Tagan's Child

by ammyford1

  “You look like you’ve been crying.”

  No other man would have noticed.

  “Oh..I..er..just had a sneezing fit in the Ladies,” I lied. I knew what I wanted to say and I didn’t want him to distract me from saying it.

  I dared to meet his eyes. “Look Ahran, I really appreciate what you are doing for me, you know, looking for Toby, but the only reason I’m here is because I couldn’t bear to stay behind and not do anything.” I had his attention and so ploughed on. “As far as I am concerned our relationship is purely a practical one, we are here to get a job done, to find Toby, and once that is done I shall return to Hatherley and you will return to Talina and your farm. In the meantime, I’d really appreciate it if you would keep your distance. I’m not in the market for a casual relationship and certainly not with a man who is engaged to be married to another woman. I’m just not that sort of person.”

  Now that I had said it, it hadn’t sounded quite like I had imagined in my head. Had I read too much into his gestures? I just sounded like I was completely over-reacting, after all what had he done other than hold my hand on a couple of occasions? Ahran didn’t say anything and the expression on his face was unreadable.

  So I blathered on. “Apart from all of that, I hardly think that getting involved with someone from a completely different universe is a good foundation for a long and meaningful relationship.”

  He remained silent.

  “I mean, how would that work? It would bring a whole new meaning to ‘long distance relationship’, I laughed nervously. “Anyway, you are engaged and I am in a relationship, end of story.” I had added that last bit for effect, although I knew, and so probably did he, that the lack of any contact with Marcus over the last few days meant that there was no real relationship to speak of. I no longer felt angry, just really silly. Ahran hadn’t said a word during the whole of my toe-curling soliloquy and his expression was icy.

  “Well, I am very sorry if I have offended you in anyway. I’ll make a note to remind myself to keep my distance the next time you are being strangled.” He was angry. He didn’t raise his voice, in fact it was barely audible, which made me realise just how furious he was.

  “You know that’s not what I meant. I meant that when you hold my hand or give me those smouldering looks.” I blew my breath out in frustration. “Oh, just forget I said anything.” This of course was completely impossible because I had said it and now it was out there sitting between us like a huge iceberg, which if it had been there in reality, would have been a few degrees warmer than Ahran was being at the moment.

  Bugger, bugger, bugger! That had not gone at all how I had planned.

  The waiter came and brought our meals and we spent the remainder of our time in the diner barely saying a word to one another. I stole the odd glance at Ahran who looked stony faced and I regretted opening my big mouth. I knew now that the only reason I had asked him to keep his distance was because I didn’t trust myself every time he came near me. I had sounded like an ungrateful bitch. He hadn’t wanted me to come in the first place and yet I had forced myself on this trip. So far I had been nothing but a hindrance.

  I contemplated returning to Dinara but I knew I couldn’t go back on my own. I didn’t speak a word of the language nor did I have a clue where I was. If I wanted to go back Ahran would have to accompany me. I could feel hot tears stinging my eyes and I blinked them away quickly. The last thing I needed to do right now was cry.

  If I could have tasted the food, I was pretty sure it would have been delicious but I struggled to get much of it down. Ahran ordered a pudding and I just settled for a coffee, not wanting to prolong the awkward situation I had so cleverly engineered for myself. It was a relief when Ahran paid the bill and we headed back out to the reception to check in.

  After Ahran had given the necessary details to the teenage girl on the desk and she had given us our key card, we headed to our room which was about half way down the block we had parked outside. Ahran slid the card through the card reader on the door and it clicked open.

  During the time it had taken us to get our key and find our room I had vowed that I would do my level best to be more useful. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to be able to do yet but I would have to think of something, if only to assuage my guilt. Ahran had barely said anything since my regrettable diatribe in the diner and I sat on the bed wishing I was anywhere but here.

  “I am going out, keep the door locked and don’t open it to anyone,” he said in a tone that dared me to argue. I nodded in agreement. He opened the door and left.

