Tani's Destiny (Hearts of ICARUS Book 2)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Steel opened his eyes, surprised to see an enormous red…creature…crouched over him. His heart began to race as he struggled to remember where he was, what had happened, and why he was lying in a white sparkly fog beneath…whatever it was. He lifted his head, saw that there was enough space between its two left legs for his body and quickly rolled sideways. The moment he was no longer beneath the creature he leapt to his feet, then froze in shock as he got a good look at it.

  A dragon. An enormous, deep red, twenty five foot long dragon stood with its ground-transport sized head tilted back as it shot white sparkly stuff into the sky. It was the same substance he’d seen when Wily’s egg hatched, though there was a lot more of it now. He looked around at the men of the Khun who were all staring at the dragon, though none of them looked worried or afraid of it.

  The dragon closed its mouth and lowered its head to look at the ground beneath it. The huge body tensed in surprise and the head went up, searching. Then, it turned its face toward him and all the air left his lungs. A large ruby bearing Tani’s likeness hung from a band of gold that encircled the dragon’s head like a crown. If that wasn’t enough, she also had Tani’s warm gray eyes. Eyes that filled with tears when it found him staring at her. “Tani,” he said softly.

  The high pitched hiss of a hand laser broke the silence, and Khurda cried out in pain before falling to the ground. Steel immediately ran to his friend while Tani swung her head around, opened her mouth again, and sprayed Brutus and the six Nomen standing around him with flames.

  Steel reached down and tore Khurda’s shirt open, but there was no wound to be seen beneath the scorched fabric. He looked at Khurda, whose eyes were wide with surprise. He’d self-healed. Just the way Tani said the Jasani self-healed. There was no other explanation. But how?

  Steel stood up just as Tani ceased shooting flames. Not even ashes remained of the Nomen, and their weapons were no more than little puddles of sizzling metal. And Brutus no longer appeared remotely human. Instead, he looked exactly like what he was. An android with a shiny silver colored casing and twin lights where his eyes had been.

  Brutus stared down at himself for a long moment, as though he was shocked to discover what he looked like without his human disguise. Then he screamed loud enough to make everyone wince before throwing what could only be described as a temper tantrum.

  Steel grinned inwardly as they watched the shiny android spin around and around, its arms waving wildly as it began shouting nonsensical orders. When it started threatening to use its internal lasers to burn them for insubordination, Tani spread thirty feet of red leathery wings, leapt at the android, grabbed its shoulders in her claws, and lifted it off the ground.

  The Khun watched as the red dragon flew higher and higher until it was so far up that they could barely see a tiny speck in the distant sky. Then, she released the android. Everyone held their breath, watching it plummet toward the ground with Tani’s magnificent dragon diving right behind it. When Brutus hit the black paving of the compound, he…it…kept going, not stopping until it was at the bottom of a six foot deep hole. Tani landed gracefully beside the hole and looked down into it.

  ***

  Astra sat on a chair next to the medi-cot giving every appearance of being completely relaxed. She’d received the signal that Naran had returned and was in the women’s cave, and could do nothing more now but wait. Wait, and remember what Tani had told her about trusting her instincts. She hoped that Tani had been right, because right now her instincts were telling her that Naran had entered the waiting room. She reached up with one hand to rub her tired eyes, then returned it to her lap just as her senses told her that she and Ruya were no longer alone. She kept her eyes on her lap and tried hard not to do anything that might warn Naran that she was aware of his presence.

  She heard a soft scraping sound and allowed herself to turn toward it with a frown. She shrugged to herself, glanced at Ruya, then returned her eyes to her lap. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the light blanket covering Ruya shift. A moment later she sensed Naran leaving the clinic, and her heart began to race. She hadn’t expected him to give up and leave so quickly, and wondered what she was supposed to do next. Before she had a chance to figure it out, Naran stepped into the clinic with the Blind Sight off, startling her so much that she gasped aloud, an honest reaction that convinced Naran that she really hadn’t known he was there even though he’d suspected otherwise.

  “Naran, you scared me,” she said, but he ignored her for the moment, his attention now focused on Ruya. He walked straight up to the medi-cot and bent over her, watching her closely. “What happened to her?”

  “She was drugged,” Astra said. “We don’t know with what. We just know she won’t wake up.”

  “That’s too bad,” Naran said straightening with a sigh. “Sweet, gullible thing that she is, I had plans for her.”

  “Gullible?” Astra asked in surprise before she could stop herself.

  “She believed that I thought Shela was still alive so yes, I’d have to call that gullible, don’t you think? Really Astra, do I look that insane to you?”

  Astra didn’t think answering that question honestly would be a good idea at the moment. “What plans did you have for her?”

  He reached down, withdrew a hand laser from his pocket and pointed it at her. “Let me explain,” he said with a friendly smile. “Ruya, as you might know, didn’t go to college. She went to flight school. She’s always been interested in flying. Waste of time, of course, since there’s nothing on Garza for her to fly, but that’s a woman for you. No sense of logic whatsoever. Still, I saw no reason to let her skills go completely to waste, so I planned to let her help me get that wreck of Khurda’s off the ground. Unfortunately, she’s in no condition to fly at the moment, so it looks like I’ll need someone else, and guess what Astra? You’re it.”

