Outlaw

by Angela Verdenius

  “Where is she now?” Tenia asked.

  “On Ylan. Her family collected her and brought her back to their house.”

  “Before that she lived in the Inka fortress?”

  “From what I could gather, yes. If we can get in to see her, I’m sure she’ll give us some information.”

  Reya tapped the table idly with her fingers. “We can take the Argon fleet craft and be in Ylan within twenty-four hours. Since the radar blocker is still on the craft, we can remain undetected.”

  “What of Yesta and Aster?” Tenia queried. “You didn’t meet up with them?”

  “No.” Dana stretched her arms. “Either they’re still in combat or returning.”

  Or dead, the unspoken thought the same in every warrior’s mind. Four had died on mercenary assignments; it was a risk they all took.

  “When do we leave for Ylan?” Senna asked.

  “And who goes?” Dana added.

  “I’m going,” announced Tenia decisively.

  Hands shot up everywhere and Connie laughed. “All so anxious to go. Dana, put your hand down. You’re no use with a twisted ankle.”

  “We can’t all go,” Reya pointed out.

  “Deathman is dealing with you about the weapons,” Mya said. “You know how difficult he can be if you suddenly send one of us in your place.”

  “Damn it.” Reya scowled, blew out a breath. “Very well. Tenia goes. Connie, you too.”

  “Who else?” Zara asked.

  “Whoever draws the short twig.”

  ~ * ~

  Sedam of Daamen and his crew were sitting in a seedy tavern in a settlement on Pendow when he noticed heads turning. Glancing at the door from where he sat with a giggling tavern wench on his muscular thigh, he saw rough-looking patrons clear a path for two tall, caped figures.

  His second-in-command, Carlow, nudged him as the wenches stopped at the bar, one facing it and the other with her back to it, her gaze sweeping the room continuously.

  Standing head and shoulders above every man there except for the traders, they were beautiful, one in her late teens, the other in her early twenties.

  The tavern wench noticed her handsome trader’s attention was elsewhere and following his gaze, she pouted. “Don’t be thinking of latching onto those mercenaries, you’ll find yourself gelded.”

  “Oh?”

  “They’re those murderous Reeka warriors.” She planted a wet kiss on his cheek. “I’ll keep your bones warm. They’ll grind them to powder beneath their boots.”

  Carlow studied the warriors with interest. “They don’t fit the description of Darvk and Maverk’s wenches.”

  “Nay, but we’ll let our friends know that we have spotted them anyway. Their wenches may be nearby,” Sedam said.

  “Mayhap we should follow them?”

  “Good idea. Up you get, lovey.”

  “Now see here-” She broke off to stare toward the bar.

  Following her gaze, the two traders saw a leering man, obviously drunk, approach the warriors. Silence and a sense of anticipation filled the room.

  “I hear...” the drunk swayed. “…that you bitches ain’t had a man in years, not since you were all outlawed.”

  Two pairs of cold eyes glared down at him.

  “That right?” He burped. “Huh?”

  The young redhead grabbed him by his shirtfront and thrust him easily away. He staggered, arms waving wildly. Regaining his balance, he scowled and started forward.

  Sedam, Carlow, and the rest of Sedam’s crew were already starting to get to their feet when the warrior’s next action froze them.

  Grabbing the man’s wrist, she stepped aside so that he barrelled into the bar and she slapped his hand down on it. He let out a scream of agony as her other hand came down full force, driving a dagger through his flesh to pin his hand to the wooden surface.

  No one moved as, calmly, the Reekas tossed the last of the water down their throats and replaced the mugs onto the bar. Ignoring the screaming drunk, they nodded to the unperturbed bartender and left the tavern, their capes billowing out enough for Sedam to glimpse the lasers strapped to their thighs.

  “Come on,” he began, turning to Carlow and knocking the tavern whore accidentally as he did so, making her cannon into one of the patrons and spill his ale.

  The man was too drunk to notice that the traders towered above every man in the room. He swore and lunged at Sedam, his friend following. Within seconds the tavern erupted into brawling people, and by the time Sedam fought his way outside, the Reeka warriors had vanished into the darkness.

