Two Against the Stars

by Veronica Scott

  “I’m getting up on the platform of roots and then I need you to hand her up to me,” he said to his old friend as he ran holding Carialle close to him.

  “Anything you say.”

  He and Sam stopped at the base of the tangled roots and Marcus allowed Sam to take Carialle for the few moments he needed to use vines to climb to the low platform where the actual trunk of the massive tree began, resting on a bed of hundreds of interwoven root tentacles. He reached for Carialle, getting a good grip under her arms as Sam lifted her and raising her to join him. Her head bobbled and he was afraid to check her pulse now. Watching his step as a bright green serpent hissed and slithered away, he crossed the uneven surface. Gently Marcus laid her beside the tree and knelt beside her. He took one of her hands, spreading the fingers wide with his own and pressed it against the smooth surface of the trunk, holding her hand in place with his.

  “Come on, angel, I can’t do it for you,” he said. “This tree has to be old enough for what you need.” Bending over, he kissed her cheek. “Please, Carialle, fight for your life, for our life together. Come back to me.”

  There was no response, not even a flicker of her eyelids.

  “I’m your warrior but I can’t do my job without you at my side. Remember the colors? Our hearts entwined? I’d die for you, angel, if it would help.”

  Her fingers twitched in his and her skin tone was healthier, with a bit of warmth to his touch. Closing his eyes he tried to visualize the swirls of color she’d shown him, the ones she said were their bond. But he dealt in realities, not psychic visions, which gave him an idea. “Her ring is missing,” he said to Sam without taking his focus away from Carialle. “See if your men can find it?”

  He heard Sam murmuring into the com and then his friend raised his voice. “Buddy, I’ll support you all the way here, but what’s supposed to be happening?”

  Marcus shook his head, unwilling to explain Carialle’s secret, reluctant to even breathe the truth of what he was attempting because to speak the words aloud would reveal how foolish his hopes were. Surely if Carialle needed to replenish her psychic energies to live, the process should be organic, right? Automatic? What if she needs to say special words to kick it off? Well, he couldn’t do anything about that. He released her hand for a moment and set aside his weapon, then gathered her firmly into his arms and again placed her hand on the tree, with his protectively over it.

  He closed his eyes, trying to put himself back into the battle they’d waged for his life—was it just four days ago? Toward the end of the fateful night he’d felt as if he was floating between life and death and only Carialle’s fierce energy had kept him anchored, to this world and to her. He needed to do the same for her now. Leaning over, making sure to keep her palm on the tree, Marcus kissed her. “I’m here,” he whispered. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do, just stay with me.”

  A touch on his shoulder. “My men found her ring, in Edmorad’s pocket,” Sam said. “I’ve got it here. Your grandmother’s ring, the heirloom from old Earth?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Marcus accepted the piece of jewelry and slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand as Sam stepped away. “Our pledge to each other, remember?” he said softly into her ear.

  The colors of the strange gem in the center of the setting gleamed in the waning afternoon sunlight and Marcus focused on the kaleidoscopic show. No matter how he moved the ring, the red hue predominated and he remembered how she’d said it was the color of their love. Keeping their contact with the tree intact, he hugged her close, blinking away an unexpected burning in his eyes. “Seven hells, Valerian, suck it up.” Now was not the time for unaccustomed weakness over the fear of losing her—she needed his strength. “Please,” he said, not sure to whom he was speaking—his own Lords of Space, her Thuun, someone, no one.

  Carialle stirred in his embrace. Her lips parted and he leaned close to hear the single word. “Both.”

  What in the seven hells does she mean? Hoping he was guessing correctly, he pressed her left hand to the smooth trunk of the tree as well, startled by a flash of red light from the opal. Blinking, he realized his hands were growing uncomfortably warm, as hers heated where they rested on the bark.

  He heard birdsong overhead and risked a glance upward into the dense foliage to see a multicolored flock had arrived and settled onto the branches, all their focus on Carialle and him. The birds were singing softly.

