The Iron Admiral: Deception (3 page)

He smiled at her raised eyebrows. “It might not look like much, but the food is wonderful.”

The proprietor, an older man, greeted Saahren with a huge smile. “Good to see you again; very good.”

He flicked a glance at Allysha. “Especially with such a lovely lady.”

“Yes. A very special lady. Somewhere private, Ayub?”

“Of course.”

“He knows you?” Allysha squashed down the little worm of jealousy as they trailed in Ayub’s wake along a corridor. Had he brought other girls here? What if he had? She couldn’t possibly ask him.

“We go back to my days as a cadet at the Fleet Academy. His father ran the place then.”

Ayub bowed them into a small room where they could eat away from the public eye and took the order himself, discussing the menu with Saahren to come up with a selection of dishes. Saahren handed the restaurateur the bag of mamangs and a bottle of wine which he’d stashed in a cooler bag in the Lysanda.

“Santorini white sydal,” Ayub said, examining the label. “Excellent choice. I’ll open it for you.”

He bustled out, returning soon with the bottle and two glasses.

“Smell it first,” Saahren said, lifting the half-full glass to his nose.

“Mm. Citrusy? And sort of grassy.” She sipped. “Oh, yum. And just a few little bubbles to tickle your tongue.”

His eyes twinkled. “Very good. You’ll find it will complement the food.”

So it did. Ayub brought in a tray of morsels on small plates and followed a little later with more dishes, all spicy, some hot to the palate, all delicious.

They finished the meal with the mamangs, expertly cut from the flesh and presented with an iced sorbet to freshen the palate.

Saahren paid Ayub and left a generous tip. “We’ll call again.”

Oh we will, will we?He was so sure of himself. And she was so not sure.

They crossed the deserted road to the skimmer, parked under a street light. He opened the door for her, then went around the vehicle to the driver’s side. “And for a final treat, I’m going to show you Melchior’s

moons from Lake Sylmander.”

“Why is that a treat?”

“The moons are rarely all visible at the same time. Lake Sylmander is a magical spot at night.”

“Oh.” She knew about places like that. She’d been to a few, in her teens, parking under the stars on a warm summer night. Was that what he’d done, all those years ago?

Its canopy raised, the skimmer lifted above the rooftops and arced to the right, away from the city.

Overhead two moons sailed through a cloudless sky. The third moon couldn’t have risen yet.

She glanced at him. He’d been so nice, so attentive and thoughtful. And so knowledgeable about so many things. Today had really been the first time she’d ever talked to him about anything but his work, and hers. Maybe she’d made a mistake about him, judged him unfairly? But then again, Jarrad Korns, the

biologist she’d met on Tisyphor, had been nice and attentive, too. She’d trusted him, given him the musical instrument she’d found in the mine manager’s old quarters. It held sufficient saliva for him to resurrect the deadly virus that killed all the ptorix on Tisyphor and then the nice people from the GPR

schemed to release the disease in her home town of Shernish. She and Saahren had only just stopped them. That sort of thing made a girl a bit more cautious.

“When are you going back toArcturus ?” she asked.

“Early tomorrow.”

Good. He’d leave and she could forget him. “Did you come back just to see me?”

“No. I return fairly regularly for meetings of the High Command and briefings with President McKinley or the defense minister.” He grinned. “But I did stay an extra night just to see you. McKinley asked after you,” he added. “Wanted to know if my beautiful ptorix adviser with those wonderful eyes was fully recovered.”

Heat rose in her face. She gazed at the scenery, trying to ignore his smile. Wow. He rubbed shoulders routinely with presidents and ministers and admirals but he was still on good terms with an ordinary guy in

a family restaurant in a run-down suburb. You peeled off one layer of the man and there was another.

The skimmer zoomed across the last of the suburbs and over forest, dark and featureless. Soon, it descended into a vehicle park.

Saahren turned off the engine and jerked his head at a softly lit path that disappeared under the trees.

“Lake Sylmander is just down there.”

Two moons hung in the sky against a backdrop of stars. She glanced around, wondering where the third might be. She’d find out soon enough, she guessed. Saahren alighted, waiting for her. This could probably be a romantic interlude, if she let it happen. But she wouldn’t. She needed to go home, go back to Shernish and sort herself out. She slid out of the vehicle.

