“Someone’s coming.”
They both moved behind the door, trying to prepare for whatever was going to happen. Those aliens wouldn’t be stealthy, so this has to be a rescue, right? The door slowly inched opened and a quiet, very non-Hatti voice called out, “Is anyone there?”
Dani pulled free of Kyle’s warning grasp to dart forward and yank the door wide.
“Where’s Lateef?” she demanded of the young woman peering into their cell.
“You must be Dani.” Large green eyes dominated a face surrounded by a mass of curly auburn hair reaching nearly to her knees. “Brandon and I are here to get you two,” she said. “I’m Rissa, Lateef’s big sister.”
“One of his big sisters.” The man who remained on watch in the hallway added as his steely gaze took in everything about the cell and the tired humans. His expression softened when he looked at Rissa, showing a tiny hint of the love he obviously had for her before once again watching the sterile corridors for trouble. “We need to get going, Riss,” he added. “They’ll be here soon. Those damned shields of theirs made our camouflage pretty iffy and it took forever to get here from the transport bay.”
“Who are you people?” Kyle demanded. His body was rigid with anger and distrust and his hand unconsciously reached for the gun that wasn’t at his waist. “And what do you mean about shields and allies and Falgarans? What the hell is a Falgaran?”
“We’re friends.” Rissa confidently reached out to touch his hand. “We’ve come to take you home.”
Kyle felt his suspicion melt away, replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling of safety as he followed her without a question, uncharacteristically confident this short stranger would keep them all safe.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rissa led the four of them in a mad dash through featureless hallways. Dani felt like a hamster running in circles through the endless series of identical corridors. Fear squeezed her chest, slowly tightening its grip every time Rissa or Brandon uttered a muffled curse under their breath and guided their charges into an empty room to hide for a few moments.
“Nearly there.” Rissa’s quiet statement could have been a signal.
Klaxons blared an alarm. The sound of running feet grew more frequent as those empty rooms grew scarce. More than once Kyle’s panic threatened to overwhelm Dani as they heard the Hatti soldiers draw closer to their exposed position. And when they did dart into a room barely ahead of the Hatti crew, Dani’s heart pounded so loudly she couldn’t believe their pursuers didn’t hear it. Rissa’s encouragement and air of calm competence did little to ease the worry growing into terror.
Brandon gently touched her hand and she felt a wave of calm wash over her. She took a deep, shuddering breath and gave him a quizzical look.
“Most of the panic isn’t yours,” he said. He glanced at Kyle then back to her. “But you haven’t learned how to block outside emotions yet, have you?”
Dani gaped at him. “What do you mean? I still don’t know how I can hear Lateef in my head.”
The blare of the klaxons halted, and their ears rang with the memory of the loud noise.
Brandon shook his head and continued the conversation. “Sorry,” he said. “I know this is all weird and none of us have time for the explanations you deserve.” They all froze as the rapid clomps of many booted feet shook the thin door. Rissa stood with her hand on the doorknob, eyes closed in intense concentration until the sound faded.
“I promise to get Lateef to explain everything as soon as we get off this ship,” Brandon said. “And he’ll find someone to help train you to use whatever abilities you end up having. But I can show you a quick trick to help you block stray emotions until then. At least the few you can get through this damned shield.”
Dani listened to his instructions, grateful when the noisy babble receded. Maybe she was getting the hang of this? Or maybe she was in a mental health facility, drugged out of her mind and hallucinating.
“Let’s go!” Rissa’s command had them on their feet and at the door in seconds.
****
The nerve-racking game of cat and mouse continued until the little group finally reached the room full of brightly-colored transport ships the two humans recognized from their arrival on board this alien ship.
Rissa and Brandon exchanged glances and Dani’s brain itched, even through her new mental shield. She strained to hear any sounds, but there was only the sigh of air moving through the large space and a distant clang of metal on metal. The breeze carried the mingled scents of fuel and metal and some other smell she couldn’t place. It was pleasant and brought to mind fresh bread and hot chocolate.