  A shame but at least he had a bit of news to pass onto Darvk.

  ~ * ~

  Darvk’s ship landed on Pendow the next morning. He and Sedam, an old friend from his youth, greeted each other. Both crews got together to exchange news and messages from their home planet.

  “The wenches we saw weren’t the two you seek,” Sedam informed Darvk. “But they were Reeka warriors.”

  “And we missed them, damn it.” Darvk was not happy.

  Carlow grinned. “Why you’d want such savage wenches is beyond me. I like them soft and warm.”

  “They’re not so savage. You couldn’t find out where they live?”

  “Nay. Apparently posters are placed in taverns and around the settlements when their services are needed and they just appear.”

  Moodily, Maverk snapped a twig between his fingers. “’Tis the same answer we get everywhere. They seem to vanish off the face of the planet.”

  “Mayhap you should put up some posters yourselves, using false names of course,” Carlow suggested. “Then grab the wenches who turn up and make them reveal the whereabouts of the two you want.”

  “How are we to force them? They’d rather die before betraying the whereabouts of the other Reekas.”

  “The Argons could get them to talk without much problem,” Sedam began, but broke off as both his friends shook their heads in disgust. “Ah well, ‘twas just a thought.”

  “There is another way, if it really works,” Carlow said thoughtfully. “I have heard of a wench who lives on Ylan near Kyro. She supposedly deals in herbs and other such arts. Some say she is a witch. Who knows, mayhap she is-”

  “Stop farting around and get to the point,” Darvk said.

  “Touchy,” Carlow returned without rancour. “Apparently she knows how to make people reveal secrets through some sort of potion. Or so I hear.”

  Darvk and Maverk exchanged glances.

  “There you go.” Sedam slapped his knee heartily. “Catch one of those warrior lasses, get the potion into them and you’ll find your runaways.”

  “Very careless of you to both mislay your wenches,” Carlow added slyly. “Keep them happy and they’ll not stray. Isn’t that so, Sedam?”

  Laughing at the darkening expressions on his friends’ faces, Sedam agreed. “Oh, aye, most definitely.”

  “If this mission wasn’t so urgent, I’d knock your block off.” Darvk got to his feet and gestured to Maverk. “Come on, we need to find this witch.”

  ~ * ~

  Night had fallen and the four warriors moved down the central street, their dark cloaks and hoods enabling them to blend in with the shadows. Every one of their senses were trained on their surroundings, more so since they were in Kyro on Ylan, a planet on the outskirts of the Outlaw Sector. Bounty hunters and soldiers would sometimes appear on outskirt planets but hopefully not tonight.

  The warriors moved stealthily down a side street, coming to a stop in the shadows of a double-storied, stone house.

  “Her family must be home,” Senna commented in a low tone as voices filtered out the windows.

  “We wait until the lights go out.” Glancing around, Tenia noticed the wooden slats against the wall around which grew heavy vines. “Then I’ll go up and find the woman’s room.”

  Patiently they waited in the shadows until a light flickered on in an upstairs window and voices sounded.

  “The bruises a
re fading, Nina. Soon you will be your beautiful self again.”

  “I don’t care.” The reply came wearily. “I’m so tired, Mother.”

  “Sleep, Nina. I will check you later.”

  The light went out.

  Waiting until she judged it safe to go up, Tenia agilely but quietly climbed the slats while her sister warriors kept watch below. Thanks to the voices, she now knew the room she needed.

  The window was half shut, the room beyond dark. What filled her with foreboding was the gurgling rattle that sounded with every tortured breath from the figure in the bed across the room. It was a rattle she’d heard more times than she wanted to remember.

  Stopping just below the open window, she waited, ears straining to hear movement that would indicate more than one person in the room. When the silence continued, she cautiously finished the climb, stopping now and again to assess the situation beyond the window.

