by Viola Grace
"Kros, I see you have found her. Lady, this is the human you were looking for."
Where she had expected to see an arrogant slice of humanity, she was confronted by a small defeated male who looked at her with hope. "Can you really take me back to Earth?"
"Of course. It is why I am here."
"Can we go now? I am really not very happy with this place."
The other male gave the impression of maturity. He inclined his silver head, the bright violet of his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Lady, I am Dekkin, consul to Dihmal."
"Opalite, agent of the D. A. R. E. project." She grinned as he took her hand in his own and raised it to his lips.
Kronos growled. "Knock it off, Dekkin. Opalite, before you leave, I need to speak to you."
She nodded and David spoke. "I want to return home now!"
There was the arrogance that she had been waiting for. He even stamped his foot.
"You will wait a moment. I have never spoken with my own species before and you will not ruin this for me." Her words were a hiss to her own ears, but she followed Kronos to the balcony where he took her in his arms.
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then whispered in her ear. "He will make trouble for you when you return. If I do not hear of you walking the worlds within a week, I will come for you."
His words were heated, but they rang in the depths of her soul. "Thank you. If this goes sideways, it is nice to know that there is someone looking for me."
"Always and forever." Kronos pressed a kiss on her forehead and ran a hand down her spine. "Now, go before I change my mind and keep you here."
She smiled. "You would have a fight on your hands."
"And I might enjoy it."
Opalite felt a solid warmth within her as she returned to say farewell to Dekkin. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Anytime you tire of Kros, you can come and spend time with me. I promise to be the perfect host." He bowed gracefully, the marks on his face giving him the fierce aspect that belied his ideal manners.
"Okay, David. We shall go now." She opened the dimensional portal and escorted him through.
Janus was still on duty and he looked at her in shock as she escorted David Everhart through the portal.
"Agent Opalite reporting with completed retrieval." She unbuckled her stunners and darts, handing over her scanner.
The guards were saluting her retrieval and it came as a complete shock to her when he spun and pointed a finger at her. "They were holding me prisoner and she is one of them!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Opalite said with a scowl. "You of all people should know that I am here every minute of my existence that I am not on assignment." She turned to Janus then almost gave a relived sigh when she saw Dr. Vasser standing just behind him and to his left.
"Don't believe a word she says." Mr. Everhart pointed at her and spat on the floor. "I don't know what she is, or what they are, but they all had those strange markings and those devil eyes." Her retrieval cast his gaze around the room wildly. "You have to believe me."
Ignoring the tech, she addressed the doctor. "Sir, the man had been kept prisoner by the locals on the other world. He's not…" she paused, hoping her words would sway the doctor. "He's not himself." She stood tall, with her hands behind her back, waiting for the doctor's verdict.
"How long did they hold you captive?"
"She," Everhart paused to point at Opalite. "She and her people held me captive since I got there."
"That was over a year ago." Dr. Vasser sighed. "Don't be difficult, David. Opalite can't possibly be one of those who has held you all this time. Her first time off world was only a few months ago."
"It was her, I tell you. She's one of them."
Dr. Vasser's jaw flexed. "Opalite, please allow yourself to be taken into custody while we examine the charges Mr. Everhart is laying against you. As a team member, you are subject to the same strictures of misconduct as the rest of us."
Opalite was seething with irritation but let the security officers surround her. They marched her down a hall and into one of the holding areas on the level below the launch zones.
Alone in the cell, she let out a stream of curses that she had picked up in her travels.
"One stupid human and my life hangs in the balance." Opalite made a fist and slammed it into the concrete wall.
The dent was satisfying but did not alleviate her problem. Being known to consort with her own kind was going to get her grounded.
It was two hours later when Sela arrived with a folded set of clothing over one arm. It seemed that someone realized that she was still wearing her leathers.
"Hello, Sela. How has your day been? Mine has been a little disappointing thus far."
Sela laughed. "I can see that. Mr. Everhart is showing cracks, by the way."
Opalite took the clothing and turned her back to the security camera. She stripped out of her leathers and was standing barefoot in her cell while her friend folded her clothing and picked up the boots.
"I am not surprised. If he is anything like the humans that run this facility, he is not equipped to be denied his goals."
Sela looked around her and made a shushing motion. Opalite rolled her eyes but kept quiet.
"It isn't known how long they will keep you here, but I am allowed to keep an eye on you as well as bring you your meals."
"Excellent. Is there anything for me to read?"
"I will bring you an education unit. Are you really all right?"
Opalite looked at the woman who took care of her day after day. "I am really all right. This will give me some time to meditate and keep myself calm. You know how I get."
If Opalite had ever seen her mother's expression, she imagined that it would look a lot like Sela's.
"I do know. Keep calm and I will be back in half an hour. Please remember that the scanners are going full bore. They will catch anything that you decide to show or tell them. It can and will be used against you when they figure out how to arrange a hearing."
Opalite nodded and her keeper walked away with the clothing that was the marks of her office. She felt strangely bereft without her leather armor, but with nothing else to do, she folded herself into a meditation posture and took a deep breath.
