“Such a sceptic.” He ran his hand through her hair again, as if fascinated by its texture whispering across his fingertips. “Because we touched, briefly there in the barn, I’m able to pull you into my stream of consciousness when your guard is lowered. When you sleep.” Samell stopped walking and faced the ocean. “To do so requires an immense drain on my power, which I’ve no way to replenish in my current situation. I won’t be able to accomplish this mental push again. Don’t worry, I won’t be waiting every time you close your eyes.”
Pushing away the immediate thought it wouldn’t be so bad to meet Samell on this beach whenever she dreamt, Larissa said, “Seriously, why are you making this effort? What’s going on with you?”
He laughed a little self-consciously. “The most venerated legends of my race are about warriors and priestesses, and the noble deeds they accomplished together. Rarely, if ever, do the stories feature a priest and a female warrior, although we’ve had many famous women fighters in our history. You intrigued me, Larissa Channer, on many levels.”
“You can cut the flattery—it doesn’t work on me. Better men than you have tried.”
He surveyed her from head to toe with open admiration. “Their loss.”
“I’m gonna wake myself up in a minute, if you continue this chatter. Or touch me again without my permission, even in a dream.” She took a deep breath because despite her stern warning, she was craving his touch and wanted to run her hands freely over his body. Her attraction to him was scary in intensity, so unlike her. “Stick to the facts.”
“As you prefer. I told you the truth—I’m a prisoner and Kinterow forces me to do his bidding. I extract information from certain minds, as the controller commands. I deliver meaningless ‘fortunes’ to anyone who enters the tent, based on what my power to read emotions tells me the person most wants to hear.”
“So you’re a telepathic empath.”
“You can categorize my gifts from Thuun as you wish.”
“Why did you lie to the sheriff? Why didn’t you take the chance I gave you?” She couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her tone. “You let me take big risks for nothing.”
“I’m one of many kidnapped from my world. Kinterow threatened the lives of the others if I said anything but what he commanded to the sheriff. He says he holds many Tulavarran imprisoned.”
“Did you ever consider he could be lying?”
Samell leaned closer. “He also threatened to have you killed in the prison if I disobeyed.”
She snorted. “I’d like to have seen him try.”
“These people and their allies are powerful and deadly. Based on what I’ve seen, I think he could have made good on his threat. I regret giving in to the temptation you represented, for freedom, for help. I see now there’s no path leading to rescue, not for any of my people or me.”
“You give up easily.”
Face set in a frown, muscle jumping in his clenched jaw, he swung her around by the elbow. “When you’ve been held prisoner for four years, been forced to watch people you love die for no reason but the cruelty of your captors, then you can speak to me about my choices.”
“I think you’re a warrior too, in your own way,” she said as the winds blew the sand around her and obscured the beach and Samell from view.
“Chimmer,” she said out loud as she awoke, realizing her subconscious had been worrying at the problem. “Those markings on the control panel were in Chimmer.” But why would the number one client race of the Sectors’ fiercest enemy, the Mawreg, sell or provide tech to Kinterow? And why would someone with those connections be wandering on the fringes of the Sectors?
Espionage. Samell had said he extracted information from selected individuals who entered his tent. What if the carnival was targeting worlds with military installations?
Angry at the security risk to her interstellar nation, she pounded her fist into her open hand in sheer frustration. Who could she report this collection of wispy thoughts to? Especially now she’d been made a figure of ridicule, a woman ostensibly taken in by a practical joke? Even the sheriff on Dakotta Two who agreed with her off the record that Kinterow was up to no good, refused to take any further action. “I’d be laughed out of any office I tried to report to. Seven hells.”
Sipping her coffee – the genuine stuff from Terra worth its weight in gold, which she hoarded for exceptionally good days or the abysmally bad ones – she pondered her options.
“And is any of this real? So I dreamt about the guy – doesn’t make the story real. I could have developed a vivid imagination.”
