Mercenary's Reward (3 page)

"
Nai, nos tens'te, nos tens'te
.” The voice was gentle, feminine, and definitely not Tribe. Jai felt small hands brush like a stray breeze over the top of his head and across his bound torso. “
Ouf ben, ouf ben
."

He'd crashed into the forest, and now someone from the surface had him. Whether they meant to heal him, imprison him, or both, he didn't have the energy to fight. Jai let the soft murmurs wash over him and slipped back into darkness.

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Mieli woke from a dreamless sleep when he began to speak. He was mumbling foreign words and sounds, just a fever dream, probably. It had been almost a week since she'd found him, and his wounds were healing slowly. Although the worst of the swelling had gone down, the deepest injuries were reluctant to knit.

Without any way to communicate and no way to ease his suffering, she'd worried at first that he would thrash or move about. Though he must surely be out of his mind with pain, he bore it well, and not even in sleep did he seem affected. Whether it was his strength of will or that he did not feel pain the way her people did, it was still awe-inspiring to watch him bear it so quietly.

Sometimes she wondered what he thought about, for each day brought longer and longer periods of wakefulness for her patient. Even though he never moved and his face was still so swollen his eyes would not open, she knew when he was awake. Most of the time she was able to regard him strictly as a doctor would, but when he was awake, and despite his injuries, he frightened her.

In the small area where she cared for him, the size and power of his body was menacing. Mieli forced herself to focus only on the task at hand, but there was a dread growing in the back of her mind. If her rescue of him did not earn her mercy, she feared what his people could do to her. Even if they were no bigger than this one, they were fearsome indeed. A cynical voice inside her whispered that her selfishness and willful ways would bring her to a bad end.

Mieli ignored it.

THE LIGHT WAS painful, but Jai soaked up the sensation as reaffirmation of his ability to see. Able at last to open his eyes fully, he blinked as he looked around his surroundings.

For the last four days, he'd been steadily working at opening his eyes more and more. He waited carefully until his keeper was away before practicing. His curiosity over her was far less than the need to keep his progress a secret. If he could downplay his returning health, when the time came to overtake his captors, it would be much easier.

He had never endured healing this way, with only his body's own energy to restore him. Aches racked him, and he chafed at the realization of how long his recovery might still take. Jai thought gratefully of the reinforced bone structure he'd paid for. The War Tribe was kind to its best soldiers, and for those that showed promise and devotion there was plenty of money to go around for physical improvements.

Political assassinations, personal vengeance, and just about any dirty job that needed done were available; Jai had seen a spike in opportunity as the leaders of the Tribe warred among themselves. Top ranking generals and commanders were determined to turn back the “peace” movement. If the General Assembly, the ruling body made up of delegates from every planet, and the councilors who wrote their laws ever managed to get the majority united, it would mean the end of the War Tribe as he knew it. A way of life that had been central to their success for more than a millennium would disappear.

For hundreds of years, the War Tribe had ventured forth into the universe, with no other purpose than the acquisition of more planets, more people, and more resources to further their civilization. The approach had stood them well, but an increasing number of the nonmilitary population were starting a movement for more peaceful tactics. If they had their way, the conquering nature of the War Tribe would end.

Jai had made quite a side career out of political assassinations. He had murdered ambassadors, assembly members, councilors, and even emissaries in his pursuit of power. With the money he had earned, there had been physical enhancements like his unbreakable bones, his bio-vi powered reflexes, and the eye implants that gave him night vision and far-seeing capability. The more he improved himself, the more valuable his work became.

Thank
Hai
he had enough modifications to withstand this trauma and heal. Now his thoughts were turning to sabotage, because while it was only suspect that his ship had failed, it was damning that no one had come for him.

From outside the ship, he heard the woman. Every day he woke to the sound of her, so close he could sense the warmth of her body in the small shelter she had made for them out of the wreck. He knew by the feel of her when she tended to him that she was ridiculously small. It would be no problem to subdue her when more of his strength returned and he no longer needed her to care for him.

At first, he had been wary that she was not alone. After all, she was a healer. She had to remain close to care for him. The possibility that there were more of her people nearby had been very real. Now, though, he was sure they were alone. She often spoke to him, and while he couldn't understand her words, the emotions were easier to read.

In the beginning, when his waking hours were random and filled with pain, she had tried to soothe him, murmuring the same things over and over. It had gone a long way to helping him begin learning her language. In the Tribe there was one universal language called Tribe Standard, but many hundreds more had survived and were still spoken on their respective planets of origin. Most soldiers spoke several languages and learned more easily.

As he'd healed, her conversation had become more varied. Phrases and familiar words still came in the form of reassurances of his progress, but he had begun to hear loneliness and uncertainty. That she was worried about something, he didn't doubt. What it was, he couldn't even guess. He had his own concerns these days and little time to spare for hers.

Mieli approached the shelter where the man waited. Her steps were heavy, and her legs tired. All day she had hunted, and there was no game to be found. For half a day's walk in any direction, the wildlife was gone. Whether it was the memory of the crash through the forest or the damage it had left, the animals were avoiding the area. Her supplies were almost exhausted, and she had to feed both herself and her patient.

She pulled back the canvas flap of the shelter and climbed over the edge. Her inability to move him meant she had grown accustomed to the cramped quarters. The flying ship must have originally been designed for short trips, because the interior was quite small. With the upper half and one side ripped away, it was just large enough for the man to lie on his back and have about four feet on either side to spare.

Now, weary and depressed, Mieli lay down next to him in her usual spot. The steady sound of his even breaths soothed her, and she thought he must be awake because it wasn't the deep breathing he favored at night. Not for the first time, she wished there were some way she could communicate with him. In a fit of honesty she admitted it wouldn't be to assuage his fears but hers. Without language, and with his eyes still swollen shut, there was no way to ask him the questions burning uppermost in her mind.

