CHAPTER LIX

Singing Mountain

They left Mon Calamari in the quiet hours of the morning. The medics were not keen on letting Jaina go, but once Anakin had attached her cybernetic arm, she was desperate to leave the medcentre. Padmé and Obi-Wan were both concerned that they had stayed in one spot for too long and that if they extended their stay any longer, they would be putting Ackbar and his people in grave danger. The council that governed Coral City was kind enough to offer them a small ship fresh from the shipyards. Mon Cal ships were well known for their high quality and Anakin was nearly jumping at the chance to pilot one. Jaina, with a slightly reminiscent smile on her face, christened it Trickster Queen. After giving a final farewell to their kind hosts, they boarded the ship and left for Dathomir.

Jaina was sad to be leaving Mon Calamari. The soft, tranquil ocean planet had offered her a healing serenity that was more powerful than any medications the medics could administer. She did not know how long she had been imprisoned in Kuduran – perhaps it had been a month or more, given the amount of time that had passed since she had been captured – but the peacefulness she had been surrounded by gave her a sense of liberating freedom that began to heal her. Due to the Delik-66, her condition was unknown and they could only guess which way it would turn. Jaina had quickly grown tired of everyone worrying about her; it became so irritating that whenever someone enquired about how she was feeling, she would snap at them.

In truth, she was feeling stronger. But there was some part of her that felt like it would be forever weak. If she concentrated enough, she could hide the feeling and forget about it, but it was always there whenever she woke up in the morning and went to bed in the evening. She did not dare tell anyone about it in case it caused another spur of worrying. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stand it if her comrades began fussing over her like a child again.

The flight to Dathomir was short and quiet. The peace that had been found on Mon Calamari had followed them on to the ship. There wasn’t much to do except rest and talk. Jaina had spent some time with the twins – she always felt more at rest whenever they were around. Leia’s eyes always widened whenever Jaina entered the room, and she would immediately start cooing and babbling restlessly until Jaina came over and held her.

Jaina was surprised at how much the twins had grown during her absence. The last time she had seen them – which had been on Alderaan – they had been tiny little things. Now they were awake and inquisitive; Leia had a habit of babbling in her baby talk about everything she could set her eyes on. Luke, on the other hand, observed his surroundings peacefully and listened to his sister prattle on.

“You know, that picture gets me every time just because I can’t help but think about how Leia is your mother,” Kyp said from the doorway.

Jaina looked up. She was alone in Anakin and Padmé’s cabin, sitting on one of the chairs. Luke was still in his cradle, happily inspecting some sort of Mon Cal toy Padmé had picked up for him, and Leia was in her arms.

“Oh?” she said. “And is it weird in any other way?”

Kyp put on a look of mock puzzlement. “No,” he concluded after a moment.

Jaina raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not that difficult to picture you with kids, Jaina.”

Jaina stared at him. “Me?” she said, startled. “With kids?” She looked down at Leia, who was carefully inspecting the fingers of Jaina’s new prosthetic. “I’m a soldier, Kyp. I’m not exactly the mothering type.”

He spread his hands. “Just an honest observation.”

Jaina felt her face redden. She was speechless for a moment, completely uncertain of what to say. She wasn’t sure why Kyp’s remark was bothering her so much, either. Maybe it was because she had never thought about future families. So much of her life was now wrapped up in saving her past family – her grandfather, her mother, her uncle. She hadn’t thought about what her future would be like – if she survived. Forever practical, Jaina found it difficult to look to the future when the entire immediate future was taken up by a Sith Lord who seemed unbeatable. Considering how many Jedi had already lost their lives to him, the survival rate was not looking very good.

“Jay-a!” Leia said happily. “Jay-a!”

Jaina looked down in surprise. “What?” she said, almost not believing what she was hearing.

“Jay-a!” Leia repeated.

Kyp chuckled. “That’s not baby talk, Goddess,” he said, smirking. “Little Leia seems to have learned your name before she learned anything else.”

“Oh, shut it,” Jaina said irritably. But she couldn’t help a smile. “Yes, Leia,” she said, tickling the baby gently. “I’m Jaina.”

