by Leslie Chase
I cursed, torn between anger and admiration. She was clearly uncomfortable with telling that story now, but I resolved that one day I'd find out how an Imperial Princess had come to scar a bounty hunter captain. I wouldn't have expected them to even meet, and if it had come to violence I wondered how he was still alive after her guards were done with him.
None of that mattered now, of course. If this Keshiir would recognize her, it was vital that he didn't get the chance. Walking briskly around the freighter, I aimed us off the field and towards an alley. The grays were parked too close to the Nest to try to reach our ship unseen, and we'd need another plan. I risked a peek back past the freighter and saw that the grays were fanning out across the field. It looked like they were searching for something.
Or someone.
Damn it. It was still possible that I was wrong, they could be after a different bounty. Even if they were, though, they'd want to secure the spaceport and check anyone trying to leave — and that kept us trapped.
"Do you know who might have sent them?" I asked, guiding the princess further out of sight quickly. She nodded, ashen-faced.
"Maybe they're here to rescue me?" She didn't sound at all convinced, but she tried to make the case anyway. "If, um, my family heard about the crash—"
"If the imperial household had heard, they'd have sent more than bounty hunters. The Shadow of a Forgotten Love would be overhead and imperial troops would be crawling all over this planet to rescue you."
It almost looked like that hadn't occurred to her. She stopped for a second, looking at me with a surprised glint in her eyes, and then dragged her gaze away. It was almost cute how little she seemed to know about the way the galaxy worked. It might have been more endearing if it wasn't so frustrating.
"Maybe we should find a way to let them know, then?" she asked. Was this really the first time she'd considered contacting her family for help?
"I would rather rescue you myself," I told her. "But if that was the best way to get you to safety, then I'd jump at the chance. Unless you've hidden a hypercomm on you somewhere, though, there's no chance of that until we're in space."
She shivered, and I put a comforting arm around her. Her touch woke my protective instincts again and I wanted to go back to deal with those grays. But the risk was too great, they were well armed and looking out for trouble. Too much chance I'd fail, and that would leave my princess unprotected and at the mercy of whoever found her first.
I needed, at the very least, somewhere safe to leave her while I dealt with Keshiir and his crew. Back to the truck? But no, that hadn't been a safe place to stay before the hunters arrived. We couldn't risk going back there. That didn't leave many other places to turn.
"We're going to have to take a chance," I told her. "Getting you off the street is the most important thing. So far no one's looking for an Acheran and a human together, but if Keshiir knows to ask about us—"
"—we're fucked," she finished for me with that unexpected crudity of hers. "I guessed that. We can't get to the ship without being seen, and there's too much chance someone who saw us leave the truck will put two and two together."
I didn't follow that metaphor, but her meaning was clear. Good, she was following the situation. That would make things a little easier, as bad as the situation was. Soon every hand in the port would be turned against us, and we had to be in hiding before then.
The princess took a deep breath and steeled herself, standing straighter and raising her chin. Her doubts and fears weren't gone, I knew that, but she was doing an admirable job of hiding them.
"There's another problem," she said, looking up at me. "I know that he has the technology to track me down, he's used it before. When I gave him that scar.”
I blinked in surprise at that. If Keshiir had a bioscan of the princess to follow, that made things a lot harder. But he shouldn't have access to those scans at all. The imperial family kept them safe and secure, precisely to prevent someone from being able to do this kind of thing. They weren't alone in that, either. My own bioscans were a state secret for the same reason, and of course I took other precautions.
Unclasping the Darkfang's remote from my belt, I passed it to Immorata. The ship might no longer exist, but the remote's jamming capability would keep anyone from being able to lock onto her bioscan.
"This will hide you from Keshiir," I told her, and then asked the difficult question. "Does that mean that Keshiir is working for someone in your family?"
Imperial intrigue was legendary, though seldom fatal. It was far from impossible that one of the princess's siblings was behind this whole mess.
