Quest for Freedom Read online

  “Let me go in there,” Chivia said. “I think he’ll trust me. At least he won’t shoot me. I have an idea. Please.”

  Janai took in a deep breath and looked to her friends. Vala shrugged. Ash and Blal’k nodded. “All right.” She hoped she’d made the right decision.

  “Get back so he can’t see you.” The doorway shivered back into illusion behind Chivia as she stepped through, and the others moved up to watch.

  The boy jerked his weapon up when he saw her. “Jeez, Chivia.” He lowered his arm. “What’re you doing here?”

  “I was hoping to change watches with you. That holding chamber’s boring. At least you have something to look at in here.” Chivia motioned to the cylinders. Janai smiled when she realized the girl’s plan.

  “Friend Sarah wouldn’t like it.” The boy tucked his weapon into a loop on the waist of his jumpsuit.

  “Who’s going to tell her? Certainly not me. Besides, she just wants to make sure someone’s watching the tunnels, right? I don’t think she cares who, as long as the job gets done.” The boy looked thoughtful. “I stashed some bread rations and water in there. I don’t know about you, but I get hungry on these shifts. And you know how Sarah feels about eating on watch.”

  “Yeah, I am hungry.”

  “Well, you can help yourself,” Chivia said, nonchalantly. “I’ve eaten what I want for now.” The boy was quiet. “But if you’re not interested—” She turned her back to him.

  “No, wait. Okay. But this is just between us, right?”

  “Of course. You think I want to lose my other hand?”

  She told him where to find the hidden rations, and he started toward the tunnel entrance. Janai’s group gathered to be ready for him. The illusion shivered away and the group was on the boy immediately. They took his weapon. He seemed stunned at first, then he fought, or at least tried to fight. Blal’k, Vala, and Ash held the boy’s arms and mouth. Janai took out a rag and gagged him, but not before he got in a good kick to her left shin. She clenched her teeth against the pain and loosened her vine rope. The group managed to force the boy onto the floor. Blal’k tied his hands and feet together then they dragged him further into the tunnel and left him there, trussed like an animal for slaughter.

  When they got back to the regeneration room, Pethe’s group was already at work. Janai’s group, with heat distributors in hand, crossed to the cylinders. One by one, they fired the instruments into the small cylinder inserts, until they infected each. They weren’t expecting the surge of noise that followed. It was brief but loud. Yelling and Morgee clicking rang out in the distance.

  “We’d better go,” Chivia said, with a look of absolute terror on her face.

  They started for the next tunnel when a doorway slid open. Two Morgee soldiers entered the room and went for the group. They scattered in all directions to keep away from the reaching metallic hands. Janai had an ugly flashback of Sarah’s capture. The situation was eerily similar and had taken place in this very room. Her heart pounded. She heard light-fire weapons.

  “The tunnels!” she shouted over the confusion. Some had already disappeared behind the illusion door. Ash grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the tunnel. She saw a Morgee going after Chivia. The girl was backed against a wall and shaking with fright. “Chivia, run!” Janai screamed, trying to get the image of Sarah’s capture out of her mind. She couldn’t let this happen again. She pulled away from Ash but Blal’k was faster.

  The Ronarian charged after the girl and yanked her away from the reaching Morgee hands. The soldier grabbed Chivia’s sleeve and the girl screamed, but Blal’k didn’t give up. He pulled until her sleeve tore away then dragged her across the room and practically threw her into the tunnel. That’s when Janai noticed that the second Morgee was frozen. Ash yanked on her arm and the two bolted toward the tunnel. The opening shivered into illusion behind them, and she turned to see a Morgee soldier bounce off it. She jumped even though she knew he couldn’t penetrate it.

  “Everyone’s here,” Vala said, out of breath. “Let’s go.”

  They ran through the tunnels as a herd and poured into the next holding chamber. There was a child guard here but they’d surprised him, and one of Pethe’s group knocked the boy hard against the wall. He hit his head and went down instantly. Janai fought the healer’s urge to go to him and she kept running. The next tunnel led into the empty transport room, and they charged across the floor, through the illusion wall and out into the night. They didn’t stop running until they were in the safety of the trees. Here, they would wait for the rest of the Freedom Team.

