Priestess of the Eggstone

by Jaleta Clegg

  By then, I knew quite a bit about her and her brother. They were children of space gypsies, one of the large families of wanderers that traveled all through the Empire and beyond. Her parents, though, had been disowned before Jasyn was born. She and Jerimon were raised on dozens of different planets and stations, wherever her parents could find work. A mining accident shortly after she turned nineteen had claimed both their lives, leaving her and Jerimon on their own. They had managed to scrape together the money and knowledge to pass certification, Jerimon as a pilot, Jasyn as a navigator. Jerimon ended up at her home several times a year, between jobs and usually in a bit of trouble. Never as serious as this time, though.

  Jasyn cooked again for lunch. We got talking about spices and cooking. She was interested, seeing the same possibilities in trade that captivated me at the Academy. Spices were small, very portable, and in demand. Jerimon got bored with the topic and went to watch vids.

  I really liked Jasyn. The idea of working with her felt more real with each hour. She understood; she wanted the same things that I did. I found her company easy, and the feeling was mutual.

  The day finally dragged to a close. Wind shrieked around the building. The white of snow faded to gray and then to black.

  I dreamed that night, a horrible nightmare involving fire and men with big nasty swords chasing me. I couldn’t run, my legs seemed to be stuck to the ground. They came closer, huge hairy men laughing cruelly. One raised his sword, which was suddenly burning with hot flames. It came down closer and closer to my head. I ducked and tried to squirm away. The sword just kept falling. Yellow flame touched my shoulder and I screamed.

  “Dace, it’s me. Wake up.”

  I blinked my eyes open to see a dark shape looming over me. I scrambled desperately for the weapon I used to keep under my pillow. I fell out of the narrow bed instead. The dark shape bent closer. I was so disoriented, I had no idea where I was. I tried to crawl away from the groping hands.

  “Dace?” The hands grabbed my shoulders.

  I fought to get free, flailing widly with my fists.

  The light in the room flicked on. The dark shape looming over me was only Jerimon. Jasyn stood across the room by the switch looking confused. I pulled my knees up and put my head down, wrapping my arms around my legs to try to hide the shaking.

  “Does she do this often?” Jasyn asked.

  “Not on the ship.”

  I raised my head and hoped the shaking wasn’t as noticeable to them as it was to me.

  “Just a bad dream,” I said and tried to smile. It came out twisted.

  I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted Tayvis then, more than ever. He’d made the nightmares go away while we were in the middle of living them on Dadilan. He’d made me feel safe. But he was as untouchable as the Emperor’s throne, off somewhere on Patrol business where I couldn’t follow. I’d left him in a Patrol hospital with only a vague promise that he’d look for me in the future. I took a final breath and opened my eyes.

  Jerimon and Jasyn watched me. I felt like a zoo exhibit.

  I stood and picked up the blankets I’d knocked onto the floor. “I’m fine.”

  “You were screaming. Was it the Sessimoniss?” Guilt fairly dripped from Jerimon’s voice.

  “I haven’t had a single nightmare about eight-foot lizards ripping my shoulder open and poisoning me. It doesn’t have anything at all to do with you, Jerimon.” He had too much ego, thinking everything must be his fault.

  “Does it matter?” Jasyn asked, yawning. “If the excitement is over, I want to go back to sleep.”

  “Then you were just having nightmares about the Patrol. That was your own fault. I told you we shouldn’t have run at Viya.”

  “And you had a better plan? Who was playing the hero?”

  “You could have warned me about Leon.”

  “You could have looked!”

  “And you could have told me!”

  “If you two are going to argue, you can do it outside,” Jasyn said. “Either kiss and make up or go away. I want to sleep.”

  Jerimon and I stared each other down until Jasyn flicked off the light. Jerimon stumbled from the room, muttering to himself. I stood by the narrow bed and wondered why I was picking fights with Jerimon.

  The nightmare brought back memories of Tayvis. Compared to him, Jerimon was a whining little boy. Not that Tayvis didn’t have his faults. He’d treated me like an imbecile; he’d pulled a knife and threatened to kill me, twice. But he’d also made it possible for me to leave Dadilan in one piece. He’d kissed me when he thought he was dying. Only the timely appearance of the Patrol had saved him, saved us both.

