Rebellion (15 page)

His com buzzed. “What is it?”

“You have a call, your excellency,” his secretary said. “It is from the newly appointed president of Sandaria, Gordat Prayda.”

Mortog pondered the call. The Cavacents had fled Sandaria for a reason. In his previous role as a councilman, Prayda was well known for having similar views to his own. Perhaps this day was taking a turn for the better. “Put him through.” He waited a beat. “This is Chancellor Mortog. What can I do for you Mr. President?”

“I understand a Cavacent EP recently apprehended a criminal on your planet.”

So, Mortog thought, he knows about the capture of the boy, but not their escape. “That is correct. The clan was here for the Summer’s Ball.”

“Ah, then I suppose they are no longer guests of your planet?”

Mortog could tell Prayda was fishing, but for what? “Actually, there has been an unfortunate turn of events. EP Montori was due to leave for Earth today, but she appears to have been kidnapped by the killer during his escape. That, or she is responsible for his escape.”

“Really?” The president sounded quite happy about that. “Are the rest of them on Mitah?”

“Only Rucon. I believe the rest are on their way. Might I ask why this interests you?”

“The Portal Masters have requested that I assist them in retrieving some things that were stolen from them. As well as nearly a dozen masters, one of Rucon’s EPs is a tall albino by the name of Armond. He took a small black device from the guild, and they would like it, and the albino, back. As for myself, I’m not a fan of Rucon. If you could perhaps detain him…”

Having the Portal Masters as an ally would be of immeasurable benefit. They operated outside the law in their own world. “I would be happy to assist the guild and you in any way possible. I’m assuming, of course, they would be willing to return the favor.”

“Indeed, they would be very grateful. I have already dispatched three Portal Masters to Mitah. When they arrive, we will establish the gateway, and we will discuss this in person.”

The day was indeed looking up. “It would be my pleasure.”

* * * *

Rucon entered Chancellor Mortog’s office enraged. This planet had been nothing but trouble from the start. Mortog was on his com chewing out the weasel Sou and demanding he return at once. He disconnected and faced Rucon. He stood without a word for a long pause. “You arranged for her to meet him alone. I find that suspiciously convenient.”

Idiot.
“My team apprehended him in the first place. Why would we break him out now?”

Mortog leaned over and slammed his fist onto his desk. “I don’t know. Perhaps you planned to rescue him all along and my security got in your way?”

Rucon stepped up to the desk, placed his palms on the surface, and stared the man down, ignoring the twinge at the back of his neck. “We had to wait for your security to show up and take him into custody. There are only two families that I or any of my clan know on this planet of yours. One of those families has recently suffered a tragic loss. Do you really think I would rescue his killer? Face it Mortog, this is homegrown. My clan has nothing to do with it. Now, this is your planet and I want my EP back. Am I clear?”

The chancellor flushed an unflattering shade of red. “You’ll get your EP when I get my killer.”

Rucon stood straight, knowing he couldn’t force the man’s hand. He’d already told him the EPs were returning, but what he didn’t know is that they were already here. They’d find the killer all right. The twinge in the back of his head increased, and he finally realized what it was. It was a rare psi talent that he’d only experienced once. “Are you attempting to direct my thoughts?”

The feeling stopped abruptly.

“Pity you weren’t more susceptible, but then it will be much more fun for me this way.” Mortog flipped a hand, and five armed guards entered the room.

“You can’t be serious,” Rucon said.

“I assure you I can.” He addressed the guards. “Disarm him, put him in psi-bands and lock him up. He’s got a visitor coming.”

“You won’t get away with this.”

“I already have. Take him away.”

By the time Lieutenant Sou showed up, Mortog’s mood was much improved. The possibility of being able to requisition a portal without the usual costs and delays pleased him greatly. “Any word on how they managed to escape?”

“No, sir. They used a tagless vehicle and seem to have simply vanished.”

“No one simply vanishes. They obviously had help. Jara was convinced there was a coordinated effort among the Curzans. It is time we increase our search.” Mortog strode to the windows and took in the gardens beyond. “The so-called underground of Curzan vile must be put to an end.” He swung around.