Her mother touched her mind lightly but receded when she felt the concentrated silence of Opalite's thoughts.
Alone in her calm, Opalite let her mind wander. A smile graced her lips when she wondered idly what Kronos was doing right then.
* * * *
"What do you mean, Opalite has been arrested? They have no right to take one of ours and restrict them." Kronos was furious, but he was having trouble concentrating with the presence of Opalite in front of him with blazing topaz eyes that instructed him that this was one of her sisters.
Kirai was the other confirmation. He was watching Kronos closely. There was no way another male was getting to his mate and he was on full alert to keep anyone from trying.
"When she took that human back to Earth, they arrested her. Mother says he is blaming her for something that you did."
Kronos ran his hands through his hair and looked at Dekkin. "Would you care to field this one?"
Dekkin flushed under his tan. "We didn't incarcerate him. We merely didn't allow him to interfere in our society. That was apparently his design when he arrived and we spoiled his little plan."
Kronos sighed. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing. We allowed him to come and join our community but only as a regular citizen. He wanted to dictate rights and organizational strictures. We told him no. He did not appreciate that, so he was under house arrest for the remaining months of his stay. He had housekeepers, guests but was not allowed to leave."
"Who paid for his housekeepers?"
Dekkin inclined his head, "The city. He was made a guest and his citizenship revoked after his first six months. After that, he got far more vocal in his comments about the infrastructure. He had to be given away time."
>
Topaz sighed. "On Earth they call that a time out."
"Whatever it was, he didn't like it."
Kronos watched as Topaz closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened her lids again, she nodded. "Mother is giving the news to Opalite. She will do what she can with it."
Kronos closed his eyes for a moment in a bid for patience. While tortured, he had been able to keep the fury from eating him whole, but now that Opalite was on the line, he was far less sanguine.
He gave himself two days to remain calm and serene. After that, anything was possible as long as Opalite was safe and sound. If the humans harmed her, they would find themselves dealing with a dragon whose very nature could bend time itself.
Chapter Five
Opalite shifted in the chair. Thirty-six hours after her incarceration, she was facing a group of human doctors, techs and bureaucrats.
Sela stood near the far exit and bit her nails, a habit that was as endearing as it was mildly revolting.
The depiction of his horrific incarceration was impressive, but Opalite knew better. She waited until his tale of woe was drawing concerned expressions from half of the panel when she snorted.
Dr. Vasser looked at her with surprise. "Opalite, do you have any comment on this matter?"
"Of course I do, but I will allow him his say." She sat back and laced her fingers behind her head. She leaned back and noticed that the man giving testimony did not care for her casual attitude.
David Everhart was almost frothing at the mouth. "You see, you see! They have no respect for humans. They treat us like dirt, no matter our rank or station."
Dr. Vasser was beginning to have a suspicion in his eyes. "Are you finished, David?"
"That's Mr. Everhart to you, administrator!"
"Fine, Mister Everhart. Are you done?"
"No. After the creatures locked me up, they treated me horribly, abusing me at random and giving me a nightmare of existence. When that creature of yours finally showed up, I was at the end of my rope. Imagine how I felt to see her kissing one of my captors! It was terrifying to be led through the light into god-knows-what by that…that thing!"
He was gesturing wildly and one of the women on the panel wiped some stray spittle from her cheek.
"Mr. Everhart. Thank you for your testimony. Please have a seat." Dr. Vasser nodded and waited until the agitated man took his position.
"Opalite D.A.R.E., please give your testimony."
Opalite stood and asked the panel, "What charges do you want me to answer to? That I kissed a male? It is not disallowed. I see staffers kissing all the time."
Dr. Vasser looked a little confused until he conferred with his companions. "We want you to answer to the questions David Everhart has raised as to his treatment. Are you aware of any mistreatment to him or by whom?"
Opalite paused and gave Mr. Everhart a long look. "Why did Mr. Everhart leave Earth? What reason sent him to another dimension?"
The panel deliberated and Mr. Everhart looked slightly uneasy. Dr. Vasser finally spoke. "We don't know. Mr. Everhart, why did you leave Earth?"
He flushed a bright red but answered, "I had become a captain of industry here on Earth, I wanted to bring my control of economics to other societies."
Opalite nodded. "So, when the people you wanted to educate told you to get stuffed, how did you react?"
He turned a hideous shade of purple. "They…how could you possibly know that?"
"I had an opportunity to meet the ruling personage in the city and he filled me in on your reprehensible behavior that ended with you under house arrest because you could not accept that this society was happy without your intervention."
"They needed me, damn it! They were living in a backwards manner…how could they want to stay like that? What the hell are you and how can your folk be ruling outer dimensions?"
Opalite cocked her head. "I am afraid that the physicians to either side of you will have a far better idea of what I am than I do. I am merely an agent of the D.A.R.E. project. I go where I am told and I return when I have found my retrieval or arrest targets. In the process, I meet people. I make friends and have begun a courtship of sorts."
