Between Darkness and Light Read Free Page B

must have been the cold,” Tirak said, starting forward again. “It put you into suspended animation.” He stopped at the foot of Annuur’s bed, eyes wide, ears disappearing into his mane of black hair.
    â€œYou haven’t a mark on you,” he said in a voice so quiet they had to strain to hear him. Leaning down, he grasped the end of the bed for support. “I don’t understand. It’s only been five days, how could you possibly have healed so quickly?”
    â€œOur mystics can do many things beyond navigating or planet-forming worlds,” said Annuur tiredly, settling himself on his side against the soft bedding. He knew that waking Tirak and bringing him to them had been a small act of revenge from Azwokkuss and the Reformer faction of the Camarilla for making them have to intervene in such a drastic fashion. “Don’t forget we saved your people many generations back when a solar flare would have almost destroyed them.”
    â€œWhere are we?” Tirak asked abruptly, straightening up. “We’re not on Anchorage, are we?”
    â€œWe’re on the TeLaxaudin world,” said Sokarr, dropping down onto all fours to go fetch a nearby chair and push it over for the Captain. “They brought us here to heal us.”
    Seeing the small Cabbaran struggling with the chair, Tirak went over to take it from him, then returned with it to the end of the bed, where Annuur’s head was, and sat down.
    â€œThe jump point,” he said slowly. “As we entered it, Sheeowl said it was different. I don’t remember anything after that until I woke here five days ago.”
    â€œYes,” agreed Annuur. “It was a TeLaxaudin one, sent to fetch us here.”
    â€œSent?”
    â€œIt’s more than a jump point,” said Sokarr. “It transports people and things.”
    â€œDid you send for help? How could you? We were running silent to avoid the M’zullians picking us up.”
    â€œThey could see what was happening and came to help us,” said Annuur.
    â€œIt was they who slowed you, when you were spinning out of control,” Tirak said thoughtfully. “Why didn’t they take you then, and why take us all? I assume the other three ships are here too.”
    â€œAll six are here, Captain,” said Sokarr, unable to prevent himself glancing out of the window at the ships sitting on the landing pad.
    Tirak looked, remaining silent for some time.
    â€œA drink, please,” said Annuur quietly to Sokarr. His throat was dry with talking.
    Lweeu beat Sokarr to his night table. Annuur’s mobile upper lip curled gently in a smile when the older male deferred goodnaturedly to her. Many had doubted his wisdom in choosing one as young as Lweeu, not yet out of her first century, as their mate. Her talent as an engineer had been a factor in choosing her, but Annuur had to admit he’d been drawn to her by her youth and personality. His sept had accepted his choice because it was his right as their patriarch to choose their mate, but little incidents such as this confirmed that he’d chosen wisely.
    While she held the glass, he raised his head to sip the drink through the flattened straw. It had a strange tang to it and he glanced quizzically at her.
    â€œAzwokkuss said to give you this when you woke,” she said. “It’ll help the pain.”
    Already a welcome numbness was beginning to creep through his limbs.
    â€œA night’s rest and you should be fine,” reassured Sokarr. “The damage was deep and they wanted to monitor the restructuring process. Stronger analgesics would have interfered with that.”
    â€œThe solar flare wasn’t the only time you interfered in our past, Annuur,” said Tirak suddenly. “You stayed very quiet when we discovered that there was a genetic link between us and the Sholans. When did your people interbreed us?”
    Annuur waved the glass away and