Close Contact (20 page)

“It will be done as soon as we return,” Lowden agreed. “I will personally see to Zeller.” When he reached for his knife, both Reynard and Marcus braced themselves, but the chief merely offered the blade to me hilt first.

“I regret my part in the troubles that Strand has brought to Madrea,” he said. “If you’ll allow it, I’d like to replace the knife that was stolen from you. If the need arises, Jancen and I will bear witness to your innocence, and the Bashalde stand ready to aide you with your mission. Whatever is required of us, we will do without question.”

“Thank you.” I took the knife and sheathed it. “I accept both the knife and the offer of assistance. If we make it through this, I’ll personally see to it that the Federation supplies a trained mediator for talks between you and the king.”

Marcus arched a brow at me, but I didn’t have time to react.

“Echo, I’m picking up a heat signature—” The rest of Lillith’s words were cut off as Peri hissed, her eyes going blood red as she launched from my shoulder like a rocket and shot toward a section of woods to our left. From her mind I got the image of a man releasing the string of a bow that was aimed directly at Lowden.

The whistle of the arrow was already loud when I went into overdrive. Luckily, Lowden wasn’t that far away. In two steps I grabbed him and tossed him out of danger.

Unfortunately, I was busy moving him and didn’t have time to stop the arrow. It hit me in the right shoulder, going in my back with the tip protruding in front just below my clavicle.

I staggered and dropped out of overdrive, the pain fierce and hot as it surged through me, taking me to my knees. From the direction of the woods a man screamed and then came the sound of something large crashing through brush.

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in what had happened. Of course, Reynard was the first to react.

“Echo!” Fear laced his voice as he dropped down beside me.

“I’ll be fine,” I told him through clenched teeth. “Just get it out.”

The others gathered round as he examined the arrow. “You saved my life,” Lowden said, voice shaking. “How can I ever repay you?”

“Find Zeller,” I ground out, “
and kill him.
He’s the one who shot the arrow. There’s no way he could have heard us, but just the fact that we were meeting must have told him we’re joining forces.”

“Let me get a healer,” Jancen said, his brow furrowed with worry.

“I don’t need one,” I told him, and then winced as Reynard jostled the shaft.

“I need to break off the fletching,” he told me. “It’s going to hurt when I push it through.”

“It already hurts.”

“This will be worse.” With no further warning, he snapped the end off the arrow and shoved it through my shoulder with his left hand, the right one pulling from the front.

A shocked gasp escaped my lips, and if I hadn’t already been on the ground, I would have fallen. Blood, hot and sticky, coated the front of my top and ran down my back, but slowed quickly as the pain was gradually replaced with soothing warmth.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. That’s much better.”

Lowden and Jancen were staring at the spot where the arrow had entered, awe on their faces. “It’s healed,” Jancen whispered. “Your skin is just slightly pink where the arrow pierced.”

Lowden glanced at my face. “I wasn’t sure I believed all they told me about you.”

“Believe it,” I told him, pushing to my feet while Reynard steadied me with a hand on my arm. “And they don’t know the half of it.
I’m
not even sure I know everything I’m capable of yet. My creator didn’t let me in on his design plans.”

I glanced toward the woods as Peri winged her way back across the clearing, radiating smug satisfaction. “She scratched him up some before he got away,” I told them. “Lillith, are you tracking him?”

Jancen and Lowden both looked around. “Who is Lillith?” Jancen asked when they saw no one else.

“My ship. She’s a self-aware artificial intelligence.” I paused to listen to her response. “She says she tracked him to the river using the heat his body gives off, but when he got wet it cooled him down and she lost him.”

“Leave Zeller to me,” Lowden said. “I’ll send my best men to track him on foot. We’ll find him.”

“Then we’ll leave you to your hunt,” I said. “I’m in desperate need of something to eat. That’s the only downside of healing so fast.”

“Come with us back to the gathering,” Jancen said. “It’s closer and it would be our honor to see you fed.”

“Thank you, but I’ll be fine until we get to Marcus’s house. I’m sure you both have a lot to do tonight.”

With a final bow, they hurried on their way, and I leaned against Reynard until their lamp bobbed out of sight.

“Are you sure you’re truly healed?” he asked me as darkness enfolded us again.

“Yes, but I’m a little shaky. Apparently, it takes a lot of energy to heal a wound like that.”

He leaned over and scooped me into his arms, holding me snuggly against his chest.