Leia giggled. “Jay-a!”

Kyp was grinning.

“What?” Jaina said insistently. “Please stop laughing, it’s not that funny.”

He was shaking his head now.

Jaina rolled her eyes. “Oh, go away, Durron.”

He gave a curt little bow. “Whatever you say, Jaina.”

Contrary to Jaina’s request, he didn’t leave. Instead, he sauntered over and took a seat next to Jaina on the second chair.

“If you’re going to ask me how I’m feeling, drop it,” Jaina said shortly. “I’m fine.”

“I wasn’t going to breach the subject, Jaina,” Kyp retorted.

“Oh, really?” She looked at him, eyes narrowed. “You have that concerned look that you get whenever you think I’m not feeling well.”

Kyp frowned at her. It was a moment before he answered; they were glaring at each other. “Jaina, would you give us a bit of a break?” he said finally. “We are concerned. You’ve just spent a month imprisoned by the enemy – an enemy who tortured you to the point where you could barely speak, could barely come back to yourself. It can take a while to recover from something like that.”

“I’m all right.”

“You can keep saying that,” Kyp said sternly, “but we’re not always going to be prone to believing you.”

Jaina shot him a dark look. “Drop it, okay?” she said. “I’m feeling fine. I know what you all are worried about, but there’s nothing you can do, so why worry? I feel fine. I’m feeling better. Who knows, maybe the Delik-66 isn’t having an effect after all.”

She bit her tongue as soon as the words had left her mouth. Kyp didn’t look impressed. She knew that he knew that she was lying. They could both feel the changes the Delik-66 had made; Jaina was slowly losing control of what she felt through the Force. Her Force-sensitivity was growing day by day and she was turning into some bizarre radar. She could sense someone dropping a datapad in a room several corridors down and a locked door away. She could make out the heartbeats of every living person on this ship. She could feel the minds of the other Jedi – from the younglings to Master Yoda – bearing down on her, though she knew perfectly well that it was the opposite and she was the one bearing down on them. Jaina tried to pull it away, as she knew her overbearing presence was difficult for them to deal with, but there was nothing that could helped.

She was growing more powerful in the Force, and though she would not admit it, it was scaring her. How long would this go on for? If it continued on for much longer, how long would she last before she accidentally damaged something – or worse, someone?

“Right, Jaina.” His tone told her that he didn’t believe her. He eyed her for a moment. “Please don’t get all sour on me, you’re the one who brought the topic up.”

“Only because you—” Jaina stopped herself. She was fuming again. It was silly. She had been the one to bring her least favourite topic up.

“Jay-a?”

Jaina looked down at Leia. Her bright brown eyes gazed quizzically into hers. Jaina smiled slightly. “Nothing to worry about, Leia,” she said. “Everything will be all right.”

Leia blinked. She gave Jaina a small, soft smile very reminiscent of Padmé and then closed her eyes. Moments later, she was asleep. Jaina stood up and carried her over to the crib, where she lay Leia down next to Luke.

“Okay, you two,” she said. “Have a good sleep.”

Jaina returned to her chair. “Would you mind going to get Padmé?” she asked Kyp. “I think she was planning on taking care of the twins now.”

Kyp gave her an odd look, but he nodded and quickly left the cabin.

Jaina sank back into her chair and shivered. How many more days would it be until she could no longer control the power burning within her? If she wasn’t able to, would it kill her?

Those were questions she did not want answers to. Resting her forehead upon her hand, she stared across the room at the crib. A slight smile touched her lips as she watched the twins. If anything, she had today. Hopefully, she would have tomorrow, too. Perhaps she should just enjoy the tranquility – while it lasted.

The Trickster Queen landed on Dathomir quietly without incident. Uncertain of whom they would encounter, exactly, they made the quick decision that only a few of them would venture out at first. Anakin, Obi-Wan and Kyp all volunteered at once. Jaina was determined to go as well. No one would dare say anything about concern for her health once she had voiced her desire. As Sheltay was no longer around to look after the children, Padmé and Yoda decided on staying behind to help Scout, Whie and the droids look after the younglings and the twins.

