Warrior Prince

by Nancy J. Cohen

  “That’s right, and until I discover one that’s satisfactory, I have to maintain my position. Hence I do the king’s bidding.”

  “Why wouldn’t the king accept your method rather than military conquest? And why torture humans in the process? We could offer you the help of our best scientists, if you ask. Raging war won’t be profitable for either side.”

  Algie gave a furtive glance at the guards walking a decent pace behind them. “His Majesty hears voices that tell him what to do. Some say he is mad. Others don’t care, believing his leadership is the only way to regain what we’ve lost.”

  They arrived at the excavation, where Nira noticed standing stones like the one on the island.

  “See that tall pillar?” Algie gestured. “Interpret the carvings on it.”

  Zipping her windbreaker tighter to ward off the chill, Nira padded closer. At a signal from the guards, the human labor force backed off, giving them a wide swath.

  She crouched down to examine the stone, its top worn smooth from erosion. Her fingers touched the cool surface, tracing the angular marks. The letters had faded, and in the oblique sunlight, they became harder to distinguish.

  “Where are we?” She thought of the island. How many sites were there like this around the globe, and who had established them?

  “We’re in Cobbleton in northwestern England. What do you make of those markings?”

  She peered closer. The symbols were like a pictograph in a cave, difficult to understand without knowing the context.

  “It relates a story about an evil being who was shut away. When a great cataclysm occurs, this force will be liberated.”

  Was this referring to Ragnarnok, the doom that would follow the expanding dimensional drifts? Icicles of fear pricked her spine. What was this greater evil that would be released when the universe imploded?

  Algie knelt beside her, invading the air with her honeyed scent that had the power to seduce men. “What else does it say?”

  Nira related the next bit slowly, trying to understand. “There’s a spell that can release this entity sooner.”

  And another incantation might banish it forever. She didn’t say that part aloud, keeping it to herself. Were those the words meant for the sons of Thor and the daughters of Odin to utter together?

  Algie’s nostrils flared, her eyes glistening in the morning light. “The king has ordered me to find this spell. Are the words written here?”

  “What do you know of this evil force?” Nira countered.

  “King Jorg calls his unseen companion by the name Loki.”

  Nira sucked in a sharp breath. Loki. An evil trickster, companion to the Norse gods, shut away forever because of his treachery.

  They did have worse things to deal with than the Trolleks.

  Loki’s power might be limited now, but once he emerged from exile, he’d be unstoppable.

  No, that wasn’t true.

  According to the prophecy, she and five other women with abilities like hers must join forces with the Drift Lords. Together, they could beat back the evil spirit known as Loki. However, Zohar’s team was being decimated. Soon there wouldn’t be enough of them left. Did Loki know this spell existed, and if so, was he behind a plot to get rid of them?

  She had to warn Zohar.

  The sun rose overhead while she scribbled notes on a tablet Algie provided.

  It looked to be around noon when she pressed a hand to her stomach. “I don’t feel well. Being locked in that cell made me weak. I can’t think straight until I rest.”

  “We’re not done.” Algie sat on a nearby rock, her face weary. She looked out of her element in her fine clothes among the turf. Sweat beaded her brow, and she kept running a finger under her jacket collar.

  “I need something to eat.” Nira put down her tablet.

  In the distance, a squad of slaves turned fresh dirt. One of them stumbled and got jolted by a guard. Her heart went out to the poor soul, but she wasn’t here to free anyone except Grace. Zohar had to make difficult choices too. She should have been more sympathetic to his cause.

  “I must know what those inscriptions say.” Algie stood, brushing smudges off her skirt. “The king is waiting for my report. He’ll stop my research if he suspects I have my own agenda.”

  You’ve certainly told me an earful. That means you have no intention of letting me go.

  “We don’t want that to happen,” Nira said agreeably. “I’m sure most of your people would prefer a scientific solution to their problems rather than warfare.” Never mind torturing innocent slaves in the name of research.

