Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice Read online

  She frowned. “Yes. I’m going back for the speeder. There has to be a reason the power source is reading a complete failure.” She shook her head. “Strange.” She stood up, brushed snow off her pants, and set out through the forest.

  The speeder was a lump among others in the snow. Erynn stood a moment, catching her breath. Walking through the deep drifts was a workout. When the ache in her chest eased, she began brushing the powdery blanket off the speeder.

  She crouched, took the protective cover off the small engine, and examined the wiring. She could find no reason for the failure. Replacing the cover, she worked her way around the vehicle, checking each connection. On the other side of the speeder, she found the problem. The main power cable appeared to have been chewed through.

  “When—” Erynn bolted upright. The watchers had returned. Every muscle in her body coiled to react as she peered into the falling snow. Icy fingers crawled from the base of her spine to her neck, and her skin prickled with the chill. “Okay, time to go.” She opened the repair kit from a case affixed to the rear of the seat. Electric blue and purple tendrils wound around her gloved hands. She knelt next to the damaged wiring and began to fuse the separation.

  Movement in the distance to her right screamed for her attention, but she ignored the cry.

  “Get this fixed. Get out of here,” Erynn whispered with urgency. When she had the heavy wires twisted together, she wrapped the spot in strong tape. “That should get me home. I hope.” She stood up and returned the tools to the box, her gaze drawn to the right. Several dark, human-shaped forms darted between the trees, edging closer. Her lungs hitched, and she jumped onto the speeder, throwing her hood off and her helmet on. Hot, fetid breath brushed at her neck. The stench of putrid flesh filled her nostrils.

  Imagination? Yes. No. Maybe. Go!

  Bright purple static popped off her hands as she reached down to the starter. The snapping currents enfolded the chassis. The speeder started without punching the button. Erynn twisted the throttle full open and sped away, up the mountain.

  Jaer stormed into the transport bay. Cale was already there. A young man appeared to shrink at Cale’s menacing posture, intense gaze, and barrage of questions.

  I will not be so kind.

  Stammering, the young man turned at Jaer’s approach and paled. “General Athru, sir. Fayn Jaer. Sh-sh-she said she’d be back before da-dar-dark,” he whimpered.

  Jaer reached out, saying nothing, and grabbed the front of the man’s jacket. He lifted, pulling him slowly forward until their faces nearly touched.

  “Jaer, take it easy,” Cale warned. “We won’t get any information out of him if you kill him.” His eyes cold and hard, Cale turned on the young man. “Tell me everything Erynn said to you.”

  Jaer dropped the young man, and he struggled briefly to stay upright. Jaer crossed his arms and waited, his blazing glare never leaving the frightened, shaking young man.

  If anything has happened to my Kipa, he’ll know real fear.

  “Yes, sir, General. Captain Yager said she needed to go out and that there would be trouble if she didn’t.” The words tumbled from his lips. He ducked his head, his gaze darting between Jaer and Cale. “She said she’d be back before dark.”

  “I am going. I will take Aven and Roni with me.” Jaer pushed by the young man, and he stumbled backward. “Ready three speeders, Whill,” Jaer ordered an older man with long gray hair who stood back, watching the interrogation.

  Whill nodded. “They’re ready, Fayn.” He glared at the young man. “Figured you might be needing them.” Whill’s use of Jaer’s impressive title was further meant to intimidate the young man.

  Cale’s tone held an angry quality Jaer had never heard from him. “Whill, I’m closing all access points to the base until further notice. No one and I mean no one comes in or goes out without Jaer’s or my approval.”

  “Understood, General. Consider it done.” Whill turned to the young man. “And what about Rand here?”

  Cale whirled on Rand. “Whill, I’m putting Rand on report. I trust you to mete out an appropriate punishment for not following SOP, [Standard Operating Procedures].”

  Whill nodded. “I’ll handle this, General.”

  Rand stared at the floor. “I’m sorry, sir. I…She…” He shook his head. “There’s no excuse for what I did.”

  Roni hurried up to Cale and Jaer from the outer tunnel. “A speeder is approaching the first waypoint.” She smiled, the warmth of her expression spreading across her young face and into her green-brown eyes. “It’s Erynn.”

