recognize the blade. Do not raise the sword to the wall or an alarm will sound.” Holding the sword at her side, pointed at the ground, she inched forward slowly.

Lauren’s nose was almost touching the wall before the entrance opened. She felt the other three close behind. Gríobhtha’s breath was hot on her neck, and Ice’s cold nose was pushed into her free hand. McLaran had his hand on the top of her pack. The group walked forward for several minutes, the surrounding stone feeling as if it was closing in, trying to swallow them whole. Then a lighter patch appeared before Lauren, and she stepped out of the wall into a small courtyard.

Across the yard, from between several winter-bare fruit trees, a small figure stepped. A soft silvered aura glowed around her. “Welcome, my friends. Come, let us get you settled. Once you have eaten and rested, we will talk.”

McLaran fell to one knee and bowed his head. “Seneschal, may I present Lauren Beckwith, a healing technician and nexus traveler. May she be welcomed in our home and Keep.”

Lauren was shocked at the titles McLaran bestowed on her. She started to contradict him, but he stood and turned towards her. “M’lady Lauren, may I present Merilyn Arrin Cian Fionna Fraser Doouglas, Seneschal of Fuar Ćala, Guardian of The Ruler.”

“McLaran, get up,” Lauren chastised as she strode forward and extended her right hand to Merilyn. “Finally. Merilyn, it is a pleasure to meet the one Alex holds in such high regard.”

Merilyn looked down at the outstretched hand and then up into emerald eyes. Eyes that glittered with intelligence and held a steely resolve. But it was the swirling ice-blue flecks that held her attention. Alex’s. This must be where Alex’s eyes got their green flecks. It is a true bond. Their life essence has mingled, and they share one soul. That explains so much of her abilities. We must hide her away as quickly as possible. No one must know until we are prepared.

Lauren waited her hand outstretched, as she heard Merilyn’s thoughts. Why does everyone think so loudly here?

“I do not like to crane my neck at this angle when speaking to others, young one.” Merilyn did not take the offered hand, instead she reached out and grasped Lauren’s forearm.

“Then your neck must ache continuously around Alex. She’s taller than I am by quite a bit. Massage would help the ache.” Lauren felt a grin pull at her lips.

“Come, we do not have much time to get you through and settled. McLaran, see to your companion before he freezes in place. And Ice, go see the animal-techs for that strain before you stiffen solid.” With that dismissal, Merilyn spun around and stalked off through the gardens.

“Best to keep up, Lauren. Her Grace waits for no one. Not even Alexandra. What she lacks in height, she makes up for in speed.”

Lauren grabbed her backpack and med kit, and chased after the small woman. Merilyn set a quick pace through the outer bailey gardens toward the inner curtain of the Keep. Once there, the pair halted before another solid granite wall. Placing her hand on the stone, a metal panel appeared, and she entered a lengthy sequence of numbers. Once authorized, the panel glowed a bright yellow green. She then stood before the panel as a lens appeared and scanned her eye.

A rumble began deep within the curtain wall as an arch appeared within the solid rock. “This way, á Mhaighdeann Lauren. We must be in the eastern solar before the dawn.”

Lauren paused by the archway. “Merilyn, where’s Alex? I must see Alex as soon as possible.”

Merilyn dismissed her. “That is not possible at this time.” She sped through the arch and into the tunnel that bisected the curtain wall.

Lauren followed. My gawd, this wall is huge. She stepped through the arch and entered a long dark tunnel.  Once Lauren cleared the arch, she felt a change in pressure behind her as the entrance had closed. Only one way to go. Looking down the tunnel, Lauren realized she couldn't see Merilyn ahead of her. She broke into a run, trying to catch up, her long legs eating up the hundred and fifty meters quickly. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, but ahead Lauren saw a lighter gray circle within the blackness of the granite. I feel like I’m being buried alive in solid stone.

“You are, and if you do not keep up, you will be. I must ask that you shut down your mind, Lauren. Your thoughts are very loud.” Merilyn stood just inside the arch on the inner side of the wall. “Once we step through the arch on this side, we will be within the Keep proper. Try and focus your thoughts on only one thing. Grasp on to that thought with your mind and hold it. Do not waver, or we will be found out. Do you understand?”

“Got it, no wavering.” What to think about? Thoughts and images cascaded one over another, as she tried to focus on only one.

“Stop, stop this instant!” Merilyn’s voice rang down the tunnel. “Are you so untrained that you cannot quiet your mind?”

“Untrained, really? I don’t know how this mind thing works! It all started with me being able to talk to Ice and Snow. Blame them. They started it. How the hell would I be trained in something I don’t understand, and nobody will explain?”

Taking several calming breaths, Merilyn looked up. “I am sorry for shouting. Please accept my apologies. I will try to explain as much as I understand as quickly as possible once you are safe, but we must pass through the main part of the Keep to get to the eastern solar. With your mental shouting, everyone will hear.” Merilyn reached a hand towards her. “Would you allow me to help you settle your thoughts?”

“What do you mean?” Lauren took a half-step back.

“If you allow, I will enter your mind, sort your thoughts, and pick one. I will then hold your thought in my mind and project it into yours as we cross through the Keep.” Merilyn stood waiting—a picture of calm—though her tapping foot gave away her anxiety.

“Have at it.”

“Just calm your mind as best as possible. Let me do the work. Close your eyes.”

Really, close my eyes? Are you kidding? Lauren’s fears rose. I shouldn't trust her, but Alex does. I must hang on to that—Alex trusts this person. A warm blanket settled across Lauren’s roiling mind. Peace, warm sunlight, and gentle breezes drifted by.

“We can proceed. Keep your head down. And you need to remove your outer jacket.”

Lauren’s eyes flew open. “What’s wrong with my fleece?”

“No one wears red but The Ruler. Please remove it.”

Lauren shrugged out of her jacket and rolled it up, lashing it to the outside of the backpack. “All set. Anything else, Your Grace?”

Merilyn arched an eyebrow. “Sarcasm will not help us cross the courtyard. Clear your mind as best as you can.”

The pair exited the arch. They now stood at the edge of a wide boulevard, paved with massive stones. The surface was glass-smooth and beige in color. Large plagioclase phenocrysts broke up the uniformity of the stone matrix. These crystals reflected the waning moonlight, creating the image of many, glimmering, faceted-eyes winking up from the surface.

“This way.” Merilyn walked straight across the boulevard toward an alleyway between several stone buildings. The battlement behind them disappeared into the darkness. Lauren had seen the four large towers when she was first in the meadow outside the Keep. One of those towers seemed to be their destination. “Come, we must hurry. Dawn is approaching.”

Running to keep up, Lauren followed Merilyn as she darted between buildings and down alleys, moving toward the large tower that appeared in the distance through the gloom.

“We have a ways yet to go and your mind is wandering.”

Jerked back into herself, Lauren tried to clear her mind. The harder she tried, the more she struggled. And then one single thought consumed her focus. Chili. No other thoughts came, as they ran down yet another alley.

Merilyn turned left and disappeared around a corner. Following closely, Lauren didn't realize she had stopped until she ran up her back, knocking Merilyn to her knees. Grabbing her up, Lauren whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“It is all right. I stopped abruptly.” Merilyn seemed to gather herself and whispered, “This is the last obstacle. We must cross this boulevard and open the arch into the eastern solar without being seen from the guards patrolling the chemin de ronde above us. I will cross and open the arch. You must run across the boulevard and enter the arch before it closes.”

Before Lauren’s eyes Merilyn seemed to grow in stature, she was gathering her strength and when she stepped out to make her way across the boulevard, her walk exuded pure power. Her robes brightly glowed soft silver. It was a “don’t mess with me” attitude that would prevent anyone from stopping her.

She reached the eastern wall and activated the arch. Turning back, she signaled to Lauren, and stepped through, disappearing into darkness beyond.

Lauren sprinted across the boulevard and dove though the arch just as it began to shrink. Rolling to a stop against a tunnel wall, she stood. Merilyn glanced at her. “Well done, well done indeed.”

“Right.” Lauren bent over and tried to catch her breath.

“We are safely in. You will be occupying this solar tower. This area is protected from eavesdropping and intrusion, because of the shields that protect my office and staff occupying the lower floors.”

Turning down a curving corridor to her left, Merilyn again sped off.

Lauren ran beside her, gasping. “Do you ever slow down, Your Grace?”

“No, I do not. I may be old, but I am not idle. Give me another hundred rotations or so, and then I may need a holiday.”

“Funny, you are a very funny woman. A hundred years and I would need a holiday too, though I imagine I would be dust by then.” Lauren ran to catch up.

Chapter Ten

THE EASTERN SOLAR THEY entered consisted of eight floors. Merilyn indicated she and her staff occupied the lower five floors. The top three were to be Lauren’s quarters. They stood before a pair of massive oak doors.

“Here we are. You should be comfortable here. Please let me know if there is anything that you need. Your comfort and safety are paramount to Alexandra and to me.” Reaching out, Merilyn grasped the large brass knocker centered in the right door. “Please, place your hand over mine. This will set your bio-signature into the locking mechanism so you can come and go as needed within the solar.”

Lauren laid her right hand over the small one that encircled the large knocker.  A rush of static electricity ran up her arm. She winced.

Merilyn nodded. “There we are. This way please.”

They entered a large, circular sitting room built around a central fireplace. Throw rugs covered the floor, and several furniture groupings created small seating areas, all arranged facing the central open hearth. A gigantic, copper hood covered the fireplace. It rose and narrowed to a flue that disappeared into the stone ceiling. Stone shelves that ringed the room around the outer wall were broken at regular intervals by octagonal, floor-to-ceiling windows. Two appeared lighter than the rest and faced a graying sky. Dawn was creeping up on the Keep.

A circular staircase wound up through the ceiling to Lauren’s right, and this was where Merilyn headed. As Lauren grasped the rail, another jolt of electricity ran up her arm. Jerking her hand back, she shook out her arm. Must be dry in here.

Merilyn missed her step and stumbled, she appeared startled. Maybe she felt the static electricity too? “Easy there. I don't think Alex would appreciate you being hurt. I’d probably be blamed for that, too.”

The stairs led up into another open circular room, similar to the one below. This one, however, projected intimacy and warmth. Here burgundy wood panels covered the walls. Interlocking octagons of light and dark wood patterned the floor. The copper flue from below pierced the floor and continued through the ceiling. Lamps filled the room with pools of stippled golden light. The floor-to-ceiling bookcases that ran around the outer wall captured Lauren’s attention. Books, leather bound tomes, rolled scrolls, and stacks of loose papers littered the cases. A massive desk dominated the space, its top glowed a luminescent yellow green. On closer inspection, Lauren realized the top was one large monitor displaying data. Lauren laid her hand on the desktop. She expected to find a cold hard glass surface, but her hand sank into a warm membrane. She moved her hand across the surface and watched it morph around her fingers. Windows closed and new ones opened as she wiggled her fingers in the pliable surface. Puts our touch-screen technology to shame.

Merilyn appeared by her side. “Come, you can access the analyzer later. For now, let us get you settled upstairs. After a meal, perhaps we can discuss your coming to Fuar Ćala.”

Up another circular stairs, Lauren entered the uppermost floor in the solar. This floor was divided into separate spaces by low partitions. The space they entered from the stairs held a large couch, a smaller sofa, and two oversized square chairs, all covered in green leather and clustered closely around an open hearth. The fireplace on this floor held a large metal grate, where five foot logs burned brightly beneath another copper hood.

Lauren looked up at a ceiling that formed an inverted funnel. The stone ceiling was divided into eight pie-shaped sections by massive wooden beams. A number of tapestries decorated the walls, each depicting a scene: some illustrated hunting, others architectural diagrams, and interestingly, others appeared to be extraterrestrial with images of space phenomena and large space-going vessels. Next to the stairs, a gigantic octagonal window filled a large portion of the outer wall. A seat nestled below it, covering the broad sill.

Lauren walked up to the window. Metal struts divided the window into eight pie-shaped panes. The struts met in the middle of the window terminating in a metal circle. The circle was filled with thickened glass—an oculus. Lauren climbed onto the seat and looked through this central glass. The oculus was a telescope. Like using binoculars, she could make out shapes moving along the river far away. Turning her head, she viewed the dense forest in the opposite distance direction.

“Wow.” Lauren moved her gaze back and forth getting closer and farther from the oculus. It changed shape as she moved her head. It acted like a lens, keeping her visual reference point in focus. “Simply awesome!”

Merilyn had disappeared behind a three-quarter height partition and called out, “Yes, but you need to freshen up and get some rest. Come here, please.”

Climbing down, Lauren headed around the partition. “How was the lens created? Was it cast from a single glass blow? Was it laid down in layers and ground? How does it change focal length?” Questions spilled from Lauren almost faster than she could speak.

Holding up her hands, Merilyn chuckled. “I can see why Alex and you get along. You sound just like she does when presented with a wonder. I will answer only one question as you settle in, so think carefully before asking.”

Lauren moved into the room, while she thought about what question to ask. This space occupied a quarter of the circular floor. The oaken floor was honey colored, and the boards were laid in a radial pattern that stretched outward from the copper flue at the apex of the wedge to the outer granite wall. Storage chests lined the straight sides of the wedge-shaped space. A large platform held a giant, four-posted bed, positioned with its head beneath a small octagonal window set high in the curved outer wall. A canopy of sage green, yellow, white, and brown tartan draped between the four posts, hanging to the floor at the sides. Two mica lamps hung above the headboard. These lit the interior space under the canopy. A large wooden chest darkened and scarred with the pains of a long life, sat at the foot of the bed. Its top was held closed with a large iron hasp.

As in the other half of this circular floor, a small open fireplace burned at the apex of the triangular space. Facing the cheery fire were two overstuffed chairs. A small table separated the chairs and held another mica lamp. Before the fire was a large sheep skin rug, inches thick. It glowed a creamy off-white in the firelight.

“Use anything you wish here, and make yourself comfortable. The bathing room is through that arch.” Merilyn pointed to an opening in the other partition wall. She walked over to the nightstand and placed her hand on a panel inlaid in the top. “This is a communicator panel.”

“Yes, Your Grace, how may I help?” A disembodied voice rang out.

Lauren wanted to ask how the device worked, but remained silent, not wanting to interrupt their conversation or use her one question.

“Stewart, please bring a tray of finger foods and drinks up and leave them in my office. I will fetch them from there.”

“It will arrive within ten minutes, Your Grace.”

“Thank you, Stewart.” Removing her hand from the communicator panel, Merilyn turned to her. “When you call, you will reach me. I will forward your request on to the appropriate party. Now, please, relax. Perhaps you would like a bath before our refreshment arrives?”

“A bath sounds terrific.” The physical strain of her mad dash from the Teton cache had caught up with Lauren, and she knew once she bathed, it wouldn't be long before she fell asleep. But the mental stress from all that had happened took the largest toll on Lauren. “But before I do that, I want to ask my question.” Lauren sat on the chest at the foot of the large bed.

“You have narrowed it down to only one then?”

“Yes, I have. There is really only one question.” Lauren gathered the last bits of her energy. “How is Alex? Did she survive her last injury?”

Merilyn sank onto the chest and sat beside Lauren. “That is two questions, and ones I did not expect. I will try and answer both. I am amazed you do not want to know about all the technology around you.” She swept her arm around the room.

“It is all amazing, but I need to know about Alex. Please, tell me how she is.”

“As you know, Alexandra was injured when you were ambushed by the Comin patrol.” Lauren nodded and stiffened at the memory. “They were using molecular disruptors. Those are weapons we do not condone. They destroy matter by breaking the molecular bonds in any material the bolt hits.”

Lauren gasped. Molecular disruption? How would they heal that?

Holding up her hands to forestall another barrage of questions, Merilyn continued. “It is intended for one purpose, to cause a terrible, painful death. Alexandra did survive her injuries, but only just. It was a horrific ordeal from which she is not fully recovered.”

Lauren leaned forward. “Please, I must see her. I must know she is ok, even if she doesn't want to see me, even if she doesn’t know me.” Lauren finished in a whisper. “I’m afraid you’re going to be in a lot of trouble once Alex learns I’m here.”

“Why would you say that? Alexandra remembers you.”

“I heard her, Your Grace. She sent me away. That’s why I left after talking with one of your people.”

Merilyn shook her head. “Alexandra did not send you away. I was with her throughout her healing, and she did not speak. She did not mention you, Lauren. And who spoke with you? When I left the courtyard, I saw you there with your sled. I apologize for leaving you without explanation, but Alexandra was more important. I assumed you stayed within the Postern Gate. I tried to project a feeling of patience toward you, hoping you would remain in the courtyard. But when I returned the next morning to get you, you were gone, and the shield did not register your departure.”

“I heard Alex in my mind. She screamed for me to leave, to leave her alone.” Lauren hung her head in defeat. She desperately wanted to see Alex, but she knew Alex didn’t want to see her. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’ll rest up and then head back to the Zirkels. I’ll find my way back, now that I’ve returned the sword to its home.”

Merilyn turned to Lauren. Reaching out she raised Lauren’s chin with a fingertip, “Lauren, Alexandra is recovering. I know she did not mean to send you away. I think you overheard her yelling at the healers. She was in intense pain and wanted to die. Her mind was shattered by the magnitude of her injury. Her body was shutting down. Her thoughts were not coherent.” Merilyn encircled Lauren’s shoulders. “There now, child, it will be all right. You will see Alexandra soon. But first we must put this puzzle together to understand what happened. And it seems you hold many of the missing pieces.”

Lauren snuggled deeper into the warm embrace and sobbed.

Merilyn rocked her gently. “Please try and calm down. I know you are hurting, but I feel we will eventually get this worked out. If you can, I need to know who you spoke with? What was said, and try and understand how you got out through the shield without it registering your passage?”

Lauren pushed herself away and wiped her face, thinking back to that shadowy figure. She was tired, though, so tired. She just wanted to sleep. “I don’t know who it was. She didn't introduce herself. She just demanded I leave. She said that I’d torn the shield and it had to be repaired.” Lauren hiccupped as her tears reappeared. “She said I couldn't see Alex, because she was with those that cared for her.” A bit of anger rose in her chest. “As if I didn’t care for her. She called me an impudent child!” Her anger exploded. “That is what my parents called me before I went to stay with my grandfather. They never understood. No one but Granddaddy understood me,” And with that admission, the remaining energy drained out of Lauren, and she slumped into Merilyn’s arms as exhaustion overtook her.

Chapter Eleven

LAUREN WOKE TO BIRDSONG, and a room flooded with the reddened gloaming of evening that poured through the windows. Covering her eyes with an arm, she realized she wasn’t in Denver and that wasn’t the sun setting over the Rocky Mountains. She was in Fuar Ćala.

“Good, you are awake. I feared I would have to figure out how to get healers here without explaining who you are.” Merilyn swept in, a pile of clothes and towels in her arms.

“Nope, still here.” Lauren expelled a sigh.

“Well, let us get you up, and fed. Then we can answer the remaining questions you have and begin on my list.” Merilyn turned toward the body buried in the bed beneath a mountain of covers. “How does that sound?”

“Fine, I guess.” Lauren struggled from the depths of the huge feather bed and limped off to the bathing room. Whoa, stiff. A soak in the large whirlpool bath would do wonders for her. Her unconscious mind had obviously made good use of her slumber because Lauren had an organized list of questions ready when she finally joined Merilyn before the fire in the sitting area. A tray of finger foods and drinks rested on the small table between the chairs.  Covered plates loaded down another table.