Sou backed up a few steps.

“Find them. They are about to murder a very prominent citizen of the GTO and a good friend of Supreme Commander Anantha. And because of this heinous act, they must be punished. It’s all coming together very nicely, don’t you think?”

Confusion played across Sou’s face. “Sir?”

“Lord Rucon Cavacent is going to be murdered by the Curzans.”

Sou smiled. “That’s brilliant.”

“Find the boy that Jara was using as a source and bring him to me.”

Merek led Ria to a good-sized room on the second floor of the lodge. There was a large bed, a small sitting area, and a desk. A door stood off to the side, which she figured was either a closet or a bathroom. Bars covered the two windows that looked out over the back of the property. The floor was carpeted and the window draped with curtains. It was better than a jail cell.

Merek motioned toward the desk. “You’ll be needing some things. There’s stuff to write with over there. Make a list with your clothes sizes, and we’ll see what we can do.” He seemed to wait for a reply.

She tried to cross her arms, was thwarted by the psi-bands, so just stood there. The fact they were going to supply her with “things” meant they weren’t going to kill her. Not immediately, anyway.

“Suit yourself,” Merek said. “I expect you’re hungry.” He didn’t say anything more before turning to go.

She checked the door and wasn’t surprised to find it locked. Prowling the perimeter of the room, she looked for anything that might be useful. Frustration at her detainment fought with the hunger in her stomach. As if on cue, she heard the lock clink on the door and Merek was back, this time with the teenager in tow with a tray of food.

Merek stepped aside for the girl. “Put it on the table.”

The dark-haired girl set the tray down on the coffee table and openly checked out Ria. Her psi lightly brushed against Ria’s, and she stepped closer. “You don’t look or feel like a Curzan killer.”

“Bella,” Merek snapped.

The teen smiled. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” She winked at Ria before leaving.

Merek locked the door when they left, but Ria could still hear them. “What was that?” he asked the girl.

“I think Ty is wrong about her, that’s all.”

Their voices faded, and Ria regarded the food. There was a sandwich of some kind, some fruit, and a couple bottles of water. She sat down and took a bite of the sandwich. Thinking about what the girl said to Merek, she wondered. The girl had brushed her psi with enough contact for Ria to read her fairly well. There wasn’t any overt malice in her. She had a healthy dose of anger toward Sandarians in general, and Mitans in particular, but she herself seemed decent. And intelligent. Like Ty. And Merek, for that matter. They were nothing like Ria had been led to expect from Curzans. She took another bite and thought of Ty. Their night together had been crazy with passion and a pleasure that was nearly blinding. She hadn’t really focused on Ty himself, but she’d picked up enough at dinner to know he wasn’t dangerous to her. The attraction had been mutual, and she’d focused on that.

As to who or what he was on a deeper level, it was hard to say. He short-circuited her brain when he was near. She knew virtually nothing about him. She thought about the others. They’d rescued Ty and kidnapped her. Well, he’d kidnapped her. They had contacts somewhere. They must in order to have pulled off not just the jailbreak, but the disappearing act, too. And this lodge was no cabin in the woods. This cost money. Lots of money. These were no animals she was dealing with.

Or maybe I’m just lying to myself because I can’t stand the thought of bonding with an immoral sub-human.

Ria ate everything on her plate. She was going to need all the energy she could get because one thing was for certain. She wasn’t staying here.

* * * *

The following morning the teen came alone with the food.

“It’s Bella, right?” Ria asked.

“So you can talk.”

“Yeah.” Ria smiled at her. “You seem like a decent enough person from what I could tell with our contact yesterday.”

Bella stood and regarded her. “You read people?”

Ria nodded. “You?”

“I guess. You seem like a nice person, too. Not at all what Ty said.”

“I can’t read him very well,” Ria admitted, hoping to gain the girl’s confidence. “He probably has the same problem with me.”

“Why? I can always read people.”

Ria couldn’t tell her they were probably psi-mates so she hedged with the one answer even a teen couldn’t argue with. “I don’t know. It’s weird.”

