Calm Before the Storm (14 page)

“And those demonic alien creatures?” she
prompted.

“Again I don’t know much about them, but I
guess they’re the other side of this equation, out to cause chaos. I’d say at
the moment with all the riots and civil unrest recently, they’re doing a good
job.”

“This is so weird,” said Irina. “I feel
like I’m in some kind of horror twilight zone. Just shoot me if my head starts
spinning and I spew green slime out of my mouth.”

“Don’t worry,” Luc replied. “If that
happens, I’ll more than likely be doing the same thing. If you like, we can try
to pretend we’re extras in an episode of
Star Trek
, but definitely not
the ones who wear red. They always get taken out first and die a horrible
death.”

“Thanks for that thought.” Irina smiled
faintly. “Pity we can’t just tell Scotty to beam us up and make it all go
away.”

“That wouldn’t work, Rina. Scotty was
always busy trying to hold the ship together. The crew usually had to find an
alternative means of escape. We could try the old Vulcan mind-meld on Cassi to
get information.”

Irina snorted at that. “Why is it you can
always make me smile?”

“It’s a gift. What can I say? You’ve either
got it or you don’t and as you know, I just happen to have it.” Luc smirked at
her, quirking his eyebrows giving her the look that always made her smile.
Irina laughed as she recalled how Luc always had the capacity for seeing the
lighter side of even the darkest situation, his sunny personality imbuing hope
that shone brightly even in the blackest of shadows.

He turned the wheel and slowed. “Looks like
we’re here,” he said, drawing to a stop. “Stonehenge.” Irina started to open
the door. “Wait.” Luc held her arm to prevent her leaving. She turned back and
caught a weird light in his blue eyes. He was gazing steadily at her, an
intense look she’d never seen before.

“Irina…I just…I just want you to be
careful, okay? You’ve only just met this guy and I’ve never seen you react to
anyone quite like this before. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She squeezed his arm gently. “Please, don’t
worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m not a total idiot.”

“I know, honey,” he said sadly, his hand touching
her cheek. “But the thing is…I do worry about you. I always have.” Irina stared
back at Luc in shock as he rubbed her cheek wistfully. “I never had the guts
before to tell you how I really feel, but well, you’re just about to leave the
planet so hey, I figure what have I got to lose.”

“Jesus, Luc,” she murmured, grabbing his
wrist. “I…I don’t know what to say. I…”

“Say nothing,” Luc interrupted. “I can tell
you don’t feel the same. I just wanted you to know I’m here for you and if that
guy ever does anything to you, and I mean anything…”

“Hey!” Irina broke in, her heart breaking a
little. She really did not want Luc to be hurting. “I’m a big girl. Please
don’t worry.” She kissed his cheek. “But you are the first person I’ll call if
I need backup. I know you’ve got serious skills!”

Luc laughed, lightening the mood. “You know
it’s true. And I’m willing to use them on the big guy, just say the word.”

They left the car, Irina still numb from
Luc’s revelation. She loved him like the brother she’d never had, her best
friend apart from Cassi. He had never indicated before that he was interested
in her that way. Obviously Cassi had seen it and now her actions at the fight,
trying to push them together made sense. But from the moment she had met
Tyr…God! She just didn’t know anymore. All her emotions were spiralling out of
control. She was angry with him because of his treatment of Luc, but this
didn’t stop her body burning for him at the same time her brain was remembering
her parents and his involvement with Abrasax. Irina took stock of her
surroundings trying to stave off tears, as her head tried to unpick a way
through the twisted wreckage in her heart.

Dawn was breaking. A pale orange glow
filtered its way across the ancient bluestones, their distinctive circle
casting a pattern of purple shadows on the dewy grass. There was stillness in
the air, an eerie serenity that sent tingles of apprehension skittering across
Irina’s bare skin.

Tyr had used his breaking and entering
skills to gain access to the site, once again reminding her of his murky past.
The weirdness of the situation was reinforced even more when Cassi announced
she had wiccani powers that would jam the alarm system and block out the
security cameras. Leaving the others behind in the car park, Irina found
herself walking toward the stones mesmerised by their timeless beauty and the
dawn’s unearthly light.

“Like the calm before a storm,” she
whispered. A movement from behind caused her heart to jump, a wall of heat
warming the tingling goose bumps on her bare arms. She registered the dark
presence beside her and the magnetic coils beginning to weave around them both
as they stood inches apart in the stillness of that moment.

She peered up to see Tyr was regarding her
thoughtfully. Irina realized she was holding her breath, trying to resist as
those jet-black eyes penetrated her defenses and broke them down. She found
that she didn’t want this tension between them and in the cold, clear
early-morning light she perceived they had both reacted badly, lashing out in
panic, terrified at the intensity of the erotic interlude they had shared. She
didn’t want to stay angry but she needed to keep part of herself in check. To
breach the distance, Irina moved her fingers to stroke his knuckles, a gesture
of conciliation. His fingers echoed her movements.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice a
low throaty rasp. She nodded. “I…I wanted to apologize,” he continued, taking
both her hands and turning to face her. “I’m sorry about your parents…and how I
acted with Luc. I just want you to be safe.” His eyes were somber and Irina
could hear the tinge of regret in his tone.

