Gabriel's Ghost (46 page)

Whatever it was, it was on its way to Drogue.
Who’s with Berri
?

Lazlo. And another male, name’s Talard. Feels like a professional shooter
.

Three against three. I liked those odds.

We need a manual emergency hatch. Or we’re going to have to take the pinnace
.

I knew the core.
Shuttle bays aren’t my specialty
.

Another burst of laser fire. An ops panel about fifteen feet in front of me sizzled, sparked. Sully hadn’t answered my comment about shuttle bays. I hoped he was linked to Ren, that Ren had found Thad quickly. That—

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Not yet. Chasidah
. I felt a pause, wariness.
We need that manual exit hatch. Guthrie has to
know the layout. But when he learns you’re linked to me, he’s going to… react
.

I frowned.
React
?

I love you. I’d never hurt you. Don’t ever forget that
.

Sully
?

Tell him what we know. How you know it
.

I stepped back behind the cage edge, suddenly afraid, but I didn’t know why. “Philip. Listen to me. Berri’s out there with Lazlo and another professional assassin, Talard. Ren and Verno know what’s going on. They’re trying to reach Thad. But Burke has people in all the corridors now. Might even be bringing reinforcements. I don’t know shuttle bays. You do. We need an manual exit hatch.”

Philip stood very still beside me. “How do you know all this?”

“I have a link with Sully.”

“Telepathic.” It wasn’t a question. And he didn’t give me time to respond. “How long?”

“What in hell does it matter? We have to—”

“How long!” His voice was rough. “Since I intercepted you in Calth?”

“Before that.”

“Damn him.”

“It doesn’t—”

“It does. Goddamned
Ragkiril
filth. And he’s hearing me, through you, he’s hearing me. He’s probably even telling you not to listen. He doesn’t want you to know the truth.”

“He’s not—”

“He is. He has. I’ll tell you what he’s done. He touches you, constantly. Overwhelms your senses with intense pleasure. Then he makes you his lover. Has he taken you, has he mated with you in the
Kyi
?”

I was dimly aware of laser fire whining in the bay behind me. But I remembered clearly the hot passion, and spiraling upward in Sully’s arms through gray fuzzy soft.

Philip took my silence as an implied admission.

“Bastard!” Contempt hardened his words. “He’s made you his
ky’sara
, his bond-wife, slave. The link is part of the way he controls you. When he tires of you, he’ll break it through a
zragkor
. Or he’ll kill you. That’s what a
Kyi-Ragkiril
is. That’s what they do.”

I stared at Philip, aware of my heart beating rapidly in my chest, aware that my breathing was just as rapid. Aware that there was nothing in my mind but silence. And pain.

I remembered what I’d been taught in Non Human Cultures 101 about
zragkors
. About
Ragkirils
. Intense pleasure. And then you die.

“We need an exit hatch, Philip. Manually operated.” My voice shook.

“Chaz.” He touched my arm.

“If we don’t get out of here, it won’t matter. None of it. So tell me where there’s a goddamned exit hatch!”

“There are two.” His voice was calm. But his grasp on my arm tightened. He was fighting anger. I was fighting pain. “This Lazlo knew what he was doing, coming at us from the right side. Main emergency hatch is back there. We’d never make it across the bay. The other’s under the pinnace, into the maintenance pits. He’s got that one now, too.”

“Then we have to take the pinnace, or the hatch below it. Sully says we can do it.”

“Agreed. If I were armed, we could take them from three different directions.”

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I shoved the Stinger at him. “I’ve got my Grizni. If I can get close enough—”

No! Guthrie takes my Carver
.

“Chaz?”

I held up my hand, stilling Philip’s question.
Then you’d have nothing
.

Hellspawned Ragkiril filth don’t need anything, angel-mine
.

Sully, stop it
! In spite of my own wrenching emotions, the raw pain in his words tore at me.

A gentling flowed through me, like a wordless apology.
I’ll be fine. I have a few tricks left.
Give me a few minutes to move to your position. Tell Guthrie he’s getting my Carver. But not my
wife
.

I tried to lower my hand but Philip held onto it. “Give me the Stinger back. Sully’s giving you his Carver.”

He hesitated only a second before he handed me the laser pistol. “There are supposed to be ways to break a
ky’saran
link. I’ll help you.”

