Howl of the Wolf (Heirs to the Throne Book 1)

by Diane Rapp

  “You’ve a most unusual method of joining the crew.” Donovan laughed and tiny wrinkles formed a starburst around his eyes.

  Krystal enjoyed the sound of his laughter, felt comfortable in the warmth of his smile and the mellow tones of his deep voice. But when he stretched his hand to help her out of the box, irrational terror filled her chest. Sadistic laughter filled her mind, and she remembered a man reaching for her, causing pain. Too much pain! She shrank from Donovan—her eyes glazed and body trembling.

  Donovan jerked his hand back.

  “Out of the way,” Chella said, pushing Donovan aside. She knelt beside Krystal and said, “You’re okay, honey. We understand.”

  Chella’s friendly voice eased Krystal’s terror. Long cool fingers stroked Krystal’s trembling hands as she focused on Chella’s broad face.

  “You’re safe! No one will harm you here!” Chella’s black eyes flashed a clear warning directed at the crew, who shrank back as if ordered. “Come with me, sugar. You could use some nourishment.”

  Chella led Krystal to the galley. “I have a visitor who needs attending to, Maggie.”

  The small red-haired woman turned a beaming smile on Krystal. “I’m glad to see you’re finally awake.” Maggie’s bright green eyes and easy attitude made Krystal feel safe.

  Krystal said, “I’m so glad to see you, both. It’s been too long.” Her voice wavered, and she felt ready to collapse.

  Maggie took control. “Sit down, young lady. What can I get for you?” The delightful aroma wafting from a steamy cauldron mingled with the homey scent of hot bread. She felt famished.

  “Whatever you’re cooking smells good to me.” She eased herself onto the bench, leaning her tremulous body against the stability of the plasteel table. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in months.”

  Chella said, “You haven’t eaten this way in spans, my dear. Maggie’s magic touch makes standard rations actually edible.”

  Krystal sipped a steaming cup of broth and bit into a butter-soaked roll. “This is heavenly!”

  Maggie grinned. “That’s just an appetizer.” She piled food onto a plate. “You look so thin child, but I’ll take care of that.”

  “She will, too.” Chella patted her own flat stomach. “I spend hours in the gym to work off the affects of Maggie’s cooking.”

  “You look just as tall and slender as I remember,” Krystal said.

  Maggie nodded. “I can’t fatten that one up, good Lord knows I try, but she’s skinny as a scarecrow.”

  “Meditation and exercise counteract excess calories.” Chella leaned forward, placing her long black fingers lightly on Krystal’s wrist. “Your pulse is returning to normal. You’ll feel like your old self soon.”

  Krystal felt better surrounded by cheerful friends but tears trickled down her cheeks.

  “Now, now, little one.” Chella wrapped Krystal in her arms. “What is it?”

  “I’m headblind. I can’t feel anyone around me and it makes me feel so empty inside.” Krystal’s voice cracked. “Why did I shy from Donovan? I knew he meant me no harm, but I couldn’t let him touch me.”

  Chella smoothed Krystal’s hair with long strokes. “You’ve been through a trauma. It’s common to shut your mental shields under stress. It will pass. Can you remember what happened?”

  “No. When I try to remember the last few days it’s like looking through a thick fog.”

  Maggie asked, “How did your ID get switched with Jenny’s?”

  “Jenny?” Krystal frowned. “There’s something…I can’t remember…it just won’t come back.” Hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “Perhaps it’s best, dear. There’s time to remember after the pain passes. Don’t try now.” Chella’s voice sounded reassuring.

  “But I know there’s something crucial I must tell someone.” A jolt of electric pain stabbed her forehead, throbbing uncontrollably. “What’s happening to me?” Krystal gasped.

  Chella hugged Krystal tight and absorbed the pain. Chella’s expression contorted into a grimace of agony. She whispered, “Fight him! Think of a hot flame burning the pain away, searing his evil from your mind. That’s it, a pure white flame! I’ll help guard against his touch.”

  As Chella spoke, Krystal relaxed.

  Chella said, “Maggie, get Trenton’s brandy. Krystal needs it more than he does.”

