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  “Mor-gee,” Ash said, in a low voice. The Kritine boy had removed his arm from Janai’s shoulder and was standing about a foot from her. His eyes had the unfocused look of a messenger in communication.

  “Ash,” Janai said softly. “Are you linked with someone?”

  “I—think s-so.”

  She fought the urge to reach out to him. She didn’t want to break the link. The others knew not to touch him when he was like this and they kept a good distance. Janai pulled away from Krav’n, moved in front of Ash and looked into his eyes. “What do you see?” He’d been getting stronger, but she wanted to make sure he wasn’t getting into something that was too much for him.

  “I s-see.” His eyelids slammed shut and he fell to his knees, gripping his head between pale gray hands.

  Janai was immediately at his side supporting him. She placed a hand on his forehead and the other on the back of his neck. The familiar surge began in her palms.

  “No!” Ash shoved her away.

  She landed on her backside, stunned. The energy was gone and her hands were slightly damp. “Wha—”

  “I’m sorry, Janai.” Ash was now at her side and still appeared to be in pain. “You’re not strong enough, yet.”

  She frowned at him. “How do you know whether I’m—”

  The Kritine boy waved a hand to cut off her next words. “It was a message I received.” He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly. “When you touched me.”

  “A message from who?”

  He steadied himself and looked into her eyes. “From you.”

  She started to deny the accusation but he had read her. She wasn’t up to full strength but she thought she’d done a fine job hiding her weakness from the others. “I’m strong enough to handle a little headache.” Ash gave her a long, hard stare. “What?” She ignored his probing eyes. “I ought to know what I can handle, Ash.”

  “Yeah?” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re the one who sent the message that you were still weak.”

  Janai didn’t know what to say. She was angry, but more with herself than with Ash. After all, she’d given herself away. He was just the receiver.

  “Look, Janai.” Ash waited for her to look at him before continuing. “I’ll be fine.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and she stiffened at his touch. “You need to save your talents for more serious ailments.” He gripped her shoulder tighter. “How do you think I’d feel if we lost someone because you were weak from taking my stupid headache away? Until you learn to keep your strength, you need to save the focus healing for emergencies.”

  Janai closed her eyes. He was right, and she was angry with him because he was right.

  Her eyes flew open when Krav’n jumped in her lap. “Please, Janai. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He looked at her with that familiar liquid gaze. “I love you.”

  Her mouth dropped. There was genuine friendship and sense of family among them, but this was the first time anyone had expressed their emotions so clearly. She pulled Krav’n close and fought back tears. “I love you too.” She offered Ash a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

  Then Ash did something unexpected—He kissed her. Just a brief, gentle peck on the mouth, but her mind went blank and words left her. Heat built in her face when she remembered others saw the exchange.

  “Yuck,” a small voice uttered. Janai looked over to see Penny with her little, freckled face scrunched in disapproval.

  “I see your headache’s better, Ash,” Vala said with a blank expression. Her yellow eyes were glistening with amusement, though.

  They laughed and Ash kissed Janai again. This time, she kissed back, not caring that the others saw. After a few moments, the merriment died down and the group got into a serious discussion of what to do about the Morgee. They decided the first thing they needed was a map of the area overlooked from the plateau. They carefully logged each ridge and formation as well as trees, shrubs, and other greenery and placed them strategically on the new skin map. An argument ensued over where to place the original sighting of the one of the ground transports. Janai and Lance were the first to see the craft and were the only ones to agree on the area. So, they won the argument.

  The suns climbed high in the sky and Janai’s stomach began to rumble. “We should eat lunch here.”

  “Yeah, then we should probably get going,” Ash said.

  Janai stood and looked out on the landscape. Freedom was out there somewhere and her eyes welled up at the thought. Perhaps, if they made it to the free-zone, she would be able to find her parents.

  Someday. If they’re still alive.

