A last step took her inside, and she stopped abruptly, backing away as nausea rose in her stomach. She whirled around, dropped to her knees, and vomited. For long minutes, she remained, head hanging down, while she gathered her strength.
When she finally looked up, it was to the realization that she was alone. Had Venna returned to the ship? Tannis had been too focused on just keeping going to notice the other woman. Every step a challenge. What must it have been like to be brought here and made to work. She’d come so close to that very fate, and a shiver ran through her.
How did they get the slaves to keep going? What possible motivation could they give strong enough to make someone go on when this would be all they would ever know? Surely, death would be far easier.
Then she realized that wasn’t true. The will to live was amazingly strong, and the human mind resilient.
Still, she wanted to be away from here and back on El Cazador so badly it was like a pain in her chest. Or maybe that was just another shitty reaction to this shitty planet.
She dragged herself along the edge of the cliff a good distance from the gap and leaned against the smooth rock. Alcohol probably wasn’t a good idea right now, but she needed to wash the sour taste from her mouth, so she pulled Rico’s flask from her pocket. Taking slow sips, she relaxed as the warmth spread through her, her stomach settling a little.
Had Callum found anything? Did she want to know? She tried to think of anything that would stop her going ahead with the Meridian treatment, but came up blank. So what if she would be part alien? She was hardly pure human anyway, and she had always liked the idea of being part snake—something different, unique.
Unique. That was where her major concern about Meridian lay. The Collective thought of themselves as one big whole, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to be part of that. But if Callum and Skylar could cope and they were both strong individuals, then so could she. It did occur to her that Skylar and Callum were also the two members of the Collective who had attempted to break away.
She pushed the thought aside and took another sip.
Her dream was so close. Soon she would be truly immortal.
One of the exalted Collective.
Where was Callum?
A roar sounded from within the gap, and she jumped. She pushed herself to her feet, feeling stronger now after the rest, with the whiskey warming her insides.
Still, she hesitated at the gap. But the sound came again, and she swallowed her fear and stepped between the rocks. The darkness closed around her and each step was as if she pushed through glue, but the noise was continuous now. She knew it was Callum, and she forced herself on.
Finally, a faint, throbbing light showed up ahead. She followed the glow until she found herself in a wide cavern. Stumbling into the open, her gaze locked on Callum. He was on his knees, his hands flat on the mound in the center of the cave, the mound that pulsated with violet light.
“Holy freaking moly,” she muttered.
At the words, Callum’s lids shot open. Eyes the same violet as the light that pulsated through the cavern stared at her, blazing with triumph. He appeared revitalized, buzzing with energy, the same energy she could feel wrapping itself around her. She had to get out of there, before it sucked her under.
Callum was alive. He could take care of himself, and from the look of him right now, probably a damn sight better than she could. She whirled around and headed down the tunnel, not stopping until she burst out into the open and the bright sunlight.
Leaning against the wall, she breathed deeply, and a moment later Callum emerged. He looked totally wired, a huge grin on his face.
“What is it? What did you find?”
He stopped and she glanced at him. His brows drew together in concentration.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Come on, I’ll tell you on the way.” He looked around.
“Where’s Venna?”
Tannis shrugged. “I have no clue. I lost her somewhere along the way. I’m guessing she’s gone back to the ship. But to be honest, I don’t really care if one of your aliens came down and ate her.”
He grinned again. “I get the impression you don’t like her.”
Really? Actually, I think she’s a fucking bitch. But is it a problem she’s not here?”
“No. I have the coordinates of the last cache. We don’t need her to find it.” He seemed to pull himself together. “Let’s go get that Meridian treatment for you.”
Taking her arm, he hurried her away. Tannis did her best to keep up, but there was no way. “Slow down, Callum.”
He glanced at her. “Sorry, I feel…” He shrugged.
“Good,” she finished for him. “I can tell. That’s just great, and I’m glad for you. But I don’t.”
He slowed his pace. She waited for him to speak but he appeared deep in thought, gazing around him, eyes filled with wonder.
“Tell me,” she said.
He waved his hands around the landscape. “The planet’s not just a planet.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We thought some alien species might have landed here at one point. Left something behind when they went. But that’s not what happened.”
Impatience gnawed at her. “So are you going to tell me what did happen?”
“The alien came but never left. As far as I can tell, they’re immortal. The physical body couldn’t sustain itself—it faded, but the consciousness remained behind absorbed into the very structure of the planet. It’s sentient. Maybe not how we define sentient. But it communicated with me. It showed me.”
“Showed you what?” Though from his reaction, it wasn’t anything too bad, and she tried to force down her unease.
“It’s reproducing.”
Shock brought her to a standstill and she turned to face him.
“What?”
