Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Ria massaged Star’s neck gently as she closed her eyes. Less than two minutes later the Brun was out like a light, thanks to the medication Dr. Jula added to her IV bag.

  “Star won’t be waking up for a couple of hours at least, Ria,” Dr. Jula said, watching Corin set up an instrument tray for her. “Take yourself off to the cafeteria now, please. Doctor’s orders.”

  “I don’t know this ship, Dr. Jula, and I don’t have my cane. I don’t even know what happened to it. Finding the cafeteria would be impossible for me.”

  “I’ll take you,” a new voice said, startling her so badly she nearly fell off the stool. She decided she didn’t like how silent these infirmary doors were.

  “That’d be great, Tee,” Dr. Jula answered for her.

  “Actually, I’d rather have something brought up,” Ria said, her stomach churning at the thought of being alone with yet another angry Katre.

  “You need to get out of here, Ria,” Dr. Jula said firmly. “Oh wait, you don’t know Tee, do you?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Admiral Tee, this is Ria Lobo, Ria, Tee,” Dr. Jula said. “Now, off you go. I need to concentrate, so I don’t want to see your face for at least another hour. Otherwise I’ll be forced to speak with Vari.”

  “And I told Star you were nice,” Ria grumbled as she slid off the stool. “And I still don’t have a cane.”

  “Yes, you do,” Tee said as he approached her. It took all of her will not to back away from him. So much so that when he touched the side of the hand not in a sling with the new cane, she accepted it before she could stop herself.

  “This isn’t the same cane, is it?” she asked, immediately noting the difference in weight.”

  “No, I had a new one made and sent over from the Bihotza,” Tee replied. “Your other cane was in Transport, but it was broken.”

  “Oh,” Ria said. “Well, thank you, Admiral.”

  “Please call me Tee.”

  No, thanks. I don’t want to call you Tee. I don’t want to call you anything. I don’t want to know you, or Thorn, or Talon, and I especially don’t want you to be nice to me because it’s just creepy given how much you all hate me.

  “Which way are we going?”

  “Out of the infirmary, left to the elevator, then down two floors,” he replied, taking her question literally. “Would you like to place your hand on my arm?”

  Oh yes, please, right after kólasi freezes over and Rapunzel’s fairy godmother turns me into a pumpkin. Or is it a glass slipper? Why would anyone want a shoe made of glass? Why would anyone turn a person into a shoe made of glass? On second thought, maybe it was a mouse.

  “Ria?”

  “Sorry, tired,” she murmured, gripping the cane so hard her knuckles turned white. “I can see well enough to navigate. I just can’t read signs or see what color things are.”

  “This way then,” he said before turning to leave. He waited for her in the corridor, then walked beside her to the elevator.

  “If you just tell me how to get to the cafeteria I can manage on my own,” she said, nervous about getting into the elevator with him.

  “It’s easier for us both if I walk you there,” Tee said as the doors opened.

  Reminding herself that this man was Clan Jasani, and therefore unlikely to cause her any serious physical harm, she stepped into the elevator. She turned around to face the doors, shifting sideways to put as much space between them as possible without making it too obvious by plastering herself against the far wall the way she wanted to. “Is Declan still on the Hilgaria?”

  “No, he returned to the Bihotza a couple of hours ago.”

  “Oh,” she said on a sigh.

  “Is there something you need?”

  Someone I know I can trust. “Just curious.”

  The elevator doors opened and Tee waited for Ria to step out first. She looked around herself carefully, surprised that the corridors appeared to be empty. “What time is it?”

  “Nearly midnight,” Tee replied. “Why?”

  Because I’m counting down the hours to when I can reasonably expect this excruciatingly horrible day to end. Except for the parts that include Star and the cubs, of course. “Just wondered.”

  When they reached the cafeteria Tee opened the door for her which was good as she didn’t have a free hand. She paused inside and looked around, unsurprised to find only a few people there given the time.

  “Do you have any preferences as to where to sit?”

  On my bed aboard the Bihotza would be perfect. “Not especially.”

