Mystic Flame (Beyond Ontariese 4) (9 page)

“I’ve tried all the obvious searches. There
are only a handful of entries that mention Malos and the
information is nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Read me some of the entries. Maybe you’re
missing the forest for the trees.”

“The first entry records his acceptance into
the Conservatory, the second states the name of his mentor.” He
motioned toward the display. “There is no way any of this can be
construed as incriminating.”

“Who was his mentor?” She tilted her head at
that inquisitive angle that always made him smile. How could he be
so comfortable with her nearness after all the cycles they had been
apart? “Is there anything incriminating about him?”

“Not at all. Malos was mentored by one of
the most respected…” His words trailed away as he reread the entry.
“His mentor died shortly after Malos completed his training, but
there was nothing suspicious about his death.”

“All right, let’s look at this from an
entirely different angle. Are there any of the entries you haven’t
transmitted to Lord Drakkin yet? Once the information is entered
into the Wisdom of the Ages, Malos is shit out of luck.”

His gaze darted to her. “You have
incorporated some delightful new phrases into your vocabulary.”

“Thank you.” She laughed and arched her
back, dipping her hair in the water. The motion thrust her breasts
into the air. Water ran in rivulets across her smooth ivory skin
and her dusky nipples gathered into tight points.

Desire spiraled down from Evan’s chest and
lodged between his legs. “You’re not helping.”

“Sorry.” With a siren’s smile, she settled
back beneath the water.

“The last four entries have yet to be
transmitted.”

“Is there anything odd in any of them?”

“Define odd.” He scrolled to the first of
the four entries. “Vee could be quite cryptic at times. He often
addressed Lord Drakkin directly. Did you know Lord Drakkin was
Vee’s mentor?”

“I met Lord Drakkin during one of my
missions to Earth. He helped us destroy Operation Hydra. I didn’t
know either of them well, but I’m acquainted with their
reputations. Read the four entries.”

“‘The shadow looms ever nearer. I know you
warned me,
Chae Tra
. But I was often slow to learn.’”

“Vee was slow to learn? What does that make
the rest of us?” She fidgeted, one silky knee poking out of the
water as she raised her foot to a ledge beneath the surface. “What
does
Chae Tra
mean? I’ve never heard that word before.”

“It’s the Bilarrian word for master. This is
one of those entries that seems more like personal correspondence
than official record. I doubt it was meant for the Symposium’s
archive.”

“What do you think he meant by the shadow
looming?”

“Vee spent the last few days of his life
making sure everything was in order. I believe he knew he was going
to die.”

“You don’t have to be a Mystic to feel death
breathing down your neck. It’s a common phenomenon. What does the
next entry say?”

“It’s the Mystic Charter word for word.
Again he had no reason to do this unless he sensed death
approaching.”

“What’s in the Mystic Charter?”

“It consists of the three fundamental
statements governing a Mystic’s life. The oath each novice recites
upon acceptance for training, the vows of a Master-level Mage and
the pledge of political neutrality.”

“Isn’t this already recorded in the Wisdom
of the Ages?”

“Of course. It’s also on file with the
Ontarian hall of records, as well as framed in the vestibule of the
training center.”

“Okay, so chalk that up to the department of
redundancy department. Vee was just covering all the bases. Read
the next one.”

“Let’s see.” He found the third entry and
read it out loud. “After tomorrow I will be able to erase ‘sat’
from my vocabulary. Such a simple change, yet the ramifications
will be staggering. I’ve sent you one last message, my friend. I
trust you to act upon it.”

“Have you spoken to Lord Drakkin? Did Vee
send him a private message?”

“Not that I know of. The past few weeks have
been hectic to say the least.”

“How well do you know Lord Drakkin?”

“My only dealing with him has been as Vee’s
apprentice, but Vee trusted him implicitly. Why do you ask?”

“Unless the last entry changes my mind, I
think you should give all this to Lord Drakkin and let him decide
what to do with it. Vee’s own words say that he trusts Lord Drakkin
to act on the information.”

“I don’t understand the last entry.”

