Prophecy (Book One in the Prophecy Series)

by Lea Kirk

  She gaped at him then seemed to recover her composure. “Oh, now I discover you’re as big a twerp as my brother.”

  A bark of laughter escaped him. “Indeed. Ora has called me similar names since childhood.”

  Alexandra tensed, her eyes wide. “Gryf, we didn’t use protection. I could…we could be pregnant.”

  It was true, and a child now would be dangerous and detrimental to their roles as the Profetae. “Dante hasn’t taught you tinan yet? The way we keep from conceiving children.”

  “Um, no, I guess not.”

  “Watch.” He stroked his hand along the silky skin over her ribcage to rest over her womb. “Tinan.” His hand glowed a faint blue color then returned to normal. “It is done.”

  “Wow,” she whispered. “It’s that easy?”

  Her innocent wonder at such a simple action filled his heart with delight. “Yes, that simple. It makes my sperm impotent inside you. And as I know you will ask, no, it does not work beforehand.”

  “Amazing.”

  Gryf cast a glance toward the cave opening. Pale grey light of dawn marked the fissure. “As much as I wish to spend the rest of the day alone with you here, I fear searchers could be here before too long.”

  Disappointment flashed in her eyes, but she nodded. They dressed wordlessly. As he pulled on his boots, she broke the silence. “Gryf, what’s my Gift signature?”

  He reached for her and pulled her to sit in his lap. “We are well matched, Alexandra. Your signature is like a wave bubbling on the shore as it returns to the sea.”

  ~ * ~

  Gryf’s eyes lingered on Alexandra’s long legs as she passed through the opening to the camp’s operations room ahead of him. The Terrian pants called “jeans” looked nice on her—as did the brown sweater, which complemented her eyes.

  Maintain yourself, Helyg. He gave himself a mental shake and stepped through the jagged fissure.

  The operations room was twice the size of their prison cell, made both comfortable and functional with tables, camp chairs, stools and rugs. Dante and Nick sat at a table just to the left of the entrance, a chess board—a game familiar to both their worlds—between them. At the table farther in, Bodie, Gunner, and Ramon filled long narrow metal casings with some sort of powder. They spoke together in amicable tones as they worked.

  Gryf scanned the room for Graig and Simone. Still have not returned.

  Ora rose from a loose circle of camp chairs and stools at the center of the room. She held a Terrian notebook in her hand and a Terrian stylus—pencil—tucked behind her ear.

  “Senior Captain in the hole,” she announced with a mischievous grin.

  The Guardians present rose and stood at attention. Alexandra gave a soft snort of laughter as she sat.

  “As you were,” Gryf growled, claiming the seat next to her. “First order of business, we will dispense with that formality for these meetings. It has the potential of getting out of hand.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ora’s eyes twinkled. “Please so note, Lieutenant Commander Zola.”

  Karise’s pencil moved across the page in her own Terrian notebook.

  “Sorry we’re late,” LaShawn said as he entered, followed by Kelly.

  Ora nodded as LaShawn pulled up a stool next to Bodie. Kelly took a seat apart from everyone, a brooding expression marring her otherwise lovely features. From the start she had kept her distance, as though the others were nothing more than an inconvenient necessity. She bore watching.

  Gryf turned his attention back to Ora. “Graig and Simone have not returned?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Very well, please carry on as we discussed, Captain.” Upon returning to camp, he and Alexandra had gone directly to Ora to reveal eno anim. To say that his cousin had been ecstatic about the news was an understatement. After a brief discussion, the three of them agreed that the news must be shared with the camp.

  Ora launched into an explanation of eno anim for the benefit of the Terrians, all of whom appeared keenly interested. Even Kelly.

  “As Matir has not had eno anim occur in over two centuries,” Ora concluded, “word has traveled through camp faster than a rock burns in an atmosphere. I know the Terrians do not appreciate the significance of this event, so we will look to LaShawn, Kelly, Bodie, Gunner and Ramon to explain it to the rest of their people after this meeting.”

  “We’re on it,” Bodie replied.

  “Sure, why not,” Kelly muttered.

  “There is more news.” Ora’s gaze met Gryf’s and he gave her a nod.