“I was not sure of your tastes, or your level of hunger, so I ordered a variety.”

Lauren eyed the covered dishes. “I’m hungry enough to eat a horse.”

“Oh dear, I do not believe we have any horse here.” Merilyn rose and moved to activate one of the communicators.

Lauren laughed. “No, it’s just an expression. It means I’m really hungry. I don't eat horse.” Lauren pulled the lid from one of the stasis plates to find a thick steak, green beans, and some sort of mashed tuber. Salivating, Lauren unrolled a napkin and grabbed up some cutlery.

Merilyn was strangely silent. Lauren looked up from her plate. “What?”

“Alexandra has been using these strange idioms. I just realized they must come from you. The sharing of speech patterns is a measure of bond depth. It indicates a bond of considerable strength.”

Lauren reflected on this as she cut the first bite from her steak. Just as she raised her fork, two blurs of white fur tumbled into the room. Snow and Ice knocked Lauren from her chair, and she lost hold of her knife and fork. “Thank you, Lauren, I am hungry.” Ice gobbled up the meat that fell from Lauren’s fork.

Snow licked her face. “Get off me, Snow, I just took a bath! I don't need another one.”

Finally, Snow sat back on her haunches, letting Lauren up. A wolfy smile split Snow’s face. “I am so glad to see you, Lauren, we have been so worried. Why did you go?”

“One question at a time, and stop smiling at me like that. You look like you’re going to eat me.”

“Speaking of eating, are you going to finish that steak?” Ice eyed the plate on the low table.

Lauren waved an arm in the general direction of her plate. “Have at it, Ice.” Ice turned her attention to the meat.

Lauren snuggled down on the soft rug, and Snow curled around her. “I left because Alex asked that I leave.”

Just as Ice moved to grab the steak, Merilyn pushed her away. “No, Ice. That is not yours.”

“It’s okay, Your Grace. Ice can have the steak.”

“Fine. I know you are conversing with these beasts, and I would appreciate it if you would allow me in on the conversation.” Turning to the pair of wolves, Merilyn asked. “And just how did you two get in here, anyway? This solar is sealed.”

Lauren sat up. “Oh man, I’m sorry! That was rude. I keep forgetting you can’t hear them. They are so easy to talk to. Well, Snow is. Ice can be difficult.”

“I resemble that remark.” Ice stated, chewing around a mouthful of steak.

“Careful, Ice. You are starting to sound like me.” Ice mock-snarled at Lauren but quickly turned her attention back to the steak. Lauren laughed.

“Do not drip on this rug, Ice, or I will have your coat as a new one,” Merilyn snapped.

Lauren chuckled and pulled the plate back. All of the vegetable matter had been left untouched, though not a drop of au jus remained on the plate. “Guess it’s just veggies tonight.”

“We entered the solar through your suite, Seneschal. It recognizes Alex’s imprint on us.”

“Snow said that they entered through your office using Alex’s imprint.”

Merilyn scoffed. “Well, we will see about that. I do not feel comfortable with you two having the run of the Keep. Next thing I will hear is that items are missing from the larder, and I will have an angry cooking staff to deal with.” The tip of Snow’s nose began to turn red as she hid her face from the Seneschal.

Lauren rubbed Snow’s belly, laughing.

“It amazes me that you can speak with Alexandra’s companions. No one else can.” Merilyn smiled at the sight of Snow, tongue hanging out in wolfy ecstasy created by the belly rub.

“Ice spoke to me first back in the Zirkel’s cave. And then when Snow arrived, I could speak to her as well. But I about fainted when Ffrwyn spoke to me when we found Alex. Her voice is so different from the wolves.”

Merilyn nodded her head in wonder. “You can speak to Ffrwyn as well?”

“Seems so. I can speak to McLaran’s horse, too.”

Merilyn’s jaw dropped at that. “Lauren, you must realize that no one outside of the bonded pair or group can mindspeak with each other. Yet somehow, you are able to mindspeak with everyone. When you spoke to the woman at the Postern Gate, did you mindspeak with her?” Lauren looked up confused.

“No, for some reason, I felt I shouldn't let her know I could do that. And she didn't seem to realize I could. I guarded my thoughts like Alex taught me. She only wanted me out of the Keep, and gone as fast as possible. In fact, she gave me a time limit to leave. She said if I didn't leave within the hour, the shield would kill me when I left.” Lauren went back to scratching Snow’s belly.

“Interesting, that means the shield was tampered with. A mind technician was holding it open to allow you to pass.” Merilyn tapped her chin and appeared lost in thought. “That is why your passing was not registered within the fabric of the shield.” She waved her hand through the air. “But enough of that for now. I will figure out who you spoke with. You have questions for me?”

“I do.” Lauren sat up quickly and organized her thoughts. Then, she began to barrage Merilyn with her questions.

Dusk gave way to full night, and the moon replaced the setting sun in the clerestory windows. Their discussion covered many topics: how Lauren was able to cross into Terran reality, what happened to Alex and why she was out of the Keep, the Comin bioweapon and the illness of the children, bonding and its implications for Alex and Lauren, and mindspeaking.  But the topic that took the bulk of the evening was their discussion about the nexus itself.

“So let me get this straight.” Lauren’s mind spun with the many permutations of what she learned. “Multiple universes exist on different levels of real space at the same time. But, time may pass differently within each universe, proving that time is relativistic. The universe levels are parallel to one another, but at certain places, gateways exist that connect the different universes.”

“Correct. We call the connections—quantum tubuli. They are like tunnels. A membrane exists at each end that is impermeable to matter, energy, and time. The membranes exist to separate the universes. Think of it this way: the multiverse is a stack of paper. Each sheet of paper holds a separate and unique universe. However, the sheets of paper have holes in them, the holes are connected by a tunnel. A nexus closes off the tunnels between the sheets. If one were to open the nexus membrane, one could travel along the quantum tubuli to the other universe. Some tubuli pass straight through, from one sheet to the next so the universes on these adjoining sheets are parallel and very similar. Other tunnels pass through many sheets, connecting universes that are quite diverse. Evolution of life and the rate of time passage may not be the same, even between neighboring universes.”

“Okay, I get that example. The nexus I passed through connected parallel sheets that lay on top of one another. I arrived on Earth, but not my Earth. And Earth in this universe obviously followed a different evolutionary path. Humans didn’t evolve on Terra, your Earth. And time moves at a different rate.”

“Terra orbits the same sun. Each revolution taking the same amount of time. Time is not moving at a different rate. You arrived on this Earth at a different place on the time continuum. So, the quantum tubuli you traveled through to get here was not straight up and down.”

Lauren still didn't fully understand. She rubbed her forehead, trying to clear her confusion. “I still don’t get it. I crossed a nexus from Earth in the year 2016 to here on Terra at a time thirteen thousand years in the future.”

“Correct.”

“But Alex crossed another nexus from here to a different planet in her same time.”

“There are different kinds of nexi. Alexandra crossed a geographic nexus, one that allowed her to change locations within the same universe layer. You crossed a time continuum nexus, one that allowed you to change time but not location. You arrived on the same planet, Terra or as you call it Earth, in a similar geographic location, the Zirkel Mountains, in a similar cave in fact, but not at the same time.”

“Okay,” Lauren responded absently, wheels spinning rapidly in her mind.

“The tubuli that connect the universes connect different universes in different places. If a tunnel passed through multiple universes, you could travel millions of light years away to an entirely different universe. I think you traveled through a short, slanted tubuli that connected identical locales in neighboring universes.”

“This makes my head hurt.” Lauren rubbed her temples. “Several theoretical physicists on Earth were speculating about parallel universes, but they couldn't get the mathematics to work out.”

“Hmm, here is another way to think about it.” Merilyn sat forward in her chair. “Have you ever aligned two mirrors facing each other?” Lauren nodded as she pictured this in her mind. “If you stood between the mirrors you would see your reflection reflected back and forth between the two mirrors. There would exist an infinite number of reflected reflections. Each reflection would be a single universe. The total of all the reflections or universes, in this example, would equal the multiverse. You passed from one reflection—your reality—into the next reflection—our reality. Alex passed from one place on her reflection to another place on the same reflection.”

Lauren smiled broadly. “Wow okay, great example! I get that.” She nodded. “I really do get it. In parallel universes, quantum tubuli connect different reflections or connect points in the same reflection.”

“What we do not know is how you found, opened, and crossed the nexus to arrive here.” Merilyn relaxed back in her chair and crossed her legs.

“I think I opened the nexus when I searched for help for Alex.” Ice stretched and rolled over, exposing her other side to the fire.

Startled by the interruption, Lauren looked down at the lounging wolf. “What did you say?”

Ice turned her head to Lauren. “I may have opened the nexus. Alex was hurt, and we could not move her. We needed help. Snow and I searched for help, and I sensed another human close by. It is like how we breached the barrier into the Seneschal’s office to come here to have steak. We felt you and focused on that feeling.”

Lauren turned her gaze back to Merilyn. “Your Grace, Ice says she thinks she opened the nexus using her bond with Alex. It’s how they say they got into your office. They sensed me and followed that feeling through to me.”

“Impossible, the companion bond is not strong enough to reach across nexi.”

“It seems it is that strong. The sword was still active from Alex crossing back from the Comin Homeworld, and I focused that energy to search for help. I felt a human and crossed the nexus to reach her.” Ice rolled over. “You were sleeping when I found you. I lay down beside you to warm you up. When our bodies touched, my bond to Alex drew us back across the nexus.”

Lauren relayed Ice’s theory to Merilyn.

“It was you, Lauren. We felt you and your bond to Alex.” Snow joined the conversation.

“That may be so, but I wasn’t bound to Alex then. My bond with her grew as we journeyed here.”

Merilyn interjected. “However, it is possible, that you are attuned to the frequency of the nexi and that is what Alexandra’s companions picked up on. Your mind and body may react to the nexi even though you do not recognize them consciously.”

“Interesting theory.” Lauren leaned back to think. Memories of that day returned. “After I fell through the ice, I was searching for shelter to get out of the blizzard. I couldn't see anything in the blowing snow and had passed the entrance to that cave. But something made me stop and turn back—that’s when I saw the cave entrance. And I remember a weird tingling sensation when I entered the cave. I thought it was a combination of hypothermia and frostbite.”

“You may have felt the vibration of the quantum tubuli at the nexus point. That was the tingling. When you rubbed against the nexus, you may have increased its vibration, allowing the wolf to feel you.”

“I’m just thankful I found Alex,” Lauren said quietly. “Our journey challenged us in many ways. It forced me to realize how isolated my life is—was—how lonely I’ve been. Just working, never feeling. Alex showed me what it feels like to really live. I’ve also come to realize that however I got here it’s like I’m meant to be here. I mean, meant to be here with Alex.” Just as Alex is meant to be with me. I hope.

“I think you share a soul-bond with her. If that is true, I have never seen a bond so strong. Tomorrow you will see Alexandra. I am hopeful your reunion will quicken her recovery, and continue to strengthen her memories. Even help her regain her mindspeaking abilities.”

“I can’t wait.” Lauren rubbed her hands together. Realizing she would see Alex soon energized Lauren and spurred her to her feet. She strode to the fire and turned to warm her back. “I can’t seem to get warm. Must’ve spent too much time out in the cold.”

“The cold of winter seems to linger in all our bones. I think we feel the cold not only due to the weather but also due to our worry of the future. That make us feel the cold more intensely,” Merilyn mused.

“Alex shared some of her worry about the children with me while we traveled. She didn't really understand what was happening with them. I thought about what she said about the Comin attack. It sounded like the Comin weapon may have worked in two ways. One was the immediate destruction of your planet’s biosphere using some sort of catastrophic release of highly-charged atomic or subatomic particles. A microwave burst that evaporated all the water. And second, it released an endogenic retrovirus, which combined with the survivors’ DNA after infection.”

“And you came up with this theory in just a matter of weeks? Our technicians have been unable to determine how the weapon worked after several hundred rotations.” Merilyn shook her head ruefully. “You really are a wonder. We must figure out how to have you work with our technicians on this problem.”

Lauren blushed at the compliment. “I’m just a fresh set of eyes. Oh, that reminds me, I’ve got something that Alex wanted only you to have.” Lauren moved off to her gear that was piled against the wall of her sitting room. She dug through her pack, moving her med kit to the side and sorting electronics as she went.

“You brought a patrol worth of equipment with you.”

“All my technical and medical gear, I just couldn’t leave it behind.” Continuing to search through the depths of her pack, Lauren pulled out the small orange box. Opening the clasps, she lifted the lid and turned the box toward Merilyn so she could see the metal object nestled inside.

Merilyn gasped and reached a tentative hand out. “The datanode. We thought this lost in Alexandra’s journey.”

“Perhaps, if my presence is to remain a secret, I could work on the information Alex gathered on the Comin Homeworld. Use it to expand my theories about the weapon. We may be able to identify how it worked. And if my theory is correct, we might be able to determine the endogenic retrovirus’s genetic sequence, if it is a virus, and find a way to snip it out of your DNA.”

“I do not know what this endogenic renal virus is, but if you can find a cure, it will be a miracle.”

“Retrovirus.” Lauren chuckled at Merilyn’s chagrined look at being corrected. “My world was infected with a number of diseases caused by retroviruses—HIV, various cancers, influenza, and even the common cold. Cows, cats, birds, and various rodents suffered too. It’s possible that the Comin programmed a virus with a RNA-strand that when combined with your DNA would activate after a specific number of generations or due to a specific environmental event. This activation would result in the initiation of a disease.” Lauren continued to summarize her theory about the Comin disease.

“Retroviruses multiply by using the cell replication of its host. It enters the cell nucleus and replaces some of the host’s genetic material with its own. Lots of stuff in our DNA strands is junk left over from viral infections in past generations. Most don’t do anything but get benignly passed along to future generations. But sometimes, something happens to turn on the specific genetic sequence left over from the virus. The host could get sick and die, or it could be a beneficial mutation.”

“I have not heard these ideas discussed by our healing technicians.”

Lauren shrugged and turned back to her sorting. “It’s possible that they are so focused on the disease, and treating its symptoms in the children, that they haven’t looked back to the parents or grandparents or great grandparents yet. I’m sure you’ve mapped your genome and know what’s what in your gene sequence. Again, just a new set of eyes on the problem.”

Merilyn smiled and looked out the octagonal window noticing a streak of lighter gray on the horizon. “It is late, and we have nearly talked the night away. Perhaps, if I bring you the summary of the healing technicians’ work-to-date, you might be able to apply it to your theory?”

“Of course, I’d love something to do while I’m here.” Lauren sat back on her heels and looked at Merilyn. “But most of all, I want to see Alex as soon as I can.”

“Very well, I will bring the summary reports and Alexandra here with your breakfast. Perhaps we can eat and discuss your theory?”

Lauren grinned. “That would be awesome.”

“I will see you in,” Merilyn looked down at her chronograph and yawned, “three and a half hours. Sleep well, and thank you for an enlightening evening. I am glad you are here for Alexandra as well as for our people.” The pair rose and headed toward the circular stairs.

“Oh wait, you need the sword too.” Lauren turned back to her belongings. She reached down and grasped the hilt that peeked from the corner of her pack. Pulling the sword free, she turned and extended it to Merilyn. “You said Alex needed this back too.”

Merilyn backed away, staying well clear of the sheathed weapon. “Yes, we do need it returned, but I cannot take it. It would kill me. Alexandra will collect it tomorrow.”

“McLaran said the same thing, but I’ve been able to touch it. And use it. The only thing that happened is it branded me. How odd?” Lauren turned the sheathed weapon over in her hands. The sapphire sparked as it caught the light.

“Branded?” Concern colored Merilyn mellow voice.

“Yeah.” Lauren pulled her left sleeve up revealing the dragon where it slept peacefully under her skin. “The dragon from Alex’s blade is now under my skin.”

Merilyn reached out a finger and stroked gently down her arm. The dragon rolled over. Lauren laughed. “That tickles when she does that.”

“Indeed, I have only seen lithographs of this image before Alexandra had the image transferred to her blade. But now it rests here.” Merilyn pointed to Lauren’s arm.

“She, she rests here.” Lauren pulled her sleeve down, hiding the dragon.

“Indeed. The sword should not allow anyone’s touch but Alexandra’s. As I said, your bond allows you many unique skills. This being the most amazing of all. You are chosen. Keep the sword safe until the morn, and you will be able to return it to Alexandra.” With a swirl of robes, Merilyn disappeared down the stairs, leaving Lauren holding the blade, lost in thought.

Chapter Twelve

MERILYN DID NOT HAVE time for sleep that night. Instead, she spent the few hours before dawn at her desk in the rotunda below Lauren’s solar. First she copied all the summary reports and technician notes onto a datanode, and second she copied the information from Alex’s datanode and placed the original in her sealed vault. She would have Alexandra transfer it to her weapons vault at the earliest opportunity. Once that was done, she sent an encoded message to the chief shield engineer. She asked that he review the records for any power fluctuations around the time Lauren left the Postern Gate. And finally, she ordered breakfast for the trio and summoned Alexandra to her office. Pleased with her efforts, she began to gather all her materials when a knock on her door signaled a visitor. Alexandra would just enter so this was an uninvited person.

“Come,” Merilyn said.

Shoving the door open, Oswein burst into the rotunda. “I am here with an official petition to interrogate the Comin prisoner immediately. The petition is signed by the requisite number.” He slammed a sealed parchment onto her desk.

“Oswein, you lost in your challenge of Her Majesty’s right to rule, and yet you continue to press this nonsense.” Picking up the parchment, Merilyn threw it back at Oswein, bouncing the roll off his rotund belly. “I do not accept this petition, leave off your actions. And get out of my office.”

Oswein continued to press his point. “We have every right to have access to the prisoner, just as we have every right to challenge an unfit ruler.”

“You presume too much. I will see you off the Council before this is done, if for nothing else than your impertinence. Think well with whom you continue to ally yourself. We will ferret out any treachery before this is over. Now, get out of my office!”

Oswein left as he came, with a slamming door. The petition left on the floor.

“I have better things to do than to deal with that pompous ass.” Merilyn went back to organizing the materials for Lauren.

Breakfast and Alex arrived in Merilyn’s office at the same time. Alex eyed the food, wondering who they were eating with. There were three trays on the corner of the Seneschal’s desk. “Seneschal, who is your guest?”

“All in good time. Please take the trays while I get the satchels.” Merilyn walked out the door and up the stairs before Alex could arrange the trays in a stack.

What’s up with her this morning? First I am summoned like a commoner. Now I am toting and carrying. Alex made her way up the stairs. She assumed they were eating in Merilyn’s private chambers, but they continued past her rooms and up the next flight of stairs.

Arriving at the entrance to the upper floors of the solar, Merilyn lifted the large brass knocker and let it drop on the oak surface. A distant invitation to enter could be heard through the double doors. Swinging them open, they entered.

Alex hadn’t been in this space since her early visits to Merilyn when the Keep was originally constructed. She glanced around the well-furnished room. “I always thought you would occupy these rooms.”

“Too much space for me, I prefer the close comforts of the floor below.”

A call from above interrupted Alex’s next question. A soft voice floated down “Come on up, Your Grace, I’m just getting dressed. Be ready in a sec.”

Alex froze. The disembodied voice cut to her core and resonated through her soul. Where have I heard that voice before? My journey back from the Comin Homeworld. Lauren! Lauren is here. By all that is holy, I thought her a figment of my imagination. An imagined image created in my mind by that energy blast. She is real!

