Quest For Earth (29 page)

Where would he hide during the daylight hours? Would the peacekeepers find him? Would he survive the day? Or had he sneaked beyond the dome walls and was, even now, returning to his life in the ruined city.

She pressed a sticky finger against her suddenly tense forehead as her euphoria evaporated, leaving her feeling slightly sick.

The history of the Lycaneans troubled her. There was more to be told, she was certain. Had Maaka deliberately withheld information? Was he guarding secrets he could not trust her with? Something other than a desire to attain access to technology was driving his thirst for war. She of all people could understand the longing to live a life free from hardship and toil. With medicine and science, his people would prosper and live long. All this she could understand and yet … there was a turbulence, a rigidly held rage contained deep within his essence that must be the result of something other than a lack of resources.

For all her words otherwise, she did not believe he was a man who lusted for power. She chewed her lip and, rising from the table, tidied the area.

So, something else. Did it lie in his past or was it a part of the present?

How to find out?

Perhaps some secrets were meant to remain untold. But she felt driven to ease his demons if she possibly could. Given she was determined on her course of action, perhaps this was the only thing she could do for him.

And then there was Kondo and how he'd helped Maaka sneak into the city. His allegiance would need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

First though, she had an official tour to attend and a long discussion with the Commander was at the top of her schedule. She snapped the cupboard door shut and with new found determination left the communal area. Some sectons later, armed with her satchel, Sherise exited the building to find a beaming Puridean man waiting beside a bubble vehicle.

***

Hunger growled in the empty hole that was Sherise's belly and her swollen feet burned from blisters. The sandals had not been an inspired idea. Surely she had traversed the entire city that day? Her feet certainly felt as if she had walked from one end of the solar system to the other. Their tour guide had appeared determined to show them every park, every statue, perhaps even every street the city possessed.

She bent, lifted a foot and rubbed an ankle that pulsed with pain. The tour had been a total waste of their precious time. A quick glance at Dyrke's thinned mouth revealed she wasn't the only person thinking along these lines. She'd tried several times to draw him aside for a discrete conversation, but each time she'd been foiled by the guide with his fatuous smile and constant flow of words.

In the end, the tour had consisted of Dyrke, Kondo, herself, the shuttle captain and three other ensigns dressed in Darkon battle armour, one of whom she was fairly certain was Maaka. Lord Barid had excused himself on the grounds of fatigue and, when it had quickly become apparent they would be shown nothing of significance, Kondo and the suspicious ensign had slipped away.

By the stars, if only she could follow them.

Their guide was tedious to the extreme. His voice whined on and on about the blessed life they all led and how favoured they were in the eyes of their god.

A quick glance established her bearings. Around the next corner was the temple and the cool interior would be bliss for her overheated body.

‘Commander, I feel the need for prayer and will stay awhile in the temple.'

‘As do I,' Dyrke said in a rush. He turned to the guide and inclined his head. ‘Thank you for your excellent tour. However, we must impose on your time no longer. We can find our way back to our quarters.'

Ignoring the guide's spluttered protest, Dyrke placed his hand under Sherise's elbow and they walked off, their men marching along behind.

‘By Cercis's small toe, I never thought we would get away,' Sherise said.

Dyrke snorted. ‘That one could talk a warrior to death.'

Sherise laughed then sobered quickly. ‘I have a lot to discuss with you.'

‘Let us rest inside.' He turned to his men. ‘Wait here,' he instructed, then mounted the steps with Sherise.

They entered the dim interior and Sherise studied the room, relieved to find the temple empty. The last thing she needed was to engage in a battle of words with that implacable priestess. She slumped onto the hard timber bench and toed her sandals off her feet.

‘Do you think we can be overhead?' Dyrke stared around him.

‘I have no idea. I assume you have already noticed the vid-cams everywhere?'

He bit out, ‘Affirmative. When I questioned the Board about the level of their security, I was bombarded with “infiltrators”, “disturbers of the peace” and “the necessity to maintain order”.' He snorted. ‘Not even the military camps on Darkos are run with such surveillance.'

