Not the least intimidated by her antics, Tarkan dragged his feet up the narrow underground path. His titanium chains rattled with each step. “Where did you find such low-tech restraints?”
“Sometimes low-tech is the best way to go.”
He couldn’t believe the little bitch had overcome him so easily. Well, she hadn’t. Not really. Her infernal cat had done most of the work.
The feline leading the way growled, as if it could read his thought.
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Monalisa’s voice had risen in pitch, betraying her insecurities.
“Nothing.” Tarkan wasn’t worried. He could manipulate the girl into letting him go. He had seen the hesitation in her deep green eyes. She hadn’t killed him yet. She wanted him alive. She still had a soft spot for him. He could use that against her.
Tarkan wished he could summon his crew through a simple command, but com badges didn’t work on this world. A boon, really, since it also prevented Monalisa from broadcasting their location or calling for backup.
“How did you find me?” He shook his head. “Kid Hacker told you, didn’t he?”
Monalisa behind him sighed. “He didn’t tell me anything.”
Tarkan heard the truth in her words. “The little rat didn’t?” They’d lived together for so long, he could tell when Monalisa lied, and she knew it.
“Maksou is not a rat. I didn’t even know he was involved until you told me.”
“Then how did you find me?” He smiled to himself. “You know I’ll discover the truth eventually.”
Fianna sighed. “I intercepted and followed your ship’s jump coordinates. Until I arrived here I had no idea this planet even existed.”
Good. So, no one else knew where she was. Tarkan didn’t have to worry about more unwanted visitors. “You still work alone?”
“Shut up and walk.” Lots of resolve in the voice. Not the Monalisa he used to know.
The cat ahead of him snorted and its hide turned a savanna buff shade. Since when did cats change color? Or deflect bullets, for that matter. Neat trick.
The cat might pose a problem. “How did you afford such a marvel of genetic engineering?”
She chuckled at his back. “With the credits from your former arrest last cycle.”
“Oh, the irony.” He kept his comments light but wanted to strangle the little minx. No matter. He’d seen the weaknesses in the girl. She hesitated to kill him, and she cared for her brother. He could exploit that.
“Stop joking, Tarkan. It’s over. You are back in custody.”
“Not quite yet.” He allowed himself a grin, since she couldn’t see his face. “You forget about the Dragons.”
“We will be out of their sight as they return to the cave. By the time they get here, we’ll be back at the ship.”
“And how do you plan to get me off this planet?”
“I’ll manage.”
It would take her a while to figure out the correct procedures, and he would certainly not help her.
The Dragons would miss him at the cave. When they came looking for him, the warming engines would attract their attention. They would come to his rescue as they always did. They couldn’t function without him. Even Kong, his second in command, had the muscles but not the smarts. They all depended on Tarkan’s brains to realize their most ambitious dreams of a lavish lifestyle.
Once free, Tarkan would teach the little minx a hard lesson. Soon the chains would be on her wrists and ankles. He smiled at the delicious tortures he would inflict upon her. He would enjoy breaking her. Showing her she still loved him despite her denial. He would use her brother’s condition to blackmail her into submission.
As a last resort, if she proved too stubborn, he’d sell her as a sex slave on some low-tech barbarian world. That would teach the bitch to disrespect him.
Faint daylight ahead indicated the proximity of the cave entrance.
Tarkan took smaller steps. “It’s bright out there. This is not a ship or a space station. I don’t have protective glasses. I need to stop for my eyes to adapt.”
“Yellow sun, tropical climate.” She poked his back. “You should go out more... if you ever see the outside of a cell again.”
The cat in front of him growled.
“What is it Sheba?” Monalisa sounded guarded.
The cat flattened its ears and stalked toward the overhang.
Tarkan heard the voices of his Dragons and rejoiced. His delaying tactics had worked. “Careful, Dragons! Monalisa is armed, and the cat is lethal!”
Chapter Five
Triblets! How could the Dragons have returned so soon? Fianna realized Tarkan had delayed her on purpose. She poked his ribs with her crossbow rifle. “Step forward. If any of them makes a move, you are dead.”
