Chapter 18

Dakkan

"Stop it," I snarled at the being.

"Stop resisting, Mitran," said the voice. It was firm and sounded displeased.

"Speak to me with your voice, not…like this." I glared up at the being. "I don't want you in my mind."

"I have no voice," she replied. "This is the only way I can communicate with beings like you. Relax your mind and it will not hurt."

I wasn't ready for that. "Who are you?"

"I am Lom, caretaker of this nursery," the tall one said in my mind. "You are an intruder."

"We are here by accident," I said urgently. It was disorienting to speak with my voice when the other being did so in my mind. "My mate is sick. She was bitten by one of your guardians. Set us free so I can get her treated." I held Sabine snugly against my chest. I could feel her heartbeat and the shallow rise and fall of her chest. I clung to those sensations as they proved that she was alive, but the life force was seeping from her body. She needed help soon.

Lom surged forward. Those long, pointed fingers swiped through the air. "You should've listened to your friend and stayed away," she told me. "You don't belong here. Every moment that you remain in the nursery, you are a threat to these babies."

I looked around. The playing had ended and the small aliens had stopped. They cuddled in groups and watched with those big, curious eyes.

"We have no intention of harming these young ones," I said. "We just want to leave."

Lom's large eyes blinked slowly. "No."

"Take me then," I cried. "Kill me. But my mate has done nothing. She rescued one of these young ones yesterday." I nodded in the direction that we had come. "She is a doctor."

"I know not what a doctor is," said Lom. "And your offer to sacrifice yourself is misguided. No one can leave here."

"Why?" I demanded, frustration peaking.

Lom spread her arms wide, encompassing the nursery. "This place must be secret. Once it is known, all will be lost."

That made no sense. I couldn't imagine why they would think this way. "We won't tell anybody." Pressure rose up my throat like a desperate thing clawing to get out. "I only want to save her."

There was not a glimmer of sympathy in the face of this being. She gazed down at me impassively, as if we were oddities to dispose of. The young ones, on the other hand, crept closer. They peeked around each other with curiosity. One got close enough to reach out to touch my leg, but another grabbed them and yanked them back. I looked down at their little, innocent faces. "I'm not here to hurt you," I said, feeling hope drain away. I looked back up to Lom. "I know what it is to not welcome change. I know it all too well. But I promise you that we are not your enemy. Killing us will not make your home safer."

"This place is a secret. It must remain hidden." Lom said. "These babies represent the only hope for my species, the Ulfris people, and you are a threat that shall be eliminated."

Just then one of the young ones crept up to Lom and placed a long, slender hand on the caretaker's foot. Her attention snapped to the little one. They held gazes for a long moment without speaking, or, at least, not speaking out loud.

I shifted on my feet, frustrated with not knowing what was going on and feeling Sabine slip farther away. Was that the same one that Sabine treated? To my eyes, they all looked the same. Some were slightly taller or shorter, indicating different ages, but there were no other identifying markers. They were all slender with the same features and long silver hair that grew from their heads down their spine and flowed down to their feet. They all gave off a luminescent glow. After what felt like an eternity, the young one stepped away from Lom.

Lom looked up at me. "Your story is true," she said in my head.

This time, I did not push back and as she'd promised, there was no pain. Just her voice. "My mate is a healer. We came across one of your young ones in a clearing not too far from here. A young female. She'd fallen from a tree and was ill. Our devices were nearly drained of power, but Sabine used the last of the energy to regenerate the broken bone and heal the child."

"Bring your mate to me," said Lom.

I took in a deep fortifying breath. I would have to take my chances with this life form and hope that Sabine's good will would be repaid. I walked forward, cradling my precious mate as her breath rattled in and out.

The small female that had spoken to Lom stayed there and tilted her head as I came forward. I was directly in front of Lom, who towered over us. She cast a dark shadow that made all of my instincts prick up in warning. My spikes were at full height. My claws were long, even as I held Sabine with infinite care.

