Hearts and Swords: Four Original Stories of Celta
Page 1
Table of Contents
Heart and Sword
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Heart Story
Heart and Soul
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Noble Heart
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Praise for the futuristic fantasy of Robin D. Owens
Heart Journey
“Unexpected tragedies, critical family issues, and a rash of unexplained thefts add gravity and suspense, while telepathic pets and sentient spaceships and houses offer a touch of familiar whimsy that series fans will enjoy. Verdict: Sexy, emotionally intense, and laced with humor, Owens’s ninth book in her Celta Heart series once again draws readers into one of the more imaginative otherworldly cultures.”
—Library Journal
“The suspense woven into the background of the passionate struggle between HeartMates is contrasted by the moments of light humor, balancing the book into a skillfully crafted read for any lover of futuristic or light paranormal romance.”
—Fresh Fiction
“A captivating fantasy filled with love, magic, and suspense. A delightful read.”
—Smexy Books
“What is a ten-letter word for Heart Journey? Phenomenal!! . . . If it is a Celta Heart story, you really can’t go wrong. Highly recommended, along with the rest of Robin Owens’s series.”
—CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
“[A] delight to read. I loved seeing more of the planet Celta. Seeing how wild and unsettled, how dangerous and uncertain life is firsthand was exhilarating and intriguing . . . If you love romance and adventure then I highly recommend you set your sights on the Heart series.”
—Night Owl Romance
Heart Fate
“A superb romantic fantasy filled with heart.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A touching tale of learning to trust again . . . Even for readers unfamiliar with the Heart world, Owens makes it easily accessible and full of delightful conceits.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[This] emotionally rich tale blends paranormal abilities, family dynamics, and politics; adds a serious dash of violence; and dusts it all with humor and whimsy . . . Intriguing.”
—Library Journal
Heart Dance
“The latest Heart fantasy is one of the best of this superior series . . . retaining the freshness of its heartfelt predecessors.”
—The Best Reviews
“I look forward to my yearly holiday in Celta, always a dangerous and fascinating trip.”
—Fresh Fiction
“The world of Celta is amazingly detailed, and readers will enjoy the bits of humor that the Fams provide. Sensual, riveting, and filled with the wonderful cast of characters from previous books, as well as some new ones, Heart Dance is exquisite in its presentation.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Heart Choice
“The romance is passionate, the characters engaging, and the society and setting exquisitely crafted.”
—Booklist
“Character-driven story, brilliant dialogue . . . Terrific writing with a very realistic and sensual romance make Heart Choice a fantastic read.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Well written, humor-laced, intellectually and emotionally involving story which explores the true meaning of family and love.”
—Library Journal
Heart Duel
“[A] sexy story . . . Readers will enjoy revisiting this fantasy-like world filled with paranormal talents.”
—Booklist
“With engaging characters, Robin D. Owens takes readers back to the magical world of Celta . . . The characters are engaging, drawing the reader into the story and into their lives. They are multilayered and complex and grow into exceptional people.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Heart Thief
“I loved Heart Thief! This is what futuristic romance is all about. Robin D. Owens writes the kind of futuristic romance we’ve all been waiting to read . . . She provides a wonderful, gripping mix of passion, exotic futuristic settings, and edgy suspense.”
—Jayne Castle
“The complex plot and rich characterizations, not to mention the sexy passion . . . make this a must-read.”
—The Romance Reader
“Owens spins an entrancing tale . . . A stunning futuristic tale that reads like fantasy and is sure to have crossover appeal to both SF and fantasy fans.”
—Library Journal
“Owens has crafted a fine romance that is also a successful science fantasy yarn with terrific world building.”
—Booklist
HeartMate
Winner of the 2002 RITA Award
for Best Paranormal Romance
by the Romance Writers of America
“Engaging characters, effortless world building, and a sizzling romance make this a novel that’s almost impossible to put down.”
—The Romance Reader
“Fantasy romance with a touch of mystery . . . Readers from the different genres will want Ms. Owens to return to Celta for more tales of HeartMates.”
