by Ann Durand
Askins revealed the plan to feed the rocsadons' chains out until the beasts had plucked both Adrella and Katera from their perch. The blood drained from Mike's face, and while Askins laughed, he pulled his knife and sprang toward him. As if expecting the move, Askins pulled an object from a sheath secured to his belt. Just in time, Mike pulled up short in front of the narrow muzzle of a shiny Beamer pointed straight at his belly.
"That's close enough, Leno." Askins raised the gun higher, so that the red laser spot from the rangefinder landed in the middle of Mike's chest. "Yeah, you're right about the Beamers being dead, all except for this one. I saved one, just in case. So drop the knife." Mike let the knife fall to the ground, and Askins grinned. "This is all I need to put you under, just like you should have been put under ten years ago." His eyes danced with a mixture of madness and delight. "Say good-bye, Leno, and don't depend on any kiddik saving your ass this time."
He hadn't finished the sentence before Mike dove at his knees. In a flash, Askins was on his back in the dirt with Mike gripping the wrist that held the Beamer. Askins pounded the side of Mike's head with his free hand and bit into his shoulder, but was no match for the younger, fitter man. Mike wrested the Beamer from him and scrambled to his feet, his shirt torn, his shoulder bleeding. He plucked his knife from the dirt and sheathed it, keeping the Beamer trained on Askins' head. Askins swiveled into an upright position, spotted the Beamer in Mike's hand, and scuttled backward in the dirt on his elbows, his eyes focused on the weapon.
Holding the Beamer firm, Mike glanced at the window in its side panel to check on the number of charges left. Only one remaining shot registered, but it was enough…enough to rid the universe of one vile sonofabitch for good. He raised the gun to Askins' head. Mike had never killed a man before, but felt no qualms about killing this one. If ever anyone had lived without a shred of decency or redemption in his bones, this was the guy. Mike took careful aim.
"I wouldn't do it-you're going to need that charge. Listen." His tone held an edge of desperation. Mike cocked an ear in spite of himself. "Listen to the rocsadons."
The roars from a small horde of the beasts glided over the treetops. Alarmed, he realized he was also feeling vibrations through his feet. These animals were not on a routine feeding exercise-they were raging.
"You're going to need that charge," Askins said again. "There are six rocsadons fixed on those girls. The Kastaks were told to let them feast. If you hurry, you might save them. But you're going to need the Beamer. You know nothing else will stop a rocsadon fixed on a scent."
Mike's adrenalin erupted into high gear as he steadied the gun on Askins. What if he wasn't telling the truth? Could he take that chance? The thought of Katera in danger filled him with more dread than he'd ever known. He must do everything in his power to save her. Little else mattered.
Askins, sensing his distress, rolled into the trees and raced away. Mike didn't follow him. There wasn't time, and Askins was right. He might need the one charge. He'd deal with Askins later. The man had no more power anyway-Mike had the sphere. As Askins' footsteps galloped away, Mike wheeled around on the path and sped toward the rocsadon's pen, clutching the Beamer.
Chapter Nineteen
Katera's mind had gone blank, more from shock than fear. She stood on top of the pole, oblivious to the thundering beasts charging at her from all sides. The pole swayed and shook, and still her face registered nothing. Her knees bent automatically with the movements, as if she were standing in a boat on a choppy lake. At the other end of the pen, a shout erupted over the roaring rocsadons. Something inside her stirred. Again, the shout.
It was her name. Who was calling her name? From a distant place in her brain, she recognized the voice. A small ember, a warmth glowed inside her chest as her Lan Ma Ke sizzled to life. Mikolen. It was Mikolen…he had come. Suddenly aware of the long, sharp teeth snapping around her head, she shrieked.
"Mikolen!"
"Katera! Don't move. I'm coming."
She switched her head as far round as she could to see him. He was running full speed toward her, kicking up a storm of thick dust behind him.
"Mikolen! Be careful, the Kastaks."
As if on cue, Kastak Morchison yanked the brake on his winch and signaled Timoton to do the same. Both men waited, their eyes fixed on Mikolen, who had slowed as he approached Katera. Just out of reach of the rocsadons, he looked up, his face contorted with worry.
