Crimson Rain

by Jaye Roycraft

  “Mad saw some of Daeva’s sadness lift as he shared his past with her, so he went on, long into the evening. He saw the silver eyes glow, as though lit from deep within her soul, and it occurred to him that perhaps this was the answer to the spell she was under. If he could share enough of his memories, perhaps she would not awaken tomorrow with no past.

  “She fell asleep at last in his arms, but alas, when dawn bloomed, she remembered nothing of him or his stories. He was determined, though, to stay with her and break the spell. He introduced himself, and she accepted his presence without question, as if she somehow understood that he belonged with her. He spent the morning helping her with her garden and passed the remainder of the day spinning her stories of his past. As before, she wrapped herself in his tales, holding each as close to her heart as she could.

  “He told her different stories this day, but when she woke with the morn, it was as before. Still, he persisted. Even with the disappointment of each new day he became more and more convinced that the secret of the spell lie in his giving to her what she lacked. So he told her story after story of his youth, replaying for her all the horror and sadness of his tragic life. But always there was one story he held back, one event that was so shameful he couldn’t bear to tell of it. And in the soft light of each dawn, he had to tell her his name.

  “One night, as the evening waned to a close, Mad held Daeva close, knowing she would soon close her eyes and drift off to sleep. It was the hardest time of the day for Mad. He hadn’t given up hope, but knew that in all probability, she would awaken a stranger in his arms. But this night she looked into his eyes and would not rest.

  “‘Tell me one more story. The one you’re reluctant to tell. The one that bred the pain I see here,’ she said, touching the corner of his eye.

  “He was silent for a moment, amazed that she could see so far into that place which had once housed his soul. So he told her the last story. The story of his magic. He told her how he had rashly sold his soul to the Dark One in return for the ability to conjure. How he’d then used his new abilities only for his own greed and selfishness. How he’d stolen, deceived, and preyed upon others until the magic deserted him, and he was left with nothing.

  “‘But you don’t need magic. And you do have a soul, Madjin. This I know. All you need is to believe it also,’ she said, falling immediately asleep thereafter.

  “Mad fought to stay awake, dreading the dawn, but finally succumbed as well, two words upon his lips. My soul.

  “The early light stirred them both at the same time, and, no words passing between them, they looked into each other’s eyes. The magic of yesterday danced in hers, and the essence of his true soul filled his. No introductions were needed that day, or for evermore.”

  Kyl fell silent, and, in his arms, Dina felt a contentment she hadn’t felt since they were on Ror. She basked in the warmth that radiated from him and listened to the steady beat of his heart. She felt safe in that moment, held by a man who, in her mind, could touch the stars if he but tried. In the silence, the emotion of the story bound her to him, and she pretended it was all real.

  “Now don’t go inferring anything from that story. I’m not Madjin, to have his soul healed by the love of a woman.”

  Why did he always have to ruin things? “Damn you, Kylariz. Then who are you? What do you want, besides getting Sandy and the Tisiphone back and exacting your revenge on Repere and Dhagaz?”

  “Time to run diagnostics,” he replied, unfolding his body from hers and sliding off the bed.

  “What are you so afraid of? Dammit, Kyl! Talk to me.”

  From the doorway, he paused, but he didn’t turn back to her. “If you feel up to it, you can help. We go into hypersleep the day after tomorrow.”

  “Day after tomorrow? I thought you said . . .”

  He quickly cut her off. “That was before I knew you had the fever. We have a lot to do before then.”

  Her boot smacked the hatch as it slid shut behind him.

  So much for control.

  Two days later, she helped him set the final adjustments on the hibernation pods. All else was in readiness, Kyl having double-checked all systems and settings on the Incubus over and over.

  At last, everything completed, they looked at each other.

  “Well, Hellfire, this is it. Next stop Eruthros and Terminus. Are you ready?”

  Her mouth suddenly dry, Dina could only nod.

  Kyl’s look softened. “Come here.”

  Imperious as ever, she thought, but she nevertheless obeyed.

  “Scared?” he asked when she stood before him.

