The Anialwch Connection
Chapter 18
Donte woke to the sound of Andras fussing. He opened his eyes to a strange room. Where was he? He turned his head and saw Rianne positioning Andras to suckle. Her presence was comforting – all the more so because she was doing something familiar. He watched Andras clutch her breast and eagerly begin to nurse. Rianne caressed his cheek with a forefinger, softly humming to him. She sighed and looked up; her gaze distant as she looked at nothing in particular.
As if suddenly aware of his attention, she turned her head and looked at him. A surprised smile flashed across her lips.
“Donte! You’re awake!”
Someone moved on the other side of him and Akira looked down at him. “How are you feeling?”
He frowned. “Where am I?”
Akira leaned over him. “You are in the hospital in Nyumbani.”
Nyumbani? Why were Rianne and Andras in Nyumbani?
Akira felt his pulse. “Do you remember what happened?”
He looked up at her. “One of the raiders shot me with an arrow.”
She released his wrist and smiled. “You gave us all quite a scare.”
“All? Who is all of us?” He looked at Rianne. “Where is Petra?”
Andras had stopped suckling and turned to look at Donte, the nipple still in his mouth. Donte started to laugh, but the action shot pain through his side. He groaned.
Akira looked at him. “Are you in pain?”
He grimaced. “Only when I laugh.”
Akira stepped around the end of the bed. “I’ve got to let Quade know you are awake, alert and in a good mood.”
“Dad is here too?”
Rianne smiled. “And Donica, Kenyon, Celyn…and Adriaan.”
Donte frowned. “Adriaan? What is he doing here?”
“It’s a long story and he should probably be the one to tell you.”
He lifted his hand and indicated Andras, who had gone back to his meal. “If Dad is going to be here in a minute, you’d better cover up.”
Rianne shrugged, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’m sure he’s seen a baby suckle before.” She grabbed a blanket and threw it over her shoulder, covering Andras and her breast.
A few minutes later, Quade walked into the room. He smiled down at Donte. “So, you decided to come back to us.”
Donte smiled. “Where did I go?”
Quade began examining him. “I don’t know, but for a while there I was afraid it was going to be a permanent change of address.”
Tabia entered the room, smiling. “Good morning, Monomi. Someone said you were in a good mood, so I rushed over to witness it.” Her dark eyes expressed humor as she leaned over him. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry.”
“We’ll see if you can handle some broth first.”
He wanted something more substantial, but it sounded like he wasn’t doing as well as he thought when he first woke. He looked at his father. “What is the diagnosis?”
“I’m not the surgeon, Tabia is. You’d better ask her.”
Donte rolled his head and looked at Tabia. “When can I get off this bed?”
“If you continue to improve, we might get you up for a little while tomorrow. You’re going to be here for at least a week unless you can figure out how to get home on your back.”
“We may be able to arrange that,” a voice said from the doorway.
Donte turned his head to see Adriaan striding toward his bed. Quade stepped back and Donte held out a hand to Adriaan, palm up. Adriaan grasped his arm, gently squeezing it before he released it. Donte tried to sit and Adriaan placed a hand on each of his shoulders.
“You lay still.”
Donte relaxed against the pillow, feeling a little faint. It felt disrespectful to be lying on his back in front of the Commander. “Why are you here?”
Adriaan lifted his brows, a wry smile twisting his lips. “As many times as I have been asked that, it makes me think I’m not welcome.”
Donte grinned.
Adriaan patted him on the arm and looked at Tabia and Quade. “Is he well enough to talk to me for a while?”
Quade looked at Tabia and lifted a brow. She nodded. Everyone left the room but Adriaan. Donte looked up at him.
“Why don’t you have a seat?”
Adriaan shook his head. “If I’m too tired to stand, then you’re too tired to talk.” He placed both hands on the bed and looked down at Donte. “What happened between you and Pieter? Why did he name another second?”
“We didn’t agree. I was with him at the end. He wasn’t angry with me.”
“What did you disagree about?”
Donte hesitated. “Mostly The Prophesy. He didn’t believe in it. At one point he thought I was trying to incite the colonists against the Mascots.”
Adriaan stared down at him for a minute. “Were you?”
“No. I want equal opportunity for colonists and Mascots.”
“Is that why you declined being my second in command…because you are a Mascot?”
“No. I declined partly because of The Prophesy, but mostly because I wanted to be with my family.”
Adriaan nodded. “I understand that.” He drew a deep breath and let it out. “I received a confirmation notice naming you as Pieter’s successor. I wondered why they were doing that twice. That’s how I found out about this…misunderstanding between you and Pieter. Why didn’t you talk to me about it?”
“Pieter was the ruler. It was his right to name whomever he wished to succeed him. The cabinet would either confirm or refuse to confirm. I didn’t want anyone to interfere with the proper process.”
“Even when he threatened to replace cabinet members with those who would agree with him? I was told that someone complained to you.”
“I wanted the cabinet members to do their job. I talked to Papaw about it and I think he agreed that it would be contrary to our founding laws.”
Adriaan nodded again and lifted his hands from the bed. “You were confirmed by the cabinet – unanimous again. You are now officially the ruler of Bergen.” He folded his arms over his chest. “How do you feel about that?”
