by Loren Rhoads
The wind from her ride had pinked her cheeks. Her cropped hair stuck out like it held a static charge. She wore an electric blue sheath, slit high enough to leave her legs bare above the ever-present high-heeled boots. She looked like she weighed all of 40 kilos. She’d just fought off eight of Thallian’s killers. The two things were still hard for Kavanaugh to get his head around.
Unsurprised to find Kavanaugh, she nodded politely. “Nice to see you again.”
“Where’s Ariel and Gavin?” he asked.
“Planetary Security’s got them.” Raena kept coming at him, so Kavanaugh stepped backward out of the way and let her onto Ariel’s ship.
“Are we leaving?” he asked uncertainly.
“Before long.” She stopped inside the passageway to lift a necklace over her head. She held it out to him. The medallion was some kind of cheap silver metal, tarnished and faintly scratched. It had an engraving of two swords crossed at the blades.
Kavanaugh’s heart sank. Putting the tracking device into Raena’s medallion had been Ariel’s idea. That had been one long tense night when they hurried to get the work done before Raena woke in the morning and realized her medallion was gone. “How long have you known?”
“Pretty much since Ariel got here. It’s the sort of thing she’d do and expect me not to notice. Still, I figured it couldn’t hurt to have you and Ariel keeping an eye on me here, in case Thallian’s brother figured it out early and got here before I was ready.” She pushed the medallion toward Kavanaugh. “Take it. I want Ariel to have it now. Gavin carried it for long enough.”
“Why don’t you wait and give it to her yourself?” Kavanaugh reached toward his gun with incremental slowness. He’d need to draw it and switch it to stun before Raena decked him, but he’d prefer to go down with his gun in his hand rather than to even attempt to go hand-to-hand with her.
“Come on, Tarik, don’t be stupid. I’m out of here. I don’t want to be followed: by Gavin, by Ariel, or by you. You’d all get yourselves killed, and then who would there be to remember me?”
She let him clear the holster at least. Then she took him down with her left fist to his temple. One blow and he didn’t remember anything else.
* * *
When the sleep grenade wore off, Ariel woke with a pounding headache. She cautiously peeled one eye open, then winced as light struck her pupil.
She lay in a cell. The walls were rough black rock, the kind of stone excreted by the Templars. Her heart rate kicked back a notch. She was still on Kai, not taken prisoner by the Thallians. That was good. As long as she was in Kai Security’s custody, she should be safe.
But what about Raena? The last thing Ariel remembered was Raena advancing on the frightened boy with the electric net. He must have been fourteen? Fifteen? About the age Raena had been when Thallian swept her up, anyway. What had it been like for that boy to grow up with that monster? Clearly, it had given him reserves of courage beyond his years.
Ariel knew with a cold, hard certainty that Raena would kill the boy, all his brothers, and anyone else that stood between her and Thallian. She drew her arms in around her, huddling for warmth that she could not find, and cried because her sister was so broken.
The tears didn’t make her feel any better. Instead, they made her feel more dehydrated and the headache that much worse. Ariel wiped her face with her hands, dried them on her tunic, and pushed her hair back toward its braid.
Where was Raena now? Had there been more of Thallian’s men, hidden in the fog of sleep gas? Was Raena even now captive on her way to her fate? Best-case scenario was that Raena was also gassed and lying in a Kai Security cell. She’d probably face murder charges for however many of the Thallian thugs she’d killed, but Ariel and Gavin could pool their resources and bribe the court. Every legal system had a price.
Unfortunately, Raena in Security custody was probably safest for everyone. The Thallians couldn’t take her away. She couldn’t run away. Gavin wouldn’t drive himself mad searching the galaxy for her again. And Ariel wouldn’t have to waste every waking moment worried what that monster had done to her sister this time.
Still, Ariel hated to think of Raena imprisoned again, even temporarily. Was her sister pacing her cell, tearing herself apart?
Ariel closed her eyes. She knew the only way to pass the time in a cell sanely was to sleep. And if she couldn’t sleep, at least to daydream.
