A Blue Star Rising

by Cecilia Randell

  His lips twitched. “You are going in there with me.”

  It took barely a minute for Duri to discover there was no one else in there and to satisfy him it was safe for her to be alone in there. She quickly found the towels and made her way to the showers, bypassing her cubby and uniform for now. All she could think of was getting cooled off and clean. Choosing a spot well within the showers and out of immediate sight of anyone who may have still been around, Blue hung up the towel, toed off her shoes, and kicked them aside. Then she peeled off her clothes. And it really was a peel. The cloth stuck to her in a weird and disgusting imitation of some sort of shedding skin.

  Throwing the clothes next to her shoes, she studied the controls for the water. The mechanism was a little different from what had been in the apartment and inn. Her finger was on what she hoped was the start button, when voices intruded.

  Blue paused. She’d thought she was alone. Had Duri seen them come in? Or was there another entrance? And why was she worried about someone else being in the changing room with her?

  I’ve seen way too many stupid high-school movies. She shook off the vague feeling of unease when the voices approached, and she could finally make out some of the words.

  “—need dragon—”

  “I don’t have—”

  “—can get—”

  “—not that easy.”

  “Failing—”

  Then louder. “For the last time, no.”

  “But—”

  “Petyr was the one who knew how to get it, okay?” The first girl lowered her voice, and Blue only caught a few more words. “—committee… healers… stupid.”

  “Just until the assessments. Just until I get the assignment I want.” The second girl sounded almost desperate. “I’ve been out for over a ten-day. I need it.”

  “And I told you not to touch it in the first place. What happens when you do get your orders and you’re stuck with no access to it? What will you do then? Plus what happened to Petyr.”

  Blue sucked in a breath, and her hand flew to her mouth to keep any other sound from escaping. She recognized the first voice now.

  It was Sarah.

  “Please. Petyr was taking too much. I won’t.” The second girl, almost desperate.

  “Fine. I’ll see if I can get in to see him. He’s alive, but the disciplinary committee has kept him isolated from everyone. But I’m not risking my neck for you. I’ll do this, and that’s it, I’m out.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I heard he was seriously messed up though. Seizures. He may not even remember anything, if he’s even conscious. Now, get your journal. I hate this place after hours.” There was a click as one of the cubbies was keyed open.

  Blue was barely paying them any attention now. Seizures. Hadn’t there been seizures reported in connection to the other incidents? And dragon. The serpent emblem on the vial could have been a type of dragon. If they could prove a connection, this was the first solid lead to a distributor.

  That meant they needed to get in to see Petyr too.

  “Are you going to see Jason tonight?”

  “I don’t know.” Sarah’s voice wavered. “Mom invited his entire family over, but he’s been evasive about accepting the invitation.”

  Their words faded as they moved away from the cubby and Blue. When she was sure they were gone, she started the shower. Cold water fell down on her. She barely registered the relief to her overheated skin, her mind too busy.

  By the time she shut off the water, the beginnings of a plan had formed. As she gathered her damp exercise uniform and stuffed it into the bags provided, she thought through her idea, looking for flaws. As she wrote her name on the bag’s tag and stuffed it in the bin Elaina had shown her, she became more and more convinced she was right.

  She brushed her hair and twisted it back, no time to dry it. Then she slipped into her uniform. She needed to get to Duri, get home, and run this by everyone.

  A new thought struck her. Were Sarah and the other girl just messing with her? Had they known she was there? If they’d come through the main entrance from the gym, they’d have seen Duri. And Duri was a pretty good indication that Blue was somewhere in the vicinity. But if they did know she was there, why would they have talked about dragon? It was more likely they’d just talk shit about her.

  Grabbing up her bag, she hurried out of the changing room. The light had faded while she’d been showering, and the shadows were deeper around the equipment. Duri wasn’t where she’d left him.

  “Duri?”

  “Here.” He stepped out from between something that looked like a deformed treadmill and a stack of mats. “They did not see me.”