“Do not drop breakfast, Alexandra, or we will all starve.” Merilyn continued up the spiral stairs to the study above.

Alex hurried after her. Arriving in the upper room, Alex saw various pieces of equipment scattered across the surface of one of the library tables, something caught her eye, and she stopped. She placed the trays on the corner of the table and examined the technology. She passed her hand over the equipment piece-by-piece. One cord dangled free. “I have the piece that goes with this charger. The eReader does not have much charge left.” She placed the cord back on the table.

“Are you guys coming up? I’m starved.” Leaning down over the baluster, Lauren yelled, “Breakfast now. Alex.”

Still stunned by the voice, Alex stilled. Lauren! I must figure out who she is.

Lauren descended the stairs, with Snow and Ice hot on her heels. “Alex. Hey. It’s so good to see you!”

Alex could not believe her eyes, or her heart. Lauren placed her hand on her right chest over her injured shoulder and a warmth filled Alex from this simple touch. “I know you, yet I do not know all of you.”

Lauren nodded. “Merilyn explained. I know you don’t remember everything about me, but I hope at some point you will.”

Alex searched Lauren’s eyes, noticing the swirling flecks of blue in her emerald gaze. “I remember glimpses of you, of our journey and its trials. Merilyn says we are bound. I can feel you, but I cannot hear you within my mind. Or anyone else for that matter.” Looking down, Alex chastised the wolves. “I searched for you last evening, but I see I am supplanted by the beautiful Lauren. I can hardly say I blame you.”

A blush covered Lauren’s face. “I’m just glad you’re healing. We’ll work out the rest together, okay?” Lauren paused, looking down at the wolves. Alex arched an eyebrow. Lauren laughed at something and gestured at the stack of trays on the table. “Better get these upstairs before Ice starts without us.”

Realization hit. Frustrated by her lack of abilities, Alex spun toward the wolves. “You can hear her?”

Circling Alex’s waist, Lauren leaned in. “It’s ok. Yeah, I can hear them. Remember, I use to be able to hear you, too. We’ll get through this and work it all out. Together.”

Lauren’s touch and her quiet confidence settled Alex’s nerves. “Fine,” she huffed in Ice-like frustration.

“Let’s have some breakfast, and we can talk.”

The three shared a full breakfast and enjoyed the warmth from the open hearth in Lauren’s private room. After cleaning up the debris from the breakfast trays, the wolves stayed close to the fire. Alex settled on the large sofa, the only piece long enough for her tall frame. Merilyn curled into one of the overstuffed chairs while Lauren moved to the smaller sofa.

Merilyn tilted her head at Lauren. “Before we get into the specifics of your ideas about the Comin bioweapon, perhaps you could summarize your travels with Alex and the companions. Reviewing a bit of that journey may jog more of Alexandra’s memories.”

“Of course.” Alex stiffened and tried to hide it, but Lauren noticed. “No need to worry, Alex. If something sparks a memory let me know, and we can discuss that specific part in detail.”

Alex nodded and closed her eyes, trying to relax into the sofa. Lauren retold their journey from the Zirkels to Fuar Ćala. Her summary took the better part of three hours.

As she wound down, Merilyn said, “Thank you, I know this is not easy for you. Alexandra, are you all right?”

“Yes, Seneschal. I am fine.” Alex sat up and turned to Lauren. “I, too, want to thank you. I appreciate your time and efforts. I do remember bits and pieces of what you shared. I do have the scars on my shoulder and that matches your telling. I remember a snowstorm, the Teton cache, and the warm springs.” And our pleasant activities there. “I know I was injured by a disruptor as I passed through the Keep’s shield and then that I was healed using—”

At this point Merilyn interrupted, “Alexandra, let us focus on what happened when you were with Lauren. Experiences that you shared with her which might help you remember.”

Alex gazed at Lauren. “Of course, Your Grace. Lauren, I do feel strongly about you. When I heard your voice the first time, I knew I knew it from somewhere. Knew you. And your ability to talk to my companions is a key piece of evidence that we have a relationship. A strong relationship.”

Merilyn sipped her tea and turned to Alex. “Add the fact, you have used several idioms, over time since your healing, idioms that match Lauren’s speech pattern. And your use of contractions, which is not common in our language. I have noticed that although Lauren is fluent in our language, patterns from her own have crossed over, too. I recommend that you two spend time together. Something is going to trigger your remaining memories, and I feel Lauren is the key.”

Alex felt a calm settle over her with this suggestion. She saw Lauren smile. Maybe she feels this, too.

“Perhaps I can work on my ideas about the bioweapon while we hang out. I’m hoping that the information you have, Your Grace, will provide a framework for my ideas.” Alex noticed Lauren pause, and she turned her head to look closely at her. “But sooner or later, I’ll need to talk with your healing technicians. Any potential treatment will need to be tested, and I won’t be able to continue any research in isolation.”

She is going to stay, then. Alex’s smile broadened.

Merilyn nodded. “I realize the limitations your situation puts on doing research. But, you must realize that real threats exist outside of this solar. No one must know what happened to Alexandra, or what she did until we can present a concise summary to the Council. If we can propose a potential treatment for the children, all the better. I am hoping once that happens, the Hebridean bloc will be neutralized, and things will settle down.”

“I’ll do the best I can. And I’ll stay put here. Seeing Alex every day will help more than I can say.”

“Thank you. Now, I have a matter to attend to in my office, so I will leave the two of you to your own devices. Have a good morning.” Merilyn stood and hurried down the stairs.

Lauren chuckled. “Is she always like that?”

“Like what?” Alex eyed the woman.

“That.” Lauren pointed at the empty stairwell down which Merilyn had disappeared.  “Always going mach twelve with her hair on fire.”

“Her hair was not on fire that I noticed, but if you mean does she always move that fast, then yes, she always is on the go.”  Chuckling at the image of Merilyn with flaming hair, Alex settled back onto the sofa. “Tell me when can I charge the eReader with the cord you have on the table downstairs?”

“Oh, you have it? I couldn't find it when I repacked my electronics, and I thought we’d lost it in the rush to get you to safety.”

“It was among my personal belongings but has almost no power remaining.”

“I should think so. I know once you discovered the joys of reading with it, it quickly became yours. Bring it over and let’s get it charged up for you. You can indulge in a reading marathon while I review the information that Merilyn provided. That should keep you entertained while I get up to speed on this plague.”

Alex’s heart skipped a beat as she thought about the future, here every day with Lauren. Maybe being deaf, won’t be so bad after all?

Over the next several hours, Lauren began the laborious process of digesting the information Merilyn provided. Not only did she need to translate the technical terms into ones she understood, she also had to decipher the unique technology used to gather some of the data. She decided that she would set up a flowchart to show the progression of the Terran’s research and the evolution of their understanding of the disease through time.

Returning to the upper floor with her computer and some graph paper she found on one of the shelves, Lauren saw that Alex hadn’t moved from the sofa, but Snow had cuddled in beside her. “Snow, if you get hair all over my sofa, I’ll make Alex clean it up.”

“Snow is fine, and I am at a good place in this story. I must find out what happens next.”

Merilyn had the eReader delivered an hour or so ago. I’ll need to charge the solar battery pack if she keeps on at this rate. “Of course, Alex, don't let me interrupt your leisure reading. But we’ll need lunch soon. Aren't you hungry.”

Startled, Alex jumped up, dislodging Snow in the process. “Is it lunch time already? I need to meet with the boys for weapons drill this afternoon. I do not have time for lunch today.”

Lauren tried to hide her disappointment. “That’s okay. I’ll ask Merilyn to send something up, while I work on organizing this data.”

Alex approached Lauren and tentatively reached out a large hand to cup her cheek. “I will be back tomorrow morning. We will again have breakfast and share time together before my other duties require my attendance in the afternoon. If I miss too many things on my agenda, or I am not seen around the Keep enough, it will be noticed.”

“I didn't think of that. I like our time together.” Lauren turned her face into Alex’s hand, and placed a soft kiss on her palm, feeling the jolt of connection down to her toes. Alex jerked her hand back as if she, too, felt the jolt.  Lauren leaned away. “Whoa there, that’s the third time I’ve been shocked. The static electricity round this place is killing me.”

“Right, static electricity.” Alex seemed lost in thought. “That must be it. Have a good rest of your day. Until tomorrow.” She disappeared down the stairs almost as fast as Merilyn had.

“Enjoy the rest of your day. Be safe.” Lauren waved. A glint in her pack caught her eye. “You forgot to take your sword!” But Alex was out of hearing range. Lauren turned to the wolves. “What did I say?”

The only response was two wolfy eyebrows raised in unison.

Chapter Thirteen

THE SMELL OF FOOD roused Lauren from her slumber. Her bed was covered in piles of graph paper filled with scribbles, and balls of crumbled paper covered the floor. She’d spent her night immersed in the data.

Reaching the top of the stairs Merilyn eyed the paper explosion “I see you are making progress. Should I have another tree cut for more paper?”

Stretching where she sat in the window seat, Lauren laughed and rubbed her growling stomach. “I’m trying to correlate the data from your technicians with those from Alex’s datanode. If I can plot it all into a matrix, I may be able to see the evolution of the technician’s theory. And then I can overprint the matrix with information Alex brought back, to see if it impacts the direction your technicians are taking.”

“Would it not be easier to use the holographic projector built into the analyzer downstairs than continue to litter your room?”

“What holographic projector?” Dumbfounded, Lauren knew at some point she would need to access the computer in the desk but hadn’t considered the need immediately urgent.

“I will show you.” Merilyn disappeared down the stairs. Lauren followed, forgetting all about breakfast.

Alex found Merilyn by the holographic projector when she arrived. “What is all this?”

Lauren stood inside a holographic projection of a three-dimensional cube, with data plotted on all six sides. She was physically moving the data from one part of the cube to another within the cube. This action then caused a cascade of colored numbers and symbols to ripple throughout the dimensional construct. Data flashed in various shades of blue, and resulting calculations in yellows and reds. After a few more manipulations, a few green-shaded results popped up in a far corner.  Lauren pulled on those results, dragging them out of the corner and pushing them through the three-dimensional matrix. It was like watching a conductor lead a symphony orchestra through a difficult musical passage. In fact, Alex could almost hear it.

“Lauren, what is going on?”

“Quiet. Do not break her concentration,” Merilyn warned, standing next to Alex, mesmerized by Lauren’s actions.

“But what is she doing?”

“I showed her the holographic projector and how to use it. She input all the data I provided from the healing technicians and added the information from the Comin datanode, building a master data file in the analyzer. She then uploaded those data into the projector. I have never seen it used in this manner. With each new calculation, the results are shown in red—not successful, orange—somewhat successful, and green—successful. But it appears to me that the data are acting as though they are alive. They seem to flow around Lauren, using her energy as they flowed through the algorhythms. The results of her calculation are physically impacting the matrix of the cube.”

“Do you hear anything?” The sounds were getting louder and falling into a distinct repeating pattern.

“I do, but I do not know what it means. The projector does not have any audio output.”

Lauren pushed and pulled at the few green resultant data points that appeared to be multiplying in the one corner. But then their growth stopped, and they shrank back. “Oh come on! The answer is in here somewhere. You’ve all gotta play nice with each other.” Lauren dropped her arms and the matrix disappeared. “Something is off.”

“Lauren?” Alex said, moving forward.

Lauren jumped, nearly falling over. “I forgot you guys were here. Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.” Alex reached out a hand to steady Lauren.

Merilyn gave her a look. “Really, Alexandra, has your vocabulary gone the way of your memories? I can hardly understand you anymore.”

Lauren grinned. “I understand Alex just fine. Maybe we need to have your hearing checked the next time we measure your height?”

Alex gawked at her. How could she talk to Merilyn in this manner and retain her head on her shoulders?

“Oh really, you now disparage my hearing as well as my height? We are going to have to discuss the proper way of addressing the Seneschal of Fuar Ćala.” Alex saw the small smile curling the edge of Merilyn’s lips.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before.” A loud rumble from Alex’s stomach interrupted their verbal sparring, and both turned toward her. “I’m hungry too, Alex. Let’s see what we have for breakfast. Shall we?”

The trio headed up to Lauren’s private quarters and the waiting meal. Snow and Ice sat at the end of the table, eyeing the breakfast trays. Lauren rubbed both their heads.

“You two are not getting my meat today. I’m starved this morning.”

Merilyn sat at the table and removed one of the tray lids. Steam rose from the eggs. “When you desire food, or anything else for that matter, simply call me. I will bring something up.”

Lost in the trays of breakfast treats, Lauren selected sausage, bacon, and ham to go along with her eggs and finally a pastry that appeared to be filled with fruit. Alex chose nearly the same, but without the pastry. I see her sweet tooth is still intact. Where did that come from?

“I must agree with Merilyn. You must consider this your home, and we do not want you going hungry or being uncomfortable.”

“Really, I’m here at your command and under your control. Merilyn has stated clearly I’m not to leave these rooms. I do believe that’s for my safety, and I’ll abide by her wishes. For some unknown reason I trust Merilyn as much as I trust you.”

Alex watched Lauren shake her head. I hope she starts seeing this as her home. Bowing low, Alex acquiesced. “Accept my apology, Lauren, I do not mean to presume. It is true that staying in is for your safety. We can protect you here. Things are uncertain now with the Council. It is rare for a ruler to be challenged. Since we do not know those in league with the Hebrideans, or their motives yet, we ask that you stay here. As soon as we get this situation under control, and we will, then you will be able to move freely about the Keep and the surrounds.”

Lauren waved her comments away. “Fine, fine. For now, I just want to work on this mystery disease.”

Breakfast continued as they discussed the plague and Lauren’s theories but the atmosphere was subdued. After the meal, Merilyn left to attend to Keep matters, while Alex took up her place on the sofa with the eReader. Lauren settled in the broad window seat, examining the data once more. Alex left her to her own devices, losing herself in reading. Lauren’s voice startled her out of her story.

“Don’t forget the sword this morning. You disappeared yesterday before I could give it to you.” Lauren said, without lifting her head from her work.

“What sword?” Alex swung her feet to the floor and promptly kicked Ice in the side.

“I am sleeping here.”

Alex glared down at the wolf. “Ice, do not be such a wimp. I am sorry to disturb your precious rest.”

Lauren rose from her seat. “Alex, did you just hear Ice? You answered her.”

Ice swung her head up to look at Alex. “Alex, can you hear me?”

The quiet finally shattered. Alex’s heart raced. “You need not shout, Ice. Wait. I can hear you!” Alex knelt beside the excited wolf and grabbed her ruff. “I can hear you!” She buried her face in her fur.

“Me, too, can you hear me, too?” Snow tumbled into the kneeling pair, knocking them to the rug.

Alex couldn’t believe it. “Yes, I can hear you, too!”

The trio rolled around on the floor in glee. Alex stopped her roughhousing with the wolves when she noticed that Lauren wasn’t joining in. “Lauren?” The pile of swirling tartan and fur slowed and the three sat up, similar frowns on their faces. Looking up she saw Lauren staring out the window from her place on the sill. She seems sad, why? “Lauren?” She cannot hear me. I cannot hear her.

Lauren turned back to the trio. “Okay, break it up. Alex needs to meet her friends for the afternoon.”

“She’s right. I need to meet the boys.” Standing, Alex stretched. Trying to soothe Lauren, she continued, “Thank you for another wonderful morning. I will see you again tomorrow.”

“Before I forget again, you’ve gotta take your sword back.” Lauren moved to the chest at the foot of her bed and opened it to reveal her meager belongings. She reached in for the sheathed weapon.

“Stop!” Alex leapt to her side to stop her from touching the blade.

“It’s okay. I’ve touched the sword before.” Lauren pulled the weapon from the chest and handed it to Alex. “I’m afraid that the baldric was lost along the way.”

Alex looked at the sword. The sapphire looked different, marred and cloudy. Fear settled in her chest. “Lauren, what have you done to my sword? The sapphire is flawed. It has flecks in it that never existed before. I also feel the blade’s bond link is different.” Alex pulled the blade from its sheath. She stared in disbelief at the bare steel. “Where is my dragon?”

Lauren stepped back, a hurt look crossing her face. “I’ve done nothing. How dare you accuse me of damaging something that saved our lives! I used what I had to, to protect and heal you. To get you into the Keep so you could be healed a second time. And here’s your dragon!” Alex watched Lauren pull the sleeve of her sweater up. Under Lauren’s skin was Alex’s dragon. She blinked up at Alex and slowly rolled over on her back.

“Well, you must have done something because the sapphire is changed! And you stole my dragon. What have you done? I cannot carry this blade as the Ruler’s Sword. The blade and stone are damaged.” Alex shoved the sword back in the sheath and swung it toward Lauren. As Lauren grabbed the weapon in self-defense, the room exploded with psychic energy.

Sensing the psychic energy release, Merilyn rushed into the solar to find Alex and Lauren on the floor. They were unconscious and bleeding from their ears and noses. Snow and Ice were huddled in the corner, quaking with fear. Emotional energy still rolled unchecked around the circular room. The sword continued to hum with stored energy and stone pulsed with a blue-green light.

Kneeling down, Merilyn reached out and placed a hand on Alex’s head. “Alexandra, can you hear me?” she queried physically and mentally.

A groan rose from Alex. “What?”

“Everything is all right. Stay down until your head clears.”

“My head is ringing. I can barely hear you, Merilyn.”

“I can only imagine. You two released another emotion-energy burst. I felt the psychic wave downstairs. Hopefully, my shields contained the energy, or we will have the entire Keep in here.” Merilyn reached over and touched Lauren’s arm. Another release of energy burst forth, tossing Merilyn on her backside.

Merilyn stood, rubbing her rear. “You two must learn to contain this or we will level the solar with another incident. I am uncertain how much more the walls can take.” She noticed that the damage to this room matched the blast damage that marred the walls in Alex’s solar.

With a groan, Lauren rolled over. She rubbed her jaw, her voice drifting into Merilyn’s mind. “It’s not the stones I’m worried about. I don’t think I can survive another one of these episodes either.”

“You two must learn to control your bond,” Merilyn chided.

Alex’s voice floated into Merilyn’s mind. “We must worry about the Council. If they realize my sword is compromised by bonding with another, they will have a right to challenge me.”

Merilyn was going to respond, but Lauren cut in. “Alex, can you hear me?”.

“Yes, I can hear you, as clearly as I can hear the wolves.” Alex crawled over and grabbed Lauren in a hug. “This is wonderful!”

Merilyn watched energy crackle along their bond, finally realizing what must have happened. When they touched the sword at the same time, the blade reconnected them across their bond. And the psychic energy released reenergized Alex’s damaged mindspeak center. A true miracle and none too soon. “Enough, my aging heart cannot take any more.”

“Your heart is just fine, Merilyn. And mine is finally whole again. I’m not giving up this feeling anytime soon.” Lauren stood with her face buried in Alex’s chest.

“Nor am I. The Council be damned. This is what has been missing. No wonder I could not stop looking north, that was where Lauren went.”

‘Yes, I acknowledge all of this, but we have other matters at hand.” Merilyn tried to refocus the pair, but they continued their hug. “Is the sword undamaged?”

“The sword appears fine. The only changes are to the jewel and the loss of my dragon.” Alex drew the blade from its sheath. Holding the blade in her hands, she turned the pommel to Merilyn. “See, the stone pulses with a double beat. It transmits both our heartbeats. And it is marked by the emerald green of Lauren’s eyes.”

