The Inquisitors (The Space Merchants Book 6)

by Wendie Nordgren

  “Water, shelter, and fire are our priorities,” Ross said. “It’s getting dark.”

  “Do you have clothes stashed somewhere?” I asked.

  “No,” Binder answered.

  “The first one who finds water gets to wear my pants. Don’t worry. They have a stretchy waist. And, go!” I followed after them, trying to behave myself, but I kept giggling at their butts. “How did you know to call for help? You were all blindfolded.”

  Ross said, “We heard the boat.”

  After walking for what felt like hours, we found water. A thin stream of it trickled down from a defunct waterfall and into a shallow, bucket-sized pool beneath it. We had to take turns catching it in our mouths.

  “I found it first. Hand them over,” Binder said.

  Slipping out of the loose, damp pants, I passed them to him. They were roomy enough for him to wear but stopped well above his ankles. “Here,” I said as I handed over my shorts. “I’m wearing a swimsuit.” Cedrenus took them. My pink stretchy shorts looked absolutely ridiculous on him and left nothing to the imagination. Ross made himself a loin cloth out of my long-sleeved shirt. I was left with my white, two-piece swimsuit, pink T-shirt, and exercise shoes.

  Noticing my shivering, Cedrenus started building a fire. “Sit down, Teagan. You look tired.”

  “I am.” I didn’t need to be told twice to sit.

  While Cedrenus struggled with the fire, Binder and Ross constructed a lean-to. Cedrenus said, “At first light, we survey the island and find food.” Eventually, he started the fire. It looked hard to do with nothing but rocks and sticks.

  Soon, the fire and stars above provided our only light. The jungle was full of strange sounds, the calls of animals and sounds of their movements through the trees. It made me acutely aware of Thunderdrop’s absence. I had grown to rely heavily upon his protection. Instead of the unfamiliar sounds, I tried to concentrate on the crashing waves.

  “Are you still cold?” Bishop asked.

  When I nodded my head, he added bigger sticks to the fire. I held my arms around my knees. From within the jungle, but not far enough away, a scary hissing cough sound made me jump. “What was that?”

  “She’s scared,” Binder said. “Teagan, there’s nothing on the island that can seriously harm you. A few of the insects might deliver a sting, some fish and snakebites hurt, but otherwise it’s fine.”

  Cedrenus had walked off. I assumed to pee, but he came back with something cupped in his hands. The hissing noise came from within them. “See? It can’t hurt you.” He showed me a big beetle with a dark, shiny shell. “They might be loud, but they’re also edible.” He skewered the big bug and held it over the fire. “Want some?”

  “No, thanks.”

  The boys left our circle of fire to hunt by sound. Then, they ate crunchy bugs for dinner. I just stared at them and remembered my own bug buffet on Talpa with Farowyn. Eventually, my fear wasn’t strong enough to keep me awake. I woke briefly to find my head resting on someone’s thigh before I drifted off again. Noises and whispers woke me.

  Someone said, “Stay with her. We’ll bring back food.”

  Slowly, I became aware of the aches in my body that sleeping on the ground had caused, of being cold even though a fire crackled nearby, and of my thirst. Carefully, I sat up and rubbed at my eyes, noticing my pair of pink stretchy shorts. Cedrenus had remained perfectly still while I had used his lap as a pillow during the night.

  “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” Cedrenus walked off into the vegetation.

  I got up and went to get a few sips of water, using a few handfuls to wash my face. Hearing a buzzing overhead, I took cover under the lean-to. A drone, not a huge insect, dropped down to my eye level, released a backpack, and flew away. I dragged it over to me.

  “What was that?” Cedrenus asked as he crashed through the foliage.

  “A drone delivery.” Inside of the bag were three pairs of black swim shorts, a kit with fishhooks and line, four ration bars, four bottles of water, and a small canister. I opened it. “Aw!” I said as I inhaled.

  “What’s that?”

  “For me. It’s a cup of coffee. I love you,” I said to the sky.