“I can walk,” I told him. But I have to admit, my protest was pretty weak. It felt good to be held like that, and his warmth eased a deep chill inside me that I hadn’t noticed until now.

“Hush,” he said, lips brushing my hair. “It’s no hardship to carry you.”

“I’ll go ahead and make sure there’s food waiting,” Marcus told us. “Keep a watch out, commander. Zeller may not have gone far, and you don’t heal the way Echo does.”

“Nor do you.”

“Then we’ll both be careful,” Marcus replied as he hurried away.

“I don’t understand why I’m still weak,” I murmured as Reynard followed more slowly. “The Imadei provides me with energy. Lillith, do you know?”

“You lost quite a bit of blood, and the wound was severe. It took a lot of energy for your body to repair itself. I’ve done
a scan and you’ll be fine after you eat. The Imadei’s energy flows at a steady rate, so even if you didn’t eat you would be back to normal by morning.”

“That’s good.” I muffled a yawn and let my head rest against Reynard’s chest. I must have fallen asleep, because it was the last thing I remembered until we went through the door of Marcus’s house.

The scent of food woke me, and I wiggled until Reynard deposited me on my feet, my stomach rumbling in anticipation. You’d think I hadn’t eaten in days from the way I felt.

The table was piled with food, so much that Marcus must have emptied the Terpsichore’s kitchen. He and Bim were removing the last of it from trays when I rinsed my hands, then sat down and started eating, sending them mental blessings for the hot coffee that accompanied the meal.

“Bim is upset that you were hurt and he wasn’t there to stop it,” Marcus told me.

Uh-huh. And he knew this how? I stopped chewing to stare at the big man. To my eyes, he wore the same stoic expression as always, and I’d never heard him utter a single word. Maybe Marcus was just so used to him that he could read some body language cue I was missing.

“I’m sorry, Bim. We weren’t expecting trouble or we’d have taken you with us,” I told him. “And it’s really not as bad as it looks.”

I probably should have changed out of the blood-soaked top before I ate, but my need for food had been more pressing. I went back to chewing, then noted Bim was still standing there. Apparently, more assurance was needed.

“Next time, we’ll make sure you go with us,” I told him.

That must have been what he was waiting for, because he gave me a curt nod and backed away to the door, staying on the inside. Guess he wanted to make sure I didn’t sneak off without him.

It was a bit of a novelty, having all these different people concerned with my welfare. Reynard was understandable, as was Marcus. But Durtran had made it clear he owed me a debt of gratitude, and now Lowden and Jancen were ready to go to war at one word from me.

I wasn’t sure I liked having that much power over the lives of others. Not that I had much choice in the matter.

Unconsciously, I touched the Imadei. My choice had been taken away the second I became aware of the crystal back at headquarters. Everything else I’d gone through, and would go through in the future, stemmed from that one second in time.

Fate was a funny thing. But without it, I’d never have met Reynard, and that made everything else worthwhile.

Now, I’d just have to make sure we all lived to see another cycle. Somehow.

All three men were looking at me with a touch of awe in their gazes by the time I pushed my plate back. “What?” I asked, puzzled.

Marcus grinned. “I don’t think any of us have ever seen a woman eat that much in one sitting. Feeling better?”

I did a quick mental rundown of my health. “Much better, actually. Completely back to normal.” I pulled on the sticky top. “Well, except I could use a shower. And, scritch it, a different top. This was one of my new ones, and now it’s ruined.”

“Cammi can make you another,” he told me, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

I just bet he would. He’d probably been wracking his brain for an excuse to see her, anyway.

“Are you sure you’re recovered?” Reynard asked. “I should go talk to the king, but I don’t want to leave you if you’re still weak.”

“Really, I’m fine. You should go. His life might be in danger.” I hesitated. “Are you going to tell him everything?”

“No, just enough to make sure he’s alert to the danger.”

“I think that’s smart,” I told him as we stood. “I’d really hate for him to throw me off the planet.”

“So would I. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course.” I leaned closer and kissed him. “Good night, Commander.”

When he was gone I went to my room and gathered up clean clothes. Marcus was stacking dishes on the tray as I returned to the front room.

“I’m going to run these next door. Shouldn’t take more than a minute. You can walk out with me.”

Bim held the door for us, and then accompanied me down the path to the privy. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d insisted on coming inside with me, but he merely checked the space thoroughly and then stationed himself outside the door.