  Jaer felt his shoulders loosen. His breathing resumed its unrestrained rhythm of inhalations and exhalations, and his heartbeat slowed to a more normal pace.

  Erynn is all right, at least for now.

  Erynn entered the bay through the wide corridor. Jaer, Cale, Roni, and everyone on duty stared at her.

  Maybe I should turn around and go back out. No, they need to know what I saw.

  She stopped in front of them, pulled off her helmet, and climbed from the speeder. Cale glared at her. Jaer’s dark eyes blazed with an internal fire. Their anger and fear bombarded her. To reduce her exposure to their emotions, she visualized a tunnel of light becoming a pinpoint speck. “Yell at me later for not following procedure. There’s something out in the forest. Something not normally there. My speeder was damaged. It…They…were hunting me.” Her voice sounded thin, a fragile ribbon stringing her words together, barely holding. She put her hand to her forehead and rubbed. Now that she knew she was safe, relief and fatigue dropped over her like a heavy weight. Erynn glanced up, her attention divided between Jaer and Cale. “I saw them.”

  Cale’s frustration was evident in his voice. “We’ll get to that. But first, what prompted you to go out, alone, all night?”

  Jaer said nothing. He only stared at her. That was worse. She wished he’d say something and get it over with.

  “I told you. I hadn’t planned to stay out that long. My speeder was damaged. They did it, somehow. Chewed the main power cable in two.” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips. “Two enemy soldiers were in the forest just below the tree line.” She glanced at Cale. “You were busy with the murder of that woman.” Her gaze shifted to Jaer. “You were out searching for what killed her. This was something I knew I could take care of. I could bring the soldiers in without a fight.”

  Jaer glanced at Roni and nodded. “Take Aven and check it out. Find the soldiers. Bring them here, alive.”

  Roni spun back to the main tunnel and rushed away before Erynn was able to protest.

  Erynn narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Something is out there. A lot of those…things are roaming the forest. You’re only sending Roni and Aven?”

  Cale’s irritation receded. “I believe you, Erynn. Aven and Roni are Anbas. Sometimes less is better. They can handle whatever is out there. Besides, their goal is to find the soldiers, not some strange animal roaming the woods.”

  Erynn sighed. Her shoulders slumped under her weariness. Cale was right. She was worried about Aven and Roni after what she’d experienced, and maybe she didn’t need to be. The alien soldiers were more of a threat.

  Cale nodded to Jaer. “We need to find those soldiers. If they have the ability to contact others of their kind, the invasion of our worlds could start all over again. And this time I don’t think we’d be so fortunate.” Cale turned to Erynn. “What did you see? Can you describe the animals that stalked you?”

  Erynn sighed. “Yes. No. Not animals. They were tall, thin, human shaped.” Her jaw tightened. “They appeared to be black, their skin shiny, oily looking.”

  Cale inhaled sharply and whispered, “Shifters?”

  Jaer’s attention snapped to him. “It cannot be. They are a myth.”

  “No. They are very real,” Cale said with emphasis. “Zander claimed Shifters were Dhoran’s select soldiers. His forward guard.”

  “But if they are back,
that would mean…” Jaer’s gaze darted to the dark tunnel Roni had run into. “The attack. Could it have been Shifters, sent by Dhoran?

  “There’s no access below ground. I’ve checked every millimeter of the tunnels and warrens.” Cale’s gaze followed Jaer’s.

  “What’s a Shifter?” Erynn thought of the Anim Blath’s warning. The colony feared that the alien invasion on Arranon would stir the evil soul of Dhoran, waking his spirit and rekindling his desire to rule Arranon, above and below.

  Jaer’s attention returned to Cale. “They should be checked again. I will establish search teams for any unauthorized way in.”

  “What’s a Shifter?” Erynn glanced from Jaer to Cale.

  Cale sighed. “Yes. Tell the teams to evaluate all tunnels for air pockets behind the walls. This could take a while.”

  “What is a Shifter?”

  “We will get right on this, Cale. I will have all my Anbas working the tunnels.”