Jaina was familiar with the witches of Dathomir. She was hoping that they would not prove to be too formidable or too distrusting of them. Their prospects in defeating Palpatine would be greatly raised if they could get at least a few of the clans on their side.

Jaina was the last to disembark. Anakin had hurriedly run ahead of the rest, punching the button that released the ramp and running down it before it had barely touched the ground. Obi-Wan and Kyp had followed him; Jaina lagged behind. She did not mention it, but the weakness she felt each morning was growing. It was a strange effect – she could feel the immense power of the Force building within her, but it failed to sustain her. She closed her eyes, leaning against the wall of the corridor.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp, stabbing pain both kneecaps. Jaina opened her eyes and found herself on her knees, having fallen over. Bewildered, she rose to her feet.

It’s nothing, she told herself as she quickly hurried along the corridor. You’re just tired.

But she wasn’t tired. She had been sleeping more than usual – it was impossible for her to be tired.

From somewhere outside, there was a wild shriek, followed by a shout that was unmistakably Anakin’s. Jaina, all thoughts of her sudden weakness wiped from her mind, wrenched her lightsaber off of her belt and cantered down the ramp and out into the forest glade.

Anakin, Obi-Wan and Kyp all had their lightsabers activated. They were standing back-to-back, surrounded by a dozen armed women. They were dressed in strange clothing of greens and reds, their attire accessorized with tribal jewellery. One was wearing a helmet. Jaina was relieved to see that the Witches of Dathomir were not, currently, riding rancor mounts, but she knew things would dissolve rapidly if nothing was done soon.

“Stop!” she called, running forwards. “We don’t mean you any harm, we come in peace!”

The women turned. The tallest witch – the one wearing the helmet – strode out of the circle to meet her. “Do you speak for this clan?” she demanded imperiously. Her grey eyes appraised Jaina, gleaming dangerously.

Jaina stared up at her. There was something vaguely familiar about the woman’s face. She frowned, trying to place it, but then shook the thought from her mind.

“Yes, I do,” she said.

“Then tell me, girl, what do you mean by coming here?” The woman shook her staff angrily. “Speak!”

“We’re refugees,” Jaina said quickly. “Jedi, escaping from the Empire.”

The woman scoffed. “A likely story! How do I know that you are not lying? The Empire has ever attempted to gain a foothold here. We will not let its spies into our homeland so easily.”

“You have my word that I am not lying,” Jaina said briskly. “My name is Jaina Solo. The men are Kyp Durron, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Perhaps you have heard of them.”

The witch’s eyes flashed. “Anakin Skywalker.” She turned and gazed at Anakin, who lowered his lightsaber. “Yes,” she said. “You, I have heard of. Your deeds precede you, Jedi.”

“We have younglings on board,” Jaina continued. “Please. All we need is shelter – and a chance to talk to you and your sisters. If you choose to send us away, I understand. It is entirely possible that the Empire could trace us here. I will not hide that fact. But I do ask that you listen to what we have to say. We are not your enemy.”

The leader’s expression softened slightly. “Let them go,” she said.

The witches did not move; they kept their weapons pointed at the Jedi caught in the middle of the circle.

“Let them go, I say!” the leader said forcefully, turning to her warriors.

Almost reluctantly, the witches withdrew. Anakin looked relieved. He glanced over at Jaina and mouthed a “thank you.”

“I am Augwynne Djo,” the tall witch announced to Jaina, “leader of the Singing Mountain clan.” She took off her helmet, revealing long golden-red tresses. An image of Tenel Ka immediately flashed in Jaina’s mind and she realized that she must be speaking to her old friend’s great-grandmother. “If there are others on your ship, I would like to meet them now.”

“Of course.”

There was a brief commotion as they tried to usher everyone off the ship. The younglings were excited to find themselves somewhere new, and they were incredible inquisitive about the Dathomiri witches. Several of them had taken to staring blatantly at the female warriors, while others actually dared to venture forwards and inspect their weaponry. The witches smiled slightly at the sight of the young Force sensitives, but they still did not look pleased at all.

The moment Yoda disembarked from the ship, Augwynne caught sight of him and strode over.

