Phoenix in Flames

by Jaleta Clegg

  He got a surprised glance from Twyla at that comment.

  "She's even better, now? Is that it? She should never have been your agent, Lowell." Clark's voice was hard, unforgiving.

  "I agree. And we've been over that argument many times. It doesn't change the fact that whoever is behind the syndicates believes she's the real threat."

  "And how do you know this?"

  "I don't know. I'm guessing, based on the headlines and the information I just downloaded."

  "All of that was right there on the front page? Why didn't I notice it?"

  "It isn't that simple, Clark. Read between the lines, put bits of information together," Lowell shrugged again. "It's what isn't there that has me convinced. Someone wanted Dace out of the way permanently. They made it easy for Ren Matthias to take her."

  "And you are going to make it easy for us to get her back."

  "I'll do my best. Starting with this." Lowell tapped his screen. "You now have access to nine hundred thousand credits. Do you want it delivered as cash or goods? Because it won't do you any good in the Federation as a credit account."

  "Whatever you think best."

  "What are you agreeing to?" Jasyn asked. She was dressed in her green shipsuit, her hair pulled back into a tight braid.

  "Lowell's making us rich, or so he thinks." Clark grinned at Lowell. "Once we get out of the Empire, we have access to millions."

  "Unless the Gypsies have frozen our business interests," Jasyn said.

  "Leon won't let them do that. Half the Federation's economy would collapse if they pulled our businesses away." Clark grinned wider at Lowell's confusion. "We own quite a large piece of the trade and shipping industry in the Federation. Leon diversified for us."

  Lowell still looked confused.

  "Lady Rina's estate," Jasyn said. "We inherited millions and the war only helped. Leon knows he's not supposed to gouge people."

  "Unless they deserve it," Twyla put in.

  "So you don't want the money?" Lowell asked.

  "If it belongs to Dace, we'll take it and keep it for her," Clark said.

  "We'll use it to buy her freedom," Jasyn said. "Let's go see what Everett found out for us."

  "Why do you need me?" Lowell asked.

  "Because I like your company?" Jasyn offered. She smiled at him. "Let's go."

  The station was not very busy, not as busy as it should have been.Only a few ships were docked. Most of them were in the bay where the Phoenix was. The huge ore freighters, the ones still operating, docked on the other side of the station to wait for the shipments from the planet.

  They crossed to the Windrigger's berth. The hatch was closed but not locked. Jasyn raised her hand to knock. The hatch slid open before she could.

  Everett's pilot waited for them on the other side. She nodded a greeting. "Everett's waiting for you," she said as they entered the ship. She closed the hatch before following them into the main living area.

  Everett sat at the galley table, smoothing his very thin mustache. He glanced up and smiled at Jasyn. "You're giving him back?" he asked, gesturing at Lowell.

  "I think we'll hang on to him for a while," Jasyn answered. "Too much paperwork to get him back off crew."

  Everett laughed. "You signed him on as what? Your espionage expert? Have a seat." He nudged one of the empty chairs at the table.

  Jasyn sat.

  Lowell hesitated only a moment before sitting. "Did you get it?" he asked Everett.

  "We picked up your mole, too," Everett said. "Things were getting a bit too hot for her on Jubal Prime. She's got your information. They picked up tabs on Matthias. I'm not sure what help it will be. Matthias hasn't been seen in his usual spots for over a month."

  "Then that means we need to beat it out of Ananda instead," Jasyn said. "I was hoping to leave her here."

  "She doesn't know," Everett said. "She's been playing you for a fool."

  "Thanks, Everett," Jasyn snapped.

  "She knows more than she's been telling," Lowell said. "Don't dismiss her yet. Where's my agent?"

  "Melia? She's in the medunit. She was barely conscious when we caught up with her. She won't be talking for at least another week." Everett leaned back in his chair.

  "We can't stay here that long," Jasyn said.

  Everett studied her face for a long moment. "The Patrol wants you. You can't stay in the Empire."

  "And the Federation isn't much better," Jasyn said. She rubbed her face in her hands. "Did you hear the latest Council edict?"