As she readied her ship to make the jump to hyperspace, Larissa couldn’t stop thinking about the dream and Samell’s predicament. His captivity wasn’t an illusion. She’d seen the force bonds holding him prisoner for herself.
Seated in her chair at the control console, she made a last minute decision and changed the course for Yurmenet Twelve. She owed it to herself to make one final effort to learn the truth.
CHAPTER THREE
The Yurmenet system was big and bustling, with several inhabited plants, a major Sectors military presence and a hub for the scout service. Planet Twelve was the capital of the area government, and she had to wait in a queue for a landing spot. Eventually, she set her ship down in a fringe area of the spaceport, happy to see a few other mercenary ships there. Her first stop was the Guild hall outside the spaceport, searching for friends.
Almost immediately she caught sight of Daranna, a tough compatriot from more than one previous job. They fell to talking and Larissa invited her old friend out for a drink.
When the women were safely seated in the back booth of a noisy, dingy bar close to the guildhall, Daranna drained her first drink, ordered a second round on Larissa, and said, “Been on a bug hunt, cleaning out alien rats’ nests on a colony world. Hot and thirsty work, but these particular colonists are too delicate to do the job themselves. Or some bullshit. Heard you had fun on your last job—sorry I missed the invitation. Now, what’s the deal, and why am I here?”
“I need a favor. I’ll pay the daily rate but it’s a jack job. No Guild involvement. Strictly recon, just to help out a friend.”
“How many days?”
“One. It’s a weird situation. There’s a carnival going on, right?”
“Yeah, big annual celebration each year.” Daranna shifted to a more comfortable position in the cramped booth. “So?”
“I need to check out a corner of the midway, where a small operation run by a guy named Kinterow set up shop. There’s a certain fortune teller I have to identify.”
Daranna paused in lifting her next drink to her lips. Tilting her head, narrowing her eyes, she gave Larissa a measuring glance. “I heard a wild rumor about you and a guy. Didn’t believe it particularly—you of all people wouldn’t spend a night in jail over a pretty face. Is this him?”
Larissa nodded. “One and the same. He and Kinterow, his boss, played a sick joke on me. I need to know if he’s here and that’s all. If I deliver any payback, I don’t want anyone else involved, which is why I only need help for the one day. ID the bastard, check out the operation.”
“Sure, I got one day for helping an old friend and acquiring extra credits free of the Guild tax. Then I gotta head back for the next phase of bug hunting, so even if the authorities or the Guild want to ask me a question later, I won’t be around. Not for six months. Might even stay longer—the guy running the op for the colonists is kinda cute, good in the sack. Might be time to settle down.”
Mouth open, Larissa stared at her friend. “Are you serious?”
Daranna finished her drink, wiped her lips and nodded. Red tinged her cheeks. “We can’t be mercenaries forever. Seven hells, it’s been what, ten years or more since we mustered out of the service, right?” She flexed her left hand and frowned, rubbing her tendons with the other hand. “Reflexes not as good as they were. The authorities need a few tough people on this colony who know what’s what in the big bad galaxy a
nd can shoot straight. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I’d like to have kids someday too, and this guy would be a great father.”
Larissa signaled for more feelgoods. “Whoa, you’re scaring me now. Going all domesticated.”
“You ever find the right man, you’ll see. Enough personal talk for today. Don’t want to jinx myself.” Daranna made a ‘gimme’ gesture with her hands. “Details? Of this shady one-day op?”
“I can’t just walk in there because Kinterow and the seer would recognize me. Maybe a few of the other carnies too. I don’t want to go alone either. My idea is we dress as two Gaztaneer ladies, out for a day while our spaceliner is in port. Just killing time, seeing the sights.”
“And the well-known fact Gaztaneer women away from their planet wear veils and hoods and acres of clothing conveniently hides your face and our weapons. I’m not going in there without the proper deadly accessories.” Daranna grinned and slapped the blaster at her hip. “I like this plan. Simple and straightforward, although I hope your eventual revenge will be twisted and evil. Sounds like this guy owes you. Where do we get the clothes?”
