CHAPTER 8
“Are you out of your mind?” Lillith screeched. “You’re supposed to be undercover! You’ll have to kill him now. I’d do it, but someone might notice the beam. And I’ll have to report this to Dr. Daniels immediately.”
Eek!
“Just wait,” I told her hastily. “We need to see what his reaction is before I do anything rash like murder him.” My entire body went into mourning at just the thought of wasting such a glorious male specimen. Plus, I wasn’t at all sure I could actually kill someone deliberately and in cold blood.
From my shoulder, Peri leaned forward and cooed softly. Reynard’s gaze swung to her and he studied her intently before looking back at me.
“You’re like that Smith woman, aren’t you? And your creature is a dragon bird. I’ve suspected as much since you downed Furgan and ripped the castle door off. Now your speed proves it.”
My mouth dropped open, and then closed with an audible snap as irritation washed over me. Frag Kiera Smith! Even here, on a banned world, she was ruining my life.
“How do you know about Kiera Smith?”
He hesitated and then sighed. “Black marketeers are allowed to bring books to the king’s brother. I also read them. One was this Smith woman’s journal.”
“Yes,” I reluctantly admitted. “I’m like Kiera Smith, only I’m not an empath.” Now that I thought about it, maybe the fact that he’d read her journal would make my life easier. He already knew about the Limantti, or Mother Stone, so he wouldn’t think I was making the story up out of space dust.
“Why are you here? The king has forbidden this world to the Federation.”
I glanced around at the people passing on the other side of the trees as they enjoyed the gathering. We were out of earshot, but the longer we stood here, the more attention we’d draw, and I couldn’t take a chance on someone strolling over to see why an unescorted Bashalde woman was alone with a Gadjee. As it was, they probably thought we were negotiating for sexual favors.
One man in particular seemed to be watching us closely as he strolled on the other side of the trees, and I blinked. There was something familiar about him. I narrowed my eyes to see him better, and then shook my head. What would Losif Strand, leader of Helios One, be doing at a Bashalde gathering? And how would he have got here without Lillith spotting his ship? Must be my imagination. I forced my attention back to Reynard.
“Look, I’ll be more than happy to tell you everything, but not here. There’s too much chance that someone might overhear. For now, you’ll just have to take my word that the situation is desperate or I wouldn’t be on Madrea.”
“Then we will return to Kent’s home.”
“No. I have to see Chief Lowden, remember?”
“Why?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
I held up my fingers and ticked my points off. “One, because you told him about me and got me invited to this party. And two, the man who just threw a knife at me went into the chief’s tent.”
He reached for my arm again, his grip tight. “You saw him? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t see him. My ship did. She tracked his movements to Chief Lowden. She said he’s average height and weight, has dark hair, and is wearing a light shirt and dark pants.”
“Right,” Lillith snorted. “Spill your guts. And be sure to tell him all about your closet full of gaudy jumpsuits while you’re at it. I’m sure he’ll be fascinated.”
“Oh, shut up,” I mumbled under my breath. Reynard, who had automatically looked up when I mentioned my ship, refocused his attention on me.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing. I was talking to Lillith, my ship. She’s not real happy with me at the moment.”
“Where is this ship?”
“Right above us, acting like space trash.” I smiled sweetly when Lillith let out an indignant sputter. Two could play the sarcasm game, and I wasn’t about to let her win. “We really need to find Marcus now,” I added. “We’ve been here too long.”
I started to turn, but he stopped me.
“Wait. One more question. Does Kent know who you are?”
It was my turn to hesitate. Marcus’s secrets were his own, and I had no right to cause him problems. On the other hand, the commander seemed unusually talented when it came to picking out my lies. I decided part of the truth would be my best bet.
“He knows who I am and why I’m here, but he isn’t on the Federation’s payroll.” Being recompensed for expenses didn’t count in my book, so it was mostly the truth.
Reynard studied me for a moment, then nodded and took my arm to assist me up the slope and back into the gathering. “A word of advice,” he murmured just before we merged with the crowd. “Tell no one else who you are, and if Chief Lowden challenges you, don’t accept; find a way to avoid showing off your skills. From what I’ve seen, you’re an even better fighter than August was reputed to be, and much stronger than a normal female. There’s no need to verify what they must suspect.”
I couldn’t stop the smile playing around my lips. The commander was on my side, whether he realized it or not. He could have immediately called for my arrest, but he hadn’t. Instead he was giving me tips on how to keep my secret from Lowden.
