Charlotte Boyett-Compo- WIND VERSE- Pleasure's Foehn (12 page)

Seamus plowed a thick hand through what was left of his balding hair. “Well, actually he was told back when it happened but he was too drunk to grasp what the queen was telling him.”

“Or he just blocked it out,” Davan suggested. “If he didn’t want it to be true, his subconscious would have refused to process the information.”

“Aye, that could have been the way of it,” Seamus agreed. “That ain’t all that set him off today.”

Davan glanced at the older man. “You mean him having to send Amethyst away?”

Seamus threw out a dismissive hand. “That was one of his better decisions, Doc, and long overdue although when he hears what’s gone and happened, he’s not going to be in any better frame of mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“The
Faucon
was captured by the Saurians less than two hours after it left here. Everyone on board was taken prisoner and the ship blown to bits.”

Davan squeezed her eyes shut. “You’re right. He’s not going to like hearing that.”

“Not that he’ll care all that much what happened to Amethyst, but he liked Capt. LeClerc.”

“So did I,” Davan replied. “Do you suppose they’ll be taken to Utuk Xul?”

“The men will, aye, but the women will no doubt wind up on one of the Saurian pleasure ships.” He shrugged. “Not all that bad for Amethyst I don’t suppose but for the women on the
Faucon
’s crew, it’s a pisser.”

“You said something else added to the captain’s drinking today?”

“The queen Vid-Commed to tell him what I’m willing to bet the lad found nearly as bad as learning his little brother was gone.”

A slight ripple of jealousy coursed through Davan’s heart as they reached the door that led back into the ship. As it slid open, she asked if another bride had been found for the captain.

Seamus grinned. “Aye, I think one has but it was learning Prince Bennick went and joined a monastery that has him madder than a long-tailed muskrat in a room full of short-circuiting cybots.”

“Because he doesn’t want the responsibility of being king?”

“Never did want it,” Seamus acknowledged. “Now, he don’t have no choice in the matter.”

“Too much emotional overload today, eh?” Davan said with a sigh. “No wonder he tied one on.”

“Gotta stop the lad from giving in to that weakness, though,” Seamus remarked.

“Ain’t a good thing for an Amhantarean king to be too fond of the brew.”

“Or to use it as a crutch when things don’t go his way,” Davan put in. 65

Charlotte Boyett-Compo

“Precisely,” Seamus agreed.

They took the elevator up to the sickbay and walked in as a couple of the corpsmen were stripping the sweaty clothes from the captain. The nurse had a basin of soapy water and a rag in preparation of bathing him. All three looked up as the healer came into the room.

“You want me to start an IV, Doc?” the nurse inquired softly.

“Please,” Davan said, surprised at the tone and the title.

“We can handle it, ma’am,” one of the corpsmen said. “You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?”

Shocked at the complete turnaround, Davan shook her head. “No, it can wait. I—”

“Chief Rawls, why don’t you take Doc to the mess. She hasn’t been eating all that well since she’s been here,” the nurse said. “We’ll call her if something we can’t handle comes up.”

“I doubt there’s anything you can’t handle,” Davan said.

The nurse shrugged. “We have our moments,” she said then locked eyes with Davan. “We also know when we’ve been foolish. Welcome aboard the
Foehn
, Dr. Shanahan.”

“Thank you,” Davan said, her throat clogging up.

“Okay, so we’re off to the mess,” Seamus said, taking Davan’s arm. He winked. “I hear they’re outta eggs but I’m sure we’ll find something.”

* * * * *

Davan was nodding in the chair when a corpsman touched her arm lightly. She flinched and her eyes snapped open.

“Sorry to bother you, Doc, but you have a Vid-Com call from Her Majesty, the captain’s mother,” the corpsman whispered.

Davan looked over at her patient and saw that he was still sleeping, an IV tube running into one muscled arm. She got up and went into her office then closed the door to keep from waking him.

The Vid-Com screen was filled with the expressionless face of Queen Margaret Ghrian. She was sitting at a desk, her hands folding on the desktop. Every hair was in place on her elegant head and her makeup flawless, but there were dark circles beneath her eyes.

“Your Majesty,” Davan said and bowed her head in greeting.

