Close Contact (10 page)

Doing my best to ignore her, I scanned the common room and suddenly faltered. The place was wall-to-wall men. I’m talking packed in like sardines, with not so much as a single inch of space unoccupied. And every one of them was staring intently at the stage as Marcus finished his introduction and left to join a table near the front. A table where Reynard du’Marr was seated with two other men.

Okay, maybe I hadn’t lied about being nervous, because my tummy suddenly erupted with butterflies in full riot, all trying to make their escape to freedom. Quickly I shut my eyes to block out the men and forced myself to take deep calming breaths. This was no big deal, I assured my suddenly alert nerves. It was all part of the job.

As the band played the first chords, calm washed over me and I realized with surprise that most of it was coming from Peri. Slowly I opened my eyes, raised my arms over my head
and began a gentle hip-swaying rhythm as I moved forward, one small step at a time.

Right before I was fully revealed, Peri launched from my shoulder and swooped over the audience. Her action drew the men’s attention away from the stage long enough for me to step into the light as murmurs of wonder followed her flight. By the time they looked back, there I was. It must have looked like I’d just suddenly materialized from thin air.

Useless, my rear end. That was one smart dragon bird.

The song was the same one the band had played for me this morning. It started off measured and stately, then gathered speed and exuberance. I kept my movements in line with the tempo, my gaze locked on the commander to block out the other men.

Peri rejoined me onstage, dipping and rising, circling me in time with my movements. Warbling an intricate thread that wove its way through the melody, she bobbed and weaved, wings fluttering madly as she mimicked the steps in midair.

The audience was enthralled. Not so much as a whisper rose from the watching men as I gyrated, undulated and spun. And for a while, I forgot they were there. Once again I danced from the sheer love of moving, from the joy of doing something I was created, at least in part, to do.

Until I remembered that one of the men in the audience had been spying on me earlier.

My steps faltered a beat before I found my pace again, but now I scanned the faces turned toward me, the hair on my arms prickling erect. You don’t pull surveillance on someone if your intentions are good.

Somehow, someway, I had aroused suspicions. Now I needed to know who thought I wasn’t what I seemed. My gaze went to the commander. If it was him, I had to find out, and there was only one way to accomplish that goal.

“Lillith,” I subvocalized, “tell Marcus to bring the commander back after I’m done. I need to talk with him.”

“You agreed to stay away from him,” she reminded me in her best general-to-the-troops voice.

“I know. But this has nothing to do with lust. It’s business. Please, just do as I ask.”

“Fine. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

So did I. The music began to slow toward its final notes, and with each step I moved nearer the darkened part of the stage. By the time the last echo from the pipe died away, I was in total darkness again. Peri did one more flyby over the audience and then joined me, radiating smug satisfaction as we slipped through the door together.

“Did you tell Marcus?” I asked the ship. Off to the side I heard a sliding noise and one of the lamps flared to life under Treya’s hands. She moved around the room, uncovering the others.

“Yes,” Lillith answered. “He’s not sure it’s a good idea, either, but said he’d bring the commander right back.”

“Good.”

When the last lamp was glowing, Treya turned, hands on her hips, and surveyed the dragon bird on my shoulder. “So, she’s not useless after all. Did you train her to do that?”

“No.” Peri was preening so vigorously I couldn’t shake my head. “She did it all on her own.”

“Will she do it again for your next act?”

“Probably. She likes to participate in whatever I’m doing.”

Before she could continue, the door to the kitchen opened and Marcus ushered the commander into the room. Right before my eyes Treya transformed from a money-grubbing taskmaster into a quivering pile of cooing mush.

“Commander!” She went forward with her hands reaching for his, full lips in a playful pout. “It’s been months since you’ve stopped in for a visit. I thought you’d forgotten me.”

“Of course not.” He gave her a vague smile, but he was looking at me over her shoulder. “My duties are many. I’m afraid I have little time for anything else.”

My eyes narrowed as I took in Treya’s body language and a nasty suspicion made the rounds of my gray matter. “Lillith,” I subvocalized. “If women are treated like a precious commodity here, what do the unmarried men do for sexual release?”

Marcus glanced at me and I saw his eyebrow arch right before the ship responded. “There are Bashalde women who have no fathers or husbands that are willing to accommodate them for a price.”

Yeah, that’s what I thought. And I’d bet half my next pay voucher that Treya was one of them. It was time to break up her little party, I decided.

Practically muscling my way between them, I took Reynard by the arm. “Commander, thank you for coming.” I glanced at Treya. “Would you mind getting the commander some wine?”

Her expression made her look like something nasty had crawled into her mouth and died. “You know each other?”