  22 ~ A Secret in the Mountains

  Gryden led them slowly and carefully through the thick trees of the mountains. The twin suns were near the horizon, so Janai and the others kept their eyes open for a place to make camp.

  No one had mentioned the kissing incident between Ash and Janai earlier in the day. Part of her was upset that lifemate urges had surfaced. She wanted desperately to keep her concentration on her duties as a healer and leader. But ignoring her feelings wouldn’t make them go away. She truly liked Ash, and he’d given obvious indications that he felt the same way about her. She decided the best thing to do was to perform her duties and keep other urges under tight control, until they got to the free-zone. Then maybe they would have time to deal with them.

  Excitement swelled at the front of the group, and Janai quickly made her way from the rear of the line. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s a cave over there,” Lance said. Just ahead and to the left of a clump of trees was an opening that appeared to be a cave.

  “Vala and I will scout it out,” Ash said, moving in the direction of the cave and not waiting for an answer. Vala quickly followed him.

  Janai stayed behind with the others. “Be careful,” she called after them.

  Everyone seemed too anxious for the scouts to return. Not one of them sat down. Moments later Ash and Vala returned.

  “It’s a cave, all right,” Ash said, slightly out of breath. “And a large one, too. We need some heat rocks for light.” Ash ran a hand through his white hair. “It’s pretty dark inside.”

  They wasted little time getting to the cave and preparing the rocks. This was a very large cave. The largest they’d seen. And seemingly abandoned, except for a few fliers that had nested in the cracks in the cavern ceiling. The walls were smooth and shiny, quite different from the rough rock that adorned most of the other caves where they’d slept. This one had walls similar to those in the slave camps. The heat rocks reflected off the walls and illuminated the place. Janai hoped the musty smell meant there was a water source nearby. Blal’k began preparing the evening meal while the rest cleaned the cavern floor of twigs, leaves, and other debris that had blown in over the years.

  After cleaning the cavern, Janai tended to Gryden. Ash and Vala searched the rear chambers for water. The three youngest played a game of tag with Lance. They seemed to have so much energy now that they were eating regularly. Janai felt like playing, too, but her patients came first.

  “My ribs are almost mended,” Gryden said as Janai examined him. “I’ll be able to hunt soon.”

  After she checked him over, she helped him get his jumpsuit pulled up and studied his eyes. They were a brighter yellow, but he wasn’t healed completely. She fought back the instinct to reach out and take his injuries, but he was in no real danger now. “In a few days.” He didn’t look pleased but it was the best she could give him. She smiled. He simply shrugged and flicked his long, brown braid to the side. Janai gathered her sinsabe and made her way to Vala. “Any luck finding water?”

  The Aknidean girl sat and obediently held out her arm for inspection. “No. None in the cave, anyway.”

  Tish had given up on the games and was braiding Vala’s hair. Janai smiled at her. Vala’s arm was thin from some muscle loss, but the new skin that had grown on the burned area was getting thicker and less transparent. She had a
slight scar on her wrist where the stitches had been and the dark coloring of her age rings was returning. Janai noticed something different about the rings.

  “Vala. Your third ring has appeared.”

  Vala studied the dark coloring that encircled her wrist. “I’m almost three rings, minus closure.” Janai was trying to figure out the Earth equivalent. Vala must have noticed because she said, “About fourteen Earth years.”

  Janai let her enthusiasm show in her voice. “You’ve had another birthday. We should celebrate.” The other girl shrugged.

  That night after dinner, the group wished Vala a happy birthday and sang an Earth song for that occasion in English. Then each gave her a birthday blessing in the tradition of Kritine. And in the way of Ronarians, they shared a cup of water and poured the remainder on Vala’s feet for luck. Finally, they improvised the Aknidean ritual of dancing around a fire using heat rocks. After dancing in the formation of Vala’s age rings the best they could manage, they collapsed by the heat stones. The little ones laughed and rolled on the cavern floor.

