Dark Slayer

«Travis will be fine,» Gregori said. «I removed the fragment and destroyed it. There are two left. We checked everyone who was there. I know you are clean of the mage's taint, but are you certain one did not enter Ivory?»

«Ivory is clean of his evil as well.»

«Then two more fragments are making their way back to Xavier. They will need hosts.» Gregori sighed. «That was my mistake. I wasn't fast enough to incinerate them.»

«I doubt you could have done much in the midst of an all-out battle,» Razvan said. «I am glad the boy is all right.»

«He loves Mikhail as well as Falcon.» Gregori stopped abruptly and shook his head. They both knew the psychological damage the child would have from the incident.

Razvan took a breath and his gaze met Ivory's across the room, knowing she was thinking exactly what he was-Xavier had to be destroyed. He started to clap Gregori on the shoulder in sympathy, but let his hand fall to his side. He'd never had friends, and was unsure the protocol one used.

Ivory looked around the healing chamber. «I need a different place. Somewhere quiet. Healer, you must have a laboratory.»

«Shea does,» Syndil answered. «A very good one. I can take you there.»

«Hurry,» Gregori urged. «Francesca and I will do what we can.»

Savannah let out a muffled sob and shook her head. «The little one, Gregori. She is so weak. I am losing her.»

Ivory had taken a step away to follow Syndil but she turned back toward the birthing bed to see Gregori crouch down beside his lifemate. The frightening Carpathian who always looked invincible and all-powerful seemed so weary and more vulnerable than she thought possible. She hesitated and then went back to him. «Do you talk to her?»

«Yes, but she is not listening.» There was a wealth of sorrow in Gregori's voice.

Ivory looked around her at the quietly sobbing women. Even Raven could not hold back her tears. Ivory bit down on her lip and closed her eyes. At once the anguish emanating from the women assailed her.

Gregori, feel the energy in this room. If she is highly sensitive, she will feel what I do-what you do. They believe-you believe-all of you believe she is already lost. Let me talk to her through you, through our connection. I have some experience with the will to live. Meanwhile, change the atmosphere in here. Anyone who cannot remain positive must remove their presence from this chamber.

Gregori looked at her and then to Francesca. He was too close to the sorrow, and Savannah's anguish consumed him. Francesca nodded her head.

Thank you. Gregori said. Please do speak to her.

The singing changed to the Carpathian lullaby, a soft musical melody, voices raised in song to soothe the babies as labor continued.

Little one. Your trial is great. You must rise above it and cling to life. Endure. I have fought to stay upon this earth, and though it is difficult, I know it is worth it. You are destined for greatness. Let me tell you a story of a great man, a healer among his people, a warrior unsurpassed and his princess. A beautiful woman with long, flowing hair and violet eyes. They love one another very much, but there is a terrible mage, a great wizard, who wishes to keep them apart.

The infants stopped slipping from the safety of Savannah's womb; instead, they pulled back to listen to the rise and fall of her voice, mesmerized by the story she began. Your father will continue the story and tell you of the two little girls, mere babies, but strong beyond belief, who rose up to defeat the evil mage.

She couldn't bring herself to put her hand on Gregori's shoulder to comfort him, so she gave him a quick, encouraging smile. «I told myself many such stories to hold despair at bay. Make them the heroines of the tale, and make the story long and involved and exciting so they listen and concentrate on that. I will work as quickly as I can.»

Ivory waited for Gregori to pick up the story where she had left off. The voices around him fell into a soft accompaniment, lending excitement to the tale the healer wove for his daughters. Savannah added her own voice when she could to bring the tale to life.

Ivory and Razvan followed Syndil out of the caves and together they hurried to the building chiseled into the cliffs. Inside the large main room, Shea, a Carpathian woman with bright red hair, and the human, Gary, who Ivory had already met, worked together with a seamless efficiency that suggested they had worked side by side for a long time and were used to a certain rhythm.

Another woman, who Syndil introduced as Gabrielle, was in a smaller room peering into a microscope. Ivory immediately recognized the silken pouches containing the soil samples she'd brought along with the open book of her records.

Shea whirled around. «I can't believe you have done this,» she greeted. «How did you discover this? These life-forms are foreign to me. I've never seen them before. What are they? Where did they come from?»