by Dena Christy
“Don’t look Evie.” Cynric’s voice was steady as he held the pistol on Roland, and to his credit Roland didn’t cower, didn’t shrink away. He stood straight and tall as Cynric pointed the pistol at him. Cynric’s eyes were steady and Evie turned her face away. She knew that Roland needed to die, but she didn’t need to watch it. The only sound was the dull thud of Roland’s body hitting the ground, and then it was over. The man who’d haunted her, who’d stolen her first love from her, who’d forced her away from her home and into hiding was gone.
“We need to hide somewhere until we know what is going on. And we need to get away from the dead body of a military commander in case we are discovered by the military.” Ryce spoke up, and he was right. They needed to get away from here. Evie resisted the urge to look down at Roland, to assure herself that he would not come back to haunt them. Instead she looked at Cynric, who tucked the pistol in the back of his pants. He turned toward her and looked at her steadily. She walked over to him, put her head down on his chest, and his arms came around her.
“He’s right, we need to get out of here. Clancy’s dead, he can’t hurt us, but there are others here who might.” He tucked her against his side, and she drew strength from his hard, solid body against her. She would not be parted from him again, and when the time was right, she was going to tell him what was in her heart. “We need to get to our ship. Rebecca, can you remember where it is from the schematic you had of this place on your computer?”
Rebecca nodded, and they turned in the direction that they needed to go. They stuck to the perimeter of the compound, but even at this distance from the center they could hear the shouting of men.
They’d only been walking for a few minutes when the sky grew bright again. Cynric’s arms tightened around her as they and the others ducked for cover over to the side of the building closest to them. He pulled her down to a crouch, and the others huddled around them. Evie turned her face to the sky as another beam of light, this time originating from the ground, shot up into the air.
For a moment nothing happened. Had they hit what they were aiming at or had they fallen short of the menace that was in the sky above them? The air was silent, and the night was still until several answering shots rained down from the sky, destroying three buildings in a fiery explosion. Something was happening, and it was bigger than all of them. She trembled against Cynric and his arms tightened around her. He pressed his lips against the top of her head. The sky was a haze of red as the fires burned in the distance, and she could almost taste the smoke. Was this the end? Had they escaped from Roland only to be killed by whatever force was set on destroying the world around them? Had they gone through everything they had in the past few weeks only for it all to end here?
“It will be all right. We need to get to the ship.” There was a confidence in his voice, and she looked up at him. Did he know something she didn’t? She looked at Ryce and Synn in the flickering light, and they had funny looks on their faces too. It was almost as if they were relieved.
“What is going on?” She turned to look up at him, and he pressed his mouth on hers in the swiftest kiss he’d ever given her.
“You’ll find out soon enough. For now we need to get moving and try not to be near the next target.” Cynric pulled her to her feet, and they continued on their way. The surrounding silence was eerie, and it seemed to Evie like the end of the world. The sky lit again, and another beam of light rained down, hitting a target much further away from them. There was no answering shot from the ground, and Evie wondered for a moment if the military had given up.
“This is it. It’s just up ahead.” Rebecca pointed to the building in front of them, and Evie heard the relieved breath escaping from Cynric. In the building up ahead was the key he needed to get his men and himself home. Was there a place for her on that ship? They hadn’t talked about it, and she didn’t know if they would have time to talk about it now.
They rushed toward the building, and Rebecca yanked on the door. It didn’t budge.
“It’s locked. But I think I remember the code. I found it in the network and memorized it in case you needed it to get inside when we had our other plan.” She opened the panel beside the door, and there was a keypad. She keyed in a number, and a red light went on and it gave a double beep. She keyed the number again, but the same red light went on, denying them access to the building. “Damn it. What’s going on? This code should open the door.”
“Not in the case of an invasion.” A voice said from behind them, and Evie gave a gasp as they all turned. Behind them stood a man in the uniform of a general, and there were soldiers flanking him. They all carried weapons, but held them at their sides, and made no move to raise them. Their faces were pale, their expressions stark, and she wondered what the hell had put that look there. “Which one of you is in command of this group?”
Cynric stepped forward, standing tall at the head of the group, facing the general with stoic steadiness that was so typical of him. “I’m the commander of the mission to your planet.”
“And I assume you know what has happened. You all need to come with me.” The general turned on his heel and the soldiers behind him parted, making him a path to pass for him to pass through. He did not look behind him as the soldiers closed ranks and turned their backs to the little group that stood behind them.
“Cynric, what is going on?” Evie looked up at him as he smiled down at her.
“We are saved.” He said no more as he tucked her against him and followed the group of soldiers making their way to the center of the compound.
Cynric didn’t want to say anymore to her than that, for fear that this was all a dream. What they’d hoped for, but could not plan for, had happened. When the sky had first lit up, and the first beam of light had hit that building he’d known what had happened. The distress signal that Hylda had emitted when they’d first gotten into trouble, and was more than likely emitting even now, had found friendly ears. His people had gotten their cry for help and had sent aid.
