Davin's Quest (9 page)

It was late by the time he returned to the engineering facility. Most of the workers were gone for the evening, but he found Selva at his desk. A picture of Callie was up on the screen when he entered and it was clear his overzealous assistant was rooting through his personal files.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The screen went blank as Selva turned and stood from his desk. She faced him squarely, clearly unable to feel fear or embarrassment at being caught spying.

“Surely you know that as a throwback you are under constant surveillance. You had hidden contraband files on your personal crystals that had to be reported to the Council.”

“You sent those images to the Council?”

Selva nodded and suddenly it all clicked into place. The danger to Callie was from the Council—or the soldiers they would send to apprehend her now that it was known she was somehow involved with their unstable Chief Engineer.

Rage filled him, hotter than any anger he’d ever felt before. But Davin knew if he stalked over and choked the life out of Sevla—as he longed to do—he would never be able to see Callie ever again and more importantly, he wouldn’t be able to help her. So he tamped down his rage and quickly formulated a plan.

“Selva, you’re a bitch.” The unfeeling woman didn’t even flinch at his curse. “You are no longer my assistant. Pack your things and leave this facility.”

49

“You don’t have the authority to demote me,” Selva challenged him.

“I’m still Chief Engineer here. You have little crystal gift. I’ve tolerated you because you are easily mounted, but you are a mediocre crystallographer at best and not gifted enough to be of any real use as my assistant. Get out or I’ll have the guards throw you out.”

She walked past him to the door. “I will take this up with the Council.”

“You do that. But you should also realize that I’m more valuable to them than you are. It’s my request they will honor, not yours.”

He watched her go, all the while planning his next move. He’d have to leave right away if he wanted to beat the Council’s soldiers. He’d alert Callie and tell her to tell her parents, but as skilled as they were, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Alvian assault troops.

He grabbed a few necessities and ran back out to his vehicle. He fired up the engines and took off before anyone even knew what he was about. Fiddling with the crystals, he made his trail untraceable—a trick that few other crystallographers would have thought of or even been able to accomplish. But he’d planned for all contingencies for some time now. As a throwback, he never knew when they’d come for him and he hadn’t wanted to die that way. Better to become a mad hermit in the Waste than die in a government cell.

He pushed the little craft, headed as fast as he could possibly manage to the Waste. While he flew, he activated the communication crystal and hoped Callie would answer.

After about five minutes of intense sweating, she answered.

“Callie!”

“What is it? We just talked less than an hour ago.”

“You’re in danger.”

“Yeah, Papa Caleb just communicated his warning through Harry. Everyone’s on alert over here. It was hard to get out of the house to talk with you.”

Davin knew it was time to reveal their secret communication. “I want you to bring the crystal with you into the house and get your parents. I have something I have to say to them.”

“But they don’t know about the crystal!”

“I know. But this is too important, Callie. You have to tell them. I have to tell them what’s happening.

It’s a matter of life and death.”

She hesitated. “All right.”

He knew she might get in trouble for keeping their secret, but he couldn’t think about that now. Her very life was in danger. That had to take priority now. He heard the commotion as she reentered the house, then the quiet as she gained everyone’s attention.

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“Everyone’s here now, Davin. Go ahead.”

He took a deep breath. “First, let me say I’m sorry. Caleb was right. Callie’s in danger. My assistant found those photos you gave me, Mick, and sent them to the Council. I can only assume they’re sending soldiers to take Callie into custody. I’m on my way, but I won’t be able to get there for another hour at least.”

“I can set up some surprises at the perimeter but I don’t have anything that will stop an assault force for long.” Justin’s calm words had a chilling effect on the gathered family.

“If I can get there before the troops, I’ll take her someplace safe. I promise. It’s the safest place I know and no Alvian would dare come after us there.”

“But for how long? You can hide her for a while, but what about the future?” Mick wanted to know.

“I have a plan. It’s not fully formed yet, but I think I can persuade the Council that Callie is better off with me than as a prisoner. If she’s willing to take the chance. Callie, I’m sorry your choice has been all but taken away. I want you with me, but I wanted it to be your choice. I’m sorry things are happening this way.”

