“Looks like I broke you,” he said with evident cheer. “Oh well, more where you came from. You weren’t even the one I was aiming for tonight, but that’s okay. I’ll grab Ria tomorrow. After that, the lovely Shanti. Yum yum. I can hardly wait to get my hands on her. She’s the real treat. I’m just using the rest of you to take the edge off so I can hold back enough to truly savor her for a long time.”
Hearing her name caused Ria to freeze in horror. Not only because he’d wanted her, but because Ferina was there in her place. Tears stung her eyes and slipped onto her cheeks. After her, he was going after Shanti. She couldn’t let this happen. But how was she going to stop him?
The dragging sound stopped. “Now now, don't be like that. You just got the best fucking of your life. You should be grateful.” The man chuckled. “Say goodbye, little slut.”
Ria frowned in confusion. What did that mean? She leaned forward in time to see the man pull Ferina up off the floor with careless ease. She didn't know where he was taking her, but she heard Ferina’s frightened whimpering and could think of only one way to help her.
She reached for Ferina’s fear, pain, and horror, and drew off as much as she could as fast as she could. Before she was finished, the man tossed Ferina through the restricted area doorway. There was a bright blue flash, and Ferina was gone.
Ria gasped in shock, her feet frozen in place, unable to tear her eyes from the doorway. Ferina was gone. Just like that. Without a trace.
By the time she registered the sound of footsteps on the stairs climbing toward her it was too late. She spun around and managed three steps before his hand grabbed her ankle and yanked her back. She hit the steps hard, managing to get her hands in front of her fast enough to prevent serious injury. Then the man, whoever he was, was smiling into her face, his twinkling blue eyes filled with laughter as his hands went around her throat and began to squeeze very slowly.
Ria understood that he was going to kill her, and he was going to do it as slowly as possible. She clawed at his hands frantically, then raised one knee sharply, but he dodged it with ease before leaning his body fully against her, preventing her from getting any leverage against him.
Black spots were beginning to appear before her eyes and she hated knowing that this man’s evil smile and gleeful eyes would be the last sight she’d ever see. This sick, twisted, maniac was going to kill her and send her through that doorway just like he’d done to Ferina and those other poor women. Then he was going to do the same thing to Shanti.
She heard a shout from above. The man killing her glanced up and said something. She didn’t know what, but it was obvious he wasn’t concerned. Another shout, and he looked up again.
He was distracted, Ria realized, but what good did that do her? An idea flashed in her mind. She started to act on it, then hesitated.
“Promise me that you’ll never, ever do that again, Ria.”
“I promise, Mom.”
Ria blinked. The man wasn’t tightening his hold anymore. She managed a tiny bit of air while he spoke with whoever stood at the top of the stairs. This was her chance.
“Never break a promise, Ria, no matter what. To do such a thing is so foul that it would shatter your honor for all time.”
“I understand, Dede. I won’t ever do that.”
The man laughed, his fingers flexing around her throat. He was going to start squeezing again, she knew it. Her choice was simple. Break a promise and live, keep a promise and die.
Wishing she was braver, but knowing she wasn’t, she opened herself and drew on the man’s foul needs and twisted desires. She remembered the fear and horror she’d taken from Ferina and found it, right there, seeping into her mind since she’d been too startled to toss it into the ether. She gathered as much as she could, not quite half, maybe less, then drew harder on his evil. She drew and drew until it felt as though her entire soul was tainted with his filth.
“I’d never break a promise, Ria,” Vari said. “No matter what. I can’t imagine doing such a thing. Especially a promise I make to someone I care about.”
The hands tightened on her throat again, only this time he meant business. The smile was gone, his eyes angry. It was her last chance.
She pushed everything she’d drawn from him and what was left from Ferina back along the path she’d used. She pushed as hard and as fast as she could, worried that she only thought she was pushing it. She pushed anyway.
She blinked rapidly, almost afraid to hope that the blood filling the man’s eyes was real. She reached for his feelings, touching lightly, only to encounter an overwhelming tidal wave of dark twisted emotions and desires. It was too much for her she realized too late, jerking back as hard as she could.
It was too much for him, too, judging by the blood that overflowed his eyes and poured down his cheeks. His mouth opened wide in a silent scream while his hands continued to squeeze her throat. She was going to die after all. She accepted that. But so would he, and right or wrong, that made her feel just a little better.
Then, all of a sudden, the hands vanished. She felt herself sliding toward the floor, unable to do so much as raise a hand to stop herself. She wondered what happened while her lungs gasped desperately for air. Why had the man stopped? Where had he gone? She felt herself slipping into unconsciousness and fought against it with everything she had. If she was going to die, she wanted to look her murderer in the eye, at least.
After a time…she had no real idea how long…the blackness receded completely, and she was able to breathe deeply enough to fill her lungs to capacity. Only then did she gather her courage and look up at whoever it was she sensed sitting in front of her.
It was another man, as unknown to her as the first one had been. His eyes were dark, and filled with so many emotions she couldn't sort them out. Sorrow. Fear. Relief. Much like what she felt at the moment. He turned his head and looked down the stairs, and she followed his gaze to see her attacker sprawled at the bottom, his head at an unnatural angle.