“It is amazing how much you look like Catherine,” the queen said and Davan heard weariness in the older woman’s voice. “I feel as though I am speaking to her once more.”

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“I would like to express my condolences at the loss of your son, Your Majesty,”

Davan said. “If there is anything I can do—”

“There is, actually,” the queen said. Her fingers flexed together as she clasped them.

“Please, just ask.”

A slight smile tugged at the queen’s lips. “You can accompany my son when he comes back to Amhantar.”

“Your Majesty, as much as I would like to accommodate you, I have a job here and—”

“A new healer is on his way to the
Foehn
and should arrive later this morning,” the queen informed her. “We are not so greedy we would leave the crew of that ship without medical assistance, especially not when the war has escalated so gravely of late.”

“I take it you are sending a ship to take him home?”

“His own personal LRC,” the queen replied. “We would have sent a shuttle but since both you and Seamus will be accompanying him—along with those personal belongings you wish to bring—we felt a larger ship was required. The Long-Range Cruiser the
Miodóg
will now be the king’s flagship when he is crowned.”

“He’s not happy about that new responsibility,” Davan said.

“Cairnan never thought the obligation would fall to him and if Bennick had been of stronger character, it most likely never would have. But my middle son will do what needs to be done whether he finds the situation palatable or not. That is his heritage and his birthright.”

“I’m not sure why you wish for me to attend him, Your Majesty,” Davan stated. “I will, of course, but surely you don’t expect him to leave the
Foehn
until he feels better than he does right now.”

“He’s passed out right now so I doubt he feels anything,” the queen snapped. “That is a condition that will cease once he’s back on Amhantar.”

“Aye, but—”

“Did he not tell you I had set his Joining for the summer solstice?”

Once more jealousy shot through Davan—much to her surprise—and she realized she was digging her nails into her palms. “No, Your Majesty. We have not—”

“The solstice is almost at hand and there is much to be done before a full Joining can be undertaken.”

“I can only imagine but why do you—”

The queen held her hand up, looked away and seemed to be listening to someone speaking to her out of range of the Vid-Com. She nodded then turned back to Davan. “I am happy to report that your brother and sister have been released from Amerigen and are on their way to Amhantar as of ten minutes ago.”

Davan’s eyes widened. “Eadan and Conaill?” she gasped.

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“Your other four brothers are already here. It took a bit of doing but the last one arrived this morning.”

“My brothers?” Davan whispered.

“We are trying to locate your remaining brother Lorcan but so far no one has been able to give us any information concerning him.” The queen’s face softened. “I’m sorry to report his status is still listed as MIA.”

“Why is my family being brought to Amhantar?” Davan asked, stunned to learn such news.

The queen smiled. “Why for your Joining to Cairnan, of course!”

68

Pleasure’s Foehn

Chapter Eight

“She’ll have her way, lass,” Seamus said as he watched Davan pacing the small confines of her office.

“And without so much as a by-your-leave!” Davan complained, continuing the harangue she had been throwing at Seamus.

“He’s not a bad catch, you know,” Seamus defended. “You’ll never want for nothing.”

“That is not the point!” Davan hissed. “I don’t
want
to get married!”

“Neither does he, but I don’t think either of you have any say in the matter.”

Davan’s eyes narrowed. “I am not Amhantarean!” she stated. “She is not my sovereign and has no authority over me!”

“I don’t need to remind you we are at war, lass, and as such the normal rules don’t apply. There’s the matter of your eldest brother.”

Davan stopped pacing. “Durbin?” she asked. “What has he got to do with anything?”

Seamus spread his hands. “He is the head of your family.”

“So what? I haven’t seen him in three years.”

“You acknowledge, though, that he is the patriarch of your clan.”

“As the oldest, my cousin Jaspar should be by rights but who knows where Jas is. I imagine Durbin claimed the honor for himself. That sounds like something he’d do. What has that got to do with—?”

“He betrothed you to the lad.”

“What?” Davan shouted.

Seamus winced. “Lass, you’re going to wake him if you don’t tone it down a notch or two.”

The truth of Seamus’ assertion was staring back at Davan and she stumbled to her chair. “He didn’t,” she said. “He wouldn’t.”

