Fang Shway in LA (19 page)

When I got up the next morning Tokem had already gone. He left me a thank you note telling me meeting Bob Barker changed his life. Once the wedding plans gelled, he asked me to send for him. I sank into my chair, for the first time in weeks, I was alone. The silent house made me miss Traygen and I wondered when I’d hear from him.

Chapter 30

The time dragged and I went through the rest of the day in a daze. Normally, I craved silence but since the guys left I felt lonely. My appetite wasn’t good and I didn’t have any energy. Before turning in, I walked Xena, the sky was clear and stars sparkled, twinkling overhead, accompanied by the sound of the waves crashing along the beach, soothing me. When we got home, I felt better than I had all
day. I gave Xena a biscuit and locked her up for the evening.

I was ready to turn in for the night, when I heard a knock at the front door. Who in the world could that be at this hour? Retracing my steps and grabbing Xena’s collar, I opened the door. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. A phoenix perched casually on the railing in front of my door, or at least I assume it was a phoenix. It could have been a large bird or a small dragon. I’d never seen an actual phoenix. Its body was scarlet and its wings were gold with red fringes.

“Lauren, I’ve had a long trip and I could use a drink of water if it’s no trouble?”

I couldn’t believe my ears but, then I knew better than to question these events. “Who are you and how do you know my name?”

“My name is Fargon and Traygen gave me your name.”

“Traygen? Is he all right?”

“He is fine Lauren. He sent me to give you a letter, which will explain everything.” He reached under his feathers and gave me a large scroll.

“Fargon, please come in and I’ll get you some water. How do you know Traygen, if I can ask?”

“I’ve known Traygen since he was a boy. I’m his mentor and guide. This is why he has asked me to give you the scroll and to wait for your reply.”

I set a large bowl of water and fruit on the counter for Fargon. It was anyone’s guess what a phoenix ate. “I’ll read this in my study. Please make yourself at home.”

What could this be about? I wondered as I retreated to my office. My hands were shaking so badly I had trouble opening the scroll. I recognized Traygen’s handwriting and tears sprang to my eyes. I dabbed at them before I read his letter.

Lauren my love,

I hardly know where to begin. This doesn’t seem possible, I feel like I’m having a bad dream and I’ll wake up and find you beside me. Lauren, I came back home to find my country under attack from nomadic raiders. Worse yet, my father, the king, suffered a serious injury. I have to assume his duties as king, during his absence from the thrown. He’s expected to make a full recovery and until then, I must lead our army in defense of our lands.

The situation here is grave. Our armies face superior foes and the casualties are high. It is my responsibility to rally the army and develop a plan to defeat the invading forces. This is why I sent Fargon to deliver this letter. I can’t be absent now and I must find the traitor in our midst. My father’s betrayal came from within and whoever is responsible gave the invading army the locations of our garrisons.

I must end this for now. My generals and I are about to fly over the territory and see what we are up against. Until this is over, know that I love you. I’ll send Fargon with news, whenever I can spare him. His support and advice are critically important.

Lauren, I love you and my father has given me his blessing.

Traygen

Fighting to keep my composure, I beat back a wave of panic. Traygen, my love be careful. I just can’t lose you my love. My heart was pounding in my ears and my soul cried. How is this possible? Robotically, I walked out and told Fargon I would be sending a reply. Returning to my office I sat down and reread Traygen’s letter. Then I picked up my pen and began to write. Words flowed from the pen onto the paper. I poured as much love into the letter as I could find the words to express.

Traygen,

I’m so sorry to hear of your father’s injuries and to learn your homeland is under attack. You and your general’s will defeat the invaders. The traitor will make a mistake and reveal his identity.

I love you with all my heart. Please take care of yourself until you can safely return to my side. Until then, my love I’ll hold you in my heart. I need you my love and I’ll pray for your safe return. Know you are loved and always will
be. Our hearts will forever beat as one.

