Poisoned Pawn (27 page)

Paltronis, a chunky woman who was deadly with her weapons or without, stood over it, her gun held loosely in one hand. The other was being bandaged by another woman, one of the medics Querran had brought. Paltronis was covered with dust and blood, most of it not her own.

“We found it in one of the lower halls,” Paltronis said, indicating the creature with her gun.

Eyes gray and featureless as pebbles looked at Lowell. “You must come now,” the creature said in a high pitched monotone. The rocking didn’t stop. “You must come now you must come now.”

“Give me the photos,” Lowell ordered Querran, holding one hand behind him, eyes fixed on the creature. Querran handed him the sheets. Lowell found one of Dace and enlarged it. He held it in front of the creature. It whined, a high pitched sound of pain.

“Do you know her?” Lowell asked.

“Must come now,” the creature said, its voice rising in pitch. The rocking became more violent. “Miya must come now.” It put thick hands over its eyes. The high pitched whine changed to a sad crooning. “Miya must come now Miya must come.”

“We’re trying to find her.” Lowell knelt in front of the creature. He tugged gently at one rubbery paw.

The creature slapped him away, knocking him across the floor. The sound of guns cocking filled the room.

“No,” Lowell said sharply, wiping blood from his chin as he sat up.

The creature watched him cross the lobby floor. “Rinth must be punished,” it said in a little voice.

“Can you take us to her?” Lowell held the picture of Dace in front of the creature.

“Gone,” Rinth whined, wrapping its arms over its head. “Miya gone. Rinth must be punished.”

“Show us,” Lowell said. “No punishment. Help us find her.”

“Luke punish.” Rinth quivered as he hunched away from Dace’s picture.

“Luke will be punished,” Lowell said. “Not Rinth.”

“Not rinth?” The creature blinked. “Rinth bad. Rinth not come. Miya not come. Luke punish rinth.”

“Where is Luke?” Lowell asked. “Rinth punish Luke.”

The creature howled. “Bad Rinth bad Rinth bad Rinth.”

“Find Miya, then. Where is she, Rinth?”

“Miya gone,” Rinth howled. “Luke gone. All gone. Rinth punished.”

“No punish, if you help us find her,” Lowell tried again.

“Find Miya.” Rinth stopped rocking, his hands still held in the air.

“Find Miya,” Lowell agreed.

Rinth’s hands twisted in an elaborate gesture. “Find Miya.” He jumped to his feet then scuttled across the room. His thick fingers pried at a section of the wall.

Lowell held up one hand. His troops lowered their guns. Querran started to speak. He impatiently waved her silent.

Rinth tore the section of wall free, tossing it to one side. A long stair crept down into the dark beyond the broken section of wall. “Find Miya.” Rinth scampered down the stairs.

“Follow him.” Lowell was the first one down the stairs.

Tayvis’ hole was just that, a hollow at the base of a huge pine tree. He was more than half carrying me by the time we reached it. My feet had gone beyond numb, all the way past to screaming torture. Each breath burned. I must have cracked something during one of the falls. I quit trying to catalog the rest of my aches and pains. He eased me to the ground in the hollow. I tried not to moan while he rummaged through a pack of supplies. It was very dark. The moon had finally gotten tired of playing with the clouds and set.

“Here,” Tayvis pulled me in next to him. “You’re frozen.”

My dress was mostly dry, what was left of it, but I still shivered. Tayvis slipped out of his jacket, wrapping it around me. His arms were warm and comforting as he pulled me close, snuggling me into his lap. I rested my head on his chest, his heartbeat steady in my ear.

“What happened, Dace?” he asked. “What are you doing out here of all places?”

A sob caught in my throat. It was over. I didn’t have to pretend any more. He made me feel safe, for the first time in a long time. I wanted to forget Luke and everything he’d done. I didn’t know if I’d ever feel clean again. I was crying and couldn’t stop.

Tayvis didn’t say anything. He just pulled me closer. I cried until I couldn’t anymore. And then I fell asleep, exhausted and worn out past the point of caring.

I was choking. Luke was kissing me. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t breathe. I tore at the hand over my mouth, fighting, still half asleep. The hand stayed. Arms held me tightly. I stopped struggling as I came fully awake. It wasn’t Luke that held me, it was Tayvis. I sagged back, relief flooding through me. Tayvis waited a moment before moving his hand away from my mouth. I took a deep breath then gagged on memories of Luke. I pulled myself up and to the side, heaving up bile. There wasn’t anything else in my stomach.

