"Wow!" I looked at Kadran, beaming with pride. He nodded solemnly.
"Now do it again, until it comes naturally."
I grumbled a little at that but complied. Each time I repeated the motion it felt a little better, a little more fluid. My fist snapped out again and again, until Kadran was satisfied.
Next to him it still looked like I was moving through treacle. When he demonstrated the move I knew he was slowing himself down for my benefit but it was still faster and better than anything I could manage.
Maybe it would be nice to study this with him, I thought. Then I shook my head. No. I'm going home. I can take up karate or something when I get back to Earth, but I'm not staying out here. Not when space is full of slavers and monsters.
Not just because the guy who rescued me is hot enough to melt steel.
I glanced aside at him and shivered. God he was tempting, but I couldn't let myself act on that. If I did, if I let myself give in, I knew I'd never want to leave him. And then I'd never get to see Earth again.
13
Kadran
We spent days in the shrine, waiting for word from the ship-priest. Days during which Captain Drezz and his men had to be scouring the Lament for us. Days during which the temptation to do something about my desire for Amy grew ever stronger.
There was nothing I could do about either of those, so I buried myself in teaching her the Ikarna war dance. Amy proved to be a quick study, and though it was the work of years to master the art it was at least possible that she'd be better able to defend herself if need be.
It certainly didn't hurt that we got to spend the time close together. We both enjoyed that, Amy's eyes lighting up as she watched me demonstrate the postures. Unfortunately that just increased the temptation to do something about our attraction to each other, making it harder for me to keep my hands off her. I couldn't give in to the temptation, couldn't do that to her. Not when she wanted to return to her primitive planet, where I could never go.
After the first lesson it was impossible for me to deny my attraction to her. After the third, it was impossible to hide it. No matter how good I was at suppressing my emotions, the time spent so close to her overwhelmed my defenses.
The warring emotions left me confused and frustrated, my feelings torn in too many directions. After my experiences at the hands of Princess Tlaxanna, I'd never imagined that I could want to spend time with a human. Let alone that I could feel this pull towards one.
But there was one thing that I was certain of. Whatever else happened, Amy was not, could not be, some short fling for me. If we were to be together, it would be as a life bond. To forge that connection and then break it would be a betrayal of her and of my feelings.
If something doesn't change soon, I'm not sure I'll be able to resist, I thought as I watched her execute another punch. Her eyes flickered to me, a little tempting grin on her lips, and her expression held the same need as I did. It took an effort to look away.
As I started to frame my next lesson, a sprite fluttered through the shrine's doorway, its light brightening the room. Thank the Hungry Stars, something to distract me. I turned towards it as Amy dashed to pull on her jeans.
"What news do you have for me?" I asked, hoping that this was a messenger. If Drezz had hired another priest to send a sprite looking for us, we might be in trouble. Tension flooded back into my muscles, though it was futile. There was no fighting a sprite, it had no physical body to attack.
But the little floating speck of light unfolded, showing a shimmering hologram of the priest I'd hired. I relaxed a fraction, hoping this would be the word I'd been waiting for.
"Kadran, greetings," she said, voice a low whisper. "I have the connection you requested. Follow this sprite to a hypercom guildsman who will be able and willing to help."
There was a certain smug pride to her words, and I smiled. If the old lady had found a way for me to call home for help, then she deserved a measure of pride and all the money I could send her way. The sooner we were off this damned ship, the better.
I turned back to Amy, who was dressed and looking flustered. "You had better stay here. On my own I won't stand out too much, but together we're too obvious."
"I'm not waiting around like a lemon," she said, leaving me wondering what a lemon was. "You can't expect me to just sit here."
"Amy. This might go wrong, and even if it doesn't, it'll still take days at least for my backup to arrive." I put a hand on her shoulder. "If you are seen in the corridors, that might bring our enemies down on us. I understand your frustration, your wish to do something, but this is the best plan we have. You stay here, I'll get word out, and I'll be back soon. We can't take the risk."
She glared and then, reluctantly, nodded. "Fine. Okay. But you bring back something different to eat, too."
A sigh of relief escaped me. I hadn't been sure Amy would listen. "You're right, we need some variety," I agreed, turning to follow the sprite before she could change her mind.
The trip through the maze of tunnels took a different path this time, deeper into the ship and away from the black market. Soon I was in more traveled areas, places where I couldn't hide. Well-maintained corridors busy with people of a dozen different species, many following their own sprites as they hurried to their destinations. Very much how I remembered my time in the Silent Empire, though then the crowds had parted for me. I'd been the property of a Princess, and no one would stand in my way.
Now they crowded around me, jostled me. It was both frustrating and a relief — no one treated me as anything special, I was just one more person about his business. Not an emissary of royalty, not a hunted fugitive, just a man on an errand.
Still, it set my teeth on edge to be in a crowd like this, and not just because of the danger that someone might recognize me. Rationally I knew that the odds of randomly bumping into one of Drezz's men in the corridors was too slim to worry about. But being amongst the Imperials again was a constant aggravation, and I felt the need to hit someone as I pushed my way through the throng.