  How did he…? She shrugged it off. “Did you recognize them?”

  He nodded. “The girl with red hair who talked badly about you, and her friend, the short one with brown hair and a slump.”

  Those were interesting descriptions. “I need to get home, now. We need to coordinate with the others. I may know how we can get a lead on the drug.”

  “I will call Mr. Zeynar.”

  Blue opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. He’d need to be there as well. “Tell him to meet us there,” she said. “We’ll take a transport. It will save time.”

  She pulled out her own comm and sent a group message on the thread they’d started in Padilra. It included Trev and Jason, and she’d need all of them for this.

  Meet at apartment. Have lead, need to coordinate.

  As she hit send, warmth filled her. She was being a real, contributing member of the team.

  Chapter 17

  BLUE

  There was a knock on the door, and Blue sprang from her spot on the couch. The peep-screen showed Jason, his dark hair ruffled, pacing on the other side. She hit the latch, and he brushed by her as he strode in. The orange of his robes flared out as he spun back to take her in.

  “What happened?” His fingers brushed against the faint bruise that had formed on her cheek. In the clear light, she could see his hair wasn’t only mussed, but a little longer, and a few days of scruff darkened his jaw. It gave his appearance a new level of dangerous that she didn’t usually associate with Jason.

  She shrugged. She’d gone through this same reaction to her bruises with each of her guys as they’d arrived home. The fifth time around it had gotten a little old. “Blaine landed a few good hits during our bout this afternoon. And, yes, I’ve already put some ice on it.”

  His lips thinned. “Is Draggin Fay still running that class?”

  “Yup.”

  “He always was a bastard. I can’t believe he paired you with Blaine your first day.”

  “You know Blaine?”

  He shrugged again. “I know his parents. And he’s applying for External Security. I’ve seen some of his evaluation reports and applications.”

  Blue headed back into the living room. “Well, I would be careful of him. He’s got shades of psycho going on.” She settled back into the corner of the sofa and drew a blanket around her, rubbing her fingers over the raised weave. “Reminded me of Phillip, pre-crystal.”

  Jason’s eyes narrowed as he followed her. “I’ll pass that along.” He took in the living room, the furnishings, the people, the shelves they’d installed, the mini-entertainment center, and the four men arranged around the room.

  Mo’ata sat in the same chair as last night; he seemed to have claimed it as his. Between the sofa and a small side table, it had a deep green leather that made his hair pop. I wonder if he realizes the chair makes him look good?

  Levi was next to Blue, and Forrest beside him. Trevon lay on the floor in front of the sofa, his hands folded behind his head, ankles crossed. The thin material of his shirt rode up, exposing a sliver of hard, inked flesh. Duri and Prin stood against the left wall, dark suits stark against the pale walls.

  Blue swallowed and tore her attention from that flash of skin. Not appropriate, Blue, not appropriate. For many reasons.

  The only o
ne missing was Felix, and Mo’ata had already said he’d record and send the meeting to him through a secure link.

  Jason grabbed a chair from the dining table and placed it next to Mo’ata.

  “All right, pixie, we’re all here.”

  “Right.” She relayed everything she’d heard, starting with the night of the dinner at the Addamir’s and finishing with the conversation she’d overhead in the shower.

  Trev bobbed his feet to a rhythm only he heard. “I still have people looking into the name Miyari, but this is definitely another avenue. It can take a while to trace things back through the users, though.”

  “There’s some chatter about ‘serpent’ from the reports I’ve been sorting through, but nothing specific.” Levi drew back an edge of the blanket and Blue snugged close to him. Since yesterday, he’d seemed to crave the contact.

  “My question is, can we get the Discipline Committee to cooperate in the investigation?” Blue asked. “Do we know if they’ve found a sample of whatever this is? From what Sana and Elaina said, they have Petyr and his roommates. Did they find something in the apartment? If we can find that out and get a match, we’ll know if we’re dealing with the same substance or two different ones.”