But the past was too much of a presence here. She felt physically ill, remembering her last stay in Imperial detention. Ariel had been huddled naked on her bench when a new prisoner was flung into her cell. She’d assumed the man was an Imperial agent until Raena arrived with an interrogation robot. Before Ariel’s horrified eyes, Raena snapped the man’s neck with her bare hands. Then she ordered the robot to cremate his body and label the ashes as Ariel’s. She’d already signed into the Imperial network and posted Ariel as dead in custody: Raena’s idea of a rescue.
Ariel shook that memory away, reaching farther back, to the first time she’d met Raena. It had been her birthday. Ariel was turning twelve, an important, auspicious year. Daddy promised her a special present. He’d told her that she’d never guess what it was, so of course she’d been up all night imagining what it could be.
The black-haired girl who followed him into her room in the morning was the last thing Ariel expected to see. “This is Rainy,” Daddy said. “She’ll be your companion from now on.”
Ariel looked from her father to the elfin girl, who stared steadfastly at the ground. This was her birthday present? Ariel unfolded herself from her bed and walked around the girl. She looked perfectly human, but Ariel suspected she was just an excellent copy.
It took weeks for Ariel to recognize the truth. By then she understood that Raena would have preferred to have been an android, as if that would have made the sting of belonging to someone else less painful. Ariel worked hard at befriending her slave once Raena’s humanity had been established. Still, the guilt of her earliest mistakes cut deep.
* * *
Sloane probed the swollen part of his head, replaying the fight in his mind. Where had they come from? How had they gotten him surrounded? He couldn’t believe he’d actually let his guard down, actually relaxed and bought into the tourist role. He was embarrassed that he’d spent so much of the fight sitting in the dirt, gaping as Raena annihilated Thallian’s men.
She had looked like some kind of exterminating angel, practically dancing as she took the killers down. He remembered the way the crazy blue sheath dress clung to her torso, the way her thighs were alternately hidden and revealed. Killing those men, Raena had finally come alive. Her feral beauty blazed in a way that made Sloane love her more than ever. The adoration hurt in his chest. He wanted to hold her in his arms again, gaze into her eyes, and ride the remnants of the energy she was undoubtedly still burning off. He wanted her. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to be certain of her loyalty, to own her. He was certain that possessing her was the only thing in the galaxy that would make him feel so alive.
* * *
Ariel had no way of knowing how much time had passed before the Security drones came to escort her from her cell. They marched her down to the Security Commander’s office. He was a gray-feathered Shtrrel like her friend Ximena had been. His harsh voice grated her ears as he said, “Come in, Miss Lex. Please sit down.”
Ariel stepped away from the security drones and slipped into the chair across the desk from the Shtrrel commander. He remained standing a moment longer, looking her over carefully.
Ariel examined him just as closely. He seemed to be a young Shtrrel, who was much concerned with appearances. His uniform and feathers were impeccable.
She noticed he didn’t dismiss her guard.
It was hard to wait for him to open the conversation. She could see her file open on his screen, so he knew who she claimed to be. This identity was well established, almost legal.
“Miss Lex,” he said finally, “my staff contacted the boa
rd of directors of your foundation. They are willing to pay the fine you’ve incurred by being a party to violence on Kai.”
So her bail would be paid. Ariel fought to keep her smile small and hopeful. She could imagine how furious her mother had been to get the ransom demand, after all of Ariel’s promises to keep out of legal trouble. Selling the arms business had been supposed to put an end to all of this.
“Thank you, sir. Did that extend to my friends Den Rebuad and Fiana Ryle as well?” She hoped they’d been aware enough to remember the pseudonyms they’d chosen.
“Was Miss Ryle the third person in your party?”
Ariel’s mouth went dry, so she only nodded. She knew that whatever he said next would be bad news.
“Miss Ryle was not taken into custody. My staff is still seeking her in connection to the death of the four unidentified assailants. Do you have any idea who they were? Why they came to Kai to attack you?”
She shook her head, not fighting the flood of tears filling her eyes. “No, sir. We’ve been here nearly five local days and not been aware of any trouble.”
