A screen in front of Meena lit up, and she was standing with a blade in her hand, a man stood behind her, his right arm around her torso and his left holding a matching sword. The shocking thing was that there was a smile on Meena’s face.
She stared at the man’s silvery grey skin and red-on-black eyes obscured by tattoos that ran from forehead to cheek. His hair was black, and his features were sharp and had the look of a mythical demon of Earth. “What is he?”
“A Genaran. The natives of Yacaro. You will learn all about them from Rhoda. I have no doubt that she will tell you all you could possibly want to know.”
Meena blinked. “Oh. Um. Okay. How long until we get there?”
“Under is going to run us through a few jumps, but I would think it will be less than four hours.” Four hours. Not enough time to run, so she had better just see where she was going. She smiled ruefully. A man who was going to slice her up so he could rape her didn’t make her run, but the thought of that man holding her so tenderly and her not knowing anything about him made her want to jump the ship and fly it for Alliance space.
They went through an immigration protocol when they got close to Yacaro. Hawk did all the speaking, and then, they were cleared to land.
“You need a medical workup, but the Genarans will take care of that. They have their own med facilities.” Under finally spoke in a deep, booming voice.
“But I am not a Genaran.” She bit her lip as he turned to look at her with an amused expression behind his mask.
“You will be.”
Hawk elbowed him and not another word was spoken as the shuttle skimmed through the atmosphere into a mountain range, and it skated along the surface until a valley with a smooth base presented itself. Under expertly braked and set them down on the flat plane of stone.
Meena’s hands shook as she unfastened her harness. She rested her face in her palms for a moment and then looked into Hawk’s sympathetic face. “If not for Rhoda’s drawing, you would still be in Janial.”
Nodding at the obvious fact, Meena got to her feet and followed Hawk out of the shuttle with Under walking behind her.
Outside, she breathed in and enjoyed the cold air. The brisk crispness of the atmosphere was so much like home that her heart ached.
“Charm will be here soon to take us home.” Hawk smiled.
“Charm?”
“The third Guardian stationed here on Yacaro.”
“Guardians, like the Sector Guard?”
“No. We remain on one world until we rotate to the next. The Alliance dispatches their Guard to any world that requests it. Ah, here he is.” The low hum of a vehicle indicated that one was close, but there was nothing visible. Meena bit her lip and looked around. Nothing. She jumped when a sleek transport appeared in front of her.
Another Guardian came out, but this one was wearing a full facemask that made him completely featureless. He stared at her and chuckled. “It seems Rhoda is more accurate than we thought. It is precise right down to the scar on her forehead.” She frowned, “There wasn’t a scar in the picture that Hawk showed me.”
He snorted. “Not in that picture. My brother has kept my wife very busy with images of you.”
“Wife?”
“My wife, Princess Rhoda Yaghin now of Yacaro, once of Terra.” He bowed low, and his uniform disappeared, leaving him wearing a comfortable shirt and flowing trousers tucked into boots. “I am Prince Drehl Yaghin of Yacaro.”
“Um, Meena Colou of Terra. Honour Duellist and Battle Proxy.” She bowed as well.
“Welcome to Yacaro, Meena. Come this way, and I will take you to meet Rhoda. To say she has been eager is an understatement.” Bemused, she joined them on a flight through the mountains, the vehicle skimming so low, she felt she could reach out and touch the granite as it jutted up to sparkle in what seemed to be afternoon sun.
“We are currently invisible. It is part of Charm’s talent. He has a hidden life and takes care that no one will follow us back to his home.” Hawk was being very informative.
“Why do I know who he is then?” Her whisper must have carried, because Prince Drehl turned his head.
“Because I trust my wife’s talent. I know that you are soon to be family. There is nothing hidden from family.” He winked.
She blushed and fiddled with the end of her braid. He was so certain, but she wasn’t. She felt absolutely no attraction to Prince Drehl, so how could she possibly be attracted to his brother?
The trip was short, and a woman was waiting for them when they landed. At first, Meena thought that there had been a horrible mistake, but as the woman with the white hair approached, she could see the marks of a Terran in her features.
