Khari'na Made (Muse Book 1)

by Jean Winter

  Collecting the last of her will and energy together, and still sitting on his head, Lyra began her healing song once more. When she couldn't go on any longer, she slumped off Malig'ahnt, curling herself into the pillows again. She was too sapped to think about self-inflicting any more incriminating injuries. She was too sapped to wonder if she had done a good enough healing job. It didn't really matter. She was done. If he came for her a third time tonight, she wouldn't have the energy to lift a finger in resistance. And he would finally get what he wanted.

  Kade, I miss you.

  So much.

  # # #

  The striding silhouette of his best friend neared.

  “Woo hoo! I have got to get me one o' those!” Sal declared in a hushed fervor.

  “One o' what?”

  Kade peered curiously down the dark street. The man had just traveled eighty miles in a little less than an hour and a half. The fastest thresher could not cover that distance so quickly if it was sprinting at top speed.

  “The Fla'tyre Model Four Roadster,” Sal answered with pride. “Though, that one has also had a few custom modifications in the last month.”

  Kade grinned, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “And where did you get one o' those?”

  “Beegot recently bought one and has been tinkering with the engine. He showed it to me last week.” Decked out in unusually dark, sturdy clothes, Sal hitched a long, skinny case with a strap higher onto his shoulder and followed Kade toward the estate wall.

  “And he just let you borrow it? Just like that?” Kade hoisted himself up felt a twinge in his hip as he hefted his leg over. Blast, it stunk, getting older. He turned around and grabbed at the back of Sal's tunic to help him.

  “Well, I left an IOU with a nice thank you note in his carriage house.”

  Kade started to groan, but no. This time, he actually didn't care what Sal's method was. He was just glad he was here. “Remind me to send him one, too.”

  They dropped quietly to the ground inside the estate wall and Kade handed Sal his scent deterrent.

  “No' this vile stuff again,” Sal protested.

  “Just put it on. I counted five dogs roaming the grounds earlier. You do no' want to relive Mutshpel Village, do you?”

  Sal rolled his eyes. “I was leading them away from the squad's position.”

  “You were screaming like a girl.”

  “Warrior battle cry, thank you very much, but fine.” Sal propped his case against the wall and grumpily began to spread the oil over himself. With his chin, he gestured toward Kade's satchel. “So, are you packing your usual bag o' goodies?”

  “Aye, plus some extra.” Kade pulled out one of the small cartons of darts he had “borrowed” from headquarters. “Tell me, has Murzinda ever tried these on for size?”

  Sal's countenance fell at the sight. “Awww. When you told me to bring her, I knew there would be a catch.” Trading—the smelly vial for the carton of tranquilizers, Sal held one of the narrow, ciliademoxide-filled darts up for examination. “She is no' going to like this.”

  “We canno' kill anyone,” Kade admonished. “In fact, the less damage the better, and you need to retrieve every single one you use. I canno' have these traced back to headquarters.”

  “Come on,” Sal pressed. “You know I can just aim for some legs. My baby needs smooth, cold steel sliding—”

  “No. No maiming, either. The name o' the game tonight is stealth. Quiet in. Quiet out. Got it?”

  Sal grumbled, “Aye, sir.” His mood lightened, however, with the opening of his case and presentation of his L-7 military grade sniper rifle with custom scope to the soft, dappled moonlight. “Ah, Murzinda, my darling. You are just as beautiful as the first day I laid hands on you,” he murmured, stroking the barrel with affection.

  “When was the last time you really handled her?” Kade handed Sal three cartons of darts from his satchel.

  “Oh, I get her out to play every once in a while. But it has been a long, long time since she has seen any serious action.”

  “Well, she is going to see it tonight. I counted fifteen guards outside …”

  Kade brought Sal up to speed as he led him to their launching point at the treeline near the largest shed that housed a few milk nannabies. Sal got a talkie, they calibrated frequencies, and then they parted ways: Sal to some dense shrubbery and Kade, creeping up the side of the shed and past the adjoining pen's fencing to await the half past the hour mark. The quad-horned nannabies scuffled and “maw, maw-ed” at his presence, but when Kade remained still, they calmed down.

