Collateral Trade (22 page)
Authors: Candace Smith
Chaya could not imagine setting her loose to do whatever this battle entailed. Isari and Taliquant were having the same misgivings, but they had more experience believing and trusting in the Ancient. They also knew that sometimes her visions involved sacrifice.
“Tian, you too. I need you to get my mind straight,” Sharell said.
The training bay was mostly empty. There were target areas and guns, some simulated shuttles that she might check out in private with Tian, and various areas to practice hand to hand combat. Nisanta’s dark twin was holding his own in a holographic boxing match. “Perfect,” she whispered.
The man turned and looked as though he wanted to run. Other than quiet thanks for introducing Janella to him, he had avoided Sharell. He straightened, and decided it was time to offer an appropriate apology to his Commander’s mate. He walked up with his hand extended to Chaya, and Sharell swung her long leg forward and kicked him in the balls. He bent over and his jaw connected with her doubled fists, only to have his throat mashed by her jabbing elbow on the upswing. He collapsed on the mat, groaning.
Sharell grinned down at him. “That makes us even for not telling anyone Ayana had been escaping.”
Chaya and Tian stared at her. Their eyes strobed between dark anger and light passion from her display.
Is she not magnificent, Chaya?
See how her breasts push against her vest with her deep breaths. And her leg sweeping out… why did she not attack us?
“Now,” Sharell began. “Apparently the guys I’ll be facing are really old, so I doubt I’ll need more than that to kick ass.” She did not see the need to mention they were ancients with more power than Miranda, and scrambled noodles for brains. She looked at Chaya’s shocked expression. “What?”
“You could have done that to us?” Tian asked.
Sharell shrugged. “I took self-defense like a maniac as soon as I was old enough. I figured you’d either shoot me or put me in that cage in your room. Either way, it seemed easier to try to get with your program.”
“All along you were trying to mate with us?” Chaya asked. It certainly did not seem that way.
“No, but I couldn’t get out of your room, so I decided it might be better to try to cooperate.” She looked at their incredulous expressions. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t
that
bad.”
Chaya looked down at the man on the ground. “It wasn’t
that
bad,” he amended. “What is it you want me to teach you?” He actually felt a little better, knowing she was not defenseless. It was terribly confusing.
Sharell walked over to the lap pool and stared into the water. “I need you to teach me how to swim.” When she was five, her father called her a baby for still needing arm floats. He pulled them off her arms and tossed her into the deep end of the country club’s pool. Her mother jumped in with her clothes on to save her. Sharell had not gone near water over her head since then.
Tian felt her fear and sent a calming wave. “Thanks. You know why?”
“I know why, and I have already told Chaya. We don’t need to speak about it.”
Chaya’s eyes beat anger and he worked to accept Tian’s calming influence. “You will need to know how to do this? I don’t like that you will have to face a fear from your past, as well as having to do this in battle.”
“I don’t like it either, but the planet we’re going to is almost underwater.” Sharell decided not to mention the slip-streams.
Chaya walked up to a cabinet and removed a bottle. He tossed it in his hand and turned to bring it back to them. “I will teach you to swim, but if you get tired, take one of these. They will conserve your oxygen and you will be able to stay submerged for about an hour.” Sharell stuck the bottle into her pocket. She would split the contents with Rue and Tempest.
Just before she began removing her clothes, Nisanta’s dark twin stumbled over. “I am sorry. I was a coward for not admitting she escaped, but I had no idea she would try to hurt you.”
“We’re even,” Sharell replied.
The man pulled his gaze away from her. The sight of a lady warrior was disarming. “Um, Janella. Is she a warrior, too?”
“I taught her to hold her own, so you’d better watch yourself.”
“Yes. Yes, I will warn Nisanta of this.” He staggered away.
Sharell laughed. “Janella couldn’t hurt a fly. There wasn’t any reason to teach her self-defense, because Security wouldn’t let the guys near us anyway.”
Chaya taught her how to swim underwater and dog paddle to the surface for a gulp of air. She was strong, and moved gracefully below surface, but looked like a drowning rat when she broke for a breath. Half the time, her hair covered her face and she sucked whistled gasps between the soaked sheet. Still, beneath the water, she was a lean mermaid, her nude body stretching and pulling her forward.
Tian stripped and jogged down the steps. “Diane and Larry joined in a pool.”
“You are certain of this?”
“Absolutely,” Tian replied.
Sharell took long strokes to reach the shallow end and stood gulping in air. “How was that?” She looked at the light passionate eyes and lowered her gaze to magnified erections under the water. “Pretty good, I guess.” She waded over to the steps and sat on Chaya’s lap, wrapping her arms around Tian’s neck.
