The Melier (Women of Dor Nye Book 1) (18 page)

Gi’Ren and Val’Zun let this sink in. “We owe her a great debt for bringing you back to us,” Val’Zun nodded. “Her family will want for nothing, but you should leave her here where she will be with her people and those who love her.”

“I love her,” Soren growled his protest, unable to stand still. “If she does not go, I will not go.”

“You would abandon your people
again
?” Gi’Ren grated.

“I
fought
for our people in the war, remember brother?” Soren’s calm was gone again as air grunted from his chest. “I lost eight years of my life to enslavement for fighting for
our people
. And now you ask me to leave the only good thing that came out of those years of misery, for
our people
?”

Gi’Ren growled back.

“What have
our people
done to deserve my sacrifice once again?”

“Val’Ja,” Val’Zun said warningly.

Soren couldn’t believe the audacity of his brothers. He knew his people would have a hard time accepting Lucia, but she was
his
now. He couldn’t leave her; didn’t want to. Seeing her hanging there and feeling her limp body in his arms when the real Lucia was so full of life and warmth, it had cut his being in half. The thought of not being with her to sate the prejudice of his people made him feel unclean and disloyal to Lucia. She had been his friend when her people reacted much the same and the Herana’s had slowly welcomed him.

Dr. Trex entered the lobby and everyone held their breath. “Lucia is in recovery.”

****

Lucia was
warm
. It felt divine. Her body felt heavy, but it wasn’t a struggle to breathe and her ribs didn’t whine with effort like they had before. Something lingered in her veins and it made her feel drowsy but pleasantly relaxed. She could use some relaxation.

The sounds of people whispering floated to her ears. Lucia recognized those voices. Where were the Treps? They didn’t sound so
human
. Her head felt heavy as she moved it, coaching her eyelids to cooperate and open. It took some time, but the whispers stopped and her lids cracked open. Light seeped in and she opened them further. Everything was blurred and a gasp of horror came from her right side. Her eyes swiveled that way and colors merged together. One more blink, two more blinks. Things were getting clearer each time.

Lucia’s family started taking shape around the bed she was in. She slowly sucked in her lips to wet them, lids feeling heavy again, but she willed them to open once more. Nova looked on, sickened and Lu didn’t realize the whites of her eyes were red from the ruptured vessels and how traumatized she looked.

A hand stroked hers and she followed it to her Grams who was teary eyed. Lucia half smiled and said “Don’t cry,” but it was only a wheeze that scratched up her throat. A cough racked her body and another until she struggled to breathe. Wetness hit her face as little sprays of blood fell back on her skin from her abused throat. Nova’s sob permeated the room and Lu reached for her face, wiping and smearing with her shaky, dulled control.

“Don’t try to speak sweetling,” her Grams choked out and began dabbing the blood from her face. “The nanomeds need time to finish their work.” When she grazed lightly over the knot on Lu’s jaw, her body jerked. Her entire cheek was swollen and an ugly black and purple from where Quinton had hit her. The cuts on the inside of her cheek still throbbed, even through the drugs.

Quinton.

Lucia’s eyes widened and she dare not try to speak again, so she formed her fingers as best she could and made jerking movements to try and indicate her need for pen and paper. When no one moved, she again moved her hands and her sister finally understood. Lucia breathed out and in, retaining some energy.

The pen slipped into her hand and the paper tablet underneath. The strain of trying to keep her hand from shaking while cooperating was immense. Her wrists were bandaged but they still burned with each flex. A squiggly Q made it to the paper slowly followed by a U, an I and N. Lucia panted with the exertion and dropped the pen.

“Quin?” Grams asked and Lu nodded. “Sweetling, the Trepnils did this to you.” Lucia shook her head and winced. There was no way to convey that isn’t what she was saying without verbalizing. Another shaky breath filled her lungs. She brought her hand to her face and it felt like that took forever, to point at her jaw. “Quin
hit
you?”

Lucia nodded. That’s when she heard a clicking growl from the corner of the room. Her eyes swiveled to Soren. He looked
scary
, but Lu only felt a sense of calm surround her. Her lips curved as she smiled best she could in his direction.

“How did the Trepnils get to you?” Frellie asked and was immediately admonished to not force Lucia to speak. Lu breathed deeply again and pointed to her face once more. “Quin? Quin took you to them?”

The relieved sigh that deflated Lucia’s chest was sweet and one nod was all it took to send her father into a rage as he left the room in search of someone. Lu figured it was to tell the authorities.

You were wrong Quinton.

He came.

You didn’t win.

Lu’s hand slipped from the bed and dangled as she looked at Soren in the corner. All she could manage to do was twitch her fingers. What little energy she had was slipping away from her but she
needed
to feel his hand.

