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  Janai removed the splint and placing her hands on the broken leg. “All right, Kayla. You ready?”

  “Yes.”

  She focused an energy wave through her hands and sent into the girl’s leg, searching out the injured area. She reached out with her mind until she saw the broken bone with her healer sight. With the energy, she fused the bone together and connected the tissue. When she felt the newly healed leg was strong enough to withstand Kayla’s weight without snapping, she pulled the energy back through her hands and into her body. After a long breath, she sat on her heels and wiped her sweating hands on her leggings.

  “There. All done.”

  “That was—wow—the pain’s gone,” Kayla said.

  “You’ll need to be careful on it. It’s not completely mended, but I gave it a good start.”

  “Thank you, Healer.” The girl grinned then yawned.

  Ash and Vala helped Kayla to the bathing area, and then the messenger moved off to give the girls privacy. Janai made her way to Blal’k, who sat on his sleep skin, rummaging through his pack. He saw her coming and held out his arms instead of offering her an excuse not to examine him. She gave her Ronarian friend a sideways look as she sat in front of him.

  “I thought it’d be easier than fighting you,” he said. “You seem to get your way when it comes to healing. Besides, I’m outnumbered.”

  She laughed. “You’re very wise, my friend. I would hate to have you tied down just to inspect a few bruises.”

  His liquid eyes widened humorously. “You probably would, too.”

  “Guess you’ve decided not to find out.” She took his arms gently in her hands and sent her energy into him. He was right, nothing more than bruises. She heightened the energy to heal the injuries before pulling it back into her body. Normally, this wouldn’t tire her, but she was already weary from the two previous healings. “There you go.”

  “Thanks, Healer.” He smiled at her. “You get cleaned up and get to bed.”

  “Oh, now you’re getting paternal on me?”

  “That’s right.” His liquid eyes sparkled and the dark green coloring was back in his skin. “Do as you’re told or I’ll have you restrained.” A smirk danced on his lips.

  Before she could retort, Ash laughed and she turned to see him standing behind her, arms crossed over his chest. He pulled her to her feet. “There’s a bath with your name on it.” He nudged her in the direction of the bathing area.

  She threw up her hands in defeat and made her way across the cavern. She would never admit to it to anyone, of course, but she was weary from the healings and looked forward to sleep.

  38 ~ Stranded

  “Janai! Janai!” Krav’n bolted toward her after the transport’s tubing lowered her to the floor.

  “Hey there, little brother.” She stooped over to embrace the little Ronarian she’d accepted as a sibling long ago. It feels so good to be back in the free-zone.

  Krav’n pressed his forehead against hers. “I missed you so much, Janai. I’m glad you’re home.”

  “I missed you, too.” She kissed him soundly on the cheek. “I hope you’ve been behaving yourself.”

  “Of course.”

  “Uh-huh.” She pulled to her full height and eyed him.

  “Ash.” Krav’n looped an arm around the Kritine boy, pulling him down close enough to press heads together.

  Ash stroked the boy’s head ridges. “Hey there, big guy.”

  Blal’k automatically offered his forehead to the boy in the Ronarian fashion of familiar greeting. Though Aknideans traditionally weren’t very affectionate in public, Vala exchanged a head-butt with the boy.

  The two had hardly separated, when Tish grabbed Vala around the ribs and planted her chin on the broad shoulder. “Hi.” Her brown face was shiny and her dark eyes sparkled. She’d filled out since her days with the Morgee and was now on the cusp of adolescence.

  Vala gazed at the girl. She wrapped muscular arms around Tish and pulled her close, and Janai could see the love in those subtle, yellow Aknidean eyes.

  Penny was just behind them and the red-haired girl buried her face in Blal’k’s chest as he held her. Her shoulders visibly convulsed and Janai gave a look to Divia.

  The elderly woman placed an arm around Janai’s shoulders and leaned close. “She’s had a hard time with Blal’k’s absence. Her counselor has been watching her carefully.”