My body finally quit rebelling. I lay over a thick root of the tree that stuck up through the soil. It was rough against my cheek. I welcomed the pain of it. Anything was better than remembering Luke’s caresses.

“Dace?” Tayvis asked. He put his hand on my back and I shuddered. He drew back.

He was not Luke, I told myself. He wouldn’t do anything like Luke had. I still didn’t want anyone touching me. I pushed myself back up, clutching his jacket around me like a shield.

“You were dreaming. You started to scream.” He said it as if he didn’t know what to expect from me. He shifted back, giving me as much room as possible in the tiny hollow under the tree.

It was getting lighter. Night was finally over. I felt worse than I ever had in my life.

“Say something,” Tayvis begged.

“Say what?” My voice was hollow, cracked and unfamiliar. I tried to swallow and found my mouth dry. I scrubbed at my face with the sleeve of his jacket. It smelled of Tayvis, nothing like Luke’s cloying cologne.

“Drink?” He held out a water bottle. “I’ve got ration bars. If you feel like eating.”

“I’m sorry, Tayvis,” I said taking the bottle from him.

“For what?”

“For telling you to go away. I didn’t know what it was like.”

I sipped the water. It tasted musty and stale from the container. It tasted wonderful. It didn’t have something nasty hidden in it. It was as different from Luke’s wines as night from day.

“You look terrible,” Tayvis said, trying for a light tone and failing. “What are you doing out here?”

“Running away.” I drank more of the water. Tayvis’ jacket was much too big around me. I huddled inside it, relishing the warmth. I rubbed my face on the sleeve again, enjoying the rough weave against my face.

“Running away from what?” Tayvis sat back, watching me.

I shifted my feet and winced. I looked like I’d run through a forest barefoot. I had run through a forest barefoot. My feet left traces of blood behind when I moved them. I blinked, wondering why it didn’t hurt more.

Tayvis muttered something as he opened his pack. He pulled out a medkit. He reached for my foot, then hesitated. I saw the look in his eyes and almost started crying again. I’d hurt him, badly, when I’d told him to go away. I saw vulnerability in his face that matched my own. He cared about me, more than he had admitted.

“Your feet need to be cleaned and bandaged.” He looked away as he handed me the medkit.

I stared at it stupidly, blinking back tears in eyes that were gritty and sore. I shut my lids, huddling in his jacket. I didn’t want him to look at me so uncertainly. I wanted him to yell at me, call me stupid, call me anything. I wanted him to be in control, to know what to do. I didn’t want to see him hurting and know it was my fault.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, “for everything.”

He took the medkit back and sat down near my feet. “Give me the water.”

I handed it over. He washed my feet. I bit my lip at the pain.

“I never expected to be doing this again,” he said, picking slivers out of my foot. He’d done something very similar the first time we’d met.

“As long as you don’t dump me in the river.” My voice was too full of pain, it cracked and the joke fell flat.

“Dace, what are you mixed up in this time?” He didn’t look at me as he opened a tube of ointment.

“You should know.” I didn’t know if the physical pain was worse than the emotional pain. “Lowell sent you after me.”

“No, he didn’t. I haven’t seen him since Tebros.” Tayvis clamped his mouth shut. He wiped a cut on my foot, cleaning it with more water.

I noticed the insignia on his uniform for the first time. “Planetary Survey. What are doing with them?”

“I resigned from the Enforcers.” He dabbed medicine across a cut. I winced and jerked my foot at the pain. “Sorry,” he said and smoothed the ointment on more gently.

“They don’t let you do resign from your rank and position like that. A sector commander of the Enforcers just doesn’t get made an Ensign,” I squinted at the collar of his uniform, “third class?” My voice squeaked in surprise. I coughed and tried to clear it.

He bowed his head, avoiding my gaze. “Lowell’s idea of punishment.” His breath brushed over my bare feet, cool and soothing.

“Why would Lowell punish you?”

He pulled my other foot into his lap, wiping the pine needles away.

“He didn’t send you after me?” I asked, still not quite believing his story.

“Why should he? It didn’t work very well last time.” He stroked medicine over my other foot.