Sherise agreed, but time was too short to indulge in useless debate about their motives. Who knew when they would be interrupted? Although she could have sent a message via her personal comms at any time, she needed the decisive, clarity of the Commander's views and his calm presence; he reminded her strongly of her brother, Tarak.

But where to begin?
She started with what little she'd discovered in the archives and detailed everything Maaka had told her about the different tribes, finishing with her theory of not being the only space-faring race to land on Earth. ‘And if that's true and they or their descendants are alive, they could well be responsible for intercepting our communications.'

‘What you have said makes sense. But we need this information verified. Our chief tech officer advised this morning, progress has been made on the
Quinnie's
sensors. In two to three days, they should be operating at optimal capacity.'

‘That is good news. The
Quinnie
will not be taken off-guard.'

‘I also suspect there will be difficult days ahead of us.' Dyrke sighed and stretched out his long legs. ‘The three teams working on the hull have been ordered to check for pieces of foreign matter and two more teams are working with the demolition crew on the starboard side. Nothing has been found so far. I did receive a very interesting message from the chief engineer. A massive energy surge was detected during the time when we were flying from your friend, Maaka's, settlement to the Fortress. It lasted for several Earth hours.'

‘Any idea of the source?'

He nodded. ‘The burst came from the very centre of the city.'

‘By the stars,' breathed Sherise. ‘Solar energy could not have caused it, otherwise the chief would not have mentioned it. If only we could discover the true nature of these people's power.'

‘Their secretiveness is beginning to annoy me. We cannot afford to trust them.'

‘I agree. How are the passengers holding up? I will return to the ship tomorrow, if you can organise a shuttle. I want to brief them on the situation here in person.'

Dyrke cleared his throat and Sherise looked at him in surprise. ‘Lord Barid has been negotiating the transfer of the passengers off the
Quinnie
.'

‘
What!
I did not agree to such an action,' she snapped. ‘I made it clear they were to remain on board until we'd ascertained it was safe. And with every day that passes, I become increasingly concerned that they will not be safe on this planet.'

‘Barid outranks me.' The Commander lifted his hands. ‘He overrode my objections and my insistence on your direction. He claims he has been assured the welfare of the passengers is guaranteed and that this is in their best interest. He ordered the passengers to be apprised and by all accounts, they are keen to disembark.'

‘
Zurska!
When?'

‘In two days' time, after suitable arrangements have been organised for their accommodation.'

‘Then we still have two days to finalise our investigations.'

‘You could deny his order.'

‘I know. And I will do so, Dyrke, if I am not one hundred per cent satisfied these people will be well looked after.'

‘Good. There is one other matter regarding Lord Barid. He has spent a considerable length of time these past days in the company of a young woman called Lilith. I wondered if there was a connection between his order and her.'

Sherise pleated the material of her pants between her fingers and frowned as she considered his words. ‘I'm sorry, Commander, I can't see any reason why she'd want the passengers here in the city.'

‘Blame it on a suspicious military mind.' He shrugged. ‘I will escort you to your quarters.'

‘Thank you but no, Dyrke. I'd like to pray for a while.'

‘As you wish. Stay safe, Sherise. I will head back to the
Quinnie
tonight and visit the injured in the medie chamber. I also intend to go over the data from the energy surge and read the reports from the damage control crews. Kondo will be available should you need him.'

‘Please update me on the wounded's progress when you can.'

The Commander inclined his head. After biding her farewell, he strode from the temple.

So many matters to consider.
Sighing, Sherise closed her eyes and forced her mind to free itself from her many thoughts. She chanted a prayer for guidance for several minutes, then opened her eyes, blinking to adjust her sight to the gloom. Another woman had entered while she'd been praying and now knelt a row or two in front of the pulpit.

