Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice Read online

  Erynn rushed into the Medical Unit as Nev came out of a cubicle. He paused outside the curtain, forehead creased, eyes narrowed, entering information on a small handheld recorder. She slowed and stopped, not wanting to disturb him.

  Maire emerged from the exam room, pushing the drape back for an older man flexing his hand. “Go to your quarters and rest.” She patted his arm. “You’ll be able to return to your duties tomorrow.” She saw Erynn and smiled. Maire spun to Nev, taking the recorder from his hands. Her green eyes glittered with amusement. “I can finish this. You’ve been going all day without a break. Go.” She tossed her head toward Erynn and golden-brown hair swung over her shoulder. “Go.”

  Nev frowned, glancing in the direction she had indicated. “Erynn.” His voice was a whisper, a breath, a prayer. His silver-blue eyes widened, and he smiled.

  Erynn hurried forward. “I have a question about Cace.” Nev’s smile crashed like a plummeting Interceptor. The disappointment clouding his face made her wince. She plunged into the reason she’d come. “I’m sorry, Nev. But I did something, for Cace, and I need to ask you if it’s all right.”

  He nodded, his expression somber, his hands clasped in front of him. “What did you do?”

  She bit her lower lip. “I want to take him for a flight in an Interceptor.” Erynn proceeded to tell him what she had done. She watched Nev’s face. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw set. She was sure he was about to tell her no. She sighed and held up her hands. “Okay, maybe later. When he’s stronger— ”

  “Now, wait. I didn’t say no. Give me a moment to think about this.” Nev’s brow creased. “What does Cale think?”

  Erynn grinned. “Cale thinks it’s a great idea. He’s going to let anyone who wants to watch.”

  “When do you fly again?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “Let’s go talk to Cace,” Nev said, smiling. He reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

  First light kissed treetops bursting into a vibrant green. Rays of morning sunlight wrapped the purple mountain peaks in a lovers embrace. Fingers of golden illumination moved forward against a pink and orange sky, caressing the white skin of an Interceptor sitting alone on the scramble pad. The DVSL glowed with the dawn and brightened the small space of Cace’s room.

  Erynn handed Cace a helmet. “It’s going to be a little big, but you’ll be able to hear what’s going on. And the best part is, we can talk.”

  Cace jumped to his knees, the bed bouncing. He took the offering as if the helmet would disappear when touched. He held the hard, protective covering with care, reverence in his wide brown eyes. “I can wear this, and…and talk to you while you’re flying? Wow, thanks, Captain Yager.” He clutched the bulky shape to his thin chest.

  Erynn reached out, brushing hair from his eyes. “Sure. I’m going to need you. When I fly over the lake, I want you to tell me what you see. And call me Erynn. We’re working together now.”

  Nev stood by the door, catching Erynn as she left Cace’s room. He pulled her into the hall, cupping her face in his hands. “Be careful.” He kissed the top of her head and walked away to sit with Cace.

  A hush followed Erynn from the hangar bay to the scramble pad. All eyes watched in anticipation of what they were about to witness. Erynn climbed the steps to the cockpit, picked her helmet off the seat, and jumped in. The canopy hummed closed, locking in place with a quiet click.

  “You’re clear for scramble, Captain Yager.” The voice was mechanical in the headset.

  “Copy. Clear for scramble.” Erynn flipped switches. The Interceptor’s engine whined to life with an escalating roar. The panel blinked, brightening. Red, green, and yellow lights exploded across her field of vision. She feathered the controls in her gloved hands. The fighter rose off the scramble pad, sliding toward the edge, and dropped. At first falling, she pulled the throttle back, rotated the stick, and spun, rising high into the blue sky, continuing to spin. Contrails swirled off the Interceptor’s wing tips, creating a whirling vortex behind her. The brilliant orb of the sun and the deep-blue of the sky alternated around the canopy. She leveled the fighter. Trees flashed by below. Blue static snapped, raced down her arms, and arced across the sleek body of the fighter. “Cace, how are you?”

  Cace giggled. “I’m great, but I think Byan Nev is going to be sick. My mom quit watching after you went off the edge.”

