by Lea Kirk
And now she carried many of those memories. Although the information she’d obtained would save more lives than the one she’d violated, she was tainted.
“Animi, we all know that this act went against your nature. However, if you hadn’t, many would have died,” Gryf told her. “You may well have saved the entire Defense Fleet. And without them, there would be no hope for us.”
“I killed a man to do so.”
“I killed him.”
Fair point. “How is what I did to him any better than what he did to me?”
“That’s enough, Alex,” Graig snapped, and she startled at the abrupt reminder of his presence. “If you think you will win your planet back without anyone dying, you are living a delusion.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at Commander Reality Check. Crap, she’d been whining. Or starting to, at least.
“Well, I don’t want a bloodbath, Graig.”
“No good soldier does.”
No, she supposed not. What she had done wasn’t right, but she had been justified. “I don’t think I’d change anything I did today, magister.”
“I’m glad to hear it, disipula.” Graig gave her a small nod.
A shudder passed through her, and she gave her head a shake. Thank God she had let Gryf into the connection. Somehow she’d known that he’d be the only one able to get her out if things went bad.
She gave Dante a narrow-eyed frown. “But what about Gryf and I being able to communicate? That’s mind reading, isn’t it?”
Dante held his hands up in mock surrender. “I would call it telepathy, not straight mind reading. Either way, the ability does not seem as mythological as I had thought—for you and Gryf, at least.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Alex sat alone in the operations room, her elbows propped on a table and her head between her hands. What was wrong with her? Why was she so agitated? Ever since her encounter with Kotas in the meadow two days ago, she’d harbored a growing desire to rip someone’s head off. She had nearly done so in the main cave this morning when she overheard Kelly refer to K’rona as the “jolly green giant”. And it hadn’t been a compliment. It never was with Kelly. But did that justify tackling the woman to the cave floor?
This was worse than the day she’d shouted at Nicky about the flour bags. If only anim loqui made it better. But it hadn’t.
And then there were the random memories of Kotas’s that popped into her head with the unpredictability of an earthquake. And left her just as shaken, like now. She pushed away his memory of a young Earth woman with hair the color of honey. Her face contorted, and tears leaked from her eyes as Kotas….
Stop! Alex ground her teeth and clenched her fists in her lap until her fingernails dug into her palm. She didn’t want to see these things, know these things. If that bastard weren’t already dead, she’d gut him, then sew him up and gut him again.
This hostility was spinning out of her control. Sometimes she hardly recognized herself in her thoughts anymore.
“Allazandra?”
Alex startled as if someone had poked her with a stick. She lifted her head. “K’rona.”
The Anferthian woman stepped through the entryway of the operations room. Graig hovered behind her, but remained in the passageway.
“May I sit with you?” K’rona asked through her translator. There were six such devices on the transport, unused. Even though Alex understood her just fine, K’rona did not know English.
“Of course. Your company is an honor.”
K’rona smiled and lowered herself to sit on a rug. None of the chairs would support her almost-ten-foot frame. Alex moved to join her, but K’rona shook her head. “Stay in your chair. Our heads are more on a level.”
That was certainly true.
“Thank you for helping me escape from the slaver, K’rona. You saved my life.”
“It distresses me that my people serve as Kotas’s tool for the destruction of your people. You still pay for the traitor’s transgressions?” The gentle giantess tapped a finger to her own temple.
Kotas’s memories. How had K’rona figured that out?
“It’s my fault. I just had to know what he was hiding. I didn’t realize there would be a price to pay.”
“We seldom think about the price,” K’rona murmured. “Yet can we put a price on life? Maybe you will find the lives you have saved are worth the personal cost.”
Alex looked down at her hands. “Maybe.”
“I will share with you, Allazandra,” K’rona said. “I have a circle of people I call fyhen. My own. These are the ones in life I hold most dear, and would fight to the death to protect. They are as family. So it is for all Anferthians. So it is for you. Your people are fyhen to you.”
