Chapter Eleven
Varrik looked from Echo to Saebin and back, unsure what to make of the new arrival. Echo’s telepathic request had taken him by surprise. He had still been trying to figure out how they had ended up dream sharing, when he heard her voice inside his mind.
She transmitted a locater signal, allowing him to flash into her bedroom and teleport the two women back to the cottage. If Saebin’s shields were as dense as she claimed, no one would be the wiser.
Moments after they solidified in the cottage, Saebin stripped off her ordinary clothes and revealed formfitting body armor.
“Where’s your mother?” he asked Echo.
“I’m a lot more fun than Charlotte. Everyone tells me so,” Saebin answered for her niece. “My life mate is Overlord Lyrik.”
“Aunt Saebin trained me.”
“I suspect we’ll need backup at some point, but right now our greatest advantage is the element of surprise. What are the chances of finding all four elders in one place at the same time?”
“That depends on South. Ordinarily the elders spend several hours each day in their meeting room.”
“Do your implants work on Rodytes?” Echo asked.
Saebin’s looked at him and shrugged. “There’s one easy way to find out.”
Darkness overtook Varrik so quickly, he wasn’t able to struggle.
Laughter drew him back from the abyss.
“That wasn’t nice.” Echo knelt beside him, her warm hand pressed against his forehead.
“No one ever accused me of being nice.”
Varrik sat up and shook his head, his ear ringing. “What the hell did you do to me?”
“I have neurostimulators that amplify my Mystic abilities,” Saebin stated casually.
“How nice for you,” he grumbled as Echo helped him to his feet.
“We need to get Echo near one of the elders so she can absorb the layout of the maze. What are we likely to face once we get down there?”
“I can explain Echo’s presence in the maze. How am I going to account for you?”
“I tried to interfere when you returned E’Lanna, and you captured me as well.”
Varrik shook his head. “With you dressed like that, no one would believe it.” He stared at her for a moment, encouraged by her abilities. If the overlord’s life mate was cybernetically enhanced, perhaps his people wouldn’t seem so strange.
“Then teach me how to construct an invisibility shield.”
A cold chill skittered down his spine. Was this why they were being so helpful?
“We have nothing to gain by helping you.”
Varrik narrowed his gaze on Saebin’s face. How many abilities did her neurostimulators amplify? “Why are you here?”
“I thought there were four thousand people waiting to be rescued.” Saebin looked at Echo. “If he doesn’t want our help…”
“Are you a naturally strong shielder?” he asked, ignoring Saebin’s annoyance.
“I’m not a naturally strong anything. However, my implants allow me to master most skills quickly. When do the elders have their meetings?”
“Midday.”
“Then we better get started.”
It took her a little over an hour to learn how to consistently modulate her external shields creating the illusion of invisibility. “This is amazing,” he said. “Many of the soldiers are never able to create the illusion.”
“What about weapons?” Echo asked. “You and Saebin are perpetually armed. I’d feel less vulnerable with a little something tucked up my sleeve.”
“There’s a munitions scanner on the arrival deck. We’d only draw attention to ourselves.” He looked at Saebin, his curiosity once again piqued. “What sort of weapons are you concealing?”
She made a fist and showed him the knuckle conduit that allowed her to release energy in concentrated bursts. “I’ve never set off a scanner. That’s part of the design.”
“Are others equipped with these implants?”
She grinned. “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you. Are we going to do this or not?”
Royal Obsession (Shadow Assassins 1) Page 28