Genre: Drama/Action/Fantasy.
Main Pairings: Sam/Martouf/Lantash, Daniel/Kataya, Malek/Gwennetha, Minor Pairings: Janet/Merdwin, Jacob/Selmak/Jocasta, Jack/Other, Teal'c/Other
Rating: Will be censored to fit under M, but the first part will be T. The Original NC-17 version is on Symbiotica. That address is listed in my bio.
"Italics" - Telepathic or Symbiote-Host communication
Legacy of the Queen
Chapter Three
Alone No More
Zaris stood in the moonlight on the beach with one of the soon-to-be new hosts. He hoped Dr. Jackson was enjoying his walk. He should have been back by now actually. He should check on him if he did not return soon. Dr. Jackson enjoyed walking along the beach and many of the rock outcroppings along there were very unstable from what he had been told. However, that would have to wait for now.
He was standing next to a woman he had known for many years. They had grown up together and raised their families in the same town. Her husband had been killed in an accident when her children were quite young. She had done very well in raising them alone. Her family had helped her, of course, but still, he admired her for doing it so well. His wife had died several years ago. He had even more respect for her accomplishment now that he, too, was a single parent, than he had before.
Their children knew one another and his oldest son was very interested in her oldest daughter. They were seeing each other on a regular basis. A uniting between them would surprise neither of them. He liked her well and was happy to see that her family had been chosen to receive a lifemate from this first finding.
He had not seen her for a long time and had forgotten how very pretty she was with her auburn hair and large hazel eyes. She was still fairly young, as was he, for many Valdellonians married and had their families while they were in their latter teens, always aware that the symbiotes could be found at any time and that, at least at first, only those who already had children would be chosen.
Eventually, they would take others as long as it was only one partner, but that was only after all families had at least one in their close family group. It was hoped that the day would come when all household members would have symbiotes once they had their children.
He watched her and realized she was very graceful as she bent toward the water. He could see her hand tremble and remembered how excited and nervous he had been as he knelt in the sand waiting for his lifemate to find him. He smiled at the flush on her face and the way her eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
"Zaris, is it always this way? Is everyone this excited, or am I being, well, silly?"
"I was shaking like a leaf in a storm, Ahlura. I am surprised Sthet was able to touch my fingers they were moving so much. Almost everyone is like this, and it is not silly. Not at all, believe me. This is a very important event for us."
"Yes, and I am glad that someone explained about the lifemates sensing whether or not we are compatible, and that we might also feel it. I could tell when a few swam by me that they were not for me. It was a startling feeling. They did not linger either. I pulled back, and it was almost involuntary."
"I had that happen one time as I waited, also. It was a relief to know that it was that evident. It also explains how the passing of the lifemate is always to a family member that is compatible. They always know."
"Yes. I admit I always wondered about tha—oh, she touched me harder than the others did. She is wrapping around my wrist. I feel different about her. This is the one. I can feel it," she said softly, awe in her voice. "Oh, Zaris, how could I have ever felt nervous or the least apprehensive about her? I can tell already that she will be wonderful."
"Yes, Ahlura, it is a special feeling, is it not? If you accept her, then we will now go inside. I will take you to the temple, and you may request me to stay, or there are others inside who will stay with you until it is finished, whichever you prefer."
"I would prefer you to stay with me, Zaris," she glanced up, almost shyly. "I know you, and this is such an important event in my life. I would really like to have you share it with me, if you do not mind."
"Of course. I will be honored to be by your side." He nodded to the person waiting at the blending couch, and he left to take Zaris's place outside. "Do you remember what you must do now?"
"Yes, I do." She smiled and turned to finish the ritual of her rebirth as a new being. Two souls living as one.
A few minutes later, she sat up and smiled again, saying, "Her name is Latara. She is anxious to see everything." Zaris held out his hand to help her down, but he never completely accomplished it. As he took her hand, and she stepped down, the floor jerked, and she was thrown into him. He fell backwards and she followed him down. He hit the floor with a resounding smack as he tried to cushion her fall. Zaris did his best, but he could not keep her from getting hurt. Unfortunately, her head hit the edge of a statue and put her into an unconscious state. In moments, it was over.
