Saint (Gateway Series Book 2) (9 page)

Chapter 7

Stone stood naked in front of the medical team. He felt the cold sticky sensations on his body as a nurse attached an electrode to his temple, then another to his chest. Suddenly feeling pressure near his groin, he quickly looked down to see a second nurse attaching yet another to his thigh.

“Ya know,” said Stone, “maybe we could turn up the heat in here a little bit. It’s very cold.”

The second nurse, having attached the electrode, rose to face Stone. She had sandy-colored hair tied into a tight bun, beautiful brown eyes, and a smooth dark complexion.

“I think the temperature—-and everything else—is just fine.” She smiled at him.

Stone, now even more embarrassed, returned the smile.

“Yala,” interjected the other nurse, a slender, tight-lipped woman to his right.

“I was just playing,” Yala replied. “If the rest of the Hanmani look like this—”

The other nurse stepped toward Yala and placed her mouth next to her ear. She spoke in Akota and attempted to whisper but Stone could make out Mori’s Akota name. As soon as Yala heard the name Ino’ka, she involuntarily took a step backward.

“I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect to you or Ino—I mean Major Skye,” she stammered, her hands shaking as she placed another electrode on Stone’s body.

“It’s okay,” he replied.

Stone took in a slow breath and focused on the wall and not the nurses’ hands on his body. He also began to wonder just how big of a deal Mori was in her society. She had a direct line to the highest levels of her government, she was able to handpick a team of some of the best warriors he had ever seen, and apparently just her name scared the shit out of the nurse.

“You can put this on now,” said Yala nervously as she forced her eyes toward the overhead of the medical room. Stone looked down to see two pieces of cloth held together by a band with a buckle.

“What do I do with this?” he asked.

Still refusing to look directly at Stone, the nurse replied, “You put it around your waist.”

“What’s it—”

“You’re ready for the doctor now,” she stated quickly as she pointed toward another door and then turned and walked away.

Stone attached the cloth around his waist and walked toward the door. A digital nameplate read PREPARATION. He was lost in contemplation of what exactly he was being prepared for when the door slid open. Inside the room was another woman sitting behind a large desk.

“I am Doctor Kami Crow. Please, come sit down,” she said as she rose and pointed to a medical chair to her left. Dr. Crow was slightly older than Stone, in her early fifties, but still looked as fit as a twenty-year-old; it seemed to be the norm among the Terillians.

“I guess you’ll be ‘preparing’ me,” asked Stone with a nervous pitch in his voice.

“Yes,” replied the doctor matter-of-factly. “Come. Sit.”

Stone slowly moved to the chair and gingerly lowered himself into the medical seat.

“Don’t worry,” she said without a hint of emotion. “
This
will be painless.”

The doctor’s emphasis on the word “this”
did not help to lessen his anxiety.

“You’re going to take this injection,” she continued as she held up a small hypodermic. “In the old days, you would have had to go days without food, sweat in a room at 36 Celsius and 100 percent humidity for a few hours, then eat some nasty tasting herbs and inhale some vapors from some other nasty smelling plants. Luckily, we have advanced a bit; now it’s all here in this little injection.”

“So you’re drugging me,” asked Stone as he involuntarily pulled his arm to his body.

“Not drugging, Hanmani. Opening up your spirit to receive your vision.”

“Then what?”

“Well, that’s up to you. And the
wichasa wakhan
and the False Faces. Using these electrodes, they will read your responses and interpret your vision to determine what your fate will be.”

“When—”

Stone’s question was cut short as the doctor injected the serum into his leg.

“Thanks for the warning,” sulked Stone as he rubbed his leg. “How long until th—”

Suddenly, Stone’s mouth grew unbearably dry and his stomach contracted as if he hadn’t eaten in days. He attempted to push himself up in the chair but his muscles didn’t respond. His vision grew blurred and he felt as if he was sitting in the center of the Great Desert on Alpha Humana. He tried to focus on the doctor’s face but everything went black.

Stone opened his eyes but he immediately closed them again against the bright rays of a yellow star. Lying on his back, he felt the soft, warm support of heavy grass. His eyes finally adjusted to the light and he looked to his left and right. The grass was almost a meter tall, gently wafting back and forth against a comforting breeze. As he looked toward the sky again, he saw something floating gently on the wind. The object slowly made its way directly above him and settled on his chest.

It was a feather. An eagle feather. Stone picked up the feather and held it above his head. He gazed upward toward the sun and watched the vanes of the feather shimmer against the backdrop of the sunlight and ripple against the wind. Stone took in a deep breath and the earthy smell of the prairie filled his nose.

The sun and the breeze soothed him and the grass underneath him felt as if it was slowly caressing his body. After a few seconds, the caressing sensation turned to a vibration and then a rumble.

An earthquake
, he thought.

But it was different. As the rumbling continued and intensified, Stone’s heart pumped harder and his adrenaline spiked, not in fear or anxiety but excitement. Stone pulled himself to his feet and looked across the flat land. Off in the distance a cloud of dust rose above the horizon. As he watched, the rumbling increased and the wind became more intense. Suddenly the wind ripped the feather from his hand. He watched as the feather floated quickly toward the sky and disappeared.

Next, the rumbling became a roar and Stone turned back toward the cloud. At the base of the cloud, he could make out small black dots. As the cloud of dust and the dots grew closer, the pounding in his chest intensified and his feet involuntarily moved side to side and back and forth. He could now feel the wind pressing hard against his body. Looking down, he saw his skin ripple against the force.

A loud snort immediately brought Stone’s attention back to the approaching cloud. Peering into the brown haze, he saw a massive animal burst from the cloud. It was covered in heavy blackish-brown fur with large horns on each side of its huge, dark head. The animal charged toward Stone, but he was not afraid. It felt…familiar.