  Algie’s face softened. “I’m glad you understand my viewpoint, Nira. So do my supporters. Our numbers are growing. All I need is one breakthrough.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go eat, and then we’ll continue our efforts.”

  As they strode toward the village, Nira searched for a way to nab Grace and escape. A stalling tactic would be necessary.

  “I may want certain textbooks.” She scratched her head, doing her best to look befuddled. “The runic words don’t always mean what they say. I’ll need the proper references.”

  “I’ll get whatever you require. You can rest after lunch. I have to check on another matter, but it won’t take long.”

  Algie tapped her armband, one which Nira realized every other Trollek wore as well.

  Her eyes widened. Could it really be that simple?

  She gave a surreptitious glance at her watch. All this time…she never would have figured it out on her own. But now, knowing her own connection to the Trolleks, the timepiece’s purpose revealed itself. This gift from her birth mother held more than a runic symbol.

  If her theory was correct, the escape hatch stared right at her.

  The camp military commander accosted them before they reached the Grand Marshal’s residence.

  “May I have a word?” Rolstoff said to Algie in a snippy tone.

  They moved aside, and Nira pressed to hear over the low buzzing in her head.

  Algie leaned inward toward the Kaptein and spoke in a hushed tone. “Be assured, she won’t be allowed to go free. Once I’m finished with her at the ruins, she’ll become my guest in Tent Ten.”

  Nira’s blood fired, and she clenched her fists to keep from slamming shut that mental door and leveling everyone in sight. Did Algie lie to save face, or did she mean it?

  Nira wouldn’t stick around to find out. Time to locate Grace and depart.

  Algie led her upstairs to a private bedchamber in the Grand Marshal’s house.

  The blond’s eyes glimmered as she waved Nira inside. “Refresh yourself. I’ll have clean clothes and a lunch tray brought up. And make a list of any reference books you want.”

  “May I have my belongings back?”

  Algie pursed her lips. “I’ll see what hasn’t been taken as spoils yet.”

  “Can you send Grace here? I could use her help getting changed.” Counting on Algie’s reliance on servants, she held her breath.

  “Why not? Being with her might ease your mind.” Algie’s eyes turned cold as ice chips. “Don’t try anything foolish. A guard will be right outside the room.”

  “Why would I?” Nira gave a crocodile smile. “After all, we share a common desire for peace just like we share a common ancestry.”

  Algie turned away, leaving Nira alone to use the facilities. When she emerged from the bathroom, she squealed with joy. Her backpack lay on the bed, her Coach purse peeking out from inside.

  Nira slung the straps over her shoulders just as Grace shuffled into the room.

  “I am ordered to obey your commands, mistress,” the older woman said in a loud tone, keeping her eyes downcast for the benefit of the guard outside.

  Nira slammed the door shut and whisked her into the room. “Prepare yourself. We’re outta here.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Nira fiddled with her wristwatch, pressing on its face and twirling the hour hand. When nothing happened, she held on
tight to Grace and wished herself back at the safe house.

  A whirling sensation stole her vision as they hurtled through the spatial dimension. When her sight cleared, she recognized the parking lot by the café where it all started.

  “My word, Nira, how did you do that?” Grace brushed a shaky hand over her haggard face.

  “My watch acts as a vector shift device. The Trolleks use an armband for the same purpose. It’s how they jump in and out of places.”

  “I’ll be darned. You had this watch from your birth parents all along, and we never knew.” Grace shook her head. Stalwart to the end, the feisty landlady had accepted Nira’s explanation of events as though such things happened every day.

  “I still don’t know how it works.” Letting go of Grace, she glanced around. Unlike the magic shoes, the watch didn’t whisk her where she wanted to go. Maybe it opened a path on some sort of dimensional grid, in which case she could only jump from one node to another. Or maybe she just didn’t know how to operate it, because the Trolleks vectored wherever they wanted.

  Thoughts played some influence, though, because they’d ended up here and not halfway across the globe.

  Worry about it later.