  “This way then,” he said. She followed him across the cafeteria to a table in the back corner.

  “I don’t need a table this big,” she said when she saw it had four chairs around it. There was a smaller table not far away with two chairs, and she was just about to tell him that one would be better, but he spoke first.

  “It’s not like there’re a lot of people in here. Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

  Ria stilled. “You’re coming back?”

  “I missed dinner too, and I thought I’d keep you company. Do you object?”

  Of course I object. I object a lot. I object all the way from Munchkin Land to the Red Queen’s castle…no, wrong story. Neverland? Oh, Emerald City, that’s it. “No, of course not.”

  “Good. Be right back.”

  She watched him walk away, considered leaving, then thought about Star and the cubs. She chose the chair that would put her back to the wall, pulled it out and sat down with a sigh.

  Spending time with this man was such a bad idea. Vari had warned her they’d be able to sense something even without the pheromones and she did not want that to happen. She hadn’t worried about Thorn as the man hated her so completely that even if he’d felt something, it would’ve only made him angrier.

  Tee was different. Not that she trusted him any more than Thorn. He was actually more dangerous with his gentle manners and kind words. At least Thorn didn't try to hide his contempt for her.

  Before long a waiter approached. His heat signature was thin and not very tall, so she guessed he was probably human, Terien, or maybe Shearan. A very small Shearan. He slapped a menu down in front of her with enough force that it produced a loud smacking sound and rattled the cutlery and condiments on the table. It also made her jump even though she’d seen him do it.

  “What do you want?” he demanded abruptly.

  “I don’t know yet,” she said, startled by his open animosity.

  “Do you plan on finding out anytime soon or do I have to stand here all night?”

  If I beat this little shit over the head with my cane and it breaks, will they give me another one? Another cane. Not another waiter. Though another waiter does sound like a good idea. “Are there any specials?”

  “They’re on the menu.”

  “I can’t see the menu.

  “It’s right in front of you.”

  Ria just knew he was rolling his eyes. “I know, I heard you slap it down in front of me. I still can’t see it.”

  “What are you, blind or something?”

  Where are all the jabberwockies when you need one? “You could say that, yes.”

  “Oh for the love of…I suppose you expect me to read the stars blasted thing to you. This really isn't fair, you know? I’m a waiter. Not a med-tech. They should make people like you travel in special ships.”

  Ria shifted her gaze from the heat signature of the waiter to the three very large jabberwo…er…figures who now stood behind the waiter. Their outlines appeared to be the same so she was fairly sure they were Clan Jasani. She had a good idea which Clan Jasani they were, too. Even knowing they hated her, it still didn't take a seer to know that the waiter would have been better off if a jabberwocky had shown up after all.

  The waiter sucked in a breath, most likely in preparation of spewing further bile in her direction, but he was abruptly silenced by a very large hand suddenly wrapped tightly around his
not very thick neck. A moment later he found himself up against the wall with his feet dangling an uncomfortable distance from the floor thanks to the hand which was now clamped around his throat.

  “You are an idiot,” Talon said in a conversational tone. “I’m sure we made it clear that no idiots were allowed on this mission or, specifically, on the Hilgaria. Did we not, Tee?”

  “Now you mention it, Talon, yes, I’m sure we did.”

  “Good,” Talon said. “I’d hate to think we forgot to do that. Still, even though I have no doubt in my mind on the matter, we should probably ask the idiot if he’s an idiot, just to be fair.”

  “Yes, I think that’s probably a good idea since if it turns out he’s not an idiot…well, then we’d have to take steps.”

  “Steps, Brother?” Thorn asked in his rough, raspy voice. “What steps?”

  “Well, if he knew he was insulting Lady Ria, daughter of the High Lord Protectors and near sister to Commanders Declan, Jaydan, and Kaidan Dracon-Bat, then we’ll have to inform them, of course. It would be impolite not to since I’m sure they’d want to challenge him to a death-match for his insults.”