The statues stood as they always had. The temple, too, had not suffered so much as a crack. It was as if it was being watched over. Not a stone, a tile, or an ornament was out of place. The water flowed placidly past the blending table.
Zaris knelt by Ahlura's side. "Sthet, help me. What do I do? She, they are unconscious. Will they die?"
"Give them a moment, Zaris. They were just blended, and then given a knock on the head. Latara will still be setting her filaments and settling in. She will talk to us in a moment, I am sure."
"All right. I will wait for a bit. I am just afraid that it was too soon after they were blended. What if Latara is unconscious as well?"
"Then it will take a little longer before they wake up, Zaris. Please, it was just a bump. They will be awake before you know it. You must learn to remain calm and trust us. Latara will take care of your friend."
Zaris sent a smile to his lifemate. "Yes, my Sthet. I will learn to trust you. And you must learn that I care about all my friends deeply."
"You do. Therefore, so shall I. However, I think that you could care more for this one, if you let yourself. Moreover, I happen to know that, because I could care deeply for Latara. Now, I believe that one of them is about to say something to you."
Zaris looked down into the glow that became the intense hazel eyes of the woman on the floor. "I am Latara. You are Zaris?"
"Yes, I am, and Sthet is my lifemate. You and Ahlura are all right? You are able to repair any damage done? I am so sorry; I could not catch you. I attempted to do so, but the floor was shaking so much that I could not stand either. I am sorry."
"You did your best, and that is all that you could be expected to do. Ahlura will be fine. I am taking care of the small amount of internal damage first, and then I will encourage her body to repair the swelling and bruise quicker than it normally would. It will be gone soon, I assure you."
Zaris smiled at her. "In that case, perhaps you will talk to Sthet, as we go outside, and take a look around. We should go see if there is any damage that cannot be seen from here."
His eyes shone gold and Sthet spoke to her, "Zaris is correct, Latara. We should go outside and inspect the building as well as the surrounding area. Someone should check to see if the Chaappa'ai is still standing. It would be unfortunate if it has fallen in such a way as to make it unusable." Sthet smiled at her warmly as he turned to walk toward the door.
"Yes, I agree with you both, and it would be unfortunate, but nothing to be overly concerned about. They would get to us as soon as they could, I am sure." Latara murmured.
"That is true. Now that they have found us, they will not leave us here. I truly believe that our brethren are as thrilled to find us, as we are to be found."
"Yes, they are. There is a great deal for us to learn as well. We will go to Valdellon. There we will learn the ways of our kindred, the ways to do battle that they have learned in the past two thousand years, and the history that we have missed. From what I was able to see as we joined, our lifemates, too, will be learning this history, for they have been sheltered in many ways."
Latara was pensive as they walked around and took notice of any damage that appeared to have happened in the quake. Nothing serious appeared to have occurred near the Temple. Ahlura's injury did not take her full concentration, which was good.
"Yes. We will learn to know our people, the people of Valdellon. They consider themselves our natural heirs and hosts. They have been born expecting to find us for generations. It is—it is amazing considering that Egeria imprinted on us that finding a willing host could sometimes be difficult."
"We must thank Valynara of the Furling. She took our hosts there, educated them, cared for them, and protected them from the Goa'uld. And she protected our existence from the Goa'uld as well." It was obvious that Sthet was anxious to begin learning everything he could.
"I understand. I am looking forward to doing all of it and seeing all of it, as well. I can think of nothing I would rather do than go to the heart-home of Egeria and be with the people who welcome us as a part of them. What more could we ask? I can think of nothing more at this moment, though I am sure that other wants will come. But for now this is enough." He smiled at her answer. It was just as he felt.
She looked up at him and said, "Ahlura is waking. She is fine now and will not even have a headache. I will speak with you again later, Sthet."
