Tani's Destiny (Hearts of ICARUS Book 2)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said, watching her carefully. After a moment she shrugged, then offered it back to him as though she was too nervous to do it herself.

  “I don’t think I can do it,” she said. “Will you do it for me, please?”

  Naran smiled indulgently and she knew she’d said the right thing. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, and she felt the sharp sting of the dart in her shoulder. She felt slightly dizzy, but pretended it was worse, letting her knees buckle so that she fell to the ground. Her eyes closed and she forced them open before falling all the way down to a prone position.

  Her eyes closed again and she felt Naran brush a few strands of hair from her face. “I’m glad you didn’t make me kill you, sweetheart,” he whispered against her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Ruya was glad that the drug prevented her from shuddering as she would have without it. Naran had done more than lose his mind. He’d become a very dangerous man.

  She listened to his footsteps as he walked away, heard him shift, then a few soft noises that she guessed was him picking Tani up from the ground. When she heard his wings snap out, then begin flapping, she fought to open her eyes. She was disappointed when she saw that he was flying in the wrong direction to be going to the mine. He must be meeting the Nomen somewhere nearby, she decided. He’d turn Tani over to them, then return.

  What Naran didn’t know was that Ruya had been a constant thorn in the side of the Nomen during her year of captivity, especially after her mother had died. They’d drugged her so many times that she’d begun to develop a resistance to it, though she kept that to herself. The drug affected her, but not nearly as quickly, nor as long as it should have. Naran had given her a very light dose and the worst of its effects had already passed. She gave herself another minute, then pushed herself slowly to a sitting position.

  “Wily?” she called softly, hoping the wyvern was hiding somewhere nearby. She was gratified to see him poke his little head out from beneath Dirk’s shirt. He looked at her warily, and she knew he’d heard and understood her conversation with Naran.

  “I had to go along with him, Wily,” she said. “Otherwise I don’t know what he would have done. I’m afraid he’s gone a little crazy.” Wily crawled all the way out of Dirk’s shirt, his eyes still on her.

  “It’s going to take me another few minutes before I can walk, Wily,” she said. “I’ll watch over Dirk if you’ll go to Steel or Astra. Get someone to come up here as fast as you can, all right?”

  Wily nodded, then tilted his head slightly. “Don’t worry about me,” Ruya said. “I’ve been drugged so many times it doesn’t work on me so well any more. Naran doesn’t know that, luckily.”

  Wily nodded, then spread his small wings and took off, flying a little clumsily as he headed for the edge of the cliff. When she could no longer see him, Ruya began dragging herself over to where Dirk lay. She checked to make sure he was still breathing, then sat up beside him and pulled his head into her lap, hoping that Wily was able to get someone’s attention. If he didn’t return soon, she was going to have to try climbing down the cliff herself.

  ***

  Wily flew unsteadily into Steel’s cave and smack into his head. Steel turned around and helped the wyvern onto his hand, relieved to see that he was unharmed. “Wily, what are you doing here?”

  The wyvern rushed up his arm to his shoulder, clicking and mewling frantically. Steel didn’t know what the problem was, but Wily was so upset that it had to be serious. A sudden tendril of fear crept around his heart and squeezed.

  “Is it Tani?” Steel asked and Wily immediately nodded his head up and down up and down over and over again.

  Steel left his cave at a run, then stopped, unsure which way to go. He looked at Wily, trying to think of a way to ask a question that would require only a yes or no answer. “Down?”

  Wily shook his head. “Up then,” he said, and turned to climb the cliff without waiting for Wily’s nod. He ran up as fast as he could, his heart sinking when he saw Ruya sitting with an unconscious Dirk in her lap.

  He hurried over to her, his eyes searching the mesa for some sign of Tani. “What happened here, Ruya?” he asked, going down on his knees beside her. He noted her pale cheeks and dilated pupils, and knew she’d been drugged, as Dirk had been. He checked the boy quickly, relieved to find him breathing.

  “Naran,” Ruya whispered.

