Tani's Destiny (Hearts of ICARUS Book 2)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “So, what is a…what did you call it?”

  “Wyvern,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s what this is, but that’s what it looks like to me.”

  “Is it dangerous?” Steel asked.

  Tani tilted her head. “Yes, and no,” she said. “It can breathe fire, that barb on its tail is poisonous, and its teeth are sharp enough to take a chunk out of you, but it won’t attack unless it’s threatened.”

  “It looks like a miniature dragon,” he said, watching as it looked around with curious eyes.

  “Yes, that’s kind of what a wyvern is, I think,” Tani said.

  “Do you think there are more of them in there?” he asked, trying to decide if digging for them would be wise.

  “No, just him,” she said, then looked up. “I don’t know how I know that, but I do. He’s been waiting here to be found for a very long time.”

  “You’re going to keep him, aren’t you,” Steel said, making it a statement rather than a question.

  “Well I can’t leave him here all alone,” she said. “He’s just a tiny little baby.”

  “I suppose you ought to name it then.”

  “Wily,” she said without giving it any thought.

  “Wily?”

  “Yes, that’s his name.”

  “Okay, Wily it is,” Steel agreed. “Right now we’re overdue for a meeting I called, so if you’re ready, we should go.”

  “Of course,” she said turning around and starting for the cliff edge. “What’s the meeting for?”

  “To let everyone know what we’re going to do tonight.”

  “Everyone?”

  “Yes, everyone,” he said.

  “Hang on there, Wily,” she said to the tiny dragon clinging to her shirt. She felt the newborn wyvern tighten his grip just before she leapt over the edge of the cliff, nearly giving Steel a heart seizure. She ran lightly down the steep path as if she’d been doing it all her life, leaving him hurrying to catch up with her. She paused outside the large meeting cave and waited for him before going inside.

  ***

  By the time the meeting was over, an air of controlled excitement filled the cave. Everyone knew they’d be taking a risk, but apparently Astra and Steel weren’t alone in thinking that time was running out for the women and children at the mine. Their hope for success was stronger than their fear of what would happen if they didn’t try.

  “Where did you find that little guy?” Astra asked Tani as they walked slowly toward the cave exit.

  Tani explained how they’d found the egg. “His name is Wily,” she said when she was finished. “Astra, do you have an aversion to small reptilian creatures?”

  “Not at all,” Astra replied, smiling. “And yes, I’d be happy to take care of him while you’re gone tonight. Do you think he’ll mind?”

  Tani looked at Astra, then back to Wily. “So, you sense he’s intelligent too.”

  Astra’s expression was so surprised it was almost funny. “Yes, I do. How odd.”

  “Not really,” Tani said with a shrug. “He is intelligent. Let’s find out how he feels about staying with you tonight.” She reached up and placed her hand beside Wily, who immediately released her shirt and climbed into her palm. She moved her hand so that she could look into the wyvern’s eyes. “I have to go into battle tonight, Wily,” she said while at the same time some part of her mind was also sending thought images to the tiny creature. She didn’t really understand what she was doing, or how she was doing it, but she didn’t question it either. Magic and psychic abilities had been too much a part of her life for her to be bothered by something just because it was new.

  “You’re so little and so new that I’m worried about taking you with me. Would you mind staying with Astra? She’ll feed you and take good care of you while I’m gone, I promise.”

  Wily turned to look at Astra, mewled at her once, then scrambled back up to Tani’s shoulder and gripped her shirt with his claws.

  “That’s all right, Wily, I’m not offended,” Astra said with a laugh. “If you change your mind, I’m happy to watch over you. Otherwise, just you make sure to hang on tight. You’re less than two hours old but I can already tell that Tani will be heartbroken if you fall.” Wily mewled at her again, then relaxed and closed his eyes.

  “Okay then, into battle it is,” Tani said. “Astra, do you think there’s a way we can attach a pocket or a pouch to my shirt so he can ride without having to hang on so tightly all the time?”