“Don’t look so smug,” he told me, his thumb gently rubbing my skin, raising goose bumps in its wake. “I may still arrest you. I’m reserving judgment until I hear the whole story.”
My smile promptly vanished as I glared at him. “Don’t tell me you’re a damn mind reader, too?”
“No.” He smiled. “You just have a very expressive face.”
Oh, wonderful. Didn’t every agent want to hear that anything she thought showed up on her face? More proof that Alien Affairs had put me in the wrong job.
While I was scowling over that remark, we reached the baker’s tent, where Marcus was waiting for us, chatting with an elderly Bashalde man outside the entrance. He didn’t so much as arch a brow in my direction, so I knew Lillith had kept him updated on what I’d told the commander.
Both men stopped talking as we joined them and the elderly gentleman smiled at me. “Marcus, will you introduce me to my young cousin?”
Cousin? Schite! Since August was a Gadjee, the man must be related on my “mother’s” side, and I had no idea Rilyana had living relatives.
Marcus lifted a hand to my arm. “Echo, allow me to introduce Jancen, the head of the Lovara family. He’s a distant relative of your mother’s. Jancen, my ward, Echo.”
Jancen gripped my shoulders and planted a peck on each of my cheeks. “Welcome, child, welcome.” He beamed with pleasure as he released me. “I could only be happier if you had come to us instead of this reprobate when your father died.”
I liked him, I decided. Even though he was slightly stooped and the skin on his hands was wrinkled and thin enough to show the blue veins, he exuded kindness and the spirit of someone much younger. If it were possible for me, a GEP, to claim relatives, I could do worse than this nice old man.
“Now, Jancen,” Marcus interrupted my thoughts. “I told you that it was August’s last wish that she come to me. Echo is merely honoring her father.”
“That doesn’t mean she can’t visit whenever she likes.” His watery blue eyes twinkled with merriment. “Just send me a message, child, and I’ll arrange an escort to our camp. You can stay as long as you wish.”
“Thank you.” I returned his smile. “I’ll take it into consideration.”
Satisfied with my answer, he turned his attention to Reynard. “Well, Commander, have you managed to sway the king from his stance yet?”
“Unfortunately, he remains steadfast in his refusal to open the planet to the Federation, Jancen. I’m afraid nothing will change his mind.”
I was so surprised I could barely grasp what I’d just heard. The commander wanted Madrea opened? Why? I couldn’t ask him now, so I settled for asking Jancen.
“Why do you want the planet opened?”
“For trade, of course.” He twinkled at me. “It’s our life, our very blood. You’ve lived too long with a Gadjee, or you would know this. Every cycle at gathering, Chief Lowden and the heads of the families petition the king to reopen Madrea. We consider the commander our best ally in this goal, since he advises Politaus. To our regret, the king has so far refused to heed our pleas, but we continue to try.” He shrugged. “Maybe next cycle we will succeed.”
Now that was interesting. I’d been under the impression that everyone in power on Madrea was in agreement about the ban. And I was pretty sure the Federation had no clue, either, or it would have been mentioned in the data Dr. Daniels had given me.
I was so busy thinking about the ramifications of this revelation that it took a moment before I realized something was wrong with my surroundings. They were taking a slow, stately spin to the right. Tents, people, grass, everything was moving. And no one else seemed to notice.
Brow furrowed in puzzlement, I stared at the phenomenon, ignoring Peri’s sudden squawk as she fluttered frantically on my shoulder. What the fritch was going on?
“Echo?” The commander’s grip on my arm tightened, and his voice seemed to come from a long tunnel. I could hear the alarm in it, but I couldn’t respond.
Black seeped into the edges of my vision, blocking out the sunlight, and at the same time, the Imadei, safely tucked under my top, gave a violent pulse. Instinctively, I lifted a hand to grasp the stone. With no time to brace, I was suddenly somewhere else, somewhere dark and full of pain. Somewhere so alien I couldn’t get my balance. A weak cry that was a combination of my fear and confusion, mixed with the frantic emotions that bombarded me from every direction, escaped from deep inside me.
At the same time, I could feel the commander supporting my body, hear the distant babble of voices as I collapsed. I pushed those impressions away, needing all my strength to cope with what was happening in the dark.
Where, I thought frantically. Where am I?
Dark. The response was so loud I winced, even though it wasn’t aimed at me. Hurt!
The tone was impossibly young, that of a mere child, and yet there was nothing human about it. Every emotion it emitted vibrated with enough power to reduce Madrea to a dust cloud with one thought.
