It didn’t matter. She had a job to do. Lives to save beyond the one that mattered most to her.
She got her weapons and hitched another ride with Jape to the temple, where they would ready to make their stand against the Monsudan forces.
Jape set Anneliese to help patrol the temple perimeter. As luck would have it, she found herself stationed within the very garden where she and Nex had taken a Cadi-lit stroll that first night. Each moment she brushed up against a shrub or flower and set off the musical response, fresh pain stabbed her gut. The aroma of the bright-colored blooms was a constant reminder of that night.
She and the other guards nodded to each other when their sweeps brought them close enough to do so. They didn’t speak. Faces were grim, especially when a group of small girls was herded past, coming in from the fields where they should have been safe to play. Several cried, too young to have attained their elders’ sense of composure in the midst of conflict. Anneliese was reminded of war-torn areas from her military tours and the frightened expressions of other children. They were the true innocents, the ones who always suffered in any conflict. Observing the tiny striped girls strengthened Anneliese’s resolve to protect them to her final breath.
Her iron will found its wholehearted welcome in the face of danger. Here, where the drones could attack at any instant. In war regions, where she’d stood strong to help others. When she’d needed every ounce of toughness to survive the bomb blast that killed most of her company. During protests against policies that did harm to her people. Those had been the places where her readiness to fight, to defend, to save had been appropriate.
Not in love. Not when Nex had been ready to take care of her when her battered body failed. Not when he came to her, ready to satisfy her passion. Not when he wanted to give, to share, to be the rock she needed.
Because of her stubborn need to be the strong one, she’d lost everything. Her way home. The past few days she could have been a loving companion to Nex. And most of all, she’d lost Nex himself, whose only mistake had been wanting to care for a woman too stubborn to accept it.
Warmth trickled down her cheeks. Anneliese brushed it off impatiently. Now that she realized the fullness of what she’d done, she would not indulge in self-pity. She’d fucked up. It could be too late to fix the mess she’d made, but she could try. That meant staying ready for the Monsudan attack.
An attack that did not come. After a couple of hours, Salno left the temple to join Anneliese. Her face looked drawn, but the bloodied scratches on her skin had disappeared. Anneliese was glad to see her friend whole.
“You should be inside,” she gently chided the Risnarish scientist.
“A meeting is being called for everyone. You can come into the main temple.”
Anneliese looked around worriedly. “No one will be on guard?”
“We don’t believe an attack is coming. If we’re wrong, the drones could teleport into the temple anyway. Standing out here won’t make a difference.”
Anneliese didn’t immediately move. It was true what Salno said; if the drones were to teleport into the village, they could do so anywhere. Old habits died hard, however. The soldier in her wanted to keep an eye out on the border.
Salno didn’t rush her. Instead, the scientist looked Anneliese over, her brow drawn tight. The obvious concern, the despairing look, were not what Anneliese had come to expect from her.
At the same time, both women asked, “Are you all right?” The unintended chorus drew a surprised laugh from Anneliese and a strained smile from Salno.
Anneliese answered. “My knee is not happy, but it’s more pain than inflammation. That, I can handle.”
“You should ask the doctor for medicine before it becomes a factor.”
“I will.” Anneliese drew a deep breath. “Thanks for dragging me out of the hive. Sorry I wasn’t a willing rescue subject.”
“You shielded me when I was too frozen to move, so we helped each other. I take it we’re—what’s the word—even?”
“You got it, girlfriend.”
Salno’s breath suddenly hitched. She blinked, her eyes bright with a rush of tears. “Forgive me for not letting you go to him. Nex is a good man, a dear friend. It was devastating to leave him behind. If you’d had the least chance, I wouldn’t have—”
Anneliese gently shushed her. “It’s okay, Salno. We did what we had to in the situation.” She pulled her shoulders straight, grabbing on to the strength she needed to stop herself from crumbling. “I refuse to give up hope that Nex isn’t beyond our help. He fought to save us. We’ll do the same for him.”