Chaya held her buoyant breasts, entranced by the taut nipples. He pinched and pulled, enjoying the increased length. Sharell squirmed in his lap, feeling herself clench wetness. Her lips brushed across Tian’s and she darted her tongue into his mouth. She felt him reaching for something and sat up.
He took an oxygen pill from the bottle in her pocket and popped it into his mouth. “The chapter might have ended differently if Larry had one of these.” With that, Tian slid off the step and submerged. His blonde hair floated in long golden strands and his hands wrapped around her waist.
Sharell gasped when he lifted and turned her so she lay with her back against Chaya. Chaya was still absorbed with her breasts, and he hissed and bit into her neck when his brother settled Sharell onto his cock. “Oh, damn,” Sharell gritted out. Her thighs were spread outside Chaya’s and his entire length sank into her.
Tian’s face moved towards her pussy, and she struggled to slam her thighs together. Chaya mumbled, “You will not…”
“I know. I know, dammit. Not without permission. Tian better be able to use his mind link underwater.” If he could, he was purposely ignoring her. Sharell was in crisis by the time he finally surfaced, still using his fingers to toy with her clit while her hands batted and splashed the water. By the time Chaya finally gave her permission to come, most of her fear of the water was gone.
The battleships continued to cruise to the outer worlds. They passed Rashilla Three and Lameria, approaching their destination. The men knew their battleship plan, and the women had settled on their own devised strategy.
Commander Chaya stared at the speck through the viewport, and turned the helm over to his relief. He walked slowly to his quarters. This would be their last night before they reached Aquadea and the battle ahead.
After mostly holding Sharell, with Tian pushing confidence and calmness into her until weary lines surrounded his eyes, she slept between them while the twins stared into the darkness.
They were awoken to the sound of battleship station alarms ringing through the corridors. Chaya dressed quickly, and Sharell rose and walked to the door with him. He held her face in his hands and searched her brezan eyes. “Will you be here when I return?”
Tian walked up behind her, and said quietly, “Protect her shuttle, Chaya. I will stay here to keep away from the battle and concentrate on calming our mate.”
Chaya’s lips crushed down onto hers. He glared into her eyes. “I will come for you when this is over. I will find you, Sharell. Tian and I will bring you home.”
She smiled. “I know you will, Chaya. Now, go kick some ass.”
She dressed slowly with Tian sitting next to her. “Thank you, Tian. I can feel your influence and I’ll be all right.”
She sat up and ran her fingers through his hair. “My life was so empty and scary before I met you. I’m not ready to give up on that. You asked me once how I could bear my loneliness. I’m not lonely any more, Tian. I have a family who loves me.” She rested her head against his chest. “Feel me, Tian. Feel who I am, and come find me.”
Sharell felt him freeze, and she whispered, “I don’t know how I know this, but something is going to happen. Even Chaya can sense this. I will need you to search for me. Please, please don’t give up and leave me alone.”
“We will find you, Sharell. Listen for my voice when you are afraid.” Tian searched for her mouth and kissed her slowly, memorizing her taste and every inch of her. Then they rose, and he walked her to the shuttlecraft.
* * * * *
Tian had been sneaking her to the practice arena to guide her with the simulator. She was confident with the controls and could accurately land in a small bay. First, she flew to Rue.
Isari was standing beside her. Rue was dressed in her warrior garb, with a dagger buckled into a holster on her belt. “Let go, big guy. It’s time to get on with this drama.” Rue threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Get back to the helm before Varpin drives this thing into the planet.” She swiped the tears off her cheeks when she climbed into the shuttle. “My big guy won’t teach me how to fly these things.”
“Yeah, well, this is my first solo act,” Sharell laughed nervously.
“Shit.”
They docked in the Vallasteria ship’s bay. Taliquant was crushing Tempest against his chest. She was also dressed in warrior garb… though with her usual gothic flair. “I will miss you more than the crystal palace, more than the stars and moons that circle our home, more than…”
“Cripes, Tali. You can’t miss me if you don’t let go of me.” Tempest struggled to pull away from him. She gripped his face in both hands and pulled him down for a fierce kiss. “If you get back before me, make sure mom hasn’t spoiled the kids too much. They’re always impossible after a few days with her.”
Tempest strode up to the shuttlecraft and climbed in. “Let’s kick some ancient ass.”
“Yuck,” Rue laughed.
The shuttle lurched out of the bay and headed towards the planet. “So, how long you been driving this thing? Tali won’t let me near the controls.”
“This is her first solo flight,” Rue answered.
“Cripes. Do you even know where we’re going to land?”
“In the water, I suppose,” Sharell answered. She tried to aim towards the two landmasses, but she did not want to guess where they would find a shuttlebay.
Things were exploding around them and from the viewport they could see it was weapons from the two moons that were firing on the battleships. “Let the party begin,” Rue murmured.
“How long are they going to keep it up?” Sharell asked.
