Diadem from the Stars (36 page)

“Phah!” She spit disgustedly. “I'm turning into a walking rock.” She looked down at Sharl. He was curled up in his usual placid sleep, his small face dusty and smudged. She brushed the dust away, pulled her legs up, and leaned back against the edge of the high round opening.

Overhead, the steam suddenly glowed a brilliant golden yellow. The glow began to coalesce to a hard core of light as she watched. She clutched at the lock edge and yelled, “Stavver!” The lower curve of a radiant golden sphere poked through the steam. “Stavver!”

“What is it?” His voice echoed metallically.

“Your friend. At least, I hope so.”

He stepped back into the lock and leaned out beside her, scanning the steaming sky. He grinned. “The
Butterball.
Maissa, all right.”

“Butterball?”
she said, eyes wide with surprise. “What an odd name.”

He climbed out onto the ladder. “She's an odd one herself. Stay here till I get things set.” He slid down the ladder, holding on to the uprights and letting his feet hang free.

The yellow glow intensified. As she watched the glowball slide out of the steam, a slender black needle sealed in the middle flickering in and out of visibility, she heard a throbbing whine. Then—
pop
—without any further sound the splinter was sitting on its tail, surrounded by the wavering translucent curtain of light. It all looked like magic to her.

“Hai, my Sharl,” she said softly, patting his solid little bottom. “There's our ride. Ai-Aschla, I just don't like having to let other people run my life. Sharl, baby, I can't help it right now, but give me time.…” She smiled affectionately at him, then watched Stavver run across the lava and halt just outside the wavering curtain of light.

14

Maissa narrowed her pointed amber eyes. She looked Stavver up and down. “Well,” she said dryly, “you look like hell.”

With a careless shrug, Stavver took another step toward her.

“Uh-uh. Stay right where you are, dear old friend. Or I'll skewer your hope of heaven.” She swung her hand up, pointing a schenli darter at his navel. “Now,” she said briskly. “Tell me why I'm here.”

Stavver looked thoughtfully at her. She was exquisitely tiny, with coffee-brown skin, and long black hair springing sleekly from an exaggerated widow's peak. Her arms and legs were well-shaped but so delicate that she looked as if a breath would blow her away. He grinned at her, knowing how fatal an illusion her fragility was. “I crashed,” he said. “With the RMoahl diadem.” His mouth twisted as he saw avarice part her dark lips and the pink tip of her tongue come flicking through.

“I heard you were after it.” She took a step forward, then danced back warily, the darter aimed steadily at his stomach. “So the hounds are after you.”

“Right. I tried to lose them.” He shrugged. “Burned my ship out.”

“So all you've got is the diadem.”

“Not even that.” A wry grimace twisted his thin face. “Lost it.”

“Flat broke, then?”

“I'll have to owe you this one.”

She tapped the end of the darter against her mouth, eyeing him thoughtfully. “You're a bastard, Miks, but you pay your debts. Umm. I've got something almost set up. I know you're a loner, but, dammit, you're also the best thief around. Favor for favor?”

“Agreed.”

“Come on, then.” Maissa moved toward the flickering force-field. “Take my hand.” She frowned when he didn't move. “What is it?”

“Look over there.” He turned to the old ship and waved to Aleytys. The tiny figure in the moon of blackness waved back, wriggled around, and started down the rickety ladder. “She comes too.”

Maissa frowned angrily. “I draw the line at your barbarian girl friends.”

“Not a girl friend. She got me here when I promised to get her offworld.” He raised a mocking eyebrow. “You did say I pay my debts.”

“You are a bastard. Since when does a bed promise hold you down, thief?”

He grinned at her. “Now, Maissa, let old grudges lay. This girl might prove useful.”

“A barbarian?” She raised on tiptoes and placed her palm on his forehead. “No fever. You sure you feel all right?”

