The Journey's End (9 page)

***

By the time the Lady Leanne road within sight of the walls,
there was a group of soldiers led by her brother and General Renik mounted and
preparing to ride.

She had never been so happy to see the fortified walls of
her home.  General Renik and Menelaus both broke off from the others and
galloped forward,  Menelaus grabbing her reins while Renik pulled her from her
horse and into his lap.

“What do you think you are doing, general?”

Renik ignored her words and used his hands to push back the
hair on her head.  There was a great deal of bruising on her face.  “Who did
this?”  he growled. There was no other word for the grumble of anger that came
through his gritted teeth.

“One of the soldiers surprised me in my bedchamber.  I don’t
know what happened to him because when I woke up, I was in Lord Dunstan’s
tent.”

“Dunstan?”  Menelaus snapped his teeth on the name.  “Did he
hurt you besides the head?  How did you escape?”

“I had help.”  She looked right at Menelaus. “Most
unexpected help, that asked to remain unnamed.  And she was able to get me out
before I saw Dunstan, or should I say, he saw me.”

Menelaus looked to the forest that she had just left and
turned in that direction.  “Get her inside general and hold the walls till I
return.”

“No! Menelaus, it’s a trap,”  Leanne called, but he didn’t
even acknowledge her warning.  She turned to the general in a flurry.  “General
Renik it’s a trap, you have to stop him.”

“I have my orders,” he said grimly, then motioned the patrol
to follow the king rather than him.  “See to your king,”  he bellowed as he led
the struggling Leanne back to the safety of the walls.

***

When Menelaus reached the border of the forest, he
dismounted and moved slow, cautious of the animal sounds that were missing.  He
was aware it was supremely foolish to be walking into a trap when he knew she
was not in danger, but he was driven to search anyway.  While he finally had a
direction to search.  Unfortunately, he was not expecting the dart to the neck
that took him out, even before his troops could catch up.  They reached his
abandoned horse quickly and found no sign of him.  To them, King Menelaus had
vanished.

When Nori woke up, she became aware of the voices.

"I was hired by the Wosite, not you.  That means they
return with me."

"I'll double your wages.  I want them, especially the
girl.  Name your price."

"I am Tolan Lark.  I finish my commission, always.  You
want them after I finish my delivery; take that up with the Wosite."

From the smell, Nori knew she was back in Dunstan’s tent. Luckily
there was no smell of Leanne, other than the small lingering trail from when
she had been here before. Unfortunately Nori could smell someone else there
with her.  How had they captured Menelaus?  Foolish question.  They had the
tech from the Wosites.  The real question was why they wanted Menelaus.  Lord Dunstan
working with them was...worrisome.  She growled before she could stop herself.

"What the hell is she?"  The voice was the
arrogant man she had followed from the castle.

"She's Shakien."  The mercenary said it low and reverent. 
Strange, considering the Shakien reputation in the universe.  There was
something dangerous in that growly voice she almost recognized. 

"Why do you have her bound like that?”  She recognized Dunstan’s
voice, and his corresponding smell of costly silks and leather mixed with
tobacco and man sweat.  “Isn't carbon steel just a touch much for a little girl? 
And, can we at least take off the blindfold?  I want to see her."

"Fool.  She's Shakien.  Besides me, she is the most
dangerous person on this planet."

Well, that was more expected reputation wise.

"This little thing?"  he scoffed.  “She’s barely
bigger than a child.”

“Size is relative.”  There was quiet for a moment then the
mercenary went on.  “I see the look in your eye.  You are a man used to getting
what you want, but you are also a man who bides his time.  This is one of those
times.  Try me and I will bury you.”

“And how would you do that when you are only one man and I
control legions.”

There was a small skirmish that had the dust on the floor of
the tent stirred up, but it lasted all of ten seconds.  She tilted her head and
caught the sound of first a sword dropping to the ground, then a body.

“I stand corrected.”  Dunstan was not out of breath, but his
voice was tight with buried fear, so she assumed the perfumed messenger was
where the coppery blood smell originated.  “I will make my deals with the
Wosite.”

“Probably best.”  That growl again.  What was it about that
growl that was so familiar?  Plus, the scent she caught now and again was wild
and earthy, smelling of power and forest.  It was not a comforting smell, but
it was compelling.

She knew the exact moment Menelaus woke up, and apparently
he was not blindfolded, as she was.  “Nori?”

“Present.”

“I see that.  Are you hurt?”

“Just my pride.”

“Well, isn’t this touching,” Dunstan sneered. 

