"What"s going on?" Emily muttered, shaking her head. "Is this bush really sending me messages or am I going crazy?"
"You"re not crazy, little Mistress. The leaves send messages to those open to receiving them. That is why it is called a message bush."
The soft voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Emily gasped and jumped, looking around. Who was talking to her? Where were they?
"Do not fear," the soft, sweet voice continued. A woman"s voice-a milk and honey voice. b.u.t.ter wouldn"t melt in her mouth-that"s what Emily"s mother would have said.
"Who...who are you?" she asked, looking around. "And where are you?"
"Just outside your window. I"ll move the leaf and let you see my face if twill not afrighten you too much, little Mistress."
"I...um...I don"t know." Suddenly Emily remembered that her nipples were poking out of her night gown. Hastily she held an arm over her bare peaks, trying to shield them from sight without touching them.
"Now, now, little Mistress-it"s only old Grandy See-er. I heard the message bush whispering to you and thought to see who it was a-whispering to."
"Well..." It sounded like an old lady which didn"t seem too bad to Emily. Though she normally would have avoided letting anyone see her in her current state, she was feeling desperate just now. "All right," she said at last. "You can, uh, look in."
"Thanky, little Mistress." The leaf which had been sending her messages twitched to one side and a soft, wrinkled old face with faded blue eyes took its place.
Emily couldn"t have imagined a kinder or gentler visage if she"d tried. The face looked like it had once been lovely but now age had softened it considerably, leaving only a ghost of past beauty. There was curiosity in the blue eyes but no malice-just a mild interest that seemed completely innocent. Indeed, even the leaves framing the old woman"s face seemed to agree.
Safe...kind...nice...sweet, Emily read the silver script which formed on the purple leaves all around her.
"Howbethee?" the old lady asked which seemed like kind of a question and a greeting at once.
"Um, fine I guess," Emily said uncertainly. She was still holding her arms in front of her to shield herself but the faded blue eyes never left her face. "Uh-howbethee?" she returned.
"I be fine and so I am, little Mistress," the old lady said, nodding. "But you be itching to be set free. That I see well enough just by the fretsome look in your eyes."
"I"m not, uh, fretsome," Emily protested. "I"m just waiting for someone. He said he"d be back soon."
"Ah, me..." The old lady shook her head, clucking her tongue in obvious disapproval. "Left you in the shuttle while he went to do male-talk did he?"
"Well...yes. Yes, he did." Emily felt some of her uncertainty about the old woman fading and being replaced by the irritation towards the big Kindred. "Yes, he just left me out here and said I had to wait for him."
"Tisn"t right for male folk to treat their females so. So says Grandy See-er and all who think rightly."
"I totally agree with you," Emily admitted. "Only he said I"d be in danger if I came out. He said, uh..." She shifted, not certain how to explain what Tragar had said without embarra.s.sing herself. "He said the men...er, males around here all have a very good sense of smell and they might, uh, sniff me out."
"Pshaw!" Grandy See-er ,made a face as though Tragar"s warning was the most ridiculous thing she"d ever heard. "They might if any males was in town-but today they"re all gone down to the Howlund. There"s naught to sniff you out here, little Mistress."
"Really?" Emily looked at her, wondering if she was telling the truth. But why wouldn"t she be? She seemed like such a nice, sweet old lady. What would she gain by lying?
"Sure-tis true!" The old lady nodded and then looked at her sharply. "So why don"t you do as the message bush tells you and come out for a breath of fresh air? You must be all hot and stuffy-like in that cramped little shuttle."
The minute she said it, Emily did begin to feel uncomfortably overheated. Tragar had left on the air conditioning as he"d promised but suddenly it didn"t seem to be doing its job very well.
"Come out now, little Mistress," wheedled the old lady. "Come out from that tight little place." At her words, Emily felt like if she didn"t get out of the shuttle right now she was going to go crazy with claustrophobia and boredom and irritation.
Still, she hesitated.
"I"m uh...not decent," she said. "My clothes got sort of cut up." She didn"t mention that she was the one who had cut them. That was a little too complicated to get into with a stranger. Although now she came to think of it, Grandy See-er didn"t really feel like a stranger anymore. She seemed like a kind, distant relative that Emily hadn"t seen in a long time. Someone she knew cared for her and wished only good things for her. Someone who would never hurt her.
