The Men of Anderas III: Talon, the Assassin

by C. J. Johnson

  Taking careful aim and following Shadow’s instructions to breathe in, hold it, and squeeze the trigger, Talon fired—and missed all three. They took off into the swamp, screaming their displeasure.

  “Dammit!” He rubbed his shoulder where the recoil hit. He’d have one hellava bruise before morning. “You left out the part about how hard this thing kicks, Blue!” His bellow sent seabirds soaring from their roosts in protest. There was no way he could track the frightened boar. Already the sound of their distress was fading. For such squatty-legged creatures, they could move fast when necessary. He already lost the feeling in his fingers from the jolt of the rifle and it was travelling up his arm at a rapid pace. No more shooting today. He was responsible for dinner and he suddenly remembered the spot where he used to dig huge mollusks from the sand. He jogged about thirty feet when he remembered to go back after the shell casing.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Shadow spent the morning carting the desk and chair from the hidden room and arranging the pair under the front window. They made a nice addition to the room. She placed a pot of late-blooming flowers on one corner and a family photo album in the center. “Let’s just see what mister grumpy has to say about this.”

  What she found under the hinged seat of the chair excited her. She recognized the strings for the vioharp but the other items in the box were a mystery. She almost tossed the wad of sticky something but decided to leave it until she had more information. If she ever got through to him, maybe she could persuade him to play for her. She loved the soft, mournful sounds of a vioharp. Those notes spoke to her heart.

  She grinned thinking about her secret weapon. Talon wouldn’t know what hit him when she pushed him to the point of insanity. “I love it! I love it! I love it!” She shouted, dancing around the room.

  “Somebody’s in a good mood.” Talon pushed the door closed with his foot and slid the rifle to the floor.

  “You’re back early.” She gasped, trying to catch her breath. A reprimand about the care for her rifle was on the tip of her tongue when she noticed he wasn’t using his arm. “What happened?”

  He eased his shirt off his shoulder and she got her first look at the massive bruise spreading across his shoulder and upper arm. “Recoil. Nothing’s broken and the stinger should fade by tomorrow. Hurts like a bigod, though.”

  Shadow flipped a chair around for him so he could sit down while she ran for the first aid kit. There wasn’t much she could do about the bruise but there was a tube of liniment that would help relax the muscles. She stepped between his spread knees and rubbed the smelly cream anywhere there was the slightest hint of color. Her fingers found nothing chipped, cracked, or broken.

  “What’s the matter, Blue? Aren’t you going to lecture me about gun safety?”

  “Don’t tempt me.” A sling would help support his arm and, hopefully, make him think before trying to use it. She stepped away from him satisfied there wasn’t permanent damage. “This made a deeper impression on you than anything I could say.” She grinned at the stunned expression on his face and handed him two of the mild pain relievers. “You’ll pull it tight to your shoulder next time, won’t you? There’s time for a nap before dinner. I’ll just grab the rifle and run….”

  “Whoa, Blue.” He chuckled when he grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. “There’s a bucket of mollusks on the porch.” A gentle tug had her seated in his lap. “I’m responsible for food, remember?”

  There was just no way she could ignore his whisky-rough voice or the teasing sparkle in his eyes. She had a serious weakness for this green-eyed man. All he had to do was whisper a few words and wink and she was ready to haul his butt to the nearest flat surface.

  “Where’d you find the bucket? I scoured the entire village and couldn’t find anything bigger than that stew pot.” If she kept her mind on neutral subjects and away from panty-melting conversations she’d…she’d what? Get over her obsession? Forget about the mind-blowing pleasure they shared? No way in hell!

  “On one of the partially submerged boats in the marina. It’s rusty and has a hole in the bottom but it worked.”

  “Grilled mollusks it is.” This time he let her go. She may have to expand her salvaging to include those boats. Hauling the bucket inside, she pumped water into the sink so she could prepare their meal. With her back to Talon she was forced to rely on sound to tell her when…if…he noticed the desk.

  “I think I’ll follow your suggestion and rest for a while.”

  She turned to acknowledge him but couldn’t speak around the tears clogging her throat. He was turned away from her and the room, heading for his bedroom but she knew he saw the desk. His normal tanned complexion was pale; but his eyes held that haunted look again.

  Was she being intentionally cruel? She hoped not but whatever happened between them, she knew in her heart that he had to come to terms with his past. Would he ever forgive her? Walk away from what she hoped was a more permanent connection? That insidious voice in her head warned her she could lose him. If I do then he was never meant to be mine.

  * * * *

  Talon tossed and turned on the lumpy mattress but he knew it wasn’t the condition of his bedding that kept him awake. Every time he closed his eyes he pictured his mother sitting at her desk. It was where she corresponded with the parents of her music students and monitored the household accounts. On cold, rainy nights when his father would be attending council meetings or lecturing at the Advanced Studies Hall, he would join her. They would drink warm tea sweetened with honey and read to each other. At the end of each Chapter they would discuss the passages. Sometimes he’d play for her and….