  “Fine. I’ll go find one for myself.” Erynn turned and started toward the access tunnel.

  Jaer grabbed her hood, pulling her back. “You are going nowhere, except to your quarters.”

  Cale’s eyes narrowed and he glanced at Jaer. “If you’ve got this handled, I’m going to set up a search grid for teams. Can’t have them overlapping.” He hurried to the exit, disappearing into the gloom of the main corridor.

  Jaer spun on Erynn. “I told you not to go out alone.”

  “No. You told me not to go into the tunnels alone. I didn’t.” Erynn matched his hard gaze.

  Jaer’s teeth ground, making a harsh grating. “Should I have confined you to your quarters?”

  Erynn’s eyes widened and her jaw tensed. “I’d like to see you try.”

  “Do not challenge me, Erynn. You will lose.” Jaer turned and stormed out of the transport bay.

  Erynn took in a deep breath and let the air escape slowly through clenched teeth. “Well, that didn’t go exactly the way I’d hoped,” she whispered. She was again alone.

  Emptiness pressed in around her.

  Chapter 5

  “WHY DO I KEEP DOING this? I know military SOP. I should have at least notified someone other than the transport tech what I was doing,” Erynn mumbled and kicked at a meerat running across the shadow-filled corridor in front of her. “I could have taken Roni with me. She would have gone.” She sighed. “But that would have endangered her as well as myself.” She turned down the tunnel to her quarters, a warm meal forgotten for the moment. “I’ll find Jaer and Cale. Apologize.” It would be easier to let the incident slide and forget her poor judgment. “No. I am accountable for my actions. If I make a mistake, I need to be responsible.”

  Erynn entered her quarters to clean up and change clothes.

  I must be saturated with the subtle bouquet of a maejen den, wet fur, raw bones, and ages of dirt.

  She stared with longing at the bed as she stepped toward the washroom door near the foot of her bunk and closed her eyes briefly. “Shower first. Apologize. Then sleep.” Her stomach growled. “Okay, shower, apologize, eat, and then sleep.”

  She stripped out of her clothes, tossing them in a bin set into the wall across from the shower. There was still an odd lingering scent in the small room. She picked up one of her boots, sniffed, and jerked her head back. “Time for new boots.” The old ones followed her clothes down the chute.

  Steam from the spray of hot water in the shower swirled and condensed on cool surfaces. She stood under the stinging surge, letting it warm and loosen tight muscles. When her stomach protested its empty condition yet again, Erynn turned off the water and stepped out.

  A panel above and to the left of the bin allowed her to choose clean clothing and new boots. Directly over the bin, ducts connected to the laundry ended in a closed cabinet. She made her selections, white being the only color choice, and waited. When she heard the whoosh of air through the ducts, she opened the cabinet and removed her clean clothes.

  Erynn left the warm, moist interior of the washroom. The bed beckoned once more, and Erynn slowed. Her stomach objected at the delay. “All right. I’m going. Best to get this over with. Quick and painless. Right.” She nodded decisively, pulled on a clean coat, unlocked her outer door, and moved into the narrow hall.

  Familiar faces, and some not so, glanced at her as she passed through the common room. The DVSL showed a split screen of several tunnels and warrens. Everyone was doing his or her part, keeping watch. At least now they had an idea of what might be out there.

  One man in particular followed her course, his deep-hazel eyes tracking her progress. “Are you leaving the quarters, Erynn?” He stood up. “No one should go out alone, especially with the news you brought back.”

  Erynn stopped. “I’m just going to see Cale.” She frowned. She didn’t know this man.

  He knows me.

  He smiled. The lines around his mouth deepened. “I’ll go with you. I’m not doing anything. Better to be safe.”

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Zach.” His smile faded. “I’m an old friend of Jaer’s.”

  Of course, Zach would be a friend of Jaer’s. He was tall, muscular, and powerful, wearing a black tunic and pants.

  Anbas.

  “I see,” Erynn mumbled. “Well let’s go, then.”

  Erynn was able to go right into Cale’s office. He was alone, a rarity these days. Zach remained just outside the door.