In a flash the animal roared past him. He could smell the musty air and see the beast’s flared nostrils. His heart felt as if it would explode with a vitality he had never before experienced. He felt another enormous animal rush by him. Looking back, dozens were coming his way. His body was shivering with anticipation.
Run!
The thought shot through his head like a lightning bolt. Stone turned and took his first, powerful stride. Then another. And another.

The ground recoiled and pushed back against his bare feet with each stride. Stone picked up his pace and was soon in the middle of the pack of the majestic beasts racing across the prairie. His lungs filled and then contracted quickly and his arms pumped with each stride. He felt wild. He felt powerful. He felt…free.

He had run with the herd for what felt like a blissful eternity when he saw a group of trees appear on the horizon. Pushing on, he raced forward. As he drew closer, he realized the trees were just the beginning of a vast forest.

Suddenly the herd split in two to bypass the forest—all except the first, massive animal that was in the lead. Stone pushed his body hard to catch up to the beast as it rumbled directly toward the forest. In a flash, the two passed into the forest and the prairie disappeared. Stone leapt and bounded through the forest, trying to keep up with the beast as it tore through the dense undergrowth. He pushed himself with all of his heart, but the animal slowly pulled away and vanished into the maze of trees and underbrush. Stone gradually slowed his pace until he came to a stop next to a gently flowing river.

Stone walked to the edge of the river. The soft mud of the riverbank on his feet and the cold air against his skin cooled his overheated body. Taking another step, the icy sting of the water shocked him at first, but he was soon refreshed by the rush of cooling air flowing around his body. He knelt down and let the water run through his hands, moving his fingers playfully. After a moment, he cupped his hands and pulled a handful of water to his mouth for an exhilarating drink. Letting out a breath of contentment, Stone looked across the water. As he did, he saw something break the surface and then disappear again.

Moving along the edge of the water, he investigated the source. Then he saw it; a beaver raised its head above the water and swam to his side of the river. He watched intently as the animal exited the water and scampered up the bank.

Stone followed as the beaver made its way under felled trees, over moss-covered rocks, and through the undergrowth. Eventually, it hopped onto a large fallen oak tree, looked back toward Stone, and then disappeared over the opposite side of the massive tree. But when Stone reached the tree, there was no sign of the beaver. He also realized that he had been so enthralled with the mannerisms of the little animal that he had lost track of how long he had been following the determined creature. The last rays of sunlight were flickering through the trees onto the forest floor. Looking beyond the tree, Stone saw a single, long bark-covered shelter in a small clearing. In the opening of the shelter there was a glimpse of a flickering fire. Then it went dark.

Stone quickly made his way to the shelter. It consisted of long saplings bent over to form a frame covered with formed tree bark. Looking inside, he saw a long single room with a central fire pit. Stone stepped into the lodge and walked toward the pit. The pit was over a meter in diameter and surrounded by large round stones. The fire itself was almost out, with only a few dim embers struggling to remain lit.

Stone suddenly felt the cold chill of an evening breeze and saw the cold mist from his breath. The fire needed to be rekindled. He looked around the lodge but couldn’t find any wood. He would have to find some from the nearby forest.

Stone rose to his feet and walked toward the exit of the lodge. Through the entrance into the night, he saw a landscape illuminated by a bright, full moon. Stepping outside, he heard the crunch of a twig underneath his feet and looked down to see a bundle of dry branches.

Stone didn’t remember seeing the branches when he entered the lodge and quickly scanned the area. To the left of the lodge, he saw a small pile of logs, several centimeters in diameter. Each looked as if they had been chewed into lengths perfect for the fire. He was trying to formulate an explanation for the appearance of the wood when he heard a disturbance behind him. Quickly turning around, he saw the flash of a flat beaver tail as the animal disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

Son of a bitch
, he said to himself as he gathered the fuel.

He had the fire rekindled and burning strong in minutes. The warmth of the fire comforted him and he fell into a deep sleep.

Stone was suddenly torn from his sleep by an intense piercing pain to his chest.

Grunting against the intensity of the pain, he looked down to his chest. Each of his pectoral muscles had been penetrated by a small bone-like spike. Attached to each end was a leather lanyard leading up to a bright light above where he lay. Breathing heavy against the pain, he heard the screech of an eagle and then a bolt of pain passed over his body as he felt himself lifted off the ground by the lanyards. The pain was unbearable. His head grew heavy and he lost consciousness.

Again he awoke.

Still dazed, Stone’s chest ached and he felt weak, hungry, and dehydrated. He attempted to reach for his chest but realized his hands were tied behind his back. He struggled to free himself but the bonds were too tight. Looking around, he realized he was back in the lodge once again. The warmth of a fire on his bare skin soothed him and he looked toward the source. At his feet was the fire he had rekindled.

“Here, brother. This will comfort you,” came a familiar voice to his left.

It was Thay. He knelt next to Stone and placed a piece of meat to his mouth. Stone quickly snatched the food from Thay’s hand with his mouth. The warm savory taste of the meat, which he could tell was slightly raw by the fluid warmth, immediately improved the hunger pains.

“Now drink,” Thay added.

“What’s happening?” asked Stone. “Untie me.”

Thay put a wooden cup to Stone’s lips and tilted it upward. The cool water quenched his thirst and ran down the corners of his mouth and onto the wounds on his chest. Stinging at first, the burning pain from his torn chest soon felt much improved.

“Thay,” pleaded Stone. “Get me out of here.”

“Not yet, brother,” replied Thay. As he answered, he reached down toward the fire and pulled a burning piece of wood, one end white-hot, from the fire.

“I need to welcome you,” Thay smiled and he placed the glowing ember to Stone’s bare leg.