  Cedrenus took a pair of the shorts and went to change. My coffee was gone when he returned wearing the more appropriate attire. He had rinsed my pink shorts in the ocean and now hung them over a branch to dry. Binder and Ross returned empty-handed but were pleased with the food, water, and clothing. Soon, my clothing was drying, we had some food in our bellies, and we got to work making fishing poles from the straightest and longest sticks we could find. Bugs to use for bait were plentiful. Ross led us to an inlet where the waves wouldn’t keep tossing our lines back to us. A large green leaf held an assortment of worms and bugs.

  “Put some bait on my hook,” I said to Binder.

  “Can’t you do that yourself?”

  “No, it’s gross.”

  Binder said, “Teagan, you plunged a blade into Felix, but you can’t put a bug on a fishing hook?”

  My nose started to tingle, and my eyes grew hot. “He was going to take Nico from me just like he took Luca.” My eyes began to stream.

  Binder’s facial expression turned horrified. “Teagan, please don’t cry. I’m so sorry.” He dropped his pole to pat my back. “Please, don’t cry. Oh, no. What can I do?”

  “You think I’m vicious.” Everything had become blurry around me.

  “No, no, I don’t. I promise. Here. Let me help you with that.” Carefully, he took the hook from my fingers.

  I cried harder. “The poor bug never did anything to me. I don’t want to hurt it.” I started blubbering.

  Cedrenus patted me and stepped close enough to hold me to his chest. I hid my face against him. “It’s alright, Teagan. Don’t cry. You were protecting someone who you love. You don’t have a vicious molecule in your body. Don’t think of it as hurting the bug but as feeding the poor hungry fish. Okay?”

  “Papa always baits my hook for me.”

  A drone dropped down and hovered nearby us. A small bag dropped. Ross grabbed it, opened it, and handed me the small silk square it contained. I wiped my eyes and blew my nose. I wondered how far away Rovek was and assumed he was out at sea.

  “Here, you go, Teagan,” Binder said as he handed me my pole. He had already cast out the line.

  We had caught two small fish when the sound of an approaching boat scared all of the remaining fish away. As the boat neared, I recognized my new father-in-law, Praetor Galerius. With him were Dario, Eli, Drex, Fitz, and Nico. They pulled closer and slowed.

  “You scared the fish away,” I complained.

  Nico jumped from the boat and splashed through the water to where I stood. He enclosed me within his arms. Suddenly, alarm filled me.

  “Nico, what’s happened? Is it the children?”

  Hearing the terror in my voice, he pulled back. “No, they are having a wonderful time. You were the one who was crying only moments ago. Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

  The others had come to shore as well. “I’m fine.” I didn’t want to talk about Felix, so I said, “I got upset about baiting my hook.”

  Fitz said to my team, “Don’t make her bait her hook, pull in a heavy catch, or clean it. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” they said as one.

  “We can take you home if you wish it. You should be resting in comfort, not out here on an uninhabitable island,” Praetor Galerius said gently.

  “No, we need the extra credit. You all are going to get us into trouble with Rovek. We’ve worked too hard to fail now. It’s only a few days.”

  Drex said, “Rovek is experiencing technical difficulties with his surveillance equipment.”

  I grinned at him. “I’m fine. Really. Thanks for the coffee by the way.”

  Drex inclined his head to me. “I insisted.”

  They didn’t leave. Instead, Eli activated a shield. Then, the men began setting up a portable table and chairs
. Dario spread out a tablecloth, while Nico began setting out covered trays.

  Praetor Galerius said, “Sit and eat.”

  “We’ll get in trouble,” I said over my growling stomach.

  With a cunning smile, he said, “No, you will not. Your instructor will never know.” He gave a nod of his head to Dario who held out a chair for me. Binder, Ross, and Cedrenus were likewise encourage to sit. The four of us exchange worried looks not wanting to fail.

  “Teagan, I won’t allow him to find out. Trust me,” Eli said.

  “Go on. You haven’t had a decent meal since yesterday,” Nico said.

  After downing a fizzy water, I grabbed a fork and dug in. They had brought grilled shrimp, steaks, scallops, a rice dish made with chunks of pineapple and softened coconut, lemon pie, and coffee. By the time the four of us had finished, there was nothing left.

  “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” I looked over at Fitz. “What are you doing?”

