Hidden Talent: StarLords, Book 1 Read online

  She sent her silent call and it was only moments before the small herd newly arrived from the Circe strode peacefully into the pasture. The horses came to her for a quick pat on the nose, rump or flank as she walked among them. Micah noted quiet murmurs from the people sitting on the fence, but these were the horses she’d brought with her from the ship, so the Liatans were reserving judgment. Still, this trick certainly was something out of the ordinary.

  When the first of the half-wild survivors of the attack started to come nervously into the pasture, even the most skeptical watched in surprise and interest. Micah moved to Jeri’s side, ready to defend her should it become necessary. But as he’d witnessed on Pantur, even the fearful horses were powerless against her call. She crooned to them, touching them and stroking them, communicating silently and working wonders on the damaged psyches of the terrorized beasts.

  One by one she quieted the horses, sorting them as she met with each one. She either directed them over to the group she’d brought from the Circe, or sent them to a nearby human to either doctor or segregate from the rest of the group. As time wore on, more and more horses came to her call, entering the pasture from every entrance. They walked to her in the center of the large space, waiting for her attention. Some were injured, some frightened, some were fine physically but in need of direction and she gave to each need, caring for her four-legged friends as she would her human counterparts.

  Micah watched throughout, staying silent and monitoring her power levels. He also watched the horses and humans alike, alert to any danger to his lady. The sky was turning lavender and then deeper purple by the time the last of the horses straggled in. Some limped badly, and most of the last ones were injured and more than half-wild with pain and shock. These were the hardest for her to deal with. Several times Micah saw tears on Jeri’s face, though she hid them as best she could against the strong necks of her charges as she communed with them.

  He marveled again at this small woman he was beginning to love. She was so strong, yet so feminine and small, he was afraid a strong gust of wind would steal her away. He felt like a giant standing next to her, but he was glad of his strength to support her when she started to tire. She leaned against him as she silently accepted his strength and support, dealing with the last few of the horses to answer her call.

  He was about to suggest they call it a night when a strangled horse’s scream was heard in the night, far out beyond the farthest gate. Jeri immediately stood to attention, along with the other villagers, to see where the sound of distress had come from. Soundlessly, she called two sturdy mares out from the herd and mounted one bareback, looking back only once to see that Micah had mounted the other just behind her.

  He realized then that even without conscious thought, she wanted him with her. It was a good sign of how far their relationship had progressed and how much she had come to trust him in the short time they’d been together. With an odd sort of lift to his spirits, he followed her out beyond the fence to see what was going on.

  “What is it?” Micah asked as they finally slowed. A magnificent, but ragged-looking stallion was down in the tall grass, a blood trail showing where he’d dragged himself, trying desperately to answer her call.

  “Can you do anything with his wounds?” She turned to him, desperation in her eyes. “If we can stop the bleeding, he might have a chance.”

  Micah’s face showed his determination as he jumped from the mare’s back and walked calmly toward the great beast. The stallion accepted Jeri’s gentle stroking, but Micah was a stranger—one without the gift of communication with the huge animal—and he approached carefully.

  Jeri crooned to the stallion, calming him though his sides were quivering in agony. His powerful hooves churned helplessly against the grass as he listed on his side, a huge gash running the length of one flank. He’d lost a lot of blood and older wounds that were half-healed marred the beauty of his black coat, gleaming startling red or dull brown against the black. The whites of his eyes showed as Micah came to his side, following Jeri’s lead and laying his hands gently on the worst of the bleeders.

  “He was trapped in a ravine with several of his mares and a few young foals. Human children too.” She spoke softly, watching both the horse and the man as Micah applied his potent healing touch to the stallion’s ravaged flesh. “He was protecting them, but when I called, he fought his way clear of the ravine. He knew he had to get help for the trapped mares and foals, as well as the children. They have water and grass, but no food. The children are not doing well.”

  Micah looked up at her, determination in his eyes. He also saw that more of the villagers had followed after them to see what was going on. He was thankful for their curiosity and the lanterns they brought with them as night was falling in earnest. He let loose the pulse of healing power along the stallion’s side, a little surprised himself at how neatly the flesh began to knit together, free of infection and clean of dirt and grime. He’d never been so strong before, and he guessed it must be due to his elevation to Mage Master. He hadn’t had occasion to need his healing skills since moving up in power, and he was pleasantly surprised at the increase.

  “Can he tell you how to get to this ravine?” Micah asked, noting the way the stallion’s ears perked around to the sound of his voice.

  “I see the spot.” Jeri nodded. “Micah, we have to help them.”

  “Let’s get him settled with the villagers, and we’ll go after them in a hopper. The governor has one that he was using to ferry wounded, but they gave up the search a few days back. They thought they’d gotten to everyone they could get to and assumed anyone they hadn’t yet found was dead.”

