WOLF DAWN: Science Fiction Thriller/ Romance (Forsaken Worlds) (33 page)

It was a clean, fresh scent. A scent he knew.

He looked up into the Temple Sister’s face, finally registering her introduction.
Lady Lindha! It’s her!
he thought, with a thrill of awe.
The Prefect I traded with, the woman I have been dreaming of for years.

Her features had been hidden by darkness when she had dropped his goods into the forest, but he had contacted her cool, restful mind, her calm peaceful soul. She had said she was the Lady Lindha. It was incredible that he had managed to come here, to her. He smiled. He always wanted to find her. Now he had and it was just as he thought; she was beautiful.

“Please, drink this.” Lindha offered a warm draught through a straw.

“Thank you, Lady,” he replied hoarsely.

The women’s eyes widened. They were, not surprisingly, stunned.

Ash had spoken calmly, his voice cultured, rich and deep. He had said three simple words that displayed both education and good manners. Anyone who heard Ash speak would think him a gentleman, despite his unusual accent. But it would always be considered peculiar to hear such words from someone who was as filthy and ill kept as he was.

Ash didn’t hesitate to quench his burning thirst. The drink was warm, sweet and spicy, and tasted better than anything he had ever tasted before. It was exactly what he needed. He finished the mug of liquid. Lindha offered him another, which he also finished with grateful thanks.

“I’m Ashton, but you can call me Ash,” he said, completely forgetting his fictitious name of Sinto. He didn’t offer his full name, and hoped they wouldn’t press him for it.

“It is our pleasure to serve you, Ash,” the Lady Jeeha said. “You have been given sanctuary as requested.”

“I am most sincerely grateful.”

Jeeha nodded. “Now, young man, this wound you have will need deep cleaning.” She examined it with forceps, lifting a flap of skin. Ash clenched his teeth, but remained quiet and still. She looked at him with curiosity in her expression. She probed once more and asked, “Tell me, sir, what was the mechanism of this injury?”

“Kind Lady,” he replied, carefully polite despite Jeeha’s painful investigation of his wound. He did not wish to accidentally offend his newfound allies. “The wound was caused by a boar. It would be impossible to guess what filth was on the tusk that speared me.”

Both Ladies caught their breath.

“Well,” Lady Jeeha exclaimed. Her thick, dark braid rocked as she shook her head in wonder. “I don’t know how you were tusked by a boar and managed to escape. For now we can let that pass. Your wound needs syringing and sewing; cosmetic repair can be arranged at a later date. I have nothing to stop the pain, I’m afraid, and if I ask for something at the dispensary at this hour, there will be unwanted questions.”

“I’ll be quiet.”

“Oh, ho,” Lady Jeeha replied, amused. “I think not. Lady Lindha, we have some strong spirits, I believe?”

“Yes, Lady,” Lindha replied. “I’ll bring them.” She left and returned swiftly with a large flagon and offered it to Ash.

He hesitated, and looked toward Lindha. “I don’t wish to offend you, but I’ve never had alcohol before and I’m unsure of what my reaction will be, especially as I haven’t eaten for some time. Please. I’d rather just remain silent while you treat my injury. Pain has been a frequent guest at my table.” He gave her a crooked smile. “And I’d die before I’d endanger you by repaying your kindness with unseemly screams.”

Lindha raised an eyebrow at Jeeha in query, but Jeeha shook her head.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Lindha said, “but we prefer it. In your current state, I rather suspect these spirits will send you into a painless sleep.”

Ash sighed, resigned. He was in their hands. “As you wish.” He drank from the flagon. A blazing glow burned down his throat and past his chest. It left a fire in the pit of his stomach. Ash had been chilled by the night air and this heat surprised him. It was soothing and not at all unpleasant. Shortly thereafter warmth ran through his veins, as well as a dizzy wave of lassitude. The heady sensation had already lessened his pain, or at least had distracted him from it.

“For the love of Jana, that stuff is amazing,” he said.

“Just so,” Jeeha said.

Lindha smiled with approval. Her long golden hair was twisted into a bun, Ash noted, probably to keep it out of the way while she worked. “While we wait for some numbing effect, can you tell us about yourself?”

