The Iron Altar Series Box Set One: Books 1 to 3

by Casey Lea

  “I’m fine,” Darsey said tautly. “How many did you…? That is, did any get away?”

  “Ye.” Wing gulped. “Some. I’ve no true count. Not now. Let’s just go, quick-as.” He turned toward the energy vortex that they had jumped through a lifetime ago.

  Or several t’ssaa lifetimes, Darsey thought grimly. She picked her way after Wing, managing to find a reasonably stable path, despite her determination not to look down at what she was crossing. She completed an awkward scramble up to the vent with relief.

  Darsey's plait lifted in a crosswind and she was surprised to realize that the station had returned to normal operation. The steady breeze seemed eerily aloof from the destruction beneath. It was fresh and bracing, scrubbed of its foetid warmth by the vortex and still untouched by the death below. They both breathed deeply and Wing lost his pallor.

  “You good?” he asked Darsey, before bending to the exposed control panel at the base of the vent.

  “Good? Sure,” she managed wryly. “I’m fine. How about you?”

  Wing glanced up from reprogramming the vortex. “Sick to the gut,” he answered succinctly, and turned back to his work.

  “Wing, I’m sorry. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Should I take the sword?”

  He raised an eyebrow in surprise, but then his mouth twitched in the echo of a smile. “No, thank you. Our flight is hopeless unless we both fight, and I’m actually fast with a blade. Much faster than when I try your unnamed combat.”

  “That’s unarmed combat.” Darsey smiled, and Wing grunted as he turned back to the vortex control.

  “More suited,” he agreed, “and such is the same with me. A sword was placed in my hand as soon as I could form a fist. It’s court tradition, but now my body feels lost without a blade. No, we’ll fight together and if it feels like slaughter, I’ll think of what they had planned for us.”

  “Good idea. Are we almost ready?”

  “Nearly done.”

  Wing grunted when a pulse flashed from the control space. That lurid light briefly turned his complexion sickly green and Darsey felt her own stomach tighten in response.

  “We’re ready,” she realized, and he clambered up to join her, where she balanced on the lip of the whirlwind.

  “True,” Wing agreed and then he jumped. He leapt into the vortex without warning and passed straight through it. He disappeared while Darsey was left behind, gaping after him. She swore in furious response, but her single word was cut by the energy barrier when she threw herself through it. She left only half an echo behind to fade in the chilly space.

  She hoped Wing heard the second syllable arrive behind him and had some idea what it meant. He was way too busy to actually see her arrive. The airway had been guarded by five of the lizards, but only two were still alive.

  Darsey watched their backs recede as they fled with all of their species’ fluid grace. Wing flicked his sword from the torso of the t’ssaa at his feet and took off after the survivors. He powered uphill to the mouth of the passage and Darsey was left behind again.

  She didn’t waste her breath on curses this time, but took off after him. She flew from the tunnel and skidded to a halt behind the nearest cover. Where had the kres got to?

  Wing’s head appeared over the wall sheltering her and she slammed backwards into the building behind. The jerk actually had the cheek to laugh.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” she ordered in a clipped voice. “If we plan to fight together, then that’s what we do. Any more heroic, solo charges and you will be in deep crap. Understood?”

  “I truly hope not,” he said with some bemusement, while his smile faded. “Your speech is strange, but most vivid. I understand that you’re unpleased and I’ll not do such again.”

  “Good,” Darsey snapped, and they leaned out together to check for danger. There was no sign of movement and both com scans were negative. “Shall we?” She darted forward before Wing could answer and made him sprint to catch her as she ran for the closest alley. She stopped behind the shelter of a rusted pillar and he gripped her elbow before she could move on. Her head snapped round, but he seemed unmoved by her glare.

  “Lead if you must,” Wing whispered, “but not direct to the docks.”

  Darsey hesitated and her expression softened to a frown. “They’ll be expecting that.”

  “Ye, but I’ve an escape they’ll not think of. It takes us closer to the Hub, though. Look.”

