Prince of Luster (22 page)

They had to move quickly.

If what the old man said was true—and there was no reason to believe he’d risk his life by speaking of such subjects if it wasn’t—they could be watched from any building on any street.

He was horribly afraid for Nova, especially if she were caught in the open with him.

There was one possible solution, one ploy he might use to negotiate for her life if anything happened. It was a slim chance at best, but he’d take it if nothing else could be offered.

He kept the merchant’s sword well hidden but within easy reach.

Nova kept her expression flat and her gaze directly ahead. She took very long and indirect path back to the cave, but did so with stealth that would have surprised any master spy. But then, she’d only survived by cunning and skill learned at an age when most girls are enjoying social life, parties, and the attention of fawning lovers. In every way, she was superior to every woman he’d known. And no matter how angry she was over his deceit, he meant to keep her. Forever.

• • •

“Are you sure?” Adaman asked without turning his head toward the guard by his side.

“I’m certain, Governor. I saw a girl with eyes the color you’ve described, and a man that seemed very badly burned. I think it highly unlikely that either of them could be who you’re looking for. Neither looked to be a threat.”

“That’s
exactly
how they’d appear. Which direction did they take?”

“I lost track of them outside of town. I had to follow from some distance to keep from alerting either them or any slugs.”

“Good job. I shall make sure you receive triple your normal pay this month. But tell no one what you’ve seen. If these are the two we’re looking for, it’s likely they’ll be living in the barrens. Perhaps in the hills somewhere.”

“If I go alone, I might be able to find a trail, Governor. But the snow is picking up. I could only start as soon as I know I’m not watched.”

Adaman nodded. “Do so. But report to no one but me. As with today, don’t come to my residence or any official place of business. Remember, we communicate only on the street and only where it will look as though we’re exchanging pleasantries.”

“That might mean my report could be held up until such time as I can find you in the marketplace,” the guard advised.

“So be it. Better to get late news than to risk Prometheus finding out what we know. It may be our only chance to save ourselves. Remember that.”

“Yes, Governor, I will,” the guard assertively agreed.

Adaman took a deep breath, pretended to examine the rest of the stalls, and noted the looks of hatred on the faces of the humans around him. “The slug leader will kill me and all my staff, including you, when the time suits him. No matter what he’s said about making us useful within his new empire, he most certainly will rid himself of us as soon as he can find someone to take our places.”

“I don’t like those stinking, damned slugs. Never have,” the guard muttered. “But it was better to deal with them than to die.”

“It might be that we can keep our positions and rid ourselves of the vermin if we’re careful. Just find that girl and the man she’s with. If they’re who we’re looking for, I might be able to salvage the mess Prometheus put us in.”

“I’ll find them, Governor. If I have to walk every hill, valley, and trail in the barrens to do it.”

Adaman glanced both ways before continuing. “We’ve been together long enough now. Tell those slug warriors at the end of the street to accompany me on my shopping trip. Tell them I only trust
them
to guard my life since none of the citizens would dare accost a noble Limaxian warrior to get to me.”

The guard smiled. “Yes, sir.”

Adaman watched his trusted guard walk away and pasted on a welcoming expression when the two slug warriors approached.

• • •

“That man was the one you rescued. Even as far away as I was, I remember seeing him only moments before you confronted Prometheus. That’s how he knew who you were …
Your Highness.
”

Marcos put his bundles down when Nova did, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. “Will you let me explain?”

She rounded on him with ferocity. “You must think I’m the most inane creature you’ve ever come across. How could I not know who you were?”

“Nova—”

“But in my defense,” she interrupted, “I never really paid much attention to the names of the king’s offspring, let alone their physical appearance. There was no reason when the man let us wallow in misery while he enjoyed life, so safe and well fed on Luster!”