  “I don’t know how to fly,” Astra said.

  “I know that,” Naran said. “However, Khurda cares an awful lot for you, which means you’re my ticket off this barren rock of a planet.”

  “You’re going to make Khurda choose between my life and taking you wherever you want to go,” Astra said flatly.

  “I’m impressed,” Naran said. “I thought it would take much longer for you to figure that out.”

  “Oh yes?” Astra said. “That’s interesting because I thought it would take you less time to figure things out. I guess that makes us even.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Naran asked, suddenly wary.

  “It means I’d have thought you would remember that the women have learned a thing or two about hand lasers.”

  “I’ve seen your target practice,” Naran said, grinning. “I’m not worried, believe me.”

  “You’re right, I’m not a very good shot at more than fifteen or twenty feet,” she agreed. Naran’s eyes narrowed, realizing that he was only about six feet away from Astra at the moment, then relaxed when he realized she didn’t have a weapon. “Ruya, on the other hand, is quite good,” Astra finished.

  “Not as good as I am,” Naran said after glancing quickly down to be sure Ruya was still unconscious.

  “True,” Astra said calmly. “But she, at least, knows enough to turn the safety off before pointing her weapon at someone she means to kill.”

  Naran frowned, glanced down at Ruya again only to find her eyes open and the hand that had been tucked close to her body now holding a hand laser which was pointed straight at him. He looked back at his own weapon and saw that, just as Astra had said, he’d forgotten to take the safety off. He shifted his thumb to the small panel on the side of the weapon just as Ruya said, “Don’t do it, Naran.”

  He ignored her, deactivated the safety while shifting the weapon so that he was aiming straight at her, the expression on his face one of unconcern. He had no doubt at all that Ruya would hesitate to shoot him. She loved him.

  Just as his finger tightened on the trigger, the sound of three hand lasers going off all at once f
illed the room. All three shots hit Naran, each one of them a kill shot. Ruya’s hit him directly in the heart, Astra’s hit him in the head, and Drya’s hit him just at the base of his neck. All three women remained motionless for a long moment, holding their weapons out, still pointed at where Naran had been.

  “That’s too bad,” Drya said, lowering her weapon and thumbing the safety on. “I would have liked to ask him a few questions.”

  “Me too,” Astra said with a sigh.

  “Don’t worry,” Ruya said, sitting up and throwing the blanket off. “I heard Tani and him talking before I got to the mesa, and I suspect that she got a few answers before stabbing herself with the tranquilizer dart.”

  “Are you all right?” Drya asked as she approached the medi-cot, grimacing down at Naran.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she said. “I loved Naran once, before the Nomen came back and he lost his mind. Despite what he just said about not thinking Shela was alive, I still believe that something inside of him just…broke…when she died. I wish things had gone differently, but I didn’t fight to stay alive in that damn mine for a year just so I could lay here and let a crazy man shoot me.”

  “Good for you,” Drya said. “Well, ladies, how about we take the trash out?”

  ***

  “Now that, Khalute, is gonna leave a mark,” Steel said as he approached the hole and looked down into it. The dragon stared down at him for a long moment with unreadable eyes, then shifted back into Tani’s petite form. Wily immediately left Marbic’s shoulder and flew to Tani’s where he proceeded to rub his head against her neck. She reached up to stroke him gently, silently reassuring him.

  “How do you feel?” she asked, not quite meeting Steel’s eyes now that she was human again.

  “I’m alive,” he said. “Thanks to you.”

  “How’s Dirk?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Steel assured her. He waited a moment, expecting her to tell him who was responsible for abducting her, but before long he realized that she wasn’t going to do that. Shame filled him when he understood that she probably didn’t think she’d be believed. “Ruya arrived on the mesa just after you were sedated. She was able to withstand the dose Naran gave her and sent Wily to get me. She told me what Naran had done.” Tani remained silent, her eyes on the android at the bottom of the hole. Steel cast a pleading look at Marbic. He had no idea how to deal with this quiet, withdrawn woman, and was afraid of saying the wrong thing. Again.

  “We thought we’d find him here, but we didn’t,” Marbic said. “It would seem that they either killed him outright when he handed you over, or they allowed him to return to the caves.”

  Tani looked up at Marbic. “They tried to kill him after he handed me over and I’m sure they hit him at least once, but he got away,” she said, then looked back down into the hole. “If no one objects, my parents will probably want to take this back to Jasan for the council to examine. It’s unfortunate that I had to break it, but at least all the parts are still here.”

  “We’re glad to have something to offer those who’re coming so far to aid us,” Khurda said since Steel seemed to have lost his tongue.

  “They will appreciate it,” Tani said. “The answers to who made the Nomen and where they came from may be inside of this android.”

  She took a deep breath as though bracing herself, then turned to face Steel. “Thank you for coming for me. I didn’t…expect it.”

  “You didn’t?” he asked, his heart sinking. She shook her head and he started forward, then stopped when she stiffened.

  “Tani,” he said softly, then looked around, realizing they were not alone. “I’m sorry.”