They walked into the bright orange sun that beat the rocky platform fronting the cave. Fianna adjusted her internal lenses against the glare.
The cat stepped in front of them. “Sheba protect.”
Tarkan glanced back at her and grinned.
Fianna wanted to punch the grin off his scarred face.
“Hi, guys!” Tarkan rattled his chains in an attempt to wave. “Monalisa thinks she can just take me back to prison.”
Fianna jerked Tarkan in front of her by the collar of his synthleather vest, using him as a shield. “Let us through, and no one gets hurt!”
The Dragons dropped their shovels and let go of the wheelbarrows. Their hands slowly moved toward the guns and knives on their belts. The serious expression on their faces did not bode well for Fianna. She remembered them all... former friends who once protected her like a baby sister.
The Dragons slowly spread out in a semicircle around the cave entrance, effectively blocking her exit. She wouldn’t let their simple strategies defeat her. She inched to her left, keeping the cave wall at her back. Sheba loped between Fianna and the Dragons, ready to deflect any weapon fire.
Guns, crossbow rifles, throwing stars, and knives, all pointed in Fianna’s direction. But she couldn’t let their blades touch her. They all used the same deadly poison. She hadn’t taken the antidote in over ten cycles. The slightest cut would be fatal.
“You still think you can take me away?” Tarkan glanced at her over his shoulder. “It’s over, Monalisa. You have lost. Join us or die.”
“I’m not dead yet.” Fianna focused her eye software on the red and black symbols on the shipping crates filling the wheelbarrows. Explosives! She should have known Tarkan had a more expedient plan to extract the crystal. She shuddered at the idea of this gorgeous cave being destroyed and vandalized by such simpletons.
Tarkan shrugged. “I only have to give the order, and you are dead, Monalisa.”
“Nobody moves, or your boss dies first!” Fianna couldn’t believe the Dragons would kill her. “I was once part of this dysfunctional family. You are still my brothers and sisters. I don’t want to kill you. Let us pass. No one has to die.”
Tarkan faced her and his dark eyes turned cold. “You left us, Monalisa. You betrayed us. You arrested me, their leader, their god. You are no longer part of this family. You are an enforcer. You are the enemy.”
The Dragons mumbled their approval. Kong spat on the rocky ground. Fianna shuddered. They truly hated her. Although she still had some affection for them, they had moved on.
Sheba, against Fianna’s leg, turned the color of the rock behind them. “Sheba kill?”
“No, Sheba. Only protect.” Fianna couldn’t give the kill order, but the Dragons would defend Tarkan to the death. So close to getting him to justice, she couldn’t let him go. Besides, even if she did, he might kill her anyway.
Tarkan faced his Dragons and coldly declared, “Kill the bitch!”
Kong advanced upon her. Projectiles flew in her direction.
Sheba leapt, deflecting several blades.
“Hey, careful, guys!” Tarkan shouted. “Don’t kill me!”
Holding him like a shield, Fianna sh
ot her crossbow rifle at Kong’s left shoulder, since he was left handed. The big man wrenched the bolt off his shoulder and still advanced upon her with one limp arm, a long sword in his right hand.
“Sheba kill?”
“No, Sheba. I’ll take care of this one. Keep the others at bay.” Fianna dropped Tarkan and shoved him to the ground. Then she stepped over him, and drew her sword and machete to face Kong. She ducked a knife flying at her. Sheba couldn’t deflect them all.
Fianna fought Kong’s sword with her blades. Kong was strong but wounded, and heavy on his feet. Fianna could tire him while Sheba prevented the others from getting close.
Shots rang. Sheba, leapt, intercepting the gunfire. A bullet ricocheted from her hide and struck Kong’s leg, slowing him down further. Fianna slashed into his right arm and he fell, dropping his sword that clattered to the rock platform.
Using the Dragons’ surprise at Kong’s fall, Fianna moved around to distance her opponents and face them one at a time, while Sheba prevented the others from intervening. The sound of clashing steel, and the panting of her opponents’ sweaty chests filled the air.
