“We can’t do this,” Tori said, leaning over Grant and pretending to watch what he was doing. He was looking up the sequencing for the black moss, trying to figure out what the scientists before them had done. The equipment they were given was old, more than likely taken from the laboratory within the caves.
The guard made an aggressive sound. She turned to him, realizing he’d heard her, and said quickly, “This equipment is old. It’s going to take longer. Ask Lord Myrddin if he has anything newer that we may use.”
The guard stared at her for a long time.
“Fine, but when he asked why we can’t work faster, I’m telling him you didn’t report our request.” Tori shrugged and turned her face away toward Grant. She closed her eyes, stiff, waiting.
“Very well,” the guard said at length. She sighed, glancing back over her shoulder to see him leaving.
Tori grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote, ‘Room bugged? Don’t talk. Grant, need to get black moss sequencing and work to see if we can kill it. Vitto and I need to make show of trying to make progress.’
Both men nodded.
Tori took a deep breath and began tearing the paper into tiny pieces, dropping them around the dirty floor. Aloud, she said, “The guard will be back soon. I need to know what you guys think.”
“You’re the boss,” Grant said. “We’ll do what you tell us.”
“Vitto?” Tori asked.
“Yeah, Tor, whatever you say,” Vitto answered.
“All right you guys, I have no wish to die in here. Let’s just do this and hope that we can get off this planet before the damned weapon is released. Afterwards, no one will ever know what we did.”
“You’re right, Tori, we don’t belong here. This isn’t our problem,” Vitto answered. “HIA made us come.”
“Yeah,” Grant said. “It’s not our problem. They dug their own graves. I just want to go home now.”
“Do you think Lord Myrddin will let us out of here?” Vitto asked, sounding scared, though his face was hard as he looked at his sister. They all knew the little play they put on was just that--a play.
“If not ... if we have to stay here, better to be at the devil’s side than in front of him.” Tori took a deep breath. She wanted Quinn. She wanted him now! “If we do as he says, he’ll likely keep us alive. So, let’s make him happy and get to work.”
The three nodded silently. Tori and Vitto moved to begin the tests to see where the scientists left off. Grant turned back to the computer, trying to pull up old files. They didn’t speak again.
* * * *
Quinn was tense with anger, as he hid out of view of Lord Myrddin’s castle fortress. The black stone rose over the marshes, forbiddingly covered in a green moss, looking as if the old stone grew up from the swamplands surrounding it. His helplessness in the situation ate at him, until he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and could think of nothing but her--Tori.
He remembered her face, as she stood in the stream. Her eyes had begged him for protection, but he lay helpless on the ground. He’d been unable to save her and he cursed himself because of it. If he hadn’t of been so preoccupied with trying to figure out her feelings for him, he could’ve focused on what happened around him. He’d like to think that, had his head been clear, he’d have been able to protect her. But, he’d failed.
Remorseful, he remembered his words to her about the earth custom of killing and bringing forth a ferocious teddy bear as a date offering. He’d told her it was good to choose a man who could defend her against such dreaded beasts. It was good advice when he gave it, and it was good advice still. He obviously wasn’t the best person to protect her. When he was next to her, emotion took over and he didn’t think straight.
He could only assume that is what King Attor meant when he spoke of love being a weakness. The way he felt, the way he could hardly concentrate, the way she constantly danced in his brain--it wasn’t good. It was turning him into a madman. He couldn’t afford to be so preoccupied with her. She didn’t belong in his world. She didn’t belong with him. He hadn’t wanted to admit it before, but now he had no choice. When her assignment was over, Dr. Tori Elliot needed to go. It was better for both of them if she did, for she’d be safe and he’d regain his sanity.
Quinn frowned. He hated that he’d been forced to leave her, but he wouldn’t have done any of them any good by getting himself caught. The drug Lord Myrddin shot him with took well over a day to wear off. He hid up in the tree as long as he could, before deciding it was safe to come down. Shifting into his cougar form, he’d found a small hiding spot within the forest to lie down. He’d slept, unable to help himself, as the drug finally took over his system.
