Crystal Enchantment Read online

  Deciding not to risk 'porting again, she began to hurry in that direction, hoping that it might be the destination of the crowd. And she knew she was right when she reached the end of the row of small houses.

  About a dozen people were gathered there, forming a rough semi-circle around a young man who stood slightly above them on the sloping hillside. She came closer, then stopped where he could easily see her.

  "Kavnor!" she said, sending the message silently. "I must speak with you."

  The young Warlock's head swiveled in her direction, and she saw the confused look on his face. She repeated the message, adding her name this time. In the distance, she could hear the crowd approaching. Canar would soon be here. She had to get him away.

  He came toward her, and the small group around him parted to let him pass, then turned to stare at her. Fortunately, however, they remained where they were as the young Warlock came up to her, his thin face now showing both puzzlement and fear.

  "Jalissaour Jalissa?" he asked, staring at her.

  She nodded. "Kavnor, you must get away from here now! In that crowd coming up the hill is a Federation soldier. He's been told to capture you alive!"

  They both turned as the crowd noise in- creased, and now they could see the people making their way past the last row of houses. Kavnor turned to her defiantly.

  "They won't let him capture me. They know I'm a Warlock."

  "Then he'll kill you. He has weapons."

  The youth hesitated. "I want to talk to themto tell them that they can join us."

  "Don't be a fool!" she said sharply. "You won't get a chance to talk to them." She pointed to a nearby hill that was somewhat higher. "'Port yourself over there and wait for me.''

  "What about you?"

  "I'll join you there, but I can't 'port from here. They know you're a Warlock, and if any of them had any doubts, they'll certainly know it if you suddenly vanish."

  He noddedand then was gone. Nothing remained but a faint wisp of gray smoke that soon dissipated in the breeze. The small group nearby cried out. Jalissa couldn't blame them for being awed. She was too. It had been a very long time since she'd seen anyone 'port.

  The main portion of the crowd was now pouring onto the meadow. Jalissa hurried back down the hillside to the safety of the row of houses one street away from the oncoming rush of people. Then, after slipping into a small garden behind one house, she 'ported herself to the other hilltop.

  Kavnor was standing there, his jaw jutting out defiantly. "Why are you here?"

  "To save your life. Did you really think that you could just wander about the galaxy trying to start a rebellion and not be chased by Federation soldiers? There's a Special Agent waiting just outside town for you."

  "Did the Coven send you?"

  "No. They told me to stay out of it."

  "And you defied them?" he asked with a mixture of incredulity and awe.

  "Yes, I defied them. Did they send you, or did you defy them as well?"

  "I didn't defy themexactly," he admitted. "I told them that the gods had called me to do this, and they let me go."

  "And is that the truth, or did you simply hear the gods tell you what you wanted to hear?"

  "They told me," he insisted. "They told me to be the messengerto go to all the places where people still revere the Coven and keep to the old ways."

  "And did the gods tell you to start a rebellion?"

  He was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "But they told me to tell everyone that we're still here, that the accursed Vantrans didn't kill us after all."

  Jalissa sighed. It was one and the same thing. On these volatile worlds, simply letting people know that the Coven still existed was enough to start trouble.

  "You must go back, Kavnor. You must return to the Coven and tell them that they cannot hope to defeat the Federation. The Vantrans will find you and destroy you."

  "I don't want to go back," he said stubbornly. "I'm tired of living underground and hiding. And so are some others. We want to live like other people."

  "You can't live like other people, Kavnor, because you aren't like other people." But her voice had softened. She, perhaps more than anyone else, understood what he was saying. "The Vantrans won't permit it."

  "You live like other people," he pointed out stubbornly.

  "Yes, but I also don't use my powers. Besides, I left the Coven when I was still a child."

  "I don't want to leave the Coven. I want the rest of the Coven to come with me. We could live on Tevingi. They'd welcome us."

  "Yes, I'm sure they would, but they can't protect you from the Vantrans. There's a huge Federation base on Tevingi."

  "I'm not going back. And others will follow me as soon as I tell them to come."

  Jalissa shivered at the thought of a group of renegade Warlocks roaming about the galaxy, stirring up trouble. So far, the Federation was acting with some moderation. But if they learned that there was more than one Warlock on the loose . . .

  "Kavnor, the Federation cannot be destroyed. Before it came into existence, there was constant warand that's exactly what will happen again."

  "We don't want to make war," he protested. "All we want is to be able to live as we once did."

  Jalissa walked over to the edge of the hilltop. A huge crowd was now gathered in the meadow they'd just left, and no doubt Canar was searching for her.

  "I know you don't want war," she told him. "But it will happen anyway."

  "Because of the Vantrans," he said, spitting out the hated name.

  "Yes, because of them. But they're not really bad people, Kavnor. Out here, you haven't seen what their science has donehow good people's lives are now. They don't really want war eitherbut they will not share power with the Coven because they fear us."

  "Good!" he said stubbornly, his jaw jutting out again. "They should fear us. They're godless, evil people!"

  "So you won't go back to the Coven?"

  "No!"