  Song.

  Song was always a key for her.

  The birds were trying to help her.

  Marcus cleared his throat. He was no singer, although he’d been told he had a good baritone voice. Rejecting a momentary embarrassed reluctance because of Sam lingering close by, he opened his mouth and launched into a song he remembered his mother singing to him as a child, repeating the same refrain over and over. Then he segued into another, realizing a moment too late it was a bawdy drinking song from his Academy days, but he could and did put a lot of energy into it. Finishing the tune, he took a breath, evaluating Carialle’s condition, encouraged to see the shadows under her eyes fading.

  He did a doubletake, the song faltering as he leaned in to take a better look. Tiny purple flowers were blooming in her hair. Surely the blossoms had to be a good sign? His heart pounded and he sent another incoherent prayer to the Lords of Space.

  Her eyelids flickered and slowly she opened them, staring up at him with those great emerald and golden eyes that had so captivated him from the moment he first met her. “Marcus?”

  “Here, always.” He wanted to crush her to him but was afraid to disrupt her link with the tree, so he settled for a kiss he gentled even as he began the caress.

  “Were you singing?” Her voice was thready.

  “I’d do anything for you, even sing. The birds gave me the idea.”

  “How did you know what to do to help me? To bring me to the tree?”

  He remembered the uncanny rush of a voice in his head and shrugged. “I can’t explain—maybe because I love you?” He stroked one of the strands of her soft green hair, admiring the petite velvet petalled blossoms. “Did you know you have flowers blooming on your head?”

  “Really?” She struggled to sit upright and removed her hand from the tree to grab a section of her hair and see for herself. “These are violamikri, the flower of true love. I believed them to be a legend because supposedly the blooms only appear when a priestess experiences true love for one of Thuun’s warriors.”

  “Well that’s how I feel about you too, even if I can’t grow fancy flowers on my skull to prove the point.” He kissed her with more emphasis now, tasting her, pulling the sweetness of her life force into himself through their connection, relieved she was going to survive. “They’d be pretty silly on my head.” He was so happy he didn’t care if he was making corny jokes.

  “Where are we?” She craned her head.

  “On the island the Combine brought you to, but don’t worry. I’m here with the cops. The danger’s over. You took care of the situation yourself, didn’t you?”

  “I knew you’d come for me—I never for a moment doubted you—but Erdoman and Trang were going to make me a mindless slave with the toranquidol so I had no choice but to sing the death song. Forgive me?” Tears trickled down her cheeks.

  He hugged her and wiped away the tears with his fingers. “You did what you had to do. I understand.”

  Staring fixedly at the patterns in the tree bark, she asked, “The Combine members are all dead?”

  “Every fu—every bad guy on the entire island. I’m in awe of your power. Of course you nearly killed yourself too and it’ll take me a while to get over the fright.”

  “I’d rather die by my own power than risk being enslaved by the Combine again.” Her voice was hard.

  “I think you’re a warrior and you did what you had to do,” he said again, sensing she needed reassurance.

  “I need to communicate with the sentient embodied by this tree,” she said a bit apologeticall
y. “And reach through it to pull from the planet’s energies to be fully healed. May I have a few moments alone? I can’t concentrate with you so close, not after being terrified I’d never see you again. You’re distracting in the best possible meaning of the word.” Her smile warmed him all the way to his toes.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. Count on me to follow up on it later, when you’re more yourself.” He squeezed her free hand. “You do whatever you need to do and I’ll wait at the edge of the tree’s root platform, over there. I need to check in with Sam anyway—he’s probably going nuts wanting to know what’s happening. Promise you’ll tell me if you feel weak or sick again.”

  “Of course.” She caught his hand as he rose. “But not too far away?”

  “No more than a few feet, I promise. I’ll be right over there.”

  Marcus walked to the edge of the root platform, where Sam waited. He heard a low murmur behind him as Carialle chanted to the tree.

