The Journey's End (3 page)

“We are understandably upset, we must have our trade with
Kenosha continue.”

“If they refuse to trade, can’t you just get your foodstuff
elsewhere?”  Nori was spitting mad.  She had been kept in prison for three days
while the tech delegates threw the law at her and Lara.  Crossing the bridge
when it was closed was against the rules.  Period.  It didn't matter if you
were in the middle of being kidnapped,  you still had to do the time.  Then now
after all that about the inviolate law yada yada they came back with a deal and
said to heck with the law if…  all she had to do was go back to Kenosha.  Not. Bloody.
Likely.  To make matters worse, she was stuck dealing with two low level
bureaucrats that were little more than the automatons that followed them
around.

“We not only eat the food, but we also use it for our trade
negotiations with other planets.  New technologies are constantly being
discovered and those worlds require food for trade.  Without it or the rare
minerals we also get from Kenosha we have nothing to trade.”

“Nothing?”

“We are symbiotic societies.  The technologies and other
things that we trade for are then traded to the Kenosha for food.  Everyone is
happy.”

“Why do they need you at all?  If you produce nothing of
your own, why can’t they just trade with off-worlders?”

“The Kenosha do not have the intelligence necessary for such
an undertaking, nor do they wish to deal with outsiders. You are the first we
have ever heard of such.”  The suspicion on their faces was obvious.  “Besides,
they have not the technology needed for such an endeavor.”

“And you don’t trade that with them, I take it.”

“No.  Nor weapons.  Do you not understand why we would not
trade such with a penal colony?”

“A penal colony 1000 years ago.  You can hardly hold that
against them forever.”  She tried to keep the disgust out of her voice, she
really did, but this was just the stupidest planet.  Not that the Wosite
appeared to recognize voice inflections.  Having none of their own, they seem
blissfully ignorant of her sarcastic or dry tones.  It was just no fun to
insult someone when they didn’t even realize you were doing it.

“Blood will tell.  A propensity to violence is in their
bones.”

“I see.  And you want me to make a deal with them?”

“You have been especially requested.  They will deal with no
other.”

“I will not go back there, I’m sorry.”  Her room was
Spartan, as all the tech areas seemed to be utilitarian and slightly more
comfortable than a regular jail cell would be.  And if she had to stay here
another day she was going to maim something.

“You do not have to. Merely make the necessary negotiations
from our side of the border bridge.  As long as you stay on our side, there
will be no problems.”

“And if there is?”

“Whoever the emissary for the king is, he will not cross the
line.  He may try to persuade you across.  You must refuse.  We cannot
guarantee your safe return if you cross over.  That is up to the king’s man.”

“The king will not come himself?”

The tech laughed.  “Certainly not.  The king never comes
himself to such a job.  He will send an emissary.”

“And if I do this for you, you will drop the charges against
myself and my friend and we can leave right after?”

“Absolutely.”

“And you won’t let them take me?”

“As long as you are on our side, you are in no danger.”

“The line is clear then?”  Nori could not believe she was
contemplating this, but the alternatives were escape and have the ambassador on
her ass, or contact the ambassador and ask for assistance getting out of yet
another mess Lara led them to. 
Sigh.

“Very clear.  You cannot miss it.”

Nori thought over her options.  Tryne could probably get
them out, but if she called on the ambassador’s name, he would probably just
insist they fulfill the full sentence under the law.  As long as she was on
this planet, she was going to feel hounded and unsafe; and the jail, while made
plush for her and Lara in deference to their wealth, was still a prison.  This
seemed the best option.  As long as she didn’t cross the line.

“Alright.  I’ll do it.”  Even as she said it, something was
nagging at her that it was a mistake.  
I am so going to regret this.

***

One thing she found very ironic about the planet was that
the penal colony seemed to have gotten all the good climates, while the tech
side was murky and damp.  With the artificial atmospheres inside, you hardly
noticed until you stepped outside that you were in what amounts to canned
atmosphere.  But the bridge, while slightly damp and seemingly always foggy,
was at least warm, and after a short trip inland, the smog disappeared and all
was bright and warm.  It could be that the winters would be harsh, but the rest
of the time the weather seemed ideal.