  "Would you at least take me there, so I can talk to them?"

  "No. And I know you can't go there on your own."

  "Then will you at least get off this world before you're captured? I can't protect you, Kavnor."

  "I don't need your protection. You're not even one of us anymore!" And before she could reply to that, he vanished. She turned again to stare down at the milling crowd, his final words echoing in her mind. Maybe he was right. But for now, she had to get back down there and find Canar. At least she didn't have to worry about his finding out that she'd talked to Kavnor. No doubt the crowd was full of stories about the woman he'd been with when he vanished, but since Canar couldn't speak the language, he wouldn't know.

  Chapter Eight

  Finding Canar proved to be impossible. The crowd in the meadow had by now swelled to fill the entire space on the hillside. Hundreds, perhaps even a thousand people milled about, asking questions and passing on rumors. Everyone seemed to know that a Warlock had been present, but that he'd disappeared after talking to a woman. As Jalissa had guessed, Kavnor's disappearance had established beyond a doubt that he was in fact a member of the Coven.

  She continued to make her way through the crowd, seeking Canar, until she realized that a few people were staring at her. When one of them began to point toward her, identifying her as the woman the Warlock had spoken to, she slipped away quickly and hid herself in the rear garden of a nearby home.

  She was reluctant to leave the area for two reasons. First of all, she knew that Canar had to be here somewhere and would expect her to be here as well. And secondly, she feared that Kavnor might return. She had no idea what she would do if he did in fact show up again, but she knew that she had to remain there nevertheless.

  After a while, the crowd began to disperse, first in a small trickle, and then in a wave of humanity, pouring down the two streets that led to the meadow. From her hiding place, Jalissa watched the people who came down the street near her, but still saw no sign of Canar. Finally, she stepped out and join
ed the throng as they made their noisy way down to the center of the town.

  All around her, she heard the sounds of disappointment, but it was a disappointment mingled with hope and excitement. A Warlock had been seen! The Coven still existed! Here and there, a few men muttered darkly about the Federation, but most appeared to be filled with excitement, rather than hostility.

  They are so eager to be led, she thought. It would take very little to transform that excitement into anger against the Federation.

  She thought about Kavnor's statement that others were prepared to follow him away from the protected underground world of the Coven. How could she fault any of them for that, when she herself could not imagine returning there? And yet, if they did as he said, her own position, the life she had so carefully built, would tumble down around her.

  Back in the big market square, Jalissa continued to search for Canar as she heard the story of the vanished Warlock spread from stall to stall on ripples of excitement. Perhaps he would reappear tomorrow, they said. Plans were made to go to the meadow at dawn, to await his arrival.

  He might just do that, Jalissa thought, knowing that she herself would have to return as well even if she couldn't do anything. Or was it possible that she could do something? Kavnor was youngprobably no more than and Coven members didn't come into their full powers until or so. He could perform the simple feats of magic that any child could manage, but that was all.

  She, on the other hand, had long since come into full possession of her powers, even if she rarely used them. If he did return, she might be able to use those powers to discredit him and convince the Dradars that he was an impostor.

  That thought did not sit easily upon her. It would be cruel. Coven members never turned their magic on each other. And yet, if she did, it might well convince him to return to the Coven and give up his dangerous quest.

  As she considered this, she continued her search for Canar with increasing desperation. It was important to find out what he'd learned, though given his lack of knowledge of the Dradar tongue, it wasn't likely to be much.

  The merchants began to close up their stalls, and there was a steady flow of people back to their houses or boats. Dim sunlight gave way to soft dusk. Jalissa belatedly realized that most of the remaining crowd was maleand many of them were drunk. She reverted to her slouched imitation of Dradar women and kept her eyes downcast as she hurried along the streets toward the edge of town. A few remarks were sent her way, but no one tried to approach heruntil she passed by a noisy, crowded tavern whose patrons had spilled out onto the street.

  Even though she kept her head down, she was aware of many eyes on her and of the lewd remarks sent her way. Then the noise of the tavern was behind her and she was entering a quiet area of what appeared to be storage facilities of some sort at the far end of the big harbor. Lost in thought, she didn't hear the approaching footsteps until it was too late.

  They were upon her even before she could turn: two men, their breath foul with alcohol, their eyes devouring her greedily. One of them lunged at her, catching her off balance as she turned. The two of them tumbled to the ground, accompanied by the sound of drunken cheering from the second man.

  Her attacker wasn't all that big and was drunk as well, but it still took considerable effort on her part to push him off. She scrambled to her feet and began to run, but now the other man was hurling himself at her. She hit the ground harder this time and cried out in pain. His clumsy fingers began to tug at her long skirt, and his companion was now moving toward them.

  Jalissa managed to roll away from her current attacker. Angry beyond all reason, she raised her handand let fly the blue fire!

  The man closest to her had only a moment to cry out in surprise and terror before he collapsed in a heap. With the fire still surrounding her fingertips, Jalissa turned to his companion.

  "No, Witch! We meant no harm! We didn't know!"

  Jalissa glared at him as she got to her feet. "Meant no harm" indeed! They meant to rape her! She could still feel the man's hard fingers on her leg.

