Mission To Mahjundar (32 page)

“Probably not.” Mike leaned over, off-balance, hand pressed tight to his right side.
 

“What's the matter?” Johnny’s eyes narrowed as he watched Mike favoring his ribs.
 

“I’m pretty sure I've got some busted ribs, not improved by being manhandled and chained to a wall. Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to stop me getting the hell out of here.” Biting his lip till he tasted blood, Mike straightened gingerly, hand to his rib cage.
 

“How bad?” Johnny asked. “Do you think you punctured a lung?”

“No, I’ll be okay till we reach the ship.” As he watched Saium leave the cell to handle the question of retrieving the other guard, Mike said, “What about Three Feathers? How did you get away from him?”

“You mean Ishtananga, the high priest?” Shalira said, shuddering. She fingered her skirt, which still bore splashes of the man’s blood. “He’s dead.”

“Her Highness was making a valiant effort to do him in with one of his own knives when I arrived. I kinda finished the deal for her,” Johnny said as he dragged the other body into the cell.

“But you’re all right?” Mike searched her face, noting how beautifully her eyes shone, now she was able to see.
 

Shalira nodded. “Your warning was accurate, I did need to be blind when we arrived here. He tested me with a candle flame, but then after his suspicions were allayed, I was able to summon my sight by the grace of my goddess. I grabbed a knife when he left the room. One of the servants realized I could see, but he was only a little boy. If he mentions anything to his mother we could be in trouble.”

“I thought maybe you were dead,” Mike said to Johnny over Shalira’s head.

“They hunted me all right.” He grinned but there was no mirth in his eyes. “I took care of the scouts on my tail and hid the bodies. But when I looped back again, there were too many of the enemy for me to take on, especially with you and Saium already incapacitated from those darts. I trailed you to the village. Even with a blaster I didn't think I could launch an assault and get you out without taking casualties. There were fifteen guards ringing the hut they kept you in. And they weren't anything like Bandarlok's lazy clansmen. These guys walked the perimeter and investigated the slightest noise, nervous as a bunch of cats. They kept the fires burning sky high all night, so it was nearly as bright as day. I had no idea where Shalira was, observed them leading her away, but couldn’t see where. I was hoping for a break the next day, on the trail, but there isn't much cover along the road. Had to hang way back. No chance to stage a one-man ambush. Then I had to wait until dark to climb over the walls of this place.” Johnny rubbed his jaw with one hand. “Strangest city I’ve ever been in. All those houses, no civilians. Big garrison of soldiers. I hoped this temple was where they’d taken you.”
 

“Ishtananga said the city is for big religious festivals and in between only the priests, their women, staff and soldiers live here,” Shalira said. “He told me normally that no one remains in the temple at night except the high priest, which was him. Oh, and priests observing the stars tonight.”

“Astronomers? Could be the big tower at the other end is for star gazing,” Johnny cracked his knuckles. “Couple of local scientists shouldn’t be any problem. What’s the plan?”

Mike rubbed his hands together and glanced over at the door. “See if we can get our hands on the rest of our gear and hightail it out of here.”

“I’m good with that,” Everett said. He held his hand out to Johnny, while nodding at Shalira. “Ma’am, Sergeant, I’m Captain Everett. Thanks for saving our bacon.”
 

Johnny sketched a half salute and shook hands before giving his attention to Mike. “You know where the gear is?” he asked, left eyebrow quirked skeptically. “And is it worth our time to retrieve?”

Mike nodded. “Blasters, gear the villagers took from Everett, yeah I think we’d better have it. We have to call for extraction at some point and we can’t do it without our equipment. There’s sure no easy road to the capital to use the ambassador’s private com.”

“I can’t go back there. It would be my death.” Shalira shuddered and he hugged her closer.
 

“No worries, sweetheart. You’re never setting foot there.”

“Track back to the wreck maybe, use the coms in the ship he rode in on?” Johnny said, pointing at Everett with his chin.
 

