Josh's smile returned. "Come on. Come with us."
"I don't pray to your God, or any deity."
Josh blinked and sat up straighter. "Seriously? But you always go with Mrs. Johnson."
"I drive, and keep her company. It's…interesting. That's all."
"Oh. I always thought…" Josh sighed and stood up. "Nevermind. I guess you're not coming?"
"I don't know." Elis didn't want to, but with his head still full of data, he needed a break from the computer. He'd been on it all day, partly because he didn't want to think about what might have happened.
Now his stomach gurgled its objection. He needed food and he needed a shower. After that, he would be ready, but not now. It might be possible, and he would be with friends. Debbie, Evelyn, and even Josh were the closest he had to friends on that world. They were all going.
"Hey!" Nare stood in the doorway of his room with her arms crossed. "They're not waiting all day. Are you going or not?"
"If Evelyn doesn't mind, I'll catch up after I eat and clean up." They prayed for Raea because they believed it would help. If there was even the remotest chance it might work, he wouldn't turn it down. And he couldn't stand the thought of being alone in the house with Nare.
"All right." Nare's eyes shifted. "Josh?"
"Ah…" He stared at Elis.
What did Josh want him to say? Elis was going.
"I'll wait and go with Elis…if you don't mind."
Elis shrugged.
"Suit yourself. Maybe you can knock some sense into Mister Grumpy." Nare vanished a moment later.
Anger flared, until Josh passed him to the door.
"I'll wait downstairs."
Elis said nothing. Josh could keep Nare company for now. She wouldn't go to church. If for no other reason, getting out of the house gave him time away from her.
He hurried to shower and dressed in a plain, dark green long-sleeved shirt and black pants, and the fingerless gloves he always wore in public to hide the Starburst marks. After a quick meal, and his hair still wet but combed aside—as useless as that would be—he left with Josh.
By the time they reached the church, his hair hung over his face. Raea always said he should cut it shorter. If she ever returned, he might do it just for her.
They were early. The foyer was quiet, while the steady chant of the rosary drifted from the open wooden doors of the sanctuary. An air of quiet reverence hung over the whole building, as if to make any sound would cause some great cataclysm. Josh excused himself to join Debbie and Evelyn.
Paul stood outside his office a few feet down a short hall from the bright foyer. He wore his usual black clothes and white collar and visited with two men. The young priest caught Elis's eye and motioned for him to join them.
"Elis." Paul hushed his voice.
The two men watched him. The taller man wore a sweater of horizontal black stripes on red, his dark hair parted precisely off-center. The other man had thinning brown hair exposing a patch of near baldness that shone in the light from the office. Though stocky, he gave no less an impression of physical strength and watched Elis's approach with an intense interest that sent a note of caution through Elis's head. Or maybe he was being paranoid, as Raea might say, although he had a good reason for it.
Elis stopped next to Paul.
"Mister Torres and Mister Stein." Paul motioned to each in turn.
Each man acknowledged him with a curt nod.
"This is Elis Jasheir, the young man I mentioned," Paul said. "He can probably answer your questions better than me. He's close to Miss Dahlrich."
What questions? What about Raea? Elis studied them—the way the taller, black-haired man stood rigid, his hands clasped before him, an unwavering gaze; his slightly shorter companion with his hands in his pockets and more relaxed.
The taller man, the one Paul identified as Mister Torres, spoke first. "We're following up on an incident here—or, rather, a series of incidents—involving Miss Dahlrich, approximately four weeks ago. Father Davison was just telling us that she sometimes shows up at church and that you two are now dating?"
"Correct." Or were dating, but he wouldn't tell them.
"Is Miss Dahlrich with you? We were told that she sometimes attends this church."
"I'm sorry. I can't help you with that."
The two men exchanged looks. Mister Stein passed a hand over his hair, or the little that remained. "Is she, ah, home? Can we talk to her?"
Suspicions overpowered the data still circling his head, shoving it further to the background. He wouldn't help them if he could. "No." Why did they want to talk to Raea? What were they after?
