Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series)

by Nancy J. Cohen

  “Come on, we can’t waste time.” Paz signaled to her from the open hatchway.

  She staggered toward him. Peering outside, she was glad to note they didn’t need the emergency chute. They could easily jump the short distance to the ground. Holding her long skirt, she leaped after Paz onto the beach.

  He caught her in his muscular arms and gently eased her down. His tousled hair, determined jaw, and ocean blue eyes had never looked better.

  “Thank you. You saved our lives.” On impulse, Jen rose on her tiptoes and kissed him.

  She’d only meant it to be a brief expression of gratitude, but Paz’s gaze intensified. He swept her into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss that left her breathless.

  “We’re safe now.” He broke away with a regretful expression. “At least, for the moment. But we shouldn’t linger.”

  “For the moment? What does that mean?” The memory of those ugly men who’d attacked them returned with full force. “You know who assaulted us, don’t you? When are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  “Let’s summon help first. I need to put my comm unit back together. If we can hook it into a local network, you can call your people.”

  “I have my cell phone.” She patted her purse.

  His hand clamped onto her arm. “We should scout around first. Our landing probably attracted attention, and we don’t want the wrong people to find us.”

  “You’re right.” She glanced around with sudden nervousness. Waves washed onto the beach, while the late afternoon sun cast brilliant sparkles onto the sea. The sand ended at the edge of a jungle. “Hey, do you still have my earrings? I’d like them back.”

  He reached into his jeans pocket, where he must have stuck them after they’d landed. “Thanks. We wouldn’t have made it without them.” Paz handed the pair over. “I wonder…”

  “What?” She kept pace as he aimed for the trees.

  “Some things are meant to be. This place, our landing here, might be one of them.” He sniffed the air, his brow creasing. “This can’t be the same island where Nira and Zohar found themselves after they fell through the mirror. The captain didn’t detect any cors particles. But I do.”

  ****

  Jen stopped a few feet ahead and faced him. “Listen, I’m due for an explanation. Tell me why all this is happening.”

  Paz thought she looked amazingly beautiful with her hair streaming down her back, her brown eyes blazing, and her hands propped on her hips.

  His glance dipped to her cleavage, exposed as a dress strap slid off her shoulder. She adjusted it, her face flushing as she noticed his glance. He liked the long dress. It showed off her curves to perfection, but unfortunately it wouldn’t serve her well on a trek through the jungle.

  She was right. He owed her explanations, not only because he admired her courage during a life-threatening situation but because knowledge might enhance their survival.

  The crisis wasn’t over yet.

  “Okay, let’s regroup for a few minutes.” He led her into the brush where he checked a fallen log for vermin before plopping down. Sweat trickled down his back, and his skin itched. Scratching at a bug bite, he cursed their lack of weaponry and provisions.

  Maybe he should return to the aircraft to salvage what he could. With some of the onboard circuitry, he could piece together a makeshift PIP. Then he could pinpoint the source of the cors particles.

  The distant sound of waves reached him amid the tangle of vines and jungle undergrowth. The sun radiated blinding rays but fortunately the canopy acted as a filter. Nonetheless, they’d get dehydrated fast. He needed to acquire water, food, and weapons.

  Jen sank onto a black rock, one of many strewn about the foliage. She moved with grace, like a long-necked liema on his home world. And like a forbidden fruit, he was tempted to taste her again. The imprint of her lips had emblazoned onto his memory like a branding iron.

  Her luscious mouth formed into a pout. “Well? Talk fast, because I’d like to reach a town before dark. And I should try my cell phone to call my father. He’ll be frantic with worry.”

  “Wait.” His raised hand forestalled her action. “If anyone is tracking us, your signal could be triangulated. Let me explain first what we’re up against. You need to understand the danger.”

  He stared at a lizard scampering under a dropped palm frond and hoped it was just that: a creature of the ground, and not a shapeshifter like he’d encountered before. Jen didn’t realize half the threats facing them.

