"Because as soon as the missile exploded, the signal disappeared."
"Meaning the target was the Emperor."
"Yes, but as he was coming to Pontus, maybe they were trying to kill two birds with one stone."
"What?" Treyvon gave him a confused look.
"I'm sorry, General, it is an Earth saying my True Mate has taught me. It means getting rid of two problems at the same time."
"I see. And what do you believe those two problems are? Truth, Squad Leader," he said when he saw Nikhil's hesitation.
"My assessment is that the primary target was the Emperor with the hope of also killing Mackenzie and Jennifer."
Treyvon felt his stomach clench at the thought of Jennifer being targeted like this. He'd come close to losing her twice already, and while he hadn't yet Joined with her, both times had nearly destroyed him. Now after having Joined with her, he knew he would be destroyed, if he failed her again.
"You never found the transmission source?"
"No."
"It never reappeared after Liron left for Imroz?"
"No, General."
"The signal, were you able to pinpoint its location when it was on Pontus? Track whether or not it moved?"
Nikhil frowned at Treyvon's question. "I never considered narrowing the search to that extent, General, only that it was within the base."
"Is it still possible to?"
"Yes."
"Then do it. I want to know exactly where that signal was coming from and who is responsible."
"Yes, General." Nikhil was about to turn to do just that when Treyvon stopped him.
"One more thing, Nikhil."
"Yes, General."
"I am promoting you to Commander and making you my Second."
"Wh… what?" Nikhil's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe he was being offered such an important position. There were other Elite Warriors that came from more prestigious bloodlines than his.
"You are one of the finest Warriors I have ever had the privilege to lead, Nikhil. You are physically stronger than any male I know, but your greatest strength is your mind. You have the ability to assess a situation and respond appropriately and quickly. It is why so many of the Warriors under your command still breathe."
"I… thank you, General."
"I need that in my Second. I also need him to tell me truth as he sees it if he disagrees with me."
"General?"
Treyvon walked around to the front of his desk then leaned back against it, his arms crossing over his chest. "Gryf and I had a unique relationship that grew from training and serving together. I know you understand what I'm saying."
Nikhil did. There was no bond stronger than the ones between Warriors when you knew the other one had your back.
"Because of that, Gryf wasn't afraid to express his thoughts, in private, to me if he thought it necessary. I need you to do the same. I am not an all-knowing being. I can only make effective decisions if I have all relevant information."
"I will do my best to make sure you have it, General."
"Good. Unfortunately, the official ceremony will have to wait until Liron is present, but I want you to assume the duties immediately."
"Of course, General."
"Good, now as to your replacement. Any thoughts on who should be Squad Leader?"
Nikhil didn't answer immediately, and Treyvon could see he was mentally assessing each Warrior, going through their strengths and weaknesses.
"I would recommend either Warrior Nroa or Warrior Onp, General. Both are outstanding Warriors who have the necessary skill sets required for the position."
"You would not choose one over the other?"
"Nroa has the better sword arm," Nikhil began, "but Onp is better in close quarters. They are both capable of leading and are respected by their brother Warriors. They also both come from strong bloodlines. So no, General, I wouldn't choose one over the other. That difficult decision would be yours to make."
Treyvon found himself smiling. He'd definitely made the right decision choosing Nikhil. "This is truth."
"Is there anything else, General?"
"Just one thing. When we are alone, you may call me Treyvon."
"I…" Nikhil couldn't believe the honor he was being given. "Yes, Gen… Treyvon."
"Good. Dismissed."
• • • • • •
"Oh. My. God." Jen whispered as she slowly turned looking at the crates lined up against the walls. There were dozens of them each the size of a mid-sized car. "Which one did you find the potato in?" she demanded, looking at Gulzar.
"It was in this one." Gulzar led her to the crate and opened it for her. Seeing her trying to pull herself up, standing on her toes and still unable to see over the top, he smiled. Then gripping her waist, he lifted.
"Thanks," she absently said, and as her gaze scanned the mixture of produce inside the crate she couldn't help crying out, "Oh. My. God!"
"Jennifer! What is it?!!" Gulzar quickly pulled her away from the crate, turning so he could put himself between her and whatever had her crying out like that.
"No! No!" she exclaimed her legs kicking.
"Jennifer, what is wrong?"
"Nothing! Just lift me back up! Let me see it again!"
"Not until you explain. I will not put you in danger."
"I am not in danger. I'm excited. Stunned."
"What?"
"Gulzar, I recognized everything in that crate. It’s all from Earth."
"Really?"
"Yes. Now let’s figure out what we have and how it needs to be stored so I can make some absolutely amazing food."
"You mean better than what you have already created?" He gave her a disbelieving look.
"Oh yeah," she whispered.
• • • • • •
Treyvon entered the training area and silently watched the intensity in which his remaining Warriors sparred. It was always this way when a brother Warrior met the Goddess. They honored him by training even harder, working through their anger and grief.