Holy Zin, it was the Sumantti! At the same instant I realized who it was, it became aware of me.
WHO ARE YOU?
I cringed in agony at the force of the question. Please! Stop. I’m here to help you. The Limantti sent me.
The Mother? This time the tone was slightly calmer, questioning, and I felt the desparate longing flowing from the crystal. The Mother sent you? There was a brief hesitation, then a sense of surety. You are not a Shushanna.
No, but the Limantti gave me something to help. It’s called the Imadei, and it lets me act as your Shushanna even though I haven’t been prepared.
GET ME OUT!
A scream welled in my throat as the strength of the command speared through my mind, and I had to fight to retain consciousness. I’m trying, I told her. But you’re hurting me. You have to stay calm.
I’m sorry. The tone was contrite now, like a child who’d been chastised.
That’s better, I assured her. Just don’t yell. Do you know where you are?
Dark. A weird sound came from around me, one I interpreted as pain. They won’t let me out.
Can’t you get yourself out? This was important, because from what Dr. Daniels had said, they hadn’t known if the Sumantti was stolen or if it had fled on its own. That meant it should be capable of escape.
Tried. Tried many times. Can’t get out, can’t move.
Mentally, I took a deep breath. Okay, anything you can tell me may help me find you. Have you been able to send out colonies?
No, they can’t go out, either. Only humans can move. They bring unprepared Shushannas. Hurts. Another whimper of pain echoed in the darkness as my blood chilled.
How many Shushannas have they brought?
Four, four have tried. I reach out for them, but then they go away. Now there is another, stronger than the others, but still unprepared. I can feel her nearby.
Listen to me, I told her urgently. Since this girl has not been prepared by the crystals to become a Shushanna, she will die if you try to bond with her. That’s why it hurts. When they bring her to you, do not reach out. You have to trust me. I will find you, and I will get you away from the people who have you now.
When?
I don’t know. I don’t know where you are, but I’m going to keep looking. Just be patient. The Mother wishes it, I added on a stroke of genius. It was the only thing I could think of that might keep this powerful, unruly child in check.
There was a hesitation, then a tired sigh. I will try.
I needed to get my mind and body back together, fast. The thought was barely formed when there was a twisting motion in the darkness, and suddenly I was alone.
My return to consciousness wasn’t a slow spiral upward, but an abrupt, fully alert awakening. It was a good thing, too, because my room in Marcus’s house was full of concerned people. What if I’d blurted out something I shouldn’t have?
When my eyes did pop open, I almost screamed. Peri was gripping a section of the headboard with her hind feet, dangling upside down so she could stare at my face. From two inches away. Assured that I was awake, she gave a merry gurgle, flipped over, and flew to perch on the windowsill, where she could keep an eye on the proceedings.
The commander was sitting beside me, holding my hand tightly while Leddy waved something that smelled Zin-awful under my nose. Near the end of the bed, Marcus and Jancen stared at me, worry clear in their expressions.
Even Treya was there, glaring at the way Reynard hovered over me.
The room was small to start with. Now it was so tightly packed I barely had space to breathe.
Pushing Leddy’s nasty concoction away, I sat up and swung my legs off the bed. “I’m fine. Really, I’m good. Did I faint? How did I get back here?”
Maybe if I babbled out enough questions it would distract them from the ones I didn’t want asked. Questions I wasn’t at all sure I could answer, even if I wanted to. Surreptitiously, I touched the Imadei with my free hand and barely stopped myself from biting my lip. I’d expected the stone to do something, just not this, and I wasn’t sure how to react.
Reynard arched a brow at me, then let go of my hand and stood. “Apparently the knife attack affected you more than we believed. When you fainted, I carried you back here. Jancen sent a messenger to Chief Lowden, explaining why you couldn’t keep your appointment to meet with him.”
He was covering for me. Probably wanted to grill me all by himself and then toss me in the dungeon, I thought sourly.
“Did someone really throw a knife at you?” Treya asked, her eyes wide.
“It missed me by this much,” I told her, holding my fingers a centimeter apart.
“I don’t understand. Why would anyone want to kill you?”
Marcus patted her shoulder. “We think it might be someone who had a grudge against Echo’s father. Since August is dead, he’s taking his anger out on Echo.”
“If it’s one of our people, I will find the culprit,” Jancen said. “It’s a disgrace to attack a woman, and they’ll be punished accordingly.” The twinkle in his eyes had turned to a steely glint and his voice held a menacing note. Suddenly I could see why he was head of the Lovara family and on the chief’s council.