  “I caught some fish earlier today, and I’m putting them on your hooks. After we have gone, you can act as though you have caught them.”

  I laughed. “Thank you, husband. You’re sure the children are alright?”

  Nico said, “They are having an excellent time. Look.” He showed me a video of Niklos playing with his new best friend, Rory Galerius. Neema was chasing a ball around the lawn with half a dozen other children under the watchful eyes of Pierce, Lorca, and a few other nurses. Peter was in Terre’s arms. I let out a sigh of relief. I kissed Nico’s cheek.

  “Time to go. Rovek is rebooting his equipment,” Eli said.

  All evidence of their visit was packed away and returned to the boat. I got kisses from each of my husbands.

  “Return to how you were prior to our arrival, and cook her this fish for dinner,” Fitz ordered.

  “Yes, sir,” Cedrenus answered.

  Eli leaned in close to Binder. “If you make her cry again, I will make you scream for hours. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir.” Binder stood at attention and saluted.

  “Eli,” I scolded.

  They boarded the boat and left. Walking over to my pole and sitting, my team joined me. “Are you upset that we just cheated?”

  They looked at me with blank expressions. “I have no idea what you mean,” Cedrenus stated.

  “Nor do I,” Ross said.

  Binder shook his head and grinned.

  So, it was like that. We were pretending like nothing had happened. I let the end of my pole dip down as though I felt a tug and pulled it back and up as I stood and backed away. Cedrenus took the pole from me and removed a securely hooked wriggling fish from my hook. A drone was heading for us. He put a fresh bug on my hook and tossed my line back out into the water. Rovek monitored us through the drone for a while before flying it away. Later, when the surf calmed, I suggested a swim. None of us were smelling very fresh.

  Cedrenus said, “Alright, but just long enough to get cleaned up.”

  “Why?”

  “There are some dangerous species in these waters,” Cedrenus calmly explained.

  “Deadly?”

  “Problematic. Just make it quick. We’ll have you surrounded.”

  The four of us walked along the beach until we found an area of water free of coral, rocks, and seaweed. The boys kept me surrounded as we waded in. Once I was waist deep, I dipped down and gave myself a good scrub. The boys did the same thing. I really missed my shampoo and my deep soaking tub.

  That evening as we cooked our fish, Rovek sent us another drone delivery of water and ration bars. It wasn’t the best dinner, but we didn’t go to sleep hungry. The ground remained hard. However, with my pants and shirt returned to me, I was warmer.

  During the night, I was seeing to my business behind the privacy of a large rock when a rustling sound and hiss managed to scare even more pee out of me. I froze. A snake with a head as large as my foot had me in its sights. Its forked tongue darted in and out of a mouth filled with fangs. Suddenly, a hand shot out, grabbed the snake behind its head, and yanked it away from me. With shaking hands, I pulled up my swim bottoms, shorts, and pants. Listening carefully, I searched for my rescuer, wondering which one of my teammates to scold for being perverted.

  “What are you doing here?” Even with his camouflage gear, I recognized Kaoti immediately.

  He made the hand gesture that commanded silence and whispered, “Did you believe I would leave you unguarded?” Then, he vanished from sight. I couldn’t find the snake either.

  Kaoti wasn’t the only one who refused to leave me alone. Eli and Drex had started playing a game. Since the dinner they had brought to us had gone over so well, they again ruined Rovek’s surveillance equipment and sailed out to the island along with Fitz, Nico, and Dario. They brought lots of food.

  “Teagan, let me get that.” Dario wiped my mouth clean of all evidence of pastries.

  They had brought us scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cream cheese filled pastries, coffee, juice, and fruit before daylight. Fitz and Nico took our poles and set them up as before with fresh fish secured to our hooks. Then, they packed up and quietly disappeared.

  Ross laughed. “This has got to be the most epic survival challenge in Academy history.”

  I agreed. “Those pastries were fabulous.”

  Cedrenus shook his head. “Yes, that’s the reason,” he said sarcastically.

  With a faraway look in his eyes, Ross said, “There’s only one thing that could make it better.”

  Nodding, I said, “Tents and portable bathrooms.”

  The guys chuckled.

