***
Sara hadn’t been to the eastern border of her land since the oats had been planted. With the onset of the dry season, the harvest was about a month away and the stalks were already turning brown. They skirted the edge of the fields, Sara mounted on Yusuf and Jerden riding Danuban for the first time since his illness. Jerden had been reluctant to ride him, but Sara felt that the exercise would do him good. As always, Cria followed Jerden like a shadow.
The stallion seemed happy to be out of his paddock and probably would’ve unseated a lesser rider. Jerden rode out his high jinks without difficulty, and he soon settled down enough that Sara could ride alongside them.
“Not bad for a horse that was near death such a short time ago,” she remarked.
“He doesn’t feel any different to me, either. Seems as strong as ever.”
“I hope you’re right. You wouldn’t believe how much money I have invested in him.” Then she recalled the Friesian he’d bought. “Well, maybe you would, at that.”
As they approached the dry creek bed, Sara let out a groan. “Son of a bitch! Should’ve known there’d be a ton of that weed growing back here.” The juluva wasn’t in bloom, but the grayish foliage was easy to spot. “I never thought to look for it here.”
“Seeing as how your pastures are nowhere close, Danuban is the only one who could’ve gotten to it, so it probably wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“Not unless it seeded into my oat fields.” She eyed the noxious plants with distaste. “I’ve never used an herbicide before—the regulations are incredibly tough—but this time I may have to.”
She was staring at the weeds—actually considering setting fire to them once her grain was harvested—when Cria let out a snarl. Sara glanced up just as Danuban tossed his head and leaped sideways out from under Jerden. Her startled cry echoing across the field, Sara stared openmouthed as Jerden flew through the air to land heavily on the rocks below.
“Oh, my God! Jerden!” Cria and Danuban both bounded away from the creek’s edge as Sara vaulted from the saddle and ran to the spot where Jerden had fallen. The ravine wasn’t deep, but the sides were extremely steep and rocky. She was scrambling to find a way to reach him when she heard a woman’s scream.
Whirling around, she spotted two people running toward her. She’d never seen the woman before in her life, but the man, she recognized.
Nate.
For an instant, Sara thought they were rushing to Jerden’s aid, only realizing her error a moment later when she caught sight of the pistol in Nate’s hand.
The woman was in the lead, but Nate caught her just short of the precipice. She fought him like a wild beast, kicking and snarling, even using her teeth. Sara didn’t have to see her electric blue eyes to make a guess as to who she had to be.
“You fucking idiot!” the woman snarled as Nate wrestled her into submission. “You weren’t supposed to kill him. You were supposed to kill her.”
“You shot him?” Sara’s heart seemed to stop, leaving her frozen in place, her attention divided between the drama playing out before her and the need to get to Jerden.
Nate laughed grimly. “Of course I shot him.” Hooking his arm around the woman’s neck, he tightened his hold and spoke right in her ear. “How else was I supposed to get my hands on Sara’s money?”
Gasping in horror, Sara shifted her gaze from the struggling pair and directed it to where Jerden lay motionless on the rocky creek bed. He can’t be dead. He can’t be.
“You promised I could have him.” The Davordian’s flat, deadly tone reclaimed Sara’s attention. Her face was white with anger and her eyes so steeped in hatred, Sara could almost feel their icy chill.
“And you were just crazy enough to fall for it.” Nate grinned, ramming the pistol hard against her temple as though he enjoyed hurting her. “You were my scapegoat, Chantal.”
The truth struck Sara like a blow. “You’re both crazy. How could killing Jerden help you get my money?”
“Quite simple, my dear Sara. With him dead, you’d need comforting. And I’d be here to provide it.”
Sara snorted a laugh. No way in hell. “That might have worked if I didn’t know you were responsible for poisoning my stallion.”
“You only suspected me, Sara. You couldn’t prove I had anything to do with that. I covered my tracks much too well.”
“But, Chantal… how?”
“I found out about her a while back and managed to get a message to her that if she could escape, I’d help her come here for Jerden. She was easy enough to convince. After all, she is certifiably insane.”
