Hawk stared out toward the horizon as if he could see his ship in the distance. He gestured to the forest. “We race to those trees and get under cover.”
They ran toward the trees, bending low for concealment and darting from the cover of one boulder or scrubby bush to the next. Kat was skilled at running stealthily, and she kept pace with her long legged companion.
Reaching the shadow of the trees, they twisted through the forest in search of a sheltered spot. A rocky outcrop provided a temporary hiding place. They dropped to the ground and sat side by side, leaning against a boulder and panting. Kat caught the white flash of the Hawk’s teeth as he smiled at her. There was no sign of pursuit.
They sat, catching their breath. The Hawk knotted the black cloth securely around his head, resuming the appearance of a true pirate. Only his sharp green eyes were visible once more. He placed his gloved steel hand provocatively on her knee.
His confidence in his own allure, combined with the secrecy about his face, felt like an insult. She flung him a challenging look, and said, with a hint of scorn in her voice, “Why is Niall of the Silver Hand afraid to reveal his face?”
He withdrew his hand abruptly from her knee.
“You presume too much,” he said in a harsh, repressive tone.
Smiling, Katrina said, “I’ve helped you to escape and fought at your side. Doesn’t that give me a claim to your trust?”
He growled, “No one has seen my face for many years.”
“Did your wife see your face?” she asked, impelled by a gnawing curiosity to pry deeper into the past of this secretive man.
His head jerked up and he pulled away from her side and stood up. In evident agitation, he paced back and forth beside the low cliff. She thought he would refuse to answer.
Pausing in front of her, Hawk stared intently at her face. He exclaimed wildly, as if the words were torn involuntarily from his lips, “No one, not even my wife, has seen my face. Ask me no more questions!”
“You’re a strange man,” Katrina murmured. She puzzled over his peculiar attitude toward his dead wife. How could any woman wed a man whose face she had not seen? And, what of his black mask? At first, she had imagined he had donned the mask after the tragic death of his wife. Yet it appeared his cryptic disguise predated his marriage.
Hawk glared at her, and leaned back against the cliff, staring away into the distance.
Kat looked at his shrouded profile and recognized his tense stance. Feeling sympathy for this prickly, enigmatic man, she wished to comfort him. “I’m sorry, Niall. I won’t ask you any more personal questions until we escape from this planet.”
He turned slowly to face her, as if he was considering her words carefully. “We have a long way to go yet,” he murmured harshly, with a forbidding expression in his green eyes. “You’d be best served by keeping my friendship, Mistress Trina.”
Standing erect and tossing her hair, she flushed red with anger and protested, “I tried to break into the Emperor’s ship at your urging. You promised to keep me safe. Yet, since we met, I’ve been gassed, knocked unconscious, and nearly drowned. We’ve escaped together from several disasters. What more do you want? How can you claim we are not friends?”
“You’re a beautiful little spitfire!” His green eyes gleamed warmly, and he stretched his hand toward her impulsively. Then, he hesitated and did not complete the gesture or touch her. Instead, he said, “We are well matched, Mistress Katrina. We’ll win free. I recognize this place.”
He pointed toward the hills. “There should be a spaceport some twenty five miles in that direction.”
“Can we steal a ship?” she asked, staring at the distant hills with a dawning hope.
A smile crinkled his green eyes. “We can try. Let’s travel!”
He set off at a fast jogtrot, keeping under the shelter of the trees. Katrina ran after him, resolved to match his pace despite her thirst and parched throat from the lack of water. The stand of trees petered out, and they raced through an arid, stony area spotted with scrubby yellow bushes.
“The landing field lies beyond those hills,” he called to her as they ran on. Greyish foliage was visible near the foot of the hills, and she hoped they would find water there. The sun was rising to its zenith and the temperature increased likewise. They raced under the hazy heat. Kat’s legs were tiring and she was very thirsty.
Half way to the hills, the Hawk paused and scanned the ground in search of something. Kat watched him curiously. She was glad of the respite, and flopped down to crouch in the shade of a large boulder.
“What are you looking for?” she asked, relaxing against the cool boulder.