  “The dissenters report that there are four slavers on Terr’s surface.” Ora’s golden eyes surveyed the room, touching on each person as though daring them to prove their worth. “And multiple pockets of resistance around the globe who might be willing to assist. The attacks will be timed to occur in unison.”

  Ora’s plan to infiltrate the Premiere Warden’s slaver—the ship closest to them—and free the prisoners aboard was flawless. The diversion would distract the Anferthian fleet still in orbit, and with any luck they would be too busy to notice the arrival of the Matiran Defense Fleet. Once the DF arrived, of course. If they didn’t, an alternate plan would be used.

  “And we’re expected to place our trust in these dissenters?” Kelly’s voice was harsh.

  Ora nodded. “I understand your concern, Kelly. Truly, you are not the only one in camp who has voiced their doubts to me. After the slaver nearest our camp landed, a reconnaissance mission went down to investigate. This was my first encounter with K’rona Zurkku—our contact—on perimeter patrol. I would have killed her, but she did something that I did not expect. She handed me her Reliquary, which is something that an Anferthian never parts with, as it is sacred to them. She asked only that I hear her out, and if I did not believe her, she would submit to death at my hands.

  “Needless to say, she convinced me. If not for her, Gryf and his party would not have escaped.”

  Kelly gave a snort. “Convenient. Why hasn’t she arranged to release the others?”

  Gryf bit back a response. Ora was the youngest captain in the fleet for a reason. She could handle Kelly’s objections without his assistance.

  “If the dissenters did so, they would sacrifice not only themselves but also at least eighty percent of the prisoners. I am certain you are as appalled by that statistic as I.”

  Kelly’s mouth flatted to a thin line, then she gave Ora a curt nod.

  Gryf stroked his thumb over the back of Alexandra’s hand. “Yet we lack two things to implement this plan: explosives and the Defense Fleet.”

  “That is correct.” Ora nodded. “The Defense Fleet will be here, I have no doubt. There are some explosives aboard Athens’s transport, but not enough to disable the Premiere Warden’s slaver.”

  Gunner exchanged a brief look with Ramon and Bodie. “I was going to make my report later, but it seems now would be better. After the gas station incident, Lieutenant Commander Zola and I took a circuitous route back to camp in case we were being followed. We passed a remote building belonging to the state avalanche control department. It appeared untouched by the Anferthians, and we didn’t see any people.”

  Not seeing people didn’t mean there were not any. “Do you think there may be Terrian explosives stored there?”

  “Possibly. Since they are used to set off avalanches, it would be worth checking out. It’s about a day’s hike from here, if we take a more direct route than Karise and I did.”

  That sounded promising. “Ora, you had the transport scanners mapping as you came into the atmosphere, correct?”

  “I did. It’s how we found these caves. Laurentius, would you set up the data device, please?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Cassian tapped the unobtrusive palm-sized black sphere sitting on one corner of a table. The table surface lit up as the data device displayed the images of several maps, and he swiped his finger through them until he found the correct one.

  Alexandra vacated her chair, moving to peer
over Cassian’s shoulder. The four Terrian men trailed her. Gryf suppressed a smile. The Terrians always seemed hard pressed to resist the lure of new technology.

  “Capitán.” Ramon pointed to a spot on the map. “My brother-in-law worked at this silver mine here—Silver Valley Mine, about twenty miles north of us. They used explosives. There still may be some, if it’s not already destroyed.”

  Pushing out of his chair, Gryf joined the Terrians around the table. “Ora, assign two recon teams of four, with a Terrian-Matiran ratio of three to one. If there are people there, I don’t want an alien presence to put them on the defensive. Team one goes to the avalanche facility, team two to the mine.”

  Gunner looked up from the maps. “I’ll volunteer for team one, Captain.”

  Exactly what he had hoped Gunner would say. “Thank you, Colonel. Bring back anything you find there—explosives and people.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “The mine team is to report back what they find. Any explosives stay there, but people they can bring back. We’ll use the mine as our staging point for the attack on the slaver. Have both teams ready to go tonight.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ora replied, scratching the page of her notebook with her pencil.