They followed the path under the canopy to emerge at the lake’s edge where large, old trees hung their branches out over the water. A gauzy veil of mist drifted above the water’s surface glinting with silver light which could only come from the moons. From the lake’s shore all three were visible, two of them high in the sky, the third just rising above the trees.

“The largest one is Melkor,” Saahren said, pointing. “It’s full tonight. Illassar is gibbous and over there is Hegnis, just rising and quarter full.”

The reflected glow from the three different light sources made weird patterns on the water. Shadows overlapped, three different images with different intensity, like ghosts of each other. Allysha found it strange and eerie, yet peaceful. Carnessa had three moons, too, but they were in the same orbit and equidistant from each other.

She gazed around her, entranced. “I never imagined there were places like this so near Malmos.”

“You haven’t looked. Every world has its beauties. Sometimes you have to take the time to find them.”

She acknowledged the subtle criticism with a nod. He was right, of course. So far, she spent most of her free time feeling sorry for herself and wishing she was somewhere else.

They ambled along the path that led beside the lake, sometimes under the arching branches of the trees, sometimes across a clear space. Occasionally a rustle betrayed some animal, startled by their presence, as it scurried into the undergrowth. Hard to believe such a peaceful, tranquil place could exist so close to the center of the Confederacy.

Saahren took her arm briefly to lead her to a bench. For a moment she wondered what else he might try but he kept a distance between them. She recognized a pang of disappointment. He pointed out how the light changed as Hegnis, the smallest, fastest moving moon, caught up on its older sisters. He told the story of the three sisters who were banished to the sky as punishment for refusing to marry the husbands their father, a great conjuror, had selected for them.

“How do you know all these things?”

“I lived on Malmos for most of my teens, so I knew about this place and the moons. Apart from that, there’s often plenty of time to read in space. It’s useful to know where people come from. You’d be surprised at what you can find out about people and their societies from myths and legends.” He stood.

“Ah, well, I’d best get you home.”

They walked back up the path together in companionable silence. The Lysanda stood alone, in the open space beyond the trees.

Something cold and hard pressed into Allysha’s temple. She froze, a shiver of fear shooting up her spine.

Her attacker dragged her back three paces, his arm wrapped around her waist. “Stay where ye stand or yer girl gets it.”

Saahren’s eyes narrowed but he complied.

Allysha’s heart raced. She ought to do something but the kid pressed the pistol barrel hard into her flesh.

It hurt. If he fired… if he fired, she’d die.

Three more smirking youths stepped out from under the trees. A heavily-built lad to Saahren’s left held a wicked-looking knife and a skinny boy on his right raised a gun in one hand, above the level of his shoulder, aimed at Saahren’s head.

The third, also carrying a pistol, stepped in front of Saahren. “Jest give us the controller fer yer skimmer an yer credit chip. An don’ try anythin’. Tank’s got yer girl and me friends’ll get you.”

Kids; just kids in their late teens. The one holding her stank of alcohol. They all pretended to be tough, lips curled in snarls. The heavy one had a tattoo on his neck. The gun still pressed into her flesh. Surely Saahren wouldn’t do anything foolish? Just hand over what they wanted.

“Okay. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Saahren reached slowly toward his pocket.

“Yer don’t say?” said the one who appeared to be the leader. “Raise yer hands, arsehole. I’ll get ‘em meself. Hurry up, on yer head.” He poked the muzzle of his gun hard into Saahren’s stomach.

Saahren grunted and did as he was told. The thief tucked his weapon into his belt and reached into his victim’s pockets. Saahren frowned at Allysha over the youth’s head. She saw anger; not fear, not pain.

The blow hadn’t really hurt him.

The hand around Allysha’s waist slid up inside her jacket to cup her breast and the fellow rubbed his crotch against her hip. He was hard. She stiffened, her flesh creeping. Ugh.

“Don’ reckon we should give ‘er back, Lee,” the youth holding her said. His voice was oily and suggestive. “Reckon she could give us all some free fun.” He squeezed her breast and she leaned back, trying to escape his hand. He chuckled, enjoying her discomfort. “Come on, darlin’.” He leaned over her shoulder and the gun dropped away. “Be nice ter us and we’ll be nice ter you. Mebe yer boyfriend would like ter watch?” The creep ran his tongue along her neck. She strained away while the other three sniggered. He pinched her nipple, hard. She gazed at Saahren.Please… help .

