Crystal Enchantment

by Unknown

  He pulled off the narrow road at the summit and turned to her. "Now we are even. I saved your life onceand now you have saved mine."

  Jalissa nodded, not even trying to hide her smile. His words sounded rehearsed, and she suspected that was just what he'd been doingin addition to berating himself for having been captured.

  "I . . . I don't understand how they could have captured you," she said, thinking about his bravery when they'd arrived in town and how it had given her courage.

  He explained what had happened. "I failed to realize that the situation changed the moment they accepted you as being a Witch. If that hadn't happened, they would never have attacked me."

  "They might have in any event," she told him. "The Warlock had already stirred them up and made them believe they could attack the Federation."

  He merely nodded, avoiding her eyes. "Still, the mistake was mine, for believing that we could present you as a Witch without suffering the consequences. You did an excellent job, by the way."

  In the brief pause before he added those last words, Jalissa could feel his thoughts turning in the direction she feared.

  "Of course, I don't know what they'll think when that child dies," he went on, still turned away from her. "He has consumption. I've seen it before out here, but they won't accept our medicines."

  "They may simply believe it to be the will of the gods," she replied. "Not even the best of the Healers in the Coven were always successful."

  She suddenly became aware of the fact that she was still clutching his stunner, toying with it nervously. She handed it back to him with an attempt at a smile. "Your 'magic,' Miklos."

  He took it from her, and their eyes met briefly before he reattached it to his belt. It was an odd moment she couldn't quite define: breathtakingly intimate, but still fraught with danger. The very air between them seemed to vibrate with unspoken words and a fragile sort of sensuality that sent her pulse racing.

  "I think it would be wise if you had one as well," he said. "I'll see to it when we get back to the base."

  She thanked him, not about to admit that she already had one, courtesy of her uncle. It was in the pocket of her robe, and she'd forgotten all about it. She thought wryly that it seemed she was always forgetting about one "weapon" or anotherperhaps because she had become two people: a Whisperer and a Witch.

  They set out again, and he once more lapsed into silence. Each time she cast a sidelong glance at him, she saw that his jaw was still set rigidly. Was he still berating himself for his mistake, or was he assembling in his mind the evidence against her?

  The unthinkable began to creep into her mind. No proscription was more powerful among the Coven than the one that forbade reading another person's mind. The priests called it their "curse": the one gift from the gods they had received but were not to use.

  Among themselves, the temptation was not too great. They tended to know each other's thoughts simply because they knew each other well to begin with. But now she was faced with a nearly overwhelming temptationand one she could actually justify on the basis of her own safety.

  But she couldn't do it. It would be a violation of his privacya form of rape, really, a heinous crime that was almost nonexistent in the galaxy now, but that had been widespread among some societies once. And for all their faults, the Vantrans had fought hard to see that all citizens of the galaxy enjoyed those individual liberties.

  Disaster struck as they were descending the second mountain on a particularly narrow and winding stretch of road. To the right lay the steep, rock-strewn hillside, while to the left, the mountain dropped off sharply for several hundred feet.

  They rounded one of the blind curves and saw ahead of them a large pile of boulders that had slid down the mountainside in a stream of slick, dark mud. It was one of the spots he'd commented on earlier, and apparently the heavy rains that had preceded their arrival had loosened the earth. He got out to examine the barricade, and she climbed out too. He turned to her with a wry grin, his earlier dark mood apparently gone. "I don't suppose you could include levitation in your actto life us up over this."

  She laugheda genuine laugh, even though she knew she should be worried every time he mentioned her Witch talents. "I'm afraid that I'm a bit out of practice."

  It was true actually. There were certainly those among the Coven who could have used their talents to lift the boulders out of the way, or even to lift them both, vehicle and all, over the blockade. But it took practice, beginning with much smaller objects, and she'd never advanced beyond that.

  He chuckled as he turned to stare back the way they'd come. "I could call for help, but it wouldn't be a good idea to have a hovercraft out here right now. The Daks are stirred up enough as it is. I think I saw a path back there a mile or so, probably an animal track. It might lead us around this."

  They got back into their vehicle and he turned it around. She hadn't noticed the path, but he found it again without difficulty and they began a steep, bumpy ascent up the face of the mountain. At the summit, the path disappeared down over the back side of the mountain, so Miklos left it and began a very slow, careful descent through bushes and saplings and over rocks. They nearly made it. He pointed out what he thought was the road below them, just barely visible beyond a screen of shrubs and some trees. And then suddenly they were sliding out of control, as the rocks beneath the wheels slid away on the soft ground!

  Jalissa cried out in alarm as they plunged headlong toward a thick grove of dark firs. Milkos merely grunted as he fought the wheel in a desperate attempt to avoid a collision.

  "Get out!" he shouted suddenly, reaching across to open her door and give her a push.

  In a flash, she realized what he meant. A few broken bones in a jump from the vehicle was preferable to crashing headfirst into the treesespecially as the vehicle was steadily picking up speed in its wild descent.