“We always thought what happened to us was a mere coincidence. That we’d stumbled across Meridian, and it was just chance that it reacted the way it did with us. But this is how it reproduces or at least one of the ways. It was no accident. This life form has the ability to combine its DNA or the equivalent of DNA with other species. We didn’t stumble upon it—I think it drew us in, probably from a long way off. It was lonely and it was no chance that brought us to the Trakis system, after all.”
Her unease came back with a vengeance. She’d liked the stumbling and the chance theory much better. She hated the thought of being controlled, manipulated.
“So are there more of these things?”
“Not here. At least I don’t think so. It came here a long time ago, thousands of years. I got the impression it was lost and couldn’t find its way home.”
“But you don’t know where it came from?”
He stared into space for a moment. “It came through the black hole at Trakis One.”
“I can’t believe there’s life on the other side of that thing.”
“I saw it in my head. It came through by accident, and couldn’t get back, probably injured on the way through.”
“Well, I can believe that. I’ve been there. I’ve stared into that black hole.” She walked in silence for a moment as she thought of what this meant. Glancing down at her feet, she studied the ground. Was it thinking?
“They can fly through space,” Callum said. “I was with them— in its memories—flying above their home planet. It was beautiful.”
He flexed his wings as though imagining what that would be like.
“It’s lonely. Back where it comes from, there are others and they can communicate across space. Here it’s so alone. For so long.”
“Aw, and now it’s got you.”
“And you soon. Come on.”
She forced herself onward. Each step was painful now. Each breath an effort that was almost too much. And all the time this new knowledge tumbled through her mind. But the effort of thinking and moving was too much and she pushed the thoughts aside and concentrated on putting one foot in front
of the other.
Finally, Callum came to a halt in front of a tunnel that led underground.
“Not much farther now.”
“How long?”
“Half an hour, that’s all. Are you going to be alright?”
“I’ll make it.”
The tunnel led down steeply. She stumbled, and Callum picked her up in his arms and carried her. She wanted to protest, but she was beyond that. Instead, she relaxed against him, his strong arms felt good around her, and she rested her cheek against his chest. She had a flashback to the last time she had been held like this, when Rico had carried her on to El Cazador and the start of a new life. Well, this was the start of a new life as well.
Would Callum be part of that life? Or would he go back to ruling the universe and forget all about her? But something told her he wouldn’t. Whatever his failings, she believed he was coming to care for her, and strangely to care for the rest of the crew as well.
He wouldn’t abandon them lightly.
Maybe he wouldn’t go back to his old life at all. Maybe he would stay with them on El Cazador. Though it was getting pretty crowded on board—perhaps they should consider upgrading to a bigger ship. She had money now she no longer had to save for the treatment, and she knew Rico was loaded. So was Jon for that matter—he’d been very successful in his time as an assassin. They could all chip in. Get a new, improved El Cazador 2. She smiled at the thought then a spasm of nausea wracked her, and she clutched at Callum’s shoulders.
His free hand came up to stroke her hair. “You be fine as soon as you get the treatment.”
She had an unpleasant thought. “Hey, so you’re saying this whole treatment thing is actually reproduction? Please tell me I’m not about to have sex with an alien.”
He laughed so she could feel the rumbling in his chest against her cheek. “No. Any sex you have will be with me.”
“Oh.”
“And soon.”
She closed her eyes and just concentrated on getting through the next minutes. Callum came to a halt, and her lids flickered open.
“Are we there?” She didn’t think they could be, her mind might be a blur, but no way had they been going for half an hour.
“No.” His brows drew together in a frown.
“What is it?”
“Skylar. She’s trying to get through to me. The comm units don’t work down here—it must be the only way they can get in touch.”
“Well, answer her.”
“Maybe we should wait. After the treatment.”
Unease shivered through her. Why would El Cazador try and contact them now? What had gone wrong? Tannis struggled in his arms. “Put me down.”
His grip tightened for a moment, and then he gently lowered her to her feet. She leaned against the wall and stared at him. “See what she wants. Now. It must be important.”
For a second, she though he would refuse. Then he closed his lids, though she could see the rapid movement of his eyes. His mouth tightened, and his fists clenched at his side.
“What is it?” she asked.
“They have the Cazador.”
Shock hit her in the gut. “Who has El Cazador?”
“The Church. They were waiting in ambush at the rendezvous point.”
“What’s happening? What do they want?” Frustration welled up inside her. She needed to know what was going on.
He closed his eyes again. “They want you to destroy Trakis Seven.”
“What?”
“They want you to use the weapon on the ship we took and destroy the planet. If you do that then they will release El Cazador and her crew.
“And if we don’t.”
“Then they’ll execute them one at a time.”
Her mind whirled. She needed to think this through, but her brain refused to function properly.
“We can finish this, Tannis. Half an hour, that’s all we need.
The Church isn’t going to do anything in that time. Your crew will be safe for that long. And they’d want you to do this. They know how much it means to you.
She licked her lips. Was he right? She had to decide and now.
Callum looked at her face, must have seen her inner turmoil.