  “Naran?” he asked numbly. She nodded very slowly. Steel didn’t want to believe it. First Tani, then Astra, and now Ruya was telling him that Naran was not the man he’d believed him to be. He looked around, searching for some other explanation and saw a tranquilizer dart lying on the ground a few feet away.”

  “Tani,” Ruya whispered.

  “He drugged her, too,” he said, the words like ashes in his mouth.

  “He held a hand laser to Dirk’s head and forced her to drug herself,” she said. She’d actually heard and seen a lot more than she’d led Naran to believe. “He told me that he’d made a deal with the Nomen. He gives them Tani, and they’ll give him Shela, then take the three of us away from Garza.”

  “I thought Shela died,” Steel said, frowning.

  “She did,” Ruya said. “I was there. A tunnel caved in and her poor body was crushed. Not even Tani could have saved her.”

  “Then why does Naran think she’s still alive?”

  “I don’t know,” Ruya said with a sigh. “He just refuses to believe it. He was going to kill me, Steel. Don’t trust him.”

  “And he’s giving Tani to the Nomen,” Steel said. “She saved his life, gave him the ability to walk, and this is how he repays her. Why?”

  “She’s not one of us,” Ruya said. “That’s what he said. She’s not Khun, so she doesn’t matter.”

  The familiarity of Ruya’s words struck him hard. Only now, hearing that sentiment from another, did he realize fully how completely arrogant and self-serving it was. For the first time since childhood, Steel felt thoroughly and completely ashamed of himself. His father wouldn’t have just been disappointed in him. He’d have disowned him. Rightly, too.

  “How long ago did Naran leave with Tani?”

  “About ten minutes. But he didn’t fly toward the mine. He went that way,” she said, raising one hand with some difficulty and pointing.

  “He’ll be back soon then,” he said.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “He drugged me so it won’t look like I know anything.”

  “How is it that you’re not sleeping?’

  “Drugged too many times,” she said. “But Tani just healed me so it’s effecting me more than I expected.” Steel nodded, understanding. Then he reached out and scooped both Ruya and Dirk into his arms at once and stood up.

  “Help Tani,” Ruya whispered, her eyes closing.

  “I will, Ruya, I promise,” he said. “Hang on, Wily, I’m going to shift.” The wyvern braced himself and Steel shifted. He spread his wings and flew over the mesa and down the cliff face, roaring as he went to call his men together. He landed on the path outside of the women’s cave and saw Astra and Khurda run out of her cave together. Astra ran toward him, and Khurda headed up to the armory where the rest of the men were gathering in response to his roar. While he waited for his cousin he shifted back to his human form, then paced back and forth across the ledge.

  Astra arrived a moment later and entered the women’s cave with him at her heels. She reached for Dirk, removing him gently from Ruya’s arms, then pointed to an empty cot. Steel laid Ruya on it while Astra placed Dirk on another cot beside her.

  “They’ve both been drugged,” Steel said, watching as Drya hurried to her grandson’s side. “Dirk more than Ruya, but they’ll both be fine.”

  “What happened?” Astra asked, seeing the anger behind Steel’s dark eyes.

  “Naran drugged them, and Tani,” he bit out. “He made a deal with the Nomen. Tani in exchange for safe passage for him, Shela, and Ruya.” Gasps of shock and outrage filled the cave.<
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  “But Shela’s dead,” Astra said, then sighed. “He’s lost his mind completely, hasn’t he?”

  “Either that, or he’s using it as an excuse,” Steel replied. Astra stared at him in surprise and he shrugged. “I’m sorry for being such an ass, Astra, but the blinders are off now. I don’t believe for a moment that Naran really thinks Shela is still alive. Not that it matters. Crazy or not, there will be no forgiveness for the crimes he’s committed.”

  “You believe he killed Roark?”

  “Yes, I do,” he said, loudly enough for all the women to hear. “He murdered Roark, tried to kill me, nearly killed both Tani and Dirk, and threatened to kill Ruya and Dirk not a half hour ago on the mesa.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “My priority is to get Tani back,” he said. “Ruya thinks Naran took her somewhere close by to hand over to the Nomen. If so, his plan will be to come back here and act surprised when it’s discovered that she’s missing. I’ll leave men here just in case.”

