“You!”

At first, Bernard thought Dr. Maesera meant him, but the young doctor approached Loren, nearly breaking his usual steadfast composure as he took Loren’s arm and steered him towards a gurney.

Loren stared at it, baffled. “It’s not that bad, is it Doc?”

“It’s worse,” Dr. Maesera told him, “You shouldn’t be moving.” Then he addressed Bernard, “If you would have a seat, please, Mr. Sparker, I’ll be with you shortly.”

That was fine with Bernard. After a 2.5 hour flight, sitting down was all any of their group wanted to do, except for Samra, who remained in motion, taking care of things.

About 3 hours ago, Falcon had caught up with the car in Marion, NC, leaving Mireia behind to explain what had happened to the Drorgs and to direct them to a countryside lot where the Drorgs could pick them up, using their tail grippers to stealthily lift everyone to their saddles without landing. Even though they were invisible to anyone passing by, the illusion would fade once they were close. Mireia and Falcon took Loren, since he was in such poor condition and terrified by the prospect of Drorg flight, and Falcon was a faster, smoother flier. Winter took Sam, Bernard, and Jez. Each Drorg carried full sets of gear for everyone, including jackets, gloves, and flight helmets. Sam showed Bernard how to use the weblike strap system to secure himself to the saddle. In an emergency, the Drorgs could secure their own passengers, and carried thermal blankets and other supplies.

They had planned to be gone an extra day, just in case they needed it, but Saara still had them call their families once they landed, to recount all the nice, normal things they’d done that day, and let them know that they’d be staying in a hotel in Greenville, South Carolina.

Night had fallen by the time they reached the yacht, off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida. By Bernard’s estimate, it was around 9 o’clock. Once he was able to extricate his death grip on Winter’s saddle straps, he was able to check his watch and confirm it.

Dr. Maesera had been waiting on the deck, along with a slightly taller man with sunken, angular features and dark, lank hair. As the doctor walked away with Loren, the other man called out in a thick, unfamiliar accent, “I will attend him, Zicuar. Take your time with the Raal-Osa boy. Let me know what you find.”

Dr. Maesera paused, offered a quick, “Yes, sir. Of course,” and took Loren away.

The other man extended a hand to Bernard. “You may call me Kadin. No one uses my human name, so there’s no point giving it. Zic—er, Dr. Maesera is my . . . I guess you would say protogé. Do you speak Moehni or German?”

Bernard shook his hand. “I don’t, sir.”

“Pity. I don’t like English.” Then he shrugged. “But I am curious to know more about the boy that is so precious to the Rizek family.”

“You know them?”

“Know them?” There was that humored warble, similar to the sound Saara had made in her real body. “Served under them my whole life, and my parents and generations before me. You will not see any of the Naka or Nasu, tonight. The Ryozakkan are here for the each other, just as we always have been.”

Kadin took him below into a private room and conducted a battery of general physical health exams, checking Bernard’s vital signs and inspecting the scratches and bruises on his arms and torso where he’d been attacked and crushed. Then he passed a green light over the areas, and to Bernard’s surprise the injuries vanished—although the areas still hurt.

“The pain will pass,” Kadin said. “It is not real.” He gestured over Bernard’s body with the thin, wand-like device that made the light. “We don’t normally go to this length for such minor injuries, but you have to return to your family, and it would raise suspicions. Otherwise, you are recovering well.”

“What is it?”

“In your language, you would call it a bioscanner. This is the only human-grade device we have. I am told that Silver developed it during the Nightmare case.” Kadin tilted his head, seeming to see Bernard in a different light. “I thought you would have more scars, to prompt such efforts. Silver—or Nerasa, as I reluctantly know him—is the only person left who can make a bioscanner, and there are rules he has to follow. He must have been desperate. Even when younger and more foolish, he knew better. To create one for a human, one that neither requires Kaadour-ka’ima to function nor burns your human flesh . . . that is unheard of. It should be impossible.”

“Doesn’t Ka’adour already do the job for you?”

“Not instantly the way it can with a bioscanner. Seeing it in action . . . I understand he has changed, but still . . . this is remarkable.” He pondered it only briefly, however, then spared Bernard having to come up with a response when he shrugged. “Whatever Silver has done, it is best to mind my own business. The important part is that you are well.”

He released Bernard to go find dinner in the galley. Loren and Dr. Maesera were taking a break so Loren could eat, but the doctor was still watching him very closely, as though eating were part of the exam. Loren didn’t seem to mind the scrutiny any more than he minded the electric wheelchair he'd been given. In his usual fashion, he was more concerned with eating.