"Hang in there! The brakes are on. The rocsadons can't get to you unless you fall."
Katera nodded and turned her attention back to the beasts, who had not quit their incessant lunging. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mikolen approach Kastak Morchison. Mikolen walked swiftly. She spied something in his hand. Morchison was watching him carefully, and as Mikolen came within six feet of the Kastak, Morchison reached one hand toward the winch brake and held up the other for Mikolen to stop.
Mikolen paused, his feet apart, knees bent, and shoulders rounded. He held a Beamer in one hand, pointed at Morchison. She'd heard of this weapon. Only Askinadon had them, and they were powerful-capable of blowing large, solid objects into smithereens . Lucky Lupana. Where and how had he gotten it?
She studied him more closely. His hair was mussed, his face dirty, and his shirt torn at the shoulder and stained red. He was bleeding. What had happened? Had he fought Askinadon to get the Beamer? In her peripheral vision, she realized no one was standing at Timoton's post on the other side. Where'd he go? Alarmed, she moved her head around until she spotted Timoton. He was sneaking up on Mikolen's backside.
Cupping her hands to her mouth, she shouted, "Behind you!"
Mikolen swirled around and faced Timoton, who stumbled backward when he spied the Beamer, now pointed at him. Mikolen edged away bringing both Kastaks into range, swiveling the muzzle back and forth between them. She couldn't hear their voices, but she saw Mikolen freeze as Morchison's hand wrapped around the brake that would release the chain, allowing a rocsadon to reach her.
Then Mikolen did something astonishing. He wedged the Beamer inside his belt. His hands were empty. Why did he do that? Didn't he want to shoot Kastak Morchison?
He reached inside his pants pocket and pulled out…a ball? A small, luminous ball filled his palm, but it wasn't made out of clay or carved from wood like the ones she knew-you could see through this one. It was so smooth, like nothing she'd ever seen. It shimmered in the shadows as if its luminosity were self-contained. Mikolen held it up for the Kastaks to see, gestruing. Both Kastaks looked astonished. Timoton stared with his mouth open, and Morchison removed his hand from the brake and inched forward, staring at it. Mikolen popped it back into his pocket and pointed south toward the trail that led down the mountain. Both Kastaks approached Mikolen listening intently. They did not attack him. What was going on?
A roar and a scuffling at the other end of the pen, and all three men's heads turned toward it. She saw their eyes grow wide. Unable to contain her curiosity, she turned on her pedestal, careful to keep her arms locked at her sides and away from the snapping heads. At the other end, near the gate, she spied Askinadon. He was working with a chained rocsadon, tossing a piece of cloth in front of it, fixing the animal. She wondered who was getting the fix this time.
Then she remembered…Mikolen's shirt was torn. She looked back at him. Yes, the missing piece looked like the cloth Askinadon was using. Mikolen gestured toward Askinadon as the two Kastaks bent in a huddle in front of him. With nods all around, both Kastaks bolted toward the gate. They ran wide along the walls on either side, as if to make room for the rocsadon that was sure to charge down the middle.
She looked back at Askinadon. He was racing from post to post unlocking each chain with the tiket until the stomping animal stood free. For a second it froze, as if stunned by its freedom. Then the large head swiveled on its long neck. Nothing else moved but that enormous head. When it stopped, it was staring wild-eyed at Mikolen. The great chin lifted skyward, the neck stretching up
and up as the mouth opened. It sucked in a huge breath. The screech that followed sent Katera's hands flying her ears. The battle cry of a rocsadon was unmistakable.
The cry ended, and the rocsadon thundered down the middle of the pen bellowing and heading for Mikolen, stirring up a plume of dust behind it. Katera tried to scream, but her throat snapped shut. She couldn't bear it…not again…it was too much. First Adrella, and now Mikolen. Merciful Lupana. No. She drew her trembling fingers over her mouth, staring helplessly at Mikolen. Why wasn't he running away? Maybe if he ran, he could scale the wall…get over it somehow. No one stood a chance against a fixed rocsadon. She must tell him to flee. She opened her mouth, and this time, found her voice.