But Immorata shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't know. Maybe? It doesn't matter, though. What I'm sure of is that Keshiir is up to no good, and I don't want him to find me. Come on, there has to be somewhere we can get out of sight. A storeroom, maybe? Or an abandoned home?"
Something like that would have to do until we could find our way past Keshiir's guards on the spaceport. His ship was big, but there were limits to how many crew he could have with him. Maybe, if we could stay out of sight long enough, he'd take his men out of town to search the crash site for tracks. That might give us the chance we needed to get to the ship unseen.
But we'd still need the parts to fix the ship. Which meant I knew where we needed to go until then. I stood quickly.
"Come this way, Your Highness," I said, taking her hand and leading her through the back alleys towards Yennifer's scrapheap. The wall of crushed vehicles rose tall, enough of a barrier to dissuade most thieves. Not because they wouldn't be able to get in, but because there was no easy way to get anything of value out after they'd stolen it.
That wasn't a problem for us since we were planning on staying inside. I grabbed Immorata by the hips, ignoring her startled protest, and lifted her so that she could scramble onto the top of the wall. Jumping after her, I caught the edge and hauled myself up after her.
Scanning the piles of wreckage, I saw the remains of an asteroid miner that still had a mostly-intact cabin. That would do for keeping us out of sight, I thought, pointing it out to the princess.
"There. I'll lower you to the ground, and you get there and climb inside."
"What about you?" she asked, chewing on her lip.
"I'll be right behind you," I promised. "I just have to make sure that no one sees you on your way in."
Her nod was reluctant, but she raised no further objections and when I lowered her into the junkyard she didn't hesitate. I watched for a second to make sure she was headed in the right direction, and then made my way along the wall towards the front of the yard. Keeping low and quiet, I could see Yennifer's lizardhounds patrolling the area.
There were too many scents in the air for them to worry about one more, I hoped. But it would be different if they saw Immorata making her way through the yard unaccompanied. I had to stop them getting close enough to see her before she was safely hidden.
Fortunately, I still had my knife. While there hadn't been time to pick up anything on the way off the Darkfang, the blade never left my belt. It was more symbol than weapon, my natural spines were sharper and deadlier, but there were still times where it came in handy. This was one of them.
Taking careful aim, I threw the knife as hard as I could.
It sailed over the lizardhounds, clattering into a bin of scrap metal far behind them. Both animals' heads snapped around at the sound, and one hissed. Slowly they edged their way towards the unfamiliar sound.
That would have to do as a distraction. Dropping down from the wall as quietly as I could, I hurried to catch up with my mate.
The small cabin of the asteroid miner was cramped for the two of us, but at least it was shelter from prying eyes, and from the rain that had started to fall. It was clearly no longer spaceworthy, though. Water leaked in from somewhere on the roof, running in a small stream down one wall and pooling on the floor.
Immorata shivered as she sat on the floor. The seats had long si
nce been removed, and there was nothing but bare metal to hold us. I didn't mind, but then I was Acheran. A human's soft skin needed more protection.
"Come here," I told her. There wasn't much that I could do for her now, but I could try to keep her comfortable.
She looked at me dubiously but, for a wonder, did as she was told. I swept her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her and offering her some of my body's warmth. For a moment she stiffened in my arms and I thought she might pull away, that I'd misjudged the moment. Then she sighed and relaxed, leaning her head against my chest. She felt so small and vulnerable now, her guard down finally.
That didn't make this any more comfortable for me, unfortunately. Not that holding her was unpleasant, quite the opposite. My body responded to hers, my hearts pumping faster and my spines rippling as I felt the touch of my mate. Her scent filled the air, a soft and marvelous sensation, and it took all my attention not to let it overwhelm me.
I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anything in my life, and now here she was. I didn't know if she realized what her presence was doing to me, especially when she shifted her weight and brushed herself against me.
