Hirianthial finished the wine and printed the okay on the bill. He folded his napkin and set it on the table. “Let’s go talk to your mistress.”
Sascha beamed and scrambled to his feet.
Though the data tablet Irine had left her was supposed to have the information Reese had requested several times throughout their conversation about repairs, it was well over three hours before Reese could bring herself to pick it up and spread the file. Even after opening it, she didn’t look at the totals. Instead, she scanned the itemized list of things broken, things broken off, and things burned to bits with a growing sense of horror.
Then she glanced at the total.
Reese put the data tablet aside with a shaking hand and lay back on the bed. The ceiling above her had spiral patterns, lighter blue on cobalt. She traced them with her eyes, wondering who’d had the notion of painting the things there. Or was it a wallpaper? On the ceiling? Ceilingpaper? Maybe this was what insanity was like... a constant need to stare at inconsequential things and worry at their significance.
No, this was what denial was like.
Reese sighed and rubbed her forehead, dragged her hand over her nose and lips. The last time she’d been in debt this badly she’d had to accept a stranger’s money or admit that her venture had failed. She simply couldn’t accept that she could fail. No evidence would convince her that she wasn’t any good at merchanting... especially if it meant limping back home to her mother and grandmother and enduring their censure for using up her inheritance on her misguided determination to break free of the pattern of their lives. Their plan for her had involved her staying on Mars and continuing the Eddings clan with another anonymously-donated batch of sperm. That she’d had other plans had broken her mother’s heart and angered her grandmother, her aunts... even her nieces had found her outrageous.
She couldn’t go back. She’d have to find a way to pay for the repairs. Reese linked to her existing funds, scanning for the cheapest repair she could afford that would get her hobbling out of dock.
The Well Drive. She could repair that—
The Well Drive? Last she’d checked, she’d had enough money to buy protein bars and chalk tablets, not fin for one of the more expensive repairs on her list. Where had the money come from? Perplexed, Reese tagged the deposit and spread the note attached to it.
Glowing blue letters: Wire from account 0002178942 at station Terra Firma. Amount, 7500 fin.
The same account from the same place as the first anonymous donation she’d received.
She stared at the screen, struggling to throttle a growing indignation. The man who appeared in the corner of her eye proved a distraction she couldn’t decide whether to be thankful for or send away.
“How are you feeling, Ms. Eddings? I’m Rick Barringer, the ward doctor.”
Reese looked up at him: human, blocky build, silvering hair at his temples on a honey-yellow complexion and a mild and pleasant face. She curbed her irritation and managed, “I’ve been better, thanks.”
Immediate concern tempered the doctor’s voice. “Any pain? Burning? Nausea?”
“No, no,” Reese said, waving a hand. “Money troubles, not bodily ones.”
“Your visit here’s been paid for—”
“It’s not about this visit,” Reese said. She forced a smile. “So are you the doctor I have to thank for the new highway down my throat?”
“The new—oh!” He laughed. “No, not at all. Your personal physician took care of it. You’re lucky to have such a talented surgeon for a doctor. That’s rather rare.”
“Are you trying to tell me Hirianthial literally did the surgery?” Reese said, staring at him. “I thought he brought me here and gave me to you people. You let some random man do your job for you?”
Barringer chuckled. “You make it sound like you don’t know the credentials your doctor’s carrying around.” When Reese didn’t stop staring at him, he said, “You don’t? You actually have a doctor you didn’t check out?”
“He’s a guest, not an employee,” Reese said. “I haven’t exactly read up on his medical records.”
The man whistled. “Well, I’d encourage you to do that. Suffice to say he was more than qualified to stitch you back together. In fact, the Head of Surgery’s been wooing him since they tucked you into the halo-arch to recover. He’d never seen a defter hand on a Medimage platform.”
“He fixed me? His own hands?” Reese asked, unsure whether to feel used or relieved.
“With more care than a maid embroidering her wedding gown,” the man said. “It was almost as if he could tell when he was hurting you.” A flash of a grin. “Though I guess if the stories are right, maybe he could, eh?”
Reese stared at him.