  That’s when Janai spotted Penny’s guardian standing in the distance, observing the little Earth girl. Most of the guardians were the E’treun equivalent of counselors and attuned to the children’s needs. With more and more arriving in the free-zone, the guardians took on multiple wards. Children were assigned to scientists, messengers, artists, healers and the like, depending on their personalities and interests.

  Janai wrapped an arm around her own guardian’s waist as Bast stepped up to greet Ash. She could tell the two messengers were communicating. Her instincts were to reach out to the crying Penny, but she was a healer of the body, not the mind. Ash slipped his hand around hers and squeezed gently.

  Krav’n tugged Janai’s vine rope belt. “I’m hungry.”

  She smiled down at the boy. “You’re always hungry.”

  He grinned and revealed a mouthful of pointed teeth. Ronarians had several growth stages and now Krav’n was in a physical one and never seemed to get enough to eat. Her jaw tightened as she thought of all of the children in the camps who had very little food available.

  Ash squeezed her hand again, and she turned a sympathetic smile to him. We have other problems to worry about, he sent.

  What now?

  I’m not sure, but Bast says there’s a meeting scheduled after we freshen up and get some food.

  ****

  The meeting room was full now that some recently rescued slaves attended. The E’treun elders, counselors, and the Freedom Team sat at the large table. A young Aknidean man, whom Janai did not recognize, also sat with them. His yellow eyes were alert and observant of everything around him. He was muscular and sturdy, like Vala, and had the traditional long braid of the Aknidean people hanging down his back. The others stood because there weren’t enough seats. The room buzzed with chatter.

  Janai noticed Pethe staring at the young Aknidean man. The girl glanced at her and quickly turned away, blushing, her lavender eyes avoiding contact with anyone. Janai smiled. Pethe was old enough to choose a lifemate.

  The elder stood and waved his fused-fingered hands at the group. “All right, everyone, let’s get started.” His reddish eyes looked tired, and though his yellow tufts of hair had no gray yet, he looked old. He waited for the noise to die down before continuing. “First of all, the Morgee are finally breaking down.”

  Janai and Ash joined in on the cheers that reverberated around the room.

  The elder allowed the noise to continue for a moment then he waved them into silence once again. “I’m afraid we have some disturbing news for you, though. The Morgee have been recruiting slaves and training them for soldier duties to keep the tunnels running. And they’re threatening others if they don’t follow.” The children who’d not yet heard this news mumbled to one another. “This could put us in danger if these children find us and decide to cause trouble here. They would be able to get through the illusions that protect us from the Morgee.”

  There was more commotion. The E’treun elder waited for the noise to fall. “There’s more.” He scanned the Freedom Team before continuing, and Janai held her breath. “This is Nuren.” He motioned to the young Aknidean man seated at the table. “He escaped from the rockdome where he was taken after he could no longer work in the tunnels.” The elder took in a deep breath.

  Janai’s heart raced like a child running for the free-zone, and she wished the elder would just hurry up and say whatever it was he found so disturbing.

  “Nuren overheard some things before he escaped and found us.” The elder’s voice became so soft that Janai had to strain to hear. “The Morgee have s
topped bringing children to this world. That’s why there have been fewer and fewer new slaves brought in on the transports.” The noise rose again.

  Janai’s mouth went dry and she grasped Ash’s hand for support.

  “Wait. Wait, please,” the elder insisted. The room became silent once more. He swallowed hard and the slight bluish tinge of his cheeks went pale.

  The E’treun woman seated next to him stood. He nodded to her. “The large, carrier craft used to travel from the planet to the docked ships, has been moved into space. This was the only one not destroyed during the ancestor revolt or dismantled for parts.” She scanned the group before continuing. “Our ancestors had begun mining the moons when the revolt began, and now the Morgee have taken over those domes, too. Part of the reason the soldiers have been scarce lately is because they are breaking down. But some of them have left the planet to work one of the moons. They’ve taken children with them.” Her voice became almost inaudible. “And there’s no way to get to the space ships without the carrier ship. And we no longer have access.” After a moment, the statement registered, and an eerie silence filled the room.