“I need to cover Sully. They might pick up his movements.” I pushed myself to the edge of the cage again and locked my gaze on the pinnace. Locked my emotions in the biggest mental duro-hard in the universe. Soldered it shut.

Shadows were hazy in the grayness. Only the outer door ring lights were bright. But they were shielded, angled to shine toward incoming ships. The bay received their residue and their reflection off the dull metal doors.

I heard a rustle of movement, but didn’t take my gaze off the pinnace. Sully swept against me, hot, hard and sweaty. He dragged me into his arms. We stumbled back against the bulkhead, my face, my Stinger in his chest.

Philip’s hand clamped my shoulder. “Let her go.”

Sully’s arms were locked tightly around my back. He was breathing hard, each breath pulsing warmth, tenderness, desire. Just like Philip said.

I splayed one hand on the front of his shirt, angled back. His arms relaxed. In the dim lighting, I could see his eyes were infinite, black, endless. And focused behind me.

“You know nothing of me, Guthrie.” His voice was soft but his words were clipped and hard. He reached between us for the Carver, held it out.

Philip checked the clip for power, blatantly distrustful.

I stepped away from both of them. “Where’s Ren?”

“Going back up to Thad’s office. Burke’s people have this level fairly well locked up. I’ll know more of what Thad can do when Ren and Verno get there.”

“What do we do, now?”

“The pinnace is my first choice,” Philip said quickly. “We’ve got supplies, weapons. Could blow through the bay doors, if we have to.”

Sully made a short motion with his hand. “Her ramp’s very exposed. How long to uncycle her hatch lock?”

“Two minutes, if her codes haven’t been scrambled.”

“And if that won’t work?” I asked. “Where does the exit hatch go?”

“Maintenance tunnel between levels. If I were this Lazlo, or Burke, I’d expect we’d try that. That might even be how they’re bringing in reinforcements.”

Sully tilted his head. I thought of Ren. “Not yet. Still just the three there.”

“We have to draw them out, split them up. Get control of the pinnace before reinforcements arrive,” Philip said.

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“Berri will come after me, once she sees what I am. It’s her mission.” I remembered her charging, wild-eyed, into the
Karn’
s ready room, screaming about demons. “She has a rifle.” “She won’t try to kill me right away. Her type always lectures you, first. You two handle Lazlo and Talard. We’ll make it.” “There are two cargo stages between here and the aft of the pinnace.” Philip touched

imaginary points in the air. “It’s a bit of a zigzag, but it’s cover. We can probably make that.” “I’ll head for the bow. Draw Berri out that way.” Philip frowned. “They’ll see you before you’re halfway across the floor.” “I have no intention of using the floor.” “Sully—”

He placed his finger on my lips. “Hush, Chasidah.”

Even in the dim light I could see energy ripple across his shoulders, like a rolling wave. Rising, merging. For a hundredth of a heartbeat I saw a ghost shadow behind him, stepping into him and out of him at the same time.

Then it was Gabriel with his finger on my lips, Gabriel with eyes of obsidian, Gabriel with wings cresting his shoulders, framing his body. Not a jukor. Just Sully, just Gabriel Ross Sullivan with wings. A
Kyi-Ragkiril
with infinite

eyes. He brushed his thumb over my mouth.
Chasidah-angel. Nothing to fear
. Philip’s shoulders were rigid. Gabriel glanced at him. “Your research is excellent, but

incomplete. You’ve explained
ky’sara
. You owe it to Chasidah to explain
ky’sal
. Or is that the truth you don’t want her to know?” Philip’s voice was harsh. “I only know what you’ve done to her. I have no proof of any link—”

“An equal link.” Gabriel stepped toward the edge of the cage, listened for a moment to things only he could hear in the shuttle bay. “If she is
ky’sara
to me and I am
ky’sal
to her, it’s a link forged of love, not control. And that
zragkor
you threaten her with would kill me. Or isn’t that in your family’s research?”

“I don’t know what her link is to you.”
“But she does,” Gabriel said softly. “All that I am, is hers.” He studied the rampway

overhead. “Keep their focus on the ground for a few minutes, will you?”
Gabriel
—
Nothing to fear
.

Chapter Thirty-Six

I aimed for one of the starboard struts on the pinnace, pulled off a series of quick shots. Sparks arced outward. Behind me, there was a rush of air, wings thrusting.