  Erynn grinned at the picture in her mind. “Ah, well, tell Byan Nev to close his eyes. I think we should kick it up a notch, don’t you?”

  “Yes, oh yes.”

  Erynn rotated ninety degrees to the left and cut between a stand of trees.

  Low and fast, just the way I like it.

  She came out of the first stand, revolved right one hundred and eighty degrees, and entered the second grouping. Electricity snapped between her hands and the controls. Branches whipped past, swaying wildly in the wind, battling the current the Interceptor created. She corrected the fighter. The lake appeared before her, shining silver in the sunlight. “Ready, Cace?”

  “I’m ready, Erynn.” His voice was strong and sure—like the man he would become.

  She dropped over the lake, skimming the surface. The water chopped and waved, the trees lining the shore whipped by strong gusts. When she was over the spot she had designated in her NAV-COM, a red light flashed. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and held it, praying this would work.

  The lake stilled. She sensed this calm below her before she actually saw the choppy surface become smooth. Erynn opened her eyes, turned the fighter in a slow, tight circle, and spiraled higher, away from the water. Colors separated. Layers became clear. The dark forms materialized. “Cace, can you see it?”

  “Erynn. How did. . . the wind?”

  “Cace, don’t worry about the wind right now. Can you see the letters A and L?”

  “Yeah, Erynn, I see them. But that’s not an A or an L.”

  Everyone in the hangar bay stared, transfixed at the large DVSL monitor, watching Erynn fly the Interceptor over the edge of the scramble pad and up into the sky. Some turned away, only to have their gaze pulled inexorably back to the scene before them.

  Jaer stood with Cale in the control room, his hands fisted, nails cutting into his palms. He spun to Cale. “She is being reckless and foolish. Are you going to stop her?”

  Cale shook his head and grinned. “She’s fine, Jaer. This is something Erynn can do.”

  When Erynn flipped from the left to the right, diving into another solid stand of trees, Jaer stumbled back a step, dropping into an empty seat.

  “There’s the lake,” Cale said, stepping closer to the screen above the long desk in the control room.

  Jaer stood with effort, shuffling forward. The wind stilled, the water calmed and waves smoothed to reflect the glassy surface of the lake.

  “She’s figured out how to affect the weather,” Cale whispered. “That’s amazing.”

  Jaer straightened, frowned, and gritted his teeth. “She is too low, going too fast. If you are not going to talk to her, I will.” He stormed out of the control room, his footfalls pounding down the metal steps to the hangar bay.

  Dhoran watched, his head spinning partially from Erynn’s flying, and partially because of what he’d just learned. Erynn was of blended parentage, like him. When he saw the electric currents winding around her, static only those of mixed heritage could produce, he knew. Cale understood what she was and must have encouraged her to stay here. The situation, the relationship between Cale and Erynn, made sense now.

  Interesting. She will be useful to me. I wonder who her Arranon mother is?

  Erynn landed the Interceptor, settling down on the scramble pad as softly as a drifting snowflake. The smiling crew rushed stairs to the cockpit as the canopy hummed open. Erynn slipped off her helmet and climbed out, hurrying down the steps. She needed to talk with Cace.

  “That was great, Erynn,” the first crewmember said, his voice high.

>   “Great? Incredible is more like it,” a second called, her eyes wide.

  “Thanks.” Erynn smiled. She tipped her head. “You really liked it?”

  Before they could answer, Jaer stormed outside through the wide hanger door, his course leading to Erynn. “Come with me.” His presence and manner intimidated the two crewmembers. They got busy connecting cables and hoses to Erynn’s fighter.

  Erynn stared up at him. “Why?”

  Jaer took her arm with a gentle grasp. “Please?”

  She nodded and followed him into the hangar bay. “What?”

  “You scare the Daheln out me, Kipa.”

  Erynn jerked her arm out of his hold and stopped. “Don’t call me that.”

  He winced. “It is true. Why should I not say Kipa?”

  She shook her head. “You’re…You have a…” Erynn turned away. “I can’t, Jaer I can’t be with you.”

