Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series) (17 page)

Bits of wood drifted her way, remnants of the junk.

“Paz, can you hear me?” She could barely hear herself. Her voice came out a raspy whisper.

No one answered. Not even a seagull flew overhead. Another swell washed over her. Salty brine filled her mouth. Kicking to the surface again, she spit it out.

Her chest heaved. It was getting harder to breathe. Her arms and legs felt heavy and trembled from exertion. Maybe she should just let go.

So much for her destiny. So much for her dreams of expanding her business worldwide. So much for finding true love and having a family.

Did any of that count at this point? Her parents were what mattered, and so were the friends she’d leave behind. They’d all think she’d died in a plane crash anyway.

Her consciousness detached from her body, as though it were someone else about to drown. Another flow of salt water flooded her mouth and stung her nose as a swell impacted her. She gagged and coughed, breathing in short, frantic pants.

She couldn’t fight the waves any longer. Her muscles, strained beyond endurance, froze with fatigue.

Her legs, which she’d been kicking in a slow rhythm to keep her head upright, floated uselessly downward.

She slipped below the surface, hoping the end would be fast. Her lungs cried for air, the pressure building inside her chest. She couldn’t hang on much longer.

She’d have to inhale, and then would begin the gasping, choking, painful finale.

Just as she opened her mouth, ready to give herself to the Almighty’s embrace, strong hands gripped her and hauled her to the surface.

Chapter Twelve

Paz gripped Jen by the back of her shirt and swam upward, his heart pounding in fear that he was too late. Breaching the surface, he dragged her onto the floating piece of mast he’d found and flipped her onto her back. Smitty hung onto one edge, his breaths wheezing gasps punctuated by splashes as waves crashed against them.

Jen’s eyes were half shut, and her mouth gaped open. Her face was pale as a newborn babe.

With trembling fingers, Paz pressed the side of her exposed neck. By Odin’s grace, a weak pulse still beat but it was erratic. He needed to breathe life back into her.

“Is she dead?” Smitty croaked.

“Not yet.”

Holding onto the log, he bent and sealed his lips over hers as he’d learned at the Academy. He blew in a lungful of air.

Come on. Wake up. Respond to me.

When she still lay motionless, he sucked in a deep breath and repeated the action. Her limp body made him more afraid than he’d ever been in his life. They’d been through so much together in a short space of time. She couldn’t quit on him now.

“Don’t you die!” He gave her another frantic breath then bent over her silent form with a muted cry.

“Keep trying.” Smitty waved a feeble hand. “Sometimes it takes a while. She won’t leave us. She’s vital to the prophecy.”

Paz covered her mouth again, remembering the kisses they’d shared. He hadn’t sought her sweet lips merely for protection against the Trolleks. He’d be lying to himself if he used that excuse.

He wanted more from her, everything she had to offer. When had this Earth woman come to mean so much to him?

Her mouth moved under his, and suddenly she lay on her side, gasping and choking. Paz supported her while she coughed and spit up salt water. When her lungs cleared, she drew in deep, shuddering breaths.

“It’s good to have you back.” Paz gave her a sardonic grin when she finally had the strength to gaze at him.

“Thanks. Is this what it takes to get you to kiss me again?” Her frail attempt at humor ended in another coughing fit.

It was then he noticed she still had her handbag, fastened by a sturdy shoulder strap diagonally across her body. He shook his head. Leave it to a woman never to let go of her valued possessions.

He felt his trousers pocket. The PIP was still there, but without a waterproof housing, the electronics would be useless.

That was the least of their problems.

He glanced around, glare from the sunlight off the ocean nearly blinding him. Waves swelled and receded, pushing them to and fro as they clung to their bit of flotsam. Everywhere, the sea stretched to infinity. Not a single vessel came into view.

His legs dangled underwater. He dared not think of sharks. They were fortunate the temperature was warm enough that hypothermia didn’t pose a threat.

Jen blinked at him through waterlogged eyes. “You both made it.” Surprise registered in her voice. “How did you─”

“I was still hanging onto Smitty when the creature burped us out. Lucky for him, since our dwarf friend can’t swim. I saw this beam floating among the bunch of debris and retrieved it.”