"Certainly. I will return control to my Zaris."
"Ahlura? How do you feel?" Zaris looked at her anxiously, still not sure if it was really that simple, although he had seen other symbiotes repair injuries.
She smiled at him. "I am fine Zaris, truly. My head does not even ache. What happened, do you know? Is everything all right? Was the Temple damaged?"
"No, it appears to be fine. We were just walking around outside and then heading toward the Chaappa'ai to see if it was standing. All I saw was a few piles of rocks along the beach when we were down there, where they had fallen down. The rocks along the beach are not very stable and they are easily—oh no. No. No. Ahlura, we must return to the Temple at once. We must see if Dr. Jackson has returned. Hurry."
"Why? Zaris, what is the matter with you? Why are you rushing? Must we run?"
"Yes, we must. Please, we must run as quickly as we can."
"But why?"
"Because if Dr. Jackson has not returned, he may be hurt. He went for a walk. He walks along the beach, sometimes sitting on the rocks. Ahlura, Dr. Jackson may be in trouble and need help at once."
"All right. Let us go. I did not realize we had walked so far."
As the couple ran into the clearing around the temple, activity came to a stop as people looked at them expectantly. It was not normal for someone to rush into the area. There was no real hurry to what they were doing after all.
"Dr. Jackson. Has Dr. Jackson returned?"
As the people talked among themselves and looked around, it was finally decided that no one had seen him for quite some time. No. No one had seen him. Then a voice in the back spoke up.
"I saw him a little over an hour or so ago. He was sort of walking along the beach, climbing on the rocks. I have not seen him since then."
"Why Zaris? What does it matter where Dr. Jackson is? He's allowed to leave our sight, you know," a tall, older man chuckled, teasing the younger man for his not quite disguised awe of the scientist.
"It matters, Vintar, because Dr. Jackson told me over an hour ago that he was going for a walk and that he would be back within an hour. He said that he was almost finished with the translations. He wanted to leave and go home to his mate. He has not returned, and he was walking along the beach. I believe that he may be hurt somewhere and needs help."
"I do not think we should jump to conclusions. He has been known to become sidetracked and lose track of time. Let us give him a little leeway before we go off hunting him down. There is no need to panic. He is a grown man, as I said. He can take care of himself."
"It has already been," He checked the timepiece they all used, "an hour and a half since he left. He was only going to be gone an hour."
"We need to get back to our blendings. Dr. Jackson probably fell asleep. I do not think we should be wasting time running around looking for a grown man when we have an important mission right here. I say we wait for another hour or so before we become concerned."
There were murmurs for and against, with the decision being to wait for a little while. They had lost time and had fallen out of their rhythm. Zaris fumed, but did not feel he had enough evidence to force the issue. He would wait, but not for long. It just did not feel right to him. Dr. Jackson had said an hour. He had wanted to go home to his mate.
And, there were two things that he had learned about the group that had come to help them find their lifemates. One was that the love between the Tok'Ra Martouf and his symbiote Lantash was an extremely strong bond that had lived through and endured devastating loss and enjoyed and shared sublime happiness. Their greatest love was Samantha Carter, and there was nothing they would not do, for her, or for one another.
The other constant in their lives was that Dr. Daniel Jackson's love for his mate had endured not for days, or months, or years, but for millennia, and that if it was possible that they could be together, they would be together. He did not believe that Dr. Jackson was dragging his feet knowing that he was almost finished with the translations and, therefore, could go home to his heart. No. Something was wrong, and he would not wait much longer before going to look to find out what it was.
Darkyn settled in and wrapped firmly but gently around Daniel's spine, settling into his brain as well. Sending his filaments out to different sections, he was appalled at the extent of the damage they were sensing. Daniel had been correct. There was no way that Darkyn could heal or save him. The best he could hope for and do was to extend and sustain his life until help that could do something for him arrived.