  “Sure,” Astra said. “Let’s go back to the cave, get you both something to eat, and I’ll rig something up.”

  “Thanks, you’re the best,” Tani said just as Steel joined them.

  “We’re going to start leaving in shifts just after sunset,” he said. “Early enough to give everyone plenty of time to rest before we begin.”

  “Good idea,” Tani said. “What time do you want to leave?”

  “We’ll go last, so two hours.”

  “All right, I’ll be ready.”

  “Come to the cave to eat as soon as you can, Steel,” Astra said. “I made enough food for all of us, including little Wily.”

  “Thanks, Astra,” Steel said. He nodded at Tani, his eyes warm, then went back to his men.

  It didn’t take very long for Tani and Astra to make a leather pouch with an adjustable drawstring opening for Wily to ride in. They even attached a long leather thong to it that Tani would put around her neck as back up just in case the pouch came unpinned from her clothing.

  Astra offered her several choices of warm outerwear, and after trying them on, Tani chose a black sweater with an attached hood. It was warm, allowed freedom of moment, and fit her body closely enough not to interfere with whatever she had to do. After that, Astra offered her a pair of black pants. They were made of a stretchy fabric, and had large pockets on the front and the back.

  “Where did you get these?” Tani asked, surprised by how well they fit her. Not only that, but the pockets were lined with a heavier fabric that would hold up well under the stress of heavy objects.

  “I made them,” Astra said, blushing.

  “You made them?” Tani asked blankly. “When did you find time to make a pair of pants?” Then she shook her head at herself and hugged Astra tightly. “Thank you, Astra, so very much. They’re an absolutely perfect fit, and will be much harder to spot in the dark than my jeans.”

  “That’s exactly why I made them,” Astra said. “I had a feeling you’d need them. But I didn’t actually make them from scratch. They were mine, but I outgrew them before I got to wear them more than once or twice. I altered them to fit you after I measured your jeans, and I lined the pockets too, in case you need to put those little sharp discs in them.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for this, Astra. These pants are going to make a huge difference in my safety tonight.”

  “I’m glad, Tani.”

  Steel arrived, thanked Astra for her work on Tani’s new pants, and tried really hard not to look at them too much. He was relieved when Astra offered him a large bowl of stew because it gave him something else to stare at. There was something about the way the black pants hugged Tani’s body that heated his blood. When she walked into her chamber for something he’d been mesmerized by the flex and flow of her well-toned muscles beneath the fabric. It had been all he could do not to follow her. If Astra hadn’t been sitting across from him, he would have.

  While Steel ate, Astra pinned the leather pouch they’d made for Wily securely to the front of the sweater Tani had chosen, then tested it to make sure it wouldn’t come loose. When she was satisfied, she gave the sweater to Tani, who put it on, then coaxed Wily to climb into the pouch. He disappeared inside for a few moments, then his little triangular shaped head popped up and he clicked several times with what sounded like approval.

  “Glad you like it,” Tani said. “Don’t forget to thank Astra. She made it.”

  Wily climbed out of the pouch, down Tani’s arm to the floor, then
walked over to where Astra sat a few feet away. He leapt up to Astra’s knee, then climbed up her shirt to her shoulder where he rubbed his head affectionately against her neck.

  “You’re very welcome, Wily,” Astra said. “Just you remember to stay safe inside, okay?”

  Wily looked up at her and mewled. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Astra said, as she offered him a palm. He jumped onto her hand, then waited for her to reach out to Tani. A moment later he was back inside the pouch, his head poking out of the small opening.

  Tani got up to put her swords on, adjusting the belts so that they were snug, but not too tight, and didn’t interfere with Wily’s pouch. Then she tied two pouches of shuriken to the belt loops on her new pants, and put the extra shuriken that Steel had brought down for her into the reinforced pockets. When she was ready, she sat down with Steel and finished her juice while he ate.

