by Anna Hackett
She looked over at Dare and saw that he, Vero, and another man were bent over a desk, looking at a large, glowing sphere resting on the surface. The librarian was running his hands over it. She saw things moving across the sphere, and she guessed it was some sort of reference system. He was murmuring quietly to Dare.
From behind her, Dakota heard a small, pained moan. She turned and saw that the curvy woman was clutching her belly. The taller woman was helping her, an arm around her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” Dakota whispered.
The curvy woman’s head snapped up. She nodded. “I’m fine. We shouldn’t talk.”
“They’re busy at the moment.” Dakota tilted her head. “What’s your name?’
The woman wavered for a second. “Keena. And this is Arda.”
“I’m Dakota. You don’t look very good, Keena.”
“I…recently had surgery.” Keena lowered her head, her blue hair hiding her face. “I’ll be fine.”
Dakota blinked. “Surgery? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“Yes.” The taller, dark-skinned Arda said fiercely. Her hair was a slightly darker blue, and cut short against her well-shaped head. Her dark skin was gorgeous, almost luminous.
“My master had need of me,” Keena said.
Disgust stormed through Dakota. That Vero would call on a still-recovering woman to entertain him while she was recuperating was low. The man was scum. She thought back to the way Dare had cared for her after she’d hit her head. He should have thrown her in the brig, and instead, he’d helped her.
She saw Keena clutch her side. “Let me see.” Dakota moved so that her body would block the men’s view if they glanced this way.
The woman protested, but Dakota ignored her and lifted the hem of her gauzy shirt. There was a fresh scar across her soft belly. It was red, and looked tender and sore.
Dakota hissed. “You should be in bed.”
“I’ll be fine.” Perspiration had broken out on Keena’s brow.
“What happened?”
Keena brushed at her hair. “My master had my womb removed.”
Now Dakota froze. “What?” It took all her control to keep her voice down.
“So I did not accidentally fall pregnant. He dislikes children and a woman’s belly full of child.”
“Was this your decision?”
Her pretty eyes looked confused. “I belong to him. I do not get to make decisions.”
Dakota’s jaw clenched until her teeth ached. Fighting back her rage took everything she had. “That is barbaric.”
“Barbaric are the men who force women to have child after child, and deny them any contraception,” Arda said.
“It is the way of things,” Keena said softly. “I am honored to be chosen by a man of Vero’s stature.”
Dakota shoved her hands on her hips, breathing deeply to find some calm. “If he was really a man, he’d take care of you.” She kept her voice low, her anger barely contained. “If the men of this planet weren’t cowards, they’d let you make your own choices.”
Arda tightened her arm around Keena. “I will make sure she gets some rest.” A curious look flowed over the woman’s striking face. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” Dakota asked.
“That out there—” a jerk of her head into the air “—women make their own choices. Lead their own lives.”
“Yes. It’s true. You belong to no one but yourself. What makes a man any more important than a woman? Nothing. What gives a man the right to have control over you and your body?”
“Here it is the ancient teachings of the prophet,” Keena said.
“Prophet, my ass,” Dakota muttered.
Arda glanced over Dakota’s shoulder. “So you don’t belong to him?”
“Dare? No. I belong to me.”
“You look like you belong,” Keena said.
Dakota pinched the bridge of her nose. “We’re…entangled right now. But it’s my choice.”
“I wouldn’t mind belonging to him,” Keena said. “He is so very pleasing to look at. And the way he watches you…”
“The way he touched you,” Arda said.
Both women sighed, and Dakota felt color flood her cheeks.
Then both women straightened. Dakota turned and saw that the men were no longer leaning over the sphere.
“Here they come,” Arda said. She and Keena bowed their heads.
Dare reached Dakota’s side and leaned down, nuzzling his face into her hair. “I’m sorry, Dakota. We couldn’t find anything. There is no record of a man matching Stock’s description.”
Dakota’s shoulders sagged. She’d been so sure they’d find something…now she had nothing.
“There is another library,” Keena whispered.
Dakota glanced her way.
“It’s smaller. Older. It is up on the mountain.” Her eyes shifted. Vero had almost reached them. “No one visits it.”
“Thank you.” Dakota looked at Dare. “Can you ask your friend if we can visit this second library?”
“If I ask him outright, he’ll want to know how I heard about it.” He glanced at the women. “That’ll get them in trouble.”
Dakota smiled. “You leave that to me.”
Vero reached them. “I’m sorry you didn’t find what you were looking for, Dare. Let’s have a last drink before you leave.”
Dakota pressed into Dare’s side. “Permission to speak…Master?”
Dare raised one dark brow. “Granted.”
The damn man was enjoying this. She glanced over at Vero through her lashes, careful not to make eye contact. “Your planet is incredible, sir. Beautiful, orderly, unique.”
She saw Vero straighten and smile. Yeah, he liked to be in charge and have his ego stroked. He was so very different to Dare. Oh, Dare liked to be in charge, no doubt about it, but not the same way as Vero. Dare wanted control to keep his ship, his convoy, and his family safe. It was bone-deep with him.
