Jeanne G'Fellers - Sisters Flight (12 page)

"Stones?"
Isabella suggested helpfully over her shoulder.

"Nah."
Genevic reached back to shut the door but left it unlocked. "You always
win at that. Let our guest choose."

Rankil
was the gamer of the two of us, so my expression probably turned as long as
Bella's had been before Genevic's arrival. "I'm really not up to games
right now."

"It'll
take your mind off things," Genevic encouraged. "Come on, at least
until the common mess opens for the evening."

"All
right then." I thought a moment then smiled. "How about word
chain?"

"Sounds
good." Isabella returned to the table, this time sitting on my bench.

"Haven't
we exhausted that game?" said Genevic. "How many words are there in
Tekkroon Taelach anyway?"

"Let's
do it in Old Tongue then." Bella could barely suppress a grin when Genevic
groaned. "It helps us with our vocabulary. You start, My."

"Hmm,
let me think." Word chain was my favorite game and one I liked to practice
whenever I had time to soak in a bathing pool. The game was simple enough, the
words had to be three syllables or more and each word had to start with the
last sound symbol of the word before it. However, this time we were working in
Old Tongue, which meant we had to work with letters. While the Old Tongue
letters were not as complicated as Taelach symbols, they were much more
variable in their sounds. To remedy this, we had agreed on single sounds for
each letter. The key was to end your words with sounds that few words began
with. "Serendipity."

"An
Old Tongue word with three syllables or more that starts with the ya sound?"
Genevic crinkled her brow then smiled. "Yesterday!"

"Yesteryear,"
added Bella, sticking her tongue out at Genevic, who returned the favor.

"Rapacity,"
I continued, laughing when Genevic groaned a second time.

She
crinkled her brow again, deeper than before, and I could almost see her mind
racing to find another word of the proper length. "Yellow? No, too short.
Justify? Nope, ends with ya instead of begins with it. Dammit, dammit."

"Dammit
doesn't cover it," teased Isabella.

Genevic
stuck out her tongue again. "How about yammering?"

"Very
good!" Bella squeezed Genevic's hand. "Ga sound for me, huh?"
She gave a businesslike nod then suddenly turned her head toward the door.
"What's that?" The sound of discordant horns pierced the evening air.

"Someone's
broken through the defensive line!" Genevic was on her feet, fastening her
belt and checking the ammunition in her revolver. "You two stay
here."

I
pulled my belt knife. "That bell means everyone not tending the infirmed
or young is to come." I unbarred the window and opened one shutter,
looking on the square below Genevic and Bella's housing complex. "How good
a shot are you, Gen?"

"Fair,
why?" Genevic peered down at the square. Behind her, Bella buried her face
in Genevic's back. Genevic squeezed her hand then turned, stroking her face
with her free hand. "There's just one through, Izzy, and he won't last but
a few more seconds. Sisters already have him surrounded." Genevic placed
Bella's hand in mine, threw open the door, and descended the outside stairs
three at a time. "There's enough down there already. You two stay
put," she called over her shoulder.

"Gen,
wait!" cried Isabella, but Genevic was already out of earshot.

The
lone Audach sat nassieback, the spear and sword in his hands coated with sister
blood. The skittish nassie beneath him spun in slow circles under his rein,
dancing to keep balance with the pace demanded of it. The Aut was a large man,
almost Taelach tall, and his movements spoke of his vast battle experience.

But
not anymore,
I thought as I watched
Genevic draw close enough to use her revolver. She bellowed for the other
sisters to stand aside, which they quickly did, clearing a path to the Aut. The
man sneered, spun his mount toward Genevic and charged, spear aimed for her chest.
The interim seconds felt eternal as Bella clutched my hand, but when the gun
sounded once, then again, the man reeled back, off his nassie and to the
ground. Someone caught the nassie and led it away while Genevic went to examine
the man.

"He's
down," she called and looked up to us with a thumbs up sign. "See,
Izzy?" she yelled. "No cause for alarm, no cause for— Mother's
fury!"

Before
Genevic could jump back, I saw a flash of metal and the man was on his feet,
engaged with at least a dozen sisters besides Genevic. The man's life came to a
swift end, but Genevic fell in the fray and sat on the ground holding her right
leg.

"Gen!"
Bella burst from my side and down onto the square. I stayed close until we
reached Genevic who cursed loudly as another sister put pressure on the gash in
her thigh.

"I'm
all right, Izzy," she said when we got close, then she motioned to a teen
sister who had witnessed the event. "Go tell Harlis that we just brought
down an Aut wearing metal plating." Genevic looked up at me. "Take
care of Izzy until I get back from the infirmary, okay?"

I
nodded.

"I'm
going with you," said Isabella as she pushed my guiding hand away.

"No."
Genevic, aided by two sisters, rose to her feet. "Get as far into Tekk
territory as you can. Longpass's men are bullet-proofing themselves, which
means they'll be even harder to stop."

Chapter
Eight

Reconciliation

Master
to apprentice:
You must embrace yourself, all your selves, before you can
become whole.

Rankil

If
any of us wasn't familiar with local Autlach mannerisms and common expressions
when the journey began, we all were well acquainted by the time we neared the
crystal mines. Stiles and Evangeline put me in charge of the teaching, Norlynn
translating as needed. Genevic and Myrla remained unobtainable on the com unit.

Evangeline
and I lay belly down with our hoods high, taking turns gazing through a hand
scope at the mine entrance below. I chalked notes on the map spread on the
ground before me, indicating the position of elements the satellite scope hadn't
provided. Evangeline bagged the scope, considered the map, then taking the
chalk, added details my unseasoned eye had missed in the moonlight. Then we
crawled back down the hill, skirted a small pasture and made our way back to
camp.