“Tyr, it’s fine. Let’s just get through
this…make sense of the weird.” Her gaze shifted to Luc and Cassi who were
talking by the car. “We can talk about it later.” She motioned toward them.
“Cassi’s waiting.” Tyr dropped her hands but reached to brush a curl from her
cheek, placing it gently behind her ear.

“Then let’s go, little dove. I can wait.”
His whisper was a quiet promise floating in the breeze.

Irina made her way to Cassi, Tyr following
close behind. As they approached, Cassi turned. “I’ve just given Luc his
instructions and now we need to go,” she said.

“Oh, is Luc not coming too?” Irina asked in
surprise.

“Not this time,” explained Cassi. “He’s
still safe here and we need him to ditch the car, plus he’s not keen on leaving
his sporty number lying around, are you, babe?”

“No I’m not,” replied Luc, “and I’m not
keen on missing out on the New York project I’ve been working so hard on.” He
grabbed Irina in a big hug, his blue eyes defiant as he kept them trained on
Tyr. “Stay safe, hon,” he said. “And remember, ‘live long and prosper’.” Luc
held his fingers up, making the Vulcan hand signal. “I’ll be in touch.”

Irina frowned at Cassi. “Is it possible to
contact Luc from where we’re going?” she asked.

Cassi nodded. “Yeah, no problem. You can do
the whole
E.T phone home
gig as you two seem to think you’re in the
middle of a sci fi movie.”

“I blame that on you, Cass, what with all
the references to the dark side. I’m just surprised neither you nor Rina have
gone for the braids around the ears look a la Princess Leia!”

“Get a grip, Luc,” retorted Cassi. “I’m no
Princess Leia, just call me Ripley, and I bet Irina could be a real Sarah
Connor type if she had half the chance!”

“Oh yeah? So who gets to be the
terminator?” laughed Luc in return.

Tyr stood to one side listening to their
easy banter and feeling left out. He had never had that kind of relationship
with anyone, ever in his life. One where you could laugh and joke and tease.
Not even in the gangs he ran with as a child. Some of the other lads had messed
about, taken the rise out of each other, but not Tyr. He had always remained
aloof, strategizing that it was in his best interest to keep a distance. You
never knew when you might be called upon to turn on each other, and he had been
more familiar with backstabbings and disloyalty than friendship.

Listening to the three of them as they said
their goodbyes, he felt a strange yearning to have that kind of rapport, and he
could even picture it with Luc if the circumstances had been different. He had
realized as they talked that Irina’s relationship with Luc was one of affection
and fondness and nothing more, at least on her side, but it almost made his
heart beat
more
enviously contemplating all the time they had spent
together as friends.

He had barely known Irina for a week but
the ties that linked them had been there for years and he wished they had
discovered each other sooner. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her into
submission, hating the cold chill of regret that lay between them now. He could
only hope she meant what she said and that his actions toward Luc hadn’t driven
a wedge so deep it would prove resistant to his apology. But then, perhaps it
was better to keep his distance. He might not be able to keep her. Abrasax
still had a hold over him and even though Tyr felt that Cassi and the Eunomi
were more trustworthy, he still couldn’t completely surrender to their wishes.
He would have to carry on playing this double game and to do that he would need
to keep Irina at arm’s length. If he let her in and everything went sour he
might never recover. Only it might already be too late.

The sun was floating just above the horizon
as Luc finally drove away and Cassi turned to Tyr and Irina with a grin. “Right
then. Are you two ready to go?”

“I guess so,” said Irina. “Where exactly
are we going?”

“I am taking you to Vega, the capital of
Lyra.”

“So we’re really going to another planet?”
Cassi nodded and Tyr heard Irina draw in a deep breath. He wanted to touch her,
reassure that everything would be okay but Cassi stood between them. “Okay, so
how do we do this? Do we need to be in the center of the circle or something?”

“No, the energy for the vortex is all
around us. The portal will open anywhere we want in this vicinity as long as
you harness it properly.”

“Do you mean we have the power to do this?”
asked Tyr.

“Once you’ve been trained,” said Cassi.
“The hardest part is navigating because most people can only go places they’ve
already been, so the first trips have to be with someone who has traveled to
that place before.”

“You said ‘most people’,” prompted Irina.

“Well it’s very rare, but there are a few
beings who simply need to see a picture of the place. It’s unheard of though
for an Earthani or a half-blood Lyrani.”

“Oh well,” said Irina. “I guess Tyr and I
will have to get used to holding your hands.”

“That effectively means we’re trapped there
unless we have someone who can leave with us,” Tyr remarked, not totally sold
on the idea.

“Don’t worry,” said Cassi, “you won’t be a
prisoner there. There are portal travelers whose job it is to ferry people
around. You have to pay them of course. Sometimes on Earth, portal travelers are
mistaken for ghosts because they suddenly appear out of nowhere. It happens
more than you might imagine.”