  I threw myself back on the bed feeling relieved. I had succeeded in making the situation unbearable. With hindsight, I much preferred the tactile Ahran to the cold stony faced Ahran, even if it meant I had to fight my feelings for him the whole time. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I would have given anything to have been back home with Toby and for none of this to be happening.

  The door clicked, and my heart skipped a beat. I sat up too quickly and it was a moment before I realised it was Ahran.

  “That was quick.”

  He had a bag I didn’t recognise in his hand. He came and sat down on the edge of the bed. I had to move over to avoid touching him. To my horror, he reached into the bag and pulled out a gun.

  “What’s that for?” I asked, as if it wasn’t obvious.

  “I think it would be sensible if we were better armed.”

  “What do you mean we, I’ve never held a gun in my life!” I said, all awkwardness vanishing with the shock of his suggestion.

  “These aren’t ordinary guns and they are very easy to use.”

  “Use? I have no intention of using one,” I said, shaking my head adamantly.

  He ignored me and continued.

  “They are laser guns. The first shot stuns the target for a few minutes, if a second shot is fired within that time, then it kills.”

  It was Ahran the soldier talking now and he was so cool, it was as if he was describing the local scenery. I reminded myself that he was a trained killer and that he himself could be pretty dangerous. Who knows how many people he had killed in his career? But the thought of me killing someone with one of these guns just made me feel sick.

  “Where did you get them from?”

  “The waiter in the diner.”

  I snorted. I was having a hard time picturing the pleasant waiter in the diner as some kind of small arms dealer. “You are kidding?”

  “These people are pretty vulnerable out here and they have to protect themselves somehow. Here take this,” he said, passing me one of the guns. I reluctantly took it and let it dangle impotently in my right hand. I hardly wanted to acknowledge I was holding it, let alone accept I might have to use it.

  “It fires like any other firearm, you just pull the trigger,” he said, ignoring my lack of enthusiasm. When I made no move to do anything with it, he sighed and knelt up on the bed behind me, putting his arms around my sides. He took hold of the gun still in my hand, placed his forefinger over mine on the trigger and pointed it towards the wall on the far side of the room.

  I struggled to concentrate.

  “Your aim doesn’t have to be that accurate, as long as you hit the target somewhere it will stun them.” His finger squeezed mine and we pulled the trigger together. There was no sound just a blue flash and then a scorch mark on the wall. The sudden bright light made me jump.

  “Jesus!”

  Whether I was responding to having just fired the gun or to his hot breath on my neck as a result of putting himself at my eye level, I wasn’t sure.

  He seemed to hesitate before pulling away and quickly got off the bed. I suppose I was grateful for this, he was obviously respecting my wishes after our conversation in the diner. Was he worried that I would misinterpret every little gesture he made towards me? Nice one Sophie! You really know how to make a bad situation worse.

  I laid the gun on the bedside table, not wishing to hold it any longer than I had
to.

  “With a bit of luck I won’t need to do that again.”

  “Let’s hope not, but I want you to keep it with you at all times, okay?”

  “I am sure that won’t be necessary.”

  “Sophie!” he growled.

  “Okay, okay I will keep it with me at all times,” I said, knowing that I wasn’t in a strong position to argue.

  “Do you want to have a shower first? We’ve got an hour before we have to leave to catch the train,” he asked.

  “No, you go ahead I’m just going to stretch out here,” I said as I hitched further up onto the bed and swung my legs up. I needed some time on my own.

  “Alright, I won’t be long.”

  He went into the bathroom. He didn’t fully close the door and I could hear him getting undressed before he switched the shower on. I rolled over and groaned.

  After a minute or two, I felt for the remote control and turned on the radio channel on the T.V. I switched off the light and laid there for a minute or two as I listened to the impassioned opera that filled the room. How appropriate?! It matched my mood perfectly. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling, trying to clear my mind. It didn’t matter how I felt, what mattered was that we got to Toby and rescued him as quickly as possible.