“Master Yoda,” she said briskly. “I am glad to see that you are still alive.”

“Well, I am,” Yoda said stiffly.

“Mother Rell still speaks fondly of you,” Augwynne added. “From her stories it is impossible for me not to recognize you.”

To Jaina’s surprise, Yoda laughed. It was an odd sound – she suddenly realized that she had never heard him laugh anything beyond a short chuckle before.

“Still alive, Rell is, eh?” Yoda tapped his gimer stick on the ground.

“She may have the appearance of going a bit daft,” Augwynne replied, “but her mind is just as bright as ever. She will be pleased to see you again, no doubt.”

“Heh. And I her.”

Once all of the passengers had disembarked from the Trickster Queen, the witches of Singing Mountain seemed to have warmed up to their presence here. They had lowered their weapons and were observing them with interest, rather than suspicion. A few of the women had even engaged in conversations with the overly curious younglings.

Though Augwynne had seemed initially against the idea, eventually she finally decided on inviting the entire group into the village. They had passed whatever test she seemed to have given them and she deemed them trustworthy. As the witches began to lead the way through the forest, Jaina fell in line with Anakin near the rear of the group. Scout and Padmé were just ahead of them; Luke was in Padmé’s arms while Scout carried Leia. The young teenager had become quite fond of the children during Jaina’s absence.

Suddenly, Jaina and Anakin were pulled aside. Augwynne looked down at them, her eyes unreadable. Anakin stared at her, his jaw set. Something seemed to pass between the Dathomiri witch and the Jedi. Augwynne took a step back.

“I have my eye on you, Anakin Skywalker,” she said. “Though your adventures may be numerous and you may be known for your heroism, there is an unsettled darkness within you that does not go undetected. You could endanger us all by your presence here.”

Anakin did not look pleased. “Madam,” he said shortly, “every day Imperial troops are searching for me. I have escaped them more times that I would like to count. Every day I am with my comrades, I put them in danger, yet they have always survived. I can’t guarantee that the Empire won’t find me here, but I swear to you that if they do, I will fight to protect your kind as well as my companions.”

The stern expression on Augwynne’s face lightened. “I see you are a man of heart, Anakin Skywalker,” she said. “I hold you to your word.” She glanced at Jaina, a strange look on her face. For a moment, it seemed as though she would speak. Finally, she must have decided against it, for she passed forwards to keep up with her warriors as they trekked through the forest.

“I hate it when people do that,” Anakin growled to Jaina. “Prophecies of certain doom and all that… they act like I’m a time bomb slowly ticking down and they’re certain I’m going to go off when I’m around them.”

Jaina’s lips tightened. “Unfortunately, there is a ring of truth to it.”

Anakin glared. “See what I mean?”

Jaina gave him a significant look. “Don’t act like that,” she snapped. “You know perfectly well what I mean. You are the Chosen One after all.”

Anakin looked away. A shadow had passed across his face. “Like I need reminding,” he said quietly.

“Besides,” Jaina continued, “we can’t blame them for being cautious. They’re pretty secluded – not too many people come to Dathomir. And if they’re at all aware of what’s going on in the Galaxy… well, it’s one big reason for not wanting any visitors. Off-world visitors usually only mean trouble.”

Jaina kept talking, going off on a tangent about how visitors could possibly mean unwanted Imperial spies and the like. Anakin was barely listening and grunted in agreement from time to time at appropriate places. But Jaina was barely listening to even herself. As she prattled on, she tried to forget the thought that kept creeping up on her – if Augwynne had sensed danger in Anakin, had she done the same for Jaina? What about this morning – had her fall really been a sign of encroaching weakness? Was the Delik-66 finally getting to her?

You’re paranoid, Jaina, she told herself gruffly, stepping down so hard on a dead branch that it cracked. It’s nothing. She pushed the thoughts aside and continued along the trodden path after the others.