“We’ve met. And we have some private business to discuss. So, if you don’t mind…”

She turned to Marcus as though hoping he’d override my requests, but before she could speak he nodded. “I believe your act is up next?”

Shooting me an angry glare, she turned in a swirl of skirts and marched through the door, slamming it behind her so hard the walls rattled.

I gave the commander my best innocent look. “She seemed upset. Maybe she thought you came back to see her?”

Marcus muffled a cough behind his hand as the commander looked down at me, his mouth lifting on one side. “No woman directs my actions. By my sworn oath, my first
and only loyalty is to the king. Now, what did you wish to see me about?”

The opening door interrupted us as Leddy bustled in, a tray balanced on her hip. With a smile for Marcus, she went to the table where jewelry had been spread earlier and set out a bottle of wine and three glasses. As she went by me on her way out, she reached over and patted my arm. “Good for you,” she whispered. “Treya’s had that coming for a long time.” The door closed gently behind her.

Ignoring her comment, I gestured to the table. “Why don’t we sit?”

Marcus poured the wine as the commander held a chair for me and then pulled one out for himself.

Once both men were comfortable, I cleared my throat. “Commander, did you order me watched?”

His eyes narrowed as he studied me. “Why would you think I might?”

“Because someone is watching me, and you’re the only one I can think of who might have a reason. After all, I did accidentally hurt one of your men and stumble into the castle. Plus, my father was an experienced arms master who taught me well. Combined, I can see why you might feel a need to keep an eye on me.”

His piercing gaze swung to Marcus. “You knew about this?”

“No, this is the first I’ve heard.” At my original question to the commander, Marcus had stiffened, his hand tightening on the glass of wine he held. He knew, even better than I, what was at stake here if someone discovered my true identity.

“I haven’t had a chance to tell him,” I told Reynard. “The event occurred only a short time before my act.”

“Tell us exactly what happened,” the commander ordered.

“I was leaving Marcus’s house just as the sun was setting, and the base of the Terpsichore was in darkness. There was a man in hiding in the shadows, watching me.”

“Maybe it was someone who’d heard the tales Treya was spreading about an Apsaras dancing here and wanted to get a look at you,” Marcus said.

“Peri didn’t think so,” I told him. “And she’s very good at picking up human emotions. She thought he was up to no good and gave chase. If he were only curious, why did he move away from us and mingle with the crowds so we couldn’t locate his position?” The dragon bird bobbed her head as though agreeing with what I’d said.

“You saw this man?” the commander asked.

This was where it got tricky, because I’d felt more than seen him. Lillith was the one who’d “seen” him. “Not clearly enough to identify him,” I answered. “I can only tell you he was average height and weight.”

“You were not harmed?”

“No. He ran as soon as I started toward him.”

“I gave no order to have you observed,” the commander said. His fingertips drummed the table for a second. “But I will assign a man for your protection.”

Uh-oh. That was a reaction I hadn’t anticipated. No way could I allow one of his soldiers to watch my every move. I was doing mental gymnastics trying to find a solution to the problem when Marcus saved me the trouble.

“Thank you for the offer, Commander, but Echo is my ward and my responsibility. I’ll see to her protection. He may not be the brightest stone in the lamp, but Bim would die before allowing any harm to come to her. And, as you’ve seen for yourself, Echo is not without her own resources. Together I’m sure we can handle any situation that might arise.”

Reynard stared at Marcus for a long, tense moment, as if
trying to make up his mind whether or not he could trust the barkeep with my health and well-being. Finally, he nodded. “In that case, I will have my men try to discover who would wish her ill. And if any further problems occur, you will notify me at once.”

“As you wish,” Marcus responded.

Reynard pushed his chair back then paused to smile at me. “I regret that I cannot stay for your second dance, but I will arrive after the breaking of the fast tomorrow to escort you and your guardian to the Bashalde gathering.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” I told him, returning the smile.

With a final nod, he left through the kitchen door. As soon as it closed behind him, Marcus arched a brow at me.

“Why didn’t you tell me someone was watching you?”

“Truthfully?” I shrugged. “It didn’t even occur to me. I was too busy getting ready for my act and wondering if the commander was that suspicious of me.”

“I’m going to assign Bim to escort you, and stay with you when I can’t. We won’t have to worry about him repeating anything he sees because he can barely speak. And the next time you think someone is stalking you, alert me through Lillith. Maybe we can trap them between us.”

“Did you believe the commander?” I sipped the wine that had gone ignored until now.