Peri was thrilled that we were taking another shower, and splashed for all she was worth, but I rushed through the ablutions in spite of her mutterings at my hurry. There were a few more things I had to do tonight—things I didn’t want Reynard or Marcus to know about—and one of them I didn’t dare attempt until Marcus was safely asleep.

By the time I dressed and got back to the house, he had returned, and I gave him a small wave as I headed for my room. “I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.”

I waited just long enough for Peri to squeeze through, and then closed the door and went to the bed. Without undressing, I stretched out and closed my eyes.

It only took a second for me to lock onto Zeller’s DNA, and I didn’t bother with the dream state.

He was outside, crouched behind a bush as he watched a
group of Bashalde men search the ground in the light of the lamps they carried. Deep scratches adorned his cheeks and forehead, and I smiled. Good for Peri.

We weren’t far from the castle, I realized. Another few minutes and he might have made it safely inside.

My grin was evil as I slid up closer behind him. When I spoke, I deliberately kept my voice to a low, spooky whisper.

“Oh, Zeller.”

He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see me step through a tree. “Boo!” I told him.

The man was still screaming when Lowden’s troops surrounded him, weapons at the ready.

I
was chuckling as I popped back into my body. Who knew being a ghost could be so much fun? Even Peri was quivering with suppressed excitement, although in her case it was more because she’d picked up what was coming next from me. For once, she wasn’t asleep two seconds after she hit the bed.

Waiting impatiently, I listened to the sounds of the house settling around me, the creaks and groans, and the rustles as Marcus took to his bed. He shifted a few times, then went still.

It was thirty minutes later when soft snores issued from his room, and I decided it was safe to put my second plan into action.

Slipping out of bed, I retrieved the bundle I’d hidden earlier, and shook out a pair of dark trousers and an equally dark shirt. They were too big for me, but I’d fixed that by swiping a belt, too. Luckily, Marcus had small feet. His boots would be a pretty good fit if I added a couple pair of socks before I put them on.

By the time I stripped and redressed, Peri was on the window ledge, peering into the darkness with anticipation.
She took flight, hovering just outside as I tiptoed to the opening and boosted myself through.

I’d barely hit the ground when a darker, bulky shadow separated from the corner of the house and stepped closer. I was reaching for my knife when I recognized the man’s outline.

Well, scritch. I’d expected Bim to retire for the night when Marcus and I were abed. Instead, there he was, staring at me with reproach in his eyes, that massive axe held crosswise over his chest.

My shoulders slumped in resignation, and I let out a deep sigh. I’d have to let him go with me, whether I wanted to or not.

“We have to be quiet,” I told him in a whisper. “And I’m going to be moving fast. Can you keep up with me?”

He moved the axe to a sling on his back and gave a curt nod.

If he couldn’t, he’d simply have to lag behind, even if it hurt his feelings. I had a lot of ground to cover tonight, and it was important I be back by dawn so no one missed me.

I set off through the backyards of the nearest homes to avoid the main street, keeping to the shadows as we got closer to the castle. Bim moved amazingly well for such a big man, and had no trouble staying with me up to that point.

Things were about to change, though.

The moon was clear, all the clouds gone and the fog had lifted when we stepped out of the woods on the far side of the gathering field. I paused for a moment to get my bearings.

“Which way, Lillith?” I subvocalized as I surveyed the land around me. It appeared to be mostly fields, with the occasional tree here and there showing up as a darker shape in the pale blue-white light of the moon.

“Straight ahead, and a bit to the right,” she replied.

I knew that somewhere above me, the ship was sliding away from the cover of her asteroid, making her way in the same direction.

“Here we go,” I told Bim, and took off at a very fast ground-eating lope. “Any idea how far, Lillith?”

“I suspect they’re about eighty kilometers away, near the base of the eastern mountains,” she said. “That’s where the largest of the Madrean mines is located.”

“Let me know when we’re close. I don’t want to run right into the middle of a pack of men carrying blasters.”

Together, Bim and I ran through the moon-shadowed night, our muffled steps the only sound except for the noise of alien-sounding insects. Peri winged ahead of us, circling occasionally as if to hurry us along.

Again, Bim surprised me. I couldn’t go into overdrive for a long period of time because my energy level had taken a beating earlier. But I didn’t slow my pace, either, going much faster than the average Natural. Even at a steady lope, I could cover approximately forty kilometers an hour.

And he kept up with me, not even breathing hard as far as I could tell. Obviously, the results of Lillith’s scan showing that the Madreans had evolved naturally to a GEP level were right, and I wondered what on the planet had caused the phenomenon. Something in the air? The water? The very ground they walked on? Or maybe a combination of all three.

