Vengeance (26 page)

“Why is that?”
I ask, smiling at a kick beneath my palm, strong enough to make my
entire hand bump.

Reyes’ smile
falters as he drops his gaze.  “They don’t know how
to control their abilities and that makes them very dangerous.”

I stare out into the
darkness, wondering where Bastien might be.  A part of me knows
that he is most likely gone but I can’t give up the hope that
somehow he survived.  I can’t imagine a life without him
now that I have found him again.  Nor can I imagine a life
without Eamon.

It took a great
amount of pleading and no small amount of tears to convince Hyde to
let me escape the cave, even for a few moments.  With my leg
healing nicely and my progressing pregnancy seemingly on course, I
have longed to feel the wind on my face, feel warmth on my skin but
Hyde refused to let me exit the cave during the day.  After
nearly a full week of torrential rains, I had to wait for the swamps
to recede again before I could come here.

I sigh and wrap my
cloak about my shoulders to keep the cold night air at bay.  It
feels good to be outside, to breathe in fresh air, even if it does
stink of rotten vegetation.

Hyde warned me not
to leave the perimeter.  Not to wander.  Not to put myself
in danger.  I hardly see how that would be possible considering
my lack of personal mobility and also the impressive battlements
before me.  

To the naked eye
this base would look no different than a pile of rocks housed in the
middle of a great marshland.  I can hear the near constant
buzzing of bugs that have awoken to feed.  I can hear things
slithering in the dark.  Hear splashes and growls.  None of
those scare me as much as what Donan revealed to me yesterday.

They have been
tracking the Duturi’s movements these past couple of months.
 They are on the move, marching scores of slaves with them.  The
mines have been completely abandoned. That has given us reason for
alarm.

This planet lives
off the energy source buried in its depths.  The Duturi and all
manner of creatures of this place rely on that energy.  What
could possibly make them pick up and move?

Donan seems to think
that they continue their search for me but my gut tells me that
something more is happening.  Something that, as Eamon would
have said, is big and bad.  Staring out into the night, I begin
to wonder what I am doing here.

My time spent with
these assassins has been good, apart from the random appearance of
Natasha. Her continued determination to make my life miserable has
created discord among the group.  As Hyde had said, I was
pleased to see that Vondran too was part of this secret group, though
the earlier conflict between himself and Reyes has not abated.
 Apparently that is one grudge that will last a lifetime.

Satal as well
resides in this base, though I get the distinct feeling that he was
never meant to be part of this group.  His lack of eye contact
or willingness to speak continues to intrigue me.  Hyde has
warned me to be careful around him but I have sensed no malice from
the man.  He keeps to himself.  As long as he does that we
won’t have a problem.

I
asked Hyde how his group came to be on the slaving ship.  He
wove a tale of intricate plotting, scheming and downright luck.
 Their group should have included over thirty men.  Only
eighteen actually made it onboard.  Two of them didn’t
make it off the ship.  Though no one has come right out and said
it, I surmised that these two females were among those rounded up
before we arrived.

I look to my left,
my eyes having adjusted to the very dim glow of the lights behind me.
 No brighter than a handful of fireflies but enough that the
dark is not all consuming.  Hyde told me that those who have
been lost to them are buried out there, somewhere among the swamp.
 Though he never said it, I assume that the creatures that live
along the murky waters claimed them long before the muddy bottom did.

Despite the fact
that I have spent very little time topside, I have grown to fully
appreciate this harsh landscape.  It is just as deadly to us as
our enemy.  Having both working against us can be disheartening.

Not long after my
conversation with Donan about how I escaped Drach’s prison,
during which I was amused at the confusion on his face when I
explained how Drach had sought to protect me, I realized my place
here.  I am not one of the assassins, nor do they want me to be.
 And though I do not necessarily feel like bait that is waiting
to be strung out for my enemy to find, I do not let that thought sink
too far from my thoughts.

I am an ally for
them, a tool.  Nothing more.  I do not fool myself into
thinking that Donan will protect me and though he has not said it, I
know that he too is waiting for the birth of my children.

