Dragon Defense (Heirs to the Throne Book 3) (34 page)

I’m too big to kill,
he said. 

Yeah and too aggravating.  Come back soon
. 
The ancestor voices kept quiet as the two young minds communicated, knowing that bonding mates needed privacy.

Maggie made her way to the control room and typed the familiar code to signal Donovan.  She waited, wondering how things progressed.  The radio crackled to life.  She said, “Asbohar reporting.  The package is being delivered to its gravesite.”

The radio hissed with static. “We copy Asbohar, over and out.” She recognized Trenton’s voice and felt lonely.  Trenton’s embrace was a treasured memory, and she longed to be with him again in beloved mountain home.  She’d never claim she was bored after this crisis.

*****

Krystal’s crew scrambled to remove explosive devices from the Transfer equipment.  She cursed as she worked on a difficult bolt, unhappy that Alex risked his life with Fremont.   Caston’s crew of lordlings worked without complaining, difficult to believe.  The sons of cantankerous lords seemed eager to help, yet their fathers objected to using technology.  Perhaps it was the age difference but danger to Drako should trump superstition. 

Krystal glanced at Lauryn, the daughter who looked so much like herself.  Lauryn’s mental shields were tight and she seldom met Krystal’s gaze.  Was something bothering the girl, other than the present emergency? 

Krystal frowned.  With no time to think about personal problems, she needed all her concentration to perform this task.  She’d find out what troubled Lauryn and make time for her girls when the emergency was over.  Must she always wait to enjoy life? Where were the cozy nights gathered around the fireplace?  She almost laughed as she realized how ridiculous the idea sounded.  They’d all feel bored until the next crisis.  Krystal sighed. Her family shared one emergency after another just like other families.

*****

Lauryn felt Krystal’s gaze but kept her barriers tight.  She thought about Andrew and the visions that haunted her dreams.  Every day she appreciated his love and warmth more and scolded herself for remaining blind for so long.  She wished she’d avoided Salizar from the beginning.  He was an arrogant fool, but she’d been tempted by his passion. 

She knew she’d hurt Andrew. 

It didn’t matter that she was ignorant of desert traditions or that charm blinded her to Salizar’s motives.  Salizar didn’t court a common girl.  He courted the heir to Donovan’s throne and planned to grab power for his future son.

Andrew touched her gently on the shoulder, and Lauryn smiled into his clear blue eyes.  “I’m all right.”  She answered the question behind his eyes.  “I need time to think.”

“Krystal asked me to ride Tempest into the desert to dispose of these explosives.  I agreed.”  Andrew spoke quietly, unafraid.

Lauryn cringed.  “She asks you to risk your life.”

Andrew shrugged.  “Everyone in this place takes a risk to protect Drako.  I’m no different.”

Lauryn lowered her gaze.  “I can’t lose you, Andrew. I need your strength.”

Andrew lifted her chin and kissed her lips gently.  “You forget that I ride Tempest, bred of the wind and the storm.  Nothing can touch me while I’m on his back.”

Lauryn forced a smile.  “Come back to me.”

“I promise.  Now get back to work and rid this place of those troublesome blast nodes.”

Donovan’s team faced diffusing a hundred small bombs with little time to do it.  They held Fremont captive but Dr. Alexander learned that the starship received orders to detonate the bombs if Fremont failed to return by a specific time.

Donovan counted on the captain’s reluctance to follow orders.  He prayed they could buy a few hours to perform a miracle.

He felt Krystal’s familiar touch in his mind.  
You know where to look?
  Donovan asked.

Alex sent clear mental pictures.

Donovan felt tired
.
  Krystal, no matter what happens, you know that I love you.

What’s wrong?
  Krystal’s mind filled with worry.

When Dr. Alexander read Fremont’s mind, he learned blast nodules were hidden in components we used to update the satellite system.  The entire defense system could blow and we’d lose planetary protection.

You’re going up yourself?
Let me go with you!
She pleaded. 
I can help.

She dug her fingernails into the leather arm of her chair and hoped he wouldn’t give her the answer she knew was coming. 

No. Your talents are better used to repair the medical equipment.  Ryan is my pilot and he’s very capable.

It was useless to argue.  She filled her mind with love and sent him a mental kiss. 
Take care, my love.  We haven’t got the Transfer machine working yet.  You need to come back in one piece.

She visualized his lips curling into a familiar smile and wished she could run her fingers through his curly red hair just one more time.

I’ll return to you. 
His mental voice felt like a caress.  

You’d better!

*****

Jarrack entered the cavern surrounded by wolves.  Curious minds beat upon him and thousands of voices whispered inside his head.  He clenched his teeth and tried to keep them out.

Fremont remained unaware of the mental onslaught.  He didn’t slow his pace as they entered the cavern, too arrogant to realize he faced a powerful enemy. 