She hacked and slashed at arms and legs, incapacitating four Dragons. They would live. She refused to be like them. She didn’t kill just because she could. As she repelled more attackers, dodging blades, she noticed activity inside the cave. Tarkan!
Triblets! The Dragons had freed him of his chains. Now he marched upon her with guns in both hands. In her moment of distraction, the Dragons managed to surround her. Sheba could not shield her from all sides. A gunshot rang, splitting the air.
The searing bullet blazed a trail through her back muscles. Fianna gasped at the shock. Sheba jumped at a knife. A throwing star flew at Fianna. She side-stepped. Too slow. It nicked her arm above the protective brace. She felt the numbing sensation of the poison. Triblets! It would kill her if the bullet didn’t.
She felt betrayed by the only family she’d ever known. She’d spared their lives, and they wanted her dead. Her legs faltered. The circle of Dragons around her tightened, although Sheba stood over her, hissing and swiping at a blade with her powerful claws, snapping at a hand with sharp fangs. She kept them a few feet away. Triblets!
The orange sun, the slopes and the cave entrance whirled around Fianna. Her vision blurred on the circle of faces staring at her. Her implants did not help. She hit the rocky ground in slow motion and total silence. The pain vanished. Then blackness fell, and oblivion.
* * *
Shocked and horrified by the fight, Acielon could not move. His heart weighed his chest like a stone. No matter how much he wanted to beat the despicable Dragons with his bare fists, the interdict held him paralyzed. Only the legions of Avenging Angels could fight. For the first time, he realized Azurans did not have free will. A physical wall prevented him from taking part.
How dare these hoodlums threaten Fianna’s life? Yet Acielon remained frozen, unable to act on his rage. Rage? He’d never experienced rage before today.
The universe outside Azura must be a terrible place indeed, if people killed each other, and so casually, too. Could he survive in such a cruel world?
He respected Fianna for refusing to kill them. As he focused upon her, he could see her pale aura waning, her life force ebbing. She still lived, but barely, and for how long?
As Acielon watched helplessly, the Dragons retrieved and holstered their weapons. Some louts limped, others sat on boulders to bandage their cuts. A few helped the giant dark man named Kong back to his feet.
Birds of prey screeched, calling to each other, as they circled high in the sky.
Tarkan sneered. “Bring me Monalisa’s pendant and her weapons, and throw the bitch’s body over the cliff!” He glanced up. “Let the local vultures have a feast.”
“But, boss...” Fear rounded the bearded man’s eyes. “The cat won’t let us touch her.”
Tarkan sighed. “It’s a cat. Lure it away, you dimwit.”
One female Dragon nodded then walked toward Sheba, making faces and waving her hands, trying to get the cat’s attention away from Fianna, while a big man reached for Fianna’s pendant.
Sheba twisted so fast, Acielon barely saw the maneuver.
The big man screamed.
The cat let go of his arm. “Sheba not kill. Sheba protect.”
The big man ran toward Tarkan, holding a bloody arm in a torn sleeve. “These fangs are harder than titanium.”
Another ruffian with wild spiky hair spat on the ground. “And neither bullets nor poisoned blades can kill the beast.”
Tarkan shook his head slowly. “I am surrounded by incompetence!” He stood up from his boulder. “Leave Monalisa to her hellish cat. She’s a goner anyway, and we don’t need her bauble. There is plenty of crystal that needs harvesting.”
A carrion bird dove toward Fianna and settled on the ground next to her. Sheba snapped her jaw upon the bird’s neck and shook it, breaking the spine, then threw the carcass over the cliff where it dropped... dead.
The feline shook her head and huffed, spitting black feathers. “Bad bird. Sheba not like taste.”
The Dragons laughed at the cat’s antics.
Acielon remained paralyzed, unable to help.
Tarkan motioned to his crew. “Get to work!”
They gathered shovels and wheelbarrows. A few cast a last look toward Fianna, then all entered the cave, the wounded limping at the rear. Their loud voices echoed inside the cavernous space then faded.
Sheba stared at Acielon. “Fianna need help.”
