The Forgotten Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 6)

Chapter 13.1

"Hey, sweetheart. Wake up."

Sabrina groaned and moved her head away from the voice. Then she realized how uncomfortable her position was and sat up. At some point, Ford must have woken up, moved them to the wall, and propped himself up against it with her curled on his lap. Her throat hurt, but she tried to talk anyway. Only a strangled squeak emerged.

"What was that?" Ford asked, startled.

Sabrina pondered her options for a moment. Then she moved Ford's hand to her neck and pressed against it lightly, trying to avoid the bruising their captor had left.

"Can't you speak?" Ford sounded concerned now.

She shook her head emphatically enough for him to feel it. He moved his hand to her cheek and stroked it comfortingly. "Who hurt you?"

She shrugged, and after a moment, Ford realized it was a stupid question to ask her when she couldn't communicate. "I've tried the link," he said. "I can't seem to access it. I don't know if there's some kind of jamming or if the way it was broken did some damage that has to heal. I still have a terrible headache. You?"

She shook her head again, holding his hand to her face so he could sense it.

"Are you hurt other than your throat?" He sighed with relief when she shook her head again. "Did they want something or were they just terrorizing you?"

Sabrina thought for a moment about how to respond, then reached out a hand for his face and pressed a single finger against it.

"Ah. First option? Good—at least I can ask you multiple choice questions."

Sabrina sighed and crawled carefully off Ford's lap, then laid her head on his shoulder. After a moment, Ford shifted to put his arm around her. "Well," he said, "bet you wish I could read your mind now."

She couldn't stifle the chuckle, which hurt her throat. She poked him in the ribs, provoking a grunt of protest. "Right. No making you laugh." After a moment of silence, he added, "Don't worry. I'm sure the link will come back once the shock has worn off. I don't think the interruption can have done physical damage to our brains, but it probably overloaded or numbed something."

Sabrina knew he was mostly talking to reassure himself, so she leaned into him and made herself as comfortable as possible. He lapsed into silence after a while, and she thought she might have dozed off and on, waking when Ford shifted position. She wasn't sure how much time had passed when the door slid open again.

Ford jumped to his feet, pushing down on Sabrina's shoulder. She obediently stayed on the floor behind him.

"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Ford demanded.

"You are Miahn."

"Yes."

"You communicate with the source of Miahn power."

"Yes. Though I seem unable to do so at the moment."

The lights came on, blinding them both. Ford recovered first. "Ah. We were looking for you."

Sabrina had known it was almost certainly the Kyan who'd found them, but hearing confirmation of it made her freeze in fear. She blinked hard, then looked as closely as she could. Yes, it was definitely a Kyan in the doorway. She shuddered.

"We will deactivate the interference. You will demonstrate communicating with the source of Miahn power."

"You have a jamming device?" Ford said in astonishment. "Really? How does it work?"

The Kyan ignored him, stepping fully into the room and touching something on the control panel beside the door. "You will be immobilized if you attempt to escape. You will demonstrate communicating with the source of Miahn power."