Salno nodded, her expression firming as if she too drew on inner power. “Yes. We must hang on to hope as long as we can. I will do all I can to make sure of it.”
Anneliese took her hand. Hanging on to each other, they entered the temple complex together.
The main temple was already filling up when Anneliese and Salno arrived. “I have to prepare to speak,” the Risnarish woman said.
“Go ahead.” Anneliese had caught sight of Jape sitting on the lower tier of seats.
They went in different directions, Anneliese heading toward the slumped figure of the head of enforcement. Jape was alone, his gaze distant. He looked as ragged out as she felt. Dispirited. No doubt he thought of those he’d lost that day.
It made her think of Nex. Where was he? Was he alive? Emotion threatened to overcome her. She trembled and wiped at her welling eyes as she sat next to the golden-skinned Risnarish man.
Jape’s eyes looked more gray than silver as he glanced at her. In a leaden voice, he asked, “How are you holding up?”
“As well as can be expected, I suppose. Not knowing is the worst.”
The big man drew a deep breath. “Can you handle this meeting? Nothing is being said of returning to the hive for the missing—or the bodies.” He shuddered.
“Maybe we can bring that up.”
“It depends on what the elders have planned based on what Salno has discovered. You’re not Risnarish. You don’t have to be here. You may not want to be here, depending on their decision.” His grim face went bleaker.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Jape, but I’m not giving up on Nex. If there’s any hope of saving him and the others, I want to fight for that.” She snorted. “It turns out that fighting is all I really know how to do well. I’m pathetic at everything else.”
Jape didn’t respond. Salno stepped to the middle of the floor and the room quieted.
She gazed at her audience, her eyes settling on Anneliese before she launched into the reason for the meeting. “The Monsuda sent their drones in for a counterattack. They used the portal. This tells us another hive is probably involved.”
“Was it the hive near Yitrow?” someone asked.
“We don’t know. Those of us familiar with the portal technology have more research to do into the matter.” Salno continued her report.
Another voice rose from the crowd. “What about them short-porting past the barrier? When do you expect they’ll attack Cas?”
Though Salno looked calm, Anneliese was able to read the slight changes in her demeanor that clued in on how she felt. A surge of hope filled her when her friend hinted at a smile. “It has been a few hours since we lost the hive. There has been no sign of the Monsuda trying to get into the village. We don’t believe they are coming.”
“Maybe they’re waiting until we let down our guard.”
“That is a possibility. However, logic says if they wanted to attack, they would have come while we were still thrown into confusion.”
The temple filled with murmurs. Anneliese saw many relieved faces.
Salno raised her hands for quiet. When the villagers settled down, she said, “Perhaps the last time the drones occupied the hive, they set up something in case we overcame them again. It might have been a signal boos
ting field. A remotely powered short-hop portal. At any rate, there is no such resource within Cas. They don’t have the means to access within our borders.”
Jape got to his feet at that point. “I’m in agreement with the scientists and the elders that we are probably safe behind our barrier here. We will take precautions, however. The warriors will continue to patrol within the village, especially the temple. We will have teams watching the barriers. I have also readied an alarm sequence should either Monsuda or drones enter Cas, whether through the barriers or ’porting.” He sat down.
The mood in the room had changed. A few reassured smiles broke out among the men. The women appeared serene once more. Chatter broke out among the crowd.
Anneliese ordered her thoughts, trying to find an argument that would at least send a spy like Mirtan out of the village. She didn’t need anyone to remind her that the usual combative approach wasn’t going to work. The Cas Risnarish had just faced a fear they’d not known in living memory—a threat to their women and children. They were ready to hunker down and perhaps never chance the outside world again.
How could she get them to rally to the cause of rescuing a handful of men? Men who might not be alive? Anneliese searched for the right words.
Before she could come up with anything, a female called out, “What about the Earthlings?”