  Wing raised his wrist and Darsey leaned forward to study the map scrolling above his com.

  The details flowed past, diving from Gratuity’s docks toward their present position. Tiny images of herself and the kres appeared, perched on a line of light representing the alley. Other lines branched around it, in a maze that grew increasingly complicated, until it was almost too thick to decipher, before merging to form fewer, thicker lines in the centre of the city.

  Wing flicked a finger and another image appeared, closer to the heart of the Hub. Slim figures in iridescent robes were moving quickly down a spiral ramp and deeper into the planet.

  “Gentik?” Darsey wondered, and Wing flicked off the map in response.

  “Ye,” he agreed tersely as he straightened and beckoned her to follow. “The same group who met with Payiss. I left a tag for such and now we can hunt them. I knew they’d gather DNA from our hide place if they could.” He moved on into the alley, increasing his pace when Darsey joined him. He winked at her when they started to run and she had to smile back.

  “Do all your cells have tracers?” she wondered, and he nodded a finger in response.

  “That’s usual for high-rank kres, but I made mine sneaky-as. Even the gentik missed them.” Wing’s grin was more savage this time and he broke into a full combat run.

  Darsey matched him easily enough, but their pace was too frantic for further talk. They hurtled deeper into the Hub, leaping down levels and hurdling railings as they raced to catch the gentik. The buildings around them grew taller and more stately, but the streets remained empty. Citizens of Gratuity knew how to hide when an alarm sounded, especially one followed by explosions. They moved deeper into the apparently deserted Hub without distraction. The safety of concealing alleys and angled buildings grew sparse, but it scarcely seemed to matter. There was no hint of pursuit at all. When Wing was forced to lead them out onto a wide boulevard, Darsey followed without hesitation.

  They raced along its open space, their footfalls ringing from the marbled stone pavers that bordered its travel zones. The road started to slope downwards and Wing slowed to a lope. Darsey matched his pace and lifted her gaze to see the brightly dressed group of gentik further down the hill.

  The geneticists seemed oblivious to the approaching couple and scurried on down the street without looking back. However, darker, more solid figures appeared between Darsey and the fleeing band. The newcomers fell back to form a line between the gentik and their pursuers.

  Wing slowed even more, until he and Darsey had dropped to a walk. “Guardians,” he murmured as the poised figures grew closer. “They keep the gentik safe, so they're bred with speed and strength. Their armour energy absorbs too. Take care.”

  She studied the approaching bodyguards with renewed interest. There were five in the protective line, two female and three male, but they all shared the same impassive expression. Their features were gentik and their close-cropped hair multi-hued, but they had kres fronds and their skin colors ranged from pale silver to dark gold.

  They all wore identical black clothing made from overlapping plates and spirals of something more rigid than fabric. Although their faces were bare, the strange armour had woven collars with open strands that rose high at the back to frame each wearer's head. That delicate web seemed too fine to offer much protection, but matched the rest of the design, which also favored mobility over defense. The torso was more fully covered, but the limbs had only a few metal curves that left the joints free to move. Darsey wondered whether the armour was worn largely for
show or tradition, as it seemed unlikely to stop an energy blast, but her attention slipped away from such intriguing details when the largest of the guardians stepped forward.

  “Halt,” he ordered, and the approaching couple obediently stopped.

  Darsey flicked a glance past the confronting row of guardians to the still-retreating gentik, who were rapidly disappearing down the street.

  “Sah Guardian,” Wing called quickly, with no attempt to disguise his urgency, “we wish to barter. Biologics for a shuttle.” He too looked past their immediate adversaries, but the distant scientists showed no signs of stopping.

  “No trade,” the guardian answered succinctly. “My Makers have sufficient of kres trace. Also, you stink of death. Destruction hunts you. You must stay far from those in our care.”

  Wing started to protest, but Darsey raised a hand to stop him and sent an order to her com to drop her automatic disguise. Her human form reappeared and every frond in the guardian group writhed to target her. She smiled wryly at their surprise, even as her skin tingled with the return of the glamour field. “I doubt your boss has enough of my DNA,” she pointed out, but the lead soldier was unmoved.