The village that was home to the Singing Mountain clan was not a great distance away from the glade where the Trickster Queen had landed. That was, perhaps, the reason why they had not bothered to mount their rancors to inspect the disturbance when they heard the ship land. It was a busy place – the villagers were going about their regular daily activities. The visitors occasionally caught sight of men at the sides of the houses, but mostly they saw the female witches. However, everyone was giving them strange looks, none of them friendly. Jaina felt slightly unnerved by the bold gazes sent in her direction. She could hear them muttering, no doubt about the Jedi who were now walking through their village. Averting her gaze, Jaina marched through the town after Augwynne, trying to ignore the eyes boring into her back.

“Do you get the feeling everyone’s staring at us?” Jaina asked Anakin under her breath.

He gave her an odd look and shrugged. “No more than usual. Why?”

“It’s just…” Jaina stopped. She could still hear the villagers muttering. Why couldn’t they be quiet? She raised a hand as if to it through her hair, and she nearly jumped when the cold metal of her prosthetic encountered her shaved head. She let her arm drop quickly. She was suddenly aware that she was breathing very hard.

“Jaina?” Anakin asked. He stepped towards her. “Is something wrong?”

“I…” Jaina shook her head. “No, nothing’s wrong.”

She stood still and pressed the flesh and blood fingers of her left hand to her forehead. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the growing pressure out. Jaina’s ears were ringing; she could hear the pounding of her blood flowing through every inch of her body. Worse than that, she could hear the voices of Singing Mountain clan, all buzzing around her, only just out of ear shot so she couldn’t make out the words. The presence of dozens of strong Force-sensitives pushed against her mind. All the hair on the back of her arms was standing up on end.

Jaina opened her eyes.

Anakin was still standing in front of her. The others were a little farther ahead; she could see that some of them had turned around to see what was keeping her and Anakin. Jaina saw Anakin’s lips move, but she couldn’t hear what he said. She shivered.

“Anakin—”

She fell.

Jaina had no sensation of falling. Instead, it was very much as if she was sinking back on the pillows of a very comfortable bed. Yet, she knew exactly when she hit the ground. Her mind registered what was happening to her, but it was if every sense had been shut off. She couldn’t hear except for the ringing in her ears; she couldn’t feel the earth beneath her. She was floating – yet not floating – in a world that was consumed by the energies of the Force. The view before her eyes was distorted, becoming an explosion of colour: reds, greens, golds…

There was a bitter taste in her mouth.

The others were gathered around her again. She couldn’t see them – they were only a blur of bright colour to her eyes – but she knew they were there. She could feel each other their presences’ burning against her mind. Brightest of all was Anakin’s.

He was somewhere near her. When she fell, she had seen him run towards her, but he had not caught her. Suddenly, she recognized his hand on her arm as he tried to set her upright. An electric shock ran through her, and for the briefest of moments, Jaina’s world returned to her. She heard the shouting, saw the concerned and worried looks on the faces of her companions. She saw Kyp running towards her, his face nearly white—

And then she was drifting. Her body wanted to disappear – float away from this place as millions of particles. A feeling was growing inside her, a desire to cut all physical ties to this world. It would be so easy… she could float for eternity on the energies of the Force, living and breathing the untroubled bliss that was this explosion of colour and light—

No.

There was something in her that was stronger than that desire. Something that was keeping her together, something that refused to let her drift apart. She was needed here. She could not float away into endless bliss; that would be the worst thing she could do.

The thought kept Jaina grounded. She fought with it against the overpowering sensations and the strong desire to let go. Slowly, she crawls back to the world of senses, trying to regain control of her own body.

With a rush of sound and a force like the wind, darkness collapsed on her and she drowned in it, losing consciousness entirely.

Jaina sank beneath the darkness as it swelled over her like a wave. Above her, there was a bright, golden light. Part of her longed to reach for it, but another, stronger part wanted to give up and continue the long descent into nothingness. She raised her heavy head and stared at the golden light.

“Jaina.” A familiar voice echoed through the depths, calling for her. “Jaina.”

Her eyes closed. She was so tired… She longed to sink beneath all this, out of reach, out of knowledge.

Out of time.

“Jaina!” The voice was more urgent now.

Something clicked in her brain. That was her brother’s voice. That was Jacen’s voice.

