Rainscape

by Jaye Roycraft

He shook his head. “It happened so fast there was no time to react. The skimmer suddenly lost its cushion of air. The front went down, hit the sand, I went flying over the top, and the damn thing came crashing down on me. I would venture to guess it was no accident. The skimmer was either tampered with at the Visitor Center, or while I was at the mines.”

  “No one except personnel with a sec level four clearance have access to the skimmers at the Center. But at the mines, just about anyone could have fooled with it,” she said.

  “So it would seem,” he replied slowly. “Listen, I’ll be all right, but they’re going to hold me overnight just to keep an eye on me. There’s no point in you hanging around here. Go back to the Visitor Center. I want you to check the maintenance log on my skimmer and also check the access log to the storage bay back to our arrival. If there are any mechanics on the storage bay log, make sure that it’s a different mechanic who checks out my skimmer. And call Hrothi. Have him check his surveillance footage from the time we had our skimmers parked there yesterday. If you find out anything, keep it to yourself for now. I’m beginning to trust fewer and fewer people around here. Just don’t go into the desert alone, and please, please, be careful.”

  His concern for her touched her deeply. She ran a hand through his thick hair, mussing it playfully. “Yes, boss,” she said, smiling. “See you tomorrow.”

  He winked at her as she turned for the door.

  Dina returned to the Visitor Center and pulled up the information Jon had requested. There was nothing remarkable in any of the logs. The skimmer had been fully checked just prior to their arrival, and the access log showed that besides themselves, only Khilioi, the stores officer, and one mechanic had visited the storage bay since their arrival.

  Dina left instructions with an AEA sergeant named Hrugaz that Jon’s skimmer was to be checked thoroughly for defects or tampering, but that under no circumstances were Khilioi, the stores officer, or the mechanic who had logged into the storage bay to be allowed near the skimmer.

  Hrugaz nodded his understanding and held his recorder as if it was the most important thing he had done this day. He was short for a Glacian, with a ruddy complexion and thinning blond hair. Nothing in his quiet demeanor or plain features impressed her, but at least he didn’t question any of her orders. She told Hrugaz that she wanted a full report as soon as the skimmer was checked, and he responded with a “yes, ma’am” that was happily devoid of sarcasm or arrogance.

  Dina then contacted the stores officer and the mechanic on the log to set up interviews for the following day. Finally she contacted Hrothi, and waited for his return call. It came quickly. The surveillance footage presented negative results.

  Feeling frustrated and restless, Dina decided to go to the Crown. Merkwia had passed, and the sky was as dark as the deepest water on Glacia. The brightest of stars glittered clearly overhead, but thousands more were hidden by the many lights of Aeternus, as brightly lit as a holiday decoration. The air was pleasantly cool, so Dina wore a jacket and evening pants which were warmer and cut to a much tighter fit than the loose trousers designed for the midday desert heat.

  She tried not to think about DeStar, but images of him refused to leave her mind. She cursed silently, not sure if it was directed at him or herself. She’d been foolish to meet with him alone, and even more so to allow him to perform the hot touch with her. He was at worst a ruthless killer, at the very best a manipulating liar. How could she, of all people, knowing full well what he was, have allowed herself to get so close to him?

  She entered the large, crowded hall and, debating which room to enter first, looked at the various signs. Each tried to beckon customers with light, color, and design, but none drew the eye like the sign for the Furnace. The brightest of all, with neon colored flames, it had lights that blinked on and off in sequence so rapidly that the flames realistically appeared to flare, throw sparks, and dim, only to begin their dance anew. Every time the door opened, Dina could hear the beat of the music above the voices of dozens of patrons, proof that this was, indeed, the place to be.

  Just not for her to be, at least tonight. She knew she wouldn’t be able to think in a place like that, but couldn’t decide on the solitude of the Oasis or the casual coziness of the Mocava Cave. Afraid that the Oasis would trigger feelings of sadness and regret once again, Dina chose to enter the Cave. She sat in a private booth and ordered a tall glass of sweetened, iced mocava.