Merilyn watched green streaks flash through the depths of the stone. She nodded. “I noticed this same change in both your eyes, Alexandra. It would seem that you share a bond of incomparable strength. One not seen since the Doouglas. The First Foremother is said to have shared such a bond with her soulmate, the Fraser.”

“I never heard they shared a soul-bond.” Alex seemed stunned by this revelation. She sat down, pulling Lauren with her. Merilyn sat as well.

“Hey, you okay?” Lauren asked quietly.

“Yes, I’m fine. My mindspeak has reestablished and having my sword back is a great relief. But learning something so fundamentally important about my Foremother is a shock.” Turning to Merilyn, Alex said, “Why was this not shared? It is incredibly important.”

“Yes, it is, but they recognized how incredibly dangerous it was as well. Their bond could have been seen as a weapon and been used to influence or attack or even kill. Only one member of each Doouglas generation was given the detailed information about their bond. That person waited to see if the bond would reappear during their lifetime. If it did, they would then be ready to protect not only the bond mates, but the foundations of our government as well.”

The three sat in silence, digesting this information. Merilyn noticed that Lauren reached out and grasped Alexandra’s hand. A physical link in the face of this revelation. “I don’t see how Alex and I can have a bond like that. We’ve only been together for such a short time. I’m not even from this reality. How did we bond that easily?”

Merilyn smiled. “A bond such as this transcends everything quantifiable. Your bond exists at a quantum level, much as the nexi do. Alexandra’s soul vibrates with quantum frequencies that have bonded harmonically with yours.”

“Right.” Lauren’s voice dripped with skepticism.

“It is much the same way you were interacting with your data this morning. You were creating a harmonic connection. Alexandra and I heard it.” Merilyn looked to Alexandra for support, who nodded in reply.

Lauren shook her head. “Harmonic connection? No way. I was just moving inanimate data around within a holographic matrix, and reacting to the simulation’s results. It wasn’t working, except in the one volume where I input your DNA genomic sequence. But I couldn’t recreate my results elsewhere within the matrix.”

It would be difficult for Lauren to understand. Merilyn frowned. It was difficult for her to understand. “You were creating a harmonic wave that was generating a discernible audio output. I believe the data were vibrating with an audible frequency.”

“That isn’t possible. It’s just data. I didn’t hear anything.”

“You could not have heard anything if it bit you in your backside, you were so absorbed in your calculations,” Alex said.

Lauren glared at her, but before she could say anything, Merilyn responded, “I do not believe the data are responsible, but it is in the calculation results as your simulations were performed. We heard the vibration much like Lauren and Ice heard or felt the frequencies of the nexus.”

Lauren sighed. “Once we get all this sorted out, I would love to read more about nexi. I know I don’t have the whole picture here.”

Merilyn raised her hand. “Before we start off on another tangent, let us ensure the sword is undamaged and get it back to Alexandra’s solar undiscovered. It is only safe inside the weapons vault. And if another Council is called, she will have the proper blade with which to conduct Keep business.”

Alex stood and reached down for the blade. Lifting it from the floor revealed a shadow of the blade etched into the hardwood.

Lauren gasped. “The blade burned the floor.”

Merilyn chuckled. “Not burned, Lauren, molecularly reorganized. The sword aligned the molecules within the wood to match itself.”

“You’re not saying it bonded with the floor, are you?” Skepticism thickened her voice.

“No, it is an inorganic response of the wood reacting to the energy released by the blade. Nothing in the floor is sentient. The floor cannot bond with the blade.”

“Then you’re saying the blade is sentient?”

Merylin shook her head. “Not sentient per se. It does however contain a part of Alexandra’s life-force. And now it contains some of yours as well, Lauren. That energy would contain a bit of sentience from each of you, though I doubt it is self-aware.” Merilyn noticed a brief flash of light from the sapphire at her off-handed dismissal of the blade’s awareness and shook her head. These two have something unique, and now the blade is involved.

“I feel much better having it back. I will store it safely away in the vault.” Alex sheathed the blade and slid the weapon into her belt.

“Then let us get you both back where you belong. I will see you in the morning, Lauren. Sleep well.” Merilyn disappeared down the stairs.

Lauren watched Merilyn rush off once more. Alex didn’t follow Merilyn out of the solar. “Goodnight, Dearheart. Be well until I see you again tomorrow. I will miss you tonight.”

“Oh, Alex, you do remember, and you feel what I feel, don’t you? I finally feel whole again.” Lauren snuggled into Alex’s warm hug.

“As do I.” Alex sealed her words with a gentle kiss to her forehead. Lauren smiled. It feels so good to be whole again! “Thank you for all you have done for me and for Terra. You are a savior, Lauren.”

“No way. I’m just me, Lauren Beckwith, nexus traveler.” That comment lightened the mood as they both dissolved in a fit of giggles. Warmth spread across Lauren’s heart.

“Well, nexus traveler. Until tomorrow.”

“And you, Dearest. Sleep well.” She tightened her hold on Alex, afraid to let her go and lose their reawakening bond.

Chapter Fourteen

OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL days, Alex strengthened her mindspeech and rebonded with her companions and Lauren. Lauren worked through the bioweapon data. The soul-bond pulsed between them, each knew where the other one was and what they were doing. Each day their bond grew stronger. Now, even during sleep, they could reach out and touch the mind of the others.

Their mornings were spent with Merilyn, sharing breakfast and enjoying lively conversations about everything and nothing. Lauren still asked myriad questions about the Keep, their technology, their journey from their Homeworld, their longevity. Now they also spent their evenings together. Alex relaxing with a new story on the eReader or listening to music she discovered on Lauren’s iPod. Lauren continued sorting through more data about the Comin plague.

During one evening while Alex was reading, Lauren asked, “Do you think Merilyn would let me go outside?”

“Outside, as in outside the solar? No, I do not think that would be possible.” Alex noticed the frown that crossed Lauren face before she tried to hide it. “Is there something you need?”

Lauren shrugged. “I need to get some exercise. This is the longest I’ve ever gone without regular exercise. I need to run or just walk around to stretch my legs. I need to see the stars and feel the wind. I want to see the library Merilyn spoke about this morning. I’m reaching a place in my research where I’ll need to have more information. Perhaps even be able to speak to your technicians. Merilyn has been great with providing me reports, but she can’t know everything I need. Sometimes I don’t know what I need. I need to shift through the reference materials to see what’s there. And I want to see the Keep. I want to hug Ffrwyn and take a ride with her.”

Alex could relate to Lauren’s desires. But she knew the danger outside the solar was real and potentially lethal. “Perhaps you should open a window.” Alex tried to deflect Lauren’s focus. Her frown showed Alex had failed in this effort. “I do not see how we can safely move you outside the shields of this solar. If your psi-energy leaked out, you would be easily identified.”

“There’s gotta be a way.” Lauren stood and began pacing the perimeter of the circular room.

“Let us discuss it with Merilyn in the morning. She may have some ideas, but be prepared for her to refuse.” Alex intercepted her on her circular path. “I could move some exercise equipment up here.”

“What would the Council think about that?” Lauren melted into her arms. “I don’t want to create any trouble for Merilyn, I just want a little exercise.” Alex felt her chuckle more than heard it. “I just wanna go outside.”

Kissing her forehead, Alex replied. “Let’s see what Merilyn says in the morning.”

The next morning Merilyn reacted in the same way as Alex. “No, absolutely not. We have no way to protect you outside the solar shields. I cannot imagine what we would be faced with if you were discovered.”

“But—”

“It is not safe.”

“Please, just for an hour or so. We could go late at night, on moonless nights, we could take the companions. It’d be fine,” Lauren begged.

“It would not be fine if you were hurt or caught. And how would we shield your thoughts?”

“I can see where Lauren is coming from,” Alex said. “She has a very active lifestyle.” Thinking out loud, Alex asked. “What if I asked the boys to come along? Between them and the companions, we would be able to protect Lauren. The companions could take turns shielding her thoughts. In fact, we could dress Lauren up like one of us. Leaving the one she was impersonating hidden in my solar. That way we are not seen moving about with one too many in my group.”

“You two do not relent, do you?” Tilting her head, Merilyn sighed. “All right, we will try this. But, Alexandra, you will need to introduce the boys to Lauren, and get their approval. They will be risking their safety, too.” Alex saw Lauren smile. It was a small step, but a step nonetheless. She knew she would do anything for Lauren, in any way she could.

“If you would invite them to dinner, we could use that as an excuse to get them to the eastern solar,” Alex asked.

“Of course, I will send a missive this hour.”

After Merilyn left the solar, Alex watched Lauren. She had her back to the room as she gazed out the giant octagon to the north. Probably thinking about home and what she has been sucked into.

“No, Dearest, I am thinking about the boys. We’re going to have to share some of our experiences with them.” Turning back from the window, she whispered, “Will they even like me?”

Her insecurities were obvious to Alex. “They are going to love you. And as far as sharing some of what’s happened, Merilyn shared what she knew about our journey with them after the Council meeting.”

“They’ve known you since you were born. You’ve grown up and shared life together. I’m the interloper here.” Lauren again turned away, and Alex felt it like a physical blow.

“Enough! Interloper indeed. You are my soulmate. They will see how important you are to me.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Turning back, Lauren’s face was marred with a frown.

Alex opened her arms and Lauren stepped into her hug. Better. “No need to worry. All will be well, and soon you will be out in the fresh air.”

“Lauren, would you please help me with the trays? I cannot carry them all at once,” Merilyn called from the foyer later that night.

“Be right down.” Lauren hurried down the stairs. “What’s all this? Are you eating for two, Your Grace?”

“Again with the jokes. No, this is for Alex’s guests. The boys will be here tonight. You are the one that wants to go outside. If that is the case, you must take them into your confidence. And you into theirs. Those four children were born within the Keep on Terra Prime on the same day, and were raised together.”

“That’s the point, I tried to make Alex understand. They are inseparable.”

Merilyn handed her some trays, and they headed upstairs. “Well, they were inseparable until Alexandra went to the Comin Homeworld. The boys were quite upset she had slipped away without their knowing. And then when she returned injured, they blamed themselves. We will need to be careful tonight. Trust between the four has been stretched to the limit.” Merilyn looked up at Lauren. “And I agree with you. What with your presence and your bond, they may continue to feel left out. They need to get to know you, and begin building a trust with you, separate from Alexandra.”

“Of course, but maybe I should just stay upstairs tonight, and let you have dinner with them by yourself. Introduce me a little at a time by sharing more of Alex’s journey?” Lauren’s insecurities twisted her gut.

“That is just what we must not do. We need to take the boys into our confidence. Not only for rebuilding their trust with Alexandra, but also with you. If you want to go out, this must start tonight.”

Thinking about fresh air and the freedom to roam outside, Lauren’s excitement rose, pushing her fears away. “Let’s do this. Going outside will be so awesome!”

“Calm yourself. You are projecting your thoughts again. Everyone in the Keep will hear you if your psi-energy breaks through the solar’s shields.”

“What is going on? Who is hurt?” Ice careened down the spiral stairs and landed in a heap of fur at the bottom. Shaking herself off, she tried to project an air of cool, but rumpled fur hindered her attempt.

“Slow down.” Lauren reached out to help the wolf up on her paws. “We’re fine. Company’s coming, and we need get ready to welcome our guests. Maybe I should change clothes? Something more formal?” Seeking Ice’s input, Lauren looked down at her jeans and sweater.

Merilyn answered for the wolf. “You are fine. The boys will not be formally dressed. We will be lucky if they wash off the horse smell from their afternoon gallop.”

The boys were dressed in formal kilt, and Alex was inspecting their efforts. They all understood that dinner with the Seneschal was not to be taken lightly. And Alex hadn’t shared any information about the reason for the invitation. She didn’t tell them why she was requiring formal attire either.

“Come on, Alex. What is going on? We are only ever summoned by the Seneschal when we did something pretty awful.” MacDonald tugged at his kilt. His sporran hung atilt, and Alex sniggered when he couldn’t get it straight.

“I agree. This is most unusual. And you making us dress up is more than out of the ordinary.”

“Yes, if it is just a meal and a talk. No big deal. Unless, we really are in trouble? What have you done now?” Newkirk the Younger added as they strode across the Boulevard toward the eastern solar, and Merilyn’s personal quarters.

“If you must know, you are meeting a guest. Someone I think you will like.”

“The Comin prisoner? Why the dress-up then? That scum does not deserve our finest,” MacDonald grumbled.

“No, not the Comin. Someone more important by far.” Alex glowed as she thought about this guest.

McLaran the Younger asked, “Does this have something to do with my father’s journey and his mysterious return in the dead of night?”

Alex mumbled incoherently, not wanting to give up the secret just yet.

“It does! Who did he find? He will not speak of it at all. That is most unusual. Usually, he cannot keep a secret at all.”

“Well…” Alex stuttered.

“What are you hiding? Does this have something to do with your trek to the Comin world? What did you do, bring back a woman?” All three boys laughed, and continued the teasing as they elbowed each other.

Alex couldn’t find her tongue, and she felt heat crept up her cheeks.

“You did, you cad. What is she like? And how could you even look at a Comin?” MacDonald prodded. Alex ignored him. They reached the entrance to the eastern solar and the Seneschal’s offices. Alex placed her hand on the entrance scanner.

The shield parted, and she led them upstairs, heading directly for the personal quarters. By the time they stood outside the double oak doors, Alex was nervous. This was very important to her. They seemed to notice how Alex was reacting and settled down. Alex felt them stepping back, allowing her to lead. They really are the best of friends. She appreciated their efforts to keep their teasing to a minimum.

Alex dropped the brass knocker three times before swinging the door open. Entering the formal space, Alex called, “Seneschal, we are here.”

“Please come upstairs,” Merilyn called down from the upper floor.

By the time the four made it to the second level, Merilyn stood before a low table and had their meal laid out. A bright fire blazed in the hearth, and pillows were scattered about the room. Lauren was nowhere to be seen however, and Alex’s anxiety rose another notch.

McLaran bowed to Merilyn. “Your Grace. We thank you for your invitation and are most pleased to share this meal with you.”

“Oh, stop.” Though Merilyn’s tone was crisp, Alex noticed color dust her pale cheeks.

Alex turned to the three, to Robert McLaran, her compass and conscious, to Tavish MacDonald, her strength. and to Angus Newkirk, her wisdom and skeptic. “You are my longest and truest friends. We have survived much together and have always been there for each. I understand that you are reserving your trust because of my journey to the Comin world, but you know it had to be done as it was. If all four of us were missing from the Keep, it would have been noticed. This could not happen. I formally apologize for my secrecy.” Alex bowed deeply to her friends. “It was not meant as a slight to you, but rather a necessary action for the future of our world. I ask that you trust me once more this evening.”

They each clasped forearms in turn, save for Newkirk, who merely nodded. “Of course, Alexandra. But I ask that you be forthright in return, for I see a change in your eyes. Something has happened that has cast a taint over you. Your eyes are touched with a foreign essence.”

Merilyn stepped up, placing a hand on Angus’ forearm. “You are correct, my lad. You understand the gravity of this night. Alexandra has found her other half and soulmate.”

Alex grinned at Merilyn’s statement. She couldn’t help it.

Newkirk nodded. “I do truly believe she has. But I will reserve judgment until I have met the lass. I must see that the bond is true, and not the casting of a spell or charm.”

“I would expect no less from you.” Merilyn chuckled. “Alexandra, please go get her, before she frets herself into an emotional state and we have another psi-energy episode.”

Dismissed, Alex bound up the spiral stairs.

Lauren stared at herself in the mirror. She worried that her jeans were not adequate attire for this evening. But Merilyn had assured her otherwise.

Alex called, “Come on, Lauren. The guests are here, and I am hungry.”

“I’m ready.” Lauren came around the half wall and stopped short. “I knew it! Merilyn said I wouldn't have to dress up, but look at you. Dressed to the nines! I look like something rejected from a jumble sale.”

“You do not. If I had not insisted on formal attire, the boys would have been the rejects.” Alex tilted her head. “And what is a jumble sale?”

“Oh well, they get me as is, no time to change.” I can feel her excitement. I won’t keep her waiting. Lauren turned toward the stairs. “And a jumble sale is when someone cleans out their closet, and puts everything they don't want any more up for sale. Don’t you clean out your closet?”

“I do not think I have a closet.”

Laughing, Lauren headed down the stairs, stopping at the bottom. Standing around the fire were three figures in full Highland regalia. They wore kilt of bright tartan, each patterned differently. Knee-high socks of pure white were held in place by tasseled garters. Furred sporrans were slung low over their narrow hips. Dirks belted at their sides. A tartan sash crossed their broad chests, held in place with a flashing golden pin—a stag, a gryphon, a dragon.

“Oh my,” Lauren whispered.

McLaran bowed and touched his forehead in greeting. “M’Lady, it is an honor to meet the one that steals Her Majesty’s heart.”

“She has no more stolen my heart than I could steal hers.” Hurt, Lauren spun on her heel to scowl at Alex, but Alex grinned down at her. “What she has taken is a half of my soul to meld with hers. As I have half of hers.”

“You say the nicest things.” Lauren smiled, feeling a blush warm her cheeks.

Before they could get lost in each other and forget the others in the room, Merilyn stepped up and took Lauren by the hand. “Let me introduce you to these three ruffians.”

Lauren felt Alex step back to allow Merilyn to smooth the way with Alex’s friends. Always the diplomat, Merilyn stopped before MacDonald. “Tavish MacDonald, may I present a'Mhaighdeann Lauren Beckwith, healing technician and nexus traveler. She has come from a universe away, with a knowledge that may save our world and in the process found her soulmate.”

MacDonald smiled down at Lauren. “Welcome and thank you for all you did for Alexandra. She is always getting into trouble that she cannot get herself out of without help. Thank you for being there for her.”

Laughing, Lauren smiled. “You are welcome Tavish, but I’m learning that she saved me as well.”

Turning to the next one Merilyn repeated her introduction to McLaran. Lauren eyed the younger McLaran. “I’ve met your father and would know his son anywhere. You are his spitting image. Please thank your father again for bringing me back safely, and for trusting me when he could’ve shot me and asked questions later.” McLaran bowed his head and placed a hand over hers as it rested on his forearm.

Lauren, her courage found, stepped up to Newkirk. “And you must be the stalwart Newkirk. Alex shared much about your exploits on our journey to Fuar Ćala.” She bowed her head.

Tipping her head up with a finger and looking deeply into her eyes, Newkirk said, “It is to you that I owe thanks. You saved our leader and my lifelong friend. I am honored to make your acquaintance and to call you friend as well.” Lauren felt his gaze brush her soul. He really is a skeptic.

MacDonald suddenly broke in. “Let us eat. I am starved!”

Merilyn huffed from where she stood next to Alex. “Oh, MacDonald, is your stomach ever full?”

“Never, it is a beast that cannot be satisfied.”

Merilyn laughed with the others. “Well then, do not let us stand between your stomach and food. Let us eat.”

“Did I hear dinner is ready?” Ice charged down the stairs with Snow on her heels.

“You did, but I think you’ll have competition this evening.” Lauren ruffled Ice’s fur behind her ears, as Snow leaned against her other leg. She bent down to pet her as well.

If the three had any remaining reservations, Lauren’s actions with Ice and Snow dispelled them, because when Lauren looked up once more, all three smiled warmly at her.

“You can hear the companions?” A bit of awe crept into McLaran’s voice.

“She converses with all of us. I do not know why you cannot.” Snow gave an indignant huff.

