The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 7.6

"I have to agree with that," Tirqwin said heavily.

"Um, can I ask what memory you're talking about?" Cynthia ventured after a moment of grim silence.

Mara grimaced and turned away, leaving Tirqwin to explain. "Scotty received one of Sabrina's more traumatic memories. She witnessed the brutal murder of her adoptive father, Mara's uncle, by assassins who then attempted to kill her. It is... not something Sabrina ever spoke of in detail. I know that she tried very hard to gloss over it for Scotty, who was not there at the time. She would not have chosen this. Scotty and Rayland were close."

Cynthia frowned. "You people can do this? Take people's memories and just...beam them into other people's heads?"

"No," Mara said. "Not...not like this. This...had a distinct Pharon resonance."

"The Emperor did this," Tirqwin concluded. "Niavar."

"Who?" Cynthia frowned.

"Our son. He and Sabrina were traveling together."

"You mean Ford?" Cynthia said. "But that doesn't make any sense."

"I am afraid there is very little room for error," Mara said. "Only one being in the universe is currently wielding Pharon energy."

"No, I mean, he was running away from you guys. Why would he zap Scotty with a memory like that, that you'd know had to come from him? Scotty wasn't any danger to him. We didn't even know where to look. There's no reason for this."

Tirqwin's frown turned perplexed. "That is a point to consider. Could it have been a message of intimidation? An example of what he can do if we continue chasing him?"

"Possibly," Mara said. "What disturbs me is that he must have done this against Sabrina's will. We were assuming she was able to moderate his behavior to some degree. Apparently she is his captive rather than his companion."

Cynthia shook her head. "It wasn't that way on Earth. He got exasperated with her when she disagreed with him, but he was a long way from any kind of violence, I thought. I mean, I thought he was domineering and all that, but Sabrina said she had it under control. She wasn't worried about him taking over her mind or anything like that."

"Malvarak may have a way of worsening Niavar's condition," Mara said. "He was, after all, in the Pharon system for an unknown period."

"But again, if he's this Emperor personality who wants to get away from you, why bother with this? I can't help but think it might be a message. Isn't it just possible that he and Sabrina put their heads together to try and reach Scotty, and somehow this is what came out? Is there something in the memory that might be relevant to their situation?" Cynthia asked.

Mara and Tirqwin wore identical frowns. One of Mara's companions, whom Cynthia belatedly recognized as Commander Mukryilla, said, "Could it be symbolic? Maybe the prince is trying to tell us that Malvarak will attempt to murder Tirqwin."

Tirqwin rolled his eyes. "That is not exactly news."

Mara said, "Emotional intensity does help when transferring images from one mind to another. Possibly Niavar needed a memory of such emotional power to reach Scotty's mind, which is not very receptive. But why would he try to do so at all unless he felt he could tell us something?"

Mukryilla gave a little sigh. "I could have our analysts review the scene, but if it's some detail that wasn't in Sabrina's original report, we won't be able to see it."

There was another pause. Then Cynthia said, "I thought the original point of all this was to help Scotty wake up."

Mara looked chagrined. "Yes. Thank you, Miss Grayson." She laid a hand on Scotty's forehead and concentrated. Her expression cleared just as Scotty began to stir.

"How do you feel, Scotty?" Mara asked softly as he blinked.

"Like a soccer ball," he groaned. "Oh, man. Did you get the number of that truck?"

"You're mixing your clichés," Cynthia informed him. "How's your headache?"

"Still there."

"Standard neuro check: what day is it, and who is the president of the United States?"

"Oh God," Scotty groaned. "Hell if I know either one, Cynthia. Time's relative, and I didn't stop to read the papers on Earth."

She grinned. "What do you remember last?"

"My head started to hurt, and you wouldn't shut up. Then I saw—" He sat bolt upright in bed. "Mara! The Reissians!"

"It was only a memory, Scotty. It's not real," Mara soothed.

"No, no. Sabrina was trying to tell me something. She wanted me to be afraid of the Reissians."

Everyone frowned in confusion for a moment, and then Mukryilla said, "Shards!" She lifted her comlink and barked, "Control, pull the latest intel on the Reissian sector! Now! I'm on my way down!"

She set off at a run, leaving Cynthia to glance at the others in bewilderment. Tirqwin sat down heavily, and Mara closed her eyes.

"Shit," Scotty mumbled, lying back down. "How 'bout I just take a nice strong sedative and you guys handle this without me?"

"Don't you worry, Scotty. This has just graduated from an intelligence problem to a Realm-wide alert," Mara said. "Tirqwin, let's go. You and Khediva should report to Homeworld that we will be moving our forces shortly."

"Wait a minute! I didn't mean it!" Scotty said, struggling to sit up again. "Aw, shit! Somebody give me an aspirin!"

Mara turned just long enough to point at him. "Stay. Miss Grayson, keep him in that bed if you have to tie him to it."

"Yes, ma'am," Cynthia said, blinking in surprise.

When everyone had gone and Scotty's grumbles faded to an occasional expletive, Cynthia looked around and resigned herself to a long wait. "Um, Scotty?"

"Yeah?"

"What are Reissians?"

"Bad news. Big time."

"Yeah, I got that. They're the ones who killed Rayland?"

"Yeah, and went after Sabrina several times."

"And you think they've got her now?"

"Aw, geez, I didn't think of that." He rolled over and tried to pour himself out of bed.

"Sit. Stay," Cynthia barked, pulling him back into bed.

"Your bedside manner sucks."

"I'm a pediatrician. I give you a sucker if you're good, but if you're not I turn into the Wicked Witch of the West."