Vengeance (25 page)

“Sorry I
couldn’t come check on you,” Reyes says, his expression
tight with regret.  “Donan banned us from visiting.”

“That’s
because you talk too much,” Hyde snickers.  With far more
care than I thought possible for him, he sets me down on a chair and
then rushes to get another to prop up my left leg.  He grabs a
pack off a table and dumps the contents all over the floor and stuffs
it just under my thigh to keep my leg aloft.  Even after nearly
two weeks of recovery time I still feel light headed at times.

A shriek of
annoyance is followed by a fist slamming into Hyde’s shoulder.
 He laughs and turns to face a steaming Natasha.  “That
was my stuff, jerk.”

“It’s
all still there.”  He sinks onto a seat beside me, ever
present and attentive.  When I first met Hyde I hated him.  No,
maybe hate isn’t even a strong enough word.  I guess that
just goes to show you that the masks people wear are sometimes there
for a reason.

Natasha
on the other hand has maintained her adamant hatred of me.  I
guess I should have expected that.  I notice that she spends
more and more time gone from the base, preferring the stink and
sludge of the swamps to my company.  Hyde has done his best to
ensure that we are never left alone together too long but even he has
duties to see to and needs time to sleep.

“You’ve
changed, Hyde, and not for the better,” she growls, scooping
her supplies into her arms.  Reyes stoops down beside her to
help but a livid glare sends him backing away with his arms raised
high in the air.  

“There are
other bags,” Hyde shouts after her but she rushes from the
room.  I can hear her curses echoing after her.

“She used to
be such a sweet girl.” Reyes shakes his head and then stoops
beside me, appearing to shove aside the ugly scene that just
transpired with ease.  “So Hyde here says you’re
ready to join our merry little band of robbers.”

“Robbers?”
I look to Hyde with confusion but he only laughs.  Digging
around in a small satchel he pulls out some sort of an edible bar of
food and takes a huge bite.  My stomach growls and for the first
time in weeks I actually feel real hunger again.  He notices my
gaze and smirks, handing it over to me without a word.  I take a
small bite, leery of risking a large bite that might send my stomach
on a full tilt toward the ground.

The
length of my recovery time was doubled due to my current ‘condition’
as everyone seems to like to refer to my pregnancy.  I weary
easily, hunger quickly and vomit up nearly anything that touches my
stomach.  It’s been four days since I ate anything, so I
am cautious.  As far as my leg...I’m starting to accept it
a bit better.  There are moments when I forget and try to
scratch an itch and my stomach gives way when I realize what I’ve
done.  Sometimes late at night I will feel pains below my knee,
maddening but no less real than if I were to stub a toe on my right
foot.  Vanata calls them ghost pains.  Memories from my
past.  Whatever they are, they sure know how to mess with my
mind!

Reyes grabs at a
metal chair and drags it toward him.  It squeals against the
cave floor.  I wince, realizing that he is either careless or
there is no risk of an outsider hearing the noise.  Judging by
the firepower that I’ve seen in this place today I’d say
they have a pretty tight lockdown on the perimeter.

“In my
defense,” Reyes starts, pressing a hand to his chest, “I
wanted to tell you about us when you first woke up on the ship but
Hyde here didn’t want to trust you.”

“Imagine
that,” I chuckle, casting a glance at him.  He shrugs,
looking not the least bit upset about his decision.  “Where’s
your other half hiding out?”

I
can’t help but laugh at Reyes’ confusion.  He looks
like an animal trapped within a bright light, stunned to the point of
being frozen in place.  “Vondran,” I lean in and
whisper.  “Where’s he at?  I assume if you are
here he is too.”

“Ah,”
Reyes laughs.  He juts his thumb back over his shoulder.  “The
idiot picked a fight last night.  He’s been put on kitchen
detail for a week as punishment.  Someone’s gotta clean up
after us lot.”

I grin, almost
feeling sorry for Vondran.  He was the first to speak to me on
the slaving ship, to give me some semblance of information, but I
wouldn’t go so far as to say I like the guy.  “So is
someone finally going to tell me who and what you all are?”

