Aurora Rising (2 page)

“It’s tough and not for everyone, even if they are strong talents.” Jattin nodded, feeling a touch of sorrow for the loss.

“It’s not a total loss. Chall is teaching now with the younger levels and is doing quite excellent. It fits her better.”

“I can see that for her. She just couldn’t handle panic situations well, no matter how she tried.”

“Yes. Now, let’s get back to Rori.” Manning’s anxiousness came through in his voice. “Do you think she will be willing? You mentioned her parents’ disapproval of Guardians. Will that hold her back?”

“No. Rori is a protector. She won’t be able to ignore the need,” Jattin said with certainty.

“Then when do you think we can expect her?”

“A week, two at the latest.”

Rori watched out the window as the airglider descended to the docking terminal. The city of Rae-Isis stretched out as far as she could see. It took her breath though she’d been there twice before. Still, it was hard to imagine anything of its size. The majority of the population of Raeland lived around the city.

On her first visit, she had been a young child, clinging to her father’s hand, gawking at everything, amazed at the height and number of the buildings. Neither of her parents liked cities. She’d felt their unease, and it had made her terrified until her grandfather had taken her up in his personal Air-rave, then she could hardly take in enough of it. It was fascinating, especially the huge bay extending out into the ocean.

On her second visit, when her grandfather was retiring and being honored for his service, he’d walked her to the beach that bordered one side of the Guardian Complex. He confided to her that he loved to relax there, and for the week, she’d joined him on his morning runs on the sand. Well, she’d get plenty of time to run there now.

She eyed the Guardian Complex barely visible in the distance. It looked like a huge shining sail against the azure background of the ocean. That would be her home for who knew how long.

Rori steeled her nerves then felt them jump as the glider dipped to their port. Buildings grew in size and the reality of her situation rose up to meet her. This was her new life. The light bump at the docking bay forced it home. Swallowing hard, Rori stood, retrieved her shoulder bag, slung it across her body and waited for her turn to disembark. People crammed the platform everywhere she looked. She stared, immensely overwhelmed.

“You agreed to this,” she said aloud to herself. Drawing in a deep breath, she blew it out. How was she supposed to find who was to meet her? The only person she knew in the city was Manning Hiymm, who was an old friend of her grandfather’s, his replacement, and her new boss. But the message she’d received with travel arrangements said Hiymm was unable to meet her but someone would be there.

Unease crackled over her nerves. Rori placed a hand to her forehead to steady herself. Since waking five days earlier, she’d been aware of so much more around her. It was like a veil had dropped and her senses were highly tuned. She felt different but right. Her grandfather assured her she’d get used to it. She knew it was true, but for now, she fought to control the sensations that battered her continually.

Rori shifted her gaze to the side, picking two men out of the crowd walking her direction. They were an odd pair. One was tall. His narrow frame was dressed to perfection in a tidy suit. The other looked like a walking block with a small head perched on top of his huge frame. His clothes were the type Ag-techs wore with numerous pockets.

Though neither were looking at her, she knew she was their prey.

Her hand froze midway up to flag them as the wave of malevolence hit her. Without thinking, Rori shifted to the side, slouching down among a group of people. She moved with them. She tried to tell herself she was being foolish but couldn’t get past the feeling of − evil.

Reaching the end where the platform opened up into the main terminal, Rori risked a look back. The men had stopped, looking around the area. The tall one lifted his hand and spoke into a comm-link. He spun her direction, nudging his partner with his elbow.

Knowing she’d been spotted, Rori lengthened her stride, looking around for an enforcement officer. Instead, her gaze met another pair moving toward her, this time a man and a woman, both wore black, like the archetypical bad guy.

There was a tightening around the woman’s eyes, and pain slashed across Rori’s mind. She staggered and pushed out subconsciously blocking the attack that she didn’t even realize was one until the pain abruptly ended. Fury flashed across the woman’s face. The woman’s hand went to her own head, and she wobbled on the spiked heels she wore.