“I hardly know where to begin.” Ash decided not to tell them that he was the missing Prince of Delian, even though he was certain that they would not seek the reward. While he trusted them he also knew, the safest way to keep a secret was to keep it to oneself. He took a deep breath and began, “I arrived on Opan when our ship crash landed north east of here. I was thirteen. I have spent the last five years living in the high mountain forests.”

Lindha’s brows lifted in amazement. “Why didn’t you return to civilization?”

“I did … once.” He gave her a sardonic grin. “I found that your world does not look kindly upon off-worlders.”

“Of course. You could have been killed.” Lindha said with sudden understanding. “It must have been difficult to live so roughly and alone for so long. Why, you would have only been a child when you came to Opan.”

“True.” His eyes met hers. “But I’m not a child anymore.”

Lindha cleared her throat. Her face colored slightly, but her expression remained composed. “How did you live?”

“I had help. You helped me.”

“Me?”

“How are Dorian and Anton? They must be about thirteen by now.”

“Oh. You are the off-worlder who found Dorian in the woods. Of course. Both boys are wonderful assets to our order. I thank you.” She looked toward the talisman guard that adorned his muscular arm, noticing the empty place where two of the facets had been removed. “Oh, I see. We must return those two Damithst, I think.”

“No!”

Lindha went still at Ash’s swift, adamant refusal. His reaction had evidently surprised her but it had surprised him as well. He glanced toward the King’s Mirror that circled his bicep. He could have sworn it had heated his arm in response to her words. Ash had had a curious thought. He felt as if the two stones that had been removed from the talisman had
wanted
to be removed, that they had preferred to be on an adventure of their own. Bizarre. He supposed that he must be getting drunk.

Ash shrugged, in an attempt to lighten the violence of his response. “I don’t want them back. The trade was fair, I assure you. My life became much more comfortable with the goods and credit you supplied.” Curiously uncomfortable discussing the Damithst jewels, Ash changed the subject. “Do the boys live here?”

“Oh, yes. They are indentured as gardeners for the estate.”

“I’d like to see them.”

“Of course and so you shall. They’ll be pleased to see you; at least I know Dorian will be. For some while when he first came to us he expected a catch to all his good fortune. I believe you went a long way toward restoring his faith in humanity. He was so grateful to receive Icom.”

Ash smiled, recalling how powerfully driven the intense young boy had been. “I can well imagine.”

“But this ring on your neck, Ash?” She touched the cold metal. “How did you acquire this?

Ash frowned. “That …” His throat tightened and he found he was quite unable to answer. The room darkened as he fell into the memory. For more than three months he had been alone and in despair. Unable to mind-touch, he had been tormented by his fears, doubts and guilt. The pain of that solitude was still as raw and unhealed as his open wound. The indignities suffered with the curious hill people, the terror of a brutal death in the pit — these recollections closed in on him and made him silent.

The Ladies waited for his reply, and thankfully didn’t press him. Did they have any idea of the raw nerve they had touched? Ash sighed and said in a low voice, “I can tell you that there are some ignorant people who live in the hills of your world. They imprisoned me with neck and leg chains to do their work in a mine. I was lucky to escape.”

“Well. It is a good thing you did,” Lady Lindha said firmly. She flashed him a kind smile. “We welcome you here.”

Ash’s heart seemed to stop when Lindha smiled. He felt like he had been punched. He actually forgot to breathe for an instant, and for the life of him he couldn’t think of a single thing to say. After a few moments his mind cleared and he said, “Thank you, Sister, for sanctuary. You do know there are people searching for me? I don’t wish to endanger you.”

“All is safe. We are honored to serve you.” Lindha gave him a small bow.

“Drink more, please, Ash,” the Lady Jeeha said. “Then we must get started.”

Ash complied, although it made his blood rush.
Pleased to serve you … honored to serve you,
he thought. He felt like the King that he had been meant to be, and for the first time it was comfortable and right. Soon the spirits began to take full effect. Everything seemed so amusing.
Thank you, Jana.
He gave a little giggle. Truly Taro the Deceiver had had his way with him. He was about to die: desperate, hopeless, no chance of escape. And now he was surrounded and cared for by kind and caring women who wanted to “serve” him?

Ash pushed himself up suddenly.
Chinters. Am I dreaming?

“What is it, Ash?” Lindha gently pressed him back to the infirmary table. “You’re all right. Everything is going well.”

His quiet chuckle turned into a laugh. “It’s nothing,” he said. “For a moment I was worried I was dreaming and about to wake up. Being here is just too good to be true.”