Pressing
a hand against my belly, I close my eyes, breathing in slow deep
breaths.  
They
deserve better than this.  To grow up like freaks, to be gawked
at and feared.  
I
do not know what power it is that they possess but I know there will
always be those who seek to exploit them.  

My
determination to free myself from this collar grows with each day
that passes.  It is my only chance at survival.  Once my
children are born I
must
be
able to protect them.  Even as I sit here, attempting to embrace
some small ounce of peace amongst an ongoing battle all around, a
familiar fear begins to rise up within.  
What
if I can’t protect them?  Or worse...what if they can’t
be controlled?

“Good night,”
a gruff voice calls from behind me.  I flinch and turn to look
back over my shoulder.  I do not see him at first, not until he
opens his eyes.  

“It is,”
I breathe out the breath I had clutched the instant Satal startled
me.  “Would you care to join me?”

He moves forward
with a gait that is far too smooth.  It appears as if he glides
across the surface of the ground instead of stepping.  Everything
about him unnerves me and yet there is something about him that
continues to intrigue me.

I
pat the spare chair beside me and wait.  I notice his discomfort
and obvious hesitation and wish that I could stand to make him more
comfortable, but I’m still struggling to use my makeshift
crutch.  Hyde and Reyes fashioned one out of a long piece of
wood and old towels wrapped around the top to ease the massive
bruising that has begun under my armpits.  My side looks like a
plum that’s been squashed and left to dry in the sun.  Not
exactly the most appealing sight.

Satal remains
standing beside me, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his
pants.  “You hurt.”

I look up at him,
surprised.  “Do you mean my leg?”

He nods, glancing
down at me without dropping his head.  “Not good.”

I laugh, nodding in
complete agreement.  “I can’t say that I’m all
that happy about it, no.”

He lifts his gaze
and stares out into the dark.  “You heal.”

“Heal?”
 I frown.  “You know I can’t do that.  Even
if I didn’t have this darn collar on I don’t think that I
could make a leg regrow.”

He turns to look at
me.  The amber glow in his eyes startles me.  It reminds me
of Vanata’s eyes, though these seem more cat-like than hers.
 “Death comes.”

I attempt to swallow
and find that my throat has begun to suddenly close with fear.
 “Death comes for who? For me?  My children?  Hyde?”

He stares at me for
several minutes without saying another word.  It feels as if he
is searching deep within my soul.  The intensity of his gaze
brings goosebumps out on my arms.  The temptation to turn and
flee is too strong to ignore and yet I am reminded of how helpless I
am to move.

“Illyria?”
 I suck in a breath of relief when I see Hyde emerge from the
cave.  He looks tall and dark in the dim light, a force to be
reckoned with.  I can tell by his stance that he is alert.
 “It’s getting late.  You need to rest.”

“Of course.”
 I try to offer Satal a smile but it fails me.  

His grim expression
never changes as he turns on his heel and walks away, melding with
the shadow of night.  Hyde is quickly at my side, his hands on
either side of me as he searches my face.  “You are pale.
 Did he hurt you?”

“No.”  I
shake my head, feeling the trembling in my fingers begin to fade.  I
hadn’t realized just how unsettling his pronouncement was until
now.  I clasp my hands in my lap and lower my head, ashamed for
feeling fear over nothing.  

But is it really
nothing?

I look up when Hyde
rests his hand on top of mine.  “What did he say to you?”

I
consider not telling him, or making something up.  Although
Satal is one undeniably creepy dude I still don’t get the
feeling that he is trying to hurt me.  If he did, why hasn’t
he done so before now?

“He said death
comes.”  Hyde’s brow furrows deep.  His fingers
clench against mine, squeezing tight enough to cause a small amount
of discomfort.  “You know, the funny thing is that I don’t
think he was talking about me.”

“I wouldn’t
be too sure of that,” he mutters and starts to pull away.  