Vero wanted control to make himself feel good, important.
“I’ve been so very impressed with every aspect of your city,” Dakota continued.
“You should stay longer,” Vero said. “There is so much more I can show you.”
She hated the slimy sound of his voice and the slimier look in his eye, but she managed to keep her true feelings off her face.
“This library is so amazing. A repository of all your world’s history, achievements, and advancements.”
He puffed up his chest. “Yes, it contains all our knowledge.”
“It is amazing that it all fits in here. I would’ve guessed you’d need more room than this.”
She felt Dare’s fingers curl around her arm, but he stayed quiet.
Vero frowned. “It’s already very large.”
She shrugged. “I’ve seen larger on other worlds far less advanced than yours. I’m just surprised, considering your beautiful planet, that you don’t have more information.” She tilted her head back. “The library on Tishii was much bigger than this, wasn’t it, Dare? And Zind as well, even though it was a far smaller planet.”
Vero stepped forward. “We have another library, as well. It’s far older, situated on the mountain above the city. But it contains our oldest records, not our recent achievements.”
“Really?” Dakota gave him a blinding smile. “That makes sense now.”
“Perhaps they have a record of this man you seek, Dare.”
“Perhaps,” Dare replied blandly.
“I’d love to see it.” She pressed a hand against Dare’s chest. “If it pleases my master.”
She saw a flare in his eyes.
“I can arrange it,” Vero said. “But I have other meetings, so unfortunately I cannot escort you. Also, the cable car that leads to the mountaintop is not operational. It’s closed for maintenance. You’d have to go up by rikoo beast. The vegetation that grows along the mountainside is too thick and dangerous for other forms of transportation. It grows back faster than it c
an be cleared.”
“Thank you, Vero,” Dare said. “We’d love to see it.”
“I’ll arrange it with the librarian there. You’ll need to stay the night because it’s too dangerous to travel back down in darkness.” He smiled. “Lucky for you, I have a holiday house there that you are welcome to use.”
“Dangerous?” Dare asked.
“The nocturnal animals that live in the mountain forest are wild and vicious.”
Hmm, maybe Sulla wasn’t quite as beautiful and orderly as the Sullans made it out to be.
“Come.” Vero waved them toward the door. “Let me make the preparations.”
Soon, they were back in the boats, slicing through the water. This time Vero led them to another landing platform not far from his home. Nearby, Dakota saw a low, squat building. She frowned at it. It didn’t match the beauty of the other architecture of the city. It was far more utilitarian.
Vero called out, and a man came out of the building, holding the lead of an animal. A second later, a giant creature followed him out.
Dakota gasped. “Oh, no.”
It was an enormous, bird-like animal. It was the size of a two-man shuttle, with long wings and a sharp beak. It didn’t have feathers; instead, it had tough, leathery skin in a shade of dark gray that shimmered with a sheen of different colors in the sunlight—blue, green, pink.
“This is a rikoo beast. He’ll take you right to the mountaintop.”
Dakota’s heart was pounding in her head. She saw two saddles on the back of the beast, and it had some sort of high-tech goggles over its eyes.
“The controls are here.” Vero pointed to a small box mounted on the side of the back saddle. “The controls are linked directly to the beast’s mind. It makes him docile, pliable. Otherwise, they are very strong-willed, sometimes vicious.”
Dakota’s stomach cramped. Something else on Sulla that had had its free will taken away by the men of the planet.
Dare moved forward and stroked the creature’s neck. It made a small sound, leaning into his hand. Then Dare climbed up, settling into the seat at the back of the saddle. The animal shifted a little and flapped its giant wings.
He waved her into the seat in front of him. She hesitated, her palms sweaty and her heart pumping madly. “When he said beast, I imagined a horse.”
“This will be quicker,” Dare said.
“But we have to freaking fly. In the sky.”
Dare reached out and dragged her closer, looked intently at her face. “Problem?”
Dakota fidgeted. She hated displaying any sort of weakness. “I…have a dislike of heights.”
His brows shot up. “You’re afraid of heights.”
“I didn’t say afraid.”
“Dakota Jones afraid of something?”
“Shut up,” she snapped.
He gripped her chin. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” He spoke in that sure, confident tone of his. “Climb on and press back against me.”
Reluctantly, Dakota did. Think of the treasure. Think of the treasure. She settled into the saddle, and when the bird moved again, she barely swallowed a squeak.
Then Dare’s arms wrapped around her from behind. She leaned into him, and she hated to admit it, but it made her feel better. She felt her pulse calm down a little.
“Thank you, Vero,” Dare called out.
“You’re welcome, my friend. See you when you return.”
Dakota heard quiet beeps as Dare touched the controls.
Instantly, the animal lifted off, with a powerful flap of its wings. In one second they were airborne, the bird turning sharply to the right.
Dakota looked down—saw the ground rushing away—and screamed.
Chapter Nine
Dare hadn’t believed Dakota was afraid of anything. Clearly, he was wrong.
They’d barely gotten off the ground when she spun in the saddle and clamped her arms and legs around him.
