Fenturi Fate (Spacestalker Saga Book 1) (14 page)

Dare wondered how best to play this with Phin in the room, then decided her animosity toward the mission as a whole would sound a lot more convincing than any lie she might fabricate.
“You gave me little choice but to hurry and finish my outstanding business.
With t
hat done, I had little time to search for your Mari.”

Yes, keep talking about the Mari.
Show him the pictures you found in that book
, Jace advised.

“Is this the part where you throw yourself on my mercy and beg that I don’t scuttle your ship and crew out to space?” Ren asked, his threat very real. “Why did you come out here if this is all you had to show me?”

“Why? You ordered me to come, you Dark World tool.” Her temper flared, and she had to fight to keep from leaping over the desk to flatten him.
For some strange reason, Ren had a tempestuous effect on her emotions, specifically her temper.

That’s it. Keep them focused on you.

“What in the five hels did you expect with so little time for me to work? I’m not a magician you know.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Castor palm his phaser.

“Work some magic or your crew dies.” Ren gave her a biting smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “How’s that for an order?”

Praying Jace had wormed his way into Ren’s mind, she gave a shrug.
“Threaten all you want, it won’t make a bit of difference, Bylaran.” She nodded at the book. “I did some digging, and this text is a history of the Bylaran colonization from a Nexian perspective.
The Nexians first discovered the System, and their love of knowledge is legend.” She paused. “N
owhere in there does it mention the Mari.”

Ren green eyes seemed to darken, like the frost pools of Ocaia.
“I thought I told you that you don’t need to understand
why
I want the Mari captured.
All you need to know is that your life depends on finding him.”

Dare refused to back down, oddly intrigued by the clear menace he exuded.
The man could turn from hot to cold in the blink of an eye, and she found herself unwillingly fascinated by his swift mood changes.
As had been happening since their last altercation, she vividly recalled
his drugging kiss. Not something she would have figured the cool and controlled warrior before her could bestow.

“Patience, Ren.” She tapped the cover of the book.
“If you’ll open the book up to the marked section, you’ll find something interesting.”

Ren turned the book toward her.
“You do it.
If this is some kind of trick, your friend will be the first to suffer the consequences.”
Castor stepped forward, his phaser out and pointed at Jace’s head. Ren stared at Dare without blinking
.

She opened the book and looked down at the large picture she’d marked.
Seeing it again made her mouth dry and her heartbeat quicken.

“Behold, the Mari moon.” She’d swear she’d seen it before, though she knew she’d never seen Mari that bright blue. The color occurred rarely, perhaps twice a millennium. “I think Rovi is the wrong place to look for your fugitive.”

“The Mari moon,” he repeated and stared at the book.
“So you think our Mari is hiding on that uninhabitable rock?”

“No, but I have to know more if I’m to find and capture this creature.
Do you really believe that withholding knowledge from me and my crew is smart?
I thought you said this was important.

“Look, you said you need him alive.
But what if we run into him and accidentally kill him?”

He snorted. “Accidentally?”

 “Well, what if
stunning him with a phaser has a weird effect and kills him?
Different
weapons have different effects on certain species.”

“She’s right,” Phin piped up in a high-pitched voice.
All eyes save Jace’s turned to him.
“You should tell her a bit more about who you’re looking for, if not the why of it yet, Captain.”

Ren considered Phin, then sighed. “Very well.
You
—
”
He closed his eyes on an indrawn breath.

Castor frowned and circled to him. “Ren?
What’s wrong?”

“I
—
”
Ren shook his head and blinked, his eyes appearing a startling black for a brief moment before returning to their customary green.

Castor swore. “Should I fetch a med-kit?”

“No.”
Ren waved him away.

“Captain? You don’t look yourself.” Phin frowned.

“I’m fine.”

Dare didn’t look at Jace.
She could feel his power swelling, brushing against her, and nudged his foot. They had to be careful. If Ren suspected he’d been mentally tampered with, he’d kill them. Of that she had no doubt.

