“Jorran isn’t at the Center, either,” Martha suddenly put in to Challen. “You might want to hold off doing anything, big guy. I’ve just been contacted by Jorran to perform an emergency Transfer to a meditech.”
“For him?” Tedra asked in surprise.
“No, for your daughter-in-law.”
Tedra paled. “Was it in time?”
“Undetermined yet,” Martha was forced to reply. “She’s lost alotof blood, is barely hanging on by a thread.” It was eight suspenseful seconds before Martha was able to add, “Okay, Transfer was in time; she’s out of immediate danger. I hate to say it, but Jorran saved her life by contacting me. You are now officially indebted to the jerk.”
Tedra swore a blue streak. Challen came to put his arms around her.
“It is doubtful his act was without self-interest,” he said. “Was it, Martha?”
“No indeed. He wanted Brittany saved so he could take her home with him. Those idiots lucked out getting Transfer this time on one of their ships, but there’s still not a meditech among them. He managed to find Brittany by scanning for her language. He Transferred to her location, killed thesa’abothat was ripping her to shreds, and knew that the only thing that could save her at that point was a meditech. And the only way for him to get her to one was through me.”
“Where the hell is Dalden?”
“Scanning the surrounding area for him now,” Martha answered. “But with him not talking, I’m not likely to get a fix on him. And he’s guaranteed to go berserk if he shows up and finds all that blood at his camp but no Brittany. I had visual and it wasn’t pretty. So I’ve sent Corth II there to await his return with explanations.”
“Are you sure Jorran didn’t Transfer him somewhere?” Tedra asked.
“He swears Dalden wasn’t there when he arrived. I’m inclined to believe him. He’s pretty shaken up.”
“Heis?”
“And Brittany wouldn’t have tangled with asa’aboherself if Dalden had been there,” Martha pointed out.
That being true, the edge was taken off Tedra’s fear for her son. Which left only the annoyance that they couldn’t deal as harshly with Jorran now, with their gratitude getting in the way.
“What was he doing searching for them?” Tedra asked next. “Are their demands just a ploy?”
“Probables tell me Jorran neglected to tell his relatives about me and theAndrovia. The highest king is legit. Heishere for revenge, his house offended by our treatment of one of theirs. But Jorran knows firsthand what they’re up against, and that the only way he’d get what he wants would be to sneak in and accomplish it himself while we were otherwise distracted by Cayden.”
“So he brought his relatives here knowing they’d get egg on their faces? Why?”
“When I mentioned that he liked our Brittany, I didn’t think it was necessary to stress just how much he liked her. All things considered, we shouldn’t have crossed paths with him again, so it wasn’t an issue.”
Tedra frowned. “How much are we talking about?”
“He wants her for his queen, and since she’ll bring him no land, status, subjects, wealth, or other queenly gains, it’s a safe guess his ‘want’ is strictly personal.”
“Fardenhell,” Tedra mumbled.
“He’s given up his advantage by rescuing her and giving her back to us for mending. Had he found them alone, it’s a guarantee he would have Transferred them both to his ship and would be racing for home already, using Dalden as leverage to keep us from following. And Dalden wouldn’t have found the journey pleasant. That Jorran found Brittany about to die put an end to those plans. Her dire condition has probably saved Dalden from endless torture. I hope the boy takes that into account before he starts thinking about punishing her for tangling with asa’abo.”
“Did she have a choice?”
“That critter is too stupid to find its way inside a secured tent. Need I say more?”
“No, but near death—I’d say she’s already suffered enough.”
“Since when do warriors take previous suffering into account when lessons need to be taught? That only reinforces their need to assure the situation will never happen again, and we know the name of that tune.”
That got Challen a glare from Tedra just on general principle. That he chuckled at his lifemate confirmed that Martha had called it right.
Chapter 50
IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE LID OF THE MEDITECHopened before Brittany’s eyes did, or she would have thought she’d been sealed in a coffin. Not a thought far off the mark, since she had known that she was going to die. But she wasn’t dead, or if she was, at least the pain that had surrounded her was now gone. Yet with Tedra standing there offering her a hand to help her up, she had to conclude she wasn’t in Heaven, either.
