Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series)

by Nancy J. Cohen

  “Their interest in you just reinforces how special you are.” His voice deepened. “Use your gift. Get us safely to dry land.”

  “Lady, I’ll reward you handsomely if you deliver us from this accursed water.” Smitty shook himself and droplets flew everywhere.

  “I don’t know how! Tell me what to do, and I’ll try it.” When neither of them offered any helpful advice, Jen’s eyes drifted shut, and her head lowered to rest on the mast. Her dark hair splayed across the wood.

  Paz’s fingers twitched. “Focus, Jen. Our lives are at stake. Envision us in Hong Kong.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I’ve been there before. Fascinating city full of fabulous shops.” A smile played across her mouth. “They have the most amazing fabrics.”

  Water splashed his face and trickled into his ears. He heard a rushing noise right before his body was sucked into a swirling vortex. His vision somersaulted as a haze of spinning lights disrupted his sense of balance. Had a wave capsized them?

  A heavy weight pulled at him from the depths, instilling in him a sense of dread. Whatever creature dwelled there, he didn’t want to meet it.

  Jen’s palm gripped his along with Smitty’s clammy hand but he could see nothing. At least he could still breathe, so he wasn’t drowning. A force wrenched him free, and he tumbled through space. The sensation was similar to the way he’d arrived in Japan. Could this be another rip in the space-time continuum?

  In the next instant, he landed on a soft surface. A thud followed by a grunt at his side sounded like Smitty.

  Recovering his senses, he rolled to his feet. They’d arrived on a grassy slope. Jen lay a few feet away, where she was just beginning to stir.

  He sniffed the air, detecting the faint scent of cors particles. Already fading, it was overshadowed by a sweet scent that must be coming from the white flowers on a nearby bush.

  Jen’s head lifted, and she peered around them. Paz’s glance followed hers toward the glittering cityscape and bustling harbor stretched out below their hilltop. With a cry of surprise, she scrambled to her feet.

  “How is this possible? We made it to Hong Kong, and we’re not even near the coast.”

  “I believe you brought us here.” Paz gave Smitty a hand to rise. Once upright, the dwarf brushed off his clothes with a snort of relief. They all looked wet and bedraggled.

  “Me? How so?”

  “You activated your watch. I told you it’s a vector device like the Trolleks wear.”

  A joyful look on his face, Smitty clapped his hands and jumped up and down. “I’m free! I’m free! Well, guess I’ll be going now.”

  He turned away but Paz grabbed hold of his ragged shirt. “Not so fast. I think you have something that belongs to us.”

  Shuffling his feet, the diminutive man gave Jen a sheepish look. “Captain Kolami had no right to them. He would have fed us to the sharks and taken whatever else you had in that sack of yours.”

  Jen propped her hands on her hips. Paz was glad to see the color returning to her cheeks. “What are you talking about?”

  “Here, these are yours.” Reaching into his pocket, Smitty withdrew her diamond earrings and displayed them on his palm. “They’re very shiny. I like them. Why don’t I keep them as a token of our friendship?”

  “You’re the thief who stole them from the captain’s cabin?” Jen’s eyes blazed. “The crew would have murdered us because of you.” She held out her hand. “Give them over, Smitty.”

  With a grimace, he complied before turning to Paz. “I guess I owe you a life debt, Drift Lord. I promised you a reward if we reached dry land. A dwarf always keeps his word.”

  His small eyes darted around, his gaze falling upon some nails scattered by the roadside. He scooped them up and rolled the nails in his hands while muttering an indecipherable chant. When he opened his fist, a gleaming golden armband lay in his palm. Straightening his spine, he offered it to Paz.

  “Wear this bracelet at all times. You will need it in the coming cataclysm.” After Paz took it, he tilted his head, and his face brightened. “I can hear them. They’ve come for me.”

  Paz’s pulse spiked. “Who? The Trolleks?”

  “No, my people. They can hear me now. My powers must have returned. By Thor’s hammer, that means I can go home.” He grinned broadly. “Peace be with you, my friends. I see many children in your future.”

