Way of No Return (Champions of the Crystal Book 8)

Chapter 22.2

Cynthia found life as Ford's right hand a dizzying whirl, taking furious notes and exercising more tact than she had ever anticipated. Sabrina woke up briefly on the first day, not quite achieving full consciousness but aware enough to communicate with Ford; after that he could no longer justify sitting at her bedside every moment and began to leave the infirmary for a few hours at a time to deal with the larger crisis.

One of Cynthia's more amusing tasks was to convince the infirmary staff to allow Bennie and Trixie to live in Sabrina's room, which Ford insisted would comfort her. She added Dai Darvan's name to her growing list of those to receive commendations when things settled, a phrase she was coming to hate as that time seemed to recede perpetually into the future.

They visited the palace one day, still stinking of dead lake occupants and mold but showing signs that it might be habitable again in the foreseeable future—although probably not for Lily with her sensitive lungs, Cynthia thought privately. The staff were so happy to see Ford that it warmed her heart, and they were all working hard to restore things to normal, vowing to redouble their efforts after he showed them holos of the baby princess. Cynthia was glad to recognize Ricar from her previous visit, even though she couldn't answer his question about Scotty's welfare.

When they returned to the Academy, the guard at the security checkpoint said, "There's a visitor, sir, in the princess' room."

"Who?" Ford demanded. "She's not supposed to have visitors."

"Subcommander Stecklan made an exception," the guard responded, but Ford strode past him with a darkening expression.

He paused on the threshold to Sabrina's room, his anger wiped away with an expression of joy. "Aurora!"

"Ford!" Aurora cried, getting up from the chair where she'd been chatting with Rutha and coming over to hug him. "I am sorry; I came as quickly as I could. Transport is difficult."

"I know. Where are the children? Your parents?"

"Yes, they are all safely in Tythir, which was hardly touched compared to poor Bathir," Aurora said. "Mother wished to come with me, but I told her I must ascertain the situation first."

"Please tell her to come," Ford said. "I need reinforcements. Aurora, have you met Cynthia Grayson? She was Sabrina's childhood friend."

"Yes, Doctor Grayson was kind enough to witness Scotty's and my petition to the Council of Trême," Aurora replied, smiling at Cynthia. "Welcome back, Doctor."

"Thank you," Cynthia said. "Did it turn out all right, the petition?"

"Yes. Scotty and I are married and have three children now," Aurora replied. She looked at Ford and said, "Commander Mukryilla informed me that Scotty is with the Guardian but that there is no information about their location."

Ford said, "They were trying to reach Khediva. Since there has been no Transference, I can only assume they succeeded. The ships caught in the Way were carried outside our galaxy, so they have a long voyage ahead of them. I'm afraid we will have to be patient."

Aurora let out a long sigh. "Then, since I have no way to reach the Guardian, I must put myself at the Inheritor's disposal. She is with you, I believe?"

"Yes," Ford said, feeling a twinge of guilt at how little of his sister he had seen. "She and Pinsi are usually running around here somewhere. I don't want to send her back to Dansestari until she knows Sabrina will be all right." He dropped his voice to almost a whisper. "She nearly killed Sabrina rushing the birth. She says it's what the Crystal told her to do, but she won't be easy about it until she can talk to Sabrina."

"Yes, I see," Aurora said thoughtfully. "I may be able to offer her some comfort and guidance as well."

"Good, but after you've done that, I need a galactic-class wrangler to help me deal with Bathir," Ford said.

Aurora smiled at him. "It will be a pleasure to assist you. Just as soon as you introduce me to my niece."