“Welcome, Meena. I’m Rhoda Yaghin.” Meena walked up to her and was immediately engulfed in a hug.
“I am so glad you are safe.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You were in Janial. I could tell by the mark on the inside of your arm in one of the portraits. I had to do half a dozen before we could pin down the particulars. I apologize for taking so long.” Meena had her mouth open, and she shut it with a snap. “You have been trying to find me?”
“Well, yes. I haven’t ever tried to do something like this before, so I am pretty impressed with myself.” Rhoda smiled, and her eyes twinkled.
“Let’s get you showered and changed. You must be tired after being confined like that.” Meena jerked. “How did you know?” Sleep had been in short supply when an enterprising inmate could open her cell with only a few minutes of effort. Yes, she could defend herself but only if she was awake.
“You will be safe here, and even if you choose to ignore Kebril, you are my kinswoman. You have a place on Yacaro. A safe place.” Rhoda linked arms with her and hauled her off into the surprisingly delicate structure that appeared to grow right out of the mountainside.
Hawk and Under were removing their masks and talking with Charm about what they had missed during the day they had been negotiating for Meena’s freedom.
The world started to get fuzzy after the hot shower and by the time she was tucked between clean sheets, she had no interest in a tour of the building. She was about to tell Rhoda as much, but she fell asleep.
“W
here is she?” Kebril tried to act casual, but his body was humming with eagerness to see its mate.
Rhoda shook her head. “She is asleep, but she isn’t on board with the whole
picture of destiny
thing. I used a hand scanner from the medic kit on her, and she has a lot of bone-deep bruising and a few hairline fractures. Those three weeks where I couldn’t find her, cost her.”
He looked down at his usually determined sister-in-law. “You did everything you could. You drew a dozen portraits until you were able to find the image that let us track her.” It had been the image of his mate holding a sword stained with deep green blood that had been the final clue. They researched blade attacks on the Yinshin and found Meena. Once they knew her name, he used his ambassadorial status with the Nyal Imperium to get her freed into his custody, via the Guardians of Yacaro.
“I will take her to the medical centre.” Rhoda sighed. “Which one? The Genaran centre will want you to treat her with nanites, and you can do that here just as well as in the city. If you take her into the Nyal-populated city, you will have to deal with immigration officials and contagion officers who want to test her.” Kebril’s body hummed at the thought of kissing his mate and passing along the gift of regeneration.
His brother’s wife smacked him on the shoulder. “Pay attention. Can you do it without waking her up?”
He frowned. “I suppose. I could even do it without kissing her if you like.” She sighed in relief. “Good. Do that then.” Kebril grimaced and headed for his mate’s quarters. Rhoda may know many of the family secrets, but there was one that was not for public consumption. Kebril had the same talents as his younger brother. He just was bound by duty, honour and family succession to the land and the world of Yacaro. He wished he could use his skills the same way Drehl did, but he had to confine his control of the nanites to re-sculpting his home and working with fabrics, though even his brother was not privy to that one.
He opened the door silently, using his talent to lift his feet a few inches off the ground. He glided up to her and focussed on programming the nanites for a moment before he caressed her arm with the lightest touch he could manage.
He could see the slight glitter of the bots as they left his skin and absorbed into hers. They had orders to heal damaged tissue and rebuild her into fighting condition.
Kebril looked at the tangle of rich brown hair, the straight little nose and the pouting of her lips as she slept. He swore he saw her mouth flex slightly, but he shook his head at his fanciful imaginings as he left as silently as he came.
* * * *
Meena sat up as her door closed. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her body was tingling.
It was the man from the portrait, and she definitely had a reaction to him.
She touched her arm where his finger had trailed a moment earlier. He had the perfect opportunity to make free with her body, but instead, he had touched her arm before he stared at her.
Even that had been quick, and then, he left her to her rest. She yawned and nestled back into the sheets and blankets. Now that she knew she definitely found him attractive in person, the idea of intimacy with a strange grey figure was far less unappealing. He certainly dressed well. She had seen the detailed embroidery on his vest and the exterior of his trousers through her slitted eyes.