“I know.” Acielon, now able to move, made himself visible and ran to Fianna.
He knelt at her side, his heart beating a fierce tempo. He’d never seen anyone in such a severely injured state. She looked so pale. He saw little blood. Was it good or bad? Could he save her? Obviously outsiders didn’t have the natural resilience of the Azurans... which made the violence and the cruelty more ominous.
Sheba glanced up at him with imploring eyes. “Fianna okay?”
“I don’t know, kitten, but we must get her away from here.”
Acielon slid one arm under Fianna’s shoulders and the other under her knees and lifted her gently. As he carried her, he allowed his life force to flow into her body and sustain her.
He could teleport her, but it may attract the attention of the Azurans to his unlawful interference. “Come, Sheba. I know a safe place.”
Sheba couldn’t follow him through the air, so he started on foot at a fast pace and veered west around the hill, following an animal trail toward a green jungle blanketing the other side of the mountain.
Shortly, he found the familiar storm shelter he’d built for a getaway as a child, when he’d practiced molding solid rock into different shapes. Tall ferns masked the entire abode and its entrance from view. The plants separated at his approach to allow him and Sheba inside the stone abode.
Acielon felt relief as he walked inside the spacious dome. Sunlight filtered through many round openings. A wide open arch led out to a flat terrace. It offered a panoramic view of the jungle below, the faraway beach, and the turquoise ocean beyond. A soft, fragrant breeze drifted throughout the room.
He deposited Fianna on the mattress of woven stems and soft fibers covering a wide stone shelf at thigh level. Sheba claimed the foot of the bed. Fianna lay so still, Acielon feared she had stopped breathing, but he could detect the faint aura of her life force. Her pale face, however, bothered him.
He delicately removed her weapons belt, vest and boots, leaving on her pants and the tight band with straps holding her breasts. Then he inventoried her injuries.
The deep cut on her arm, black and purple all around, seeped dark blood. The small hole in her back left him perplexed, then he sensed the metal slug inside her. Could his abilities repair that kind of injury?
He’d learned how to heal others, long ago, but had never practiced it, since Azurans rarely needed it. Now, he was glad he paid attention, but would he succeed? He must not fa
il. He could not imagine his life without her face, her smile, her stubborn attitude, her courage.
Sitting cross-legged on the mattress next to Fianna, he shut off the distraction of her soft skin and coaxed her crystal pendant into his palm. The gem glowed and hummed as he focused inward and gathered energy into his hands. When his entire being vibrated to the point of almost dissipating, he pressed the crystal upon her chest and pushed all his gathered life force through it into Fianna’s body.
In his mind’s eye, dark venom retreated back toward the cut on her arm where it had entered. Venom? How barbaric! But he must let go of the anger that might hinder the healing. Instead, he took a calming breath and focused on expelling the poison from Fianna’s body.
When he opened his eyes, he realized that wasn’t enough. Fianna remained pale and unresponsive. She challenged his abilities. As an outworlder, she had not taught her body to heal itself. Had the bullet in her torso damaged some vital organs?
Sheba, lying at the foot of the large bed, watched Acielon’s every move.
He focused again upon the crystal until he couldn’t hold it anymore, then he shot his life force into her again, this time focusing on repairing the damage the bullet had done. In his mind’s eye, the small piece of metal slowly back-tracked its way out. As it traveled, he visualized the knitting of bone, tissue and blood vessels, closing the wound as the bullet popped out of her back.
Acielon opened his eyes slowly and searched Fianna’s face for signs of healing. Some color returned to her cheeks, and her breathing seemed less shallow. The deep cut on her arm had closed and looked a clean, healthy pink. He bent over, gently lifted her torso, to insure the hole in her back had closed. No scar. The older scars on her arms had vanished as well. Perfect.
He collected the bullet from the mattress and examined it. How could one with such a fragile body survive in the midst of such dangers, in a violent world where people killed each other?
Although she seemed whole, she remained unconscious... or simply asleep? Was it normal for her kind while recovering? He wished he knew.
Angel Mine Page 6