Ren evened his breathing and shook his head.

“Perhaps we should go. Your captain seems ill,” Dare said to Castor and moved to stand.

Ren’s
hand shot out like a whip, latching onto her arm. “No,” he growled. “I’m fine. As I’ve told you, the Mari, the one you seek, is of Fenturi blood.
For some reason only he—”

“Or she,” Phin interrupted and fixed his eyes on Dare with a disturbing scrutiny.

Ren narrowed his gaze on her.
Terrific.
“Or
she
, can fix a problem the System will soon face.
Time is of the essence. It’s vital to the System itself that we find him. Or her,” he conceded to Phin.

Dare wondered just what he wasn’t telling her.
“How do I know that the moment I bring you the Mari, you won’t haul off and kill him?
That this is just an excuse to slaughter more Fenturi?
I may be a pirate, but I’m not a murdered.
I
don’t condemn a man because he’s from a race different from my own.”
He couldn’t miss the snide reference to his people’s
Fenturi genocide.

Ren’s opened his mouth to retort, then grimaced.

Just a little more.
Jace sounded tired.
He’s thinking that the Mari must find the Thrax before… before…

“Enough,” Phin interrupted, his gaze fixed on Jace.
His eyes widened in what she hoped wasn’t alarm, and she stood to block Jace from view.

Then Phin smiled, and she wanted to run from the room. Small or not, this blue alien alarmed her. “You can’t hide forever. The truth has a way of working itself free, no matter where, or who, you are.”

Did Phin had some sort of Psi talent?
Yet if he had, Jace should have sensed it and warned her.  

“We need to return to our ship.” Dare said to Ren, who rose on wobbly legs.
“And you might want to rethink drinking so much before our next meeting.”

Ren scowled. “You may be right, Captain. Now get the hell off of my and
find the Mari.
”
When Dare moved to recover the book, he placed a large hand on it.
“Leave it. And Dare, know if you have nothing more to tell me the next time we talk, I’ll take that as an invitation you’d like to do…other things to satisfy me.”

Dare didn’t need to ask what he meant. His look said it all. Too bad she couldn’t convince herself that his kiss would be a punishment.
For a moment she let herself want him right back, let herself feel the need he stirred as no one else ever had.

His glare faded, and he took a step forward, right into his desk. His stare burned into her, past the places she normally shielded without thinking about it.

“Ren?” Castor said quietly. “Want me to escort them back to their shuttle?”

Yanked back to reality, angry at her lack of control around the commandeering captain, she turned on her heel toward the door, Jace close behind her.

“Yes. Get them off my ship,” Ren barked.

Castor opened the door, waved one of the twins away from his position guarding the room, and led them back the way they’d come.

Dare refused to glance back, a part of her already mourning her separation from the sexy—aggravating—Legionnaire.
What is wrong with me?

Yes, I’d like to know that as well,
Jace said, startling her to realize she’d lowered her inner shield with him.
And don’t think we won’t talk about this later.

Could my day get any
better?
she snapped, sarcastic.

I’m thinking it’s going to get a lot worse.

***

As soon as they left, Ren sank back into his chair. His head throbbed as if he’d been walloped with a Rovi war club.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples to ease the ache.
He had the odd feeling he’d been battling someone or something but had no idea why.

“Captain?” The Informa stared at him with confusion on his face.

“Well?” Ren wanted to get back to the matter at hand.
He’d always found that accepting pain and pushing it to the back of his mind was the easiest way to deal with it.

“I have much to go through.” Phin rubbed his hairless chin.
“I believe I’ve picked up a good bit of information on the
SpaceStalker
captain and her Second.
But I need time to process it.
As soon as I’ve drawn my conclusions, I’ll report back to you.”

Ren nodded and watched as Phin left the room.
H
aving an Informa on the mission would prove fruitful.
Phin’s ability to pick up the smallest, most minute detail and compare it to his vast store of knowledge would give Ren the advantage. And he had a feeling he’d need it, dealing with Dare and her companions.