There was a clatter from the front room, and Leddy looked toward the door. “There’s Bim. I sent him for soup.” She waved her hands in a shooing motion. “Now, everyone out. Echo may think she’s fine, but she needs to rest and eat.”
Everyone filed out except the commander. He gave Leddy a dark stare, daring her to object. “I’m staying. I’ll see to it she eats.”
We both waited silently until the door in the front room banged closed, then I stood and checked to make sure everyone was really gone. The commander followed me into the main room, watching as I peeked out the front window. Peri was close behind us. She landed on the table, strutting its length while she cooed at the commander.
Marcus, Leddy, and Treya were heading next door to the Terpsichore, and Jancen toward the gathering. Bim stood solidly at the end of the crushed stone walk with his back to the house, thick arms crossed over his chest as he suspiciously watched every male who went by. As if one look at the axe strapped across his back wouldn’t scare away any sane person, innocent or guilty.
Forcing a smile, I turned. “Alone at last.” And then sputtered in shock as Reynard crossed to me in two strides, lifted me in his arms, and let his lips crash down on mine.
For a surprised minute, I just hung on and tried to keep breathing. Then, as he gentled the assault, his mouth moving against mine, I decided breathing was overrated anyway.
The room blurred around us and time seemed to stop. Without knowing how it happened, my arms were around his neck, and I was returning the kiss with all the passion I’d felt since I first laid eyes on him.
The heat he roused had me tingling from my toes to the top of my head. I was dizzy with need, and more than ready to head back to the bedroom.
A groan sounded from deep in his throat, and he drew back, lightly nipping my lower lip as he went. It was hard to tell which of us was more shaken, him or me.
I’d been kissed before, naturally. Lots of times. Kissing was pretty much de rigueur in the Department of Protocol. I’d had friendly kisses, serious kisses, nice-to-see-you kisses, even let’s-find-a-dark-spot-fast kisses. But none of them caused the turmoil inside me that Reynard’s kiss had, and it was a little scary.
Trying for nonchalant and failing miserably, I gazed up at him. “Does this mean you aren’t going to arrest me after all?”
His mouth turned up on one side in a half smile. “I’m reserving judgment. But I’ve wanted to get my hands on you from the minute I first saw you, sneaking into my room. Today, when you suddenly went limp, I thought I’d permanently been denied the opportunity. I wasn’t going to waste this second chance.”
His arms were still around me and I was leaning into his hard, muscled body, in no hurry to move. “Scared you, huh? Well, apparently, I’m pretty hard to kill, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Apparently? You aren’t sure?” Reluctantly, he released me and stepped back to put some distance between us.
I clasped my hands behind my back to keep from reaching for him again. “Oh, I’m sure now. But I didn’t realize I was like Kiera Smith until very recently.”
That eyebrow arched again. “How could you not know?”
With a shrug I walked over to examine the soup Bim had brought. It smelled wonderful and I suddenly realized I was hungry. “Because no one told me, and my job with the Department of Protocol didn’t require me to perform feats of superhuman strength, move at super speeds, or get into life-threatening situations that would require me to heal near-fatal wounds to my person. And if anything out of the ordinary had happened, I probably would have just chalked it up to being a normal GEP.”
I ladled up two bowls of thick chunky soup and gestured to the chair across from me. When we were seated, I continued. “Then, when I was transferred to the Bureau of Alien Affairs and went into training, I thought the instructors they assigned to me were simply inferior.” Taking my first taste of the spicy stew, I chewed thoughtfully for a second. “Maybe I really didn’t want to know, because the signs were there during training. I just ignored them. It wasn’t until I’d completed training that Kiera Smith suggested I was probably like her, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t prepared to believe anything she told me.”
“You know her?” Reynard had paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth when I mentioned her name.
“We’ve met.” I scowled at him. “And if you start telling me how wonderful she is, this soup is going to end up on your head.”
He merely smiled and continued eating for two beats. “You said you were not an empath like her.”
“That’s right.” I was still scowling, and I’d lost my appetite.
“Then what is your mental ability?”
The spoon I was holding hit the bowl with a clatter. “I don’t have one. No one can make me have one, I don’t care how much Marcus goes on about verge sickness or how Lillith keeps insisting the tests say I do. If I had a psi ability I’d know it.”
“The same way you knew you had these other abilities?”
I leaned back and crossed my arms in irritation. Why did everyone want me to have psi ability? “It’s not the same at all.”
He took in my closed-off posture and slowly nodded. “Tell me why you’re here.”