  Two guards roamed this end of the mansion, blocking the path to the utility door where Kade hoped to pass through the scullery into the rest of the house. They wandered near each other again, a dog pattering about their feet, alternating between sniffing the ground for interesting smells and lifting his head to listen to the sounds of the night. Kade checked his watch. Any time now.

  A soft buzzing filled the air and Kade recognized the tsarset again, landing softly on a nearby fence post. It chirped animatedly at him as it nestled its double wings down its narrow, furry back, causing the guard dog to become alerted. Kade swore softly.

  “Go away!” he whispered and chucked a pebble at it.

  But the tsarset merely ducked its bobbing head, chittering loudly while studying Kade with bright, inquisitive eyes. The roosting chickcocks inside their house began to stir and cluck in nervousness. Tsarsets may be small, but they were cunning hunters, known to prey on domestic fowl.

  “Easy, Honjo,” a guard called to the wary dog. “It is probably just that blasted tsarset again. Been bothering the chickcocks all day.”

  As if in response, the tsarset began to hop around on the fence, balancing expertly with its long bushy tail and nimbly clawed toes. Then it flew to the poultry house roof. The clucking from inside intensified and Kade cringed. The guards were starting to come his way.

  The crackle of talkies made them pause and in unison, they lifted theirs to their mouths. Clipped voices called off through the devices starting with guard number one. Then the guards near Kade answered in their turn.

  “Post number nine—all clear,” said one into his unit.

  “Post number ten—all clear,” the other added.

  Two muffled shots, less than a second apart, whizzed through the air, hitting their marks in both necks. The men slumped to the ground without a word. It seemed Murzinda was still as spry as ever.

  Kade wasn't clear yet, though. The dog was still advancing, nose to the ground, quite unaware what had just happened to his master behind him. Another shot from Murzinda speedily downed the hulking animal, then—

  Grrrr …

  Chills raced up Kade's spine as a pair of green eyes reflected moonlight to his right. Another one! This dog was too concealed by the pen's fencing for Sal to take a decent shot. Blast! Kade made ready to bolt in the opposite direction when, from his left, another low, menacing growl started.

  You have got to be kidding me!

  That stupid tsarset must have alerted all of them!

  A terrified squawking issued from the coop and the tsarset emerged with a flailing chickcock in its claws. Screeching its triumph, it leaped into the air with its prey and swooped low past Kade's head, landing on the soft grass about twenty feet away. In tandem, the dogs turned and dashed after the boisterous creature, barking noisily as they went. Kade could hardly believe his good luck.

  The tsarset launched into the air again and flew a low, sweeping path toward the trees at the mansion's southeastern side. In the distance, Kade spotted yet one more sprinting canine joining the chase and soon all were lost in the thick, leafy vegetation. Two more kisses from Murzinda took care of two more guards, turning corners as they came searching for their animals.

  Sal's voice came through the talkie, “Well, how about that? You know, I have often thought about getting one o' those little guys to train to hunt for me. They have become very popular with birders, I hear, along the c
oast.”

  While Sal retrieved used ammunition and moved on, it was time for Kade to make his move. He quietly let himself inside and slipped behind some shelving as a couple cooks walked by, finishing their cleanup from the evening meal. When they reached the opposite side of the room, Kade left unnoticed.

  The traveling through the rest of the kitchens and corridors in that wing of the house was laboriously slow. Servants were still wrapping up jobs or making their way to their beds for the night. Kade needed to nab one for information, but they kept passing in pairs or remained in areas of the house that were too public for a grab and stash. He needed an isolated individual in an isolated spot—

  A guard turned a corner and Kade stepped into the shadow of a recessed door. Reaching for his leather bola in his satchel, he waited for the man to get closer. It felt so strange. Kade never thought he would be doing this kind of thing again! So it was with a small, bewildered nod to himself that as the guard passed, Kade slung the bola's thin strap around his neck. Pulling him quickly back into the shadows, Kade held tightly until the man lost consciousness. Then he dragged him through the nearest door.