Around Rori the air began to feel hot. A few feet away a trash receptacle burst into flames. People started to scream, panic and run. The duos continued toward her, but Rori’s attention shifted to a woman clinging to the hand of a small child as she was bumped and shoved by the crowd. The child stumbled, and the woman, trying to steady her, fell.

Rori reached her hand out to the woman as she wished the crowd to calm down. To her surprise, people slowed, and the pushing stopped. A man in a security outfit ran to put out the fire.

The four were almost on her. Rori darted to the man with the extinguisher. Snatching it out of his hands, she turned it directly into the faces of the man and woman. The woman screamed, but Rori was already swinging toward the other pair. The men pulled back, giving Rori the room she needed. Dropping the extinguisher, she took off in a sprint, weaving around people with no direction in mind.

“We’ll get you.”
The words echoed in Rori’s mind threateningly, but she didn’t slow. As she ran, she slammed up a mental shield between her and the man who’d been with the woman. It didn’t take long for her to outdistance the block man, but the tall one kept up with her outside and down two streets, where her stamina training and climbing the mountainside around the settlement paid off. The distance between them spread out.

Taking the opportunity, Rori darted down a pedestrian walk packed with people. Ducking into the open doorway of a shop, she pulled back behind a rack of filmy dresses and waited. It wasn’t long until she saw the man pass by. Searching, but obviously he couldn’t sense her. She watched several minutes more before she let out a sigh then almost screamed when a hand landed on her arm.

“Sorry.” The woman looked just as startled. “May I help you?”

Rori’s knees felt weak, but she managed a reassuring smile. “Yes. Is there a comm-link I can use? Please, it’s an emergency.”

The woman eyed her a moment then nodded. “You can use the store’s.” She turned, leading Rori toward the back of the shop.

With a final look out the window, Rori followed. Calling up the link, for a moment Rori was afraid she was not going to be put through, so when the person asked who was calling she gave her grandfather’s name. A voice answered almost immediately. “Jattin, is there a problem with Rori coming?” Then Manning Hiymm moved into the picture. “Rori.”

“Director Hiymm, I think someone just tried to kidnap me,” Rori said the words that sounded too unbelievable but true.

“What? Where are you?”

“I don’t know. Not too far from the glider terminal, I think.” She turned to the woman who stood not far away. “Excuse me, but can you tell me where we are?”

She repeated what the woman said.

“You’re in Ray-Isis?”

“Yes, the glider was on time, but the people waiting to meet me ...” she paused, wondering what to say, how to describe them. “They were … they were not from you.” Finally she gave up and went with a simple, straightforward answer. “They felt evil. One started a fire. Another, I think she tried to disable me with her mind.”

“Are you all right?” Concern was evident in the man’s voice.

“Yes, I just have no idea how to get to the complex. I don’t think I should trust a shuttle.”

“No, don’t get on a shuttle. I’ll send my assistant Tasc for you. Wait for him in the shop. This is what he looks like so you can recognize him.” An image filled the screen of a middle-aged man with a thin, angular face and balding head. “Stay out of sight. It shouldn’t be long.”

“Yes, sir.” Rori disconnected and turned to find the shopkeeper was staring at her with an odd expression. At a loss how to explain, Rori said the first thing that came to her mind. “Is it all right if I wait here?”

The woman nodded and for the first time Rori noticed the aqua streak in her short, blonde hair.

“Would you like to look around?” the woman suggested, off-handedly.

Figuring it was the least she could do, Rori nodded and moved around the shop while keeping a discreet eye out the window. The place was filled with clothes made in lightweight materials and bright colors, totally different from her usual serviceable attire. Much to her surprise, Rori found several things that appealed to her. Especially a flowing mid-calf dress, that was about the same color of the woman’s streak. When the clerk commented on how it matched her eyes, Rori took it as a hint and, since it wasn’t too expensive, decided to buy it though she had no idea where she would ever wear it.

A few minutes later, Eton Tasc walked in. “Aurora Straye,” the man greeted her formally. He was middle aged and shorter than her. What hair he had was cropped close to his head accentuating his sharp, bird-like nose.