  Logic pointed to Rayn as the number one suspect. He could have easily sabotaged the skimmer. She thought about her other investigative tool, her ability. Normally she trusted her intuition and the information she gleaned from her mind probes, but intuition was dangerous where Rayn was concerned. What she had experienced with him during the hot touch was completely different from the impression she had received from the killer, but she didn’t trust her feelings about Rayn any more than she trusted him. Just because she hadn’t felt the true terror inside his mind that she’d felt in the presence of the killer didn’t mean Rayn was innocent.

  Yet somehow she wanted him to be innocent. Why, she didn’t know. If the lying rogue was somehow blameless, there had to be another dens in the desert. Improbable as it seemed, she had to at least consider the possibility of a second dens on Exodus. As she sipped the cool, sweet drink, she found herself actually wanting to consider the possibility. She resolved to confront Rayn the next day and wrestle some truth out of him. She took her time finishing the drink and, when she did, she left the Cave. Outside in the cool, clear air once more, she drew a deep breath, and for the first time that day, her mind was at peace.

  Given the events of the past few days, she wondered how long the peace would last.

  Nine

  The Rainscape

  DESTAR.

  I’ve been waiting for you, came his immediate reply.

  Conceited, ill-begotten krek. So you think I need you so badly . . . Damn, that wasn’t the way she wanted to word her reply.

  Yes I do.

  She tried to ignore that and to not be drawn into a war of words she was bound to lose. She tried instead to concentrate on the case. I need to ask you questions about the investigation.

  Fine. Ask away.

  I would prefer to speak to you in person.

  And why is that?

  Because this is business, and I don’t do business this way. That’s right, she thought, stick to business.

  Come to Kathedra.

  She hesitated, remembering her last visit to the kap, but couldn’t think of an alternative. She didn’t want to travel as far as Sanctuary, and she couldn’t risk being spotted with him in the city. I can be there in an hour.

  Until then.

  He again drew out the parting two words so that they undulated seductively in her mind, like a lure on the end of a line, and Dina was beginning to hate his way of saying good-bye.

  She arrived at Kathedra in a little less than an hour. Though it was morning, it had been a particularly hot ride, and as soon as Dina set the parking braces on the skimmer, she couldn’t wait to remove her hood and wipe the sweat from her face.

  Rayn was already waiting for her in the shaded entrance to the cavern, leaning casually against the rock with his arms crossed over his chest. “The gods hung the sun out today, didn’t they?”

  He had already shed his outer gear, including his cooling vest, and it irritated Dina to see that he wasn’t even sweating. The bastard was already putting her at a disadvantage.

  A corner of Rayn’s mouth twisted, but he kept the rest of his face neutral. “Come on in. Help yourself to some water and make yourself comfortable.” As he said it, he dropped his arms, putting one on his hip and the other against the gray stone. He didn’t move aside for her, and to enter the kap she was forced to step past him closer than she would have wanted. Not close enough to have to touch him, but close enough for her nost
rils to fill with his scent.

  Dina tried not to look at his bare chest, but did anyway, noticing the odd-shaped pendant he wore around his neck on a heavy gold chain. The pendant, a lustrous creamy color, stood out against his tanned skin and was the same color as the snug ivory pants he wore tucked into the heather boots. From the pendant her eyes followed the funnel-cloud of dark, silky hair downward. The line of hair narrowed as it split his abdomen and disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants. She was already regretting his choice of location, having much preferred to meet in a public place. This was first and foremost a business meeting, and she didn’t welcome the distractions of his half-naked body.

  Catching her glance, he asked, “What’s the matter?” in an innocent tone that belied the look in his eyes.

  Damn him. He was baiting her again. She was embarrassingly sure that he knew every thought in her head. Stick to your questions, girl! “Nothing. Let’s get on with this.”