“Are you kidding?” Callie’s voice was taut with emotion. “I want to go with you, Davin.”

The next hour passed in tense vigilance. Justin and Mick scouted the perimeter. Justin had taught his brothers most of what he knew about warfare over the years of exile in the Waste. They’d set up some surprises—man-traps, some explosives Mick had cooked up, and early warning signaling devices they’d contrived.

Callie waited in the nursery, the most secure room in the house, with her mother and siblings. Davin kept the communication crystal active and updated them on his progress though most of his concentration was geared toward moving his little ship as fast as it possibly could go.

He arrived in a little less than an hour, setting down right in the home pasture without regard for the frightened horses that scampered away from the craft. Callie ran out to meet him as soon as he landed and he scooped her into his arms with obvious relief, kissing her right there, in front of her mother and siblings. She was a little overwhelmed, but thrilled beyond measure to have him declare his feelings so openly.

When he put her to his side, her mother was there, tears in her eyes.

“I feel your love for my girl.” Her mother’s empathic senses were the strongest of all the family, though she’d passed on some of her talent to each one of her children. Most of her brothers and sisters were grinning like fools, happy for her, and she smiled back, shy but elated.

“I’ll take care of her to the best of my ability.”

“I know you will.” Jane stepped forward and reached up to kiss Davin’s cheek. “Be safe. And be happy.” She hugged Callie again, tightly. “Call us when you can.”

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“I will, Mama. I love you! Tell Dad and Papa Mick that I love them.”

With few more words they were airborne. Callie sat in the passenger seat, just behind Davin. The tension was thick as he maneuvered the small craft out of the area as quickly as possible. He’d left the untraceable communication crystal with Jane so they’d have a way to contact the family and let them know when all was well. If they could just get that far.

Callie put her hand on his shoulder, feeling his turmoil with her empathic senses. “It’ll be all right. Have faith.”

“The only thing I have faith in, in this whole crazy universe, is you.” His words were low, serious, and she wished in that moment she could see his face.

They were about halfway to the southern facility when the communication crystal pinged. It was Justin.

“Grady Prime just left here. He’s heading south, Davin.”

“Shards! I was afraid of that.”

“You can’t go home.”

“I know. I have a place in mind. I didn’t expect they’d send Grady Prime, but even he won’t be able to follow where we’re going. We’ll be out of contact for a little while, but we’ll be safe. Don’t worry.” He altered course as he spoke, shifting slightly to the southeast.

“Davin, I know you’ll take care of my girl. Just take care of yourself as well. She needs you, now more than ever.”

Davin took Justin’s words to heart. Now that his people knew Callie was important to him, she would be the subject of study. It was unavoidable. The only way to protect her was to keep her with him. He had to find a way for them both to live safe and free. He had a plan, but a lot of it was contingent on variables he didn’t have solid answers for yet.

Either way, their fate would be decided soon.

“We’ll take care of each other.” Davin looked at Callie as he reassured her father. “We’ll both get through this. Together. That I promise. We’ll be in touch when it’s safe. Until then, try not to worry, and thanks for the warning about Grady Prime.”

Callie leaned forward to speak into the communication crystal. “I love you, Dad!”

“I love you too, Callie mine. Trust Davin and do what he says. There’s no man on this Earth I’d trust more to see to your safety at this particular moment.”

Davin was floored by the trust and confidence Justin O’Hara had just voiced. He’d try hard to live up to the man’s faith in him.

They signed off moments later and Davin concentrated on flying. He’d made some modifications to the power systems of this little craft that should make it untraceable, even by Grady Prime, but he still flew
Page 52

carefully, avoiding detection from the ground bases scattered throughout the jungle.

Before long they arrived at their destination, a patch of jungle that looked no different from the rest of the dense jungle, but this particular place held a miraculous secret. It was a secret only someone with Davin’s gifts could hope to uncover and use, and use it he would.

They disembarked from the small craft and he hid it with vines and fronds from the dense foliage all around. Callie helped, working steadily at his side. When it was well hidden, he guided her through the dense growth to the hidden entrance that only he knew. It led to an underground passage.

