Phantom of the Wind (23 page)

“You could try,” the Phantom countered.

“I’d ride you hard, little boy, and have you squealing like a pig.”

“Ain’t gonna happen, lard ass,” Quinn stated.

The men holding Quinn’s arms drew in a gasping breath as the gargantuan lowered his sword, stepped forward and wrapped a huge hand around the Phantom’s neck, his large thumb stroking the smaller man’s Adam’s apple.

“I could fuck you then take your woman. What think you of that, blue eyes?” the man taunted in a low voice.

“Not much, actually,” Quinn said. “She’s more woman than you can handle.”

Kendall winced, sagging against the steel-like hands that held her upper arms. “Quinn, please, don’t—” she began, but the giant swung his head toward her, his eyes narrowing at her, daring to interrupt.

“She is a scrawny thing, pretty boy,” the dark man observed. “I would break her in half with one hump.”

“She’s tougher than she looks,” Quinn responded.

“And what about you? Let’s see what you’ve got,” the dark man said, reaching out to rub the front of Quinn’s britches. “Well, that certainly ain’t much, now is it?” he insulted.

“I’ve always heard it’s not how big the weapon but how you wield it that counts,” Quinn threw back at his captor.

“You’ve a mouth on you, white boy. Perhaps I should give you something to fill it, eh?”

“If you no longer desire to keep your dangly, go ahead,” Quinn snapped.

“Oh God,” Kendall groaned at her husband’s bravado.

The giant moved closer so that his body was pressed intimately to the Phantom’s. He ground his lower body against Quinn’s. “I think I prefer your tight ass to hers. I believe you’ll last longer impaled on my prick than she will.”

“You mean your prick hasn’t fallen off by now from ramming it into the local sheep herd?”

“Quinn!” Kendall yelped.

The huge dark man threw back his head and laughed then wrapped his arms around Quinn, lifting him free of the ground. “How goes it, pretty boy?” he thundered.

“I’ll let you know if you haven’t broken my ribs, you son of a diseased warthog,” Quinn grunted.

Kendall’s mouth dropped open as the two men holding Quinn’s arms let go of him and the Phantom threw his arms around the giant. She turned to Paton. “They know each other?” she asked. “They
know
each other?”

“Aye, wench. They’ve been swapping insults since childhood,” Paton informed her.

The giant’s arm was draped companionably around Quinn’s shoulder. “So this is the wench, eh? This is your beloved Kendall, the healer?”

“That’s her,” Quinn said, his eyes bright as he looked at Kendall. “Isn’t she a beauty?”

“More woman than you deserve,” the dark man said. He unwound his arm from Quinn and came lumbering toward Kendall, his large mouth set in a grin. “Did you think I’d lower myself to take that Cengusian jackal, wench? My dangly would fall off if I even tried!” Before she could speak, he flung his arms around her in a tight embrace that lifted her from the ground. “Greetings, woman of Quinn!”

Kendall could barely breathe for the arms encircling her were like iron bands. When the giant lowered her to the ground, he slung his left arm around her, nearly toppling her with the weight and his right around Quinn who had come to join them.

“I am happy to see you are not being stretched on the racks of Morrison’s torture chamber, my dear pretty boy,” the dark man said with a chuckle.

“Wench, this is Prince Ayo, son of King Rakanja Taborn,” Quinn introduced her.

“The Mighty Prince Ayo,” the dark man barked. “The Mighty and the…”

“Loud,” Quinn snorted.

Ayo jerked his friend closer until his chin was atop Quinn’s head. “I was going to say Long, but Loud works well too.” He released his friend and Kendall. “Where is that beautiful Elfinish?” he asked, looking around for the cat. “Come here, sweeting!”

Munchkin came strolling over nonchalantly and allowed the big man to lift her up. She endured him rubbing the side of his face against her own then settled into the valley of his arm as he held her, one paw pressed to his naked chest.

“Necromans hold Elfinishs to be sacred,” Ayo said. “I have only seen two in my lifetime and both were males. This one is a lady of great beauty.” He stroked the sparse tuft on the feline’s head. “Does she talk to you, Kendall?”