Sam and the others joined them in the living area, followed by her husband, Daniel, also in an electric wheelchair, as he had suffered a recent back injury.

Bernard had seen Danny in his dreams, but the man was shorter than he remembered. Well-built and thick-boned with heavy features and thick dark hair and brows, he had a rugged, vaguely Neanderthal look about him. According to Toby, it was an endemic look for humans from the northern parts of Refrvrenzo—a build for energy conservation, endurance, and raw physical power in a cold, harsh environment.

With everyone present, Dr. Maesera said, “I could be making an impossible request, but Loren’s activity levels need to be kept at a minimum. He can’t persist the way he has been. His Kaadour won’t sustain it.”

Saara frowned. “He’s Immortal. He doesn’t even have the same type of Kaadour as the rest of us.”

“That’s correct,” Dr. Maesera said, “But if it isn’t doing what it’s supposed to, he might as well be as mortal as any human. And not a healthy human, either.” He looked at Loren. “Remember that headache you suffered when you shifted the last time?”

Loren nodded. “Yeah. When I felt like my head was splitting open. I knew Ka’adour had something to do with it, but that just seems . . . kinda crazy. Ka’adour is a healer.”

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Kadin's response came close to growling with frustration. “I don’t know what they teach you on the other worlds, but that’s only a function of Kaadour-ka’ima. It’s so much more.” He looked to Dr. Maesera. “I’m sure they don’t know, so do you want to explain it, or shall I?”

“I know you dislike English, but you’ve always done it better,” the younger doctor deferred.

Kadin addressed the room promptly. “Kaadour-ka’ima is more than just a means of healing and adaptation. The Sacred Ones within us are libraries. No mechanical computer will ever be able to manage or store information the way a biological one can. Kaadour is what makes it possible for us to function as you humans do, or we would never have made this far. Our brains have gotten a little bigger, our skulls thinner to accommodate, but not by much. Without Kaadour, we’d be lucky to have the intellects of crocodiles, or monitor lizards, at best.” He pointed at Saara. “You remember what it felt like the first time you became human? You were told to take a few days rest, and during that time your head felt empty. Like a . . . slowly filling vessel. It was gathering information about you from your symbiotes. And it hurts, too, doesn’t it?”

Saara blinked, staring at him in surprise. “It did. Like a headache that wouldn’t end. And my whole life and everything flashing before my eyes. It was disorienting—I understood why I was required to see my counselor every day, but I didn’t know the underlying cause.”

Kadin gave a sharp nod. “And don’t let anyone tell you they didn’t go through that. They did. There’s no biological way they didn’t. Zicuar,” he indicated Dr. Maesera, “was already a medical professional when he shifted. I was born during the Ryozae War, and I’ve been a medical technician my whole life. That’s a lot to take in. And when you change back, everything you are is stored by your personal library, so you can still recall it. After a while, your bodies integrate and it becomes easier to switch from human to Ryozae and back, all thanks to Kaadour. Sometimes we forget things, but that’s normal. Like a computer, there are limitations. Sometimes, if you don’t use information, your library dumps it, or recall may be take longer, but a genetic library is still nigh limitless. For you humans, there is a reason we call it The Sacred Friend. ‘Kaao’ comes from the word ‘gaao,’ meaning someone close or personal to you. ‘Dour’ from the old Refvrish word ‘dourm,’ meaning something sacred. Kaadour on its own can also mean a precious friend.”

Loren interrupted, “So ‘Dormnasar’ most likely translates as ‘Sacred Breath.’ ”

Kadin tilted his head again, “Interesting observation. Probable, since it was the first planet we colonized. You wouldn’t have been able to store or draw information from your real body in order to do that without Kaadour. In your case, however, your limitations are greater than average. The tissue samples I tested and Zicuar’s previous and existing examinations indicate that your Kaadour is not only struggling to transfer information both ways, it’s transferring precious nutrients to support your human form. You are greatly malnourished. And Zicuar reported a marked difference in mannerism once you had shifted, suggesting you were less sluggish and more coherent.”

“So you’re saying my human body is eating my real one?”

“As our findings suggest . . . yes. I’m very upset, because whoever designed that body must have done so knowing it would, knowing that you’re Raal-Osa and leaning on that fact to sustain their little experiment. And it seems they've done it without your complete knowledge or consent. Someone took advantage of you, and you are, as the humans might say, paying the price.”

Loren’s expression became stony, and then he said stiffly, “It ain’t surprising.”

Dr. Maesera asked, “Since you have a dog form, would it be possible for you to shift out of this body until you can acquire a new one?”

