Crow - The Awakening (47 page)

Before Steven could respond to the pain, the woman was ripped away from him and thrown up against the tree hard enough to shake it and send leaves falling down around them. Steven bent over in pain and fell to a knee, holding his head. The agony still coursed through him as if she was still holding his face and he hurt so much he couldn't even cry. Looking up, he blinked and saw that Asherah stood between the woman and him. He rubbed the back of his head and suddenly he felt Asherah in him very strongly, washing over him and through him in massive waves that made him shudder. His pain subsided abruptly so he could finally breathe again, and he cried out from the pain finally. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Asherah. "Did I say something?" Steven gasped.

"No, honey. You're just not familiar with dreamscapes." Asherah looked back at him, making sure he was okay, then turned her attention to Penipe. He had never seen her so furious and she was almost predatory as she defended the love of her life. "And you should know that." Her words dripped with restrained ferocity as she maintained her defensive position.

"Well, tell her I'm sorry if I made her mad, okay?" Steven sat down hard, rubbing the back of his head as the agony slowly subsided. The woman looked sharply at him, surprised. Then she looked back at her daughter, absolutely stunned. Steven shook his head, wondering what he had done. He couldn't for the life of him think of anything he did to make the woman so angry, and yet he felt bad that she was mad at him. For some reason, it was important to him that the woman like him.

Penipe ached from the strike and she winced as she stood up. Asherah's strength surprised her. But even more so, she was stunned that the deviant had apologized to her for something he didn't even know he did. Things were quickly getting upside down for her. She looked at Asherah and her heart broke for her daughter. Why was she defending the deviant against her?

"Don't worry, Steven. She's just leaving," Asherah said to the deviant as she walked up to her mother and they stood face to face staring at each other, her intense rage just barely restrained.

"You've grown so big," Penipe gasped as she looked at her daughter as if for the first time. Her knees threatened to buckle and she had to grab the tree to stay upright. Asherah stared at her, not responding. Penipe fought back tears as she hesitantly reached out to touch her daughter, regretting the missed years of her childhood with all her heart. Asherah flinched, defensive of the woman who was a threat to the one she loved. Penipe stopped, hurt, and pulled her hand back and looked at Steven. "You don't know what you are doing, Asherah," she said, urgency filling her voice.

"Yes. I do. You must respect that," Asherah said firmly, glaring at Penipe.

"Why are you fighting me? I'm your mother!" Penipe pleaded, heartbroken as she reached out again, wanting more than anything to touch her daughter.

"I don't know you, Mother. I do know him. Far better than you ever could," Asherah stated matter-of-factly. She maintained her position between Steven and Penipe and stood just out of reach, scowling at her mother.

"He will kill you! You know he's a deviant," Penipe stated, incredulous at her daughter's rebellion.

"You would kill me by killing him," Asherah responded coldly.

"I didn't bond with him! You did!" Penipe insisted, sobbing at the horrible reality of the circumstances. She couldn't comprehend how anyone could have committed this atrocity, much less her own daughter.

"And you don't trust your daughter," Asherah said, sternly but softer as she moved closer to her mother.

Penipe got a strange look on her face, unable to respond. She opened her mouth but had no words to say. She looked over Asherah's shoulder at the deviant then back at her daughter who maintained her gaze, her eyes softening to blue-gray.

"Trust me, Mother. That's all I ask," Asherah whispered to her. She reached out and touched Penipe's cheek. Penipe breathed in sharply and put her hand on Asherah's and they stared into each others eyes for a long moment, then Penipe suddenly disappeared.

Asherah deflated somewhat and her shoulders sagged. Steven looked at her for a moment and went and embraced her to keep her from falling. She embraced him back, sobbing briefly as she quaked in his arms.

"Parents," Steven said, caressing her hair, hurting and crying with her. "What can you do with them?" It was a rhetorical question, of course. He sorely wanted her mother to like him.

Asherah composed herself and she took a deep trembling breath as he kissed her tears. She looked at him lovingly and they sank down together into the tropical meadow together, sitting amongst the flowers. "They're close, Steven. But they won't find you. I promise that." Her eyes flashed yellow briefly and he felt her intensity wash over him.