With a sigh of relief at the subject change, I told him about the Sumantti, how we were sure now it had been stolen, about the Imadei choosing me, and how it had indicated the Daughter Stone was on Madrea. He listened patiently, never interrupting, and it was with some surprise that I realized I’d finished my soup while I talked.
For a moment after I completed the story, his fingertips drummed the table and he stared fixedly off into some distant place I couldn’t see. Finally, his gaze returned to me.
“King Politaus is an honest man. He would have nothing to do with stealing the Sumantti. Is there a reason you believe it’s in the castle?”
“Logic, for the most part,” I told him. “The ordinary people on Madrea wouldn’t even know the crystal existed, much less have a way to steal it. It has to be someone with power, enough power and opportunity to put men aboard a Federation vessel and then arrange their escape from that vessel with the Sumantti. Believe me, it wouldn’t be an easy feat. Any other ship approaching a Federation vessel would be treated as an adversary until they could prove differently, and then they’d still be closely watched. The most sensible option would be to have a man planted on the ship as a crewmember. If he found some way to contain the Sumantti, he could pass it off at one of the ports when the ship docked. I think that’s what happened, and it would take someone with power and influence to pull it off.”
That reminded me of something. “Lillith,” I subvocalized. “Can you find out where Kiera Smith is? I need to talk to her.”
“Of course. One second, please.” I’d barely drawn a breath when she replied, “Max is currently jumping from ZT Twelve to Orpheus Two. Their estimated time of arrival is late tonight, our time. We should be able to contact them first thing tomorrow.”
While talking to a ship during jump wasn’t impossible, the lag made it damn annoying. I resigned myself to waiting.
Unaware of my side conversation, Reynard continued. “That still doesn’t mean it was the king. There are others on Medrea who have the power to do something like this.”
“Like who?” I asked.
“Chief Lowden, for one, or the heads of the Bashalde families. There are even those among the king’s court who might manage the theft.”
I reached across the table and covered his hand with mine. “Reynard, I know you owe the king a lot and that you’re loyal to him. But even if he didn’t actively participate in the theft, he has to know about it. Not only does he order people to stay inside on the nights they arrive, the ships bringing the girls are landing behind the castle, and the children are taken inside.”
He stiffened, his gaze sharpening as he pulled his hand from mine. “What children?”
“The Sumantti is useless to whoever has her without a Shushanna to wield the crystal’s power,” I reminded him. “Whoever has the stone knows that. They’ve been bringing in young girls with psi ability and forcing them to make the attempt. But without being prepared by the Orpheus crystals, anyone trying to use it will die. So far, they’ve killed four girls. Two more were brought the same night I arrived.”
“How do you know?”
“I know because Lillith tracked the last ship from the instant it came out of hyper-drive. She recorded its landing, and the party who debarked, and she scanned the children, one of whom appeared to be drugged. The information is now permanently stored in her archives.”
“And the other four? She saw them also?”
“No, I got that data from another source.”
“You will tell me who this source is.”
His tone indicated he would brook no argument, but I hesitated. So far I hadn’t told anyone about my conversation with the Sumantti. Oh, what the hell. I’d already told him enough to ensure I was fragged if he didn’t believe me. Might as well trust him with the rest, especially since I needed all the help I could get.
I inhaled slowly and then let it out. “You know when I fainted today? Well, I didn’t really faint. The Imadei made contact with the Daughter Stone. I was talking to her, and she told me four girls had attempted to become her Shushanna, but that they all went away. The Sumantti is very young and I don’t think she realized the girls were dying. She promised me she’d try not to reach out for this next one, but I’m not sure she can help herself. She said one of the girls feels stronger than the others.”
Lillith let out a screech that had me wincing. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“Because I haven’t had time,” I told her, watching Reynard.
He stood so abruptly the chair almost turned over, and began to pace around the room. “This is an abomination,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “It must be stopped immediately.” His hands fisted as he turned to face me again. “Did the Sumantti tell you where the girls were being held?”
“No, she doesn’t know. It’s dark and for some reason she can’t send out colonies.”
“And what of the children?”
Again I hesitated, and then sighed. “I think they’re in the castle somewhere. A few days ago I tried to use the Imadei to locate the Daughter Stone and instead, I saw the girls. They were in a small room with only a bed. There were no windows, so I couldn’t tell where it was located.”
“It must be an inside room, then, or below ground in a cell.”
He spun and marched toward the door. I caught him just as he reached for the handle. “Wait! Where are you going?”
He looked at me as though the answer should be obvious. “To organize a search for the girls, of course.”