“Tali was told to disengage after we broke through the atmosphere.”
“Then we’ll really be alone?” Rue stroked her fingers down her dagger.
Sharell felt Tian’s comforting swipe, and she smiled. At least she would not be without her mate. The two small landmasses were covered with buildings, and water lapped at foundations. “Water it is,” Sharell announced. In the distance she could see the sails of a small boat, and she skidded across the waves. “Everyone got your oxy pills?”
“Yes, and Tempest and I will help hold you up.” Rue was the best swimmer out of the bunch. In Florida, she had been half owner in a pool cleaning company and had lived her life near the water.
The shuttle stopped gliding forward and slowly began to sink. The young women opened the hatch and climbed out, waving to the boat in the distance. At last, they were treading water, swimming in the direction of the vessel.
Sharell discovered that fully clothed and fighting the waves was much more exhausting than swimming naked in the pool. Even with the oxygen pill, she coughed up the salty brine. Tempest had to let go and concentrate on moving herself forward. The ship changed course in their direction, and Rue willed it to move faster. Holding Sharell up had proved a bigger hindrance than she had anticipated. Of course, she had not planned on landing in the middle of a damn ocean, either. Somewhere along the swim, her dagger worked free from the holster and sank.
“Cripes,” Tempest gasped. “So not a good omen to start out on.”
The schooner pulled alongside and dropped a rope ladder down the hull. Sharell worked her way onto deck and collapsed, with Tempest soon landing beside her. Rue managed to keep her feet, as long as she hung onto the railing.
A man as large as Isari walked up and surveyed the half-drowned women. “I am Captain Vincent LeSeure,” he announced.
Rue swung out a hand. “Glad to meet ya’.” She looked up into the pirate’s dark eyes, and announced, “We’ve come to save you.” Her knees buckled and she sank to the deck beside Sharell and Tempest.
It took a long while before the women caught their breath and their muscles were no longer jelly. A woman sat next to them, silently waiting. When they sat up, she said, “I’m Cass. Something big is going on, and I suppose you have answers.”
“What’s happening?” Tempest asked.
“There was all this firefight in the sky, and then you guys landed.” Cass laughed uneasily. “Now the seas are receding. It’s like they’re being sucked into a cave.”
“Shit, they’ve slip-streamed,” Rue muttered. “You from Earth?”
Under any other circumstances, Cass would have laughed. Not now, though. “Yes. I’ve been here about three months, as close as I can tell. Weird things happen in Aquadea.” She looked at the women and sighed. “This is going to sound crazy, but we’re in the middle of a pirate war.”
Tempest looked at her. “You know what a slip-stream is?”
Cass nodded. “I didn’t know that’s what it was called, but I think that’s how Addie and I arrived here.”
Rue looked up at the pirates. They were standing by the rail watching the water. “Let me guess. You fell for mister macho, there.”
Cass laughed. “Oh yeah, big time.”
Rue shook her head. “Something about off planet guys.”
“Cass, do you know where the stream is?” Sharell asked.
“I think Vincent can find it. Actually, the sandbar it was on sank after he saved us, but it’s above water again now.”
Vincent looked down at them. “Can you keep the Makers away for good?”
“That’s the plan,” Tempest replied.
“And ye’ think this stream is how they got here?”
Sharell nodded. “We know that it is.”
“We’ll be taking you there, but I’ll be warning you. If you think they’re gone and you’ll be chasing them, we’ll be sealing it off after you’re through.”
None of the women wanted to ask what had happened on this strange world. They rose and stood with the pirates as they sailed towards the horizon. More sandbars were emerging from the depths. Some joined together, creating larger dry spaces. The pirate captain ignored them.
At sunset they reached the spot, and the women stared at a clump of rocks on the end of a sandbar. Cass said, “When we came through, the water spilled into the sea.”
Now, it was sucking down the surrounding waters. Tempest said, “It won’t take you back. That’s not where it’s leading.”
Cass shrugged. “I don’t want to go back, anyway. Neither does Addie, but it will help to be able to tell her it isn’t a possibility.”
The women lowered into the water and swam the short distance to the sandbar. Sharell called back, “Give us ten minutes inside, and then blow the hell out of the entrance.”
“Good luck to you, sky witches,” Vincent answered.
The women stood by the rushing water. “Looks like quite an undertow,” Rue commented. She took the line the pirate handed her, and they cinched their belts together. Rue would go first, connected to Sharell, with Tempest following behind. They each took a pill and slowly stepped towards the entrance. “Shit,” Rue screamed, as the water pulled her forward off her feet.
They spiraled down the cavern, scraping themselves on rock walls and pulled forward by the rushing torrent. For several minutes they tumbled and slid before emerging out of darkness and flying over a waterfall into a pool twenty feet below. They dragged themselves onto a small beach and surveyed their bodies for broken bones. Everyone seemed to be intact, and they looked up at a hazy sky.