  He took a deep breath then began. “We were attacked midair by beings known as Trolleks. They come from another dimension.”

  Jen gaped at him. “Another what?”

  “You heard me.” He regarded her with an unwavering gaze. “Let’s start at the beginning. The earliest sentient people on Earth were humanoids we call the Originals. They predated your known ancestors.”

  “Hold on. My ancestors? What does that make you?”

  His mouth curved in a mirthless grin. “I’m from the planet Morata in the Zood System. The Originals seeded more than this world. Other intelligent life exists out there.” His gesture encompassed the heavens.

  Her jaw dropped. “Shut up! You’re pulling my leg.”

  “That isn’t physically possible when you’re over there and I’m here.” Really, some of the slang terms didn’t make any sense.

  She straightened her spine. “Tell me the truth. I deserve that much.”

  “I am.” He flashed his sexiest smile. “Let me finish my story. Descendants of the Originals took different paths. One group lived close to nature on this world until mankind encroached on their territory.”

  Wisdom imbued her expression. “Don’t tell me. Those were the Trolleks.”

  He nodded. “Humans persecuted them until they were no longer comfortable here. During a natural rift between dimensions, they passed through to another place with pristine forests and fertile fields.”

  “What do you mean by a rift?” She lifted her nose, as though doubting his every word.

  “You’d mentioned the Dragon’s Triangle where strange anomalies occur.” He tilted his head. “Imagine a cosmic energy grid underlying the tectonic plates. The grid lines are called ley lines. The points where they intersect are known as Vile Vortices. Twelve such locations exist around the world. Rifts occur at these sites.”

  “Huh? I don’t get it.” A breeze rustled the tree branches, and a flurry of leaves dropped onto their heads. Jen combed her fingers through her hair while he watched, mesmerized. He’d like to filter through her tresses and feel the silken texture.

  Shaking his head to dispel his wayward thoughts, he continued. “When the dimensional plates grind against each other, the resultant pressure forces open a door between dimensions. Normally, the event horizon at this natural rift produces a substance called cors particles. When their mass reaches a certain level, the resultant pressure forces the rifts to close. This time, however, the Trolleks have devised a means to force open the rifts and keep them from shutting down.”

  “That’s not good,” she said in a dry tone.

  “You’re catching on.” He beamed his approval, pleased to see her eyes brighten in response. “With the portals remaining open, the accumulation of cors particles will breach the point of no return. The dimensional drift will widen, causing a massive shock wave that alters reality in all dimensions. It will destroy everything in existence.”

  “Oh. You’re talking about Doomsday…the end of the world.” Jen glared at him as though unable to wrap her mind around the concept of annihilation. “What’s your role in this? You can fly an airplane, fight bad guys, and turn my earrings into wireless transmitters. Who are you?”

  “I am a Drift Lord.” He puffed out his chest. “Our league formed many eons ago when Trolleks first began invading Earth. We are tasked with repelling their forces.”

  “How can you stop them? What are you planning to do?”

  “We have to locate their rifts and s
hut them down. In our last battle, my team was attempting to destroy their jamming device so our sensors could detect the portals.”

  He didn’t tell her how he’d ended up injured, or how he had the innate ability to detect cors particles. She might think him as freakish as his father.

  “These Trolleks, what do they want?”

  “They mean to turn humans into mind slaves.”

  “Weren’t they happy on their own world?”

  “They resented being forced from their homeland and felt this was their rightful place.” He thought it best not to mention the enemy’s plan for genetic manipulation of the human race. Jen might already suspect he was missing a few actuators, and that additional info could fuel her skepticism.

  Then again, she acted as though she believed him.

  “How could the Trolleks appear out of nowhere?” Her fearful gaze darted at the jungle surrounding them.

  He picked up a small rock and twirled it in his fingers. “They can maneuver vectors within the space-time continuum, parallel shifting themselves from one location to another.”