“Dunstan,” Menelaus growled with an impressive suppressed
rage that Dunstan should have heeded.  “If I had known you were this stupid, I
would have put you down long ago like the demented cur you are.”

“That’s your problem right there, why you will never hold the
crown.  You should have had me killed long ago, but you always play by the
rules.”  She heard movement, and then the sound of something hitting flesh.  “I,
on the other hand, follow no law but my own, and rest assured, I won’t keep you
alive much past watching me have my fun with your furry freak of a queen.”

“I would be worried if I thought you were really a threat to
anyone but your vassals.”  Menelaus was slightly out of breath and his voice
had gone scary deep, but he made no pain sounds, though the sounds of hitting
flesh continued, and his words were occasionally interrupted.  “If I hadn’t…
seen how scared you are of my wife I… might be worried, but carbon steel,
really?”

Dunstan’s voice was full of frustrated temper when there was
another sound of fist meeting flesh.  “You will eventually break and I will be
the one to make it happen.”

Nori snorted, bearing her teeth in a mocking smile aimed at
Dunstan from below the blindfold.  Listening to her mate be beat was not
helping her control the rage building at being restrained.  “You’ll be dead and
buried long before that would be a possibility.”

She heard him shift closer and then the mercenary spoke. 
“Touch her and die.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“More a promise.  Touch the girl and I will let her have you
before I deliver them to the Wosite.”

“Before or after, I will have her.”

“After, that’s between you and the Wosite, but it won’t be
before.”

“Fine.  Just remember that I can be a powerful friend or a
bitter enemy.”

“You want to be my enemy?”  The laugh was harsh and lacking
real humor.  “Try me.  I don’t give a flying space fart either way.”

“As entertaining as this is,” Menelaus interrupted dryly. 
“I have a pressing curiosity.  Did you say the Wosite?”

“They hired me to bring you and the girl to them,”  the
mercenary spoke blandly.  “Seems you’ve become something of a business
liability.”

“Interesting.”

“If you say so.”  Then Tolan Lark’s voice changed.  “The
girl, what is she to you?”

“My queen.”

“Is that all?”

If possible, Menelaus sounded colder when he spoke after a
screaming silence.  “Interesting that you make a distinction.  She is also my
mate.”

“Is that true kitten?”  She felt a nudge on her thigh and somersaulted
forward, quick as a snake, as she heard a quick shuffle and he was out of reach
just as fast.  She came to a stop and pulled her legs through her bound arms so
that her hands were in front of her. She whipped off her blindfold before he
could stop her, and was met with the scene she had not expected.  There was a
body dead on the floor, Menelaus bound with his hands behind his back and no
blindfold. Lord Dunstan was looking at her with shocked eyes, while the
Mercenary stood far back from reaching distance, his pistol aimed. 

He was tall, nearly as tall as Menelaus when he stood at his
full height.  Black hair and dusky skinned, slightly shaggy from the need for a
trim and his face seemed just as unkempt.  All sharp angles and hawk like
features.  There was a wildness and ruthless practicality stamped there that
she recognized.  Hard as a rock in his skintight body suit, knee boots, and
armed better than a military convoy, he also had eyes that were flashing from
blue to iridescent lavender even while she watched.

She showed her teeth in a growl and crouched, ready to
explode into action.  He smiled, showing lengthened canines and then turned the
gun to point it at Menelaus.  She froze.

“This time it’s real ammunition, not a tranq, kitten.”  He
smirked, careful not to blink, until with a humph she dropped to her bottom and
relaxed her stance.

“So, you are life mates then?  Pity.”  His eyes slid
seamlessly back to deep navy blue with nary a ripple.  “It’s been too long
since I saw a Shakien female, it would have suited better if you were not
attached.”

“We are,” Menelaus supplied with a snap, his eyes narrowed
on the mercenary.  “But why do you keep asking?”

“Shakien mate only once in their lifetime.”

“You seem awfully familiar with Shakien practices.”

“You could say it’s a hobby of mine.”

That had Nori snorting again, but she didn’t speak.  She was
too busy studying Menelaus for injuries.  He had a split lip and bruising along
one cheek.  She turned slowly to stare at Dunstan who had bloody knuckles. 
With Shakien lavender eyes, she studied him while he smirked and licked the
blood off his knuckle.

“Come closer, Lord Dunstan, and I’ll see you have more blood
to choke on.”  Her voice was deep and gritty from the need to strike.

“Soon enough
you
’ll have something of your own to swallow.” 
Lord Dunstan grabbed his crotch suggestively.