The roar of surprise was deafening, but the conversation rapidly came to a head. After heated deliberations, a decision of sorts had been made. Opalite heard it, but she waited for the official verdict.
Dr. Vasser stood up. "Mr. Everhart, you are confined to this base until you pass a polygraph and whatever tests we can throw at you. Opalite, you are confined to base indefinitely."
"Hah, you got what is coming to you, you freak!" David Everhart was shrieking and dancing around in delight.
Opalite snorted, showing her contempt for the man. She knew it was rude, but how could one care about being rude to someone like this odious man? "Look at him."
Dr. Vasser nodded. "Yes, of course." He snapped his fingers toward the nearest tech. "Take Mr. Everhart to the infirmary and see that he's scheduled a complete mental workup."
"Mental. Mental!" Mr. Everhart swung his arms in a wide arc. "Why the hell are you ordering a mental workup on me?" He pointed to Opalite. "She's the one with crazy friends."
Sighing, Dr. Vasser nodded. "And we will launch a thorough investigation into the matter. You will get your say in a formal inquiry, David." He waved toward the door. "Now, will you go with the tech willingly, or do I have to call for a security escort?"
David Everhart turned a full glare on Opalite. "This isn't the end, woman. I'll see you incarcerated for what you and your friends did to me. You can count on it." He jerked his arm away from the tech who tried to pull him from the room. "Don't touch me, you lackey. Don't you know who I am?"
He's a horse's ass, is what he is, her mother said through their mind link. Don't listen to him. He's as full of himself as he has always been. He wanted to retire off world, did he? I can think of at least two worlds where he wouldn't last through dinner. Eiwyn chuckled, though the laugh sounded rather dark. He would be dinner.
Opalite tried to keep her face devoid of emotion. I never knew you were so bloodthirsty, mother.
Only when some cretin tries to discredit one of my precious daughters. You will know how I feel when you have children of your own someday.
"Are you ready to go?" Sela asked as she stepped up to Opalite's right side. "You won't have to put up with him again."
"Of course." She stared at Sela. Allowing her inner eyelids to close, she looked at her handler with her dragon sight. The sight given by the extra set of lids was more than just a heat signature. Opalite realized that a long time ago. Humans and some other species tended to change color in her vision when they spoke. She wondered if she could discern a lie that way.
We can tell many things about many people with our sight, dearling. We can also tell by their scent. When you use the two in conjunction, they act as a very good judge of character. However, it's difficult to look upon them when they stare at you with such fright, isn't it?
Shifting her vision back to normal, Opalite realized Sela had nearly collapsed. She remained standing with the help of the counter just to her left. She leaned against it, hyperventilating.
"Stop looking at me like that. It gives me the creeps." Sela shuddered. "You know I hate it when you just stare at me with no expression." She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around when she realized what she said. Luckily, Dr. Vasser and the others had already gone and she sighed with relief. "Stop doing that crap to me," she hissed out under her breath. "What if someone heard me? They would know I consider you more my daughter than my charge."
"And I thank you for that, Sela."
The older woman blushed. "There's no need for that." She looked away, obviously embarrassed that she admitted what Opalite suspected all along. "I would have to be an unfeeling bitch not to care for you after all these years. Why do you think I'm so careful not to let them see it? I couldn't stand it if they separated us."
Opalite let her words sink in and privately wonde
red how Sela would fare when she was gone. Her attachment to the dragon swans was bound to cause her pain when they all met their matches and fled the Earth. Opalite wondered what would happen when that day came.
Chapter Six
Her rooms were fitted with a lock and she was kept under close watch. Did they think if they locked her up, it would keep her from leaving this place? Were they really that stupid that they bought into the belief that she must be in the debarkation room to open a rift? She could open one here for crying out loud.
When Sela retrieved Opalite for a second hearing, she went just to break up the monotony of the day.
"What do you think they are going to charge me with today?" Her voice was conversational and several techs and keepers within earshot looked at her in surprise.
"I have no idea. It is a smaller panel, but the physicians have been called in and they have questions for you." Sela brought her to a smaller boardroom and led her inside.
Facing the panel, she stood at ease and waited for them to speak.
Dr. Vasser looked uncomfortable, but he forged forward. "Opalite, we wish to know more about your growing relationship with this strange creature."
She smiled as she imagined Kronos reacting to being called a creature.
The thought no sooner crossed her mind than Opalite felt the energy in the room change. She felt the fissure open before she heard Kronos's voice.
"Hello, love." He breathed the words in her ear. "It looked like you could use some help with these animals." He glanced at the men seated around the table who all sat still with blank expressions. They seemed frozen in time somehow.
"How did you--"
Kros laid a finger over her lips. "Shh… Do not ask questions. Merely bask in the knowledge that they will debate what happens next for the rest of the day."
"Why? What happens next?"
"You disappear, of course, and none of them have seen how you did it."
"Because I didn't do it," she replied, smiling up at him. "This is your magic, not mine."