  Jaer straightened. “I understand. When you want to hear my side, let me know.”

  Erynn spun around to see Jaer walk away between the Interceptors. Her heart shriveled, cracking another centimeter. The pull in her chest ached, straining against the emptiness Jaer’s absence left. They were both hurting.

  I haven’t heard his explanation. Why don’t I talk to him?

  “Hey, Erynn, I bet that kid in the Medical Unit just got the thrill of his life. I know I did.”

  Excited voices surrounded her, all describing what they experienced vicariously through her.

  Erynn wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, attempting a cheerful expression. She nodded. “Thanks. I gotta go see Cace.” Her lip twitched with the effort of maintaining a smile. “Thanks.” She hurried out into the main corridor. Her breath hitched and the tears increased until she sobbed, running away through the warrens. She kept up the pace, going nowhere, or anywhere she could be alone. She thought about the high tower but wanted to be in the dark, to let the blackness settle over her, covering the bottomless chasm where her heart once beat, and still loved.

  She stopped running, composing herself. If she didn’t get to the Medical Unit soon her absence would raise questions. Questions she didn’t want to deal with. Cace waited for her there, with his observation. He said the A and L were not letters. He saw something else.

  What? What had he seen?

  Nev would be there. His crooked smile flashed in her mind. He obviously wanted a relationship with her. She pushed him away, though, keeping his affections at a safe distance. He persisted, chipping away at her defenses.

  Is his attention a bad thing? Will there ever be a chance for Jaer and me?

  She took in a deep breath, her chest resisting the action. The tears had ended, but not the crushing pain. She could imagine her eyes, puffy and red. “I’ll just stay out of sight for a while,” she whispered in her exhalation. Erynn glanced around, taking a tentative step forward. “Where am I?”

  Marks at an intersection before her indicated she was in a lower level, station ten.

  But again, where?

  Rough stairs a meter ahead led down a short set of steps into the dark. She reached in a pocket and pulled out the small light she carried. Shining the meager beam, she crept down stairs that opened onto a flat empty space. She surveyed the area. Several small recessed openings on the far side stood out as deeper shadows against the dark. Erynn swept the light across the floor. Discarded boxes and old food packaging littered the space. She stooped to pick up a wrapper. “Why would this be down here?” She swung the beam above her to the damp, dripping rock. “Maybe they used this area at one time to store garbage before recycling.” Her voice echoed around the closed-in space. Foggy breath plumed out, swirling in the white glow from her lamp. She tossed the crumpled paper aside.

  Cold penetrated her heavy flight suit. She turned toward the stairs. Scraping, scrabbling noises came from the far side of the space where the recessed areas were. Erynn whipped the light toward the sound. “Meerats. I hope. Or maybe something bigger.” Meervorines came to her mind. “Time to go.”

  A loud crash of tumbling rocks clattered to her left, followed by a thick rasping breath.

  A prickling tingle began at the base of her spine and reached with icy fingers to her neck. “Go. Now.” She dashed up the stairs and into the tunnel without looking back. “Well that was fun.” She continued in her rush to get to a more populated area of the base. “Next time I go down there, I take a staser.” She shook her head, slowed, and nodded to three women in security uniforms turning from a side tunnel to walk in front of her. “There won’t be a next time, ever,” she muttered.

  Cace chatted excitedly about his experience, his face flushed, eyes bright. “I actually felt like I was with you, flying. And then we were spiraling up, into the sky. Oh, and everything was so beautiful, the colors so bright.” His forehead wrinkled. “Is it because you see things from above?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “When you flew so low over the lake and the waves, I mean, I thought we would touch the water.” He held tight to the helmet, swaying right and then left, as if he were still experiencing the flight, soaring high in the air.

  Erynn understood. She glanced at Nev. He watched her, a frown spreading across his features.

  Is Nev angry? Did I push the limit of what Cace can handle right now?

  She kept the flight easy and the time short. It could have been much wilder. When Cace stopped for a breath, Erynn cut in. “What did you see over the lake, Cace?”