“I’m going shopping tonight. Meet me at my ship tomorrow morning at eight, and we’ll play dress up.” Having her friend on board for the day was a relief. She’d go in by herself if there was no other choice, but with a companion she’d be less likely to arouse suspicion. There’d also be someone to watch her six. She’d seriously underestimated Kinterow last time.
The next morning, after a lot of hilarity and mutual teasing while getting dressed in the concealing Gaztaneer robes, veils and hoods, Larissa and Daranna left the spaceport in a ground car limousine Larissa had rented for the day, along with a full service bodyguard, who took her at face value as a genuine tourist from offworld. She was blowing through her ship upgrade credits on this jack mission, but she felt compelled to come face to face with Samell one more time and evaluate the situation.
The driver took them shopping, with the bodyguard dutifully carting all the packages back to the ground car then, on cue, Daranna suggested a side trip to check out the carnival. “Since we have nothing of its like at home.” Her Gaztaneer accent was impeccable.
“We don’t have much time,” Larissa protested, making sure to keep her own accent upper class and bored. If their two hired staff were ever called to provide information about Larissa and her companion, she wanted them to be able to swear the women had been genuine as far as they knew.
Daranna won the ‘argument’ and off to the carnival they went. Much as she’d done before on planet Dakotta Two, Larissa wandered the grounds, careful to proceed with mincing steps so unlike her usual confident stride. The bodyguard played the rigged games for them, and the two women admired the dancers and acrobats, oohed and aahed at the wild beasts and eventually paused at the fortune telling tent. Daranna insisted on having her fortune told, and the women got in a long line to enter the tent.
Larissa hated having her physical agility hampered by the long dress, tunic and other accouterments of her disguise, but the veil was an asset when she finally reached the inside of the tent. She could observe without being seen. The decorations were the same, and Samell sat in his chair inside the mysterious bubble on the platform at the front, eyes closed. She was struck again by how handsome he was, even as she noticed with concern his face bore lines of stress she’d not seen before. He seemed thinner too, with an unhealthy tint to his jade green skin. Force binders held him in place, disguised as ornate bracelets and anklets.
Daranna stepped into the circle and was given her fortune, a bland statement about a husband and children.
If he’s reading her mind, he hit upon exactly what she’d want to hear all right.
Unaccustomed nerves fluttering in her belly, Larissa stepped into the circle. She’d given a lot of thought what to ask him during her one brief chance to communicate, and she decided to narrow it down to a single question. Where does Kinterow keep you at night? If she knew the location, she could plan an extraction. Forcing herself to repeat the question over and over in her head, she waited.
But there was no mental touch from Samell, no acknowledgment of her presence. Nothing. Through the veil she observed he never opened his eyes. She felt cheated, disappointed at not getting a glimpse of the astounding green and gold gaze.
“You will face great danger and come out stronger and wiser,” said Samell’s bored mechanical voice. “Great rewards will be yours.”
Was the fortune meant to be a message?
Daranna giggled and nudged her sharply in the ribs, jarring her from the circle. “I think he gave you the wrong fortune,” she said in her elegant Gaztaneer accent. “Great danger? Not likely.” The other mercenary hooked her hand on Larissa’s arm and pulled her toward the exit, their bodyguard following. “Not unless your husbands find out how much you spent shopping.”
Exercising all her will power, Larissa kept herself from glancing back at Samell.
The two women lingered over the shoddy goods in the crafts portion of the fair, picking out a few things, then returned to their limo, heading to the spaceport. Larissa tipped the two men and sent them on their way, refusing the bodyguard’s offer to carry their parcels to her shuttle with a flimsy excuse. Having the man see her mercenary vessel instead of the elegant corporate shuttle he expected would have blown her cover. She and Daranna lugged the bags and boxes themselves.
Larissa ripped the veil and hood off as soon as they were inside her ship and the portal sealed. Drawing in great breaths of fresh air, she said, “Too long a time to be cooped up in fancy clothing. Give me my utilities any day.”