  The question irritated her, yet his concern seemed genuine. She found her voice. “I hate the sleep.”

  He laughed. “You’re the one who kept asking when we were going into hypersleep.”

  “I know. But I still don’t like it.”

  “There’s nothing to fear. This ship of Vaizya’s a good one. Sensors are set on maximum. If anything comes our way, we’ll be awakened in plenty of time to react. Otherwise, we come out of the sleep three days out from Eruthros.”

  She nodded, but the movement of her head was slow and tentative.

  “Dina. Do you trust me?”

  This time there was no hesitation in her assent. “Gods know why, but I do.”

  “Good. Truce, then, Hellfire? I have lots of friends on Eruthros, but that won’t lessen my need for you. Or yours for me.”

  She smiled, for the first time in two days. “Yes, Captain. Truce.”

  “Prove it. Kiss me.”

  Her mouth dropped. “What does a truce between us have to do with kissing?”

  “Well, you seem to operate in one of two modes. Kissing mode or throwing of objects mode. I prefer to have you in a kissing mode.”

  “You arrogant bastard . . .”

  “Kiss me, then it’s sweet dreams. You do want sweet dreams for the next two months, don’t you?”

  “There are no dreams in hypersleep. Even I know that. I hope you rot in whatever special hell is reserved for thieves and killers,” she said, though she stepped closer to him as she said it.

  “Oh, I’m sure there’s a very special place reserved just for me. But they’re going to have to hold it just a while longer,” he whispered, dipping his head to hers.

  She tried to summon, as she had so many times before with Kyl, the demeanor of the Interplanetary Investigative Bureau agent—cool, in control, and detached—but she failed miserably this time. Not a part of her felt cool or detached, and she felt no control whatsoever. And the pose she struck with her head held high and her chin in the air made it just that much easier for him to take her face in his hands and tease her mouth with his, rewarding her at last with a long, slow kiss that made her forget to breathe.

  Less than an hour later, she was in the world beyond dreams.

  WAKING FROM hypersleep was not the romantic experience that going into the sleep was. Numbness of the limbs, a head full of cotton, and the sickly sweet stink of the sleep all made the process downright disagreeable. On the plus side, however, was the fact that their journey was almost at an end, and that the ship had weathered the trip in fine form, performing exactly as expected. Kyl ran a thorough systems check upon awakening from the sleep and told her the Incubus was in need of only minor repairs.

  Also on the plus side was the good mood he seemed to be in. Gone was the travel-weary cynic, replaced by the enthusiasm of a knight-errant embarking on a new quest. He was brimming with excess energy as he checked the systems, the cargo, the food and water supply, and made his first transmission to Eruthros Port Authority, giving their status and estimated docking time.

  On the third day out of hypersleep, the small world came into view, and they docked without incident at the spaceport orbiting high above Eruthros. All cargo and valu
ables had long since been transferred to the Chimera, the ship’s shuttle, which sat housed and ready in the belly of the Incubus like an unborn infant waiting to experience the light of day. But before Kyl and Dina could shuttle down to Terminus, a certain protocol had to be followed, most of which seemed to involve the transfer of credit from Kylariz to various Port Authority officials and so-called Synergy representatives.

  There was the standard docking fee, of course, but then there was also the small matter of registering an unregistered ship. And there was the matter of an additional fee for the size of the ship. Of course, the modifications to the ship necessitated yet another fee, and a duty naturally had to be paid on all the cargo. Kyl seemed to expect all the payments, however, and he shrugged it all off with a laugh when she asked him about it.

  “No, Hellfire, it doesn’t bother me. You forget whose ship this is. All fees and bribes are courtesy of Vaizya Repere and the rich cargo sitting in the hold when we took the ship.”

  Dina knew Kyl was anxious to shuttle down to the city and couldn’t understand his lingering to talk to the Operations Manager, who invited Kyl into his office and offered him a drink like an old friend. The two men later stepped into the long, circular corridor that ringed the docking berths while Dina cooled her heels in the waiting room. Unable to sit, she paced the room and looked out the small window that gave her a partial look at the dock. Robotic cargo lifts ran along specified paths, while men scurried along the catwalks connecting the berths with various dock modules housing maintenance, supplies, storage, and communications.

