Warrior's Valor (19 page)

Ayahliss pulled back and stared at her with huge eyes, then began to laugh. “We'll do our best. Your mother says I can be very persuasive.”

Rae nodded. “She's probably right.”

“Here. Found it.” Armeo rushed into the room and placed the humming game on the coffee table. “Who should go first?”

“You, Armeo,” Ayahliss said indulgently. “You thought of it, so you get the first chance.”

“Thanks.” He beamed.

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Ayahliss continued, “because when it's my turn, I'm going to incinerate you.”

Rae had to laugh at Ayahliss's words and the look of surprised determination on Armeo's face as he reached for the controls. The game was on.

“Move.”

Dahlia stumbled as the nozzle of a plasma-pulse weapon hit her lower back. White's hiss of a voice was meant to intimidate her, but Dahlia found it merely irritating. She didn't kid herself. She knew White was lethal and unscrupulous, and it was wise not to antagonize her at this point. Dahlia had stealthily dropped small parts of her gold bracelet along their path, but now, two days later, she had to fight the doubts that multiplied with every passing hour. Was anyone looking for her? Did they know
where
to look? Ewan must realize by now that someone had kidnapped her and wounded Ayahliss.

The thought of the courageous young woman made Dahlia dig deep for hidden pockets of strength. What if Ayahliss had been terminally injured?
Damn, I was naïve regarding our safety
. Furious for second-guessing herself, she willed the fatigue away and counted every step in her head. As far as she could tell, they were still heading northeast, and she wondered how far they had to go and where they were going.

“Surely you can walk faster,” White snarled, and shoved the weapon into Dahlia's back. The pain nearly sent her to her knees, but she managed to stay upright, clutching the last ten pieces of her bracelet in her hands.

“Damn it, White. Cut it out.” Weiss Kyakh strode up to them. “How many times do I have to tell you this one is going to make us rich? If I detect one mark on her, and trust me, I will keep looking, you'll regret it.”

“She's slowing us down on purpose. She's up to something.”

“What the hell could she be up to? She's old and not used to marching through uncharted terrain like this. What do you expect?”

“It's not that. I've been watching her.” White shoved her face up under Dahlia's, glaring at her. “Remember, she's the brainy type. Her sort always tries to be too clever for their own good.”

Dahlia squeezed her gold hard, then willed her hands to relax, not to draw attention to them. She wanted to shove them into her pockets, but knew that would look suspicious.

Weiss seemed to consider White's words. She looked appraisingly at Dahlia, then shook her head. “You're not doing anything that would make me mad, are you?”

Dahlia's diplomatic training made it possible for her to sound just as tired as she was, and then some. She donned a frail voice and, she hoped, an exasperated expression. “No. I wish I was. I wish I had more strength, instead of having to stumble along behind
him
,” she said, and pointed at M'Ekar's stretcher. “It's enough with this heat, these flies, and
her
ranting.” The last part was directed at White. Dahlia couldn't help but stick it to the infuriating woman.

“Can't say I blame you for that. You can be exhausting when you let your mouth run, isn't that so, White?” Weiss grinned evilly and grabbed White around the back of her neck. “Behave.”

“Yeah, yeah.” It was clear that White was only accommodating Weiss, and Dahlia expected the woman to slap her head or shove her back again soon.

“I mean it.” Weiss stopped smiling. “I don't want to be forced to choose between profit and an insubordinate employee.”

For the first time, White looked shaken by Weiss's words. “I said I'd behave. Don't worry.”

“Okay.” Weiss turned her head to the front of her group. “Let's go, people. It's another few hours before we can rest.”

Dahlia began walking, determined to keep her distance from White. At first she found it puzzling why Weiss let White be in charge of her, but assumed that White was Weiss's best and most ruthless member if she were to try something.

The forest became increasingly dense and she noticed she wasn't the only one who was exhausted. Several of the others were still coughing from the effect of the smoke inhalation, and the men carrying M'Ekar's stretcher were buckling under the weight.

“Captain,” one of them finally called, “I can't do it anymore. He has to walk for a while. Surely you don't expect us to drag his sorry ass the entire time?” The man, young and thin, perhaps in his early twenties, was pale, and sweat poured down his forehead and the back of his neck.

“I can't walk. I'm injured,” M'Ekar said, his voice surprisingly strong.

Weiss strode back to them and examined M'Ekar. “You look better. Try to stand up.”

“You don't understand. I'm not a young man anymore and I've been incarcerated—”

“In a luxury suite,” Dahlia said. They weren't moving fast with the men carrying M'Ekar, but perhaps they'd be even slower with him stumbling in front of her. Also, with a little clever maneuvering she might be able to trip him.

“Shut up.” M'Ekar began to sit up, his face contorted with rage. “Don't listen to that bitch. She was the one who sent me to that mosquito-infested planet, not even fit for animals.”

“You had a big house, servants, and permission to wander throughout your neighborhood.” She smiled mildly at the enraged man.

“Shut up, I tell you. My
servant
was killed in the crash.
You
are my prisoner—” M'Ekar reached for her, though she stood well out of range. His sudden movements made the stretcher twist within the carriers' hands, and the thin young man dropped his handle. The others weren't prepared and had no time to compensate for the shift in weight. The stretcher tipped over, sending M'Ekar flying headlong into the undergrowth.

“Ow,” he howled, as he rolled over on his back, clutching his shoulder. “That bitch. Look what she did. She's trying to kill me. Don't you see, Kyakh, she needs to be shackled and gagged.”