Alex met K’rona’s gaze. It was true. She thought she had understood this when she’d accepted her part in the Profetae. But she’d only understood it in concept. Reality was far more intense. And she didn’t want it anymore, dammit. If the Anferthians had just kept their ymeros and fyhens and whatever the hell else, this conversation wouldn’t be happening now.
Whoa. Alex gave her head a shake to clear it of the negative thoughts. Had she somehow channeled Kotas during their confrontation? No, that wasn’t possible. She’d seen Death take him.
“May we intrude?” Gryf stood in the entrance with Ora. They must have just returned for this morning’s viscomm aboard the transport.
K’rona gestured to the empty chairs. “No intrusion, Captain Helyg. The fleet will be safe now?”
“They will,” Gryf replied, lowering himself into the chair next to Alex. She pulled her hand away when he reached for it, and his eyes registered concern. She didn’t want him to touch her. How messed up was this?
Gryf gave a barely perceptible nod. I will fill you in later.
He turned his attention back to K’rona. “Factoress, thank you for risking so much to join us. You know you are free to go anywhere in camp, but please have one or two of us with you at all times. There are some who are understandably resentful of Anferthians, and despite your good intentions, you may be a target for them.”
“Most are tolerant, but some do give me hateful glares. Only one has engaged me verbally.”
Alex startled. “Who?” She’d just bet it was Kelly.
“One of the children,” K’rona replied. “Fearless, she is, with red hair. I admire her deeply.”
That was unexpected. “Flora?”
“It must be,” Gryf agreed. “Flora had the unfortunate experience of witnessing her parents’ deaths at the hands of an Anferthian patrol.”
“Her distrust of me is understandable.” K’rona sighed, then straightened. “Captain Helyg, do listen to what I have to say. It may be helpful to our cause.”
~ * ~
Gryf let his gaze touch each person sitting in the operations room. K’rona’s news had been both welcome and disquieting, and had resulted in this hastily called senior staff meeting. It was unfortunate that only Graig, Dante, Ora, and Simone were in attendance. All of them stared back at him with varying degrees of surprise and skepticism
“A resistance group in San Francisco?” Simone asked incredulously.
“According to K’rona, yes.” A group who had lived in constant danger since the invasion. They needed help. “K’rona reported that plans were being made to root them out and eliminate them. We need to get there first and offer them a way to safety.” He tapped a stylus...pencil...on the table-top. “Mother knows these people must be fighters, and we could use fighters. We must also presume they have no way to communicate. I propose we send a recon team with Matiran technology to enable us to work together. Any objections?”
Gryf allow his gaze to take in each person sitting around the table. It would be preferable to have others in attendance for this impromptu meeting. Counter arguments were helpful to have when making critical decisions, and right now he heard none.
“All right. Captain Solaris, you’re the lead on this one. Dra
w up your proposed team list and present it to me in two Terr hours. The team must be ready to go by dark.”
“Recommendations, sir?” Ora asked.
“Take only one other Matiran, someone with technical expertise in case they require a viscomm with Camp One.” He compressed his lips. “Senior Medical Chief Dacian and Commander Roble are already assigned to the Profetae. Also, Nick might be viewed as an anathema by his own people because of his Gift.”
“Understood.” Her pencil scratched across the notebook page. “I will submit my list for your approval within an hour, sir.”
“Thank you, Captain. The other item on our agenda is what to do with James Trimble.”
Graig’s eyes strayed to the entrance. “Should Alex not have some say in this decision, sir?”
“She’s busy.” It was unlikely this answer would appease Graig.
“Too busy for this?” Graig persisted.
Was it so inconceivable to him that Alexandra had found something more important? Something that would make his friend spit like a fire viper. Tread lightly, Helyg. “She has some things to work out.” Gryf touched his fingers to his heart to reassure Graig that she was safe.
