Crystal Fire (6 page)

The fire was blazing by the time Marissa returned. Her glance moved to Brace's before skittering away.

"You need to undress," she announced as she once more hung the pot over the flames.

"Well, I can't do it by myself."

Marissa's eyes swung back to his.

Calmly Brace returned her gaze. "I haven't the strength to get my boots off, and I'm not sure about my breeches, either."

Her eyes narrowed. "No games then. I'm not in the mood."

"No games, Marissa. I promise."

With a deep sigh, she moved to his feet and grasped his right boot. After a prolonged struggle, it slipped free. She laid it aside and proceeded to remove the other. When it was free, Marissa eyed him. "Cover yourself with the blanket and pull your breeches down as far as you can. I'll help the rest of the way."

Brace managed to get his clothing down to mid-thigh before his protesting muscles rebelled. He fell back.

"That's it," he gasped. "That's all I can do."

Gingerly Marissa reached beneath the blanket until her fingers brushed his bare leg. She jerked reflexively at the touch of his hair-roughened skin, then forced herself to grasp the bunched-up cloth. With a quick tug she pulled his breeches down to below his knees, then grasped the bottoms and had them off.

The realization that he was naked beneath the blanket filled her with a strange excitement. She had never been so close to an unclothed male before. Yet, why should it matter?

Her imagination was working overtime. Raina, leader of the Sodalitas and Marissa's mentor, had frequently chided her about her inclination to dream. "Life is hard, people even harder," Raina had once told Marissa. "Expect little and you'll never be disappointed." Yet here she was, alone in a cave with a naked male, unaccountably stirred and confused by his presence. Hoping, dreamingfor what?

For degradation and domination, that was what! Self-disgust filled Marissa. Fool! Stupid, loin-crazed fool! That was all it wasthe mating urge. Despite all attempts to forestall it, it was bound to strike her sooner or later. Moracan females were a hot-blooded lot, driven ultimately by the same primal instincts as were the males. It was also the reason they were so easily controlled. But that would never happen to her.
Never!

She climbed to her feet and strode to the fire. For a long moment Marissa battled with her roiling emotions. Her gaze lowered to the hungry flames devouring the little pile of wood. Red-gold and hot, the fire rose and fell in erratic bursts.

Sparks scattered in the air to flicker and die in the thin tongue of smoke that wafted gently upward. Her eyes followed the sooty trail. It wound its slow, sinuous way toward a large opening, the smoke curving as it slipped past a ledge jutting high in the cave.

Stars twinkled brightly through the ashy haze. As Marissa gazed upon their familiar light, an anguished thought lanced through her.

Somewhere out there, on some Imperium planet, Candra waits for me. Waits, and wonders where I am.

Her eyes lowered as the pain of that realization swelled in her breast.
Candra, sweet sister, why won't you answer?
she cried silently.
Why now, when you need me most, do you shut yourself off from me? And do you truly understand the extent of our danger?

"You're strangely pensive," Brace intruded softly. "Do you care to talk about it?"

Marissa blinked in surprise. His audacity never ceased to amaze her. With an emphatic shake of her head, she forced herself back to the matter at hand. "No," she gritted out. "II am just tired, that's all. Let's get on with your bath. Then we can both get some sleep."

A lazy grin spread across his face. "Have at it, then. I but await your pleasure."

Marissa grimaced. "You overvalue yourself, to think I find pleasure in this."

She stooped to rummage through the bag, extracting several rags and a small container of cleansing sand. Grabbing the pot of simmering water, Marissa returned to Brace's side.

He eyed the articles she carried. "You're a thorough little thief, aren't you?"

"A matter of survival," she muttered. "My nose couldn't take much more of your filth."

Marissa opened the container of cleansing sand and moistened a rag in the water. "Now, be quiet and let's get on with it."

Brace's mouth twisted in a smile, but he remained silent. Marissa moved first to his face, gently soaking the blood-clotted brow until it was clean and the wound exposed. She frowned. The jagged cut wasn't deep, but would leave a scar.

"That bad, eh?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, not really. I only wish I had a needle and thread to sew your eyebrow closed. It would heal better that way."