“What does it say?”

“‘My only regret is never hearing her name
again.’”

A firm rap on the door drew Grat’s attention
to the portal. He slipped the scanner into the pocket of his pants
and opened the door. A female smiled at him, her eyes on a level
with his. She wore no shirt beneath her black jacket, allowing her
lush breasts to swell into view. The scrap of material that passed
for her skirt barely reached mid-thigh and impossibly high heels
extended the line of her legs by at least four inches.

Her cherry-red lips parted in an inviting
smile. “I’m from Racing Hearts. Are you Mr. Grant?”

She’d added an extra consonant to his name,
but he wasn’t about to argue. “I am.”

Shifting her weight from one foot to the
other, she glanced up and down the hall. “I don’t generally deal
with the financial aspect of my dates, but you told Trish this
would be a cash transaction.”

“Yes. We agreed upon a fee and she told me
you would expect payment before you rendered your services.”

The female laughed and brushed by him,
entering his room without permission. “You’re not from around here,
I take it.”

“That is a safe assumption.” His language
infusion provided him with an adequate vocabulary. Emulating the
local speech patterns and incorporating the vernacular would take a
bit more time. He handed her a stack of neatly folded bills and she
slipped them into the pocket of her jacket.

“The name’s Rebecca, by the way. Unless you
want to call me something else.”

“Rebecca is fine. I’m anxious to get
started.”

She glanced at the bed. “You wanted a limo
fantasy, right?”

“Limo fantasy? No, I need an actual
automobile in which to… I requested an automobile and someone
capable of operating it.”

“No worries.” She lowered one eyelid and
licked those bright red lips. Blood flooded his groin and tension
banded his chest like alloy straps. Only in the simulators had a
female looked at him with such blatant invitation. “The limo is
waiting out front and I brought a driver.”

If she brought a driver, what was her role
in this arrangement?

“I like to ask a few questions before we
begin,” she said. “It allows me to stay in character. Do you prefer
to be the aggressor or would you like to be irresistible?”

What was she talking about? Why was it
necessary to answer these questions to be transported about the
city? “I have important work to do. I only need to travel from one
section of the city to another. The fewer distractions I have the
faster I can accomplish my work.”

She grinned. “Gottcha. I’ll try very hard
not to distract you, but I can’t promise to keep my hands to
myself. Just something to keep in mind, I have no problem with
rough play, in fact I enjoy it. Many overworked businessmen like to
take out their frustrations on me.” She giggled and crooked her
index finger as she sashayed toward the door. “Let’s go for a
ride.”

Dro Tar wiggled away from one pounding jet
only to encounter another. The water spa was intended to relax her,
so why did she find it stimulating instead? Her gaze drifted over
Evan’s handsome features and she had her answer. Staring at him
made any situation stimulating. He’d isolated the journal entries
that utilized the title
Chae Tra
, hoping to identify a
hidden pattern. He stared at the display, drumming his thumbs
against the tabletop.

“I really think we need to talk to Lord
Drakkin,” she said. “He knew Vee better than anyone.”

With a frustrated sigh, he powered down the
journal. “It took Vee eleven hundred solar cycles to accumulate
these entries. I suppose any mystery he might have hidden will take
longer than one night to unravel.”

“That’s a pretty safe bet.” She smiled and
wiped droplets of water off her face.

“But what about the girl?” He didn’t have to
explain who he meant, the fear in the stranger’s lavender eyes
hadn’t left Dro Tar’s mind. “I can’t help feeling she’s here in Las
Vegas and she’s in trouble.”

“Have you ever had a vision while you were
transporting before?” She knew what he’d been able to do fifteen
cycles ago. How much more had he learned as Vee’s apprentice?

“No.” He shifted in his chair as indecision
clouded his gaze. “Master Vee trusted me with the journal. I will
not disappoint him now.”

Despite the risk of bruising his ego, she
pointed out a subtle distinction. “Master Vee trusted you to
deliver the journal entries to Lord Drakkin. I’m not sure this is
your mystery to solve.” His brow raised and he folded his hands on
the tabletop. He didn’t seem insulted by the possibility. “Are you
certain the vision is linked with the journal? They could be
unrelated.”