  “What’re you saying?” Janai murmured. “Even if we beat the Morgee, unless we get the carrier ship, we can’t reach the space ships to get back to our homes?” Her head pounded in unison with her heart. “Your people built the damn things. Can’t you build another one?”

  “Janai,” the elder said.

  “What?” she said sharply, not hiding her anger. “It’s your fault we’re here. It’s your fault so many children have died here. And now you’re telling us we’re stuck? That our families who were left behind might be gone from us forever?” She felt lightheaded.

  “I’m sorry.” The elder reached out to her.

  “No.” She pulled away and looked at Ash, but her promised one remained in stunned silence. “This isn’t what was supposed to happen.” She couldn’t seem to catch her breath and the room began to spin. She felt Ash supporting her and heard him calling in her mind as blackness closed in.

  ****

  A hand caressed her arm and she struggled to pull her mind out of the hazy darkness. Someone spoke to her and she concentrated on the voice.

  “Janai?”

  “Huh?” She opened her eyes.

  Ash leaned over her. “You all right?”

  “Yeah, I think. What happened?” But as she asked the question, the answer came to her. She remembered the last few minutes of the meeting before she’d blacked out. Her stomach knotted.

  “You have to relax, young one,” Divia said, and Janai turned to see the elderly healer approaching her bed. She was in the hospital. “Ash told me what happened at the meeting. I warned the elders to be careful of you children.” Her large eyes flashed in anger. For an instant, those red eyes held a striking resemblance to those of a night caller.

  “They had to tell us what was going on, Divia,” Ash told her.

  She flicked her arms in frustration. “Well, they could have gone about the whole thing a bit differently.”

  “It doesn’t matter now.” Janai pushed up to her elbows. “We know.”

  Divia’s eyes softened. “Well, anyway, you’re fine, daughter, and as soon as you feel up to it you can get out of bed. The counselors are available for anyone who wants to talk.” She sat on the edge of the bed and placed her fused-fingered hand on Janai’s arm. “I’m so sorry. I know how much you miss your parents.”

  Janai swallowed hard and pushed back the anger she felt for Divia’s ancestors. “It’s not your fault, Mother.” But her emotions took over and she began to cry.

  Divia pulled her close and rocked her like a child. After she spent herself of tears, she pulled away and wiped her eyes. Ash was sitting, teary eyed, on the other side of the bed from Divia, and Janai looked back and forth between the two. She took Ash’s hand in her own. This was her family now. The old healer had been her mother this past year, and in another two years, she would bond with Ash, become his mate.

  “Do the little ones know?” Janai finally said, trying to pull herself from the depression she felt.

  “Most of the guardians are breaking the news to them now, but Ash thought you would like to be the one to tell Krav’n.

  Ash wrapped an arm around Janai shoulders. “I’ll go with you.”

  Part of her was grateful Krav’n didn’t know, but he had to be told. And she wanted to be there when he found out. Divia handed her a cup of water from a nearby table and she drank greedily. “Okay.” She handed the empty cup back to the E’treun woman. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Ash narrowed eyes on her. “Are you sure? You can wait a little while. His guardian is with him in the library.”

  “He needs to be told. I don’t want him hearing it from anyone else.” She allowed her future mate to help her off the bed.

  The two headed down the dimly lit halls to the library. When they entered the room, Krav’n’s guardian busied himself at a far table. Etched stone documents and pictures the ancestors had created to withstand the ravages of time filled the library. They adorned walls and cluttered tables of the small room. A storage room behind the library held other, more fragile, documents until they were needed.

  “Janai!” Krav’n ran to her outstretched arms. “Want to see my tablet?” The boy led her to a small table with a stone tablet and etching pen, a slender cylinder with a point on one end that used a tiny beam of light to carve into hard surfaces. There were several drawings of trees and animals etched into the stone.

