Heart Journey (48 page)

 

 

A
s she reached the top of the bright, sunny rim of the crater, and was
a pace or two from the end, Del’s own words from the past, from her former life echoed in her head. Words she’d said to the shop owner in Steep Springs.
If I want to get pregnant, I will.
She laughed as she stepped from the labyrinth.

She turned and looked back at the bowl, bowed formally in thanks, kept the image as a memory. Halfway down one side she saw a thrashing of dust and figured Shunuk was enjoying himself cleaning out the celtaroon nest. Maybe she should try once more to get him a vixen from Druida who would like living in a tiny settlement with Shunuk. Good and symmetrical.

Del pivoted to walk from the path and saw a thick-bodied, middle-aged man heavily descend the few steps of the Elder’s new pavilion. He progressed carefully over to her, a smile plumping his cheeks into round pouches. She blinked as she recognized T’Anise.

When he reached her, he bowed. “Finally we meet merrily, GrandLady D’Elecampane.”

She suppressed a sigh, raised a hand. “I’m not staying in Druida. I’ve left the city and won’t be returning.”

He bent a commiserating look on her, clicked his tongue, shook his head. “I’ve heard.”

Del gritted her teeth. She supposed all the damn noble circles had gossiped about her and Raz.

“But there was another, more sensitive matter about which I wish to speak personally with you.” T’Anise gave her a toothy smile. “I would like you to consult with me, GrandLady. It has been centuries since the boundaries of my estate have been surveyed.” A tiny cough came from his throat and he reddened and looked aside. “There might be a dispute . . .”

Wasn’t that always the way? People. “I’m sorry,” Del said, “I’m not avail—”

He named an extortionate fee. “The estate is a little south of Gael City, not too far off the glider paths or airship route. It’s not a big estate, but it’s a jewel and I love it.”

Del paused to consider. Work, close to her home, something to do other than preparing for the baby. She’d be practicing her craft. Taking a job like this might lead to others in the area. “I’m listening.”

O
ver the next septhour and a half, Raz pushed the glider to its limits.
After a glance at the navmap he cut some time by going over ground instead of following wide curves. It was rocky and they bounced but kept up good speed. He’d turned on the emergency flashers and sound pulse and zoomed from the city. The few gliders on the road had pulled aside for him.

The image of the dead thief kept flashing in stark black, bright white into his mind.

The blows from the big man when they’d fought ached.

Del was tough and strong.

She’d fight.

To the death.

A
s she and T’Anise discussed the location of his estate and the details
of the job, he offered his arm and Del put her fingers on it, then disliked the proper action as strange energy pulsed under her fingertips. When a large boulder rose ahead of them, she went around it to the left as T’Anise went right, continued down the path to the meadow where her stridebeast was.

“My lady, where do you go?” T’Anise asked.

“To my stridebeast.”

“My man can take care of that. Come join me in my glider.” With a wave, he gestured to a large man dressed in gray on gray livery.

Del hesitated, but as T’Anise’s man came closer, there was something about him that she didn’t like. The guard spoke with T’Anise and turned in her direction.

“We can talk at the inn,” Del said. “I’ll meet you there.”

“I have maps in my glider,” T’Anise said. He moved toward where it sat, large and luxurious and gleaming gray, the only glider in the small bulb of cleared ground.

Shrugging, Del said, “I’ll be with you in a bit.”

The large man strode to her in a few paces, took her elbow in a tight grip.

She broke it, stepped away, turned to run.

Was grabbed around the waist. She hesitated. She was pregnant, couldn’t ’port, couldn’t fight. That might harm the baby. Rage mixed with despair filled her.

“Get her!” The high shriek came from T’Anise but didn’t sound like a sane man at all.

“Shunuk!”
she cried mentally and with all the breath in her lungs.

 

 

S
hunuk!
Raz yelled telepathically. Raz had just thought of the fox.
Whose mind was clouded by the bloodlust of killing.

His words were echoed by Del.

She was afraid yet didn’t call on him. Terror flooded him.

Shunuk, go to Del!
Raz was too far from the labyrinth. He cursed steadily. He didn’t know the area well enough to pull over and ’port.

He sent all the Flair he had into powering the glider, overrode the top speed limitations. He could burn it out, drain his Flair, but Del needed him
now.

 

 

T
he big guy stuck her in the back of the glider, with T’Anise. Del
swiped her nails down T’Anise’s cheek, and he squealed. “Get her out of here. Put her up with you, fool.”

Del raked at T’Anise again, missed, got blood on a papyrus and tore it as the guard grabbed her around the waist again. He stuck her up front in the passenger seat.

Shunuk!
she called again. He didn’t answer.

Raz did.
Del! T’Anise—

Del wanted to slam her mind against Raz, against the shuddering pain of hearing his mind voice.
He has me, at the Great Labyrinth—

An open-handed slap rocked her head back and destroyed the mental connection.

“Go!” screeched T’Anise, hurting her head. “Keep slapping her if you think she is mindspeaking.”

The guard turned his head and grinned at her, his gaze lingering on the bruise rising on her cheekbone.

Del tamped down her fury, her fear. She
couldn’t
fight back. She grabbed the webbing and said the shielding Word. Neither of the men donned the shields.