Lauren turned to McLaran. “It seems I can talk to all of Alex’s companions as well as Gríobhtha.”

“That is impossible. Gríobhtha speaks only with my father. I have tried to speak with him, but I get nothing.”

Alex gave Lauren a one-armed hug. “Lauren does speak with all the companions, though we are not sure how. We think that Ice established the mindspeech link when she brought Lauren across the nexus.”

Newkirk rubbed his chin. “This is really unheard of. The companion bond is always limited to just the bondmates. I will need to research this more.”

“Once a technician, always a technician. You can research all you want. I am sure Lauren would help, as well as Ice and Snow.”

Ice grumped. “Why do I have to participate? All I want is dinner!” And she moved to survey the spread laid out on the table.

“We get first dibs.” Lauren went to grab Ice’s ruff, but she bolted away. “I am hungry now and must eat.” Ice bared her teeth and growled.

The boys stepped back, but Lauren laughed. “Oh really, tough girl?  And who is going to stop me from stopping you?” Lauren placed her hands on her hips and glared at Ice.

Alex stepped up to the table. “Let us eat before we all starve. Seneschal, you first.”

Once the others had access to the table, Ice relented and waited her turn. The meal passed with good conversation and shared stories of past exploits. Lauren shared some of her research ideas, and a lively discussion developed as she and Newkirk debated various ideas. The trust between the five grew.

Merilyn smiled. I know a bloc is forming on the Council that will be difficult for others to breach. This could prove useful and needed, if the Hebrideans again rise to challenge Alexandra.

Lauren glanced at her. “I can hear your thoughts, Merilyn. Please, let's enjoy the evening, and leave the political machinations for tomorrow. Okay?”

“It is impolite to listen in on others thoughts, Lauren.”

“If you wouldn’t shout, I wouldn’t be able to hear you.” Lauren watched Merilyn frown. Lauren laughed at her consternation.

Relaxing after their meal, Alex shared the desire to allow Lauren out of the solar to stretch her legs and get some exercise.

Newkirk blanched. “This could be dangerous! We do not know who is plotting against you, and if Lauren was discovered, it would spell disaster.”

“I recognize that, but it is not fair to Lauren to keep her cooped up here all the time. And she is correct that she will need to use the archives, and perhaps even meet with our healing technicians if she is to continue her research.”

“The only way I can see this happening, is if we all go out together and probably at night. We will need the companions as well and perhaps Gríobhtha. And if he is to come, then my father would need to be involved as well,” McLaran said.

Merilyn jumped into the conversation. “I agree. Your father will need to be involved, but if we are to do this, how do we add Lauren to the group without having too many? I would not be expected to go out at night for a gallop.”

“True, an additional member to our group would be suspicious and raise question with the guards.”

Newkirk tapped his lips with a fingertip and speculated, “What if we dress Lauren as one of us? Then the number would be correct. And a nighttime gallop would not be questioned. And if she is to use the archives, then it must be me she goes out as.”

Lauren smiled as the boys came to same solution she and Alex had. The evening ended with an agreement that they would meet again for dinner tomorrow, and Merilyn would invite McLaran the Elder as well. At that meal a final plan would be agreed to that would allow Lauren freedom away from the solar and an opportunity to review the archives.

Chapter Fifteen

IN THE SECOND WEEK after they met with the boys, the healing technicians informed the Seneschal that the Comin prisoner was well enough to be interrogated. Merilyn called McLaran the Elder to her office and together they outlined what they would ask: how the Comin came to Terra, what they were after, what was happening on the Comin Homeworld, specifics about his patrol, any information about the bioweapon. They also discussed how the questioning would be done.

Certain Terrans were adept at entering a prisoner’s mind and extracting the information they wanted, but this action carried a great risk to the prisoner’s life and the mind technician’s sanity. They decided to have Alex’s companions—human and animal—prepared to listen in. It is possible that the information would leak out during questioning and one of them might hear it. Lauren would listen with them; especially on those questions pertaining to the bioweapon and the attack on the Homeworld. Both agreed that Lauren’s mindspeaking abilities were extremely strong but untrained and she would need to refrain from mindspeaking directly. Alex would remain shielded. They did not want her harmed if the prisoner was able to project using a mind-weapon.

They prepared a room off the main hall for the interrogation. It was painted black except for a white chair sitting in the middle of the room within a circle of illumination. Alex’s companions guarded the prisoner while he was transferred from the Healers Hall. He walked blindfolded and shackled. Guards were posted to keep everyone out of the hall. Merilyn and McLaran the Elder waited in the shadows of the room for their arrival.

Once seated, the prisoner’s blindfold and shackles were removed. He looked around, confusion etched on his tired face, blinking against the harsh light. The Comin prisoner was tall and extremely thin. His brown face was crisscrossed with scars. These, they knew, were self-inflicted. Ones he would cut into his face after each successful battle. Why am I unbound? Foolish.

Merilyn focused her mindspeak to Lauren. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes.”

That was too easy. Merilyn’s concern rose. She sent a thought to MacDonald. “Please have the technicians increase power to our planetary shields. Ask that they tune the satellites to look for incoming objects the size and density of the Comin probes.”

“Your name, Comin,” McLaran shouted from the darkness. The prisoner jumped, but not far and not high. He was held in place by an invisible shield. So I am bound.

Merilyn smiled. Alex was right. Lull him into thinking we are giving something away and maybe he would give something away. Having an invisible shield around the chair rather than physical bindings tricked the prisoner into revealing his mind skills. She sent a thought to McLaran. “Compliancy caught him. He thinks we are weak. He has no idea that we have mind skills as well.”

“Your name, Comin,” McLaran again commanded but this time in the Comin language.

“Ak’nood Al Skzov,” the man replied, turning his head to track the voice.

“Rank!”

“L’ften’isk,” the prisoner answered.

“Why are you in Terran space?”

Silence.

“How did you get into Terran space?”

At the same time, Merilyn asked the same question in Terran via mindspeech. The prisoner jerked against the shield as Merilyn penetrated his mind.

“Why and how?” McLaran’s baritone seemed to fill the room and come at the prisoner from all sides, hammering him. Out in the main hall, Ice and Snow growled, while Ffrwyn struck the floor with a shod-hoof, steel ringing on the stone. The companions added their weight to Merilyn’s mindspeech.

“Stop, I beg you, stop!” The prisoner shrank into himself and began to shiver. He grabbed his head and covered his ears.

No one spoke, and by agreement waited for the prisoner to speak next. If he did, they would continue the questioning in a civilized manner. If not, then McLaran would enter his mind and take the answers.

After five minutes of silence, the prisoner hung his head. “We followed the Terran witch. She broke through our shields and stole information. We needed to have her and the information back. We do not know how she was able to breach our world’s shields and enter the repository.”

Silence stretched again. Hmm…he must not know about nexi. Did they blindly follow Alex through the nexus?

“She took information about our world, about our science, about us. We know you are planning an attack on us.” Merilyn arched an eyebrow at McLaran “Well?”

McLaran answered, “Let him ramble. He is afraid, but is he afraid of us or his Comin superiors?”

“She took information to disable our shields and weapons. We are told of the evil of the Terrans. You refused to help our dying world. My family died in the last plague, poisoned because you would not help. You will shut down our shields and the desert will kill us.” Tears fell and he closed his eyes.

“Merilyn?”

“Yes, Lauren?”

“Ask him about the desert. How is that related to the plague, and how did his family die.”

Merilyn did so, “How did they die?”

“They died alone like all the others. Blind, eaten by tumor. When the shields failed around the domes, the desert came, they died.” Sobs racked him. It seemed like he blamed everything on the Terrans.

Lauren interjected again. “Ask about the specific symptoms.”

“Did they get sick?” Merilyn asked.

“When the water-filtration plant failed in their city and the air-scrubbers went off line, the power plant could not be cooled, the shield failed. The dust came in with the next sandstorm. The sickness came with the dust. I do not know what it is. The city died. They all died!”

The prisoner slumped in the chair, his body shivering uncontrollably. Merilyn gasped and grabbed her head. Horrible images filled her mind: dead and dying bodies littering streets, animal and human, insect and bird, bloated fish floating on the river.

Merilyn’s knees buckled at the horrendous sight, unable to take more in, but McLaran grabbed her. “We must get out of here. He is caught in a memory vortex.”

McLaran threw open the doors and dragged Merilyn out. Guards pushed the shielded doors closed. The wall shook, but the shields held as the prisoner’s mind exploded, releasing an immense blast of psi-energy. An internal suicide device. The device, a common Comin failsafe against capture and torture, triggered as the levels of his adrenaline and stress hormones rose exponentially from his despair.

Feeling Lauren disconnect from the link suddenly, Merilyn pushed herself from McLaran’s arms and rushed to the eastern solar. Alex, Ice, and Snow bolted after her. They found Lauren on the floor. Alex sank to her knees beside Lauren. “Easy there, Dearheart. It is over.”

“The images were horrible.” Lauren sagged into Alex’s shoulder.

McLaran the Elder, Newkirk, and MacDonald arrived. “Is she all right?”

Merilyn shook her head. “It was a horrible experience, and I fear I exacerbated the situation as she received images reinforced by my distress. They may be our enemies, but obviously the common people are as much a victim as we were.” A whiney could be heard from the boulevard below the solar. Ice nudged Merilyn’s knee. “Ffrwyn desires to be here with us.”

“Ice, that is not possible. She will not be able to navigate the stairs.” Just as Alex said that, hoofs pounding on stone echoed from below. “Let me in this instance!”

“Let her in McLaran, or she will breakdown the doors. I have no idea how we will get her down.”  Alex cradled Lauren in her arms and descended to the formal living room on the first level of Lauren’s quarters. Merilyn followed, the rest after her. Newkirk and MacDonald pushed furniture to the center of the room, the companions took up positions flanking the cold hearth, and Ffrwyn settled beneath the spiral staircase against the outer wall. The rest found places to sit amidst the jumble of furniture.

“Well, that was unexpected. I thought we had removed the failsafe device.” Alex rubbed her temple in frustration as she pulled Lauren closer.

“We did, but there must have been a backup, one not detectable to our scanners,” Merilyn stated.

“It was organic, implanted in his brainstem. I felt it activate as he became more agitated about his family. I think it was some sort of organism.” Lauren shuddered. “I don't think he even knew it was there.”

Merilyn sat back, stunned that Lauren had entered his mind so completely. “We warned you against entering his mind. He could have attacked you through such a link.”

“I didn’t actively enter his mind. I was trying to search out anything about the desert disease. I was passively searching.” Lauren rested her head on Alex’s shoulder. “I got sucked in as he got more upset.”

Stunned by the events of the interrogation and by the immense cruelty the Comin were capable of, even against their own people, the group sat in silence.

Lauren settled in Alex’s arms. “I think we can use the information we got about his family to help us.”

“What are you saying? It was a morass of death,” MacDonald gruffed.

“The fact that the disease came in from the desert, carried with the dust, tells us it is an organism of some sort. Water might trigger its activity,” Lauren speculated.

“Perhaps that is how they activated the device on our Homeworld, remove all the water to kill the planet, and disperse an inert agent to attack the surviving populace,” Merilyn said.

“His images showed that all life is affected by the desert pathogen. The existence of a naturally occurring organism would explain why they don’t venture out into their deserts. Why they lived in domes.” Lauren continued to mentally sort through the images about the Comin desert disease and propose hypotheses.

“Why wouldn't they have an antidote available?” Newkirk asked.

“There is mention of a series of treatments in the information on the datanode that Alex brought back. But it was only dispersed in a limited trial in the capitol city.”

“Perhaps they are unwilling to share the antidote with the general populace?”

Everyone sat back to contemplate a government that withheld a cure from own their people. Merilyn realized they would never be able to negotiate a truce with the Comin. Alexandra’s Grand’Mere was right. They must maintain isolation from the Comin. The threads of their moral fabrics were too disparate to find a starting point for discussion.

Over the following week, the boys created a disguise so Lauren could access the archives. Newkirk brought up a set of hunting tartan from his family stores. The two were about the same height, though she was much slimmer and the kilt needed to be taken in. Her auburn hair was hidden beneath a flat-cap. From a distance, Lauren could easily be taken for Newkirk. They decided that Alex should accompany Lauren to the archives each night and pick her up when she finished. The wolves would provide protection if Lauren was ambushed while in the reading room of the central archives.

Lauren quickly learned to navigate her way to the central archives building. The archives occupied an immense multistoried building in the central part of the Keep. It had floors for hard copy books and scrolls. Massive mainframes were isolated below ground and held the digital data from the central core. Terran knowledge accumulated through time was held there, along with the databases salvaged during the exodus.

The main reading room occupied the central part of the building. It was an open rotunda that rose five stories and was capped by a rose-colored oculus. Around the periphery of the room, stacks radiated from the wall out into the reading room at regular intervals. Like truncated wheel spokes, these short stacks created niches between them. A researcher could leave their research undisturbed within one of these niches while working on longer projects.

Lauren selected one of these niches for her nightly visits. She used Newkirk’s identity chip to gain access to the stored digital data. One night, Lauren was so lost in her work she didn’t notice someone was approaching her niche, until she felt Ice’s teeth grab her boot. That was their signal for danger. Lauren stiffened in her chair. Who is coming?

Lauren shifted and gathered herself to face the intruder. No one had disturbed her late night research before. “Lauren, keep your eyes on your work. We will call Alex.” Snow sent a message to Alex, which Lauren overheard. “Someone is coming toward Lauren. We are under the table. Shall we attack?”

“No, let us see if they will pass by.”

Merilyn’s voice filtered through Lauren’s mind. “Lauren, the lights will come on in one minute. Shield your eyes, please.”

Dropping her head to her chest like she was dropping off to sleep, she closed her eyes. A flash of bright light lit her eyelids. The intensity of the light hurt. Lauren opened her eyes after the light stabilized.

Lauren felt the boys and Merilyn enter the rotunda: Merilyn through the main entrance and MacDonald and McLaran through a side door. She would recognize their stride anywhere. As they advanced into the room, Lauren passively searched the space using a focused mindsweep. The two boys, Merilyn, and the furkids were easily recognized, but she didn't immediately feel anyone else. Merilyn and the boys were making their way around the room in a counterclockwise physical search pattern. Lauren sensed that the intruder had stepped into one of the niches along the exterior wall. Unless the searchers actually passed the niche, they would never find the person.

Snow and Ice stood guard, their teeth bared, a silent snarl curling their lips. Lauren stood, a dirk in one hand and a rolled scroll in the other. McLaran and MacDonald stepped into her niche and Lauren breathed a sigh of relief.

“What are you playing at, Newkirk, trying to kill us with knowledge?” McLaran joked as the two motioned for Lauren to stand down and gather her things. “Come on, lad, let us be off. You have wasted enough time on studying this night. I am sure Alex is still up and would welcome a visit. What do you say?”

Lauren stowed her materials in her satchel. Nodding, she slung the bag over her shoulder and slid the dirk into the sheath tucked in her knee-high sock. Just as they moved to exit the niche, Merilyn’s voice rang out. “Gregor, there you are. I heard an alarm sound that the archive had been breached. What is going on here? I do not like my sleep interrupted.”

“My pardon, Your Grace,” another voice replied. “I was woken by your call, but the alarm did not sound in my quarters. Let me turn on the floor system.”

Lauren knew that the floor security system was an intricate web of sensors that used a crisscrossing wire grid that sensed weight changes. Anyone standing on the floor would be identified and the location noted on a holographic map projected at the reference desk analyzer.

Gregor suddenly said, “There!” A scuffle took place right outside Lauren’s niche. She peeked out and saw a burst of light hit Merilyn. Lauren gasped and tried to run to her friend, but the boys restrained her.

“I’m the reason she’s injured. I need to help,” Lauren hissed as she continued to struggle.

McLaran held firm and whispered. “No, Lauren, getting you captured or hurt or worse would just fuel the rebellion.”

Alex mindspoke to everyone. “Send Newkirk in. Ice, Snow circle to the left. McLaran and MacDonald, you stay with Lauren, and stay in that niche! I will get to Merilyn.”

The wolves shot out of niche, just as Newkirk ran into the rotunda. Again Lauren peeked out.

Blade in hand, Alex stepped out into the open. Ice and Snow quickly appeared and flanked her. Newkirk turned his back to Alex and drew his blade. Lauren could clearly see a partially charred table and a destroyed chair.

The four advanced slowly on the central reference desk where Merilyn was attacked. Alex peered over the desk. “No one!” Alex exclaimed, her voice lingering in the large space.

“That is impossible!” Newkirk was dumbfounded as he peered behind the empty desk.

Seeming to be out of danger, Lauren rushed over to where Merilyn and the librarian lay. McLaran skidded up beside her just as Merilyn sat up. Merilyn looked around. “Newkirk, I need you to have a look at that blast mark. Take the wolves with you.” She turned to McLaran, a raised eyebrow her only communication. He grabbed Lauren by the elbow.

“We must get out of here. Someone will notice you are not Newkirk. That alarm will have the Guard outside in moments.” As his warning died on his lips, his father burst into the rotunda with a cadre of Black Guards on his heels. “Spread out. Cover the exits, including the windows. No one comes in or goes out without my permission.”

Lauren struggled to get out of McLaran’s grasp and tend to Merilyn, but he held her fast. Her heart pounded in her chest. As adrenaline seeped out of her system, she began to shake, and she slumped in McLaran’s hold. Fear rose in her throat. Her chest constricted. A panic attack. Come on, Lauren, deep breaths.

McLaran the Younger flipped Lauren over his shoulder and ran out the side door toward the eastern solar. “Once we are safely away, I will go back. Newkirk will be able to participate in the investigation, as if he was there when the intrusion happened.”

Alex rubbed the back of her head, wishing she could go with Lauren but knew she should stay here with the investigation. Snow turned to her. “I can smell something. I have smelled this before, but I do not remember where.”

Alex turned away from the wolf. Merilyn sat quietly while the healing technicians completed their examination, concluding that a concussion weapon created the blast that hit her. The physical destruction to the reference desk radiated outward from the central point where the blast hit.

Ice joined Snow and began to circle the desk, but Alex shooed them away. “I need you guys out of here. I need you to accompany the Seneschal back to her solar and keep watch over her there.” Mentally, Alex ordered them to keep watch over Lauren.

Merilyn winced as McLaran the Elder gathered her up in his arms and exited the archives with the wolves on his heels. Merilyn grabbed a handful of his shirt. “We must stop meeting like this, people will start to talk.”

McLaran laughed. “Let them, Your Grace. But you must promise me, that you will stop charging into dangerous situations without help. I must ask that you stay in your solar until the investigation is concluded.”

“You cannot keep me a prisoner in my own home. I must be seen out and about or there will be talk that I was hurt or killed and Alex is hiding my health from the Keep.” Lauren held open the doors to her rooms as McLaran swept in. “But your safety is critical to the Keep. Let the Guards do their job. While we try and figure out what I heard and saw and who attacked you.”

He gently deposited Merilyn on the sofa and covered her with a throw. “You are far too important to this Keep.” And to me.

“I know. And you to me.” McLaran looked down in shock when he realized that she heard his silent comment. “Sorry, but it seems when you are close enough, I can hear all your thoughts.”

The wolves charged into the solar, interrupting them.

“What?” Lauren turned toward the pair.

Merilyn picked up on the wolves’ tension, and she knew something important was being communicated. She remained quiet while the conversation continued.