Soren timidly approached her, sinking to his haunches so she didn’t have to further exert herself. He took her hand in his grimy one, but Lu didn’t care. She was just happy he
knew
her. The procedure must’ve worked.

The drugs took her under again.

****

Soren bared his teeth as he tried to control his breathing while he watched Lucia slip back under again. His black eyes looked at her small hand between his mucky, clawed ones.
This close
, he chanted in his mind,
I’d been this close to losing her.
A half hour more and he’d be without her now. There wouldn’t have been anything any doctor on this planet or the next could do.

Dipping his head to rest the bridge of his nose on the back of Lucia’s hand, Soren tried to get himself under control. She was alive, she was
here
, that was all that mattered now. The jagged, helpless whine that ripped from his lungs before he could stop it shuddered through his shoulders and brushed the soft skin of Lucia’s hand.

She is safe now.

Chapter 17

Three days passed before Lucia woke again. The drugs still flowed through her body, numbing a lot of the pain she’d felt. It was much easier to open her eyes at that point and it wasn’t as much of a struggle to keep them open. Her family milled about, sitting in chairs around the room or standing. They looked so
exhausted
and immediately Lucia felt bad she’d ruined their week of entertainment at the capital.

Lucia swallowed, and noticed it wasn’t painful. When she tried to speak, she still rasped, but it didn’t bring on a coughing fit. That small sound had Soren beside her in the next blink. His large hand smoothed over her forehead and her wild hair. Her smile was wide as it couldn’t be contained. Slowly Lu lifted her hands to his face, pulling at him until he lowered his face to hers as she’d urged and kissed her lightly on the lips. It was so faint, Lucia wasn’t sure it had actually happened. Her chest shook with a small laugh and it hissed from her throat.

“You should not be laughing,” Soren said to her, rubbing his lips against the back of her hand.

“If,” she rasped, swallowing a gulp of the water that had been offered. “If I don’t laugh,” her rasp was easier to decipher with moisture on her throat. “I might go crazy.” Soren groaned and shut his eyes like he was saying a small prayer. Lucia’s free hand strayed to her stomach and the swell had her mind rushing at how it was even possible. Her bloodied eyes swept the room in a questioning gaze.

“
She
is healthy,” Nova came to her other side. Her own eyes were red and swollen. Her delicate fingers stroked Lu’s good cheek and she leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. “That’s twice now we owe Dr. Trex our immense gratitude.”

When two men entered the large room, Lucia’s brows rose and her eyes widened. They looked like Soren; not exactly, but enough resemblance to look related. They stopped on the inside of the door, staring back at her. One had green eyes and a large scar with a beefy build while the other had slightly finer features, thinner lips, a leaner physique and yellow eyes. It was easy to tell which one was the brawler.

“Loo-Sha,” Soren began. “These are two of my elder brothers. Gi’Ren is the ugly one and Val’Zun is the other.” Gi’Ren grunted and a quiet ripple of twittering floated around the room.

“Don’t be rude,” Lu rasped, smiling in spite of herself.
Soren has family.
Her excitement that he not only remembered her, but his people was hard to contain and her weak body shivered with it. “I am Lucia,” she dipped her chin and smiled at them. They looked at each other and then back at her before nodding once, almost in sync.

Dr. Trex burst into the room, nearly barrelling into the backs of Soren’s brothers. “Excuse me,” he grinned and squeezed through them, eyes glued to Lucia. “My dear, you are looking
much
better!” Immediately he grabbed the familiar wand. “I wanted to wait until you were awake,” he said warmly. As he’d done before, he swiped the wand over her middle and the glass sheet against the wall lit up. There in blue was proof her youngling was healthy and
growing
. Its little heartbeat filled the room and its tiny arms and legs twitched.

“Is that-” Grams peered closer. “Is that a
tail
?” Her incredulous laughs were contagious as Dr. Trex nodded. “Guess since she doesn’t have four arms, she got the tail instead.” Soren huffed his amusement.

Dr. Trex went about checking over Lucia. He removed the gauze from her wrists, a nurse helped him clean the disgusting shredded skin and apply more nanomed cream. They put medicated drops in both her red eyes to speed along the recovery. The stitches inside her cheek were numbed and she was urged to swish a solution carefully through her mouth that stung and brought water to her eyes. After that was finished, Lucia was helped to sit up and lean over Soren’s arm so Dr. Trex and the nurse could check the welts from the beam lash. They didn’t hurt as much as everything else since the skin never broke, but they were sore.

Soon he’d left with promise that he’d send broth and more water. Her head felt good against the freshly fluffed pillow and for a few minutes she dozed after all that movement. When she came to again and Soren was grinning she questioned what he was smiling about.