He had no idea what had come over him.
He’d been listening to Dare and watching Phin for his reactions when sudden pain clawed at his brain.

He hadn’t noticed much of anything after that except for Dare. Her eyes had seemed blue one moment, violet the next. As if she were…Fenturi? Not possible. Phin would have noticed and said something before now. And what about her Second? The male put Ren on edge. Something about him didn’t fit, wasn’t normal, even for pirate standards.

When Castor returned, Ren told him to take command. “I’ll be resting for a few.”

“Aye, aye.”

Ren left for his quarters, and once inside, he fell into bed and lost himself in a deep sleep.
In the middle of a particularly erotic dream involving Dare, himself, and a pool of glistening green water, he wasn’t happy to wake to the intercom squawking at him.

He checked the time. To his surprise, he’d been asleep for almost
six hours
.

“Yes?” He sounded slurred.

“You okay, Ren?” Castor asked. “I checked on you twice, but you didn’t move. Phin suggested we let you rest.”

“I’m fine.
” Six hours? Ren never needed more than four to function. “Probably just the stress of our mission.”

“You? Stressed?”

“I’m fine,” he growled.

“Right. Okay. Well then, I think you’d better get back to the control room.” He paused. “You’re not going to believe what Phin’s put together.”

“It’s been a week.
I think we’re safe now.”

Dare groaned, wishing she could tune Shea out the way Mra seemed able to. The blasted cat could sleep through a planet-wide quake.

The crew had settled back into life hidden on planet Kre a week ago, as soon as Dare and an exhausted Jace had returned from their time aboard
Eyshan6
.
Ever since, they’d kept a low profile.

Shea continued to complain, apparently
still
not understanding why a raid on Lynar would be extremely unwise just now. Dare understood. The little Lynaran needed action, needed to thieve or move. To do something.

She wanted to as well, but with the Legion everywhere, threats of her head on a platter, they had to wait and be smart.

Roc sighed. “Enough, Shea. We won’t be safe until they find the Mari. That Legionnaire captain is as mean and persistent as a Rovi smith.”
Roc gave Ren the ultimate compliment.
“You wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about the
Eyshan6
.”

“Actually, I would.” Jace had his hands behind his head as he swung on a hammock above Dare.
“Let’s run down our problem.”

Dare groaned. “Oh, let’s.” She hated hearing it as much as Jace apparently loved rubbing in her face how screwed they were.
She’d thought they might be able to fight their way to safety in the Outworlds, but the crew had overruled her. Taking refuge on Kre seemed safer to Jace, Roc, and Mra. But Dare and Shea were about to die of boredom.

“So our problem…” Dare could feel Jace’s stare burning into her as he spoke. “Ren is actually Garen Vinopol—the bastard son of Bylaran King Zedrax. He’s on a mission to save the entire System, if you can believe it. The Mari, as far as Ren and his brother—the
new
high king of Bylar—know, is the only one who can power a weapon a special weapon called the Thrax.
Apparently the Bylarans are listening to rumors that the Horde is again loose in the Outworlds. Oh, and they’re twice as strong as they were over a millennia ago.”

“Just great.” Dare groaned.

“So what do you know about this Thrax thing?” Roc asked Dare.

“Nothing.” Frustration at their inactivity clawed at her.
“And I’m
not
the Mari.
Hel and demons, Jace, we
can’t hide here forever.”

“She’s got a point.” Shea shrugged at his and Roc’s glare.

“But we have to let this hunt ease a bit,” Roc said. “Did you know that just a few days ago they posted alert warnings for our capture? And I mean, System wide. My cousin out in the Nearworlds heard about it.” Dare refused to comment, so Roc doggedly persisted. Typical Rovi never let anything go. “You might not want to hear it, but hiding out here was the smart thing to do.
We couldn’t get a lightstar’s distance through the System without bumping into a Legion patrol.”

“And just what do you think they’re planning to do with us when they catch us, mighty captain?”