They must have sent an overwhelming force, otherwise the General would never have surrendered. He’d seen it in the man’s eyes, that look of anger at his own defeat. The odds must have been overwhelming if they had given up so easily.
The only thing keeping him from sinking to his knees in thanks was Evie’s presence at his side. The mark still hadn’t appeared, and now that their rescue was imminent he needed to decide if he was going to tell her how he felt and take the chance that the mark might never appear. He knew how he felt about her, that he wanted her by his side, that he wanted to keep her safe and protected, but was that enough? Without the mark proclaiming his love for her, was it enough?
He didn’t have the answer, and he didn’t have anymore time to consider it. They drew up to the large building in the center of the complex, and while it appeared unscathed by the attack, the surrounding buildings were not so fortunate. Men raced around trying to subdue the flames, but the only thing they could do was keep the fire from spreading. The buildings that had been directly hit had been reduced to flaming rubble. The air was thick with soot and smoke, and it was a relief to get out of it when the General led them into the command center.
They walked down a long corridor until they came to a large room with a huge table in the center of it. Men in military uniforms sat on one side of the table while the opposite remained empty. Their eyes lit upon their group and there was such venom in their stares that it was fortunate that they could not kill with their glares, otherwise Cynric and the others would be dead.
Beside him, Evie gave a gasp and trembled against him. He looked down at her, and her face grew pale as the blood drained from it. She looked directly at one man at the table, and Cynric turned his eyes back to the men sitting there, as one stood up. He was an older man, with a full head of silver hair, but his eyes were familiar. They looked identical to the ones belonging to the woman standing beside him.
“What is it?” He spoke in a voice that only she c
ould hear. The man who stood glared at where Cynric’s arm was around Evie’s waist, and Evie pulled away from him, moving to the side a fraction. Cynric let his arm fall away, and he could feel a barrier going up between them, although he didn’t know what caused it. “Who is he, Evie?”
“He’s my father.”
Before he could process that, the man Evie claimed to be her father spoke.
“We are waiting for delegates of your… species to join us so that we can negotiate the terms of our surrender. I’m Aldo Valencia, the Minister of Defense. Please take a seat, and we will begin as soon as the others arrive.” Evie’s father sat back down and indicated the empty chairs that lined the table opposite the men from the military. Cynric went forward, along with the others when Evie’s father raised his hand. “The women will go to another room. This negotiation does not concern them, and it is not our custom to allow them any place at this table.”
Several soldiers stepped forward to lead Evie, Rebecca, Miranda and Collette away. Synn and Ryce stepped forward, blocking the soldiers access. Cynric came forward to join his men. He understood their need to have the women near them where they knew they were safe. He didn’t want Evie out of his sight, but this negotiation would go no where if the men from this planet refused to talk with the women in the room. The tension in the soldiers amped up as one stepped forward toward Collette. Ryce let out a low growl, and Cynric knew he had to do something before this escalated into open warfare. They were so close to leaving this planet that they couldn’t afford to mess that up.
“I want your assurance that the women will not be harmed. They are precious to us, and it is against our nature to exclude our women from anything. We will obey your custom if that will help the negotiations proceed, but not until we are assured that the women will remain safe.” Cynric looked directly at Evie’s father, whose eyes narrowed as they looked first at Cynric and then at Evie.
Minister Valencia’s lips tightened for a moment, and Cynric didn’t care if the man was offended. Too much had happened to them for the safety of the women to be assured. “I give you my word, that the women will be safe during our negotiations.”
Cynric nodded and looked at Ryce and Synn.
“Let them go.”
After a moment’s hesitation Ryce and Synn stepped aside and the women walked forward. Cynric looked at Evie, but she stared straight ahead and followed her friends as the soldiers led them out the door. He sighed. He didn’t know when they would talk alone, but he suspected her withdrawal had something to do with her father sitting at the head of the table.
With the women gone, he, Ryce and Synn took their seats at the table.
“I wonder who came to our rescue.” Ryce spoke in Latrothian, in a quiet voice. It sounded overly loud in the otherwise silent room. Apparently the men at the table would not speak to them until the other Latrothians arrived. Their stares were cutting, and they did not speak even amongst themselves.
Cynric looked over at Evie’s father, and there was a look of speculation on the other man’s face. “How is my daughter involved in all this?”
“Her friend Miranda requested aid, and she provided it to her.” There was much more to the story of Evie’s involvement than that, but if she wanted her father to know it, she could tell him. It was not Cynric’s place to discuss Evie with him.
There was no more time to discuss the women’s role in all this when the door opened and several soldier’s escorted in the Latrothian delegation. The corner of Cynric’s mouth kicked up when he saw who stood in the middle. Rypan, his friend from childhood, who now commanded his own ship and men, walked into the room and his hard gaze swept the room. He strode at the front of the group and walked around the table and sat in the chair next to Cynric.
“I see you’ve gotten yourself in trouble.” Which was an understatement. Rypan spoke in Latrothian, and for a moment Cynric wondered if he spoke the language of this planet. He must, since he would have made himself understood to the men gathered here somehow.