  Micah did all he could do for the stallion while Jeri continued to commune with him, assuring him they would rescue the children and his mares. Micah took a moment to comm the ship. He would use the ship’s translocator to move himself and Jeri to the local governor’s house and take the hopper from there. Since all they had to go on in finding the right ravine was an image in Jeri’s mind, they didn’t have grid coordinates. That meant they couldn’t translocate to the ravine. They had to find it the old-fashioned way.

  It was dark when they finally found the spot. Even with the bright landing lights of the hopper, it was impossible to find a place to set down within the ravine.

  “This is no good,” Micah shook his head as he hovered, looking for a way.

  “Those kids don’t look good, Micah. The horses are in better shape, but they’re scared and confused.”

  “We can lower supplies, but I doubt those children are in any shape to utilize them.”

  She looked at him, a plan formulating behind her eyes. “Can you lower me with the supplies? I’ll go and do what I can for them and the horses until sunrise. Maybe then you can find a way to land in the ravine safely.”

  “If one of us has to go down, I’d rather it be me.” Micah met her gaze with grave sincerity.

  She shrugged, trying to make light of the moment. “I can’t fly this thing, but I can help those kids with the supplies and calm the horses.”

  “Damn,” he shook his head. “I don’t like this, but you’re right.” He reached out to touch her cheek, drawing her close for a quick, hard kiss. “Go aft and see if there’s a harness you can use to secure yourself to the supply pallet.”

  With him talking her through attaching the winch cable, securing the load and herself to it, they managed to make everything as safe as possible for a hopper drop in the dead of night with only the landing lights as a guide. The horses milled around beneath, but when she sent out her call to them, they moved back, giving her room as Micah activated the winch from the cockpit, lowering her slowly toward the rocky ground far below.

  She hit the ground with a jarring thud, but made it safely. The horses stayed back at her command until she managed to unhook the winch cable and jump into the hopper’s hover path to signal Micah she was safe. She began setting up three emergency floodlights. Self-erecting stands made
them easy to get going. Soon the area was flooded with light and Micah moved the hopper back up to the rim of the ravine and landed.

  He’d given her a short-range comm so they were able to stay in touch as she set up the work area, then went about finding the children who were too weak to walk and began basic med care for them. Most of the first-aid packs they’d brought with them were automated so thankfully they didn’t require a great deal of skill to use. She attached the sensors where indicated and let the units do the rest.

  Before long she had a row of children of varying ages being treated by the first-aid units. A few others were eating ravenously from the supplies she’d unpacked. The horses were standing respectfully back, watching all and waiting their turn as she promised them. She kept up a silent dialogue with them, letting them know their leader was safe and had accomplished his mission to get help. She was pleased by their warm feelings of pride in their stallion and was interested to note the memories they shared of his leadership. He’d led them away as a devastating path of destruction rained down on them from the heavens, bringing them to this ravine. The energy weapons from above had sealed off the entrance, trapping them, but there was water and grass, so the equines were reasonably happy for the moment.

  It was the children, mostly the offspring of field workers, who were suffering in their captivity. There was little in the canyon that the human children could eat, though the water was plentiful.

  As soon as Jeri was sure she’d found and helped all the kids, she moved to the horses, touching each one and reassuring them when necessary. Most were injured in some way and she worked through the night doctoring their wounds with what skill she had. She talked frequently with Micah over the comm, giving him updates and just wanting to hear his voice. Before she knew it, the shorter-than-standard night of Liata was ending and dawn was turning the horizon lavender and gold. She had worked through the night and was truly exhausted, but there was still more to do.

  The horses were finally cared for and the children were slowly improving with real food in their stomachs and medications in their systems. Micah alerted her on the comm that he was going to look for a landing site, so she stood to survey what she could of the ravine in the early dawn light to try to assist.

  It was easier than she expected to land beside the small lake at the center of the ravine. Within minutes Micah was out of the hopper and dragging her into his strong arms, holding her close.

  “I’m glad that’s over.” He kissed her soundly. “I don’t like it when we’re apart, Jeri. I spent all night worrying about you.”

  His tone melted her heart, and she relished the feel of his strong arms pulling her tight against his hard chest. She was bone tired, but his presence buoyed her up, giving her strength and making her feel warm deep inside. With his help, they got the survivors out of the ravine.

  Micah hadn’t been idle during the night. He’d been organizing rescue. On the rim of the ravine, many vehicles waited to transport the children. Earth-moving machines went to work at first light to reopen the entrance so the horses could climb out on their own.

  The children were taken to the nearest med facility that was still standing and the small herd was reunited with their stallion. He was recovering from his wounds, but the wild herd would require more of her special communication before they found their way in the human society. Jeri promised herself that she would find a good place for the herd where they could stay together, working with their human counterparts in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

  The Board of Governors was waiting for them upon their return late that day—or at least, what was left of the Board. Final tallies were being completed and the Governors were all accounted for in one way or another. An emergency meeting had been called to help organize the relief and rescue efforts around the planet. After seeing what Jeri could do, they asked that she spend the next days traveling the surface of the planet, sending out her call to the native horses and rounding them up.