“Well, you
are
here, Ash.” Lindha assured him. “And you’re safe.”

When Lady Jeeha began to syringe the wound, Ash didn’t even flinch. He saw her nod of satisfaction as it was obvious that the potent alcohol had numbed his system.

“You’re so lovely,” Ash said, focusing on Lindha. Without the strong drink he would never have said such a thing.

“You … you’re too kind,” she stammered, as color once more rushed to her face. “I dare say you are feeling those spirits now. Though why you remain conscious I’m sure I don’t know.”

Ash continued to study her. It was as if she hadn’t spoken. “You have beautiful blue eyes, like my mother.”

“Thank you,” she said and changed the subject. “Does that hurt?”

Jeeha hummed a soft, tuneless little melody while she worked. She bent over, intent, as she moved deeper and deeper into Ash’s wound. There was still a lot of debris being rinsed out, draining into the bowl as she continued syringing clean warm water and antiseptic.

Ash was barely aware of Jeeha or what she was doing. His attention was fixed on Lindha. He ignored her question and said, “Blue, like … Delian Damithst.” Ash stared at her in a hazy, happy state. Ash felt he knew Lindha. He had dreamed of her so many times, whimsically, erotically and sometimes just because. Her presence had always been there in the back of his mind. There was something about her, something comfortable and right. He wanted to stay with her, be near her. With her golden hair pulled severely back it accentuated the fine-boned features of her face. It could be the effect of the spirits or it could be the influence she was having on him, but for whatever reason Ash was having two extremely different reactions to her presence.

One was calming. The other … wasn’t.

Jeeha continued to irrigate his wound, but the syringe kept tapping into something solid. Ash winced each time she touched it. Clearly there was a foreign body up there, embedded at the upper reaches of the injury. She located the long-handled forceps in order to remove it. Sliding the instrument up into the wound and delicately probing, she inadvertently caused fresh blood to flow.

“Ahh,” Ash voiced through clenched teeth. When Jeeha continued probing, he groaned but remained perfectly still. Lindha sponged the beads of perspiration that he felt forming on his forehead.

“What do we have here?” Jeeha said with surprised triumph, scrutinizing the object she had removed. “It’s a piece of bone … but not yours. It was well up into the wound. Most unusual.”

“Probably from the pig-dogs,” Ash slurred. The combination of fresh pain and additional spirits made him light headed and confused.

“The pig-dogs?” Lindha queried.

“Never mind, Lady,” Jeeha said. “He’s speaking nonsense.”

“No.” Ash knew he sounded like he was rambling, but he wanted to make them understand. “Was probably from the dogs. They went first, and then the boar, and then the other boar, twill … it was cruel. I was the last … but nothing else to throw in. Just an off-world slave.”

Lindha’s brow furrowed, her expression puzzled.

“I was so scared,” he confided, “but it was a good thing to go into the pit after all. I was able to escape. It seems it is true, that old saying from the parables: ‘Oftentimes bad circumstance result in greatest good.’” He sighed and all the sadness of the world seemed to be held within that one expulsion of breath. “Else I’d be dead … rather die than go back in the mine. I don’t want to be alone.” In his mind he was there, trapped again, in the dark, lonely cave, the place where he lost his power.

“Shhhhh, hush now, Ash,” Lindha said, comfortingly patting his arm. “We won’t leave you alone.”

Ash looked up, astonishing her with momentary sensibility. “Thank you. You are as kind-hearted as you are beautiful.” Without warning he asked, “Are you promised?”

Lindha shook her head.

“Good,” Ash said and all his sadness instantly disappeared. He smiled.

“But I am Prefect here,” Lady Lindha said, with alarm in her voice. “I have taken an oath of chastity.”

The smile left Ash’s face. “Oh. I … see.”

Ash didn’t flinch while Jeeha finished stitching his wound. The sharp, stabbing needle pains to his skin were nothing compared to the pain in his heart. The Lady Lindha had taken spiritual vows. She wouldn’t have him. But he knew her. He had never forgotten the soothing contact of her mental touch, the purity of her soul. As utterly irrational as it seemed, he had already given his heart to her. The Opan wolves chose once and mated for life. Unknown to Ash, that pattern had subtly imprinted itself on his psyche. With wolf-like logic, quite unconsciously, Ash knew he wanted only Lindha and no other.