He clicked his beak in a way that Ariel had always interpreted with Ximena to mean a smile. “You and Mr. Rebuad are free to go. We trust you have enjoyed your stay on Kai, but that you won’t extend it.”
“Yes, sir.” Ariel stood. She hoped that he, or someone on his staff, had been the one to deliver the news of Raena’s disappearance to Gavin. It would have been easier for Ariel if she’d had to tell Gavin that Raena was dead.
* * *
Jonan stalked through the cloning lab with his hands clasped behind his back. The equipment was antique now; the chemicals difficult to come by. Once every basin had been full of Thallians growing to full-size. Now he had only a handful of new sons maturing and nearly ready to join the others. They weren’t the children he’d come to visit today.
Dr. Poe stood over a tub toward the back of the lab adjusting something with his delicate antenna-like arms.
Thallian stopped behind him. “Report.”
The old medical robot rotated toward him. “The strand of hair found by Revan Thallian in the Templar tomb contained sufficient DNA for successful cloning.” Dr. Poe waved over the basin behind him at the knots of cells multiplying within. “I have ten clones in process. It is too soon to tell how many can be brought to term.”
Thallian felt the tension lift from his shoulders. What a gift he was giving Raena. When she arrived, her children would already be growing, waiting to be born.
* * *
“He alive?”
When Tarik pried his eyes open, they felt gummy. He blinked a couple times, trying to focus on the pretty blond squatting beside him with her feet bound in sandals with too many complicated straps. The sea-green dress she had on was remarkably short. He frowned, not in any way in the mood.
“Are you with us, Tarik?” the blond asked.
The sound of Ariel’s familiar voice brought him back. He realized he was lying on the floor of her ship. He raised one hand to his head and groaned just to see if it would help. It didn’t. She helped him sit up, which made the corridor seem to slosh from side to side. Kavanaugh blinked again, trying to focus.
“Looks like she didn’t hit you more than once,” Sloane said from somewhere over Ariel’s shoulder.
“You ever been hit by her?” Ariel demanded. “Once is enough.” To Kavanaugh she said, “You’ll need something for that eye.”
“I can handle that level of first aid,” Kavanaugh assured her. “If you can get me onto my feet . . .”
Ariel took his arm and tugged him upward.
He leaned back against the bulkhead, feeling gingerly around his face for the edges of the bruise. “How long was I out?”
“Couple of hours,” Ariel said. “We just got out of detention. You watch the attack on the news?”
“Just before Raena dropped by. I thought we were on our way out, finally.” He stopped to listen. “I was powering up to take off.”
“Raena must’ve shut everything off once she kicked your ass,” Sloane said. “The engines are cold. How long is it gonna take us to warm this boat up and get after her?”
“Go do it,” Ariel said, not bothering to hide the exhaustion in her voice. “I’ll get Tarik squared away.”
Sloane headed forward, needing no other urging. Kavanaugh met Ariel’s eyes, trying to project sympathy. “Do you have any idea where she’s headed?”
“No.” Ariel returned the gun Kavanaugh dropped during Raena’s attack. “She kidnapped one of Thallian’s sons. She’s probably stolen his ship. We don’t have any idea where she’s taking him.”
Kavanaugh looked down the corridor after Sloane. “Do we have any idea where we’re headed?”
“It doesn’t matter now. We’re being thrown off Kai, thanks to Thallian’s botched attempt at kidnapping. Planetary Security is waiting outside, ready to escort us into space.”
Kavanaugh inclined his head toward the cockpit. “Gavin’s coming with us?”
“Yeah. He’s right in thinking my racer is faster than his yacht, even if it’s not as comfortable for the three of us.”
“What’s he gonna do about his yacht? It’ll be impounded if he abandons it here.”
Ariel glanced toward the cockpit and shrugged.
Kavanaugh couldn’t begin to imagine walking away from the amount of money the yacht represented.
Ariel led Kavanaugh back to the tiny galley, where she pulled the medical kit from its cupboard. He took the box from her and set about taking care of his black eye. Ariel dry-swallowed some pain capsules, then sat down to sort out the acceleration straps.