He stepped slowly over the ground, peering down intently. Suddenly, he bent down and dug into the sandy soil, pulling out a bulbous brown root. He showed her the root and explained, “The native inhabitants relish these roots for the liquid they contain. Lend me your knife and I shall prepare one.”
She passed him her small knife, and he peeled off the skin, revealing a white interior. He snapped the peeled root in two and handed her one piece. “Chew on this to relieve your thirst, Mistress Trina.”
Katrina tasted the root gingerly. It was filled with an acrid liquid, barely palatable, but it quenched her parched throat. “Thank you, Captain Hawk,” she said, adapting to his new formality.
Rigidly erect, he stood an arm’s length away from her, as they chewed on the pieces of root. She gazed at him from under her eyelashes. He was well acquainted with this place. Was this planet another clue to his mysterious past? Or did it merely reflect one of his spacefaring adventures as a pirate.
She sighed, stretched her weary legs, and then pushed herself up to join him.
“You are tired,” he said, searching her face. “Yet, it will be best to reach the hills before nightfall. I know a cave where we can shelter for the night.”
Their marathon run continued for several hours under the burning midday heat. They pounded over the barren land, and crossed the dried up bed of a seasonal river. At long last, as the sun was sinking to the horizon, they approached the grey-green brush at the base of the hills.
Black Hawk scanned the scrubby vegetation covering the rocky slopes of the foothills. “This way!” he cried, and strode off into the waist high bushes. Kat followed, twisting cautiously to avoid the thorny branches. He led the way to a low cliff, and lifted up a thick layer of trailing vines to reveal a dark opening in the vertical rock face. Ducking under the vines, he said, “We can hide in here.”
Kat slipped into the cave as he held the vine curtain aside for her. Inside, the cave was refreshingly cool and dark. She stood near the entrance, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light.
Hawk strode further in and picked up something from the wall. She heard a scrape and a tiny flame flared. He bent down and touched the flame to a pile of twigs. There was a flare of light and soon, a small fire was burning. He added sticks gradually and the warmth intensified.
“We cannot risk a large blaze in case we are pursued here,” he remarked. “But, we’ll need the heat when the night grows colder.”
“It’s a pity we don’t have food and water,” Kat said quietly.
“We have water,” he said, and led her to the far end, where the cave narrowed. A trickle of water fell from the roof and puddled on the floor before seeping into a crack. She cupped her hands and drank eagerly.
They sat apart, leaning on opposite walls of the cave.
“Try to sleep,” he said. “When the moon rises we can move on. I want to reach the landing field before daybreak.”
Kat dozed and woke once, shivering in the chilly air. He breathed quietly nearby. Kat rose, knelt beside the dying fire and held her hands to its warmth. She heard a rustle as he shifted position.
He whispered, “Katrina, you are cold. Come sit by me.”
She did as he asked. He put his arm around her and pulled her against his side. Resting her head on his firm shoulder, she was warmed by the contact
. He did not speak again. She wished he would kiss her once more. But, she remembered his mask. Was it merely a disguise, or did his black mask hide some hideous deformity? She shivered, and not from the cold. She did not want to kiss a monster. And yet, his lips had felt good on hers, warm with a promise of passion. With these thoughts skipping through her mind, she curled her hand over his chest and fell asleep.
She woke again when he moved. “It is time to go on,” he muttered.
Sore and hungry, Kat groaned. But, she stood and followed him out of the cave into the cold night. The moon was full and shone brightly overhead, illuminating their path. They detoured around the rock face and climbed up narrow trails into the low hills. Black Hawk walked confidently as if he knew the route well.
He led Katrina over the ridge connecting the two tallest hills. At the highest point, he halted, and dropped to the ground, pulling her down beside him to prevent discovery. He pointed to the shadowy distance, “Our destination is three miles ahead. The watch towers are visible from here.”
Looking in the direction he indicated, she discerned the outlines of four towers and smaller pointed objects, possibly the spacecraft on the landing field.
“From here on, we must take precautions to avoid being spotted by the guards.” Turning to face her, only the glint of reflected light in his eyes was visible against his dark clothes. “Your face and hair shine in the moonlight. Use this scarf to hide your features.” He passed her a strip of black cloth from his belt.