So, he could not heal him, but he could stop some of the worst of the bleeding. It would take a great deal of his energy, but if he did not do it, his energy would not matter anyway. Thank the stars, only one lung was punctured. His neck was not broken, so that was one bright spot in the sea of bad and worse information he was gathering. His back was beyond any repair he could do at this point. He would not even consider if it was beyond his abilities at all. He might be able to do it, but it would not be easy or swift. It would take a very long time.
Still sorting through information, he determined that the internal bleeding seemed to be from many places, but some were only minor. If he could stop the major areas from bleeding, it would help immensely. No major arteries had been cut that he could find, so he did not have to worry about that.
Therefore, the internal bleeding would be the first order of business. The ribs, arm and concussion would all have to wait. They were no more important at this point than the sprained wrist. He would make sure that his new mate did not go into shock as well. He was lucky he had not already done so.
Putting his considerable energy toward finding and stopping as much of the internal bleeding as he could, Darkyn set to work, all the while hoping that someone would begin to look for and find Daniel as soon as possible. Remembering to use his energy as efficiently as possible, he worked as methodically and unemotionally as he could, refusing to panic or rush anything.
An hour later, he had the bleeding slowed to a seeping but not stopped completely. The swelling from the concussion had become a problem that he needed to remedy immediately, and a spinal fluid leak had caused another minor emergency. A spleen rupture had needed immediate attention as well.
He could do nothing about the rib in his lung but attempt to seal it and thus while temporarily leaving it in place still stop the bleeding. He discovered a bleeding vein. Not an artery, but not something to leave either. He was exhausted, but he could not stop, yet. Now he had to sustain him until help arrived.
Furthermore, he needed to try to contact someone. He attempted to send messages to a few of his kindred that were the closest to him. He had never tried to link over distances like this before. There had never been a reason to. Chances were that if they could hear him, they might not be able to answer, but if they got his message, they would at least know where to look. If, that is, they were blended by now.
Their biggest enemy now was time. Because no matter how he hoarded it, or how strong he was, he could not deny the truth; he was weakening. He could not sustain Daniel's failing body and his own indefinitely and, since he would not leave Daniel's body until his own strength was completely gone, if Daniel died, so would he.
"Zaris, if we hurry, we could go check the Portal and return very quickly. I do not believe that anyone else has thought to check it. If he has not returned by the time we get back to the temple, then I will accompany you and begin searching for him. I feel uneasy about it. I have heard the stories about him, and if he told you he was going home to his mate, I do not believe he would be sitting on some rocks for this long."
"Neither do I, Ahlura. All right. We need to know if the Chaappa'ai is all right, anyway. If he is hurt, we will need to transport him to Valdellon. There are plenty of blended pairs here to take over for me. Let us go quickly and return just as speedily."
"It is odd that I have already started to use words that Sthet uses. I have never called the Portal a Chaappa'ai before tonight that I can remember."
Ahlura smiled at him. "I noticed it, too. I am sure there will be many changes in our lives, and most of them will be good ones. Zaris, my feeling of disquiet is increasing, perhaps we should walk faster."
"All right. I do not mind."
"We should run. We should get there as quickly as possible."
"We are almost there. It is not very far when you go in a straight line from the Temple instead of going along the hillside." Zaris slowed down and stopped. "There. We can see it, and it appears to be standing. I will run up, check that it is indeed still solid, and be right back." Ahlura nodded and watched him run the rest of the way. He was back quickly and they turned to head back.
"It appears unharmed. Quite solid, in fact."
They were trotting back toward the Temple, and Ahlura did not answer him. He looked over at her, and she seemed pre-occupied. "Ahlura, is something bothering you?"
"Yes. We must run and get help. Now." She immediately picked up speed, her symbiote giving her stamina that she never had before. Nor had she ever been able to run this fast. Their run to the Portal had been leisurely compared to this. As they approached the Temple, Zaris reached out for her.
"What do you mean?" Zaris's hand encouraged her to stop beside him. They would be at the temple shortly at the rate they were running.