It took Graig all of two seconds before his lip curled. Had he figured out where she was already? The black look on his friend’s face said he had. Graig stood up with such force his stool toppled over, hitting the stone floor with a hollow clunk.
Graig turned on his heel and stormed toward the door. Gryf could order him back, but to what end? The situation wasn’t ideal, yet it was still possible to work it to his favor. Provided he could get to Graig before he engaged Alexandra.
Half-way to the exit Graig spun around. “Permission to speak freely, and off the record, Senior Captain,” he ground out through his clenched teeth, hands knotted into fists at his side.
Here we go. Gryf sat back in his chair and fixed Graig with a steady gaze. “Permission granted, Senior Commander.”
“The rules were set for a reason: no one on the range without my approval. You let her go out there—alone—against my explicit wishes, you dumb ass.”
Simone jerked, then covered her face with her hands and slid down in her chair. Not difficult to figure out who was teaching Graig new and colorful English words. Gryf turned his attention back as Graig continued his rant.
“I know you two can communicate telepathically, but don’t you dare warn her that I’m coming.” Seething, Graig stormed from the room. In the tunnel just beyond the entrance he gave the air an angry punch with his fist. “Argh!”
Simone peeked between her fingers. “I’m sorry. I never imagined he’d use such language on you.”
“Peace, Simone. It’s only the first time he’s done so in English.” Gryf blew a gust of air out between his lips. “All of you stay here. I’ll try to catch him before he gets to the range.”
Ora gave him a dubious look. It was unlikely she’d enforce his request for long, but she would delay the others for a few moments. And a few moments was all he needed to catch up with Graig and explain what was really going on.
~ * ~
Alex blew her overgrown bangs out of her eyes. Only six lousy puff balls remained in the chamber of her telum before she’d have to collect them all and try again. What she really wanted was to load her telum with kagi and shoot at….
Oh, God! What was she thinking? Coming out here alone was supposed to ease the anger, not inflame it. The concept of having taken in Kotas’s hatred without realizing it didn’t seem so farfetched anymore. Between that and her new-found Gift, she was a powder keg for a supernatural event of nuclear proportions.
Raising her telum, she breathed in and out as Graig had taught her. She applied pressure to the trigger. One shot...two…. Megan Trimble’s face rose in front of the target. An involuntary twitch of her left arm sent the third shot wide.
“Argh!” Why didn’t Graig have a punching bag somewhere on the range?
She froze. How long had she been here? Graig was going to be royally pissed if he caught her out here without his permission. He was such a stickler for his precious rules. She should call it quits and get back to camp before she was missed.
“Again, disipula.”
Her heart launched itself into her throat and she spun around. Graig stood close behind her, his arms crossed over his chest. Busted. Why was he so damn good at the whole stone-face thing? How was she supposed to know how deep she stood in the Roble shit pile?
She ground her teeth together hard enough to make their roots ache. “I can’t do this, Graig. I’m too angry all the time.”
He shrugged. “Anger happens.”
Alex flung her hands in the air. “Don’t you get it? I’m a ticking time bomb. At some point I’m going to explode, and when I do, I might kill one of us!”
No reaction, just more unnerving grey gaze. Then he reached out and lifted the telum from her hands. Setting the safety, he slid it across the ground to the base of the rock wall surrounding the range. She almost groaned out loud. What had she been thinking, waving the telum around like that? As far as stupid actions went that, one took the….
Graig’s hand shot out and closed fast and hard over her wrist. On reflex, she yanked her arm toward her to unbalance him, aiming a hard kick at his midriff. Graig evaded her foot, but his hold on her arm loosened enough for her to twist free of his vise grip.
He came after her again in a heartbeat. So that’s how pissed he was. She dodged another direct advance before he landed a well-placed kick to her side. An “oof” escaped her, and she staggered. Graig swept her legs out from under her and she landed on her butt in the dirt. Damn.
“Have I taught you nothing, Bock?”
