Fallen Star (6 page)

“Created? Don’t you mean their organization
formed during the Great Conflict?”

“Yes and no. Their society formed because of
the war, but the current generation of Shadow Assassins is equipped
with nanotechnology that heightens their natural abilities.”

She had no doubt they could spend days
discussing history, but she was far more interested in the current
conflict. “What brought them to Earth?”

“Their hideout was discovered and their
society disbanded. They were taken to the City of Tears, our
largest military compound. Most of the soldiers transitioned well
and welcomed the changes, but the hunters—”

“Hunters?” She shivered. “Do I even want to
know what they hunt?”

“I suspect from your reaction that Angie
told you.” He paused long enough to set a sandwich on a plate and
hand it to her. “They hunt potential mates. On Ontariese the
females were kidnapped and held against their wills until they
produced offspring. If the child was male, the mother was released
while the son remained with his father. Any memory she had of her
captivity was scrubbed from her mind.”

These people could teleport and heal. Was it
really surprising that they could manipulate memories? The
disconcerting thought was rapidly eroding her appetite, so took a
couple of bites before asking, “What if she had a girl?”

“The Shadow Assassin would try again.” He
raised his sandwich to his mouth and took a bite.

“Their operation was shut down on Ontariese,
so they came to Earth to start over?”

“Not exactly.” The subject had no effect on
his appetite. He devoured one sandwich and started on the other
before he explained, “Their objective now is different than it was
on Ontariese. Their primary concern before was maintaining their
population. Now they hope to find females worthy of joining their
society so they can create traditional family units.”

“What can they offer human females that
would make them do anything other than run screaming in the other
direction? Or do they intend to hold them prisoner as they did
before?”

“They’re frantically working on a procedure
that will allow them to transfer their abilities to their mates.
Would human females be tempted by the possibility of attaining
paranormal abilities?”

She set down her half-eaten sandwich and
reached for a napkin. As long as she thought about the concepts in
the abstract, the subject was interesting. But she couldn’t quite
suppress the fact that she was the target of one of the Shadow
Assassins. These weren’t meaningless facts. Odintar was explaining
what Nazerel had in mind for her. “You made them sound like
mercenaries. Do these men have the scientific background to
accomplish the transfer?”

“They don’t, but they’re being sponsored by
someone who does. Her name is Sevrin Keire and she’s from a planet
called Rodymia.”

“Oh we don’t just have Ontarians on Earth.
We have Rodymians too?”

“They’re called Rodytes, but yes. There are
two kinds of ‘aliens’ on Earth.” A smile turned up one corner of
his mouth as he said, “My mother was from Bilarri, so I guess that
make three kinds of aliens.”

“Ontariese, Rodymia and Bilarri? How many of
the planets in your star system are inhabited?”

“Just those three in my star system, but we
interact with many outside our star system.”

“Of course you do. You can will yourself
from one side of the cosmos to the other in the blink of an eye.
How foolish of me.” She set her napkin down on top of her plate, no
longer interested in the sandwich. She must seem so simplistic, so
useless to him.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that, but
we do travel extensively.”

“How many Shadow Assassins are there and how
many people have been sent to… Are you trying to apprehend them or
kill them? I have no idea how this works on your world.”

“The Mystic Militia consists of six men.
Three are Master-level Mages. The other three are highly trained
soldiers.”

“You’re one of the mages?”

“I am. Lor is our leader and Blayne is also
able to manipulate magic. I believe you’ve met them.”

She nodded. She’d been introduced to Lor by
Tori and apparently Angie had hooked up with Blayne, but Jillian
didn’t really know either man. “They’re involved with friends of
mine. Are you sure it’s only the Shadow Assassins who came to Earth
to find mates?”

He had the audacity to grin. “Finding mates
is not our primary objective, but being on a planet where females
are plentiful is a rare treat for us.”

His gaze took on that warm, caressing
quality again and she picked up her cola, needing something to do
with her hands. “What happened to the females on Ontariese?”

