Authors: Maree Dry
Zacar sobered. “She will be fine. Your breeder will like her.” He turned to Natalie. “You will look after the small human along with ours until the doctor finish the tests on Julia.”
A cunning look came over Natalie’s face. One Zurian didn’t like at all.
“Zacar, I need to speak to you alone for a bit.” Putting the screaming little human down, she walked outside with Zacar. Clever--to make sure he couldn’t hear. He stood looking down at the disgusting thing on his couch. Its face was red and it waved little fists in uncoordinated fury.
He curled his lip at it. “It’s a miracle you even achieved primitive technology.”
It screamed louder, hurting his ears even more than Julia’s screams. Zacar stepped back in and Zurian didn’t like the look on his face. At all.
“Natalie said among humans it is a terrible thing to give your adopted child into someone else’s care.”
“What am I supposed to do with it until Julia returns?” Zurian didn’t believe that story for one moment but he had not gone through his third change yesterday, so he kept his doubts to himself.
Zacar’s lip curled ever so slightly in disgust when he looked at the screaming thing. “Azagor is uploading education footage for you to study and master in order to look after the useless—the baby. Natalie will give things it needs to Azagor.”
“Does yours scream like this as well?” It would not be fair if he got the defective one. It had looked so quiet in that ugly factory.
“I think that’s all they do. Scream and eat and stink. Natlia mostly manage to keep it quiet,” Zacar said.
“I doubt anyone could keep this one quiet.”
“It takes a lot of her time,” Zacar groused.
Zurian felt a deep satisfaction, knowing his friend and leader wouldn’t get off without having to kill an Eduki. This had been his idea after all.
Natalie took off the foul smelling cloth on the baby and replaced it with a new one. All the while explaining to him what she did, as if she imagined he would be doing it as well. “I only brought nappies and a bottle. I’ll send the rest with Azagor.”
Next she fed it with a contraption that she stuck in its mouth. He couldn’t begin to express his contempt.
“Remember, when you pick her up to support her neck. It is very important.”
He nodded but had absolutely no plan to hold the awful thing.
Zacar and Natalie left and he turned to the ugliest thing he’d ever seen. It was red in its face and, now that Natalie had left, had resumed screaming. He’d been in battles where he couldn’t even hear Zacar’s orders above the noise and this was far worse.
He leaned over the couch with his hands braced on either side of it. “You will cease this useless noise at once,” he said firmly and loud over the noise.
He would treat it like a new recruit. Julia would appreciate his fairness. There was blessed quiet for a moment and then it screwed its face up and gave him such an ugly look, he instinctively took a step back. It let loose with that unearthly noise again. Zurian straightened and fingered his dagger, thought of Julia’s pleasure when she realized how much he sacrificed for her. Carefully he placed a finger over the ugly little mouth. Maybe it would understand and stop that awful noise. It tried to gnaw on his finger and he jerked his hand away. The noise started up again.
He became aware of Azagor behind him.
“I brought you the provisions the leader’s breeder wanted you to have.” Azagor unpacked a few things, explaining their function and, even the day his father sliced his cheek open with his own sword, Zurian had not experienced such horror.
“I’ll pay you a week’s wages if you look after it for me,” he told Azagor.
Azagor was still laughing when he walked out.
“All right, a month’s wages,” he shouted after him.
He would have offered a year’s wages but his breeder enjoyed buying things. He had the terrible suspicion she would want to buy things for the ugly being on his couch as well.
Chapter 28
Julia shivered and sat upright on the silver slab in the doctor’s section of the cave. It was the perfect sterile infirmary and, every time she came here, the place depressed her with its monochrome color scheme and flame happy doctor. She was surprised Zurian hadn’t objected to her being alone with the doctor these last two days. If she wasn’t so heart sick about the execution of the traitor she would’ve been very amused at their interpretation of her desire for chocolate.