Lauren

Folding the letter and sealing it, I returned to the kitchen. “Fargon, I thank you for bringing Traygen’s letter to me.
This is my reply to him, please take care of him.”

“My Lady, I’ll deliver your letter and I’ll watch his back. Good day.”

Fargon had gone
left as quickly as he came. I locked the door, turned out the kitchen lights and sank to the floor.
Tears streamed down my face, sobs catching in my throat and I surrendered to my grief. I wept until no more tears fell. Xena came over and licked my face and when I didn’t respond she laid down beside me.

When I opened my eyes again sunlight was streaming into
the kitchen, making my eyes water. I must have slept through the night. When I shifted to stand I heard paper cringle. Traygen’s letter, I must have fallen asleep with it in my hands, picking it up like it was precious china, fragile and valuable.
I unrolled the scroll and read the words again. God, this just has to be wrong, I can’t lose him now.
Please take care of him. I gently released the scroll and let it roll back up.

Struggling to rise, I realized my limbs where so stiff from my night on the floor I had trouble standing. My body was as numb as my heart. Tears sliding silently down my face as I walked to my bedroom. A long, hot shower revived my limbs but I walked like a zombie. Adrift, I didn’t know what to do. Shock altered my consciousness numbing me. Roaming from room to room like a rudderless boat. I lost all attachments to the present.

Finally, I took Xena and went for a long run. We ran until I couldn’t run any further and then we started our long walk home. I e-mailed Jake and told him I wouldn’t be in. A family crisis needed my attention. I didn’t even try to explain and thankfully he didn’t press me.

Stripping off my clothes I went to my room, locked the door and slept. Xena’s barking woke me some time later. She was hungry and needed to go out. “I’m sorry girl. Here’s your dinner,” I said as I put her food down and went to change. When she finished, I took her for a long walk. The sun had set by the time we returned.

Pacing around the house, I let my mind wonder. I had flashes of the happy times Traygen and I shared. All the times he made me laugh, our moonlight flights, and our passionate lovemaking. Without conscious thought I went to the spare bedroom where Traygen slept. His scent flooded my senses when I opened the door. Eyeing his robe on the bedpost, I moved slowly toward it. I picked it up and buried my face in it. Then I stretched out on the bed, covering myself with it.

When I awoke the clock told me it was afternoon. I’d slept over twelve hours. It felt like it too.
My stomach grumbled and I knew I needed to eat something. Gently folding Traygen’s robe, I placed it on his pillow. Then I went in search of food. I just couldn’t eat. Instead, I returned to Traygen’s room and prayed. God, please protect Traygen, his family and their lands. I love him God and I’m asking you to protect him and all those he leads. Keep them safe. He is your child, you guide him.

My breathing began to even out and the tightness in my chest began to ease. A calm certainty settled into my soul. Thank you, God. I feel your presence here with me. For the first time since Fargon’s visit, I felt optimistic. I got up, dressed and took Xena for a run. It felt good to rejoin the world of the living.

I showered and went to work. Jake seemed pleased to see me. Afraid I might lose my resolve, I dove right in. Jake summarized the work that needed finishing and we divided it up. I began researching the details for an Alaskan cruise and a safari to Kenya. Before I realized it the clock told me it was six
thirty
PM. The day had flown by.

I told Jake I’d lock up after I finished making calls. I worked steadily for another ninety minutes before I turned off my computer. Shrugging my shoulders and stretching my back, I decided to call it a day. The traffic would have subsided by now. It only took me twenty minutes to get home. I ordered Thai and went to change into more comfortable clothes.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of my dinner. The food tasted better than ever, probably because I hadn’t eaten much since I’d received Traygen’s letter. He hadn’t mentioned who had attacked them. Since, I’d never been to his homeland. I
had no way of knowing. All I knew was his country was one of a handful of planes surrounding Earth. However, his land traced its roots back a hundred years before mine.