“A biological weapon annihilated millions
during our last war.”

She cringed then shook her head. The outcome
of most wars didn’t justify the sacrifice, in her estimation, but
she kept the opinion to herself. “Were women intentionally
targeted?”

“Yes. Our society has been matriarchal for
several millennia. One side of the Great Conflict wanted to
continue the sacred traditions while the other wanted to explore
other power structures. The leader of the Reformation Sect launched
the biological weapon, expecting it to kill off the majority of
Traditionalist Sect females. Unfortunately, the inoculation that
was supposed to protect Reformation Sect females didn’t work, so
his need for power nearly obliterated our entire species.” He
released a long, shuddering sigh before he added, “The ratio is
better now, but there are still many more men than women.”

She had a million questions about the Great
Conflict, but there was too much she needed to understand about the
present situation for her to explore the past. “How many Shadow
Assassins are here on Earth?”

“They started with twenty, but they’re down
to fourteen or fifteen. There is one we’re not sure about. He ran
from a fight, so it’s unlikely his companions allowed him to
live.”

In an instant the warmth in his eyes was
gone and she caught a glimpse of the ruthless soldier. She
shivered, suddenly glad they were on the same side. “What happened
to the other five?”

“We took them home for interrogation and
punishment. Our system of justice is more streamlined than yours,
but those accused of a crime still have their day in court.”

“I’m glad. It sounds like these guys deserve
punishment, but assassination on the spot seems a little
extreme.”

“It would also be foolish.” His smile was
nearly as cold as his gaze. “Each hunter we catch has information
about the others. Shooting them where they stand would prevent us
from accessing that information. This retrieval mission has already
dragged on longer than we’d hoped. We want this mess cleaned up as
quickly as possible.”

“And that’s where I come in?” She scooted
back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Have I
finally uncovered the reason you agreed to heal me?”

He shook his head, clearly frustrated by her
conclusion. “You are in a position to assist us, but your
participation will be strictly voluntary. I will heal you either
way.”

“All right, so it’s not strictly quid pro
quo. Your motivation is still hoping that I’ll help you.”

“Helping us is in your best interest.
Nazerel will come after you with or without our support. The real
question is, do you want to take him on by yourself?” He pushed
back from the table and stood. “I’m going to meditate before we
begin again. Would you rather remain here or go back to the living
room.”

Tension made his voice sound brittle and his
fingers gripped the back of his chair much harder than necessary.
“Here is fine.” She wasn’t sure how she kept pissing him off, but
he was obviously angry. He’d taken two steps toward the hallway
when she added, “Thank you.”

He muttered something she didn’t understand
and kept right on walking.

“Must you be so damn mysterious?”

Sevrin smiled at the impatience in Nazerel’s
tone. She still hoped to seduce him at some point, but annoying him
was nearly as much fun. “I’m not being mysterious. I just don’t see
the point in explaining my every action when everything will become
clear as we go along.”

He snarled, a sound that never failed to
curl her toes. The less civilized he acted, the more excited she
became. She couldn’t explain the phenomenon, but it was consistent
and powerful.

“If you’d simply explain where we’re going,
I could flash us there. I despise these primitive vehicles.” He
motioned toward the car surrounding them.

“Your motorcycle is a primitive vehicle. How
is it any different than riding in this car?”

“I’m in control of the motorcycle. You are
driving this car.”

“Ah,” she chuckled. “Then it’s your lack of
control that frightens you and not the car.”

“I’m not frightened,” he snapped. “Merely
impatient. If you’d let me teleport, we could have been there long
before now.”

“And what happens if someone sees you as you
materialize. Didn’t your fight with Blayne teach you anything?” The
incident had been caught by a surveillance camera and ended up on
the internet. If the Mystic Militia hadn’t managed to convince
everyone that it had been a publicity stunt by a fledgling film
crew, Nazerel might have found out how much fun it was to be a
celebrity in America.

“I never repeat a mistake.” His jaw clenched
as he stared out the windshield.