  Janai could hear the heavy panting of the others through her own. No one said a word. They watched as other members poured out through various exits of the rockdome. They were on their own and needed to get to the mountain hideout on foot. The transports were already headed to the camps for the groups they’d dropped off the previous night.

  “Is everybody here?” Janai said when they had quite a number of people gathered in the trees.

  “Look,” someone said.

  Two children carrying a third between them. Janai wanted to go to them but Ash held her back. “Let them come to us. It’s safer that way.”

  He was right, of course. And in was a matter of moments the trio was close enough for the hidden groups to assist. Two of the older boys stepped out from the trees and took the injured Earth girl from the others.

  “We lost one member,” another boy said. “A soldier got him. But I think everyone else got away.”

  “All right.” Janai sent a small amount of energy into the injured girl’s body. She didn’t know this girl’s name and she didn’t have time to do a head count, so she motioned for them to head to the mountains.

  44 ~ Healing and Harm

  They ran. The three moons were high in the sky now and gave off enough light for them to see. Eerie shadows danced in their path as they sprinted toward the mountains. The air was warm and damp and smelled of greenery. Red eyes of night callers flashed in the nearby trees as the creatures paced the Freedom Team. Janai felt comforted by their presence.

  By the time they got to the illusion rock that kept their cavern hidden, she was sweating. Vala and Ash triggered the opening and the large group entered the dim light of the ancient cavern. The illusion shivered into rock behind them.

  Janai swung her pack off and rummaged through it until she found her sinsabe. She waited for the large boys who were carrying Earth girl between them to arrive. “Bring her over here.” They had paced the rest of the team at an impressive speed. They now placed the unconscious girl on the floor next to Janai. The girl’s black hair was matted to the sides of her face, her skin pale.

  “She going to be all right, Healer?” one of the boy’s said.

  “I think so.” Janai looked into his worried blue eyes. “It’s Tony, right? Can you find some skins to cover her with?”

  “Sure.” He sprinted away.

  “I’ll help him.” Chivia followed the boy.

  Janai’s initial scan of the girl had revealed a broken rib, several bruises, and a nasty bump on the head but nothing life-threatening. She placed her hands on the girl’s middle and sent the energy through the injured body. She could sense Ash near her. First, her healer sight located the girl’s ribcage, and she gently mended the broken rib. The bone was pliable but would hold nicely. Then she moved her hands to the girl’s head and searched for the injury there. She already knew there was no skull fracture, just a knot where the girl’s head had hit something hard. Since it had been enough to knock her out, and she decided to do a more thorough scan of the area. Janai’s energy reduced the swelling on the girl’s forehead and she carefully explored around the brain and skull. No damage. She then relieved some of the more serious bruises from her patient and pulled the energy back into her own body.

  Her hands were dripping with sweat and Ash offered her a rag. “Thank you.” She wiped her hands dry. She felt a little weak but nothing that some rest wouldn’t cu
re.

  Tony gazed at her expectantly. “Her name’s Mina.”

  “Mina will be fine.” Janai offered a slight smile.

  He smiled back. Then he and Chivia covered the girl with the skins they’d retrieved. She began to stir.

  “Hey, Mina.” Janai placed a hand on her patient’s shoulder to keep her in place. “You need to rest.”

  The girl said something in a language Janai didn’t understand and she looked to Tony.

  “It’s Chinese,” he explained. “But I don’t speak it either.”

  “Where are we?” the girl said in Earth English this time.

  “We’re safe in the mountain cavern.” Janai narrowed her eyes. “You relax now and get some sleep.”

  “I’m thirsty.”

  Janai caught sight of Blal’k sitting nearby on his sleep skins. She was a little surprised that the Ronarian hadn’t brought her food and drink. He always did after a healing.

