by J. J. Green
Carina might take a long time to find them. They might even have to wait until tomorrow. Parthenia had one bracelet left. She wasn’t sure how much it was worth, but she guessed it might be a lot of money. Her father had always insisted that his family had the finest of everything.
If they found other people, maybe she could sell them her bracelet for enough money to last them for days. But then the idea of encountering other people got her worrying. “Darius, if we do see anybody, we must remember what Mother told us.”
“I know,” her brother replied. “I won’t tell them about Casting. I won’t tell them we’re—oh!” His foot had caught on a vine that lay across the path. He fell hard into a patch of thorny plants and squealed as he tried to get up.
“Don’t move,” Parthenia exclaimed, fearing he was going to scratch himself some more.
Darius obediently stopped wriggling and lay still, looking up at his sister with tears running down his face.
“Keep still and I’ll untangle you.”
It took Parthenia several minutes to detach the thorns from Darius’ clothes and skin, and she received plenty of scratches during the process. Eventually, however, she could finally stand the boy on his feet. Darius’ mouth was turned down and his chin trembled, though he’d finally stopped crying. He looked like he was at the end of his strength, yet he’d walked for hours with Parthenia without complaint.
“Would you like me to carry you?” she asked him.
Darius gave two firm nods and a small smile.
“Okay.” Parthenia turned around and squatted down. “Climb aboard.”
With her brother’s legs tucked under her arms she continued down the track. She could feel him resting his head on her back and guessed he might soon fall asleep. She was tempted to stop so they could both lie down, but fear of what might happen while they were sleeping would probably keep her awake.
Parthenia pushed on through the undergrowth. She was beginning to think the track must have been made by animals. What would be the point of people walking so far in the forest? With her gaze focused on the vegetation ahead, she desperately hoped to see some sign of an end to it, but there was nothing visible except leaves, branches, and vines.
In fact, that part of the forest looked familiar. Had they come that way before? It was so hard to tell. Surely the track led somewhere, or had they been going in circles?
“Parthenia,” said Darius, “what if Carina didn’t Transport out of the shuttle? What if the people who were coming aboard caught her?”
“Don’t be silly,” Parthenia replied. “Of course that didn’t happen. Carina wouldn’t let them capture her.” It was a possibility Parthenia wasn’t willing to entertain. The idea that they might have to survive without their oldest sister’s help on a world where they knew no one was horrifying. Even if Ferne and Oriana managed to find them, the four of them wouldn’t be much better off together than apart.
How would they get money? After she sold her bracelet, Parthenia didn’t know what else she could do. She didn’t know how to work at a job. Everything she’d learned in her classes had been academic or oratorical. She didn’t have any simple skills like cooking or cleaning or fixing broken tech. All she could do was Cast, and doing that would extremely risky. From what she could understand, that was why Father had treated Mother so badly. He’d used her because she was a mage. She hadn’t wanted to marry him. Mother must have been married before because Carina had a different father. Parthenia had never found out what had happened to him.
“Are you sure Carina Transported off the shuttle?” Darius asked. “She wasn’t caught?”
“I’m sure. I don’t know how long it’ll take her to find us, but she will. So don’t worry about it, okay?”
“Okay. I won’t.”
Parthenia pushed the prospect of trying to survive without Carina’s help far from her mind. Her sister would come. She had to. Parthenia couldn’t look after Darius all by herself. She couldn’t keep them both safe on her own.
Darius said, “I wish we could Cast Transport to bring some food.”
Chapter Four
Carina waited five minutes before trying to open the door that led out from the suite in the Dirksen mansion. Predictably, it was locked. Harmon was probably outside too, she guessed. She was standing in the lounge of the suite, which also contained a bedroom and a bathroom. The first thing she’d done was to quickly search the rooms for ingredients to make elixir, but she was out of luck. Though there was plenty of wood and metal and she could get water by pretending she wanted a drink, there was no earth in the rooms or any way for her to make a fire.
She went to the lounge’s window. It was also locked and the square frames that held the panes were too small for her to squeeze through, assuming she could break the glass without someone hearing it. Outside, the grounds of the estate stretched to the horizon. No fences or walls broke the wide, flat parkland landscape. If she tried to cross it in daylight she would be spotted easily, and at night infrared sensors would pick up her body heat.
Carina wasn’t about to let those facts stop her from trying to escape. The estate probably had a shuttle pad and a few private shuttles, or perhaps she could steal one of the hover vehicles that were used for transportation on that world. Turning from the window, she skimmed the room with her gaze.
She walked over to an internal wall and touched it, running her hands over the surface to find out how it was constructed. If the wall was only made of board, she might be able to break through it, though then she would have the problem of getting out of the house. On the other hand, she was only on the second floor. Perhaps she could make a hole in the external wall? Or maybe she could remove the entire window frame?
She peeled back the fabric wall covering and found plaster underneath. Using the metal base of an ornament to dig through plaster, she discovered that the internal walls were made of bricks. She could chip away the mortar and remove the bricks, but it would take time. And she would have to choose a wall that didn’t adjoin the main corridor or her efforts might be noticed. Perhaps she could make a hole through the wall into the room next to her bedroom. That room’s window might be unlocked.