Her eyes flew open and she began to struggle through the darkness, swimming towards the bright, golden light. She reached out for it, but it was floating away, higher than she could swim. She was falling backwards now, unable to reach it. Something continued to drive her onwards, a stronger will she did not know she possessed, but try though she might, she could not reach the golden glow.

“Since when did you ever give up?” Jacen’s voice asked. “This is not your time. This is not your place. Reach it! Reach the light!”

She was so tired.

“You’re the one who pushes through everything, remember? Don’t stop now, or else everything you’ve done here will be in vain! Our grandfather needs you!”

Anakin. Anakin needed her.

She had to go back.

Jaina pushed herself forwards, dragging herself towards the light. It was like a doorway in the blackness – as soon as she reached it, she could walk through the door and back into the world beyond. She moved – slowly and sluggishly – through the dark, Jacen’s voice ringing in her ears. It was the only thing that made sense to her now.

With every ounce of strength within her, she dragged herself to the doorway, nearly collapsing in the light. She took a deep breath and stumbled through it.

“That’s my sister.”

“I thought she was getting better,” Obi-Wan said, passing a hand over his ashen face.

“We all did,” Padmé murmured quietly.

Kyp did not speak. Instead, he sat still, perched on the edge of a chair by Jaina’s bed, his gaze on her face. Her expression flitted silently, the only sign that she was still with them. He had had a feeling that something like this was going to happen; he had only hoped that it wouldn’t happen so soon.

They were gathered in what passed as the Singing Mountain clan’s medcentre. It was a small room at the back of one of the larger houses in the centre of the village. There were a few other patients occupying the limited number of beds, all located in the same room. All of them were witches who were either ill or had sustained some injury from their war faring lifestyle.

There were a few witches in the clan who were known for their healing abilities. Allaya Djo, the daughter of Augwynne, was one of them. She had been in the medcentre, caring for the ill or injured, when Kyp had entered the place, carrying Jaina and surrounded by the others. Obi-Wan and Padmé had quickly ushered the overly curious younglings outside, giving Scout and Whie the responsibility of looking after them. Luke and Leia were crying loudly, something that had started the moment Jaina had fallen. Once they were in their parents’ arms, they calmed down and observed the following scene with cold, sad silence.

Allaya listened carefully as Jaina’s situation was explained to her. Pursing her lips, she went in search of several herbs, quickly creating a mixture of the plants which she put in a small bowl and lit. The scent of the burning herbs was supposed to wake Jaina from her deep, troubled sleep, but it did not have the effect Allaya was expecting. As they watched Jaina toss feverishly in her sleep, Allaya did not need them to explain what was occurring. She, like every other Force sensitive in the village, had felt the explosion ripple through the Force and the strength of her presence wash over them when Jaina had collapsed.

Allaya appeared just as confused as the rest of them by this turn of events. Without a Jedi Healer, there was nothing more they could do except to make Jaina as comfortable as possible and hope that she could fight her way back to the world of the living.

“She’s stubborn,” Kyp said. His voice was monotone, his eyes dead. “She’d never admit she was getting worse.”

Jaina frowned and stirred weakly, but she did not wake.

“There is a darkness working in her that I cannot see a way to dispel,” Allaya said. She pressed a hand to the side of her face. Her grey eyes were as hard as stone; she was angry that her knowledge was failing her. “Some evil is invading her soul.”

“But she’s strong,” Padmé whispered. On her lap, Leia let out a soft, sad noise. “Perhaps she’ll fight through this?”

“We can only hope,” Anakin said hoarsely. He looked down at Luke, who he was holding. The boy had not made any noise since Jaina had collapsed.

“For her to decide, it is,” Yoda said. He bowed his head in silence.

There was a patter of footsteps from outside the door. The group gathered around Jaina’s bed spun and saw Scout burst into the room, her hair a windswept halo around her face.

“Master Yoda!” she gasped, skidding to a halt. “Master Obi-Wan! You better come quick! You have no idea who’s here!”

Obi-Wan looked puzzled. “What is it, Scout?”

Scout was grinning. “Oh, just come on!” she exclaimed excitedly. “You won’t believe it!” She froze suddenly and pressed a hand to her mouth; her eyes had fallen on Jaina’s still form. Scout approached cautiously. “Is… is she all right?” she asked timidly.

