Grasping Tal around the waist, the boy buried his face against Tal’s abdomen. Every sob, every shudder, passed from Lor into Tal.
Memories flashed to life. A similar face. Identical eyes.
It was so long ago but Tal still longed for what they’d lost. Their friendship—their innocence. He sank to his knees and eased the boy back, looking at him face-to-face. “You did nothing wrong.” Conviction strengthened the phrase this time, and Lor swiped his hands across his eyes. “Mistress Charlotte is not dead. Head Master Vee linked with her before Dez took her through the vortex.”
“But he will hurt her. He will… Why does he hate her so? Why would he do this?”
Tal smiled, touched by Lor’s compassion. “Even now the Mystics surround the fortress. We will get Mistress Charlotte back.”
Lor’s chin quivered and his lips pursed as he fought a new wave of tears. “Will you kill Uncle Dez?”
Moisture deserted his throat and Tal found it hard to breathe. How could he look Lor in the eyes and admit what he had planned for Dez dar Joon?
“Your uncle has done very bad things and bad things must be punished.”
The boy seemed to consider this for a moment then said, “He is nice to me—but he scares me too.”
Tal rose. “I have to go. You must remain in your room this time.”
“I will. I promise.”
* * *
Charlotte lagged behind a little more with each step. They clearly expected a hero and she’d forgotten to pack her cape. How could she possibly save these women when her hands trembled so badly she had to hide them behind her back and she felt as if she were going to throw up?
As they raced through the corridors of Fortress Joon, Charlotte scanned the captives for latent abilities. She’d been told the rest of the palace was opulent and comfortable, but the detention level felt like a medieval nightmare.
Her foot slid on something slimy. She didn’t pause to investigate the substance. Each captive had psychic abilities. Still she was unsure if they would be enough. E’Duri sensed the guards and Acarra telepathically transmitted Charlotte’s orders, minimizing the risk of discovery.
“Stop!” Torul cried in a soft, urgent voice as the small group rounded a corner.
Charlotte skittered to a halt and E’Duri bumped into her back. “What is it?”
Torul pressed a hand to her chest, gulping in air. “There’s a Mystic trap. Don’t move.”
Soft, golden light emanated from Torul, spreading down the corridor and revealing a dense shadow Charlotte hadn’t seen before.
“Can you disarm it or whatever?” she asked.
Torul studied the trap from several angles and then shook her head. “It’s intricate—and vicious. Anyone who touches it is held there until Joon releases them. I can only guess at the exact nature of the containment, but knowing Joon, it’s unbreakable and painful.”
Charlotte looked at each woman in turn. They all shook their heads, understanding her silent question. No one knew how to bypass the trap.
“There has to be a way,” she muttered. “How much farther do we have to go?”
“Not far,” E’Duri said. “Just beyond that archway is a door leading outside.”
Doubtlessly that’s why Joon chose this spot for his most daunting safeguard. Okay, think! She turned back to the women and scanned each one again, searching for latent abilities, anything that would help. Telepathy was useless. Knowing the trap was there had kept them from falling into it, but they needed to get beyond it.
She focused on Cin. The youngest woman looked frail and wan. Charlotte felt mad flutters in her stomach. There was something hidden within her.
Stepping closer, Charlotte said, “You’re the one who can pass through walls?”
Cin nodded.
“There is something hidden inside you.”
Cin laughed nervously and patted her protruding belly. “It’s not hiding very well.”
“I’m going to dig a little deeper. If I hurt you, let me know.” Charlotte framed Cin’s face with her hands and probed the shapeless insinuation.
“Hurry, the guards are not far off,” E’Duri warned.
It was so simple! Charlotte laughed.
“I’m glad you find this amusing. Apparently you haven’t spent as much time with—”
Ignoring E’Duri’s outburst, Charlotte cut in. “Cin, you’re a portal. Not only can you pass through matter, but matter can pass through you.”
“Fascinating. How does that help us?” E’Duri sniped.