“Let’s take a break.” Rissa broke the spell and nudged Kyle to sit on the floor as Brandon took off. She took a post at the bow of a bright blue transport, gaze moving constantly.
“What’s up?” Dani asked quietly as she stood back-to-back with the shorter woman. She had noticed a distinct chill in Rissa’s attitude towards Kyle, but didn’t have the desire to figure out why.
“What’s the delay?” Kyle’s question broke the tension.
“We’re waiting for Lateef and ’Rantha.” Their rescuer’s attention was far away from them. Dani could feel a tickle in her brain and she was almost able to catch words, but they remained tantalizingly out of reach. She stretched her own senses out, reaching for Lateef. She managed to catch a brief contact—enough to know he was alive and preoccupied, but not enough to exchange any information. She took a deep breath and realized Rissa was staring at her with an odd expression.
“Lateef was so right about you.” Rissa shook herself and resumed watching their surroundings. “Johfrit will be p… irritated.”
“When did you talk to him?” Dani whirled to stare down at the auburn-haired beauty. She wondered who this Johfrit was and why he mattered.
Brandon reappeared suddenly. “Gotta run.” He yanked Kyle to his feet to drag him deeper into the maze of parked Hatti transport ships, Rissa and Dani hot on their heels. The sound of pursuit spurred the four of them to greater speed.
“Chef Danielle Hamilton.”
Dani stumbled at the sound of her name. It seemed more like an offer of protection than an angry demand, but that made no sense. Who’s that? If I ignore everything, will I be back in reality?
“Wouldn’t recommend it,” Rissa whispered.
Dani shot the other woman a startled look.
“This is as real as life gets.”
“How?”
“Mind reader, remember? The shields aren’t as effective when we’re close.” Rissa lifted her head in a listening attitude then grinned broadly. “Amarantha has Lateef.”
Dani nearly tripped over her own feet before she could get her coordination back.
“They’ll meet us at the ship.” Rissa urged her to run faster.
Dani halted abruptly with the sudden certainty Lateef was close. She darted to the left, ignoring Rissa’s hissed command to stop. A door opened and he was suddenly there. She flung her arms around Lateef, spinning them both with the wild energy of her greeting.
“I couldn’t find you,” she whispered in his ear.
“I know.” He hugged her tightly. “But I’m here now.”
“No time for a long reunion.” A tall, dark-haired woman joined them. She looked at Danielle, but did not make eye contact. “Company’s right behind me.”
Lateef threw his arm around Dani’s waist and they all ran. Their camouflaged ship was in sight when a large group of Hatti burst out of an adjoining wall of ships. They changed direction but everywhere they turned a new group of heavily armed, bald men faced them.
“This way, Chef Danielle Hamilton. Come to me.”
Dani looked to her left to see Taltos holding out a hand, beckoning her as he pointed a weapon at her companions.
“We will keep you safe!”
&nbs
p; She recognized three of the men who had come to lunch with her at his back, including her seat-mate from the shuttle ride up.
“I don’t need to be rescued.” She clutched Lateef’s hand. He tried to step in front of her and the Hatti group raised their weapons threateningly until Dani pushed Lateef behind her.
“We will keep you safe,” Taltos repeated. “You must come with me.”
“I am safe,” she said.
“Not with them.” The venom in his tone startled her and she looked back at Lateef’s family. The sentiment was apparently mutual. The three Beryllians faced the Hatti soldiers with their own weapons drawn and Kyle in the middle of their protective circle. Rissa motioned for her to join them as Lateef tugged at her arm.
“You people are nuts,” Dani muttered before raising her voice to address both groups. “This really needs to stop right now.”
“This battle is not our choice,” Taltos said.
“You attacked a guest at an official diplomatic function without provocation,” Rissa retorted. “Then you made demands for our Embassy to hand him over without any explanation of what he had done or what you intended to do to him.”