  “Situation stabilized?” Sam asked.

  “She’s doing fine, maybe a bit shaky. We’ll be ready to move out soon. I don’t think she’ll want to stay on this island a moment longer than she has to.” He checked the beach below where armed cops with weapons hot stood in a ring around their baytrim tree. “What’s with the defensive cordon?”

  “I got a reply already from the SCIA and the Mellureans—both parties are sending reps to Felicia Seven to interview your lady. And you. I’ve got strict orders to take good care of you both.” Sam dug his AI out of his pocket. “You should find this reassuring—the Mellureans pushed through a Sectors ID for Carialle, making her one of their affiliates, under their protection. No one’s going to touch her if it means messing with them.”

  Impressed but on the alert for any threat to his lady, Marcus scanned the message and shrugged. “All good but I still want our hotshot lawyer to meet us as soon as we reach the mainland and a safe house.”

  Sam stuck the AI in his utilities’ pocket. “No problem. I get it—you and I saw too much bureaucratic bullshit during our time in the Teams. Better to be safe than sorry.”

  “Exactly, although I tend to trust the Mellureans. Not that those tight lipped, all powerful sentients give us much choice in the matter.” Marcus checked on Carialle for a moment, relieved to see her on her feet, one hand tracing a knothole in the tree trunk. “Looks like she’s wrapping up her convo with the plant. We can go soon.”

  Sam raised his eyebrows. “She talks to trees? For real?”

  “It’s a long story, tell you over a beer sometime.”

  As he predicted, Carialle joined him shortly, putting her hand into his.

  “Angel, meet Sam Garamonte,” Marcus said, gesturing at his friend. “Sam, this is Carialle, my fiancée.”

  “Pleased to meet you. I didn’t think Marcus here would ever settle down. Quite a player, this guyv—” Grunting as Marcus elbowed him sharply in the ribs, Sam shut up and shook hands with her. “If you’re ready, I’ve got a flyer standing by to take us to a safe house on the mainland.”

  She shuddered. “Please get me away from this place.”

  “You’re going with us? What about all the evidence to be gathered at the crime scene?” Marcus asked his friend.

  “My orders are to stick with you like a binary star in your orbit,” Sam said with a laugh. “I’m guessing it’ll be very interesting, with the company you’re going to be keeping, hobnobbing with the Mellureans and all. I’ve got a good investigative team and my staff won’t miss any significant forensics, whether I’m here to supervise or not.”

  Sam left the root platform and then he and Marcus helped Carialle descend to the beach as a police flyer landed nearby. Sam sprinted ahead to confer with his men, and Marcus and Carialle strolled hand in hand behind him, surrounded by their bodyguards, who expanded the perimeter and gave the couple ample room after Marcus glared at them.

  “Will I be in trouble for what I did here?” she asked in a low voice. “Will you be in trouble?”

  He squeezed her hand. “We’ll both be fine. I’ve got a lawyer on tap and Sectors authorities are excited to talk to us. I think we’re probably in for a few weeks of testifying—you more than me obviously but I’ll be right there the whole time.”

  “Making plans for our escape if we don’t like the experience?” she asked with a smile.

  “Count on it, angel. No more barefoot middle of the night sorties either.”

  “Could we get married now?”

  “Would you like that?”

  Studying her ring in the sunlight on the beach, she nodded.

  “We’ll get it done right away then. Sam can make the arrangements. I’ll put him to work once we’re in the flyer. He’s a good guy, one of the best, and he was the person searching for me here on Felicia Seven.”

  “He would have rescued you if I hadn’t,” she said.

  “Not in time.” Marcus was adamant. He stopped and turned her to face him, unable to resist taking a kiss. “I think you and I were meant to be, and nothing can change the facts. I needed you—I’ll always need you.”

  “Hey, lovebirds, the Sectors are waiting,” Sam yelled from the flyer’s ramp.

  “He offered me a job, by the way,” Marcus said as they strolled forward. “As a cop, working with him.”