“I didn’t mean to kill him,” the man said. “I just meant to get him off of you.”
“Thank you for saving my life,” she rasped hoarsely.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so. What should we do?”
“There’s no real authority now with the Doftles,” the man said. She saw the fear and worry in his eyes growing as he looked at her, then back down the stairs. She wondered why. The danger was over now. Why was his fear growing? After a moment, she understood.
“I’ll go along with whatever you want to do. Don’t even tell me your name. Okay?”
His relief was plain. She realized that if she hadn't suggested it, he wouldn't have asked it of her.
“That doorway there,” he said, gesturing to the same doorway Ferina had vanished through. “The Doftles put an energy barrier over it. Anything that enters that doorway is completely destroyed. It doesn’t leave a single trace behind.”
For the first time Ria noticed that he was wearing a uniform too. He was also an employee. Why that made her feel more comfortable with him she had no idea since her attacker was also an employee.
Her thoughts were wandering, she realized. She cleared her throat, glanced at the doorway, then back to the dead man.
“I saw him throw another woman through it. That’s why he was trying to kill me.” She looked into her rescuer’s eyes and nodded firmly. “Let’s do it.”
The man looked a little surprised, but he got to his feet and helped her up. Together they maneuvered the dead man flat onto the floor, then slid him toward the restricted doorway.
“Step back now, and don’t touch him,” the man said. “Anything touching him will vanish too.”
Ria stepped back and watched as he picked up one of the dead man’s arms and raised it straight up. Then he pushed it toward the doorway, releasing it just before the hand crossed the invisible plane of the deadly barrier. There was a blue flash of light, and the dead man was gone without a trace. Just like Ferina.
“Burn in hell, whoever you are,” she said hoarsely.
“Do you want to know his name?” the man asked, climbing to his feet.
“No, I really don’t.”
“I don’t blame you. It’s probably better that way.”
“What now?” Ria asked.
“You should change.”
Ria looked down at herself, surprised to find that her white pants and shirt were smeared with blood. Ferina’s blood. “Good idea.”
When he saw her wobbling unsteadily he opened the door and placed one hand on her shoulder. While helping her up the corridor toward her room, she frowned, realizing once again that it was too quiet.
“Can you tell me where everyone is?”
“The Doftles gathered every employee they could find on Deck 1,” he said in a low voice. “In the main ballroom. They’re all supposed to stay there all night, though a few of them snuck in and out a few times. Like…him. There are a lot of doors and few Doftles. I missed the sweep by moments. How did you?”
“Just lucky I guess. I was in the infirmary, working. I didn’t know they were gathering people. Why’d they do that?”
He looked at her for a long moment. “You don’t want to know that right now.” She stopped in front of her door and stared into his eyes. “You’ll find out tomorrow. You don’t need any more to think of tonight.”
“Thank you, again.”
The man nodded, started to say something, then shook his head. “You’re welcome.”
Turning away from him, she unlocked her door, opened it, and hesitated. She had a sudden urge to turn and watch the man, to see where he went, but decided not to. She went inside and locked the door behind her.
Ria fell silent. There was more to tell, but she needed a moment to collect herself.
“This happened the night the Doftles killed the older people on the Leaper,” Shanti said, her voice tense.
“That’s right,” Ria said.
“And afterward you went back to your room.”
Ria frowned at her accusatory tone. “Yes.”
“You knew that the energy barrier was on that door, and you didn’t tell anyone.” Shanti’s voice shook with anger.
“It wasn’t a secret, and I…,” Ria stopped speaking when Shanti spoke over her.
“You believe what that man said? A man who killed another man and lied about it.” Ria was too surprised to formulate an answer. “You really are the most selfish creature I’ve ever encountered in my life, Ria Lobo,” Shanti said, rising to her feet, hands clenched at her sides.
“Shanti? What are you talking about?” Vari asked, shocked.
“I’m talking about this selfish, self-serving little brat you call a sister going off to bed without warning anyone else of the device over that door. The device that killed Geoff a few hours later.” Shanti turned back to Ria. “You as good as murdered him. I’ll never forgive you for that and if I can find a way to see you prosecuted for it, I will.”
Ria struggled to wrap her mind around what Shanti had just said. She watched her storm across the room, then slam the door behind her, making her flinch.
“Ria,” Vari said, then paused before looking at her with sad, disappointed eyes. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? All you had to do was just tell one person that the door was dangerous. Deadly. You could have put a sign on it. Something.”
Ria could hardly believe it. Shanti’s reaction had surprised her. But Vari’s stunned her to the very depths of her soul.
“I’ve forgiven you for many things Ria,” Vari said sadly. “But I’m not sure I can forgive this. You cost a good man his life. Maybe more than one.”
Vari left the room, closing the door quietly behind her, but Ria barely noticed. She felt…numb. She wasn’t even shaking any more. She’d gone far beyond that.
She was used to other people jumping to conclusions, thinking the worst about her. Even Vari, she’d recently learned. But for Vari to go this far without even giving her a chance to finish her story was so shocking she couldn’t process it.