I just hoped the planet survived long enough for the Federation scientists to figure it out.

We continued on until the ground began an upward slope, Peri alternately flying and riding on my shoulder, and I was wondering if Lillith had miscalculated the location of Strand’s ship. The moon had almost reached its zenith before she spoke.

“I have the ship. It’s about twenty minutes ahead of you and a bit to your left.”

“Is it an artificial intelligence?” I asked anxiously, slowing my pace a bit and noting Bim follow my lead.
Stay
, I sent to Peri when she started to take off.

“Yes, but it’s one of the earliest models, very rudimentary. Its higher functions are mostly limited to the mathematical equations needed for navigation.”

“And its weapons?” I asked.

“Standard and mostly up to date,” she said. “The detection program is turned off, or it would have picked me up and sounded an alarm by now. They must be sure I’ll stay over Bastion City.”

“Yeah, ’cause they think that’s where I am. Almost there,” I added aloud for Bim’s sake.

Suddenly, something big stomped, and then there was a snort from directly in front of us.

Bim grabbed my arm and towed me to the left while I stared over my shoulder at the hulking shapes of five or six big animals that all seemed to be looking back at me. Horses, I realized. I should have been on the lookout for them. How else would Strand travel here? He certainly couldn’t take a PTV when he went to the castle.

After a shudder of disgust, I pulled away from Bim and we continued on side by side until a glow of light appeared ahead of us, and I slowed yet again, barely jogging now. This radiance wasn’t the soft mellow shine given off by sunstones. It was the harsh beam of halogen lamps. It became brighter abruptly as we topped a rise, and both Bim and I instantly dropped to the ground. Peri let out an indignant squeak at the action, then hopped to the ground and glared at me.

On our stomachs, we edged forward until we could peer into the small valley below.

A medium-sized ship was nestled at one end near an opening in the side of the hill, from which issued voices and scraping sounds. As we watched, Losif Strand stepped from
the ship’s hatch and met a man waiting at the bottom of the steps. We were close enough that I had no problem overhearing their conversation, and I ordered Peri to stay silent.

“What was so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?” Strand asked the man.

“Zeller has been captured,” the man blurted. Even from our perch above them I could see the sweat bead on his brow.

Strand stiffened. “By who?”

“Lowden,” the man said. “Chine said he must have discovered our duplicity.”

Strand relaxed marginally. “As long as it wasn’t the Federation agent, I don’t see the problem.”

“Braxus is worried. He thinks we should move the plan up in case Lowden talks to the king.”

“The plan depends on perfect timing. I’ll decide when to put it in action, not Chine. Besides, what can Lowden tell the king?” Strand gave a negligent wave with one hand. “That he’s signed an agreement with us to export sunstones? Politaus would toss him in a dungeon for breaking the ban. Even if Zeller spills his guts to Lowden, why would Politaus believe him? To him, I’m just the lowly black marketeer who sells him illegal books, a fact he doesn’t want the general population to know about.”

“Do not underestimate Lowden, Strand. He’s entirely capable of taking matters into his own hands without the king’s approval if he thinks you’ve cheated him, and the man was taught by a master strategist. If it comes to a fight, not even your blasters will stop his people, and they’ll follow him unquestioningly.”

“Then the sand will run with their blood,” Strand said. “The Bashalde can die as easily as any other men.”

A low growl came from beside me, and I jumped before realizing it was Bim. I’d forgotten he was Bashalde.

Quickly, I put a steadying hand on his arm and shook my head. Praise Zin, he settled down. I didn’t need him charging the ship. That was my job. The entire purpose of this little jaunt was to see if the Sumantti was on board, and if it was, to retrieve it, something I couldn’t do in my ghost form. Plus, while I’d been in the same room with Strand on numerous occasions, I’d never actually been close enough to the man to get a lock on his DNA.

That was about to change, of course, since I could go so fast no one would see me. And it needed to be now, while Strand was outside and occupied.

I poked Bim on the shoulder and leaned as close as I could get to him. “I’m going to be gone for a minute,” I told him. “Don’t move.”
Stay with Bim
, I told Peri.

By the time he turned his head to stare at me, I was in overdrive and at the ship. It was as if the whole world came to a standstill while I was the only thing moving through it.

