Vengeance (30 page)

The
one thing I am thankful for is that, judging by the thick outer layer
of the exterior walls, it would take a great deal of force to blast
through.  The interior of the vehicle is starkly white and so
bright after my time spent in the caves that I am forced to shield my
eyes for several moments until I am able to adjust.  Bastien
moves into an inner hall and waits for me to make my way toward him.
 As I reach the end of the small path I turn and look to the
left and then to the right.  I don’t really know what I
had been expecting but a row of closed doors was not it.

“What is this
place?” I ask, leaning forward on my walking stick.  The
weight of my stomach is crushing.  I can feel my heart hammering
loudly in my ears.  Sweat clings to my forehead despite the cool
air circulating through this hall.

“These were
some of the soldiers’ quarters.  They have been cleaned
out for our use now.”

My gaze narrows as
he turns to look at me.  He laughs.  “Why are you
always so suspicious?”  He quickly reaches out and grasps
my shoulders.  “There is nothing to fear here.  No
ulterior motive.  No man sneaking in the shadows. Hendrix just
felt that you would be far more comfortable in a space all on your
own until you warm up to the men.”

“Doesn’t
this impose on those men though?  Surely now they are forced to
bunk together and that can’t make them very happy about that.”

Bastien trails his
hand down my arm and grasps my hand, bringing it up to his lips.  I’m
shocked when he presses a kiss to my fingers.  Although I know
we have a lengthy past I am still surprised that he is acting so
forward.  Maybe having been forced to search for me these past
couple of months has changed him.  I know all too well what it
felt like when I began to doubt that he had survived the fires.  The
hole in my chest, the emptiness, that was hardest to face in the long
hours of night.

Yes, I believed he
was dead, though I wished with all of my might that he was not. Now
that he stands here before me I feel nothing more than pure and total
exhaustion.

Darn
hormones,
I
mutter silently, wondering if I will ever be able to see my ankles
again.  

Bastien’s lips
linger against my fingers and I begin to melt at the look in his
eyes.  Warm.  Loving.  Hopeful.  “This is a
perfect example of why I love you so much, Illyria.  You are
always putting everyone else before you.”

I blush and gently
pull my hand back.  I curl my fingers tightly around my walking
stick to still their quivering.  “Where am I to sleep?”
I ask, unsure of which door I should move toward.  My knees have
already begun to ache.  My lower back feels as if it could snap
under the pressure.  These babies sure aren’t getting any
lighter!

“My
room is just down here.”  He motions for me to follow him
and I do my best to keep up.  Bastien presses his hand to a
small panel on the side of the door and it hisses open, much like the
air locks on the D’Hatil ship.  He steps aside to allow me
to enter and I’m surprised to find myself in a rather spacious
room.  To my right is a small sitting area with two cushioned
bench-like seats and a small table between them.  I eye them
warily, knowing that if I were to attempt to get down there I
wouldn’t be getting up again anytime soon.

There is a spacious
bed off to my left, recessed between what I assume to be an adjoining
bathroom and a large rectangular window that I hadn’t noticed
from the outside.  The exterior had been nothing but a solid
sheet of weathered metal.  Only the cut out for the door could
be seen and even that you really have to look hard for.  Bastien
notices my gaze.  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
 

He steps toward the
window and runs his fingers along its surface.  It shimmers and
distorts around his touch, almost like ripples on a lake.
 “Completely impenetrable and hidden from outside, yet you
can see everything that we pass.”

I hobble forward and
he moves to the side to allow me to reach for the glass.  I’m
not all that surprised to realize that it is cold to the touch, only
a shade warmer than ice. When I draw my fingers back I realize they
feel slick.  A shiny residue clings to my fingertips.  I
wipe it on my new dress.  The old one was replaced to remove any
hint of Hyde’s blood and the unsavory events that transpired
the day Bastien saved me.  I turn to sink down onto the bed.  I
practically fall back, my legs going up in the air.

Bastien laughs as he
rushes to steady me, pushing on my shoulder until I’m seated
properly.  “I don’t remember you ever being this
uncoordinated before.”