Lying back, I tried to relax. It was impossible. I knew I should be sleeping, resting, gathering my strength. Once night fell, I would have the chance to hunt for the parts I needed. And I had to be ready to seize any chance to get us to the safety of our ship, or to steal a different one. That didn't mean that rest would come easily. Above us, rain drummed endlessly on the cabin roof, and I tried to focus on that rather than the feeling of the body of my princess pressed against me.
For a few minutes, I even thought it was working. Then she raised her head and looked at me, and all the efforts I'd made to ignore her were for nothing. My breath caught as I looked up at her beauty, and I saw the flush on her face too. It seemed that my presence distracted her just as much.
"Xendar," she whispered, and my name sounded like poetry from her lips. One of her hands rested against my chest, the other reached out to stroke my cheek. For a moment I thought that my resolve would crack, or that hers already had. Her breathing was quick, and her face flushed as she looked deep into my eyes.
Outside, something moved. We both froze instantly, our moment of intimacy broken as we remembered where we were and how much danger we were in. Someone was moving nearby, quietly creeping through the junk.
With great care, I lifted my princess and slowly lowered her to the deck. She stayed still, frozen, almost not breathing, and no sound escaped as I pulled myself to my feet and edged towards the door. If the hunters burst in, they were going to have to get through me to reach her.
Part of me wished that I still had my blade to offer Immorata. To give her something with which to protect herself. I knew that she had the heart of a fighter, but unarmed she had no way of defending herself.
That's what I'm here for, I reminded myself. As long as I drew breath she needed no other guardian.
Through a crack in the door I saw a foot splash down into a puddle. Yes, that was one of the grays, and he was coming this way and those creatures didn't travel alone. Bracing myself opposite the doorway I prepared to face them.
Grey fingers slid into the gap, getting a grip on the door ready to pull it open. But before our hunter could move, he was interrupted by a shout.
"Hey! What in Tarn's name are you doing over there?" The sound of a weapon being cocked carried through the rainstorm, adding emphasis to the question. The fingers withdrew.
"Hunting," the gray chittered, just outside the door. "Lawful prey, yes, hunting lawful prey."
A laugh answered that, and the loud hiss of a lizardhound. Was that Yennifer's voice? The sound of the lizardhound made me think it was. "Yeah, well, good luck with that. What with the reward your boss has posted, you don't think I've already looked?"
"Looking again," the gray said. "Making sure."
The fingers were back, and I considered breaking them. No. Not while there was a chance he might not find us. I didn't want to have to abandon this hiding place, and killing one of our hunters would give us away.
The thunderous crack of a plasma gun filled the air, rain sizzling to instant steam along its path. The gray froze.
"This is my yard," Yennifer shouted over the whining sound of capacitors recharging. "You come here and sneak around, you get shot. There's no one there, and if there was, the bounty would be mine. So scoot before I find out if my dogs like the taste of gray flesh, understand?"
With a hiss, the gray scuttled away. A few steps walking and then at a run through the puddles. I breathed out carefully. No point in giving us away to Yennifer either. From the sounds of it there was quite a bounty on Immorata's head, and I didn't want to risk her getting greedy for it.
The sound of footsteps drew closer, her boots splashing through the mud outside. I tensed again. If I had to hurt her to save my princess I would, but I didn't want to.
Stopping outside, Yennifer leaned back against the wall of the cabin and sighed.
"You don't need to keep so quiet in there," she said with a soft chuckle. "That bastard's gone, and if you think I don't know you're in there, then you're underestimating me."
Damn.
13
Hope
Xendar was about to leap into action when I put my hand on his arm, stopping him. Whatever else had happened, the woman outside had saved us from the grays. We could at least hear her out.
He looked at me, and I could see the fear in his eyes. Not fear of danger, my alien protector was far too brave for that. But he was afraid of losing me, and that would push him to kill anyone who was a threat to me. I shook my head. Reluctantly he nodded, relaxing and unclenching his fists.