She let sleep overtake her again, comforted in the knowledge that he didn’t mean her harm or trauma. Already, he was head and shoulders above most of the men she had met in the Nyal Imperium.
“So, you were picked as a Volunteer because you liked to play with knives?” Rhoda was blinking in surprise.
“Well, daggers at the time. But yes. I have an affinity for knives, swords, blades of any kind. I worked in the Alliance for a while, but there are far more opportunities for a blade proxy here in the Nyal Imperium.” She sipped at her tea and smiled.
They were sitting in a garden located inside the castle under a huge glass dome. Hawk, Under and Charm were all off on a mission somewhere.
Meena was wearing a lovely wrap gown that Rhoda had provided, and they were having a casual brunch and a heart-to-heart.
“Ah. The same here. The more refined sensibilities in the Alliance make my kind of talent akin to witchcraft.” Rhoda wrinkled her nose.
“Can I ask, is your hair naturally white?”
“Yup. It started turning when I was a teen, and when I started to use my talent, bam. On with the white.”
Meena nodded. It wasn’t common, but she had known a few who went grey or white before their time.
Meena decided to be blunt. “Did you send Kebril into my room yesterday, and if so, why?” Rhoda blushed. “Ah, you woke up, did you? He didn’t mention that.”
“He didn’t know.”
“The Genarans are a people who have been— how shall I put this—altered. They were infected with nanites to bolster their systems against an environmental issue, and it resulted in what you have seen in Drehl. Grey skin, dark hair, black eyes with red pupils. Their physiques are tall, strong, lithe and rather attractive if a little uniform. What did you think of Drehl?” There was something in Rhoda’s tone that made Meena answer honestly. “Pretty enough but not my type.”
Rhoda cackled and rubbed her hands together.
“Not any woman’s type. Not anymore. Once the Genarans mate, they give off a repulsion pheromone that interacts with anyone who doesn’t have their matching nanites.”
“So, once they have picked a mate…”
“There is no going back. The bond is permanent, and they don’t seem to hesitate when they find the woman for them.” Rhoda made a face. “It can be overwhelming.”
“Well, since I haven’t technically met Kebril yet, I will hold my council on that. Do the nanites stay alive for long?”
Rhoda shook her head. “Not the ones for healing. They go in, do their thing and break down in your bloodstream.”
“Interesting.” She sipped at her tea and spent a few minutes guessing what was going on in her body.
“So, you need some clothing. Is there anything else you would like?”
Meena was unsure if she should ask, but finally, she decided that she might as well. “How about weapons? I would really like to have a sword to practice with. I am used to fencing daily or practicing anyway.”
Rhoda nodded. “I will ask Kebril.” Meena’s eyes widened. “I need his permission?”
“No. He is a fencer. He will know where to get what you want.” She smiled smugly. “He will also help you pick out your clothing. He’s very good at that.”
“Is this an attempt to throw us together?”
“Not hardly. He picked out my entire wardrobe, including the dress you are wearing. Kebril really does know where to get just about anything you could ever want on Yacaro, and what he can’t locate, he can make.”
“What do you mean by make?”
“Ask him yourself.” Rhoda studiously ate a small cake while nodding behind Meena’s head.
Warily, Meena turned around and watched as the lithe grace that was Prince Kebril Yaghin sauntered into the garden. She rose to her feet and scrunched her toes in the sandals that Rhoda had lent her.
Prince Kebril bowed low. “Good morning, miss. It is good to see you well rested with roses in your cheeks.”
Meena blushed and looked to Rhoda for help.
Her planet-sister was studiously looking at the nearest flower bush with an intense focus.
“Thank you? My name is Meena.”
“Kebril. Rhoda tells me that you require help selecting clothing.”
“Um. I do. I am here with…well, nothing. I was going to say the clothes on my back, but those clothes are Rhoda’s.” She was babbling, but he was getting closer, and she could catch hints of a wild forest and bright citrus.
“The cut is flattering, but the colour is not. May I?”
She didn’t have a chance to comment. He reached out, and the gown shifted from a vibrant blue to a deep rose. Meena looked down and then back up again. “You did that with a single touch? I don’t know how I feel about that. This was a loaner, after all.”