“It has to be Knowing sickness,” he said, mystified. “There is no other explanation. I’ve experienced it. I’ve seen it before, but none of this makes any sense. Where is her mate? If she is experiencing the Knowing, he should be, too.”
“You know more about it than I do,” Nancy said. “Has this ever happened before?”
“No,” Whelon said, quietly. “Not to my knowledge. Do we know her name?”
“Not yet. She can barely talk.”
“Put out a description and try to find her family. In the meantime—”
Whelon leaned over Renay, snapping his fingers to get her attention and being careful not to touch her.
“Hey, hey there. Miss, where is your mate?”
Renay tried to shake her head and only managed to blink.
“He’s in the sky,” she whispered, drowsily. “He’s waiting for me there.”
Whelon shook his head and directed the nurses to take her inside. Renay could read their puzzled looks, but she was beyond caring.
He will come. He has to!
Chapter Five
The flight back to the Tower passed swiftly. Tyff worked his body hard as he streaked through the hard air above the clouds and felt the sun’s rays warming his scales from above.
He tried not to think. He wanted to lose himself in the grace of flying, but he found he could not. He was deeply troubled, and he didn’t understand why. It was almost as if his warrior’s instinct had kicked in to warn him of danger, but from which direction did it come? This only made him far more nervous.
Perhaps he had picked up a subtle cue somewhere. If he had seen suspicious activity and not been aware of it, the resistance could be planning an attack right now. The idea of more innocent people getting hurt filled him with a horrible dread.
I can’t let anyone else get hurt. I just can’t. Why don’t the humans just lock them up? We have no sympathy for those who hurt others. Why should they?
He dipped in the air, coming through the clouds to spiral above the tower. He knew others had returned already and some would be headed back to the ship by now. Tyff knew he would be reporting to Jarek and Taulan, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. He wasn’t sure any news at all could penetrate their love haze, especially now that Melissa had finally given Jarek a dragonlet.
He shifted smoothly, landing on a corner of the roof. He quickly dressed and headed downstairs, knowing that his ex-war master would be in the main rooms where the mates generally spent their time. He could hear the rise of voices as soon as he approached, and he hoped it wasn’t too chaotic—military debriefings were no place for the young.
When he entered the room, his heart fell a little. Taulan was at the far window, holding his son. Jarek was standing with him, nodding to something he was saying. Melissa was in a chair nearby, rocking the baby girl. Of the other mates, only Lily and Ellie were there, but Tyff felt crowded all the same.
It gave him great comfort to see Jarek turn and stand at attention as he approached. Taulan did the same, even with Shanas in his arms, and he was relieved they were taking the situation seriously.
“Welcome back, Tyff,” Jarek said. “Do you have a report?”
Tyff nodded. “We were unable to find the people who bombed the Choosing, except for a few who were killed when we attacked. The majority of the rebel faction is now under the care of Radoo and Lane.”
Taulan’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “They haven’t been imprisoned? Surely some of them know the criminals?”
“Agreed,” Tyff said. “But a treaty has been made for them and now Radoo keeps them under his protection. He and Lane are responsible for them… And any evil they might do.”
Jarek looked like he might protest when the little girl in Melissa’s arms wriggled and cried. He turned to her immediately and stroked her head gently as Melissa moved the baby to her breast. Tyff felt a sharp turn of emotion inside him. It was a beautiful sight and one he thought he would never see.
“Tyff?” asked Taulan. “You were saying?”
“Yes. The situation out there is uncertain at best. A fair number people are injured and Whelon is working around the clock. The human doctors are good, but together they’re all getting better. The trouble is, we don’t know where the insurgents will strike next.” He glanced over at Melissa and the baby again, swallowing hard over unexpected emotions welling in his throat.
“We can’t let any more innocent people get hurt,” he said softly.
Melissa looked up and smiled at him. He couldn’t deny the longing inside him to have a beloved face look into his own like that. He just wished it hadn’t cost them Jarek’s mastery.
“Would you like to hold her?” Melissa asked gently.
Tyff shook his head. “No, I’d be no good at it. I mean—I’ve never done it before.”
“That’s okay.” Melissa smiled. “It’s easy.” Before he could protest, she stood up and gently put the baby girl in his arms. Tyff froze in terror, not having the faintest idea what he was doing. The baby cooed and waved her hands at him and he broke into a smile so wide it surprised even him.
“Her name is Gina-Re,” Melissa said softly. “My great grandmother’s name was Ginette and Jarek’s mother was Renara.”
Tyff nodded, quickly handing the baby back before he could drop it somehow. He was more flustered now than ever before, and when Hannah arrived, causing Ellie and Lily to sit up and wave, he almost jumped out of his skin.
“Are you all right?” Taulan asked cautiously. “You seem more than troubled, Tyff.”
“It’s been a long day,” he said softly. “I just want to catch those responsible to make it safe for the women. For everyone.”
Taulan nodded, ready to say something when Lana arrived at the door, carrying Lorra. Taulan immediately abandoned the conversation and went to her. Tyff turned to Jarek and wasn’t really surprised to see that Jarek had turned back to Melissa and was getting her comfortable in the chair to nap with the baby. Something dangerously like jealousy rankled inside him.
This is no way to respond to an attack on a settlement. I need warriors, not doting fathers.
Tyff wondered if they would even notice if he left. He was thinking of doing so when Grace and Carla arrived at the door, both talking loudly and rubbing their bellies.
He realized he had entered a maternity ward or day care center and not a war room. Over the last few weeks as Radoo had worked to restore order, he had a lot of hope that they could get back to their well-ordered existence, but it seemed this wasn’t going to be the case.
He understood how useful it was to have the women involved. Grace and Carla had contacts in the medical world and were helping send resources anywhere they were needed as well as recruiting more staff for Whelon. Lily was irreplaceable as a hacker and was constantly gleaning information from the web. Dawn was still on the ship, almost single handedly caring for the garden and distilling compounds.
All the women had special talents. They were tough and adaptable, and he appreciated their efforts. But he truly believed they were limiting the operation by their lack of focus.
Lana and Melissa should be on KN where it’s safe, he thought. The others should be resting. Their mates should realize that their females may not be in the best place to bear and raise the young ones.