Luckily I didn't have to endure it for long. Soon the sprite brought me to an ornate door inscribed with the circuit diagrams and sacred seals of the Hypercom Guild. It slid open silently as I approached. Inside was a small chamber, the walls covered in padding that should keep any conversations private. The guild traded in privacy, and anything spoken in here would be sacrosanct.
The guildswoman inside looked up at me from behind her desk and paled, tapping a stylus nervously against her fingers.
"You must be the, ah, special appointment," she said quickly, pushing back the hood of her robe and gesturing towards a seat. "This is all highly irregular."
"It is," I agreed, sitting down opposite her. The chair was built for humans and creaked under my weight. "But you will be well compensated for stepping outside your normal bounds. All I want is a private channel to my friends, and isn't that the entire purpose of your guild?"
She shot me a sour look. "You know that this is more than that. We act within the bounds set by our host, and you're asking me to go behind Prince Xeraxis's back."
"I am not," I said, leaning forward. "I am paying you to go behind his back, and paying handsomely. You know full well that I and my organization are good for it."
"But I still get to take the risk, without good coin in my hand," she muttered. I sat back and waited — she'd agreed already or I wouldn't be here, so I knew this was no more than a negotiating tactic. The guildswoman either wanted more money or simply needed to vent.
After an uncomfortable pause, she grimaced and nodded. "Fine, then. I'll make the connection for you. Step into the hypercom."
At last I could arrange for the help I needed to get Amy to safety. I felt a spring in my step as I walked to the booth she indicated.
* * *
"What do you mean, you can't send anyone?" I glared at the hologram of Hope, my contact in the Anti-Slavery Patrol. The human held up her hands, framed in the blinding light of Ache
ra's sun. She was safe at the ASP's headquarters, and I found myself resenting that.
"Do you think we have a ship waiting for your call, Kadran?" she asked, plowing on before I had a chance to respond. "That's not how this works. We're handling twenty operations with the staff for ten, and everyone's busy. Funds I can do you, that's no problem, but a ship? Not so easy."
The human woman looked harried and frustrated, as though she hadn't slept in a month. Getting angry at her wouldn't achieve anything, but I felt my blood heat nonetheless. Trying to control my emotions, I started again. "This is a matter of life and death, Hope. Not just for me but for the human I'm rescuing."
The hologram flickered as she nodded, and I could see her frustration leaking through. "Sure. Two lives on the line. So which other operation do you want me to shut down to save you? They're all matters of life and death, Kadran."
It wasn't just our lives, and she knew that. I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. "Look, Kadran, I get it. If this sale goes through, her homeworld becomes a target for slavers and that's bad news. Believe it or not, I care about that. Maybe more than you do."
"I doubt that," I said, crossing my arms. A tired grin appeared on Hope's face.
"Really? Because from what you've told me, your Amy is from Earth — which is my home too."
Damn. I can't argue with that. I shook my head, acknowledging defeat, and she continued.
"I don't want you to fail, Kadran. If I had backup to send you, it would be on its way already. The thing is, you're supposed to be on an intelligence gathering mission and we weren't expecting you to check in for another five days. You should be the safest agent out there."
Slowly letting out a breath, I repeated an Ikaran mantra in my mind. Letting my rage settle down to a manageable level before I spoke.
"You're right," I admitted. "But I couldn't let this pass, let her be sold into slavery so that I could make contact on time."
Despite the tired look in her eyes, she smiled just a touch. "I know. No one working for ASP has an easy time leaving someone in slavery. Look, I'm going to see what I can do. Captain Illaz isn't that far from you and his operation is nearly finished. I'll see if he can take the Golden Fury to the Lament and pick the two of you up. That will still take a few days, though."
"Very well," I said, unwillingly. But what could I do? Calling off any of the other missions would doom someone else to the slavery I'd rescued Amy from, and I couldn't ask the other agents to do that. "We should be safe for a little while at least, but tell him to hurry."
"Stay safe, Kadran," Hope told me. "I'll be in touch when I have a plan."
The bright sunlight vanished as the hologram shut down, and the booth door slid open. Outside the worried guildswoman watched me carefully as I stood and exited, as though I were a dangerous animal.
"That took too long," she said accusingly. "You're going to get me caught."
"Stop complaining, you're being paid well enough," I told her. "And there's more money in this for you. We'll pay you well to keep this quiet, and to hold any messages for me."
She grumbled, and she bargained hard. In the end we agreed a frankly ridiculous sum of Imperial Suns for her to keep my secrets and take messages for me. At least that likely means that she'll hold her tongue, I thought, wincing at the cost. The ASP might be backed by an Imperial Princess and the king of Achera, but we didn't have unlimited funds.
I consoled myself with the knowledge that as long as the Guild was getting paid to keep my secret, I could trust them not to give me away to Captain Drezz. That was enough to make the expense worthwhile and I smiled as I slipped out of the Guild station and back out into the Lament's corridors. Now all Amy and I had to do was stay safe and hidden until someone could come and collect us.
How hard could that be?