  She flung herself out, remembering at the last possible moment that she could use her powers to soften her fall. So instead of tumbling down the rocky slope, she floated gently, and came to rest at the base of a huge old tree at the exact moment she heard the vehicle collide with the trees above her.

  Miklos, she thought wildly. Had he gotten out safely, or had his effort to save her prevented his own escape? She struggled to her feet and began to call out to him. But her voice was weak and she found that she couldn't keep her balance.

  She sank to the ground again, knowing that what she felt must be a combination of the adrenaline coursing through her system combined with the unaccustomed use of her powers. It would pass quickly.

  "Jalissa!"

  She raised her head and saw him coming toward her, scrambling awkwardly down the steep rocky incline. She sank back again, sighing with relief. Fearing for the life of Miklos Panera was rapidly becoming a regular part of her own life.

  He knelt beside her, his handsome face etched deeply with lines of concern. "Are you hurt?"

  She shook her head. "Just a few bruises. I . . . I was afraid that you hadn't gotten out in time."

  A silence hung between them, and within it was an unspoken mutual acknowledgment of something it seemed neither of them wanted to name. He reached out slowly to smooth away the strands of dark hair that had fallen across her face.

  "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I shouldn't have tried to get around the rockslide. I'm used to taking chances because I generally work alone."

  Then he withdrew the hand that had caressed her cheek, and she very nearly cried out in protest. These moments of unexpected tenderness touched her deeply, filling her with something she'd never felt before.

  For a long moment that held time in suspension, they stared at each other, seeking answers to questions that had yet to be asked. He began to move toward herand then a shot rang out! Before, when the Daks had fired at them, Jalissa had heard only the metallic ping of the bullets striking their vehicle. So this time, when she heard the sharp crack of a rifle, she didn't immediately know what it was. But it was instantly clear
that Miklos knew.

  He threw his body across hers, crushing her against the rocky ground. There was another crack, and a bullet struck a large boulder only a few yards away. Miklos swore and wrapped his arms around her, then sent them both rolling down the hillside to the safety of a grove of trees.

  Jalissa was frightened, but not even fear could completely prevent her from registering the lean hardness of his body against hers and her own quaking response as they both came to rest in the safety of the dark, fragrant firs.

  ''My laser gun is up there," he said, indicating the wrecked vehicle above them. "You're safe here. I'm going up to get it."

  His face was close to hers as they lay on the soft pine needles, arms still wrapped about each other. He started to move away from her, and then stopped.

  It was over almost before she could register the imprint of his mouth on hers: a quick, hard, urgent kiss that bruised her lips and parted her teeth to admit his tongue. The contrast with his gentleness of a few moments ago was dizzyingand strangely erotic.

  He began to move away from her again, and she grabbed his arm. "No! If I'm safe here, then so are you. And if they come closer, you have your stunner."

  "It's me they're after, Jalissanot you."

  "You said they wouldn't dare to actually harm you," she reminded him, still clutching his arm.

  "I could be wrong. That damned Warlock has stirred them all up."

  Then his expression softened and he rested his fingertips for a moment on her lips, which were still tender from his harsh kiss.

  "That wasn't what I intended," he said huskily as he leaned toward her again.

  The difference was electrifying. This time, his lips and tongue teased hers gently, then moved on to trace a slow line down across her cheek and throat to the pulse-point at its base. Her fingers clutched at him, weaving themselves through his thick, golden hair. Their bodies seemed to be melting into each other, chafing against the confines of their clothes. Passion was a steady throbbing drumbeat, urging their writhing bodies toward a complete union.

  And then another volley of shots rang out, shattering the moment. They stared at each other, each seeing reflected in the other's eyes a desire that could not be fulfilledperhaps even a surprise that the world beyond them existed at all.

  Miklos leapt to his feet and began to make his way through the trees toward the vehicle. Jalissa huddled against a tree, her body still heavy with wanting and her mind now filled with fear for him as he dodged round after round of rifle fire.

  He won't make it, she thought with horror. The grove thinned out closer to the vehicle. He couldn't get to it without exposing himself, and they would surely know where he was headed, which gave them an even greater advantage.

  She had to do something! Hidden behind the thick trunk of an ancient fir, she was invisible to Miklos. If she could get up to the hilltop and stop the attackers . . .

  She 'ported, landing some feet behind the three Daks, who had their backs to her as they continued to fire at Miklos. She could see him below her, darting from tree to tree as he drew near the vehicle.

  The blue fire arced from her fingertips: three thin, shimmering lines that struck the men simultaneously. All three fell heavily to the ground, still clutching their rifles. She hurried toward them, hoping that she hadn't killed them. Her skills weren't fine-tuned. Growing up as she had in the total safety of the Coven, she'd had no reason to learn how to defend herself.

  She bent over them, checking each man. They were still alive. But now she realized that Miklos was bound to get his laser gun and come up here after them.

  She 'ported back to the spot behind the tree, then began to scramble up the hill as Miklos fi- nally reached the crashed vehicle and crawled into it to get his laser gun. When he climbed out again with it, he saw her and immediately put himself between her and the hill where the Daks now lay unconscious. Then he fired blindly in that direction.