“The last thing I remember,” she said, “before the sleep gas took me out, is Raena closing in on this boy. He was maybe fourteen. He held a shock net like he was going to capture her singlehandedly, after she’d disabled everyone he’d been traveling with.” Ariel closed her eyes, shivered. “Thallian cloned himself some children. He—”
Kavanaugh interrupted, “That is seriously screwed up.”
“Raena showed me their pictures on the web.” Ariel rubbed her bare arms. It was cool on her ship, now the atmosphere was kicking in. “Originally, I tried to make her see reason. I mean, I thought they were just kids. Except now, having seen one . . . They’re him, in miniature. And having him to parent them? How can they not be as evil as he is?”
Kavanaugh grimaced. “You think maybe she’s doing the right thing?”
“Raena told me we were just kids when we went away to war.”
“I was,” Kavanaugh admitted. “I was thirteen when I stowed away with Doc.”
“You got an early start,” Ariel said. “I was sixteen. And I was ready to die for what I believed in.”
“Me, too.” Kavanaugh felt the ship powering up through the soles of his boots. He sat down next to Ariel on the couch and strapped himself in, too. “What’s the plan?”
“Not a clue,” Ariel said hopelessly. “Raena was poking around on the screen in our hotel room, but you can bet she covered her traces there. She didn’t want us to follow her.”
“Where’s Gavin think he’s headed then?”
“Later, if the authorities identify the bodies Raena left behind, we might have a chance of figuring out what rock they crawled out from under. Other than that, it’s a big galaxy and we’re flying blind.”
* * *
They’d cleared the atmosphere when Kavanaugh reached into his jacket pocket. As he’d expected, Raena had tucked her medallion inside. He fished it out and handed it over to Ariel. “She wanted you to have this.”
“Thanks.” Ariel turned it over, wedged her thumbnail inside, and cracked the case open along its seam. She pulled the tracer out. The tiny recorder remained in place. “I wonder . . .”
She triggered the recorder. Raena appeared in miniature, gazing at her with those black, black eyes.
“This is going to have to be my goodbye, Ari. If you’re watching this, we’ve been attacked by Jonan
’s brother Revan. Either I’m dead or they gave me an opening and I’m gone. Either way, I wanted you to know I really did love you. Have a nice life, Ari. Thanks for all you’ve done for me.”
Kavanaugh looked away from Ariel, uncomfortable at seeing her at such a vulnerable moment. He wished he wasn’t strapped down, so he could give her some privacy, but the little ship was pretty much a one-person craft. There wasn’t far he could go. If he unsnapped himself now, it would look like he was abandoning her.
“Charming,” Sloane snarled from the corridor. “Raena leave me anything?”
“No,” Kavanaugh said. He wondered if Gavin was armed, then just as quickly hated himself for the suspicion. Gavin hadn’t yet had time to figure out where Ariel hid her gun locker.
Kavanaugh unstrapped himself and slid off the couch, going forward, anything to get away from the confrontation about to explode behind him.
Gavin glared at him as he passed but let him go.
* * *
While Tarik had Gavin distracted, Ariel unsnapped herself. She didn’t trust Gavin, didn’t like having him standing over her. She fussed with the straps, appreciating the option Kavanaugh left her.
Once she was settled, she asked, “Did Raena ever tell you she loved you? In so many words?”
Sloane had to think about it. “Yes,” he said nastily. “More than air, she said. More than life.”
“Did she mean it, Gavin? Or was she teasing you?”
He thought back to that day on the archaeological base when he gave her the bubble bath in the rocket casing. Raena had clearly been playing, but he knew what she meant. Or believed he did.
“Why do you care?” he asked. “Jealous?”
“Of course.” She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the universe, but it still stung to admit it. Her face burned.
“You think she meant it more when she said it to you?” To press his point, Gavin stepped too close. “She’s managing you, Ms. Shaad. She knows just what you want to hear. She’s giving you an out to keep you out of her way. Because you’re weak.”
Ariel blinked, stunned. The worst of it was that he’d probably read Raena right. Gavin knew she’d hear the truth in his words and be hurt by them. And he didn’t care.