  “Or if we can get Sarah to get a sample.” Jason took a breath. “That’s why you wanted me here. You think I can get her to cooperate.”

  Blue averted her gaze. “Partly. I hate to ask it of you—I know you don’t really want to be around her—but if she really can get Petyr to talk…”

  “I’ll do it.” His voice had gone cold. “You should know, though, that I begin my newest assignment in three days. Falass. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I would already be there, but I need to brush up before I deploy.”

  That brought Blue’s gaze up, her eyes wide. “And you don’t know for how long?” She’d known he’d be getting new orders, but some part of her couldn’t imagine him, just, gone. Not when he’d finally been opening up.

  “No.”

  “Oh. Um, do you have any plants you need us to take care of or anything?”

  The cold façade cracked, and his lips twitched. “No, no plants.” He tilted his head, studying Blue. “You said Sarah was only part of the reason you wanted me here.”

  Levi’s hand covered her knee, massaging the muscles there in light strokes. “You’re also part of the team,” she told Jason.

  His eyes slid closed, and when they opened, a new tenderness entered his expression. “That means a lot to me, Blue.” He hesitated. “I petitioned to have a liaison position to the Order created. It was not outright rejected.”

  But it hadn’t been approved either.

  His fingers tapped against his knee, a rapid twitch. “And I asked that any information gathered from the Ministry’s own investigation be forwarded to the Order. Sana said she’d seen some orange robes…” He shrugged. “I don’t think the Discipline Committee will go for it, not unless we can provide solid proof that the two investigations are connected.”

  “That’s idiotic. How are we supposed to know if they are if we can’t compare data?” Forrest leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees.

  “It is idiotic. And I protested during my meeting with my agent. But Director Janas is a fair woman. If she can, I’m sure she’ll approve a data release. But she does not control the Academy and what they do.” His finger tapped faster. “Could you ask Dean Gravin?”

  Blue looked to Mo’ata, who had so far remained silent. “I don’t really know him, just the stories my father told. I suspect we’d have to tell him what’s going on, and he’d probably want to get involved. Is that a call we can make?”

  “Not in this instance,” her clansman answered. “I will have to clear it, but if we can get him to support this, it’s a step. But even if we can prove they are related, that doesn’t get us a name, or a location, for the person behind this.”

  “Which takes us back to Sarah and Petyr.” Trevon stared up at the ceiling, a smile playing across his lips. “You guys are fun. It’s so wonderfully convoluted. You know, I’ve often thought that the only reason any of the worlds have maintained their autonomy and the Alliance hasn’t morphed from a benevolent effort at regulating trade and intergalactic law to a despotic regime is because the Order and Ministry haven’t figured out how to play nice together.”

  “Zeynar.” There was a warning growl in Mo’ata’s tone.

  Trevon half sat up, the muscles of his abdomen bunching. “Just an idle thought, clansman. Just an idle thought.” He turned onto his side and propped his head on a hand. “And you, little star? Miss Probationary Agent? Are you ready to take over the worlds? What do you say?”

  Blue suppressed a smile. Why couldn’t she seem to get mad at this man? Oh, he annoyed her, definitely, but real anger? It eluded her. “I say you’re being a jerk.”

  Then the cubs tumbled into the room from the master hallway, Vivi heading for Forrest and Garfield for Trevon. Blue’s baby sniffed the Family head all over, from winking blue and silver piercings, over his T-shirt and dark pants, and down to the heavy soles of his boots. Then he snuggled into the slight bend of Trev’s body at the groin and sent out a purr.

  Startled pleasure crossed Trev’s face as he buried a hand in Garfield’s ruff.

  “So, what did the analysis say?” Blue asked, needing to break the moment. “I scanned it, but even with the translation program, a lot of it didn’t make sense to me.”

  “It’s a basic stimulant,” Trevon said, his bright blue eyes trained on her. “But there’s an element not anywhere in my databases. Based on the autopsy, my man speculated that it affects the sensory portions of the mind. In small doses it wouldn’t be too bad, no more than a hit of caffeine. But in larger doses…”

  “You get exploding brains,” Forrest said. Then he stood up. “I’m thirsty. Anyone else?”