—Midwest Book Review
“HeartMate is a dazzling debut novel. Robin D. Owens paints a world filled with characters who sweep readers into an unforgettable adventure with every delicious word, every breath, every beat of their hearts. Brava!”
—Deb Stover, award-winning author of The Gift
“A gem of a story . . . Sure to tickle your fancy.”
—Anne Avery, author of The Bride’s Revenge
“It shines, and fans will soon clamor for more . . . A definite keeper!”
—The Bookdragon Review
“This story is magical . . . Doubly delicious as it will appeal to both lovers of fantasy and futuristic romance. Much room has been left for sequels.”
—ParaNormal Romance
Titles by Robin D. Owens
HEARTMATE
HEART THIEF
HEART DUEL
HEART CHOICE
HEART QUEST
HEART DANCE
HEART FATE
HEART CHANGE
HEART JOURNEY
HEART SEARCH
Anthologies
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
(with Sherrilyn Kenyon and Rebecca York)
HEARTS AND SWORDS
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2011 by Robin D. Owens.
All rights reserved.
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PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / December 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Owens, Robin D.
Hearts and swords / Robin D. Owens.
p. cm.
ISBN : 978-1-101-55281-0
1. Life on other planets—Fiction. 2. Love stories, American. 3. Fantasy fiction, American. I. Title.
PS3615.W478H48 2011
813’.6—dc23
2011033329
http://us.penguingroup.com
To my readers who’ve asked for these stories.
I hope you enjoy them.
And to Cindy and Deidre who gave me a chance
to tell them all at once.
Heart and Sword
To my critique buddies, without whom I would have been drifting through space without a life pod.
Note: The events of the discovery of Celta are sprinkled throughout the series but most notably appear in Heart Thief, Heart Journey, and Heart Search.
One
ON BOARD NUADA’S SWORD
GENERATIONAL COLONIST STARSHIP
FROM EARTH
Currently in Outer Space
the Month of May/Oak
The mist of deathsleep cleared before Kelse Bountry’s eyes, and he saw a woman’s dark brown eyes set in a raisin-wrinkled face peering down with an anxious expression. His long-motionless chest compressed and he coughed.
“Wake up, Kelse!” the woman snapped. “I started your Awakening process this morning. Your indicators show the drugs have cleared enough for you to be conscious, so wake up!”
He blinked and blinked again. The foggy stuff in the cryonics tube was dissipating into the dimness of the starship’s bay. He flung out his hand, more muscle memory than true thought, the emotional need to feel his wife lying beside him. Of course his knuckles banged on the forceglass tube surrounding him, and pain was more than a dreamy memory; it was real.
He convulsed, moaning. His muscles ached, required to move after the long sleep, his nerves twanging throughout his nude body.
The tube opened and slid into the sides of the platform. He coughed as oddly scented air fired his lungs.
The old woman’s soft hand patted his chest. “Hurry!”
“What? Who?” he muttered.
“Chloe Hernandez, the Captain’s Executive Officer,” she said in a strange, clipped accent. Her thin shoulders wiggled. “Something bad’s coming, worse than what we already have. I can feel it. So I started your Awakening process this morning.”
He stared. Something must be wrong. She shouldn’t be so old.
She’d been slated to be Awakened during the last quarter-decade of the century starship journey to their new home planet.
He remembered her at twenty-three. Now she looked more like ninety.
And he wasn’t supposed to be Awakened until the ship had landed, when he’d walk out onto a new world hand in hand with his wife.
His heart pumped faster. He jackknifed up, suppressed another groan as his body swayed, then steadied above his pelvis. “What’s going on?”
“I had a bad feeling about the mutineers, so I woke you.”
“Mutineers!” He could barely think. His blood pounded excruciatingly in his head. He lifted his fingers and rubbed his temples, slid his fingers along the scar at his hairline.
Mutineers. The word rattled in his brain until he could put a meaning to it. Rebellion. He knew rebellion, had been inside that. Now he was outside of a mutiny.