He had worked through the worst of his grief last night in Jennifer's arms. He still couldn't believe how giving she was. How her only concern had been for him. What in the name of the Goddess had he ever done to deserve the blessing that was Jennifer? He knew there was still much for them to discuss. He wasn't sure what the mating practices were on Earth, other than the exchange of rings that was similar to their exchange of beads.
Resting with Jennifer had been… there were no words to describe how it had felt, what it meant. All he knew was he wanted her resting there every night.
Kaliszian males only did this with their Ashe or True Mate.
What did humans do?
If he offered Jennifer his Ashe bead would she accept it?
He forced his thoughts away from Jennifer and the questions he had no answers for, to watch a sparring match between Nroa and Gulzar. There was rage, anger, and grief in every swing of Nroa's sword as he overpowered the younger Warrior, but it was also controlled. When Gulzar stumbled back and lowered his sword as he went to one knee, Nroa immediately halted his next swing. After several moments, Gulzar rose, and Treyvon watched as Nroa moved toward him, not to resume his attack but to demonstrate how Gulzar should have countered. Even though he was grieving for his lost brothers, Nroa was making sure he wouldn't one day be grieving for Gulzar.
Something only a fit and worthy male would do.
"Warriors!" All training stopped as the Warriors turned to their General. "Today we honor the brother Warriors that we have lost. They were fit and worthy males that died in battle and are now in the service of the Goddess. May we all be granted such an honor one day."
A roar of agreement answered Treyvon's words and swords were raised in the air in tribute.
"Because they now serve the Goddess, we must find ones just as fit and honorable to serve the Emperor." Treyvon let his gaze travel over every male there before continuing. "Effective immediately Squad Leader Kozar is now Commander Koz
ar and my Second."
Every Warrior roared their acceptance and lifted their swords to salute Nikhil.
"Elite Warrior Nroa is now Squad Leader Nroa."
Again the Warriors raised their swords and roared their acceptance of Nroa's new rank.
"Also, Warrior Gulzar, through his actions and skills has gained the honor of becoming the first in his bloodline to achieve Elite Warrior status."
Treyvon saw the shock in Gulzar's eyes as his brother Warriors roared their acceptance of him into their ranks, then not only raised their swords but also slapped him on his back.
Treyvon also saw that Spada, while having raised his sword in salute, did not move to congratulate Gulzar. Yes, something would definitely have to be done about Spada.
• • • • • •
Jennifer found herself working her way along the debris-strewn path that led to the Crann. She and Mac had finished prepping for Last Meal and were planning on taking this walk together when Mac received a comm from Nikhil and hurriedly returned to their quarters.
She hadn't been back in the gairdín since the attack and she wasn't sure why.
At first, it had been because Luol had insisted she stay in bed making sure she suffered no side effects from the extensive time she'd spent in the repair unit. She had to admit having Maysa fussing over her had felt wonderful. It was what her mother had done whenever she had been sick.
But she'd been up and moving for several days before Treyvon's return, and she still hadn't come here.
Why?
For some reason, the tree was important to her. If she lost that too…
Taking a deep breath, she made the final turn that would allow her to see the Crann and felt her eyes begin to fill. It was still there… slightly worse for wear, but it was still standing tall and silent. Ignoring the rest of the gairdín for a moment, she rushed to the Crann and pressed her palms against it.
"Oh, thank the Goddess you're okay," she whispered, laughing when she realized she was talking to a tree. Still chuckling, she brushed away the dirt and debris that had accumulated on the bench then sat and leaned her head against the Crann the way young girls did when they were telling secrets to their BFFs.
"Okay, so maybe it’s silly of me, but you have stood here for so long, have survived so much, that you've sort of become a symbol to me. A symbol that there is still hope even after all the terrible decisions I've made. That there's still the chance to make it right. That's why you're still standing here, isn't it? Refusing to let one person's terrible decisions do to you what it’s done to the rest of Pontus, to the rest of the Kaliszian Empire, to Treyvon. He's such a good, caring male, Crann, even though he tries to hide it. The burden he carries because of Aadi… you need to help him."
"You can do that, can't you? You are the Crann of Bounty. You protect and provide for those under your care, just like you did for me when that missile hit."
She looked down and saw the darkened area that still stained the sand beneath the bench surrounding the Crann. It was where Treyvon had found her bloody and broken after the missile strike. Luol had told her about it when she'd asked. Telling her how if it hadn't been for the bench and Crann protecting her from the worst of the explosion, she never would have survived.
"Thank you," she whispered then let her gaze travel around the area. It was going to take more than just a broom to clear the paths this time, and more muscle than she had to move the large chunks of stone littering the area.
Large chunks. Her gaze went to the intact outer walls, then to the paths that appeared undamaged. If both those things were true then where had all this debris come from?
Rising, she slowly moved toward the path that was directly opposite of the one that led to the Kaliszian glyph. The one that abruptly ended at a wall. It was down this path that she'd thrown her and Todd's rings. Moving along the path, she was surprised to discover that not only was the path undamaged but that it continued on through the now destroyed wall.
"Wow, this Kevtoof really is strong stuff."
