“Did you get a clear reading, Psi Master?” Rosa asked with the deference of her inferior status. She was merely the hired help, and had no clue why he had chosen her. Her credentials for security were excellent. Yet, her native empathy was a low status, maligned and misunderstood talent. Still, he paid well, and she had been enticed by the opportunity to guard one of the few accessible Grand Masters.
Her new employer replied slowly, “Yes, the signal is strong.” He glanced at her and waved toward the forest, “Our target lies in the middle of the forest. Let us check the signal from the ground level.”
Rosa swung the flitter in a wide circle, descending to land on the narrow verge of pebbles between the trees and the ocher ocean. Jumping out of the passenger door of the small cabin, Psi Master Varan strode toward the blue-hued trees that towered in a vivid contrast to the dull yellow of the overcast sky.
Always cautious, Rosa activated the locking mechanism and scanned their surroundings. She couldn’t risk losing their only means of transport off the planet. High in the sky overhead, the native vultures soared with their third wing raised like a huge purple sail. No other movement was visible. She trotted after her psychic superior.
The Psi Master walked along the verge of the jungle, searching for a path to the interior. Following two paces behind him, Rosa admired the colorful flowers of the vines draping over the branches. The shadowy trails under the trees beckoned to her with their promise of mystery in the jungle depths. Her empathic senses reveled in the mental signs of the jungle denizens, the tiny sparks of small creatures and the hungry stab of large predators.
Halting in front of a dirt track, Varan stared into the shadows cast by the huge trees. Then, he touched the controls of the detector strapped over his shoulder. Rosa stood beside him and gazed at his stern face framed in straight black hair. She knew little about the Grand Masters, although she had heard many rumors about their mysterious psi talents. As usual, Varan exuded power and authority. Yet, during the three days of their search for the ancients, she had seen no hint of his vaunted psi powers.
One of the three-winged vultures swooped down to examine them. The Psi Master glanced up, warned by the shadow overhead.
Hesitantly, Rosa said, “Psi Master, the vulture is merely curious about us. We’re strangers in its domain.”
He stared at her, his green eyes half-shuttered in thought, “Can you sense the thoughts of the vulture?”
Blushing under his scrutiny, Rosa replied, “Yes, I am an empath.”
“Interesting,” he commented, returning to his perusal of the detector as if her ability was unimportant.
Annoyed by his cold indifference, Rosa bit her lip. His emotions were a mystery, since she could not penetrate his strong mental shield. Instead, she gazed at the beautiful clusters of flowers, and asked, “Which direction does the detector indicate? The forest looks wonderful with the tracks weaving beneath the tall trees and the tangles of flowering vines. I’d love to explore those mysterious paths.”
The Psi Master glanced up, the glint in his deep set eyes hinting at his amusement. He tapped the screen on the detector and gestured toward the trees. “The signal for the artifact comes from the interior, almost straight ahead. We have two choices, either we fly over the jungle or walk through it.”
She loved flying, but they had already circled the forest twice. Her instincts urged her toward the shadowy paths. “Please, Psi Master, I’d prefer to walk. We didn’t spot anything usual from above. Can we travel through the trees?
For a moment, his green eyes pierced into her face, as if he desired to read her mind. But, she detected no probe and his mental shield was intact.
“Please call me Varan,” he said. “We’ve been companions for three days and formality is unnecessary.”
Smiling at his new amiability, Rosa asked, “Okay, Varan, which way do we go?” His request for informality signaled a thaw in his cold indifference. He had treated her with a distant courtesy, even when they slept in the cramped cabin of the flitter at night.
Varan gestured for her to precede him along the track under the vine-draped foliage. She smiled in delight, shrugged her pack into a comfortable position and stepped forward. On the edge of the track, bunches of bananas hung from narrow-leaved vines. Not the familiar fruit of Earth, but an oval, yellow fruit exuding a sweet scent of ripeness.
Rosa halted just before entering the shade of the trees. A shrill cry echoed from deep within the jungle. She placed her fingers on the cold handle of the laser at her belt, Spruce Security on alert for danger.