A wave splashed them. Opening her mouth, Jen gasped like a grounded fish. “My back hurts. I can’t lie here like this.”

She slipped into the water, clinging to the log with both arms like him and Smitty. A slimy strand of seaweed floated by along with pieces of wood, remnants of the junk.

Hours passed. The sun arched overhead, crossing from one horizon to the other. But still they hung on, desperation fueling their efforts. They couldn’t stop being vigilant. Exhaustion was their enemy, and they’d fight it as long as there was breath in their bodies.

An attempt to summon saliva to soothe his parched throat failed. Paz pressed his cracked lips together, tasting encrusted salt. His mind drifted, and his consciousness ebbed away.

He forced his eyes open, unwilling to yield to blissful sleep from which he might not awaken. He was a Drift Lord. Drift Lords stayed stalwart to the bitter end.

Maybe he’d been regarding their situation the wrong way.

When he’d wanted a means to speed the space comm network, he didn’t think about how gargantuan a task it would be to overhaul the relays. He’d considered the end effect first and then developed the architecture to make it work.

Think of the solution, not the problem.

An insane idea popped into Paz’s brain.

He swallowed, his tongue thick. “Jen, listen. Remember what I told you about your wristwatch? It works like a Trollek vector shift device.”

Ignoring him, she glanced over his shoulder, and her eyes widened. “Look out!”

He turned just as a big wave crashed over them. Losing his grip, he tumbled into a frothing, hissing sea of foam. His lungs burned for a breath. He hadn’t had time to suck in any extra air.

Before the current could pull him under, he blinked to clear his vision and kicked toward the surface. He broke free but floundered in a trough. A wall of water sloshed over his head. He waited until it passed, filled his lungs, and then searched for his friends.

The log floated several feet away, Smitty and Jen barely hanging on. With every swell, it moved farther from him. His arms ached as he paddled in their direction. His heart banged against his ribs in protest.

He gained on the mast, cast a leg over, and got a grip. His fingers touched Jen’s outstretched hands. She gave him a wan smile, seemingly too tired to speak. Smitty inched over, looking a sodden mess like the rest of them. His beard glistened with droplets of moisture. His short fingers crawled across the wood until his hand covered theirs in commiseration.

“Oh God, Paz. We almost lost you.” Jen’s brown eyes soaked him in, while damp strands of hair clung like seaweed across her face. “We’re not going to survive the coming night, are we? Once it’s dark, we won’t be able to see each other.” Her lower lip trembled. “I never thought it would end this way.”

A shiver ran through him. She already looked like a corpse with her pale, wet face and bluish tinged lips. Her body temperature must be dropping. Helpless to do anything about it, he entwined his fingers with hers.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

“It’s not your fault.” Her voice quaked. “Those Trolleks might have come after me somewhere else if not on the jet. I just wish we’d made it to the mainland. I could have caught a commercial flight from Hong Kong. They wouldn’t dare expose themselves so overtly by attacking me in front of other people.”

“Their interest in you just reinforces how special you are.” His voice deepened. “Use your gift. Get us safely to dry land.”

“Lady, I’ll reward you handsomely if you deliver us from this accursed water.” Smitty shook himself and droplets flew everywhere.

“I don’t know how! Tell me what to do, and I’ll try it.” When neither of them offered any helpful advice, Jen’s eyes drifted shut, and her head lowered to rest on the mast. Her dark hair splayed across the wood.

Paz’s fingers twitched. “Focus, Jen. Our lives are at stake. Envision us in Hong Kong.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’ve been there before. Fascinating city full of fabulous shops.” A smile played across her mouth. “They have the most amazing fabrics.”

Water splashed his face and trickled into his ears. He heard a rushing noise right before his body was sucked into a swirling vortex. His vision somersaulted as a haze of spinning lights disrupted his sense of balance. Had a wave capsized them?

A heavy weight pulled at him from the depths, instilling in him a sense of dread. Whatever creature dwelled there, he didn’t want to meet it.

Jen’s palm gripped his along with Smitty’s clammy hand but he could see nothing. At least he could still breathe, so he wasn’t drowning. A force wrenched him free, and he tumbled through space. The sensation was similar to the way he’d arrived in Japan. Could this be another rip in the space-time continuum?