Kat sighed. She knew other tricks for concealment. She spat on her hands, and made a paste of the dirt, which she rubbed over her cheeks and hands to hide the pale skin. Then, she wrapped the cloth around her head and pulled a flap across her grimy face. “Is that better?” she whispered.
He scrutinized her carefully before replying, “Yes. It will do.”
They crawled over the top of the ridge, and crept down the slopes into the plain beyond the hills. Slipping behind bushes and rocks, they took advantage of every possible cover on their route to the spaceport. At length, they reached a vantage point where the spaceport was in clear view. Crouching behind a rock, they stared at the ships on the landing field.
“Those fighter ships are from the Emperor’s fleet,” the Hawk hissed.
“I see a smaller craft also, possibly a Solarian ship,” Kat offered. “Let’s move closer.”
Slithering across the open ground, they dived into a ditch outside the perimeter fence of the landing field. Kat peeped over the dirt bank, squinting to identify the insignia on the small ship.
“It’s from the Solarian sector,” she whispered, glancing back at Black Hawk. “I recognize the markings. The scout ship belongs to some of my friends. Maybe they can help us to escape.”
“Are they searching for Mistress Trina Sligo?” he murmured, kneeling beside her.
“Perhaps. If my friends are in the scouter, we can trust in their loyalty. They will keep my secret and yours too.”
“I have no quarrel with the Solarians,” he murmured in her ear as he edged nearer to stare at the ships. “But, I’m certain the Imperial troopers will try to prevent our escape.”
As far as they could see in the dim light, the ditch ran parallel to the perimeter barrier. They crawled through the debris of dry leaves and loose stones at the bottom, moving in the direction of the Solarian vessel.
Once they were opposite the scouter, Kat whispered, “Say here. I’ll try to wake my friends.” She climbed out of the ditch, wriggled under the fence, and slithered across the low scrub until she faced the front of the scout ship. She tossed a few stones at the window to alert the people inside. Knowing her friends, they would keep watch at night in this dubious territory.
No sign came from the ship, and she crept back under the fence to hide in the shadowy ditch beside the Hawk. She waited.
After a few minutes, they heard the door creak open. Two people jumped out of the small scout ship. They strolled around the ship, arms around each other, and wandered toward the perimeter fence and ditch. As they approached, Kat recognized the tall, lean man and the slender woman with the long dark hair. Her friends, Cormac and Deirdre, had noticed her signal. The couple stood by the fence, wrapped together, and exchanged noisy, passionate, kisses.
Katrina smiled. They were enjoying their simple disguise. Scrambling to the top of the bank, she hissed, “Deirdre, it’s me, Trina! I’m hiding in the ditch with a friend.”
“Trina, we’ve been searching the galaxy for you,” Deirdre whispered back.
“Can you get us out of here? Off this planet, as soon as possible,” Katrina asked urgently.
“Sure, we can help you escape, me darling,” Cormac drawled in his seductive lilting voice. In between speaking, the couple continued smooching with enthusiasm.
“What’s the plan?” Katrina asked bluntly.
“Stay hidden, me dear,” Cormac said softly. “We’ve an appointment with the Emperor’s guards at dawn, in one hour. They are searching for two escaped criminals. We wanted to make sure it was no one we knew. Now, we’ll say we have to leave the planet immediately.”
“We can say you’ve been spotted on another planetary system, say Kepler9C,” Deirdre suggested with a grin.
“Good idea! Spread red herrings across the galaxy,” Katrina murmured, chuckling at the idea of visiting the notorious pleasure planet with Black Hawk in tow.
“On me word as a gentleman, we’ll pick you up on the way back to our scouter,” Cormac promised.
“Keep yourselves safe ‘til we return,” Deirdre whispered, and they wandered back to their ship.
Black Hawk and Katrina were left in the scanty concealment of the ditch right under the noses of the Emperor’s ships.