“We don’t know,” Anakin said, his voice hollow.

Scout swallowed. “But she will be all right soon, won’t she? I mean—” she glanced at Jaina, uncertain of what to think – “she will get better?”

“We can only hope so, Scout,” Obi-Wan said. “Now, what is it that you wanted to show us? Who’s here?”

Scout’s eyes brightened. “We’re not the only Jedi here!” she said. “Bene is here, and Serra Keto and Master Drallig! They escaped from Coruscant!”

“Cin Drallig’s here?” Anakin said quickly. “Are you sure, Scout?”

Her eyes flashed with annoyance. “Of course I am.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about this before?” Obi-Wan said, turning to Allaya.

“Because there were more important things I was attending to,” she answered coolly. “I am certain my mother would have gotten around to informing you of the other Jedi’s presence sooner or later.”

“Oh, stop wasting time!” Scout interrupted. “Master Kenobi… Master Yoda, won’t you come? Please?”

“We’re coming, Scout,” Obi-Wan said, getting up from his chair.

“Coming, I am, young one,” Yoda said, hopping down. He leaned heavily on his gimer stick as he made his way towards the exit. “Exercise some patience, you should.”

Scout rolled her eyes as she followed the two masters out the door. “But this isn’t exactly something you can be patient about!” she said loudly. “I mean, there are more Jedi who escaped!”

Her prattling voice faded away along with their footsteps.

“Well, that’s good news,” Padmé said.

Anakin nodded. “There was always a chance that Master Drallig escaped from Coruscant. We could never be sure, but I am glad that we finally have proof that he did.”

Kyp grunted in agreement. He felt some flicker of happiness that there had been other Jedi who had escaped Order Sixty-Six. However, considering the current situation he was having difficulty being overjoyed at the news. Some Jedi he did not know had survived. Good for them. Meanwhile, Jaina was lying here, fighting for her life. Did it make him heartless that he did not care so much about Cin Drallig and the others? He shook the thought from his mind.

“Ow.”

He nearly leapt in surprise. Kyp stared at Jaina. He could have sworn she had just said something.

“Jaina?”

A gurgle of incomprehensible sound came from her open mouth. Her eyelids fluttered. Padmé stood up, staring at her in uncertainty. She glanced across the bed at Kyp, and then looked to Anakin. Her unspoken question floated on the air between them: was Jaina waking up?

“Who… marching around?” Jaina said, her voice slurred. Her chest rose slightly as she took a deep, steady breath. “Footsteps give me a headache.”

Padmé laughed feebly.

Kyp felt relief wash over him. “Well,” he said, “I guess you’re getting back to normal if you feel good enough to complain about footsteps.”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Jaina’s lips. “Shut… up, Durron.” Her eyes opened and she smiled briefly at the three people staring down at her. Anakin passed Luke to Allaya and quickly doubled over to give Jaina a hug. The moment they touched, they both paused as if jarred and then Anakin embraced his granddaughter.

“You gave me a scare there, Jaina,” he said, releasing her.

“What happened?” Jaina said, trying to push herself up on her pillows.

“The darkness took you,” Allaya said.

Jaina looked up at the Dathomiri witch. A flicker of recognition came into her eyes; she was registering the resemblance between Allaya and her future granddaughter, Tenel Ka. Allaya was attempting to cover her look of slight shock as she held a struggling Luke in her arms. The little boy seemed to want to be returned to his father. Anakin noticed and quickly relieved the witch and she turned to Jaina, looking down at her with pity.

“The evil that flows within your veins finally breeched your defences,” she said. “You have regained some strength for now, but unless we dispel it soon, you may very well die. It was a close thing today. I must add that it seems that you did most of the work yourself. You are a survivor, Jaina Solo.”

Jaina’s lips tightened. “I’m not going to die,” she said firmly.

Allaya’s eyes were unreadable. “Keep that belief if it helps you,” she said. “But even with your powers of fighting against illness, I fear the Sith Lord’s poison will run its course sooner than later.”