When he awoke, disorientated and with a massive headache, he’d stumbled his way back to the Var palace, remaining on all fours. Even with the added strength and speed of his cougar form, the walk took him three times longer than it should have. Kirill met him at the side gate and it was less than an hour before they were ready to leave again.
Peering across the forest from where he crouched, Quinn slowly nodded at his brother. Kirill was shifted to a black panther. His expression was rigid with anger. He knew the king feared for the captured princes and the human scientists. None one of them suspected Lord Myrddin would go as far as he did.
Quinn’s head still hurt, but sheer determination kept him from paying attention to it. A roar built in his throat, but he held it back. He was so angry his limbs shook. His brothers were inside Lord Myrddin’s castle. Tori was in there. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest. He felt sick, hearing her voice echo in his head.
Quinn....
Glancing to his other side, he nodded at Treven who was in human form. The soldier nodded back. Treven was a tiger shifter and one of the best soldiers they had. Only the three of them had come. If Lord Myrddin watched the palace, it wouldn’t do to have an army of vicious cats marching out of it.
Slowly, all three shifters crept forward, ready to pounce. Jumping up, Kirill and Quinn each landed on a guard, taking their sharp teeth to their throats to keep them from crying out. They didn’t break the skin, but held them pinned to the ground in warning. Treven instantly injected the men with a sleeping agent. The brothers held them, teeth on necks, until they drifted off. There was no reason to kill unless their hand was forced. When this was over, each of Lord Myrddin’s men would have a fair hearing as to what their part was in this treachery.
The princes pulled back and shifted back to man, naked and proud as they moved forward through the castle gates. They were used to losing their clothes each time they shifted in battle. Only their eyes remained as they were, the pupils bent with the superior vision of the cat.
* * * *
Quinn walked on all four paws down the long corridor to the dungeon. The princes spent a lot of time visiting Lord Myrddin’s home with their father when they were children and he found his way around with ease. Sniffing the air, he stalked low to the ground, moving forward with deadly grace as he passed an empty cell. He knew his brother was close--could smell that he was.
Reaching a paw forward, he swiped, reaching around the corner to grab a guard’s leg. The man yelped softly in surprise and didn’t fall. Quinn shifted, letting go as he stood. When he turned the corner completely, Reid stood with his arm poking out from between the bars, his elbow locked over the man’s throat. In his free hand he held a sword from the man’s waist.
“Took you long enough,” Reid grumbled. A large purpling bruise covered the side of his face, swelling one eye shut. His lip was swollen and crusted with blood, but they managed to twitch into a welcoming smile. He tightened his hold on the guard’s throat until the man passed out.
“Sacred Cats, Reid!” Quinn answered in kind, grabbing the blade from his brother and taking it to the lock. “You smell worse than a rotting ceffyl floating in the shadowed marshes.”
“He looks about your size. Want his clothes?” Reid asked.
Quinn took the unconscious guard
from him and dragged him into the cell. “Where’s Tori?”
“Myrddin’s forcing her to do some kind of experiment for him. Come on,” Reid ran down the long hall. Quinn didn’t bother to get dressed as he followed naked behind him. Suddenly, Reid stopped and motioned.
Quinn sniffed, moving forward. Claws drew from his fingers. His heart fell from his chest. Fear like he’d never known it gripped him in its clutches. He smelled blood--Tori’s blood.
Chapter Twelve
“No!” Tori screamed, shaking her head as she tried to throw her body between Grant and the Var guard. Her eyes flew to Lord Myrddin. “Stop, we’ll do it! We said we’ll do it! I wasn’t complaining. But we need better equipment.”
Lord Myrddin’s brow rose on his rigid face. Tori pointed at the guard. A low growl sounded in the back of the man’s throat.
“I don’t know what he said, but all I asked for was better equipment,” Tori said, keeping between Grant and the Var.
“But you can do it?” Lord Myrddin asked.
Tori nodded. “Yes. I have to run some tests, but I can do it.”