Safe...kind...grandma... said the leaves all around the kindly old face.
"Well, that"s not a problem! Here." The old lady was wearing a long scarf type thing wound around her head. She unwrapped it, baring a thick braid of pure silver hair, and held it out for Emily to see. "We can wrap this round your shoulders-twill cover you just so," she said, smiling.
Yes, it will, Emily thought, staring at the soft-looking deep blue fabric. And she could use her hands to keep it away from her sensitive nipples. It was a perfect idea!
"Just open the door a little crack and I"ll pa.s.s it in to you, so I will," the old lady wheedled.
"Okay." For a moment Emily wondered again if this was wise. But the old lady seemed so nice-even the message bush thought so. And I just want a breath of fresh air, she told herself. Just a few deep breaths and then I"ll go back in the shuttle. That"s not a big deal, right?
Before she could change her mind her fingers were feeling for the unfamiliar door-latch mechanism. She"d seen Tragar work it-the lever had to be pulled up and out and then the lock popped and the door slid soundlessly open.
As soon as it did, a warm, fresh gust of air slipped inside the stuffy cab of the shuttle. It teased around her hair and caressed her skin, making her feel refreshed and excited.
"Ahh," she breathed, taking the blue scarf the old lady handed her without question. "That"s wonderful!"
"Course it tis, child." Grandy See-er gave her that sweet, kind smile again. "Tis a lovely day, sent straight from the G.o.ddess. Come out and see for yourself."
"All right, I will." Wrapping the scarf carefully around herself, Emily stepped out of the shuttle and onto a soft bed of purple moss that felt cushy and delightfully cool against her bare feet. "Mmm..." She wiggled her toes and looked around, getting a much better view than she"d had from the shuttle.
They appeared to be standing on the edge of some kind of forest with vast tree-like growths arching overhead. Blue sunlight filtered down through a canopy of purple, silver and green leaves. The trees had trunks that were silvery gray and completely smooth up to the top where most of the leaves sprouted. The soft, pale purple moss Emily was standing on seemed to carpet the entire forest floor. The air was filled with a warm, growing scent like ferns and fresh turned dirt and wild flowers but all of it had a slightly exotic, alien tang that made it even more exciting.
Really, except for the colors, the whole area reminded her of something out of a Disney cartoon-the idyllic forest where Princess Aurora meets Prince Philip in Sleeping Beauty, perhaps. Emily half expected a group of tame forest animals to come racing over the smooth, springy moss whistling Once Upon a Dream.
"Pretty, tisn"t it?" Grandy See-er was watching Emily with a little smile on her face. Without her head scarf she looked even older and very wise. She was wearing a long, white dress woven with colorful threads in marvelous patterns and she was barefoot like Emily. "We have a lovely home world, we Wulvens do."
"You certainly do." Emily looked around regretfully. "It"s gorgeous! I just wish I could see more of it before we go."
"And why shouldn"t you, little Mistress?" Silvery eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Isn"t that why you came out of your ship? So old Grandy See-er could show you around, all hospitable-like?"
"Oh, well..." The minute she said it, Emily did feel like that was the reason she"d gotten out of the shuttle in the first place. But something stopped her-some memory of Tragar saying it was dangerous. "Thank you for your kind offer but I really shouldn"t," she said regretfully. "I"m waiting for my...my..." What was Tragar to her? He wasn"t her boyfriend certainly-she didn"t really think she could even call him a friend. But saying "my ex-a.s.sa.s.sin who decided to help me instead of killing me" didn"t sound right either.
"Your captor?" Grandy See-er suggested, her faded blue eyes sparkling. "The male who stole you away from your home world and left you stuck in a shuttle while he went to do male-talk?"
When she put it that way, Emily couldn"t help but agree.
"Well, yes," she said. "But he"s helping me now. I mean, he brought me here to see someone who could help me with my...my condition."
"What condition, little Mistress? Ah, wait-don"t tell me..." Those silvery eyebrows arched once more and her nostrils flared. Emily reflected that she hadn"t noticed what a long, hooked nose the old lady had back when she was seeing her through the shuttle window. "You be in heat!" she exclaimed triumphantly, poking a long, crooked finger at Emily. "Isn"t that so?"