  “Hey,” Penny cried, sitting up straight. “What about her spanking?” She appeared very serious.

  “Why would we punish her for having a birthday?” Blal’k said in disbelief.

  “It’s not a real spanking,” Lance said. “You give the birthday person a swat for each year and one to grow on for the next year.” He turned to Janai. “Kind of for luck. Our parents do it to us on our birthdays.” He frowned. “Or they used to.”

  Vala had stiffened her back at the suggestion, so Janai turned to Penny. “I think we can skip the birthday spanking. We’ve already poured water on her feet for luck.”

  “Okay.” Penny picked up her completed twig doll and cradled it. Tish bounced to her side with her partially carved doll and the two began to play.

  Lance was still frowning, so Janai placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and began to cry. She had the urge to cradle the boy, but before she could make a move, he swiped at the tears on his cheeks, grabbed his carving knife and a large stick, and made his way to the rear of the cavern. Janai took this as a sign that he wanted to be alone, so she turned back to the two little girls. Krav’n had found a stick and had joined them in their play.

  Her parents’ images popped into her head, their features beginning to degrade with each passing season. She could no longer remember her father’s eyes.

  ****

  The next morning, they got up early and Janai was anxious to get moving. After the breakfast things were cleared and she had tended to her patients, Janai secured her sinsabe around her waist with her vine rope as usual and helped the younger ones get ready. Just as they were standing at the opening, prepared to leave the cave, Lance announced that he’d left his carving knife.

  “Be right back.” He trotted off.

  Janai and the rest stepped outside to wait for him. Tish, Krav’n and Penny immediately began to play. The little trio had grown taller during their travels, although, it might just be her imagination. Suddenly, Vala and Gryden stiffened and extended their earflaps.

  “What is it?” Janai said.

  “Lance,” Vala said, and she and Gryden drew their weapons.

  Janai didn’t say anything to Gryden about his injuries. If this were an emergency, they would need all the help they could muster. Her heart raced and she wished she still had the light-fire weapons. If she’d only put hers into her pack instead of her belt, she might not have lost it to the vacuum. But there was no use wasting energy on something she couldn’t change. All she had now was a heat distributor and she drew it, gripping the oversized instrument tightly in her thin hand.

  She, Ash and Blal’k joined the two Aknideans. Blal’k also had a distributor cradled awkwardly in his webbed hand. Janai told the three youngest children to wait quietly near a large rock outside.

  “Lance!” Vala called. No answer. “Lance! Where are you?”

  The rear of the cavern was dark and Janai tried desperately to focus her eyes. “I can’t see anything.” She inched her way through the darkness.

  “I’m in here!” Lance’s voice cried out.

  Ash pulled some stones from his pack and placed them in a bulb fruit bowl. Janai lit them with her distributor. The back of the cavern slowly lit up but there was still no sign of the Earth boy. All she could see was the smooth wall of the cavern. Nothing else.

  “I’m in here,” Lance’s voice rang out again. This time there was a tapping that seemed to be coming from the wall.

  “What happened?” Janai directed her question to the wall.

  “I don’t know,” Lance said. “I leaned against the wall to tie my shoe skin and I fell right through. I can see the cave and all of you but I can’t seem to get out. Like the rockdome walls.”

  Gryden put his bow and arrow over his shoulder and slowly placed his hand on the wall. A portion of the wall disappeared to reveal a hidden compartment and a relieved Lance standing near the entrance. When Lance tried to step out, the wall reappeared. Gryden touched the smooth surface and it disappeared again. This time Lance moved quicker but he still wasn’t fast enough. The wall trapped him a second time.

  “Do it again,” his voice called out. “I can’t open it from this side.”

  “Wait, Lance,” Ash said. “We’ll open it again, but don’t move this time.”

  “Okay.”

  Ash motioned to Gryden. The Aknidean boy placed his hand on the wall a third time and waited for the doorway to appear as Lance stayed very still. To Janai’s amazement, the opening remained just that, an opening.