  "That you are no longer a clan? I heard." Everett's voice was flat, his face gave away nothing.

  "And?" Jasyn asked. She dropped her hands into her lap. "Why are you still helping me?"

  "Because, cousin, you're still my friend." Everett smiled, just a little. "I'm not the only one who'll help. You just have to ask, Jasyn."

  "You'd defy the Council?"

  "What they don't know, won't hurt them." This time his smile had teeth. "What can they do to me? You control more of the shipping trade than they do. I'm just watching out for my own interests."

  Jasyn laughed. Everett grinned. Lowell shook his head.

  "I've got something else you might be interested in," Everett said. "I stole it from the Patrol office when we were getting Melia out." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper folded roughly into quarters. He placed it on the table. "The location of one Malcolm Tayvis. Someone in the Patrol wants him found, as badly as you do." He pushed the paper into the middle of the table.

  "Why?" Jasyn asked.

  "He's almost as dangerous as Dace," Lowell said. "At least they think so. You just happened to find this?"

  "No, Melia stole it. She knew his name was flagged by both parties. She made sure I got it, but the Patrol won't be far behind." Everett lifted his finger from the paper. "What are you going to do with him?"

  "Slap him silly when we find him," Jasyn said.

  "We could use his help, Jasyn." Lowell picked up the paper.

  "He walked out on Dace. She won't forgive him for it."

  "You're underestimating her again." He unfolded it. "She still trusts him, doesn't she?"

  "She still has a shrine to him in her cabin," Jasyn reluctantly admitted.

  "This I have to see," Everett said.

  "Two pictures and every note he ever sent her," Jasyn said. "It isn't worth seeing."

  "What do we owe you for this, Everett?" Lowell fingered the scrap of paper.

  "Nothing," Everett said. "List me as part of Shellfinder clan. Officially."

  Jasyn looked up sharply. "Why?"

  "Because for the last month I've been claiming clan affiliation with you. It was the only way to justify what I was doing."

  "And what of your birth clan?"

  "What of them?" He shrugged. "Things are changing, Jasyn. The Council is ripping the clans apart."

  "Over me?"

  He shook his head. "Over a lot of things. You were just the final straw that broke the Council wide open. It was going to happen eventually."

  "Shellfinder doesn't exist, Everett. Not anymore. They ruled Lady Rina's pronouncement was void. The clan died with her."

  "Jasyn, when will you realize the Council is not all powerful?" He shook his head. "Lady Rina had a lot of respect, from everyone. Her adoption of you and the others still stands. Despite the Council." He leaned across the table towards her. "They aren't some mystical, mythical group. You should know. You're still Council Leader, as far as most of the clans are concerned. Shellfinder is a very powerful clan. Don't let them intimidate you." He leaned back again. "There are at least a dozen other ships that would change affiliation if you gave them approval. Shellfinder doesn't have to stay small."

  Jasyn glanced behind him, at the crew standing in the doorway to the room. She sighed and shifted her gaze back to Everett. "You're serious."

  Everett nodded.

  "Then welcome to my clan." She smiled ruefully. "You do know you'll be a fugitive."

/>   "Not yet," he answered. "We'll leave a message for you at Pelucid in two weeks. I've got some ideas of where Matthias might be hiding. Melia might have more information."

  "I'll watch for it," Jasyn said. She looked at Lowell. "So where is Tayvis hiding?"

  "On an automated ore facility near Beaumont," Lowell said as he studied the scrap of paper.

  "Let me know how it goes," Everett said.

  "I'll leave you a message," Jasyn answered. She smiled at him as they left.

  Chapter 42

  I spent a restless, hungry night. It was dark and chilly in the room. I couldn't sleep. I stared out the window at the dark and wondered what it was like outside. Hot and so humid you could barely breathe, if I remembered from the short time I'd spent outside the flitter when I arrived. I hadn't seen rain, though the windows occasionally misted over on the outside. Inside it was cool and slightly dry. The air smelled recycled and refrigerated. It wasn't unpleasant, not really, it was just a bit stale.