  Blue snorted. She couldn’t help it. “Water? Or some of that aipin juice, if there’s any left?”

  The others indicated a negative, and Forrest busied himself in the kitchen. Blue mulled over Trevon’s words. She knew some students ended up taking stimulants to get them through the work, especially when finals got close. She’d seen a documentary on it even. But she’d never heard of one that caused the kinds of extreme effects they were seeing. Could it be that unknown element?

  “Here.” A glass of pink juice appeared before her. Forrest sent her a small smile and resumed his seat on the other side of Levi.

  “Have you heard anything at the university?” Levi asked him.

  “After one day? No. But I’m also not a magnet for trouble like our pixie is. My day was much less dramatic.”

  Blue realized she’d been so caught up in what she’d found out that she’d forgotten Forrest had had a first day as well. Ugh. Worst wife ever. She bent forward and peered around Levi’s broad chest. “How was your day, honey?”

  He winked. “Not bad. I drew you a thing.”

  Warmth bloomed in her chest, like a gooey marshmallow that had just been toasted. “You did?”

  “Yup.” He jumped up again and snagged his sketchbook from where he’d left his bag on the table. He tore out a sheet and passed it over the back of the sofa. “Here you go.”

  She giggled. It was ridiculous. A duck and ducklings. But the duck had two pairs of wings, one regular and one like a butterfly’s—or a pixie’s. And the ducklings… The first held a paintbrush, the second had red hair and rode a miniature-pony version of a quorin. The third wore a blue sash through which a sword and a dagger were thrust, and the fourth sported a wide grin and dark armor that dripped blood. Behind them were two more, one swaddled in and tripping over orange robes and one with a piercing in its beak, a mohawk, and a smirk.

  Levi leaned in, and after a moment, his chest shook.

  “I love it.” And she did. “I want to get it framed and hung.” The fact that Forrest had included Trevon and Jason told her so much. Whatever differences the three men had Forrest was putting behind him—
for her sake, for the sake of the investigation, and for the sake of their prida. She craned her neck until her head practically hung off the back of the sofa. “I love you.”

  He grinned. “I know.”

  A throat cleared.

  Blue straightened. “Sorry. Derailed there.”

  Jason stood. “No, it’s fine. I need to get going anyway. I have three days left to relearn the difference between the Falass customs for greeting an enemy and a friend. They are surprisingly similar.”

  Blue flipped aside the blanket and struggled up from her nest, then slipped her arms around Jason in a quick hug, ignoring the way he stiffened. “Thanks,” she said, then stepped back.

  “I’ll let you know what happens with Sarah.” Then he was gone.

  “That’s us too, then.” Trev pushed to his feet, then held out his arms, inviting a hug.

  Blue rolled her eyes but complied. And it did make her feel better to feel the heat and strength of him after how weak he’d been only days ago. He smelled like dessert. She pulled in a breath. “Why do you smell like a Dreamsicle?”

  “A… what?”

  Her cheeks heated. Damn blushes. They happened way too easily and were like flashing arrows to her self-consciousness. She pushed him away and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s a kind of frozen dessert with vanilla ice cream inside an orange popsicle. And you smell like one.”

  His blue eyes went wide, then he swooped in to press a hard and fast kiss to her lips.

  She pushed him away. “Hey! No kisses.”

  He nodded, practically bouncing. “Right. No kisses. Yet. I’ll get you there. But you deserved a reward because you’re brilliant. Prin.” The guard held out Trev’s jacket, and he took it. “We have something to check out.” He paused by Mo’ata. “If it pans out, I’ll send you the info.” Then he was gone, practically dancing out the door.

  Forrest’s eyes were wide. “I can’t even be mad about that. What the hell just happened?”

  “I have no idea.” Blue licked her lips and encountered the faint taste of caramel. Trev really was like dessert.