  “Are you sure it’s safe to take Wily?” he asked.

  “Yes, he’ll be fine,” she said. “I offered to let him stay with Astra, but he wants to come. It’s not a surprise really. He bonded with me the moment he left his egg. To him, I’m his mother, and he needs to be with me for a while.”

  “How do you know so much about him?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, shrugging lightly with one shoulder so as not to disturb the now sleeping wyvern. “I just do. Maybe it has something to do with my dracon blood.”

  Steel nodded and continued eating. When he was almost finished Tani stood up and looked at Astra. “Thank you so much for all of your help, Astra. I appreciate it more than I can say. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll wait outside.” Then she turned and left the cave, leaving Steel staring after her in surprise.

  “She just wanted to give us a couple of moments in privacy, Steel,” Astra said quietly.

  “Oh,” Steel said. He finished his stew and stood up to carry the bowl into the kitchen. When he turned around, Astra was standing there watching him, trying to hide the worry in her dark eyes. “Don’t worry, Astra, all will go well. Tani planned this, and she’s really quite brilliant.”

  “I know,” Astra said, offering him a shaky smile. “I just can’t help but worry a little. You’re all the family I have left now.”

  “I know, Cousin,” he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “As you’re all the family I have.”

  “Just be careful out there tonight,” Astra said.

  “I will be,” Steel said. “And I’ll watch over Tani, too.”

  ***

  “Do you have everything you need?” Steel asked when he left the cave and saw Tani standing just a few yards away.

  “Yes, you?”

  “All set,” Steel said. “Tani, do you forgive me for my behavior earlier today? Or are you still upset with me?”

  “You apologized and I forgave you, Steel,” she said. “That’s enough for me, and I don’t hold grudges. Now my sister, Rayne, she’ll hold a grudge so long that she sometimes forgets what she was angry about to start with.”

  Steel smiled, then leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. “If we weren’t being watched, I’d kiss you more thoroughly,” he said regretfully.

  “That’s all right,” she said, sighing. “We should get going anyway.”

  “Yes, we should,” Steel agreed. He stepped back and shifted, then waited for Tani to approach him. When she did, they were both surprised to see Wily climb out of his pouch, race up to Tani’s shoulder, then leap onto his arm. The tiny wyvern then walked up Steel’s arm, around his neck and down his other arm, stopping to sniff now and then. When he was finished, he looked up at Steel’s mahrac face and mewled, then leapt back onto Tani’s shoulder and returned to the safety of his little pouch.

  Steel tilted his head curiously and Tani shrugged. “He just wanted to familiarize himself with you,” she said. He nodded, then placed his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest, spread his wings, and took off. They flew in silence, the darkness making them both feel alone even though neither of them had any trouble seeing in the dark. After half an hour, Tani leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

  Forty minutes later she woke up when she felt Steel land. He set her on her feet and released her, then shifted back to his human form and stretched his arms and shoulders out. “You all right?” Tani asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine, just a bit stiff is all,” he replied. Tani nodded and they turned to meet up with the group of men waiting for them in a nearby grove of what had once been trees, but were now black trunks of twisted charcoal. There were forty five men waiting, not counting Steel, including five of the older men who, while not strong enough to fight, could at least carry one or two small children. They all sat down in a tight circle, their plan to make sure everyone had at least an hour to rest. The men spoke softly, confirming and solidifying plans while they waited.

  Tani removed the shuriken from both pouches and set them in two piles in front of her. Then she began examining each one for flaws. She found one with a bent point, and another with a small chip on one edge. She set those two aside, then removed the extra shuriken Steel had brought her from her pockets. She went through them carefully, setting aside only one, and that because it felt a bit too light in her hand compared to the others. She returned the shuriken to the pouches and pockets, counting them so that she knew exactly how many she had in total, as well as how many were in each pouch or pocket.