"Alright," he said, just loud enough to be heard outside. "Come on in then. We don't need you drawing more attention to us."
With a dry chuckle, the woman grabbed hold of the door and pulled it open, leaning on the frame and looking in at us. It was almost a surprise to be face to face with a human after so long amongst aliens — sure, I'd seen them in the streets, but it felt like it had been forever since I'd actually spoken to one.
"Thank you for your help," I said. She dropped into an awkward curtsy.
"Don't mention it, Your Highness," she said. "I’m Yennifer, and I was born on the Imperial homeworld. Just because I'm not welcome in the Silent Empire anymore doesn't mean I've forgotten my people, or where my loyalties are."
I didn't know what to do with that, so I just did my best to nod like I imagined a princess would when greeted by a loyal subject. It didn't seem to be so far off that it aroused suspicion, at least.
God this was awkward. I should have guessed that our rescue wasn't going to be simple, but this felt almost as bad as lying to Xendar. Worse in some ways: he'd forced a bargain with the princess that led to her running off. It was, at least in part, his fault I was lying to him.
Yennifer, though, was an innocent putting her life in danger to protect me because of who she thought I was. I wanted to apologize, but how could I without giving myself away? And I had no idea what would happen then.
Maybe I should just go with Keshiir and his troops. At least they knew the truth about who I was and weren't going to be disappointed that they hadn't caught a princess. But Keshiir hadn't been friendly before I scarred him. How could I trust him now? If he were here to rescue me, surely he'd have tried a better way to make contact than putting a bounty on my head.
Yennifer coughed, and I realized I'd been carried away by my thoughts while she'd said something. My cheeks heating, I looked at her and nodded.
"I said, Your Highness, that I can give you more comfortable quarters inside if you want," she repeated. "This place isn't suitable for a princess. Well, I guess my home isn't either, but at least the roof's water-tight.
Xendar looked at me. And God I wanted to say yes. A dry room, maybe a bed? What wouldn't I give for that? But I shook my head.
"Thank you," I said, as regally as I could ma
nage. "But you're already putting yourself in enough danger to keep me safe. I couldn't risk bringing enemies into your home as well. We won't be staying long, will we Xendar?"
"No," he said, and I saw the respect in his eyes. He hadn't expected me to turn down the offer, I thought. And perhaps the real princess wouldn't have, but I could rough it for a night or two if it would keep someone safe.
"We'll be gone as soon as we can," Xendar continued. "All we need to do is—"
"—steal some of those supplies that you couldn't afford to buy?" Yennifer interrupted with a grin. "Yeah, I know why you picked my yard to hide in, mister Acheran. Well, no dice. You're going to pay for what you want."
"I still don't have any money, and the parts we were going to trade are stuck on our ship," he said, looking at me. I felt a tension grip my heart. Was this going to end in violence after all? But Yennifer just grinned.
"That just means you're an idiot," she told him, pulling up a hologram from a wrist-mounted computer. "You don't need to pay. Princess Immorata can, and she's got the weight of the Imperial Treasury behind her. Just give me your authorization, Your Highness, and you'll have bought the parts fair and square."
Adding credit fraud to whatever other crimes I've committed, I thought. It was enough to make me want to giggle. I probably had quite the rap sheet if anyone was counting, but presumably the Treasury would pay up. If not, this disguise wouldn't have lasted long.
I reached out for the hologram, only for Xendar to stop me and examine it. His eyes went wide.
"This is ridiculous, I could buy a new ship for this much."
Yennifer shrugged, her grin widening. "Not on Erdush you can't, and you're welcome to try and find a better deal. Come on, I've got to make a profit on this deal somehow right?"
"Let her have the money," I said before Xendar could say anything else. "She's earning it by not turning us in."
Reluctantly Xendar nodded. "Fine. But you can't process the credit until we're safely off-world, understand?"