“No.” Loren took a deep breath, and explained in a tightly level voice, “My team’s families are already acquainted with me. It would be too suspicious if I suddenly disappeared or another face took my place. I can reduce my activities, if Bernard doesn’t mind covering for me.”

“Why would I mind?” Bernard asked, “It’s not like you’re asking out of laziness.”

Maesera said, “That’s not going to be enough, but it will have to suffice. Do find an excuse as soon as possible.”

Kadin nudged his protégé’s arm and said in Moehni, “Finish your examination. I want to have a look at this Drorg.” Bernard only caught parts of it, but understood the rest through Toby.

Dr. Maesera consented and stepped forward to take Loren to the elevator. Kadin joined the Drorgs on the other side of the room, where Algaeflame, Danny’s elegant blue-green partner, was examining Winter.

Danny turned to Sam. “You said you had a sample of that thing that attacked them.”

“Yes! In my coat.” She strode purposefully out of the room.

Bernard walked out onto the deck, looking for a hammock he had seen as they were landing. There, he lost himself in deep meditation, watching the stars go by. The girls came out and sat at a nearby table, talking quietly. He would have fallen asleep, rocking to the motion of the hammock and sea, until Mireia eventually reminded him that he would pay for it once the sun came up, and he reluctantly took himself to a room, where he realized for the first time that Sam had not only had the foresight to bring their luggage, she had taken their dirty clothes to clean them.

That’s incredible. She’s not even human. All of this stuff must be foreign to her. I barely remember to put my own stuff in the laundry.

Toby’s response was humored, ~She has learned from experience . . . from babysitting all of you.~

Sometimes being around her felt natural, sure, but he’d forgotten just how much time he’d really spent around her.

~Too much ‘weird’ for one day?~

“I got assaulted by a Frankensteined eldritch zombie-dino, today. Yeah. I’m going to bed.” Then something occurred to him. “But I just have to know: How did Sam stop it?”

~You told me to cut one of the cables.~

“I did?”

~We may have had help.~

Through Toby’s eyes, he caught a glimpse of a transparent figure hovering near him as he gasped for breath in the aftermath of their rescue. Just the slightest hint of a blue coat and the glint of metal buttons, and then it vanished, leaving behind a peaceful feeling he couldn’t place.

~I believe it was gratitude, but I am still not sure what happened.~

“I’d think anybody’d be glad to see that thing gone.”

~It speaks to an odd trend. I will need more information.~

“You do that. I just hope I get to sleep through the night.”

He opened his suitcase, looking for his pajamas.

Something shot out, latching onto his face before clinging and crawling around his neck like some kind of centipede. It was the same as before, winding around his throat. Tightening over his windpipe.

Danny and Sam both showed up immediately, thanks to Toby. Danny pried it off with his thick, strong fingers, and shoved it into what looked like a glass vial, where it continued thrashing. Bernard sat down on the bed heavily, gasping.

“You are . . . fucking kidding me,” he finally said.

“I’m so sorry,” Sam said, “We’ve been looking everywhere for it. I thought it was dead without the rest of the monster. I don’t know why it went for you.”

“Must’ve used the last command it received,” Bernard suggested, “That’s the only thing that makes sense. Not that anything makes sense, right now. Like why it’s suddenly moving on its own. Are you sure that glass is going to hold it?”

Danny lifted the vial. “This is diamond. I keep these in Al’s saddlebags in case I pull anything suspicious from the ocean. How do you feel?”

Bernard leaned away from the thrashing monstrosity. “Like I wanna go to bed.”

“Like you’re going to pass out, or—”

Sam put a hand to Danny’s shoulder. “He’s emotionally exhausted, Love.”

“Oh.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Bernard remembered that Danny had no sense of time; or at least not a Terran one, so he added, “Also, it’s late and it’s been a long day.”

Danny reached for his neck worriedly. “You’re sure you don’t want my help?”

Bernard pushed his hand away. “Yeah. Just . . . get that thing away from me, would you? I’m already gonna have nightmares.”

“We probably have something to help with that.”

“I just want to sleep.”

“At least let me do something about those scratches.”

He had a gut feeling that if he let Danny do that, the man would be here all night, and he would never get to sleep.

Sam’s hand pulled on Danny’s shoulder, and he leaned back, listening while she whispered something in his ear. He gave in, wished Bernard a good night, and left to go analyze the fresh curiosity in his other hand.

Shortly after he left, Dr. Maesera showed up with a glass of iced herbal tea and the same healing wand his mentor had used.

That night, his only nightmares were normal dreams, distorted and terrible, but nowhere near the hell he’d been experiencing with his memories of the forgotten past.

He woke knowing he wouldn’t be so lucky once he got home.