  Thinking of Tayvis and those last hours on Dadilan reminded me of Jerimon’s kiss in the cargo bay. I didn’t want to remember that. I argued with Jerimon because I found him very attractive and I didn’t want to. I wanted life simple. I flopped on the bed and wrapped the blanket around me.

  “Dace,” Jasyn spoke from her own bed, “why don’t you just admit you like him and quit picking fights with him?”

  “I can’t, Jasyn.”

  “Why not? It’s easy. You just go up to him and say, ‘Jerimon, I actually like you, so let’s quit fighting.’ Simple.”

  “That isn’t the problem.”

  “Then what is? You’re sitting over there sighing so hard I can’t sleep for the noise. I haven’t seen Jerimon act this way before. He’s treating you like a person.”

  “How does he normally treat women?”

  She sat, a darker shadow in the dark room. “I’ve seen him when he thinks he’s in love. This isn’t it. If you two just quit fighting long enough to really talk to each other, you could solve the whole problem.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Just be his friend, Dace. Don’t try to complicate it. He isn’t ready for a long-term relationship. I don’t think you are either.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I didn’t know whether I should be offended or not.

  “Let’s just untangle the mess you’re currently in before you try to make another one.” Jasyn yawned.

  I leaned against the wall, wondering if she was right.

  “Who’s Tayvis?” she asked. “You were shouting his name in your sleep.”

  “Just someone I met. Once. Nobody important.” It was a bald lie. Even I could hear the longing in my voice.

  “Someone special, I think.”

  “Yes, I think. He wanted me to meet him in three years when his enlistment is up.”

  “He’s Patrol?”

  “With the Enforcers.”

  “The way you’re going, you’re going to meet him a lot sooner than that.” She laughed. “Just mention him if Jerimon gets out of hand. The competition would do him good.”

  “I thought you were suggesting we just be friends.”

  “I was.”

  The room grew silent, except for the howling wind outside. The window rattled briefly.

  “How do you know if you’re in love?” I asked.

  “I’ll tell you in the morning,” Jasyn answered, muffling another yawn.

  I listened to the wind howl until it lulled me to sleep.

  When I woke, it was to find bright sunlight streaming through the window and silence in the apartment. Jerimon and Jasyn should be making some kind of noise, shouldn’t they? Had they left me behind? I scrambled out of the bed in a panic. They couldn’t have left me behind. They wouldn’t have, I insisted to myself. They needed me. I tried to squelch the little voice in my head that told me that no, they really didn’t need me for anything.

  I jerked the bedroom door open. Jerimon looked up, startled, from a book. I leaned on the doorframe as my heartrate slowed and the panic drained away. Jerimon lowered his book, his gaze traveling slowly over my body. His look made me blush. I wore one of Jasyn’s nightgowns, a short slinky one that showed off a lot more of me than I wanted it to.

  “Is there something you wanted, Dace?” Jerimon fina
lly asked.

  “No.” I retreated into the bedroom. My face burned with embarrassment. Why should I care what Jerimon thought? I angrily pulled off the gown and found my own shapeless shipsuit. He was annoying, egotistical; he meant absolutely nothing to me. So why did he make me feel so flustered?

  I jammed my feet through the legs of the suit. I’d made the mistake of falling in love once before. I was not going to repeat it, especially not with Jerimon. He was good looking, honestly he was gorgeous, but what difference did that make? He had gotten me attacked by eight-foot lizards. They were still chasing us. Why should I be embarrassed by the way he looked at me? Why did he make my heart speed up? I could deny it all I wanted to, but it wasn’t going to change the attraction I felt.

  I shoved my arms in the sleeves and zipped the suit. I was vain enough to run my fingers through the mess of hair on my head, not that it did much good, but at least it didn’t stick up quite as badly when I finished. I took a moment to compose myself before I opened the door again. I would be calm, collected, absolutely untouchable. Except I wasn’t.