  “I’m at your service.” The velvet-lined voice was softer than ever, and he whispered the four words almost as a caress. Rayn gave her his exaggerated bow as before, but this time almost in slow motion. “Help yourself to whatever you want.”

  He followed her inside, dropped down, and lounged on the ground as if it were the most comfortable spot in the world. He leaned on one elbow and studied her.

  Dina closed her eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the now familiar throb of yearning that threatened to build, and went to the cooler unit to retrieve a cleansing packet and bottle of water. It was better than looking at him. She asked her first question while her back was still turned to him. “Who else lives in the desert?”

  “There are others. There are lots of caverns in the Chayne and Wiara. Over the years, men and women have left Sanctuary to live on their own. Some wanted independence. Some just weren’t sociable. Some didn’t agree with my way of doing things.”

  “How do they survive?”

  “Basically the same way we do. Without my . . . gifts . . . with a little more difficulty, perhaps. Some also have a little further to travel for supplies, but they get by.”

  Dina finally turned to face him. His hair looked clean and shiny, but it was far from groomed, and fell to cover the hand that supported his head. One long strand just to the right of the point of his widow’s peak fell over his eye and curved seductively like the beckoning of a crooked finger.

  She wanted to throw something at him. The pose was just too deliberate. It was all she could do to keep her voice level. “There’s a possibility, then, that the killer could be living this way, in one of these caverns?”

  Rayn hesitated only briefly. “Yes.”

  “Do you know all of these people, and where they stay?”

  “Most. Probably not all.”

  Not wanting to look at his face or chest, her gaze shifted. The flat, tanned stomach, divided by the narrow trail of dark hair, and the well-worn leather pants that hugged his hips and thighs were no improvement.

  “How long have you been here?”

  “I think you’re smart enough to deduce that I arrived during Ranchar’s reign, aren’t you?”

  Though she was becoming more and more irritated with his brief answers, she pushed on. “Yes. Are there other dark outworlders here?”

  Rayn raised himself to a sitting position, and Dina could sense the shift in attitude. It was not for the better. He let his head hang forward, causing more of his hair to slide in front of his ears, darkening the shadow over his face. His eyes looked up from beneath his dark brows, and the lines in his face hardened. The come-hither pose was gone, replaced by the look one animal gives another when defending his territory.

  “I realize you consider me to be in this unflattering category, but who else do you mean?” The same hard edges that had formed on his face slid into his voice.

  She met his gaze head on. She had nothing to apologize for. “Mantis. Shapeshifters.”

  He was slow to answer. “I don’t know of any shifters. There was a mantis here, but I heard the angwhi captured him.” He drew out the old Glacian word.

  “Angwhi?” She knew the word referred to a snakelike creature, but she was surprised by his use of the Glacian word.

  “Katzfiel. Your AEA and its pack of half-trained dogs.”

  Dina took a deep breath and decided to play her high card. “But there are other dens here.” She stated it as a fact, not a question.

  Rayn continued to stare at her, his face unchanged. “What makes you think that?”

  “I know it’s no match for yours, but credit that I do have something of a brain. I didn’t just decide to take a stroll around the mines. I didn’t stumble into that tunnel by mistake. I was driven there. Compelled to go there. Only a dens could have done that. I believe the same being who tried to kill me in the tunnel is the killer we’re looking for. I believe the killer is a dens, and I believe that you know a hell of a lot more than you’re telling me.”

  His face still showed no emotion, but his eyes seemed to flatten, looking past her. The way he looked reminded Dina briefly of Katzfiel’s face when he donned his mask of impassivity. On the Commander, the look made her uneasy. On Rayn it frightened her. Finally his eyes blinked and shifted slightly, focusing again on hers. “I’m flattered you don’t think I’m the killer.”

  “Oh, I haven’t ruled you out.”

  The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Congratulations. You have it all figured out. Case cleared. This interview is over.” He rose to his feet easily, the grace of his movements ever apparent.