“Yes and no.” He sighed. “He’s suspicious, no doubt about that. But I don’t think he’d set his men to watching you. He’s the type who would do it himself. The question is, who else would want to keep an eye on you, and why? We need those questions answered soon. It also worries me that the commander didn’t ask the same things.” Brow furrowed, he stood and pushed his chair up to the table. “I’m going to send some food for you and have a talk with Bim. Rest here until your second act, and then go straight home.”

He left by the same door the commander had used and I
didn’t see him again before my second dance. I ate and then waited until Treya, tight lipped with anger, returned after her act. She marched right up to me and poked me in the chest with one finger.

“You overstepped your bounds, girl. I am in charge of the dancers. When you want something, you go through me. And you do not invite men to visit without my permission.”

I grabbed her hand and bent her wrist back until she winced with pain. “Now, you listen to me. The only bounds overstepped here are yours. I’m not just another dancer, I’m Marcus’s ward. When it comes to dancing, I’ll
allow
you to direct me, but anything else is my business and you will stay out of it.

“Furthermore, if this little show of power is because of the commander, you should understand that by his words, you don’t own him. So if you’ve been deluding yourself that sex with him implies some kind of commitment, get over it. From this point on, the commander is off-limits to you. Am I making myself clear?”

She nodded and I released her wrist. “Good. Now, I believe it’s time for my last act.”

Casually, I strolled to the table where I’d left my jewelry for Peri to play with and began putting it on, but I kept one eye on Treya in case she decided to try something.

Rubbing her wrist, she glared at me for a moment longer, then turned and flounced from the room. Peri watched her go, a satisfied guess-you-showed-her air coming from the dragon bird. But even though Treya had pushed me into acting, I regretted having to let her know who was boss, and I knew another talk with her was in order. If there was one thing I didn’t need on Madrea it was another enemy. Especially not one who was in charge of my costumes and makeup.

“T
reya told me what happened,” Marcus said, sliding a plate of food in front of me. We were in the small kitchen of his house, awaiting the commander’s arrival before heading off to the Bashalde gathering.

“Did she?” I toyed with the food, too tired to eat. It had been a strange night, full of odd dreams I couldn’t quite remember. But it felt as if I’d gone on a four-day trek with no sleep and had just returned. “I’m sorry if I caused a problem.”

“No problem at all.” He dug into his own food with gusto. “You were absolutely right, even by Madrean standards. As far as anyone knows, you’re my ward, and as much as I care about her, Treya is an employee. I can make her behave, but unfortunately, I can’t stop her jealousy. You’ll have to deal with that on your own.”

“Uh-huh.”

At my lackluster response he set his fork aside and arched a brow at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just tired.” I forced myself to take a bite of the food.

“Is something wrong with your bed?”

“No, no, the bed is fine. My dreams made me restless, that’s all.”

“I see.” He pushed back from the table and went to the counter, where he poured water into a glass, then added some powdery concoction from a jar that sat on a shelf near the stove. After a quick stir, he handed it to me. “Drink this.”

I took the glass and sniffed its contents. It didn’t smell horrible, but it did make my senses whirl. “What is it?”

“A potion I keep handy. Make it myself from local herbs. It should make you feel better.”

“Well, I’m all for feeling better.” First, I sipped gingerly, then drank heavily when I caught the pleasant, smoky taste. Immediately I felt warm, soothing energy flow through me. “That’s amazing,” I told him. “You should bottle this stuff.”

“Wouldn’t sell, I’m afraid.” He resumed his seat and nonchalantly picked up his fork. “It only works on people in the first stages of verge sickness, and has no effect on anyone else.”

I’d been reaching for my own fork when he dropped that verbal bomb. Now I sat frozen, my hand suspended over the utensil as I stared at him. “What? What are you talking about? I’m not sick, I never get sick. I was just tired from a restless night, that’s all.”

“You’re in the first stages of verge sickness, Echo. I’ve seen it before. And as long as you keep denying your psi ability, the sickness will continue to get worse. Soon, very soon, my potion won’t help you anymore.”

“He’s right,” Lillith interjected. “It’s a well-documented reaction among those with psi ability.”

“I don’t believe you, either of you.” The heat from my coffee mug drew me and I wrapped suddenly icy hands around it. “I’m thirty cycles. If I have psi ability, why would it wait until now to manifest?”

“Normally, it wouldn’t.” Marcus finished eating and
pushed his plate aside. “And we don’t think it did this time. Lillith and I believe you’ve always had it, but something happened that made you suppress not only the ability, but even the memory of having it. Close and constant contact with the Imadei has made it surface again.”

“In that case, I’ll just stop wearing the Imadei.” He watched with interest as I fumbled for the chain, pulled the stone from under my silk top. And then winced in agony as I tried to place it on the table.