Saahren moved so fast, she hardly had time to register.

One savage punch to the stomach had Lee crumpling. Even before the lout hit the ground Saahren pivoted and kicked Skinny off his feet.

Tank, holding Allysha, lost his concentration completely as he swung his gun around to find a target. She twisted, crunched her elbow into his gut and shoved him sideways. He floundered, lost his footing on the edge of the path and fell. The gun clattered to the ground.

Allysha scooped it up and pointed the weapon at him. “Don’t tempt me,” she growled. She hoped she sounded tougher than she felt.

The thug with the knife took one look at his fallen companions and ran. Out of the corner of her eye, Allysha noticed three shadowy figures racing toward them up the path. Oh, shit. Her heart hammered again. “Oh, no. There’s more of them.”

Saahren stepped to her side and took the pistol from her hand. “No. They’re my security people. Are you all right?”

As he slipped an arm around her she rested her head on his chest. It felt safe, reassuring, very comfortable. “Yes.” She shuddered. “He groped me. They were going to— ”

“Yes. I know.” Saahren’s fingers were gentle but his body was rigid.

He stepped over to Tank, who still lay sprawled on the ground. “You. Get up.”

His voice had changed, the tone deeper and darker and full of menace. That tension she had felt in his body was anger. No, more than that; rage. This dark, furious Saahren was something she hadn’t seen before.

The teen didn’t move fast enough. Saahren grabbed two handfuls of his jacket and almost lifted him off the ground. “So you have a taste for rape, do you?”

Tank cringed. “N-no. No, Sir.” He stammered the words, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

“I… she… I was just… I was just trying to scare her.”

“Were you? I don’t believe you.” Saahren smashed his fist into the kid’s gut, then floored him with an uppercut. As the youth lay groaning, he summoned one of his escorts with a jerk of his head. “Hold this piece of filth for me.”

The security man hauled Tank to his feet. Saahren lashed out with the back of his hand once, twice. The dull thunk of flesh on flesh tore at her nerves. Bastard. He deserved it, every blow. Tanks’ head jerked back and forth with the blows. Another fist to the diaphragm. Tank sagged in the guard’s arms.

The security guard said, “Sir, he’s had enough—”

“Shut up.”

The guard shut up. Saahren’s lips were set in a tight line, his nostrils flared as he pounded the youth again and again, to his body and his face, each blow loud in the silent carpark. Allysha heard the crunch of bone. Blood trickled from the victim’s nose. This was getting dangerous. He deserved a hiding, sure, but any more and he’d kill the kid.

“Stop, please.” She raised a hand. “Stop. Enough. You’ll kill him.”

Saahren glanced at her, eyes pitiless as the holes of hell. But at least he paused.

“Please. Look at him.” Tank hung in the guard’s grip, head lolling. “He’s barely conscious.”

For a sickening moment she thought he’d ignore her. He slammed his knee into the lad’s groin. The kid moaned, eyes screwed shut. A flick of Saahren’s hand, and the security guard let go. Tank slumped to the ground. He should have been a writhing, groaning ball of pain but he just lay there, motionless, like a broken marionette.

Saahren stood over him for a long moment, his lip curled, before he turned to the guard. “Tidy this up.

I’ll take my lady home.”

She stared at the body on the ground as two guards rolled him over. The moonlight accentuated the contusions and swellings on his face. “Is he dead?”

“Him? No. He might wish he was, come tomorrow.” He reached out a hand to her.

She dodged away from him, a tendril of fear clutching her heart. Saahren like this was scary. She walked quickly to the skimmer, pushed past him when he tried to open the door for her. Fear faded and anger took its place. She’d let him get under her skin but he was just a brutal bastard in a fancy uniform.

“You beat him to a pulp.” She leaned away from him, as far as the seat would let her.

“He was going to rape you.” His anger had abated, that deadly fire in his eyes had gone. He seemed confused, surprised at her reaction.

“I know. I know. You near-on killed him.”

He glowered at her. “He deserved what he got.”

“So you’re above the law? You can dispense your own justice?” Her heart beat too fast.