I reach out and grab
his arm, latching on with my nails.  Not hard enough to break
the skin but with enough strength to stop him from moving away.
 “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hyde sighs.  “Might
as well tell you now.  Natasha is bound to blurt it out at the
worst possible moment.”  A ripple of anxiety works its way
through my chest, chilling me.  I can feel his hesitation but I
am determined to hear, no matter what it costs me.  “Natasha
has Seer blood in her.  She had a vision earlier about you.”

He hangs his head
and I know that it’s not good.

Hyde carries me down
the corridor, his head bent close to mine to keep from slamming his
scalp against the low hanging roof.  I clutch my walking stick
close to my side, feeling cold and numb.  Can I trust what
Natasha says about my future?  About the danger my life and that
of my children will be placed under?  

According to Hyde,
Natasha’s vision wasn’t complete.  Nothing more than
fragments of images that she struggled to pull together.  Having
grown up an orphan, with only her older brother to protect and care
for her, Natasha would not have had the training to be able to
control her abilities.  Her brother was moved from station to
station, never allowing her a stable home.  What she does
possess is a raw talent but she is lacking the self-control with
which to wield it.  

The
instant he finishes relaying her vision I insist that I speak with
her.  Even though Hyde warned me against doing so, I feel like
this is something I need to do.

We find her sitting
in the common area, her leg thrown over a chair so that she straddles
it.  She has a book in her hand but considering it is upside
down, I’m guessing she grabbed it when she heard our
approaching footsteps.

“What do you
want?” she scowls when she looks up to find me in Hyde’s
arms.

“We need to
talk.”

She shakes her head
and pushes up from the chair.  She slams the book on the table.
 “I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

“Tasha,”
Hyde growls and I’m amazed to see her stiffen.  She lowers
her gaze and shuffles from foot to foot but she doesn’t leave.
 I send a curious glance toward Hyde but he shakes his head,
signaling for me to remain silent.  He turns about in search of
a chair and then gently sets me down on top of one several feet away
from Natasha.  I notice that there were a few closer options but
choose to say nothing.

The girl tucks her
red tinted hair back behind her ear and crosses her arms over her
chest, tapping her foot rapidly.  Hyde clears his throat and she
rolls her eyes, stilling her foot.  “I came to ask you
about your vision,” I speak up.

I
watch her open her mouth with a quick retort but the instant she
glances toward Hyde she clams up.  
Interesting.

“Not
much to tell,” she mutters.  She brings her right hand up
to her mouth and begins chewing on her fingernails.  I made the
mistake of doing that once when I was out hunting with Eamon.
 Although I had washed the deer guts from my hands I failed to
do a good scrub under my nails.  I haven’t bitten my nails
once since that day.

“What’s
the first thing you saw?”

Hyde drags a chair
over to Natasha and pushes on her shoulder.  She scowls but
relents, letting him shove her onto the seat.  He stands beside
her and I can’t help but laugh at how upset this seems to make
her.  She sneers at me and I stifle my laugh.

“I saw light.
 Lots of it. Not this white crap they have here but something
warm and golden.”

“Ok.”
 At least that is a start.  “What else?”

“I saw men
fighting.  Lots of men.  It was like I was hovering above
like a hawk in the sky.  There were hundreds, no,” she
shakes her head, “thousands of them.  Some had laser guns
from back home.  Others had great swords of light.  There
was blood…” she winces and looks away.  “and
death surrounded me.”

I
glance at Hyde, noticing the first set of his chin.  
Death
comes,
Satal
had said.
Is
this the death he spoke of?

“What else did
you see?”

She looks away,
unseeing against the wall.  “I saw boxes.  Lots of
boxes.  Some of them as large as this room, and then blood.
 There was a lot of it on the floor.”  She pauses,
scrunching up her nose as she fights to grasp the memory.  “I
saw your face too, Illyria.  You looked like you were in
terrible pain.  There was someone with you but I couldn’t
see who.  A guy, I think.  He had big hands.”  She
looks up at me and I see her gaze come back into focus.  “Then
there was nothing.  Just darkness everywhere.  Almost like
the lights turned off.”