Zurian had arrived hours earlier than the doctor had specified and she was ready to go home with him. They still had an argument to finish. She could accept him being a warrior. Looking on, while a man tied to a chair was beaten to death, that she could not accept.
Zurian and Viglar talked in that growly language and, as usual, she couldn’t figure out if they were arguing or just talking. Zurian looked up and gave her the normal once over, searching for any sign that the headaches still bothered her. “Viglar said you are all right.”
“I’m fine. No chocolate delusions.”
He helped her down and grunted at the doctor. “We will go to our dwelling now.”
Outside their home, he gave the command to open the door and stood back to allow her to enter first.
Julia walked into the living area and, as always, she was pleased at the welcoming effect she’d achieved with the curtains and loose carpets. One of the cushions on the couch wriggled and she prepared to run if it turned out to be a rat.
She’d read about people in books having their mouth drop open in surprise, but she’d never thought it physically happened to a person. Seeing Zurian walk to the couch and pick up a tiny baby, carefully cradling it in his hands, caused her jaw to drop in a very inelegant display of surprise.
“Where did the baby come from?”
“I took it from the baby factory.”
“Baby factory?” she asked, faint. “You stole a baby?”
“A place where they keep small humans. I took one for us and Zacar took one. I have been looking after her.” He looked down intently at the little bundle in his arms. “You may hold it if you wish.”
She didn’t miss the way he addressed the baby. “When did you do this?”
He held the baby out to her. “Two days ago. Natalie sent some things to care for it.”
She carefully took the baby from him. “Do you have any notion of how wrong this is?”
“You wish me to take her back to the place where I found her? Lying on a mattress without any blankets. She hadn’t been fed for days.”
“How do you know that?”
“I asked Viglar to examine her to ensure she did not bring your human diseases to you.”
“Is it a boy or a girl?” This was unreal. You didn’t just go out and steal a baby. But taking the poor thing back to that horrible place would be worse.
“The small human is a female and you have to support her head and hold her softly not to break her bones.”
Julia bit her lip and looked at the baby in her arms. “I promise I’ll be careful.” She looked down into the sleeping little face and was lost. “She’s sleeping so peacefully, so trusting.”
Zurian made a strange noise. “Do not get used to that. She is extremely noisy.”
“She cried?”
“I did not think she would stop.”
“Are you sure she is an orphan?”
“She is not. She is your small human.”
She noticed he didn’t say their small human. “I know what happens in orphanages. I used to volunteer at one.”
She could’ve resisted if he’d told her what he planned. But holding the baby, seeing the tattered clothes, how thin she was, Julia’s heart was lost.
“Volunteer?”
“You go and help look after the babies.”
It had been a heartwarming but also devastating experience. She’d been looking for some occupation, something not related to crime. As much as she had loved helping the children, she’d known she couldn’t do it day in and day out. That was the moment that started her career as a cyber-pirate.
She’d taken from the corporations and donated the money to orphanages and people in need. It was a testament to her skills that not even her own family had caught her doing it.
“It is noble of you to care so much for these ugly things.”
“They’re not ugly. All babies are beautiful.”
“This one has an unpleasantly shrill voice.” He cocked his head. “I could exchange it for another one.”
“I like this baby,” she said hastily. She should insist he take the baby back, but she knew how much the orphanages struggled just to feed the children. There was virtually no control over the running of the institutions and rumors about abuse were rife. The infant mortality rate was frightening.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t take in another man’s blood?”
He’d been so violently opposed to the idea, she still couldn’t believe he’d done this.
“I can tolerate a female child. A quiet one,” he said pointedly.
“You do realize that it will take up a lot of my time to care for her?” No doubt he thought they could stash the baby somewhere and forget about her apart from feeding her.
“It is small and doesn’t eat much. And it stays where you put it if you put cushions around it.” He cocked his head. “It wiggles a lot. I will bring it a bed like the one in the nursery. With a Zyrgin mattress.”
“I see. Does
she
have a name?”
“No, you may name her. Zyrgin warriors only name warriors.”