“Yes, sir,” Rori returned just as stiffly.

Tasc wasn’t a man who inspired a relaxed, casual response. He was all business from his quiet confidence to his precise, quick movements. “If you’ll follow me, you were not expected today.”

The man turned and was already on his way out the door before Rori could question him. What did he mean she was not expected today? All the travel arrangements she’d been sent were for today. Rori hurried after him. Out on the sidewalk a man the size of a walking wall, wearing a uniform, fell in step behind her. Rori scanned the street but didn’t see any sign of the attackers or anyone paying too much attention to her.

Deciding to experiment, she pushed out with her senses, trying to pick up any animosity in the crowd directed at her. For a second there was nothing, and then she was flooded with emotions from happy and relief, to anxiety and pain. She stumbled a step catching the wall to steady herself as she tamped down on her senses.

The emotions dried up immediately. Carefully, she tried again, this time focusing on one person, a man hurrying the opposite direction. She was about to give up and pull back when the emotions came through as clear as if they were her own. Excitement, anticipation, nervousness, and pleasure mixed with thrill and love. Rori caught her breath. The man broke into a run, disappearing around the corner. She wished him good luck knowing his wife was having a baby and that she was in labor now.

She turned her attention back to her own surroundings in time to notice they had reached the end of the pedestrian mall. Directly in front of them, in a no parking zone, sat a small multi-transport with a logo on the side that Rori recognized as the Guardians. Another man, not much smaller than the barrier, leaned against it.

Briskly, Tasc went around to the front side seat while the man against the transport straightened and released the latch for her to enter. Rori was forced to slide over to make room for the man following behind.

“Thank you, miss.” The silence was broken as the man took the seat next to her.

As the other man settled in, Tasc addressed him in what Rori realized was Tasc’s normal, efficient, demeanor. “Take us to the complex then come back and retrieve her belongings. If you’ll give them your marker.” He glanced back over his shoulder to make certain she complied.

Rori handed over the small, silver ident-marker and settled back for the ride. She turned her attention outside the window. Rae-Isis was remarkably clean and organized, laid out in a grid pattern with wide lanes that made travel easy. Shops along the way boasted a bright array of things to keep her attention until she caught sight of the Guardian Tower ahead.

They were close enough now to tell what gave an illusion of striping on the building was really balconies looking out at the ocean from the living quarters of the staff housed there. One of those would be hers, and from her grandfather living there, she knew it would be on the upper floors, closer to the main control room and Guardian docking bay for their personal air-riders or hoversleds.

That was going to be her home. The thought went through her mind for the thousandth time since she had regained consciousness. Her breath caught. It was going to be so different from her small home in the jungle settlement. She blew out the breath she’d been holding as they pulled up to the main front entry.

“Follow me.” Again in his brusque way, Tasc was out of the transport heading for the main entry. Luckily, the walking wall got out quickly despite his size.

“Thank you,” Rori said to the men. She caught what she thought might have been a grin passing between them as she hurried after the assistant before she lost sight of him.

Rori reached him just as the lift doors slid open. If she expected him to say anything in the way of preparing her for what lay ahead, she was mistaken.

Unable to take the silence any longer and deciding on another experiment, she again sent her mind out trying to figure out why he was so annoyed with her. What she received was an analytical, controlled competence. She probed deeper and found a layer of annoyance then realized it was not focused at her but at himself for not being prepared for her arrival. His mind was distracted, shuffling possibilities around, looking for an acceptable answer. She released the mind touch and pulled back.

“I want to thank you, Mr. Tasc, for coming to get me. I do appreciate your efforts.”

The man looked at her in surprise. “You’re welcome. Please, do not be distressed by the mix up on your arrival. I assure you we will work out suitable arrangements for you to stay tonight. Your new quarters will be ready tomorrow.”

“I’m not concerned. Whatever you arrange will be fine, I don’t need much.” Rori tried to assure him.

“Yes.” Tasc looked at her and really seemed to look at her. “You know, young lady.” A spark of light lit his eyes. “It is not considered polite to use your talent to probe someone.”