  “No argument there.” Maggie poured a glass and coaxed Krystal to sip the golden liquid. “What happened?”

  Chella shivered. “A man touched her mind. He’s evil!”

  Maggie’s eyes widened with alarm. “Are you okay, Krystal?”

  “For now.” Krystal sighed. “That image of a hot flame did the trick. I feel better now.”

  Chella said, “Keeping mental barriers tight drains energy. You stay with Maggie. I’ll have a talk with Donovan.”

  *****

  Donovan jerked his hand away from Krystal’s expression of horror. She looked at me like I’m space scum. Why did I inspire such fear? I feel like the clumsy boy who unwittingly broke my sister’s favorite doll.

  “Captain, what should we do with the wreckage?” Trenton’s question interrupted Donovan’s thoughts and he consciously assumed the identity of ship’s captain.

  “Any search craft in the sector?” he asked.

  “No, sir. Two other sections ruptured during the explosion. We’ve got debris all over, so it might be days before they sort through it.” Trenton’s eyes sparkled with pride.

  “Rig a charge to make it look like the explosion ruptured our seal. They’ll find an empty chamber and shouldn’t question losing three crew members.”

  “Done, Captain.” Trenton said.

  Later Trenton, Dr. Alexander and Donovan discussed their choice of escape routes on the bridge. “We have little choice after our abrupt retreat.” Trenton hunched over the glowing starchart table. He said, “We’ll make consecutive jumps through this system to avoid patrols.”

  Alex nodded. “The Institute will be desperate to find us, and it’s entirely my fault. I called attention to our location by rushing in…”

  Donovan shook his head. “You responded like a doctor. As captain, I changed our plans to rectify an unraveling situation. The final decision was mine.” Donovan leaned forward to examine the starchart. “Don’t let me hear more on the subject, past history. We just need to decide where to go from here.”

  Trenton said, “I have an idea.”

  “By your irritating grin, I see you do. Your attempt to appear contrite just makes you look more like a rascal. Out with it.”

  “A small place, off the regular trade routes…”

  “This wouldn’t be a planet you know personally?” Donovan frowned. “A little piece of heaven and a trapper’s delight?”

  “Why, Captain! You’re a mind-reader, too.”

  “It’s not difficult when it comes to you, Trenton. You’re forever bragging about your home world, Drako. I’ve never understood why you ever left such a paradise.”

  Trenton shrugged. “A boy’s entitled to one mistake, and I was a very rash lad.”

  “I remember very well. Where is it?”

  “Sector forty-five, sir, a two-sun system right there…” Trenton pointed eagerly at the starchart.

  Donovan frowned. “It’s too risky. They’re sure to trace us to our home worlds even one so distant.”

  “But my records don’t list Drako as my home world.”

  Donovan’s eyebrows lifted. “Why not?”

  “Well…I was a stowaway…too young for the service…I sort of…borrowed an ID.” Trenton sounded genuinely embarrassed.

  “Borrowed? And the owner never objected?”

  “Well no…he was hardly in any condition to object. You see, he was…kind of…dead, sir.”

  “Dead! You murdered a man for his ID?”

  “Sir! The man was already dead when I found him. I’m no killer,” Trenton pleaded.

  “What’s your real name?”

  �
��It’s been so many spans I’ve forgotten.” Trenton hedged, averting his gaze.

  Donovan laughed. “You never cease to be a source of amazement. Is this the truth or another con?” Donovan scrutinized Trenton’s face. “Our lives are on the line here.”

  Trenton blustered, “You cut me to the quick, sir. I wouldn’t lie to you!”

  “Your whole life’s been a lie,” Donovan scoffed, “but a very clever one, I admit. What do you say, Alex? Do we head to his home planet?”

  Alex solemnly placed a hand on Trenton’s shoulder. “If Trenton knows the place, so that may give us an advantage. I’d prefer a planet with a defense system.”

  Donovan sighed. “I sense that there’s something you haven’t told us, Alex.”

  The doctor nodded. “Among the list of scientists escaping the Institute, they will be frantic to find me in particular. I sabotaged the supply of mendilium crystals, a crucial element of Transfer mechanisms.”