  “The alien trace was abandoned. My Makers will not face further risk to gain it.”

  Darsey bit her lower lip and turned to Wing, but his gaze snapped left and, at the same time, every guardian looked left too. She turned in response, to face the same direction and focus on the closest side street, but it seemed to be empty. She made an effort to relax, despite the extended fronds of her companions, because any approaching danger was still too distant to see. She held her position facing the intersection, but directed her words at the guardian leader.

  “You may have an ‘alien trace’, but trust me, you want more than a trace of my DNA.”

  “Irrelevant,” the warrior stated crisply, and started to retreat, followed by his team. “You have no more time to deal.”

  Darsey would have loved to argue with that blunt summation, but unfortunately the guardian was right. Five t’ssaa sprinted into sight and raced from the side street at frightening speed. Their attack was so quick that she scarcely had time to run.

  Darsey fled after the retreating guardians and the t’ssaa ignored her. They headed straight for their target instead and in seconds they were on Wing. They circled him to prevent escape and then paused.

  Darsey stopped too, before softly drifting back toward the immanent fight. None of the reptiles even glanced her way. They were fixated on Wing and when a sword dropped into his hand a chorus of hisses bounced from the buildings lining the street. A crest curved forward and its owner’s body followed it when the t’ssaa leapt.

  The blade sliced once.

  The other t’ssaa piled into battle anyway, too committed to stop. The blade sliced again and the next wave went down. Those behind them had definitely forgotten Darsey. She punched straight through the force field of the warrior at the back and it fell to its knees. It twisted from one side to the other, while its eyes roamed the street as if trying to discover the source of its collapse. Her leg flicked out and a kick to its temple made it crumple and lie still.

  Darsey used the momentum from that blow to spin back to the fight, but it was already over. Wing pulled his blade from the chest of the only t’ssaa still standing and it toppled to join the bodies of its comrades. The couple exchanged a sober look and he stepped over his last victim to join her.

  She turned at the sound of footsteps and faced the returning guardians. Those warriors approached them more warily this time, stopping when they were still ten paces away and their armour looked different. It was now encased in a violet glow that also covered their faces and any bare skin.

  “Impressive,” the guardian leader stated, staring through the lavender haze surrounding him with open curiosity. “The weapon is ingenious, but even more impressive is the ability to hit past a protective field.” His brown and gold eyes shifted toward Darsey, along with his fronds, and those of his entire team. “That is truly unique, the skill to passage flesh through a field. We wish to offer a deal for a sample of your cells, Lady.”

  “I thought your Makers wouldn’t risk further contact with me.”

  “Such is sooth, but we are not so timid. We wish our own sample. We offer in exchange a guardian sliver ship, complete with a fully powered cloak. Do we deal?”

  “A moment,” Darsey answered gravely, before she turned and tipped her head to whisper in Wing’s ear. “Is that a good offer?”

  “Ye, it’s a hidden ship,” he murmured in response, “but-”

  “Deal,” Darsey agreed, turning away from Wing before he could finish objecting. He frowned and shook a finger at her hasty response, but she was ready for his protest. “You have another way off this rock?” she asked reasonably, and he could only scowl.

  “Darsey, you don’t know what you’re doing. These folk are masterly gene teks too. They can use your DNA in ways unthought-”

  “Wing,” she interrupted more gently. “Thanks for the concern and you’re probably right, but we are out of options. Okay?”

  The kres took a deep breath and then slowly nodded. “Kay,” he agreed glumly, “but I truly hope we never regret this.”

  Darsey silently agreed, but, despite her reservations, she raised her wrist to accept the guardians’ offer. However, when the two coms linked, there was more than a simple exchange of data. She flinched when heat circled her arm and then recoiled from sudden pain. The energy stream linking their wristbands was broken and Pertwing made a silent query. Do you wish to give tissue or no?

