Shari noticed his gaze. “The women from nearby villages can be clumsy, unlike our Inka ladies.” He smiled at his wife who sat at the other end of the table.
Minna was beautiful, or had been. Sorrow dulled her pale blue eyes and her thick brown hair was heavily threaded with grey. Her skin was soft, fine, and lined. She smiled slightly at him and returned her attention to her plate.
Maverk smiled charmingly at her. “The meal is excellent, Minna.”
“Thank you. We have cooks from the village as well.”
“They do very well. You have no Inka cooks?”
“These are Inka cooks, but of a lower class.” Shari gave a bark of laughter. “That is below us, Maverk! Why do you think we use the villagers?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Because menial tasks go to the lower classes, of course.” Pushing away his empty goblet, he gestured to the serving woman. “As a mark of respect to the higher classes, the servants veil themselves whilst working.”
Silently she refilled the goblet and left the room.
“They are lower class?” Managing to sound politely interested, Darvk hid the distaste he felt for the snobbish leader.
“Slovenly sluts are the women, lazy bastards the men.” He glanced at Minna. “I beg your pardon, my dear.”
She neither looked up from her plate nor acknowledged the apology.
As they ate, Shari asked polite questions, not touching on the Reekas which intrigued Darvk. That Shari would start probing soon, he had no doubt.
As they finished, the servant appeared, moving swiftly on silent feet to pick up the plates.
Minna continued to sit, sipping from her goblet, not looking at anyone.
Shari gazed at her for several seconds before smiling sadly at the two traders. “If you’ve finished, we’ll go into the receiving room and leave my wife in peace.”
They hurriedly got to their feet.
“I thank you for the lovely meal,” Darvk said quietly.
She glanced up and nodded, but her eyes were distant and he felt that she wasn’t aware of him.
They left the elegant dining room, moving along the corridor to another door. Another serving woman, who’d appeared as if by magic to open the door, shut it quietly behind them after they entered.
Crossing to the window, Shari placed his back to it and sighed. “I’m afraid my wife hasn’t been the same since Vulya was murdered. It broke her heart.”
“Understandable,” Maverk said. “A mother and son are close.”
“Yes, they are.” He stared at Maverk for a moment, making Darvk wonder what he was thinking, then he seemed to recall himself. “I hope you enjoy your stay. How long will you be here, Darvk?”
“I’m not sure; a few days, mayhap a week. Is that all right?”
“Of course, of course. As I’ve said before, you’re welcome anytime.”
“We appreciate that.” Darvk had every intention of staying as long as it took to find a way to get Shari. “I’m looking forward to visiting your merchants.”
“Trading? Excellent, excellent.”
The man had no idea that the two he’d welcomed were in a plot to kidnap him.
Not long after, they left the private apartments, Darvk noting the two Dragon soldiers guarding the entrance. On the trip back to the docking bay designated to all visiting spaceships, he studied the huge area situated some distance from the main building. Soldiers patrolled the perimeter of the fortress and six soldiers guarded the docking bay.
Darvk and Maverk nodded pleasantly to the nearest guards who returned their greetings with expressionless faces.
The situation reaffirmed his fears. It wasn’t going to be easy to just grab Shari and leave. If anything went wrong, it was going to take a miracle to get them out alive. Not for the first time, he wished they had a better plan.
And not for the first time, he cursed the fact that they didn’t.
~ * ~
“I hope they have some news soon.” Dana scowled. “So far there’s been hardly anything of help to us.”
“Questions must be asked carefully, little sister.” Connie yawned.
“They tip-toe around like old men.”
“Patience. We have learned a few useful things.”
“Such as?”
“Garret likes you and wants to-”
Dana bounded out of her chair. “Don’t you mention that imbecile to me!”
“Your face went bright red last night,” Senna teased her. “First time I’ve seen you speechless.”
“Why you-”
“You were calling out in your sleep this morning, moaning and groaning.” Yesta’s eyes tinkled devilishly. “But I can’t tell you who for since you banned his name.”
“Reya, give this bloody receiver for Garret to someone else!” Dana bellowed.
Reya didn’t raise her eyes from the radar. “No.”
“He waffles crap all night.”
“All night, huh?” Yesta grinned.
“Damn it. Reya-”
“Do you want us to hear what he wants to do to you?” Tenia looked up from the map, lips twitching.
This caught Dana off-guard and she sputtered. “Well, no, but…”
“I’ll have it.” Eyes gleaming, Senna held out her hand. “I’d love to know what he wants to do to you.”
“Bloody hell. I’ll murder him when he gets back.”
The warriors laughed.
“Poor Dana.” Aster smiled then sobered. “But we have learned some things from the traders’ conversations with the Inka people.”
“Aye,” Jonette agreed. “Such as the times the searchlights sweep the walls, the number of soldiers in the patrols-” A beeping sounded and she swung back to the radar, tensing. “Alien ship approaching the fortress.”
Immediately the warriors gathered behind her and Reya to study the screen.
“It’s not going to the docking bay,” Tenia noted. “But landing behind the fortress.”
“Can you identify it?” Connie queried.