“This one's different, love. Got a psi rating you just wouldn't believe. Xenopath. Empath. Healer. Who knows what else? And, my dear, you could walk her fully clothed along a street and expect four out of five men to react.” He shrugged. “Worse comes to worst, we could get a price for her from I'kuk.”

“Does this girl know the kind of man you are, bastard?” Maissa wrinkled her nose.

“Last resort only, love. I like the kid.”

Maissa glanced back at the ship. “What's that she's carrying?”

“Her child.”

“Yours?” Maissa scowled.

“Nope. Told you, she's no playmate of mine.”

“Then you must be slipping.”

“No, my dear one. Fool around with her and you end up fried.”

“Well, well, never thought I'd see the day. All right. She comes too. With the kid. But this is one hell of a favor, Miks. You're going to owe your skin. And I'll be sure to collect.” She grinned maliciously at him, her amber eyes dancing with triumph.

“My skin is yours.”

“You better get your little friend. She looks damned uncomfortable out there.”

Stavver glanced over his shoulder at Aleytys, who was picking her way slowly and carefully across the lava, wincing as her tender feet touched the hot surface. He watched her a minute, then sneaked a look at the boiling cloud cover.

“You're nervous as a flea on Baltis. Expecting company …? Oh, ho, I see. The hounds.”

“Right.” He swung around. “Wait a second till I fetch her and then we get out of here fast.”

“Got you.”

As Stavver ran toward Aleytys, a gray pebble-shaped object broke through the layer of steam and began settling toward the ground. He scooped up Aleytys and tossed her over his shoulder, Sharl howling as his sling slammed back and forth. He darted across the lava, caught hold of Maissa's hand, and popped through the barrier. The tiny woman swarmed up the ladder and vanished inside. Aleytys followed more clumsily, hampered by sore feet and the babysling. With Stavver hovering impatiently behind her, she stumbled into the lock.

As Stavver pushed Aleytys into the bridge, Maissa flicked a switch and the viewscreen sprang to life. The gray pebble-shape hovered beside the shield. Finger tapping the glass, the tiny woman stared into the screen. After a minute, she glanced up and back at Stavver. “I guess you were telling the truth.” She sounded somewhat surprised. “That's RMoahl, all right.”

“Anything you could do?” He looked over her shoulder, frowning at the sight of the ship.

“You wasted a lot of time,” she said absently, reaching toward the control surface. With a delicate forefinger she touched a blank glassy square. Its pale pearly glow strengthened a trifle. A feeling of stirring life flowed up his legs, unconscious response to a subtangible vibration.

“What are you waiting for?”

“Let them think we'll surrender. I expect they'll be on the codar in another minute. Surprise is the only way we'll get free.”

“It's hard to fool those spiders.”

“Hmm.” She glanced back at him, suspicion flickering in her eyes. “I thought you said you lost the diadem. Why're they still on your tail?”

Stavver shrugged. “Want to search me?”

“Umm. No time now. But you better have a nice story ready for me, love.”

The dark leather face of the RMoahl Two suddenly filled the screen. Maissa hastily waved Stavver out of the range of the viewscreen. She tapped another square. “Yes?”

“Ship.” The big voice boomed majestically into the little control room. Maissa hastily lowered the noise level.

“Acknowledge. Why do you block us?” She spoke coolly, her face a bland mask.

“Drop your shields.”

“I've done you no harm. Why hassle me?”

“Drop your screen.”

“Very well, but I protest. I've done nothing to you.”

Maissa touched a third square. “My shields are down.”

“Acknowledge.” The big coarse face blinked off the screen.

She swiveled to face Stavver. “On the floor,” she whispered tensely. “Flat out. Miks, tell her. We'll be moving fast and I imagine you don't want her smashed flat.” Behind her, the screen showed the big gray ship settling leaf-light onto the black rock.

“Open the hatches.” The face was back. “Send out the thief and the wearer of the diadem.”