“Whatever the case, we’ll release you tomorrow morning. Until then, try to relax, Ms. Eddings. Your body’s been through a lot, even if you feel fine.”
“I’ll try.”
“And hey, here he is!” Barringer said, and then respectfully, “Lord Sarel Jisiensire... good to see you back. Does this mean you’ll be staying or are you visiting Ms. Eddings here?”
“Just visiting, I’m afraid. Thank you, alet,” Hirianthial said. Sascha was standing just behind him, and Reese could just guess what part the tigraine had in the reappearance of her unwanted guest.
“I’ll leave you alone, then,” Barringer said. “Feel better soon, Ms. Eddings.”
As soon as the human doctor left, Reese grabbed her data tablet and threw it at Hirianthial. The Eldritch caught it but from the whack of it against his fingers it must have stung. She was glad. “What the hell is going on with your Queen? I’m not some mercenary to be bought in installments!”
“My pardon, lady?” Hirianthial asked, and she thought she saw surprise in his eyes.
“She sent me money. More money! I am not going to be indebted to her again. What, does she want to send me racing around after every little lost Eldritch she’s got? Or is this an allowance for keeping you around?”
“I have no idea,” Hirianthial said, glancing down at the data tablet. Reese wished she’d shut off the link. She didn’t like him knowing just how poor she was. “Are you certain it’s from her?”
“It’s from the exact same place as it was last time.”
“But without any note? Any request?”
He actually sounded puzzled. She frowned. “Nothing. Just the money. It’s not as much as it was last time. Just enough to cover the Well Drive repair.”
Hirianthial was reading the figures. She sighed. Damned nosy Eldritch. No, damned nosy men... she could tell Sascha was eyeballing it from behind Hirianthial. While they studied the columns, she picked at some fuzz on the blanket. It reminded her of Allacazam; she hoped someone was taking care of the Flitzbe in her absence, that someone had told him she was okay. He’d be worried.
The data tablet slid onto the bench beside her bed with more noise than Hirianthial’d made getting there to place it. “Never fear, my lady. That was no earnest against future services.”
“No?” Reese asked, suspicious. “What is it, then?”
A faint smile crossed his lips. “A patron gift.”
“A what?” Reese exclaimed. “Like... like in books, when a duke gives his vassal a bag of coins for good work?”
“You’re acquainted with the concept?” Hirianthial asked, brows lifted a little. “Yes, just so. You’ve pleased her and she is showing her appreciation.”
Reese blinked.
“Wow,” Sascha said. “Her way of saying thank you is dropping enough money on us to fix the Well Drive? Angels, Reese! Make her thank you more!”
“I don’t think so,” Reese said. “I had to work too hard for that first thank-you. Besides, there’s still all the rest of the ship to fix and I don’t know where we’re going to get the money for that. Particularly at Core prices.”
“Core prices?” Sascha asked.
“Oh, yeah, you missed that part,” Reese said, rubbing her forehead. “A Fleet c
aptain came by for our data on the pirate hide-out. Apparently slavers get grumpy with ships last seen fleeing them if Fleet comes down on them afterwards. It’s been suggested we find a nice cozy place to wait for a season or two.”
“Wow,” Sascha said again. “Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Reese said. “We’ll talk it over when I get out of here.”
“I’d like to come with you,” Hirianthial said.
Reese eyed him. “I thought I told you to leave.”
He rested his hands on the edge of the bench and leaned on them. “Your health is of great concern to me, lady.”
“Particularly after you stuck your fingers in my throat and stitched things up yourself?” Reese asked. “Since when are you a surgeon, anyway?”
“Since I was licensed to be one in two different specialties,” Hirianthial said.
“And you just happened to have one in esophageal surgery,” Reese said.
“No,” Hirianthial said. “Just in human surgery.”
She waved her hands, exasperated. “Fine, okay. I can see that. But I absolutely can’t afford to feed you—”
“—he’s got money, boss,” Sascha said.
Reese pointed a finger at him. “You stay out of this. In fact, you go back to the ship right now and start asking people where we should go for four months to hide from slavers. Right now!”