Donte looked him in the eye. “Sad that Papaw is gone. He knew I wanted the position. I told him so before I went to Lochfowk.”
“How do you feel about Beier?”
Donte shrugged and winced. “Beier is a good man.”
“Good enough to name as your second, or do you have another choice?”
“I don’t know. I thought about Gerritt at one point.”
Adriaan dropped his arms. “Because he is a colonist?”
“No, because I think he would be a good ruler.”
Adriaan considered the information. “We will talk about this more later. I would like to talk about the assassination attempt in Lochfowk.”
Donte waited, unsure what he wanted to know.
“Who warned you, and where?”
“I don’t know who he was. A colonist in Cuna.”
“The man who tried to assassinate you. Do you know who he was?”
“No. I sent him to the hospital with a broken arm. Ness was the one who sent him. I was concerned that the people of Lochfowk might elect him, so I spoke at a rally.”
Adriaan rubbed his jaw while he watched Donte.
“Do you think you were selected for termination in Nyumbani?”
It was possible, but more than likely he was simply the nearest target, standing there with his back to them.
He started to shake his head and winced in pain. “I don’t know. I haven’t had much time to think about it.”
Adriaan smiled. “I suppose not.” He was silent a moment. “Did you see something that they would not want you to reveal?”
Donte told him about their night mission. “I don’t think anyone saw us.”
Adriaan crossed his arms again. Something was on his mind that he had not yet revealed. He looked at Donte. “I am considering an air strike against the area.”
Donte frowned. “An air strike on Nyumbani?”
“Only the area where the rebels are.”
“Monomi, I wish you would not do that.”
“Why?”
“They may have women and children with them. I think they are living in a cave.”
“What would you do? Every man Kafil has sent into the area to investigate has been killed with a single arrow.”
Donte stared at him. They had all been killed with a single well-placed arrow. He would have been killed instantly if it had not been for his unique skill – and Kenyon’s skill at doctoring and riding. Maybe they had singled him out. Farasi’s men would know of his hunting skills, and his ability to see at night. The guards had heard the rocks fall. They didn’t have to see him. They would have known he could sense their presence, but they didn’t know about Celyn – yet.
He tried to sit up. “Where’s Celyn?”
Adriaan gently held him down. “She’s safe on the shuttle, under armed guard.”
Donte groaned in pain from the exertion. “How did you know?”
“She came to me. She saw the man who shot the arrow into you. She thought you were selected for some reason. She didn’t know who to trust.”
Donte frowned at him. “You think someone is still trying to assassinate me?”
“No. I think you saw something they didn’t want you to see.” He stepped away from the bed. “I am assigning a guard to you, and I want Rianne and Donica to stay with you at all times. I want to take you out of here tomorrow. I’ll take all of you to the Moeder until you are well enough to defend them.”
It was a good idea. “What about Kenyon?”
“I don’t think they will bother Kenyon. In any case, he has been alerted and is carrying a laser weapon.”
Donte groaned. “So was I. It was in my pocket all the time.” He stiffened and frowned. “Where is it now?”
Adriaan smiled. “As I said; Kenyon has a laser weapon.”
Donte relaxed. He was exhausted and all he had done was talk. “I think I want to rest now.”
Adriaan sobered. “I will talk to you later.” He turned and walked out the door.
Rianne came in holding Andras, Donica immediately behind her.
“Stay with me,” Donte whispered to Rianne, and lost consciousness.
When Donte woke again, he discovered that there were two other cots in the room. Rianne and Andras were on the cot beside his and Donica slept on another cot. Kenyon was dozing in a chair. Feeling secure, Donte fell asleep again.
The next time Donte woke, the room was full of people and Adriaan was gently shaking his arm. “Wake up, Donte. We’re ready to transfer you to the shuttle.”
Uniformed troops rolled him one way, tucked a stretcher under him, and rolled him the other way. Satisfied that he was comfortable and secure, they lifted him from the bed. Rianne walked on one side of him and Donica on the other as they carried him to a wagon. A mattress had been placed in the bed. When they got the stretcher on the mattress, they tucked pillows around him and covered him with blankets. Rianne and Donica were lifted to the wagon and rode in the wagon beside him. Troops traveled on either side of them until they got to the dock. There, a shuttle met them and they were taken aboard.
They met no people on the road and no ships were at the dock other than the shuttle. Adriaan had apparently ordered everyone away from the area while Donte was being transferred. It was a precaution they might not have taken if it had not been for the women and baby.
The ride to the Moeder was smooth and uneventful. Soon they were all safely aboard the Moeder and Donte was in a private room with Rianne. He had done nothing during the trip, but he was still exhausted. He looked at Rianne. “Where’s Celyn?”
“She’s in a room with Donica. Try to rest.”
“Did you see her?”
She smiled. “Yes Donte. I saw her. Would you feel better if I asked her to come see you?”
“Yes.” His voice was barely more than a whisper.
He tried to keep his eyes open until she returned, but the next thing he knew, a warm hand was holding his. He opened his eyes to see Celyn leaning over him with a concerned expression. He gave her a weak smile and squeezed her hand.
She smiled. “The doctor says you need to rest. Everyone is safe and comfortable.”
He fell asleep still holding her hand.
Soft Science Fiction