"It is something that Latara is receiving. She said Darkyn is talking to her. He is sending her images of—of Daniel. She is calling Dr. Jackson, Daniel, and seeing him under a great many boulders and slabs of stone."
"Darkyn—Darkyn is the leader of the lifemates, in case you are not aware of that. He is the symbiote that was in the tank today linking with some of the others. He returned to the lake early this evening. He has blended with Daniel to try to keep him alive."
"Zaris, she says that Darkyn has the ability to send images this way. Therefore, the images he is sending are telling her that Dr. Jackson is dying. He is at the shining pool. Do you know where that is? I have not been here long enough to know."
"No. No, I have no idea. Sthet said he might recognize it, but it would be hard for them from land at the best of times, and with the change in the topography from the quake, it will be worse. Nevertheless, we have to try. Maybe, maybe Darkyn can help guide us."
Ahlura's throat closed on tears. She opened her mouth, but could not force the words out. Forcing herself to push the emotion aside, she finally said, "Latara is very upset. She thinks that Darkyn is dying in order to keep Daniel alive until help can get to him. He is hurt beyond a symbiote's ability to heal. That is very bad, Zaris."
"He says that under no circumstances should anyone move him once we reach him. His—his," she gasped and tried again to tell him, "Part of his spine, his back, is crushed. He thinks that they could both be unconscious by the time we find them."
"We must ask the All to intervene, and we must hurry. Come."
Turning they ran to the Temple. This time Zaris stood his ground, and in very short order, there were several search parties formed. They knew they were looking for the shining pool. When they found it, they would all converge at that one place and begin the slow laborious task of reaching him without injuring him further.
Moreover, every one of them hoped that the All was listening to them. Daniel was close to the All, surely it would help to shield him from death, would it not? They needed him. The Tok'Ra needed his brilliance, his valor, his conscience, and his abilities to see beyond the written word and pull unrelated things together. And, and, well, they just needed him, the man that was Daniel Jackson.
Zaris and Ahlura walked quickly along the beach scrambling over rocks and boulders. They were ahead of the others in their group. Both now had a sense of urgency, but Ahlura had more than that. She felt as if she had a thread between Latara and Darkyn and that, if she walked fast enough, it would take her to him.
Zaris held her hand clasped in his and was content to allow her to lead. She seemed to know where she was going, and he was sure that her lifemate was still in contact with the other one. As long as that was there, they had a chance of finding them. He heard a sound of distress from her and looked over at her quickly.
"What is wrong, Latara? What is happening to Darkyn and Dr. Jackson?"
She shook her head. "Darkyn is beginning to fade in and out of consciousness himself. It is worrying her. It is worrying me, too. However, we are getting very close. Darkyn reminded her that even without him she would know the pool because the moonlight will make the water shine. That is why they call it the shining pool. He said it still does. The earthquake did not disrupt whatever causes that phenomenon."
Zaris nodded. "That is good to know and it gives us something to look for."
"We will find them. I am sure of it."
Zaris squeezed her hand.
"Darkyn? Why are you still here with me? I told you to go away and find a lifemate, so that you could be with Kataya. I can still talk to you in my head, right? I don't have to talk aloud?"
"No, my Daniel, you do not have to talk aloud to me. I can hear your thoughts. Please do not waste your energy by talking to me. We will have time to talk after you are found and healed."
"Mm, yeah, about that. I think I pointed out before that it isn't going to happen. In fact, I'm surprised I'm even conscious again. I didn't expect to wake up any more. How long have I been out?"
"A couple of hours, I am afraid. You need to rest, not talk. Please, my Daniel, go to sleep, it will be best for you."
"Darkyn?"
"Yes, Daniel?"
"I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to join with you. I—I think I would have liked it. I wasn't sure, you know. Even at the end when the quake hit. I still had some reservations. But, in the end, I am sure that I would have done it."
"I am very thankful for that, Daniel. But you must rest, now."