  Janai smiled, because she knew just how much he loved to draw. The pen only carved rock, not flesh. “That’s very nice.” She traced the etched tree that Krav’n had created. “I can see you’ve been practicing.” She stroked the boy’s head ridges.

  “Yeah.” He gave her a proud look and reached for the etching pen.

  Janai stopped him with a gentle hand. “Krav’n, there’s something you and I need to talk about.”

  “Okay.”

  He seemed so happy that Janai felt a pang of guilt at what she was about to say. She sat on the floor and pulled her little brother onto her lap. He looked at her with expectant liquid eyes. She took a deep breath. Ash slipped into a seat at the table. “You know the Morgee take children from their homes.”

  He nodded. “They took me, too.”

  “Yes, they did. Well, they traveled on big ships to get from our worlds to this one.”

  “I know, but I don’t remember the ships.”

  None of the children remembered, thanks to the sweet liquid the Morgee forced them to drink. Janai had seen the drug’s effects. Children were practically comatose once they ingested it. A simple touch could prompt the captives to move in any direction, but they had no recollection of what went on during that time. The ancients had used the drug to slow their own body functions and to dull the effects of space travel.

  “I know you don’t remember, Krav’n. None of us do. But I need to tell you that the soldiers have taken the carrier ship, the one that travels from this planet to the space ships.”

  “Oh.”

  She wasn’t sure he understood so she tried a different tactic. “The space ships are the only way to get from this planet to the other ones.” She studied his face.

  He concentrated a moment then pulled away and walked to the nearby wall. There was an etching of the E’treun world and several nearby solar systems. She followed him. “We’re here.” He pointed a webbed finger at the largest planet.

  “Yes.”

  “And Ronar is out here somewhere?” He looked to her. “The carrier ship is gone?”

  “Yes.”

  Krav’n turned back to the etching. “I can’t go home?”

  “Not unless we can get the carrier ship back to the planet somehow.” She fought the lump rising in her throat.

  “The Morgee aren’t going to bring it to us, are they?”

  “I don’t think so, little brother.” She stroked his head ridges.

  “You can
’t go home, either? And Ash and Blal’k and all my friends?”

  She shook her head and swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.” A tear broke free and traveled down her cheek.

  The little boy turned and wrapped arms around her waist, burying his head in her stomach. His body trembled as he sobbed. She pulled him to the floor with her and cradled him in her lap. Ash sat next to them and wrapped his arms around Janai’s shoulders, pulling her close. The three wept together.

  ****

  Everyone was in a somber mood during the meal and many simply picked at their food. Conversation was almost non-existent. Though the very young children didn’t comprehend the situation, they seemed to notice the solemn air that filled the room. The guardians, who were nearby, had decided to let the younger ones eat with the older ones, rather than sticking to the meal shifts today.

  Krav’n clung to Janai most of the time. Blal’k had his arm around Penny, and the freckled girl simply stared at her plate. Tish sat next to Vala. The girl usually loved to chatter on about this and that, but even she stayed quiet. At least she was eating, though. The little Sitopan girl, Cerne, had adopted Kayla as a big sister. She had two of her three arms around the older girl, while she carved the baked root bread into tiny pieces with a spoon she held in her third hand.

  There was a commotion across the food chamber, and Janai turned to see an Aknidean boy slam his meal tray against the wall. A few of the younger children began to cry. The boy’s guardian tried to comfort him but he pulled away and stormed from the room.

  “He’s mad at the Morgee, isn’t he?”

  Janai looked down at her little brother. “Yes.”

  “Are you mad at them?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Me too.” An enormous frown made its way to his face, and his head ridges twitched. Then he relaxed his face and leaned into her. “We’ll get all the soldiers turned off, Janai. Don’t you worry.” He seemed less like a child at that moment.