  She added another item for her mental to-do list. Number one was to train her powers. Number two was to figure out how to use the Trollek transport device. Maybe Zohar’s tech expert could reverse engineer it. That would be Kaj. Had Zohar located him yet? Were they safe?

  Anxiety gnawed at her. She had to contact them but her first order of business was to take care of Grace.

  She pulled her cell phone from her purse, but when she turned it on, the battery was dead.

  “Let’s go over to the Doubletree Castle Hotel. We need to get you somewhere safe.”

  Grace gave her a weary smile. “I can call my friend Evelyn. She’ll pick me up, but what about you, dear? Will you phone your sisters?”

  “No, I need to steer clear of them until this is over. I’ll ask Evelyn to drop me off somewhere.”

  They trekked to the hotel lobby. Watching a family at the concierge desk buy theme park tickets, Nira stood by while Grace phoned her friend.

  “Evelyn? This is Grace. Yes, I’m okay. Of course, I’ll fill you in on the details, but first, Nira and I need a ride. Are you available?”

  When Evelyn arrived in her dented Cadillac, Nira gave the address for the safe house just in case the Drift Lords were home. But as they cruised down the block, she spotted a hive of activity. Men in suits scoured the yard and invaded the house.

  “Keep driving.” She ducked down until they’d passed. “Drat, now I have no way to call the guys to find out where they’ve gone. Let’s hope they haven’t been arrested.”

  Grace twisted to face her from the front passenger seat. “Do the cops think your cousins blew up my house?”

  “Not necessarily. The police want to question them, and that would interfere with their mission.” A giggle bubbled into her throat. After all that happened, Grace still thought Zohar and his men were related to her.

  “You can use my cell phone, dearie.” Evelyn, a vibrant woman in her seventies with tinted blond hair, nodded at her purse. “Get it for her, Grace. It’s in my bag.”

  Nira’s eyebrows shot up when Paz answered on the emergency number Zohar had given her. She’d half expected to be ignored or find the number disconnected.

  “Nira, where are you? Your signal went offline. Wait, I am getting a trace now. I have a fix on your location.”

  “What signal?”

  “Zohar implanted a tracking beacon under your skin.”

  “Did he now?” So he hadn’t abandoned her altogether. “Let me talk to him.”

  Paz’s voice softened. “Sorry, he’s not available.”

  Of course not. I might be back on your radar, but I’m not on his.

  “Can you come and get me? I have news.” At his affirmation, she hung up. “Evelyn, would you mind taking Grace home with you? She’s been through an ordeal and needs to rest before dealing with the insurance company and the cops.” She handed Grace the phone to put back into Evelyn’s bag.

  “What should I tell people?” Grace’s voice wavered.

  “Your house exploded from a gas leak. You had just left through the back door and were out in the yard pulling weeds. That’s why I didn’t see you when I came home. The explosion left you stunned. You wandered around confused for a few days, then came to your senses and called Evelyn. Don’t forget to notify your son that you’re okay.”

  Grace’s eyes sparked with fond affection. “Thank you for coming after me. I don’t know how much longer I would have lasted in that awful place.”

  “What place?” Evelyn asked in a shrill tone.

  Nira waggled her eyebrows at Grace to go along with her story. “Like I said, she stayed with some street people. It took me a while to find her. There, Evelyn, you can drop me off at the next corner. Thanks so much for coming to get us.”

  Nira waited by the curb for her lift. Traffic picked up with the rush to work. The temperature rose along with the sun. Her shoulders slumped under the weight of her backpack, but since it was all she possessed at the moment, she didn’t mind.

  Yaron showed up in a black sedan. “Looking for a ride, lady?”

  “You bet. Take me to your leader.”

  “That would be Paz for now.”

  She slid into the passenger seat and shut the door. They lurched forward, his foot heavy on the accelerator.

  “What do you mean? Did something happen to Zohar?” Maybe that’s why Paz had said he wasn’t available. The thought hadn’t even occurred to her. Her heart thudded against her rib cage.