  “No, take every man who wants to go,” Astra said firmly. “We have weapons and we know how to use them. We can protect ourselves, Steel. Please trust us to do this much.”

  Steel hesitated, then looked around at all the other women who were listening quietly. Women that Tani had saved. Women that Tani had taught to protect themselves. He dipped his head in a nod. “Of course I trust you, all of you,” he said with a deep nod. Then, in a lower tone, for Astra’s ears only, he added, “I’m not so sure he’ll come back here anyway.”

  “Why not?”

  “I suspect that they’ll either kill him outright, or do the same thing to him that they plan to do to Tani.”

  “Controllers,” Astra said, her face paling. “You can’t let them do that to her, Steel. You just can’t.”

  “Don’t worry, Astra. I will find her, and I will free her.”

  “How many men will you take with you?”

  “I’ll take every warrior willing to accompany me,” Steel replied. “It’s time to show the Nomen that the Khun are no longer slaves, once and for all.”

  “Agreed,” Astra said. “What about Wily?”

  Steel looked down at the wyvern clinging to his shoulder. “Do you want to stay here, with Astra?”

  Wily lifted his head, spread his wings, opened his mouth and released a thin stream of white hot fire. “I’ll take that as a no,” Steel said. Wily nodded once, then settled down.

  Astra stretched up to kiss his cheek. “Save her, Cousin. The Khun need her.”

  “No, Astra. As much as I need her, as much as we all need her, I will not save Tani for our sakes. I will save her for her sake alone. The Khun owe her that much, at least.”

  Astra stared at Steel for a long moment, uncertain what she should say to him. This wasn’t a situation she’d ever witnessed, let alone been a part of, but she wanted to say something to her only remaining family member before sending him off to do battle. Then she remembered what Tani had told her about formalities, and she knew what to do.

  She stood up straight, lifted her chin, pulled her shoulders back and cleared her expression. “We shall await your return, Ganzorig Khaan,” she said, then bowed formally. “In your absence, we will prepare a meal suitable for the brave warriors of the Khun to celebrate their victory.”

  “The warriors of the Khun will appreciate that,” Steel said, returning his cousin’s bow with a deep nod, and Astra noted that all of the women gathered around stood a little straighter, and held their chins a little higher.

  Tani was right about formalities, Astra thought. But then, Tani was usually right.

  Steel turned and left the cave with Wily clinging to his shoulder. He ran up to the armory, gratified to see what looked like every man of the Khun gathered there, waiting. “Khurda, ready the Stray immediately,” he ordered loud enough for all to hear.

  “For what?”

  “Naran drugged Ruya, Dirk, and Tani, then took Tani to the Nomen,” he said. Every man froze in shock for two heartbeats, then began to growl, the deep angry sound filling the air. A fresh wave of shame ran through Steel. Not one of his men questioned the probability of Naran being a traitor. He truly had failed not just Tani, but his people as well.

  “Steel?” Marbic said softly, breaking him out of his self-reproach. Steel looked around at his men, two hundred and eighty strong, thanks to Tani. “We can’t afford to waste time flying to the mine, so we’re taking the Stray.”

  Steel was surprised to see Khurda’s gentle eyes blazing with fury as he nodded, shifted, and flew away without another word. Steel hurried inside to the armory with a couple of dozen men at his heels. The rest waited impatiently for their turn.

  “Why would he do such a thing?” Marbic asked the question everyone wanted an answer to.

  “According to Ruya, he made a deal with the Nomen. He delivers Tani, and they’ll release Shela, then take him, Shela and Ruya wherever they want to go.”

  “Even if Shela were still alive, the Nomen would never keep their end of such a bargain,” Marbic said.

  “No, they wouldn’t,” Steel agreed. “If they don’t kill him or put a controller in his head, he’ll come back here so he can pretend to help us search for Tani. Astra assured me that she and the other women could handle him on their own.” Steel grabbed a sword belt and two hand lasers which he proceeded to buckle around his waist. “Ruya thinks he’s insane, and she may be right, but I don’t really care at the moment. All that matters to me right now is that we get Tani back. We’ll decide what to do with Naran later.”

