Escape From Zulaire (5 page)

“Right.” Crisply, Deverane nodded. “Zulaire provides some essential minerals, from the Abuzan Range, but we’ve secured and supplied the mine to withstand a two-year siege.”

Andi took a last look at the lake, trying to imprint the quiet scene on her memory. “What did Lady Tonkiln say when you decided to spend the night?”

“A lot of gracious nonsense. The old harridan didn’t mean a word of it. She left it to Iraku to decide where to quarter us. He must dislike outworlders even more than she does, because he stuck us in the big transport barn with our vehicles.”
 
He smiled, but his clenched jaw betrayed his true feelings on the subject.

 
“You’re not serious?” Andi did a double take. “You’re an
officer.
Weren’t you provided a room in the main house?”

“Iraku offered a room to me. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to sleep in a posh mansion while my men bunk in a garage.” Tossing the remainder of his drink into the shrubbery, Deverane set the heavy, engraved glass on the bench.

She shivered, rubbing her arms, trying to soothe away the goosebumps brought on by the night breeze.
 

Giving her a concerned look, he stood up. “I’m an idiot. I should have thought to ask if you had a wrap before we came out here.”

“It’s all right. I’ll be fine. I’m upset about my friends and concerned about everything you just told me.”

“The situation report was a lot to take in, I know.” Deverane moved closer to her, heat radiating from his body. Slowly he reached out with one hand to circle her wrist, tugging her gently closer, until she was right up against him. “Better?”

Andi nodded, placing her hands on his chest, enjoying the feeling of their bodies together, the implicit intimacy holding promise for what might happen later.

The lights along the path and beside the benches flickered and went out, plunging them into darkness.

 
Glancing around, Deverane frowned in the moonlight. He released her, keeping one hand around her wrist and putting the other on the butt of his blaster. “Is that normal?”

“The generators have been known to be troublesome in the summer. Probably nothing.” The moment was gone, the spell she’d been under broken.
Am I disappointed?
Relieved?
Things had been moving way too fast between them for people who had just met. “Fortunately, we still have enough moonlight to see the path.” Andi took a step toward the clubhouse.
 

He tightened his grip on her wrist, forcing her to stop. “Wait.”

 
Yelling broke out in the large building on the rise behind them. Glaring, sporadic flashes burst from the general direction of the parking area and from the main wing of the celebration hall itself. Making the forest brighter than day, a sizable explosion obliterated the light of the two moons for a moment. Clapping her hands to her ears at the concussion, Andi ducked, crowding into the reassuringly hard-muscled captain.

In one fluid motion, he had his blaster in hand. Still keeping his grasp on her wrist, he drew Andi farther away from the path, taking cover behind a wide, multiple-trunked tree. Placing himself between her and the building, he leaned out, reconnoitering the pathway. The screams and shouts were increasing in intensity and number.
 

Andi huddled against the tree, rough bark scraping her arm.
He was right, this sounds like the beginning of war.
Trembling, she had to lock her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering as one piercing shriek rose above the rest of the general uproar.
 

“I’m afraid we missed our deadline for a clean escape.” His voice was harsh, the words angry. “Come on.” Pulling Andi to her feet, he laced his fingers in hers and drew her from the safety of the tree, setting a course around the edge of the lake to the east. Andi stumbled in her high-heeled dancing shoes over rocks and branches.

“
Wait.
” Digging her heels into a softer patch of ground, she forced him to stop, yanking her hand free. “Shouldn’t we go back, try to help?”

“We’re overwhelmingly outnumbered.”
 
He frowned at her, nostrils flared as if he could scent the enemy forces. His stare was unblinking.

Eyeing the blaster in his hand, Andi raised her eyebrows.

Deverane sighed. “Even with a blaster. This was a well-planned, well-timed attack. You and I can’t afford to be caught in the middle of it. We’ve got to get back to the Tonkiln house and my men.”

Across the lake, one of the Obati mansions on the far shore exploded into flames. Andi gasped. “The attack is spreading.”