Nori shook her head.  “It never fails to amuse me that no
matter what planet I visit, the differences in language nuances, or the level
of tech displayed, one thing is always constant,” she motioned with her bound
hands to his grabbing of the crotch.  “Sign language for ‘I am a dick,’ is
universal.”

His face turned red.  “You won’t think it’s so funny when I
have it shoved down your throat.”

She displayed her pronounced canines in a wide smile that
held little humor.  “Just so you realize, anything you try to shove anywhere
near me you’ll get back in pieces.”  She held up her bound hands and showed a
small space between her index fingers.  “Tiny pieces.”

Dunstan took a step closer to her his red face tightened to
true anger.  “You would threaten a Lord of the twelve lands?”

She looked over at Menelaus who was not nearly as amused by
the subject as she was.  “Is he seriously thinking his rank means something to
me?”

That made Menelaus smile, despite the circumstance.  “Well,
he doesn’t know you like I do,” he shrugged, “and he’s always been more
arrogant than smart.”

Dunstan made some kind of hiss and started to step toward
them, but Tolan Lark spoke up once again.  “You attack her mate when she can
see and no weapon will be enough to stop her from killing you.”

“You forget your place mercenary.”

“No, you forget.  I programmed my auto-pilot to pick us up. 
You want a ride, you will behave yourself.  We wait for the shuttle to come and
then I take them to the Wosite.  If you want to take them both on after that, I
will be long gone. But once again Lord Dunstan, though I doubt you will listen,
you do, and they will be feeding what’s left of you to the recyclers.”

“I think I’ll take my chances.”

Tolan Lark just shrugged, then turned and continued his
study of Nori.

Before Dunstan could bluster more threats that nobody was
taking seriously, the mercenary and Nori both turned at the sound of the
approaching shuttle.  Menelaus, noticing every move they made, heard it a
moment later and finally Dunstan realized.  He smirked down at both Menelaus
and Nori; sure he would soon have them at his mercy.  But Menelaus was watching
Nori, his face a stoic mask surrounding eyes that branded her from across the
room.  Clearly, he could not have cared less about Dunstan and his threats. 

She met those electric eyes and was once again captured.

Lightning in a bottle…

“Don’t,” he ordered with one word, but Nori understood.  He
was telling her not to leave him when they were on the Wosite side of the
bridge.  Not to finish making her escape when she had the chance, and fool that
she was she knew if given the choice of her freedom when he was in danger she
would take on the entire tech brigade to see him free of it.  Another impossible
choice.  They would just have to see what the Wosite had in mind, and then…well,
at this point, she was feeling like fate was busting a gut laughing at her
expense.

“You can go first Lord Dunstan, if you don’t mind.”  Tolan
motioned with his weapon, “Then the lovely lady, who will give you a good five
feet distance if you please, and I will follow with the life mate, my blaster
pointed right at his head, so I suggest you not try anything that will make me
twitchy, sweetheart.”

Nori smiled at him showing her teeth, her eyes cold lavender
steel.  “You get twitchy and it’ll be the last move you ever make.”

He saluted her.  “Of that I am well aware.  So let’s all
keep calm and not do anything we can’t walk away from.”

“I can bring the girl.”  Lord Dunstan headed in her
direction with his hand out.

Tolan turned faster than Dustan could track and fired at his
feet puffing up dust and a volleyball size crater by his fancy boots.  “Not
another step towards her.  I will say this once again, mainly because I have
every confidence you won’t listen, the girl is out of your league.  Move
along.”

“You almost took off my foot!”

“There is no almost with a blaster, or me.”  Tolan motioned
ahead with the gun.  “If I wanted to take out your foot, I would have aimed for
it.  Hear what I am saying and move on.”

With a growled curse, Dunstan finally turned and headed out
of the tent ahead of the rest of them.

“You do realize he will kill you if he gets the chance?” 
Menelaus spoke quietly, as Nori followed with the requested five feet between
them.

“Oh, I know, which is why he won’t get that chance.”

“My wife is harmed by your actions. He won’t be the one you
have to worry about.”

Tolan laughed, then motioned again with the gun for Menelaus
to follow.  “He’s not the one I worry about now.”

“He’s stupid, but seems to still manage his own brand of
mayhem.  He gets a hold of Nori, or anyone else hurts her and I will hold you
responsible. The universe is not big enough to hide in if that happens.”

“Anyone tries to mess with your mate, I have every
confidence she will set them straight with no help from either of us, but I
will keep that in mind.”