Crystal Enchantment Page 11

  "I know you were on Temok at that time," she told him.

  He nodded slowly, his gaze sliding away from hers. "I was on a hillside when I spotted you down in the valley. I could see that the battle was moving quickly in your direction and that the Federation troops wouldn't get there in time to prevent your being caught in the cross fire.

  "I started toward you, then realized that when you saw me, you were likely to start running in the other directionstraight into the battle. So I hit you with the stunner and then carried you to my hovercraft."

  He stopped talking, and even though he wasn't looking at her, she could tell that his mind was far away, re-living the incident. She knew that she should be thanking him for having saved her life, even though he really hadn't. She would have 'ported herself out of there before the battle reached her, but he couldn't know that.

  She shuddered again. If she had 'ported, with him there watching her . . .

  "I didn't know where your colleagues were, or even if they were still alive," he continued. "When we got back to the hovercraft, I learned that the troops were only minutes away, so there was no need for me to remain there any longer. I informed the commander of the situation, then took you back to the city. I knew you'd be safe in the park until you came to, so I left you there."

  "Why?" she asked, knowing instinctively that it was the one question he didn't want to answer. When he said nothing and continued to avoid looking at her directly, she pressed on.

  "I know that Special Agents have left Whisperers to fend for themselveseven if it meant almost certain death. We were taught in training that we could never depend on any of you.

  "I can also guess that even then, the Special Agency knew I was exceptionally talented. So why did you save me, when by simply doing nothing, you could have gotten rid of me? Your superiors would certainly have wanted you to do just that."

  "Perhaps," he admitted. "But I chose differently."

  "You're talking around the issue, Miklos. I've read your file and I've heard about you from other Whisperers. You've never shown any tendency toward helping us in the pastor since then, for that matter."

  Finally, he did turn toward her, and she drew back from the intensity of his gaze. She felt as though she were teetering on the very brink of an abyss that beckoned seductively.

  "I saved you because I wanted to, Jalissa," he said softly. "And I knew who you were."

  As he spoke, he walked slowly toward her, then stopped so close that she could feel the warmth of his body. Her own body was pulsing wildly as her senses were filled with him. He didn't move, although she felt as though he were straining to get beyond the awkwardness of this moment. Then, finally, his hand came up to touch the shining black curls that tumbled over her shoulders.

  "Now you have your answer," he said huskily. "But I doubt that you'll find much comfort in it."

  His fingertips traced a line along her cheek, then dropped suddenly to his side. The moment shattered silently. What had been about to happen would not happen. He turned abruptly and disappeared into the bathroom. A few moments later, she heard the shower running.

  She got into bed and turned to face the wall, not wanting to see him when he emerged. Her skin still registered his imprint and her body cried out for what hadn't happened. He was right: She couldn't take any comfort from his words.

  "We'll be in orbit around Dakton in about two hours."

  Jalissa turned from the vidscreen, and as she did, her shoulder brushed lightly against his hand as it rested on the high back of the chair. She moved away quickly, and he withdrew his hand with the same speed. It was merely the latest in a series of such episodes. For three days, they had not spoken beyond what was necessary, and when they came into contact with each other, both of them reacted as though the other was on fire. The tension between them had reached the point where even the crew had noticed it. Jalissa had seen them watching their two passengers with bemused glances.

  Instead of leaving the tiny comm room, Panera took the other seat in front of the big vidscreen. "Whatever you've read there about Dakton probably hasn't prepared you for the reality. And we may be visiting even more primitive worlds."

  "I'm sure I can manage," she replied coolly. Anything would be preferable to being confined on this ship with him.

  "These people have never even heard of a Whisperer, let alone actually seen one," he went on. "And a female Whisperer is likely to cause them even more consternation. Women on Dakton are treated little better than slaves."

  "That could changeif the Federation gave the matter some attention," she stated angrily.

  "Yes, it could," he agreed. "But we must deal with what we have now. As you probably know, we keep only a small force there. But what you may not know is that it is all male." ''What?" She asked in shock.

  "We need Dakton as a base, so we've avoided doing anything that might stir up the native population against us. It was decided a long time ago that the presence of women working and living alongside men wouldn't be tolerated there."

  He gestured to her formal robe. "At least your uniform will be acceptable to them, although we'll have to come up with some sort of headdress. The women on Dakton wear long, loose robes and cover their heads and faces in public at all times. Supposedly, it's because the sight of a scantily clad female would arouse men to violence."

  Jalissa glanced back at the screen, realizing that the information from Trans/Med files that she'd been studying was totally inadequate. And no wonder, she thought angrily. We've never been allowed to come here.

  "Frankly, I'd prefer to have you remain at the base," he continued, "but I need your skills. We know our man was here, but no one at the base has been able to obtain much information because no one speaks their language very well.

  "And there's another problem as well. Our agreement with the Daks prevents us from using hovercraft, except on the base itself. They don't like machines that fly. To them, it seems that we are trying to imitate the godsor their messengers, the Coven."