  Tani nodded, but she still didn’t look up at him. “Do you remember the dream I told you about, with Magda?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “It’s done.” She turned away from him and faced the men gathered around them. “I was granted the privilege of completing the change begun by those whose world this was before the Xanti destroyed them. Khurda, as you’ve probably noticed, self-healed within moments after being shot by Brutus. You will all have this ability now. The magic I released will reach the women and children soon, as it will cover the entire planet, restoring it to something of what it once was. I don’t know what other changes will take place, or what your alter forms will be, but I do know that those changes will be to your benefit, and will do no harm.

  “I am grateful to the Khun for coming to my aid even though I’m not one of you. I will always remember your efforts on my behalf this day.” She bowed deeply in thanks and held it for a long moment. Then she shifted back into her red dragon, spread her wings, and flew away with Wily clinging to her back.

  Steel watched her until she was no longer even a speck in the sky, the lump in is throat so big that it was hard to breathe. He’d apologized, and she’d accepted it as she always did, but just as Astra had warned him, it wasn’t enough. He understood that now.

  She’d asked for a place with him and his people, and he’d given it to her, then snatched it back, using it as a weapon against her, all the while knowing that it was the surest way to cause her pain. But as bad as that was, it was as nothing compared to his betrayal. That’s what she felt and now that he was looking at it from her point of view, he saw that she was right. She’d told him that she loved him, and he’d treated her with disdain in defense of a murderer.

  “Steel,” Khurda called, diverting his attention.

  “Yes?”

  “Are we taking this thing with us or can we leave it here?”

  Steel looked at the deformed remains of the android still at the bottom of the hole and grimaced. “Tani said that her parents will want it and I think they should have it. If you’re certain that it’s deactivated, let’s leave it here. I really don’t want it at the caves.”

  “Even if it’s inactive, I think I’ll lock it up anyway. Just in case.”

  “Good idea,” he said, then turned back to where he’d last seen Tani. He didn’t know if it was even possible to make up for what he’d done, but he had to try.

  Chapter 10

  Tani’s heart was so heavy that she couldn’t even feel joy at her new and unexpected ability to fly. She did a lot of thinking while she flew slowly back to the caves, so she had a lot of things figured out in her mind by the time she got back. She wondered whether she should hide her dragon from the women so as not to frighten them, then decided to hell with it. They were strong, intelligent women, and she would treat them as such. So she flew slowly into the valley, circled it once so that all who were outside the caves could see her. Then she landed, shifted, and walked straight toward Astra’s cave, uncertain whether she was glad or disappointed that her friend hadn’t seen her dragon.

  “You’re back!” Astra said, running over to hug her tightly and pat Wily gently on the head. “With Wily, too. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, Astra,” Tani said.

  “Is everyone back?”

  “Not yet. A cup of anything hot would help me to explain it a lot easier.”

  “You got it,” Astra said with a smile, going to the ever present kettle of hot water and reaching for a clean cup.

  “How’s Dirk? And Ruya?”

  “They’re both awake and perfectly well,” Astra said. “Ruya was really worried about you.”

  “Well, you can assure her that I’m just fine, as is everyone else.”

  “Everyone else?”

  “The Nomen are dead save one who’s under control, and the android called Brutus is no longer functional. Did Naran return here?”

  “He sure did,” Astra said lightly. Tani frowned.

  “He’s dangerous, Astra,” she began, but Astra shook her head.

  “Not anymore,” she said with a grim look.

  “You killed him?” Tani asked in surprise.

  “Technically, we can’t be certain which of us actually killed him,” Astra said, then told her all that had happened with Naran. When she
was finished, Tani nodded.

  “You did well,” she said. “I’m proud of you all.”

  Astra blushed. “Thank you, Tani, for making it possible for us to do more than cower in the back of a cave.” Tani bowed her head, accepting the thanks, then changed the subject.

  “Astra, I have something to tell you,” she said. “After I tell you, I’d be grateful if you’d share it with the other women on my behalf.”

  “Of course, Tani.”

  “The night that we raided the mine and I was shot, Wily bit me, which saved my life,” Tani said. “You know all that. While I was unconscious I had a dream that wasn’t a dream at all. It was real.” Tani told Astra all about the Garza dragons of fire, earth, and air, and the wyvern egg. When she was finished she refreshed her tea while giving Astra time to process all that she’d told her.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Astra asked.

  “Some of it I didn’t remember at first, and when I did, I told Steel, and we agreed it was best not to raise anyone’s hopes. The rest of it I didn’t know until I allowed the dragon to come forth.”

  “What dragon?”

  “Today, at the mine, Steel was…injured. I couldn’t save him with my healing and I shifted into a dragon. The moment I did that, I understood…many things. Including what I had to do to fulfill my promise to Magda. I released her magic, which unlocked the essence of what Garza had once been, completing everything, including the Khun. It’s spreading across the land and should reach here very soon. When it does, you will be able to self-heal, as Steel and Khurda did, and your alter form will be complete.”

  “What does that mean, complete?”

  “No harm will be caused by the completion, Astra. Other than that, I’ve told you all I know.”