"Do you know where she is?"
Elis hesitated. He knew where she was, but their question implied more. They wanted something. Even if Raea was home, he wouldn't let them near her. No one else would hurt her.
A horrible thought struck. What if they were Shirukan or working with the Shirukan?
Mister Torres's eyebrow lifted slightly. "Something happened to her."
They were sharp, but Elis wouldn't give them the truth. His patience had reached its end. "What do you want with Raea?"
"We only want to talk with her."
No one ever wanted to talk to Raea without gaining something from her. "Who are you? Who sent you?"
"We're not at liberty to say. You have our names. That's enough." Stein slipped his hands back into his pants pockets and shrugged. "We need to speak to Miss Dahlrich in person. If you see her—" He pulled one hand out and dipped into the breast pocket of his shirt and offered a business card to Elis. "Have her contact us. Won't you?"
Elis took the card.
"Good day." Stein flashed a quick smile and offered his hand, which Elis clasped briefly. Torres gave a curt nod and followed his companion from the church.
Even from the small exposure of the Starburst on the inside of the two fingers where a trail of it extended beyond his gloves, he would have felt it with a touch of the resonance. He didn't need to access the resonance to know, though. No Shirukan ever offered a hand to a Keeper. These men were human.
What did they want with Raea?
Elis looked down at the card. It bore only a name—Matthew Stein—and a phone number.
He would use that information and track down who they really were. What was one more search? It would keep him too busy to fall into the emotional hole left by Raea's absence.
__________
Sheep in Wolf's Clothing
Raea stepped back from the sight that sent shivers through her.
Leksel reached behind him to fasten a flap on the back of his neck, his dark brown wings lowered to his sides out of his way.
Next to her, Cris chuckled at the older man. ["You're frightening the poor Keeper."]
Leksel's eyes could have sliced Cris in half, but without a word, he proceeded to fasten the black, thigh-length coat over the black flightsuit and belt it.
The precision of his manners and sharpness of his orders clicked together with the belt at his waist. The way he stood straighter and tightened his wings to his back transformed him into the Shirukan with the change of clothes.
When he suggested the idea, Raea had no idea how well he fit the picture. This wasn't the first time he'd worn that uniform; he had slipped into it like a second skin. ["You've done this before."]
Leksel pulled on the black gloves. ["Yes."]
Four of them stood in the room. The others had gone out ahead of their intended path, ready to flank the guards they hoped to encounter. Leksel had pulled the uniform from the pack he carried, like Corsa, who now stood behind him in the same black uniform.
Raea shuddered at the sight of the two of them. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. ["I…don’t know if I can do this."]
A hint of a smile cracked the hard lines of his face.
["Don't worry."] Cris patted her shoulder. ["Leks knows his way around the Shirukan better than anyone. He won't let anyone hurt you."]
Easy for him t
o say. He wouldn't be the one with his hands and wings secured, playing unconscious. Rather, he'd be following in the shadows, waiting for them to do the hard work of finding and disabling two more Shirukan to take their uniforms.
["Ready?"] Corsa held open the shackles with their wing binders attached to the metal wrist loops.
["No. Isn't there another way?"]
["Not unless we want to arouse suspicions."]
Raea preferred Corsa's disagreement.
["You won't be locked in,"] Leksel said and took the shackles from Corsa.
Sure, she'd seen that in movies before. It never worked, but at least they weren't trying to break into any detention level. They just wanted to disarm and unclothe two Shirukan so she and Cris would have uniforms to walk past the guards in the shuttle bay with Leksel, steal a shuttle, and get the hell out of Dodge, or, rather, Naviketan. She hated the sight of those uniforms; wearing one herself would be sickening.
["You'll be all right."] Now Cris sided with Leksel?
["Why do I have to go? Why can't the two of you just go out and take down two guards?"]