“Mirabelle, I will call her Mirabelle.” It was Julia’s mother’s name. Before she left, she’d always planned to name her baby after her mother.
***
Chaos reigned with Mirabelle crying constantly and Zurian insisting he could exchange her for a quiet one. It took more than a week for Julia to turn one of the bedrooms into a nursery. When she suggested putting the bassinette in their room, Zurian calmly told her he could easily rid them of this problem. Julia believed him and decided to put her in the bedroom next to theirs. He didn’t object.
Julia suspected Mirabelle was about six months old but was small due to starvation. Viglar came to see her daily and injected her with something that visibly strengthened her. Thoughts of Sarah plagued Julia constantly. Even more than when her friend had first disappeared.
***
Months later they received a message with coordinates on her TC. They had the block in place again with permission to let Jack and the unknown agent get through. Julia stared at the coordinates and then pressed the button that would let Zurian know there was an emergency.
He came at a dead run.
“The agent found Sarah.”
They immediately planned a rescue.
***
“I want to go with you,” she said and turned a pleading look on him. Ever since they received the coordinates, she had the feeling she had to be there when they found Sarah.
He put on his jacket. “No.”
“Please, Zurian. You can put me somewhere safe during the fighting and I promise to stay there.” She searched for something that would convince him. “If Sarah is there, she will be so scared. Imagine how frightened she’ll be when she sees you and Zacar. You’re big and scary looking. After what she’s been through, she won’t go anywhere with you.”
“We will look like humans and you will stay safe here.”
She placed her hands on his chest and tried her best wide eyed pleading look. “Please, Zurian.”
“Who will look after your small human?” Zurian asked and she didn’t know if he was genuinely concerned for Mirabelle or using the baby to keep her here.
She’d found him looking at Mirabelle once with the kind of intensity a snake watched a mouse. Then Mirabelle had grabbed his finger and the look had been replaced with one of bafflement.
“I could take her with me. I know you will keep us safe.”
“A warrior does not take his breeder to the battle field.” He looked down at Mirabelle. “And not a small, weak human.”
“I cannot explain this, but I know deep in my heart that I need to be there. Please, Zurian.”
“Stay here,” Zurian growled and disappeared into the room she thought of as his study.
He returned a few seconds later with a small jacket as well as a pair of boots. He motioned and she sat down. He took off her boots. Shivers travelled up her leg when he took her foot in his warm hand. He carefully placed the silver ones on her feet. They had no laces and simply came open when he touched them. “How does it do that?”
He looked up at her. “Superior Zyrgin technology.”
She signed. “Of course. What else?”
It molded to her foot and calf in the most comfortable fit she’d ever had. He held out the jacket for her and she placed her arms inside. It fit perfectly over her shoulders and waist but hung down almost to her knees.
“It’s too big.”
He stood behind her and closed the jacket, enveloping her in his embrace. “I wanted it to protect your whole body. Do not take this off until we are back.” He left again and returned with a silver blanket. “Use this for the--for Mirabelle.”
“She has a blanket, a few in fact.”
“This will keep her safe.”
Julia stood on tiptoes and pulled his head down for a kiss. “Thank you for protecting us.”
His eyes sparked and then cooled into endless black. Now that she knew why he controlled his emotions, she simply enjoyed the sparks and accepted the need for him to pull back.
They found the others outside, obviously ready for battle. Natalie’s sons were there but she saw no sign of her friend.
“The boys are going as well?”
They stiffened and stared at her before turning their backs on her.
“They are warriors.” Zurian lifted her chin with an insistent finger. “You stay in the transport until we need you to speak to the females. You do not leave it without my permission.”
“All right.”
***
Hours later, she sat in the small shuttle craft, cradling Mirabelle and praying they would find Sarah. So many times they thought they’d found her, only to return without her.
Several warriors were stationed around the craft.
“Come.”
She nearly jumped out of her skin when he grated the word right next to her. The hatch had opened without her noticing.