  Micah went with her as she greeted the equine survivors and calmed them with quiet word-pictures in their minds. Everywhere they went, he stayed by her side, often holding her by the hand or supporting her with an arm around her shoulders. It became clear to the Liatans that they were a couple. Accommodations offered them were those that would be given to couples, and they never declined a moment together as they traveled the surface of the planet using the ship’s translocation system to transport them from place to place with a minimum of fuss.

  Everywhere they went, Jeri chose members of the herd from Pantur that would fit in well with the people and circumstances they met. Micah never accepted any payment for the expensive horses, gifting them to the hard-hit people of Liata, who needed them now more than ever. Everywhere the Mage Master and his lady went, peace and order soon followed.

  After the first few planetary rotations, the Council warship Valiant made orbit to help defend Liata from further attack and join in the work of clearing the immediate space around Liata of debris and bodies that would be honored with rites of death as soon as they could be identified and hopefully returned to their families. After the Valiant, two more Council ships arrived with supplies and experts to help rebuild and replant, salvaging what could be salvaged of the scorched landscape.

  None but the Mage Master’s lady could calm the herds, and word spread of her amazing Talent and the incredibly powerful man who guarded her day and night.

  So too did word of the Mage Master who had amazing skill with healing Talent. Both Micah and Darak used their Talent to heal those people who they came into contact with, while teaching some of the skills to Jeri. She was proficient, if not truly gifted with healing Talent, and was able to heal simple hurts as long as she was in contact with them. Micah used whatever opportunity he had to teach her more control of her Talent because the attack on Liata had driven home to him, as nothing else could, how vulnerable she would be until she learned to control her Talent and use it to defend herself.

  Luckily for him, she was an able student. Much of the control exercise came as second nature to her. Jeri’s hard-won and nearly impenetrable shielding had taught her the basics and been a skill that impacted many of their lessons in a positive way. She was already half-taught, though she had no terminology for the things she had made herself do in order to survive and hide her incredible power from those who would enslave it.

  She had no need to hide on Liata, and she was expending a great deal of her power daily in order to help them rebuild. Each night as they lay together, Micah and Jeri's powers replenished themselves, feeding off the passion that never dimmed and only seemed to glow brighter the more they were together. Part of the reason sex was so open among the Council worlds, Micah admitted one night while he held her and they talked idly of their backgrounds, was due to the fact that the energies created and released during the sex act so readily replenished those with Talent.

  With each passing day, Jeri began to understand more about her abilities, more about her lover and more about his culture. With each passing day, more of the ravaged world of Liata was put back to rights—or at least as close as could be after such devastation. With each passing day, Jeri found herself a little more in love with Micah, though she realized more than ever she was living a fantasy. Everywhere they went he was treated with the respect due someone of almost royal lineage. People would look askance at her rough appearance at his side, and she realized their time together was a fantastic idyll that would never last beyond the here and now.

  She feared that her heart would be well and truly smashed to smithereens when the time came that they had to part. Until that day though, she would memorize his face, his touch and his smile, revel in his rare laughter and bask in his attention. She would give him a memory or two along the way, she vowed, and store her memories against the time when she was no longer with him. Though she knew already that she would miss him forever.

  The work was never ending and the pace was grueling, but Jeri and Micah spared litt
le time for themselves except to eat and sleep. Of course, they managed to fit in making love sometime in the planetside night. Still, when Darak commed to tell them the Valiant had made orbit, Micah nearly groaned with relief. The warship’s presence would take a lot of pressure off his crew. The Circe had been watching the space around Liata in case of renewed attack.

  After speaking with Darak, the next comm was from Jened, captain of the Valiant. Jeri was nearby and was surprised when the voice over Micah’s comm was that of a woman. Micah’s eyes twinkled as she moved into his embrace while he wrapped up the courtesy call with the other captain.

  “Mmm, you feel good in my arms, Jeri.” He breathed deeply, inhaling her unique scent.

  “I like being in your arms, Captain.”

  “Then we are in agreement,” he said playfully, squeezing her bottom as she snuggled closer. She was tired, he could tell, but holding up like a trooper. “Captain Jened will be coming to meet with the Planetary Council and wants to hear what we’ve found. She’ll probably transport to wherever we are sometime tomorrow. Jened and I were at school together. You’ll like her.”

  Jeri nodded tiredly against his chest. “The Valiant is a warcruiser, right? And a woman is in charge? I think I like her already.”

  Micah laughed as he led her to the bed they’d been given for the night, removing her clothing as he guided her. She was so sleepy he gave a moment’s thought to letting her sink into sleep. But he wasn’t strong enough to deny himself—to deny them both the pleasure and the renewal of their energies that would come with the act of making love.