aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) (10 page)

When
they nodded the waiter took the order and then headed off to the next table.
Once he was out of earshot, she leaned forward. “Did you guys understand the
menu?”

“No.”
Ardal clenched his fists. “The translator download was incomplete. What is
steak?”

“
It’s
beef and tastes a bit like the moose you guys killed.”
Fiona took a sip of water. “This is water. I imagine you have this on your
planet.”

Ardal
drank his down without a stop. “It is different in taste. We only have
artificial water.”

“Don’t
you have natural sources of it?”

Ardal
shook his head. “Not on Cygnus.”

“How
do you survive?” Fiona couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. “What
happened to it?”

“The
ancients were careless.” Ardal shrugged. “We make it, or import it from other
planets.”

Fiona
picked up her fork and started to fiddle with it. “You should tell me what
things are different from what you’re used to.”

“That
is probably everything, although Jehon was able to ascertain what equipment the
helicopter had for tracking us.” Ardal took the fork from her. “What is this
for?”

“Eating.”
Fiona grabbed it back and demonstrated. “I’m sure you know what a knife is.”
When Ardal nodded, she picked up the spoon. “You stir with this or eat, but
usually only soup or cereal.”

“We
have similar on our planet.” Ardal leaned back against the bench seat and
looked at Jehon. “How long do you need to repair the communicators?”

Jehon
shook his head. “Each one has different damage. It is most important that your
unit work, though. I will look at it now.”

Ardal
handed over the device that looked like a miniature tablet. Jehon leaned over the
object, using his one arm to hide it from others. Within seconds his fingers
were dancing around the screen followed by a blur of color and noises.

“Jehon
is an expert with machines.” Ardal’s voice was low. “He will not make a
mistake.”

Fiona
sighed. She was way too tense. Too much had happened in the last twelve hours,
never mind spending the last six months of her life in hiding. Worrying was
wasted energy. Energy she’d need later if today was any indication.

“How
do your people read?” Fiona leaned her head back. “Do you use letters like we
do?”

“Our
language is a combination of symbols and images. It was given to us by the
ancients.”

“Who
are the ancients?” Fiona traced her finger around a water ring on the table.

***

Ardal
watched the light play across Fiona’s features. She was truly beautiful. It had
been a mistake to bring her into a place with so many men. There was the odd
woman eating, but they paled in comparison to Fiona. Beauty such as hers would
make men forget themselves, especially on a planet that had no rules to control
men.

She
was a brave woman. Despite the fright she must have had from the man at the
entrance, she was now trying to relax. Questions about his home land would take
her mind off the problems they were facing. Despite being quite a distance from
the farm, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the military noticed
that they’d left. Then the search would begin again.

“The
ancients were a group of men and women who set out the rules for our people.”
Ardal kept his voice low. “They decided that women were the most suited to rule
and that men should be their mates.”

“So
you have left your mates on your home planet.” Fiona turned around and looked
at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Do you have any children?”

Firbin
moved forward as if to speak, but Ardal lifted his hand. He would explain all
to Fiona. It was his right as leader and also his desire. He was connected to
her in a way that had never happened to him before. She must know that even
though he was attracted to her, he would not take advantage of that.

“Hunters
are not permitted to mate.”

“Never?”
Fiona glanced at the other men at the table. “None of you have a wife or
children?”

“No.”

Fiona
frowned and then shook her head. “How do you get new Hunters?”

“We
were bred in birthing chambers. Our genes were chosen so that we would be the
best possible Hunters.” Ardal’s jaw tightened as flashes of his early life
bombarded him. “Then we were raised to fight.”

“You
had no childhood?” Fiona’s words were a whisper.

“It
was necessary to make great Hunters.”

“Why
can’t you have a wife or children?” Fiona’s frowned. “That has nothing to do
with being a Hunter.”

“We
do not have such things on our planet.”

“Nobody
does?”

“The
Kaladin choose mates as they desire, but they are not permanent. A Hunter was
forbidden to mate.” Ardal watched horror, revulsion, and then sadness play
across Fiona’s face. She hid nothing. “How do you do it on earth?”

Her
eyes softened. “Two people fall in love and then marry. If they wish, they have
children and raise them. They form a family.

“So
you have this?”

“No.”
Her chest heaved on a sigh. “Some people mistake power and possession for love.
They think that they own the other person and will do everything possible to
keep that person.”

“This
David thinks he owns you.”

Fiona
shook her head. “He’s sick. We dated a couple of times. It was enough for me.”
Fiona raised her hand to push her hair off her face. “I didn’t want to go out
with him, but he insisted on dinner.

“You
mated after this meal?” Firbin leaned closer to Fiona, his eyes wide with
interest.

Ardal
fought to control the surge of anger that flowed through his body. The thought
of Fiona with this faceless David was enough to make him want to kill. He
clenched his fists and fought the urge to pound them through the table.

“What
kind of girl do you think I am?” Fiona’s indignation and anger broke through
Ardal’s thoughts.

“What
did I say wrong?” Firbin frowned.

“You
think I have sex with every man I meet?”

Fiona’s
voice was loud enough for the people in the next table to glance over. Ardal
forced a smile and then reached for her hand. He touched her, unprepared for
the sizzle of intensity that shot through his arm. Fiona seemed to feel it also
because her eyes widened and she looked down at their joined hands.