I couldn’t stand it. Without any conscious decision on my part, I put the necklace back on and tucked the stone out of sight before breathing a sigh of relief.

And then blinked at Marcus in surprise. “I’m doomed,” I told him.

His mouth kicked up on one side. “I wouldn’t go that far. All you have to do is start using your ability and the verge sickness will go away.”

“How am I supposed to do that? Assuming I really do have psi ability, how do I use it when I don’t know what it is?”

Before he could answer me, Peri zoomed into the room, landed on the table and stared at the front door, her entire body vibrating with anticipation. A second later, someone knocked.

“We’ll continue this conversation tonight,” Marcus said as he moved to open the door. “Commander, you’re right on time. Please come in.”

Hastily I ran my fingers through my wild hair and plastered a smile on my face.

“Your heartbeat just accelerated to an alarming degree,” Lillith told me.

“Go away and leave me alone,” I subvocalized, stepping forward to meet Reynard. He reached for my hand, and when his larger, calloused palm closed around my fingers, I not only forgot my aversion to having my hands held, I almost
forgot what I was going to say. “Commander, thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to escort us. Would you like a cup of coffee before we leave?”

“Thank you for the offer, but we should be off.” He smiled down at me. “I spoke with Chief Lowden about you before our meeting yesterday. He’s anxious to meet the daughter of his old teacher. So is King Politaus, who also knew your father. Unfortunately, he won’t be at the gathering today. Instead he requests that you and Kent join him for the evening meal at week’s end.”

“We’d be delighted.” I saw Marcus arch a brow at my rapid response. “Tell Marcus this could be my chance to meet Braxus,” I told Lillith.

“Not to mention spend more time with the commander,” she shot back.

There was that, I thought with a smile as I took the commander’s outstretched arm and let him escort me through the door. It took a great deal of effort not to run my hand over the hard muscles in his forearm.

“How far is it to the gathering?” I asked him as Peri did loops around us and Marcus brought up the rear.

“Within walking distance,” he said. “The Bashalde always set their tents in the field behind the castle.”

Made sense, I decided. And now that I looked around, people were converging on the castle from all directions: men, women, and children alike. Most were walking, but a few rode horses, with other equines following them on leading ropes. Occasionally, a wagon holding an entire family or produce creaked by, the horses’ harness jingling as they easily pulled the load. There was a festive air about the population that even the women’s drab clothing couldn’t dampen.

Two giggling young boys darted by, clutching coins tightly in their fists. They paused to ogle Peri in awe before dashing ahead.

I watched them vanish into the crowd in front of us, then reached down and checked the small coin pouch attached to my belt. Marcus had given it to me first thing this morning. I’d been loath to take it, but he assured me I’d earned it the night before. Plus, anything extra I spent would be reimbursed by Alien Affairs, and I really did need more clothes.

Marcus moved up to walk beside us. “I know it’s been less than a day, Commander, but have your men found anything yet?”

“I’m afraid not,” Reynard answered. “There are so many people in the city for the gathering that finding one particular stranger will be almost impossible. Especially without a good description. But I’ve ordered them to keep their ears open for any rumors concerning your ward.”

“Please, call me Echo,” I told him, my stomach doing a quick flip when he smiled at me.

“In that case, you must call me Reynard.”

“Reynard.” I gave him a quick grin. “It’s such a strong name. Your mother must have been very pleased at your birth, to give you such a name.”

“Stop flirting,” Lillith ordered.

“Shut up, you old cow,” I told her and received an indignant gasp in response.

“I don’t know,” the commander was saying. “I never knew my parents. The king’s mother found me wandering alone when her company passed through a village near Bastion City, and she had me brought to the castle to serve as a companion to her son.”

“You have no relatives?”

“None that came forward to claim me.”

I tried to picture him as a lost little boy no one wanted and my stomach clenched for a different reason this time. “You must have been very lonely.”

One broad shoulder lifted in a shrug. “There were com
pensations. I benefited from the same education given the king, and we became fast friends. His family saved me.”

No wonder he was so loyal to the king.

By now we’d reached the castle and started around it. Marcus had joined a group of men in front of us, close enough to preserve his position as chaperone, but far enough away to give us some room to chat. Peri was off hovering over a batch of flowers.

“What of you?” Reynard asked. “You must have been lonely growing up without friends.”

Immediately, an image of small, delicate Pelga flashed through my mind. What the hell was going on with my memory? I hadn’t thought about Pelga since I’d left the crèche, and now she seemed to be constantly in my thoughts.