["If I'm carrying you, the Crystal Keeper, any normal Shirat soldiers we encounter will call for other Shirukan to aid us. Regular soldiers aren't meistal. The Shirukan have authority over any ordinary soldier. They can absorb some of the Starfire energy if a Crystal Keeper releases it on them. That's why they're the elite forces. We need Shirukan uniforms."]
She still didn't like it.
A gentle rub on her shoulder from Cris brought back the aching need for Elis's presence. If only he was there. She trusted him. He'd know what to do. She'd barely known these three a day or more. What day was it, anyway?
["It's all right."] Cris spoke in a soft voice. ["I don't like it either, but this is the best way to get there. Who knows how far you'll get by the time you find someone. Besides, I'll be close behind."]
She wanted to believe him. Oh, how she wanted to. But what if something went wrong? Her stomach wretched into an awful mess.
["Leksel's good at this. He may not be very nice—"]
She caught the severe glare from Leksel to Cris.
["But he knows what he's doing."] Cris took the shackles and held them open, ignoring the dark look. ["They won't be secure. You'll still be free to move if something happens."]
If something happens…Thanks for the vote of confidence. Still, wasn't there a better way?
This couldn't be happening, but it was. She didn't have a choice. One way or another, she had to trust them if she hoped to escape. Unless she wanted to just walk out and let the Shirukan take her without a fight. Yeah, right. There was an option.
["We don't have much time,"] Corsa said.
["Raea?"] Cris waited with the shackles.
She turned her back to him and let him put one binder on her wrist and loop under her wings to secure her other wrist with the first. The strap pinched her wings. She was going to end up pulling out ruined feathers at some point. Not even the microlinks that held the vanes together could withstand that abuse. Sometimes she wished for bird feathers and a bill to preen; pulling hurt, but at least the replacements grew in fast. ["Does it have to be so tight?"]
Cris stepped around. ["It'll keep your wings out of the way. Don't worry. I didn't lock them."]
Leksel took an imposing step towards her.
She wasn’t ready for this. ["I don't know."]
["Keep your head down and stay quiet. You're supposed to be neutralized,"] Leksel said.
Easy for him to say.
He grabbed her before she could object. Raea gasped as he hoisted her over his shoulder. The crystal dangled from its chain by her chin.
["All right?"] Leksel asked.
"Just peachy," she muttered while hanging over his back.
["What?"]
["Fine."] And wishing he understood English. Probably better that he didn't.
Corsa checked the binding on her wrists. ["Comfortable?"]
Did she detect a hint of sarcasm?
Based on the smirk when Raea lifted her head, that was indeed Corsa being sarcastic. Lovely. Raea dropped her head to Leksel's muscular back and the wing he pulled aside. ["What do you think?"]
Gah! Did he have to bounce her like that? What if he dropped her?
["Be still and keep quiet. You're supposed to be unconscious."]
Whatever. Just get it over with. Her arms ached already. The sooner they found two Shirukan, the sooner she and Cris could change clothes and move freely, a big improvement over this.
They exited the room. Somewhere behind, the sound of footsteps occasionally rushed and quieted. Cris followed as he promised. So far, so good.
The floor blurred too close for comfort with each step Leksel took, nauseating her into closing her eyes. They walked in silence through several corridors and corners.
["At this rate, we'll be at the shuttle bays before we meet anyone,"] Corsa whispered.
["That wouldn't work. We'd never get past like this."]
A few seconds later, he stopped. A squeeze on Raea's legs was his only warning before she heard the tromp of boots. Many boots.
They stopped. Raea relaxed and let her head hang.
["Sir!"] She didn't recognize the voice.
["We have her, Lieutenant."] Leksel's voice carried a harsh authority.
He outranked a lieutenant? Maybe he really could pull this off. Raea fought the smile fighting to escape. Just listen. Do nothing.
["Sir, if you don't mind, where's your tri-comm?"]
Leksel shifted. ["Crystal fire! It must have come off during the fighting."]
His wings tightened around her, closing off the world. They reminded her of the smell from the recycling area, that hint of waste and dankness she awoke to…yesterday? That had to be the longest day of her life.
["But we neutralized them all,"] Corsa added.