  Climbing into the dim room, she dropped quietly to the floor, remaining on one knee with her hand on the laser holstered at her thigh while her eyes adjusted to the dark. She scanned the room for movement but finding it empty of anyone else, she straightened and moved over to the bed to gaze down at the dying woman.

  Drawing the laser, she held it to the woman’s temple and clamped one hand securely over her mouth. The woman awoke without a struggle, just a tired lifting of the eyelids.

  “I mean you no harm, Nina,” Tenia whispered. “Answer my questions with a nod or shake of your head and no harm will come to your family either. Understand?”

  A slow nod came.

  “You are the mistress of an Inka soldier?”

  There was another slow nod.

  “You lived in the Empire fortress?”

  A third nod and a frail hand gripped Tenia’s wrist, tugging weakly. She cursed to herself when she realized that Nina was struggling to breathe. “If I remove my hand, will you scream?”

  The woman shook her head and when the warrior lifted her hand, she gasped, “Kill him.”

  “The soldier who beat you?”

  “Killed…my baby. Killing…me.”

  Though pity stroked through Tenia, she kept focussed. “Tell me what you know of the Inka Empire and the Dragon soldiers.”

  Nina coughed weakly, a dark trickle coming from the corner of her mouth. She was dying fast, Tenia knew, making the situation all the more urgent.

  “The Dragon soldiers,” she prompted.

  “I only know that they guard Shari,” Nina rasped weakly. “There are thirty of them, so my murderous man told me.”

  “Where do they live?”

  “In the palace near Shari.”

  “You mean the fortress?”

  “He has his own private section in the fortress guarded by his Dragon soldiers. His palace, they call it.”

  “How do I know you speak the truth?” Tenia pressed. “After all, you have nothing to lose.”

  Hate gleamed in the shadowed eyes. “Shari watched my man beat me. I’d gone to him to plead my case and he laughed, said that my babe was not pure Inka, not worthy to have the Inka blood in it. He sent for my man, who also laughed and beat me. I miscarried my babe there in the great hall, while they all laughed and jeered and called me a low whore.”

  “I’m sorry.” Tenia meant it, could only guess at the humiliation and pain Nina must have suffered.

  “So you see, I have no loyalty to the Empire, the people who took my babe from me, and soon, my life. The bottom drawer of the dresser, go to it. In the corner.”

  Knowing that the dying woman had no strength to call or even move, Tenia went to the dresser and knelt before it, opening the drawer.

  A faint whisper reached her. “Beneath my nightclothes is a leather pouch. Take it.”

  Her seeking hands nudged leather and she quickly withdrew it. In the gloom she could see that it was small, square and narrow. A leather thong hung from it. “What is it?”

  “The plans to the fortress. I drew it up while I was there, intending to sell it whenever I could.”

  Never underestimate a woman scorned, Tenia thought. “To the highest bidder in the Outlaw Sector?”

  “Only way to survive in this forsaken sector. Glad I did now.” A weak, gurgling laugh escaped the woman.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me?” The urgency of the situation was becoming more apparent. Tenia moved back to stand beside the bed. “Does Shari leave the fortress often?”

  “Not often, perhaps twice a year.” Coughing, Nina wiped blood from her chin with a piece of cloth now stained red. “One more thing I would ask of you.”

  Tenia waited with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

  “When you have finished with the plans, pass them on to the Reeka warriors.”

  So Nina hadn’t recognised who stood in her room. Maybe her sight had been affected. But the request was unexpected. “Why?”

  “Tell them Shari is out to destroy them, especially the daughters of Karana, who was once the Reeka leader.” The thready voice was fast fading.

  Tenia touched her shoulder urgently. “Why?”

  A gurgling sounded, more blood spilling from Nina’s mouth. “He hates them for his son…The daughters are his…” Her head lolled to the side.

  With a sinking heart Tenia saw that her chest was still. Before Nina could reveal the secret the Reekas so desperately needed - any secret - she was dead. Damn and double damn.

  ~ * ~

  When the trading ship landed near the only building for at least thirty miles, Darvk disembarked to see the witch watching him from the doorway of her hut, her arms folded.

