A/N:  Ah, I've posted again.  That's two chapters in one day!  I hope you guys are proud of me.  Anyway, enjoy!!!

Heka checked in on Kari every hour or so.  He was a little afraid at how deep her sleep was.  Her breathing and heart rate had slowed to nearly a stop.  He had one of the ship’s doctors come to his quarters to take a look at her.

“She’s fine.  It’s just a very deep sleep.  Probably caused by the stunner.  If she doesn’t wake up in ten hours, bring her to sickbay.”  The doctor stowed his scanner and stood up.  “Call me if you need anything, Magicker.”  He left.

So, it was an effect of the stunner.  Heka was stilled worried about her.  When he spoke with her, there had been this sadness in her eyes, like a part of her was missing and she didn’t know if she would ever get it back.  Was that because she had been taken from her mate?  Was that what happened when mates were separated?  Since most everyone in his race lived until they died of old age, mates were usually only separated for a few days.  Once one died, the other followed within the week.  That was just how things were, since the physical bond between them was broken.  But, the doctors had told Heka that Kari had no physical bond.  So, either her species didn’t bond the same way, or they had never consummated their mating.  Either way, she shouldn’t feel the loneliness of losing a mate.  It should have been as if she never had one.  Maybe her species didn’t need to consummate their mating to possess a bond.  If that was the case, Heka would have to be extra careful around her.  Since he couldn’t return her to her previous mate, he would just have to make the best of her time here.  He would have to try to make her happy.  It was the least he could do. 

Why had the Council decided to kidnap her?  Sure, she was powerful magically.  But, did they really need to stoop to kidnapping to keep magic in their race?  What good was magic to them anyway?  They had extremely advanced technology.  After all, even without much magic, they had managed to hold their own against the Elanar Empire.  They even managed to win far more battles than they lost.  The loss of magic in their race had forced them to become more creative and develop new technologies to compensate.  Their medical prowess improved.  Before they started losing their magic, they relied on it far too much for medicine.  Magic couldn’t cure everything.  Since they lost most of their magic, they developed new medical techniques and technologies that had increased their lifespan and their quality of life.  Sure, magic could help, but it could also hinder progress.  Heka was a prime example.  He had magic.  Not enough to actually do anything with it, but he did have it.  But, of course, he wasn’t allowed to do anything else.  He had always had an interest in literature that his family had encouraged for a while.  Until Heka decided he wanted to write.  That wasn’t allowed because he had magic.  He was supposed to do something with his magic, even if he didn’t have enough magic to light a candle.  So, his books and poems had gone unpublished and unread.  If he ever showed them to anyone, he would probably be asked to return to the homeworld for a good long stay in a magicker university/brainwashing school.  No one knew about his secret hobby.  It was truly a shame.  He thought his writings were very good, and people would enjoy them.  He sighed.  Thinking about the way things were wasn’t going to change anything.  Just like no one could stop the sun from shining, no one could ever change the will of the Council. 

Heka stood and went to check on Kari again.  He had gotten used to not being able to see her breathing so he put his finger under her nose and sighed in relief when he felt her breath.  She had a peaceful smile on her face.  At least she was happy in her dreamworld.

Mair silently tiptoed into the king’s bedchamber.  Reina had left explicit instructions to check on the king every two hours, but not to wake him if he was sleeping.  It was the middle of the day and the sun was shining brightly through the tall windows.  She wondered how anyone could sleep with all the light in the room, no matter how tired they were.  The king’s sleeping form in the bed brought tears to her eyes.  He was clutching the queen’s favorite pillow as if it were her.  Mair walked over to the side of the bed.  Poor king.  First, he was forced to leave his home and family and come to some strange world he had never heard of because of some treaty that his people never signed; then, he was attacked and his wife was kidnapped in front of his very eyes. 

As she stared at him, she noticed that she couldn’t see him breathing.  She checked for a pulse and, when she didn’t feel anything, ran out of the room.

“Someone send for Reina!  Quickly!”  The servants, most assuredly shocked by her outburst, jumped up from where they were sitting or standing and ran to find the healer.  Hopefully, they would find her in time.

Within a few moments, Reina strode into the room.