Jarrack knew the danger. 

The tumult of voices inside Jarrack’s head stopped as Kriegen’s glowing eyes held his gaze. 

Fremont turned to find his companion staring at a wolf.  Jarrack’s white face and rigid body alarmed him.  He aimed the laser at the wolf.  “Back off!”

Trenton stepped into the line of fire.  “I wouldn’t do that, Fremont.  These wolves are intelligent and their power is strong.”

“What is he doing to Jarrack?”  Fremont’s voice trembled as Jarrack held his head between his hands.

Trenton shrugged. “I leave the wolves to their own council and suggest you do the same.”

“What are you trying to pull?”  Fremont paced the room.  “The ship will detonate the explosives if I don’t return.  You don’t have a chance.”

“Our chances and yours are equal,” Trenton said.  “If your ship detonates, then you die with us.”

Fremont’s eye twitched.  “Then let me call the captain.”

“I have my orders.”

“Orders?  Man, you’re about to get us all killed following orders!” 

Trenton’s mouth tightened.  “Interesting that you say that.  Give me the code to delay detonation, and I’ll call for you.”

Fremont’s eye twitched again.  “They’ll only respond to my voice.”

Trenton pulled a box out of his pocket.  “I’ve got a recorder.”

Now Fremont’s eye almost closed as the twitch became severe.  “A recorded voice won’t work.” 

“Guess we’ll take the chance your captain’s more interested in saving your life than blowing up our planet.”  Trenton’s tone sounded controlled.

Fremont’s face contorted, sweat dripping from his brow.  He pivoted toward the pilot.  “Give this man our electronic delay code!  Now!  We’ve only got minutes before they detonate those bombs.”

The pilot nodded.  “Tight laser beam on heading 49 degrees NE. Send four long strokes, two short, three long.”

Trenton ran to the shuttle and Fremont looked exhausted.  He slumped onto a chair but clutched the grip of his laser pistol with a sweaty hand.

“How long does that give us?”  Jarrack asked.

Fremont muttered.  “Five hours.  Damn you, Jarrack!”

Jarrack looked surprised.  “I’m not the one who ordered the planet destroyed.  I suggested a small diversion.”

Fremont shook his head, and his face turned red.  “You told them about my plan.  How could they know and keep us grounded?”

Dr. Alexander stepped forward. “You still don’t understand?  We can read your mind and you gave us the information yourself, Fremont.  We’ll survive.  Through cunning, fortitude and our will power, we’ll survive.”

Jarrack shook his head.  “Fremont will never accept defeat.  Compared to him, I was a mediocre enemy just interested in life and power. Fremont’s more dangerous because he seeks revenge.”

Fremont jumped up and paced the small room.  Finally he turned on Jarrack.  “You don’t deserve to go back to the Institute.  You’ve gone native, spent too much time on Drako.”

“I must go back with you!  If you lose the chance to exploit my talent, the Institute will demote you to a clerk in the records department.  Don’t forget.  I’m the only one in history who Transferred without a machine.”

Fremont ground his teeth but sat down and stared at his fingernails.  He knew Jarrack was right but he wished he had a means of destroying the man with the rest of this planet.  Surely he could find another person with the ability of mind control and run experiments to achieve the same results.  When he discovered a way to implement the research, Jarrack would die a painful death.

*****

Donovan never hated the confines of a spacesuit so much.  The suit smelled of sweat and the compressed air tasted stale.  He’d treasured the sweet air and open spaces of Drako for too many years to die trapped in a cocoon.  Gaskets and tubes nearly strangled him as he fought the stiff joints of the suit to move in speed time. 

He felt lonely.  Donovan couldn’t touch Krystal’s mind and he needed her confidence more than ever.

The light suit hardly weighed twenty pounds, but weight was not a consideration during a space walk.  Mass, propulsion and volume were important factors.  Donovan worked in speed time but felt he moved in slow motion while he twisted the wrench. 

The plate came loose.

Donovan searched for the explosives without hesitation, knowing where to find them from the four other satellites he’d fixed.  He loaded a mini rocket and shot it into space before he gave a “thumbs up” signal to Ryan. 

He counted the seconds it took for Ryan to open the shuttle hatch.  He floated into his seat and felt the familiar pressure of thrust as engines propelled the shuttle to the final satellite.  Donovan refused to look at the timer, refused to believe that he wouldn’t make it in time.                                  

*****

Pleased with her team’s progress, Krystal handed the last bundle of explosives to Andrew.  They finished the work faster than expected and the lab was safe.  As Andrew rode Tempest into the desert to dispose of his package, Krystal allowed herself the luxury of a slow walk through the lab.  The equipment looked chaotic, a mass of bolts, missing faceplates, and protruding wires. 

Krystal thought it looked beautiful.  “We did it,” she whispered and wondered how Donovan was managing.