“Okay,” Sascha said, then added, “But I’m voting for him to stick around.”
“This is not a democracy!”
“If you say so, boss.”
Turning from his disappearing tail, Reese glowered at Hirianthial, arms folded over her chest. His face remained serene, almost unreadable.
Almost. She thought she saw a trace of sorrow in his merlot eyes. How many years had it taken to incise the lines beneath them? When he laughed she could see wrinkles framing his cheeks that made it seem as if he’d laughed often, but she couldn’t find those lines now. How long had it been since he’d been that merry youth? Were those hidden lines what made him seem so sad?
“Let me guess,” Reese said. “You’ve got no other place to go.”
A flicker of a smile, then. It didn’t reach his eyes.
“Fine,” Reese said. “Just don’t make too much of this, okay? I’m giving you a place to stay until you figure out where you’re going next.”
“As you say, lady.”
“And it’s not lady, it’s captain.”
He bowed. “As you will.”
“I’m going to regret this,” Reese said, though she hadn’t planned on saying it out loud.
“I humbly hope not,” he said, and added, “Captain.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Reese said.
“We’ve discussed our next stop,” Sascha said.
“Just like you told us to,” Irine added.
Reese paused on the threshold of the mess hall to eye them both. Bryer and Kis’eh’t seemed far more innocent, sitting in their usual corners. Someone had turned on the sun lamp for Allacazam.
Hirianthial was behind her, shadowing her steps. Sometime between their discussion and her release he’d had his camellia tunic cleaned and was once again wearing it.
“And no doubt you’ve come to some conclusion I won’t like,” Reese said.
“We want to go someplace warm,” Kis’eh’t said.
“Paradisiacal,” said Irine.
“With good access to the parts needed to fix things,” Bryer said.
“And this magical place is?” Reese asked, wary.
The twins looked at one another, then at the others. It was Sascha who spoke with a shrug. “Harat-Sharii.”
Reese laughed. “You’re jesting.”
“No!” Irine said. “No, our family’s always asking about the people we work with. They’d be glad to put you up, and then you wouldn’t have to pay for lodging. There’s enough land nearby to set the Earthrise down. I’m sure our train will cook for you, and there’s a city nearby to scrounge up assignments or work or what will you. And it is warm, and it is paradise and I know you’d like it, Reese.”
“It’s full of Harat-Shar!” Reese exclaimed. “Two of you are bad enough. A planetful of you? I might choke.”
“Actually the city near home has a sizable offworlder population,” Sascha said. “It’s one of the few places that serves tourists and non-native residents, so it’s not quite as outrageous as the rest of the world.”
“Not quite as outrageous,” Reese repeated.
“It’s as close to wading into the shallow end of the pool as you can get on the planet,” Sascha said. “But Irine’s right, boss. If we want to cut costs, being able to get free housing and a few free meals a day is going to win over just about any other scenario. Any we could come up with anyway. Maybe you or Prince Charming have some insights we don’t.”
Except that Reese didn’t, something she’d been mulling while staring at the patterned ceiling in the Medplex. She glanced at Hirianthial, but the Eldritch said only, “I’ve never been to Harat-Sharii. I admit to curiosity.”
“They’ll love you there,” Irine said.
“I’m not sure he’ll enjoy that,” Reese said. “Look, Sascha, Irine... I admit the free bed and board is very enticing, but it’s a little presumptuous to assume that your family’s going to want to sleep and feed six people, plus Allacazam.”
“I already called,” Irine said. “Mamer said you must all come immediately. And Mamari agrees.”
Taken aback, Reese said, “Well, then. Umm...”
“We have an invitation,” Hirianthial said. “Can it hurt to take it?”
Reese eyed him. “Have you seriously lived with homeworld-bred Harat-Shar?”
He smiled. “I can’t say I’ve had that particular pleasure. I have worked with them.”
“We’re much more fun the longer you keep us around!” Irine said.
“No doubt,” Hirianthial said.
Reese tried to imagine the Eldritch surrounded by striped and spotted Harat-Shar in various states of undress, that unfathomable dignity assaulted by their eager offers. The picture was delightful. “Free room and board it is,” Reese said.