  Suddenly, my eye was caught by a shadowy figure passing our window. I sat up.

  For some reason, I felt a distinct sense of unease. This increased dramatically when I saw the handle on the door turn as whoever it was, tried to get in. I weighed up my options a) This person had innocently got the wrong room and would soon realise that their card key wasn’t working b) This person could be after us in which case I should go into the bathroom and alert Ahran c) This person could be after us and I could pick up the gun on the night stand and shoot the bastard.

  My eyes darted to the gun on the bedside table. Before I had really given it much thought I grabbed it and dashed behind the door. My heart was in my throat as the person trying to enter our room succeeded. The door opened slowly. I held the gun in both hands with my finger on the trigger, just as Ahran had showed me. The door opened wider and I held my breath worried that it would knock me and reveal my hiding place. Fortunately, it stopped just before it reached me and the dark figure slipped silently into the room. My cover remained. In the light from the bathroom, the man was as tall as Ahran but not quite as broad. He was inching towards the bathroom door, his right arm extended and I could make out the outline of a gun in his hand. My heart was beating so hard I was terrified he would hear it, but the opera was still blaring out of the television and his attention was totally focussed on the bathroom.

  This definitely wasn’t a case of someone getting the wrong room.

  He took a step away from me and I had the perfect opportunity to shoot him in the back.

  I hesitated but quickly reminded myself that it would only stun him and so I slowly pulled the trigger. The flash of blue light made me jump and I watched him fall to the floor.

  I dropped the gun.

  “It’s all yours,” Ahran said over the music as he came out of the bathroom. He was wearing his jeans but his chest was bare and he was rubbing his hair with a towel.

  He nearly tripped over the body on the floor and let out an expletive.

  “Sophie?” I could hear the alarm in his voice as his eyes searched for me in the darkened room.

  “I’m over here,” I replied. I was rooted to the spot staring at the man lying on the floor. The way he had landed was almost comic, like he was doing an impression of a starfish.

  Ahran switched the lamp on by the bed and turned the television off. He glanced from me to the body on the floor and back to me again.

  “He had a gun. I shot him,” I said, dazed.

  “How many times?” he asked coolly.

  “Just once,” I replied, still unable to move.

  I knew what he was about to do as soon as he stepped towards me and I didn’t make any attempt to stop him. He picked up the gun, aimed it at the body and fired a second shot. The man’s body jolted perceptibly. I thought I might pass out. Gingerly, I felt my way along the wall and then the nightstand and slumped onto the bed.

  With the gun still poised in his hand Ahran went to the open doorway and looked out. When he was satisfied the coast was clear he shut the door and came and sat next to me. “Did he hurt you?” he said, his eyes searching my face.

  I exhaled through pursed lips. “No, he didn’t have a chance.”

  “Good girl,” he said, his relief evident. He pulled me to his chest.

  I didn’t protest and closed my eyes, thankful he was there. All too quickly he pulled away.

  “We should get out of here, there could be others.”

  He opened his bag and retrieved a sweater. I tried not to notice the play of muscles across his chest as he put it on. It wasn’t Ahran who needed to be told to keep his distance; it was me who needed a stern talking to.

  “How did he know we were here?” I asked, beginning to recover from the shock of what had just happened. “We are in the middle of nowhere.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe the car we hired had a tracking device and somehow they tapped into it.”

  I stared at him shocked.

  “Come on, grab your bag, we need to go,” he said, zipping up his own bag.

  He handed me the other gun, I just stared blankly at it. He sighed and reached around me, I thought he was about to hug me again but instead he pushed the gun into the waist band at the back of my jeans. He slung our bags over his shoulder and picked up the other gun, keeping it in his hand.

  “How are we going to leave if the car we hired is being traced?”

  He tapped the end of his nose with his gun, rather foolishly in my opinion, and grabbed my hand with his free hand. He gently pushed me behind him and edged out of the door to survey the car park.