“Okay.” Dani held up a hand to stop the escalating argument. “You guys need to sit down and talk. There’s obviously a whole bunch of misunderstanding going on here. Why don’t we go back to my house for coffee, crumb cake and a nice long chat?”
A wave of agitation started near the wall and everyone fell silent as the crowd of Hatti parted to reveal the muscular man who had interrogated her stalking through the hanger toward them. He towered over the much shorter throng bowing as he passed, rippling like wheat in the wind.
“Thane Hantili.” The whisper ran through the crowd like a prayer.
‘Be ready to run.’ Lateef spoke in her mind.
She shook her head in denial. She was going nowhere until the situation was resolved. Otherwise she would never be able to return home with the man she had come to love. She knew she’d follow Lateef if he had to go into exile, but there had to be a middle ground. She ignored Lateef’s continued telepathic pleas as the Thane’s arrival made his arguments moot.
“Greetings, Danielle Hamilton.” He nodded his large head respectfully at her.
“So, you’re the Thane?” She recognized her interrogator. “Thank you for the exquisite pearls.” She pulled her hand free of Lateef’s and took a step forward. Everyone in the room tensed and she halted, shooting a withering glance around the gathered crowd of anxious soldiers.
“Mellow out, guys,” she snapped. “What do you think I’m going to do? Gnaw on his kneecaps? You know I’m not armed and I have given you absolutely no reason to think I’m an enemy.”
“But now we know you are friends with them.” The shout came from somewhere near the back of the room.
Dani looked back at Lateef. “What else did you do?” she asked. “Insult someone’s family recipe?” He blushed and she turned to face him fully.
“I told you I was tricked into entering a kitchen during feast prep.”
“Seriously? That’s the only reason Taltos has been chasing you all over creation?”
He shrugged minutely and she gazed heavenward, begging for patience as the wordless muttering nearly drowned out his explanation.
“I had awful timing. I walked into the kitchen when one of the Matriarchs was finishing a dish. I tried to apologize, but…”
Dani caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye. Time slowed to a crawl as she realized the metallic glare came from a weapon that looked like a small spear gun aimed directly at the Hatti Thane. She blinked and a gory horror movie played across her closed eyelids. The enraged warriors ripped Lateef and his family to shreds as the Hatti leader died. It wouldn’t matter if the attacker was one of theirs. These warriors were already primed to believe the Beryllians were evil savages who deserved death. She had to stop this. She yelled a warning as she flung herself at the alien Thane, hoping to knock him out of harm’s way. White hot pain plowed through her back, shoving her into a dark chasm as she heard Lateef scream her name.
Chapter Twenty-three
Fury roared through Lateef as he saw the silver bolt pinning Dani to the Hatti leader. Time warped as he watched them fall in slow motion, her scream of pain reverberating in his mind as several soldiers blocked his view.
“Dani!” The anguished cry ripped from his throat. He lunged toward the fallen pair. Two beefy guards grabbed him before he could take more than a single step and twisted his arms behind him, forcing him to his knees in spite of his frantic struggles. All of his self-defense training vanished from his mind.
He was hyperaware of his surroundings yet removed from everything. With his attention focused on Dani’s pale form he could hear his companions and the muttering Hatti, but nothing mattered except her.
“Don’t resist,” Brandon told Kyle as angry soldiers advanced on them.
“But we didn’t…” Kyle tried to argue.
“Doesn’t matter.” Brandon interrupted the human. He went to his knees with his hands on his head before he could be thrown down. “Don’t give anyone a reason to overreact.”
Kyle slowly copied the submissive posture, resentment plain on his face.
Lateef tried again to get to Dani, but his captor shoved his head to the floor with a curse.
‘She’s alive. There’s still hope.’ Brandon’s reassurance helped him get his panic under control as Taltos stomped up to him, black eyes cold with a fury so deep his body shook.