“Did you get what you wanted?” Daranna was efficiently divesting herself of the crimson dress and gold veils she’d worn on the excursion. “I might keep a few of these items, actually. The colonists have dances for improving morale every now and again.”
“Sure, anything that takes your fancy.” Larissa waved her hand at the pile of luxury items they’d bought. “I’ve got no use for any of it. Trade goods maybe.”
“Take the stuff back to the stores? Get a refund,” Daranna said. “Or would a second trip to the stores raise too many eyebrows?”
“Probably.”
The other woman grabbed her arm. “Did you get what you wanted? Because I was watching closely when you stood in the circle, and I sure as hells didn’t see the guy pay you any extra attention. He didn’t even open his eyes. Ashamed to face you maybe?”
Larissa shook her head. “Yeah, I got nothing. But lack of an answer is an answer in itself.”
“You going to let this go then?”
“Probably. No use throwing away more good credits.” Larissa made herself project cheerful resignation. “Thanks for coming along on this little day trip.”
“My pleasure.” Daranna lingered for a bit more conversation before leaving with an armful of clothes and a selection of their purchases from the day, heading for her own ship.
Larissa stood beside the portal after she’d sealed the ship, uncertain what to do next. The one thing she knew for sure was she didn’t dare go back to the carnival again. She wouldn’t learn any more than she had today, especially if Samell wasn’t going to mind touch with her. How far was she prepared to go with this? How could she help a man who wouldn’t—or couldn’t—even open his eyes when she stood in front of him?
“Maybe I should just make an anonymous report to the authorities and forget this,” she said as she headed for the control chamber. “Wasted a lot of credits today, one way and the other.”
He hadn’t looked well, though.
Eventually she decided to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.
She was standing on the same beach, watching the birds and the waves, but this time the sky was full of storm clouds. The wind was brisk, picking at her flowing dress, and she wrapped her gauzy shawl more closely around her shoulders.
“You came,” he said from behind her, his voice carrying a note of surprise.
> Heart thumping, she wheeled. “So you did know I was there today?”
Samell nodded. “I was afraid to acknowledge you—in case the handler would get suspicious. Kinterow has tightened the controls on my power as well. I’m not sure I could have spoken to you with anything other than the prophecy.”
She studied his face, seeing how tired and haggard he’d become, with gaunt cheeks and shadows under his eyes. “Is the tighter control why you’re ill? Are they mistreating you?”
He reached out and took her hand. “After what happened to you, I ceased the struggle to endure.”
“I told you I was fine, the last time we came here, wherever this is.” She gestured at their surroundings with her free hand.
He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in a gentle caress. “You were the answer to a prayer, a warrior of Thuun, and even you couldn’t free me from the grasp of the enemy. I knew it was my fate not to survive this ordeal.”
Now she was angry. “I failed because I didn’t take the time to properly study the situation, or to plan. You got under my skin, and I was reckless. I’ll do it right this time, I swear. Don’t you dare give up.”
“So you do sense the attraction, the pull between us.”
She tugged her hand free. “Okay, you’re a hell of an attractive guy, if you’re fishing for compliments here. I’d help you if you were as ugly as an asteroid angler eel. You’re being held against your will, and there seems to be something deeper going on, maybe even a plot against the Sectors. Of course I have to get involved.”
“You have the warrior’s heart,” he said. “I wish we’d met differently. Rescuing me is impossible and therefore not your task. Thuun must have another purpose for you.” He sounded regretful.
“You have a lot to learn about me, pal. Telling me to accept defeat just dials up my stubbornness. Where does he keep you at night? Still with the animals?”
“No, Kinterow tried to force me to tell him how the beasts were of help to me, but he can’t afford to inflict enough pain and damage on me to extract the information.” Samell smiled with satisfaction. “I have a high pain threshold and important secrets can be protected until death, if one has the discipline.”
The Fated Stars Page 4