"Mikolen, run!"
But he did not. Instead, he lifted the Beamer from his belt, his eyes glued onto the rocsadon. Yes. In her panic she had forgotten the weapon. With a quickening heart, she watched the rocsadon as it rapidly closed the distance between it and Mikolen.
Shoot now. Shoot!
Mikolen held the Beamer steady, his arm fully extended and trained on the animal. When she thought it was too late-when the creature had begun to lower its neck to capture Mikolen-he fired. A thin line of red light leapt from the Beamer and landed on the chest of the charging rocsadon. There was a sizzling noise, and the animal let out a surprised squeal before a great popping sound filled the air, and chunks of flying flesh shot out in all directions.
Katera pulled her arms over her head as it rained small gobs of meat near her. It probably only lasted five seconds, but it felt like an eternity as the pieces plopped into the dust. After a moment of silence, she peered through the crook of her arm and looked around. Tissue bits covered the ground everywhere. A large piece of the carcass lay in a puddle of blood twenty feet from her post. The explosion had silenced the rocsadons surrounding her, but only for a moment. In the next instant, they were thrusting toward her again. She looked over at Mikolen, who picked himself up off the ground and tossed the spent Beamer over his shoulder. He waved at her.
"I'm going to pull them back!" he shouted, pointing at the rocsadons.
She nodded and turned back to the Kastaks, who had each grabbed Askinadon under an armpit and were marching him toward Mikolen. Askinadon was snarling and kicking. They dropped him onto the ground face down, snatched his wrists, and dragged him.
The clatter of chains caught her attention and she turned in time to see one of the rocsadons stumbling backward toward the winch. Mikolen's muscled arms swelled as he leaned into the crank and reined it in, little by little. He heaved and shoved the crank until the animal was twenty feet away from her, then he secured the brake, and headed for the next winch. The Kastaks, with Askinadon cursing between them, looked on as Mikolen reined in each animal in the same manner.
At last, freed from the clashing beasts around her, Katera lowered herself on the post to a sitting position with her legs dangling over the side. Mikolen retrieved the ladder and brought it to her. Sliding it up against the post, he climbed up until he faced her.
"Mikolen."
She stopped, unsure of what to say next. Then he did something that made her dizzy. He picked up her hand and kissed it.
"I was afraid…so afraid I wouldn't get to you in time," he said, his voice choking.
She ran a finger through his hair and swallowed hard. She sorely wished she didn't have to tell him the next piece of news. "Mikolen, Adrella…" Her voice strangled on her sister's name.
"I know." He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," she assured him, but the memory was fresh, and she couldn't stop the tears from spilling over. "Look," she said, pulling the crescent moon from her neck and cradling it in her hand. "She gave me this; it's blessed with the grace of Lupana. That's why I lived and she…"
Again, Katera could not finish and looked at Mikolen helplessly. He wrapped his arms around her and she wept with her head on his shoulder. She wanted to let go and sob like a baby, but they were not out of danger. Over his shoulder, she spied Askinadon and the Kastaks on the ground watching them carefully. She pulled away.
"How did you know that Adrella had…that a rocsadon…"
"Jim Morchison and Tim Tonnelly told me what happened."
Adrella scrunched her brow. "Who are they?"
Mikolen tossed his head toward the Kastaks. "Those are their real names, their names in my world. Like me, they changed them to suit the nomenclature for the males of Parallon."
"Do they know you?"
"Yes, but they thought I was dead. I've been hiding for ten years."
Katera glanced at the Kastaks and back at Mikolen. "They are very bad men, Mikolen. I thought they were going to kill you. Why didn't they?"
Mikolen leaned into her ear, his breath warm and sweet. "Because I promised them I would take them home, away from Parallon. They hate this life. Askinadon has forced them to live it. But now they have a choice, and they want to go."
"They cannot go free. They have been too cruel to my people."
Katera felt her cheeks burn. Surely, Mikolen was not going to help these evil men-they had allowed the rocsadons to reach Adrella.