  Jerimon watched the door, still grinning, when I opened it. “The other outfit was much more flattering.”

  I ignored him and my red face as I crossed the room to fetch my boots from the kitchen. I shoved my feet into them, balancing precariously on one foot at a time.

  “Jasyn left early,” Jerimon said right behind me, causing me to jump and almost fall. He caught my arm and steadied me. I jerked my arm away. “Did anyone ever tell you that you are not much of a morning person?”

  “Go away, Jerimon.” I turned my back, hunching my shoulders.

  “Breakfast is on the counter. I’ll be waiting when you’re through grouching.” He sauntered out of the kitchen.

  I had an urge to throw something at him. How dare he act so cool and nonchalant? I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I didn’t like him. It was the truth. He was worse than the rat Leon. What kind of an idiot did he think I was? Did he think that all he had to do was give me that big-eyed look and his grin and I would melt all over the floor? It was almost true. How dare he make me feel this way? I slammed dishes onto the table and helped myself to the food waiting on the counter.

  There was a piece of paper, folded neatly in half, with my name on it under a bowl of preserved fruit. The writing was elegant.

  Got a call this morning, need to check some things out. Can you get the ship ready to fly? Don’t let Jerimon get under your skin.

  I ate and wondered what kind of call would send us flying off planet. It couldn’t be about the Sessimoniss or Jerimon would be the one in a panic. It couldn’t have been about Belliff or both of us would be scrambling to leave. Was Jasyn going to drag me into some mess of her own? She didn’t seem to be the type. Jerimon would know. I could ask him or ignore him and head straight for the ship. My curiosity would kill me first.

  “What did Jasyn tell you?”

  “She was gone when I woke up. She wants to leave as soon as we can. She left me a list of things to pack.”

  “I’ll head to the ship and make sure it still flies.” I brushed past him.

  “Dace,” he said.

  I paused with my hand on the doorknob. “What?” I asked without looking at him.

  “You really did look better in the nightgown.”

  I muttered bad words under my breath as I yanked the door open and stomped into the snow. Jerimon’s laugh followed.

  Sunlight sparkled off ice and snow on every surface. The air was crisp, clean, and very cold. My nose tried to freeze shut with every breath. I shivered, debating about borrowing a coat. My pride kept me out. I spotted the curve of ships rising over the roofline, the port was only a few blocks away. I walked towards them, my boots crunching through the ice. Vehicles crawled past, wheels churning white snow into gray slush.

  My nose was numb and my fingers were threatening to fall off when I reached the ship. I shivered so hard I almost didn’t notice the man standing by the hatch. He wore a huge, furry coat and looked a lot warmer than I felt. I reached for the hatch controls.

  “Are you part of the crew for this ship?” His voice snapped with impatience.

  “Last time I checked,” I said as the door slid open, letting out a breath of warm air. I took one step into the airlock.

  The man grabbed my arm. “I’m here to repossess it for payment of debts. Any asset of Belliff, Inc. is subject to instant seizure. Where’s the captain?”

  I pasted on my dumbest look, hoping the captain’s bars on my collar were not too obvious. “I’m just crew. Can I get my personal stuff?”

  He hesitated, looking over his shoulder across the field. He frowned, tapping his clipboard on his leg. “Be quick about it.”

  “I’ll hurry.” I locked him out before he realized what I’d done.

  I waited for the inner door to open, relishing the warmth and wondering how we were going to wiggle out of this one. If we took the ship, the Patrol would be on us for piracy. We’d gotten away with it so far because Belliff wasn’t in a position to complain. With someone else claiming the ship for payment, we wouldn’t get off planet.

  The inside of the ship seemed even smaller. I opened my locker, then jumbled everything into a bag. We needed to leave fast, before someone decided to file charges against us personally, not just Belliff.

  Chapter Eleven

  The summer sun of Tebros burned in a burnished sky. Waves of heat shimmered over the cracked and pitted surface of the landing field. Sweat dripped down Tayvis’ back, tickling under his collar. He ignored it as he stalked towards the Patrol offices.