Chantal struggled in his grasp. “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch!”
“Not likely.” He glanced at Sara. “You were my ticket out of debt, Sara—and you know what happens to people who go bankrupt on this world.”
She did know. Deportation wasn’t the worst of it. Depending on how deeply in debt he was, he would probably lose what little he had left. “Didn’t realize you had money trouble, Nate. Not that it would have made any difference.”
“You should have listened to me when I told you to save your money and use Kraken instead of importing your own stallion. With Danuban standing at stud, I knew you’d have no need of me, and I’d never have the opportunity to show you how charming and loving I can be—even toward a woman I don’t find particularly attractive.”
At one time, that comment would’ve hurt, but Jerden’s love was like a shield. If he’s still alive. Her heart slammed against her breastbone.
“It was your stubbornness that brought us to this point, Sara. I arranged to have Danuban poisoned, hoping he’d die en route. He didn’t, obviously. Just went crazy enough to escape from the spaceport.” He nodded toward the place where Jerden had fallen. “My plan still would’ve worked if you hadn’t started consorting with that Zetithian bastard.”
Chantal hissed like a spitting cat. “He is mine! You said I could have him!”
“Shut up, Chantal.”
Sara blinked. She understood it now. “You were going to kill her, weren’t you? Once Jerden was dead, you’d kill her and make it look like she’d committed suicide after missing me and hitting him instead.”
“Very good, Sara.” Nate’s smile sent a chill of dread through Sara. She’d never liked him. Now she knew why. “Too bad it didn’t work out quite the way I’d planned. Clearly, I should have killed her first. That way she wouldn’t have started screeching the moment he hit the ground.” He paused, pursing his lips as he tilted his head to one side. “Or I could’ve killed her a few moments ago when she started running. You would’ve seen me do it, and I would’ve been your hero for killing your husband’s murderer.”
Sara’s body no longer seemed willing to obey her brain’s instructions, her reactions made sluggish by the weight of dread pressing down upon her. Nevertheless, she forced out a laugh. “Too bad you aren’t any good at thinking on your feet.”
“Perhaps not.” He sighed with evident regret. “You’d have been an extremely rich widow, Sara. Now you’re nothing but a liability.”
A movement behind him drew her eye. Cria stood poised, her huge yellow eyes fixed on Nate. She might not have understood the words, but she clearly understood the intent. Eyes narrowed, she advanced toward him.
“Are you intending to kill all of us?” She almost wished he would go ahead and get it over with. Death would relieve the misery of not knowing whether Jerden was alive or dead and eliminate the bleak prospect of having to go on without him.
“Much as it pains me, I may have to. Chantal can still take the fall for a double murder and subsequent suicide. By the time anyone finds your bodies, I won’t be anywhere around. Nothing will tie me to this event. Nothing.”
“You won’t gain anything by it,” Sara said desperately. “No money, no land…”
“Ah, but I’ll still
have my life and my freedom.”
Sara couldn’t argue with that. No one would ever figure it out, either. That’s what I get for not telling anyone my suspicions—no one but Jerden. The injustice of Nate going free at the expense of their lives gave her resolve the impetus it needed. Strength coursed through her and her spine stiffened. “I was willing to let you get away with what you’d done to Danuban. I can’t let you get away with this.”
“No? I don’t see that you have any choice.”
“Come on now. It doesn’t have to be this way. We always have choices. You don’t have to kill anyone.” She almost added the word “else” but that would be admitting that Jerden was already dead, something she simply refused to believe.
Nonetheless, his mirthless laugh made Sara’s skin crawl. “I suppose you’ll marry me if I let you live?”
Sara felt the blood drain from her face. She couldn’t marry Nate unless Jerden was dead. Which he is not. She set her jaw, glaring at him.
“I didn’t think so,” Nate said, correctly interpreting her reaction. “So, what now? I put down the gun and you’ll just let me walk away? Is that it?”