“How can you be certain if you insist on
teleporting everywhere?”

“I am able to scan ahead. If there is anyone
nearby, I manifest an invisibility shield as I materialize. No one
will catch me unaware again.”

“What about the others? Can everyone
maintain that level of control?”

He glared at her, his impatience obvious.
“Those who can’t shield themselves as they arrive have been
instructed not to teleport. I understand the need for
discretion.”

“Good. I’m not sure when it happened, but
the Mystic Militia has definitely networked with some sort of human
taskforce. Either that or they’ve received reinforcements from
home.”

She had his undivided attention now. He
pivoted slightly in his seat, staring intently at her. “Wouldn’t
your ship’s sensors have detected another team’s arrival?”

“Yes, which is why my money is on human
intervention.”

Curiosity overtook his annoyance, smoothing
his expression. “What makes you think they have help?”

“According to my informant back on
Ontariese, there are currently six members assigned to the Mystic
Militia and that includes Lor. Three are Mystics, the other three
are soldiers. Yet reports of investigators are coming in from all
over the city. It made me curious, so I mapped out the sightings
last night and there were fourteen separate locations reported at
about the same time. Teleportation could account for some of the
overlap, but I think it’s more likely that they’ve teamed up with
someone here on Earth.”

Nazerel accepted the information with a nod
though he didn’t offer a comment.

She pulled into the parking lot at one end
of a large public park and turned off the car. She always met
Gerrod in a different public place. His participation was more or
less coerced and he never let her forget it. Gerrod had been her
father’s lackey, faithfully serving the crown for decades. But
after her father’s death, Gerrod had insisted that his obligation
to Rodymia was met. For the most part she left him alone to wallow
in anonymity. Still, Gerrod had been on Earth longer than she’d
been alive and his network of contacts was invaluable. It was the
only reason he was still alive.

“Are we going to have a picnic?” Nazerel
grumbled as he swung his door open.

Without responding to his sarcasm, she got
out of the car and triggered the door locks with her remote. She
headed toward the benches surrounding the playground without
pausing to see if Nazerel followed. There was much he could learn
if he listened closely. If he chose to sulk, then he’d miss out on
the opportunity. She didn’t particularly care one way or the
other.

Gerrod stood behind one of the benches,
hands lightly clasping the back support rail. The late-afternoon
breeze ruffled his longish blond hair, occasionally sweeping a lock
across his piercing blue eyes. He ignored the irritant and focused
entirely on her.

“You summoned. I’m here.” Resentment rang
through each syllable. “Make it quick. I have things to do.”

She laughed. “Am I keeping you from your
game shows or is it late enough for Judge Judy?” His gaze shifted
to somewhere behind her and her smile turned calculating. She
hadn’t heard Nazerel approach, but Gerrod’s shocked expression made
it obvious he was looking at the Shadow Assassin. “You look like
you’ve seen a ghost.”

“He can’t be…” He came around the bench but
didn’t approach the other man. “Who are you?”

“Nazerel of—Nazerel Southmor.”

Her smile broadened. It had taken months of
prompting for Nazerel to drop his tribe affiliation in favor of a
last name. This was the first time he’d done so without a
reminder.

“Gerrod Reynolds.” The two shook hands,
likely using the physical contact to disguise their light scans.
“You look very much like someone I used to know.”

“He’s the spitting image of his father,”
Sevrin told Gerrod with a secretive smile. “That’s why I asked him
to tag along today. Thought you might enjoy meeting him.”

“This is the first son of South?”

Gerrod sounded suitably star struck, but
Nazerel just looked annoyed.

“You were not part of the world below. How
could you have known my father?” Nazerel stood statue still, hands
clenched at his sides.

Severn laid her hand on his tense forearm
and waited until he looked at her. “Unlike most of his men, your
father wasn’t held captive within the Shadow Maze. South came and
went as he pleased and interacted with whomever he chose. My father
arranged for Gerrod to be trained by South in exchange for his
participation in our program.”