"A most pleasurable consideration, to be sure."

She ignored his obvious lack of enthusiasm and returned to her task. His face was soon cleansed, but the washing did little to improve his overall appearance. If nothing else, the bruises now stood out more prominently, dark purple and glaring. Gently Marissa blotted his face dry.

Next she turned to his chest and torso, then his arms and back. The feel of his flesh, so warm and alive beneath her fingers, roused totally unexpected but quite stimulating sensations. Marissa clamped down on the foolish reactions and forged on. Brace tried to help as best he could but he hurt too badly for any prolonged effort.

Marissa ended up giving most of the bath. She wondered at her efforts to spare him pain, thinking she pampered him overmuch, then rationalized them as just another attempt to conserve his strength.

Finally she moved to his legs, halting her efforts halfway up his thighs. She handed him the rag.

''Here, it's time you finish this."

He arched a quizzical brow. "Why? You were doing so well."

She exhaled an exasperated breath. "Curse you, Brace Ardane! I am
not
going to wash your male parts!" She grabbed his hand and shoved the rag into it, then turned away. "Now do it and get it over with!"

Brace chuckled and finished his bath. Then he tossed the rag over by the pot.

"All done. You can turn around now." The amusement in his voice was not lost on Marissa. She rounded on him.

"Why do you persist in taunting me every step of the way? I saved your life, curse you! If nothing else, I deserve some consideration for that."

He grinned at her, swollen features and all. "Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are when you're angry?"

She gaped at him with slackened jaw, an expression of incredulity on her face. Then renewed anger surged through her.

"Why, you big, blustering"

"Loathsome male?" Brace supplied innocently.

"Yes," Marissa hissed. "That's
exactly
right."

She grabbed his breeches and shoved them into the pot of water.

"What are you doing? Taking out your anger on my clothes?"

She shot him a quick look. "There's no sense going to all the trouble of a bath if you put filthy breeches back on, is there?"

"No, I suppose not. But that means I must sleep unclothed. How do you feel about lying next to a naked man?"

Marissa froze. "Put that thought from your mind. I have no intention of sleeping next to you."

"Oh? Do you plan to get up every hora or so and stoke the fire then? If not, this cave will soon be quite cold. And in my fragile condition, I need all the warmth I can get." She scowled, then returned to her fierce scrubbing of his breeches. "Fine," she gritted through clenched teeth. "That's fine with me. But if you lay one hand"

"I'd never force you to do anything against your will, Marissa. Can't you trust me in that?"

His voice was deep and rich. It caressed her, mesmerized her. Marissa struggled to free herself.

"Trust you?" She shot him an angry look. "And since when has that been a prerequisite for our 'arrangement'? I only want your cooperation."

She pulled the breeches from the pot and wrung them out, spreading them on a nearby rock to dry. Then Marissa returned to Brace's side.

"Keep yourself wrapped in that blanket." She grabbed up the other two blankets. "I'll cover us with these."

Brace shrugged. "As you wish."

He moved over to make a spot for her before the fire. "Come to bed, Marissa."

She glared down for a moment more, then lowered herself to lie beside him. Settling the blankets over them, Marissa scooted up against Brace's backside.

His masculine scent, musky and warm, rose to her nostrils. It was surprisingly pleasant. She hadn't thought a clean male could smell so good. But then, there were a lot of things she hadn't realized about males. "Rest well, sweet femina," he murmured drowsily.

"I am not your"

Marissa halted. Oh, what was the use? He was the most stubborn, arrogant male she'd ever met. And also the most disturbing.

She sighed. "Rest well."

And regain your strength as quickly as possible
, she added mentally.
The sooner we're on our way, the better. And the sooner I can be rid of you. Once and for all
 . . .

Brace jerked from a deep sleep, his heart pounding, his body bathed in sweat. He'd been back in prison, with Mardoc brutally, relentlessly beating him until he screamed from the pain. Screamed on and on until he finally spiraled down into an endless maw of madness.