They went down the long, natural tunnel to the first turning, until they were in the deep gloom of a subterranean tunnel with Davin’s superior night vision as their guide. He’d brought a pack of items he’d had in the ship, but wanted to conserve power until he discovered if this place would welcome Callie as he hoped it would. He stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him in the gloom, his expression deadly serious.

“Before we go any further, you must promise me you’ll tell me if you feel any discomfort at all. This place isn’t entirely safe.”

She tilted her head and smiled. He knew she felt his concern, his love and his protectiveness. Her empathy was so different than the response he was used to from his own people. Each time he saw evidence of her innate ability to understand his emotions, he was touched anew. It was a miracle.
She
was his miracle.

“I trust you, Davin. With my life.” She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. The walls around them seemed to come alive with a peculiar kind of glow. She eased back and looked around, clearly startled. “Where are we?” Her breathy voice conveyed her wonder.

The walls of the tunnel were spotted here and there with glowing crystals. Most were clear or a cloudy white, but some were golden and some a deep, rich purple, like amethyst. She realized a moment later, they
were
amethyst, and citrine and beautiful pure quartz crystals, and they were lit somehow from within.

“You feel no pain?” Davin was anxious, she could tell, but also felt a deep satisfaction with her rapt expression. Clearly, she realized, this place was important to him.

“I’m fine. But this place! Davin, it’s beautiful!” Her voice was pitched in low, almost reverent tones.

He smiled. “I’m glad you think so. It gets even better, but let me know if anything makes you uncomfortable. The next chamber would be dangerous for most of my kind to enter.”

“But why?” She moved to the end of the corridor where a dark opening loomed.

Davin held her elbow, guiding her. Their brief Kiss had lit up the raw crystal in the corridor sufficiently for them to see easily in the darkness of the tunnel.

“The chamber contains massive quantities of untuned crystal, which can be dangerous to my kind.”

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She stopped short. “Is it dangerous to you? I don’t want you getting hurt because of me, Davin.”

He pulled her in for a quick, reassuring hug that brought the Hum of crystal around him to a pleasant tone as he listened to its song.

“No, my heart. I am one of the few who can handle wild crystal. Every Alvian child is tested no matter their lineage, and those with even the slightest ability are trained as crystallographers. It’s an increasingly rare ability and I can say without conceit that I’m probably the best crystallographer my people have seen in generations. Only one or two of my colleagues would dare come into this chamber without protection and even then, they could only stay a short while.” He moved with her into the darkness of the chamber. He watched her carefully for any signs of distress while he attuned his own senses to the raw energy in the air.

“This is the safest place I know. And the most beautiful. I’ve longed to bring you here, to share this with you.”

He removed a small light from his pack and shined it around the chamber. The beam glinted off a myriad of sparkling surfaces sending out dark rainbows of shimmering light.

“Will these crystals glow like the ones in the corridor?”

Davin looked uncertain for a moment. “I believe so, but it could be risky.”

“How so?”

“That much unregulated energy… I’m not really sure what it could do. But we do need to conserve the light and I refuse to go another moment without kissing you.”

He pulled her into his arms, still near enough to the exit to make a dash outside if they needed to. This place was one of those rare, sacred spots—a natural resonance chamber. The crystal deposits in this chamber played in harmony with each other, in massive quantities that could easily kill an Alvian with less crystal talent than Davin possessed, by way of sensory overload. Davin was one of the rare few who could tame the wild crystal and live in harmony with it. He was perhaps the only Alvian on the planet so gifted. He knew he’d be safe here. But what of Callie? As his resonance mate, Davin was betting she vibrated on the same plane—that she’d be able to withstand the wild crystal harmony as easily as he. It was a risk, but she was so perfect for him in every other way, he’d stake his life—her life too—on her being compatible in this most basic of ways.

Callie laughed, distracting him, as did the Hum that sounded when he touched her, skin to skin. His senses were caught up in the wonder of her as he lowered his lips to touch hers in the sweetest kiss they’d yet shared. The chamber began to glow in waves of purple, gold and spots of dazzling white here and there, but he barely noticed. Only when she pulled back, looking around them in wonder did he realize the energy they’d created. The cave was studded on every surface with large shards of amethyst, citrine and clear quartz that sparkled at them with throbbing energy.