  “You said they capture humans. How?”

  “They transport people who’ve been confounded. Trolleks secrete a chemical substance that directly alters the human brain. They transmit it through touch.”

  “My ears buzzed just before they attacked us.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Nira Larsen gets the same sensation whenever Trolleks are near. She wears a wristwatch similar to yours and she’s also immune to the confounding spell. Very likely you’re one of the six sisters mentioned in the prophecy.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t have any sisters.” Jen scrubbed a hand over her face. “This is too much.”

  A flare shot into the air delayed any further explanations.

  Paz tossed the rock aside and leapt to his feet. “Let’s move. They’ve found our aircraft. We don’t want them to find us.”

  Chapter Five

  Jen watched her footing as she dodged fallen coconuts, tree roots, and rocks embedded in the sandy soil. It wasn’t easy in a long dress. She had to be careful not to snag the fabric on trailing vines and branches, or it would slow her down.

  She wasn’t ready to believe Paz’s wild tale, although circumstances supported his story. It sounded like something out of a science fiction novel: alien invaders, multiple dimensions, and sentient life on other planets.

  Could it be possible these rifts accounted for the vessel disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle? And who was Nira Larsen? How was her watch similar to Jen’s? And what did Paz mean about six sisters in a prophecy? Jen had no siblings.

  Then again, she’d always been curious about how her timepiece was not only waterproof but kept running over the years without a battery. After seeing what Paz’s wrist unit could do, she wondered about the true purpose of hers.

  Thinking of his device reminded her of the need to call home. “I should try my cell phone. Will it work, or were the components zapped by the EM pulse?”

  “Let’s find out. Did you have it turned off during flight?” At her nod, he said, “Then it might still function. Go ahead but make it quick.”

  She fished the phone from her bag and thumbed it on. A few musical notes sounded, raising her hopes. The screen blinked on, showing the system logo but then it read, No Signal.

  “Well, the good thing is, it still works. The bad thing is, we’re out of range of the network.”

  “Give it to me. I can reassemble it into a PIP.”

  “A what?” She handed him the phone.

  “Portable Intel Platform, or a mobile data unit. I’d hoped to salvage parts from the aircraft but that’s no longer an option. What else do you have in your bag?”

  Jen rummaged inside. “A Swiss Army knife.” She demonstrated its uses before he snatched it from her fingers. “Notebook and pens. Makeup. Scarf. Breath Mints. Sunglasses. Comb. Business cards. Calculator. An ebook reader.” Not to mention her birth control pills, the real reason why she needed to keep her purse.

  “Perfect, I’ll take those electronic devices.” His eyes gleamed as he collected her booty. “Let’s find a place in the shade where I can work. You don’t have any snacks in there, do you?” His dimpled grin disconcerted her.

  “Sorry. We can always search for some bananas if we get hungry.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Perching himself on a rocky ledge, Paz used the tools in the penknife to disassemble her gadgets. He spent several minutes working in silence, his face taut with concentration.

  Jen leaned against a knobby tree trunk and studied him. Golden highlights in his hair glinted in a beam of sunlight. A stubborn lock fell across his forehead. He raked it back with stiff fingers, a motion he did often as though he preferred to see things with clarity.

  Why, then, did she catch him wearing a guarded look when he thought no one was watching? Perhaps his confidence was tempered by an element of reserve.

  Her brow beaded with perspiration in the jungle heat. A chittering noise came from a nearby tree, while something slithered among the dead leaves on the ground. Jen didn’t like to think about what might be lurking in the bushes, so she focused on Paz instead.

  “What’s it like to be a Drift Lord? Do you really work in telecom in your down time?”

  “Yes, that’s my real job. Being a Drift Lord is sort of like your Army Reserves. We’re called to duty only when a rift occurs.” He scratched his jaw. “Hey, you got any fire starters in that sack of yours?”

  “You mean, like a lighter? I have matches if you need them. I take them from restaurants and keep a pack in my purse for emergencies.”