“Wow! I’m finding it hard to process all
this. There’s so much to learn.” Irina suddenly felt overwhelmed by the thought
of what was about to happen, where they were about to go. As if sensing her
hesitation, Cassi grabbed them both by the hand. “Yes there is, so no time to
waste! Let’s get moving!”

Turning around, she faced the sun. Her eyes
closed, Cassi began to chant in a strange language that reminded Irina of
Latin. She repeated the same sentence five times each time louder than the
last.
“Lok elementi va Eunomi ram Lyra Vega sta porta!”

As her voice rose to a crescendo the last
time, the air in front of them vibrated in ripples, melding into a disc shape
that shimmered like frosted glass. A crackle of sound pierced the distortion as
it melted to reveal a circular vortex of spinning blue energy. It was like
walking into a tornado. Tyr and Irina could only follow in astonishment as
Cassi dragged them in.

“Quick!” she shouted, her voice fighting to
be heard above the deafening shriek of the swirling mass. “We only have fifteen
seconds to access the vortex.” Cassi repeated the foreign phrase again and
twice more once they were standing in the center.

The spinning continued in a frenzy of
circular motion but this time Irina experienced a sensation as if the vortex
were moving but they were standing still. The disorientation was immense and
her heart sped up, causing a sizzling in her veins that cut right through bone
and soft tissue, invading her body to a cellular level. As suddenly as it had
started, it stopped.

The rippling vortex shimmered and subsided,
parting to reveal a spacious white-marble room with a vaulted ceiling open to
the elements. A strange alien sky, a glowing pale yellow-green streaked with
darker strands of emerald in the form of cirrus clouds shimmered overhead. The
walls around the hall were painted in bright colors, depicting images like the
gas clouds or galaxies Irina had seen pictures of on science programs on Earth.
On Earth! Strange to think that they were no longer on Earth, that the ground
her feet were standing on was completely new territory.

Cassi moved into the open space and Irina
was left standing beside Tyr, still feeling dizzy. She tilted her gaze upward
and found his eyes drawn to hers. In this weird alien light they appeared even
blacker. Pitch-dark obsidian black holes and she felt herself teetering on the
edge, the irresistible filaments of attraction a gravitational pull enticing
her to plunge in and drown. For a moment she felt as if they were the only two
beings in existence at the center of the universe and that the threads
entwining them both were woven into the whole fabric of time and space. The
connection was solid and elemental, pulsing with energy.
Magnet. Attract
.

Tyr’s gaze was riveted on Irina’s face. The
moment the vortex had dissolved and Cassi moved away, the overwhelming impulse
that drew him to Irina kicked into hyper-drive activating the most primal urge
to claim and possess. An irresistible magnetic force sizzling with an
attraction so strong it was a steel band dragging him closer. Tyr’s head dipped
down to claim a kiss, the burn of her lips a scorching, smoldering brand to his
soul. He was aflame with a heat so intense, even ice couldn’t douse the fire.
Irina!
His heart breathed. She made him breathe. The kiss continued and Tyr was
weightless, falling into the upturned gaze of those eyes and that beautiful
face that smiled up at him in wonderment. In that moment he realized something
fundamental that had been hovering on the edge of his consciousness since he
met her. Zapping into his brain like a laser locked on target. He loved her!

Not just loved, but adored, worshipped,
craved. Love was too tame a word for the flame burning in his chest. She was
his. The yin to his yang. She had to be. It made sense. The way she soothed his
agitation, calmed the feral warrior inside, washed waves of coolness and fire
over him when she spoke or touched his hand. If he was War, then she was Peace.
And she made him complete.

He wasn’t quite sure how and when it had
happened. She had invaded his territory and conquered him. It wasn’t just her
beauty that had enticed his soul, stolen his heartbeat and overwhelmed his
strategic brain. It was her bravery and sense of justice that sang to black
rock in his chest and somehow his little dove had melted him into submission.
If he had to let her go it would be as if half of him had died. His better
half.

“Earth to Tyr, or should I say Lyra to Tyr?
Either way, kiddies, you need to snap out of it. Things to do, people to meet.”
Cassi’s dulcet tones managed to wash a wave over their heads, the undertow
dragging them back to reality. Tyr broke the kiss, the cold rush of air a
dampening suffocation to the fire in his blood.

“I should have warned you that the portal
travel experience is intensely arousing,” she continued, blithely ignoring the
fact that they had practically been eating each other’s faces. “Complete
strangers have been known to jump each other’s bones the first few times
through a vortex. What you two just did was minor on a scale from one to ten.
So don’t feel bad.”

Tyr watched Irina jerk back, a flush of
blood-red staining her cheeks. She moved away, leaving a gulf of space between
them. It was cold and it was empty and he knew she was just as conscious of it
as he was. She stole a glance at him and he hoped she could see the flush of
heat he knew burned in his eyes. She must have felt it too.

Another conversation to be had. Later.