“You snore.”

“I told you, I do
not
,” she hissed and her need to convince a room full of people that just witnessed her snoring only made them chuckle.

“I told you, I do not mind,” Soren’s grin didn’t go away and Lucia rolled her eyes.

When the nurse brought back her broth, Lucia insisted she try feeding herself, much to Soren’s annoyance. It was a slow process and it took her forever to steady the spoon so it didn’t slosh all over her but she eventually got it to her mouth. “I can’t feed myself if you keep staring at me like that,” she complained at Soren who rolled
his
eyes and glared at his brothers who hissed their own laughter between each other. They shut up and went stoic again.

“What happened to Ta’Ra’Enn?” Lucia felt a tremor at the name, causing the spoon to shiver loudly against the glass dish before she lifted it again. The silence that extended on was deafening. Lu looked around as she held her spoon up from the dish.

“Val’Ja ripped him limb from limb,” Val’Zun volunteered.

Gi’Ren grunted. “That is putting it pleasantly.” They both looked warily at Soren.

“Barbaric,” Val’Zun agreed.

“Enough,” Soren growled and then turned his gaze back to Lucia. The back of his knuckles brushed her good cheek. “You are safe now.”

“At least he’s clean now,” Grams chuckled, stroking Lucia’s hair. “He was
wearing
Ta’Ra’Enn until you were back to sleep and recovering.”

Lucia shivered as a vague, drug hazed image of Soren coated in black film and gore flitted through her mind. She looked at him. “Thank you,” she whispered and then glanced at his brothers. “Thank you both too.” Once again the brothers looked at each other, like they were confused before nodding in sync.

“What about Quinton?” Lucia took another spoonful of broth. It stung against her stitched cheek but it tasted wonderful.

“He was arrested,” her father grated. “He has admitted to his involvement and assault. The Assembly will dole out punishment in the coming weeks.” She’d never seen her father so angry before. Angus always had a jovial disposition.

“Maybe this will sway Mr. Rowal’s view on flesh peddlers.” Lucia’s shoulders shook and she wheezed a few bursts of chuckles but no one else laughed. “Too soon?” By the few groans, it must be. She took another taste of broth and shrugged. “So you have brothers, hmm? And your name is Val’Ja?”

Soren watched her, nodding. “Yes.”

Lucia scowled at his lack of detail. “Val’Ja,” she sounded on her tongue. “Is this what you want me to start calling you?”

“No.”

Soren’s brothers grunted, insulted. “Is our mothers name for you not good enough any longer?” Gi’Ren said this. Lucia was noticing he was the more combative one.

“I am Soren to Loo-Sha,” he threw a quick glance at his brothers. “I am Val’Ja to you and our people.”

“That will go over well,” Val’Zun sighed.

“What do you mean,
‘our people’
?” Lucia asked and Soren hesitated.

“He is prince Val’Ja, son of our father, king Val’Qa, son of our mother, queen Gi’Moy,” Gi’Ren said proudly. Val’Zun scrubbed a hand over his face and Soren growled.

“What?” Lucia’s eyes bugged and the broth in her spoon sloshed. Soren dabbed it up with a cloth. Lu’s mind did a little reel. “You’re royalty?” The thought just struck her as hilarious. She put her spoon back in her bowl before her peels of whispery, raspy laughter shook her entire frame. Wheezing sounded around the room as she couldn’t stop herself and held her middle while the tender muscles along her ribs ached. “I’m sorry,” she croaked, wiping the tears that leaked from her eyes. “For some reason that struck me funny.”

“Oh dear,” Nova breathed in her normal fashion whenever Lu was being impolite, rude or embarrassing.

Lucia lay back against her pillows, trying to rest her now aching muscles. She took some calming breaths and closed her eyes. Once again her hand strayed to her belly and she rubbed, the gesture oddly comforting for herself. She wondered what Soren’s
–Val’Ja’s-
adolescence had been like and what his family consisted of. “Tell me about your home,” Lu sighed and relaxed.

“I will show it to you instead,” Soren replied, followed by another growl when his brothers sounded their protest. Lu’s eyes
did
open after that.

“What’s wrong?” The brothers did not look pleased.

“Ignore them,” Soren waved his two left hands in dismissal. “When you have recovered and labored, we will visit my home.”

“We are stuck here? For how long?” Gi’Ren groaned and Val’Zun looked like he wanted to know too, but was apologetic that his brother was so boorish.

“You may leave when you wish.” Soren said evenly.

“You know we cannot. Mother would have our heads if we told her you were alive but did not bring you back.”

“Then stay. I do not care either way.” Soren looked at Lucia and shook his head as if to say
‘siblings’
and she giggled, knowing all too well.