is deliberately damaging the barrier.”
Penn set down his coffee and paced the room. “In all my years, I’ve never seen any stretch of the barrier look as bad as this one did and have it stay up. Even the frequency was off, making me feel sick to be near it. Jora described it as going feral.”
The normally calm Barak slammed his fist down on the table. “What kind of idiot would deliberately do such a stupid thing? If Jora’s right, the barrier would have not only failed, it would have ripped the two worlds apart. There’s no telling how much of either world would survive.”
That’s what Penn had feared: that this whole mess was more than a few blue gemstones being ripped off from Kalithia. “I’d call Devlin and tell him to send more of the guys over, but I don’t think it would help. Besides, if all hell does break loose, he’ll need to keep his men right where they are. There are stretches of barrier scattered along the entire Ring of Fire around the Pacific. The Paladins are spread thin enough as it is.”
The three men pondered the possibilities. Finally, Penn had an idea. “Larem, does Hunter still get messages across the barrier to Berk?”
Jora looked from Penn to Larem and back. “Who are Hunter and Berk?”
Penn answered. “Hunter’s a Paladin who protects a small stretch of the barrier north of Seattle. He keeps in touch with Berk, who is one of the Kalith warriors we’ve been working with on a common problem.”
Larem stared at the map. “I’ll call Hunter when we’re done talking. I’m not sure what Berk can do, but they should be warned, sooner rather than later.”
“Sounds good.” Penn gathered up the papers. “Is there anything else?”
“I have a couple of questions for Jora.” Larem turned back to her. “I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with your clan.”
“Why not?” Penn asked.
Larem explained, “The letter before our last names designates what part of Kalithia a clan hails from. Jora’s family would have originated some distance from where my family lives.”
Penn winced at the obvious pain in Larem’s voice. The warrior never complained, making it easy to forget that he’d been ripped out of his world through no choice of his own. If he tried to return home, he’d face possible execution at the hands of those he’d sworn to protect.
Larem’s face was once again expressionless as he asked Jora, “What are the gifts granted your bloodlines?”
Jora frowned as she thought about it. “Given enough time, I can heal the barrier. If that was the only problem I would’ve handled the situation by myself, but the repeated attacks on it have destabilized the surrounding rock. Again, I can often reverse the damage, but I can’t do both without draining myself dry.”
Barak joined in. “Why has no one noticed there’s a problem? You can’t be the only geologist working in the area.”
“No, I’m not. However, low-level earthquakes are common in the park, and often come in swarms. Only someone with our sensitivity to the barrier and the stresses on the rock would have realized these weren’t natural in origin.”
Larem nodded as if she’d confirmed his suspicions. “Barak’s talents are similar to yours, but mine are just starting to manifest themselves and lie in a different direction altogether. It may be that I’ll be able to assist you with my energy, but it’s doubtful I can do more than that. I will, however, stand guard while you and Barak work in tandem.”
Penn listened as the three Kalith continued talking about their various spooky abilities. Despite the dire situation, it was clear that Jora was enthralled with sharing trade secrets with the two males.
He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see five hours had passed. It was time to take charge. “Let’s grab an early dinner and then turn in. We’ll want to leave before first light, which should get us back to her place before midmorning. Any questions?”
Jora was already
Penn set down his coffee and paced the room. “In all my years, I’ve never seen any stretch of the barrier look as bad as this one did and have it stay up. Even the frequency was off, making me feel sick to be near it. Jora described it as going feral.”
The normally calm Barak slammed his fist down on the table. “What kind of idiot would deliberately do such a stupid thing? If Jora’s right, the barrier would have not only failed, it would have ripped the two worlds apart. There’s no telling how much of either world would survive.”
That’s what Penn had feared: that this whole mess was more than a few blue gemstones being ripped off from Kalithia. “I’d call Devlin and tell him to send more of the guys over, but I don’t think it would help. Besides, if all hell does break loose, he’ll need to keep his men right where they are. There are stretches of barrier scattered along the entire Ring of Fire around the Pacific. The Paladins are spread thin enough as it is.”
The three men pondered the possibilities. Finally, Penn had an idea. “Larem, does Hunter still get messages across the barrier to Berk?”
Jora looked from Penn to Larem and back. “Who are Hunter and Berk?”
Penn answered. “Hunter’s a Paladin who protects a small stretch of the barrier north of Seattle. He keeps in touch with Berk, who is one of the Kalith warriors we’ve been working with on a common problem.”
Larem stared at the map. “I’ll call Hunter when we’re done talking. I’m not sure what Berk can do, but they should be warned, sooner rather than later.”
“Sounds good.” Penn gathered up the papers. “Is there anything else?”
“I have a couple of questions for Jora.” Larem turned back to her. “I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with your clan.”
“Why not?” Penn asked.
Larem explained, “The letter before our last names designates what part of Kalithia a clan hails from. Jora’s family would have originated some distance from where my family lives.”
Penn winced at the obvious pain in Larem’s voice. The warrior never complained, making it easy to forget that he’d been ripped out of his world through no choice of his own. If he tried to return home, he’d face possible execution at the hands of those he’d sworn to protect.
Larem’s face was once again expressionless as he asked Jora, “What are the gifts granted your bloodlines?”
Jora frowned as she thought about it. “Given enough time, I can heal the barrier. If that was the only problem I would’ve handled the situation by myself, but the repeated attacks on it have destabilized the surrounding rock. Again, I can often reverse the damage, but I can’t do both without draining myself dry.”
Barak joined in. “Why has no one noticed there’s a problem? You can’t be the only geologist working in the area.”
“No, I’m not. However, low-level earthquakes are common in the park, and often come in swarms. Only someone with our sensitivity to the barrier and the stresses on the rock would have realized these weren’t natural in origin.”
Larem nodded as if she’d confirmed his suspicions. “Barak’s talents are similar to yours, but mine are just starting to manifest themselves and lie in a different direction altogether. It may be that I’ll be able to assist you with my energy, but it’s doubtful I can do more than that. I will, however, stand guard while you and Barak work in tandem.”
Penn listened as the three Kalith continued talking about their various spooky abilities. Despite the dire situation, it was clear that Jora was enthralled with sharing trade secrets with the two males.
He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see five hours had passed. It was time to take charge. “Let’s grab an early dinner and then turn in. We’ll want to leave before first light, which should get us back to her place before midmorning. Any questions?”
Jora was already
Similar Books