“It’s coming.” Reya scanned the letters flicking rapidly in the corner of the screen.
The letters stopped and Jonette’s breath sucked in sharply. “Pirate ship.”
“Sinya,” Dana hissed. “What’s that bastard doing here?”
Reya remained expressionless. “He’s in cohorts with Shari.”
Aster frowned. “Shari hates outlaws. I’m surprised he does any dealings with Sinya at all.”
“He needs someone who can move around the Outlaw Sector freely, and someone we wouldn’t suspect at first.”
“Sinya betrayed you, helped capture you. It worked.”
“Exactly.”
“Darvk and Maverk will kill him.” Tenia groaned. “What a mess.”
“How can we warn them?” Senna chewed her bottom lip worriedly. “We won’t get there in time, and our meeting with them is not until tomorrow night.”
“If we try to contact them, we risk giving ourselves away.” Connie exhaled a hard breath. “This is not good. This is bad, very bad.”
Reya pointed at the screen. “The ship’s vanished.”
“How?” Tenia queried. “It can’t just vanish.”
“Wait a minute.” Dana studied the radar vision outlining the fortress. “I thought so. See this patch here?”
“Where?” Reya leaned closer.
“Here.” She touched the screen where the ship had disappeared. “This faint, blurry patch.”
“I see it.” Tenia nodded. “What does it mean?”
“That the ship is now in an underground holding bay. It landed on a huge platform which has sunk beneath the ground, effectively taking it from view.”
“You’ve seen this before?”
“Yes, on one of the missions I was on.”
“So Sinya hides from view, hmm?” Reya rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “No one knows we’re here thanks to the radar blocker. Maybe he spotted the traders’ ship?”
“Could be,” Te
nia said. “Now we have to worry about what’s going to happen when or if they accidentally meet.”
“We’ll soon know.” Yesta tapped the receiver in her ear. “We’ll hear the confrontation first hand.”
But they didn’t. Time passed as they each listened to the Daamen trader allocated to their receiver, but at no time did any of the Daamens mention meeting the pirates and no one spoke of them.
That was a worry, all right. What were the pirates up to? Why were they there? What plans were Shari and Sinya hatching? And even worse, how would it affect the Reekas’ kidnapping plan?
It was late afternoon when Tenia finally said, “There’s something wrong. Someone should have spotted a pirate by now, or made mention of one at least.”
“He’s hiding,” Jonette said.
“Plotting with Shari,” Connie added quietly.
“Against the traders?” Dana’s eyes narrowed.
Chest tight, Tenia stood up restlessly. “They could be in danger.”
Connie folded her arms. “We can’t warn them through the communicators as they communicate only one way, and that’s to us. The traders can’t hear us.”
“There is another way,” Tenia suggested.
Her sister warriors were obviously thinking along the same pathway as her, for Yesta nodded. “One of us goes in.”
“Yes.”
Reya looked at her. “We could wait a bit longer.”
“We might not have time.” The thought of what Shari and Sinya could be plotting against possibly the Daamens worried Tenia. “Why the secrecy if the pirates mean no harm?”
“They could just be hiding.” Jonette propped her chin in her palm. “I have no doubt they know the Daamens will beat them black and blue if they stumble upon them.”
Reya’s fingertips rubbed the laser handle holstered on her thigh. “Something is going on.”
“A trap?” Connie questioned sharply. “For the Daamens?”
“Maybe. Shari won’t trust them completely. He doesn’t trust anyone, even Sinya. He’s too careful, too wily, too much a cunning bastard.”
“The traders need to be warned,” Tenia stated.
“If we go in to warn them, we should grab Shari as well. Do it all at once or risk losing the chance forever.”
“I agree.” Dana supported her cousin strongly.
Tenia pushed the map into the middle of the table. “It’s a question of who goes after Shari and who warns the traders.”
“It’s time to move, sisters.”
“At last.” Dana gave a heartfelt sigh.
“We still can’t use two-way communicators, otherwise we’ll give away our presence.”
“So we’ll do this on our own.”
“Better idea.” Connie lifted up the bag of tiny one-way communicators. “Whoever goes takes one of these. Whoever stays back can communicate to you from here. You won’t be able to reply, but you’ll have a better knowledge of what’s happening.”
“I knew your brains made up for your lack of beauty.” Dana opened the bag.
“Just remember,” Connie said, “I know where you live. I’ll be coming to visit after this is all over.”
“Is that a threat?”
“A promise.” Connie looked at Tenia and Reya. “Who stays, who goes?”
After a quick debate, it was decided that Jonette and Senna would go to the traders while Reya, Tenia, Dana, and Aster would enter the fortress. Connie and Yesta stayed in the Argon fleet craft to scan for trouble and inform the others via the one-way communicator of what was happening and possible dangers.
~ * ~
Dressed in dark cloaks and veils, the warriors blended into the darkness, entering the tunnel at midnight, careful to time it between the patrols. Cautiously progressing down the tunnel, they eventually came to the end.
Dana pointed to the faint strip of light from the opening into the soldier’s room.
Listening at the heavy door, all Tenia could hear was silence, a clear indication that the occupants were either asleep or not present.
