Eternity Row (29 page)

While all this was happening, the Taercal were trying very hard to look worshipful and affronted at the same time. Xonea and Reever didn’t quite reach the shuttle in time, and the exterior hull panel opened.

Ilona Red Faun didn’t bother with a docking ramp but jumped out. She brandished a pulse rifle under one arm and one of the Captain’s multibladed swords in her hand.

“Dhreen? Dhreen!”

She spotted him a moment later, dodged the men, and ran directly at me, Alunthri, and the object of her affections. Behind us, the Taercal made a collective, unpleasant sound.

Reever grabbed the weaver from behind and, despite her struggles, held on. Salo quickly disarmed her.

Frustrated, yet unable to free herself, Ilona began ranting in Navajo.

“All we need now are some Hsktskt,” I murmured to Alunthri. “Or some popcorn.”

It stopped being funny when Dhreen pressed his spoon-shaped fingers to his chest and began gasping for breath. I braced him with one arm and checked his vitals.

My smile faded. We had to get off this rock.

“Ilona, listen very carefully,” I said, walking with Dhreen toward her, but keeping my eye on the mob. “You’ve just blown our escape plan. Kneel in front of Alunthri and beg forgiveness.”

She stopped swearing in Navajo. “Why should I?”

“Because if you don’t, two things are going to happen. Those people will attack us, and your boyfriend will go into respiratory arrest.” I beckoned with my free hand to Reever, who turned the weaver loose and came to help me support Dhreen from the other side.

“How do I know you speak the truth?” Ilona demanded.

“Don’t do it, and find out.”

“Why must I kneel?”

I closed my eyes for a moment. Stuff like this always happened with the lovesick. Usually while I was trying to keep them from getting their heads bashed in. I looked at her again. “Because these maniacs think Alunthri is one of their gods.”

“They’re insane.”

“I guess you’d know.” I adjusted my grip on Dhreen. “Now do it, and remember to call it Sadda in a nice, loud voice.”

Ilona scowled as she performed the obeisance. “Honored Sadda, forgive me… I meant no offense to you.”

The Chakacat gestured for the Terran girl to rise. “Return to the vessel and await my judgment.”

Before Ilona could move, Tadam Ortsac approached Alunthri and sank down on his knees in what I was beginning to think of as Sadda’s Position.

“Great one,” he said, wringing his hands, “please, I beg you, enlighten us.”

The Chakacat glanced at me. I shrugged-I was no religious expert-and rolled my eyes toward the launch. To Ortsac, Alunthri said, “What is it now?”

“These polluters, great one. Surely they but interfere with your alleviation of our suffering.” Wart Sack gave me the usual you’re-not-worthy glare. “Let us drown them for you, and offer you proper sustenance before you ascend.”

Again with the “sustenance.” Did Big Bird intend on force-feeding Alunthri?

“It is not your place to question my decisions, scourge back.“ Alunthri adjusted a fold of its toga-robe. ”These aliens will accompany me on my ascension. That is final.”

“But… why?” Ortsac finally burst out.

My friend produced a chilling snarl.

“Forgive me, great one, but I do not understand. Your need is my provision.”

I leaned in to whisper, “He wants you to eat. Tell him you’re going to eat us up in the sky.”

“In order to alleviate the suffering of the people, I require sustenance. You have said so yourself. These aliens will do nicely.”

“But that is what
I
am to do, great one,” Ortsac whined.

Uh-oh
. Suddenly, the official’s pathetic obesity took on all new and gruesome overtones.

He went on. “I have been fattened specifically for you, Sadda.” The official tore open his robe, exposing his flabby, feathered body. He disrobed so fast he knocked over two other Taercal around him. “Behold your sustenance, Sadda. Feed upon me.”

No one moved or spoke. What could anyone say? Don’t offer yourself as a twelve-course meal for the local god? Luckily, Alunthri recovered and thought of another stall.

“Perhaps if I am still hungry when I return, then I shall feed on you.” Alunthri made a grandiose gesture at the official’s robes. “Cover yourself.”

“No!” Ortsac clawed at his swollen neck, tearing feathers out by the handfuls. “No, I am ready, I am yours, I will be your sustenance!”

He was determined to be a martyr. We had to get out of here. “Alunthri, let’s go. Let’s just go.”

Two of the monitors came forward, clubs in hand, as Ortsac’s clawed hands drew blood from his own throat. Alunthri hissed out a furious order for him to stop, but it was too late. Both clubs hit Ortsac’s head from either side, and crushed his skull.

Ilona screamed as Taercal blood splattered all of us, and Ortsac fell over, dead.

Alunthri’s colorless eyes closed. As it stood closest to Ortsac, it had been drenched. Slowly, it lifted trembling, bloodstained paws to its face. It had always been a sensitive creature, unable to tolerate violence in any form.

“Don’t pass out,” I muttered. “Not now.”

“Reject the offering,” Reever said.

With great reluctance, Alunthri licked one of its paws, then spat bloody saliva on the ground. I could tell from the way its nostrils flared that it was fighting the urge to vomit. “This sustenance… is not… worthy of me. Take it… away.”

The two monitors grabbed Ortsac’s body by its stunted wings and dragged him off into the crowd. Monkey-birds circling overhead began diving down, trying to get at the body.

The Chakacat was visibly shaking as it turned to us. “All of you, enter my ascension vessel.” It even managed to growl at the crowd when a couple of them shuffled forward, “No more delays! I must ascend now!”