She could do without Jace’s sarcasm. “I don’t know. I’m not a
mind reader
.” She saw the glance Roc and Shea exchanged, but Jace ignored her.

“I’ll tell you what they’d do. They’d take
you
to Bylar to work a weapon you’ve never heard of.
T
he rest of us?
Well, I suppose they could use some better target practice than the few Fenturi still evading capture on their planet.”

Dare scowled, knowing he was right.
“Fine. I admit you did the right thing bringing us here. Happy now?”

Mra grinned at her and sat at Jace’s feet, purring. The feline’s estimation of him had increased tenfold since they’d returned to Mra’s homeworld.
She’d even gone so far as to leave him fresh kills as tokens of her newfound affection.

“What’s that?” Jace clutched his heart. “I must be dying. I could have sworn our fearless leader just admitted I was right.”

Roc and Shea laughed. Even Mra let out a feline chuckle. Dare didn’t find him as amusing and flipped him out of the hammock.
Unfortunately, the damn Psi’s agility allowed him to land on his feet.

“So, Dare, what’s this Starfire thing that Jace mentioned yesterday?” Shea asked with interest.
When Dare remained silent, Shea sighed.
“Look, the Legion wants you, which means we’re all involved. I think we—as your crew, and more importantly, as the people who put up with you on a daily basis—have a right to know.”

Jace said gently,
“No one will think you a freak, Dare.”

Roc laughed.
“Her a freak? I’m the only gray guy sitting here.”

“I’ve got yellow eyes and an Illusion talent unique to the system,” Shea piped in, sounding proud.

Roc pointed a thumb in Jace’s direction. “Not to mention our blond friend with the weirdest, deepest black eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks,” Jace grumbled.

“Okay.”
Dare took a deep breath and let it out.
“Just remember you asked to see this.”
She focused on a small piece of dead wood sitting in the rock-walled fire pit in front of them.
Nothing happened but a small puff of smoke.

“That’s it?” Shea asked with disappointment.

“No.” Dare tried again. Calling on her starfire from a calm state took more energy than releasing it when excited.
She deliberately called on h
er rage at the man ultimately responsible for their stay on Kre.
She saw Ren’s face in her mind’s eye, the smug son of the butcher king responsible for the continued slaughter of the Fenturi.

But her mind refused to stop there and resurrected the haunting kiss she and Ren had shared.
A kiss that refused to leave from her thoughts, no matter how hard she tried to pretend it hadn’t happened.

The wood in the fire pit caught fire, except it didn’t burn orange. Instead, a bright blue flame burned hotter and quicker than any normal fire should.

“It even burns in space,” Jace mentioned.

Roc and Shea stared from the fire to Dare.

“That’s even better than my illusions.” Shea gaped at her.

“Yeah.” Roc nodded. “Just think. If we could harness that into a Rovi weapon, we’d be filthy rich.” He grinned, apparently amazed, and like Shea, unthreatened by Dare’s unique gift.

Mra curled around Shea’s legs and purred as she stared at the fire, her eyes glowing.

“You know, Dare, yours and Mra’s eyes are bright blue just now,” Jace said. “And that sensual bleedover thing Roc and I were talking about before?
It’s back.”

Shea raised a brow at Roc, who grinned despite looking embarrassed.

Dare forced herself to pull her energy back, and once she felt normal once more, the four of them reflected on what they’d seen.

“They call you the Mari.” Jace tapped his cheek.
“And we know Mari is one of Bylar’s moons.
According to Ren, only the Mari can power this ancient weapon.
But there was more I couldn’t understand.
That man has a head like a rock. Ah, no offense Roc.”

Roc frowned.

Shea laughed.
“So why call Dare the Mari. Unless she was born there?”

Dare shook her head.
“Mari has been uninhabitable for over a hundred years.
I was born on Fentra.” What her mother had once called it.

“Wait. Fentra?” Shea blinked. “I’m not familiar with that planet. Or is it an outpost? A lost colony?”