The other operator laughed. “Sorry, no can do. We sustained heavy damage in the firefight with the Mawreg. Going into hyperdrive only made the problems worse, even if we did escape the enemy. The ship crashed here, cracked up on a cliff. The dying pilot’s final act was to slag the engines without waiting to see if anyone on board had survived. I lost half my team in the explosion. My guess? He panicked, thought the Mawreg had followed us, which thankfully they hadn’t. But all my guys and I made it out with was our blasters.”

“So the information from your mission behind enemy lines was lost with the ship?” Mike asked. He understood where Johnny was coming from. The pressure of time ticking away was intense in the back of his mind too, but he had to know about Everett’s data.
 

Everett tapped his forehead. “All here. Three of us on my team were enhanced with the extra memory lobe. We each uploaded the data, for what it’s worth now, stuck on this crappy planet.”

“Her home,” Mike said, indicating Shalira.

Everett sniffed and dropped into pidgin Mahjundan. “Sorry, lady, but from my standpoint, this place is no picnic.”

The princess didn’t seem offended. “I understand.”

“You must have passed the storeroom door on your way to us,” Mike said. “The priests stashed our stuff in a room along the main corridor right outside the chamber with the big statue.”
 

“Ugliest thing I ever saw in twenty years of service.” Johnny actually shook himself, like a dog shedding water. “Creature from
someone's
worst nightmare. Thing's eyes follow you. Like—like a Mawreg.” Johnny and Shalira exchanged an odd glance, piquing Mike’s curiosity, but he decided now wasn’t the time to ask questions.

“Exactly. I'm supposed to be its breakfast. Got any water?” Taking the canteen his cousin offered, Mike drank a few swallows to ease his parched throat. Then he poured some into his hand and swiped across his forehead, wiping the area dry with the tail end of his uniform shirt. In the process he was able to remove most of the symbol the late Three Feathers had marked him with.
 

Saium stuck his head in the half-open door. “Are we moving out soon?” Seeing what Mike was doing, Saium came inside, holding his hand out for the canteen. “Excellent idea, Major, remove the vestiges of the evil magic.” He cleansed his own forehead of the red dust in two swipes. Then he offered the canteen to Everett.
 

“No more guards here in the temple at night, maybe a few scholarly priests. I like those odds,” Mike said, rolling his shoulders, stopping halfway through the gesture as his range of motion was curtailed by the broken ribs. “Let's get our gear. Any other exits from this place?”

“I didn’t see any, and believe me, I didn’t miss anything. Walking straight up the damn pyramid in the moonlight wasn’t my idea of a stealthy approach to a rescue operation.” Johnny frowned. “Too much talk. We’re tempting the Lords of Space by lingering here, let’s move.”

 
Moving Shalira behind him, Mike checked the hall. He indicated for Johnny to take point, since he had the only blaster. The sergeant led the others along the corridor in single file. Counting doors under his breath, Mike stopped at the one he’d marked in his mind's eye as the storeroom the high priest had opened earlier.
 

“No key,” he said. “Nothing for it but to blast the mechanism.” He stepped aside and gestured to Johnny.
 

The Mark 27’s signature whine echoed loudly in the narrow confines of the stone corridor. The lock melted away in about thirty seconds and Mike was able to swing the door open. Shepherding his party into the room, he drew the door partially closed in the best attempt at concealment they could make under the circumstances.

 
Saium had brought the lit torches with him.
 

“Lords of Space, can you believe this?” Johnny took a torch from the old guardsman, raising it high to illuminate the storehouse. The room held tumbled piles of gold, jewelry, lengths of fine fabric, elaborately carved statues, bottles and containers of what could be wine or spices. Totally incongruous in this hoard, several black packs with the modest Sectors logo sat in a heap off to the side, close to the door. Johnny let out a long, low whistle. “These guys keep house like my mother! Major packrats.”

Mike laughed as he moved forward to examine the pile of bags thrown on top of yet more treasures. “Well, at least your mom knows where to find her things.” Squatting, he frowned, moving the kit bags aside. “These are ours, not Everett’s, and one’s missing.”

