Page 21 of Salvation
K’rona stepped to the bedside and touched her finger to Tokki’s forehead. Then she reached under the neckline of the dead woman’s shirt and reverently withdrew a fine chain until an elongated pendant appeared. It looked like a slim cylinder containing a swirling liquid that resembled an opal. The Anferthian woman wrapped her hand around it and murmured words too soft to hear. Then she tipped her head back and howled to the ceiling. B’iha joined her, the sound eerily haunting, yet beautiful in its sorrow. Like hearing a pack of wolves on a crystal clear night when the moon was full.
A lump formed in Sakura’s throat and she blinked rapidly against the prickle in her eyes. A sharp tug on her sleeve drew her attention to Nick. His face still seemed unnaturally pale, and he jerked his chin in the direction of the door. She gave him a nod, but he was already moving, his pace and the set of his shoulders broadcasting his desire to get out of the room and away from the grieving Anferthians.
~*~
Nick stepped out Tokki’s front door. The death-howls had spread throughout the village; the passing of one seemed to affect all, not just those physically closest to her. Which made sense. The dissenters only had each other, now that they were exiled from their home world and families.
A shudder ran down his spine as he allowed himself to collapse onto a log. Not even the rays of the afternoon sun would be enough to warm him right now. That’d been a close call. Goddamn creepy apparition. He’d never expected to encounter that thing again, especially not here on Matir. Alex had called it Death, and maybe it was, but the weirdness factor of death being an actual entity seemed…mythological. With all the creatures in the galaxy, a single being couldn’t possibly be present to collect every single soul. Unless there were billions, or trillions of them. A chill ran through him.
“What’s wrong, Nick?” Deep concern reflected in Sakura’s eyes. “Something happened in there. What?”
She must not have seen it. “Nothing.”
“You looked like you were going to pass out. That is not ‘nothing’.”
No, she definitely did not see it, then. Why not? Why could he see it, and Alex too, but not Sakura? Dante hadn’t seen it either the day Gryf had been shot, and the thing had been standing right next to him. Should he tell her? She’d probably think he was nuts, which might not be too far off the mark.
The howling seemed to be subsiding, a signal that the Anferthians’ grief was spent. He rubbed one hand across the back of his neck. “It was nothing, Sakura.”
“But—”
“Just drop it, okay?”
Her jaw visibly tightened with her characteristic rigid stubbornness. “Fine.”
The door opened and K’rona stepped out, confusion and concern clouded her eyes. “Our ways upset you, Nicholaus?”
Nick turned the corners of his mouth down. “What? Oh, you mean us leaving the room?”
“Yes.”
“No, we aren’t upset.” Freaked out, yes, but that was just him.
“We did not want to intrude,” Sakura added.
He shot a grateful glance in her direction.
K’rona shook her head. “Your presence is welcome among us. But, you must integrate to achieve full acceptance. This transition will be flawed at first, on both sides, but please try.”
One corner of Nick’s mouth twitched upward. For once his status as Alex’s brother was not going to mean an automatic buy in. He and Sakura would have to earn their place among the Anferthians. What a refreshing change.
“We’ll do our best.”
A satisfied expression replaced K’rona’s look of concern. “Storo and B’iha are preparing the body for viewing. This is the time all will come to honor our fallen soldier, Tokki. Please, take your samples now before they arrive. When you finish, I will take you to your next patient.”
Right. He had bolted from the room without the Hello Kitty bag. Some professional he was. Nick fell in behind Sakura as she reentered Tokki’s cube. If they were lucky, the next patient wouldn’t be quite so close to death’s door.
~*~
Much to Nick’s relief, A’paz wasn’t as ill as Tokki had been. Not only had the Anferthian man been sitting on his sofa when they’d arrived, he’d also managed a wan smile and greeted them in English. Very good English. Then, he’d asked K’rona to make themkumi, the Anferthian version of tea.
“I wanted to be a medic,” A’paz sipped from his steaming mug. “No, that is not entirely accurate, I really wanted to be a Gifted healer, as you two are. I regret that the accident of birth will not allow that to happen for me.”
Sakura bowed her head in his direction. “Healer Bock and I will do everything we can to make sure you have a chance to continue following your dream to the extent possible.”
A’paz smiled, but doubt clouded his eyes. “You must not feel bad if you cannot. The task before you is great and time is short.” His hand trembled as he cradled his mug between his huge hands. “I have a request.”
“How can we help?” Nick asked.
