The Dracons' Woman (28 page)

Their decision made, Garen switched the vid screen back on, and began recording their response to the Director.

Chapter 13

Garen slid out of bed just as dawn was beginning to break.  He eased Lariah into Trey’s arms, shaking his head when Trey and Val both looked at him with raised brows.  He gestured to them, indicating they should remain with Lariah before he padded across the room and slipped out.  He went through the living room to the patio door, opened it silently and stepped outside, breathing in the cool dawn air.  He stepped off the patio and leapt into the air, transforming into his dracon, his wings spread wide as he climbed into the early morning sky.  Garen circled the house, his sharp dracon eyes searching for hidden danger.  Satisfied, he turned east and flew lazily toward the river.  Minutes later he landed in a small clearing, transforming back to his human form as he touched the ground.  He smiled at Faron, and stepped forward to hug him as a brother.

“It is good to see you again, my friend,” he said, stepping back.

“It is good to see you as well,” Faron replied, “though I will admit, it was even better seeing you with your Arima.”  Even now, after having a couple of days to absorb the news, Faron had difficulty with the strong emotion he felt whenever he thought of it.  An Arima, at long last.

Garen patted his friend on the shoulder, understanding the man.  “That she is our Arima is a blessing,” he said.  “But Lariah herself is a miracle to us.”

Faron heard the worry in Garen’s voice.  “She is human,” he said simply. 

Garen nodded.  “Yes, she is human.  Riata has identified a difference in her genetic make-up.  We are still waiting to see if she and the council scientists can explain it.  Until then, we can only wait.”

Faron frowned.  He understood the dilemma.  A true Arima was meant to link together her mate’s souls, along with her own.  Only after doing that would she be able to bear children.  Female children.  If Lariah was unable to do those things, then how could she be an Arima?  But then, how could she do those things since she was human?

“Have faith,” he said softly.  “You must believe.  The prophecy has come true.  It may take time to find all of the answers, but they will come.  They must.”

“Faith,” Garen said.  “Such a large thing, with so little substance.  Have you heard how we found Lariah?” he asked, changing the subject a little.

“No, we have only just returned from escorting the smelly human to the spaceport.”

Garen related the incident of Lariah’s attempted abduction, and the things Riata had told them of her condition.  He paused, wanting to tell Faron the rest.  It was important that this man, above all others, know of any danger that might come to them or Lariah. 

“Faron, I must ask that what I am about to tell you stays between us for now,” he said. 

Faron was surprised, but did not show it. Nor did he hesitate.  “You have my word as both your subject, and as your friend,” he said at once.

“Lariah has a sister.”

Faron’s heart leapt at the words, instantly understanding why such information needed to be kept close.  If it were common knowledge, there would be a mass exodus of male-sets racing to Earth to find the poor woman.  He let out a sigh and nodded his head.  “It will go no further.  That I promise.”

Garen then related the story Lariah had told them.  When he was finished, Faron took a few moments to think about what he had been told.

“She did not tell you what was done to her?”  Faron asked, hitting on the one thing that Garen was most troubled about.

“No, and that worries me greatly.  We have given her many opportunities to do so, but she will not speak of it.”

“From what you have told me, she endured great pain,” Faron said.  “Sometimes, when a person must endure the unendurable, their mind protects itself by burying the experience.  That works for a time.  But eventually, it must be faced, dealt with, or it will poison the mind it is buried in.”

“Yes, that is my fear,” Garen admitted.  “I do not want to force her to relive this, but I cannot let it destroy her either.”

“My Prince, if you wish, we will travel to Earth on the next transport, hunt down this Loggia and rip his entrails from his body,” Faron offered.  “In truth, it would be a great pleasure to do so.”

Garen smiled, an expression with no humor in it at all.  “That will not be necessary,” he replied.  Garen then told Faron about the Director, and Jung Del.  “We should receive a message soon from Jung Del,” he added when he was finished filling Faron in.  “I will of course keep you posted.  Now, tell me of the smelly human.”

Faron’s nose wrinkled.  “He is a disgusting little
squilik
.  The reason he was able to abuse the dog without it being reported is that he terrorized everyone who dared look in his direction.  We heard stories of him beating on men and women both, threatening their children, destroying their property.  Everyone in Granite Falls was scared to death of him.

 “Except Lariah,” Garen said with a smile.

Faron laughed.  “Yes, except for her,” he agreed.  “You had a hidden audience in the alley that day.  Everyone in town is aware of what Lariah did.  She is practically a legend already.”

“The man, Frith Yanger, lived with his sister, Fera, and her husband, Lenno,” Faron continued, his grin fading.  “They own the little café at the far end of town, the CoffeeSpot.  They told us that one day, about a year ago, he just showed up, beat them both up and moved into their home.  He bullied them more than any, but he terrorized everyone who had a word to say to him, or even looked at him wrong.  Lariah saved Tiny from him, and in doing so, she also saved Granite Falls from him.”

“So many people under the thumb of one human bully,” Garen said.  “Why did no one do anything?”

“He terrorized them.  They were convinced that if anyone reported him that he would hurt them, their families, or destroy their livelihood.  As it was he did much damage and physically injured several people.  Nobody knew what to do about it other than keep their mouths shut.”

“How did he behave with you, Dav and Ban?”

“Like any bully, he’s a coward,” Faron replied with a grimace.  “One look at the three of us and he put his head down, and kept it down.  He never said a single word, which is just as well for him.  Unfortunately, nobody in town had a word to say against him until we returned without him and promised that he had been banished and was no longer on the planet.  Only then did we hear the stories of what he had done.  That’s how frightened everyone was of him.”