Her vision sharpened and she curled her hands into fists. How dare he taunt her? She scrambled to her feet and circled him. Time for a little offense. She launched herself at him. It made no sense, and she had no plan other than to hurt him. Bad. She aimed and the heel of her hand connected with the cartilage of Graig’s nose with a satisfying crunch.
Graig staggered back, blood dripping from his nostrils. “Well, that was pretty chicken shit, now wasn’t it?” He bent and drew a blade from his boot. A strange gleam lit his eyes. “Let’s see you try that again.”
“Do you have a death wish, Roble?” Did those words just come out of her mouth?
Graig smirked. “You couldn’t kill me if your life depended on it.”
Take him down. Kill him! She rushed forward, but before she touched him, Graig grabbed her, spun her one hundred eighty degrees and slammed her back against his chest. The cold flat of his blade pressed against her throat, and one of his legs was planted firmly between hers. If she moved, he would trip her up. Now what?
“Yield,” he hissed next to her ear.
Yeah, right. Not likely. She would get out of this and finish the job.
“Yield,” he demanded again, impatience lacing his words.
Not on your life. Alex swung her free arm backward and grabbed his balls. Graig grunted, and loosened his hold just enough for her to twist free.
His knife was in her hand. How had that happened? Don’t give him time to recover. She plowed into him, and they fell together. Graig stared up at her. A shout of laughter escaped her and she raised the blade.
Something large broadsided her like a truck, knocking her off Graig. She landed on her back, and air whooshed from her lungs.
Gryf sat on her stomach, his hands pinned her wrists on the dirt. “Fight it, Alexandra, long enough to let me in.”
Anger roared through her with the force of a freight train. Panic rose, clogging her throat. Her gaze locked with Gryf’s. “Can’t escape it.”
Gryf’s soul burst from him, blinding with its brilliance before it plunged into her chest. His soul enveloped hers, the anger pummeling him. Searing heat stole her breath, and her body arched with unexpected violence. A scream echoed in her mind, sounding frighteningly like Kotas’s.
Then it was gone; the heat, the anger. On
ly Gryf’s soul lingered before he too pulled away to return to his own body. Exhaustion crashed over her like a breaker on the shore. She gasped in rapid, ragged pants.
“Please tell me it’s over.” She couldn’t manage more than a whisper.
His face relaxed and a smile curved his mouth. He released her wrists. “I do hope so.”
A small sob escaped her, and she reached for him. He leaned forward over her, and they clung to each other.
“Why am I so weak?”
Gryf’s hand stroked her hair. “Likely it’s the effect of holding two souls in your body. We should probably avoid doing that again, okay?”
“Okay.” Soul-to-soul encounters were much more pleasant done externally. Gryf propped himself up with his hands to look at her.
Alex swallowed. “Wa- was I possessed by…?” Kotas. She couldn’t say his name. It might bring him back.
“Not exactly.” Gryf cupped her cheek. “After you expressed concern that you’d taken in Kotas’s memories and psyche, I spoke to Ora. She told me it was entirely possible. She was kind enough to remind me that there was nothing anyone could do, though your anim tros should have the knowledge.”
“And you did.”
“Compa, I had nothing until the moment I knocked you to the ground and sat on you.”
The blood rushed from her head. “I almost killed Graig.”
“Not even close.”
“You saw what happened, right?” She frowned. Come to think of it, Graig did go down rather easily, even after her ball-grabbing move. “Did you guys set me up?”
Gryf quirked an eyebrow and shrugged.
“You did!” He had let Graig incite the anger until it reached near irrational rage before he came in to obliterate it. Alex pushed her hands against his chest. “You can let me up now, Gryf.”
He obliged, offering her his hand. She took it only because he owed her for his deception. Graig sat on a nearby rock, holding his bloody nose. A sheen of sweat dotted his forehead. Yeah, she’d got him good. Best to get this over quickly.
“Hey.” She bit her lower lip.
“Where did you learnd that mube?” Graig asked. “It’s not oned I taught you.”