In the next instant, he landed on a soft surface. A thud followed by a grunt at his side sounded like Smitty.

Recovering his senses, he rolled to his feet. They’d arrived on a grassy slope. Jen lay a few feet away, where she was just beginning to stir.

He sniffed the air, detecting the faint scent of cors particles. Already fading, it was overshadowed by a sweet scent that must be coming from the white flowers on a nearby bush.

Jen’s head lifted, and she peered around them. Paz’s glance followed hers toward the glittering cityscape and bustling harbor stretched out below their hilltop. With a cry of surprise, she scrambled to her feet.

“How is this possible? We made it to Hong Kong, and we’re not even near the coast.”

“I believe you brought us here.” Paz gave Smitty a hand to rise. Once upright, the dwarf brushed off his clothes with a snort of relief. They all looked wet and bedraggled.

“Me? How so?”

“You activated your watch. I told you it’s a vector device like the Trolleks wear.”

A joyful look on his face, Smitty clapped his hands and jumped up and down. “I’m free! I’m free! Well, guess I’ll be going now.”

He turned away but Paz grabbed hold of his ragged shirt. “Not so fast. I think you have something that belongs to us.”

Shuffling his feet, the diminutive man gave Jen a sheepish look. “Captain Kolami had no right to them. He would have fed us to the sharks and taken whatever else you had in that sack of yours.”

Jen propped her hands on her hips. Paz was glad to see the color returning to her cheeks. “What are you talking about?”

“Here, these are yours.” Reaching into his pocket, Smitty withdrew her diamond earrings and displayed them on his palm. “They’re very shiny. I like them. Why don’t I keep them as a token of our friendship?”

“You’re the thief who stole them from the captain’s cabin?” Jen’s eyes blazed. “The crew would have murdered us because of you.” She held out her hand. “Give them over, Smitty.”

With a grimace, he complied before turning to Paz. “I guess I owe you a life debt, Drift Lord. I promised you a reward if we reached dry land. A dwarf always keeps his word.”

His small eyes darted around, his gaze falling upon some nails scattered by the roadside. He scooped them up and rolled the nails in his hands while muttering an indecipherable chant. When he opened his fist, a gleaming golden armband lay in his palm. Straightening his spine, he offered it to Paz.

“Wear this bracelet at all times. You will need it in the coming cataclysm.” After Paz took it, he tilted his head, and his face brightened. “I can hear them. They’ve come for me.”

Paz’s pulse spiked. “Who? The Trolleks?”

“No, my people. They can hear me now. My powers must have returned. By Thor’s hammer, that means I can go home.” He grinned broadly. “Peace be with you, my friends. I see many children in your future.”

“Wait.” Paz held up a hand. “What did you mean by the coming cataclysm?” He ignored the personal message. “Will your people help us against the forces of darkness?”

“I’ll speak to them on your behalf. In view of what happened to me, they may listen. Farewell.”

In the blink of an eye and a brief shimmer of air, he was gone. Paz snapped the arm bracelet around his bicep and covered it with his shirtsleeve.

Jen shook her head as though she couldn’t quite grasp what she’d witnessed. “I don’t understand any of this.”

In several short steps, Paz reached her side. He pressed a hand to the small of her back, wanting to reassure himself that she was safe. “Look below. What were you thinking about just before we ended up here?”

Wrinkles creased her brow. “Hong Kong. I can’t believe I transported us. It’s incredible. I’ll have to figure out how this watch operates, but not now.” She pointed to the city. “I recognize those tall buildings. That’s the district with the glitzy hotels. How do we get down there? Omigod, Paz, we’ve actually reached civilization.”

He strode toward the road. “We snitch a ride.”

“You mean
hitch
a ride. I need to call my parents. Will that thing you made work here?”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately, my PIP wasn’t shielded, and it got wet. I’ll have to destroy it. We need to find lodgings while we determine a plan of action.”

“My plan is to hop on a commercial jet and fly home.”

Paz waved a hand. “Dressed like that? We look like a couple of slaves from the hovels at Anriat. We need to get cleaned up and acquire new clothing.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I suppose you’re right. We’re a mess. They’d never let us on an airplane like this. I’m dying for a drink of water, too.”