  “Yes,” Darsey answered aloud, when she realized that her part of the deal was about to be taken. She straightened her arm and stood quite still while the link was re-established. She stayed silent and unmoving when that contact suddenly intensified, to slash around her wrist. The energy link vanished and she looked down in time to see red beads circling her arm, before her com sealed the cut.

  “Come,” the guardian ordered, and turned to lead them deeper into Gratuity, but closer to escape.

  42

  Escape

  Darsey squirmed on her back in an effort to change position without elbowing Wing in the ribs. The sliver was a fast and agile ship, primarily because it was designed for only one person. It was little more than a diamond-shaped dart and the single, contoured couch that filled the cabin was a tight fit for the couple lying awkwardly side by side. The ceiling above them was alight with views of Gratuity, the ships around it and an approaching passage point, but she was having trouble concentrating on the visual feed.

  Instead, she was intensely aware of Wing beside her and of her inability to put any space between them. She sighed quietly and closed her eyes. The present situation represented their entire relationship far too exactly for comfort and she abruptly realized that she was sick of it. She opened her eyes to stare unseeing at the bright ceiling above.

  “Wing.” Her peripheral vision registered movement when he looked toward her, but she kept her gaze fixed on the visuals overhead. “I just want to say...”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you. Just, for everything. I really appreciate it.”

  Silence fell between them again, but not for long.

  “Darse...” Darsey finally turned to face Wing and both swallowed when their eyes met. “I just want to say...” he continued.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re most welcome, and thank you too. I can scarce believe you trusted me again.”

  Darsey smiled and finally admitted something to herself, as much as to Wing. “Actually, I always trust you. I can’t seem to help it. It just happens, even when I swear it won’t. Especially when I swear it won’t.”

  Wing rolled toward Darsey and kissed her. The embrace was so sudden she had no time to protest. His lips brushed hers, warm and surprisingly soft. She opened her mouth to complain, but for some reason pushed her tongue into the kiss instead.

  Well, that was… delicious- no, it w
as weird. Definitely odd. Her only mission was to get home. Get back to Earth and warn everyone. Making out with an alien wasn’t part of the plan. Although… surely one kiss couldn’t hurt and the kres was tasty. Amazingly tasty and it was definitely his fault that she arched up against him. It just felt so-

  “Ah,” Wing groaned and Darsey realized she’d bitten his lower lip.

  “I’m sorry,” she tried to pull back, but he grinned against her mouth and returned for more. She started to push against his shoulders… to push him away, but her arms slipped higher, around his neck while her fingers tangled in his hair.

  Thought stopped and doubt disappeared. Her world became a crazy place of contrasts. The cold of space, pushed back by the heat between them. His soft mouth and hard body. The blunt curve of his head and the sharp metallic edge of the crest in his hair.

  Pain kissed Darsey’s finger. She must have cut it, but she didn’t care. She scarcely noticed and she was equally unaware of the siren that started shrieking in her ear. The only input she wanted was from Wing and he was just as committed. The alarm must have washed over him too, because he didn’t pause.

  His hands curled around her waist on one side and the curve of a hip on the other, while his fronds rested lightly against her throat and cheek. Their touch made her sigh and then jump when his mind managed to reach hers. Despite the shock of that mental contact, she made no effort to escape. The intimacy simply drew her deeper.

  Darsey’s body merged with his, when cells slipped past each other in an impossible way. She had never felt anything as exquisite, or as terrifying. Part of her mind was shrieking in alarm, but it was easy to ignore. She sloughed it off as simply as the annoying alert. She was only distantly aware of her passaging power and the risk it posed. No vague caution could compete with the intensity of that kiss.

  It took a much more immediate peril for that. A strobing light joined the wail of the ship’s alert and Wing finally jerked his lips away from Darsey.

  “Guano,” he swore against her cheek. He was somehow lying on top of her and squirmed awkwardly away. She finally managed to push back against his shoulders, but still had to unwind her legs from his before they could separate. The kres flipped onto his back and swore again at the multiple trails arcing across their ceiling.