By the end of the meal Thomas was sitting on Jol’s leg, devouring a monstrous slice of chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. Iris’ eyes rolled back in her head as she ate her own portion. Not even her mother, the head chef at her family’s inn in Virginia, could have baked such an amazing cake. Ospar’s kitchen staff had outdone the best cooks Iris had known back on Earth.
Jol kept a hand on Thomas’ back, carefully balancing the wriggling child on his leg. When Thomas finished his own slice of cake and started on the Nobek’s half-eaten portion, the man chuckled and pushed the plate so that the boy could get to it easier.
“Thomas, that’s not nice,” Iris sighed.
Jol shook his head at her. “I don’t mind, but we will work on asking permission in the future.” He kept his eyes on her and seemed to consider before speaking. “Iris, a large number of records were lost in the main cities of Earth during Armageddon. I wonder if that’s why I haven’t been able to trace anything to do with you or Thomas.”
Iris felt a flare of concern, but she kept her tone light. “You’re checking up on me?”
Ospar scowled at Jol before turning his smile back on for Iris. “Don’t be offended. He’s a Nobek, and they’re always paranoid.”
Jol arched an eyebrow at his Dramok. “Not in the least. Not in this instance anyway.” He looked at Iris. “I simply thought it would be helpful to know what has already been done for Thomas. Diagnoses, treatments, the like. I was hoping to uncover his medical records.”
Iris hesitated, though she wasn’t affronted. Even if Jol had been doing a background check to make sure of her, she’d have understood. She was spending a lot of time with his Imdiko, after all. It would have been more shocking if the men hadn’t decided to look into her past, given Ospar’s status as a colony governor.
The surprise was that Jol seemed so concerned for Thomas’ welfare. It was a nice revelation, but she wasn’t sure she felt ready to let the head of security in on everything.
Trying to sound polite, Iris said, “You won’t find anything about Iris or Thomas Jenson, at least not people with those names that match our fingerprints or retina scans. I changed our identities after Armageddon, and I won’t tell you who we really are. The woman I was on Earth, for all intents and purposes, is dead.”
The three men exchanged looks that were impossible for her to read. Thomas finished off Jol’s cake, belched loudly, and offered them all a bright and happy, “Excuse me.” He slid off Jol’s leg and went back to the aquarium to watch the fish.
Jol stared at Iris. “Someone might be looking for you?”
Iris glanced at Thomas, who was now following a yellow fish back and forth along the aquarium. “His father. My husband.”
Ospar’s usual genial tone had gone low and dangerous. “The one who hit you. You said he was dead.”
Iris nodded. “He is. He was in Chicago on a business trip when the bombs went off. But I guess I’m like a Nobek with the paranoia. Without a body, I’m still looking over my shoulder. If there is a chance he survived, that he wasn’t where he was supposed to be—” she stopped and shook her head firmly. “I can’t take the risk. No one knows my real name, and I’m not going to tell it to anyone, no matter how much I trust them.”
Jol raised an eyebrow. “There are those with the talent to find your true identity, if they really wanted to know. I am one of those people. But I can respect your concerns. I have no intention of invading your privacy.”
Iris’ chest released some of its tension. “Thank you.”
Jol looked back at Thomas, who was happily chattering at the fish. “Did he ever hurt Thomas?”
“Not Thomas. I’d have killed him if he’d harmed my baby.”
Shocked at the bald anger and brutal words that had burst from her lips, Iris shut her mouth with a snap. She’d never raised a hand to anyone in her life, had even cried over dead mice in traps back on Earth. Yet she felt the truth of what she’d said. She would have killed Conrad if he’d ever taken out his rages on her son. Fortunately, her husband had never made that mistake, choosing her to bear the brunt of his violence.
Jol smiled without humor, as if discerning the run of her thoughts. “You deserve as much security for yourself, Iris.”
Iris swallowed. “He said he’d kill me if I tried to leave. I never doubted for an instant that he would.”