"Well...kind of, I guess." Emily was beginning to feel uncomfortable. This really wasn"t something she wanted to be discussing with a stranger, no matter how kind and sweet she seemed.
"Not just any heat either-you be a Khalla-one of the rare females that embodies the G.o.ddess herself!" She sniffed again. "And you be in Scintil-soon to enter Vlammen if you don"t do something to stop it-and that right quick!"
Emily stared at her. "How do you know all that? How do you know all the, uh, terminology? I thought this was a strictly Beast Kindred thing and we"re not anywhere near Rageron."
"Ah, but your male"s friend be not the only expert that the Khalla come to see to help them in their Tenrah." The old lady nodded sagely.
"But I thought only one or two were born in a generation."
"Is that what your male told you?" The old lady frowned. "Then he must not know much about the Wulven. Many Beast Kindred come to bond Wulven females and so more Khalla are born here." She pointed at herself. "That"s why Grandy See-er knows more than most anyone about stopping the flow of the nectar and reversing the Shift."
"Excuse me, what?" Emily felt a surge of hopeful excitement. "What did you say? Did you say you could reverse it?"
"Well, certainly I can, little Mistress! With the proper tools and treatments, of course-I don"t have them with me, though." Grandy See-er pointed into the forest. "They"re in my humble little hovel, a few steps from here-just beyond those trees. Would you like to come and see?"
"Oh, uh..." Emily bit her lip uncertainly. "I really shouldn"t...I mean, Tragar told me to stay in the shuttle..."
"You"ll be safe enough with me." The old woman patted her arm comfortingly. "n.o.body bothers Grandy See-er. I"m like a second great-mother to the whole town."
The moment she said it, Emily could see how it must be true. Probably all the little children adored the sweet, kind old lady and all the mothers in town called on her for advice. She was probably like some kind of alien Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Still, something made her hang back.
"I just...I"m not sure."
"Well, suite yourself, little Mistress." The old lady shrugged her boney shoulders, her long white dress rustling. "But I can"t help those as don"t want to be helped."
"But I do want to be helped!" Emily protested. "I want to stop this...this whole process. And I want to go back to normal and live my life and not feel like my whole body is turning against me!"
"Well, of course you do." Grandy See-er took Emily"s arm and stroked it comfortingly. "Tis a strange and scary change you"re going through, little Mistress and old Grandy would like to help you if you"ll be let her."
The touch of the soft, wrinkled hand somehow decided her. Surely nothing bad could happen to her while she was with such a sweet old lady!
"All right," she said, smiling. "I guess it can"t hurt, as long as you promise we"ll be back soon."
"Of course, little Mistress." Grandy See-er patted her arm again and her faded blue eyes seemed to sparkle strangely. "Of course. Now come along-we have much to do."
"Tragar! So good to see you again!" Xen"dex ushered him into the small domicile with a smile. "No, don"t shut the door. We leave them open here-it is the Wulven way."
"Xen"dex, my old master!" Tragar clasped arms with him in a warrior"s greeting, glad to feel that his old teacher"s grip was still as strong as ever. "You"ve scarcely aged a day," he remarked, looking at his master.
Indeed, except for his long hair being iron gray now, Xen"dex was much the same as Tragar remembered when he"d learned from him as a young male.
"The years have been kind." Xen"dex nodded.
"To some of us," Tragar muttered. He broke the warrior"s clasp and stepped back a little to look around. The domicile was long and low and the same moss that carpeted the forest floor served as a floor covering inside. On a small table stood a holo of Xen"dex with his arm around a pretty, pet.i.te female with brilliant blue eyes. "Is that your mate?"
"Yes, that"s my Saskia." His master"s chest swelled with pride and his eyes shone with love. "She"s off visiting her kin this day so I"m afraid you won"t get to meet her."
Tragar wondered if his master"s mate being out of the house was pure coincidence...or something planned. He supposed he wouldn"t blame Xen"dex if it was the latter. He wouldn"t want any female he loved being around an a.s.sa.s.sin of the Verrak either.
"She"s lovely," he said shortly. "Couldn"t find a female on Rageron you could bond with?"
"They"re scarce and getting scarcer. How many years since you were home?"
"I have no home now," Tragar said grimly. "But I haven"t been back to Rageron since Landra and Jalex..." He shook his head. "I haven"t been back in a while."