  The air inside the building was marginally cooler. Tayvis stopped in the foyer, a half dozen troops in full Enforcer uniform ranged behind him. The secretary, a very young woman in a plain silver uniform, jumped from her chair, saluting with a shaking hand. Tayvis stood in the center of the room, watching her, waiting. She visibly wilted under his forbidding stare, shrinking into herself while still trying to stay at attention. Tayvis took pity on her after a moment. It wasn’t her fault he was in such a foul mood.

  “Where is he?” He kept his voice mild.

  “Who, sir?” the secretary stammered. He waved her to her seat. She sank into it gratefully.

  “Commander Grant Lowell,” Tayvis said, biting off each syllable. The secretary automatically reached for her computer, then stopped, her hand frozen in the act. She stared at Tayvis, dark eyes wide. “Commander Tayvis?”

  He nodded, once.

  “He’s waiting for you. He said you would be here. How did he know?” She wrinkled her nose in confusion. “I had no notice of anything official. You aren’t on the manifests.” Her fingers clicked over keys. Tayvis sighed, suddenly tired.

  “Just tell me where he is.”

  The secretary’s fingers paused, hovering over the keys. She looked lost and nervous again. “He’s in his office. I’ll tell him.” She reached for a communicator pad.

  “Just tell me which room.”

  She waved her hands, flustered. “Down the hall, there. He’s in the last room on the left.” Tayvis stepped around her desk into the hall behind it. His men fanned out into guard positions in the foyer; one trailed him down the hall. The last door stood open, spilling sunlight into the hall. Tayvis stopped in the doorway.

  Commander Grant Lowell stood with his back to the door, his hands clasped behind him as he stared into the afternoon glare. He turned, smiling at Tayvis. “Come in. Close the door behind you.”

  Tayvis stepped into the room, pulling the door shut. His guard stayed in the hall. Lowell dropped into the chair behind the desk, waving Tayvis to the only other chair in the room, a battered wooden thing that had seen better days. Tayvis sat, the chair protesting with a loud squeal. He waited in stony silence, his face a mask that hid his anger.

  “This room needs something,” Lowell said after a long moment. “Artwork, maybe. Something in blue?” He raised one eyebrow.

  “I’m not in the mood,
Lowell.”

  “Why the goons?”

  “Don’t play games with me. You sent me to Viya, you know.”

  “Know what? I think the heat may be affecting your brain.” He eyed Tayvis shrewdly. “Dace left Viya not long before you arrived. She landed here eight days ago.” Lowell leaned back in his chair, hands clasped in his lap.

  “And I was supposed to guess she’d run back here, to Tebros? That’s the dumbest move in the book. She isn’t stupid.” He stopped himself. Flying right back to Tebros was something Dace would have pulled.

  “Think it through, Tayvis. I gave you access to everything. Did you forget to do your homework?” The chair thumped as Lowell turned his handcomp so Tayvis could read the screen. “Dace is a pilot and a passable engineer. The man with her, Jerimon Pai, is a pilot. Neither of them know enough to program a nav computer. She had whatever course tapes Belliff gave her, half-a-dozen destinations at most. She was in a hurry to leave. It isn’t hard to reverse a course tape. With the equipment on her ship, it takes three buttons and a switch. You should have figured it out and made it here before she did.”

  “So where is she? Did you lock her up?”

  “She’s long gone.” Lowell’s voice was still mild, slightly disapproving. “I talked to her.”

  “You let her go. You had your pick of several dozen charges against her and you just let her go. I thought you needed her.”

  “I need her, yes, but I need her to come willingly. She wasn’t even listening to me.” Lowell smiled blandly, eyes bright, unreadable. “Why did it take you so long? And why the full escort?”

  “You, the most knowledgeable man in the Empire, don’t know? I spent four days on Viya trying to avert a war, doing my best until a delegation from the Empire arrived. The escort was necessary. I had no idea what situation I’d find here. The Sessimoniss are on the warpath. They actually fired on a full battle group. Viya was not equipped to deal with an incident like that. I had no choice but to take command until someone higher ranking showed up.”