  I paced my square of floor. Was Shomies trying to kill me with boredom? She hadn't followed through on her threat of feeding me so much I got fat. Quite the opposite. My stomach rumbled. I did my best to ignore it.

  There was nothing I could do except pace and worry. The lights didn't come on for me, unlike everyone else. It wouldn't have made much difference. I'd felt the collar, looking for seams or controls or something, but found nothing. It was a smooth band around my neck. I didn't see any sign of the invisible fence, either. There had to be wires or a field generator that kept me penned in and triggered the collar when I tried to leave the prescribed area. I had no idea where it was. The carpet and the flooring looked unbroken, seamless. The ceiling looked the same, smooth and free of any cracks or openings that might hide such a thing.

  I finally gave up and sat on the floor, watching the dark night slowly turn into another rusty red day. The filters on the windows changed the color of the red dwarf star's light to a more normal yellow.

  The light in the room grew brighter. I watched it creep across the floor near the windows. The filters cut most of it to a diffuse glow.

  The lights in the room came on, blotting out the early morning light. I wouldn't be alone much longer. Not that it mattered. I was mostly ignored by everyone. I sat and waited.

  Rivian was first. He came slouching down the stairs, yawning and scratching. He shot a single bloodshot look at me before ignoring me. I watched him anyway. It was something to do.

  Rivian banged pots for a while in the kitchen. The aroma was enough to make my stomach growl again. He finished, setting several plates in a warmer. He didn't eat anything solid for breakfast. He poured himself another glass of amber liquid. He leaned on the counter and drank it, staring moodily at his feet.

  Time passed.

  I was slipping into a doze when the stairs creaked over my head. I jerked awake. Rivian smirked at me over his glass. He glanced at the stairs. The smirk and the glass disappeared.

  Shomies plodded down the stairs and crossed to the table. Rivian bustled around her, setting out her dishes and utensils and pouring her a drink. He fetched a plate from the warmer and slid it in front of her. She began to eat without saying a word.

  She was joined a few minutes later by Nione. The woman looked as mean as ever. She gave me a long, measuring stare before joining Shomies at the table. Rivian repeated his performance, serving food to Nione with only a slightly less servile attitude. I wondered who the other plates were for. I didn't have to wait long.

  "You have it?" Shomies asked.

  Nione nodded. I couldn't see what she handed Shomies.

  "Bring me another plate," she ordered Rivian. He fetched another plate and slid it in front of her. "Your cooking is pleasing," Shomies purred at him. "You will let me know what you require."

  It was the closest Shomies had come to acknowledging Rivian's existence. He shuffled his feet and fawned near her. She ignored him. He slowly slunk back to his kitchen.

  "Were the tests affirmative?" Shomies asked Nione.

  Nione nodded again.

  "Good," Shomies said. She got to her feet with effort, her fat jiggling in the process. She picked up the second plate and came towards me. It was like being in the path of an ore freighter and not being able to move. I couldn't help wondering if she required help to stop. She was nothing like the slender, biosculpted woman I'd met on Dadilan. Except for her eyes, those were still meaner than a wet sand cat. She swayed to a stop just outside of my area, her feet planted on the carpet. She held the plate above me.

  "What would you give for this, Dace?"

  I stayed sitting on the floor, my ankles crossed in front of me. I wasn't going to let her intimidate me. I wasn't going to beg. I wasn't going to humiliate myself for her amusement.

  She chuckled. "Poor Dace, sleeping hungry again." She laughed as she bent to place the plate on the floor near me. I watched her suspiciously as she levered her bulk upright again. "Swear at me, curse me, whatever you want. It won't change your ultimate fate."

  She turned her back, waddling back to the table. I looked at the food, wondering what the catch was. She wasn't just going to feed me, there had to be something else going on. I watched her as she settled in her chair at the table. Nione leaned forward. The two of them talked intently, but too quietly for me to overhear. I glanced at Rivian. He shrugged and turned his back on me.

  I was hungry and the food smelled good. Poison wasn't Shomies' style. When she got her final revenge on me, it would be something spectacular and impossible to mistake for anything else.