“This is worse than I thought.” Grabbing her shoulder, he turned her toward the lake and gave her a gentle push. “Are there any boats? We need to keep this head start. No time to creep around the edge of the lake.”

“The boats were drawn up on shore late this afternoon for the end of the season. This way.”
 
She led him to the lakeshore, where the going was easier. Kicking off her stiletto heels as soon as the ground changed to beach sand, Andi ran faster than she’d ever managed in her life.
 

Not even breathing hard, the captain kept pace. Swiveling his head, he evaluated the situation. “I don’t like us being so exposed in the open.”

“There are the boats.” Andi pointed to the line of gaily painted pleasure craft resting in the sand about ten yards ahead. Holstering his blaster, Deverane sprinted, grabbing the first boat in the line. He dragged the small craft across the sand into the lapping water. By the time she skidded to a halt, his hand was stretched out to her as he gestured impatiently. “I’ll boost you in.
Come on
.”

Holding her shoes above her head, she waded out, gasping a little at the coldness of the water. With one hand he helped her shimmy up and over into the boat, where she landed with a thud. Scrambling on hands and knees to the stern, she sat at the control panel, trying to remember the simple instructions she’d received earlier in the week. As Deverane fell over the side, she had the motor revving to the red line. Leaving a broad wake gleaming in the moonlight, the little pleasure craft shot straight across the lake.

He crouched low on the bench amidships and ran his hand over his hair. She hoped he was planning their next move. Blaster in his hand again, he reconnoitered the shore with deep suspicion. “Any obstacles in this water?”

Chilled in her half-drenched party clothes, she shook her head, wishing her
expensive dress could shed water the way his uniform was engineered to do. “Not this direction. Can you contact your squad?”
 

“I’m trying right now.” He showed her the tiny comlink cradled in his other hand. “No answer, which could mean anything or nothing, but probably isn’t good.”

“Do you think the Tonkiln house has been attacked?” Andi worried about heading into an even worse situation than the one they’d left behind.

Not looking at her, he just shook his head. “Let’s deal with that when we come to it. Don’t steer straight to the dock—we’d be too obvious, sitting ducks. We need to land and work our way to the house without attracting attention.”

Angling the boat off to the east, Andi set a course to avoid the dock as ordered. “I never considered an attack on the family’s home. Lords of Space, what about the kids? Sadu and his two little visiting cousins—their Shenti nurse went home to her village last night—there’s only old Iraku and a few of the housemen there to protect them.” Worry about the younger family members gnawed a pit in Andi’s gut. “Lady Tonkiln must be terrified.”

“I have to extract the Sectors citizens, not risk my men trying to rescue anyone else against overwhelming odds. The Tonkilns aren’t my concern, understand?” His voice was flat, the words dismissive.

Andi jerked her head around to stare at him. “We can’t ignore the danger to them.”

 
“Lady, I have orders.” Shaking his head, he grabbed the wheel and yanked it, sending the boat veering away from its route to shore. “Cut the engine and get down. Someone’s moving by the dock.”

Cold flooded her body at the thought of enemies watching them. With fumbling fingers, she flipped the switch. Drifting through the dark waters, their craft floated in silence, slowing as the momentum died away. Andi crouched in the bottom of the boat, Deverane’s body warm and reassuring beside her.

“Can you swim?” He tucked his blaster and the small com unit away, sealing a pocket with a quick motion.
 

“I can swim.” She stared at him, trying to read his expression in the moonlight. “Can you?”

“Now’s as good a time as any to learn,” he said with a tight grin. “I’ve been told it’s like zero-grav exercise. Any major predators in this lake?”

“Well, there are two varieties of snake and a large fishlike thing with razored jaws, but none of them are active at night. Supposedly.” Andi peered over the side of the boat. The opaque surface of the lake was impenetrable in the dark. Only too well aware of what could be lurking there, Andi remembered hooking one of the snakes on her fishing line. The Shenti guide had had a terrible time killing the reptile without toppling them all into the lake, where its nine-foot-long mate had been waiting, swimming easy circles around the small boat.
Not a reassuring memory right now.