I shoved her visage away and concentrated on weaving my lies together. “Not really. You don’t miss what you’ve never known, and I had my father. He was parent, teacher, and playmate, all rolled into one.”

“You must miss him terribly.”

“Yes, but his illness was progressive, so I had time to prepare for his loss.”

The words were barely out of my mouth when we rounded the end of the castle. My reaction to the sight spread out in front of us almost gave me away.

“Oh!” I gasped in wonder. “It’s beautiful.”

Realizing too late what I’d said, I shot Reynard a glance from under my lashes. “This is the first time I’ve seen a full gathering,” I explained. “My father refused to go. He hated crowds.”

The castle sat on a slight rise that sloped gently down to an eight-hectare field, giving us a view of the entire gathering all at once. Silk tents in every color known to man undulated softly in the gentle spring breeze. They took up the
entire open area, stretching from tree line to tree line.

A small stream wound its way across the field and around tents, sunlight glinting off its rushing water. It was spanned in several locations by rustic wooden foot bridges that gave access to both sides of the meadow, while trees growing here and there on its banks offered cooling shade.

From all directions rose the faint sound of voices hawking wares, overlaid by the tinkle of distant music. The air was redolent with the spicy scent of cooking food that made my mouth water even though I’d only finished eating a short while before.

It was a sensory overload for a GEP used to mile-high plexisteel buildings, plascrete walkways and canned air. The only grass on Centaurius was in state-supervised parks, and the rules governing their use were strict to the point of being prohibitive. You could look but not touch, and until now that had been fine with me. Nowhere on Centaurius did anything remotely like this mad chaos of color and humanity exist. Even our parties were stately and formal and I was filled with an inexplicable sense of loss.

Maybe I had a tiny bit of nature girl in me after all, although I wasn’t going to get carried away and actually touch dirt.

The commander was watching me closely, his crystal eyes entirely too knowledgeable, so I cleared my throat and gestured at the mayhem below us. “Which tent belongs to Chief Lowden?”

“His is the large green and gold one in the center of the field. The slightly smaller tents scattered around it belong to the heads of families.”

From the data I’d studied on board Lillith, there were fourteen Bashalde “families” on Madrea, and their heads made up the Bashalde council. They were the ones who upheld tribal laws, settled disputes among their families, and
advised the chief, although Lowden had the last word on any larger issues that might arise. The Bashalde also controlled the majority of the sunstone deposits.

A million questions crowded my mind as I studied the tents, like what the treaty with the king involved and were there any current disputes between the two groups, not counting the wars they’d waged against each other in the past. But asking Reynard would expose how very little I knew of what was supposed to be my own people, so I tucked them away for later discussion with Marcus.

As we crossed the first bridge to merge with the crowd, Peri returned to perch on my shoulder. The silly creature trilled a musical greeting to everyone we passed, drawing even more attention than she normally would. So many people stopped to gawk that we caused a jam in the flow of foot traffic.

Hush
, I told her.
We’re supposed to be inconspicuous
,
not putting on a show
.

With a rebellious ruffling of her feathers, she settled down to watch a colorfully dressed man juggling balls, her head tilting from one side to the other as she studied him, her curiosity flowing over me in waves. For that matter, I was curious, too. He was the first male Bashalde I’d seen and I couldn’t help noticing how strikingly attractive he was with his dark looks and slim build.

He caught me staring and winked, his ebony eyes flashing with merriment. Beside me, Reynard stiffened just enough for me to notice. When I glanced up to see what the problem was, I discovered him glaring a warning at the juggler.

Chuckling, the man turned back to entertain the group that gathered around him, seemingly paying no attention to the coins being dropped into a cup near his feet.

Could it be that the commander was jealous? A warm rush
of happiness set my blood singing, but it faded quickly when I realized his protective stance might have more to with my unknown stalker than lust for my person.

As if to verify my suspicion, Marcus waited for us to catch up with him and then fell into place on my left. Since the commander was with us, he’d given Bim the day off from his guard duty.

“There’s an excellent garment maker just ahead,” he told me. “If you’d like, we can get that out of the way so you can enjoy the rest of the gathering.”

When I replied in the affirmative they steered me to an open booth with a small red-and-white tent behind it. A middle-aged woman, slim and pretty, glanced in our direction and then put down her sewing and came to greet us with a smile. “Marcus, I hoped you’d come to the gathering today. I have a package for Treya. You can pick it up when you’re ready to leave.”

“I’ll be happy to.”

The smile he gave her was that of a man very familiar with the woman he was aiming it at, and I took a closer look. Did I say she was pretty? Striking would be more apt, with a single lock of stark white forming a widow’s peak in an otherwise inky sea of thick, shiny hair.