"No reason to rest. I want to spend time with you like this since I am awake. This is the closest I will ever get to having you. I only had one reservation. I wasn't worried about sharing Kataya with you. Not jealous at all. Weird, that. But I finally figured out that we would be two parts of a whole, and it is hard to be jealous of yourself. So, no jealousy."
"She already feels something for you, I think. Not sure what. She's a strong woman. She wouldn't allow it to grow, and if it managed despite her attempts to stop it, she would never act on it. She is honorable that way. I know. Do you know how I know that?"
"No, Daniel, how do you know that?" Darkyn spoke softly, realizing that Daniel was rambling in his concussed state, but that he was also saying things he truly felt and knew to be true. These were things that he would have shared with his lifemate if they were "blended". Not realizing they already were, he wished to attempt that closeness in this way.
The words were coming easily to him, so there was little energy being expended. It was better to allow him to talk at this point. So, Darkyn asked, "What is it that you know that allows you to be so sure of this? How do you know?"
"Because she still desires Merdwin from time to time, but she never acts on it. He still desires her, too. However, he would never act on it, either. He is an honorable man, as well. Don't feel any jealousy of him, either. No need. So, that's that."
"As for my reservation about our joining. Us, that is, you and me. It was because I like to be completely alone sometimes just to think. I was afraid to lose that. That was the only reservation I had. All the other reasons were easy to overcome because they didn't really bother me all that much. So, now you know."
"Privacy is not a problem, my Daniel. I can simply become dormant when you feel the need for complete privacy. I can neither see nor hear at that time if we have agreed that you will use a prearranged signal that will break through to me. So that, as well, would not have become a problem."
"I'm glad. We would have been a good match then. It's too bad it couldn't work out."
Darkyn waited quietly, knowing that unless he moved excessively, Daniel would not recognize his presence. He was in too much pain. Although he was muting what he could of it, there was so much that he could not control it all. If Daniel had remained unconscious, he would not now have to try to protect him from that as well as everything else he was attempting to do.Lost in his own thoughts, he was surprised to hear Daniel's voice again.
"I have my eyes open, and I can't see you. But I think I can see my hand. Where are you?"
"I am very nearby. I would not leave you alone in here. Do not attempt to move around, Daniel, you will make your injuries worse. Please. Lie still."
"Darkyn, it is pretty much impossible to make terminal injuries any worse. So, where are you? Come around, and sit on my hand for a while, so that I can see you."
"I cannot, Daniel."
"Why not? Are you hurt? Did something fall on you? Where are you? I might be able to move my arm enough to help you. Darkyn! Where are you? Please tell me!"
"Daniel! Daniel, I am quite all right. I am not injured. I am fine. There is nothing wrong with me. Calm down and stop moving, please."
"Oh, God, no. You didn't! Tell me you did not do it. I told you not to. I told you I didn't want you to die with me. You cannot heal me, and now we are both going to die. How could you do this? Get out! Get out, damn it. Getout!getout!getout! You were supposed to take care of Kataya for me." Daniel was becoming angry; expending energy uselessly.
"If you do not calm down, I will put you to sleep myself, Daniel, do you understand?" Darkyn's voice took on a warning edge.
"Of course you will. You'll just take over and…" Even weak, Daniel was able to do sarcasm.
"Shut. Up. You are causing both of us to expend energy we do not have to waste." Darkyn spoke harshly. "Now, you will listen to me, and you will listen with an open mind. Understood?"
"I always listen with an open mind," Daniel stated firmly.
"Of course. Now, please allow me to finish before you say anything. My energy is almost gone, and I do not wish to waste any of it on this to begin with, but I will do so for your piece of mind."
"So. You told me you had decided to blend with me, but that you would not now because you were going to die. I linked with you and through our link, I was able to determine the extent of your injuries. As you know, I am somewhat larger than most symbiotes. I am also somewhat stronger and have more energy. I am—I am different."
"I weighed my extra energy against your injuries, and I came to the conclusion that I would be able to sustain you for many hours. More than sufficient time, for someone to realize you were missing, and come looking for you."