  “Who are you?”

  Kade dropped the guard and spun to the sight of a young blond in a common maid's uniform rising from the modest bed upon which she had been lying, eyeing him—and his “baggage”—with great alarm. With a bound to the bed, he arrested her forthcoming scream.

  “I do no' wish to hurt you,” he told her, a hand securely over her mouth, “and you will no' need to worry about ending up like him if you can calm down and do no' scream.” A quick scan of the bedroom told Kade she was alone in here. “Do you understand?”

  He got a small, frightened nod.

  “Good. Now, I am going to remove my hand and you will remain quiet and in control. All right?”

  She nodded again. Slowly, Kade loosened his hold and moved away, and the maid kept quiet, as promised. Interesting. It looked like she had been crying.

  “What is your name?” he asked gently.

  “Hana.”

  Kneeling by the guard, Kade started tying up limp hands and feet. “Hello, Hana. I am here looking for a woman that was brought in earlier this evening. Do you happen to know anything about that?”

  The slim woman looked quite uneasy with the efficiency with which Kade was working on his prisoner. “Maybe.” Her regular, attractive features clouded as she reached fingers to absentmindedly touch one of her shoulders.

  “Do you know where she might be?” Kade finished his last knot with his twine, then introduced just a spot of his livestock sedative into the man's veins.

  “What is she to you?” she said after a moment's deliberation.

  “She is a good woman suffering under the hand o' a very bad man,” was all Kade would grant, “and—” The guard's talkie broke in for the next check. It seemed the indoor squad was on a separate channel. Verifications were rambled, until number three. There was a pause. His cue. “Section three—all clear,” Kade said. The count continued to ten where the talkie went quiet again and Kade looked at Hana. “I need you to take me to her.”

  “I do no' know where she is.”

  She was lying. Great. He had to pick the belligerent help in the house. Maybe she was actually loyal to Malig'ahnt. Or maybe she didn't want to help for fear of being found out. Either way, he didn't have time for this.

  With a sigh, Kade reached into his satchel and pulled out his bola again. “It does hurt a little … before you pass out from the blood restriction, and I am afraid this will leave a mark on your skin, but there is no' usually any permanent damage.” Stretching the length of his finely oiled, handle-and-claw ended bola across his front, he took a meaningful step forward.

  “Wait! Maybe I … do have an idea.”

  That was better.

  CHAPTER 24

  Quietly following Hana the maid through the mansion, they met no one until they topped the flight to the second floor.

  “Hold right there. Who are you?” a gruff voice from down the hall commanded. Unfortunately, it was a voice that also had a gun.

  Kade dove back down a few steps and tossed one of his favorite distractions behind him—a smoke bomb. When it cracked on the floor, thick, dark smoke began to spew. Kade threw the weighted end of his bola toward the banister post at the opposite top step and the hooked end swung around it twice. Then he pulled it taut just as the guard came charging through the smoke. The guard's foot caught and the whole of him careened down the stairs to the landing below. Kade already had the sedative syringe halfway into his neck when he started to come to.

  A coughing, sputtering Hana was pulled along, halfway up the flight to the third floor before Kade blew out the spent air in his lungs and inhaled again. “Sorry. You should no' breathe that in,” he told her.

  “Did you kill that man?” Hana choked out.

  “No.”

  They went down another long passage, Kade's anxiety and pace increasing with each step. He was getting close now. It was extremely difficult to maintain a calculated advance, but he was rewarded for his discipline when, checking around the next corner, another sentry was spotted walking away from them. He motioned to Hana to wait.

  She surprised him by bolting forward, calling to the guard!

  Swearing, Kade let loose his bola at the fleeing maid and the ends splayed apart until, hitting her calves, they swung around together in a tangle. Hana went face down. With a shout, the guard started toward him and Kade retreated back around the corner, listening to the footsteps nearing.

  “You there!”

  What the Mother!