His castle stood on a bluff overlooking the ocean in Carndonagh, which on today’s maps was located on the northern most tip of Ireland. Traygen had spoken of attacks from Viking raiding parties from Scandinavia but his lands also had supernatural dangers.

Like present day L.A., the kingdom also faced vampires, werewolves and demons created by the druids. So, I had no way of knowing what manner of evil attacked. I’d make sure to ask the next time I heard from Traygen or Fargon if Traygen didn’t mention it.

Exhausted, I turned in early and slept through until my alarm woke me the next day. Throwing on my jogging clothes, I took Xena for our morning run. When I got back I felt ready to tackle another day. I fed Xena, showered, dressed and headed for work. Getting
 back into my routine helped restore a sense of normalcy to my life. Even if it was a contrived sense of normalcy, I felt a little more in control.

Work kept me busy and I didn’t have too much time to worry. I was even planning a new travel venue. It seemed like the perfect job for me. An article in the L.A. Times had sparked my interest. It seemed the high-end fashion companies were trying to appeal to the masses. I had to admit the idea of shopping at Kohl’s to buy Vera Wang never occurred to me, or Target for Devi Kroell. Be still my heart, it was an outrageous miscarriage of justice. I am afraid I’m a bit of a snob when it came to fashion. However, the notion of planning travel packages to Milan and Italy to coincide with the Versace show at La Scala made perfect sense to me. Or Fendi’s spread on the Great Wall of China. Yes, culture, fashion and food. What could be better? I started to outline a trip and left the proposal for Jake to consider. He would be more unbiased than me.

Checking my watch, I realized it somehow got
late. Driving home I remembered it had been all most a week, since I’d heard from Traygen. Damn it. I hated knowing in Traygen’s world there was no e-mail, cell phones or technology of any kind. It was a good thing we were not going to live there. I could not survive without e-bay and online shopping. I loved to shop but my schedule seldom allowed me the luxury of going to the high-end stores. What’s a girl to do?

I’d
just rinsed my dishes and put them in the dishwasher when I got my second scroll. I offered Fargon food and drink, before retreating to the privacy of my room to read Traygen’s letter. My eyes greedily scanned the short message, examining it for clues and news. I devoured the words like they were my last meal.

Dearest Lauren,

I miss you my love and I can’t wait to hold you again. My father’s health is improving and it looks like he’ll make a full recovery. The struggle is beginning to turn in our favor. We are driving the invading force back toward the coast. Our losses have been heavy but the successes have proven to be a balm for the men.

I’m hoping to mop up the remaining attackers in the next several weeks. If all goes as planned I’ll be coming for you in about a month. I want my family to meet you. I wish there was more time to write, but the fight presses us. I love you, Lauren.

Traygen

Thank you, God. Please bring him safely home to me. I love him. Then I wrote back to Traygen. My heart was much lighter than the last time. I hoped the next scroll would announce his return.

Traygen,

My love, I’m elated to learn victory is within reach. I pray daily for your success. Be careful, I need you. Please give your father my best. I’m pleased to learn of his improving health. He’ll need to recover quickly so he can resume leadership of the kingdom. We have a life to plan and I can’t wait to begin. All my love forever.

Lauren

I handed Fargon my reply and thanked him for bringing the scrolls. Just before he left I thought to ask him who was attacking their lands.

“Lauren, we are under attack from the Vikings. They have conspired with several powerful druids to take our lands. The kingdom’s castle sits on a strategic bluff overlooking the sea. It is surrounded by cliffs and high walls making it very hard to capture. It acts as a deterrent to anyone seeking to invade from the water or from the countries north of ours. Unfortunately, the druids have employed some mercenaries to help bolster their ranks. Traygen and his elite guard are under attack from a band of vampires and demons working for the Vikings. Their losses have been grave but, Traygen has directed some daring raids. The tide is beginning to swing in our direction. Now My Lady, I need to take my leave.”

“Thank you Fargon and Godspeed.”