“We
are part of an ancient sect who protects the peoples who live among
the stars.  We are called the Aegon Assassins in our common
tongue, though other peoples call us by different names.”  I
turn as Donan enters the room.  His hands are clasped behind his
back.  His chest is puffed out as he approaches.  He wears
a stark white calf-length coat.  Golden buttons trail down the
center of his chest.  Crisp black pants finish out the regal
outfit.  I smirk behind my hand at the sight of worn combat
boots beneath.  
He
almost pulled it off
,
I think.

“Why have I
never heard of you before?” I ask, watching as he walks around
Reyes and stands alert a few feet away.  His beard has been
neatly trimmed, his hair cut shorter than before.  I realize
that he looks every bit the part of a stern commander.

“You were
never meant to.”  He responds simply.  “Only
those who must know our identity do. You, despite your lofty
position, did not need such information.”

I look between Hyde
and Reyes, noticing how the humor in their expressions has fled.
 “And why are you here?  In this place?”

“To prevent
genocide.”

I glance over at
Hyde, watching as he trails his finger along the edge of the table.
 He doesn’t look up at me and I get the distinct feeling
that this is done on purpose.  “Genocide.  You mean
on Earth?  You’re here to stop the invasion...er, second
invasion, I mean.”

Donan
lifts his leg and perches on the edge of the table.  Reyes rises
and crosses his arms over his chest.  In the skin tight black
shirt that he wears I realize there is a great amount of definition
in his arms.  
How
did I miss the fact that these men are obviously highly trained
soldiers when I met them before?

“It
is not just Earth that we protect, Queen Illyria.  It is many
worlds.  Many races.  Countless lives.”  He
twines his fingers together and places his hands upon his leg.
 “Drach and other bands of his people have a love of
power.  They thrive off it, trade for it; but it is not the sort
of power that you imagine.”

He leans forward
slightly and I feel my stomach twist with anticipation.  I place
a hand upon my swollen belly, realizing that it is not just my fear
that I feel now.  These past few weeks I have begun to feel an
awareness with my children.  Sometimes it is an image that pops
into my mind.  Sometimes a thought.  Hyde told me that it
was impossible considering the collar still wrapped about my throat,
but I know what it is that I see and feel.

The collar has
proven impossible to remove, despite Hyde and Vanata’s best
efforts.  The metal is impervious to heat, and no weapon has
made a dent yet.  Considering its location about my neck our
choices have been limited, and yet we continue to experiment.  I
have faith that someday soon we will discover a way to free me.

Donan continues
speaking and I rush to catch up, shoving aside my errant thoughts.
 “At the center of this planet is an energy source unlike
any other that we have seen.  It fuels this planet, gives it
life.  It lengthens the lives of its people.  It heals and
it kills.  Drach and his people have been mining its well of
power for many generations, but as with all things, there is always
an end.”

“So what
happens when the well runs dry?” I ask.

“The planet
dies,” Reyes answers.  

I look at the three
men before me and feel a needle of fear jabbing me just below the
base of my spine.  “Is this the part where you tell me
that the planet is about to die and we’re all going to be
trapped here, facing imminent death?”

Donan surprises me
by laughing.  “Is she always this over dramatic?”

Hyde grins.  “She
has her moments.”

I
cross my arms over my chest, not enjoying being laughed over.  My
concerns are real and founded in truth.  “Why else would
they come to Earth?  To kill my people and rape the land?”

“Because they
believed that Earth had something they do not.”  

“What?”
I ask, holding my breath.

Donan raises a
finger and points it directly at me.  “Your future
children.”

The table beneath my
hand begins to vibrate.  Donan and Hyde share a loaded glance as
I dig my nails into the flesh of the wood surface.  Reyes backs
away, his eyes wide with surprise.  “Why do they want my
children?” I growl.

I flinch as Hyde
places a hand on my arm.  I stare down at it, unblinking.  I
can feel my anger mounting and with it comes increasing vibrations.
 I can feel them rippling up through my fingers and into my arm.
 “That’s what we are trying to figure out,” he
whispers in a surprisingly soothing tone for a man usually so abrupt.
 