  Yaron kept his eyes on the road. His knuckles tightened on the wheel. “The rageesh was recalled to Karrell. He left days ago with no immediate plans to return.”

  Nira’s jaw dropped. He’d gone home? In the middle of a crisis?

  So much for him. She’d known their relationship wouldn’t last, but this just brought home her foolishness in believing they might have a chance. She blinked rapidly against a sudden wellspring of tears.

  As for the prophecy, perhaps he wasn’t the legendary descendant of Thor after all. But then why did she feel his necklace heating her skin as though her doubts angered the gods? And speaking of the pendant, it hadn’t done anything for her in the Trollek camp. Was its fabled protective value nothing but fancy, too?

  Sinking into silence, she decided that her people’s only salvation would be up to her.

  ****

  Zohar didn’t break radio silence until he came out of hyperspace within Earth’s range. But when he put in a ship-to-ship call to the Protector, he got an automated reply.

  Tapping out a different code, he pinged Paz’s personal comm unit. Relieved when the warrior answered, his spirits soared to hear Nira’s voice arguing in the background.

  “Rageesh, what news? Are things under control at home?”

  “They will be. I am just entering Earth’s orbit. Is that Nira with you?”

  “Aye, sire. She has critical information to share.”

  “Have her wait until I get there.” His pulse accelerated. He couldn’t wait to see her pleasing smile, to look into her perceptive eyes, to plunder her rich mouth.

  He docked his smaller craft inside the Protector’s hangar bay and took a shuttle. Cloaking the ship, he landed at the same theme park backlot attraction where he’d parked before. After sealing the hatch, he called for pickup.

  “We paid cash to rent an apartment,” Yaron explained on the way to their newly designated safe house. He gave Zohar a quick update.

  Kaj was still missing.

  Dal remained in the hospital but was finally awake, expected to make a full recovery but with some troubling memory loss.

  Nira had spent time in the enemy camp with her nemesis, Algie.

  Zohar pressed his lips together at this news. If he hadn’t deserted her, she wouldn’t have turned to Algie for answers. Desperate to fi
nd Grace, she’d offered herself once again as bait. Only this time, he hadn’t been there to catch her if she fell. Now that he’d returned, he wouldn’t leave her again. He’d let her know how much she meant to him and how desperately he needed her at his side.

  The redhead held council in the dining room with Paz, Borius, and Magnor. She looked magnificent, her slim figure encased in tight black jeans and a patterned tee shirt that outlined her curves. Her brown eyes swept him a cool glance.

  “Zohar, how nice of you to join us. I thought you’d left for good.”

  He stiffened in response to her chilly greeting. “And I thought you had gone your own way. How did you end up back here?”

  “I found Grace and brought her home, with no thanks to you.”

  He stalked closer and confronted her face-to-face. “By deliberately placing yourself in jeopardy? Dumb move, considering you could have gotten yourself killed.”

  “Better than no move at all and abandoning Grace. Unlike you, I don’t leave my friends behind.”

  “I had no choice. Urgent problems called me home. Now that I have dealt with them, I am free to resume command.”

  He clenched his jaw, studying her. Wisps of red hair feathered her face like threads of silk. Her chin, jutting out with its usual stubbornness, made him want to kiss her into a state of pliant bliss. His loins stirred, providing the very distraction he couldn’t afford.

  Paz cleared his throat. “Did you learn anything of the assassin while on Karrell, rageesh?”

  He drew in a deep, stabilizing breath. “The Gatekeeper spoke the truth. Rayne plotted against us.” It wasn’t in his game plan to tell them what he’d learned.

  “Nira suggests a change in strategy.” Paz gave her an admiring grin, his dimples deepening. “She doesn’t believe a frontal assault would be our best option.”

  “Is that right?” Zohar had supplied his team with a projected target before his arrival. He needed to show her who was in charge, and he could do that best in the bedroom.

  He’d make her plead with him, beg for satisfaction. In his mind’s eye, he saw her lying naked and felt his hand skim up her thigh. He’d stroke her soft flesh until she moaned with pleasure.