  Vala was near him and she looked at Janai. “He’s hurt. He won’t admit it but I saw him wince when he was putting down his skins.”

  “Get her some water will you.” Janai stood up, not waiting for an answer, and made a beeline to her Ronarian friend. “Blal’k.” She narrowed eyes on him. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ll be fine. Just take care of her.” He motioned to the injured girl.

  “I already have. Now I need to take care of you.” Janai’s eyes scanned her friend and she saw that he was keeping his left hand hidden behind the other. “Let me take a look at your hand.”

  “It’s bad,” he said, still not showing it to her.

  “Then let me look at it.” She grew impatient. “Or do I have to put you to sleep like a little one.”

  “I’ll probably wish you had.” He slowly held out his left arm. Two of his fingers were crushed, twisted, and the webbing between them torn.

  Janai gently cradling the injured hand. “What happened?”

  “I grabbed a Morgee’s tentacle and then he grabbed me. He winced when Janai turned the injured hand over.

  “Sorry.”

  He shrugged and continued. “I fired into his tentacle. That’s about it.”

  “Then you’re lucky all he got was your hand.” Vala put on a stoic face but her eyes revealed worry.

  Janai looked at Ash, who was kneeling beside her now. “I’ll have to take this one inside,” she told him. “Okay, let’s get him comfortable.”

  Blal’k stopped Janai with his good hand. “You don’t want this.” He held up the twisted fingers. “It’s too painful.”

  “I have ways of dealing with the pain, Blal’k. You know that.”

  “Yes, but not before you get a good jolt of it.” He narrowed liquid eyes on her. “I know how you work, remember? Just send some energy into my hand to start the healing. Let it mend on its own.”

  She was growing tired of his paternal attitude. It hadn’t bothered her so much when he was younger than she was, but with this latest growth stage accelerating his age beyond her own, well, she didn’t hide her frustration now.

  “I don’t need you to be my parent, Blal’k. I’m the healer and you’re my patient. Those fingers won’t be any use to you unless I take the injuries and heal them inside my own body.” He started to say something but she cut him off. “I can do this with or without your cooperation.” He’d seen her put others to sleep when they were being stubborn, and she focused eyes on his to emphasize her words.

  He closed his eyes briefly then searched her face. “You be careful, though.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Lie back and relax.”

  He obeyed and she moved closer, cradling his injured hand in her own. “Ready?”

  He closed his eyes. The energy flowed through her hands and into the twisted fingers and severed webbing. This healing was going to be painful and she hesitated for an instant before continuing. Then she pulled the injury into her own body. A flash of white light pierced her eyes as the pain jolted through her hand and she heard herself cry out. Then everything went black.

  ****

  Janai awoke to yelling and shuffling of feet. She was lying on her sleep skin and someone was dragging her across the smooth cavern floor. She tried to sit up.

  “Stay down,” Ash said. “We’re being attacked.”

  Janai struggled to pull herself out of her weariness. Who was attacking? The Morgee? It wouldn’t matter that she was weak if she could keep the Freedom Team from capture or death. Ash crouched in front of her against the wall and she forced herself to sit up. Her pack had been under her head and she fished for her weapon. People were running all around the cavern. A crack of light-fire blasted the wall just above her head and she ducked, searching for the attacker. Where were her patients? They would be weakened, too. Just then, Ash jumped to his feet and grabbed someone wearing a gold jumpsuit. He twisted the person’s arm, forcing the struggling body to the floor. Vala cried out and Janai turned to see the girl take a hit of light-fire just above her left elbow. She aimed her weapon at the assailant and fired, hitting a shoulder. The person went down immediately, writhing with pain. Another weapon discharged and Janai turned to see Ash grab his hip as he was thrown backwards onto the floor.

  “Ash!” she cried.

  She heard a couple more weapons discharge and then all was quiet. Except for moaning and crying. One of the older boys took Ash’s captive, dragging the person to a small group huddled on the floor. Janai ran to her promised one and began scanning his body with her healer sight.