Would he help her survive? Was saving his life worth her own?

Her hand pressed to her mouth, Mieli tried to silence the sobs that rose as tears slid down her face. Pity for her own sorry situation and dread for the future churned like acid in her stomach. She wanted out so badly, to sleep on a bed again and live like something more than an animal. Her plan had clearly been a little flawed, but she was running out of options. What-ifs circled futilely through her thoughts, but there were no answers. Finally she surrendered to the despair and cried quietly as the second sun began to set.

JAI KNEW THE moment his rescuer fell asleep. The barely audible sound of her crying had softened to deep, even breaths. Opening his eyes, he could see the faint glow of the fading sunset. He carefully turned his head to the right and looked at the woman for the first time.

She lay on her side, facing him with her head pillowed on her arm. Short hair the color of beaten gold curled gently toward her face. It was the softest face he had ever seen. Her cheeks were rosy and full, and dense lashes just a touch darker than her hair rested on their upper crests. The remainder of her skin was pale peach and appeared so tender he imagined it might bruise just as easily.

Her mouth was full, shaped into a perfect heart. Jai looked down the abbreviated length of her body. She wore only a sleeveless dress; a thin, white shift that stopped at midthigh. Like her face, her form was soft, welcoming even, with its ripe curves and tempting femininity. He had never seen a full-grown woman so small and delicate. In the War Tribe, there must be women like her, but they were safely away from the military service. They were teachers or maybe noncombat nurses or artists.

More often, women like her entered training in delicate duties and were molded into the genteel wives of powerful men. The kind of men that hired him to do their dirty work. Most likely the same sort of men that wanted him dead. There was some kind of irony in the situation, that was certain.

A particularly deep breath made her shudder, and he looked again at her face. She was lovely, sweet, and gentle. She had surely saved his life. But if it was necessary, he would not hesitate to take hers.

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Mieli tried not to despair, but she was out of ideas. She was out of food, and without traveling farther on foot, she wouldn't be able to provide more. That wasn't such a hardship, but she would have to leave the man alone overnight, and she had no way to tell him she would be back.

Crouched low beside him, she touched his shoulder. He was already awake, and she'd known that. He still hadn't begun to open his eyes; although the swelling was mostly gone, the bruising still discolored and distorted his face.

"I know you don't understand, but I must go.” She hesitantly stroked his shoulder. “I will be back, I promise."

Before she could worry anymore, she rose and stepped out of the shelter. She had a lot of walking to do. Outside in the clear light of morning, she headed east, toward the river. At first she walked in the path cleared by the crash, but at last she entered the forest proper and began the more difficult hiking.

Familiar with this walk since she'd started it many times only to turn back at midday, she was confident in her direction. Her certain steps allowed her mind to wander. Truly, her thoughts turned more and more to the soldier.

He had never yet spoken a word to her. Aside from some mumbling in his sleep, he made no sounds at all. Added to the fact that he'd yet to open his eyes, she had begun to wonder if her efforts were in vain. While his body was clearly healing, unseen damage might have ended his life more effectively than death.

Brain injuries were hard to understand in her people; she had no hope of diagnosing one in this stranger. Even if by some miracle the ships came back for him now, weeks later, she was sure they would find little to recommend in her healing skills. The worst of it was, she really did want him to be well. Mieli had to admit that after the days she'd spent caring for him, she could not wish otherwise. Honesty forced her to also confess how much of that desire stemmed from concern for her own well-being.

If she healed him, and he woke, he might still lead her out of the forest and into a new life. If he never woke, was never healed, that wouldn't happen. It was a sobering thought, and one that was on her mind more often than not. Kyre and his bunch were long gone, and she wouldn't seek them out regardless. She absolutely had to have someone on her side who had some power in this new order. How many more opportunities were going to fall out of the sky?

JAI DIDN'T WAIT long after the healer left. He might not know her language, but the meaning had been clear. She was leaving. From the tone of her voice, and the way she'd stroked his shoulder, it had been difficult for her. Whatever the reason, she would not be back today. Maybe not ever.

He had carefully exercised his returning strength every day in his moments of privacy. His wounds had knitted, although reluctantly, and he'd been able to lift and flex his arms and legs regularly and even stand. Today, certain in his solitude, he cautiously ventured outside the remains of his ship.

For the first time, he got a good look at the destruction he'd left in the wake of the crash. The fire had been brief and intense, a flash, really. He had reason to be thankful that it was such a wet forest, for the fire had not been able to spread and burn him alive while he lay injured and helpless in the wreckage. His little native would have been lucky to salvage anything of him aside from his indestructible bones.

At the thought of her, Jai flexed his hands. During the last week, he had been hard pressed to maintain the facade of his infirmity. He had been dangerously close to taking control of the situation several times but refrained. Until he could be sure his strength had returned, and he was unwilling to tip his hand.

Now, in the light of morning, with his legs beneath him and his body aching but responding to his commands, he thought that time might have arrived There was not a moment to be wasted if he meant to discover the person behind his crash.

He looked down his body and surveyed the long, jagged scars that would remind him of this forever. The woman had done a good job, and though his body had healed rapidly after its slow start, his wounds were still a gruesome sight. He'd never had any particular vanity about his looks, but it made him wonder how badly his face had fared.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Jai scowled. There was no reason to be concerned with his appearance, and that he was could only be attributed to one thing.

The healer.

She was on his mind too much. He'd resigned himself to being attracted to her because she was undeniably more beautiful than any woman he would ever know. Plans for revenge had taken a backseat lately to lurid images of him and the little healer. Her soft hands and tender touches had led him into fantasies about having her attention on other parts of his anatomy. She had slept next to him every night; it was impossible not to think about pinning her down and having her.