“Possibly.” Sara tried to keep her voice calm, her tone even. “We don’t know whether you’ve actually committed murder yet or not. Jerden might not be dead.”
If the weaponry on Terra Minor was as “piss-poor” as Jack said it was, Jerden might have only been stunned, but Sara wasn’t sure she dared believe it. He’d fallen hard on some very sharp rocks, but Zetithians were notoriously hard to kill. Chantal, however, was as good as dead. Even set on stun, a pulse pistol could kill if pressed against a person’s head.
“You think not?” Nate’s grin made him seem more evil than ever. “If he isn’t, he will be, very shortly. Trust me, it will be my pleasure.”
Chapter 25
As Jerden regained his senses, he heard the voices and quickly grasped the situation. From now on, she carries the fuckin’ gun. However, this was not the time to kick himself for being macho. The pain in his left leg was like nothing he’d ever experienced, and one brief movement was enough to inform him it was broken. Raising his head slowly, he studied the rocky slope before him. He wasn’t far from the edge, but it was very steep, and he could only see Sara.
For the moment, Jerden’s only advantage was that if he couldn’t see Nate, Nate couldn’t see him, either. He would have to climb up to get a clear shot—or at least stand up—and do it without making a sound. C’mon, Jerden. You’re a cat, remember? He wondered what had become of Cria. If Nate had already shot the leopard, he’d lost a valuable ally.
“You will not kill him!” Chantal’s voice sounded every bit as shrill and frenzied as it had the day she killed Audrey. “If he dies, you will burn in the far reaches of hell!”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” Nate growled.
Jerden heard the sounds of a struggle, the pop of a pulse blast, and Cria’s hiss. It was now or never. Ignoring the pain, he leaped onto his good leg just as Cria pounced.
Chantal fell, staring at Jerden with lifeless eyes as he fired a narrow beam that caught Nate in the center of his chest. Cria’s momentum pushed him over, the pistol flying from Nate’s hand as the big cat landed on top of him, fangs and claws bared.
Sara screamed and staggered, nearly falling backward over the edge, but somehow managed to regain her footing before running to retrieve Nate’s pistol. She had already found it and had it aimed at Nate when she glanced up and saw Jerden. Their eyes met and she let out a squeal.
“Jerden!” She ran back to the edge of the creek. “I thought you were dead!”
“Not yet.” Jerden had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life as Sara reached out a hand to help him up. Eyes blazing, cheeks flushed, her hair like a flame—she was the living, breathing image of a heroine.
With her help, he made it up the slope and into her arms. Their lips met in a desperate, hungry kiss that couldn’t even begin to convey what he felt. Relief, sadness, and yet ultimate joy that they were both still alive. Jerden vowed never to let a day pass without telling her—and showing her—exactly how much he loved her.
Cria sat on top of Nate’s motionless body, licking her paw.
“I’m guessing you shot him,” Sara said, frowning. “Was that pistol set to stun or kill?”
“Stun. But you know how it is with these Nedwut weapons.”
Sara helped ease Jerden to the ground, then shooed Cria away from Nate. “He’s still breathing.”
Jerden was pleased he hadn’t killed the man, but at the same time, he almost wished he had. “Chantal?”
“Dead,” Sara replied. Her lip quivered slightly. “H-how much of that did you hear?”
“Enough to know he lured her here.” Jerden shook his head in disbelief. “He did all this for money?”
She knelt down beside him. “Other people have done worse for less.” Covering her mouth, she choked back a sob. “Terrible, horrific, inhuman things. Things you wouldn’t believe.”
He didn’t have to think long to understand what she was referring to—and that was only what had happened to Sara, herself. Pulling her close, he held her, stroking her back until her sobs subsided.
She sat up, brushing away her tears. “Here I am, carrying on like a fool when you’re the one who’s hurt. How bad is it?”
“That’s about the only thing I can feel right now,” he replied, nodding toward his leg. “You know, I’m still not sure what happened. One minute I was sitting on the horse, the next, I was flying through the air.”
“You remember that? I thought you’d been stunned.”