“She talks to both of us,” Quinn replied.

“Will you talk to me, precious one?” Ayo asked.

The Elfinish patted the dark man’s chest and winked one eye as if to tell him she might were they alone.

“I take it you aren’t siding with the Coalition,” Quinn said.

The Necromanian made a rude sound with his large lips. He set Munchkin down on the floor. “If it pleases them to think my father and brothers and I are waffling, so be it. You know the truth and we would appreciate you informing the Burgon of that.” He narrowed his pitch-black eyes. “It was a brutal thing that was done to the emperor and one for which we Necromanians are most displeased.”

“I know the Burgon will be relieved Necroman is with him. He had no desire to make war on your people.”

“Ryden Bakari is a good man,” Ayo pronounced. “He has the support of our allies, the Chrystallusians as well.”

“That’s good to know,” Quinn stated.

“So, you were headed for the Sinisters when I claimed your ship for my own,” Ayo said.

Quinn snorted. “In your dreams, black man.”

Ayo gave the impression he was ready to get down to the business of war. “The Burgon is nearby, I take it?”

“Aye. I was to find out where your people stood but there’s no reason to go lurking about Necroman now. We can rendezvous with the Burgon and find out what he wants us to do next.”

“Bomb the hell out of Riezell,” Ayo snapped. “I’d love to skewer Morrison on a pike and present him to Ryden.”

“Morrison is just a puppet,” Quinn said. “I want the bastard behind him.”

“Well, I know it wasn’t Kurt Bowen,” Ayo declared. “A friend of yours took that one out on Aduaidh Prime.”

“So I heard.”

“Whoever he is, he’s got balls the size of Serenia,” Ayo said.

“It would have to be someone who hates the Burgon,” Kendall said, not wishing to be kept out of the conversation.

“Not necessarily,” her lover said. “It could be someone who wanted to continue with the war.”

“But why?”

Ayo rubbed his fingers together. “Money, pretty one. Riches can be made during a war.”

“That would be my guess,” Quinn said. “It’s someone who was making money on armament or ships and didn’t want to see his well dry up.”

“Like someone at Tappas Industries,” Ayo suggested.

“I hope not,” the Phantom said. “Admiral Ben-Alkazar is associated with them now. He owns a fair-sized chunk of TI stock, bought with that huge retirement check he received.”

“You don’t think it could be him, do you?” Kendall asked.

“Not a chance,” Quinn replied.

“I agree,” Ayo said. He slapped Quinn on the back. “Well, I’d best get back to the
Camara
. We’ll tag along behind you. Try not to go so slow we’ll run up your exhaust out of boredom.”

“Why not?” Quinn countered. “You’re always threatening to ram into my backside.”

Ayo grinned nastily. “Oh I’ll take you one day, pretty boy, but it will be when you’re least expecting me.”

Kendall’s face turned red at their banter. She wasn’t sure if the Necromanian meant his words or was merely teasing. After he and his men departed, she looked up at her husband, query in her green gaze.

“Aye, he’s of that bent, Milady,” Quinn said. “When we were young men, he tried to seduce me and we had a hell of a fight that put both of us in the infirmary. After that we became good friends. That’s all there will ever be to it.”

“For you perhaps,” she said, searching his face. “But maybe not for him.”

He smiled sadly. “He’d give his life for me if it were needed.”

“Would you do the same for him?”

“Aye,” he answered without hesitation, “but not for the same reason.”

Kendall understood what her lover was implying. He considered himself a good friend to the Necromanian prince but Ayo was in love with Rory Quinn.

Paton came over to say the Burgon was expecting them to meet with him shortly. “He’s trying to get a bit of rest right now.”

“I doubt he will be able to,” Quinn said. “He will be grieving hard for his Anastasia.”

“We’ll reach the
Sekkeen
in about fifteen minutes,” Shannon called out then yawned broadly. “Excuse me.”

“I’m getting a strange message, Cap’n,” Douglas told Quinn. “It’s not in a language I recognize.”

“Put it on the Vid-Com speakers,” Quinn ordered.