“Will you let me expl—”

“Of course, I
should
have recalled the legendary green eyes of Luster’s royalty. It’s a wonder you didn’t have the color changed to match the rest of your ill-conceived disguise.” She snorted in disdain. “I must have heard of all of you at one time or another. I must have heard the name
Marcos
Starlaw
… but then, I was too busy tending my wounds, mourning my dead, and trying to stay alive.” She paced and slowly shook her head. “What was I thinking? I knew you were no merchant. I
knew
it. No simple gem buyer is built like a warrior, nor do they wield ancient weapons … like swords … with such ease. And you did it as if born to it, which is even more reason I should have figured you out.”

Marcos simply stared at her, wondering what words she’d hear that would put things right again.

“Goddess’s blood! I stupidly believed what I wanted to, what was most convenient.” She stopped in front of him and put her hands on her hips. “How far did you think you’d get with your ruse, while playing the hero so dramatically and with such little regard for your cover? And why did
I
fall for your lies? I know better. I’m not some silly child.”

“Will you
please
let me—”

“How could you let me go on as I did, believing you were someone else? Did you really not care for me at all? Was I only an escape venue, and did you really think I’d go to Forrell or those damned slugs to turn you in if I found out?”

“Listen to me!” he insisted as he put his hands on her shoulder to stop her agitated gyrations and gestures. “There was a slight chance you might not be held responsible for saving me if you didn’t know who I was.” When she lifted her chin to argue once more, he put the finger of one hand over her lips to silence her. “I don’t know what I thought at first. I was in so much pain that your kind words, soft voice, and tender mercies were all I clung to. Afterward … afterward I should have told you everything. You’re right about that. But I adhered to the idea that if I were caught, I’d never tell anyone you’d helped me. I knew my brother would come. He’d see you rescued and off this planet in the event I couldn’t speak on your behalf. I’d have found a way to let him know about you, Nova. You’d have been safe no matter what. And your planet would be freed. I vowed that long ago.”

She lowered her face and stared at the floor.

“I swear to you … on my love of you … I’d have seen you free from the pits of death itself. My father has known about Forrell’s chicanery for some time, but to land on this planet without authorization could be deemed an act of war or, at the very least, a total disrespect of pacts signed with other planets under similar circumstances. The news of fire plasma being stockpiled changed everything. When my father received highly reliable information about its existence on Delta Seven, we ignored all treaties and quite a few laws to get here and check things out. If you’re fair about this, you’ll recall that other worlds, much closer to this one, had similar agreements to help in the event of an emergency. But with Forrell calling the shots, telling everyone in this sector of space that everything was all right, and that he needed no help, what could anyone do?
Think
, Nova! My being here now is cause for Forrell to kill me. He’d have that right because he could deem me a spy.”

She lifted her gaze to his. “Y-You’re doing this at your father’s request?”

“Yes.”

“He s-sent his son?”

“He’d send no one else. My father wouldn’t issue orders to others he’d not give to his own flesh and blood. Besides, I’m very good at what I do. At least I … I usually am.”

She swallowed hard and moved closer to him. “Wh-why did you make yourself such a target by confronting Prometheus? You could have been in deep space, asking for help and revealing Forrell for what he is.”

He took a long moment to gather his thoughts and words. What could he say about something he’d never spoken of, not to any other soul? But Nova wasn’t just anyone. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving. “I … I saw what slugs did to children during battles with the Warlord factions. Their innocence was stolen away. Those that survived slug occupation of various worlds will never be the same. Not ever.” He almost choked on words that finally refused to come out. “I-I can’t talk about it, Nova,” he whispered. “As bad as things are here, you don’t know and I can’t … I can’t say it … ” His words drifted away.

“Goddess above, Marcos. You saw that young girl begging for her grandfather’s life and you just—”

“For the first time in my life as an enforcer, I lost it. I wanted nothing more than to peel that slug leader’s hide from his bones and watch him suffer the way I’d seen … y-you can’t imagine what they did to the children of anyone deemed enemies. I just snapped. I can’t explain … ”

She reached out, touched his face, and then pulled him into her arms. “It’s all right, Marcos. I think I owe your father an apology. And you as an enforcer.” She pulled away slightly and blinked back tears. “It’s just that I’ve wanted to be free of this place for so long. All that matters is that you stood up when no one else did. For having done it, you were burned as badly or worse than anyone I’ve ever seen. I just … everything’s just so wrong and I … I wanted someone to blame … ”

He held onto her and rocked her back and forth. “I swear this will end. I swear it on my life, or I’ll forfeit it to see you free.”