"The
odds are certainly against us." Evangeline scratched her painted head. Her
waist length hair was pulled back in a local Aut styling I had recommended.

"We
weren't exactly expecting things to be simple," said Stiles. Her disguise
had been heightened by a clever bit of artificial beard growth on her chin.
"I tried the com while you two were gone. Still nothing."

"The
corns have proven useless up to this point." Evangeline drew the updated
map from her tunic sleeve. "The best approach still appears to be the
initial one we developed."

"March
straight in as Auts and see what chaos we can create?" A brief smile
crossed Stiles's face. "Sounds like suicide, but I'm game, especially if
it frees some of those unfortunates down there."

"Master
Evangeline! Master Evangeline!" Evangeline spun about to see two of the
Yauld detailed to bring in game approaching at a labored walk. At first, I
thought they had been injured, but I soon realized that they were actually
wearing extra packs and leading a pair of nassies, which each carried an
unconscious, bound and gagged Autlach across its back.

"Nice
find but not edible." The duty cook slid wild white roots into the ashes
for roasting then spied three hoppers hanging from one of the Autlach's packs.
"I take that back." She relieved the man of his catch and began
skinning the carcasses. One of the Yauld hunters dropped four more hoppers
beside the cook then turned toward Evangeline.

"'Good
hunt, yes?" she asked in chopped Old Tongue.

"Very
good." Evangeline nodded then pointed to the far side of the camp.
"Place them over there away from the fire. How many were there?"

"Seven,"
said the same hunter.

"We
stumbled on these two on our way back here," added the other in more
competent Old Tongue. "We picked their heads for their campsite, then
located the camp and killed the watch before he could raise an alarm. Everyone
else was sleeping, so we managed to phase out two more before a phase-blind
third woke." She blew out and straightened, apparently recovered from the
incident. "Killed him and one more then brought these two back for
questioning."

"Either
of you injured?" asked Evangeline.

"Nothing
of merit."

"Escapees?"

"None.
Seven heads counted, seven bedrolls and packs located and disposed of."
She poured out the contents of the extra pack she carried. Bulging money
pouches and a collection of shackles and the amber lenses used to render a
Taelach phase useless landed at Evangeline's feet. "One other thing. We
came across quite a few tracks leading in the same direction. Not sister tracks,
not Yauld."

"Did
you follow them?"

"We
were when we came across these two." She pointed to the unconscious Auts.
"Lots of tracks."

"Well
done. Rest while you can." Evangeline dismissed her hunters then called to
Commander Stiles. After a brief but intense conversation with her, she waved me
over with one hand. "See what you can do with them." She pointed to
the Auts.

"I'm
sure it won't be much." I knelt before them then glanced up at the master
Kimshee, unsure how to rouse them from their induced slumber.

"Open
your mind and learn." Evangeline crouched beside me.
Awakening a phased
Autlach is comparable to unlocking a door, and just as simple once you master
the skill.

I
cautiously pushed my thoughts toward her.
Is my entrance better?

Yes,
the burst was suitably subtle.
Evangeline
squeezed my shoulder in congratulations.
Now, follow my lead and do not
stray. Of all the places to lose oneself, an Aut's mind is not one of them.
A
ripple of humor accompanied her comment.

I
chuckled as we set about waking the prisoners. Evangeline took me through a
brief exploration of the Autlach mind, warning me not to delve into the body
systems.
Not at present, anyway,
she explained.
You mustn't
manipulate the heartbeat or breathing unless you are knowledgeable on how to
reverse the effect.

But
doesn't phasing one to sleep delve into the body's systems?
The Autlach's breaths contracted and relaxed around me
until I found my breathing matching his.

It
is an amazing sensation.
Evangeline
pulled my thoughts alongside hers.
And, yes, on a certain level sleep does
include the body systems, but to rouse an Aut, one only needs to stimulate his
mind. Watch my example.
She tuned her senses on the sleeper's dream,
manipulating the content until it became a sweat-rendering nightmare. The man
woke with a shudder, which he repeated when he saw two Taelach standing over
him.

"Mmm."
He nudged his still unconscious partner.

Ignore
him and rouse the other one.
Evangeline
parted the second Autlach's mind then held back, letting me enter, twist his
dream, then exit. The effect was similar, leaving two horrified souls cowering
at our feet. I liked this newfound power, but Evangeline was correct, it must
be used wisely.

"Tell
me where you were going." She removed the first man's gag as I translated
into Autlach.

"I'll
tell you nothing!" He kicked at us. "Nothing!"

"He
resists." Evangeline sounded surprised, if not puzzled. "Tell him he
has no choice. Explain I will pick his mind if he does not."

When
I did, the man remained indifferent.

"Tell
him it will be painful."

Again,
indifference.

"Tell
him I can see he never recovers." With those words, Evangeline's
expression hardened, bringing a mumble from the second man. I lowered his gag
and he spewed the information, begging at every breath for his life to be
spared.

"Please.
We're due at the mine tomorrow, mid-morn." Sweat beaded on his brow
despite the cold. "We got here early so we camped topside, away from the
slave stink." His nose twitched, but I can't say whether it was from the
thought or the still prominent grease paint stench.

"Why
were you going to the mine?" I asked.

The
man hesitated when his partner knocked him with his shoulder. Evangeline
immediately took action, pushing a pain phase enough for both Autlachs to cry
out.

"Mercy!"
whimpered the second man. "We came to buy!" Another knock brought him
squirming about to face his companion. "I don't care what you think of me,
Reenvarl. Dammit, man, I've a family to think of."

"Traitor!
Coward!" Reenvarl pressed against his restraints, swearing and promising
our deaths until Evangeline reached out and gagged him again.