“That’s
’cause I’ve never been close to giving birth to a whale
before,” I grumble.  

As I look about the
room, determined not to look at him until the flush of embarrassment
has faded from my cheeks, I notice the room has a particularly
masculine feel about it.  The walls are dark.  The cushions
are rigid and boast stark blacks and grey tones.  Even the
pictures hanging on the wall speak of great battles, though none of
them seem familiar to me.  I’m not even sure they are from
our planet.

“There is only
one bed.”

Bastien turns and
grins at me.  He raises his eyebrow suggestively and I can’t
help but laugh.  “I’ll take the couch,” he
says.

Living in the same
quarters with him while we were trapped in Drach’s compound was
a choice that was taken out of my hands.  I know that if it were
not for him I would have suffered from things far worse than
hypothermia in that small room, but with all of these rooms
surrounding us now it feels wrong.  “I’m not sure
that is such a good idea,” I hedge, trying to figure out how to
convey my feeling without hurting him.  That is the last thing
that I want and yet the idea of him sleeping near me again is
unsettling, especially this far along in my pregnancy.

“Hey,”
he says, reaching out for me as he closes the distance between us. He
sinks to his knees and offers me that wry smile that I have always
loved, or at least I think I did.  I can’t imagine I would
have changed my mind about that.  “You know I would never
do anything to upset you.  I just can’t stand to let you
out of my sight again.  Not when I’ve only just found
you.”

“Of course.”
 I try to smile but I can feel myself trembling in his hands.
 His grip tightens and I look up.  “It’s
just...I’m a bit cranky right now, with all of this going on.”
 I wave my hand over my swollen belly.  “I know
what’s coming can’t be easy for you.”

Although
his smile remains firmly in place I see a definite shift in his gaze.
 It hardens, retreating at the same time.  “I
understand,” he says, patting my hand.  “But I must
insist.  I don’t trust your life with anyone.  Especially
not now.”

“Why not now?”
I question.

Bastien smirks and
then shakes his head.  “Always searching for conspiracies.
 Too bad you didn’t do that with Hyde.”

I bristle but he
doesn’t seem to notice as he continues.  “I meant
because the babies are due so soon.  What if you go into labor
and need my help?”

I
bite on my lower lip, knowing that he is right.  With Vanata
gone my worst fears may be realized.  Bastien may be the one to
bring Eamon’s children into this world after all.  I blow
out a deep breath and laugh.  “I’m sorry.”  I
brush my hair back from my face, realizing that the sweat along my
brow has not diminished despite the cooler air.
 It
must be the effects of all of that walking
,
I muse.  “Of course you can stay.  Only if you
promise not to snore.”

Bastien grins. “I
never snore.”

The convoy remains
in a near constant state of motion for the next couple of days,
pausing only to dump the refuse tanks and move on.  I sit before
the window, staring at the dismal landscape, wondering if there was
ever a time when something beautiful grew on this planet.

As far as I can see,
there is nothing but endless swamps spanning out around us.  The
giant wheels of our vehicles trudge through the muck, occasionally
getting stuck and forcing us to slow down until they can be dug out.
 Just this morning I thought I caught a glimpse of Handal, one
of Donan’s men who easily towers over everyone at nearly twelve
feet tall.  His shoulders are broad yet hunched. Tufts of
orangish hair sprout from behind his ears but the top of his head
remains hairless.  

When
I asked Bastien about it he just shrugged off my question, telling me
that the Assassins have collected many creatures along their
journeys.  I suppose he could be right.  I have only
glimpsed the ogre-like man from a distance, and it was near
nighttime.  His size was too great to fit within the cave so he
lived among the rocks above, using curled vines as his pillow.  When
Hyde told me about him, at first I felt sorry for him, but Hyde had
explained it was in his nature to be a loner.  Watching several
of these giants shove against the vehicle three spaces ahead of us, I
wonder if Hyde was right.  

“Not much to
see out there,” Bastien remarks.  I glance back at him to
see him perched atop one of the cushioned seats, his legs stretched
out onto the table top.  There is mud on the bottom of his
boots, only partially dry, though I don’t remember when he left
the room.  