“Would and did,” Seamus disagreed. “Even went so far as to provide a right nice size dowry for you, too.”

Davan’s lips parted. “Dowry? How the hell did Durbin get his hands on anything remotely worth offering as a dowry?”

A wide grin stretched over Seamus’ wrinkled face. “Well, now that is the one thing in all this that gained my admiration, lass,” he said. “Your brother Durbin has been working the black market down in Norus Quadrant since the war began and has massed himself quite a fortune in credits. And I suppose he saw the advantage to 69

Charlotte Boyett-Compo

having a king for a brother-in-law and jumped at the chance to offer your hand to Queen Meg.”

Burying her face in her hands, Davan’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t believe this is happening!”

“You could have done worse, lass,” Seamus pointed out. “The lad might have his faults but he’s quite a catch if you think on it.”

“But I don’t want to get married,” Davan whined.

“Neither do I.”

Davan looked up to find Cair standing in the doorway. He was pale, his hand trembling as he wiped at his face. The IV had been removed from his arm earlier but he looked as though he still needed it.

Seamus shot to his feet and offered his chair to the younger man.

“When is the ship scheduled to dock?” Cair asked, shaking his head at the offer.

“She’s sending the
Miodóg
,” Seamus told him.

“I figured as much. When is it due to get here?”

“It passed the first checkpoint twenty minutes ago.”

“So I have about half an hour’s freedom left.”

“We’ll talk to your mother,” Davan suggested. “We can tell her neither of us want to—”

“Do you really think we are the masters of our fate, wench?” Cair asked. He gave in and sat down in the chair, bracing his elbow on the arm and putting his hand to the bridge of his nose. “We’ve lost that right.”

“Are you sick to your stomach?” Davan asked, coming from around her desk. It was an indication of how concerned she was with his pallor that she let the “wench”

slide by unchallenged. “Is your head hurting?”

“Like it’s never hurt before,” Cair admitted. “And if I don’t puke in the next two minutes, it’ll be a miracle.”

Going to the door, Davan asked the nurse to prepare an injection of tenerse.

“No,” Cair stated firmly. “Anything else but that.”

“What’s wrong with tenerse?” she asked.

“I’ve got an addiction to liquor,” Cair replied. “I don’t need an addiction to something as wicked at tenerse.”

“I won’t let that happen,” she told him. “I’ll monitor you very carefully.”

He looked up at her. “You promise?”

“Aye, Captain,” she said. “I promise.”

“Cair,” he said on a long sigh. “You can’t go around calling me Captain once we’re joined.”

“The Joining hasn’t taken place yet,” she ground out.

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“It will,” he said then suddenly bent forward as the contents of his stomach came spewing out.

Davan bent over and held his head, mindless of the mess that was splattering her desk and floor. He was straining so hard to rid himself of the poisons in his system, she could feel the tremors shuddering down his tall frame.

Seamus hurried out of the healer’s office to fetch a corpsman, passing the nurse as she came in with a syringe filled with tenerse. Without waiting for Davan’s permission, the nurse swabbed Cair’s neck and injected the fiery liquid into his neck.

“God!” Cair groaned for the med burned a pathway through his veins, the thick fluid causing great pain.

“You could have given it to him in his arm,” Davan complained.

“Works faster in the jugular,” the nurse replied.

Almost as soon as the needle was withdrawn, Cair collapsed back in the chair, his eyes glazing over as the potent narcotic took hold.

Davan took a wet cloth from the corpsman and wiped Cair’s face and mouth. He was already groggy so she asked the corpsman to carry him back to his bed.

“He’ll be out before the
Miodóg
slips into her docking harness,” Seamus said. “I’ll have them get his quarters ready.”

Less than an hour later, the new flagship of the future king of Amhantar backed away from the docking bay and while Cair Ghrian slept, Davan Shanahan sat at the portal and watched the stars beyond the thick glass, and Seamus Rawls settled down for a long-overdue nap, their fates taking a turn for which none of them could have ever prepared.

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Chapter Nine

Amethyst strutted before the Saurian commander, her ample hips swaying. She tossed her mane of thick hair and ran her tongue over her lush red lips as she reached up to cup her bare breasts in invitation.