“How is it that you are here?”
“My ship received your distress signal several weeks ago, and we rounded up any ships that were in the vicinity or could make it to this planet the fastest. The signal from your ship stopped, and we feared that we would not find you when it broadcast again from this location. We were waiting out of range until we could determine if you were in the same location as the ship, and our sensors picked up your tracking implants earlier today. We invaded and now we will negotiate your release. Is there anything else we should ask for? Any reparations we need to demand in compensation for any mistreatment you’ve received?”
“There are women with us that need to leave the planet with us. Ryce and Synn are mated to two of them, and the other two would not be safe from reprisals if they stayed here.”
He did not get into how he felt about Evie. Unless he had the mark, he could not assure her of his love although it felt like that inside for him. He would bring her to Latroth where he would have more time with her. It would keep her safe since he was certain there would be reprisals against her. It was why he had included both her and Rebecca as part of their negotiations. Both women had gone to great lengths to help them, and Rebecca had lost her brother. They should both be given another chance to start a new life. And if he was fortunate, the mark would appear and Evie’s new life would be with him.
“Are you ready to begin negotiations?” Minister Valencia spoke from his place at the head of the table and looked over at their assembled group. Cynric could see disdain when the man looked at him, and he knew it was because of how close he’d appeared to be to his daughter when they’d first walked in. Cynric didn’t know what passed between him and Evie, but there had to be a reason that Evie had not contacted him when she’d fled from her proposed marriage with Clancy.
Rypan cleared his throat beside him, and it looked like he would do all the talking.
“We want the women that have been in the company of our comrades to be allowed to escape the planet with us.” Several men on the other side of the table looked at each other with puzzled frowns on their faces. They must have been expecting something much bigger for their opening request.
“Why would you want to take the women with you? Surely they were a means to an end for your men.” Minister Valencia scowled at them from down the table, and Cynric knew that he was thinking of Evie and not of the other women. He was sure if Evie had not been included in the group he would have no problem with them taking as many women as they wanted.
Rypan turned to them and spoke in Latroth so he would not be understood by the men across the table. “What are the women’s names?”
“Miranda is mated to Synn, Collette is mated to Ryce, Rebecca is the one with the short dark hair and Evie is the one with the long dark hair and she’s also the man at the head of the table’s daughter. It is obvious why Madeline and Collette need to go. As for Rebecca, she’s lost her brother and I imagine there would be reprisals for her if she stays. I don’t know if there would be reprisals for Evie considering who her father is, but she’s sacrificed a lot to get us here. She deserves to start a new life.”
“And you're hoping that new life is with you?” Rypan must have seen something in the way he spoke of Evie. He’d tried to remain neutral when he spoke of her, but was less than successful. “I’ll do my best to make sure that all the women go with us.”
Rypan turned back to face Minister Valencia. “Two of the women, Madeline and Collette are bound to two of the men here. They must go with us. The other two, Rebecca and Evie have given up a great deal to help my compatriots. We would not like for them to face reprisals for their aid. We feel it would be safest for them to come with us.”
Minister Valencia’s face darkened, but when he spoke there was not a single note of anger in his voice. “The two bound women may go. As for Rebecca, it is my understanding that her brother was a traitor, and she herself is a felon. Our planet would be much better off without someone such
as her on it. If you want to take her, we will do nothing to stop you. As for Evangeline, as many at this table know, she is my daughter. A daughter I have believe to be dead for many years. Had I known she was alive, I would have turned this planet over searching for her until I found her and brought her home safe. I realize that she has helped you, and I understand why you would feel the need to offer her your protection. There is no such need. I will ensure Evangeline’s future.”
He would not let her go. A crushing weight came down on Cynric as he stared hard at the edge of the table. He looked up to see Rypan looking over at him.
“Is this acceptable to you?”
“No. I don’t believe that she would want to stay here. She ran from him for a reason.” There was a reason Evie’s father thought she was dead. Evie had wanted him to believe it and there must have been a reason behind it. “Get him to agree to give her a choice. If she chooses to stay here I will abide by it, but I want her to have a choice.”
Rypan nodded. “We would like Evangeline to be offered the choice to go with us or to stay here.”
Several men around the table blustered, and there were murmurs of how ridiculous all this was. Minister Valencia looked straight as Cynric, and there was a light in his eyes that sent the hair on the back of his neck standing up.
“Evangeline will be presented with her options, and we will all abide by her decision. Now that the question of the women is settled, let’s discuss any other matters.”
He got what he wanted, but he still didn’t feel good about it. He would have liked to have taken her to Latroth under the guise of keeping her safe, that way he wouldn't have to open himself up to her until he was sure if she felt anything for him. He could have spent more time with her and determined how she felt. If the mark was on him, he would know what to do. But it wasn’t, so he had to open himself up to her, and give her the choice of going with him or staying here. The prospect was more daunting than facing open battle.