“Cripes. I sure as heck don’t want to do that again,” Tempest quivered.
Sharell studied the footprints in the sand. “I can’t believe a bunch of old guys made it through that.”
“They’re ancients. They aren’t like us,” Tempest replied.
The three sets of prints ended at a wall of vines. The women stayed connected by the rope and walked through the hanging vegetation.
“Where the hell are we?” Rue asked.
“Someplace they already destroyed,” Sharell replied. They were standing in a field of mud, with no plants or anything else as far as they could see, other than a line of jagged spires sticking up in the distance. “Come on.” She could not feel Tian in this world and it made her nervous. “This place is dead. There isn’t even any smell here.”
Rue realized she was right. “Damn, this is creepy.”
They walked towards the spires, only because there was nothing else to aim for. The rope kept them tied together in case the mud hid a patch of quicksand. The deepest it got was to their ankles, so they continued to trudge through the muck.
They reached the rocks and Tempest licked her finger and rubbed it. “Nelam. The power is sucked out of it.”
They held hands and walked between the towers, and found themselves standing ankle deep in nasty water inside a cavern. A few feet past the spires, they turned and saw the entrance sealed. “I didn’t like that place, anyway,” Sharell laughed nervously. The three women followed the stream for several minutes until it branched. In the mud on the bottom, they could see two sets of footprints trailing to the right, the other to the left.
“Crap,” Rue exhaled. “Guess our ancients suffered some creative differences.”
Tempest held up her hand, and the sapphire glowed when she placed it at the entrance to the right branch. “This one leads to Vallasteria.”
“Then Miranda should be able to grab them on the other end, right?”
“I don’t know, Rue. There might be other streams off this one further down.”
Sharell’s emerald shined towards the left branch and she slowly nodded, accepting her fate. “Follow them and make sure they kept going to Miranda.” The women stared at her. “Come on, guys. You can’t risk them getting away and if I get into trouble I’m the only one able to call my mates to find me.”
“Tian,” Rue whispered. Suddenly, the thought of psychically enduced erotic responses and games took a back seat to the knowledge this same ability was what was forcing Sharell to face this madness alone.
“Yes, Tian. I think Miranda knew we were going to be separated, and she chose me because of my connection with him.” She untied the rope linking her to Rue and Tempest. In their eyes, she read unease and uncertainty. Sharell smiled, wishing she had her mate’s ability to calm them. “We knew we each had a job to do. It was possible all three of us could be separated.” She glanced down at the two sets of footprints disappearing in the surface beneath the stream. “And we still don’t know that they haven’t split up further downstream. We accepted the task to bring them back and contain the danger they present.” She smiled. “Just hold the party ’til I get there.”
Rue offered a shaky smile in return. “No problem. Sharell, be careful.”
“Gonna’ kick me some ancient ass,” she laughed, and headed down her tunnel. Instead of feeling frightened, Sharell felt a surge of empowerment and confidence as the emerald’s light glowed brighter. Miranda’s strange magic was guiding her, and somehow she did not feel alone.
Rue and Tempest tied together. They took a shaky breath and began to follow the stream to the right. The water gradually deepened to their chests, and after five minutes they slipped in the mud and were whisked to the end of the stream. They tumbled into a clear pool in the Temple on Vallasteria, surprising the Priestess guarding the stream.
They stood on trembling legs, and Rue said, “Well, shoot. It looks like Sharell gets all the fun.” The two young women looked back up the stream feeling guilty for not staying with her.
Warrior mates ran into the chamber, and Tempest had a difficult time looking into Chaya and Tian’s worried eyes. “How long have we been gone?”
Tali pulled her against his chest, and his hands searched her body to make sure he was not imagining she had returned to him. He hugged her close. “Almost three months.”
Tian and Chaya looked up the stream. Rue held Isaria, and whispered to them, “She was fine when we left her a few minutes ago.”
Miranda walked into the chamber with Zulien. “Two ancients are secured in the nelam prison. They slipped the stream and arrived a month ago. One was injured and his brother knew they could not go on.” She smiled sadly at the women. “I was able to open the stream in Aquadea and empty the sea, but I could not find the broken branch the other ancient escaped through.”
“Do you know where it leads?” Rue asked.
Miranda shook her head and her long white hair swayed. “No. It must be leading to either a dead or depleting world with very little crystal. There is no strong signal in the stars from the nelam to guide me.”
Tian felt a strange surge of calmness, and he straightened. “Sharell is all right. If she were truly frightened, I would feel her.”
“Are you certain?” Chaya asked.
“Absolutely,” Tian murmured. He walked back to the altar on the hill overlooking the Temple. It was a place of great power, and he filled his senses with grounding and balance, searching the night sky for his mate.