“No,” I
agree and turn back to the window.  I rest my chin in the palm
of my hand.  “I keep thinking one of these days we will
drive right off the end of this world but it never happens.”

I hear the rustle of
paper and know that Bastien has set his book aside.  He rises
and walks toward me, his boots clomping against the floor.  I
can tell that he does not fear this place; otherwise he would walk
with a much softer tread to conceal his movements.  

Sinking down onto
the window seat beside me, he places a hand on the small of my back.
 His fingers slowly begin to knead the muscles there and my eyes
fall closed, enjoying the sweet relief.  The past three days of
travel have been hard.  The constant jostling about has kept me
on edge about the fact that I could go into labor at any moment.

“I’m
scared,” I admit, speaking into the window.  I can’t
bear to look at him, not when I’m near to tears.  

“Scared of
what?”  I place my hand on my stomach and Bastien sighs.
 He leans forward and rests his forehead against my shoulder.
 “We have everything we need here to deliver your babies
safely, Illyria.  You have nothing to worry about.”

I lean my forehead
against the window, refreshed by its frigid surface.  I feel
like a furnace has been cranked up high within me, the handle broken
so there is no way to shut it down.  

“Eamon should
be here,” I whisper, closing my eyes so that I don’t have
to see the pain in Bastien’s face when he hears my words.  At
first he doesn’t react, doesn’t move.  Hardly seems
to breathe.  Then he explodes.

“I’m the
one who is here. Me.  Not him.”  He lurches up to his
feet and begins to pace.  Horrified at his outburst I turn to
look at him, seeing him plunge his hands deep into his hair.  His
cheeks are blotted red.  His neck is awash with heat.  When
he turns to look at me I see a crazed man staring back at me.  I
shrink back as he rushes toward me, dropping down before me.  “I’m
sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.  I just…”
 he hangs his head, resting it against my knee, so close that he
is nearly pressing against my stomach.  “I thought I lost
you,” he says, his voice strangled with a heart sickened groan.
  “The thought of losing you forever was just too
much to bear.”

He lifts his head
and pushes the hair back from his eyes.  “I’ve been
given a second chance with you and I’m not going to give it up.
 You are worth fighting for.”

I suck in a breath,
holding it till long after I begin to feel a bit lightheaded.  It
bursts from my lips as I lean back away from him.  “Don’t
say that.”

“Why not?
 It’s true.”  He scoots so near that I can’t
press any closer to the wall.  There is a desperation in him
that terrifies me.  He isn’t thinking clearly.  What
if the past couple of months has changed him beyond all hope of
recovery?  

I place a firm hand
on his chest and push him back.  “I am still a married
woman, Bastien.  Do not forget that.”

A scowl settles
deeply into his handsome features.  “He isn’t even
here.  He will never find us.  I’m all you have
left.”

“No,” I
shake my head, pushing him back so that he nearly topples over.  I
place my hand upon my belly, feeling the pain of his words strike me
like a fatal blow.  “You are not.”

A gentle knock at my
door startles me from my rest.  I push against the soft cushion
of the bed and realize the room is dark and empty.  Bastien is
gone.  Not only that...we have stopped moving.

“Hello?”
I call when the knock comes again.  It seems far too quiet to be
a man and Bastien would have no need to knock before entering.  

“May I come
in?” a meek voice calls through the door.

I gather the sheets
about me.  “Who are you?”

“I am to
assist with the baby.  Hendrix says that I am to check you now.”

“Oh,” I
breathe out a sigh of relief.  There has been no sign of Vanata
since the day of the attack.  I do not know if she is alive or
dead, though I have a feeling it is the latter.  Her medical
care gave me reason to hope that I could bring my children safely
into the world.  With her gone that fear has rooted deeply in my
chest.  “Please, come in.”

The door slides open
and shut, sealing in the woman, though I can hardly call her a woman.
 She is stunning, almost to the point of stealing my breath
away.  Her skin is a deep blue, milky and perfect. Her eyes
remind me of a field of wild spring flowers back on Earth, filled
with life.  Her hair is black as night, as are the wings that
rise from behind her.