Laura Jo Phillips (9 page)

“Did he explain why they did not voluntarily inform us of the second missing woman?  Miss Whitney?” Jackson asked.

“He said that he thought we had been,” Faron replied.  “To be fair, he volunteered the information to me almost as soon as we boarded his ship, and he did it as though he believed we already knew of it.  He seemed surprised that we didn’t know.  He said he would look into it, but that means nothing.”

Jackson carefully slipped the crystal into his shirt pocket.  “I will try to find Miss Whitney’s luggage.  If we can find it, and get her scent from it, I think we will take what is left of this night to search the spaceport for her.”

“That is a good idea,” Faron said, knowing it was a long shot now, after so much time had passed, but understanding Jackson’s need to try.  “Let me know if you find anything, will you?”

“I will,” Jackson said.  His face lightened as he offered Faron a smile.  “Congratulations to you and your brothers.  I am most happy for you.”

Faron returned the smile, clapped Jackson on the shoulder, and then climbed into the car with his brothers and their Arima.

Chapter
6

Saige felt a surge of relief when Ban drove the ground-car out of the car lot and she could see the spaceport grow smaller through the window behind them.  She was sincerely grateful to the Bearens for all they had done for her, but she didn't want to see that spaceport again for a very long time.

When the spaceport was no longer in sight, she shifted her gaze to the two men in the seat opposite her.  The ground-car was very big and very luxurious.  More so than any ground-car she had ever been in.  Faron and Dav shared the seat across from her and, even as big as they were, they had plenty of room.  Behind them was the trunk, but Saige didn't want to think about the two men she knew were riding in there.

Behind Saige was the front seat, and she could
sense
Ban right there, just over her shoulder, as he drove the ground-car through the purple Jasani night.

“So, are you guys afraid I've got cooties or something?” she asked, just to break the silence.

“Cooties?” Dav asked.  “What is a
cootie
?”

Saige laughed.  “I just meant do you think I have bugs or germs or something?”

“We do not think you have cooties,” Faron assured her with a smile.  “We just thought that you might want to lay down and sleep.  There are some blankets and a pillow in a compartment beneath your seat.”

“Thank you, but I'm not really tired just now.  Is it a long drive to where we are going?”

“About 4 hours,” Faron replied.  “Maybe less, depending on how fast Ban drives.”

“Jackson told me that you were on the
Cosmic Glory
,” Saige said.  Faron nodded.  “Did you find anything?”

“No, we didn’t,” Faron replied.  “We went into your compartment, and the compartment of the other missing woman, but we found nothing in either.”

“Other woman?” Saige asked faintly.  “There is another woman missing as well?”

Faron could have kicked himself.  “I’m sorry Saige, that was careless of me,” he said.  “Yes, there is another woman missing.  Her name is Summer Whitney.”

Saige’s face paled alarmingly.  “I met her a few times on the liner,” she said softly.  “She was very excited about coming to Jasan.  She didn’t have any family left on Earth, and she was tired of being alone.”  The way she said that made Faron think that Saige knew very well what it was like to be alone.

 “She was so sweet,” Saige continued.  “She was one of those bubbly people that you just have to like because they’re honestly nice to everyone they meet.  She told me that one day she opened a news reader and there was a section on Jasani Contract Brides and Candy Brides.  She decided right then and there that was what she was going to do.”  Saige fell silent for a long moment, then turned her green-gold eyes on Faron.  “What is being done to find her?”

“The Bearens are searching the spaceport for her,” Faron said.  “We would have begun a search sooner, but we were unaware that a second woman was missing.” 

Saige nodded glumly.  Even from the little she had seen of it, she’d been able to tell that the spaceport was gigantic.  She didn’t see how three men could possibly find one woman there.  But at least they would try. 

“Saige, can you remember anything about your abduction?” Faron asked.  Saige’s shoulders hunched forward, and she dropped her eyes.  “I wouldn’t ask you this now, but if there is anything you can remember that might aid the Bearens in their search for Summer Whitney....”

“Yes, of course,” Saige said, interrupting Faron.  “I’m sorry I didn’t think of that myself.  What would you like to know?”

“Anything you can remember,” Faron said. 

Saige thought a moment.  “Well, I was getting ready for bed,” she began, “and the steward was going up and down the hall announcing that we were ahead of schedule and would be docking with the Jasani skyport in about 2 days, rather than the four days I’d expected.  Something about another ship missing its jump slot and it being given to us.  I was really excited about that and had a hard time falling asleep.  In fact, I don’t remember falling asleep.  One moment I was wide awake, and the next moment I heard male voices in the compartment with me.”

Faron listened to every word Saige said, but at the same time his every sense was focused intently on her presence.  The bruises on her face appeared to be slightly darker than they had been in Jackson’s office just a short while earlier, and he wondered why that was.  He remembered Jackson telling him that the gag on her had not been that tight.  Perhaps Jackson was correct and she was one who bruised easily.  Even so, it did not explain how much darker they had gotten in such a short time.

Suddenly Faron was brought fully back to the moment as what Saige was telling them began to sink in.  He focused intently on her description of the beautiful, iridescent being and felt his heart stutter in his chest. 

“Did this being speak Standard?” Faron asked.

“Yes, as well as I do.  I didn’t detect an accent either,” she replied.

Faron looked at Dav, who shook his head.  They had traveled the galaxy extensively over the years, but they had never seen nor heard of a being resembling what Saige described.  That was very disturbing to them both.

 “Do you know what kind of being it was?” Saige asked.

“No, I’m afraid not,” Faron admitted. 

“Well, whatever it was, it was evil, Faron.  I’ve never been that close to anything so evil in my life, and I hope I never am again.”