“Let’s go.” Reaching past her, Deverane rocked the boat with a sudden violent motion. Taken completely unaware as the craft tipped over, Andi flew through the air for a moment, instinctively arcing her body into a flat dive into the chilly water. Surfacing, she searched for her companion. The captain was already swimming at a fair pace toward the shore, using a strange overhand stroke. His bobbing head was much less visible in the light of the moons than the boat had been. He glanced back once to make sure she was all right.

She treaded water for a minute, hampered by the clinging silk folds of her gown. Unfastening the tabs, she let the garment fall away in the water.
No time to waste bemoaning my expensive dress
. Left in the sleek one-piece undersuit, freed from the extra layers, Andi could swim efficiently, catching up to the captain. His unusual stroke was forceful, propelling him through the water as if he was fighting an opponent. She followed him, reaching the shallows, then wading to a spot on shore where an immense tree had fallen into the lake, providing some cover. A steep hill lay between them and the looming Tonkiln mansion. Raising her head above the rotting tree trunk, she risked a glance.
 

 
The huge house was dark and silent, every light off.
Probably a very bad sign. There should be lights on in half the house right now. Especially the kitchen and the servants’ wing
. “Where are your men?”

“With our vehicles in the garage.” He rolled over onto his back, reaching again for the com unit. Glancing at her, he did a pronounced double take, swallowing hard. “Got rid of the finery, eh? Much better for crawling around and avoiding enemy attention.”

The wet garment was plastered on her body, outlining every curve for him. Andi was glad the moonlight wasn’t any brighter. Now was
not
the time for physical distractions. Halfway serious, she said, “Well, I thought dark blue was more suited for combat situations. What are we going to do next?”

A reverberating explosion shook the hillside as flames shot from the roof of the mansion, followed by a smaller eruption where the garage stood.
Lords of Space, are rebels attacking here as well?
Flinching at the sudden high-pitched whine of Sectors blasters somewhere in the darkness, Andi hugged the ground.

From her prone position she stared at the mansion, trying to figure out exactly where the fire was blazing. Flames were licking at the walls in a number of rooms, including the far end of the third floor. Adrenaline coursed through her. “The fire’s on the top floor where the nursery is. I can’t leave until I’ve made sure the children are safe, Captain.” She held up a hand as he drew a breath. “I know, you’ve mentioned your orders enough times, but we’re talking
children.
I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t at least check the nursery
.
”
 
Before he had a chance to stop her, Andi was on her feet and running.
He’ll have to follow me
since his precious orders are to protect me, so if I can just get to the house, I’ll have him—and his blaster—for backup.
 

 
Sure enough, she heard Deverane give chase, but she had the advantage of a head start and familiarity with the grounds. She sprinted to the side door, entering the house through the kitchen. One dim light glowed from an emergency panel in the ceiling. A half-eaten meal sat on the table. The chairs were toppled, one broken as if it had been used as a weapon in a violent struggle. A bloody knife lay on the floor.

Andi barely glanced at the knife.
No time to be ill, just RUN.

Carefully, she stepped barefoot through the mess to the emergency supply cabinet next to the pantry, where she grabbed a hand lamp. Pointing the cone of light ahead of her, she jogged into the service corridor to the main part of the house. Fear of what she might find made her lightheaded, and she took a few careful breaths to calm her nerves.
 
I’ve got to make sure the kids aren’t trapped upstairs in their cribs. With the nurse gone, there may not be anyone else but me to double-check.

Tripping, Andi fell headlong. The body she’d stumbled over cushioned her fall for the most part, although her right elbow smashed into the floor. Sitting up, she rubbed her elbow, looking for the hand lamp she’d dropped. Instead, she saw the bloody face of the elderly cook, starkly outlined by the beam of light. The elderly woman’s sightless eyes were wide open in death. Stifling a scream, Andi scrabbled away from the corpse of the cook, who’d been stabbed multiple times.