His deep voice reassured her, “Don’t worry, Rosa. We are warned and armed.”
She nodded and strode under the drooping canopy of vines with their clusters of pink and yellow flowers. The light dimmed as they marched further down the track, and a shower of raindrops fell from the tree tops. The misty rainfall was merely an inconvenience. Her insulated suit was waterproof and kept her body at a comfortable temperature.
They walked through the steady drizzle. The track threaded between the wide boles of huge trees. Far above, the tree tops were hidden from view. Tiny winged animals flitted across their path, like pale moths with two triangular wings joined at a hairy sphere. Clumps of blue blades sprung from the undergrowth and fans of white fungus clung to purple tree trunks.
Intrigued by each novelty, Rosa glanced from one side of the path to the other. She relished the earthy scents released by the rain, and the sighing of winds in the tree tops.
Varan walked silently beside her. He was intent upon reaching their target, the ancient ruins from an earlier civilization. Every ten paces, he checked the detector to ensure the path was heading in the right direction.
The shadows deepened as they walked into the depths of the forest. Rosa shuddered, the darkness oppressed her spirits. Varan strode along the track with his eyes fixed ahead. He seemed unaffected by the gloom.
Crash, swish, crash, crash!
Rosa paused and stretched her senses to the sound. A large predator moved through the trees toward them.
“It hunts for us,” she whispered.
“Stand behind me!” The Psi Master grasped her arm, power sizzling from his fingers.
“I’m your security guard,” she protested, pulling out of his grip. The crashes thundered nearer. Branches swayed at the limit of their restricted view through the dense leaves.
“That hunter is larger than you, judging by the clamor of its passage through the forest.”
Drawing the blaster from her pack, Rosa insisted, “I have heavy weapons.”
He glared at her, his eyes fierce beneath black eyebrows. “I am the Psi Master. Get behind me!”
She had little choice under his inexorable grip and stood resentfully at his back, alert to the predator’s mind. “It is guided by odors. Can you block our scent, Varan?”
His fingers flicked, the band on his forehead glowed, and a shimmer veiled the tree trunks. Raindrops slithered off the invisible dome he had created. The crashes halted. For a moment, the beast was confused. Then, swish, crack, swish, it advanced once more. From the direction of the noise, a pale shape moved closer, cut into sections by the black boles of the trees.
Rosa cringed and Varan pulled her against his side. The white shapes rippled larger. The predator thudded against the tree trunks constricting its passage. A huge head with an enormous jagged sucker of a mouth protruded between the trees. The sucker mouth swayed toward them.
Clinging to the Psi Master, Rosa gritted her teeth and aimed the blaster at the gaping maws of the monster.
“Stay close. The monster cannot penetrate my barrier,” Varan breathed in her ear. One arm securely round her waist, he raised his free hand and exuded a stream of power to reinforce the protective shield. The long, pallid body of the animal reared in a great arch over the glimmering dome. The coils slithered over the barrier, oozing slime like a gigantic slug. Grey sludge dribbled over the dome, outlining the invisible hemisphere. Underneath, the predator
’s intended victims stared in awe at the enormous body of the serpent. Rosa shuddered in disgust. If the shield broke, they would be crushed by the gooey coils. She pressed tightly against Varan’s lean body.
The monstrous head swung from side to side in search of its vanished prey. It sensed nothing under Varan’s shield. After an eternity, the pale length of the huge serpent undulated over the transparent dome and moved beyond, smashing into the forest on the other side of the track.
Silence dropped, and Rosa exhaled the breath she had held. “The beast seeks another victim,” she whispered.
Varan stared into the trees where the crashes faded into the distance. The shimmery dome vanished with a flick of his psi power. He murmured, “Not a creature to encounter without a warning.”
Turning toward Rosa, his green eyes flashed on her face. He spoke in his usual sober tone, “I grow impatient to reach our destination. Let us move on. These hazards are mere distractions from my purpose.”
Amused by his calm demeanor, Rosa slipped the blaster into her pocket and stepped along the trail.