Charlotte knew fear was making E’Duri difficult so again she ignored her. The solution might be simple but it was anything but easy.
“Okay, who’s the strongest shielder?” Charlotte asked.
“I am.” Acarra raised her hand.
Focusing again on the Mystic trap, Charlotte found its only weakness. A six-inch gap between the shadow and the wall. “Acarra, can you see the trap?”
Torul sent out a second pulse of light.
“I can now. What do you want me to do?”
“Form the strongest shield you’ve ever made in your life between the shadow and the wall.”
“Then what?” E’Duri piped in again.
Suppressing an urge to smack her, Charlotte outlined her plan. “Acarra will create a barrier with her shield while Cin allows us to pass through the wall and emerge on the other side of the trap.”
“I’ve never done that before,” Cin cried. “I don’t know how!”
“I’ll help you,” Charlotte assured, amazed at how confident she sounded when inside she was shaking. “Acarra, start on the shield. I need to expand Cin’s abilities.”
Hurry! They had to hurry. The guards were getting closer. Charlotte could feel E’Duri’s terror increasing.
She returned to Cin’s mind, finding the aberration more easily now. The locked door had worked with Lor so she used the image again. Easing the door open, she heard Cin’s gasp and felt the violent tremor that shook the younger woman.
“Oh! I can feel it. I understand,” Cin whispered.
“I’ll help you stabilize the portal but we’ve got to move now,” Charlotte urged.
They inched closer to the trap, Torul ensuring that they could all see it. Acarra’s shield solidified. Charlotte took Cin’s hand and squeezed it. “You can do this. We can do this.”
Tears brightened Cin’s eyes but somehow she managed to contain them. She stepped into position, her shoulder flush with Acarra’s shield.
“Okay,” Charlotte said softly. “Open the portal.”
Cin’s eyes all but took over her face. Her chin trembled and her mouth compressed but gradually she became transparent.
“By the ghosts of the night moon, I don’t believe it,” E’Duri murmured.
They didn’t have time for awe. Charlotte catalyzed the portal until a good portion of the wall was transparent as well. “Acarra first,” she said. “Make sure you maintain the shield!”
Acarra rushed through the portal, holding her arms tightly against her sides. Cin gasped and Charlotte poured more energy into the portal. One by one, the captives passed through, emerging safely on the other side.
“Follow me out,” Charlotte told Cin, knowing the girl was unable to speak in her present state. Charlotte paused to fortify the portal with a final surge of energy then stepped through the gateway herself.
A long, tense moment followed as they waited for Cin to release the portal and free herself from the wall.
“Go on,” Charlotte ordered. “I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
Reluctantly, the others turned down the final passage. Once beyond the fortress, Acarra would be able to cloak their presence until they could contact the Mystics.
With a startled gasp, Cin finally separated herself from the wall. “That was—different,” she panted out.
“You were amazing. Now we have to go.”
Awareness ripped through Charlotte, driving the breath from her lungs in one painful whoosh.
“Run,” she gasped. “Run!”
Cin hesitated but Charlotte gave her a little shove. They rounded the final corner, Cin several steps ahead. Cin rushed through the door, stubbornly holding it open. Charlotte heard the roar of a transport conduit building directly behind her.
“Go!” she shouted. Anguish tore a cry from her throat.
She watched horror unfurl in Cin’s eyes and knew the vortex had opened. She dove for the door but a hurtful fist tangled in her hair.
* * *
Tal felt Charlotte’s anguish ripple across the metaphysical plane. Like a beacon drawing the Mystics, her emotions guided them to her exact location. With a concentrated burst of energy, the Mystics ruptured the shields surrounding Fortress Joon.
Tal rushed across the side yard toward the massive fortress. A woman, heavy with child, struggled to keep an iron-banded door open. Tal could sense Charlotte’s presence on the other side of the door. He ran.
Shouts and the low rumble of a transport conduit emitted from inside the building. Lightning flashed. The woman screamed. Noticing him, she stepped aside, hurrying him through the doorway.