  Alexandra met Gryf’s gaze from across the table. “They can take some of the medical floats to transport the explosives. That’d be safer than carrying them, and they could bring back more.”

  “Excellent idea. How many can be spared?”

  “Eight. We’ll keep two here for medical emergencies.”

  “Thank you, Alexandra.” Gryf blew out a sigh. “Now if the Defense Fleet would contact us.”

  “They will be here, Gryf,” Ora said. “Even if Admiral Cael and Admiral Marenys have to steal ships and come themselves. They will not strand us.”

  Now that would be a sight; the two old friends commandeering their own cruisers to come to the rescue. They would enjoy that experience. Gryf twisted his lips into a grimace. “Hopefully there will still be an ‘us’ when they arrive.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “So, what did I miss?”

  Alex jerked her head around from watching Maggie sleep, and stared at the woman standing in the entry to the infirmary. “Simone!” She darted forward and grabbed her friend into a bear hug. “Oh my god, I was so worried. Are you okay? You’ve been gone for five days.”

  “I’m fine, just a little tired. Graig caught up with me quickly. Those ’Ferths didn’t see him coming until it was too late. So, how’s the girl?”

  They drew apart and Alex gave her friend a grin. “Improving, but still not talking. Flora comes in for hours every day to sing to her. She’s also named her Maggie.”

  “Maggie?” Simone’s expression softened. “Pretty.” Then she jerked her thumb toward Graig and Gryf in the entryway behind her. “We brought a friend of yours.”

  “He says his name is James Trimble, from Damon Beach.” Graig said. Both he and Gryf wore identical expressions of skepticism.

  Alex’s gaze fell on the familiar, hollow-cheeked Earth-man in Graig’s custody. It was her former neighbor. But how? She took a step toward the man. “Mr. Trimble?”

  The old man flinched, then gave her a look of unbridled relief. “Alex. Thank God you’re safe.”

  “I am, but you don’t look so hot. Where did you find him, Simone?”

  “Hiding in some bushes, in the foothills.” Simone replied. She exchanged a glance with Graig and her cheeks darkened. Hmm. Not hard to imagine what happened in those bushes.

  “Well, bring him in and Dante can run an exam when he gets back.” Best not let Mr. Trimble know about her new-found ability until they knew more about his situation.

  The old man sank down onto a cot with a strangled sob. “I think they have Megan in there, Alex. I saw them put her on a flying machine, and it took me weeks to figure out where they’d gone. She’s fifteen, just a little girl, just a baby. My baby.”

  At fifteen, Megan wasn’t a baby by a longshot, but she was Mr. Trimble’s only child. Alexandra took his withered hand in hers and gave it a pat. “I understand, Mr. Trimble. Our doctor will give you a quick exam, then we’ll figure out what to do about Megan.”

  Dante returned at that moment, and after a brief explanation from Graig, he greeted James Trimble as any friendly country doctor would.

  A light touch on her arm pulled her attention away from them, and Gryf motioned her to follow him. They stepped into the corridor with Graig as their shadow.

  “What kind of man is he, compa?” Gryf asked.

  She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “He was always nice to Nicky and me, and a decent neighbor. He was in his forties when his first and only child, Megan, was born. His wife died when Megan was five, and he’s been protective of his daughter ever since.”

  “Understandable.” Gryf nodded slowly, then his gaze flicked behind her. “Graig, put a guard on him for the standard eight days. Since the rogues have been dispatched, I will lift the ‘go to ground’ order this afternoon. However, I don’t want Trimble wandering around, even under guard.”

  “Yes, sir,” Graig replied.

  “After that,” Gryf wrinkled his nose, “go bathe.”

  A snort escaped Alexandra

  “Yes, sir.” Graig narrowed his eyes at her. “Meet me in the operations room in one hour for your verbal telum test.” Then he was gone.

  Gryf grinned. “The snort may not have been the wisest reaction.”

  “That would have been valuable advice thirty seconds ago.” Mr. Smartie Pants.

  “I shall attempt to be more punctual with my advice in the future. Do you think Maggie is up for a little rocking?”

  “Always. Come on.”