Grey and purple mosses festooned the tree trunks as they moved further into the dank interior. Their feet rustled in the dry litter of dead leaves on the dim path. Faint chittering noises sounded overhead, and Rosa glanced uncertainly at her companion. He merely shrugged.
They walked on, alert for any sign of danger.
Rosa focused on the different sounds, low coos, chuckles and whistles from small creatures hidden in the dense jungle. The tendrils of their mundane thoughts of food or shelter coiled into her sensitive mind. None were predators for humans to fear. She scarcely noticed the brown, twiggy bushes on the side of the track.
A barrage of tiny cracks snapped her into reflex action. She dodged aside, grasping her laser. Needle-like thorns shot from the bushes, missing her by inches.
“Watch out!” Varan yelled. His power flared. Blue light flashed from his flattened palm and the shower of sharp needles disintegrated. Rosa flew through the air toward his outstretched hands. She slammed against his hard body and he held her protectively. Psi power tickled where their bodies touched.
Rosa gasped, “By all rights, you should be punctured with thorns.”
“I’m fast,” he said, dismissive of his power.
He made no attempt to release her. She felt the rise and fall of his chest with every breath. A thrill of desire washed over her. Rosa giggled at the absurdity of her position, clasped in the arms of the cold, aloof Psi Master.
“Do you usually giggle when a man holds you?” His breath fluttered in her hair.
“It depends on his intentions,” she hissed. “You shouldn’t jump an armed woman. I’m fast too.” Rosa touched the tip of her laser onto his bare neck.
“You’re a dangerous woman,” he murmured, pushing her away gently.
She stared at the twiggy shrub, bristling with long thorns. “Our passage must have activated the arrows. The bush is quiet now.”
“Yes,” he said. “I believe we will be safe if we detour around those bushes.”
They marched along the track once more.
“I’m sorry, Varan. I missed the thorns because I sense animals not plants,” she muttered, dismayed by her mistake.
“You sense living minds, not merely animals. In my opinion, you could detect the mind of a sentient plant,” he corrected her words like a pedantic scientist.
His combination of protectiveness and detachment frustrated her. Did he consider her merely a business partner? The Psi Master had expressed an interest in her empathic talent, yet he had never tested her abilities. Rosa resolved to unleash her full emotive powers if he ever dropped his mental shield.
The rain stopped and daylight glinted ahead. Shafts of sunlight struck through the canopy of leaves, half blinding their dark adapted vision. The trees thinned and the trail led into a brightly lit clearing.
Wide-eyed in wonder, Rosa circled the open area. She admired the colorful flowers clustered on shrubs around the edges of the sunlit space. A movement caught her attention. An animal swung from a tree, its mind buzzing with curiosity about the strange intruders. The small grey animal clung to the branch with six legs. A long thin tail swished back and forth under its scaled body. Its round head bore three golden eyes on each side.
Rosa stretched her hand toward the animal, radiating friendliness. She sensed its intelligence and mild hunger. It cocked its small head and stared at her face, pleading for a gift to acknowledge their peaceful intentions.
Turning to her companion, Rosa begged, “Please, Varan, can you fetch some bananas to feed it.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow and his voice was laden with sarcasm. “Bananas from Earth? How much telekinetic power do you wish me to expend to feed an alien monkey?”
“No, I don’t want bananas from Earth,” she said, wondering if he could really teleport fruit from such a distant location. “I meant the banana-colored fruit hanging from the vines at the edge of the jungle. Did you notice the ripe, yellow fruit?”
A bunch of the oval fruit appeared on the palm of his hand. He offered the bananas to her with a theatrical bow. “I am pleased to serve you.”
“Thanks!” Rosa said, grinning in appreciation of his humor. In reality, she served under his command.
Kneeling down, she held out an alien banana to the six-legged monkey. It jumped to her feet, grabbed the fruit in its six fingered hands, and leaped back to the safety of the branch. She heard it chitter, calling its friends to the feast. Five more monkeys scampered into the clearing, waving their tails high in the air. She tossed the yellow fruit to them.
Varan watched her with an appreciative smile twitching on his lips.