The faces of all three men went dark with anger. Ospar gripped the edge of the table so hard it creaked. Jol’s catlike pupils narrowed to mere slits. Iris could see them all consciously taking deep, calming breaths.
Rivek recovered first. His silk voice still betrayed an undercurrent of fury. “If the ancestors are kind, then your husband was obliterated in the blast.” He drew another deep breath and managed a smile. “Meanwhile, he did do you the one good service of giving you Thomas.”
Iris nodded, her own smile creeping back. “His one redemption.”
Ospar blew out a breath. He shook himself a little and straightened in his chair. “I like the name Iris. It is one of your Earther flowers, is it not? A beautiful one. It suits you.”
Iris felt her face warm and had to drop her eyes. In truth, she’d chosen that name for her new life because it had been her father’s favorite flower. “You’re very kind,” she said.
Jol murmured, “He speaks the truth.” He picked up his goblet of wine and raised it to her. “I believe your people have a tradition called a toast?”
“We do.” She and the other two men also raised their glasses.
Jol said, “To a new life, a new beginning, and new friends. Very good friends, I hope,” he added tilting his head and staring at her meaningfully.
“I would like that.” Iris wasn’t sure how she’d become so comfortable with these men so fast, but it was true that she wanted to remain close to them. Not simply because they’d been good to her and Thomas, but also because something in her gut said they were worth being near. Despite all Conrad’s charm when he’d courted her and the fact she really had loved him once upon a time, Iris had never gotten such a sense of rightness as she did with Ospar, Jol, and Rivek.
When Thomas suddenly ran across the room to fling himself into Jol’s waiting arms as if he’d known the big Kalquorian his entire life, she was more sure of her instincts than ever.
Chapter 6
Iris regretted the end of her lunch with Ospar’s clan. Afterwards, the three men saw her and Thomas to her snow crawler. Rivek reminded her that she and Thomas were due back at the temple in three days, and Ospar immediately insisted they all get together for lunch again.
“We’d also like to have you over for dinner sometime, when we’ll have more time to visit and no one has to run off to work,” he added.
Jol mused, “When the visiting councilman has left, perhaps we can take an entire day. Has Thomas been skiing yet?”
Iris got excited at the idea of enjoying some winter sports. She hadn’t done such things in years. Certainly building snowmen and snow forts with Thomas didn’t count. “No. I didn’t realize Kalquorians ski.”
Ospar seemed delighted. “We call it molik. There are some differences between our methods and yours, but it’s basically the same idea.”
With that tentative plan in place, Iris took her leave of the clan’s grand home, which was every bit as luxurious as her mansion back on Earth had been. She was relieved Thomas had been on his best behavior. They’d gotten out of there without him having broken anything.
She easily drove the crawler down the packed snow trail. The lanes heading home wound between thick stands of trees. As they meandered down the twisting paths, her thoughts shuttled between the wonderful morning and lunch she’d had and getting Thomas settled down for reading and math lessons that afternoon. Iris noted the overcast sky, but even the thought of more snow couldn’t chase away her good feelings. She caught herself wondering why Ospar’s clan hadn’t added a Matara yet.
Okay, it was a bit soon to be thinking along those lines. Wasn’t it?
<
br /> Iris looked over at her son, who was happily settled in the seat next to hers, a slight smile curling his lips. Bundled in his layers of clothes, Thomas played with the train he and Copin had made together, chattering happily to it. His voice was low, getting lost for the most part in the purring growl of the crawler. Whether Copin could help Thomas with his outbursts or not, there was no doubt in Iris’ mind that the Kalquorian had a positive effect on Thomas. Even simple kindness was a treasure when it came to her child.
Iris rounded a bend in the trees. She yelped in surprise and brought the crawler to a jerking stop. The abrupt movement would have put Thomas on the floor of the vehicle if he’d not been belted in. Her arm shot out to instinctively catch him while she stared at the line of men blocking the trail.
The four men were Earther size. They wore woolen masks that covered all but their eyes and mouths. They were armed with percussion blasters. A small shuttle waited behind them.