"I know," he whispered. "But right now we need them. And they need me. They can't get out of Parallon without Silver Gate, and we can't get out of this pen without their help." He gave her a long look. "And there's something else, Katera." He paused. "This may change your mind about coming to my world, but you deserve to know…"
She had no desire to imagine a life without him and felt her heart sink. "What do you mean?"
He drew in a deep breath and looked her hard in the eyes. "Askins has no more power. The VisiOrb control center is disabled. I hadn't planned on this or expected it, because I thought there was a second EM Sphere, but Askinadon told me it's been destroyed." He paused. "Do you understand what this means? Your people are free. The Voice…it's gone forever."
Katera closed her eyes. Kam Lan Lukora? Could it be true? At last, her people free? Free to live, work and play? For a moment, she couldn't wait to tell Adrella-to share it with her the way they shared everything. Then, she remembered, and her joy crumbled away. The shock of Adrella's death surged through her anew.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Adrella was gone for good. A wave of grief mounted inside her and crashed onto her senses, flooding her with an acute emptiness. She wanted Mikolen to hold her…tight…let him strangle out the hurt. No, no, no. She could not afford to fall apart; they were not yet safe.
In desperation, she turned her thoughts to Rorken. She still had him-Adrella's only child. Yes. She must hold herself together for the boy. She would raise him as her own. Rorken would grow up in a free society where he could learn things and grow happily into adulthood…free to think his own thoughts and feel as he wished. For him, there would be no threat of intimidation-he would be his own man. The legacy of Adrella's son would be a fearless one. Her sister would have cherished this for him, even over her own life. Rorken. She had Rorken.
Katera opened her eyes and looked at Mikolen. His eyes held a mixture of concern and compassion…she felt herself falling into those bottomless pools of sparkling liquid lights. And you, Mikolen. I will hang on for you, too. As if reading her thoughts, he reached out a hand and touched her cheek.
"Mikolen," she whispered. "I know what freedom can bring for me and my people. And Adrella's son."
Mikolen nodded, as if he understood what she was feeling. "You still have your sister's heart in that boy," he said. Then he cast a furtive glance at Askinadon. "I know it's hard, but we have get down…now. Will you be okay?"
He held out both hands. She had much to say to him, but this was not the time. His strong arms beckoned her into them. She allowed her body to slip next to his as he wrapped one arm around her waist, and with the other, guided them down the ladder.
"I want you to go outside the gate and wait for me there," he whispered. "I have one more detail to attend, then we can return to the caves." He
threw his chin in the direction of the gate. "Go, and wait for me."
"What are you going to do?"
Mikolen gave her a firm look. "You don't need to see this. Please, go."
Katera peered over at Askinadon, who was pleading for mercy from the Kastaks. She glanced back at Mikolen. He gave her a knowing look. Katera turned away and walked briskly back to the gate. Behind her, she heard the choking sobs of unmitigated fear as Askinadon considered his impending fate. She heard Mikolen's footsteps as he approached Askinadon.
"Ah, no, no, Mike! For old time's sake. Come on…hey. We went to school together…remember? You're a good guy, Mike. Aw, you're a good guy. You don't hurt people. Mike. Mike? Mike, noooo!"
Katera wanted to turn around, wanted to race back and vent her ten-year-old anger on this demented assassin, but she forced herself to keep walking. Mikolen didn't need her interference. As she neared the gate, she heard the long, shrill cry of a fixed rocsadon as it drowned out the enfeebled wails of Askinadon. Before leaving the pen, she stole a glance backward-just in time to see Askinadon seized by the rocsadon and tossed like a stick into the air.
His scream was deep as he hurtled skyward, then piercing and high-pitched as he shot back down. The rocsadon caught him by the arm just before he hit the ground, but it tore loose in the beast's mouth. Askinadon fell into the dirt below with a sickening thud. There he writhed awkwardly, struggling with one arm to get up. The rocsadon lowered its head until it was poised above his torso. Gingerly, it scooped Askinadon's body between its teeth, and then yanked its neck into the air like a whip. At the apex of its thrust, it opened its mouth and Askinadon careened back into the sky, howling again. This time, as he dropped down, the rocsadon snatched him from the air in its open mouth and swallowed him whole.