  “Agreed,” Marbic said, adding a laser rifle to the three hand lasers, knife belt, and bag of grenades he’d already strapped on. They’d never had grenades before taking them from the Nomen’s armory, but he’d immediately become quite fond of them. Steel grabbed two pouches of shuriken off the table and stuffed them into his pockets to tie on later. He’d gotten pretty good with the deadly little disks with Tani’s help. Tani, he thought. They owed her so much.

  “We’ll get her back,” Marbic said softly. Steel nodded, then left the armory. He nodded at the line of stone-faced men waiting their turn to arm themselves.

  “Once you’re armed, shift and fly to the Stray,” Steel announced loudly enough for everyone to hear. “She takes off in ten minutes, with or without you.” He looked around at the nods, then shifted and flew away with Marbic beside him.

  Ten minutes later, the Stray, stuffed with every single adult male of the Khun, lifted off the ground and turned toward the mine.

  “How long?” Steel asked.

  “Ten minutes tops,” Khurda said. “That’s a good thing since flying at this speed with this much weight for any longer than that would burn out the engines.”

  “I don’t care, so long as we get there in time to save Tani,” Steel said.

  “Agreed,” Khurda replied, then nudged the throttle just a bit. “Where shall I put down?”

  “In the black grove,” Steel said. Khurda nodded, then checked his screens for the precise location and entered the data into the system.

  “You and Astra?” Steel asked, trying to distract himself while they waited.

  “Yes,” Khurda replied. “Do you object?”

  “No my friend,” Steel said, smiling. “My only question is what took you so long? I was beginning to think the two of you would never get together.”

  Khurda smiled sheepishly. “That obvious, huh?”

  “Tani saw it the first time she met you, when Astra was in the hibernation tank.”

  “Well, Tani’s special,” Khurda said. “She sees things the rest of us don’t.”

  “Yes, she does,” Steel agreed, wondering how he could have forgotten that for even a moment. He cleared his throat. “I’m happy for you both, Khurda.”

  Khurda dipped his head, checked his screens, then said as casually as he could, “Will you mend things with Tani?”

  Steel looked at Khurda for a long moment, realizing that Astra must have spoken to
him. “I certainly intend to try. First, I must get her back from the Nomen.”

  “Yes,” Khurda agreed.

  “I’ve been blind about Naran, haven’t I?”

  “Always,” Khurda agreed.

  “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  “We did, Steel,” Khurda said. “Many times. You refused to listen.”

  “I’m sorry, Khurda,” he said, acknowledging the truth of Khurda’s statement. “It’s not much, I know.”

  “It’s enough, my friend,” Khurda said, turning to meet Steel’s eyes for a moment. “It’s not a crime to believe in someone. Even I never imagined him capable of the deeds currently laid at his feet.” Steel nodded his thanks for the understanding and Khurda turned his attention back to his screens. “The landing’s going to be a tad rough.”

  “Use the comm to tell everyone to get ready. I’m heading for the main hatch.”

  “I won’t be far behind you,” Khurda promised. Steel nodded, then turned and left the control room.

  ***

  The moment the Stray set down Steel shoved the hatch open and jumped out. He moved away, waiting impatiently for the rest of the men to join him, even though what he really wanted to do was fly into the mine compound and kill every Nomen that got in his way until he found Tani.

  By the time Marbic and Khurda joined him, he’d given some thought to what he wanted to do. “There are only about thirty Nomen left, as far as we know,” he began. “We out number them and, for a change, we out gun them too. But that doesn’t make us invincible and we can’t afford to lose anyone, so try not to get killed. There are enough of us to take them on three and four at a time, so let’s take advantage of that. Don’t forget the lessons that Tani has taught us all, especially the most important one. You remember that one, don’t you Marbic?”

  “Absolutely,” Marbic said, grinning. “Few creatures live long without a head. The Nomen included.” A low chuckle ran through the men, relaxing them just a little. It was enough.