“One little bully should not have been able to get away with what he did for so long,” Garen said, greatly disturbed by the situation.  “This is a matter that requires attention.”

“What do you have in mind?” Faron asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” Garen replied.  “I will need to think on it.  But not for long.  Something needs to be done soon so that such a thing does not occur again.  The people in Granite Falls are not of our race, but many are full citizens with full legal rights and privileges.  You know our law states that all who live among us receive the protection of the Princes.

“Perhaps a discussion at the next Enclave is in order.  In the meantime, I am going to assign someone to do a regular check on Granite Falls.  Someone who will take the time to get to know the people, so that when something goes bad, he will know it.”

“That is a very good idea,” Faron said.  “I would volunteer myself and my brothers, but I think it needs to be someone who can check regularly and we are not always here.  I think a human that is trustworthy would be best.”

“Do you have anyone in mind?” Garen asked.

“No, but if I think of someone, I will let you know,” Faron promised.

Lariah hurried into the house and headed straight for the shower.  She’d spent the greater part of the day working in the garden with Pater and had lost track of time.  The closest she had ever come to real plants before coming to Jasan had been her rare visits to a large bio-sphere park outside the city where she’d lived on Earth.  She loved getting down on the ground and placing her hands into the soil, helping Pater weed and fertilize and plant.  She’d worked hard that day and was very hungry, but also very dirty.

She rushed through her shower as much as she could, though she had to spend a little extra time getting the soil out from beneath her nails.  She combed out her hair but left it damp, dressed quickly and headed for the dining room, the delicious smells making her tummy growl. 

“That smells so good,” she said as she entered the room.  Val looked up and smiled at her as he placed a large steaming bowl in the center of the table.  Lariah now knew that Suly cooked the evening meals before leaving for her own house elsewhere on the ranch before dinner time.  The guys served themselves when they were ready to eat, and put the food away when they were done, though they left their dirty dishes on the table for Suly the next morning.  Lariah had begun clearing the table and stacking the dishes, though the guys had stopped her when it became clear she intended to wash them.  Washing dishes was not her favorite thing anyway so she had conceded to their wishes on that one.

Garen entered the dining room with two platters, followed by Trey who was carrying another large bowl.  It looked like Suly had fixed them a really large meal.  Lariah could hardly wait to dig in.

Garen set the platters on the table and gave Lariah a kiss before heading back to the kitchen for more food.  Lariah followed him and helped carry the remaining dishes and drinks to the table, and then they all sat down to eat.

They sat eating companionably for a time.  Now and then Lariah would point to an unfamiliar dish and ask them what it was before trying it.  They enjoyed her adventurous approach.  Rather than wishing for more familiar things, she seemed to enjoy trying new ones.  She didn’t like everything she tried, but she liked the process.

As soon as Lariah sated the worst of her hunger she began to notice a strange sensation.  It took her a few minutes to recognize the feeling as arousal.  Which was confusing because she now knew exactly what arousal felt like, and this was different.  She shook her head slightly as she pondered the feeling, realizing that the longer she thought about it, the stronger the feeling became.  Suddenly she realized that it was not her own arousal she was feeling.  That’s why it had taken her so long to identify it.  She shook her head again in confusion. 

Suddenly, her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes on first Garen, then Trey, and finally Val.  All three of them were grinning at her with the same smug expression on their faces.  She struggled hard against the urge to smile, but they looked so much like little boys caught playing a practical joke that she lost the battle.  The minute they saw her smile they started laughing.

“Okay, what’s going on?” she asked when they finally stopped laughing.

“You seem to be very sensitive to us, especially for a human woman,” Garen said.  “You were able to feel us from the first time you saw us, and that has only grown stronger.  We’ve also thought that you were picking up on our moods a little the last couple of days.  So, we thought we would see if you could also feel what we feel.”

“Is that what is supposed to happen?” she asked.  “I mean, for Arimas?”

“Yes,” Garen replied.  “Arimas are able to sense their mate’s emotions, as well as their physical locations within a reasonable distance, and their physical sensations such as arousal, pain, or sickness.  Some were better at it than others of course.”

“Does this mean that I am always going to feel whatever you guys feel?” Lariah asked, not certain she would like that.  There were three of them and only one of her, so it seemed logical that their feelings would overpower her own.  How would she know her own feelings from theirs?

“No,” Garen replied.  “We must all focus together on a single sensation in order for you to feel it, as just happened.  Otherwise, you would feel us only if you deliberately focus on it yourself, or if one of us were to experience intense pain, fear, or something of that nature.”

“Do not worry little love,” Trey said.  “You will not lose your own feelings beneath ours.  We would not do that to you.”

Lariah was relieved.  As much as she was enjoying the connections she had with her men, she didn’t want to lose herself in it.  Another thought occurred to her.

“Didn’t you tell me that females of your species did not have magic?” Lariah asked Garen.

“Yes, I did tell you that, and it’s true.” Garen replied.  “But this is not magic.  Magic is the ability to exert control over matter, energy, or mind.  This ability is more psychic in nature, that is, perception, understanding, or knowledge beyond what the senses tell us.”

“Why is it that females don’t have magic?” Lariah asked.

Garen shrugged.  “It is not known, but there are theories.  Some believe it is because females are capable of magic only after they have been altered by their male-set.  But, within 24 hours of that transformation, they must use their magic to link their mates’ souls together with their own.  It is believed that their newly acquired magical ability is entirely consumed in that one act.

“Others believe that females do not have magic because of the alterations they must undergo, and because they must carry children.  In the end, nobody really knows.  It just is.”