Page 16 of Ruarc

RUARC

Mam motions for us to take a seat, but I notice none of us have moved further than an arm’s length away; all of us are standing within touching range.

“My sweet young ones, how it does my old hearts good to see you all well and healthy. It also appears that the Gods of Ruk have blessed a few of you with mates. Introduce me to the fire vixens who stand patiently at each of your sides, Slavic and Einar.”

Slavic speaks up first right after pulling Ruby down onto the broad surface of his crossed legs.

“Mam, this is my Ruby. We found her along with several other human females on a Velgriddix ship. They were also stolen from their world Earth, but the gods placed her within the path of the Zenith, and even though it was not easy in the beginning, I have never been more blessed.”

Each word he says about Ruby as she smiles at mam feels like claws digging into my hearts. Mam reaches out, running her fingers through Ruby’s long hair with a small smile on her face.

“And Einar, who is the beauty you are holding so tightly?”

“This is my Rowan. She is the sister of Ruby, and her story is the same, yet at the same time, very different.”

“As in life, my young one … no two stories are ever the same, even if they walk the same path.”

Mam stretches her hand out to Rowan, and she takes it hesitantly, squeezing it tightly before curling up against Einar once again. It is easy to see that all of this excitement has been slightly overwhelming for her, but she is sitting bravely against Einar, supporting him as much as he is her.

Glancing around at Falon and I, I see the questions on her face as she looks at my partial mate bond. “Where are Murgul and Bikar?”

I settle against a cushion and allow Slavic to take over from here.

“They had to remain on the Zenith. The ship is too valuable to leave unattended, and at the time, Bikar was still scanning the planet’s surface for any signs of survivors, but we found none.

I have tried to contact the Zenith several times this rising only to receive nothing back but static.

Next rising, Einar and I will take one of the shuttles up and retrieve them so that they too can reconnect with you.

How were you able to suppress your heat signatures?

If it had not been for Kallen’s stubborn conviction that you resided upon Deapra, we would have left to search elsewhere. ”

“The iron ferrite in this mountainside and the design of the caverns deep inside its core has a way of hiding the inhabitants inside. The Velgriddix invasion forced us to leave the fields; a risky choice since we did not know if the mountain was stable. We had nowhere to go or hide to escape them. We were completely helpless against foreign forces, and that was unacceptable. The gods knew we needed protection, and once again they provided.”

Falon gets up instantly. “Mam, is there a centralized monitoring system or any other working holo system?”

“Yes, two archways down, but we have no real understanding of the language or the symbols on the screens. All the progress we have had so far has been trial and error.”

Falon’s face lights up in glee at the thought of studying something new. His brain is a wonder that never stops, and that is apparent now more than ever. He shoots mam a grin.

“Give me half a tic and I will return with all that is needed to know about this compound.”

When he starts out of the room, Slavic yells out in exasperation, “Falon, I am sure that can wait.”

“Continue your conversation brother, do not wait on me. I will return when I know mam and Atasha are safe.”

“Do you not have questions of your own for mam?”

Slavic’s tone now has a censorious edge to it, but as usual when Falon’s brain is engaged, he is oblivious to anything but his current obsession.

“No! She is alive, and that is all that matters to me. The rest is history I cannot change.”

I am not sure who is more shocked by his words, even though they are true.

Leaning forward, I take her hand in mine, tracing the wrinkles on her skin that were not there before.

“Mam, can you tell us what led up to the revolt? Slavic and I have gone over this in our minds and had many conversations about it, but there are just so many things that we cannot answer.”

The smile that had been on her face leaves quickly, and I can tell she is reliving the worst moment of her life. Her voice, which had been strong with breaks on some words just a tic ago, is now barely a whisper.

“Your sire and I personally blamed ourselves for practically gifting the Aynar our family on a platter, as we had no real way of fighting them once we were on Viri 9.

However, the breaking point for both of us came when they took Murgul out of my arms, at merely a few risings old, only allowing me to see him when he needed to feed.

You all know the horrors the Aynar were putting the younglings through, as you have experienced them yourselves in one way or another, but the things they were doing to Murgul were unimaginable.

By the time of his birth, I was mostly alone and completely helpless to stop the horrors those monsters were inflicting upon my younglings.

Slavic, you and Ruarc had already been forced to work in the mines for rotations.

The only knowledge I had of either of you was the assurance from your sire that you were both well, but that the mines had stolen the youth from you both.

The Aynar had taken Einar, Falon, and Bikar at a young age as well, but at least I was still reunited with them each rising until they were all sent to the training camps. But when they took my baby from me, I spiraled into such a dark pit of despair that I was barely functioning.

Your sire did everything he could to spend more time with me, but the Aynar, specifically Elwas, always found a way to keep us apart, and it was almost too late when we realized why he was doing that.

I had no idea the plans Elwas had for me until one darkness, he arrived unannounced and tried to force himself on me.

Thankfully, your sire arrived in time to stop him, but Elwas was arrogant, and he mocked your sire with his plans for me to become his breeder.

Your sire was enraged, but Elwas was smart and never went anywhere without his guards.

They had to hold your lifegiver back, and that is when things started deteriorating for everyone that the Aynar had brought to Viri 9.

Elwas came to me one rising, saying that Murgul needed me. Like a fool, I followed him willingly, only to find myself locked on the lower level with several others he had taken a personal liking to.

It took some time, but your sire found a way into the lower level, and he promised me he would find a way to get all of us out of their grasp …

and he did … at great personal cost! I do believe that was the darkness we made, Atasha.

Now that I have had time to think about it, I imagine he always knew that he would never make it on that ship with us, and I would need something to tie me physically to this world, so he gave me her.

After Elwas found out I was once again expecting, he showed his true colors.

He beat me to the point I was willing to die simply to make it all stop.

Your sire was told of what happened, and I do not know all the particulars, but once again he snuck into the lower level of the palace, only to find me unconscious from the beating Elwas had just given me.

They said he lost complete control of himself.

Zauz told me later that it took four of them to get him out of the lower levels before he was caught and destroyed all their plans, as he wanted to act immediately.

Thanks to Kallen’s intervention and quick thinking, I survived, but I ended up waking up having no idea how much time had passed.

Through our heartbond, I felt your sire’s worry and relief when I woke.

I was too weak to sneak out to meet him, even though I tried multiple times.

Each time I was lucky that it was Kallen who always found me collapsed in the hall and she would help me back to bed.

When she realized I was not going to stop trying to see him, she sent a message to the mines to let them know that the room cameras would be disabled and that Elwas would be busy elsewhere at a specific time.

I remember your sire walking in the door, bruised and haggard looking, but with a determination I had never witnessed before.

I will never forget the feeling of his arms around my weakened body while he told me about his plans to overthrow the Aynar and how we were going to escape this hell.

If only I had known that would be the last time we talked or the last time his arms would hold me …

I would have never let go.” A single tear streaks down mam’s face as she gets quiet, her mind drifting back there.

“Anyway, I can recall being a nervous wreck when the alarms went off, just like he said.

Unfortunately, my strength had not returned, and I knew I was going to have to trust Kallen if any of us had a chance of escaping.

She helped me until the corridors became too crowded and others needed her more.

I snuck out a side door slowly making my way topside and to the dock where your sire said the ship waiting for all of us would be docked.

I stopped when I saw all of you fighting against the Aynar when I should have kept going.