Joon held Charlotte around the waist, one hand tangled in her hair. Kicking his legs and clawing at his arms, five women worked frantically to free her from Joon’s grasp. The fiend tried to subdue them with his hair, whipping at them with sharp cracks and wrapping it around offending limbs, but he couldn’t deflect their blows without releasing Charlotte.
Like the woman at the door, each of these women was with child. Filaments of energy connected Joon and the women. Tal didn’t understand what he sensed but the connection was unmistakable. Was this the reason for Joon’s restraint? He could easily incapacitate them with a thought. But not without pain and damage.
Tal recognized the growing intensity in Joon’s turquoise gaze. He was near the end of his tolerance. If they continued their assault, he would retaliate Mystically, despite whatever concern was holding him back.
Quickly collapsing the vortex, Tal shouted, “Out, all of you.”
Joon’s softly glowing gaze clashed with his. Tal waited for the women to retreat before he continued the confrontation. Gently touching Charlotte’s mind, he found her frightened but coherent.
Kill him! she ordered.
Definitely coherent.
The corridor quickly filled with Mystics. Vee stood at his right, countless others surrounding them. They became a physical and Mystic barrier preventing Joon’s escape.
“Release her,” Tal demanded.
“Or what?” Joon taunted as his brilliant turquoise gaze moved from one Mystic to the next, assessing the situation.
“Or die,” Tal responded.
Joon laughed. “I overestimated you, seyati. I thought you’d be ready for my next move by now but clearly you’re not. Play with her awhile longer. I’ll be in touch.”
The force of Joon’s shove sent Charlotte slamming into Tal. He stumbled back and watched in helpless horror as Joon shifted out of sight.
“Find him,” Vee ordered.
This was Fortress Joon, Dez’s personal playground. Did they really stand a chance of trapping the rabbit in his own warren? The only alternative was retreat and that was unthinkable. They couldn’t squander this opportunity.
Vee organized the Mystics with sharp mental commands and shielded directives so Tal turned his attention to Charlotte. She clutched his robes, her body trembling, her face buried against his throat. Sweeping her into his arms, he opened a vortex and transported with her to his private chamber.
He set her on his bed. She immediately sprang to her feet.
“I can still smell him. I can see his mind.” She tore off her tunic. “I have to get his smell off my skin.” She rid herself of the rest of her clothing by the time she found his utility room. Not bothering to close the privacy panel, she stood beneath the mist, frantically scrubbing herself.
“Charlotte.” Tal approached cautiously, not wanting to escalate her upset.
She continued scrubbing, oblivious to his presence.
“Charlotte, try to calm down.”
A low, anguished moan escaped her just before her legs collapsed. Tal shifted out of his clothing and caught her. He lowered them to the warm, softly giving floor of the shower stall, cradling Charlotte in his arms like a child. Increasing the mist to a steady stream, Tal let it flow over them, caressing them.
She wept and clutched his shoulders, tangling one hand in his hair.
He stroked her back and did his best to ignore the slick slide of her naked flesh against his. Long minutes passed while she released her pent-up emotions. The clutching of her hands gradually relaxed and her sobs subsided.
“Do you ever run out of hot water?” she murmured against his throat.
“The liquid isn’t water, and in its natural state, it’s warm, so the heat will continue until I turn off the spray.”
She pushed away from him far enough to see his face. “Will Vee find him?”
He wanted to lie, to convince her that it was over, that she was safe. “It’s possible. Fortress Joon has been searched before but not with so great a force.”
“You’ve tried to find him before and failed?” she cried, her throat working awkwardly. “Even the Mystics are powerless against this creature?”
“We’re not powerless. But we don’t understand the source of his power. He has accomplished things we thought impossible.”
Her body stiffened against him and fury ignited within her eyes. “If that’s all it will take to best him, consider it done. He’s been sucking the life out of pregnant women.”
