wrath of the Sea Queen (73 page)

After only a few steps, C
a
eli got another sharp pain in her stoma
ch.  This
w
as
far
worse than any
pain she had ever felt
;
and she had endured a lot of pain in her life
.  Th
e
agony
was
so intense that it
brought
C
a
eli
swiftly
to her knees
.  She dropped the
cup of
water
and
tightly clench
ed
her midsection with both arms
, doubling over with her forehead on her knees
. 
The pain came as a series of strong
spasms
, one right after the other, each unbelievably more painful than the last.
 
The pain
extended
throughout her body as if she had grabbed hold of an electrical wire.

"
Vin!  Oh, please, Vin. 
H
elp
me
.
"  C
a
eli could neither stand up nor force herself to move.

"
He cannot hear you. 
Are you ready for my help yet?
"

"
Not now
, Rika
!
"
  C
a
eli hurt too bad to
internalize her voice or to
entertain an uninvited guest in her mind.

"
I can ease your pain.  Let me help you.
"

"
Why?  What do you want from me?
"

"
I want to be your friend.  Let me help you.
"
  Rika's voice was soothing.

Another wave of pain
jarred
C
a
eli
's body
, and she tumbled over onto her side
.  For a moment, she
detected
an odd sensation of another presence connecting with her.  It was Rika
's presence
, and she was sending ripples of energy into C
a
eli.  The energy
engulfed
her
and eased the spasm in her abdomen.  It gave C
a
eli a minute of
great
ly welcomed
relief.

"
How did you do that?
"
  C
a
eli asked
in amazement
as she caught her breath.

"
I told you.  I can help if you will permit me.
"

Rika repeatedly requested C
a
eli's permission, setting off warning bells in the back of
C
a
eli's
mind.  It told her that there was something more at stake, though she still had no idea what it could be.  At the moment, C
a
eli did
n
o
t care.  Although she was reluctant to consider Rika's offer,
C
a
eli
could not ignore the relief; and with the
level of
pain she
had been
experienc
ing, that
aid
carried a lot of weight.

"
What do you get out of it, if I agree?
"

"
Nothing
more than
you can handle
, C
a
eli
.  We
w
ould become friends, and then it would be extremely rewarding for both of us.
"

"
That's not really an answer.  And if I refuse?
"

C
a
eli
's pain
immediately return
ed
and, if possible, it
became
even more intense.  C
a
eli thought she could feel Rika's energy
now
bolstering the wave of pain. 

"
I would prefer to be your friend, but, of course, it is your choice.  You can try to beat this alone, but you
wi
ll most likely fail.  At the very least, you will kill your
precious cargo
in the process.
"

The pain increased
further
, and C
a
eli got the hint.  However, it did not have the
encouraging
effect Rika intended.  I
t was still un
official whether or not
C
a
eli was
actually
pregnant
, but
Rika could have read
the notion from
C
a
eli's
thoughts.  Regardless
of
how she knew
, Rika crossed a line by including the
potential
child in her poorly veiled threat.

"
Go away!  I don't want your help
.  I refuse your
offer
,
"
C
a
eli insisted and made a concerted effort to block Rika from her mind.  Just like that, Rika's presence
vanished
. 
Almost immediately
, C
a
eli was suffering
her original pain
again.

"
Vin!  Please help me!
"

C
a
eli knew that if she called, Vin would come to her aid. 
Why wasn't he here?  Had Rika been telling the truth?  Was Vin unable to hear her?  How long would it be before he missed her and came looking for her?  The pain stru
ck
her
again
,
acutely
persistent.  C
a
eli
was unable to lift herself off the floor.  T
ears of pain
were
stream
ing
down her cheeks.  What is wrong with me?
  She wondered.
  In her mind,
C
a
eli
screamed in pain.

"
You want me to help fix
a levee
?  I don't know anything about levees,
"
Vin answered Lieutenant Franks.

"
That's not a problem.  All we really need from you is physical labor.  It's repetitious, tiring work, but it
sh
ould only be tomorrow morning.
"

"
Vin, since you are not familiar with the area, I would be happy to drive you to the site,
"
Apela offered.

Vin considered the situation.  If not for the assistance of Jeremy's guard unit, he would not have been able to help rescue C
a
eli.  This would also benefit people like Apela who had
befriended
her
. 
Lending a helping hand was the least Vin could do.  His only hesitation was leaving C
a
eli when she fel
t
so
poorly; but, then again, Salma would be with her.
  She would be in good hands.

"
Ok, Jeremy.  I
will
help.  Sign me up.  I
woul
d like to ask a favor of my own.  The six of us seem to be without a ride at the moment.  I was wondering if you might have access to a military jeep or another vehicle
for a brief trip
.  We only need to go a few miles down the road.  Do you think you could take us?  I wouldn't ask, but my wife has been sick, and Mr. Erickson
i
s wounded.  Also, it would be best if nobody knew
where
you were taking us because of the media frenzy surrounding Dr. Erickson.
"

"
I understand.  I think I can arrange that.  Can you give me about twenty minutes?
"
 
Jeremy
answered
with a pleasant smile
.

"
No problem.  Thank you,
Jeremy
. 
Th
at
will be
a great help,
"
Vin graciously accepted, and the young
er guar
dsman turned and walked away.

Without warning
, Max
cried out,
jumped up from where he
was
sleeping in Ben's lap
,
and flew into his father's arms with his hands pressed tightly over both ears.  At almost the exact same time, Salma suddenly put her hands to her temples and cried out
as well.  However
,
she
managed to keep
her outburst
much quieter than Max.