Lauren knelt before Snow and pulled her head forward touching their foreheads together. “Slowly now, Snow, what did you smell?” Lauren closed her eyes. “Good, Snow.” Releasing her grip and raising her head, Lauren said, “She smelled something spruce-based or pine maybe. I could almost smell it too. And then a specific metallic scent lingered beneath everything else. She thinks it was a woman.”

Merilyn bit her lip, thinking. “The metallic odor could be from the discharge of the concussion weapon. But, Snow, are you sure that you smelled something female? If so, I know who was in that rotunda.”

McLaran turned to her. “You know?”

“Only if Ice and Snow are sure that the intruder was female.” The two wolves placed their foreheads together and closed their eyes. Moments later, they both looked at Lauren.

“They’re sure, Merilyn. It was a woman.”

Rising from the sofa, Merilyn drew herself up. “McLaran call in your Black Guard and arrest Gwenhwyfach of Hebrides. Remove her from her quarters and isolate her within the healing ward. Do not allow her to change her clothing or have access to water. Also, have all her clothing gathered up from her quarters and inspected for any weapons’ residue.”

Lauren gasped. “Snow just said she smelled those scents in the Council meeting.”

“I know. Gwenhwyfach favors a pine-based body soap, and she was present in the Council meeting. Lauren, stay here. I must take Ice and Snow with me to confirm that Gwenhwyfach was the one involved.”

“Of course.”

Merilyn turned to leave. “Please pass all this information on to Alexandra and have her meet us there.”

The Black Guard reached Gwenhwyfach in record time, bringing her to the Healing Ward for questioning. Ice and Snow circled her, while Merilyn glared at the woman who stood calmly in the middle of the room. Surely, she must be the one who attacked them.

Gwenhwyfach stared at the wolves. “What is the meaning of this? I am awakened in the dead of night and dragged from my quarters like a common thief. And then must be sniffed by these curs, as if I am their next meal.”

Ice growled.

“The central archives were broken into this evening and we have yet to determine what, if anything was stolen. No one is safe at this time.” Merilyn twisted the story to see if Gwenhwyfach would react.

Gwenhwyfach scoffed. “Nothing in the archives could hurt me. I can defend myself and my clan from harm.”

Merilyn tilted her head. “You more than anyone in the Keep can defend yourself. Do you own a concussion weapon?” She injected a disparate question to try and catch her out.

“Why would I, when I have my mindmagic?”

Merilyn did not respond. If the wolves couldn't smell anything unusual on Gwenhwyfach, then they would need to release her immediately, or face charges of unlawful arrest. They released Gwenhwyfach within the hour and escorted her back to her home with a cadre of Black Guard.

McLaran shook his head sadly. “Somehow she was able to change clothes and wash away any scents from her soap and from the attack. I fear this is a dead end and one that may have inflamed an already volatile situation.”

Merilyn sighed. “Indeed. I fear we have awoken the beast.”

Chapter Sixteen

AFTER THE INCIDENT IN the central archives, Lauren’s trips outside her solar were less frequent and more closely guarded by the companions. Days turned into weeks, and winter wound down. Lauren and Alex shared morning visits in the eastern solar office, and late evening get-togethers around the fire in Lauren’s quarters. Lauren continued to focus on her research into the Comin bioweapon and her understanding grew as she unraveled its complexities. It was not unusual to find one or more of the boys lounging about Lauren’s rooms while Alex attended to Keep business in the afternoons, keeping Lauren company and growing their own relationships with her. A calm settled over the group as spring crept closer, though everyone maintained a heightened sense of awareness against another attack.

It was on one of their late night runs through the forests outside the Keep that Lauren pulled up short. Her mind screamed. That’s it! I’ve got it! Snow collided with the back of Lauren’s legs, and they both ended up sprawled on the trail. Lauren pulled herself to her feet and turned to race back to her solar. Snow could hardly keep up with her headlong dash through the night. “Ice, Alex, Lauren is headed back to her solar.” The wolf’s panting echoed in the night.

Lauren raced up the stairs and burst into her office. She immediately began entering data into her analyzer. Then she linked her laptop with the analyzer and ran a simulation. When that was set to run, all she could do was wait. So she paced around the eastern tower. Snow huddled against the wall, trying hard to stay out of her way. “If this works, Snow, we’ve got it. All we’ll need then is to design a new gene sequence. And develop a method to transmute that sequence into the children.”

Alex and Ice burst into the solar and settled down with Snow to watch. Lauren all but ignored them. After two hours, Lauren’s computer dinged, and she rushed over. Reviewing the information scrolling across the screen, she screamed, “Yes! That’s it! We’ve got it!” Lauren did a happy dance in the middle of the room.

Alex stood. “What have you found?”

Spinning around, Lauren grabbed Alex by the shoulders. “The cure, Alex, we have a cure. All we need is a method to transfer it to the children. I need to talk to Merilyn and the healing technicians.”

Alex staggered back. She complied with Lauren’s request, “I’ll call Merilyn, and she’ll decide how to proceed.”

Merilyn arrived slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. Her rumpled appearance told Lauren that she was sleeping at her desk again. “All right, I am here. What is all the excitement? I have not heard Alex’s voice that high since she was ten.”

Alex rushed over to her. “Lauren has a cure! A cure!”

“What? How is that possible? It’s only been a matter of weeks. Please explain.”

“I know.” Lauren was panting, she was so excited. “I’ll try to explain. Alex, the bioweapon design you discovered on the Comin Homeworld is the key.”

“Please tell us what you have discovered.” Alex settled on the sofa. Merilyn did as well. Lauren added another log to the fire in the open hearth to take the chill off, while she gathered her thoughts to present a coherent summary. Snow and Ice snuggled up in their wolfy ball on the rug before the hearth.

Lauren began in a rush. “The Comin harvested a naturally-occurring retrovirus that exists in their deep deserts. They then reengineered it based on the Terran genome. They had mapped your entire genetic makeup but went one step farther. They determined the function of each chromosome, if not each gene.”

Merilyn frowned. “How would knowing our genetic make up to that degree mean anything to them? Are we not identical to them?”

Lauren paced the room, too excited to sit. “Knowing your genetic make-up is everything that led to the success of this weapon and its lingering effects. I believe the Comin engineered their retrovirus to activate a previously benign sequence of genes through sexual replication thus creating a disease within future generations.”

“Are you saying the Comin made us their weapon?  We transferred that on to our children?”  Merilyn appeared appalled by Lauren’s conclusions. Worry clouded her face.

Lauren knew the grave consequences of her theory. This would spell the death of the Terrans with this generation, if she wasn’t correct. “Yes. Your initial hypotheses were correct. You carried this with you from Terra Prime or wherever you were exposed. With the initial release of the weapon, the virus spread throughout your population even as you travelled away from your solar system.”

Alex paled. “Then we are doomed to die.”

“What? No! Now that we know what they did and how they did it, all we have to do is engineer a new virus that will overwrite the Comin viral gene sequence with a new benign one. Removing the targeted sequence will genetically re-engineer the children’s DNA. Essentially we’re rebooting their genome like rebooting a computer.”

Merilyn stared at her. “We cannot experiment on our children as if they are analyzers.”

Lauren shook her head. “I’m not suggesting we experiment. I took a copy of Alex’s genome and ran it through a sequencer. I compared her genome to the genome designed by the Comin. The comparison didn’t show any differences. Alex was already infected, her DNA overwritten. If the Comin did use a retrovirus, then your entire population is infected. And ultimately will need to be treated.”

“So, we do not have any uninfected individuals.” Alex sighed.

“But what if I had access to an uninfected genetic sample?”

“Where would you get that?” Merilyn stilled and narrowed her eyes. Her gaze felt like a laser cutting through Lauren, and she shifted under the intense scrutiny. “No, that is not possible. You did not take a sample from the prisoner did you?”

“The prisoner?” Lauren felt physically assaulted by Merilyn’s assumptions. They were so far afield of what she had done that she couldn’t immediately answer.

“You did. Did you not.” Merilyn rose from her seat and stalked up to Lauren.

She is such a power. Lauren took a step back. “Whoa, calm down. No, I didn’t take anything from anyone. Well, except the sample from Alex.” She grimaced and turned an apologetic look to Alex where she sat on the couch.

Merilyn stopped her advance on Lauren and folded her hands into the sleeves of her robes. She is so angry. Alex looks so hurt. “Then tell us what you did do. Where did that sample come from?” Merilyn began tapping her foot impatiently.

Lauren turned back to her laptop. “Actually, I didn’t think it would work, I thought the genetic make-up of the two samples would be too divergent. My simulation showed that the two samples were genetically close enough to allow a comparison with the Comin genome. That allowed us to identify the specific chromosomal site of the virally- introduced sequence. We weren’t comparing the entire DNA strand, just the sequence where the Comin data said the virus strand should be. Since we know which gene sequence to compare the simulation didn’t take long.”

“Who is this source?” Alex frowned. “There is no one here that would not be infected.”

Lauren saw a small smile curl Merilyn’s lips. She gets it.

“Let her finish.” Merilyn waved a hand at Alex.

“So I ran a comparison of the uninfected genome and the Comin viral genome and identified the infected gene sequence location. From that, I was able to find that sequence in the Comin data, and understand how they created it. Now we can design a new virus accordingly.”

Alex stood, eyes wide in awe. “You used your own genome as a comparator.”

“Yes.”

Merilyn slumped into a chair. “I do not know how you got here, but I knew you were needed here. You are our salvation.”

Holding up her hands to halt any further praise, Lauren stopped Merilyn. “No, I’m not your salvation. Luckily, I studied retroviruses in school as part of my oncology research.” She turned to Alex. “Remember I told you about cancers on my world, Alex.” Alex nodded. “In some of the cancers, a virus was responsible for changing the cells and initiating tumor-growth, similar to what the Comin did with their bioweapon. But we have a bigger problem here. I can’t design and test a new virus, build new genomic sequences, or create a means of cellular introduction without a full lab and samples from the children. Your technicians will have to do that. But how are you going to get them this information, without telling them about me?”

“Let me worry about that. You will have your samples and all the equipment you need.” Alex rose from the sofa and moved to kneel before Lauren. She took her hands. “We will be forever in your debt for this miracle.”

“Alex, stand up. You don’t kneel before anyone, least of all me. I don't want anything from you, but being your friend.” Embarrassed, she pulled Alex to her feet.

Never breaking eye contact with Lauren, Alex ordered, “Merilyn, please prepare everything Lauren needs. And call the Council together. We have news that will rock the Keep to its foundations.”

Merilyn grinned at the pair and left.

Alex held Lauren in a gentle hug, “I am in awe of you, Dearheart, in what you did, what you discovered.” Lauren felt her face blaze with a blush that started in her toes. She hid her face in Alex’s chest and snuggled further into the grasp of her love.

Chapter Seventeen

THEY DECIDED THAT NEWKIRK would act as go-between for Lauren and the healing technicians caring for the children. He was a respected theoretical technician, and his interest in the children would be seen as a natural offshoot of his active and inquisitive mind. So Newkirk began interacting with the technicians, suggesting ideas and proposing possible treatments. He planned visits to the archives when the other technicians were present. He attended review sessions. He even went so far as to frequent the pub that the healing technicians favored.

Over the course of a month, the healing technicians began to design a genomic treatment to repair the children’s DNA, testing various delivery methods. Lauren did not share her baseline analyses with them. She knew someone would identify her untainted DNA and question where it came from. They all were so focused on the children, no one asked about the preliminary data. She and Newkirk focused their new work on studying various delivery methods. Lauren was invigorated and so excited she often went without sleep and forgot to eat.

While the research on the sequencing continued, Lauren investigated using nanotechnology as a delivery method. She knew nanotechnology had various uses in her universe: as drug-delivery systems, as a way to diagnose various cancers in situ, to target treatments at specific sites, and for blood purification. The Terrans used nanotechnology in the construction of and repair of Keep buildings, water-purification, and communications. Lauren didn’t know if she could alter their technologies for medical use.

Lauren called Merilyn one afternoon and asked that she invite Newkirk to come up to her solar for a discussion. Newkirk arrived twenty minutes later, sweating, out of breath, and smelling like the stables.

“I’m sorry. I didn't mean for you to rush up here from the fields.”

Newkirk smiled. “That is all right. You call, and we all come immediately. Your ideas are always of most importance. What can I do for you this fine afternoon?”

“Would you like to clean up first, maybe have Stewart bring fresh clothes up? I’m certain this may turn into a long discussion.”

“That would be great.” He heaved a sigh, grinning even more broadly.

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Lauren contacted Merilyn and asked her to send up a change of clothes for Newkirk as well as some food and drink.

While Newkirk freshened up, Lauren mindspoke Alex and asked if she would like to eat with them while they discussed her ideas.

Shortly, Alex, the other two boys, Ice, and Snow arrived in the eastern solar. Lauren turned to the wolves. “Would you guys be willing to relay our discussion on to Ffrwyn? That way we can avoid another incident like the last time.” Everyone laughed as they remembered when Ffrwyn had attempted her descent from the solar. It took all five of them, with ropes and tackles to get her down the circular stairs.

Newkirk appeared from the bath, and they all settled in to hear Lauren’s new ideas. “I don't think we can use an existing live virus on the children. It’s too dangerous. We might be introducing a new problem that could crop up in the future.”

Newkirk nodded. “The technicians are discussing using a bacterium, gathered from the hot springs, as the delivery mechanism. We would inject the new genetic materials into the bacterium nucleus and then infect the children.”

Lauren rubbed her forehead, deep in thought. “But how can we specifically target the exact genetic sequence we need to replace? Bacterial vaccines are typically used to create an immune response that allows the body to fight an infection. But the children can’t fight their own genetic make-up.”

“So what are you thinking about, Lauren?” Newkirk asked.

“When we were out the other night, MacDonald was explaining how you use nanotechnology to filter water. If we could modify those purification-nanites to use their filtering abilities on the genomic sequence, could we have them filter out the Comin sequence?”

“But they are not designed to be injected into humans.” McLaran’s brow wrinkled.

“True, but I think she has an interesting idea. All we would have to do is alter the programming to identify genes, filter specific gene sequences, and remove them.  Then we could add in the new ones.” Newkirk stroked his lips. “I wonder if I can befriend the water-technicians, and get some more specifics on the nanotechnologies they use.”

The discussion continued late into the evening. Topics ranged from specifics of genetic treatment to how to befriend someone in water technologies without raising suspicions, to the growing rumors of plots against Alex. Ice and Snow stated they would keep their ears open about the plots, and Ffrwyn agreed she could listen to the discussions in the stables. The topic shifted back to Lauren’s idea.

“Once we have a delivery system, we can share the information with the Council and begin the treatments.” Alex beamed.

“Hang on, Alex. We have a long way to go yet. We’ll need to test anything your technicians design before we start a full treatment program.” Lauren tried to temper everyone’s enthusiasm. She knew that they were a long way from a trial. She didn’t want to rush into something that could as easily kill the children as save them.

Alex sat back and frowned. Between the children, the risk to their future, the rumors of plots real or otherwise, and the threats to her right-to-rule, Alex was stretched to her limits. Lauren knew it was all taking a toll on her. Lauren reached for Alex’s hand. “Easy, Dearest, we must proceed in a methodical manner.”

Alex squeezed it in return. “I will be patient. But we must get this resolved as quickly as possible. I am uncertain how long I will be able to govern Terra before another challenge is levied, and this one will not be settled as easily as the last.”

“I will face any challenge for you. You know that I am yours to command,” MacDonald stated.

“Thank you, Tavish. But this time, I will need to meet the challenge myself. Tricks with a tartan and a blade will not stop this one.”

Chapter Eighteen

DURING THE FIRST MONTHS of spring, Lauren designed a new nano-system for gene resequencing. It would analyze and identify the genes, remove the Comin viral-sequence, and deliver the new genomic materials. She and Newkirk reprogrammed the nanites to use on humans safely. The nanites were sub-microscopic machines, run by micro-computers. They contained minuscule holding tanks for the four different genetic molecules they would use to rebuild the genome. Once they had a functioning prototype, they were ready to test the nanites on one of the children. The McLaran clan volunteered their great grandchild. But before the treatment could be carried out, Oswein again served a challenge on the Seneschal against Alexandra’s right-to-rule.

The night before the challenge was to take place, Lauren sat with Alex in her solar. “Alex, I’m scared. What’s going to happen? How can anyone say you are unfit to rule?”

Turning Lauren in her arms, Alex gazed into her eyes. “It will all be well. This has happened many times in our history, and is easily settled.”

“But not without bloodshed, injury, and death.” Lauren felt her heart begin to race. She was afraid. Afraid for Alex. Afraid for them all. “I’ve read your history and know what your Foremothers had to endure to maintain their positions.”

“True. But in all cases, justice prevailed, and the rule continued on uninterrupted.”

Lauren tried to pull away. “You’ll have to fight the challenger. You’ll have the right to choose the weapons to be used, but there’s not much comfort there. MacDonald said that he doesn’t trust the Hebrideans.” Lauren felt her anxiety building. The worry about the challenge caused her babbling to be rapid-fire. “Said they might interfere with a mind invasion. What then? How will you fight them on two planes at once? Physical and psychic?”

Alex pulled her back and kissed her forehead. “Be easy, Dearheart, I will choose swords. No one can defeat the Ruler’s weapon, especially not Oswein. And that is who they will sacrifice in their challenge. If they attack me using mind techniques, my companions will rally and reinforce my shields. Let us relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.”

Looking into Alex’s eyes, the mirror image of her own, Lauren smiled at the depth of love she saw. What she saw reinforced what she felt in her soul. Alex would prevail. Tomorrow would see one of the challenges Alex was wrestling with removed. Maybe sharing the new treatment plan with the Council would sideline the challenge. She gave in to Alex’s request. “Sounds great.”

Alex leaned forward and delivered another soul-searching kiss. Lost in the bliss, Lauren realized Alex had moved them off the sofa and on to her bed. Pushing her into clouds of down, Alex moved away from Lauren’s mouth to explore the line of her neck, exposed as she tilted her head back.

Hands traced the contours of strong shoulders and across the curve of small breasts. Alex paused and looked deeply into Lauren’s eyes. “Your clothes must go, Dearheart. Too many barriers for my explorations.” Lauren realized that clothing wasn’t the only barrier that would be removed this night. Soon naked skin slid gently along her body as Alex returned to her quest.

Lauren lifted her lower body in offering to Alex, opening to her exploration. “Yes, Dearheart. I have you.” Leaning forward, Alex took one of Lauren’s pink nipples into her mouth and began to slowly caress it with her tongue while her fingers followed suit on the other breast. Lauren gasped. It felt wonderful. Incredible. Otherworldly.

“Ah, Lauren, you are so beautiful. May I…may I have you?”

Lauren nodded, loving the feel of Alex’s hands sliding across her skin. Floating over her soul. “Take me please…I am yours…make me yours…please, Alex.” Fragments of Lauren’s plea tumbled across their linked minds. Desperation coated her thoughts. She was lost in a sea of feelings, physical and mental. Nothing existed except the hands stroking down her legs to her ankles and back up to circle her knees. “Please don’t tease me!” Lauren shuddered as she felt her emotions begin to spiral out of control.

Lauren’s desperate cry for release caused Alex to move her hands to the inside of her legs. She stroked upward pushing Lauren’s trembling thighs apart. Alex placed her hands on the top of Lauren's trembling thighs. Her thumbs pointed inward toward the soft tangle of auburn curls. Curls that glistened in the low light. “Yes, Alex, for you!”