Today the sun was shining, even at the bridge, and much of
the fog had dissipated or drifted off earlier.  When they stepped out of the
port to port, she was already very close to the obvious boundary lines between
the two Provences.  On the other side was a coach and four, with what she could
only describe as black unicorns dressed for war.  The soldiers surrounding the
coach were huge and took up what was left of the narrow bridge on either side. 
Nori was careful to stand a good two feet back from the line while she waited
for whomever the king had sent to make his approach.  The delegates from the
tech flanked her and she was reassured by the many guards with high tech
stunners at her back. 

Across the line, all had swords and various knifes strapped
to their backs and sides.  Tanned giants, they looked like barbarians of old
without the prominent brows. And while all were in phenomenal shape, few had
huge bulging muscles that one might associate with brutes.  Instead, they were
streamlined in black tunics and pants, with black leather boots and belts. 
Each tunic was decorated with a different shield in silver stitching, probably
denoting their family name.  All were tall, well muscled with short hair, and a
few sported neat beards, but most were clean-shaven. Nori couldn’t help but
notice almost as handsome as the king had been, or would have been if he hadn’t
seemed so intimidating.

Just as she had the thought, one of the guards opened the
door and another black caped figure stepped out.  The men beside her gasped and
she met the eyes of the king himself.  She had hoped she had imagined that
punch of power to the gut she got from those smoky eyes.  Apparently not.  

“This is bad,” she whispered, as both of the Wosite peons
stepped back in what seemed to be an instinctive move.

The king walked through his warriors and toed the line right
before her.  She fought the instinct to step back with the little men, but she
didn’t think that would show in the best light.

She met his eyes, her chin tilted at a proud angle, more
because of his height than any false bravado she wanted to present.  Lord the
man was mesmerizing.  The way he looked at her was downright scary, especially
because he seemed to call forth traits she had been trying to suppress her
whole life, not the least of which was the need to rise to his challenge.

She shook herself out of the trance he produced in her and
cleared her throat.

“Did you want to discuss the trade?  Because if you asked me
here for anything else, you’re going to be disappointed.”

He smiled, but it didn’t seem to touch the flare of heat in
his eyes.

“I wanted to make sure you were all right.  Last time I saw
you, you were going head first out the side of my shuttle.”

Right, like I believe you are purely motivated by
concern.
  She smiled tightly.
 
“I’m fine.”

“And your silly friend?”

“She is not silly, and she’s fine too.”

“But she’s not here?”

“No, we were both arrested for crossing the border on the
wrong day.” 
Bastards.
  “She is still being held.”

“I assumed.  Techs and their laws.  At least it keeps them
predictable.”  He motioned to her standing on the other side of the line.  “You
have become familiar with many of them I see.”

“It was explained to me.  I’ll be staying on this side, I
assure you.”

“Pity, I was hoping to talk you into a stroll.”

Nori laughed.  “Not in this lifetime…Your Highness.”

“Oh well, at least I know you were unharmed.  I did not like
the idea that you would injure yourself just to get away from me.  Especially
after so short an acquaintance.  Was I really that scary?”  He was smiling in a
self-depreciating way that had Nori step forward in reflex.  She caught herself,
aware she was reacting to his voice power again. 
Tricky.
  She looked
down to make sure she was not close to crossing the line.

“It was not you personally, that I was running from.  I just
felt the situation was beyond my control and I don’t care for that feeling.”

“So you jumped out of a moving shuttle?”

“It seemed like the thing to do at the time.”

He laughed and the deep sound carried all the way down
Nori’s sensitive back and pooled like fluttering moths in her belly. 
Very
tricky.

“I assume you and your friend will be released after this?”

Nori canted her head. “Is that why you asked that I do the
negotiations? So they would have to release me?”

