by Bianca D'Arc
Amazing.
And they were taking this hidden Talent on as crew?
Darak had gotten the distinct impression from his cousin’s words that his companion was of the female variety and he had probably bedded her already, hence the mellow tones of his usually stressed-out voice. Darak was glad Micah had found some female companionship to ease his tension, but he shuddered to think of what that first joining had been like with a woman so powerful as to nearly fry his scanners. Darak had always known Micah was brave, and perhaps a little crazy, but this went far and above the chances he’d taken before.
At least Darak knew that Micah and his companion had lived through the experience, and they were on their way back to the ship. This was one homecoming Darak had to see in person. He couldn’t wait see the woman who could interest the jaded Mage Master who had made his crew’s lives hell for the past months while he wallowed in loneliness. She was sure to be quite something, indeed.
When they left the tent, the tribal Mother was waiting for them. The small satchel of Jeri’s few possessions did not go unnoticed as the Mother’s eyes grew concerned, but ever gentle.
“So you will leave us, little horse tamer?” the Mother’s voice appealed to her softer feelings, but Jeri needed to stay strong to say goodbye properly to these people who had been so good to her.
“I must, Mother. I’m sorry to leave you on such short notice.”
“But why with this outworlder? What hold has he over you?” The Mother’s eyes went to the jeweled choker, noting its placement though she probably did not know its significance in his culture.
“Mother,” Jeri stepped forward hesitantly. “I am not what I seem. I’ve been hiding here among you and for that, I am sorry.”
The tribal Mother looked on her kindly, but still a little worried. “I’m glad we could be there to comfort you in your time of need, child, but why would your differences cause you to leave us? Is he forcing you?”
Jeri smiled gently. “No. But there are those who would force me and my mere presence could bring death to your people. I cannot put you in danger like that. I’ve been selfish, thinking I would never be found out.”
“But this outworlder has discovered your secret?” the Mother eyed him, then turned back to Jeri. “What is this secret that haunts you so?”
Jeri seemed to make a decision and turned to Micah. “What part of the sale herd did you agree on last night?” she asked quickly.
Micah’s eyes narrowed with a suspicious smile as he guessed what she intended to do. “I can show you in my mind which ones,” he said softly.
She nodded. “Do so.”
He sent her a quick mental burst that showed her the choices he’d made and she in turn sent out her silent call to the horses who had moved closer to the camp. The Mother looked on with some confusion, but waited to see what would happen.
Jeri took the older woman’s hand and led her to the outskirts of camp. “They come, Mother. This is my gift. And my burden.”
“Who?” the Mother began to ask, when suddenly half the sale herd came over the small hill and galloped toward them.
Jeri started to laugh and cry at the same time, and Micah couldn’t resist placing his arm around her.
“What is it?” he asked as gently as he could.
Her tear-streaked eyes smiled up at him. “They all came,” she said breathlessly. “Every last one of the horses from miles around. They came to say goodbye.”
And indeed, Micah could see a literal sea of horseflesh, drawing near to the small woman.
With a quick thought, Jeri directed the portion of the sale herd that would go with Micah to one side while she walked forward to go among the horses that had gathered. There were hundreds and hundreds, from the smallest foal to the oldest swayback. And she touched each one, sparing a pat for each velvety nose and a stroke for each strong neck as she walked among them.
Micah noted others from the camp coming to see what was going on and saw the slack-jawed amazement on their faces. His little horse tamer was a miracle to them, just as she was to him, and he was proud to see when they finally realized it.
“What is she?” the Mother asked him with some awe in her voice as she watched stallion beside stallion, causing no problems with each other—going against their nature to say goodbye to one small human woman. It was something she had never seen before and would probably never see again in her lifetime.
Micah smiled proudly. “She is a Talent the likes of which the galaxy has seldom seen.”
“Talent?” the Mother asked with some dismay. “We have no psi powers here, but I’ve heard of such. Is that why she is hunted?”
Micah nodded with a sigh. “There are those who would seek to imprison her soul and steal her power.”
“And you will not?” She eyed him suspiciously, but he was glad this strong leader would stand up for his woman.
He placed one palm across his heart. “I vow not, Mother. She is a rare and special woman, and I will protect her with my life.”
The Mother grunted and turned back to watch the spectacle. “She was a good horse tamer, but I see now she was cheating a bit.”
Micah laughed. “No, I assure you not. She comes by her work honestly. Her father was a horse tamer on Mithrak. The whole family raised horses, and she was set to follow in the family business before her parents were killed and her older sister captured. She lived wild among the horses for a long time, evading capture herself before finding a way off that planet and to yours.”
“She told you all this? She has never spoken one word about her family to any of my people.”
Micah shook his head. “No, I saw most of it in her memories. I just wanted you to know. She is a born horse tamer, though her methods are not like those of your people. She speaks to your horses, and they love her for it.”