Chapter Twelve
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Tal’s voice wrapped around her, a velvety persuasion, but Charlotte shook her head. “Not tonight. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it. For just tonight I want to pretend it never happened.”
He smiled and handed her a bright red mug. “I think you’re entitled to a few hours of rest. But I must know one thing—is there any possibility there are other captives?”
“I don’t think so.” She shuddered, wrapping both hands around the mug. “The women themselves told me they’re the only ones. He’ll waste no time replacing them, but until he does, his powers will be limited, restrained.”
He nodded.
She inhaled the tangy scent of blish and absorbed the mug’s warmth with her hands. He’d found her a fluffy robe and shifted back into his clothing. Her hair clung in damp tendrils to her neck while his flowed smoothly around his shoulders and down his back. Shapeshifting definitely had its advantages.
His room was much larger than hers and more interestingly decorated. The pattern along the ceiling reminded Charlotte of the tribal tattoos so popular on Earth. The same nearly geometric pattern had been carved into the furniture. At a glance, it looked like wood, but she had learned that appearances could be deceiving on Ontariese.
Dragging her meandering thoughts back to the present, she said, “I know reality will return tomorrow. I know there’s still a lot to explain. I know there are things we need to resolve but—”
“Not tonight.”
Nodding her agreement, she took a long sip of blish and let the spicy-sweet taste roll across her tongue. She was growing fond of the warm beverage.
“Are you hungry?” His sensual smile hinted at other appetites. “Transferring energy is still new to you. You may require conventional sustenance for some time yet.”
Watching him over the rim of the mug, she flirted. “I usually get hungry—after.”
“After?” He started toward her. “I like the sound of that.”
“We have a social alliance, after all. Doesn’t that obligate you to take care of me?”
He chuckled, sending his hair flying over his shoulders with a thought. “It obligates us to take care of each other.”
His hair continued to flutter and flow. Charlotte set down her mug and stood, burying one hand in the flurry of ebony stra
nds. “I love it when you lose control of your hair.” The soft tendrils wrapped around her wrist and stroked her forearm.
“There are a number of things I cannot control when I’m near you.”
“Let’s go outside,” she suggested as tingles spread up her arm then sank into her belly. “I want to make love under the stars and feel the breeze across my skin as you make me all sweaty.”
He laughed again. “You have the most unusual way of expressing yourself. This is your night. I’m yours to command.”
He opened a vortex with the wave of his hand and Charlotte shuddered. “Can’t we just walk outside?”
“There’s nothing to fear.” He stroked her face with the back of his fingers. “Joon is weak and you’ve liberated his power source.”
She wrapped her arms around Tal’s waist and buried her face against his throat. The floor disintegrated beneath her feet. She clutched him, shaking. With her eyes tightly shut, she couldn’t see the rapid spinning of the transport conduit or the sizzling streaks of lightning that sped them on their way, but she could hear the roar. Nothing could block out the roar.
Suddenly, Tal’s body jarred and thick grass tickled her bare feet. The vortex closed behind them and Charlotte exhaled.
“Has the vortex always frightened you or does it make you think of him?” Tal asked when she didn’t release her hold on his body.
“A little of both, I guess. I don’t even like to fly in airplanes.”
She raised her head, trying to smile, but he wasn’t convinced by her effort. His fingers stroked her cheek, tenderness apparent in every move he made.
“I want to make love to you. I will make love to you, but I must understand why his shadow still haunts you. We arrived as quickly as possible. Did he hurt you? Did he have time—”
“No, it isn’t that.” She swallowed and glanced away from the compassion in his eyes. “I looked into his mind. I saw him as he really is and I can’t seem to get… No matter how hard I try, he’s still there. I’ll explain it all tomorrow, but I can’t think about it now. I need to feel safe and protected. I need…”
He lowered his mouth as her words trailed away. His lips pressed and slid, caressing her gently. “I apologize. I’ll say nothing more tonight.”
Taken by Storm V3 Page 18