Alex bent down to kiss the curls and take her first taste of Lauren’s essence. “Sweet, so sweet.”  Alex’s mind opened fully to Lauren, and they shared thought and emotion. Her tongue swirled and dipped inside Lauren’s fragile opening, gathering more. It felt like she was trying to sate her thirst. Her thumbs stretched delicate folds open, allowing her tongue better access to Lauren’s core.

Lauren’s focus narrowed to the physical touch of Alex’s tongue and Alex’s mind in hers. Her back arched. Her hands sank into the ebony mane. All that existed in her reality was the exquisite feelings Alex generated. Electrified with pleasure, Lauren arched and trembled, then Alex’s fingers stilled. Lauren was paralyzed, paralyzed with softness, tenderness, and love. A cascade of emotions and feelings tumbled over and over through her being. Her hips rose to meet Alex’s questing tongue as she slowly circled Lauren’s clitoris. Lauren climbed to her release. Alex pulled back, and again rained soft kisses on the damp curls.

“No,” Lauren keened.

“Easy, Dearheart, I will get us there. We will go together.” As Alex sent this promise to Lauren along their bond, she entered her with two long fingers. Fingers that slowly filled her and began a languid stroking.

Lauren was lost in the slow push-pull rhythm Alex created. It was as though Alex was seeking to touch everything inside of her, as she reached deeper with each stroke. Lauren relaxed into the touch allowing her greater access. Alex was reaching in, touching her soul.

“That is it. Higher, Lauren, climb higher. Do not fear. You will not fall. I will catch us.”

Lauren screamed Alex’s name as wave after wave of orgasm crashed over her. The boundaries around her soul shattered.

Alex was pulled into the maelstrom of passion they had created. Waves of orgasm washed over her, as well. She struggled to hold on to her own consciousness. Struggled to gather the pieces of her shattered soul torn asunder by the strength of their mutual release. She rebuilt herself piece by piece. Once completed, she realized there were more pieces of herself missing. More pieces that Lauren held. She realized that she had new pieces that fit just as seamlessly with her own, pieces from Lauren. Her soul sought those new pieces—searching. “Lauren can you hear me? Come back, Dearheart.”

A light flared in the darkness, and Alex saw that it was Lauren who lit the way. She turned toward the brightness. “There you are. Come this way.” A hand reached out from the light and grasped hers. Gently pulling her toward the light and toward Lauren.  With that ethereal touch she came again, but this time it was a release of merging not of shattering.

Together they rose from the depths of their passion toward the light. “Yes always together.” Their souls sang. They woke tangled together in the middle of Alex’s bed. Lauren on her back with Alex’s head resting on her stomach, fingers still buried deep within her. “Alex, wake up, Dearest.” Lauren reached out and stroked her fingers through Alex’s hair, massaging her scalp. “I am awake. I just do not want to move.”

“I understand, but you will not be able to draw a sword if we stay like this.” Chuckling Alex rolled up. And oh so slowly withdrew her fingers, as she stared into the eyes of her love. Lauren winced.

“Did I hurt you?” Alex’s fear ripped along their connection.

Lauren giggled. “Easy. No, I’m fine. Just missing you already.”

Alex settled her head back on Lauren’s stomach and continued to gently caress her sweat-sheened skin. “I miss you, too.”

Dawn crept over the horizon, as the soulmates succumbed to slumber.

Merilyn’s voice woke Lauren. “All right up you two. Breakfast is on the way, and we have just a few hours before the Council is to convene.”

“Five more minutes,” Lauren slurred from within their nest of covers. She curled closer around Alex, enjoying the warmth of her lover’s body.

“Up you two or I shall call Ice to come and use her tongue.”

“No, Merilyn. Not Ice. We are up,” Alex replied, draping her arm over Lauren’s belly. “We will join you for breakfast.”

“Five minutes, and then Ice will arrive. Five minutes.” Merilyn left.

“Dearheart, we have got to get up. We do not have much time.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“I do not want to either, but we must. Breakfast is downstairs, and then I must get ready.” Reluctantly both of them got up and prepared for the challenge ahead.

The meal passed in tense silence. Once the three finished eating, they moved upstairs to help Alex prepare for the Council meeting. Alex dressed as she had for the last meeting of the Council, with one difference, prior to donning her formal uniform she covered her body in a thin suit of energy-armor.

Lauren tilted her head, worry piercing her heart. “Hang on a second. Why do you need body armor if this is an empty challenge, and Oswein can’t hurt you?” Rising from her seat beside Ice, Lauren’s chest tightened. Fear began to overwhelm her.

Alex hugged her. “Easy. This is just a precaution. Just because I do not think this is a real challenge, does not mean I will not be prepared. I will take all precautions to protect myself, protect us, protect Terra from everything.”

“I know. I just don't want to have to patch you up again,” Lauren quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

“But that is another of my advantages, I have you. I have your love, your strength, and your intelligence. So do not worry, Dearheart. Send good thoughts along our bond, and feel free to listen in on the meeting.” Lauren felt her panic abate somewhat. Yes, through their bond she would be as close to Alex as she would be if she was physically in the room with her.

“Alexandra is correct Lauren. You will know what is happening. And feel free to ask me questions as needed, or ask McLaran or any of the boys. We will all protect Alexandra. I also have something for you.” Alex and Lauren followed Merilyn to the outer sitting room. Here more clothing was laid out: a kilt of multicolored tartan that matched the one over her bed, an off-white shirt, a sage green waistcoat, a sporran covered in off white rabbit fur, and a pair of knee high boots of soft brown leather. “These are for you, Lauren.”

“Merilyn, they’re wonderful, but I’m not a member of Alex’s clan. I know enough about your heritage and governing rules to know that I can’t wear a kilt not of my clan.” Lauren ran a light hand over the boots, eyeing the brown, green, gray, and white tartan.

“You are correct. You cannot wear the tartan of another’s clan. But there is no reason you cannot wear the tartan of your clan.”

“But, I don’t have a clan.”

Merilyn smiled softly. “Oh, but you do. You have the Clan Fraser. I am adopting you into my clan, our clan.”

“No! I haven't earned an honor like this.” Lauren shook her head. “I can’t accept.”

Alex turned to Lauren. “You must understand what Merilyn is saying. She is the one accepting you. Clan Fraser has been without direct representatives since we departed our home solar system.” Tears ran freely down Alex’s cheeks. “It is an honor that has not been bestowed since we established our new home here. Oh, Lauren, I am so proud of you.” She kissed Lauren on the forehead.

Merilyn cleared her throat. “Before we proceed, I must share a story with you. Remember when we were discussing the depth and strength of your bond?” Lauren nodded. “I must finish my telling of the bond between the Doouglas and the Fraser for you to understand fully what you share. Alex knows of their love, and how that carried them through the Age of Tribulations. She knows that our entire governing process was created by them. They formed The Council and began the ruling line of Alex’s foremothers. They expanded interstellar travel and opened our borders to others.”

Lauren was held captive by the magnitude of work these women—Alex’s Foremothers—accomplished.

“Those accomplishments are only a small part of what they did. The Fraser held the Homeworld and the early Council together, while the Doouglas traveled the stars expanding our knowledge through exploration. The Fraser was a great healer, and she set in place the foundations of our longevity and good health. She discovered and developed the Ruler’s Rite healing. She bore your many-times Great Grand’Mere children and raised them to be the leaders of the future. Each woman did their part, but together they established a world of possibilities for future generations. It is said that they could both wield the Doouglas blade when need arose and that either could call the blade and direct its use. Much as you two can with Alexandra’s blade. I am telling you this because your bond is just as strong, if not stronger. I was the one chosen in my generation to hold the bond information in case it was needed. And now I am discharging that obligation. The bond has reappeared, and it exists between you two.”

Lauren swiped tears from Alex’s cheeks and turned to Merilyn. “I’m only just coming to grips with my bond to Alex and what that means for us.” Lauren felt strength and love surge through her bond with Alex. Encouragement poured through as well. “Know I will never dishonor my adoption or clan Fraser. I accept the adoption. I accept you.” She smiled and reached for Merilyn. Taking Merilyn’s hands, she knelt and bent her head. “From this moment on, I will be one of your clan. Know that you are doing more than adopting me. You are filling a void that has existed in my life from the time of my birth. A void I forced away and would not look at, a void that I now look full in the face.” She raised her gaze to Merilyn. “It is the love of a mother that you are so freely giving.”

Merilyn took Lauren’s face in her hands, bowing her head until their foreheads touched. “I cannot replace your birth mother, but from this moment on I will always be your adopted mother. Rise, daughter, and stand beside me as a stellar example of Clan Fraser.”

Alex encircled the two women in a hug.

“Enough, enough already. Lauren please get properly dressed, and Alex you still are not ready,” Merilyn said, a smile gracing her face. Lauren watched Merilyn wipe a tear away. “I know, Your Grace. I feel it too.” Lauren had never felt more whole in her life. She fully accepted whatever role the future would bring.

Alex pulled the tapestry aside and keyed in the code to open her weapons vault. Stepping inside, Alex called, “Lauren, come in here. Let me show you my heritage.”

Lauren walked inside the vault. Alex stared at her. Before her stood a Highland Princess. Lauren in Fraser tartan took her breath away.

Clearing her throat, Alex introduced Lauren to the contents of her weapons vault. “These are the swords of my thirteen Foremothers, and my own.” Alex swept her arm over the anorthosite table. “When one assumes the Ruler’s position, a sword is forged and tuned to her life-force. As you know, my weapon also contains some of your life-force now, too. You impressed this into the weapon when you bonded with it and the dragon transferred to you. Some say the weapons are sentient due to the life-force they contain.”

Lauren nodded and rubbed the dragon on her arm. “Merilyn shared that with me when we first met. Can you sense the swords? I feel them trying to communicate with me.”

Alex glanced at Merilyn where she stood in the door.

“That is an interesting question. There are times that I do sense their presence. When I used the Doouglas blade in the first challenge, I sensed a presence with me in the Council room. Perhaps I do sense them, but what do you feel? Only the Seneschal and the Ruler have been in the presence of all the weapons at once.”

“It’s as if they are reaching out to my mind. I feel a warm comforting calm covering my soul, like I do when I am in your arms.” Alex smiled as Lauren tried to explain something so foreign to her. “I feel like they are accepting of me. Accepting me.”

A low humming rose from the table as the boxes began to glow. Merilyn spoke up, “Alexandra, step away from the table and allow Lauren in your place.”

Alex stepped away, and Lauren slowly approached the table. Alex watched as she reached out. The box she placed her hand on contained Alex’s sword. The glow increased and engulfed her hand, slowly spreading up her arm. Lauren laughed. “It always tickles when she does that. When the dragon wakes up and rolls under my skin.”

A smile broke across Alex’s face, as a feeling of love surrounded her. “I feel it, too, Lauren. That is my sword.”

“I know.”

Lauren moved to the next box. Alex beamed. “That is my mother’s sword.”

The yellow glow swelled again as Lauren reached out and spoke, “Thank you for giving me the gift of your daughter. I’m privileged to be her soulmate. I will hold her soul and protect it from all harm.”  The box hummed and vibrated on the table, and then fell silent.

Alex introduced Lauren to each of her Foremothers’ swords in turn, stopping finally at the last box. A soft silver glow emanated from the box. “This contains the blade of my first Foremother—the Doouglas.”

As Lauren reached out to touch the box, Alex held her back. “No, Lauren, you must not touch this one. It may only be used by the rightful Ruler of the Terrans. It will kill anyone else.”

Lauren glanced at her. “It won’t kill me. I feel the most love and respect from this box. It’s almost like I can feel your grandmother trying to talk to me. She wouldn't hurt me.”

Alex pulled her away. “That may be what you feel, but you are neither a Terran nor our Ruler. I will not risk you for anything even to appease her. Besides, I do not share. She was known to be quite the ladies’ lady in her day.

“Ladies’ lady, really.”

Merilyn’s chuckle broke into their discussion. “Lauren, I would not risk the loss of my daughter any more than Alex would risk her soulmate. Let Alex retrieve her blade. We need to get this Council meeting done with.” Merilyn exited back into the bedroom, leaving Alex and Lauren alone.

“It will all be well. Let’s plan a celebration. You and I, and a meal, and a hot bath?  And then we shall see what happens.” Alex bent her head and sealed their deal with a kiss. Joy spreading through her heart and soul.

Alex opened the box containing her blade and slipped it in place. “Off we go, let’s do this.”

Alex and Merilyn left for the meeting, while Lauren remained in Alex’s private rooms. Here more than in her own solar, she felt closest to Alex. Surrounded by her things, her essence, even her smell. Ice elected to stay with Lauren, while Snow went with Alex to face the challenge.

“Be safe. I will always be with you.” Lauren sent her love and peaceful thoughts along with her mindmessage.

Alex responded, “I will, Dearheart. All will be well. And besides, we have a date planned. I would not miss that for the world.”

Lauren grinned. She looked down at her kilt. Everything fit her like a glove. She had never felt more comfortable before.

Alex and Merilyn stood before the great door of the Council Room. Alex looked at Merilyn. “Whatever happens, promise me that you will take care of Lauren. Ensure that the treatment is given to the children, and that you save our future.”

Bowing her head and placing her hand on her heart, Merilyn swore her oath. “I will do as you ask until my last breath.”

Alex placed her hand on Merilyn’s head. “Thank you.”

Merilyn smiled. “You are most welcome. Now let us do this.”

Alex’s laughter filled the hall, and she grinned. The doors swung open.

“I present her Royal Majesty, Alexandra, Rigain Rìoghachd Fuar Ćala, Queen of the Country of Cold Harbour, soulmate of a' Mhaighdeann Lauren Beckwith, healing technician, nexus traveler, and member of Clan Fraser. All rise and pay homage to your Rightful Ruler and Sovereign.”

“What the hell is she doing? She shouldn't be mentioning me.” Lauren shouted into Alex’s mind, but Alex couldn’t respond. She too was dumbfounded by Merilyn’s actions.

“Easy, she knows what she is doing. Now let her continue,” McLaran the Elder said, projecting into both Alex and Lauren’s minds.

Eyeing McLaran and calming slightly at his words, Alex again gathered the Doouglas tartan up and wrapped it about her shoulders. Settling into her chair, she surveyed the gathered Councilors. “Is there a reason for this meeting, or are we just here to waste each other’s air?”

Alex waited to see who would speak first as the tension in the room rose. After many silent minutes, Oswein jumped from his seat, pulling his blade from its sheath. “I challenge you. You are neither fit, nor able to continue. You have done nothing but damage our world, our safety, and doom our future. You are responsible for bringing the Comin here, showing them where we are! Now they will attack us again, through the nexus membrane that you breached. You are the one responsible for our children’s struggles, pain and suffering, and will ultimately be responsible for their deaths.”

Mention of the children tipped Alex over the edge. Sweeping from her chair, Alex rose. At the same time, Snow leapt to her paws, growling deep in her throat, hackles rising. The boys stood behind the leaders of their clans. But Alex’s move brought forth their blades too.

“Cover the Hebrideans now!” Merilyn’s voice rang in their minds. They moved to stand behind the three chairs of the Hebridean clan, blades held ready at their sides. Oswein walked up to Alex and spat. “Do you accept my challenge, bitch?”

Snow lunged forward to grab Oswein’s arm, only to be dropped in her tracks by a psi-attack from an unknown source. Ice howled and raced from the western solar. Oswein raised his blade and struck Alex. Blue-green sparks erupted as his blade contacted Alex’s body armor. Although the blade didn’t penetrate her armor, the force of the blow nearly knocked her off her feet. “What the hell?”

“He is too strong.” McLaran’s voice rang in her head.

She countered Oswein’s next blow with a thrust and parry that nearly disarmed Oswein but he held forth. Alex had moved to disarm not harm. I must end this quickly. He is too powerful. She recognized that her challenger had an unnatural strength. Their blades locked at the hilt, and she looked into his eyes. Amber-streaked orbs with pinpoint pupils burned into her. She mentally shouted to the boys. “He’s being mind-controlled. Someone is using him.” Her fear spiked. She was fighting more than one opponent.

Oswein renewed his attack with a stroke that caught her beneath her sword arm. Pain crashed into her and numbed her arm. Her sword dropped from her deadened hand and clattered to the floor. She fell to her knees. Ice crashed into the room and vaulted across the table. She came down on top of Oswein, taking them both to the floor. The wolf grabbed his neck. She shook Oswein, trying to rip out his throat, until he drove his blade into her side. Alex screamed as Ice slumped to the floor next to Snow. Blood marred the white fur and spread quickly across the floor beneath her body.

“Ice!” Alex felt her life-energy being pulled out of her by the wolves.

“No!” Lauren shook her head, her anguished cry tearing through the minds of everyone in the room.

Merilyn tried to calm her. “Be still. Alexandra must finish this.”

“Like hell she does, Merilyn.”

Lauren burst into the weapons’ vault and ripped open the first box she came to, pulling out the blade. She rushed down the stairs to the Council room. Lauren shoved open the doors and ran up to the table.

Lauren raised the blade. “Enough! Sit down!”

Oswein spun around to face this new threat, but he was empty-handed. His blade still buried in Ice’s side. “Who the hell are you?”

Lauren ignored the question. “Sit the hell down!”

All of the energy seemed to drain from Oswein, and he slumped into the nearest chair. Lauren kept her blade raised as she swept the room.

A strangled yell came from behind her. Spinning around, Lauren saw McLaran the Younger land in a heap beside Snow and Ice.

Turning back, Lauren drove the blade into the table A flash of silver green energy burst from the table where the blade vibrated and surrounded itself within a shield. “I said sit down!”

A woman in white robes stood and thrust an arm towards Lauren. “No, I will not sit down. I sent you away once, and I shall do so again.” She raised her arm farther, opening her hand at Lauren. “Now get out of these proceedings. They are closed to rabble such as yourself.”

Lauren immediately recognized her. “It’s you! You’re the one that sent me through shield, and away from Alex, away from my future, away from my soulmate.” She sent a query to McLaran, who replied, “Her name is Gwenhwyfach. She is a witch.”

Lauren focused her anger toward Gwenhwyfach. “Sit down, witch. I am not afraid of you.” Her anger stiffened her spine.

Lauren felt someone drawing her energy away from herself and everyone in the room. Merilyn rose. “So, you are the one who is plotting to overthrow the Ruler and assume the throne. You shall not succeed.”

Laughing, the woman turned toward Merilyn and raised her hands above her head. “You could not beat me during school, or in the archives, and you will not defeat me now. I have already succeeded. Alexandra is injured and will die once each of her companions succumb to their injuries. As for this usurper, she will die once Alex does. She is untrained and uninitiated.”

“I may be injured, but I am not dead yet. Stand and fight me.” Alex stood and took up her blade in her right hand. “Your cadre raised this challenge, now you must finish it. Or are you afraid of losing against someone injured?”

Lauren glared at the witch. “Alex, let me at her.”

“No, she will kill you easily in combat.”

“But I have you, and the boys to guide me.”

Lauren funneled all the energy generated by her anger toward Alex and the injured companions, hoping this would help them heal somehow.

“No one is fighting this day.” A deep voice rumbled through the minds of everyone in the room. “This will stop now. Sit and we will judge the outcome.”

Gwenhwyfach stared around the room. “Who said that? Show yourself.”

No one moved.

“You do not need to shout. We are here, directly in front of you. It is you, who will sit down.”  A chair moved forward and hit each of the challengers in the back of their knees, knocking them back into their seats. “We said sit, and await our decision.”