"I understand," Xen"dex said quietly. "It must be difficult for you to go back now."
"Difficult but necessary." Tragar sighed. "I must get Emily to the Holy Mountains before she enters the fourth stage of her Shift. In fact, I"d like to get her there before she enters the third stage-or even gets to the last part of the second."
"That may not be possible. Tell me about her-where did you find her? How did she come to be so far from Rageron?" Xen"dex asked, leading him further into the domicile.
"She was a target-is a target," Tragar admitted heavily. "I don"t expect you to understand or approve," he added quickly, seeing the flash in his old master"s golden eyes. "I took her contract because the male who contacted me claimed she was dangerous and deserving of death."
Xen"dex arched an eyebrow at him as he led Tragar into a small, comfortably furnished room with low, legless chairs. He lowered himself with a warrior"s grace and sat back against one, letting his legs rest on the purple moss. He motioned at Tragar to take another.
"So is she? Dangerous?"
"Of course not! Emily"s sweet and kind-she teaches younglings for a living. She loves them and cares for them deeply. She"s always gentle when they"re hurt or upset and she-" Tragar stopped abruptly, realizing that his old master was staring at him with a small smile playing about his lips. "She"s not dangerous and she doesn"t deserve to die," he finished. "Obviously, the male who convinced me to take her contract lied."
"And what do you plan to do about that?" Xen"dex murmured. "My understanding was that if you don"t kill her, you must kill yourself. Or one of your order will come after you and do it for you."
The narsh on Tragar"s arm burned but he ignored it.
"I"m on my guard against any such eventuality but right now I"m more concerned with getting her safely to Rageron," he said. "I don"t know how long she was in the first stage, Kalor, but she pa.s.sed into Scintil very quickly and I"m afraid she"ll speed through the rest of the stages before I can get her to the Holy Mountains where the elders can..." The words seemed to stick in his throat but he forced them out anyway. "Can help her find a mate to bond with."
"And this is what you truly want? For her to find another male to bond with and mate?" Xen"dex raised his eyebrows again and gave Tragar that piercing stare he remembered from his youth. That stare that seemed to see right through him.
"Of course it"s what I want," he protested. "Emily is beautiful and kind and gentle. She deserves a male who is worthy of her."
"Only the G.o.ddess can say if a male is worthy...or unworthy," Xen"dex said softly.
"Maybe she can say that for a male who hasn"t renounced her," Tragar growled.
"Just because you have renounced the G.o.ddess doesn"t mean she has renounced you, Tragar."
Tragar wondered what his old master would think of him if he knew how very unworthy he really was...if he knew how he had whipped the Khalla he was supposed to be protecting with his belt in order to drive back her Kit"tara... He would probably be horrified and justifiably so.
He shrugged irritably.
"That"s no concern of mine. I"m only taking Emily to Rageron because I am biologically unable to do other than help and protect her. That and the fact that I"ve never been able to get your d.a.m.n teachings out of my head."
"Protect a Khalla at all costs, for she is more precious than any jewel in the universe," Xen"dex said, nodding. "Speaking of which, where is she?"
"I thought I"d come and get the equipment you said you had first."
"Oh yes. Just a moment." Xen"dex got up from the low chair and left the room for a moment. When he returned, he had a small wooden box filled with various articles. "Now, here are the clamps I told you about," he said, holding up two small clear clamps with soft, white fur lining their insides. "That"s tala fur-it"s charge-neutral so they won"t hurt the Khalla"s sensitive peaks. Of course, you can only hold back the nectar for so long. Eventually her b.r.e.a.s.t.s will become too full and she will have to be eased."
Tragar cleared his throat and shifted in his low chair. He couldn"t help flashing on a mental image of himself kneeling before Emily and ma.s.saging her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s to help the nectar flow. Still, he knew he shouldn"t want to do such a thing-he didn"t deserve to.
"Hopefully we"ll be on Rageron in the Holy Mountains by then," he said in a low voice.
Xen"dex gave him a sharp look. "Yes. Hopefully." He got something else out of the box. "This is tanda-berry ointment. It can be used to ease her extreme sensitivity both above and below. Although you are aware if she pa.s.ses through Scintil and into Vlammen before you can get her to Rageron, only the Healing Kiss can truly ease her pain."