“I knew you were trouble, Beryllian.” The voice was soft, but the dark promise of imminent death cut through the confused babble filling the transport bay. “We were warned about your kind. We would have disposed of you long ago if Danielle Hamilton had not vouched for you. But if our Thane dies…”
“We were not involved in this attack.” Rissa’s soothing voice, rich with deep undertones of grief, cut through the babble. She was the only member of their group to remain upright. A single soldier pinned her wrists behind her. She was obviously a captive, yet she radiated an aura of calm that spread to the aliens around her. She shot a glance to the side where a cluster of angry men pinned the shooter to the floor.
“Your soldiers have detained the one responsible. I am certain you will learn he is either a Falgaran in disguise or a traitor working with that contemptible race.” She paused, waiting for some sign from her audience.
Lateef strained to reach Dani any way he could. Although he was only a few steps away, the distance felt immense. He could sense the spark of her life fading. He squirmed against his captor. For the first time in his life he wished he had worked on a martial art. I can’t let her die.
Rissa continued to speak, dominating the large room. “Lateef is a Master Healer. If it is possible to save your Thane and Chef Danielle, he will do so.”
Lateef jerked out of his daze at Rissa’s words, but forced himself to be still as Taltos glared at him. I can save both of them. Danielle’s tough enough to give me the time.
“Brandon is also a healer,” Rissa said. “And I, too have some healing talents. Please allow us to help them.”
She looked small and frail in front of the tall soldier holding her captive, yet Lateef knew she was anything but.
“I fear it will take both of them as well as your own medics. You need to decide soon.” She looked away, giving the alien soldier space to decide.
Silence began in the far corner, slowly spreading through the hanger. A path opened in the milling soldiers, and two elaborately garbed women, every bit as hairless as the men, strode the length of the long room. A dozen squat, white-robed technicians followed them, bearing stretchers and medical equipment. Whispers followed their progress and the tension in the room decreased. Silky gowns, bordered with elaborate designs brushed the floor as the Matriarchs split up, each heading for a different t
rouble spot. The first woman in royal purple sank to the floor near the stricken Thane and the crowd shifted enough for Lateef to get his first good look at the aftermath of the attack.
“Dani!” A hard yank on his twisted arms cut his shocked shout short. His nightmares would forever be haunted by the vision of his love stretched face down across the much larger Thane. A short metal dart protruded through her lower back, pinning the two together.
“Shit.” Kyle’s inelegant exclamation reverberated behind him and Lateef clenched his trapped fists to avoid attacking the human. Can’t trust him not to betray Dani for a fee. I’ll be happy to take care of the bastard once… Lateef sagged as the knowledge he might lose his love hit him.
Taltos joined the Matriarch who sniffed at the bolt sticking through Dani’s back as the technicians examined the Thane.
“Madame Amman.” Taltos bowed deeply before holding out a hand to help her to her feet. She accepted his help and brushed imaginary dirt from her full skirts as she composed her expression.
“The bolt is poisoned.” Horrified anger laced with despair dripped from her clipped words. “I do not recognize the toxin. Hantili is…”
“Can you save him?” Taltos asked after a long, tense silence. His pale green face lost all color and he swayed as the woman gave a sharp shake of her head. “There must be something we can do!”
“Let me help!” Lateef begged. “At the very least I can keep him stable while you interrogate the assassin and find out what poison he used.”
Amman and Taltos exchanged wary glances. Dani’s arm brushed against Taltos’s leg. He fell to his knees and clasped her hand.
“Why did you sacrifice…?” Deep emotion clogged his throat.
“Let. Lateef. Save. Him.” Each word came on a separate breath.
Ammon jerked with surprise at those words, crouching to study the wounded woman intently before turning her attention back to Taltos.
“Dare we take the chance?”
Taltos lifted his shoulders in a resigned shrug. “We are lost if we do nothing. We owed Danielle Hamilton a debt before this.” He closed his large eyes for a long moment. “He can do no more damage.”
At Night's End Page 18