  The other man fell to his knees and continued to plead with her, calling upon the gods as his witness. Before she could succumb to the temptation to strike out at him, she closed her fist upon the fire and then turned and walked away. After she had gone some distance, she turned briefly and looked back. In the gathering night, she was just barely able to make out the two figures: one still prone on the street and the other bent over him.

  By the time she reached the strip of sand, her anger and disgust had turned to fearand then to shock, as she realized that unlike the other times when she'd been in danger, this time she'd used her magic without thought. Furthermore, she'd done so even though she had not one, but two, stunners in her pocket.

  She was so overcome with the horror of it that she sank down onto the sand. She had truly become a Witch! Aroused from their long sleep, her powers had now become second nature to her.

  And once she got over that shock, she began to think about the results of her actions. Drunk or not, those men had known what she was, and they would quickly spread the word, no doubt claiming that they were innocent in the matter.

  Still, neither Canar nor Miklos could speak the language, so it was unlikely that they would learn about the incident.

  Miklos. Jalissa sat there in the darkness, staring out at the sea, where whitecaps glowed in the light of the rising moon. How she longed to be with him, in his arms. The drunken Dradar's lecherous attentions had awakened in her a fierce need for Miklos's kisses.

  She actually smiled as she thought about his question. No, she was definitely not angry about that kiss. She was angry only that it hadn't been repeated.

  She got up and started back to the cove, only then realizing that her skirt had been torn and the sleeve of the padded jacket was hanging by only a few threads. Tired, hungry and uncomfortable, she trudged along the beach, her thoughts not on her dilemma, but on Miklos Panera.

  In the bright moonlight, Jalissa could see the place where the strip of beach disappeared around a sharp bend. Beyond that, Miklos would be waiting. It was well past dark by now, and she knew he would be worried about her. That he would also be filled with questions she didn't want to answer simply didn't occur to her. Right now, there was nothing in the galaxy she wanted as much as she wanted to feel his arms around her.

  And then she saw him! There was no doubt in her mind that it was Miklos, even though the dark figure that appeared from beyond the bend was as yet indistinct. With a burst of energy she didn't know she possessed, she began to run toward himand a moment later, he too was running.

  They didn't just meet; they collided, falling into each other's arms, bodies pressed together. He held her quietly for a long time, the only sounds the rapid beating of two hearts and the soft lapping of sea against shore.

  Then, keeping one arm securely around her, Miklos fumbled the comm unit from his belt and spoke into it, reporting to someone that she was back. Then he replaced the comm and held her slightly away from him, staring at her.

  ''What happened? Are you all right?"

  She nodded, moving into the circle of his arms again and pressing her face against his chest, still not questioning what she was feeling.

  He drew them both down onto the hardpacked sand, cradling her in his arms as she related the incident with the two drunken men. But when she got to the part about how she'd managed to escape them, the ugly reality of her secret confronted her.

  "I used the stunner on one of them, and that was enough to keep the other one from attacking me again," she said, hating the lie that drove a wedge between them.

  He pressed his lips to her brow. "I'm sorry, Jalissa. I never should have permitted you to do this. I was just about to order troops into the town to find you."

  She turned slightly, bringing her mouth close to hisand then closer still. For one brief instant, it seemed that he hesitated, but in the next second, their lips were touching tentatively as they slowly fell back
to the hard-packed sand. His hands slipped beneath her bulky jacket to caress her as their tongues intertwined in an erotic dance. The kiss went on and on, their breaths intermingling as their bodies once more strained against confinement.

  Jalissa was lost in the moment, and wanted never to find her way out of it, knowing that in the next moment or the one after that, it would all vanish again.

  When Miklos began to withdraw from her, she wrapped her hands around his face and drew him to her again. He smiled gently, a silent acknowledgement that he too wanted to stop time. His lips brushed against the sensitive palm of her hand, then trailed along her neck to the pulsepoint at her throat.

  She wanted more. She wanted to feel his smooth, bronzed skin against hers, wanted to yield up her softness to his hardness, wanted to feel him deep inside her. Desire was an aching presence between them, a silent clamoring for fulfillment.

  Miklos lifted his head again, and his eyes, drained of color by the moonlight, gleamed darkly as he stared at her. She threaded her fingers through his tangled blond hair, which was swept with a silvery glaze.

  "Mafriti," he said huskily. "That's where I want to be nowon a private beach, alone with you."

  She smiled as her mind conjured up that lush world given over to pleasures of all sorts. She'd been there several times, but always alone or with a group of friends.

  But his soft words, meant to conjure up a future, served instead to bring them both back to reality. The Federation ship was somewhere close by, and Canar . . .

  "Where is Canar? Did he return?" Miklos was slow to nod, obviously as reluctant as she was to be tumbled back into the present. "He said you were separated in the crowd when you went to find the Warlock. He searched for you, then gave up and came back here just before dark."

  She waited for him to ask questions, to destroy what little was left of the magic that had held them. But instead, he brushed her hair from her face, touched his lips to hers once more, then stood up and drew her to her feet.