The Mother thought of that as she watched the small woman walk among the enormous steeds, touching each as if bestowing a blessing. And the horses seemed to truly enjoy her attention. They loved her. It was plain to see.
“She often called the horses her friends,” the Mother remembered fondly.
Micah nodded. “And so they are. Her first and truest friends. They hid her from the men who would have imprisoned her. They protected her, and she protects them.”
The Mother watched in awe, as did most of the tribe. Even young Sheli watched with fascination and not a little bit of respect.
The horses of Pantur made her cry. They gave her a send-off as she walked among them, taking time to speak with each of them in turn. They didn’t speak in words as humans did, but in thought pictures and emotions and basic needs. She had always understood them and they her as she grew up among the small breeding herd her father had raised on Mithrak.
The horses of her father’s herd had protected her out of love, helping hide her among them when the Wizards came seeking her. They had protected her and loved her, and said a quiet goodbye when she’d found a way to stowaway among them as they were sold and moved offworld after her father’s death.
She had missed her friends when they’d gone to another tribe, farther south on Pantur, but she’d made friends among the Hill Tribes’ horses and they warmed her heart as she took her leave of them. She thanked them silently for being there for her and for their silent, strong, loving support.
It took a bit of time, but she had to touch each of the hundreds that came to say goodbye. To do less would not be honorable and horses were a breed of honor, she had learned as a young child.
When she was done, the herds moved as one, trumpeting their voices together in one final goodbye before they started back for the fields and paddocks they had left. Jeri watched them go with love radiating from her heart until the last had left her sight.
She felt a warm presence at her shoulder and didn’t have to look to know it was the Tribal Mother. The woman had a strong presence, and her warmth was unmistakable.
“I have never thought to see the like, horsemistress.”
<
br /> Jeri gasped at the title, one of immense respect given her by the tribal Mother. She was shocked into looking at the woman who stood just a bit taller than she, but the older woman was focused on the sale herd, waiting patiently where Jeri had directed with nothing but a thought.
“Go with the trader and find your destiny. But know that you will ever be welcome here among the Hill Tribes.”
The tears started again, though she tried to suppress them. “Thank you, Mother,” she said softly, watching the horses as the woman left her. It was all she could manage.
The rest of the tribe obeyed the Mother’s command to give her space, but a few of her friends did come up, one by one to say goodbye as Micah coordinated transport of one horse at a time into the hold of his ship. Jeri stood near to calm the horses as they left Pantur for the orbiting ship, telling them without words that she would be with them again soon.
She had a few friends among the tribes and those few she would miss, but she had formed no special attachments. She’d learned not to extend her heart easily after her family had been ripped from her. Only with the horses was she free to love. And love them she did in the simple, uncomplicated way that they returned her affection.
But now there was the outworlder. Lord Micah touched something inside her that was fragile and easily hurt, but she had no control over it. She would prefer to keep her feelings under tighter rein, but she would think of that later. For now, she had an adventure to start and a new life among the stars to embrace.
With one last long look at Pantur, she gave Micah a nod and he touched the control on his wristcomp that transported her to the orbiting ship. In a flash of light she was suddenly with her horses again, inside a relatively dark hold.
She had barely a moment to gather her bearings when Micah materialized beside her. Only then did she see the startlingly blue woman and tall, muscular man who watched her with suspicious eyes.
Micah stepped forward. “Loadmaster. Status?”
The blue-skinned woman stepped forward with a datapad and handed it to him. “The herd is loaded and settled. Amazingly fast, as a matter of fact. What did you do to them?” Her tilted smile and flashing eyes swept between the Captain and Jeri, making her suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable.
“Ah, that is the gift of our guest. She has a way with the beasts.” He swept one palm down to the base of her spine and pushed her forward to meet his friends. “Jeri, this is Trini Chertuse. She is loadmaster on the Circe.”
The two women greeted each other with smiles. Trini’s was wide and welcoming and while it made Jeri feel a bit better, she was still quite shy at meeting these people.
“And this,” Micah gestured toward the large man leaning against a bulkhead, “is my cousin, Darak. He’s also my Executive Officer or XO for short.” The man straightened and moved close to her. “Darak, this is Jeri.”
“Chained already, cousin?” Darak’s gaze went from the telling glitter at her neck to Micah’s face. “You work fast.”
Jeri couldn’t tell if it was envy or anger in his tone, but suddenly this huge man frightened her a bit.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady,” he said with an almost courtly flourish as he took her hand and kissed it with more warmth than she was comfortable with. She tugged on her hand and his eyes widened with seeming surprise as she moved away from him. Apparently the handsome brute was unused to women resisting his dubious charm.
Chapter Four
“Back off, Dar,” Micah said with a warning growl when his cousin would have pursued the shy woman.
Darak’s eyes widened with something close to shock. This was not the same melancholy man who had gone to the planet with such resignation only days before. This was not the man who had moped around even after achieving Mage Master status—something every Talent envied and admired about him. No, this was a territorial man who was a stranger to Darak. He’d never seen his cousin behave like this over a woman.