They stared at her through the windshield and raised their blasters. One yelled, “Get out of the crawler! Get out now!”
Iris moved fast, unbuckling Thomas’ belt and shoving him to the floor. “Down Thomas! Danger! Stay down!”
Frightened, Thomas screamed. Iris started to put the crawler into reverse until she saw the second shuttle land behind them, blocking their path. With trees on either side, they were trapped.
Iris scrambled to unlock her restraint. She got her belt loose and slid down beneath the control panel, seeing the line of men in front of them moving towards the crawler as she crouched. She shoved her gloved hand into her coat pocket, searching desperately for the emergency com that would alert Jol.
At first she couldn’t find it. Her fingers stabbed frantically in the pocket and finally stubbed against the hard rectangle. She pulled it out as the first masked man peered in at them through the clear door on Thomas’ side.
Iris pushed the com button. “Jol, the E.I.K. has stopped me! They have blasters!”
The door behind her crouched figure flew open and rough hands grabbed the collar of her coat. Iris screamed. She was jerked out of the crawler and thrown to the hard, snow-packed ground. The com went flying out of sight.
Thomas screamed in terror. “Mommy! No hurt Mommy!”
A masculine voice said, “Get the brat and put him in our shuttle.”
Thomas’ door opened and hands reached for her son. Adrenaline surged, and Iris sprang to her feet, launching herself back towards the crawler to grab for Thomas. “Don’t you touch him!”
Hands grabbed her again, throwing her to the ground once more. Thomas squalled and kicked as two men yanked him from the vehicle.
Iris fought to rise again. Hard shoves kept knocking her back down. “Leave him alone!” she screamed.
“Shut up, traitor whore. You’re in enough trouble already.”
Thomas fought as hard as his mother, swinging and kicking and doing everything in his power to break free. He was hysterical, lending him extra strength, but the six-year-old was no match for two grown men. Cursing, they wrapped their arms around his legs and body, pinning his arms to his sides.
Meanwhile, Iris battled with all she had to get to him and protect him. Something Rivek had told her during their lesson this morning rang in her head: “Remember, the skull is much harder than your fists.” It was sound advice, and Iris used it. The next time she was knocked to her knees, she drove the top of her head into one man’s crotch. His high-pitched scream and the sight of him dropping flat on his ass as he curled in tight on himself gave Iris a moment of mean joy. It was shortlived, however, with two of the men dragging Thomas away towards the waiting shuttle. He’d managed to break loose a little, and they were forced to pull him across the ground by his armpits.
Iris redoubled her efforts to get to her son. She was knocked flat on her face by a hard blow between her shoulders. She choked on bitingly cold snow filling her nose and mouth. The attack didn’t stop her, however. Not with Thomas in danger. Fueled by furious terror, she lurched to her hands and knees immediately, crawling forward, refusing to stop in her efforts to get to her shrieking child.
Behind her, someone yelled, “Bitch!”
One of the men dragging Thomas paused. “I hear a shuttle coming.” His voice turned panicky. “We’ve got to abort the mission.”
“No way! We’ve got to take the kid. Whore needs to be punished and all that money—”
“We can’t spend it if we’re locked up, tortured by the Kalqs! We gotta go, man. Leave them!”
As they argued, their voices getting more uncertain and panicked, Thomas broke free of his captors. He got to his feet and ran for Iris, his mouth wide with a scream. “Mommy!”
“He’s right. They ain’t worth it. I’m out of here.”
As someone ran past Iris, he shoved her back down. Thudding feet followed, and she saw Thomas pushed to the ground too as they ran for their shuttle. Thomas sat where he fell, screwed his eyes up tight, and let loose with body-quaking sobs. Tears poured down his cheeks.
Iris pushed to her feet and flailed her way towards him. The thrum of the two shuttles powering up and racing away was unimportant. The deeper hum of Kalquorian shuttles arriving also failed to make much of an impression as Iris finally reached her crying son. She sank to her knees next to him and gathered him in her arms. He clutched at her, burying his face against her breast.