  “Not exactly,” Ross said.

  They grinned at each other.

  “Oh, wait just one minute! Are you assholes thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Binder said innocently.

  I put my hands on my hips and remembered the dirty Parvac movies that had been all of the rage with the Hadrian’s crew shortly after Neema’s birth. I flipped off my team and began a quick walk along the beach. They followed me. I started looking for shells and made the guys carry the pretty ones. We had walked for a few miles when something odd caught my attention.

  “What’s this?” I squatted down and used a stick to dig around the hard, black edge of something man-made buried in the sand. Curious, the boys bent down to help.

  Binder said, “Whatever this is has been buried here for a long time.”

  “What is it? A boat?” I asked.

  “It looks almost like…. No, it couldn’t be,” Binder said.

  “What?” Cedrenus asked.

  Binder’s expression had turned serious, and he dug faster, so we helped. Eventually, enough of the canister was uncovered for ancient lettering and numbers to be revealed along with a blinking red light and a quickly charging solar panel. Binder started tossing sand over the panel.

  “Shit!” Ross exclaimed. “Get her out of here, now!”

  The boys dragged me to my feet and started running. Cedrenus and Binder each took one of my hands. “What is it?” I asked fearfully.

  “How do we contact Rovek?” Ross screamed.

  Binder yelled, “We have to wait for the drone!”

  “We don’t have that much time!” Ross yelled back.

  “Kaoti!” I screamed. The boys rarely got scared, and their fear had me petrified.

  A dark form slipped down from a tree and jogged for us.

  “Captain Aegisthus! We discovered a hemo-missile! It’s charging!” Binder screamed to him.

  Kaoti grabbed me, tossed me over his shoulder, and ran with terrifying speed. The boys ran just as fast. He kept running until he entered the jungle. Then, he hit a hidden button on a tree. A door opened up in the ground. With his hand on the back of my head, Kaoti ordered, “Wrap your arms around me.” I did as he commanded, and he jumped down into a dark tunnel. The landing jarred my teeth. Kaoti put me to my feet and helped the boys as they landed. Quickly closing the hatch, Kaoti ac
tivated shielding and contacted Eli. The console created a dim lighting within the bunker.

  “Report,” Eli said crisply.

  “Hemo-missile discovered.”

  Eli paled.

  “I have them secured,” Kaoti said while activating additional shielding.

  “Stay put. I’m sending in a team. Beck out.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked in a shaky voice.

  Kaoti picked me up in a bridal hold and carried me to an emergency medical unit that he quickly activated. My team was frightened and breathing hard from the run. The ground shook, and the bunker along with its contents began to rattle causing things I couldn’t see to fall clattering to the floor.

  “What was that?” I asked hysterically.

  “Long ago, bloody wars were fought on Daphoene. You just discovered one of the relics from that time. Don’t worry. You are safe. I won’t let anything happen to you, Princess.” Kaoti’s rough hand held mine.

  Cedrenus looked pointedly at the medical unit and then at Kaoti.

  Ignoring him, Kaoti said, “All clear. You’re fine.” He helped me out of the unit, and then scanned each of the boys, and then himself.

  The console signaled. It was Eli. “The island is now under a dome shield. Nanites are being released into the atmosphere to neutralize the pathogen.” He read something on his screen and relief appeared on his features. Turning, Eli said, “She’s alright.” Then, he stood and turned his back to us. “I thought you said it was safe.” Fury filled Eli’s voice turning it into the one I had been unable to recognize during his argument with Rovek in front of Dario’s house. Eli lunged for someone we couldn’t see, but we could hear the sounds of a brutal fight. A chair crashed into Eli’s console, making me jump.

  “Enough!” Nico yelled. “Each of us scanned the damn island! None of us found it!”

  Praetor Galerius said, “I had my guards scan it before we visited.” He righted the chair and sat in front of the viewer. Kindly, my new father-in-law said, “Everything will be alright, Teagan. Do as Captain Aegisthus commands, and he will keep you safe. The five of you will be extracted once decontamination has commenced.” He turned his attention from making assurances to me to Kaoti. My bodyguard stood at attention and saluted Daphoene’s ruler. “Supplies?”