  He pushed her away. “You’re not strong enough for that, Janai. It’s not serious.”

  “You let me decide that.” Her hands trembled. She crossed to her skins to get her sinsabe from her pack. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and the room swayed.

  Pethe grabbed her. “You all right?”

  “Yeah.” She leaned on the girl for support. “What happened?”

  “A few of Sarah’s followers broke through the illusion rock and started firing on us.”

  “Great. Take me to Ash.” Pethe helped her to where Ash sat on the floor. Janai could tell that Pethe was sending a mental message to Ash, and she gave an inquiring look to him after the girl walked away.

  “Tell you later,” he said.

  She unfastened his jumpsuit and pulled it down to could get a look at his hip. The skin was slightly singed and he would need a few stitches, but nothing more. He’d taken a direct hit but the weapon must have been on the lowest setting. And the weapon’s heat had actually staunched the bleeding before it even started. She sent her healer sight into him and found nothing more serious.

  “Check on the others now. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Janai gave him some pain leaves to chew on, and turned her attention to Vala.

  The Aknidean girl looked up. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Not you, too.” Janai she sat and ripped the girl’s sleeve away from the injury to reveal blistered skin. “Looks like you got lucky, Vala. The light-fire barely caught you.”

  “Maybe so but it hurts like a crawler bite.”

  Janai hid a smile as she offered pain leaves and scanned the others for more serious problems. “I’ll be right back.” She scooted to the girl she’d hit with her own light-fire weapon. This girl was from Earth and had taken the full energy of the weapon in her right shoulder.

  “It hurts,” the girl said through tears. She couldn’t be more than eleven or twelve Earth years old.

  “I know. I’m sorry. You left me no choice but to fire at you.” Janai inspected the girl then requested water and clean rags from a Ronarian boy, who seemed unharmed. He nodded and walked off. “Here, chew on these.” She’ll live. Perhaps the pain will teach her a lesson. Did I just think that? She’s just a child. She gave the girl pain leaves. “Are there any more injured?” she said to Pethe, who had stepped to her side.

  “Nothing that can’t be taken care of later.”

  Janai made her way back to Ash and prepared to sew him up. She wasn’t strong enoug
h to heal anyone. Not yet. “This is going to sting a little, even with the pain herbs.” She was too weak to put him to sleep and awaken him again.

  He nodded and hardened his face. “Ow,” he said when she pushed the thin needle through his skin.

  “I’m sorry, Ash, but I have to stitch it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Just get on with it.”

  She hated seeing him in pain and she sewed as fast as she dared. He winced and hissed a few times before it was over. She tied off the end of the thread and cut it with her knife then spread orange sap from a snap leaf and bandaged the hip. “All done.”

  She used the sap on Vala and the injured Earth girl and wet-bandaged them. She put each in an arm sling to limit their movement and couldn’t help but smile, when she saw the two girls sitting across from each other like mirror images. From different worlds, of course.

  “Where are the others,” she asked Pethe, when she was finished with the girls.

  A couple had scrapes and bruises, and one Sitopan boy had sprained his ankle during the attack. She attended the injured with Pethe, who had a little more than basic medical training, and stood to survey the cavern. Five of Sarah’s followers were now tied up and seated next to the far wall. Two of the Freedom Team kept weapons aimed at them. Two guarded the illusion entrance, and others were cleaning up and preparing food.

  Pethe walked up, glanced briefly at Janai, and exchanged a guarded look with Ash. “What is it?” Janai said. “Ash, tell me.” She crouched beside him.

  “It’s Chivia.”

  “What about her?” She glanced around the cavern but didn’t see her anywhere. Where was she? Ash touched her hand and waited for her to look at him.

  “She was near the entrance when the fighting started.” His eyes grew moist. “I’m sorry.”

  Janai couldn’t move. She couldn’t think. The little girl she’d once known and played with, the one she’d just reunited with, gone. The same girl who helped infect the Morgee regeneration cylinders, killed. “Where is she?” Her voice didn’t seem like her own.