  I ate the food.

  Shomies and Nione talked for a while longer. Rivian dithered around in the kitchen. Shomies and Nione headed for the basement after a while. Rivian watched them go, longing on his face so plain even I could read it. He heaved a sigh as he gathered their dirty dishes.

  I watched him clean the table and then the counters. He had his back to me while he washed the dishes. He finally came over to collect my plate.

  "Thanks," I said. "You're a pretty good cook."

  He looked down at me, meeting my gaze fully. His eyes were dark blue, deep enough they looked almost black. The makeup ringing them emphasized the dark color. He studied me for a long moment. "You really think so?"

  "You could make a good living as a chef, Rivian."

  His eyes turned bitter, his face jaded and old looking in the artificial light. "Is that what you think? If you flatter me, I'll help you escape? Empty promises. Hollow lies." He turned his back on me.

  The three girls fluttered downstairs. He was occupied for a while with feeding them. I watched, wondering if one of them might be sympathetic enough to help me. They never even looked at me.

  After they ate, one of them brought out a music player. Rivian helped them work out a new dance routine. I watched out of boredom. They fluttered and twisted and twirled around each other for a while.

  I was almost happy when they took their music and their twittering voices and went back upstairs. Rivian went with them.

  I sat and watched dust settle until I couldn't stand it any longer. I stood and eased into my exercise routine. The space was big enough, barely. I did the full workout, pushing myself as hard as I could. Then I did it again. And again.

  Twinges of pain through my legs told me I'd pushed hard enough for one day. I stretched out and washed up as best as I could in the bathroom sink. My shift was turning gray. I rinsed it out and put it back on wet. It clung to me, clammy and cold. It was marginally better than going naked. I left it on.

  Nothing had changed when I came back out of the bathroom. The room was the same. The lights were the same. No one was waiting to talk to me. Or beat me up. Or rescue me.

  I paced my square until my shift was mostly dry. That ate up most of the afternoon.

  Shomies must have planned it. She must have known that doing nothing would drive me insane. It was torture, almost as cruel as starving me or beating me. But I'd had a lot of practice in dealing with thing
s I couldn't change. She would never know how much I itched to be doing something.

  Rivian came downstairs to prepare dinner. He didn't look at me or talk to me. I watched him chop things and stir other things into pots. I sniffed appreciatively.

  Shomies came back for dinner. Nione stayed downstairs. The three fluttering girls came to eat with Shomies. They talked about politics. Shomies hadn't changed her views much. The girls were smarter than they appeared. Rivian was excluded from the discussion.

  I watched him as he served dinner. He seethed with resentment. Rivian was acceptable as a toy and now as a lowly cook, but nothing more.

  I listened to her work over the girls. She was training them to be her pet spies and saboteurs. I pitied the poor girls. They had no idea what they were getting into. They responded enthusiastically to Shomies's tutoring. Maybe I was wasting my pity.

  Shomies got up from her chair, levering her massive weight with her hands splayed across the table. She turned to Rivian. He slid a plate across the counter to her. She had her back to me. I caught the sad look he gave me as she turned around. He looked away from me.

  Shomies smiled at me as she crossed the carpet. "I can't have you underfed. Eat." She squatted and placed the plate in front of me. "Enjoy your dinner, Dace."

  The three girls giggled as they fluttered over to help her back to her feet. They gave me sly looks, never looking at me directly but only through lowered eyelashes.

  "Dance for me, my dears," Shomies said. She turned her back on me, sailing away with the girls swirling around her.

  I looked at the plate of food. It was still warm. It looked very good. I glanced up at Rivian. He shook his head slowly, looking away from me. I ate the food.

  Shomies was in a good mood. She rewarded the girls with extravagant promises of new dresses, jewelry, and lavish parties in the future. Rivian quietly cleaned the kitchen. He radiated envy the whole time.

  The music was loud when he came to collect my plate. I was bold enough to grab his wrist when he reached for it. I had an opportunity. I wasn't about to waste it.