  He leaned back in his chair and studied her, his expression thoughtful. "You know, it occurs to me that we might be able to use their worship of the Coven to our advantage."

  "How is that?" she asked, hiding her uneasiness.

  "You could pass for a Witch, you know. When I saw those paintings, I realized how much you resemble them. And I'm told that the only off-worlders they'll deal with are Tevingians, because of their historic alliance with the Coven."

  "Then the fact that I'm Tevingian should be enough."

  "Perhaps. But they'd be even more likely to cooperate if they believed you to be a Witch."

  "And just how am I to convince them of that?" she inquired, now suspecting that he had a double purpose in mind.

  "Oh, that could be arranged. We can duplicate the lightning effect easily enough. Given your appearance, that should be enough to convince them."

  "I dislike such deception, Miklos. That's more your line than mine."

  "But your superiors agreed that you would cooperateand that I'm the one in charge."

  "I'm sure they didn't have this in mind."

  "Why would it bother you to impersonate a Witch?" he asked, his eyes boring into her.

  "I just told you that I dislike deception."

  "Nevertheless, that's what you will do," he stated, then got up and left the room before she could reply.

  Jalissa glared at his broad back, thinking that she'd like nothing more than to show him right now that she could do a very good "impersonation" of a Witch without his help.

  She was certain that despite his casual tone, he'd had this scheme in mind all along. If she did as ordered, he could find some way to use it against herperhaps claiming that it wasn't an impersonation at all. Or if he really did suspect her of being a Witch, he undoubtedly hoped that she'd give herself away.

  Still, there was little she could do about it. He was right. She had agreed to his being in charge of this mission, and she couldn't back off now, because she had to f
ind the Warlock.

  "I've never seen one of these, except in pictures," Jalissa said in astonishment. "I thought they hadn't been used for centuries."

  "They haven'texcept for a few places here in the Outer Ring," Miklos replied. "They're powered by gasoline engines, the kind that used to pollute every world. But this is the only kind of transport the Daks will let us use, so we manufactured enough for our own use, then gave them some as well.

  "We tried to persuade them to let us use solar-powered land vehicles after they said no to hovercraft, but when they couldn't hear the sound of an engine, they accused us of trying to usurp the Coven's magic."

  "How far do we have to go?" Jalissa asked, staring uneasily at the boxy little vehicle that was spewing forth noxious fumes.

  "It'll take the better part of the day to get to the town and then back again. Their roads aren't good to begin with, and at this time of year there are often washouts: places where rocks and mud have slid down to cover the road."

  A short time later, they drove through the gates of the base. Miklos was wearing his uniform, which he said Daks more or less respectedespecially when it was accompanied by the silver stunner that hung from his belt. The Daks regarded it as being evil magic, but they feared it. Since their landing, she had learned that there been numerous unpleasant incidents between Federation troops and the Daks, though none had ever been reported to the public.

  Jalissa was wearing a high-necked black robe similar to the formal garments worn by the Coven. Her crystal pendant sparkled on her chest. Despite the fact that women on Dakton wore headcovers, her own head was bare. Witches did not cover their heads.

  True to his word, Miklos had found "lightning" for her in the form of two thin, nearly invisible bracelets. When she rotated her wrists in a certain way, blue fire arced from them. She'd practiced alone before a mirror, and then had summoned the true Witches' fire to compare the effect. The bracelets were a poor imitation, but they would do.

  Before they left, Miklos had insisted that she demonstrate the effect for him. The look on his face still haunted her. He'd tried to hide his fear, but she'd seen it, and what should have given her some satisfaction had instead left her badly shaken as well.

  What does he truly believe? she wondered, casting him a covert glance as he focused his attention on the bumpy road.

  The Federation base was in a wide valley, surrounded on all sides by craggy peaks that were thickly covered by dark firs. The road was hardpacked dirt, muddy in places from recent heavy rains. Miklos pointed to the mountains, and said they had to cross the one ahead of them and then two more before they'd reach the town, a regional marketplace where the Warlock was rumored to have appeared.

  Jalissa found herself turning several times to stare back at the base. She wasn't at all happy about venturing out into this primitive land in a noisy, ancient vehicle. She was accustomed to traveling regularly in strange lands, but in modern hovercraft and in the company of responsible local officials. Furthermore, in the past, she'd always known everything she needed to know about the people involved.

  But despite all that, she knew that what trou- bled her most was that she was now wholly dependent on the tall Vantran beside her. Whatever happened, she dared not use her talents to save herselfnot with Miklos Panera watching her every move.

  "I didn't intend to frighten you with my stories about the Daks," he said, breaking the silence between them. "We're safe enough. If I thought we weren't, I would have left you back at the base."

  "You couldn't leave me at the base," she reminded him. "You need me to translate."

  He shot her a brief glance. "There are a few soldiers at the base who can speak their language well enough. I wouldn't put you at risk, Jalissa."

  His final words, spoken as he turned his attention back to the road, were uttered softly, and, Jalissa thought, almost begrudgingly, sounded as though he were reluctantly speaking a truth. His behavior thoroughly confounded her, coming as it did from a man who seemed so sure of himself, so in control at all timesso Vantran.