Philip targeted a console, hitting the monitor. It answered with a shattering sound, more sparks. His hand closed around my arm. “The first cargo stage is about thirty feet in front of me, to the left.”

“I see it.” A box-like structure, low but wide.
“I’ll move first. You follow. We’ll go to the next stage, then the rear strut.”
I listened to Philip’s orders but scanned the dim shadows in front of me for Gabriel. Ops

panels and cargo stages dotted the perimeter of the bay. Rampways lined the walls, crossed overhead. But none seemed to hold a shadow larger than usual. And none a shadow with wings.

A strong resonance that I recognized as Gabriel told me he was moving. Concerned. Focused. I held onto that in almost the same fashion as Philip held onto my arm. Lightly, but with a definite possessiveness.

“Chaz. On three.”
I checked the power level on my Stinger. Nodded. Listened to the numbers.
Three came.
We ran in a crouch, as softly as possible, weapons out. A surge of fluorescent green mist

danced across the bow of the pinnace, drawing fire and an unintelligible curse from Berri. “Energy fields,” Philip whispered when we reached the cargo stage. “Only a
Kyi
can do that.” I hunkered down quickly, Philip leaning over me in the small area. We were far from safe.

Their lasers could reach us here. Our shadows were stark in the lights from the docking ring. But I could see three forms more clearly under the pinnace as well. “Options,” Philip whispered in my ear. I shook my head. “I can’t get a clear shot from here.” “Not what I mean. Options, Chaz. I’ll find a way. You don’t have to stay with him.” “Shut up, Philip.” I crouched down further, as if I could get away from his words. I kept my

eyes on the shadows under the pinnace. Berri and a large shadow were having an argument.

Laser fire suddenly flared back in my direction. It sizzled against the ops panel we’d hidden behind earlier. Nothing was there, that I could see. I wouldn’t have answered their fire even if Philip hadn’t clamped his hand on my arm.

“If he’s got them shooting at ghosts, he’s close. A
Kyi’s
range is twenty, twenty-five feet if

he’s strong, and this one is.” This one. Philip’s dehumanizing word choice made me flinch. “I confirmed that when I had him scan the stripers before,” he continued. Something in the shadows moved quickly around the bow strut. In the sudden dark

movement, a hazed shimmer…

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Gabriel, stepping softly out of the shadows, wings arced slightly, head high. Gabriel, walking toward the pinnace, one hand extended.

My heart leaped to my throat, pounded. I locked my gun on the bow of the pinnace, ready to fire on the first red glow I saw.

“Sister Berri.” Gabriel’s voice was deep, seductive. “I know you’ve been looking for me. Come out and play.”

“Defiler!” Berri screamed at him. Either Lazlo or Talard held her arm. She tried to jerk away.

“Now!” Philip said.

We’re moving in
, I told Gabriel. I ran softly, hunched over, never taking my eyes from Berri, Lazlo and Talard.

We reached the second stage, pressed on to the rear strut, blending into the patches of darkness underneath the ship. Berri broke free. She pointed her rifle at Gabriel as if it were a sword. Her holy sword. “
Ragkiril
-filth!”

Lazlo appeared behind her. He clearly knew how to use the Carver in his hand. It was aimed at Gabriel.

“Hands out, Sullivan! No tricks.” Lazlo wasn’t sure what he was seeing. I could hear it in his voice. A shape-shifter, straight out of childhood scare-tales.

I searched for the third shadow, found it hanging back, watching Gabriel. Not watching for us, to his right. Talard, probably as surprised as Lazlo was. I could take him out. Not with the laser pistol. Lazlo and Berri would hear the laser pistol. But my Grizni would be silent.

There was another strut and about fifty feet between Talard and myself. If I could get behind him, I wouldn’t even need to be that close. I had a damn good throwing arm.

I made my decision. My own. No one controlling my mind but Chaz Bergren. I touched Philip. “Talard’s hanging back. I’m on him.”

He tore his gaze away from Berri and Gabriel. “Chaz—”

“My own decision. My mind. You cover Sully.” I skittered into the shadows.

“Where’s your friends, Sullivan?” Lazlo pulled Berri back as she stepped forward, rifle raised in one hand.