  Kicking free of the blanket tangled around his legs, Talon jerked himself from the bed. The sudden movement pulled his shoulder and he hissed in pain. The feeling returning to his fingers was a mixed blessing. He could move his fingers but the constant pinpricks of sensation weren’t pleasant.

  The house was still and quiet. He could hear gentle snoring from Shadow’s room and almost smiled. If he was in there with her, he’d roll her to her side and snuggle close to her back. Her decision to keep their relationship on a professional level made that scenario impossible. It made sense but he sure didn’t have to like it.

  Without conscious thought, his pacing brought him to the desk. He ran his fingertips across the embossed, leather cover of the album. His mother was constantly adding photographs to it, and to all the others. History in pictures is what she called them. Part of him wanted to open that cover and absorb every minute detail of that time in his life. Another part, the stronger part, knew if he glanced at even a single image, he’d be lost in the guilt and pain. Shadow said he had nothing to feel guilty about but she didn’t understand. She couldn’t possible know what demons haunted his nightmares.

  With shaking hands and tightly closed eyes, he lifted the cover. Cold sweat popped out over his entire body making him shiver in the night air. Keeping his eyes closed, he placed his fingertips against the first page and traced the entire surface. He was safe as long as he didn’t look. It wasn’t real if he didn’t see it. The photograph was in the top right corner. The slick surface gave proof of that. Many nights spent watching his mother preserve her history taught him that there would be several items on the page that related to the picture. His sensitive fingers skimmed the remainder of the page several times. There was a cluster of dried flowers, a feather, several smooth, slightly irregular objects he couldn’t identify, and a small square of something that felt like sandpaper.

  No. Sand on a piece of double-sided tape. That meant the ones he didn’t recognize were shells. He knew what the photograph contained! He and his mother, sitting on a blanket at the far edge of the inlet, laughing and waving at his father.

  Talon slammed the cover back into place, wincing when he heard the tiny shells shatter. He had to get out of the house. In his haste, he knocked over the chair but he didn’t stop. He grabbed the album and tossed it into the fire pit before thro
wing the door open and running down the steps.

  Shadow waited until Talon reached the road before rushing to rescue the album. Thankfully, the fire was banked for the night so only one corner was slightly scorched. Clasping the book to her chest, she closed the door and retreated to her room. She was a light sleeper and had heard Talon leave his room. She thought his shoulder was keeping him awake and was about to offer to apply more liniment when he walked over to the desk.

  He didn’t know or didn’t care that his harsh breathing and quiet whimpers filled the room with his anguish. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him everything would get better; but she didn’t have that right. All she could do was stand in the shadows with her hands covering her mouth so he wouldn’t hear her crying for him. What did he remember about this book? She knew he just felt the page. He never looked down because his head was tilted toward the ceiling. When she lifted the cover, the shattered pieces of one of the shells slid to the floor. It was too damaged to save but the rest remained intact. She saw a happy family outing. Did touching the objects tell Talon who was in the photograph even without seeing it?

  Shadow placed the book in the chest with the other pieces of his past. She wanted him to accept his childhood but not like this.

  What did you expect? Do you want to destroy him completely? Maybe it was time for her to start listening to that voice.

  Be careful what you wish for….

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Enough was enough! Shadow kept quiet and let Talon absorb and digest whatever he felt he needed to about that album. That was eight days ago and he still walked around like a stranger. He wanted to ignore his past. Fine, but he was not going to keep ignoring her.

  Every day was the same. Eat. Grab the rifle. Walk out the door to who knows where. Return at sunset. Clean the gun. Eat. Retire to his room.

  He was currently cleaning the gun from today’s shooting practice and answering her questions with as few words as possible. Time to shake up his routine.

  “Would you sit with me while I read tonight? I’m having difficulty with translating some of the words used by this next historian?” She didn’t look up from the stew simmering over the fire.

  “I’m a little tired, maybe another night?”

  “Please, Talon?” She wasn’t too proud to beg. “I had to stop last night because I just couldn’t recognize the words. Being able to read that text is important to me. I feel, I don’t know, almost like I’m a part of that history.”

  He still wouldn’t look at her but he did stop what he was doing.

  “For how long?”

  “An hour?” She struggled to keep her tone level and non-committal. When he shook his head, she thought for sure he would refuse.

  “One hour.” He finally muttered his agreement.

  “Thank you, Talon.” Her words were soft but inside she was dancing and shouting. “Whenever you finish with that, I’ll serve dinner.”

  He didn’t recognize this quiet woman tiptoeing around him. Why wasn’t she raising hell and bitchin’ about his attitude? His Shadow wouldn’t put up with the crap he was pulling. He didn’t blame her for his ‘melt down’. Yeah, well, maybe at first he did. She was the one who left it in plain view. Instead of confronting her like an adult, he’d run away like a frightened kid. Unfortunately, when he touched that book the memories overwhelmed him and he felt like that kid. She didn’t deserve his attitude and he didn’t like the chill that blanketed the house. He’d give her an hour and see what happened. He missed the peaceful harmony.

  He finished the cleaning ritual; set the table for dinner; enjoyed the kava stew; and volunteered for clean-up duty so she could get the book out and ready. His change in attitude was strictly internal at this point. She seemed content with this new routine. Would she rebel if he started steering them back to the way it was before that night? Only one way to find out.