14
Amy
"What do you mean, it'll be days before we get off the Lament?" I glared up at Kadran, hands on my hips, as he explained the arrangements he'd made. "We've already been stuck here for days and I'm going stir crazy."
Some emotion I couldn't place flickered over Kadran's face, too fast for me to pin it down. Amusement? Annoyance? Frustration? It could have been anything. But when he spoke, his words were calm.
"We have no choice," he told me. "It's waiting or we try to steal a ship and escape, and there's not much chance that I can pull that off at a port like this. There are a lot of pirates and thieves around, and everyone's watching their property."
He looked at our little camp at the base of the statue. "I can try to make us more comfortable. I've picked up some new things to eat from the market already, and if there's anything else you need, just ask. But we stay here until I get word that my backup's docking. It's the only way to keep you safe."
"It's not about comfort." But that was only partly true. Aside from practicing with Kadran there was nothing to do, and I really wasn't in good enough condition to spend hours exercising each day. Watching Kadran was enjoyable but frustrating, and it was starting to drive me nuts.
The shrine itself was deadly dull, and the sleeping bag wasn't comfortable, and the food was monotonous. I was running out of the food I'd brought camping, not that it had ever been that tasty. Kadran had taken some ration bars from the Crimson Princess, and they were even worse. Apparently they contained all the nutrients needed for any species in the galaxy to live off them, but I was starting to suspect that most people would rather starve. Perhaps Kadran was right and some variety would make me feel better.
Or perhaps I was just being unreasonable. If it was only a matter of a few more days, then I could put up with it. Surely I could.
Sighing, I turned away and looked out at the stars. The gap in the wall had become almost normal after spending days looking at it.
"Sorry I'm whining," I said after a moment. "You're trying to keep me safe and all I can do is complain."
"I understand," Kadran replied. He was close, so close I could feel the heat of his body behind me. "Truly, I do. I remember this same frustration, and I wish there was something I could so to take your mind from it."
His powerful hand rested on my shoulder, and I shivered at the contact. Every time we touched it set off a wildfire in me, my body aching for more and my mind wanting to pull away.
I gripped his hand in mine, squeezing gently. "You can't know what this feels like," I said, softly. "If I'm caught I'm going to be sold to someone I don't know, for reasons I don't understand."
His chuckle was a deep, sad sound. Laughing at himself, not me. "I know that all too well, Amy. There was a time when I stood exactly where you do now."
I looked around, frowning up at him, wanting to know more but not knowing what questions to ask. You were a slave? That seemed rude, intrusive. What happened? Vague and annoying.
He didn't wait for my questions. Staring out into space, he seemed to be talking to the distant stars rather than to me. "They came when I was a young man, little more than a boy. Swept up my whole village in a raid, took us all. I suppose in a way I was lucky that Princess Tlaxanna wanted something special for her personal bodyguard, and her proctors chose me. That's where I learned to fight, and kill. And hate."
The cold fury in that last word shook me. It sounded so bleak, as though his whole world was made of anger and pain. Squeezing his hand to remind him I was here, I tried to anchor him and bring him back to the present. Kadran paused for a moment, getting his emotions under control, and then squeezed back. "I served her for years before I managed to get free. No idea how many people I killed for her, I lost count quickly. And when I returned home, there was nothing left for me. I'd been gone too long, no one knew me, and my anger made me too dangerous to be around. I left again before I killed someone."
This time the pause stretched on, waiting for something. Stepping closer, I tried to be a comforting presence for him. Kadran wanted to talk, I could feel the words jammed up inside him. He just needed some help. "Is that when you found your temple?"<
br />
"Yes," he breathed the word. "The Ikarna Temple took me in and taught me to control my rage. To channel it into something better and find peace. Then the Anti-Slavery Patrol found me and gave me work that would use my skills for good."
There was a ragged edge to Kadran's words, as though he didn't quite believe that was the right thing. Tentatively, nervously, I put an arm around his waist and hugged him, offering my support as best I could. "No wonder you hate the Empire."
A bark of a laugh. "It's ironic, really. The ASP was founded by an Imperial Princess, so I can't even say they're all bad. It was simpler to be able to hate without reservation, but not honest. Despite what Tlaxanna did to me, there are good people in the Empire."
His arm tightened around me, almost painfully. "None of that matters now. What you need to know is that I do understand your fears, I know them intimately. And I will not allow you to fall into the clutches of the slavers again. You are safe with me as long as I have breath in my body."
Safe, but trapped, I thought miserably. Kadran would keep me 'free' but he would never let me go home. That was a better fate than slavery, yes, but not a good one.
I didn't want to have that fight right now. No matter what, he was trying to keep me safe from people who meant me harm. I could worry about the rest once we were off this damned ship.
I turned away from the tear in the wall, looking up into his eyes and feeling the pressure of his body against mine. The pain in his eyes looked familiar now, a mirror to my own. Something we shared, rather than something that held us apart.
Holding him closer, I tried to breathe. To calm myself. It wasn't easy, but the scent of him so close to me didn't help. Kadran smelled so good, a musky spicy scent that somehow both managed to be utterly alien and remind me of home.
Stolen by the Alien Raider: A Novel of the Silent Empire Page 8