  She thought again about the incident on Temok, how he'd saved her lifecertainly in contravention of Special Agency policy. It was still difficult for her to believe that he could be so attracted to her, and yet the evidence was mounting that this was indeed the case.

  Jalissa knew that she was beautiful, but she also knew that unlike other races in the galaxy, who intermingled freely, Vantrans never married off-worlders, and only rarely took lovers from among other races. They obviously believed themselves to be superior to all others, and if that was true of Vantrans in general, it must surely be even more true of a Panera.

  On the other hand, it was equally impossible for her to believe that she could be attracted to himand yet she clearly was, despite the grave danger he posed. Was it merely the attraction of the forbiddenor something more? Even now, as they set out on an uncomfortable and possibly dangerous mission, desire whispered through her mind and left her weak and aching.

  There was something frighteningly raw and primitive in those feelings. They were both highly sophisticated, civilized people, and yet it seemed that the longer she was in his company, the more that veneer wore away, leaving only the most basic and elemental of human needs.

  As they made their way down the winding road into the next valley, he slowed the vehicle and stared out the side window. "I don't like the looks of that. Those rocks could slide down at any moment."

  He drove on, and she looked out the rear window. The hillside above them was bare of trees and covered with huge boulders. Small streams of water gushed down, spilling into a ditch at the side of the road.

  They were making their laborious way up the second mountain when suddenly something struck the side of the vehicle with a sharp "ping" that was then repeated several times. She turned to him questioningly.

  "Just some Daks, shooting at us," he said, swiveling his head to scan the hillside. "They have old-fashioned rifles and the bullets can't pierce the armor or the glass. They know that, but they shoot anyway, just to show their displeasure."

  Several more bullets struck the rear windshield before they rounded a curve. Jalissa turned in her seat, but saw no one. She shuddered, thinking that it felt as though they'd stepped through a time warp.

  "They only shoot when we're safe inside this," he went on. "If I had stopped and gotten out, they'd have disappeared."

  The car descended into a narrow valley, crossed a rickety bridge over a swift-running stream and then began to climb yet another mountain. It was a beautiful place that resembled parts of Tevingi, but Jalissa couldn't enjoy the scenery. Panera seemed so calm, so certain that they were safebut she herself wasn't so sanguine about it. He might be accustomed to such things, but she was used to being an invited guest on hostile worlds, an honored representative of the Federation whose safety was always guaranteed by both sides. That incident on Temok had been the only time she'd ever encountered such danger.

  By the time they had reached the top of the mountain, they were enclosed in a thick fog. Mik- los slowed down as the headlights just barely pierced the heavy gray mist.

  "This is the last mountain," he told her. "If it weren't for the fog, we'd be able to see the town in the valley below."

  "What sort of reception will they give us?" she asked nervously.

  "That depends on whether or not they believe you're a Witch," he replied, turning to her briefly. "If not, they're likely to be as unpleasant as they dare."

  "And just how unpleasant is that?"

  "They won't try to harm us, but they'll probably call us names and spit at us. That's what they usually do."

  "How can you be so certain that they wouldn't dare to harm us?"

  "Because they know the consequences," he stated.

  "And what are those consequences?"

  "Death. No trial, no penal colony. That's the law on all the Outer Ring worlds. And before you start to protest, try to understand that there's no other way to deal with these people. We si
mply follow their own laws, which are basically the 'survival of the fittest.' And we're the 'fittest.'"

  "There has to be a better way to deal with these people, Miklos," she said, appalled at his callousness.

  "No, there isn'tand that's why we've never permitted Whisperers to come here. They have no interest whatsoever in mediating their disputes. Their code of justiceif you can call it thatis very simple and brutal. For ordinary thievery, they cut off the offender's hands. Adulterous women are stoned to death, and the man may be killed as well, depending on just how offended the husband is. In the case of murder, they kill not only the one who committed the crime, but his entire family as welleven the children."

  "This cannot be allowed to continue!" she cried. "Miklos, this is contrary to every law of human decency!"

  "I agree, but a decision was made long ago to let these people find their own way to a more civilized society."

  The Coven could put an end to this, she thought, but of course didn't say. Surely this kind of thing hadn't happened when the Coven had influence over them. Then, as though he'd picked up on her thoughts, he went on.

  "Historians say that when the Outer Ring was under the influence of the Coven, they had a more just societyand perhaps they did. But when the Coven vanished, they apparently reverted to their old ways rather quickly. There's the town below us now."

  She peered through the thinning mist and saw strange little rounded houses below them, topped with thatched roofs. Then, as they continued their descent into the valley, another hail of bullets struck the vehicle. Panera chuckled.

  ''Thank you. We're happy to be here."

  Jalissa turned to him, unable to understand how he could be so casual about the situation. But before she could say anything, he turned to her with a grin.

  "Are you ready to do your Witch act?"

  "What I'm ready to do is leave!" she replied.

  "Then tell that to your superiors when you see them. It's their fault that you're here."