  Another guard shouted, rushing up the stairs at him from the other direction. With a groan, Kade rolled around the corner again, facing angry, charging guard number one and threw a handful of tear dust at the man's face. He stumbled and cried out as the stinging, sandy concoction hit his eyes. Kade threw another smoke bomb behind him at the turn in the hall and, sidestepping out of the blinded guard's path, shoved him into the new cloud. The sound of guard number one colliding with number two within was very satisfying. The sound of confused and disoriented fighting as they began to wildly beat at each other, even more.

  Moaning, Hana tried to pick herself up off the floor, but was unsuccessful until Kade had her by the arm, untwining his bola himself. “Do no' try that again,” he charged, pulling her up. “If you have no' noticed, this is hard enough already without you causing me any extra grief.”

  Hana stared in wonder at the flailing, coughing men in the slowly clearing smoke. “What are you, some kind o' mystic mercenary?”

  “Sure,” he snorted. Then pulling her with him and taking a deep breath, Kade entered the smoke.

  Both guard one and two were on the ground now, coughing so hard they could hardly take any more blind swings at each other. Each got a dose of sedative while Kade kept wary eyes on Hana. She remained obediently still this time, and she remembered to hold her breath.

  With a wipe of his brow, Kade straightened and moved them both ahead into fresh air. “Are we there yet?”

  Hana's glance down the hall was dark. “You know, have you considered that an extra woman in the house to distract him is a welcome respite for others? What makes her so special that she should no' bear a share o' the burden?”

  Understanding finally began to dawn. Coiling his bola to return to his satchel, Kade said, “She did no' choose to be here. She was stolen.”

  “None o' us want to be here,” Hana spat, dark eyes burning, but Kade only cocked his head.

  “Are you implanted?”

  “No.”

  “Then you have a choice.”

  “But Lord Malig'ahnt is powerful, and ruthless. I do no' have a choice!”

  Squaring himself to her, Kade said softly, “You have more o' a choice than she does.” He looked into troubled, nearly black eyes. “Please, Hana. Help me find her.”

  Hana remained quiet, internal conflict raging until, finally, she jutted a pointed chin
down the hall. “Straight to the end, turn right, third door on your left. That is his personal suite. Can I go now?”

  “Are you sure that is where he has her?”

  Her laugh was clipped. “That is where he takes all o' us.” Then she looked him over with circumspection. “I promise I will no' alert anyone,” she said. Without another word, she was striding away.

  “Thank you, Hana.”

  Her retreating figure gave no indication whether or not she had heard, but Kade really didn't care. Frenzied fingers bound the guards together. “God, help me protect her,” he muttered.

  He must be prepared for whatever he might find. Lyra had been in Malig'ahnt's possession for several hours now. Anything could have happened! The thought got Kade's legs taking him down the hall in long strides.

  Protect her now!

  He broke into a run. He rounded the corner. One. Two. Three doors. He lunged through into a dimly lit suite.

  The sight of a mostly naked Malig'ahnt kneeling over a quiet figure chained to the wall on the bed wrenched Kade's stomach into a tight, convulsive ball. A fury he had never felt before made him see red. His blood boiled. His head pounded. One dangerously singular thought prevailed.

  He. Must. Pay.

  Kade was on the startled Malig'ahnt before the man could even fully register that someone had burst into his room. With an animal ferocity, he yanked him off his bed and threw him against the wall. Slam! Malig'ahnt's body bounced to the floor.

  “Guard!” the disheveled, white-blondness screamed, scrambling to get up.

  “They are on break.”

  Kade lunged, throwing a punch at his face, but Malig'ahnt ducked and Kade's fist met with painted plaster. Malig'ahnt hastily buttoned his pants as he scurried away.

  “I am going to take you for all you have for this, J'Kor! You are no' allowed to be here. You are no' allowed to touch me!”

  Calloused knuckles reemerged from a crumbling, dusty hole. Brushing them off, Kade turned to the door and shut it. “I am here by right o' the Gentleman's Canon, Serpahn,” he said. The element of surprise over, Kade's approach was more careful this time.