  A high pitched squeak escaped the waiter’s mouth, his eyes rolling toward Ria with what could only be interpreted as horror, though she couldn’t see well enough to notice. He tried to shake his head, not an easy feat in his current position.

  “Yes, I’m sure they would,” Thorn agreed. “But I don’t understand why it matters if he knew her identity or not. What if he spoke that way to one of the kitchen staff? Would that be acceptable?”

  “Of course not Thorn! In that case we would challenge him to a death match.”

  “Yes, you’re right,” Thorn said, nodding sagely. “Sorry Brother, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Well, it has been a long day, and we’re all tired and hungry. Now I think on it though, I suppose the Dracon-Bats will issue the challenge whether he knew Lady Ria’s name or not. Providing he’s not an idiot, of course.”

  “Probably,” Thorn agreed. “I don’t think he’d make a good mouthful for even one dracon, though. They’ll have to take small bites. Just to be fair.”

  “That’s true, but don’t forget about Lady Vari,” Tee said. “Since Lady Ria is her sister, we’ll have to inform her as well. She may decide to stake first claim.”

  “Do you think so?” Thorn asked curiously.

  “Oh yes. You know how much she loves her sister. Not to mention how much she likes using her Kunian steel dairi to…hmmm…what was that High Commander Declan said again?”

  “Detach heads?”

  “Yes, that's it. Thank you, Brother. She likes to detach the heads of her enemies.”

  Ria sat quietly as she listened to the Katres. She had to admit that some of the things they said made her want to smile, but she resisted the urge, unwilling to draw their attention onto herself. They did remind her of something, though, and it wasn’t jabberwockies. She just couldn’t remember what.

  “Good, it’s settled then,” Talon said. “We’ll ask him if he’s an idiot and if he says no, we’ll give him to Lady Vari. Or the Dracon-Bats. Either way, we’ll be done with him. Then we can get on with a very late dinner.”

  “Hold on, Talon,” Tee said, frowning thoughtfully. “It occurs to me that we haven’t decided what to do with him if he admits that he is, in fact, an idiot.”

  “Ah, you’re right Tee, thank you for the reminder.” Talon thought for a moment. “If we were on Jasan we’d sentence him to a year or two in the mines. But we’re not on Jasan, obviously. I’m at a loss, Brothers. Any ideas?”

  “We could take him back to that planet we visited today,” Thorn suggested.

  “No, Thorn, we can’t do that,” Talon said, shaking his head. “That would be a death sentence, and I don’t think an idiot should pay that high a price for being an idiot.”

  “We certainly can’t let an idiot continue to work in the cafeteria, Talon,” Tee said. “There’s no telling what sort of havoc he could cause.”

  “What do you mean, Tee?” Thorn asked.

  “He could put salt in the pepper shakers, set the tables without forks, mix up the coffee and the tea, or even insult and disrespect a personal guest of the Admirals.” Tee paused. “Sorry, he already did that last one. But the point stands. The amount of trouble an idiot like that could get into is downright scary when you think about it.”

  “You make a very good point Tee,” Talon said, then sighed heavily. “There must be a solution. I can't keep holding him against the wall all night. He’ll ruin people’s appetites. I know he’s ruining mine.”

  “I have an idea,” Tee said brightly. “Let’s put him to work in waste reclamation system. It requires no intelligence or skill to clean sewage tanks with a toothbrush. And he’s small enough that we shouldn’t have any trouble getting him inside the pipes or the tanks.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Thorn said. “His head is enormous.”

  Tee studied the man through narrowed eyes for a moment, then nodded. “It is an exceptionally large head, I agree. Swollen with self-importance is my guess. But I think it’ll fit if we push really hard.”

  “I’m not so sure about this idea, Tee,” Talon said. “If we send him to clean sewage tanks for a year, then what do we do with him when the year is up? We couldn’t possibly allow him to work in the cafeteria again. That would be disgusting.”

  “We have to come up with something,” Thorn said. “It’s not like we have a special ship to put him on.”