“I’m not certain of anything.” He spread his
hands, his tone taking on a terse edge. “My visions have never been
this useless before.”

“I think you’re trying too hard.” She sank
into the water until the bubbles tickled the underside of her chin.
“Relax for a little while. Think about something else, or better
yet, don’t think at all.”

“Head Master Tal is aware of Malos’ odd
behavior.” He stood and moved around the table. “The journal is
safe within my keeping.” Standing beside the spa, he let his gaze
sweep over her naked body. “I will sense if a Mystic arrives on
Earth and no Ontarian can reach Earth without a Mystic.”

Smoothing her wet curls back from her face,
she smiled invitingly. “Let’s enjoy Las Vegas for a day or two. If
you’re not able to understand what the vision is trying to show
you, then you can zap us over to Bilarri.”

“I can transport to Bilarri without any
problem.” He paused, his eyes narrowing with passionate promise.
“If I’m taking you with me, I’ll require a full energy
infusion.”

“And of course the only way a feeble person
like myself can infuse a mighty Mystic is to allow you intimate
access to my body.” Her nipples tingled and she pressed her thighs
together as desire washed over her. He could probably sense how
much she wanted him, so why pretend otherwise? “I believe this is
called extortion.”

He pulled off his T-shirt and tossed it
aside. With his hand hovering over the fly of his jeans, he said,
“It’s only extortion if you object to the suggestion. I thought you
wanted me to relax for a while.”

She licked her lips, anticipation spreading
through her like liquid fire. “I’ve never found our encounters
relaxing. Exhausting and fulfilling but not relaxing.”

“Then let’s try something new.” He shed his
pants and slipped into the water, offering her only the briefest
glimpse of his erection before he was concealed by the current.

Relaxation was the last thing on her mind
whenever he was near. His lazy smile melted her insides and the
brush of his warm fingers sent her pulse racing. He looked at her
with those vibrant green eyes and she wanted to devour him.

“I’ve realized in retrospect that we know
very little about each other.” He spread his arms along the smooth
rim of the spa, water lapping at his chest.

Images flashed through her mind that
contradicted his statement. “Really?”

“Do I have siblings? Where did I live before
I came to the Conservatory?”

“You have two sisters and a half-brother.
You’re the eldest. No one ever doubted you’d be accepted into the
Conservatory because your abilities are extraordinary and your
lineage is pure. You lost your father during a skirmish with the
Rodytes, but your mother is living comfortably in Frontine with the
father of your half-brother.”

“I’m impressed.” He narrowed his gaze again,
but speculation shaped his expression not desire. “The dossiers we
memorized for the mission weren’t factual. When did you learn all
of this?”

What he really meant was
why
had she
bothered to learn about him when she’d refused to see him, but she
let it slide. “I have an in with the director of Covert Operations,
makes it easy to find out just about anything.”

“So I’m no mystery. Tell me about you. Do
you have family?”

“My mother survived the Great Conflict only
to be raped and murdered during a robbery. She changed social
alliances like I change hairstyles, so she wasn’t sure who my
father was. There’s a dark side to life on Ontariese that the elite
seldom think about.”

“You’re female. That alone puts you in a
position of power.”

Only the earnest candor in his expression
kept her from laughing out loud. “Females from the great houses are
sheltered and revered. Even common females are safe if they have a
large family or the means to hire protection. My mother and I had
neither.”

“Mistreatment of any woman is a criminal act
punishable by—”

“Are you really so out of touch?” She didn’t
want to fight with him, but apparently he was right. He didn’t know
her at all. “I’ve seen vids of the Conservatory. It’s spectacular.
Unfortunately, not all of Ontariese is graceful and secluded. Vast
cities were laid to waste by the Great Conflict and the biological
weapon unleashed by the House of Joon changed the role of Ontarian
women forever.”

“I understand that. Our disproportionate
population has forced us to redefine some of the basic concepts of
our society.”