  “I mean you no harm.” Slowly he approached, Maverk following. “We need your help and wisdom.”

  Bold, black eyes studied him fearlessly as he halted at the bottom of the steps. “What will you give me in exchange?”

  “If you help us, you can take your pick of the cargo in the hold.”

  Opening the door, she stepped aside and waited for them to enter.

  He was surprised to see that the hut was a lot larger on the inside than it appeared. Large, clean, and well kept. And very simple.

  Sitting down at the head of the wooden table, she gestured to them to take the seats opposite. Darvk saw that she was younger than she first appeared - or was she? Her face held few lines, yet the black eyes were old. Thick white hair was coiled into a bun and the black robes hid her figure.

  “My name is Beulah,” the witch said calmly.

  “I’m Darvk and this is Maverk. We have heard that you may be able to help us.”

  “Depends on what you seek.” Black eyes seemed to see into his very soul. “Tell me your story.”

  He hesitated.

  “Either you seek my help or not. It makes no difference to me.”

  “I need your help,” Darvk replied swiftly. “The lass I care for ran away and no one seems to know where. Those who do know won’t tell.”

  “Why did she run? Did you beat her?”

  He flushed. “I’d never harm her!”

  “You’re big, it wouldn’t take much.”

  His jaw set, Darvk looked her right in the eyes. “You have my word that I wouldn’t harm her. I’ve never harmed her, nor would I ever.”

  Beulah scrutinized him intently then asked, “Why do you think I can help you?”

  “Do you make a potion that when given to someone will make them reveal the truth?”

  “You mean to use it to find her whereabouts?”

  “Aye.”

  In an unexpected move, she reached across the table separating them and laid her hand over his. Closing her eyes, she titled her head back, her breathing deep and even.

  When that was all she did, Darvk glanced uncomfortably at Maverk, who shrugged in equal bewilderment.

  They waited in silence, Darvk fighting the impatience crawling through him, knowing he had to wait, couldn’t push the only person who could help them.

  A short time passed and the witch’s eyes flickered ope
n. Standing up, she walked over to the door in the back of the room and disappeared into the dim depths beyond. She returned with a flower in her hand that she pressed into his large palm.

  “Don’t look at it, but squeeze it and smell the aroma,” she instructed him.

  He did as bidden, crushing the delicate petals in his hand, rolling the crushed blossom between his fingers. Immediately the fragrance of jasmine filled the air, his breath catching at the sudden stab of pain that hit his heart.

  Tenia. His beautiful, golden-haired Tenia with the violet eyes that laughed, smouldered with passion, and shimmered with sadness. Jasmine was her scent.

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, he gazed down at the abused flower in his palm.

  Beulah held out her hand. “Give me the flower, Darvk, it is needed for the potion.”

  Reluctantly he did so and she strode through the doorway at the back of the hut.

  Darvk looked at Maverk. “How did she know?”

  “Not a clue. But she is a witch, so…” Maverk shrugged.

  Silence fell as they waited for the witch’s return, while the jasmine scent lingered in the room, its very essence seeming to stroke Darvk’s senses like the soft hands of a wench. If he closed his eyes he could almost imagine that Tenia was in the room with him, near him, touching him…

  Beulah returned holding a tiny vial of violet liquid. Violet liquid as beautiful as violet eyes. Meeting Beulah’s gaze, he saw the wisdom and understanding in it. “Use an injector to get this into the bloodstream of whomever you think will tell you what you need to know. There is enough for three doses, so use it wisely, trader.”

  “I will.” He took the vial. “Thank you.”

  “The one you seek is strong, trader, in her heart and mind,” Beulah said softly. “Her loyalties run deep and she is torn apart by them. She does love you, never fear.”

  Carefully, he held the vial. “Why did she run?”

  “That is for her to tell you.”

  “Beulah-”

  “I don’t know anything more to tell you.”

  It was obvious that he’d get no more answers, so he nodded. “I thank you, Beulah. Now come and choose what you will.”

  Following them outside, her eyes fell upon the crew and she smiled. “You are all strong, aren’t you?”