Irine squealed and leaped over to crush Reese in an arm-and-tail hug. “You’ll love it, Reese, I promise!”
“Right,” Reese said. “Let’s just get there before Fleet does their number on Inu-Case.”
“And for that we need the Well Drive fixed,” Sascha said.
“I’ve gotten some people to come do the work,” Reese said. “It shouldn’t take them long. They’re used to overhauling Fleet ships ten times our size, so squeezing us in wasn’t a problem. We should be out of here in a week.”
“A week?” Kis’eh’t said. “That’s luck!”
“That’s not all of our luck,” Reese said. “They did it for five hundred fin less than I thought they would... which means all of you have a hundred and twenty-five each to go shopping.”
All of them cheered. Even Bryer let out a trill.
“It’s not much, but enjoy it,” Reese said. “And make sure you’re here when we’re done with the refits. The sooner we flee the scene of the crime, the happier I’ll be.”
“That makes six of us, I’m sure,” Kis’eh’t said, already up and lightly bouncing on her foot-pads.
“What are you waiting for?” Reese said. “Shoo!”
Hirianthial stepped aside as the four of them made for the door. He paused there. “Would you like lunch, lady?”
“You mean to go out to lunch?” Reese asked.
“There are good places nearby.”
It was tempting; how long had it been since she’d had other people prepare her food, serve it to her, do the dishes? But she wasn’t sure she wanted to spend that much time with Hirianthial, not before she’d had a chance to sort out her thoughts about him dropping into her life, changing it completely and then sewing up her bursting innards as an encore. Bad enough that she’d be stuck on the ship with him for the several wee
ks it would take to get back into the heart of Alliance space. Reese said, “Food sounds good, but I should really stay and oversee repairs.”
He nodded and left without another word, without trying to convince her to change her mind. She thought about being miffed. Then she realized she was hungry and she wasn’t sure if she had any dietary restrictions.
“Hirianthial?”
The man wasn’t in the hall.
“Curse it, how does he move so fast?” Reese muttered. “I guess it can wait.” She stopped by the sun lamp and crouched, running a hand along the shadowed lower half of Allacazam. “You full yet?”
The Flitzbe sent a contented, drowsy sensation, like napping in a pool of sunlight.
Reese grinned and snapped the light off. “I think that’s enough.”
A mournful bleat sounded in her head, like a broken set of bagpipes. “Oh, don’t be greedy,” Reese said, gathering him into her arms. “You can have more later. I need you with me while I wait for the contractors. You know how mind-numbing it is to sit at an airlock waiting for their version of “being on time.”
Drooping trees and gray skies. “Yes, that boring,” Reese said as she carried him toward the airlock. “Boring enough to kill trees.” A few leaves fell off the branches in the mental image. “Just like that.”
The small foyer outside their airlock was empty. Reese wondered how quickly her crew had rushed through it in their urge to enjoy the starbase’s amenities and grinned. “Well, at least they’re having fun,” she said.
“Is this the TMS Earthrise?”
Reese glanced up from Allacazam to find a young man in a tailored courier’s suit. A bag and a long case had been set at his feet. “I’m Captain Eddings of the Earthrise?”
“I’m delivering two pieces of luggage in care of your ship. Will you sign here for me?”
“I... sure,” Reese said, shifting Allacazam to her other arm and scribbling on the man’s tablet.
“Thanks,” he said and left.
Reese bent to examine the luggage and wasn’t even within range to touch them before she smelled the wisp of cologne. “I guess these are his,” she said, and Allacazam sent a trickle of blue and green agreement. The smaller bag looked like standard luggage for an Alliance citizen, a soft dark blue embroidered in bronze. The case, on the other hand... “Looks like an instrument case,” Reese said. “I wonder if he plays an instrument? I guess you would if you had centuries to develop new hobbies. I wonder what kind of instrument? Can you see him with a trumpet?” Allacazam painted a sparkling orange and gold amusement at the thought. “Nah, I don’t think so either. Should we look?”
Earthrise (Her Instruments Book 1) Page 12