Everyone quieted and looked toward the speaker. Anneliese recognized Dr. Trez, the physician who had removed the tracker from her shoulder. The physician stared at Anneliese from several feet away, her expression wary.
Head Elder Ehar moved to the center of the temple. “What of them, Trez Lodcas?”
“I treated those who were in the portal chamber when the drones attacked. One of the injured told me he saw two males of the species watching from the transportation saucer. Elders Council of Cas, what are you going to do about her?”
By female Risnarish standards, Dr. Trez’s gaze on Anneliese was a bald glare. Suspicion creased her brow.
Jape addressed her with politeness, but Anneliese detected a dismissive tone underlying the respect. “Anneliese fought at our side. She has nothing to do with any other Earthlings who might have been there.”
Salno added, “She risked her life to save me during the attack. Whatever a few members of her people may be doing with the Monsuda, she is not a part of it.”
Ehar’s distant regard settled on Anneliese. “The concern is valid. Anneliese is often present during these altercations in which our people suffer defeat.”
Anneliese blinked at her. The head elder suspected her of collusion?
Salno frowned at Ehar. “As I said, I have witnessed Anneliese’s valiant defense against our enemy. I had to drag her from the battle because she was so intent on not leaving Risnarish behind.”
“The matter will be reviewed at a later time, when we are not facing an immediate emergency. For now, it would be best for Jape Bolep to take the Earthling Anneliese into custody.”
A swell of muttering joined the roaring in Anneliese’s ears. She stared at Ehar, shocked. “You’re arresting me?”
Salno’s eyes were wide as she stared at the head councilwoman, who was pushing the frantically whispering Timnor away. Salno exclaimed, “I protest this, Elder Ehar. I know Anneliese’s spirit. She is with Risnar, not against us.”
Jape’s look was thunderous as he sprang from his seat to Salno’s side. “I also protest. Anneliese is not like the rest of her kind. Accusing her of siding with the Monsuda is an outrage!”
The temple erupted in shouts. Most of it was indecipherable. Anneliese’s translator did pick up several people supporting her, insisting detention without questioning and a hearing was unjustified. Others asserted any potential threat to Cas must be guarded against, and it was sound judgment to keep Anneliese under watch.
Meanwhile, the Elders Council, Salno, and Jape huddled in a knot at the center of the floor. After a few seconds, Anneliese could tell which way the wind had blown. Salno’s demeanor was stiff with displeasure. Jape stormed to Anneliese, his jaw set.
When he got to her, he said, “Don’t worry. My men and I will treat you well until the honorable thing is done.”
The room fell silent. Ehar raised her arms for attention, the rest of the council ranged behind her. Salno stood to the side, shaking her head.
Ehar’s voice rang through the temple. “The council has taken a vote. The decision is four-to-three for taking the Earthling into custody. Bear in mind, we do not accuse Anneliese of anything at this instant.”
Anneliese stood up. “Nevertheless, you would deprive me of my freedom. That is not reasonable, Ehar.”
“We do not agree. We must do what is best for Cas.”
“What about what is best for Nex? For the other men who were captured, not killed? Your own people!” Anneliese paced toward the implacable woman. “Send me out to rescue them if I can. Don’t lock me away where I can do nothing.”
Ehar’s unruffled exterior didn’t twitch for a second as Anneliese reminded her that there might be survivors waiting for help. “Sending you out is too risky. If you are working with the Monsuda, you might tell them of our strategy. No, it is best to make sure all protections are in place.” She turned to Jape. “Take this Earthling and place her under constant guard, Head Enforcer. When our investigations assure us and this village of her lack of complicity with the Monsuda, we will revisit what must be done.”
Jape put a heavy hand on Anneliese’s shoulder. He scowled, and his eyes flashed. He did not refute Ehar, however. “Come on, Anneliese. She will not listen to you, not when everyone is thinking with fear.”
