Men of Anderas II: Dak the Protector (6 page)

“Both. I’m more
bounty hunter
than
assassin but if the target is truly evil according to the law, I
don’t have a problem with killing. Some of the less scrupulous
members of my profession have blurred the line between the two.

“From the sound of the engines, I’d say
we’re getting close to the transfer dock.” Talon stretched before
turning his attention back to Dak. “We just may survive another
day.”

“Is she really in that much danger?” Dak
asked with a glance at the sleeping crystal witch. Her hair had
come unbound while she slept and now lay like a snowy white blanket
over her shoulders to pool in her lap and around her hips like
liquid silk. He rubbed his palms against the course weave of his
pants to keep from burying his hands in all that softness.

“More than she realizes, I’m afraid. The
fact that all crystal witches have the same coloring has helped to
keep her undetected. No one's willing to risk the consequences of
insulting the
wrong
crystal witch. But Draagon knows who she
is and he's closing in for the kill. I think she’s lived with this
so long that it's a natural part of her life. That makes her
vulnerable and vulnerable women are no match for Draagon and his
Phantom Riders. If her father or brother had lived maybe she could
have survived. But now ….”

A strong wave of protectiveness for the
alien woman surged through Dak. This constant upheaval of rioting
emotions was making him crazy. Rage. Regret. Despair. Humiliation.
He knew them well. They filled his darkest nightmares in every
combination known to man. And when you least expected it,
loneliness jumped right out of nowhere to really mess things up. He
owed her no sympathy. She
owned
him--bought him like a
length of fabric then treated him like a trained animal.

Damn her and her rock
.

His hollow curse made him feel petty. His
dignity and pride were badly dented but he'd live through this and
find a way to return to Falcon Tor and his family. Kierin probably
wouldn't live to see the first snows of winter and there wasn't a
thing she could do to prevent it. If she bought him to protect her,
he'd do what he could for as long as he was forced to wear the
amulet. After that, she was on her own. He tried hard to convince
himself that the sour sensation in his stomach was from the herbs
she forced him to drink and not the feeling that he was failing
her, too. If he acknowledged the feeling, it would make him less
than the man he believed himself to be and that made him furious
again.

“Who’s this Draagon?” He needed something to
keep his mind off the delicate woman across from him and her
unsettling effect on him.

"Good question. He showed up on Cyperia
about fifteen years ago and quickly set up his little network of
enforcers
. They're not too particular about which side of
the law they enforce. Whoever pays the highest bounty gets the
benefit of his services."

"Anyone tried to stop him?” In the score of
years Dak spent traveling between Anderas and Earth, he'd seen
hundreds of worlds in the same position. Men, whatever the species,
needed the security of laws and invariably believed that all law
enforcers were on the side of justice. Too often, these trusting
souls ended at the mercy of unscrupulous, power hungry thugs and
not a one of them could point to the exact moment in time when they
lost control.

"Probably, but I wager none are alive to
brag about it. I got drunk with one of his Phantom Riders a few
years back. Seems Draagon's bigger plans include the takeover of
the universe."

Dak snorted at Talon's observations. There
was always some insignificant demigod intent on ruling the stars.
So far, none of them even came close.

"What's that got to do with Kierin?” His
firsthand knowledge of the powers of his crystal witch was limited,
but he doubted she had the power to take over a village much less
an entire planet.

"That's where all this gets a little
fuzzy."

Talon paused and watched the passengers
waking up around them. Most were gathering their belongings and
heading for the discharge bay. None were paying attention to the
unusual trio in the back of the cabin. Dak found himself liking the
bounty hunter. Under different circumstances he and Talon would
find a lot in common. He wasn't surprised when the last of the
lower deck passengers headed for the discharge bay. The three of
them were alone.

"Draagon doesn't just want just any crystal
witch. He wants
that
one.” Talon indicated Kierin with a nod
of his head. "There's not one word of gossip floating around to
point to the reason. Whatever Draagon has in mind, he's keeping it
to himself. Do you know anything about her that would make her such
a valuable commodity?"