She rose to her feet, but couldn’t begin to think where she was supposed to go. She felt as though her entire foundation had just been yanked out from beneath her.
She wondered, briefly, if she should try to go after Vari and explain. But there was no point in trying. Vari would never have said such things if she hadn’t believed them. And if she believed them, if she believed her capable of what she’d accused her of, then there really wasn’t much Ria could do to change her mind.
She sat back down with a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples in a useless effort to ease her sudden headache. She didn’t want to think anymore. Didn’t want to explain anymore. Didn’t want to try to convince anyone that she was better than they thought anymore. She’d been fighting that battle her entire life, and she was tired of it.
I’m going to sit here and think about what I want to do. And then I’m going to go do it. After that, I’m going back to Star, the cubs, and the Katres. My family.
Chapter 24
Vari left the conference room and walked down the corridor, hardly paying any attention to where she was going. There were too many thoughts running through her mind. She was so upset with Ria. How could she have just gone blithely off to her stateroom without telling anyone about that energy barrier?
“I’m disappointed in you, Vari,” Pandora said, appearing suddenly in front of her. “I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this way about you before and I can’t say I like it.”
“Disappointed in me?” Vari asked in surprise.
“Yes, very much so in fact.”
Vari’s eyes narrowed. “You were listening.”
“Yes, I was,” Pandora admitted. “The question is, were you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“I was listening well enough to know that she went off to bed without bothering to tell anyone about that door.”
“Who said she went to bed?”
“Shanti did.”
“And how would Shanti know?”
“Fine, Ria didn’t say she went to bed, but she still went to her room without warning anyone.”
“Her clothing was covered in the blood of another woman and she’d nearly been strangled to death,” Pandora said coldly. “What would you have done?”
An icy chill ran down Vari’s spine. “Oh nekon,” she breathed.
“Indeed,” Pandora said. “You finally remember that your sister just told you she was nearly murdered, and neither you nor Shanti said so much as Gee, that’s too bad.”
“How could I have done that? I can’t condone what she did, but I should have thought about what she’d gone through.”
“You can’t condone what she did?” Pandora asked sharply. “I don’t recall Ria asking for your approval. In fact, I would very much like to know what all of the sins are she’s committed against you that you’ve forgiven her for, Vari. Actually, just one would do.”
“What do you mean?”
“What have you had to forgive her for?”
“What she did on the Leaper is a big one.”
“You mean the part where we all jumped to a conclusion that was completely wrong? You had to forgive her for that?”
“No, you’re right,” Vari said. “Why did I do that, Pandora?”
“I don’t know, but everyone always does,” Pandora said. “Including myself, I’m extremely sorry to say. But Ria is your sister, Vari, and you sided with Shanti and her ridiculous assumptions without hesitation or good cause.”
“Ria should have told someone else about that doorway,” she argued weakly.”
“How do you know that she didn't?”
“I asked her.”
“You asked her why she never told anyone, and then didn’t give her a chance to respond before telling her you couldn’t forgive her for it. In your mind, it’s already a foregone conclusion that she didn’t tell anyone.
“And now you stand here arg
uing that she should be convicted of some crime, any crime, to prove your own actions justified. She was a victim, Vari. She still is. Don’t you care about that at all?”
“What have I done?” Vari whispered. She spun around. “I need to go apologize.”
“It won’t help,” Pandora said. “Even now you don’t fully believe that she didn’t do something wrong. You need to find the truth first, Vari. Then maybe you can apologize and mean it.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do.” Vari turned and headed for comms at a run. Using her security code, she pulled up the results of the investigation from the Leaper and began reading.
An hour later she transported to the Beacon and went directly to Shanti’s room. She pounded on the door twice and was considering kicking it in when it finally opened.
“Hi Vari,” Shanti said, her eyes swollen. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take back what I said to your sister so if that’s why you’re here, please just go away.”
“Shanti, shut up.” Vari pushed her way in, slammed the door, and headed for the vid terminal. “I listened to you condemn Ria without letting her finish her story, then I jumped in on your side and did the same. You said she went to bed and didn’t tell anyone about that door. But Ria never said she went to bed. She said she went to her room. Know why? Because she was wearing clothing covered in the blood of her attacker’s latest victim, Shanti. She was damn near murdered and neither one of us said a word about that. Not one fucking word.” Shanti had the grace to drop her eyes to the floor, but Vari could tell by the set of her shoulders that it didn’t change what she thought.
“I pulled the reports from the investigation after the hijacking, along with the statements given by the crew and passengers. You are going to sit down and read what I read.”
“I don’t want to read reports, Vari,” Shanti said with a disinterested sigh. “Just tell me what they say.”
Vari narrowed her eyes on her best friend. She loved Shanti, and felt badly for her, but she should never have put her before Ria, and she knew it. “Fine. There are three hundred and twenty-six people, that includes both crew and passengers, who reported that between the hours of midnight and six that morning Ria told them not to pass through doors the Doftle designated off limits because of the energy barrier.”
Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6) Page 45