He wrapped his arms around her. “You’re fine, Dakota.”
“Right. Until I fall off and smash into a thousand tiny, splatty pieces.”
Dare choked back a laugh. “Not going to happen.”
As the bird jerked, gaining speed, she screamed again.
He tightened his arms around her. “I won’t let you fall.”
A pause. “I know.”
He smiled and pressed his face against the top of her head. He let himself enjoy the ride. The view was magnificent, and as the bird took them higher into the air, he stroked Dakota’s hair, enjoying the feel of her against him. He was damn glad it was finally just the two of them. He was scratching Sulla off his visitor list for good.
“Are you going to take a look at the view?” he asked.
“No.”
With a smile, he looked down at the city below. From up here, all you saw was the beauty. The delicate network of waterways and bridges, the lovely buildings, and lush pops of greenery. Ahead, the mountain rose up. It was almost a perfect cone with a neat point at the top, and was covered in dense vegetation. He could just make out a small cluster of white buildings nestled on the slope near the summit.
“The view is lovely. And there’s nothing to be afraid of. You won’t fall and I’ll take care of you.”
He felt her move her head, turning it so she could get a glimpse. He saw her cheeks were pale, and her lips pressed into a tight line. But damned if she didn’t do it. Despite her fear, she took a look down, swallowed, and then pressed her face back to his chest.
And that was what was different about Dakota. She was afraid of heights, but she’d climbed aboard this beast. She was terrified, but she still looked down. It didn’t matter if she was afraid, if there were risks involved. Dakota still leaped, still acted, despite her fear.
The other little thing that niggled in under his skin was the fact that she trusted him to hold her and keep her safe.
The rikoo appeared to know exactly where it was going. They flew close to the wires of the cable car. The metal cables ran from the summit right down to the city. He could see one elegant glass-and-metal cage resting halfway down. He didn’t know what maintenance they were doing on it, but he bet that the cable car gave a beautiful view when it was in operation.
Dakota moved again and he saw her glance down as they zipped under the wires of the cable car. She laughed. “Okay, so I don’t like heights, but I have to admit, the view is pretty good.”
“We’ll be coming in to land soon.”
“Stars.” Her arms tightened on him. “For some reason, it’s the takeoff and landing that’s the worst.”
They flew closer to the small mountain town. Narrow roads twisted through white buildings. He saw a large wooden deck cantilevered out over the hill. As the beast flew closer to the deck, Dare guessed that was the landing spot.
Moments later, the animal swooped lower, and Dakota let out a small moan.
“Hey.” He forced her to look at him. “Just look at me. Don’t look anywhere else.”
“You are pretty easy on the eyes.”
He smiled at her. “Right back at you.”
“I’m not beautiful, Dare. I’m not like the Amber Lynns you must always get on every convoy.”
“No, but that doesn’t make you any less attractive. Beauty isn’t just about what someone looks like on the outside.”
“I’m not like those stunning women at Vero’s.” She frowned. “You know he doesn’t treat them right. The curvy one, Keena, is recovering from surgery. He removed her womb.”
Dare felt a hard twist of disgust. “It would take away from his pleasure.”
Dakota frowned at him. “How could you ever enjoy spending time with him? It sounds like you’ve…partied with him a few times before.”
“It was a mistake. One I’ve since rectified. I never wanted to come back here, and I especially didn’t want to bring you here.”
“You knew what Vero would be like.”
“Yes.”
“But you still brought me, on t
he slim chance that we’d find information about Stock and the Atocha Treasure.”
Dare didn’t need to answer.
Her face softened. “Thank you.”
With a flap of wings, the bird glided lower, and set down on the landing pad. Dakota looked around and blinked like she couldn’t quite believe they were back on the ground.
Dare slid off the beast, pulling her with him. As he straightened his shirt, he watched Dakota run a hand through her wind-tangled hair. She winked at him. Then Dare heard a whisper of sound from behind them.
He turned and saw an elderly woman heading toward them. Behind her was another cylindrical building made of white stone. On this one, the greenery was older, wilder.
The woman walked with a stately kind of grace, her long robes whispering around her body. She had long blue hair that had gone gray at the ends, and her face was covered in soft wrinkles.
What surprised him most was that she looked them in the eye and exuded a quiet confidence. “Hello, visitors. I was told to expect you.”
Dakota tilted her head. “You’re not…?”
“Oppressed? Submissive?” The woman shook her head. “I can give the impression of submission when I need to. My name is Meela.” Her smile evaporated. “My world was not always the way you see it today. Our old teachings have been twisted by our leaders. I pray every day for Sulla’s women and its men, for it to change.”
“How do you get away with not being…” Dakota waved a hand.
Meela smiled again. “Up here, in this small town that most people have forgotten, we do as we please. Our oldest records are stored here. Along with our oldest people…and our problem people.” Her smile turned irreverent. “That would include me.”
Dakota smiled back. “I like irreverent.”
“My man is old and sick, and he prefers the quiet of the village. It means I get away with being librarian without all the huff and bother of a woman being tainted by knowledge.”
“It’s very pretty up here,” Dare said.