I look at Hyde to
see him squinting down at me.  His gaze is narrowed, his lips
pressed into thin lines.  “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,”
he mutters and draws back his hand.  I can’t help but get
the feeling that there is a hint of disappointment in his tone.  I
look to Donan and see that he has a similar expression, one bordering
cool calculation yet tinged with a bit of concern.

“How long have
you been able to override your collar?” he asks.

I follow his gaze
down to the table and realize a metal mug is stuttering across the
surface.  I pull my hand into my chest and feel the tremors
begin to abate.  The sudden appearance of my abilities shocks
me.  “I didn’t do that,” I whisper, feeling
confused.

How is this
possible?  The collar keeps my powers at bay.  

My eyes widen in
wonder and I place my hand upon my belly.  Donan’s gaze
sharpens as he sees the distinct curve of my stomach and turns to
glare at Hyde.  “How could you keep this from me?  You
knew I thought we still had plenty of time to plan, but now...”
he trails off, shaking his head.

“Plan for
what?”  I glance between the two men but they ignore me
completely.

“I didn’t
exactly keep it from you,” he hedges.  “I was just
sort of waiting for the right time to spill the beans.”

Donan glances toward
a corridor leading in a direction that I have never been in and I
wonder if he is thinking of having a few words with Vanata once he is
done here.  I never meant for them to keep my secret.  In
fact, I assumed that Donan already knew.  It was only logical
that they would tell him, being as he appears to be the leader of
this organization and all.

“Whoa,”
Reyes whispers as he kneels beside me.  “May I?”

It feels awkward
letting a man who is hardly more than a stranger touch my stomach but
I nod in agreement.  He lets his eyes droop half closed as he
places his hands on either side of my stomach.  He tilts his
head to the side, looking as if he is listening to a song that none
of us can hear.

“What is he
doing?” I whisper.

“Reyes is a
Musio.  He can sense emotions, thoughts and feelings from other
people.”

“A telepath?”
 I stare down at the top of his wavy blond head, noticing that
near the back he has begun to thin out a bit.  Although he looks
to be only a little older than myself I suddenly wonder just how old
he truly is.  How old all of them are.

“Sort of.  He
can’t send messages.  Only receive them.”

A smile stretches
along Reyes face.  A soft cooing sound escapes his lips as he
leans in and presses his ear to my stomach.  I stiffen, feeling
completely awkward with his close proximity but Hyde laughs,
capturing my attention.  “Trust me, you’re the last
thing he’s thinking about right now, sweet cheeks.”

“How is he
able to do this?  He still has the manacles on.”  Although
each of the people living here have managed to remove their chains,
none have been successful in removing the silver manacles from their
wrists, smaller versions of the cuff about my neck.

“Our manacles
do not work like yours,” Hyde responds, twisting his about his
wrist idly.  “Our abilities are diminished but not removed
completely.”

“Why not?”

Hyde glances up at
me.  “None of us are considered deadly.”

“Ah.”  I
frown and wrap my arms about myself, unconsciously cradling my unborn
children just below Reyes’ touch.  Looking back now, I
don’t know how I could have ever thought of ending my life.
 Not when I have two precious little people that need me so
much.  My smile is pained as I think of how excited Eamon would
be.  He used to speak of having children one day.  I always
knew he would be a great father.

When I look up, I
see storm clouds brewing in Donan’s expression.  “I
know what you’re thinking but it’s impossible.  Unborn
children can’t be that powerful,” I protest, suddenly
fearful for my children’s safety.  

“Can they
not?” He muses, stroking his beard.  His voice sounds
vacant as he stares back at me.  “There has never been a
being like you before, Queen Illyria.  How are we to truly know
what your children will be capable of?”

Reyes pushes back to
his feet and I breathe a small sigh of relief when he draws his hands
away.  I replace them to cradle my belly.  “They are
happy,” he smiles, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets,
“but they are worried.”

“Worried about
what?” Hyde asks.

“About their
mother.  They are connected to her fear, her safety.  They
are the ones who saved her from the fire.  They react to her
emotions.  I don’t think they mean any harm but I would
advise against allowing Illyria to get too stressed.”