She was also surprised at how different this path was compared to the other four. While those paths seemed to know exactly where they were going, this one appeared to meander, curving its way first this way then that, like a long, gentle S-curve before it finally opened up into a circular area similar to the others although it seemed smaller.
Pausing, she took in the area. While it too had a single bench across from the entrance, just like the other ones did, there was a deeper layer of sand covering everything. It was as if only Pontus's strong winds were unable to reach this place. Moving to the center of the area, she used the side of her foot and began moving the accumulated sand to one side, searching to see if there was a glyph hidden underneath it as there had been in the other areas.
It took several passes, but finally something began to emerge. At first, it was only a flat and lifeless yellow disk, but as it absorbed the power and warmth of the Pontus sun, it began to softly glow and expand until shards of light emanated out from its center.
Dropping to her knees, she used her hands to try and remove more and more of the sand, exposing first a small grayish stone and then a pale yellow one. Moving farther out, she found a bright blue stone with white swirls. Sitting back on her heels, she looked from the narrow strip she'd cleared up to the angle of the sun. It was getting late, and she needed to get Last Meal served and then…
She felt her heart begin to beat faster, for then she could do what she'd been wanting to do all day, and that was see Treyvon again.
Promising she'd be back soon, she rose and left the gairdín.
• • • • • •
Chapter Twenty-Five
For the third time in an hour, Treyvon caught himself checking to see how much longer until Jennifer would be arriving with Last Meal. After drilling with his Warriors, he'd returned to his office to deal with the multitude of things that needed his attention, including reviewing the applications that would restore his Elite unit to its full force. It was a task he always dreaded, because the majority of the time it meant a Warrior had met the Goddess. But he also relished the task, because it meant that a worthy male was about to be given a chance to advance himself. One like Gulzar.
Finishing another applicant's file, he was stopped from checking the time yet again by a knock on his door.
"Enter," he ordered and was immediately up and around his desk when he saw the front of the hover cart with Jennifer on the other end. Goddess, he'd missed her.
"General, I've brought Last Meal for you." She pushed the cart in, her gaze traveling around the room as the door closed behind her. Finding it was just the two of them, she abandoned the cart and walked into his arms. "Hi," she smiled up at him.
Treyvon responded by leaning down, wrapping his arms around her, and capturing her lips for a long, hard kiss that had her flushed and breathless by the time it ended.
"Why did you hesitate?" he asked gruffly, pulling back only far enough to ask.
"Hesitate?" She gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"When you first entered. You looked to see if we were alone before coming to me." It had happened to him on more than one occasion with other females, but for Jennifer to do it bothered him so much more. "Why?"
"Because I didn't want to overstep."
"Overstep? What do you mean?"
"I mean I don't know what the rules are in a situation like this, and I didn't want to embarrass you."
"You believe I would be embarrassed if others found out we were Joining?" He couldn't believe it. In the past, it had always been the female that was embarrassed associating with him.
"I… No, of course, I don't think that but, Treyvon, I'm sure there are boundaries… rules as to what is and isn't acceptable in a situation like this. And since I don't know what those rules are, I'm going to proceed with caution until we talk about it. I don't want you hurt or embarrassed because of me."
"Jennifer," he gently kissed her again.
"Don't you know that the only thing that would hurt me is your rejection?"
"Treyvon…" She could feel her eyes filling with his words. She wasn't sure she wanted that kind of responsibility. She'd failed so many people in her life, people she cared deeply about. If she failed Treyvon…
Treyvon saw the sheen of tears in her eyes before they closed and hated that his words were the cause. All he had wanted to do was reassure her, but instead, he had upset her. She was right. They needed to talk.
"Come," he said leading her to the table he'd cleared in anticipation of them sharing this meal together. It was the same table Liron, Rachana, and he had sat at, only this time there were two chairs, sitting at right angles to each other so they could be close and still see each other without having to turn their heads. Pulling out the chair along the longer end of the table, he ordered, "Sit, and we'll talk as we eat."
Jen sat back, slightly shocked as the Supreme Commander of the Kaliszian Defenses proceeded to serve her Last Meal.
"What?" he asked, as he sat at the shorter end of the table picking up her hand with one of his.
"I… I guess I'm just surprised. I can't remember the last time someone served me a meal."
"Todd never cared for you this way?" he asked carefully.
"Of course not," she said taking the plate he extended to her. "I'm the Chef. It was my job to cook and serve him."
Treyvon sat with his own plate, then picking up his fork, gestured for her to do the same. Only after she took a bite did he ask. "So if it was not his responsibility to care for you in this way, how did he?"
"What do you mean?" she asked. Slowly chewing her first bite, then deciding the seasonings were fine, she swallowed.
"How did he care for you?" he clarified.
"I… well…" she wasn't sure how to answer that.
"I ask because I too am unfamiliar with the rules for a situation like this."
"I suppose that would be true," she sighed putting her fork aside, "but I don't know where to start or what to ask."
"You start by continuing to eat," he told her. "It is a Kaliszian male's primary responsibility to make sure his female is well provided for. That means she must always have enough to eat."