  Cale stopped what he was doing at his desk and leaned back in his chair. “Erynn?”

  Erynn cleared her throat and stood to attention. “I want to apologize. I should have told someone I was going out and why, sir.” She continued to stare at a gray-green swirl on the smooth stone wall behind Cale’s head. “It won’t happen again. I am sorry.”

  Cale sighed and glanced away from her for a moment. “Erynn, do you remember what I told you when you first came here? That you could come to me with anything? That I was here for you?” He stood up and walked around the desk.

  Erynn no longer stared at the wall. “Yes, sir.” She watched his movements as he came toward her.

  He wrapped her in a crushing hug. “What happened to calling me Cale?” he asked in a hushed tone in her ear.

  She put her arms around him, returning the hug. “I’m sorry, Cale. I really thought I was helping you. It seemed so simple. I’d just go get the soldiers and bring them back.” She buried her face in his shoulder. With her voice muffled, she said, “The last thing I wanted was to make you angry.”

  He squeezed her even tighter. “I was worried, Erynn. You’re part of my family. I love you like my own daughter.”

  Erynn nodded. A slight grin formed against the crush of Cale’s hug. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do.” Cale pushed away to stare into her eyes, still holding her. “You aren’t alone, Erynn. You don’t have to do these things alone anymore.” He brushed at her cheek with a gentle touch. “We take care of each other, help each other here.”

  Erynn shook her head. A smile pulled at her lips. “I’m trying to remember. It’s good not having to hide what I can do, but still, it’s new for me.” Years of not being accepted, of it just being her dad, made this sudden belonging difficult to acknowledge.

  He gave her one last encompassing hug. “You’re doing fine. Well, you were until today.” He chuckled, released her, went to his desk, picked up the DVSL’s remote, and turned toward the large screen. “Now, you wanted to know about Shifters.”

  Erynn faced the DVSL. The scene quickly scanned through myriad views of the base, settling on the split screen of tunnels, changing to another set of corridors, and then another. “Do you think Dhoran is back?” Her voice was low.

  Cale glanced at her. “What did Zander tell you about Dhoran?”

  Her brow knitted. She nodded and pursed her lips. “He told me that hundreds of years ago, Dhoran was born to a parent from the surface and a parent from the underworld of Arranon. Dhoran was powerful because o
f his mixed parentage, like the children born with a blended heritage from Korin and Arranon.” Erynn took in a breath. “Dhoran convinced the underworld, and some from the surface, to fight for him. He wanted to rule all of Arranon.” She glanced at Cale.

  He sat on the edge of his desk, watching her. “Go on.”

  “Arranon didn’t want the war between the realms. She showed those fighting against Dhoran more of her magic, aiding them. Dhoran was eventually driven underground, his army depleted and crushed.” She paused. “Zander didn’t think Dhoran’s evil could die. What do you think?”

  “It would take a lot to bring him back. Was the alien invasion enough?” Cale shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. Just because Shifters are coming into the open, doesn’t mean it’s at Dhoran’s orders. It’s like any other rare life form on Arranon. Occasionally they will be sighted.”

  “Why are they called Shifters?” Erynn had a good idea why, but she needed to hear it from Cale.

  He stared at her for a long moment. “Shifters have the ability to take on the form of other creatures, even humans, for short periods. They seduce their prey with promises, a comforting appearance, and a calming sense of reassurance before they kill.”

  Erynn tipped her head. “Short periods? Then why can’t the victims escape them?”

  “It’s long enough,” Cale stated in an exhaled breath and stood up. “Once a Shifter begins his deception, the quarry becomes hypnotized. When the Shifter does reveal his true form, the victim is in a trance, unable to break free.”

  “I only saw black human shapes, tall and thin. Nothing else. I heard no sounds. Felt nothing but uncomfortable around them.” Erynn watched the changing view on the monitor and shivered.

  “Maybe your presence startled them. They were more curious about you.” Cale also stared at the DVSL, the split screen of warrens and tunnels changed. “It’s odd. Besides Zander, you’re the only human I know of that’s ever seen a Shifter and lived to tell anyone.”