“Look. I don't know what you're talking about.”

“The woman and the man.” Although the face showed no change of expression, the basso voice boomed impatiently.

Maissa shrugged and reached toward the ranked series of glassy activators. With a quick ripple of her fingers, she wove a brief pattern across the panel. In the viewscreen, the earth seemed sucked away from beneath them. In an instant, Jaydugar was a mottled ball spinning in blackness. Concentrating fiercely, Maissa danced her fingers over the panel, trailing behind them fleeting flickers of light.

Finally she leaned back and ran her eyes across the lights and readout dials. Then she stood up and hitched a hip on the panel's edge. “Well,” she said calmly. “We made it.”

Stavver sat up. Rocking his fingers on his bony knee, he raised his eyebrows. “The hound?”

“We busted loose and we'll stay loose.”

“You're a wonder, my sweet. How?”

“I had something a Vryhh male wanted. He fixed the ship for me.” She rubbed a thin finger over her pointed chin. “Just a little warning, Miks ol' buddy. You try to take this ship away from me and you'll get the nastiest surprises.”

“Why, Maissa, the thought never entered my mind.” He grinned at her.

“Now, my lying friend. So you lost the diadem. Ha! You get your story ready. And make it good.”

Aleytys sat watching them, her eyes bright with curiosity. “He's telling the truth,” she said calmly. “He lost it and I got it. Not that I want it.” She stood up and walked over to the control panel, touching the cool surface of the screen with exploring fingers. “Ugly as a hairy sept.” She swung around to face them. “As Stavver will tell you, the diadem and I are intimately attached.”

Maissa stared at her, surprised. “Since when does a barbarian speak the interlingue? Stavver teach you?”

Stavver put an arm around Aleytys's shoulders, avoiding the babysling by stepping to her left side. “I told you she was talented, Maissa. I certainly taught her nothing.”

“And she's got the diadem? No wonder you wanted to bring her along.” She eyed Aleytys speculatively. “Where is it?”

Aleytys shuddered. “Here.” She tapped her temple with a forefinger, evoking a ghost chime that vibrated faintly in the tension of the bridge.

Hugging Aleytys against him, Stavver said, “You're tired and hungry, Leyta. So am I. And I suppose you want a bath.”

She chuckled. “Ahai, you know it.”

Maissa spoke sharply. “Before you two get involved with your stomachs, where do you want me to send this ship?”

Stavver rubbed his finger across his scraggly moustache. “I think well leave that up to you. I want to ransom my skin, my sweet. After that …” He shrugged.

“Then we head for Larmachos.”

“Huh. If that's your scheme, my love, you've got holes in your head.”

“Hear it first before you judge.”

“I will. Be sure of that.” He turned to Aleytys. “Come with me. While Maissa's setting course, I'll show you how to get around.” Glancing at the silent woman, he said, “Have you got something she can wear?” He flipped his free hand along his body. “And me?”

“You know where,” Maissa said briefly. “When you've got her settled, come back here. We've got talking to do.”

Feeling lost in this place where she had few clues to tell her the unwritten rules of conduct, Aleytys leaned around Stavver's propelling arm. “Could I come back when you've done your talking?” She looked wistfully at the viewscreen with the black of space in it and a dusting of stars. “I'd like to watch the stars pass.”

Maissa shrugged. “Don't touch anything.”

“I thank you.” She smiled and let Stavver lead her out of the room.

Trailing brief rainbows, the stars spun in an endless dance across the darkness. Aleytys watched with a hunger grown rapidly insatiable, a desire to know.… She bent her head over her sleeping baby, then held up a hand and watched the polychromatic glitter flash palely on her skin.
I'm here,
she thought.
I'm really here. And it's just the beginning.

Turn the page to continue reading from the Diadem Saga

Chapter I

“Still raining?” Stavver ducked into the lock and knelt beside her, eyes on the rain which fell in a depressing, grey curtain.