I went by Strand near enough to touch him, and leaped over the steps into the ship, my feet never hitting a single rung. And I didn’t slow down, even then. Staying in overdrive, I searched the place top to bottom, nearly tearing the door off a locker because it wasn’t meant to be opened and closed that fast.

I looked in every place big enough to hold a stasis box until I could feel my speed begin to outpace my energy input. I’d never stayed in overdrive so long before, and it was time to get out. The box wasn’t there. All I found of interest was five chests full of sunstones and a large stash of weapons. I hesitated before deciding against taking a blaster. I couldn’t risk getting caught with a Federation weapon, no matter how tempted I was to help myself. I also didn’t want Strand to know I’d been inside his ship.

On the bright side, I’d now gotten a lock on Strand’s
DNA. I could keep an eye on him and hope he led me to the Sumantti.

Jumping out of the ship, I dashed back up the hill. Strand had only moved a centimeter, and the man with him still had his mouth open on the same word.

I dropped to the ground before coming out of overdrive. Bim was still looking at me, this time in puzzlement. But I didn’t have time to worry about him. A wave of dizziness washed over me that had my eyes closing until it passed. When it did, I edged backward, motioning for Bim and Peri to follow.

As soon as we were far enough away, I stood, using Bim’s arm to steady myself. Somehow, I had to gather enough energy to run all the way back to Bastion City by morning.

“Is there anything to eat around here?” I asked Bim softly. “Maybe a fruit tree or some edible tubers I could dig up?”

Silently, he reached into a pouch hooked onto his belt and pulled out a wrapped package. When he handed it to me, I caught the familiar scent of spiced meat. Familiar because I’d smelled it cooking before, at the Bashalde gathering.

It was some kind of sausage, I discovered when I unwrapped it and took a bite. And it was apparently fortified with nutrients, since energy flowed through me from the first swallow.

I ate the whole thing and then handed the cloth wrapper back to Bim. “Thank you. It’s a good thing you came with me. I might not have made it back otherwise.”

He nodded and tucked the cloth back into his pouch as we walked. Soon, we’d have to start running again, but I wanted to be a little farther away from Strand before we did. I also needed to talk to Bim about what he’d heard, even if he didn’t talk back.

“I know what you heard back there upset you,” I told him. “But I’m going to ask you not to do anything yet.”

When he only looked at me, I continued. “Lowden knows about those men and what they’re up to. I told him earlier today. That’s why he captured Zeller. Well, that and Zeller tried to kill him.”

He reached over and touched the spot where the arrow had come out under my clavicle, brow arched in question.

“Yes, I stopped the arrow that was meant for Lowden.”

After a moment’s thought, he pointed at me, then upward, toward the stars. He was a smart man, even if he didn’t speak.

“Yes, I’m the Federation agent Strand mentioned. I’m here because he stole a very dangerous object. All of our lives may depend on my getting it back before he tries to use it. Now, let’s move it before everyone on Madrea knows what we’ve been up to.”

We took off at a full run, Peri flying in front of us. “Are you headed back to the asteroid?” I asked Lillith.

“Yes. I only stayed long enough to be sure they were loading sunstones onto Strand’s ship, and to get proof if they were.”

“And?”

“They are and I did. I just sent the vids to my archives. Nice of them to light the place up so well. Got some good ones of Strand, so he can’t say he didn’t know about it.”

“Good. You might want to alert Dr. Daniels. He can probably use them in the emergency council session he’s called.”

“Already done.”

“You might also want to mention that there were already five chests of sunstones in the ship’s hold this trip. With their price on the Federation market, that’s enough to fund an entire armada. And there’s not much telling how many loads he’s taken out before now.”

After that, I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Even Gertz GEPs occasionally need rest, and I was dead on my feet. I hadn’t slept much the night before, either. Not that I was complaining. Being with Reynard was worth a little sleep deprivation.

We reached Marcus’s house just as the last sliver of moon vanished below the horizon, and nothing had ever looked as good to me as that house did.

“Go get some sleep,” I told Bim. “That’s what I’m going to do.”

I’m not sure he believed me, because he waited until I scooted back through the window before he walked away. I didn’t check to see if he was truly gone, just stripped and collapsed onto the bed. I barely had the willpower to pull the blanket up.

I fell asleep to the sound of Peri’s snores coming from the pillow beside my head.

“Echo.” The bed vibrated as it was struck by a booted foot.

I pulled the blanket over my head. “Go away,” I mumbled.

The vibration came again. “It’s noon. I thought you were simply exhausted from the wound you received yesterday, but I see there was more to it than that.”