Rebellion on a ship. Where there was no place to go.
Icy horror slid through his veins like sleet. He kept his face impassive, not hard to do; those muscles were stiff, too.
“Have mutineers taken over the ship? Who? What are their numbers? Where’s security?” He’d authorized and trained eighty top-notch fighters for the eight-hundred-head crew. “Where’s Captain Whitecloud?” The man wasn’t a fighter, like Kelse was, but he was an excellent leader.
Draping a thick robe over his shoulders, Chloe said, “Take this, first. I need you clearheaded.” She thrust a bottle of revital-izer in his hand. He wanted to throw it across the room.
“I’m surprised you can even sit after being so long in the cryonics process. You’re not supposed to be able to move much.” Her gaze locked on his. “Something bad’s happening. I’m sure of it, but I need your help to find out what it is and how to stop it,” Chloe said.
Through the mist in his head he recalled Chloe’s psi powers had included dead-on hunches.
When he tried to speak again, nothing came out so he glugged the damn liquid, hand shaking and spilling it down his chest. He racked a cough, sucked in a breath, spit out words. “Not going anywhere if the ship has been captured.”
Narrowing his eyes he considered the place as a defense headquarters, if he had to fight to regain control of the ship. Terrible.
He nearly heard his neck creak as he turned his head to see his beloved wife, his Fern, lying in the cylinder on the next dais. Her tube was filled with fog, showing occasional thin patches. One was at the curve of her hip. He longed to squeeze her there. He saw her cheek, the short ends of her black hair, but not her eyes. Of course her head wasn’t turned to look at him. Her violet eyes wouldn’t be open.
Some of the acid in his stomach subsided as he saw all her life-indicator lights were a bright green. She was fine. He managed another breath.
His woman, the person he’d lived for instead of dying fighting the government troops or anti-psi mobs. The reason why he wanted peace and a family.
But it didn’t seem as if peace was here and now. No, this cryonics bay couldn’t be a headquarters.
He swayed. Get a grip. They couldn’t fight from here. Fern was here, all his friends.
Adrenaline surged through his body, as much from seeing his wife as the effects of the revitalizing agent. He felt woozy, but he had to think fast and sharp.
“Here’s what I know,” Chloe said. “The mutineers don’t hold the ship quite yet. They’re a cadre of young men who want to abort our plan to colonize another planet and take a wormhole that they think will lead back to civilized space and Earth. We don’t know their exact numbers.
They’re agitating for people to join them and have a lot of popular support, about seventy percent of the crew. I had this terrible feeling . . . so I woke you.”
Again he looked at the tubes. He and his wife were rebels back on Earth. If Chloe was so old, time had passed. Kelse wouldn�
��t know these mutineers, but he should be able to work with their parents. “We’re all dead if we return to Earth. The crew knew that when they signed on.” He set down the drink and slowly stretched out his right arm, stuck it into the robe sleeve. That hurt. He threaded his left arm through the robe. “So, as far as you know it’s just some kind of conspiracy.”
“I suppose that would be the word,” she snapped out.
He wasn’t relieved. Sounded like he was in the minority and having to fight mobs—again. Only this time on a ship. “Where’s Captain Whitecloud and our men?”
Her face folded into inscrutability. “Whitecloud is . . . gone. We don’t have as many men as you think.”
His head continued to ache. “How much violence?” That would give him clues, he knew all about violence, quantity and quality.
“Mostly against this chamber, the cryonics bay. Ramming the door to get to the sleepers. The mutineers know if we’re all gone, they can take over the ship.”
His ears cleared with a pop of pressure and he heard yelling and pounding at the door. His lungs squeezed tight. “We have control of the ship?”
“Yes, the nose bridge and the console in the Captain’s Quarters. Come on, Kelse.” She hopped down from the platform and scuttled away.
That sent more anxiety coursing through his muscle fibers. Chloe was—had been—a tall, Amazonian woman, easily able to see into the tubes.
She’d always moved with stately grace. Now . . .