“What the System now calls Bylar,” Jace explained, since Dare wasn’t going to.
“The Bylarans have been fighting a civil war for over three hundred years.
Fentra was the original name of the planet, though the Bylarans have all but stricken the word from their vocabulary.
W
hen Bylar—the man—arrived on the world to colonize it for his people, he engaged in a war to dominate the planet.”

Roc shook his head.
“I’ll never understand why different species can’t seem to get along.
Take Rovi.
If only the human settlers would lose their distrust for my
alien
people, they’d find we’re not so different.”

Shea agreed.
“Obviously your mother and father found that truth.
Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
She laughed at his pained expression.
“Ha! See? He flushes.”

“I’ll never understand how you can tell that on his gray skin.” Jace grinned. “But about the Fenturi, you’ve only heard one side of the Bylaran slaughter all these years.
I’ve heard another side.” 

Another side? “How have you heard another side?” Dare was more curious about Fenturi history than Jace possibly believing an untruth.

“My own history is pretty sketchy.
But one thing we kept sacred—excellent records of the System’s history.
W
e keep an unbiased opinion. Or at least, we did.” His gaze seemed to turn inward for a moment.

Dare caught a glimpse of the sadness Jace tucked deep.
She felt anger
and an intense need for justice.
Then, to her surprise, she
saw a face…

He whipped his head around and stared at her in astonishment.
Quickly
shutting down, he continued the conversation as if he hadn’t just let something slip.

How…odd.

He cleared his throat. “Yes, well, from what I recall, the Bylaran settlers were scared of the Ragil Horde. The few settlers that managed to survive those hundreds of years after the slaughter of their Outworld vowed never again to submit to alien invasion.
Unfortunately, they didn’t see themselves as the invaders when they arrived on Fentra, but cherished the role of a victimized people.”

“They fed off of their fear.”
Roc nodded, familiar with a situation so like his own.

“Yes, they did.
T
he Fenturi didn’t exactly help.
If you’ve ever seen an open, fully mature Fenturi, well… They’re a sight to behold.
The women are beautiful.”
He nodded at Dare. She
tried but couldn’t contain a blush.
“Their people revel in love and sensuality.
They have a strength and solidarity of purpose in everything they do. Their males are proud, bordering on arrogant. But I’ve never met a better class of hunter.”

Shea nodded.
“So on the one hand you have the scared but strong Bylarans who survived years in captivity on a decaying world destroyed by the Horde.
They escaped only to land on Fentra, where they met the larger than life
Fenturi, a beautiful and proud race unfamiliar with failure.
N
either side is willing to give.”

“Exactly.” Jace shrugged.
“I’m not saying what Bylar did was right, but he didn’t just start killing the Fenturi on a whim.
Both sides contributed to the war.”

“A war that continues today,” Dare said with satisfaction.
“Apparently, all is not well on Bylar.
Garen slipped that bit of information.”
He’d slipped it mentally to Jace, but no need to tell Roc and Shea the truth. They suspected the truth, but until they knew it for sure, they couldn’t be accused of harboring knowledge of a Psi. Bad enough they knew of a Fenturi at large in the System. Gods-forbid the Legionnaires learn such.

Typical. Her thoughts returned to the head Legionnaire hunting her.
He’d seemed too strong and vital for a mere Bylaran.
To find that he was merely another Fenturi assassin, and that of the royal house, had unsettled her.

That she still had the most sensual dreams about the man only aggravated her all the more.
How could she be attracted to someone who made his living brutalizing the Fenturi? Granted, few still lived on their homeworld, but only because if they were found, they’d be killed on the spot.

The years spent with her parents on Fentra had been agonizing to remember, as the end of the happy times never failed to show itself.
Unwilling to recall the horror that had nearly driven her young mind beyond repair, Dare focused on her life after her escape.

 For years she, Mra, and Jace had traveled space seeking riches, as well as a sense of purpose.
T
hen Roc and Shea had joined them, and their adventures filled a void in Dare’s life.
But now something real and honest called to her—the cry of Fenturi freedom.