  Trenton asked, “Can’t they just mine more?”

  Alex shook his head. “The crystals are easy to mine but we guarded the secret of the hardening process.”

  “Why?” Donovan asked.

  Alex stared. His gray eyes looked eerie, ghostlike. “We wanted a trump card. Mendilium crystals are the perfect bargaining chip against Institute interference. We didn’t count on their willingness to commit murder.”

  “Why sabotage the supply? Now they won’t give up until they find us.” Donovan shook his head in disbelief.

  “An insane government that rules men by coercion must be toppled. I destroyed their control over humanity. With only one life to live, people won’t allow the Institute to control their lives!” The doctor’s spine stiffened and determination burned in his eyes.

  Donovan yielded. “What’s done is done. Now, we need a planetary defense system. Trenton, does your little piece of paradise have such a system?”

  Trenton grinned. “Aye, Captain. It’s old but we should be able to make it work.”

  “We’ll use shipping lanes to cover our ion trail, make our first jump into hyperspace at this position, and two more jumps to throw them off track. Got that?”

  “I could chart it in my sleep,” Trenton boasted with a jaunty salute.

  Donovan nodded. “We’ll hold a briefing at 1800 hours and establish the full schedule.” He noticed Chella waiting impatiently. “Dismissed, Trenton. Alex, I think Chella needs your help.”

  “What is it?” Alex asked.

  “Someone assaulted Krystal mentally. I could see his eyes when I touched her. They were like black pits absorbing her mind.”

  “It’s a memory. Someone tampered with her mind, but there was no current contact.”

  “No! This happened in real time, not memory. He’s on this ship.” Chella bit her lower lip.

  Donovan frowned. “Establish a rotating schedule so someone stays with Krystal around the clock. Alex, you need to review the records of everyone on board.”

  “I personally scanned the crew,” Alex said.

  Donovan’s green eyes flashed with anger. “I want everyone checked again!”

  “Yes. I’ll give it top priority,” Alex replied, studying Donovan’s face.

  “Don’t try to read me, I’m not the patient. We’ve got plenty to worry about without analyzing my actions.” Donovan turned back to the starchart with an air of dismissal.

  *****

  As a voice called to her through a thick mist, Krystal twirled and a filmy orange and blue scarf caressed her skin in silken swirls. Her body moved to hypnotic music and she tried to ignore the voice. It was no use. She stopped dancing and listened.

  “Krystal! Please wake up,” Chella pleaded. “We need you.”

  She yawned and opened her eyes. “I was having such a nice dream. Why’d you wake me?”

  Chella frowned. “I couldn’t feel your mind. Are you okay?”

  Krystal stretched, arching her back. “You worry too much.”

  Chella said, “Worrying is part of my job description. Speaking of jobs, do you feel well enough to work? We’re short-handed.”

  “Sure, I feel fine but you know I can’t monitor while I’m headblind. What else can I do?”

  Chella grinned and her white teeth sparkled against dark skin. “Work the boards.” Krystal groaned. “Alex wants the entire crew prepped for Transfer before we reach our destination.”

  “What?” Krystal sat up, astonished at the magnitude of the job.

  “Anyone who hasn’t transferred in the last five years must complete Transfer prior to touchdown.”

  “Why? What’s so urgent?”

  “I forgot. You haven’t heard our problem.” Chella’s eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. “We’re escaping from the Institute.”

  While Krystal dressed, Chella explained the problem. The disclosures about the Institute’s death brigade did not entirely surprise Krystal and leaving the grip of the Institute was a relief. She hated the boredom of her job and the feeling of captivity her debt to the Institute represented. Freedom! Energy and hope flooded her, eradicating her fear.

  She said, “Lead me to the boards. Alex must be frazzled, trying to plan the schedule.”

  “He’s eager to see you.”

  As Chella led the way to the lab, Krystal remembered their first meeting. A full head taller than most men the lean African looked wild and untamed, dressed in colorful robes unique to her tribe. Her long hair swung in lazy ripples of tightly woven braids tipped by sparkling gems as she strutted through the laboratories.