  Many of the men watched her while she worked, but she was so focused on her task that she didn’t notice. After a little while, Marbic leaned over a bit and, using a voice loud enough for all to hear, but still low enough not to carry, he asked Steel, “Have you seen her use those?”

  Steel smiled and reached into his pocket for the four tiny scraps of paper. He held them out to Marbic, who took them with a frown. “At ten yards,” Steel said, smiling. Marbic’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the half inch long slits that pierced the center of each piece.

  “Well then,” Marbic said faintly, passing the tiny bits of paper to Khurda. Of all the weapons in the armory, shuriken had been the only one that none of them had been able to gain any skill with at all. He cleared his throat. “Looks like we don’t have to worry about the guards being taken out in silence.”

  “Yes, I’d say that’s a safe bet,” Steel replied.

  “Can anyone tell me if the guards wear body armor or helmets?” Tani asked, as she retied the knots on one of her shuriken pouches. “I should have asked sooner but I got a little sidetracked.”

  “They do,” Marbic said. “Vests that cover their chests and back, and helmets that cover the top and back of their heads. Most of them don’t bother with either during the day, but standing orders are to wear them at night on guard duty. Naran told me that when he was still at the compound there was a big stink about it because some of the Nomen have metal plates in their heads and chests, so don’t feel they should have to wear them.”

  Tani grimaced, then sighed. “Is this going to be a problem?” Steel asked, suddenly tense again.

  “No,” she said, waving one hand. “It’ll just be a bit messier than I hoped for.”

  “Messier?”

  “I’m going to have to aim for their throats,” she said, then shrugged. “It’s the best option anyway, since the goal is to prevent them from making any sound. That reminds me. I’d like to have a couple of men who can move fast enough to reach each target before they hit the ground. I’d do it myself, but those Nomen are a bit on the enormous side.”

  “Khurda and Marbic are the two fastest on their feet,” Steel said.

  “Are you two willing?” Tani asked, staring each of them in the eyes for a long moment. They both nodded. “I’ll take both of you, and you can take turns so you don’t get winded. Harsh breathing is loud, and absolute silence is essential. I noticed that the compound is paved, so if your shoes make any kind of noise, you’ll need to go barefoot or let someone else do this.”

  “I prefer to run barefoot anyway,
” Marbic said, taking his shoes off as he spoke and handing them to one of the older men to hold for him.

  “My shoes have rubber soles,” Khurda said. “What will you have us do?”

  “As soon as a shuriken hits the target, you’ll need to start running toward him as fast as you can. I’ll get you as close as I can so that you’ll have the best chance possible of reaching him before he hits the ground. You need to catch him, lower him quietly, make sure he’s dead, grab whatever weapons he might be carrying, and retrieve the shuriken if you can. Then come back and we’ll move to the next one.”

  Tani saw the way some of the men were looking at her and she sighed. “All right you guys, listen up. I know that none of you’ve ever done anything like this before, but outside of practice and training, I’ve never done anything like this before, either. The only time I’ve ever intentionally harmed another person was when those two knife wielding Nomen chased Astra and I into and alley on EDU-12, and that wasn’t planned. So, if you think I’m bloodthirsty, that’s fine. I don’t care, because this is what has to be done.

  “I know that you didn’t start this, and you didn’t ask for this, but if you want your freedom, and the freedom of your people, then you’re going to have to fight for it. Going in there and asking nicely just isn’t going to work, and you know that. You can’t think of those Nomen as people because they aren’t. If they ever were, they aren’t any more. They’re clones with a machine in control of their brains. If whoever or whatever controls them orders them to kill your daughter or sister or wife or brother they will do it without a moment’s thought or hesitation. And if they see you before you see them, they’ll kill you without a moment’s thought or hesitation as well. Or enslave you. I’m warning all of you right now; do not go into that compound if you aren’t ready and willing to kill them. If you do, you won’t come back out again.”