*****

Tessa and the wolves watched Fremont unravel.  The man paced and ranted, cursed and pleaded with Trenton to release him.  She felt his mind vibrate with tension, becoming irrational, and Tessa wondered how long they could keep him contained. 

Kriegen said,
Time’s running out.  Fremont will fire his weapon if we push him harder.

Tessa nodded,
I agree.  We must make Trenton realize the danger.

He’s stubborn.  Donovan gave him orders and he might forfeit his life to carry them out.

“Can I speak with you, Trenton?” Tessa asked.

He turned and nodded. 

Fremont recognized Trenton’s distraction and knocked the man down.  He gestured at Jarrack and the shuttle pilot.  They raced to the shuttle, Fremont firing his laser at anything that moved. 

Trenton stood clutching his side.  “Get them!” he shouted but no one moved.  “Don’t let them get away.” 

The wolves blocked Trenton from reaching the exit. 

“What’s the matter with you?  He’s escaping.”

“Yes.  It’s time to let him leave,” Tessa said.

“Donovan didn’t send his signal.”

Tessa stared at her feet.  “Fremont was not lying.  The ship’s captain will detonate the explosives as ordered.  If the shuttle stays here, it might destroy the spaceport”

“But we can’t…” Trenton sat down and rubbed his forehead as the shuttle engines roared. 

The dragons stayed along the ridge as the silver bird flew into the sky.

*****

“Ishtarek!  You stupid Gronk!” Fremont screamed into the radio. “Answer me!  This is Fremont calling, and I’m on my way to the ship.  Forget my previous orders!  Do not detonate the explosives.  I repeat, do not detonate.  It will endanger my life.”

Captain Ishtarek stood on the bridge listening to the broadcast.  His communications officer frowned.  “Do we respond, Captain?”

“What were the last written orders from Fremont?” Ishtarek asked quietly.

“We were ordered to maintain radio silence until he returned to the ship.”

Ishtarek’s light green face looked placid.  “We follow orders, maintain silence.  If their shuttle arrives, we’ll accept new orders.” 

A clocked ticked inside Ishtarek’s brain. 

The satisfaction he felt surprised him.  He seldom let emotions penetrate his military persona, but this situation made him feel almost giddy.  Fremont brought Ishtarek along because Gronks followed orders precisely.  Now he allowed himself the pleasure of letting the irksome Fremont destroy himself without concern.  He followed written orders.  He ignored the frantic radio message precisely because Fremont sent him a specific coded message, a copy of which was filed for the Institute’s review panel.

Ishtarek’s mouth twitched. 

Members of his race might recognize his smile, but no one onboard could testify about his state of mind during the crisis.  He watched the ship’s chronometer and pushed the button to detonate the explosives when the numbers reached the exact time specified by the order. 

“Orders obeyed, sir,” he muttered. “Send a rescue team to find survivors, corporal.  Start the search in this sector.”  His claw pointed at the last coordinates where Donovan’s shuttle was recorded.

*****

A scout entered Salizar’s tent.  He averted his gaze and reported, “A rider on a black stallion left the spaceport.  He raced into the desert as if a devil chased him.”

Salizar grinned.  “Andrew rides Tempest into my territory and will regret his decision.”

Why would Andrew ride alone into the desert time after time?  Didn’t he understand the hatred that filled Salizar’s heart?  He dressed quickly, leaving Tamarind alone in their tent, as he climbed into the saddle. 

Tamarind followed him outside.  She watched hooves kick sand and flapping red fabric disappear over a dune.  She squinted against reflected light on swells of sand and saw a single rider on a black horse climb the largest dune.  Tamarind shivered despite the heat and turned back to the solitude of her tent, feeling very much alone. 

Salizar’s heart thudded to the rhythm of hoof beats.  He shouted curses at the red-haired devil who stole his princess, his family’s future glory, but the wind swallowed the shouts.  Gripping the hilt of his sword, he visualized the death of the enemy and grinned. 

Andrew would soon die by his steel.

*****

Tempest’s hooves skimmed the churning sand, bent into the wind with his nostrils flared.  Andrew curled over the powerful steed.  He merged body and mind with the undulation of muscles that absorbed the shock of hooves landing then leaping through a cloud of sand.  He enjoyed the ride so much that he nearly missed a subtle change in Tempest—the angry swish of tail and flair of nostrils—as the great horse scented intruders.

Tempest whinnied and tossed his mane, but he still maintained the pace.

Andrew saw Salizar cut a diagonal across the sand and knew the desert rider meant to intersect his path.  Pulling on the reins stopped Tempest short.  Furious, the stallion sidestepped as Andrew examined the terrain.  He sliced the rope holding the dangerous bundle and watched it roll lazily down the slope into a funnel-shaped hole.  Satisfied, Andrew tapped a heel against Tempest’s side, unleashing the devil horse again.