Lom looked down at the young one and nodded. "This is Belbi. The one healed by your mate. She wishes to help your mate."

The young female curved her little mouth into a smile. She pointed to Sabine's bandaged leg. I knelt down so she could be closer to it. Her tiny hands unwrapped the wound and brushed away the powder and ointment I had caked onto it. Then, she rubbed her hands together over the wound. Luminous dust sprinkled from her palms. I watched as Sabine's skin became covered in the substance. Little Belbi had touched Sabine's cheek, before running off, with this exact same substance. But this was a deliberate application. When the wound had been completely coated in glowing powder, the little one placed her long, slender hands over the wound and closed her eyes. She began to glow brightly.

I held my breath, not understanding what was happening, but willing to see it through. My instincts were clearly telling me that Belbi was trying to help. Whether or not she could… Well, we would see.

Lom tilted her angular, elegant head my way. "You did well to treat her. She would not have survived this long, had you not."

"I would not have had to, if you hadn't sent your guardian to attack us."

"We must protect ourselves," Lom said. "Your large array of weapons does not speak to peaceful intentions."

I sighed. My throat was thick, choked with emotion. "Even the peaceful need to defend themselves."

Lom's gaze went sharp and knowing on mine. "We understand each other, then."

We didn't, but I couldn't argue this now. My attention was riveted on Sabine. She stirred in my arms. I could feel her heartbeat grow stronger. She drew in a deep breath, and it did not rattle. Her eyes blinked open and then closed again. She sighed and smiled against my chest.

I looked up at Lom, and then to Belbi, who stood there grinning at us. She looked quite pleased with herself. "You removed the poison in her blood?"

The little one nodded.

"The babies cannot speak telepathically to you," said Lom. "They are not strong enough. Little Belbi, here, likes your mate and chose to save her. She will not die." Lom inclined her head. "The guardians will not attack you again, unless you give them reason to."

My knees were almost weak with relief. "She'll be okay?"

Lom extended a hand, gesturing to a location off to her right. "She needs time to heal and it will be some time before she awakens. You may place her over there in our bed of restoration, where the spores of the ria plant will revitalize her. You may stay with us while she heals, Dakkan. You will not be harmed."

Lom had taken my name from my head. I wondered what else she had taken. "Does this mean you will release us?"

"I cannot do that," said Lom. "You can never leave."

Frustration and relief battled under my ribs. On one hand, I was grateful that Sabine would live. That she would recover and be healthy. On the other hand, we were in the same position we'd been in all along. As fond as I was of Lukan, I did not want to spend the rest of my life with him. I wanted to return with Sabine to my people, my Thrail. My life.

I would take this small victory for what it was. I looked at the young female and smiled at her. "Thank you, Belbi. I am in your debt for saving my beloved."

Belbi made a vibrating noise and a funny face. It was clearly her way of laughing. She patted me on the cheek, as she had Sabine.

"Belbi says you owe her nothing. She says Sabine was kind enough to help her when she did not have to." Lom inclined her head again. "We are not cruel. We repay kindness with kindness."

I kept my mouth shut, but the urge to tell her what I thought of her "kindness" in keeping us imprisoned here for life was curled on my tongue. I turned and carried Sabine to the bed of restoration Lom had indicated.

The other little Ulfris children had overcome their shyness and bounced around, jumping gleefully near us, making their little vibrating twittering sounds. They pulled open a veil of shimmering vines covered in tiny blooms and faceted crystalline leaves. On the other side was a thick bed of moss in the deepest green I'd ever seen. Stepping on it felt like the softest pillow I'd ever laid my head on. "She can rest here?" I asked the young ones.

They nodded and gestured to the bed of moss. I placed Sabine on it and tiny, delicate spores rose from it and settled on her, coating her in a light shimmer. Sabine smiled in her sleep, and curled on her side. She looked peaceful. Her coloring was healthy again.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, my love. When you awaken, we will talk."