“I hope you never are again as well,” Faron agreed fervently.  “What happened next?”

“He put a cold, metal thing against my arm.  When he looked at it afterward he told the other men in the room that I was a
berezi
, whatever that means, and that he would send down a
prime controller
for me, and that I was to receive
special treatment
.”  Saige shivered as she remembered the being’s voice.

“I don’t know what he meant by any of that,” she continued, “but I know he didn’t mean it in a nice way.  He also mentioned a name.”  Saige frowned as she tried to remember it.  She started to shake her head in defeat when it finally came to her.  “Lio,” she said.  “He told the other men to make sure that Lio was informed that I was to receive special treatment.  After that, I don’t remember anything until I woke up in that box.”

“
Berezi
,” Faron repeated, frowning.  A quick glance at Dav, then Ban, told him that neither of his brothers had heard the word before either.

“Does any of that help you at all?” Saige asked hopefully.

“Yes, I think it might,” Faron replied.  “We don’t know the meaning of all that you heard, but it gives us a place to start.  Do you remember how many men were in your compartment?”

“I think three.  The evil iridescent guy, and two others.  I think the others were human, but to be honest, I never saw them.  I don’t even know why I think they were human.  I just do.”

“They drugged you of course,” Faron said.  “That would explain why you don’t remember falling asleep, as well as your inability to move when you regained consciousness.  It is likely that even though your conscious mind does not remember it, you must have seen and heard enough of them to know they were human.”

“I suppose I’m lucky that I don’t remember more than I do,” Saige said softly.  Faron started to ask her what she meant by that when he remembered what Jackson had told him.  His hands clenched into fists on the seat and he gritted his teeth against rising anger. 

“Saige, would you like to stop for a moment?” Ban asked from the front seat.  “We are coming up on a comfort station.”

“Yes, I would, very much,” she replied quickly.  Faron saw her reach automatically for something.  Her purse, he realized.  When she remembered she no longer had it, her face fell. 

“Saige, how long has it been since you have eaten?” Faron asked, knowing full well that it had to have been at least three days since that’s how long Jackson estimated she had been in that box.

Saige shrugged.  “A few days I suppose,” she replied softly.  “But that’s okay, I don’t need anything.  I would like to stretch my legs though.”

“Saige, we know that your handbag was taken from you, and we know that you have not eaten for days.  We are going to get some food for you, and you are going to eat it.  You may select what you like, or we will select a variety for you to choose from.  Money is not an issue for us, so there is no hardship, nor any reason for you to be embarrassed.”

Saige opened her mouth to argue, but Faron was quicker.  “You must agree that if the situation were reversed, you would insist upon feeding us.”

Saige closed her mouth and smiled.  “You’ve got me there,” she said.  “And besides, I am hungry.  And thirsty.”

“Good,” Faron said.  He looked up and saw that Ban had pulled off the road and parked the ground-car in front of the brightly lit comfort station while they’d been talking.  “Ban, please escort Saige inside.  I will be along in just a moment.”

Ban got out of the front of the ground-car and walked around to open the side door for Saige.  As soon as the door closed behind them Faron turned to Dav.

“Dav, I want you to call Jackson and ask him if he has ever seen or heard of a being that matches Saige’s description.  A lot of humans and humanoids go through that spaceport, so maybe he’ll be able to help us out on that.  One thing that bothers me greatly about this is that we scented only humans in her compartment aboard the
Cosmic Glory
.  And from her description, that was no human.”

“Do you think it might be an adinare?” Dav asked.

“I don’t think so,” Faron replied doubtfully.  “Adinare are shape-changers, but as far as I know, in order for them to change into non-Narrasti beings they must have close contact with them.  Which still leaves us with the question of who, or what being matches that description.  I also want to know what
berezi
means.”

Faron started to ask Dav to call Eldar Hamat, but a quick glance at his watch told him that would be inconsiderate.  It was late in the evening where Eldar Hamat lived, and Faron knew the elderly Jasani generally turned in early.  If it were an emergency, that would be different.  As much as he wanted to know the meaning of the word
berezi
, it could not rightly be called an emergency.

“Dav, ask Jackson if he is familiar with the word
berezi
while you are at it.  We might get lucky.”

Dav reached up and tapped the vox in his ear, then began murmuring softly into it as Faron climbed out of the car and hurried inside the brightly lit building.  He did not feel comfortable with only one of them guarding Saige after what had already happened to her. 

A short time later they were all back in the ground-car and again on their way to the ranch.  Saige felt so much better after having eaten.  Faron, Dav and Ban had purchased a wide variety of foods for her to choose from.  At first she’d been aghast at the amount of food they’d ordered, but it soon became clear that none of it would go to waste.  They insisted she try everything, and when they knew which dishes she liked they left them alone, devouring those she did not care for as much.  The entire meal was relaxing and fun, though she couldn’t really put her finger on why that was exactly.  She just felt comfortable with the Lobos.

Even after all of the fluids she had drunk since getting out of the crate, she was still thirsty.  Faron had selected a juice drink for her that was unfamiliar, but delicious.  He told her that it would help replenish her fluids better than water and she had to admit that after drinking it, she did feel far less thirsty than she had since she’d regained consciousness. 

When they left the comfort station, she discovered that Dav had purchased a large travel tumbler of the juice for her to take in the car.  She’d been so overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness that she had a difficult time simply saying thank you.  She couldn’t remember anyone ever having done such a thoughtful thing for her before, except perhaps for Lariah.

“How is it that you know Lariah?” she asked curiously.  She had known Lariah a long time, and like herself, Lariah had always been a loner.  Now it seemed that everyone she met knew her.