  Cace nodded. Those aren’t letters. They’re symbols.” He let go of the helmet with one hand and reached to his nightstand, producing a reader. He flipped the device on, a faint hum rising with a silver light. The holographic pages opened to a predetermined spot, and he handed it to Erynn.

  What looked like an A lying flat and crossed over an L glowed up at her. She gazed up to Cace, grinned, and raised her eyebrows and her shoulders, shaking her head.

  Cace chuffed. “It’s the old language. You don’t know Comhra, though, do you?”

  “What do they represent?” Erynn’s brow knitted, and she stared at the symbols. She recalled similar markings on a statue above the underground entrance to the portal of water. The one portal she’d located and actually been through. Symbols also covered the walls in precise lines in the chamber below the strange statue.

  Were these similar? Could they be a marker for another portal, as she had thought?

  “It’s the symbol for air,” Cace said, shaking his head.

  Erynn frowned. “Air? But it’s in the water.” She bit her lip.

  “It’s the symbol for air,” he repeated, his voice strong.

  Erynn nodded. She would check this out now that she had more information. She leaned in to Cace. “As to my knowing the ancient language…Mide feath lafhar an teansa.” She picked up the reader and frowned at the symbols. “Mide bode leagh se toraith mide meas.”

  Cace blushed and ducked his head. “I’m not sure what you said. I’ve never heard the old language spoken. I can only read Comhra.”

  Erynn nodded, her grin widening. “I see.”

  Nev was on his feet. His gaze darted between Cace and Erynn.

  “What I said was, ‘I do speak the language. I don’t read it well, I guess.’” Erynn frowned, considering the implications. Her innate ability to speak and understand Comhra fell short when it came to reading the symbols, increasing Cace’s importance to her and Arranon.

  “Wow. I’ll teach you to read Comhra if you’ll teach me to speak it.” Cace tipped his head, his eyes narrowing.

  Erynn held out her hand. “Deal.”

  Cace laid his cool, dry fingers over hers and grasped them. “Deal.”

  Nev moved forward. He turned to Cace. “Enough excitement for today. I want you to rest.”

  Cace still held tight to the helmet and reluctantly pushed it toward Erynn. “You’ll want this back.” He stared at the rumpled blankets on his bed.

  “I’m not carting the helmet to you every time I need you to fly with me. Y
ou’d better keep it.” Erynn took a step back.

  “Really?” Cace all but squealed. “Thanks, I’ll take good care of it. Promise.”

  Nev turned on Erynn. His smile showed he wasn’t angry. “You’re not helping.” His whispered voice rose slightly on the last word, accenting both syllables. He nodded to the hall. “Can I talk to you?”

  “Sure.” She preceded him into the corridor.

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” Nev asked as soon as Cace’s door slid shut.

  Erynn gazed down the empty hall. “What makes you think anything’s wrong?”

  Nev took her chin and turned her face to his. His voice was low, gentle. Again, he invited her to talk. “You’ve been crying. Was it Jaer?”

  Chapter 10

  CALE GLANCED UP FROM HIS DESK as Erynn entered his office. “Erynn, it’s good to see…” His brow drew into a layering of creased Vs. “Hmmm.” He stood up and met her in the center of the small room. “What’s wrong?”

  Erynn smiled. “I keep forgetting I’m not the only one who can sense emotions.”

  He guided her to a chair in front of the desk and leaned against the edge, arms crossed. “You want something.” He wasn’t asking.

  “Yes.” She glanced down at her hands and then back to Cale. “I want to leave the base for a while.”

  Cale nodded. “I see.” His blue eyes studied her, and his lips drew into a thin line. “How long?”

  She twisted a string from her jacket around her finger and bit her lower lip. “Just a few days.”

  “Is this about Jaer…and Nev?”

  “No.” Her gaze dropped. She studied the dark veins running through the gray stone floor. “Well, maybe a little.”

  “Would it help if I talked to them? Asked them both to—”

  “Don’t.” Erynn’s head jerked up, and she watched his eyes. “Please. There’s more to my request than personal issues. But thanks.” He was quiet, giving her time to gather her thoughts, waiting for her to finish her request.