“We
are trying to understand how your world works.” Ardal kept his voice low,
stating each word slowly. “On Cygnus, women mate frequently with men they just
meet.”

“I’m
sorry.” Fiona’s hand fluttered beneath his. “I’m causing a scene, but whenever
I think of him, my body crawls with disgust. I didn’t encourage him, but he
wouldn’t leave me alone. When I said no, he forced himself.”

Firbin
gasped and Jehon looked up from the communicator. Ardal squeezed Fiona’s hand.
He had never come across this before. Men on his planet lived to please their
women, not harm them. That was one of the reasons Hunters could not mate. Their
training and genetics meant that the Ancients feared that they would not be
able control their emotions.

Firbin
was the first to speak. “He hurt you?”

Fiona
nodded and then looked down. “He’s insane.”

“We
have sworn to protect you.” Jehon spoke with force. “There is no need to
worry.”

“Knowing
that you’re safe and
feeling safe aren’t
the same
thing.” Fiona gave a Jehon a crooked smile.

With
sudden insight, Ardal understood. She was like a wounded animal seeking
shelter. A man had done this to her so only a man could fix it. No matter how
frustrating or irrational her demands, he must ensure that they were followed.
Showing that he and his men would not hurt her was the first step to getting
her to trust them.

Just
then the waiter brought them their meals. Ardal looked down at the steak that
she had ordered and picked up his fork and knife. The first bite told him that
she had chosen well. He was used to going without food for days at a time, but
it was best to take advantage of this opportunity. Fiona had been right to
stop.

“Your
food is good.”

Ardal
watched as Firbin ate with the enthusiasm of the young. Had he ever eaten
without a care? Probably in the days before leadership and responsibility had
taken their toll. Now he could only focus on how to get his men and Fiona to a
safe place. Fiona required watching. Just walking into the diner had created a
situation.

He
had reacted without considering the consequences. This was not part of his
training, but he did not regret his actions. A Hunter kept his word and never
retreated. This world had strange rules, ones that caused harm to the innocent
and favored the strong. But was that different from Cygnus?

Centuries
of harmony meant Kaladin rule had never been questioned. The use of warriors
was restricted to other planets. Hunters were seldom allowed on Cygnus. The
Kaladin did not want to be reminded that violence was used to protect them.
They considered themselves a peaceful people.

He
had come to terms with this when he was a young man. He did not think less of
the people who gave the orders. It was not his place to judge, only to obey.
Now there were no orders to follow. He must assess this world and make the
decisions that would give his men honor and still let them live as they had
been bred.

“Do
you want dessert?” Fiona leaned back and patted her stomach. “I’m full, but I
never pass up the opportunity of dessert.”

Ardal
smiled. It looked as if Fiona had forgotten her earlier upset. “What is
dessert?”

“Well,
it could be healthy like fruit, or bad like chocolate.”

“Chocolate.”
Firbin enthused.

Fiona
leaned forward and motioned to the waiter.
“Four chocolate
cheesecakes and coffees.
We’ll have a little bad with good.”

The
first bite of cheesecake was a surprise. It was a velvety smoothness that held
a bit of tartness with the sweet of chocolate. Fiona was right. It was a bit of
bad and a bit of good. Perhaps that was how life on this planet was going to
be. He never thought about good or bad, only doing his duty.

“Who
else will be chasing us?” The words were out before he could stop them.

Fiona
swallowed and pointed her fork at him.
“Just about
everybody.”

“Could
you narrow that?”

“Well,
the military you already know about. We’re lucky if we get away from law
enforcement, but somehow I think the way you tossed that biker is on a security
camera somewhere. Who knows where that will show up?
Probably
on the Internet.”

“Explain
Internet.”

“That’s
where the computers can access all kinds of information. People, places,
pictures, and words and then others can look at it.” Fiona took another bite and
closed her eyes.

“How
do we close down this Internet?”

Fiona
choked. She coughed for several seconds before taking a sip of water. “You
can’t shut down the internet. Too many people and businesses all over the world
use it.”

“So
what you can’t defeat, you use.” This was one of the rules of the Warrior Code.
There was wisdom in the code. Even in this strange land it would help him make
decisions. “How do we use the Internet?”

“You
can start with a website, but you’d have to have something to put on it.”

“Can
we ensure that others do not use it to find us?”

Fiona
shrugged. “No. The best thing is to keep a low profile.” Fiona took another
bite of her desert. “I’ll tell you one thing though, once the ufologists get
wind of the crash, they’re going to be crawling around looking for evidence of
aliens.”

Ardal
took a deep breath. Would this world ever make any sense? “What is
a
ufologist?”

“People
who hunt UFOs.”

“And
that is?” Ardal prodded.

“It’s
an unidentified flying object.” Fiona shrugged.
“Extra-terrestrials
or aliens.
They’re obsessed with them. They have magazines, television
shows, and tons of stuff about them on the Internet.”

So
people on this planet searched for people from other planets. “How many aliens
have landed here?”

Fiona
took her last bite and then pulled the cup with dark liquid toward her. She
poured in white liquid, pursed her lips, and took a sip. She sighed and put the
cup back on the table before looking at him.

“Most
sane people don’t believe aliens exist.”

“So
there are none?”

“I’m
not so sure now.” Fiona bit her lip. “I think the people who believe in them
might be saner than the rest of us.”