["Send your squad to retrieve them."] Leksel's wings loosened around Raea.
["Yes, sir."]
The clatter of boots hurried past. Raea pinched her eyes closed. Stay out of sight, Cris. A good bet Leksel thought the same. He might not get along with the younger rebel—a true rebel in all ways, probably because of his youth—but he kept him close and depended on him.
Her stomach ached. How long had it been since she ate? Not long, but she hadn't eaten much of the bitter mush. Please get this over with quickly. Hanging over Leksel's shoulder upside down and now getting hungry threatened to sicken her.
Before the steps faded, the stranger said in a low voice, ["Lieutenant Hourall to Central Command—"]
Raea caught the flash of movement from Corsa and a couple thumps of bodies hitting the ground.
["You should have waited."] Leksel set Raea on her feet a little too hard, his scolding glare fixed on Corsa. He knelt down and tapped the captain's tri-comm, a moment later yanking it from the man's face with a scowl.
["He would have alerted them that we had her."] Corsa knelt over one of the bodies and grabbed the wrists.
Leksel pulled off the shackles with more force than necessary and scraped her hand. ["Now they'll suspect something's wrong."] He growled the words, while hiding the horrible shackles in an inner pocket of his jacket.
From behind came the rush of running steps. Raea looked up as Cris joined them.
["Hurry and change. We don't have much time."] Leksel snapped the words at Corsa, who dragged one of the bodies back to a nearby door.
Cris tapped in a code on the pad. The door slid aside and Corsa, Leksel, and Cris dragged the three Shirukan into a small, dimly lit storage room, if the shelves and cylindrical containers were any indication.
Leksel said nothing more, but proceeded to undress one of the two men. Corsa scowled while undressing the woman.
["And how are you feeling?"] Cris directed his words at Raea, seeming unfazed by Leksel's and Corsa's disagreement. The tension was palpable between the two. Raea welcomed Cris's nonchalance.
["Hungry, and a bit lightheaded,"] she sai
d.
["You were upside down for quite a while."]
["Here."] Leksel threw a black coat at Cris. ["Start changing. They probably tracked his signal before I killed it. We only have a few minutes before others show up."]
Cris unfastened his shirt in back and slipped it off. Raea warmed and turned away. Awkward was an understatement in the small room.
The muscling was different than humans, but the extra bulge on his back, like hers, was necessary to control the wings. Cris didn't have much else.
Elis did—she'd seen it when she treated his cut and felt it with her arms around him—but he'd flown most nights, using those muscles. How long had it been since Cris had flown?
Why did she care? She missed Elis. He was so much better looking, although Leksel was probably more attractive physically. His personality left a lot to be desired, though. She shuddered—she did not just think that.
["Raea."]
She caught the jacket Corsa threw at her. Wait. Undress there? In front of all of them?
["Your turn."] Cris winked and started pulling off the grungy, loose pants he wore.
Hell no! Raea turned away. She'd wait. If he thought he'd get a chance to see her nearly naked, he had another thing coming. No way would she undress in front of him. He and Leksel could leave while she changed. ["In your dreams."]
Cris chuckled.
Leksel left the captain in a body suit and tossed the black jumpsuit to Cris.
["Raea."] Corsa tapped her shoulder and handed her a black flightsuit. ["Here. Ignore Cris."] Her warm breath blew on Raea's ear, and she lowered her voice. ["Hurry now, while he's busy dressing. I'll stand behind you."] To her relief, Corsa opened her brown-gold wings, forming a barrier between them and the men.
Raea hurried to slip off her pants and pulled on the bottom of the flightsuit. She removed her arms out of her shirt and pulled up the front of the suit before exposing herself. The clothes smelled strange, a faint fishy odor, but she'd have to tolerate it if she hoped to walk through the city undetected.
Now for her shirt. Pulling her wings through the tears would be trouble. She'd torn it once and had used it since for when she flew at home, to spare her other shirts. Maybe she could leave it on.
Broken Wings Page 11