With an effort, Brace shook the horrible memory aside. Strange that never once in the cycles of his imprisonment had he experienced such a dream. Perhaps it was the newness of his freedom, a freedom he still found hard to accept. Or perhaps, just perhaps, it was the madness working its insidious way into the deepest recesses of his mind . . .

He shoved himself up and glanced around. Where was Marissa?

His sleep-thickened gaze swept the cave. No sign of the little Sodalitas. With a deep sigh, Brace fell back.

Marissa must have wakened earlier and set out on another foraging expedition to the vil- lage. But how long had she been gone? There was no way of knowing. And if something had happened . . .

Brace cut short the thought. It was pointless to consider going out after her. His strength wouldn't be equal to any extended journey, much less attempting a rescue.

He did feel markedly better, though. The long rest, combined with last nocte's nourishing if meatless food, had done wonders. His glance sought out Marissa's booty bag. There should still be some fruit left . . .

A sound behind himfaint, but unmistakably a footstepbrought Brace up short. He jerked around, but it was already too late. A fist slammed into his jaw. A scattering of stars exploded before his eyes. He gasped, inhaling a rank, heavy scent.

Simian
!

The sun was setting behind the mountains before Marissa made her weary way back to the cave. What a long sol it had been! The foraging trip to the village had required more time than she'd planned, thanks largely to the numerous skim craft searching the area.

The Bellatorians were looking for them, that much Marissa knew, and she'd been forced to hide countless times. She hoped no one had discovered Ardane in the cave. One way or another, they'd have to head out this very nocte. To remain a moment longer would guarantee Ardane's recapture. She prayed he'd rested well this sol, regained some of his strength. He'd need it for the difficult climb through the mountains. Luckily, three of the five Bellatorian moons would be full this nocte. Their brilliance would more than adequately light the way.

Marissa shifted the heavy pack of booty to her other shoulder. Thank the Crystal Fires she'd been able to steal as much as she had. She now possessed another water flask, journey bread, dried fruit, and more vegetables and seasonings for trail soup. And, because she knew a male would require it, a small supply of meat sticks. Ardane would be ecstatic.

A faint odor wafted by as she neared the cave. Marissa's steps faltered. The scent came stronger, ranker. Her nose wrinkled. It reminded her of something . . .

She crept closer. The smell was overpowering now. Marissa froze. Simian. It was the stench of a Simian!

A quick leap and she was hidden behind an outcropping of boulders. She peered around a large stone. Had the beast seen her approach? Marissa scanned the mountainside. Where was he? The answer struck her with the force of a blow. He was in the cave with Ardane. He had to be.

Marissa laid down her pack, her thoughts racing. There was no way of knowing how many were actually in the cave. She had smelled one Simian, of that she was certain, but what if he was accompanied by Bellatorians? How would she overpower them all?

She scanned the cave. No sign of activity, but Marissa knew a frontal assault would be foolhardy. She considered smoking them out by setting fire to the bushes that grew in dense profusion near the cave's entrance, then discarded the idea. In Ardane's weakened state the smoke inhalation might be fatal before it drove out his captors, not to mention the possibility of the smoke drawing more skim craft to the area.

Frustration spiraled within her. How, by all that was sacred, was she to get into that cave and take Ardane's captors unawares?

Smoke
.

Of course. Grim determination swelled in Marissa. She'd climb in through the cave's smoke hole. From her vantage point high overhead, she could hide in the rocks and assess the situation. A dangerous ploy, but the only chance she had.

She skirted the cave and made her way up the mountain to the vent hole, then leaned over cautiously and peered down. A ledge jutting below obscured most of her view. Marissa sat back and waited for the nocte to fall.

As twilight settled over the land, a fire was lit within the cave. Thin curls of smoke drifted up through the large opening. She cursed silently. So much for sneaking in under the cover of darkness.

Digging through her pack, Marissa extracted the water flask and a rag. After thoroughly wetting the cloth, she tied it over her nose and mouth. It was the best she could do to help herself breathe through the smoke. She secured her stunner in an easily accessible pocket and rechecked the dagger strapped to her thigh. Then Marissa once more leaned over the hole.