"Who?" Steven looked at her, confused.

She smiled and caressed his face. "Don't worry, honey. Just sit here with me. Hold me." She put her head on his chest and he ran his fingers through her hair as he embraced her, overwhelmed with love for her.

"I'm always here for you, Asherah." Steven put his finger under her chin, tilting her face up slightly. "As you like to remind me, we are a part of each other - now and forever."

Asherah met his gaze for a long moment. "You remember that?"

"I know. Guys aren't supposed to listen to their women. I goofed." Steven grinned.

Asherah giggled, sniffing a little. Steven wiped her tears from her moist cheeks and kissed her softly, then more passionately as she returned his kiss. She put her head back on his chest and they sat there enjoying the morning sun.

"I'm your woman, huh?" she said, smiling, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Oh, yeah, baby." Steven hugged her tighter.

"I can't wait for you to meet the Elder, Steven. He'll fix everything." She snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"The who?" She was always surprising him with something new.

"Don't worry, sweetie. You'll know him when you meet him." She looked up at Steven. So much she needed to tell him and yet so much she mustn't. Not yet.

"Steven?"

"Yes?" Steven answered, closing his eyes and soaking in the meadow. Asherah's voice sounded different, however, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Steven. You need to wake up."

"What? I'm awake." Steven clenched his eyes tighter, holding Asherah in his arms.

"C'mon. Your alarm didn't go off."

That didn't sound like Asherah at all. He opened his eyes and saw Richard standing in the bedroom carrying a toolbox. Steven looked down and and saw that he was wrapped up in his covers and embracing his pillow. Blinking, Steven looked back at Richard as he grunted and walked out of the bedroom.

"Did I oversleep?" Steven propped himself up on his elbow, rubbing his eyes as the last of his dream faded away and reality took hold. His heart was racing and his head still throbbed, but that too faded as he started waking up more. He never overslept. Steven was usually up before even Richard, who himself was an early riser.

"You could say that. You guys stay up all night partying again?" Richard put the toolbox down and sat at the bar. They always stayed out longer than he did but then he had to get up early in the morning to keep their building from falling apart around them. Steven seemed to stay up later too, but appeared to not need as much sleep as most. Except today.

"Naw. I went to bed early. Must have been really wiped." Steven stretched and rolled out of bed, tripping a little on the covers that still clung to him. "What do we have today?"

"Air conditioning fan bearing is squealing. It's time to replace it before it fails." Richard munched on a donut he brought up with him as he fingered through one of Steven's technical books. He was still awed at just how smart the kid was. And yet Steven never lorded it over anyone.

"That's what that sound is." Steven stumbled out of the bedroom. He was surprised at how high the sun was, squinting from the glare coming in his window. He usually got up before the sun rose. "It was starting to get really irritating."

"I'd be working on it now but it's over by your bees." Richard looked sideways at Steven. He couldn't complain too much. He really liked the honey.

"You have a problem with my girls?" Steven grabbed a mushroom and started munching on it as he searched around for his box of figs he recently harvested. He would normally make some eggs to go along with the mushroom, but it would appear that the day had started without him and he didn't have time.

"Your girls like you. They don't seem to care for me." Richard rubbed the back of his neck where a small welt still itched. They weren't really defensive, for honeybees. But all honeybees have stingers for a reason and one saw fit to remind him of that little fact.

"You just don't have that touch, Richard." Steven found his figs and grabbed a handful. "That's okay. You just listen to the love doctor and I'll fix you up." He grinned as he stuffed a fig in his mouth, savoring its rich taste.

"Uh huh. You and your bees." Richard stood up, shaking his head and grabbing another doughnut. "I'll see you out there." Steven waved as he stuffed another fig in his mouth, trying to rush breakfast.