The alien monkeys devoured the fruit and five of them scurried back into the concealment of the blue-leaved trees. The sixth animal stared at the humans for a minute. Then, it blinked all six eyes and trotted to the farther end of the open space. The monkey paused at the edge of the clearing and looked back at them.
“It wants us to follow,” Rosa whispered.
“Are you sure?” Varan asked, quirking his eyebrows in disbelief.
“Come on!” she said and strode off in the direction of the lone monkey. It led them further, past moss-coated tree trunks and into another open space. In the middle of the glade, half concealed in a drapery of vines, were the tumbled stone walls of a ruined building.
Varan breathed in awe, “We have found the remains of the oldest civilization in the galaxy.”
“The monkey, as you aptly called it, led us here,” Rosa noted curtly. He probably believed her empathy a minor talent, unlike the awesome power he could command.
He swung to face her, “Rosa, your sensitivity to minds is remarkable! I should trust your instincts.”
She blushed at the warmth of his unexpected compliment.
The Psi Master flicked his fingers and revealed a pink flower in his hand. He offered it to Rosa. She accepted his gift and gazed at the flower, a rose with five petals and an amber center matching the tawny color of her eyes.
“Will you pin it in my hair?” Rosa asked, handing him a hairpin. He examined the hairclip as if it was a mysterious artifact. She indicated the side of her head, and he fastened the rose to her dark locks. His hand stroked down the length of her chocolate brown hair, and she trembled with pleasure at the warm sparks of his power.
Snapping erect, Varan said, “Let’s explore the ancient ruins.” The Psi Master grasped her round the waist. His power surged and they flew into the air, soaring over the broken stone wall.
Rosa laughed. Flying in his arms was wonderful. She leaned against him, enjoying the tingle of his radiated power. To her disappointment, the flight was short. He landed on the other side of the wall. Ahead, an arch in a second stone enclosure beckoned further on.
“Strange,” he said. “This wall shows little erosion.” Indeed, the stone walls had few visible breaks. The Psi Master strode toward the arched entrance, oblivious of the ominous silence.
The friendly alien monkeys had vanished and a menace loomed in her sensitive mind. Shivering in apprehension, Rosa hesitated. She pulled out her laser, ready for trouble, and ran to catch up with Varan. She stepped under the stone arch at his heels.
He halted and gripped her arm, gazing ahead. “Look!” he cried. “We’ve found the source of the signal.”
A pillar of solid rock stood in the center of the enclosure, half-covered in blue-green vines. On top of the pillar, eerie blue lights reflected from the facets of crystals mounted in a metal bowl.
The Psi Master took a step forward and reached out to touch the crystals. Shrill cries of warning broke the silence and six monkeys leaped into the stone enclosure.
“No!” Rosa screamed and tugged at his arm. His hand paused below the bowl of crystals. The bowl rotated, and the crystals shot crackling violet beams into the dull sky.
Recoiling swiftly, Varan glanced at Rosa. “Your instincts are correct. The place is dangerous.” He checked the indicator on his detector and explained, “The crystals emitted lethal radiation. Even a Psi Master is not immune to the rays. It’s lucky we didn’t fly directly over the pillar.”
Shaking and speechless with fright, Rosa nodded in reply.
He shrugged, “We’ll leave the detector by the pillar. We can do nothing more in these deadly ruins. I’ll have to devise a protection against the radiation.”
Chitters announced the monkeys’ claim for Rosa’s attention. Three monkeys emerged from behind the pillar. She sensed their friendly intentions. One scampered to her on four legs, grasping an object between its two front limbs. It offered her a dull red stone, cupped in its six-fingered hands.
Gingerly avoiding the sharp edges, Rosa took the stone and said in wonder, “Thank you for the gift, my friend.” She opened her hand to show Varan the offering of the alien monkey.
He placed his hand under hers and murmured, “You have a ruby.” His power trickled through her fingers and the facets of the gem glinted crimson. He pulled out the sensor probe, “Let me check for radiation.”
Romancing the Stars: 8 Short Stories of Galactic Romance and Adventure Page 8