Page 27 of Into The Rift

“It’s Prince Rakkur. He’s bleeding everywhere! Get a doctor in here now!”

The next few minutes were pretty exciting as I ran back over to Rakkur and caught him just as his eyes rolled back in his head and he began slumping to the floor. I held onto him and bore him down, breaking his fall, and very quickly one of the Imperials came to help, picking him up and carrying him over to a gurney.

Excessive bleeding was one of the known dangers to male bearers and from what little I knew about it, I was aware it was always an extreme emergency. I refused to leave him, even after the doctors came rushing in, and it was only when Tariq arrived, his face almost unrecognizable with fear and panic, that I reluctantly gave up my place at his side so Tariq could be with him.

I was worried about the colonel, because I’d never seen anyone look so completely wrecked in my life. I stayed as long as I could, until the doctors said they were taking Rakkur into emergency surgery and asked all of us to leave. I left when the guards did, but Tariq refused and none of the doctors were brave enough to try and make him. I doubt it would have worked anyway.

I was standing outside the doors when Prince Mikol came in and looked at me and my bloodstained robe in horror. “Good gods, Jago, what’s happening? Why are you covered in blood?”

“Rakkur started bleeding out of nowhere. They’re taking him in now for emergency surgery. Tariq’s with him, refusing to leave, and I left while they were all still arguing about it.”

“I-I have to get a message to my grandparents. They’re on the way here now, along with your parents, Jago. If something happens to Rakkur before they get here…oh gods.”

“It won’t. Don’t think that way. Look, I’ll stay here, and you go get the message to them. I hate to worry Blake like this when he can’t be here for hours yet, but if we don’t tell him…”

“I know. It doesn’t bear thinking about. I’ll go now.” He turned and hurried down the corridor headed to the bridge to send a message. Even with the powerful signals of the ship’s communications, it would still take a while. I slumped down the wall and sat beside the door, waiting for someone to come out so we could get some news, though I knew it might be a while. I could only imagine how Tariq must be feeling.

Mikol came back after a few minutes and sent me with an Imperial to find a new robe, because everything I’d had was on the ship that we’d been traveling on. It occurred to me that I didn’t know if that ship even existed anymore or even where it was. Mikol reassured me when he got back that all the crew members were safe. Engineers would be assessing the damage on the ship to see how much of it could be salvaged, and that it was being taken back to Loros.

I was allowed into the clinic again, because Rakkur had been moved into a surgical room by that time. Those beds in the clinic were the only ones available at the moment, and Mikol made me lie down on one to rest after all my adventures.

I agreed to rest, thinking privately that there was no way I’d be able to sleep until I heard some news about Rakkur. But after only a few minutes, my eyes began to droop, and I thought I’d close them for a few minutes.

When I woke up, the lights had been dimmed in the room, and it felt like hours had passed. After waiting for what seemed like hours more, but was probably only about thirty minutes, the door opened, and Mikol came in. He looked tired, but he gave me a small smile.

“Rakkur will be fine,” he said. “He’s had twin boys, and the doctors were astonished. Full of excuses, of course, and explanations, but they simply missed it. Luckily, all of them are fine, and the doctors will be too until Blake gets here. Oh, and both babies are beautiful and healthy. Both have blond hair.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see them.”

“I know. The doctors are cleaning them up and getting them ready for the nursery.”

“Did you send word to omak-ahn and grandfather?”

“First thing I did.”

“And Tariq? How’s he?”

“Exhausted. A little overwhelmed, but he’ll be fine. Go back to sleep if you can, and you can see them all in the morning. I’ll work on finding you a room. If I can’t, I’ll give you mine. Anarr would have a fit if he knew you were sleeping in here alone and unprotected, though I did post a guard on the outer door.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’m afraid you take too many risks, Jago. You have to stop or I’m afraid you’ll be compromised one day, like your omak was. My father told me that cautionary tale many times.” He stood thoughtfully for a moment and looked down at me. “Lord Dominiko didn’t harm you in any way, did he? Or touch you inappropriately? I haven’t had a chance to check in with you yet or debrief anyone.”

“I’m not a child, Mikol.”

“Just answer the question. And tell me the truth. Is there anything I need to know?”

Was there? I decided it was my business, and I decided to keep it to myself.

“No,” I said, lying through my teeth. “Not at all. His guards got rough, but Dominiko never touched me. Not at all.”

He gave me a suspicious nod. “All right then. If you say so. I’d have had to address the matter if he had. We’ll talk more about it later but get some rest—this whole thing has been an ordeal, and you handled yourself well. I’m proud of you, Jago. It was brave and selfless of you to volunteer to go with the Pton soldiers to save Rakkur. If this birth had occurred on that alien ship, I’m afraid we’d have been facing a very different outcome.” He left me then with a little bow, and I lay back down and tossed and turned until I finally fell asleep.

****

“Have you ever seen more beautiful babies, Jago? Tell the truth. You haven’t, have you?”

I laughed. “I must admit I haven’t.”

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