“What is it, girl?”

“It’s the king.  I don’t think he’s breathing and I didn’t feel a pulse.”

“Tck.”  She walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.  She came out of the room a few minutes later and motioned for Mair to come to her.

“Is…is the king alright?”

“Yes.  He’s fine.”

“But, he didn’t have a pulse.”

“He did.  It was very slow.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He is in a very deep sleep.  He will be fine, child.  Continue to check on him like I told you and notify me if anything changes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Reina left Mair standing by the door, praying for her king’s safety.

Well, that proves it.  The deep sleep the king had entered was a consequence of the bond he had somehow forged with Kari.  Though, how he had managed to make that bond with no knowledge of what he was doing astounded Reina.  She would be willing to bet that, wherever Kari was at that moment, she was in a similar state.  Since the bond was new, it was trying to link their minds together in a more intimate fashion.  However, she wasn’t quite sure if the distance between them was going to be an issue.  They would just have to wait and see.  Hopefully, Yunho would be able to find out where Kari had been taken so they could rescue her.  Reina prayed with all her heart that they would be able to find the girl.  She was already starting to miss her. 

            This place wasn’t like any other dreams Kari had ever had.  It seemed to be a large room of some kind, though she wasn’t sure if she was inside or not.  The ground beneath her feet felt hard, like some kind of rock.  But, there was so much fog that she couldn’t see more than a foot away from her face in any direction.  And she wasn’t about to lie down just to see what kind of surface she was standing on.  All she knew was that it was flat where she was standing and she wasn’t going to move for fear of walking into something she couldn’t see. 

“Hello?”  She called out into the darkness.  “Is anyone there?”  Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears.  There was some kind of light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once, but it was really dim.  The fog reflected a little of it, but that just made it harder to see anything.  She turned around, suddenly afraid.  Was there something in the fog with her?  What if it was something bad?  She hated not knowing!  Wait.  There was a shape in the fog.  It seemed really familiar and there was a peaceful aura emanating from it.  Could that be - ?  It was!  It had to be!

“Yunho?”

“Kari?”  Relief flushed through her.  She felt perfectly safe around him.  He wouldn’t let anything touch her.

“Yunho, where are you?”

“I’m…I’m in our bed.  In Filarin.  I think we’re dreaming.”  As he said that, she became aware of her own body on the starship with the strange man, Heka.

“I’m on a starship.  It’s travelling away from Filarin, towards people known as the Tu.  I think.  When I woke up, there was this man there.  He said that his ruling council told him I was his mate.”  Yunho was silent for a moment.  Oh, how she wished could actually see him.  All she could see was his silhouette.  It wasn’t enough.  She tried to take a step towards him.  Something wouldn’t let her legs move.  She tried to reach out to touch him, but all she felt was air.  “What’s going on?  Why can’t I reach you?”

“I think it’s because you’re too far away.  Whatever this is that’s allowing us to communicate has limits.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, Kari.  I will find you.  They can’t keep me from you forever.”  She nodded, hoping he could see the gesture. 

“How are we communicating, anyway?  I’ve never heard of someone being able to talk to someone else in their dreams.”

“I don’t know.  I just know that I fell asleep and appeared here.  Then, I saw you.  That’s all.”

“Hm…what were you doing when you fell asleep?”

“I…well…” She could almost hear his blush.  So, he had been thinking of her, had he?  She grinned.  At least he missed her. 

“Did you really mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“The last thing you said to me before I got captured.”

“Yes.”

Joy flashed through her.  He hadn’t hesitated at all.  “Say it again.  Please.”

She heard him laugh.  “Nope.  I’ll say it again next time I see you.  Besides, how am I supposed to know you feel the same?  You haven’t said it to me, yet.”  She raised an eyebrow at him before she realized that he wouldn’t be able to see that expression and sighed.

“Well, I’m not saying it until you say it again.”

“Okay.  Just be stubborn, then.”

“I will.”

“Good.”

There was silence for a moment.  Neither one of them wanted to leave, but both could feel their bodies trying to wake up.  Kari closed her eyes, not wanting to see him vanish.

“See you soon?”

“Yeah, see you soon.”