Tenia eased the heavy door open, peering carefully around to find it empty. She entered, followed closely by her sister warriors. Stealthily they moved through the room and into the dimly lit corridor that was lined with gilt chairs and cabinets, all richly embellished with silver and gold. Thick floor coverings muffled any footsteps, making it easier to walk unheard, but at the same time more dangerous because they couldn’t hear if soldiers approached.
Keeping to the walls, they used the shadows from the heavy furniture to their advantage, blending in with the darkness.
Peering cautiously around a corner, Tenia saw closed double doors and two expressionless Dragon soldiers standing before it.
Drawing back, she whispered, “Two soldiers before the closed doors. That’s Shari’s rooms, all right.”
“Lit up bright as day, too.” Reya looked at the bright glow coming around the corner.
“Isn’t that nice?” Dana whispered. “Why couldn’t he be obliging for once and turn the light down?”
“It’d make it too easy for us. The problem is we have to get to the soldiers before they can raise the alarm.”
“No worries.” Dana flipped a dagger in her hand.
“Can you get one from here?” Reya asked.
Peering cautiously around the corner, Dana assessed the distance and drew back. “Don’t insult me.”
“I’ll take the other,” Aster offered.
Within a short time the doors to Shari’s apartments opened and closed. The only indication of violence was a small pool of blood on the thick dark floor covering which absorbed it quickly.
“We have to move quickly before they’re discovered missing,” Tenia whispered.
Reya nodded. “The bedroom is beyond the private lounge ahead.”
Tenia and Dana moved ahead, while Reya and Aster followed ten paces behind. They moved through the dining room, and into another small room. The door at the end was shut.
Shari’s bedroom.
Easing the door open slightly, Tenia dropped to one knee, listened, and when silence continued, she pushed the door open. Nothing. No yell, no firing of lasers. The only occupants of the dark room were the two sleeping figures in the large bed.
The sisters walked quietly to the side Shari lay on. The dim light from the room beyond showed their grandparents. She slept facing away from them. He frowned in his sleep as though troubled.
As well he should, Tenia thought to herself.
Pulling a small bottle and cloth from the pouch on her belt, Reya poured liquid onto the cloth and held it close to his nose. His face twitched but he remained asleep. Slowly she pressed it down onto his face and he stiffened, eyes snapping open. There was a brief flash of shock and recognition as he gazed up into her hard face, then all his expression fled.
“Get up,” she whispered harshly.
He had no will of his own and obeyed docilely.
Tenia picked up a dark robe that lay on the end of the bed and gave it to him. Wordlessly he drew it on over his white nightclothes. She glanced across at the sleeping woman. Their grandmother. Her feelings were mixed about Minna, but she couldn’t think about it now. She and Reya had decided that she was no threat, seeing as she obviously wasn’t in her right mind.
Shari was their target this night.
Stealthily the four warriors left the apartment with him in their midst.
The corridor was deserted, and quickly they made their way through the conference room and towards the soldiers’ rooms. It was going well, too well, Tenia feared.
Sudden voices made them press back into the shadows and they waited, Shari still and silent between Tenia and Reya.
“I see Sinya’s brother is still captive,” a voice said.
“Shari won’t let him go in a hurry.”
“If ever.”
Laughter followed this then the talking resumed.
“While he has him, the pirate is on a leash.”
“Ju
st the way he wants him.”
“Thanks to Sinya, he nearly had those two Reeka bitches hung.”
“Until the traders found them. He nearly had a coronary, he was so furious.”
Still talking, the two soldiers came out of the room and walked down the corridor, away from the waiting warriors and their captive.
Tenia breathed a sigh of relief. So far, all was going well.
They slipped into the soldiers’ room and filed through into the dark tunnel.
Her heart grew lighter, incredulity and relief filling her.
They’d done it. They had the Inka Empire leader. And no one was hurt, especially the Daamens.
Most especially Darvk.
Maybe this was all going to work out after all.
~ * ~
“They did what?” Darvk roared.
Senna and Jonette didn’t flinch from the expected reaction.
“We had no choice,” Senna stated. “You had no knowledge of the pirates and we feared a trap.”
“So we came to warn you,” Jonette added.
“While the rest of you are inside the fortress attempting to kidnap Shari?” Especially Tenia.
It was enough to make his blood pound in his head with a combination of fear, fury and frustration.
Jonette grabbed his arm when he started past her. “It’s better that you and your crew are not involved.”
“Not involved?” He ground his teeth. “Maverk, rouse the crew. We search for those stubborn wenches.”
“No!” she objected sharply. “The Daamens should not be identified, Tenia and Reya have specifically said-”
“Not one more word out of you, lass.” He gestured to Shamon and Jase standing behind the warriors. “Get ready to move.”
Senna sighed. “At least keep a low profile while we’re looking for them.”
He scowled at her. “You two can stay here where ‘tis safe.” His worse fears were suddenly realised as the sudden pealing of an alarm through the viscomm cut off his words. “Damn it! Cam, report now!”
Cam appeared on the viscomm screen. “Shari’s disappeared and soldiers are everywhere.”
“They’ve done it!” Jonette exclaimed gleefully.
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