“
Ésta es la nave de la alianza la fuerza del vendaval. Nos han golpeado y necesitamos ayuda
.”

“What language is that?” Paton asked.

“It’s
an Spáinneach
,” Kendall said. “He’s saying he is the Alliance ship
La
Fuerza del Vendaval
and that he has been hit and is in need of help.”

“You speak
an Spáinneach
?” Quinn asked her, one brow elevated.

“I had to find something to do to occupy my time these last two years,” she said then shrugged. “I learned a few new languages.”

“Like Cengusian High Speech,” the Phantom said with a grunt. “What other languages did you learn, wench?”

“Iodálach,” she replied, smiling for she knew he also spoke the language.

“Why Iodálach?” he asked.

“I spent four months there learning to use the TAOS machine,” she said. “When in Iodáil…”

“
Ti amo più che vita in se
,” he said softly, telling her he loved her more than life itself.

“
Voi essere mio tutto
, Milord,” she replied to let him know he was everything to her.

“Well, that’s all well and good,” Paton said, obviously annoyed that he didn’t understand the language, “but why is that
an Spáinneach
contacting us?”

“The question is,” Kendall said. “Why would someone speaking
an Spáinneach
be on an Alliance ship? The
an Spáinneach
are members of the Coalition.”

“Good question,” Paton said. “Why don’t you ask him, wench?”

“I’ll ask him who he is,” Kendall said. “
Vessell de la alianza,
La Fuerza del Vendaval.
¿A quién son que habla?
”

“Capitán Raoul De Salvo. Por favor, necesitamos ayuda. ¡Muchos están muriendo!”

“I understood his name,” Quinn said. “What else did he say?”

“He is begging for our help,” Kendall replied. “He says many are dying.”

“Why hasn’t the
Sekkeen
gotten in on this conversation?” Paton asked. “Wouldn’t her captain know the men flying for the Alliance?”

“Hail the
Sekkeen
and let’s find out,” Quinn said.

Douglas shook his head. “The signal to them is being blocked, Cap’n.”

“Interesting,” Quinn said. “Can you pull the
an Spáinneach
ship up on the screen?”

The communications officer shook his head. “Negative, Sir. I’ve been trying.”

“And I can’t triangulate its position,” Shannon added.

“It’s a trap,” Paton said.

“Obviously,” Quinn said.

“¡Apresúrese por favor! ¿Qué usted está esperando? Tenemos Raoul importante Breva a bordo.”

Kendall frowned. “Who is Major Raoul Breva?” she asked.

“Gabriel Leveche’s brother,” Quinn replied. “Why?”

“He says Breva is onboard and he’s asking what we are waiting for.”

“Tell him to put Breva on the horn,” Quinn said. “I’d know Raoul’s voice.”

“Capitán De Salvo, déjame por favor hablar con Breva importante
,” Kendall said.

“They’ve broken off communications, Sir,” Gilly reported.

“Isn’t that convenient?” Quinn said. “Still having trouble hailing the
Sekkeen
?”

“Aye, Sir.”

“Try hailing the Necromans.”

“I did,” Gilly replied. “The signal is being blocked to them as well.”

“In other words,” Paton said, “the mystery ship is after us.”

“It would seem so,” Quinn said. “The question is why.”

“To get us away from the Burgon and the Necromans,” Kendall said. “Whatcha wanna bet the man behind all this is on
La Fuerza del Vendaval
?”

“He obviously wants us,” Patron told Quinn.

“Looks that way,” the Phantom agreed. “Keep trying to connect with
La Fuerza del Vendaval
, Gilly.”

“Aye, Sir!”

“Something just occurred to me, Quinn,” Kendall said as she and her husband sat down in the command chairs. “If Tappas Industries is behind the resurrection of the war, they’d have good reason to hate you. You plundered a lot of their ships if I remember correctly.”

“That I did,” Quinn said. “Mostly ship parts from their main factory on
an Ghearmáin,
transporter pads from the factory on Astráil and síorí crystals mined in Amazeen, but we did confiscate an entire shipment of new Fiachs destined for high ranking officers of Fleet Command.” He grinned. “That alone would make me a few enemies.”