  “Supernova! I just need to weld these two wires together and that should perform the trick.”

  Her mouth curved upward. “It’s do the trick, Paz.” She glanced heavenward. “If you’re from up there, how did you learn English?”

  He lifted his chin. “I’m the team’s Communications Officer and Linguistic Specialist. I speak many languages, but I also have an implanted translator.” He pointed to a spot behind his ear. “We need to get you one. I left all of my equipment in Florida. That’s why I have to get back there.”

  Before she could ask him the rest of the questions hovering on her tongue, he snatched the matchbook from her hand. “Thanks. We should keep moving. I hear voices.”

  She straightened, brushing debris off her dress. She, too, heard a murmur from somewhere off to the right. As she scanned the treetops, she picked up a trail of smoke in the distance.

  “Hey, look. That smoke might be coming from someone’s chimney. It could lead us into town.”

  “All right, but I should finish putting this unit together. It’ll give us an accurate fix on our location. We’ll need our coordinates if we want to summon help. Give me your scarf so I can carry these parts.” He dumped the components onto the piece of fabric Jen gave him and tied the ends together.

  She prepared to move out. Her skin itched, and she yearned for a change of clothes. Her current state of dress made her a moving meal ticket for the friendly insects.

  Jen traipsed through the undergrowth after Paz as he sought to put distance between their position and the beach. Probably anyone with tracking skills could follow them. They weren't making any effort to cover their trail.

  Why did he suspect the natives might be hostile? Were they related to the thugs who disabled their plane? How could he know that? And where was the rest of his team? How had the man ended up bruised, naked, and confused on her film set?

  Sweat trickled down her back and between her breasts. She craved water, air-conditioning, and telephone service. They did have electricity on these remote islands, didn’t they?

  God, she hoped the inhabitants weren’t primitives with face paint and spears.

  With each step, her fears escalated and so did her sense of the surreal. This couldn’t be happening to her. She must be trapped in a nightmare. But when she stumbled on a root, and Paz’s firm grip steadied her, she s
wallowed her doubts. Like it or not, she was stuck with him as her partner for now.

  After what seemed an interminable trek but had only taken a half hour, Paz called a halt beside a cluster of ferns. Jen rubbed her arms, scratched from fronds and sharp-bladed plants.

  “I’m going to finish compiling the PIP. You hear that sound of rushing water? Follow it to the source if it isn’t too far, but come back if you hear anyone nearby. We need to locate fresh water to avoid getting dehydrated.”

  Without waiting for her reply, he settled onto a flat-topped boulder, unfolded the scarf in his lap, and got to work on assembling his device.

  When she didn’t respond, he glanced up. “What?”

  She propped her hands on her hips. “Are you going to tell me what to do the whole time?”

  His lips compressed, and his gaze darkened. “Unless you have survival skills and know how to deal with nasties as well as other dangers, I suggest you let me call the slots.”

  “It’s call the shots, tiger. Get your slang straight.”

  He reminded her of a wild animal: clever, resourceful, and deadly. An aura of power emanated from him that radiated strength and prowess. She’d known the man only a few short hours but had faith in him to get them out of this fix.

  He’d just finished his project when she returned to report on a nearby waterfall tumbling into a freshwater pond. She’d taken her time, relieving herself after ascertaining no one was watching, and then washing her hands and face in the pool.

  Paz stood and panned his PIP around like Spock with his Tricorder. “We’re on Togura Island. It’s part of the Izu Archipelago south of Japan in the region known as the Dragon’s Triangle. Our arrival here cannot be a coincidence.”

  “You’ve said that before. What do you mean?”

  Paz’s eyes glittered as he regarded her. “I smelled cors particles on the aircraft just before the Trolleks vectored into view. The odor is strong on this island, and my improvised PIP confirms it. There’s a rift here.”

  “O-kay.” Too weary to absorb his words, she signaled for him to follow her toward the water.