  Ash ran his hand through his white hair. “Lance, slowly come toward me.” As Lance got near the entrance, the wall reappeared.

  “He’s triggering it to close,” Janai said, shocked and frightened.

  Ash turned to her and raised a thin white brow. “We’ll have to go in.”

  “Then we’ll all be trapped.” She hated that suggestion but they couldn’t leave the boy here. And they had to get to the free-zone.

  “There’s another opening back here,” Lance called.

  Janai looked at the others then her eyes landed on Ash. “We have no idea where it leads. We could be going right back to the Morgee.”

  “I don’t think so.” He narrowed his eyes. “There’s something familiar about all this.”

  “You get a communication?”

  “Maybe. I’m just not sure yet. I don’t think this leads to the Morgee, though.”

  They tried a few more times to get Lance back into the cave without success, so they had no other choice but to follow.

  23 ~ The Descent

  They wound their way through what appeared to be a tunnel. It twisted this way and that and seemed to go on forever. The tunnel sloped down slightly in some areas and more sharply in others. Gryden didn’t need to rest as often as before so, for the most part, they traveled at a steady, continuous pace.

  After what seemed an eternity, Janai’s thigh muscles began beginning to cramp. She had no idea how long they’d been traveling through this maze when they finally reached a dead end. There didn’t seem to be any place to go. But Janai had learned that not everything was what it seemed on this planet.

  Ash handed the bowl of heat rocks to Blal’k. No one seemed surprised when he reached up and placed his hand on the wall in front of them. What did surprise them was that nothing happened.

  “There should be a door somewhere,” Blal’k said, his head ridges shimmering slightly in the dim light.

  They ran hands over the walls. Nothing.

  Lance glanced around and scratched at his freckled face. “Maybe we missed it.”

  “Or maybe we’re trapped,” Gryden said.

  Janai was beginning to wonder the same thing but when she looked in Ash’s direction, he was communicating again. He sauntered back through the tunnel in the direction they’d come. Janai made sure that no one got too close to him and motioned them to follow. Blal’k moved near Ash and Janai to light the
way.

  Ash’s body moved rigidly as he made his way through the tunnel. He seemed to be searching for something. He stopped about twenty feet from the dead end and turned to the wall on his left. There it was, almost eye level, a recessed black button with a symbol similar to those in the rockdome and the ones that decorated heat distributors. He started to reach up to the button when he collapsed on the floor with his head cradled in his hands.

  Janai moved immediately to his side, fighting the urge to touch his head, and fished some pain herbs from her sinsabe. She was grateful a tiny amount relieved pain, because she hadn’t seen the herb since they’d begun their trek in the higher elevations of the mountains. Her supply was adequate for now, but she wished she’d stocked up on it before they were forced into the mountainous terrain. There was no way she could’ve known about the travel changes, so she decided not to beat up on herself for something out of her control.

  Ash chewed the tiny leaves and, in a matter of minutes, lifted his head to gaze at the others. He looked tired but seemed to be in less pain than before. He stood with Janai’s support and soon was steady on his feet again. When Janai felt confident he wasn’t going to fall over, she released him.

  “The pain’s going away.” He reached up and pressed the mysterious button.

  A panel slid open, revealing a room. Blal’k held the bowl of heat rocks through the opening and the place lit up with reflected light. Janai and the rest entered and the door slid shut behind them. The room was large. Several dozen people could fit comfortably in here. Pictures of strange people decorated the smooth walls. They scattered heat rocks along the floor near the walls and stood gazing at the pictures.

  They looked real, as though someone could walk right into them and become part of that world. The images seemed to turn as Janai walked around the room, so that no matter where she stood, she always saw the same angle of each picture. All were eye level to her and she reached up to touch one. She caught her breath when her hand traveled right through the images. There was no sensation but she inspected her hand anyway.