Lauren glanced down. The only thing that was in front of Alex was the tree. Did it speak? It seemed so. The tree seemed to grow as silver green light spread around the room. The Doouglas Sword vibrated where she had driven it into the tree. Its diamond pulsed with a quickening double beat. Oh my gawd, I took the Doouglas blade.

Reaching out to the blade Lauren grasped the hilt. Her thoughts pierced Alex’s mind and everyone else it seemed from the Hebrideans exchanged glances. “I am sorry for injuring you. I meant no harm. Just stop the challenge and protect Alex.”

“We understand, M’Lady Fraser. We are pleased that you are here, that the Ruler Alexandra has found her soulmate, and that now the clans are fully represented and we are complete. Please sit.”

The table began to morph. A point formed and extended out from the Doouglas side. The point grew and broadened into a thirteenth side. The table was now a triskaidecadon. Everyone was silent as the Doouglas sword hummed and a female voice filled their minds. “The Ruler and her Lady will occupy this new side, representing the Fraser clan. The Seneschal will sit on the right side representing the Doouglas Clan and uniting them with Fraser. The McLarans will sit on the left side and guard her sword arm.”

Lauren looked around and realized that she didn’t have a chair. MacDonald got up from his and pulled one up from those along the wall, to the newly formed side for Lauren. Rumbling low, the tree continued. “Now, this feud has gone on long enough. It is a challenge to the throne without merit and shall be halted now.”

Gwenhwyfach sprang from her chair.  “I object, Alexandra is—”

“We said sit.” The tree boomed in a bass so deep Lauren felt the rumble in her bones. An energy blast erupted from the diamond pommel of the Doouglas blade and struck Gwenhwyfach in the chest, knocking her backwards into her chair.

“To defeat the Comin bioweapon you must act together not apart. The Hebridean challenge is denied. Further pursuit of a challenge will be seen as treason and we will deal with it accordingly. We declare that this meeting is over, and all are dismissed.” The silver green light faded from the diamond. Lauren stood and pulled the blade from the tree. She sat back down next to Alex and held the Doouglas blade across her lap.

Merilyn stood and struck the floor with her staff three times. “The tree of our Homeworld and the sword of the First Foremother have spoken. This meeting is closed. See to the injured, allow the healing technicians in.” With Merilyn’s pronouncement, the Council room doors opened and techs rushed in.

A blast crashed into Lauren’s chest and blew her backwards out of her chair. Lauren gasped, pain spearing through her shoulder and chest. She slammed into the floor, unconscious.

Alex bellowed, springing to aid Lauren. Chaos erupted. MacDonald struck down Gwenhwyfach with a fist to the head, grabbing her weapon. McLaran the Elder leapt in front of Merilyn, knocking her back into her seat. Oswein collapsed with a scream. Alex sank to the floor at Lauren’s side.

“Dearheart, speak to me.” Silence answered her. The blast had burned a hole in Lauren’s waistcoat and penetrated through her shoulder and out her back. Alex could see the tissue dissolving around the edge of the injury. “No!” She reached out to close the wound, covering it with her hands.

A healing technician knelt beside Alex. “Your Majesty, please let me see.” Alex rocked back, her hands covered in blood.

The technician tried in vain to arrest the damage spreading across Lauren’s chest.

Merilyn’s commands roused the remaining Council members that seemed frozen in place. “McLaran, call in the Guard. Arrest the Hebridean now! Confiscate that weapon. I believe we know who is aligned with the Comin, and it is not Alexandra. Alexandra, please pick up Lauren and follow me.” Alex looked up at Merilyn dumbly. “Now, Alexandra, we have little time to stop the damage. Bring her!”

Merilyn strode from the room. Newkirk slid down beside Alex. “Come on, Alex. I will carry her. Get the swords.” Cradling Lauren in his arms, Newkirk ran from the room.

Alex moved numbly as she picked up her sword and sheathed it. She lifted the Doouglas blade from the floor and slid the blade into her belt, beside her own. McLaran stepped up to her left side and MacDonald to her right. “This way. We must hurry. There is not much time.” They led her out of the room, leaving the healing technicians to deal with the other wounded.

Moving swiftly, the trio made their way to the deepest level of the Keep. Here they stopped at a large iron door. Opening the door, McLaran stepped into the room and knelt. “I bring you Alexandra, Your Grace.”

Merilyn nodded. “Thank you, please leave us now.” She waved at the two boys.

Alex stepped into the room, overwhelmed by fear at being back here where her healing had taken place. Merilyn bent over Lauren’s head where she lay on a stone table. Newkirk sat cross-legged in the far corner, almost completely hidden by the large steaming cauldron that occupied the central portion of the room. The cauldron glowed a soft silver, reflecting its composition of platinum and electrum alloy. Three white clad healing technicians clustered around the table holding Lauren. Blood ran freely onto the stone floor beneath the table. A technician hurried forward, her arms full of bundles of dried herbs. Stepping up to the cauldron, she threw the bundles into the roiling waters. A silver-green steam rose from the water.

Merilyn stepped away from the table and grabbed Alex’s shoulder. “I know this room brings back terrible memories, but if we are to save Lauren, we must help her by sharing in the experience. Are you going to be able to do that?” Alex could only nod. “Then we must be prepared to take on some of her pain while the technicians remove the disrupted molecular matter from her body, and then regenerate new tissue in the cauldron. We must use the Ruler’s Rite to do this. Do you understand?” Another nod, even though Alex had never heard of the Ruler’s Rite being used in this way before. Merilyn’s hold tightened and Alex lowered her gaze to her friend, her mentor. “Alexandra, you must be prepared for her not to survive.”

“She will survive!” A deep rumbling shook the room and all its occupants. “She is our future.”

“We will try our best, but there is nothing sure about this treatment,” the chief healing technician spoke up, glancing up from where she worked on Lauren.

Turning to Merilyn, Alex grabbed her hand. “She will survive because she has our bond. I am here because of her, and she will have every last bit of my life-force to aid her healing.”

Merilyn frowned. “You must not give her everything. You must balance what you have to give with the probability of her surviving. We will be nowhere if we lose both of you.”

“Seneschal, you will have our life-force, too.” Snow’s voice filled their heads, speaking for the companions.

“And ours.” Two female voices rang out. The diamond pommel in the Douglas blade sprang to life and a bolt of silver-green light shot forward and enveloped Lauren.

“And mine.” The deep voice of the tree rumbled.

More than a day later, Merilyn and Newkirk staggered from the cauldron room with Alex supported between them. Lauren’s survival was yet not assured. The healing technicians said it would be more than a week before Lauren would be removed from the regeneration bath within the cauldron.

Merilyn nudged Alex forward. “Let us all rest a bit and then reconvene in Lauren’s rooms.”

Merilyn sighed. “I will see you all there. Newkirk, please take Alex there. I will call the boys and the Elder McLaran to meet you.”

Alex nibbled on a piece of bread, while she sat slumped on the sofa in Lauren’s solar. She was lost. Her bond with Lauren was gone. The companions and McLaran the Elder had gathered in Lauren’s rooms four hours earlier. The tables sagged under the weight of food and drink the kitchens had sent up. It seemed the entire Keep now knew of Lauren’s presence, and the tales of her heroism in bringing Alex back from the nexus spread like wildfire. Even during Alex’s brief walk to her rooms, the telling and retelling of Lauren’s deeds reached epic proportion.

McLaran the Younger curled around the wolves. Swathed in bandages, Ice rested on her uninjured side, Snow’s head on her flank. A plate of steak sat next to them. McLaran had cut up the meat and hand-fed Ice.

Merilyn sighed. “She is never going to eat by herself again if you keep spoiling her.”

“I cannot spoil her enough. She helped save Alex, and her efforts helped the rest of us, too.”

Nodding, Alex was falling asleep. Tired, I am so tired.

For now, everything seemed calm. Save for Lauren, of course. They had defeated the Hebridean treachery. Gwenhwyfach was under constant guard in a mindshielded cell, cut off from all contact. The Council would decide her fate at their next meeting, scheduled one week from today. No one wanted to act before Lauren’s fate was known.

During the night, each of the companions took one hour to focus on Lauren and share life-energy with her. Only Ice and McLaran were excluded from the rotation, their injuries deemed too serious for them to share any energy with Lauren. Yet, Alex wanted to give more.

Waiting to see if Lauren survived was hard for everyone, but Alex suffered the most. While Lauren was in the cauldron, Alex couldn’t feel her. Their bond was severed. Alex felt so alone. If this is what Lauren felt when I was healing, no wonder she left the Keep. She worried that Lauren would survive, but their bond would not. She worried that Lauren would not remember her. She worried she would be mind-deaf. She knew that this was the way of the Ruler’s Rite, nothing was certain and a price was demanded for this healing.

Alex learned all she could about it from Merilyn, who knew all about the cauldron and the Rite. It was one of the most ancient traditions passed down through her clan from the First Fraser through the generations. And Merilyn was the last Fraser. Well, the last one until she adopted Lauren. If Lauren survived and if her bond reformed, then Alex knew Merilyn would begin passing her knowledge on to Lauren. But that was a long way off. No one knew if the Rite would work. No one knew if Lauren’s physiology would adapt and allow regeneration to occur, or if she survived if she would still be Lauren when taken from the cauldron. All Alex could do is wait. Time slowed to a crawl and Alex felt it had come to a complete stop. Her heart slowed. That was all she had to count, her heartbeat. She held her sword in her hands and kept watch on the sapphire. As long as the stone pulsed with its double beat, she knew Lauren was still alive.

Epilogue

LAUREN STOOD ALONE, GRIPPING the granite parapet with white knuckles, staring to the north, and longing to go in that direction. Her gray robe billowed in the early morning breeze. Waiting. She was waiting. And she was alone. Again. The door from the solar opened and two white wolves joined her in her vigil. Standing on hind legs, the wolves peered north with her.

“Home is here, going there will not help, you know.”

“My heart and soul know that, Ice, but intellectually, I know I must.”

“All will be well soon, you will see.”

“Always the optimist, Snow. I love that about you.”

The door opened again and the other half of her soul stepped up behind her. She smiled. “Dearest, you're early. I didn't expect you for several more days.”

“Shall I leave, and come back then?” Alex reached out and grasped her love around her waist.  She rested her chin on the top of Lauren’s head. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m ambushed by all the nightmares my subconscious can dig up from my past. Pain continues to roll through me.” A shiver ran down Lauren’s body, and Alex carefully tightened her grip.

“I keep thinking about all I tried to do for Geodynamics and even worse, all I didn’t do. I think about all the children I couldn’t help. Seems like the cauldron sifted through my brain, pulled out all my bad memories and placed them first. I feel like I’m drowning in those memories. If the pain would stop, I think I might be able to rest. And if I was rested, I could fight all the bad memories and sleep more.”

Alex sighed. “I am sorry about the nightmares. I admit I’m guilty of being selfish, but I will not apologize for having you with me. At least you still have all your mindspeaking abilities. As far as the pain is concerned, Merilyn says that will abate once they have the shield recalibrated.”

Lauren knew that when the tree and the blade had taken over the meeting the Keep’s shield was shredded by the enormous release of psychic-energy. The technicians were trying to rebuild it. Her pain vibrated in harmony with the psi-energy charged fragments of the destroyed shield.

She leaned back into Alex’s strong embrace. “Well, let’s hope they get that done as soon as possible. And I’m glad you did what you did. Without you and Merilyn invoking the Ruler’s Rite, I wouldn’t be here now. I couldn’t be without you either. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t hear and feel you, because everything else would be so much worse. I know I’m impacting your sleep, too. I can feel you there, calming my nightmares.”

Alex kissed the side of Lauren’s neck. “Do not worry about that. Come inside and we can talk while I wash off the grime of travel. And then I think a nap is in order for you and me.”

“Sounds great.” Walking into the western solar, Lauren’s questions began, “How was the trip? Were you able to get everything set up and operational? Did the Council agree once they saw what you prepared?”

Alex laughed. “I will answer all your questions, but first I need to know how the trial went. How the youngest McLaran is fairing.”

“He’s doing exceptionally well, actually. Once we reduced the size of the nanites to control the clotting problems the larger ones caused in his circulatory system, the genetic resequencing was straightforward. He’s awake and causing general mayhem in the ward. He doesn’t exhibit any lingering symptoms of the Comin plague. The healing techs say it’s a major success.” But Lauren frowned, thinking about her world. “I believe the healing technicians are planning to wake the first group of children and begin the treatments en masse next week.”

Alex held her at arm’s length and searched her eyes. “I cannot believe it. I am so proud of you. But you cannot hide your sadness from me. I can see a shadow in your eyes and feel the taint on your soul. Tell me what troubles you? Are you missing home?”

“No, my home is here with you and the companions.” Dropping her head onto Alex’s chest, Lauren shook her head. “I just wish I could help my world as much as I feel I’ve contributed here. Help the sick children. I think what we developed here would be applicable to so many things on my world. Clean up pollution, treat cancer, strengthen structures against earthquakes. And a host of other uses that Newkirk and I haven’t even thought of yet.”

Lauren rubbed her left arm, the dragon rolled under her skin as her sorrow increased. Tears welled in her eyes. “But it’s my friends that occupy most of my worries. I know Jamie and Susan wouldn’t give up the search. They must be frantic. Sharon is probably feeling terrible about how our last interaction went. I wish there was some way to let them know I’m fine, better than fine actually.” She smiled up at Alex through her tears, punctuating her statement with a push of love along their bond.

Alex cupped Lauren’s check and drew her love’s gaze. “Why can you not fix it?”

“I’m here, and they’re a universe away, literally.” Lauren’s soul felt the ripple of hurt her comment caused to Alex. “No, Alex, I don’t want to be anywhere but here with you.”

Pulling Lauren into their shared bedroom, Alex said, “As long as we are together we can be anywhere in any universe. There is nothing keeping us here.”

“Right.” Lauren’s skepticism thickened her words. “Merilyn and the Council will have a cow if you’re gone again. No way they’ll let you gallivant across parallel universes just to satisfy your partner’s irrational worries about her friends and her old world.”

Alex laughed and fell back on the bed, taking Lauren with her. “A cow? That is an image I will have a hard time clearing from my mind the next time Council meets.” Rolling over, she looked down at Lauren. “Let me handle them.”

“No. That’s not necessary. It’s just, I’m so worried about my world, and my friends. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep again until I know they’re ok.” Distress ran through their shared connection.

Pulling her into another hug, Alex whispered, “I know you. If you see a problem, you create a solution. There is no stopping you. The Council would be crazy to try. After all, no one can stand up to the Savior of Terra.” Alex ran her hand gently over Lauren’s injured chest. “As your soulmate, I go where you go. So, we will figure all this out together.”

Lauren hid her face. “Oh, Alex, how many times have I gotta tell you, I’m not a savior. I’m just Lauren Beckwith, healing technician and nexus traveler, daughter of Clan Fraser, soulmate of Alexandra, Rigain Rìoghachd Fuar Ćala, Queen of the Country of Fuar Ćala. That’s all.” She chuckled at the absurdity of that, because she felt like she was only Lauren, soulmate of Alex, nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

“Perhaps we need to add something to that title?” Alex pulled Lauren’s hands away and traced the lines of worry across her brow. “It is not grand enough to express all that you are.” Sliding off the bed and kneeling, Alex pulled something from the pocket of her waistcoat. “Would you do me the honor of adding Bhean chéile agus comh-rialóir Fuar Ćala to your title?”

Alex opened the box. Lauren stared down in awe at jeweled torques. Two dragons appeared to slumber peacefully cradled in red velvet. Their gold and platinum scales twinkled in the morning light. Stunned, she could only nod at Alex. “These are the torques that the Doouglas exchanged with the Fraser, when she asked her to be her partner and co-ruler. I know they would be honored that I am exchanging them with you.”

Lauren whispered. “Yes, Alex, I will accept this honor. And yes I agree to be your partner.” Lauren knelt beside her soulmate and bowed her head, allowing Alex to fasten the torque around her neck. Once the torque was fastened—nose to tail—it awakened. Lauren gasped as the necklace shivered as it settled in place.

Lauren took the matching torque and placed it around Alex’s neck, fastening it nose to tail. She watched the dragon awaken and settle into place around her love’s neck. A small smile graced its scaly face as it blinked at Lauren. “Home” could be heard, whispered in the soulmates’ minds.

“I am your soulmate and am honored to be your partner. But, I reserve the right to negotiate the co-ruler part later.” Lauren grinned.

They sealed their oath and promise with a kiss.

Fini - for now

Reading List

The Quantum Moment: How Planck, Bohr, Einstein, and Heisenberg Taught Us to Love Uncertainty, Crease, R.P., 2015, W.W. Norton, Publisher

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality. Greene, Brian, 2005, Random House Vintage Press, Publisher.

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. Greene, Brian, 2010, W.W. Norton, Publisher.

The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos. Greene, Brian, 2011, Random House Vintage Press, Publisher.

In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality, Gribbin, J., 1984, Bantam Books, Publisher.

Schrödinger’s Kittens and the Search for Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries, Gribbin, J., 1996, Back Bay Books, Publisher.

In Search of the Multiverse, Gribbin, J., 2010, Wiley, Publisher.

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos. Kaku, Michio, 2006, Anchor Press, Random House, Publisher.

Warped Passages: Unraveling the mysteries of the universe’s hidden dimensions. Randall, Lisa, 2006, Harper Perrenial, Publisher.

Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin, Lee, 2013, Houghton, Mufflin, Harcourt, Publishers.

A Quantum Uncertainty

(Nexus Trilogy – Book 2)

A Quantum Uncertainty continues the adventures of Lauren and Alex. Alex struggles to roundup all the members of Hebridean conspiracy and isolate its leaders, preventing more trouble for the Council. Lauren prepares to become Bhean chéile agus comh-rialóir Fuar Ćala – partner and co-ruler. But she is still plagued by nightmares since her healing and feelings of abandoning her friends she left behind in her universe. Their soulmate bond continues to grow as do the parallels to the Doouglas and Fraser’s relationship. Alex knows that a true partner-relationship requires each to contribute, sacrifice, grow, listen, and try to understand the other. She is willing to allow Lauren to do and go wherever she needs to heal, as long as she is by her side.

About C.A. Farlow

Hi - my name is Peet and I am one of the Three Whisketeers. My Mom - Choate - asked me to introduce her. We are avid readers of fanfiction - I like J7 but my Mom is really focused on Mirandy. She is a beta-reader for a number of wonderful authors and a member of a multitude of ff communities.

Having read and edited and enjoyed all those amazing stories, she decided to dip her toe into the author pool and write her own original story. This is the first book in her science-fiction trilogy. Starbuck, Aonie, and I are really excited about it. There are some really great furkids in her new book.

My Mom is a scientist by vocation and avocation but she hasn’t limited her life to science. Right now she is totally focused on road cycling (much to the amusement of my siblings and me). Why anyone would sit on a stationary trainer and ride hundreds of miles in their living room is beyond us!

We live in the Rocky Mountains and love watching the wildlife outside our windows, reading about scientific discoveries, photography, trekking and road trips, and cooking. Mom says I’m not that big a help in the kitchen.

Peet, Aonie and Starbuck - the Three Whiskteers

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Note to Readers:

We have made every effort to edit this book. However, typos do slip in. If you find an error in the text, please email:  lee@desertpalmpress.com so the issue can be corrected. We appreciate you as a reader and want to ensure you enjoy the reading process.

Bright blessing.