Bella nodded, apparently satisfied. She put the tray down on the table. She glanced briefly at Ria’s bound wrists but didn’t offer to remove them.

Ria smiled, a plan forming in her head.

* * * *

She’d been there for three days and was beyond bored. They hadn’t activated the vid screen so there wasn’t much she could do. The amount of exercise possible with her wrists bound was limited at best. Her frustration and agitation were increasing with every day. Or more specifically, every night. There was no staying away from Ty when she slept. The first two nights, she’d had the same dream as before. They were running from someone. The fear was real, as was the pain of the laser piercing her side. Last night was different. They hadn’t been running. They’d been making love. Her body shook with the memory. Gods, she could even smell him now. She couldn’t do this any longer.

She’d made progress with Bella. It wasn’t hard since they genuinely liked each other. A pang of guilt surged at the thought of deceiving the teen, but she had no choice. If she stayed here, like this, she’d self combust.

As usual, Bella brought her a tray for dinner that night. She’d hung out a few times, asking questions about space travel and other planets. She was particularly interested in interstellar ships. The logistics of building a space-worthy vehicle and the mystery of interstellar portals fascinated her to no end.

After the usual barrage of questions, Bella stood to go. “Thanks, Ria. I’ll let you finish your dinner. I have to go help with the laundry.” She pouted at the thought.

“After being stuck in here for the last three days, I’d love to help do laundry.”

“I’ll talk to Merek,” Bella said. “We can’t keep you locked in here forever.”

“Thanks.” Ria figured it was now or never. “Bella, do you think you could remove my bands? Just at night. It’s really hard to sleep with my wrists tied.”

Ria held her breath while Bella hesitated a long moment.

“I suppose,” Bella said, reaching into her pocket. “Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“I won’t.”

“And don’t try to escape. I’m serious. We’re in the middle of worick country. Without a repeller, you won’t last the night.”

Her concern was heartfelt.

“Don’t worry,” Ria said. “I’ve seen vids of those things. I wouldn’t go near one.”

Bella released the band, and Ria’s psi burst out.

“Wow, that feels good.” Ria stretched her arms wide, wincing as her muscles protested.

Bella smiled and left the band on the coffee table. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“In the morning. Thanks, Bella.”

After Bella left, Ria went to work. She’d checked out the bars on the windows the first night here. They were a single unit, the bars attached to a quarter-inch thick metal slab on top and bottom. She’d yanked on both and found the one on the left was coming loose from the window frame. She couldn’t budge it without her psi, but was pretty sure it would come off easily now. Waiting was the hardest part. She was bound to make some noise and wanted to make sure most, if not all, the people were asleep. It was a little after two in the morning when she made her move. She’d stayed awake, not wanting to risk a connection with Ty. There was no telling what he might be able to pick up now that the bands were off.

She slid the window open and made short work of the bars. After three days, using her psi was exhilarating. She lowered the assembly to the ground outside and followed after. Her room had nothing she could use as a weapon so she made her way to the barn. Sliding in quietly, she closed the door behind her. Glow lights lined the walls and ceiling, giving off a cozy feel. The barn smelled of the large hunting beasts and animal feed. Rifling through the tack box she found a sharp pick, probably used to clean the animals’ hooves. She slid it into her pocket and moved over to a workbench along the side. A sheathed knife with a five-inch blade was the only other useful item she could find. No laser blades, no darts, nothing. She briefly entertained the idea of taking one of the animals, but with the forests filled with woricks, stealth was her best weapon.

She left through a small door out the back of the barn and headed toward the hills. She’d need to get higher to figure out where she was and determine the best direction to go. She was also fairly certain woricks couldn’t climb. If she could scale the cliff face and get out of their reach, she had a good chance of making it out. At least, she hoped she did.

Ty’s presence had been an underlying buzz at the lodge, sometimes fading, but always present. The farther away she traveled, the weaker the buzz became. The night was cool and both moons were high in the sky. There was plenty of light as long as she stayed out from underneath the trees, but that wasn’t always possible as she wanted to take the most direct route.