“I did not like the idea that you were being kept against
your will.”

“Unless you’re the one doing the keeping?”  Her voice was
ironic enough to have him laughing again.

“Perhaps.  Come, the tech grow restless.  I would have the
negotiators take over, unless of course you would care for that stroll.”

She snorted.  “No, thank you.”

“Then until we meet again.”  He held up his hand and she
reached over and clasped it in her own, sure that he could do nothing to force
her over the line.

“That isn’t likely.”  Her hand was clasped firmly in his and
he brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of it, which Nori felt all the
way down to her toes.  Then he looked up and smiled such a devilishly smug
smile that Nori immediately tried to loosen her hand from his grip.  He was
unshakable.

“Let me go.”

“No.”

“The techs won’t let you pull me over the line.”

“You are already over the line.  Your hand is on my side of
the border.”

She tried to shake off his grip.  “This is ridiculous.”  She
turned to the tech negotiators, careful to keep herself firmly over the line as
far as possible.  “He won’t let go.”

The two little men looked at each other, then at her. “I am
sorry, we did warn you not to cross the border.  Unless he attempts to pull the
rest of you over, he is well within his rights to hold anything on his side as
long as he likes.”

She gritted her teeth.  “That is my hand.”

“Yes.  We did warn you.”

She lunged at them, not sure if the plan was to dislodge her
hand from that steely grip or strike at the tech and their idiotic rules, but
she almost landed on her ass on the wrong side of the line when he didn’t so
much as budge.  She caught herself just in time.

“You can’t be serious about this.”  She turned back to find
herself toe to toe with him across a very thin line.

He smiled again, this time it made her think of lions baring
their teeth. All charm had been leached out and only brutal resolve remained. 
“I have rarely been more serious about anything.”

“This was your plan?  To get me to reach across the border
and then you would just hang on forever?”

“Your hand, your hair, anything that comes across the border
is mine and I intend to keep it.”

“Why?  Because I jumped out of your stupid shuttle?”

“I intended to keep you then too, if you will recall.”

“But why?  Why me?  Why not someone from your world who
wants to be here?”

“You will like it here in time.”

“Like hell I will.  This place is fast becoming my worst
nightmare.”

He smiled again, the charm was back.

“All you have seen is the worst.  You must stay and see the
best.”

“I won’t stay.  Even if you get me over the line, I’ll find
a way to escape.”

“I accept your challenge.”

“It’s not a challenge,”  she said, her anger and frustration
mounting.  “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“Then in that regard, we are evenly matched.”

She growled.  She could feel the animal close, but was
helpless to keep the sound at bay.  The tech guards backed up, looking around
nervously for what had made the wild sound, but Menelaus knew and it seemed he
took pleasure in the sound, because the light in his eyes changed from
determined to hungry as it trailed over her form.  That then touched off
something in her that she had managed to keep dormant through most of her 26
years.  She knew her eyes had changed from green to feral lavender and could do
nothing to stop it.  All she knew was that she had to get free of his hold
before she showed everyone who and what she was.

“You need to let go.  Please.”  She knew she sounded
desperate, and though he was the only one who could possibly hear her low
whispered plea, she still felt exposed.  Captivity would never be an option for
one of her kind.  In that, the techs were right.  Blood would tell.

“I will let go when you are in the coach and we are away,
not before.”

“I could kill you.”  It was more growled than said, but he
understood.

“You could try.”  He looked over her head at the techs
standing so patiently, waiting for the law to play out.  “Do you really want to
show these people what you are showing me?”  Then he looked into her eyes
again.  “They might not have the same reaction.”  The fact that she could read the
reaction in his eyes was not helping her to keep primal urges at bay.  Why this
was the one man able to affect her in this way, she didn’t know, but it was
painfully clear that she needed to get back to her ordered existence before it
was too late.  On the other hand, he obviously had no problem holding on to her,
even should she decide to rip out his throat in front of all of these
witnesses.  Whereas she would do almost anything to keep that from happening.