“Maybe the villagers kept it, hoping for a little bit of treasure,” Shalira said. “I heard them arguing about turning us and the entire set of spoils over to the priests. They wanted to keep some for themselves.”

“As long as we have the uplink device to call for transport out of here, we’ll be fine,” Mike said. “If that’s gone, the situation gets dicey. Let’s see if the other blasters are in here, maybe the local guns. We need firepower.”
 

The three Sectors operators knelt beside the black bags and began doling out blasters and other bits of equipment among themselves. Johnny switched on a powerful light and set it on the floor by his knee, casting the entire room into view.

“I don't think we want anything out of here other than our own stuff,” Mike said, glancing around. “The Nathlemeru extorted all of this from people, tortured and killed innocent victims to acquire this treasure. It's tainted.”
 

“Bad luck,” agreed Johnny, tossing a blaster from the pack over to Mike.
 

“I for one don't want anything from this damn planet,” Everett said. He kicked a small golden pot by his foot for emphasis. It rolled away from him, spilling some thick, highly scented oil over the floor. “Just to leave it behind in my rear vids as I head back to civilization.”
He checked the settings on the blaster handed to him and then headed for the door. “I’ll keep watch while you finish up, but we need to move, sir.”

“Saium, come get a blaster,” Johnny said, pulling a spare from the bag. “Your Highness, you want my gun?”

“You can give me a weapon, but I’m not likely to be much of a shooter,” she said. “No rush.”

While the men divided the weapons, Shalira sank onto a nearby chest and leaned against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. She tried to block the vision of Ishtananga dying at her feet.
Sometimes sight isn’t such a blessing.
Now wasn’t the time to break apart and give in to the emotions battering at her mind. They weren’t safe yet.

Opening her eyes, she glanced at her companions in time to intercept a worried look from Mike. Straightening her back, unclasping her arms, she nodded and made herself smile. He had enough to deal with at the moment without adding her state of mind to his fears. She’d manage whatever was thrown at them next. Mike returned his attention to the matters under discussion and she rose to her feet. Suddenly she had the overwhelming need to be in motion, ready for action.

Shalira paced along the edge of the treasure hoard, somewhat impressed by the sheer volume, but not overly, considering the vaults of jewels and gold owned by her father. Shivering, she took a step away from the pile, overwhelmed again by the price paid in human lives to amass all this wealth for the uncaring god.

No, Mike was right. She wanted nothing from this place except to leave it as rapidly as possible. What was taking the men so long?

Turning to walk back to them, she paused, feeling as if someone or something had brushed her arm. Heart pounding, she stared around, but there was no one else in the room.
Foolish,
she chided herself. Everett, the new soldier, was rising to leave the room, a blaster clutched purposefully in his hand. Encouraged they’d be on their way soon, she took one step and froze. Something tugged at her, pulled on every fiber of her being. It was as if each cell in her body was inexorably drawn to a lodestone the way iron filings fly to a magnet.

Pivoting slowly on her heel, she ignored a remark directed to her by Mike. Facing into the depths of the chamber, she tried to figure out what had this hold on her. Almost unconsciously she was putting one foot in front of the other, walking into the mess, clambering heedlessly over treacherous piles of coins, gems, statues, slipping and sliding, but always moving forward in obedience to the force pulling her. With no thought of resisting now, Shalira gave in to the will ensnaring her, only raising one hand for a moment to caress the locket of Pavmiraia, silently breathing a prayer for protection.
 

Blinking, she focused on what had to be the object she sought and eagerly started forward again.

Mike was at her elbow, holding her in place. “Sweetheart, what is it? What are you looking for?” He gazed at the accumulated loot with a frown.

She balanced precariously on top of the loose pile of treasures. Annoyed, she yanked herself free, nearly toppling down the pile of loot. She crooked her finger at him even as the hoard under her feet threatened to collapse. “Come help me.”