She rocked him back and forth. “You’re okay. You’re okay, Thomas. You’re okay.” Iris didn’t think he could hear her over his cries, but she was talking more to herself anyway.
Deep voices shouted in an alien tongue, drawing near. Iris sat back on her butt so she could wrap arms and legs around Thomas, so she could hide him and shield him from harm. Then there were gentle hands stroking her hair and arms. The calming thunder of Jol’s voice descended over her.
“Iris, I’m here. Let me look at you two.”
She didn’t respond. She curled tighter than ever around her son. Jol was here. He and Iris would keep Thomas safe. No one would touch her baby.
A firm but careful hand squirmed under her chin and forced her head back. Jol’s dark, savage face filled her vision. “Let me see. I need to check for injuries.”
He peeled her arms off Thomas long enough to do just that. Thomas whimpered and burrowed even tighter against Iris. Jol couldn’t get a good look at the boy that way, so he settled for running his hands over his arms, legs, ribs, and head. As soon as he stopped, Iris enfolded Thomas once more, though she kept her gaze on Jol.
He caressed her cheek. “Neither of you is hurt?”
Wondering that she could speak, Iris said, “No. They tried to take him away, but you came. You came.” Tears flooded her vision for an instant.
“Of course I came. How many of them were there?”
Iris swallowed. “At least five, I think. Maybe more, because I didn’t see how many got out of the second shuttle.”
“Did you get a look at them?”
“Their faces were covered. I don’t know who they were. The masks muffled their voices, and I didn’t recognize them.”
Jol nodded. One muscled arm went around her shoulders, and the other moved beneath her knees and Thomas’ rump. “Hold onto him. I’m getting you out of here. It’s going to be all right.”
He scooped them up as if they weighed nothing and stood up straight. In his staccato, barking language, Jol spoke to the dozen or so white-suited men who were going over the area like a strange species of albino ants. One answered, and all dipped quick nods at him. They went back to work as Jol carried Iris and Thomas to the snow crawler.
He settled them in the passenger seat and strapped them in. Then he got in on the driver’s side, put the crawler in gear, and backed it away from the scene. After he’d cleared the area, he turned the vehicle around and drove down the trail.
Thomas peeked out and looked at Jol. His musical voice, even in the midst of sobs, was the sweetest thing Iris had heard. “Hi Jol.”
Jol turned
his head to regard the boy. “Hello, Thomas. Are you all right?”
“All better. Go home now?” he asked plaintively.
“I’m taking you back to my home. Where the fish are. Do you want to see the fish again, Thomas?”
“Yes. Go see Jol’s fish. Where’s train?”
Thomas twisted and pointed at the floor. He and Iris couldn’t move for the restraint, but Jol leaned over and scooped up the train where it had been dropped. He handed it to Thomas.
Thomas clasped the train to his chest. Then he huddled against Iris again, moaning, “Train is okay. Train is okay,” over and over, all the way back to the clan’s home.
It took only a few minutes to reach the clan’s grand home, its lack of windows disguised by the ivy-like growth crawling over the walls. Jol pulled the snow crawler into the bay that contained three small personal shuttles and a larger one that could comfortably seat ten. He plucked a still shuddering Thomas from Iris’ lap and carried him into the house that they’d so recently left. Iris followed, trotting to keep up with Jol’s long stride. Later she thought he’d forced her to hurry so she wouldn’t be able to think too much about what had happened.
They stepped into the greeting room just inside the front entrance. Iris’ home on Earth had had a foyer, but this room was much too big and grand to be considered anything as paltry as a mere reception area. This was where visitors congregated when a function or party was held. The dining room was the next room over, and the nearby lavatory finished off the public section of the house. The rest was all private.
The greeting room had seven different seating areas, everything from the immense floor cushion seating Kalquorians seemed to prefer, to plush Plasian type loungers with sculpted curved backs. Thick, woven rugs from Joshada brightened the polished white stone floor with jewel-toned colors. Real artwork, not vids, decorated the lighting paneled walls.
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