  “No, we sure don’t,” Tee said, tapping his chin. “Oh, I know! He can work in waste reclamation until we get back to Jasan. Then we’ll turn him over to Lady Ria’s fathers, the High Lord Protectors. They’ll know what to do with him.”

  “Excellent idea, Tee,” Talon said. “That’s exactly what we’ll do.”

  Talon looked at the man whose face was white except for two bright red patches on his cheeks. “So what’s it going to be, little man? Are you an idiot, or not? Think carefully before you answer because all joking aside, it’s a very long walk home.”

  The waiter bobbed his head up and down as fast as possible considering the size of the hand around his throat. “I’m an idiot! I’m an idiot!” he squeaked.

  Talon leaned in close and let his katrenca out just enough to change his eyes and lengthen his teeth. Then he snarled. The scent of urine rose from the waiter causing Ria to wrinkle her nose in disgust. Talon released the man, then gestured to the burly crewmen waiting to take him away.

  Ria finally remembered what it was the Katres reminded her of. Her college roommate had a pet cat that liked to catch insects, then play with them before it killed them. The Katres were doing the same thing, which wasn’t all that surprising, really. They were cats, after all. Sort of. Though they didn’t intend to kill the insect…er…waiter. She hoped.

  “I apologize, Lady Ria,” Talon said once the man and his guards were gone.

  “There’s no need to apologize for the actions of others,” she replied evenly, as though she wasn’t stunned to her wrinkled, wet, freezing toes that he’d bothered to apologize at all. Yes, he’d been nice earlier, but that was in front of Declan. He didn’t have to pretend now, so his courtesy worried her as much as Tee’s did.

  “Do you mind if we join you?” he asked. “We haven't eaten either, and we’d like to speak with you.”

  I mind so much I can’t think of a big enough word for it. One of you taking jabs at me was bad enough but all three of you? Like you just demonstrated with that waiter? Nope. No way. Nuh-uh. “Of course not,” she said.

  They pulled out chairs and sat down. She knew the large heat signature across from her was Talon. The identities of the other two would remain a mystery until one of them spoke.

  “Will you really make that waiter clean sewage tanks until we get home?”

  “You don’t think we should,” Tee said, mildly surprised.

  “It seems a bit harsh,” she said
, trying very hard not to be hurt-by his surprise. At least she now knew he was to her left. “He was rude and insulting, but it’s not like he caused me any harm.”

  “As a matter of fact, we’re not going to make him clean sewage tanks at all,” Tee said, wondering at the quickly hidden hurt he’d seen in her eyes. “The whole system is self-cleaning and requires almost no maintenance of any kind. He’d just muck things up by getting in the way. We’ll have him reassigned to work below decks somewhere. For now, we just want him to think he’ll be cleaning sewage.”

  “Good evening,” the new waiter said suddenly, making her flinch, which she immediately pretended hadn’t happened.

  “Good evening,” she replied when none of the Katres said anything. “I’d love some coffee if you have some that isn’t so old I need to eat it with a spoon. Otherwise, bring it anyway please, just don’t forget the spoon.”

  “A fresh pot was made just a few minutes ago,” he said, and she heard the grin in his voice. “If you’d like a minute to decide what you want, I can get the coffee now.”

  “Get the coffee, please,” Talon said. The waiter nodded and left.

  “Do you know what you want, or would you like me to read the menu for you?” Tee asked.

  “I know what I want, but thank you,” she replied. It seemed like the perfect opening to ask what it was they wanted, but she wasn’t feeling quite that bold. So she asked a question she really wanted an answer to instead.

  “What’s the problem with your transport operator?”

  “Good question,” Tee said, sounding as tired as she felt. “He’s actually not our transport operator.”

  “You might want to tell him that because I distinctly remember him saying that it was his transporter and he didn’t like it being used for dogs.” She leaned back in her chair as the waiter placed a mug of coffee in front of her and a carafe on the table. She breathed in the hot, steamy goodness and sighed deeply. “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her good hand around the cup, nearly groaning out loud at how good the heat felt against her palm.