  As African nobility, Chella’s training in the labs represented a political gesture to soothe the tribes, but no one expected the talented empath to remain on staff. Chella’s future, a tribal throne with a controlling husband at her side, was forever altered when she announced her decision to join the medical team. It really didn’t surprise Krystal—she couldn’t imagine a man who could control Chella for long.

  Krystal smiled at the change in her friend, from tribal princess to efficient medtech. Chella’s uniform, probably designed to fit a muscular man, hung loose over her lean figure. Her short black hair had been cut in an angular style that emphasized high cheekbones and large eyes. If Chella assumed a severe facial expression, she could intimidate anyone unfamiliar with her mellow personality and dazzling smile.

  Attitude was the most dramatic change in Chella. Warmth, compassion, and tenderness replaced her aristocratic demeanor of superiority. Krystal appreciated the astonishing transformation but always wondered why it happened.

  Filled with equipment superior to large spaceports, the small medlab had been designed to fit the compact space. How had Alex managed it? Institute restrictions against private research made facilities of this type nearly impossible. She felt a sense of pride, working with the mild-mannered research scientist turned defiant revolutionary.

  She reviewed the list of patients. Of twenty crew scheduled for Transfer, Captain Donovan’s name topped the list. Since he couldn’t leave the bridge until they landed, he was scheduled to go last.

  Immersed in work, Krystal failed to notice the constant presence of companions. She rarely slept during the next few weeks, partly due to the work schedule, but also to avoid dreaming. If she slept, she always woke drenched in sweat, fighting an invisible enemy whose face floated at the edge of her memory.

  ******

  Jarrack felt frustrated. He couldn’t question the crew, Krystal managed to rebuff his control, the ship traveled to the outer reaches of the galaxy, and communication with headquarters remained impossible. One day he skulked through the lab, searching for a means to stop the ship, and discovered Krystal working.

  His anger flared. That blasted woman! Can’t she stay out of my way? He remembered the pleasure of “interrogating” her after his Transfer. She revealed nothing of Dr. Alexander’s plan but he relished inflicting fear and pain until he left her for dead. In fact her survival nearly spoiled his plans to infiltrate the Zebulon.

  When he discove
red the rescue, he quickly forced short-term amnesia on the woman, and planned to finish the job through her dreams. Now the damned woman wakes if I touch her mind, and people are always hovering over her. If she breaks free of the memory block, she’ll reveal my identity and threaten my assignment. How can I kill Donovan and Dr. Alexander with Krystal working in the lab?

  Jarrack clenched his fists. I can’t risk killing her, since that blasted Donovan is already suspicious. He demanded fresh scans of the crew but I forced Dr. Alexander to forget that order. If Donovan pressed the issue, Jarrack’s brain pattern wouldn’t match records of the man he spaced just before takeoff. Grinding his teeth, Jarrack slipped out of the lab without being seen.

  *****

  Chella and Maggie chatted as they entered the lab together, Maggie with a steaming cup of coffee. “Take time for refreshments, Krystal. Trenton says we’re only three days out. How’s it going?”

  Krystal leaned back in the plastifoam chair. “Great. We only have two Transfers left, including Donovan.”

  Maggie looked down at her own small body. “You do great work. I haven’t been this trim in spans. Trenton can hardly keep his hands off. He’s talking about marriage when we get downworld.”

  “Marriage? Is that a custom on Drako?”

  Maggie’s eyes sparkled. “Oh yes! It’s an archaic notion, forbidden by the Institute,” she blushed, “but it sounds so romantic. I think we’ll do it.”

  Chella nodded. “You two make a wonderful pair, but I’m too fond of my independence to let a man tie me down.”

  Krystal laughed. “I remember when marriage was all you could talk about. What happened to those great plans to become the queen of your tribe?”

  Chella’s dark eyes flashed with merriment. “I met my betrothed, big, fat, old, and ugly. Suddenly a medical career looked mighty attractive. When I first trained in zero gravity, my braids writhed like snakes and the jewels hit my face, my royal robes billowed out like a balloon.”