  It was disconcerting to think that there could be others outside waiting for us and it triggered a surge of adrenaline that shot to my fingertips.

  Ahran surveyed the car park. He was very still and his head was cocked. He was clearly using all his highly evolved senses to see if it was safe for us to venture out. I tried to stay as still as I could and even held my breath so it wouldn’t interfere with his surveillance. He seemed satisfied that there was no immediate threat and we edged out of our motel room.

  I narrowed my eyes at the traitorous hire car as we passed it. A few spaces down was a motorbike just like the ones on Earth. “It’s a motorbike!” I whispered, feeling ridiculously pleased that here was a vehicle I was familiar with, its two wheels planted firmly on the ground. I immediately felt a pang of homesickness.

  “It’s an import, you don’t see many of them and you have to have a special licence,” he explained as we stood by the sleek, black Kawasaki ZX-14R. I didn’t know a Kawasaki from a Robin Reliant but it’s make and model was helpfully emblazoned down the side in silver lettering.

  “It’s the most powerful bike you have on Earth but it’s considered more of a classic here.” Ahran crouched down and fiddled with something on the bike. I heard a click.

  Suddenly it occurred to me that Ahran was intending to use this bike as our escape vehicle. “I’m not getting on that!” I said in a forced whisper.

  Ahran ignored me and straddled the bike, organising our bags in front of him. He held out his hand to me.

  “Would you rather stay here?” he asked, nodding towards our room where another would-be assassin lay dead.

  “We can’t just steal it,” I said through my teeth.

  The engine came to life and Ahran revved it drowning out my protests. With his other hand he cupped his ear and shook his head demonstrating he could no longer hear me.

  I sighed, he’d made his point and I reluctantly climbed on the bike behind him. I’d never been on a motorbike before. I tightened my grip around his waist as we spun out of the car park. The motorbike quickly ate up the ground, putting distance between us and the motel. I lo
oked back over my shoulder to see a man standing in the car park waving his arms frantically. I couldn’t help but feel bad that we had just stolen his bike.

  I hugged myself closely to Ahran’s back as the air whipped at my face. I closed my eyes feeling scared and exhilarated all at the same time.

  Chapter 15

  We were going so fast I had to close my eyes. I clamped myself to Ahran not just for my own safety, but because I had a legitimate reason to hold onto him. The air was cool but the heat radiating from him was enough to keep me warm. As I rested my cheek against his back, I imprinted the feel of him into my memory, knowing that when I was back home and alone at night I could draw on memories like this and relive the feel of his body, the warmth of him, his hard stomach muscles under my finger tips and the complete sense of security I felt despite the fact that our lives couldn’t be more in danger.

  It wasn’t too long before the surrounding area became more built up and we slowed down as we wound our way through the streets. It was late and the traffic was light. The train station eventually came into view. We had completed our journey without being followed and I was beginning to feel more at ease. Ahran parked outside the station and switched off the engine.

  I sat back and immediately mourned the feel of him.

  “Jump off. We’ve got a train to catch.”

  I climbed off the back and he put the bike’s resting arm down and climbed off himself. He took hold of my hand, ignoring everything I had said to him in the diner, and we walked into the station together. I just didn’t have the strength to protest anymore.

  Our train was due to depart in twenty minutes so we bought our tickets, grabbed a coffee and sat as inconspicuously as we could in the corner of the station cafe. We spoke once or twice but I knew Ahran’s attention was really on everyone who entered and left as he assessed their threat potential. Thankfully, everyone seemed to just be going about their business, not in the least bit interested in who we were.

  An announcement came over the personal address system presumably announcing the imminent arrival of our train. I looked out of the window and watched its approach. Like most of the other modes of transport here, it hovered a couple of feet off the ground and travelled virtually soundlessly. The front of the train was seriously aerodynamic and I would have happily bet a year’s takings that it was faster than any train I had ever been on.