Dak glanced over at Kierin, amazed that she
could sleep through the noise of docking and the exit of the other
passengers. Guiltily, he wondered if her exhaustion was because she
kept watch over them while he slept off the effects of her
herbs.

"I never heard of a crystal witch until she
showed up on Safe Haven.” He grinned at the memory of Murdock's
reaction to the sight of Kierin. "She does create a stir for such a
tiny thing, doesn't she?"

Talon's short bark of laughter sounded rusty
and unused. "Never underestimate a crystal witch. They're a common
sight at this end of the galaxy. Most people avoid them because of
their reputation, but I've never seen one do anything that didn't
help someone else. They're remarkable healers with their crystals
and herbs."

Dak fingered the small stone nestled in the
hair on his chest. "Not all of her stones heal,” he whispered
bitterly.

"Care to tell me what's between you and Lady
Kierin?"

Dak gripped the stone around his neck in a
white-knuckled fist and locked his gaze with Talon's. "She bought
me at the slave auction. This rock," he lifted the amulet a few
inches from his chest, "guarantees that I'll behave myself.”
Dropping the stone, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the
seat. “I'm not able to do or say anything until she gives her
approval. I wouldn't be talking with you now if she hadn't given
permission for me to do what was necessary for our protection.
Every time I open my mouth I'm amazed when something comes out. I
want to rage at the injustice of this whole mess, but I can't. Do
you have any idea how good it would feel to just throw my head back
and yell at the top of my lungs? This subdued monotone is the best
I can manage. It's driving me insane."

Dak scowled when Talon smothered a chuckle
with a phony cough.

"I can see where the inability to howl like
an animal would severely limit your options."

Dak's murderous glare bounced off Talon
without leaving a mark. The assassin’s ability to see any humor in
this abhorrent situation just fuelled Dak's impotent rage.

"I suppose you've tried to remove the stone
yourself?” Talon asked Dak with a lift of one straight brow.

"Hell, yes. Every time I catch her not
watching me I try. The harder I push, the heavier it gets. Cursed
witch magic."

Talon leaned closer, staring at the small
white stone. "Maybe I can remove it."

Dak's fierce surge of hope threatened to
suffocate him. Was that all it took? Someone else to lift the chain
from his neck? Barely able to contain his impatience, he shifted in
his seat, turning to face Talon.

Talon cautiously reached for the stone. He'd
learned a long time ago that if something seemed too easy the price
was usually higher than he could pay. He could understand Dak's
obvious frustration. No man could accept such limits and still feel
like a man. Silently praying that the crystal's powers were limited
to the one wearing the amulet, he slipped his fingers around the
cool stone.

"Blast and damn all the stars!” Talon howled
in pain as a bolt of energy slammed into his hand and up his arm.
Jerking his hand back, he worked his fingers, forcing the abused
muscle and tendon to move.

"That is the only warning you will receive,
Assassin.” Kierin’s voice carried the finality of death for all its
softness. Talon met the crystal witch's stare without blinking
until he acknowledged the truth of her statement with a slight
nod.

"I heed your warning, Lady Kierin."

Talon glanced at Dak to gage his reaction to
Kierin’s threats. The microscopic kernel of the man he would have
been before Draagon and his Phantom Riders destroyed his life
suddenly pulsed with sympathy for Dak. For the span of a few
heartbeats Talon allowed the emotion to live before ruthlessly
squashing it. The only emotion he allowed himself was vengeance.
Anything else gave someone the power to destroy you and Dak
wouldn't want his sympathy. Whether from those few moments of
shared pain or the natural recognition of kindred souls, Talon knew
without a doubt that he and this proud Anderan had forged a bond of
friendship that would last for both their lives.

Dak sat rigidly in the seat beside him,
staring at nothing, the muscles along his jaw working, hands
clenched in his lap. Talon could only guess at the cauldron of
volcanic reactions that boiled in Dak threatening to destroy
him.

"Dak?” Talon waited until he turned toward
him again. "I'm sorry."

Dak's only response was to close his eyes
before looking away. In the years since Draagon destroyed his
village Talon had seen every form of human suffering and thought
himself immune to it. The hopeless desolation reflected in Dak's
eyes burned a path to that hidden place in his soul where a
twelve-year-old boy refused to be destroyed by the adult man's vow
of revenge.