  ~ * ~

  Alex sat across a small table from Graig. She’d managed to evade his telum test for two days, but this morning he’d caught up with her at breakfast and dragged her to the operations room. Why she ever thought he’d coddle her was laughable. He pushed her harder than he pushed any of the others, and for good reason. She was a valuable target for their enemy.

  “And this?” Graig asked pointing to another part of his telum with the tip of a pencil.

  Easy. “That’s the barrel. Lindrim.” Alex flashed him a smug look of triumph. Both English and Matiran, just as he’d asked. She was getting good at this.

  Graig gave her a curt nod, and moved the pencil to another part.

  “Ammunition chamber. Rucubi.” Alex shot a quick glance to where Ora stood across the room, an Earth book in her hands. Whatever she was reading, it must be good because she seemed to have forgotten that she was surrounded by empty camp chairs.

  Graig cleared his throat.

  “Oh, uh...muzzle.” This translation always messed her up. What was the Matiran word?

  The soft thump of booted feet entering the room came from behind her. Graig glanced up and stiffened. Huh. What could possibly break the almighty, perfectly focused Graig Roble’s concentration? Alex turned in her seat.

  Bodie stood intimately close to Ora, gazing into her eyes. He lifted the book from her hands, closed it and set it on a table. Ora’s lips parted as long, masculine fingers wove through her gold hair. Bodie slanted his mouth over hers.

  Oh, good lord. Alex cupped her hand over her grin. A kiss didn’t get much more romantic or passionate than that.

  Graig pushed out of his chair, his hands balled into fists. Waves of anger rolled off him like heat off a furnace. So not good. He was going to kill Bodie.

  Alex grasped his arm with both of her hands. “Don’t.”

  “But he’s forcing himself on her.” Graig matched her low voice, his eyes flashing. Whoa, was he ever pissed.

  She gave a tiny snort. “Does Ora look like she’s being forced to do anything she doesn’t want to do?”

  It was true. Ora’s face had transformed from wide-eyed surprise to closed-eyed contentment. Every possible inch of her lean body molded against Bodie’s, her fists clutching the back of his shirt.
And then she growled. There was no mistaking the sound as anything other than a woman completely turned on.

  Alex shot a smirk at Graig. Now what, Mr. Prim-and-Proper?

  Graig’s jaw tightened. “Is this what Terrian females like? Their men dominating them?”

  “Terrian females like it when males find them so desirable they’ll take risks to be with them.” There was no way to hide her wicked grin, so she didn’t try. “You have to admit, coming in here knowing that you have a gun in your hand is pretty risky for Bodie.”

  Graig drew his brows together as though contemplating her words.

  Alex leaned forward. “What’s that sound, Graig? Could it be...Ora...still not protesting?”

  His eyes flashed a warning that she was in danger of being throttled. All that was missing was smoke spewing from his ears. He yanked his arm from her grip. Holstering his telum, he scowled down at her. “We will continue your exam later.” He strode out of the operations room without another glance at Ora and Bodie.

  If Alex had to guess, Simone’s afternoon was about to make an abrupt U-turn. You’re welcome, my sweet friend.

  Ora moaned long and low as Bodie’s hand closed over her breast. Time to beat a hasty retreat. As Alex slipped past the table, she glanced at the now forgotten book. Her breath wheezed out of her. Where the heck had Ora found a copy of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?

  ~ * ~

  Thirty minutes later Alex walked among the trees, her fingers entwined with Gryf’s. She stole a sideways glance at his profile. There was an aura of quiet authority surrounding the man. It flowed from him like his Gift, calming and inspiring those around him. He accepted life’s experiences, working with them rather than trying to control them. Wherever he was, or whatever was happening to him, it was as it should be. No wonder his crew loved him.

  Oh, he had his moments, that was for sure. Still, she’d never known, let alone loved, anyone quite like him. Or made love to anyone like him. Once. A week ago. They really needed to find a private place before she tackled him to the ground right here.

  “How did your telum exam go?” Gryf asked.

  Telum exam? Alex blinked, and the events in the boardroom flooded back. Oh, that. She grinned. “Didn’t Graig tell you?”