  “Rayn, I need your help!”

  “No, you don’t.” He was already putting on his cooling vest and jacket.

  Dina scrambled to her feet as well. “Oh, that’s right. ‘One does not argue with Star.’ Well, I’m not a little camp follower, worshipping at your feet. How can you be so irresponsible with your power? What you do with that power determines whether you prevent this world, or any other, from being scarred by crime and violence, or whether you promote that scarring. You have a choice, and you have the power. You can make a difference.”

  “The idealistic little Bureau agent. Save your preaching. Glacian morality means nothing to me.”

  “How can it mean nothing? He’s a killer! You know who he is and where he is, and if you don’t help me, you’re as much to blame for what’s happening as he is.”

  Then do your damnedest and send your vaunted boyfriend to arrest me. The deceptively smooth voice scratched the words painfully into her mind as he passed her on his way to the cave entrance. Dina winced and could only stare in disbelief as he tugged his hood on and vaulted carelessly onto his skimmer. Before the machine stopped rocking from the impact of his mount, he had it powered on and the throttle wide open. He was gone from sight before she could think of a reply to his final remark. She sat back down in the cavern and lowered her head, supporting her forehead with her hand.

  Damn him! Damn all dens! She would stay in the cavern until she composed herself. No, she thought, not a good idea. She wasn’t safe by herself in the cavern. Funny how she didn’t worry about her safety when Rayn was near. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she quickly put on her jacket and hood, and in one fluid motion, slid onto her skimmer and brought it to life.

  Rayn watched her from the crest of a nearby mound, then moved to his skimmer and followed her as far as the Albho Road. He wondered what she would think if she knew that all their “meetings” were carefully planned and timed so that he could monitor her passage from the Albho Road through the Wiara to Kathedra Kap.

  THAT EVENING RAYN left Sanctuary through his private entrance, and climbed to an overlook that gave him an unobstructed view of both the Chayne Gwer and the Ghel Mar. Merkwia would soon descend, a soft blanket putting the desert to rest for another day, and he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be disturbed, even by Alee.
Alee. What was it that she had said to him? Oh, yes. “For someone so intelligent, you say some stupid things.” She was right. He had been stupid.

  He should have known Dina would realize, sooner or later, that the killer was a dens. He’d been foolish to think she wouldn’t figure it out. He could, of course, compel her to ‘forget.’ Hell, he could compel her to forget she had ever met him.

  The game was getting complicated. What did she want? Did she really expect him to betray a countryman? The idea of betrayal was, as always, a bitter taste in his mouth. He closed his eyes and breathed a silent curse. None of the alternatives were appealing. The only thing that Rayn knew for sure was that his neutral stance was quickly coming to an end. And someone will die because of it.

  Rayn opened his eyes and looked down at the Ghel Mar. The quartz sand of the desert floor shimmered like a giant pool of quicksilver. Like a mirror, he thought, like the road after a heavy rain.

  The long-ago memory instantly surged to the forefront of his mind, and when next he blinked and opened his eyes, he saw the slender youth, older than a child but not yet a man, standing alone next to the roadway. The heavy downpour had just ended, and the boy’s long, dark hair hung in wet ropes around his face. The boy looked down at the murky puddle and saw the wavering upside-down world; saw the buildings and vegetation, signposts, and vehicles.

  How like his own world, the boy thought, and yet how different. The boy imagined entering that tempting doorway to a second world, where objects were familiar, but where perhaps life would be different. If things were upside-down, perhaps he would still have his brother. Perhaps trust would be a thing reciprocated, instead of betrayed. And the hate . . . perchance the hate would be replaced by respect.

  The boy stared and dreamed of plunging into the depths of the reflection. To fall endlessly down . . . how pleasant that would be. The last hope for escape, one quick step was taken. Wrinkled water, hit stone. He was forsaken.

  The boy shed not a tear, for it was not the first time.