  “Wait.” Paz held up a hand. “What did you mean by the coming cataclysm?” He ignored the personal message. “Will your people help us against the forces of darkness?”

  “I’ll speak to them on your behalf. In view of what happened to me, they may listen. Farewell.”

  In the blink of an eye and a brief shimmer of air, he was gone. Paz snapped the arm bracelet around his bicep and covered it with his shirtsleeve.

  Jen shook her head as though she couldn’t quite grasp what she’d witnessed. “I don’t understand any of this.”

  In several short steps, Paz reached her side. He pressed a hand to the small of her back, wanting to reassure himself that she was safe. “Look below. What were you thinking about just before we ended up here?”

  Wrinkles creased her brow. “Hong Kong. I can’t believe I transported us. It’s incredible. I’ll have to figure out how this watch operates, but not now.” She pointed to the city. “I recognize those tall buildings. That’s the district with the glitzy hotels. How do we get down there? Omigod, Paz, we’ve actually reached civilization.”

  He strode toward the road. “We snitch a ride.”

  “You mean hitch a ride. I need to call my parents. Will that thing you made work here?”

  He shook his head. “Unfortunately, my PIP wasn’t shielded, and it got wet. I’ll have to destroy it. We need to find lodgings while we determine a plan of action.”

  “My plan is to hop on a commercial jet and fly home.”

  Paz waved a hand. “Dressed like that? We look like a couple of slaves from the hovels at Anriat. We need to get cleaned up and acquire new clothing.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I suppose you’re right. We’re a mess. They’d never let us on an airplane like this. I’m dying for a drink of water, too.”

  They followed the road and came to a tourist site with a restaurant and an overview of the city. A tram on a steep set of tracks led down the slope to the metropolis below.

  Outside a gift shop, Jen found a banking station and inserted a plastic card. Out spurted a stack of paper bills he recognized as currency. She bought tickets and they rode the tram down the hill.

  “I’d better call my credit card companies,” Jen mused as they emerged onto a bustling street. “They knew I was in Japan, but they might question charges from Hong Kong. I need to find a telephone.”

  Paz peered at a confusion of sights that reminded him of Fararra, the pleasure planet with resorts, eateries, shopping emporiums, and entertainment complexes. Tall skyscrapers competed for attention with old-style street markets. The roar of bus engines and motorcycles vied for decibels with a construction jackhammer.

  He sniffed roasting meat as they strolled along the sidewalk. They paused to buy a couple of soft drinks from a vendor and gulped them down. The fluid hit his empty stomach like a tsunami. They needed food, among other things.

  A trolley rumbled past. People jostled them from all sides. He viewed the hilly, narrow side streets bustling with workers and crowded with vendors. Stalls offered cameras, embroidered linens, kimonos, brocade purses, and jade figurines. Other vendors sold livestock, fresh produce, and colorful birds in cages. Various smells lingered in the air, not all of them pleasant.

  Having been around the galaxy, Paz had seen just about everything, and this swell of humanity rivaled the best. It would make an interesting cultural study some other time.

  “Look, there’s an Internet café.” Jen nudged him. “I can make a plane reservation home. My passport is still in my purse. What about you?”

  He shrugged. “I have a few things to do before I leav
e town. Let’s go inside and contact our people.”

  The Trolleks had found Jen once already and could be tracking them again. He didn’t want to alarm her, but it was a risk staying out in the open.

  They entered the Internet café next to a shop selling jewelry made out of animal horns. Jen paid for their time while Paz cursed his lack of credits.

  If only he hadn’t lost his uniform. He’d had a stash of currency in his pocket. Captain Zohar had brought a number of kewa stones from his home world, Karrell, where they were common as sand. Here they were known as diamonds. Their leader had sold some and distributed the cash among their team members. Paz needed to replace his funds.

  He swallowed his disappointment when he failed to raise his team online. Either they were observing radio silence, or something bad had happened. Although the Trolleks were their most potent threat, Zohar’s political enemies couldn’t be ignored.