Steven watched him go, then went to get dressed. He remembered his discussion with Laurence last night and wondered if it would be wise to meet him. Brandon was clearly spooked, and he worked at the police station. Who could Laurence be that he would spook someone who was already used to being around agents of various law enforcement organizations? But then, Brandon may have an inside view of things and know that there was something going on to be truly afraid of.

But Steven didn't know what choice he had. If he doesn't meet him and continues to hide, then Brandon could end up in jail for helping him. But if he does meet with Laurence, he could end up in jail. And yet, how much proof would they have against him? They don't know where he is and can't get into his computers. Then there was the possibility of getting a computing job, especially for DARPA, that was extremely tantalizing. Steven had been trying so hard to break into the tech industry and failing at every turn. Maybe they really were impressed with his skills and not out to prosecute him? He had not leaked any of the technology he had borrowed after all, and Steven doubted they even knew what he had taken. Steven was very careful to cover his tracks. A security consultant job would be sweet. He chewed his last fig, getting excited, but fearful at the same time. Maybe Brandon was just paranoid, or maybe not. But Steven was coming to the realization that he had to find out for himself.

"She was there, Lohet! I saw my daughter!" Penipe sat up against the headboard of her bed hugging a large pillow, hysterical. Her touch still lingered on her cheek and Penipe closed her eyes, remembering every detail of Asherah.

"You didn't inspire an incident." Lohet sat on the edge of the bed looking at her. Sirel was back at the computer monitoring the equipment, but longed to go comfort her friend. Lohet looked at Sirel, then back at Penipe. They were narrowing the field and closing in on Steven, but an incident would be a clear marker as to exactly where he was. Migalo sat on his haunches on a dresser, cleaning a piece of equipment while he scowled at yet another failure.

"I tried, Lohet. Oh, how I tried. I almost succeeded except for Asherah." Penipe wiped her eyes as tears streamed down her face, heartbroken and frustrated at the same time. "Lohet, she is strong. So very strong!" In spite of her fear for her daughter, she couldn't help but be proud.

"She is bonded with a deviant," Lohet stated. "What about the dream?" Lohet handed Penipe a hand towel and she wiped her cheeks as she struggled to get herself back under control.

"Weaker. It was definitely weaker." Penipe put the towel down as Lohet went to the virtual map hovering by the wall. A row of pins appeared, floating before him. He put a blue pin on their location and looked at it. Red pins marked stronger and blue pins marked weaker. Sirel extrapolated the data to her tracking program and looked at Lohet expectantly.

"We're down to half of Seattle now," Lohet said, contemplating on the map and mentally drawing circles around each pin based on strength as he tried to triangulate on Steven's location. "We should get a hotel here." Penipe stood up on the bed and hopped off it lightly, her feet barely kissing the floor as she walked up beside Lohet. Her grace was nearly fully restored after the incident at the meadow. Lohet looked at her as she gazed at the map. "You need a shave."

Penipe nodded, wiping her nose, still looking at the map, but not really seeing it. "She hates me, Lohet."

Lohet put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, even now marveling that it felt like leaning against a stone statue. "She is young, Penipe."

"She thinks we're going to kill her." Penipe wished she remembered the towels as her eyes moistened again.

"That is a likely outcome, Penipe. There's no way to avoid it now," Lohet stated without emotion.

Penipe nodded, her heart filling with horror for her child and what she was going to experience. Death through a bond was a horrible way to go. Her daughter will instinctively give everything she has to strengthen her life-mate and will experience all the pain and suffering of her mate before expiring herself. Penipe closed her eyes, extremely troubled by the situation. "If I can just get to her. If I can somehow take that into myself and spare her." Penipe shook with fear, knowing full well the pain of a broken bond, but a daughter should not die before her mother and she should not have to experience the deviant's death.

Lohet knew Penipe wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice herself to save her daughter. He hugged her and caressed her hair. He was the beneficiary of just such a sacrifice when his own wife died to save him during the War. Even today he couldn't say who benefited more. Living without her had been torture for him, and his kind do not have the benefit of fading memories over time. Three thousand years later and it was still like yesterday for him.

"Penipe." Lohet thought of something, dragging himself out of his own distraction.