“Let me decide. You’re not up to this.” He picked her up and hurried in the direction they had been going. Tannis tried to relax, but fear was a tight knot inside her.
He was right. Another half an hour and this would be done.
Her dream realized then they could leave the Trakis Seven forever, destroy it from Orbit. The Church would never know of the delay.
Callum stumbled. “Shit.”
She looked up and saw the blood drain from his face.
Dread filled her mind, coating her nerve endings. “What is it?”
“Janey.”
For a moment, her mind refused to process the words. Then her mind filled with a scream of denial. “Tell me.”
Callum’s face leached of color. “She’s dead. They executed her. Jon will be next.”
“Oh, God, Janey.” Tannis bit her lip, tasted blood as she almost suffocated under the wave of guilt that washed over her.
“We have to go back.”
“We don’t. You’re what matters. We can still do this.” His eyes were wild, mesmerizing as he stared into hers as though he could somehow convince her. His arms tightened around her and she knew he meant to continue on. That he would ignore her wishes if she didn’t convince him.
“If you do this and Jon dies, I will never forgive you.”
“Why? Why do they mean so much? More than the chance of living forever. Living with me forever?”
His words tore into her, but she didn’t have to think about the answer. “Yes—they’re my family. We have to go back.”
“Do we?” He sounded bitter, but resigned.
“How could I exist if I bought my life at the price of my friends? You must understand that, because whatever else you are you’re still at least part human.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “Take me back, please. Help me save my friends.”
“You’ll die. You’ve been exposed. Without the treatment, you’ll die.”
“I know.” She forced her lips into a smile. “But we all have to have something that’s worth dying for. Even you.”
He nodded once, and then he whirled around in the opposite direction. He ran up the tunnel, and she held on, her fingers digging into the flesh of his shoulders, her face buried against his chest as she tried to fight down the waves of panic that clawed at her guts.
Once out in the open air, he paused. “Try and call.” Tannis pressed the comm link on her wrist. “I’m not getting through.
Goddamn it.”
“The comm unit is stronger on the ship. We’ll be able to make contact from there.”
“It’s too far. It will take too long. We can’t let him die.”
“We won’t. Hold on.”
Tannis only had a second to tighten her grip, then Callum spread his wings. A waft of cool air shivered across her face as he rose into the sky, and then they were flying. The ground sped by beneath them. All she was conscious of was the flap of those huge wings as Callum powered them back. Soon she spotted the ship beneath them. “Please, please.” She found herself muttering under her breath. They couldn’t be too late. They couldn’t lose Jon. She was trying her hardest not to think about Janey right now, as she would disintegrate from the pain. She was cracking up, and she needed to stay strong. She had failed Janey. She had to save the rest of them. Otherwise, what was the point? What was the point in anything? She might as well have died all those years ago.
Callum lowered them to the ground in front of the ship. The double doors slid open, and Venna stood framed in the doorway.
She looked from one to the other of them a frown forming on her pretty, vapid features.
“Is it all done? What did you find?”
“Shut up, Venna. We’re leaving now.”
“What’s the hurry?”
/> “The Church has captured El Cazador.”
Venna’s eyes narrowed. “So?”
“So we’re leaving now.”
Venna’s hand had been behind her back now she raised it and the pistol she held and pointed it straight at Tannis. “No, we’re not.”
Chapter 18
“What are you doing?” Callum’s tone was icy, but the laser pistol didn’t waver in Venna’s hand.
Staring at the pretty blond woman blocking her way, something occurred to Tannis. She turned to Callum. “You said the Church was waiting for the ship at the rendezvous point?”
He nodded.
“And only the three of us and the people on board El Cazador knew where that rendezvous was going to be.”
She saw the moment he understood. His gaze sharpened on Venna. “You gave away the location of the rendezvous site?”
“The Council wanted them dead.”
“Since when have you worked for the Council?”
“Since they pointed out that you’re unstable. Since they offered me a job in the new council. Since they promised me a chance to go on with my research.”
“Idiot,” he snarled. “How can you go on with your research if the planet is destroyed?”
For the first time her expression wavered. “What are you talking about?”
“That’s the price the Church want for releasing El Cazador.
To use the weapon to destroy the planet once and for all. The Council has played you—they knew all along that’s what the Church would demand.”
“That won’t happen if I keep you here.”
Tannis could feel her rage and frustration rising. She took a step forward, and Venna’s finger tightened on the trigger.
“We need to hurry,” Tannis ground out. She glanced at Callum, and he nodded. The movement was almost imperceptible, but she caught it and readied herself. She didn’t know what he planned to do, but she’d be prepared.
Venna gave out a small cry and pain flashed across her features.
Tannis lashed out with her right leg. Her foot connected with the pistol and it flew from Venna’s hand. She kicked again, and Venna crashed to the ground. But the effort was too much and Tannis swayed and fell to her knees. She took a deep breath and crawled to where the other woman was coming up on all fours.
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