  As Crown Prince of the Star Empire, Zohar had to earn back his people’s regard after his father’s disastrous reign. The traitor who’d betrayed him to the Trolleks had worked for a group of insurgents who challenged Zohar’s rule and called for a republic. Zohar might have cut off the snake’s head by learning who led their movement, but now he had the tail to subdue.

  Paz turned to Jen. Stranded without identity papers, credits, or any equipment, he still needed her assistance.

  While she busied herself at another computer, he looked up the coordinates he’d seen on one of the control panels at the portal in Shirajo Manor. The location led to a place called Manga World, a local theme park. Likely it served as another Trollek recruitment center.

  That would be his next target, assuming he could convince Jen to stay. Or maybe he shouldn’t. Despite the signs indicating otherwise, perhaps she wasn’t the woman meant for him. Working together to defeat the Trolleks was only one interpretation of the prophecy. Being together as soulmates was the other, like the love Zohar and Nira had found.

  Paz didn’t conceive of how he and Jen could ever feel that way about each other. Too many obstacles divided them. Maybe it would be wise to let her leave.

  And if the prophecy proved to be true, it would find a means to keep them together.

  ****

  Jen wondered why Paz was giving her such an odd look when she turned away from the keyboard. “I booked a flight for tomorrow, although the weather prediction is iffy. There’s a storm at sea that might change direction last minute.”

  She rolled her shoulders, feeling sweaty and grimy and desperate for a meal, a shower, and a change of clothes. Once the water had dried from her skin, it left an itchy salt deposit.

  Paz raised his eyebrows. “Then we should secure lodgings for the night. You’ve notified your parents?”

  She smiled, remembering her father’s response to her online message. “Yes. My mother felt that I was all right. No one had found any wreckage from our airplane. I suspect they were looking in the wrong place.”

  “So you’re really leaving.”

  Did she detect a note of regret in his voice? “I told my father I’d catch a flight as soon as I wrap up a few details, just in case I couldn’t get a reservation right away. He’d postponed the vote with the Board of Directors, so it’s not critical that I rush home.”

  “Too bad you booked a flight, or you could have joined me. The coordinates from Togura Island lead to a theme park called Manga World. I suspect it may be a Trollek recruitment center. I’m going to check it out if you want to come.”

  Are you crazy? Like, why would I willingly walk into another place crawling with those creeps?

  “That’s okay,” she said aloud. “I’d rather return to the States. How will you get to Florida?”

  “I’ll need a passbook for a flight unless my comrades pick me up.”

  “You mean a passport.” She shook her head. “How will you ever manage without me? Were you able to contact your friends?”

  “No one answered. You can always stay and keep me company.”

  The heated look he shot her way sent pinpricks of desire through her. “No thanks. It must be upsetting to not reach your team. Do you think they’re on radio silence or something?” She’d seen enough sci fi movies to make a guess.

  “It’s possible.” He gave a nonchalant shrug but she saw the gleam of worry in his eyes.

  Other patrons glanced their way, doubtless wondering why they lingered. They headed outside to the crowded street. Hong Kong bustled with humanity, a mélange of mixed races.

  “We could pick up some clothes and other items before we find a hotel,” she suggested with a hopeful lilt.

  “Let’s find something to eat first.”

  Typical man. However, she could use the energy boost from a meal. They veered toward the vendor stalls. She grimaced as they passed a guy selling scrawny looking dogs tied to a post. Nearby, fresh red meat hung from hooks overhead, flies feasting on the blood oozing down.

  “I can’t believe they eat dogs and cats here. I’ve lost my appetite.” She covered her mouth with her hand and hastened past.

  They strode by another stall with jellied delicacies that looked like fish eyes, and her stomach lurched. Produce vendors sold bean sprouts, onions, and cabbage while seafood purveyors offered live snails and crabs. She scooted quickly by a man hawking some sort of disgusting green juice squeezed from leaves.

