Crystal Warrior: Through All Eternity (Atlantean Crystal Saga Book 1) by Jen YatesNZ
Authors: Jen YatesNZ
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seven days. Before that they'd contacted base every day at the same time.
‘A week or a day it's all the same thing!’ Georgina snapped, no longer making any effort to control the tears. ‘To miss one call-in means they're in trouble. To miss seven means it's probably too late to help!’
Instantly Case was kneeling before Georgina, folding her in his arms.
‘Hey, steady up, little sister. They're doing all they can to get a trace on the 'Astrid'. Search planes are flying all the daylight hours there are and all shipping in the area has been alerted. The US Navy has even diverted one of its training frigates to the area. They'll find them, honey. Your mother and Merryn both feel they're still alive. You've got to trust them.’
‘How can anyone find them if they're in the middle of some sort of energy warp? Planes can't fly over it and ships can't enter it without risking more lives. They're all reporting the same problems. Their instruments start going haywire. There's a huge area of sea where they simply can't search and I know that's where they are! How the hell can anyone get them out even if they are still alive?’
Merryn put her work aside and came and knelt at Georgina's other side.
‘The US Navy's involved, George,’ she said gently. ‘They'll have the scientific might of the whole of the U.S. behind them. They'll come up with a way.’
‘No one ever has before,’ Georgina whispered. ‘The `Astrid' will just become another mystery statistic.—Oh God, why did Gould ever go on that bloody expedition? Why did Fran?—Hell! What a stupid damned question!’
‘No it's not, George,’ Merryn said. ‘It's natural you should question Gould's need to rush off to dangerous places in the world, not to mention encouraging Fran to go along as well.’
‘It was her idea! What a mess! Neither of them would've gone if it hadn't been for me.’ The words had been waiting inside her, hovering for just such a vulnerable moment, to ambush her. Georgina buried her face in her hands.
‘That's utter nonsense, Georgina!’ Merryn said almost sharply and Georgina lifted wild eyes to her sister's face.
‘It's true! Neither of them would've gone if—if I hadn't taken one look at Torr Montgomery and—and—’
‘George, what are you saying?’ Merryn and Case had both gone very still though Merryn's hands began rhythmically stroking Georgina's.
Georgina couldn't believe what she'd almost blurted out. She'd kept her thoughts under control until now. It was reaching the point where she no longer recognized the person she'd become. She closed her mouth, her eyes, her mind, but the damage was already done. Alert and tense, Merryn and Case were both waiting for her to finish what she'd started to say.
What was she to admit to, anyway? That in another lifetime she'd been Torr Montgomery's lover? If it was true it was no crime and she'd committed none with him in this one. Yet from the moment they'd met at the airport her life, her hard-won comfort and happiness had changed irreparably. No matter he'd taken her at her word and left again at the earliest possible opportunity, she still felt—guilty.
Like a whore. Those words too, were like guerillas, waiting to ambush her when her defenses were weakest.
Guilty. No matter how hard she worked at disguising her true passionate nature, fate found a way of undermining her. There were times when she wondered if the only way she could control it was to enter a nunnery; and others when she wondered whether she was born guilty.
Jordie rolled off Katja's back, falling perilously close to the fire. Case left Georgina and scooping the baby up, sat back on the rug with the child caged between his knees. Georgina didn't miss the meaningful glance that passed between him and Merryn once the little boy was safe. At times these two seemed able to communicate without words—just as she and Torr had.
Torr. Taur. Georgina sucked in a deep, slow breath to try and ease the hurt that
‘A week or a day it's all the same thing!’ Georgina snapped, no longer making any effort to control the tears. ‘To miss one call-in means they're in trouble. To miss seven means it's probably too late to help!’
Instantly Case was kneeling before Georgina, folding her in his arms.
‘Hey, steady up, little sister. They're doing all they can to get a trace on the 'Astrid'. Search planes are flying all the daylight hours there are and all shipping in the area has been alerted. The US Navy has even diverted one of its training frigates to the area. They'll find them, honey. Your mother and Merryn both feel they're still alive. You've got to trust them.’
‘How can anyone find them if they're in the middle of some sort of energy warp? Planes can't fly over it and ships can't enter it without risking more lives. They're all reporting the same problems. Their instruments start going haywire. There's a huge area of sea where they simply can't search and I know that's where they are! How the hell can anyone get them out even if they are still alive?’
Merryn put her work aside and came and knelt at Georgina's other side.
‘The US Navy's involved, George,’ she said gently. ‘They'll have the scientific might of the whole of the U.S. behind them. They'll come up with a way.’
‘No one ever has before,’ Georgina whispered. ‘The `Astrid' will just become another mystery statistic.—Oh God, why did Gould ever go on that bloody expedition? Why did Fran?—Hell! What a stupid damned question!’
‘No it's not, George,’ Merryn said. ‘It's natural you should question Gould's need to rush off to dangerous places in the world, not to mention encouraging Fran to go along as well.’
‘It was her idea! What a mess! Neither of them would've gone if it hadn't been for me.’ The words had been waiting inside her, hovering for just such a vulnerable moment, to ambush her. Georgina buried her face in her hands.
‘That's utter nonsense, Georgina!’ Merryn said almost sharply and Georgina lifted wild eyes to her sister's face.
‘It's true! Neither of them would've gone if—if I hadn't taken one look at Torr Montgomery and—and—’
‘George, what are you saying?’ Merryn and Case had both gone very still though Merryn's hands began rhythmically stroking Georgina's.
Georgina couldn't believe what she'd almost blurted out. She'd kept her thoughts under control until now. It was reaching the point where she no longer recognized the person she'd become. She closed her mouth, her eyes, her mind, but the damage was already done. Alert and tense, Merryn and Case were both waiting for her to finish what she'd started to say.
What was she to admit to, anyway? That in another lifetime she'd been Torr Montgomery's lover? If it was true it was no crime and she'd committed none with him in this one. Yet from the moment they'd met at the airport her life, her hard-won comfort and happiness had changed irreparably. No matter he'd taken her at her word and left again at the earliest possible opportunity, she still felt—guilty.
Like a whore. Those words too, were like guerillas, waiting to ambush her when her defenses were weakest.
Guilty. No matter how hard she worked at disguising her true passionate nature, fate found a way of undermining her. There were times when she wondered if the only way she could control it was to enter a nunnery; and others when she wondered whether she was born guilty.
Jordie rolled off Katja's back, falling perilously close to the fire. Case left Georgina and scooping the baby up, sat back on the rug with the child caged between his knees. Georgina didn't miss the meaningful glance that passed between him and Merryn once the little boy was safe. At times these two seemed able to communicate without words—just as she and Torr had.
Torr. Taur. Georgina sucked in a deep, slow breath to try and ease the hurt that
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