She wasn’t lying. The scientists who worked before them had completed their assignment, only they forgot to tell Lord Myrddin about it. They had engineered the perfect biological killer, genetically altering the swampland’s natural vegetation to produce the black moss. They’d nicknamed it the Black Crawl, because it crept up slowly, spreading underground through the planet’s crust and mantle, sapping the soil of nutrients like a parasite. Already the entire planet could be infected with it. Soon crops would die, water would become undrinkable, and then the whole planet would be a dead zone. The scientists must have known that it would take at least a hundred years for the black moss to grow to such an amount to be detected aboveground. It could’ve been why they ran away. No doubt Lord Myrddin wouldn’t have been happy with their time frame.
“Back off,” Myrddin ordered the guard. The man instantly stepped back. The elder stepped forward, his claw retracted from his index finger as he walked. His long purple cloak drifted behind him, fluttering. “How long?”
“A month,” Tori lied.
Lord Myrddin sneered. He took his claw, slashing her face. Tori gasped, feeling the pain of the cut. She cupped her cheek in her hand, stumbling back. Again, he asked, “How long?”
Tori wasn’t so quick to answer. She swallowed. “I don’t....”
“Three days,” Grant stated from behind her back. Lord Myrddin turned to the man. Tori shut her eyes tight. “A month with this equipment here, but we can most likely have it done in about three days if we get to that cave laboratory.”
Tori knew Grant was right. Only at the cave could they stop the source of the moss and thus the contamination of the entire Var and Draig populations. Lord Myrddin was mad to think he could play God, choosing to kill one race and spare another. Biological weapons didn’t discriminate like people did.
“Gather whatever you need,” Lord Myrddin stated.
“Now?” Tori asked, blood seeping between her fingers from the cut.
“Is that a problem, Dr. Elliot?” Lord Myrddin asked.
“No, no problem.” Tori motioned to Grant and Vitto. They began gathering supplies.
Suddenly, a loud roar sounded from the passageway. Tori blinked, turning to see Quinn running naked toward the cell. For a moment, she was stunned, unable to move from her spot on the floor as she watched him. His glorious body leapt into the air, shifting with tan fur as he aimed for Myrddin.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t rip your treacherous heart from your chest!” Quinn growled, remaining at a half shift. The elder turned, striking Quinn in the side to fight off the attack.
“Quinn!” Tori yelled, looking around for a way to help him. It all happened so fast, she could hardly keep up. Lord Myrddin’s and Quinn’s bodies moved with liquid grace as they fought. Quinn shot forward, swiping at Myrddin’s neck and drawing a small bead of blood. Myrddin growled. His age and strength was pitted against the younger fighter’s passion. Quinn gained the upper hand, but barely. Myrddin’s claws hit his arm, drawing blood. The prince didn’t seem to notice.
Tori screamed, ready to jump on Myrddin’s back and defend Quinn. She braced herself, ready for an opening. A guard went flying by the passageway behind the bars. Reid burst around the corner to help his brother against Myrddin.
Their lecherous Var guard, forgotten in that brief moment of insanity, grabbed her from behind, holding an extended claw to her artery. The guard roared to get their attention as he angled Tori’s body for everyone to see. His voice a deadly growl, he said, “Let him go, or this one loses her life.”
Tori shivered, panting, “Ah, Quinn.”
“Step back,” the guard spat. His claw tapped against her flesh and she was too scared to move. A weak sound left her throat. Her round eyes found Quinn’s steady gaze. She drew strength from him.
Quinn’s face was hard and she knew he was worried. With a loud growl, he let go of Myrddin. Tori whimpered again as the guard jostled her before him.
Tori’s heart soared to know he’d come for her. But, she couldn’t go with him. Not now. She needed access to the cave laboratory, to the information stored there. The easiest way was for Lord Myrddin to take her there and give her access. If she left, he could possibly seal the cave off and dump the evidence. Then all hope for Qurilixen would be lost.
The guard dragged her backwards, until they were close to Lord Myrddin.
“Come,” Lord Myrddin said to Vitto and Grant.
“No,” Tori whispered. The Var growled in warning. “I don’t need them anymore. I can do the rest myself.”