Jerden smiled sheepishly. “No, much as I’d like to think it happened that way, I was conscious when I hit the ground. I actually fell off the horse.”
“Really?” She glanced at Cria as the big cat sat down at Jerden’s side, purring as she nudged his hand, seeking a caress. Danuban grazed nearby along with Yusuf. “I thought that was what happened until I saw Nate brandishing a pistol and heard Chantal screaming at him for killing you. Right before you fell, I heard Cria snarling, and Danuban went sideways. Nate claimed to have shot you. Obviously, he missed. Do you think Cria knew Nate was there and spooked the stallion on purpose?”
Cria yawned as though the conversation bored her. Jerden scratched her behind the ear. “She may have.”
“Where’s the Mordrial witch when you need her?” Sara muttered, getting to her feet. “Guess we’ll have to wait until Tisana’s back in town again so she can interpret for us. Should be an interesting story.” She pulled the comlink out of her pocket and flipped it open. “Reutal’s gonna have a field day with this one. He never could stand Nate.”
Jerden’s leg was lying at a very odd angle. He shifted it slightly, but no amount of repositioning eased the pain. All it did was make his head swim. “Might want to call Vladen while you’re at it. My body can deal with the fracture, but if we don’t straighten it out first, it’ll heal crooked.”
Nate groaned and began to stir.
Sara stomped her foot. “Nate Wolmack, if you so much as think about getting up, I’m gonna shoot you with your own damn pistol.”
Jerden nodded. “Better listen to her. She’s armed, and so am I.”
“And I’m really pissed.” Sara gritted her teeth. “So don’t move, say a word, or even make a sound. Honest to God, Nate, I never liked you, but I never figured you for a murderer.”
For a moment, Jerden thought Sara might be tempted to follow suit. Then he remembered that he had the pistol with the kill setting on it—which was probably just as well.
***
Sara made three calls. The first to Vladen, who seemed delighted to have a Zetithian patient he could actually treat for once and promised to arrive within the hour. The second was to the regional magistrate’s office, and the third was to the comlink in the barn.
Reu
tal answered. “What’s up, Sara?”
“Plenty. Can you fly my speeder back here to the creek? Jerden’s hurt.”
“Sure thing,” Reutal replied. “Why do I get the idea that there’s more to it than that?”
“There is. I’ll explain later. Bring Zatlen with you.” She flipped off the comlink. “I’ll be giving up guard duty shortly, Nate. And guess who’ll be taking over? Reutal, your biggest fan. He probably won’t be as forgiving as I am. He might even stun you a couple of times just for the hell of it.”
Nate raised his head and opened his mouth as if to speak.
“Don’t,” Sara warned. “I am so not in the mood to listen to anything you have to say.”
She was torn between wanting to do something—anything—to ease Jerden’s pain and her determination to keep Nate from moving a muscle. With her pistol aimed at Nate, she moved closer to Jerden. The best she could do was to place a hand on his shoulder, but he seemed to appreciate it nonetheless, giving her a brief smile. Cria remained close by, her vigilant gaze fixed on Nate.
“Hang on, Jerden,” she whispered. “The Trackers and Vladen are on their way.”
“Keep talking to me,” Jerden said. “I’ll conk out if you don’t, and I need to speak to the Trackers when they arrive.” He already sounded strange—his voice was growing faint and distant.
“Just tell me you love me.”
“I do love you, Sara, and I’ll keep telling you so—every half hour for the rest of my life.”
Nate let out a snort. Sara felt an overwhelming urge to kick him but somehow managed to restrain herself. Cria, however, had no such scruples and spat at him.
Zatlen and Reutal arrived a few minutes later. Reutal climbed out of the speeder, his eyes even more protuberant than usual. “What the hell happened?”
“It’s a long story,” Sara said wearily. “And I’d rather not tell it twice. The Trackers will be here pretty soon. You’ll hear it all then. In the meantime, would you please catch those horses before they eat any juluva weed? The creek bed is infested with it.”
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