“I do love you, Marcos. No matter who you are, I do l-love y-you,” she said as she wept. “I could never hate you. You’re not the man I thought I could hate. You’re d-different than what I … I love you so much.”

“Then stop crying and hold on to me,” he comforted. “Help is coming. Just as I’ve promised. But we have to be very careful now. If that man in the marketplace or his granddaughter are caught or we’re found … but that won’t happen. We’ll hide the cave entrance even better, and we won’t leave it again, not unless we absolutely have to. If they knew where we were, we’d have been set upon by now. Just keep that in mind. We’re still safe. That means we have time for my brother to find me. Even Prometheus didn’t know who I was when he was burning me, so the ruse lasted and worked for at least that long. That elderly man figured me out because he’s had time to think about that day, long and hard. But that damned slug leader isn’t as smart as he thinks he is. My openly confronting him has to have infuriated him no end. He had me in his grasp and could have made much more of an example of me with his minions and those of his home world. Imagine what his superiors will do to him when they find out he had a prince of Luster in his clutches,” he said as he tried to assure her. “If he has any enemies among his people, they’ll make use of the information.”

“That’s if they find out, and he’ll search every dust pile to make sure they don’t,” she whispered. “You’re a humiliation above and beyond anything he’s experienced here.”

“And in his desperation he’ll get clumsy. So will Forrell. I promise you, Nova, we’ll see this end together. At least, I know you’ll see an end to it.”

She hugged him even harder. “That won’t mean anything without you. F-forgive me for what I said about your father a-and enforcers. Please? I don’t want to hate anyone anymore. I just want out of this nightmare.”

“Creator’s blood, little thief, how can I blame you for feeling deserted after what you’ve been through? I should have told you sooner. I’m the one who should be asking forgiveness. But the coward in me where your loving regard is concerned … that’s my undoing.”

“Coward? No, never. And I’ll forgive you anything. Just don’t die on me, Marcos Starlaw. Don’t you dare die!”

• • •

“I understand you wish to speak with me,” Darius said, as he stood front of the vid-screen aboard his vessel.

“Greetings to you, Commander,” Adaman said. “I bring you official welcome from my planet. You now have permission to land a small contingent from your vessel. I trust you’ll be among them? I would like to offer personal felicitations at my residence tomorrow evening. Would you be kind enough to join me?”

Darius bowed his head. “I’d be honored, Governor. Expect a small landing party at sunset tomorrow.”

“I’ll be at the landing port to meet you myself. I bid you welcome once more on behalf of my planet and its inhabitants. They, I might add, have taken to heart all warnings to behave themselves.”

“I’m assured of our safety,” Darius told him with a raised brow. “Until tomorrow, Governor.”

Adaman clicked the communication device off and let the placid smile slip from his face. He turned to his most-trusted guard. Without speaking, he nodded, and the guard left on his nightly mission of searching the barren lands outside the city limits.

The buzzer on his communication console blared, and he viciously punched it, knowing who would be on the vid-screen. “Good day, Prometheus. We’re on a secure line. The
Titan
can’t monitor what we’re saying.”

“Good.”

“The
Titan
will remain in orbit. I’ve invited Captain Starlaw to my residence tomorrow evening. He’ll be on the landing port at sunset. I’ll bring him straight here.”

“My personal war-bird will take out the
Titan
just after he leaves the landing port. We’ll surprise her before her crew can respond, and then I’ll land and take Darius Starlaw into my custody. Make sure you keep him with you. I don’t care what you must do, short of killing him. I reserve that pleasure for myself.”

“There’s still no sign of Marcos Starlaw or this woman healer who might have helped him.”