Carina continued through the suite, trying to figure out how she could slip away. But after half an hour’s investigation she hadn’t managed to find a quick escape route, though she’d thought up several plans. All of them would take time to execute, however. After her long confinement on the patrol ship and the journey to the Dirksen estate, she was exhausted. Carina lay down on the sumptuous bed. Worrying about her mage sisters and brothers, she fell asleep.
***
She woke to the sensation of someone gripping her shoulder. Reflexively, she punched where she guessed the person’s head might be. Her fist connected with a skull. As she opened her eyes, she rose up and grabbed for the person’s throat. It was muscly and thick—too thick for a proper grip with one hand. She gripped it with her other hand too, though it ached from the punch.
Harmon’s very surprised face swam into focus. He brought up his arms between hers and broke her grip before shoving her onto the bed. “Calm down, huh? I just wanted to wake you for dinner. You didn’t answer when I knocked.” As he turned away, he rubbed his head where she’d punched him. “I’ll wait for you outside.” He walked out of the bedroom, still rubbing his head.
Carina nursed her sore knuckles. She’d been deeply asleep and dreaming when Harmon had woken her. The threads of the dream were already slipping from her mind, but she recalled a large monster leaning over Darius. Somehow, she’d known the monster was her brother’s father, Stefan Sherrerr, and he was taking him to whatever dark place he’d gone after he died.
She rubbed her upper arms, chilled even though the room was warm. Stefan Sherrerr had died a terrible death, and though he would never hurt Darius again she was concerned about how the little boy was faring. Parthenia would do her best to look after him but Carina still worried. None of her mage brothers and sisters would a
dapt easily to their new lives.
When she went into the lounge, Carina saw that night had fallen. She’d slept for hours. Clothes had been spread across the sofa: fine dresses, pants, and shirts, all her size. They were intended for her, no doubt. Was she supposed to change her clothes before going down to dinner? Carina sighed. She wasn’t a doll for Langley Dirksen to dress up.
When she tried the door, it opened. Harmon was waiting in the corridor, his hands clasped in front of him. He looked her up and down. “You have to—”
“I go down like this or not at all,” said Carina.
Harmon made a sneering expression and wordlessly gestured for her to go first. As he followed her, she said, “Is this your usual job around here, Harmon? Locking up young women? Your family must be proud.” She smirked at him over her shoulder.
The burly man pushed her shoulder, forcing her to face forward. “You better shut up or I’ll hurt you where it won’t show.”
When they reached the first floor, he guided her to a room for dining. Langley Dirksen was sitting at one end of a table and a man was sitting at the other. Carina thought this had to be Mr. Dirksen but then the man stood and turned to face her and she saw he was much younger than Langley. Though he was tall, he was an adolescent.
Langley’s gaze drifted briefly down Carina’s clothes and back up again before she forced a smile. “Thank you for joining us. I hope you slept well.”
“No need to thank me,” Carina replied. “I didn’t have any choice about it. Harmon here woke me up with a slap and dragged me downstairs.”
“Harmon!”
“Not true, ma’am. I believe our guest is trying to cause trouble.”
Langley looked troubled. The young man stifled a small grin. He was her son, judging by the resemblance between the two.
“Please, join us,” said Langley.
Carina pulled out a chair and sat down. She began piling food on her plate. “Tell me, is it normal around here to lock your guests in their rooms? I’ve never encountered that before and I was wondering if it’s a local custom.” She dug a fork into a pile of some kind of starchy vegetable and filled her mouth.
At this, Langley’s son gave a brief snort of laughter before putting a hand over his mouth. His mother glared at him before turning to Carina and saying, “Please believe me, I would not be doing this unless I felt it was necessary and beneficial to both of us in the long run.”
Carina raised her eyebrows, chewed, and swallowed before lifting up another forkful of food. She wasn’t going to allow this woman the satisfaction of thinking she was doing her a favor by locking her up. But Carina was hungry again. There was no point in passing up the opportunity to fill her belly while her future was so uncertain.
“Let me introduce you to my son,” Langley said brightly. “This is Reyes.”
Reyes nodded at Carina. His gaze briefly slipped back to his mother before turning down to his plate.
“Reyes is an inventor,” said Langley. “Isn’t that right, dear?” Reyes didn’t look up but he gave a small nod. “He’s so smart. I don’t know where he gets it from.”
Carina wondered what had happened to Reyes’ father. No fourth place was set at the table. She didn’t ask, however. Indulging in small talk would send the wrong signal. It would give Langley the impression that her behavior was acceptable.
A serving dish piled with meaty ribs sat in front of Carina She picked one up and began to gnaw it.
Langley took a drink, appearing to attempt to quell anger or anxiety or perhaps both. “Shall we get down to business?” When Carina continued to ignore her she put down her glass and went on, “I will be entirely frank with you and I hope that in return you will show me the same respect.