Kierin hadn't moved. Still holding her own
crystal in her hand, she sat surveying the effects of her power.
Talon mentally shook himself when his imagination saw regret in her
steady gaze. Never one to back down from a challenge he boldly
faced the crystal witch.

"You'll destroy him if you don't release
him."

I know
.

Talon heard the words in his head and would
have dismissed them as another illusion if not for the tears that
slipped down the pale cheeks of the crystal witch.

"I give you fair warning, Lady Kierin. If
there is a way to help him, I'll find it--even if it means his only
escape is in death."

I mean him no harm, Assassin. What I
require of him, I cannot get from another. If I hadn't been at Safe
Haven he might be dead already. At least with me there is a chance
for him to live
.

"Do you honestly think a man like Dak can
live held captive like an animal? Do you realize what …?”

"Enough, Talon.” Dak's quiet voice stopped
the harsh words. "Stay out of it. You tried to help and it didn't
work. It's not worth your life."

"But, Dak ...."

"I said let it go. You can't win an argument
if you're the only one arguing."

Talon blinked at Dak.
He doesn't know
she's telepathic. Well, well, well
. Turning his mind to the
problem of helping Dak, Talon slid the long blade of his knife from
the top of his boot and began the familiar ritual of sharpening the
blade.

Dak recognized the sounds of blade against
stone and recalled all the times he'd complained about doing the
same thing. The armory staffed a dozen men hired to sharpen the
knives, swords and axes of JarDan's army, but not for the castle
guard. The specially chosen and highly trained men surrounding the
royal family had to perform this chore for themselves. While it
took a lot of time to keep his blades sharp enough to cut air, he
always knew he wouldn't be surprised by a dull sword in the middle
of a battle. What he wouldn't give for the chance to sit in his
favorite chair before a warm fire and hear the slide of metal
against whetstone.

Don't think about home
! He focused on
the noise coming from Talon's actions, repeating the sound in his
head until the black cloud of hopeless despair began to recede.
Acceptance of his slavery came at a high price. Those few brief
seconds of reborn hope when Talon offered to remove the amulet made
the end results that much more devastating. Until Kierin removed
the amulet he was trapped. There would be no escape.

By all the Ancient Prophets, give me the
strength to endure until JarDan finds me
.

Chapter Six

"The foolish woman is going to get us all
killed.” Dak's quiet prediction brought a chuckle from Talon.
Giving the assassin a dark glare, he followed in the wake of the
crystal witch. From the minute she stepped through the Transport
Bay she'd been on a one-woman campaign to make sure everyone she
spoke with knew she was headed home. Draagon was practically
breathing down her neck and here she was telling every out-of-work
low life the best place to ambush them.

The town of Cypriana looked much like any
other frontier town. A handful of permanent buildings formed the
center of town with the Transport Center being the hub. There were
only two roads. One heading south toward the sea and one heading
north toward the mountains. Without a moment's hesitation, Kierin
chose the north road, ignoring the stares of those they passed. The
sight of the crystal witch and her two tall, dark sentinels
attracted more than her usual amount of attention.

"The last building before we get to the tent
city has the best selection of supplies for the trip. I have two
pack animals stabled at the stockyard on the edge of town.” She
glanced quickly at Talon. "I'm sure you can travel faster without
us and no doubt you're anxious to continue your hunt for
Draagon."

"Draagon is after
you
, Lady Kierin.
If I stay near you, I'll find him."

Kierin huffed in annoyance. She didn't need
the added stress of having an assassin--even one who claimed no
interest in the bounty on her head--so close to her mountain. He
would only make it more difficult for Dak to adjust to his new
situation. Thinking of Dak brought a flash of pain in the center of
her chest. She missed the teasing glint in those remarkable brown
eyes and his slow grin. Except to answer her direct questions, he
hadn't spoken a word since the aborted removal of the amulet. For
some reason, the knowledge that he answered only because of the
stone caused that unfamiliar ache in her chest.