From there, we walked as fast as we could into the launch. Dhreen’s lungs were straining by the time I got a breather strapped on him and switched it to pure oxygen feed. His pulse skittered beneath my fingertips, then he slumped forward, unconscious.

I held him up, but he was deadweight. “Duncan, give me a hand, will you?”

Reever helped me strap him in, and Xonea went to the helm. Alunthri paused in the door panel to lift a paw and wave to the crowd. As soon as the panel closed, it stumbled over to a disposal unit and vomited.

I felt a terrible sympathy for my friend, but I couldn’t leave Dhreen. “Ilona, go help Alunthri. Xonea, can we leave before the demon lack-wit dies on me?”

The Captain spared me a glance. “We must locate Hawk.”

“Oh, hell.” I’d forgotten about him. “How are we going to find him?”

“I know where he is,” Reever said. “Captain, if you would, ascend to two hundred feet and head seventeen degrees north.”

“Make it fast, unless you don’t want Dhreen around much longer.” I frowned at my husband. “How do you know where he is?”

Duncan gave me one of his enigmatic looks. “Where would you go if you had wings?”

“Some place where the people who can’t use theirs won’t get at me.” I glanced through the viewport. ‘Those peaks, right behind the city.”

“Exactly.” Reever went to sit copilot beside Xonea. “We will find him as quickly as we can.”

I wiped Dhreen’s face and started an infuser line with saline. “You’d better hurry up, or Sadda is going to get its first alien sacrifice.”

It didn’t take long for Reever to pick up Hawk’s thermal signature, or locate the exact cave he’d decided to hide in. Landing was impossible, but Xonea kept the launch on hover while Reever opened the exterior panel.

“Hawk!” He had to bellow to be heard over the roar of the wind and the launch’s stabilizers. “We’re going back to the ship! Come out of there!”

The
hataali
emerged, his scarred face drawn and his black eyes rather wild. “Leave me!” he shouted back. “I don’t belong with you!”

So he was feeling sorry for himself. I left Dhreen and joined Reever. “Hawk, you get on this shuttle right this minute!” I shrieked.

“Cherijo.” His dark eyes filled with tears. “I can’t! I might become like they are!”

“Not a chance! We won’t make you eat worms and go to church!”

He only shook his head and started to move back in the cave.

Reever grabbed Ilona’s pulse rifle and pointed it at Hawk’s head. “Board the launch or I will shoot you!”

The wind made his long dark hair whip across his eyes, while a ghost of a smile appeared on Hawk’s scarred face. “You wouldn’t do that!”

“I have a patient dying in here! If he doesn’t, I will!”

I didn’t blink as Reever activated the weapon. “Please, Hawk. Let’s go
home
.”

“I am home! Look at my home! Look at it!” He pointed down at the city. Then he turned away, his wings drooping.

What had I done, letting him come here?

Reever aimed the rifle. Behind me, Dhreen’s breathing got worse. Ilona sat beside him, rocking and chanting prayers in Navajo. Alunthri was slumped over in a harness, trying in vain to wipe the drying blood from its pelt. Xonea couldn’t leave the helm.

I put all my faith in my instincts, leaned over and kissed Duncan. “Don’t be mad at me for this.”

He swiped at me as I jumped out into thin air. “Cherijo, no!”

“Hawk!”

Plummeting down the side of a mountain is about as much fun as being burned, I soon discovered. Wind tore at my tunic and face as I dropped, and the ground started rushing up toward me at an alarming rate.

I tried to look up, but I couldn’t see him. “Hawk! Remember I can’t fly!”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the rapidly approaching ground after that. A few hundred yards before something very unpleasant happened, I felt two heavy sets of talons latch on to my shoulders and yank me up into the air.

I flung my head back to see Hawk soaring up toward the launch. “What took you so long?”

“I had to lift Duncan first.”

“Oh.” I swallowed. It was one thing for me to try to commit suicide, knowing my immune system would repair the damage, whatever it was. But Duncan was only human, and still, he’d jumped out after me.

He really loved me. And would probably never speak to me again.

“Your husband has that rifle in his arms again,” Hawk said as he reached down and pulled me out of his talons and up into his arms. His body jerked as his wings worked against the air. “He looks as if he intends to use it.”

“He won’t,” I assured him. Until I saw the look on said husband’s face as we approached the launch. “Not on you, anyway.”

CHAPTER TWELVE Too Much

Duncan settled for completely ignoring me for the entire jaunt back to the ship. As soon as Xonea shut the engines down in launch bay, he opened the hull doors and walked out without a single glance my way.

Which was fine. Jumping out of the shuttle had seemed like the logical thing to do at the time, and even if Hawk hadn’t caught me, I wouldn’t have died on impact. I would have been really,
really
uncomfortable for a few days or weeks or however long it took my immune system to heal the damage, but it had been essentially a safe bet either way.

I wondered if using that argument would work as a defense, or if I’d find Reever packing his bags when I returned to our quarters.

Unfortunately, my marriage problems had to wait. As soon as we disembarked, I rushed Dhreen to Medical. After a quick cleansing to remove the dead worms from my skin and hair, I spent the next several hours working to restabilize the Oenrallian’s condition. His weakened respiratory system had not responded well to the high humidity on Taerca, but his liver was stable and functioning.

Savetka hovered across the exam table from me until she caught my eye. “Healer, there is something you should know.”