  “A fitting occupation for a warrior,” she said.

  “You won’t mind? Or be worried?” Marcus was surprised at her calm demeanor.

  “You have the blue flames of Thuun,” she reminded him. “It’s your purpose in life to protect and fight for what’s right. I’ll have to find meaningful work I can do here since the Sectors have no need for a priestess to petition my deity. There must be useful employment for a woman who can nurture living things.”

  Squeezing her hand, he said, “We’ll figure it out together, after the honeymoon.”

  “Could we go back to the cabin eventually? I know it was destroyed, which will be painful for you to see, but it was in such a lovely spot. I long to return there.” She tapped her chest, over her heart. “The place calls to me powerfully. I know we could find much happiness there.”

  “I was thinking we could rebuild the place,” he said, “If you cared to set foot in the forest again.”

  “Considering the happiest moments of my life occurred there, with you, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. And the setting is so beautiful, full of ancient trees and bountiful lifeforce. I realize there’ll be destruction and debris but the forest can grow over the wounds. There was much I longed to explore but we had no time.”

  “I’ll be establishing better defenses when we rebuild,” he said with a laugh. “If you thought Gramps was intense, wait till I upgrade with new tech. No one will be intruding on our privacy again.”

  “We’ll have to live in the city most of the time though, won’t we? If you’re on the police force?” Her expression and dubious tone of voice made it clear she wasn’t happy at the prospect.

  “There are better districts than River Wind. And we’ll make sure to buy a place with a big garden. I still have my veteran’s acres allotment, thanks to you, remember?”

  “I think we can build a good life.” Carialle paused to stare at the ocean waves for a moment. “And besides, maybe Thuun has further need of a warrior and a priestess.”

  “Like sending us on a quest? Now you’re scaring me. Or you would be, if I was afraid of anything other than losing you. Which I’ll take good care never to allow.” He laughed as he swept her into his arms, to carry her into the flyer as Sam led the way. “Did you pause to consider the possibility maybe he brought us together expressly to save each other? Mission accomplished, debt to Thuun paid, we can live happily ever after.”

  “I think he has more for us to do,” she replied. “But the prospect is exciting—we’d both grow bored in a life without suitable challenges. Admit it.”

  “I won’t argue but I’d like a nice long honeymoon first.” Marcus carried her through the flyer’s hatch and placed her o
nto the seat Sam indicated, taking his place beside her. “Put in the request next time you’re talking to Thuun, priestess, would you? Oh, and he should give us time to do adequate planning, as long as we’re making a list of our must-haves for any new adventure.”

  He shifted his attention to Sam momentarily, as his friend relayed news about the upcoming meeting with the lawyer and the move to the safe house. Carialle gazed out the flyer’s window, watching as the island fell behind them, growing smaller until there was only the expanse of the sparkling sea underneath her. A feeling of peace spread throughout her, body and soul.

  Marcus squeezed her hand to draw her attention from the view. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? Need anything at all?”

  She kissed him. “Just you, for the rest of my life.”

  *****

  Thank you for reading TWO AGAINST THE STARS! I really hope you enjoyed the adventure (and of course I’d love a review if you have time and the inclination to write one – even a few sentences would be wonderful. Authors relish reader feedback).

  •If you’d like to stay up to date on all my new releases, please sign up for my newsletter HERE.

  •STAR CRUISE: STOWAWAY and DANGER IN THE STARS, the books which tell the stories of two other Tulavarran prisoners, and how they escaped from the Combine, are available at ebook retailers now so be sure to look for those if you haven’t read them!

  Also By Veronica Scott

  Science Fiction Romance

  Wreck of the Nebula Dream

  Star Cruise: Marooned

  Star Cruise: Outbreak

  Star Cruise A Novella: Stowaway

  Plus Rescue and Golden Token Short Stories

  Escape from Zulaire

  Mission to Mahjundar

  Hostage to the Stars