  She was sitting on a pillow on the floor when he entered her room. The normally subdued glow of a single lantern was enhanced tonight with the light from two fully charged torches angled to illuminate the massive book. He dropped down beside her and immediately caught the fragrance of her soap. That triggered memories of a whole different type.

  “You’ve made quite a dent, Blue. How far have you gotten?”

  “They’re approaching the first millennium after the super nova. After orbiting this new planet and observing the inhabitants for the past one hundred years, they’ve decided to approach the universal leaders with their offers.”

  Talon smiled at her enthusiasm. He knew the basics of his history—who, what, where and when—from his school classes. Why they made the decisions about which planets to offer their vast knowledge wasn’t covered until Advanced Studies level.

  Shadow’s voice brought life to the ancient words and she only stopped when she stumbled over a translation or needed to take a sip of water. He wasn’t listening to what she was saying. He just liked hearing her voice. The soft cadence of her reading lulled him; brought peace to his heart.

  “Oh! My! Gods! Talon! Look! Can you see that illustration?”

  He was almost asleep on the floor when she started screaming. Afraid something was wrong, he jerked up, looking around for the threat. Shadow was bent over the book and pulling her pants down past her bottom.

  “Did I miss something, Blue?” He drawled when he found nothing threatening in the room.

  “Yes! Look at this! Touch it if you can’t see it. Maybe you can feel it this time.”

  Never one to turn down the opportunity to fondle a beautiful woman, Talon stroked her exposed cheek. Her skin was so soft.

  “What in the name of hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?” Shadow slapped his hand away from her body.

  “You said look and touch.” He may have been in a semi-dream state but he knew he heard those words.

  “The book, idiot. Not my butt. Can you see it or not?”

  His erotic dreaming managed to piss her off. Fighting confusion—and the growing bulge in his pants—he leaned over her shoulder. “Sorry, Blue, all I see are shades of black, grey, and green.”

  “Touch the upper right hand corner about two inches down and in. Can you feel it?”

  Talon closed his eyes, letting his other senses work. It took several tries before he could detect the faint difference in the ink on the paper. “It feels like…a semicircle, maybe…no. A crescent moon?”

  “Exactly! Were you awake enough to hear what I just read?”

  He shook his head and earned a scowl.

  “He talks about the indigenous people of this new planet, Jaru. Listen to what he says about the women.

  Females are blessed with tall, strong bodies, and gentle hearts. Although truly feminine, many choose to train in the art of weaponry. These females are formidable when defending their homes and families. It is interesting to note that every female—without exception—carries a unique birthmark in the shape of a crescent moon on her right buttock. We are assured by the medics we have encountered that this is a constant.

  “It’s just like mine. I’ve never heard of Jaru but maybe it’s where I was born. What if I have family there? When this contract is finished, I’m going to find out where it is. What if my parents are there? Do people change the name of their planets like they do countries? There’s got to be records.”

  She threw herself into his arms and he pulled her close to his heart. He’d never seen her so animated—or so hopeful. It was breaking his heart but he had to tell her what he knew. “Blue, baby? I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?”

  She stiffened in his embrace but he wouldn’t let her pull away. After a few seconds of struggling, she stopped.

  “The name was changed to Orion XII when they joined the Orion Federation. There isn’t much in the history books about the people or their way of life. At least not at my level of study. About fifty years ago their scientists began tracking a massive meteor that would pass close enough to the planet to cause
global climate and magnetic changes. The best minds from all fifteen of the Orion Federation planets worked to find a solution. Their only chance of survival was to divert the meteor with a series of explosions detonated at specific locations.”

  He knew when she realized the outcome when her tears soaked his shirt. He held her close and stroked her hair, offering what comfort he could.

  “Instead of altering its course, they split it into a half dozen pieces. The planet was destroyed.”

  “How many were they able to evacuate before…then?”

  The hope in her whispered question ripped into his soul. “The Federation Tribunal didn’t want to panic the population so they banned all knowledge of the meteor. While they monitored the progress of the scientists and the meteor, they cancelled all out-going flights. No one escaped, Shadow.”

  “When? When did this happen? I need to know.”

  “Give me a minute to figure it out. I was twelve when we studied this in history class and I think I remember it being relatively recent—less than ten years, maybe? That was twenty years ago so that would make it about thirty years ago, more or less.”

  “Oh, Talon,” she cried against his shoulder. “I’m twenty-eight.”

  She pushed out of his lap, closed the book, and slid it back under her bed.

  “I don’t feel like reading any more tonight. I’m going to bed.” She turned off both torches and turned down the lantern.

  She would have crawled into bed fully clothed if he hadn’t gripped her boots. No sound escaped her lips while he carefully undressed her and helped her into bed. He quickly removed his own boots and slid, fully clothed, beside her. He couldn’t leave her to face this alone. When he shifted until his chest snuggled against her back, he pulled the blanket over them.

  Tears continued to flow silently into her pillow. It took hours before he felt her muscles loosen. Just before she slipped into sleep, she gripped his hand and whispered.