“Firstly, I know something of what you can do, so there’s no point in hiding it. I’m sure you’re aware of the rivalry between the Dirksens and the Sherrerrs. In recent years, my clan has lost considerable ground to our competitors—business dealings, allegiances, military development, and so on. In many areas, the Sherrerrs have overwhelmed our interests. Some movement back and forth is to be expected, of course. We can’t expect to win all the time. But certain events have been very odd. Businesses that had been loyal to us for generations suddenly made deals with the Sherrerrs—deals that were to their disadvantage. Secret military installations have been attacked and weapon prototypes stolen. These events were so remarkable, we paid one arms trader a lot of money to allow us to send a spy as his representative in a business deal.
“Obviously we couldn’t implant any kind of bug on our spy. The Sherrerrs would have detected any tech immediately. All we had to go on was his report on the meeting after it took place on the Sherrerr stronghold on Ithiya. Interestingly, during the meeting he agreed to a deal that would eventually put the actual arms supplier out of business. Something odd had happened. The spy reported that the only abnormal thing he remembered was that a young woman had sat in on the meeting for no apparent reason. It was almost too preposterous to countenance, but we were forced to conclude that this young lady had done something to influence our spy’s decision-making, causing him to sign up to an agreement no one in their right minds would accept.”
Carina continued to eat, not allowing her expression to betray the thoughts whirring through her mind. She had a good idea of what had gone on in that meeting.
“Further reconnaissance efforts revealed that the young woman lived on a country estate with her family,” Langley said. “We watched the estate, curious about what it was that the girl had done to influence our spy. When another child in the family left the estate’s grounds, we took him for questioning.”
You took him and tortured him. Carina fought to keep her features neutral. It was possible that Langley wasn’t aware of what Dirksen thugs had done to Darius. Not that it was an excuse.
“Reyes, be quiet,” Langley snapped.
The young man, who hadn’t been making very much noise at all, put down his knife and fork.
“My dear,” Langley said to her, “I know you rescued the boy. I’ve seen the vid. I also know that you have some kind of special ability too, and you became caught up with the Sherrerrs somehow. None of that matters to us. I don’t want to be unreasonable about this, but we need your help. We’re prepared to reward you handsomely if you will perform similar services to those the Sherrerr girl provided for her clan. That’s all we’re asking. And what you see around you is only a taste of the benefits you could enjoy if you agree.”
All the while Langley Dirksen had been speaking, Carina had been eating. She was now full. She finally lifted her gaze to the older woman. “If I knew what the hell you were talking about, which I don’t, do you really think it’s reasonable to lock me up? Do you actually think someone you kidnapped is going to help you? That’s got to be the craziest thing I ever heard. Now, you Dirksens hauled me off my ship, locked me up, pushed me around, and forced me somewhere I didn’t want to go.
“If you’re as nice and reasonable as you make out, prove it. Let me go. You might as well, because it won’t matter how long you keep me here, how much nice food you feed me, or how much fun Harmon has with me while your back’s turned, I can’t do whatever the hell it is you’re asking me to do. You’ll be wasting both our time if you don’t let me walk out of here.”
Langley smiled resignedly. “I can see it’s going to take longer to persuade you than I thought. That’s okay. I’m a patient woman. And when you finally do make the right choice, you’ll see how sensible you’ve been.”
Chapter Five
Carina had expected to spend the rest of the evening in her room and she’d been looking forward to spending the time trying to figure out how to get out of there. But Langley Dirksen had other plans for her. After dinner was eaten, in silence—Reyes hadn’t yet spoken—Langley announced that they would be attending “Mech Battle.”
Reyes punched the air. “Yes!” He paused and added, “I can go too, right?”
“You may,” Lan
gley replied graciously. “It will be good for you and our guest to get to know each other better.”
Carina nearly dropped her glass. She darted a look at the young man, who seemed embarrassed by his mother’s remark. Did Langley really imagine that the two of them might strike up a romance? The idea was insane. Even if Reyes wasn’t the son of her kidnapper, he was just a kid.
“You’re joking, right?” she asked Langley. “And anyway, I don’t want to go to your stupid event. I demand that you release me. I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t committed any crimes and you have no right to hold me like this.”
“Not committed any crimes?” Langley asked. “Well, maybe you aren’t a criminal, but your situation might be better if you were. My dear, you were captured aboard a Sherrerr shuttle. You’re worse than a criminal. You’re an enemy prisoner.” Her polite expression transformed to hostility. “You have no rights.” Then the mask of politeness fell over her features again. “But let’s not squabble. I’m not so foolish as to believe that compelling you to work for us is the best solution in the circumstances. Whatever we managed to force you to do, you would exert the minimum effort, and no doubt you would try to secretly sabotage your results.
“It would be to both our benefits if we can come to a mutually agreeable arrangement. I know you don’t believe so at the moment, but it’s true. As hard as it may be for you to accept, I don’t want you to work under duress. And so, as an enticement, I would like you to see the kind of lifestyle you could live and the things you could have if you agree to use your abilities to help us.” She looked again at Carina’s worn, dirty clothes. “I take it you won’t agree to change before we go?”
“No, I won’t.”
“Very well. We’ll leave in five minutes or so. Reyes, please keep our guest entertained until then.” Langley rose and left the room.