Darak held his hands up, palm outward. “No offense intended, Mage Master. I am merely surprised and…intrigued.”
“Well, save your intrigue for some other time, Dar.” He handed the datapad to the loadmaster who watched their interaction with some interest. “Since everything’s settled, I’m going to show Jeri around the ship. Meet me on the bridge in one standard.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” The sarcasm in Darak’s voice wasn’t lost on his cousin. They’d grown up together and had shared many women between them. Never had Darak seen Micah act this way.
If Micah weren’t a Mage Master he’d think the female had some kind of nefarious power over him, but he knew with certainty that there were few beings in the galaxy that could best his cousin. Still, he would watch developments carefully to guard his beloved cousin’s interests and safety.
Micah and Jeri passed into the companionway, leaving the hold and the two crewmen behind. As they stepped into the service lift that would take them to the crew deck, Micah smiled at her.
“Don’t mind Darak. He can be an ass at times, but he’s a good man. Just don’t ever tell him I said that.”
Jeri chuckled at his teasing tone and marveled at the ship. She had only been in one other ship in her life, but she had never seen more than the hold of the tramp freighter that had taken her from Mithrak to Pantur with her father’s herd. She’d hidden among the horses and they’d protected her from the few crewmen who had stopped by once in a while to make sure the automatic care systems were giving the stock enough water and feed and that the waste removal systems were working properly.
Already she had noticed the hold of this starship was better appointed than the one she’d seen before. And the corridor they traversed after exiting the lift was brightly lit, clean and painted in a charming shade of light periwinkle blue.
As they neared the living areas for the crew, the colors became brighter and the furnishings more cushy. This was no tramp freighter. They passed a rec room with all kinds of exercise machines, presumably used to help keep the crew from losing too much muscle mass while cooped up in the ship for weeks or months on end. There was also a variety of gaming tables for amusement, as well as a large entertainment unit with a big rack of vid discs secured neatly beside it. Next to that was a food dispenser, and the whole area was upholstered in luscious-looking fabrics that probably cost more credits than she could imagine.
He led her past a few hatchways that had the names of the crewmembers on them, but didn’t spare any time to really explain. She realized those were probably private quarters and she presumed he would not invade their privacy. If she wanted to see how they lived, she would have to be invited inside by the resident of those compartments, which was not something she wanted to contemplate just yet.
As they neared what appeared to be the end of the corridor, he stopped at one of the side hatches and opened it.
“We’ll get the lock keyed to your palmprint as soon as possible,” he said absently, indicating how the lock released when he pressed his hand to the surface of the door.
She walked in when he gestured her forward and was amazed by the view out the long viewport across the room. He noted the direction of her gaze and smiled.
“That’s Pantur,” he said easily, moving them to the viewport. “Darak will have us breaking orbit any moment, I think. Do you feel the drives rumbling up to full power?”
She realized then that she did feel a low vibration in the soles of her feet that was growing steadily as she thought about it.
“It’s beautiful,” she said as she nodded toward the hazy green of the planet below.
Micah seemed to share her fascination. “It really is,” he said quietly, putting his arm companionably around her shoulders. “I never get tired of watching the planets and the stars. You’re going to enjoy your time on the Circe.”
She took a moment to look around at the rest of the large room. The door had slid shut behind them, enclosing them in the rich interior of what had to be a private bedroom. The furnishings were a
deep velvety blue that mirrored the richness of space and gave a decidedly masculine feel to the room.
“These are your quarters?” she asked faintly, wondering what she should have expected.
Micah nodded, turning her to face him as he heard the uncertainty in her voice.
“I would prefer you to sleep here with me while you’re aboard, my sweet. But if you have an objection, speak it now.”
She thought for a moment, then nodded, turning back to the scene unfolding as they pulled away from the planet that had been her adopted home for the last two standard years.
“I’ll stay with you, Captain, if that is your wish.”
“It is my wish. And my pleasure to have your companionship on our voyage.”
“Where are we going?” she finally thought to ask. Only at that moment did she realize how truly naïve she must appear to not have thought of such an important thing before.
“Liata first,” he said with a small smile, pulling her close. “Your horses will bring a tidy profit. They are going to a lovely home on an agricultural world where they will be truly appreciated.”
She smiled up at him. “They’ll like that. May I look up information on your comp systems so I can tell them about it? Some of them have been wondering if there would be grass or woodlands, that sort of thing, where they’re going to live.”
He gave her a look of wonder. “I’ve never thought of horses in that way. Until I met you. You are a miracle, Jeri. Do you know that?”
He bent to kiss her and she believed him for that moment, surprising herself with the idea that she really might have something special that a great man like this could admire about her. He released her only so she could watch Pantur grow smaller and smaller against the starscape.
“You’re welcome to use the comp, but you can also ask Trini all about Liata. It’s her homeworld. I know she is looking forward to seeing her family.”
