Related by Kora, Nightwandering Deznahdorean of the Twenty-second Generation
 

 

“Okay, how are we going to manage this?” Sheridan asked worriedly.

“It will be easy,” Adana laughed.

She had recovered remarkably from her attack by Bot and her obsession with the Harr.

Love has a way of doing that to people – heals them right up.

She and Sheridan had resumed what I can only assume amounts to a molecular bond. Something in their very cells responds favorably to each other.

He looked down at her smiling, upturned face. He is usually so abrupt, but not with Adana. She softens him completely.

“I don’t see how it will be easy, my love,” he replied softly, “but, I suppose anything is possible.”

“Anything and everything,” she laughed again. “Between the Raynah, the Kahlmorah and the Harr, what could go wrong?”

He almost snarled, “Between Raynah, the Morah, the Beni, and the Harr, what won’t go wrong?”

Since the Beni had rejoined the Morah, they had resumed referring to themselves as the Kahlmorah – the name that signified their symbiosis.

Since Raynah’s little shenanigans with the Harr and Adana, Sheridan had completely lost trust in zie. Since Adana’s misadventures with the Harr, Sheridan’s name for her symbiosis with them was ‘Fucked,’ but I have chosen not to mention that to her.

“I can handle this,” she reassured him. “We’re going to pop in, grab Lora, and pop back out. You’ll be there beside me, you’ll be a part of everything. If anything even hints of going wrong, you’ll be there to set things right!”

“Why are the hairs on the back of my neck screaming bloody murder?” he asked sardonically.

“They need shock therapy?” she quipped.

“I think they’re about to receive that?” he quipped right back.

“Don’t be silly, everything is under control,” Adana said softly as she kissed Sheridan right where it did the most good.

I, for one, did not feel as dubious as Sheridan or as confident as Adana. I was going with them. Don’t ask me why. I’m too old for this kind of nonsense. But some deep part of my nerves was concerned. A dark smudge of chaos had tainted the edge of my consciousness every time I opened my mind to the situation ever since Sheridan had announced that rescuing Lora would be attempted. I couldn’t pinpoint why.

Adana and the Harr were able to sense chaos on Rathe. Maybe that was the source of my dark feelings. Violence and foul deeds were assuredly afoot. Lora was stuck right in the middle of whatever was going on. Surely that was it!

“Well, whether your hair or my nerves are about to receive shock therapy, I can’t tell,” I said to Adana, Sheridan, and the small crowd that was gathering at the Portal for our journey. “I strongly advise we proceed with caution, regardless of your sense of ease, Adana.”

“Of course,” Adana deferred. “We will take every precaution,” she reassured me.

“I second that motion,” Sheridan said with his customary intensity.

We were all set up with interfaces directly into Raynah, per standard operating procedure. Of course, when that connection was forged, we could hear zir thoughts, as well as those of everyone in interface: the Harr, the Kahlmorah, Adana, Sheridan, and Karellion – one of Dierd’s original compadre’s way back before the whole Portal adventure began. He was definitely a seasoned traveler in space and time. He would also be going along for this strange little ride.

“Okay everyone,” Raynah buzzed in our heads, “we have a lock on Lora, thanks to the Beni and the Harr.”

I felt Sheridan’s irritation. So did Adana. She kissed him with her thoughts. He settled down, but did not relax.

“Good,” I thought. We needed all our wits about us. Of that much I was sure.

“So, Lora is with a bunch of Iglendas,” Raynah went on. We are going to drop you down a bit away from their group. They seem isolated from any other groups of Iglendas. They will be a click straight in front of you from the position you will be facing when you orient in.”

“So, we don’t know if she is a hostage, or a willing companion?” Karellion asked.

“We know jack, as usual,” Sheridan snarled. “Get ready for just about anything!”

“Right,” Karellion replied tensely. “Here,” he continued as he handed a wristband to Sheridan. “Just slap this on her and we can pop back out with her in tow.”

We were all tense.

“Just relax,” Adana counselled. “Everything is going to be fine. Drop us in long enough to pluck Lora out!”

“The best laid plans!” I heard Sheridan think.

“Shut up, Sheridan,” Raynah snapped. “Prepare yourselves.”

We readied ourselves emotionally and mentally for the whoosh of reorientation. It came, as it always does, unexpectedly, weirdly.

We coalesced in a forest. The air was cool. We heard whooping directly in front of us, just where Raynah had advised we’d find our girl.

“Alright, let’s go, and go carefully!” Sheridan growled.

He took point. The rest of us followed as quietly as we could.

It didn’t take long to find what we were looking for. The brush and trees ended abruptly at a clearing.

That was the only thing that went right.

Sheridan stepped between two trees. I stepped up behind him. What we saw gave us that promised shock therapy.

There were multitudes of dead bodies everywhere. Among them naked Iglendas danced. They were obviously painted with the blood of the dead.

Among those Iglendas was our girl – naked and covered in blood, whooping, laughing, brandishing a weapon over her head.

Karellion stepped to our side. In that moment one of the naked Iglendas saw us. He was brandishing a weapon too, but not for long. It took him all of 3 seconds to dead-eye Karellion and shoot him square in the head.

Everything went into slow motion.

Adana and Sheridan started screaming at Lora. Lora stopped stock still and just stared at us in what appeared to be stupefaction.

That is the last thing I remember, because another Iglenda possessed of considerably lesser skill with his weapon than the first took aim at us, but missed. Instead, he nailed a branch over our heads.

I heard Sheridan say, “We are so fucked,” just as the branch came crashing down and everything went black.

to be continued...
 
 

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The Dark Side of Love series ©2006-2007 by TDunyati-Long (TDHawkes)