"You will note that at no point have I said that I could, or would, heal you. Your injuries are beyond my abilities and were from the start. However, I did have the ability to slow some of the more major bleeding, one of your major problems, and what would probably have been the cause of death had you died."
"Now, as for remaining behind to care for Kataya, that is very foolish talk coming from you, Daniel. We have both seen into her heart. No one, no one at all, can ever replace you, no matter if she tries or not, no matter if they try or not. I am not talking about sexually. Certainly, someone can warm her bed and heat her body. However, they cannot warm or heat her heart, not now, not ever. So that was not even an option, it was so ridiculous."
"And lastly, you are my lifemate, Daniel. I wished to help you. I think I will be able to sustain you until help comes, if you will allow both of us to use the minimum amount of energy for things, instead of discussing whether or not I should have attempted to save you."
"You are serious. You think you can save us both."
"Yes. Moreover, if I cannot, then neither of us will die alone, and I will have experienced the one thing I have yearned to do for two thousand years; blend with my lifemate. Do not deny me that."
Daniel closed his eyes and allowed the essence that was Darkyn to envelope him. Then, he reached out with his mind and gave himself to his lifemate. "No. No, I won't deny either of us that." Daniel felt himself floating back into the darkness, but this time, he was not alone.
Before he did, he heard Darkyn's thought, "You are correct, my Daniel, we will be alone no more."
Ahlura started running. "There. There, Zaris. Half of that outcropping is missing, see? This is it. I can feel Darkyn here."
"Darkyn? Darkyn? It is I, Latara. Are you there? Please, Darkyn! Answer me, please."
"Latara? Thank the universe. I—hear you. I feel you—near. Where are you from—from the"
"Darkyn? Where are we from what?"
"Yes, ah, the beach. Edge of—the beach."
"Not far. Where are you?"
"We are at the—at the edge of the—the beach under the pile—pile of slabs, boulders. Slabs are keep-keeping some of the—the boulders off us so—must be very care-careful moving them."
"I understand. Can you tell as I walk around where I am?"
"Yes, a little. Come toward the—edge of—beach. Up. Yes. Stop. Daniel's feet under you—I believe—not sure. He—stretches out—front of you—along—beach edge toward lake. Is—almost…"
"Darkyn! Darkyn, please. Come, wake up. You must tell us what we need to know. Darkyn! Daniel is almost what, Darkyn?"
"—water, is almost—in water. Six feet tall. Arm away—beach—rocks—broken. Many broken bones—told you—back—back broken—one place—spine—spine crushed. Must—not be moved. Be sure, no moving. Someone needs—go get…"
"Darkyn what is wrong? You sound weaker. I can barely make out what you are saying. What do we need to get?"
"I am—losing strength—very…"
"Darkyn! Darkyn!"
"Difficult—keep—link—continue—sustain Daniel. Imperative—I—sustain. Die. Doubt. Focus—sustain—Daniel."
"Darkyn! Darkyn." Latara looked up to see Zaris coming back with a group of searchers.
"Darkyn is no longer answering me, but I can still feel a thread to him, so he is still alive. He is here, and they are hurt very badly. I am afraid that if we do not get to them soon, they will both die."
One of the women at the back of the group nodded, saying, "I will return along the beach and find the other searchers. Some of those slabs may need more of us to move them. Even with the added strength of our lifemates, they could be a problem. And we will have to move very carefully, so as not to cause more damage to them."
"Yes, that is a very good idea. Go ahead, and we will begin moving what we can, as carefully as we can. Get them as quickly as possible," Ahlura agreed to her suggestion. "Then go on to Valdellon. We need Valynara."
The woman nodded, but she half-expected Valynara to turn up before she made it to the gate.
"Darkyn? What is that scraping and thumping noise?"
"Our rescuers, Daniel. Hush now, rest. We are both—weak, our time grows—short. Do not give up."
"No, I won't. I have too much to live for. We both do."
TBC
