Chapter 14: Hanna’s Panic Attack
In the healing chamber of the Red Tower, Hanna had been on the table sound asleep with the healer doing its wondrous work on her body, repairing injuries and rejuvenating her. Muriel lay beside her on another table, sound asleep as well, the healer repairing the injuries to her when the scepter went off in the citadel. They had been there six hours when Nathanael and Electra walked in to see how she was doing. They examined Muriel first, and then turned to Hanna. The healer’s beam of pulsing light covered her from head to toe in a soft glow. Suddenly, without warning, Hanna’s eyes opened up and she bolted to a sitting position. She moves so fast and unexpected that Electra squealed with fright. Both she and Nathanael jumped back as Hanna cried out, “Oh, God! I’m late!”
Nathanael held on to Electra, trying to calm her down as he asked, “Late for what, Hanna?”
Hanna jumped onto her feet, running out the door saying, “No time to explain! Follow me!”
Minutes later, they entered the main room where Enoch and Kida were sitting alone, cuddling with each other. Hanna looked like a wild woman when she burst in the room. She looked around to see Enoch and Kida.
“Hanna, what’s wrong?” Enoch asked as Kida rose, heading to the kitchen. “You look like you’ve missed something very important.”
Nathanael and Electra came in as Hanna cried out, “The people from the citadel; what did you do with them?”
Enoch rose, saying, “Calm down, little sister. Everything is going smoothly. Once everyone was safely away from Acheron, we brought them out.”
Hanna was fearfully urgent when she asked, “And?”
“And there were no problems,” Enoch stated with a smile. “The Cimmerians were a little fearful at first as were the people of Arionath. But we were able to dispel their fears with the help of Morpheus, Argus, and Aeolus.”
“You mean that they know about the family of drakens too?” Hanna asked intensely.
Kida brought a mug of bison milk and honey. She handed it to Hanna, saying, “Yes. In fact, everything went much better than you hoped. The people seemed to understand the fact that you had brought them together. They also understood that we must stand together as a unit or fall under the Emperor’s rage. Now drink. You haven’t had anything to eat or drink since you brought out Morpheus and Muriel.”
Hanna calmed after hearing that everyone was apparently getting along. She sipped the milk, and then gulped it for she was very thirsty. In seconds, she’d drained nearly half the mug. With a satisfied sigh, Hanna said, “Man, that’s good. Can anyone tell me what time it is?”
Nathanael spoke up saying, “It’s the middle of the night.”
Hanna thought and asked, “When was Nemesis here?”
“It’s been about two and a half days,” Enoch answered.
Hanna swore under his breath, saying, “I knew it! It took me longer to deal with Acheron than I thought! I am going to be late. I told Nemesis to wait for me on the dawning of the third day. It’s already on me and I have no team to go in.”
Enoch smiled, saying, “Calm yourself, little sister. Do you really think that we’d let you down? We knew that you’d need a team to go in. They’re already chosen. There are fifty of the finest we have from all the peoples out there who volunteered for this mission.”
Hanna was dumbfounded. “When did this happen? Who put the team together?” she asked.
“Well, I kind of took the liberty,” Enoch admitted, “We have five teams of ten individuals. I’m leading one of them. Magnus is leading another. Morpheus is taking ten of his people in with us. Xavier is leading a team of his fiercest Cimmerian warriors, which leaves you. You will make the fifth. Your entire team from the surface insisted on going, including the General.”
Hanna paused at that for a moment. “Did the General have any problems with my people?” she asked.
“Nope; I saw the whole thing,” Nathanael reported. “I gathered the group and brought him before them. He didn’t want to do it without you, but because of your delayed returned, I convinced him that I could stand in your place. He begged their forgiveness the same way he did to you. They made him squirm a bit, but they finally accepted it. As part of the penance they demanded of him, he has to be part of the team that extracts Selina.”
Hanna sipped her mug of milk and nodded. “Well, if that what they want as proof, he comes,” she said after which she sighed deeply, as if a great weight were lifted off her. “I don’t know how to thank you, Enoch. I was so worn out from dealing with Acheron that I plum forgot about the team to go into Amacia.”
Enoch put his hand on Hanna’s shoulder, saying, “Well, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time, little sister. It seems that your God may be rubbing off on us. I just felt compelled to do it.”
“I’m sure it was,” Hanna replied gratefully. “He knew that we had a time limit so He moved on you to get the ball rolling. Who else is going besides you?”
Enoch leaned on the table, folding his arms as Kida hovered behind Hanna, putting her hand on her shoulder. “Well, Andrew and Hunter have been waiting for this all their lives, so they are coming,” Enoch stated. “George is coming too as is Elle. Kida, Electra, Emma, Elias, and Ben are staying here for obvious reasons.” Hanna nodded as Enoch continued, “Also with us will be Aragon, David, Vergil, Zachias, and Timothy. They said that they were your guard.”
Hanna chuckled a little, saying, “You might say that. Joshua gave them to me shortly after I came to Arionath. In fact, they volunteered. But it seems that I haven’t really had much use for them. Maybe now they can show what they are made of.”
Kida suddenly wrapped her arms around Hanna from behind and squeezed in a loving manner, kissing her on the cheek, saying afterwards, “I love you, little sister. Please come back in one piece with my sister.”
Hanna smiled warmly. Her heart fluttered as Kida’s actions reminded her of Selina. She kissed Kida on the hand, saying softly, “You know; Selina does the same thing. How I have missed her. Yes, Kida; we are coming back in one piece. I promise.”
Kida kissed Hanna again on the cheek, saying, “Now you should go back to bed. You are going to need all your strength and faculties tomorrow.”
Hanna nodded, draining the rest of her milk. “You’re right,” she admitted. “Now is no time to be bull headed about not resting.” Just then, a wave of drowsiness hit her and she asked sleepily, “What’s going on? Did you put something in the milk because I feel like I’m going to fall asleep right here.”
The mug fell from Hanna’s hand to the floor with a clank. “Don’t worry,” Kida replied. “This is my special mixture. It will help to calm your mind and give you rest you so richly deserve.” The room started spinning and Hanna slumped in Kida’s arms, sound asleep.
Enoch looked at Kida sheepishly as she picked Hanna up. “You’ve a soft spot for her, don’t you?” he asked with a smile on his face.
Kida looked at Hanna as a mother looks at her only child. “Yes,” she finally said. “I have an affinity towards her. Hanna is strange, exotic…like no other man or woman I’ve ever met, even you.” Enoch looked at her narrowly and she saw it. “But don’t worry. My heart belongs to you. I look at her more like a sister I never had. The love she has for my sister is so strong that it literally flows out of her. It is intoxicating.”
Enoch put his arm around Kida as she held Hanna, saying, “I know, honey. I have felt it too. The love she has is so pure and true that I really believe that it is divine in nature. The love she has is coming from something other than herself...maybe from the Almighty Ancient of Days Himself. Come on. Let’s take her back to the healer. I’m sure that it wasn’t done with her.”
By then Nathanael and Electra were standing there. “Yes,” Nathanael reported. “We were there when she woke. The machine was still working on her.”
Enoch nodded, saying, “You two should go to bed too. Tomorrow is a day that will change the course of history for all. We’ll take her back to the healer.” Nathanael and Electra graciously stepped away, heading for their quarters while Enoch and Kida spirited the sleeping Hanna back to the healing chamber.