  After firing a second time, he urged her into the vehicle. She'd been so preoccupied with saving him that she'd paid scant attention to its condition, but now she saw that it was very heavily damaged. The entire front end had collapsed into the passenger compartment, cracking the dash-board and leaving barely enough space for her to fit inside. And on his side, the steering wheel was now crushed against the back of the seat.

  We would surely have been killed, she thought, horrified at their second brush with death that day.

  "I think they're gone," he said, crouching down beside her at the open door. "Either that, or I managed to hit them. I'm going up there to have a look."

  Before she could try to stop him, he was off and running up the hill. She knew the men would still be there. They couldn't have recovered that quickly. She could only hope that he'd think the laser had struck them down. But if it had, wouldn't they be dead, instead of just unconscious? She wished desperately that she knew more about weaponry.

  Miklos advanced cautiously up the ridge, laser gun at the ready. His instincts told him that their assailants had fled, though after his blunders this day, he didn't trust them as much as he had before.

  He saw the three Daks as soon as he reached the top. They lay on the ground with their weapons still clutched in their hands. Setting down his laser gun, he took out his stunner and approached them cautiously. Something was wrong here. If the laser had struck them, they should be lying on their backsbut all three were face-down, as though they'd been struck from behind.

  He picked up the laser gun again and scanned the woods, but saw no one. Then he checked the three attackers. All had the slow, steady pulses of deep sleep. They definitely did not look like men who'd been struck down by a laser. Even a glancing shot should have left them near death.

  He pried their rifles from their grasps, then stood there, staring uneasily down at the vehicle, his mind re-playing other incidents of this day.

  Her eyes asked the question the moment he reached the vehicle. "They're unconscious, but I think they'll be all right," he told her as he reached for the comm unit, which fortunately appeared to have survived the crash. Another mistake. He'd forgotten to bring along a personal unit. "I'll have to call for help," he told her, picking up the mike.

  "What about them?" she asked, her gaze traveling up the slope.

  "We'll take them back to the base. Then it's up to the commander to decide what to do with them."

  Jalissa felt cold inside. Gone was the tender man who'd sent torrents of fire through her. The cold, calculating Special Agent had returned. Was it because he was suspicious about the condition of their attackersor was he regretting what had happened between them?

  He spoke to someone at the base, then replaced the unit and told her that a hovercraft would arrive within minutes. After that, he began to walk around the vehicle, feigning an interest in its condition.

  She kept casting glances up at the top of the ridge, hoping that the three Daks would recover and sneak off before the soldiers arrived. But she had no idea how long it would take them to recover. She was as ignorant of the effects of her own "weapon" as she was of his.

  By the time the hovercraft arrived, the silence between them had become so heavy that she could hardly bear it, and with each passing second, she became more and more convinced that he knew something other than the laser had struck down the Daks. But if so, why wasn't he accusing her? He was far too intelligent not to have put this together with the incidents in the town and come up with the truth.

  He led the soldiers up to the top of the ridge. She waited nervously, wondering what the Daks would say when they woke up. They hadn't seen her, but if they knew they'd been struck from behind, any doubts Miklos might have would be gone.

  She could scarcely contain her relief when they returned without the Daks. One of the soldiers said that they probably lived in the area and should be easy enough to find.

  "Let them go," Miklos ordered. "Specialist Kendor has been through quite a bad experience, and I want her to get back to the safety of the base."
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  Jalissa was only too happy to agree, even though his sudden concern for her now seemed false.

  He materialized suddenly out of the deep shadows as though her thoughts had conjured him up. But now that he stood before her, Jalissa wanted him to be gone. Whispers of danger hung in the cool night air of the gardens just as powerfully as the scent of the night-blooming flowers around them.

  She had come out here seeking a peace that continued to elude her. The day's events had unnerved her. She felt herself being thrust back into a life she had thought forever in the past. She didn't want to be a Witchand yet she'd become one.

  Furthermore, she was certain that Miklos Panera knewor at the very least, strongly suspectedher true identity. How could he not? Was it possible that his mind was so closed to the idea that the Coven still existed that he simply refused to see the evidence she'd given him?

  No, she thought as he walked toward her. This is not a man given to self-deception. He knows but for some reason, he doesn't want me to know that he knows.

  "How are you feeling?" he inquired politely.

  "I'm fine," she replied with a cool formality that matched his. But the coolness was on the surface only. All she could think of now was the feel of his body against her, his lips on hersand how she wanted it to happen again.

  A sudden burst of laughter drew her attention to a group of officers seated some distance away on several of the stone benches that decorated the gardens. And for once, she was glad of the presence of Vantrans. They frowned on public displays of affection, except where children were concerned, and Jalissa knew there could be no repetition of that earlier scene.

  Miklos held out a tiny silver object and she froze, certain that he had somehow found out about the stunner that Danto had given her.

  "This is a new model," he said. "Because it's small, its range is very limited, but it's easily concealed and makes an excellent personal-protection device."