  She tried not to think about the last orbiting spacedock she had arrived at, the dock high above Aeternus on Exodus. It seemed so long ago, even though it had been only half a standard year, and much of that spent in hypersleep. So much had happened that sometimes it seemed like a dream to her. On Ror at least she’d been in the corridor to the Grid, but here, on the edge of Synergic space, she was further away from Rayn than ever. On Ror, there had been the chance she could have gone on to B’harata. Or perhaps she could have found some way to send a message via subspace communication. Now, there was none. On Ror, she’d thought she had felt something with Kyl that almost made her forget Rayn. Almost. Now . . . she was more unsure than ever.

  Her musings were broken by the sound of Kyl returning through the door.

  As she turned toward him, their eyes met, and he gave her a wink. She smiled, then felt guilty. Most likely he had interpreted her wistful thoughts of Rayn as worry for him.

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her along, encouraging her to match his long stride.

  “We’re cleared to go down, so let’s go.”

  “What were you talking to that manager about?”

  “The Tisiphone is here.”

  “Your ship?”

  “Aye. With Sandy.”

  She was genuinely glad the young man had survived. “Kyl, that’s wonderful! But how? I thought the mission ship apprehended him.”

  “Oh, aye, they apprehended him. And promptly released him. Most likely there’s a tracking device on the Tisiphone. Dhagaz’ll be on his way here now, that’s for certain.”

  She yanked her arm away from him until he let her go. “And that’s what you care about more than anything, isn’t it?”

  “He’s a butcher, Dina. Aye, I’ll have my revenge on him.”

  ONCE SAFELY TUCKED into the Chimera, Dina watched and listened as Kyl established a downlink to Terminus.

  “Terminus Base. Sandy, do you copy?”

  “You’re late. What’s the matter? Forget how to steal a ship?”

  Kyl smiled. It wasn’t the teasing, but just hearing Sandy’s voice that gladdened him. “I missed you, too. And no, I didn’t forget how to boost a ship. Vaizya’s missing his, so don’t shoot when you see the Chimera.”

  “I can’t blast Vaizya’s drop ship? You take all the fun out of life.”

  “I promise you all the fun you can stand, brother. See you soon.”

  “Looks like the Roven are back on the luck, Alec.”

  Back on the luck. Did he dare believe it? “Aye, on the luck. Chimera out.”

  The past few months had been hard, but it did look like everything he wanted was in Kyl’s grasp. Sandy and the Tisiphone had survived. He had Vaizya’s rich cargo to make up for that he had lost. And Duguerra Dhagaz was coming. The only thing not in his grasp was Dina’s heart. Though they had come to an understanding, that’s all it seemed to be.

  The trip to the surface was a quick one, and though Kyl had had many homecomings on Eruthros, this one felt special. Home, he thought as the Chimera’s landing gear touched down. For a change Dina was quiet, perhaps sensing something of his mood. He turned to her, smiled, and gave her a wink. Smiles between them had been rare during the flight from Ror, and the one she gave him now was all the more precious because of it. When the Chimera rolled to a stop inside his hangar, he leaned over and gave her a kiss. She didn’t fight it, but returned the kiss with all the joy that had been in her smile.

  He opened the cargo hatch, lowered the ramp, and ran down to touch a quick knee to the ground in thanks for their safe flight and landing. Sandy strode up to him and extended a hand to help him up, then grasped him behind the head to pull him into a gentle head-butt.

  “Welcome home, brother,” whispered Sandy.

  “It’s good to be home.” But he could see that Sandy’s round-eyed gaze was already focused behind him. “You didn’t really expect me to leave her with the scum on Ror, did you?”