The guard yanked Tori out of the cell. She watched as Lord Myrddin locked all four men inside. Their hard eyes followed them. Her lips trembled, as she mouthed the word, “Quinn.”
“Don’t worry,” Lord Myrddin said to his new prisoners. His laughter was a cruel and heartless sound. She watched Quinn disappear from sight as she was pulled down the hall. “I’ll send my welcoming committee down to deal with you all in a moment.”
Tori gasped, struggling to be free. The guard struck her in the back of the head, knocking her completely unconscious.
* * * *
Quinn gripped the bars of the cell, shaking them violently. He watched in helplessness as Tori was again taken from him. Suddenly, her whimpers stopped. He froze, terrified. He shook the bars with a renewed force, roaring in outrage. His only hope was that Kirill would find and stop Lord Myrddin in time.
His heart thumped painfully in his chest. Her cheek had been marred with blood and she was pale, too pale. But, Sacred Cats, if she hadn’t looked good! Just seeing her alive gave him comfort.
“Here.”
Quinn turned to Vitto who held out a lab coat. He looked down, realized he was still naked, and slipped the coat over his shoulders. “We need to get out of here.”
“We’ve looked. That’s the only way,” Grant answered, pointing at the locked door.
“We can’t just stay here ... Tori,” Quinn began.
“Is Kirill with you?” Reid asked.
“Treven and Kirill are with Falke. He was being tortured. I told them to get him home. They’re gone.” Quinn swallowed. Again, he hit the bars, shaking them violently. “I have to get to Tori!”
“We can’t,” Grant inserted. “Not yet.”
Quinn turned on him in outrage. “What do you mean, we can’t!”
Grant looked helplessly at Reid. Quinn was ready to pounce. Reid came forward and placed a hand on his brother’s arm.
“What do you mean?” Reid asked, calmer.
“Tori wouldn’t want us to. She knows what she’s doing,” Vitto said, hesitating as Quinn’s passionate eyes turned on him. “She still feels bad about Simon and she thought to protect us. Besides, Lord Myrddin’s taking her to the caves, to the laboratory there.”
“The black moss is another biological weapon created by Myrddin’s scientists about a hundred years ago,” Grant
interjected. Quinn exchanged a look with his brother. “It has spread beneath your planet’s surface, pretty much dormant, but its growth rate is starting to accelerate. First, it will contaminate your water and soil, eating away at it like a parasite, then your vegetation and then, finally, when it has no where else to go, it’ll begin to eat animals ... us, anything organic that isn’t already dead. By that time, it will be everywhere. Anything that touches it will die. This planet will look like the shadowed marshes, but worse. Tori knows if she doesn’t stop it, this whole planet is dead. This stuff can lay dormant for hundreds of years. Nothing will ever thrive here again.”
“How long have you known for sure?” Quinn asked, hard. His heart beat in fear--fear for Tori, fear for his people. How could he choose between the two? His heart instantly said her, but he’d seen the way she mourned for Dr. Simon. If he saved her, only to watch everything else he loved die, she would die as well. She would never live with the guilt, and she’d possibly never forgive him. That quality, that selflessness, was one of the reasons he loved her.
Quinn froze. He felt the color drain from his face. Love? Did he...? He took a deep breath, then another. Yes. He loved her. He did. He loved her. The truth smacked him in the chest for a fool. He should’ve known it all along, ever since the hall when she walked in on him and Linzi. He hadn’t been able to think of another woman since. It explained why he was crazy with thoughts of her, why she invaded every one of his dreams. He loved her. And he wasn’t able to save her.
“After the initial tests we ran on the black moss came back, we suspected it was a threat, but we weren’t sure how bad or where it came from. We thought it might be an ecological mutation which usually are harmless if not a little annoying. Ecological mutations are usually the cause of a natural imbalance that’s easily corrected. But, then, when we saw the cave, we knew it was man-made.” Vitto crossed over to the table and lifted the up a stack of data. “Here’s all the information you need.”
The Playful Prince Page 15