8 The Shamrock
THEY WAITED PATIENTLY for the rescue promised by the Shamrock’s cheerful crew. Katrina slid down into the dusty ditch beside her companion, Niall, Black Hawk, or whoever he really was. She leaned against the earthen bank and whispered, “They’re my good friends, disregard their smooth talk and smooching. We can trust them to help us escape.”
“I have no choice except to trust you and your friends,” the Hawk said solemnly. “My crew and ship are lost to me for now.”
Huddled next to each other in the bottom of the ditch, they scraped leaves and twigs over their bodies for concealment in the dangerous location so close to the Emperor’s ships. The Hawk slipped off his glove, exposing his silver hand in case of trouble. Glancing sideways, Katrina admired his lean physique and taut alertness. He caught her gaze. She blushed and leaned against his side, enjoying his solid warmth.
Near the end of the hour, a ground buggy zoomed out of the Solarian scout ship and zipped across the landing area to the office buildings on the far side of the perimeter. Kat kept her head below the top of the ditch, but from the speed of the buggy she guessed Cormac was at the controls.
Less than an hour later, they heard the roar of the engine again. The buggy traveled in a wide circuit inside the perimeter fence, hovering toward their position in the ditch. As the buggy drew closer, the front end jerked up. The engine cut out with a clunk and the buggy sunk to the ground beside them. Cormac jumped out, swearing loudly, and marched around the car. He flung open the door on the side nearest the ditch, which was hidden from view of the Emperor’s ships.
“Let’s get in,” Katrina whispered, tugging at the Hawk’s arm. Crouching low, they ran to the door and swung into the back of the buggy. Meanwhile, Cormac had made the full circuit of the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat. Sitting next to him, Deirdre’s long black hair drifted over her pale face.
Deirdre whispered to the rear compartment, “Stay low, and keep under cover.”
A buzzer sounded. Cormac activated the com and listened. “Oh, ‘tis true,” he replied. “We had a spot of trouble with the buggy’s engine. It’s due for maintenance once we’re in space.” Shutting off the com, he warned Deirdre, “They’re suspicious.”
The buggy proce
eded at a sedate pace into the scouter’s hold. The hatch closed, and they were safely inside. Katrina crawled out, followed by the Hawk. Stretching cramped legs, they stood beside the buggy and their two rescuers came to greet them
Deidre kissed Katrina on the cheek, and gushed, “Oh, Trina, we’ve been searching ever since you went missing on Hassam’s port. We had no clue where you’d gone. ‘Tis pure accident we landed here to refuel and test the Imperial waters, so to speak.”
Tall, lean Cormac strode over and brazenly kissed Katrina on her mouth, lilting enthusiastically, “Where’ve you been, me darling Trina? Just waiting for me to hug you?” He slapped her backside.
She pushed him away, responding in mock shock, “Let me alone! You know I must stay pure for the Emperor’s son.”
Cormac and Deirdre chuckled, and Cormac retorted, “What, that fumbling oaf, Prince Alvin?”
Katrina laughed. “He serves a useful purpose.”
“Who have we here?” Cormac pointed at the Hawk, switching direction in his mercurial fashion.
Groaning inwardly, Katrina sensed Black Hawk’s disapproval of her lively friends. She glanced at his black clad figure. Standing stiffly apart from the three reunited friends, Hawk’s arms were crossed and his green eyes narrowed. He radiated a fierce confidence. Her heart skipped a beat. Captain Hawk looked magnificent, standing proudly against the wall.
She sighed, and after a moment’s thought, explained, “He is Niall Black and he helped me escape.”
“Oh, ’Tis true he’s black, black all over,” Cormac joked, and added a sharp thrust, “Black as a Hawk!”
Lowering her eyebrows in a repressive frown, Katrina snapped, “Can it, Cormac! I vouch for him.” She stepped over to stand beside Black Hawk. Gazing at his guarded face, she said, “I apologize for my friend’s mistimed hilarity.” Swinging round to face Cormac again, she hissed, “You better get us off this planet in one piece, Cormac O’Brian.”
Flaunting a deep bow, Cormac said mockingly, “I love the way your eyes flash when you’re angry, me lovely Trina!”
Captured by the Hawk Page 5