“So what are you doing out here?” The sky was a pale gray now, streaked with faint pink as the sun began to creep over the distant mountains.

“Counting bushies. What are you doing here?” He looked up, met my gaze. His brown eyes were dark and shadowed. “Who are you running away from? Last time you had a major crime syndicate, the Patrol, and an entire sentient species chasing you. Who’s after you this time?”

“Luke Verity.” I pulled his jacket tighter, hunching in and trying to hide. I didn’t want to see Luke again. Ever. I wanted him to be dead, but I wouldn’t believe it until I actually saw his corpse. I remembered him sprawled across the patio, a bloody rock next to his head. It couldn’t be that easy. I had to touch his body, feel him dead before I’d be free of him.

“Who?” Tayvis rummaged in his small pack, tucking away the medkit.

“He’s…” I had to stop and force myself to calm down. Just thinking about him made me want to vomit. “I don’t know who he is, really.”

“What did he do to you?” Tayvis sounded angry.

Tears threatened again. I didn’t want Tayvis angry at me.

“Dace? Tell me. So I know if I need to kill him or not.” He sat back, the contents of his pack spread around him.

“Why would you do that? You aren’t mad at me?”

“Because if he hurt you, I will kill him. I’m not mad at you, Dace. I love you.” He turned away from me, to hide his face. “I thought you’d figured that out by now.” He started stuffing things back in his pack.

He loved me? He’d actually said it? I stared at him, wondering if I was hallucinating.

“I don’t have anything to put on your feet.” Tayvis sat back, studying my face. “I have to climb over the ridge to get a signal from the base camp. That’s if my com works.” He kept his face carefully neutral, as if he hadn’t admitted anything.

“You love me?” I said, still unable to believe it.

He leaned forward and brushed hair off my cheek. His eyes were still full of pain. “I thought you knew. When I didn’t hear anything from you, I thought…” He let it trail away. I knew what he thought. It was plain on his face. His fingers were warm on my cheek.

I cupped my hand over his. “I tried. I sent messages, I looked for you. No one would tell me anything. I was stupid, Tayvis. I shouldn’t have sent you away like that.” I was ready to cry again, except I had no tears left.

He leaned closer, his thumb rubbing my lip. I felt his breath warm on my face. He was going to kiss me. I couldn’t stand it. I jerked back, pulling my hand away from his. Memories of Luke clung too close. I huddled into Tayvis’ jacket and closed my eyes. I couldn’t stand to see the look I knew was on his face.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I curled up against the thick root, my face tucked against it inside the jacket. I smelled wood and earth and a faint spicy scent that I knew was Tayvis.

“What did he do to you?” Tayvis pulled me around to face him. I resisted, I didn’t want him to see my pain. He was bigger than me, a lot bigger. His hands were gentle but insistent. He pulled me around. I hunched over, staring down at the dirt. He didn’t say anything else. He pulled me into his lap and just held me, stroking my hair over and over.

After a long while, I stopped shivering. The sun was fully up, golden light filtered through the trees. He leaned back against the tree, just holding me.

“Do you want to tell me now?” he asked.

“He kidnapped me.” My voice came out muffled by his jacket. He shifted it, pulling it away from my face. “He thought I was someone else.”

“You were in the mansion? I wondered what all the extra activity was about. And then last night when the fighting started I figured I should find out what was going on.”

“You really didn’t know anything about it?” It still surprised me that he wasn’t working for Lowell. “You really are with Planetary Survey?”

“Ensign third class. Although after the way I’ve bungled this assignment, I’ll probably be busted to kitchen duty.”

“Can you cook?” Anything to stay away from Luke and what he’d done to me.

“Better than you can.” He brushed his lips over my forehead. I stiffened. Then forced myself to relax. Tayvis noticed. He noticed everything. “Anything else you want to tell me about Luke?” He asked it too casually.

“He’s Rigellan,” I said, knowing I’d have to admit it eventually.

“I assume you didn’t find out because he told you.” His voice was tight, strained, a match to mine. His arms tightened around me, a promise that Luke was going to wish he had never been born. I was glad Tayvis understood without asking me the gruesome details. I didn’t want to remember them. I found more tears. Tayvis held me while I sobbed.

When I finally finished, I was drained, washed out completely. I’d been Miya too long. I wanted to be Dace again. I sniffled and wiped my nose on his jacket sleeve.