Silver glider.
Del risked a short spurt to Raz and Shunuk.

“Go to T’Anise southern estate,” the large guard ordered. The console navmap flickered but didn’t show the whole route.

T’Anise’s man leaned back and looked at Del, letting the glider run automatically. He stank of sweat and she recalled the odor from the Cherry’s kitchen in Gael City. That was what had alerted her.

He was one of the thieves and had killed the other man.

The privacy shield was down and T’Anise said from the back, “Now, D’Elecampane, you will tell me everything you know about the Tabacin Diary, of the maps you have made for the Cherrys to find
Lugh’s Spear
.” T’Anise’s breath whistled in and out. “I will be famous beyond belief when I discover
Lugh’s Spear
. I will never be forgotten,
Anise
will never be forgotten, even when I die and the Family is no more. I will be the most important member of my Family, ever. Everyone will remember and honor me.”

“Not so much when history shows that you stole and murdered for such an honor,” she said.

The guard slapped her again. Smiled.

He’d like killing her, too. She kept her hands from covering her belly in a betraying gesture. “All right, I’ll tell you,” she said. “The newssheets were right about the journal. The Cherrys told the truth,” she said through puffy lips; a cut dribbled warm blood down her chin. “There were no maps in the diary.”

The glider turned south, accelerated from a crawl to slow.

This time the slap had her ear ringing as she turned her head.

Shunuk hopped high, so she could see him in the window as he ran along the side of the vehicle. It wasn’t moving too fast. Yet.

She opened her link with Raz a little more. A rush of staggering love and fear inundated her, pulsing with the word,
HeartMate, HeartMate, HeartMate.
head.

Another blow to her head.

“Can’t. Think.” She gasped.

“Be a little easier on her,” T’Anise said in an annoyed tone. “She’s not as tough as we thought. We’ll get the information.”

A red-furred beast appeared on the hood of the glider, scrabbled, wide eyes and sharp teeth.

T’Anise screamed.

The guard flinched.

Del lunged forward, found the emergency lever and pulled.

The glider stopped, the men went flying, the guard hitting the console, the front window. Thumps came from the back.

Webbing cradled Del, moved with her. Kept her safe.

Landing gear failed and the glider fell to the ground.

Del was out of the glider in an instant, running toward the labyrinth crater lip, ready to slide down. She’d lose the men.

“Del!” It was Raz, leaping from Cherry, running toward her.

She waved to him, turned back and ran to the silver glider, slamming and sealing the back door on T’Anise. His face purpled with rage. She hurried to the other side of the glider and sealed that back door, too. T’Anise shouted Flaired Words, but Del’s spells held.

He pounded on the windows. “You don’t understand. I
must
be the one to discover
Lugh’s Spear
, the lost starship, so I can increase my Flair. The ancients knew
all
about Flair, and it’s all locked up there, in that starship.
Nuada’s Sword
has been no help. When I find
Lugh’s Spear
, riches and knowledge and Flair and fame will be mine. I will never be forgotten!”

The man was mad.

There was the sound of flesh on flesh and Del swung to see Raz smiling fiercely, jabbing his fists into the face and stomach of the guard, ignoring his own blackened eye and bleeding cheek.

The man hit his head on the upper edge of the door opening and Raz pummeled him back into the vehicle. Raz slammed the door and said a Word and the glider was sealed shut. He pulled his perscry from his pocket and snapped a report to a guard station.

Then he came to her, his eyes narrowing as he saw her swollen face. His stride lengthened and he feathered his fingers over her cheeks. “Lover,” he whispered. “HeartMate.” He brushed a kiss on her mouth and the yearning inside her flashed like fire. “Mine.”

She let herself lean on him.

Shunuk hopped around them, barking.
You are here, stup man.

“Yes, I am here.” Raz drew a little away, his eyes an intense blue. “Be mine, Del. Don’t ever leave me again.”

“Things have changed,” Del managed.

Raz frowned. “We need to get you to a Healer. ’Porting on three. One, my HeartMate—”

“No. No ’porting.” Del stepped from his arms, kept her gaze locked on his. “I’m pregnant.”

He stared at her.

We will have a human kit,
Shunuk affirmed.

Raz folded to the ground. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, thumped himself on the chest as if loosening his voice. “Pregnant?”

Del opened the link between them wide. He was stunned, as she had been, but there was no revulsion, no horror, just plain shock.

She put her hands on her hips. “I’m starting a Family early.” She lifted her chin.

A wash of love came from him to her. He cleared his throat. “
We
are starting a Family.”

Rosemary kitten pranced over.
I am Family.

Shunuk yipped,
I am Family, too. Del and me and Raz and you . . . and the other Cherrys.

“My parents,” Raz said, dazed.

Del turned and began walking back down the gliderway to the Great Labyrinth and her stridebeast, ignoring the pounding and swearing from T’Anise and his man. They couldn’t even rock the glider, evidently didn’t know of the emergency lever.

Raz caught up with her and slipped an arm around her waist, looked down at her. “I love you, Del. Don’t walk away from me.”

She eyed him sideways. “Or else?”