  A double-decker bus rattled past. She swiped her brow, beaded with sweat. It was hot and humid, and lights blinked on around the city and on the hillside as dusk arrived. Toward the harbor, fully sailed junks, small motorized sampans, and ferries plowed back and forth.

  Fascinated by the sights and sounds, Jen wished she had her sketchpad and cell phone. What a goldmine for business contacts, from boutique owners to designer showrooms to shops selling beautiful fabrics and threads. Ideas gelled in her mind for accessories such as belts and bags.

  Her thoughts scattered when they passed a vendor selling live lobsters in a tank and whole dead fish that stared at her from a bed of ice. The briny smell brought the taste of salt to her tongue.

  Instantly, her memory flashed to their harrowing experience at sea, but then her brain segued to another time and place.

  Her vision receded from the narrow lane in the Hong Kong street market. She blinked away the white haze that swept around her and found herself strolling a wharf near the North Sea.

  The wind whipped a tunic dress around her ankles. She braced against the storm-driven sea breeze. The biting cold air raised goose bumps on her flesh.

  Paz’s tap on her shoulder jerked her back to reality. “Are you all right? You looked as though you were parsecs away.”

  “I’m fine. And you’re right, we should get a hotel room before it gets too late.”

  “I have to eat first.” He pointed to a dish with an enticing aroma. “That looks decent.”

  After downing a bowl each of fried rice noodles with cooked shrimp, eggs, and scallions, she and Paz shopped the clothing stalls. They selected jeans, tops, running shoes, socks, and clean underwear, and took turns changing behind a flimsy curtain.

  Jen, still craving a hot shower but feeling more presentable, bought some accessories and twisted her hair into a knot.

  “Let’s get a hotel and then check out the shops that are open late. You can buy electronics and put together another scanning device.”

  “Excellent idea, leera.”

  He offered his arm and she took it with gratitude and perhaps something more that she didn’t care to examine.

  As they headed down the street, she perused the storefronts. Her eye for design caught on the textiles in a display window. “Wait, let’s go into this place for a minute.”

  Inside, she gushed over the rolls of fabrics. Imagine what she could do with this material! Paz followed her up and down the aisles as she mentally designed her creations.

  A small woman with gray hair approached and chattered in a foreign tongue. As Jen gazed at her blankly, Paz translated.


  “She wants to know how she can help us.”

  Jen nodded in comprehension. “Please ask if they ship stuff overseas.”

  While he got the particulars from the woman, Jen strolled down an aisle to examine the bolts of brightly colored fabric.

  The chime at the front door tinkled as another patron entered. Jen’s head whipped around. An attractive brunette had stepped inside. Why, then, did her sense of alarm escalate?

  Could it be because she heard a sudden low buzzing in her ears?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Paz turned his head as another customer entered the shop. The woman had wavy chestnut hair that tumbled about her shoulders, lovely features, and alluring blue eyes. A perfumed scent wafted about her as she meandered toward them. She wore a sexy wrap dress and fancy high heels.

  Breaking off his conversation with the sales lady, Paz hovered by a collection of buttons while waiting for Jen to make her selections. He tapped his foot impatiently, eager to move on and find a hostelry for the night.

  A hand on his arm startled him. “Excuse me,” said a woman’s soft voice. “Do you speak English?”

  The brunette’s scent drifted into his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, his loins stirring. That alone should have alerted him, but his mind suddenly vacated. He turned toward her, absorbing her beauty and wanting to lean forward to taste her plush lips.

  Alarm bells rang in his head. His training sprang into play, and he jerked back.

  “Sorry, I can’t help you.”

  “Please, sir. I'll just take a few minutes of your time.” She reached out an imploring hand.

  He backed away, fighting the tantalizing scent that drew him toward her. His pulse accelerated, and his palms grew sweaty. Through the fog in his brain, he knew he needed Jen.

  Wheeling around, he staggered toward her. He grasped her by the shoulders and yanked her against him.

  “Kiss me,” he grated, then mashed his mouth to hers.