“Quit whining,
Ambassador
, and get on your feet. You hurt your arm. Not very impressive if you look at my employees over there with third-degree burns and high fevers.” Weiss gestured to the carriers. “Get rid of the stretcher. If we need a new one for him or someone else, we'll build one.” She directed her attention to Dahlia. “And you, Diplomat Jacelon. I've just about had it with you. I'm beginning to think White wasn't exaggerating. You could be up to something, but remember, you're not going to succeed, no matter how clever your plan is. So keep walking and stop trying to stall things.”

Dahlia hid a triumphant smile. Weiss might be on to her, eventually, but right now the
Viper
's captain had no idea that M'Ekar had just played into her hands. She quietly kept walking with two mercenaries between her and M'Ekar. Soon she would have another opportunity to sabotage this hike. Clutching her gold, she took deep breaths of the sticky air. She had to stay alert.

*

“Descending to low-corridor altitude.” Kellen piloted the armed hovercraft with Leanne D'Artansis at her side. “We're crossing the Maireesian fields now.”

“Good.” Rae poked her head forward between them. “Keep low. I don't want to alert more sensors than we have to. We have permission, but let's not push it. You never know how well the Cormanians briefed their forestkeepers. From the intel I had time to read, they show no mercy toward trespassers. We're breaking quite a few rules with the armaments on this vessel.”

Kellen agreed with Rae's caution. She had also done her homework, probably even more thoroughly than Rae. The keepers, all military people, used technology that had been especially approved to guard the border of the Disi-Disi forest. It was interesting that this part of the Cormanian military did not report to the SC military. Once this mission was over and Dahlia rescued, this situation needed to be investigated.

She was focusing every cell in her body on the ongoing assignment because they simply could not fail. Leanne and Owena seemed just as goal oriented. From the way Rae had briefed the two marine corporals, now thoroughly checking equipment, it was clear she didn't intend to return without her mother.

Kellen squeezed the controls. While the mission centered on the rescue of Dahlia, she was also determined to eliminate M'Ekar, one way or another. Her gan'thet staffs were hidden beneath her uniform. She had managed to squeeze in a practice session before they left, and they had felt familiar in her hands, even if her busy schedule didn't give her time to train like she used to.

Leanne interrupted her thoughts. “Look at that outline of trees. God, it's amazing. I haven't seen this since I was a child. It's like, you know it's there, but you're not allowed entrance. And when you rarely hear about it, you forget about it. Sounds strange, I know, but…” She shrugged. “This is so beautiful.”

“Don't let that fool you, love,” Owena said, joining them. “Any forest is beautiful in the same way a predator can be. It shows itself in all its glory, but it creates traps and captures you in ways you never dreamed, not in your worst nightmare.”

“For the stars and skies, Owena, you sound like a horror story.” Leanne looked up.

“I didn't mean to, but it's true. A forest is fine as long as you have a guide. That's why we can't go in blind. We need someone like your relative Emeron D'Artansis.”

“It's going to be interesting to see her again. I've met her only a few times, long ago. Her mothers are as snobbish as my own, so I can understand that she keeps to herself, if she's as independent as they say. Just the fact that she chose a career in military law enforcement ought to have ticked her mothers off.”

“And she's part Disian?” Rae asked.

“Yes. A quarter. Her grandmother, Briijn. I was only a baby when she passed away, but there was a big uproar in the family. At first she was more or less shunned, my birth-mother told me, but later she generated interest from our leaders, giving her an interesting, though hardly flattering, position within the family. They still felt the same about her, but she elevated the family from being noble to being noble
and
famous.”

“Why did she gain such fame?” Kellen asked.

“She was a healer. She would chant and work with crystals, and sometimes just place her hands on people, and they recovered. When modern medicine failed, her healing powers didn't, and she started to get high-profile clients. Ministers, business tycoons. She never charged for her healing, which ticked my relatives off, and insisted on helping the less fortunate, which they thought should be beneath anyone in the D'Artansis dynasty.” Leanne shrugged.

“So they liked the fame she brought, but she was still persona non grata because of her heritage and working with poor people?” Owena asked.

“Yes. Briijn was angelic, but no coward, from what I could read between the lines.” Leanne blinked rapidly and tears clung to her lashes. “She never spoke ill about anyone, but she stood up to them, and she took care of Emeron. She loved that child and kept her away from the family's usual nannies. Her own daughter, Vestine, was under the spell of my snobbish relatives, but Emeron still adored her until the day she died. I'm not sure how that happened. A lot of silence regarding that situation, so I'm sure there's a story there that doesn't look good for my kin.”

Kellen wanted to squeeze Leanne's hand, but knew it was inappropriate while on a mission, and besides, comforting Leanne wasn't her duty. It was Owena's.

“You're nothing like them, love,” Owena said in a soothing voice. “You don't have to feel ashamed.”

“I know. Yet I do.”

Rae stood behind Kellen and touched her inconspicuously by running gentle fingertips along her neck. “I can understand that too. I have a sense of shame for not having a good relationship with my mother until recently. We've just begun to get to know each other again, and this happens. I'll never forgive myself if…”

Kellen didn't think. She pressed the command for autopilot and pivoted in her chair. The obvious pain in Rae's voice made her disregard protocol, and she wrapped her arms around Rae's waist and looked up at her. “Dahlia's aware of how you feel about her, and she's grateful.”

“How could you possibly know?” Rae sounded angry, but her eyes were a soft aqua with hardly any gray as she gazed down at Kellen, her hands framing Kellen's face.

From the corner of her eye, Kellen saw Leanne and Owena move to the back of the hovercraft. Rae sat down in the co-pilot's seat, and Kellen held her hand.

“Because she told me,” Kellen said.

“What?”

“A while back, I asked her how she felt about your relationship. You didn't know what you felt at the time, because you were recovering from your injuries on Gantharat.”