Stunned at having lost not only Nex, but her freedom as well, Anneliese let him escort her out of the hushed temple. For once, there was no fight left in her.
Chapter Twenty
Jape escorted Anneliese to the enforcement dome. She supposed she should have been more grateful that he and his men couldn’t bring themselves to stick her in a cell. Instead, they declared they knew she was on the Risnarish side with the strongest language possible.
Anneliese appreciated their belief in her, but it was colored dismal by everything else. Being under a cloud of suspicion, re-injuring herself at the worst possible moment, being unable to save Nex—and most of all, losing him as a lover before the drones took him. That was the biggest mistake of her life, and she would never live it down.
As the hours passed, she sank deeper into dejection. Anneliese couldn’t bring herself to eat. She answered the enforcers in monosyllables when they checked on her. She stared at the floor, seeing Nex as she had in those final seconds.
Jape, in a grim mood himself, finally stood in front of her where she sat on the floor. He ordered, “Snap out of it, warrior. You don’t have the luxury of feeling sorry for yourself. I need you. Nex needs you.”
What Nex needed was for me to stop playing hero. To let him in. I couldn’t give him that little bit—wait, I could have but I wouldn’t. And now it’s too late.
She gazed up at Jape, tired to her very soul. “I’m useless to you. I’m damned near crippled. I’m weak without a charged belt to protect me. All I can do is get people killed and captured.”
His jaw tightened. “You have knowledge about your Earth forces that might help me.”
Anneliese barked a harsh laugh. “You want knowledge? Here’s all you need to understand: Earthlings can’t be relied on to do the right thing. Including me.”
Jape shook his head and walked off. He went to his charts and maps, planning how to storm the hive again. “This time, we need a plan on how to secure it from another attack once we regain control,” he snarled to his officers.
He had every intention of returning for Nex and any other survivors. Anneliese had decided the best way to help was to stay out of it. She’d only screw it up as she’d screwed everything else up. Nex was better off without her.
>
Her eyes filled with tears. How could she have been so stupid? Nex had fought her so that he could fight for her. Then he’d given up everything to protect her, just as she would have done for him if Salno and Jape hadn’t forced her away.
Give and take. Accepting with gratitude the same care she would have offered him had he been injured. That was how it should have been between them, but she’d been so determined to show she was the champion. Even when there was nothing worthwhile to be brave about, Anneliese hadn’t been able to let that stubborn streak go.
No, she didn’t need Nex. Not to be a decent person. Not to be strong where it counted. However, she sure as hell wanted him.
That was the essential detail I missed. He had every right to be the man he wanted to be for me. Not even being sent home to Earth could convince me of that, maybe because I thought there was still a chance we could get back together. Now—he’s gone. He’s gone, maybe for good, and it’s my fault.
The loss that lay as a weight in her gut was nothing compared to the jagged pain tearing at her heart. Anneliese covered her face with her hands so nobody would see her weep.
* * *
The drones didn’t care whether Nex screamed or not. A show of strength did not impress them any more than pleas for mercy swayed their horrid experimentation on living creatures. However, he couldn’t help but fight the need to shriek. He ground his teeth together, allowing only whimpers from his locked throat as the dry buzzing instrument drilled into him. Immobilized under the glare of the lights on the hard surface of a table, he had no choice but to bear the agonizing pain. The many-armed device that wielded the drill hung from the ceiling overhead, looking every bit the loathsome mechanical monster it was with its lasers and drills and needles.
The drill stopped. The drone operating it sent it creaking a slow path through the air, moving to deposit the skin and blood samples it had taken in a metal carousel container filled with vials. Nex drew a deep breath, taking what small relief he could from the worst of the pain. The smell of sweat, blood, and oil bit at his nostrils, but he barely noticed. His mind settled on Anneliese, as it always did for the brief periods between procedures.
Worlds Apart (Warriors of Risnar) Page 25