Curious, Sherise stared at the pale gleam of golden hair that tumbled unrestrained from the woman's bent head to her waist. The woman raised her head and turned. Across the rows of benches their eyes met. She smiled and rose to her feet, beckoning Sherise forward.

Sherise fished for her sandals, then skirted the bench and walked down the aisle.

No, not a woman, but a young girl on the cusp of womanhood. And she was beautiful; the perfect image of a mythical being with light-blue eyes and creamy skin. Sherise fiddled with her tunic, aware of her flushed face and untidy hair, feeling awkward as she stopped and towered above the diminutive figure. But the girl smiled again and extended a dainty well-cared for hand with polished pink fingernails.

‘Greetings,' she murmured.

Sherise closed her hand over the smaller one for a brief moment.

The girl's eyes skimmed over her. ‘You are the Star Woman. The one they all talk about.'

‘I am only one of my people. There are many others on our ship,' Sherise replied cautiously, while her mind raced. ‘I am called, Sherise.'

‘Then you are the one.' The girl twirled round and laughed, a tinkle of sound like fine crystals dancing in the breeze. Her semi-transparent skirt flared out in a graceful swirl, revealing her bare feet and anklets of glittering red and green stones. ‘Please, come with me.'

She ran with light footsteps down the length of the hall, giving the impression she glided above the ground. She paused, turned and smiled again before lifting a heavy tapestry and disappearing from view.

Sherise cast another look around the temple, slipped her sandals onto her feet and followed. Behind the tapestry was a hallway, with a light glowing at the far end from an open doorway. She quickened her pace.

When she reached the end, she waited a beat before peering into the room beyond. Surprise captured her breath and she stared enraptured. With opulent furnishings of bold purple and crimson against white walls and tiled floor, the room closely resembled the meeting rooms in the Darkon temples. For a minute she imagined she was home.

The many pillows edged with gold tossed around the room, tables laden with fruit and nuts and a crystal-clear pool in the centre gave the impression of pampered luxury.

She stood, fighting the wave of homesickness that slammed into her.

‘Do not look so sad, star lady,' said the girl who sat crouched beside the pool, trickling her fingers through the water. She raised her hands and unclipped her gown, allowed it to fall to the floor before she walked down the wide steps into the pool. ‘You should join me. The water is delicious.' She rolled over and floated on her back.

The notion streaked through Sherise that the girl deliberately flaunted her naked body. She raised her brows and walked towards the pool. ‘Who are you?'

‘I also am one of many.' She rolled over again and stood upright. The water lapped her waist. ‘Do you like what you see?'

Sherise's lips thinned. The girl did not refer to the room. ‘Very pretty but your attractions are lost on me.'

The girl pouted and slanted a sly glance from narrowed eyes. ‘Many find me attractive.' Her voice hardened. ‘Some you know.'

‘You seem a little young for this,' said Sherise, indicating the surroundings. Who did the girl refer to?

‘Not that young.' She smirked and waded from the pool. She picked up a large white fur and wrapped it around her tiny body. ‘I have worked hard for this position. I am a sacred handmaiden and a favourite of the Teacher.' She laughed and said over her shoulder as she strolled over to a table, ‘The Priestess does not like me.'

‘Neither does she like me.'

‘I heard.' The girl grinned. ‘I think that makes us friends.'

Sherise smiled but did not respond.

‘I hear you have toured our city this day. Do you not find it wondrous?'

‘You hear many things.'

‘I am told many things,' the young woman said with heavy emphasis. She picked up a pale green ball and popped it into her mouth. ‘I love grapes, don't you? What did you hope to see?'

Aah, now I understand
.
Yet another, like Kade, seeking information from me.
Perhaps it would not hurt in this instance to tell the truth. Part of it, anyway. ‘There are people on board our ship who may decide to remain here. I merely wish to ensure they will be safe.'

‘I see.' The girl turned her back to Sherise. ‘Then you have nothing to worry about. The Teacher has extended his personal welcome to them. They should feel honoured. Not many arouse his interest … Apart from me.'