  Sandy, his mouth open, didn’t answer. Kyl turned, and they both watched Dina step down the ramp. She was stunning. Her pale hair gleamed like white gold, and her silver-gray eyes sparkled like exodite. She was thin after the long flight, but even in a T-shirt and cargo pants enough of her curves showed to remind him of the desire he’d felt for her every day since they’d left Ror. She smiled, and he wondered if she was truly happy. Maybe it was just that they were on land again and that the long flight was over. Maybe she was simply sharing his delight in seeing Sandy again. Or maybe at last she was glad to be with him.

  Sandy bowed and placed both hands over his heart. “Welcome to Terminus, miss.”

  She sidled up to him, still beaming. “I think you can call me Dina now.”

  He turned his head and gave Kyl a sly wink. “Does that mean I get a hug?”

  “Only if you let me call you Sandy,” she replied.

  He grinned and nodded, and Dina gave him a quick embrace.

  Kyl slapped his friend on the back. “Come. We’ve much to discuss, but first both of us are in need of a long, hot bath.”

  Unlike on Ror, this hangar was his own, and he was almost as proud of it as he was of his ship. It sported state-of-the-art security systems and everything from luxurious sleeping quarters to a maintenance bay that boasted the finest in robotic diagnostic and repair equipment. Right now, though, the only thing he cared about was the oversized tub complete with whirlpool jets.

  “When you’re ready, meet me in the planning room. I’ll have food ready as well,” said Sandy.

  Bathed, refreshed, and in clean clothes, he and Dina sat with Sandy in the planning room where, true to Sandy’s word, a robust spread of bread, cheese, roast meat and wine was waiting for them. Kyl dug in and gave instructions between mouthfuls.

  “The first order of business is the cargo. The Chimera’s hold is overflowing. It’s a rich haul, Sandy, as fine a prize as ever we’ve taken. Unload it and have Daemon pick it up as soon as he can. Once you settle up with him, take a third of the proceeds and have him set up a line of credit in Dina’s name. In case anything happens to me I want to make sure she has funds available. Second is the Tisiphone.”

  “I already have men guarding the ship.”

  “Good. Vaizya is welcome to the Incubus, but I don’t want so much as a d
ock rat sniffing aroun’ the Tisiphone.”

  Sandy nodded. “Done.”

  “When the cargo and line of credit are taken care of, I want you at the spaceport. I want to know exactly when Vaizya and Duguerra arrive. I want to know how many men they have with them and where they go when they make planetfall. Hire more men if you need to, but I want to know every move Vaiz and Dugu make.”

  Sandy nodded. “What about you?” But his eyes were on Dina, not him.

  “I’m going to Triplicity. Dina’ll stay here with you. I don’t want her anywhere near Duguerra when the fighting starts.”

  Dina put a hand on his arm. “No. Kyl, I want to stay with you.”

  He took her hand and held it. “Listen. Duguerra has no scruples. He’ll kill you without a second’s thought just to get at me. I won’t lose you the way I lost Axial.”

  She huffed, and her eyes sparked at him. “Isn’t this what you trained me for? I promise I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”

  Sandy’s grin told him the battle was already lost.

  He downed the last of his wine and set the silver goblet down with a twang. “Go, brother. There’s not a moment to lose.”

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Kyl activated the bay door, powered on his cruiser, and in a heartbeat they were gliding through the streets of Terminus.

  “How far is this Triplicity? Is it a village?” asked Dina.

  “It was an ancient crossroads at the juncture of three great rivers. The rivers dried up, but most of the buildings remain. I have a house there. Normally it takes a couple hours to get there, but if I push this thing hard enough we should make it by nightfall.”

  Dina nodded. It was a small enough victory, but any argument won against Kyl was a triumph. She’d be damned if she’d be secreted away Gods knew where while Kyl plotted and schemed. It wasn’t that she agreed with his plan of vengeance, but she wanted to be with him whatever happened. Isn’t that why he spent a month training her? She remembered his little speech to her, word for word. It’s about our being partners. It’s about you ensuring my survival and me ensuring yours. If I need help, who do you think I’m going to count on? Why do you think I push you so hard? Your life is mine, and mine, yours. They’d struck a bargain, and she intended to hold him to it.