Slave Empire - The Crystal Ship (19 page)

“
Rayne, wake up. You’ve got to heal your legs. Can you do
that?”

Her eyes
opened, full of pain and intense fatigue. “I need to rest.”

“
You need to stop the bleeding. Rayne,” he said as she closed
her eyes again. “Rayne. I know you’re tired, but you must heal your
legs.”

Tarke cursed
and dug in the medical pack on his hip for an ampoule of stimulant,
injecting it into the side of her neck. She gasped, her eyes
opening wide. He knew what the intense rush of euphoria was like.
The stimulant would work for a couple of hours, then she would pay
the price. He hated using drugs, but it was the only way. He pulled
her up, noticing blood oozing from her fists. He prised open her
hands, his indrawn breath hissing through the mask.

“
How did you do this?”

Rayne
contemplated the bleeding cuts in her palms, the pale gleam of bone
visible in their depths. She could not remember how she had cut
them; her mind was a dark, empty place. Memories scuttled away,
leaving blankness. She shook her head, and he closed her hands
again.

“
Can you heal it?”

Rayne nodded
and concentrated on the wounds. When the pain faded, she regarded
her lacerated legs and groaned, focussing on them. Her healing
stemmed the blood and closed the cuts, but the wounds were still
raw when she stopped and leant back, supporting herself on her
hands.

“
I’m too tired. My mind feels like a bloody wound. Using it
hurts.”

“
I’m not surprised.” He nodded at the Envoy. “How long before
it wakes up?”

“
I don’t know, nor do I care right now. I have to
rest.”

“
Not here. I’ll take you somewhere safe in a moment. Right
now, you need your strength. Here.” He pulled a ration pack from
his pocket. “Eat this.”

She gazed at
it. “Too tired.”

He tore the
seals to release an enticing aroma and held it under her nose. “I
don’t want to have to make you eat it, Rayne.”

She smiled.
“You would, too.”

“
You’ve got a planet to save, and probably me too. I doubt the
Envoy will let me live if you fail.”

Taking the
ration pack with shaking hands, she broke off a piece and chewed
it. The stimulant kept her awake, but the intense mental fatigue
made her mind seem like it was stuffed with cotton wool. As soon as
she had been released from the mental battle, the sharpened
awareness and intense concentration was replaced by a dull
emptiness in which her stray thoughts echoed like the cries of lost
souls. Without the pain-pleasure filling it, her mind resembled a
vast, empty dungeon.

Rayne noticed,
with detached interest, Tarke’s torn armour and the blood seeping
into his sleeve. He kept watch, but she knew nothing would attack
them now. The Ship had withdrawn into its deepest crannies to nurse
its mental wounds. The Envoy burnt with the soldiers’ venom and
ached from her psychic poison. Neither was ready to start anything
for a while. They needed rest as much as she did. Unfortunately,
little advantage would be gained from this first confrontation,
other than experience. By the time she had recovered sufficiently
to fight again, so would the Envoy. He had suffered some permanent
damage, but he was still a formidable enemy.

“
Feeling better?”

Tarke’s voice
brought her back to the present, and she was surprised that her
hands were empty. “Yes.”

“
Good. Let’s find somewhere to rest. Can you walk?”

“
I hope so.”

Rayne climbed
to her feet with his help, leaning on his arm. Tears stung her
eyes, and she bit her lip, angry at her weakness.

The Shrike
picked up his sword and headed for a tunnel. “Do you know where
these lead?”

She shook her
head, striving to hide her pain.

He cursed.
“You’re being a bloody idiot.”

Tarke thrust
his sword into its scabbard and picked her up. She clung to his
neck, too tired to find his proximity disturbing, but touched by
his kindness. He entered the tunnel and strode along it, soon
finding a side tunnel that led to a chamber filled with the red
light of blood beasts coming through a translucent wall. He placed
her on the floor and examined her legs again. She hated the mask
with renewed venom, and longed to tear it off.

“
These wounds are still bad,” he said. “Can’t you heal them
any better?”

“
I’m too tired. When I’ve had some sleep, then I will. Are you
all right?”

He shrugged.
“I’ll live. Only a few scratches. Those warrior drones were easy to
dispatch, but next time they won’t be.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
They’re like white blood cells. When they fail, the Ship will
make better ones, like antibodies.”

“
Scrysalza’s on our side.”

Tarke
inspected his tattered armour. “Maybe so, but it doesn’t control
all of its functions, even some the Envoy hasn’t annexed. What
would happen if I cut the tendrils that link him to the Ship? He
would no longer be able to control it, and then it could kill
him.”

“
He’ll kill you.”

“
I’ve survived so far, and protected you.”

She shook her
head. “He wasn’t trying to kill me until the last few minutes of
the battle, then he got too tired and gave up. Even with me and
Scrysalza distracting and hurting him, you wouldn’t be able to cut
those tendrils and protect me as well. If you went there alone,
he’d kill you in a minute.”

He drew his
sword and set it down, then unstrapped the fighting blade and sat
next to her, leaning against the wall. “How do you plan to kill
him?”

“
With his pleasure. It sounds bizarre, but it’s the only way.
I know how to do it now, and the Ship will help.”

“
Just be careful you don’t end up a gibbering
idiot.”

She smiled. “I
haven’t yet.”

“
If you can undo the stimulant, you should sleep.”

Rayne nodded.
“So should you. The Ship will warn me of danger.”

“
I’m okay.”

Rayne
stretched out, wincing. The floor was hard, and she was tempted to
use him as a pillow, but decided not to trespass any further on his
reluctant tolerance. He retained his aloof air, and his mental
shields did not spill an iota of emotion. She was glad of his
presence, and looked up at him.

“
Thank you for coming.”

His mask
defied her, so she closed her eyes and surrendered to the powerful
seduction of sleep’s dark arms.

Chapter Nine

Rayne woke
with her head pillowed in Tarke’s lap, and sat up, her cheeks hot.
“I’m sorry -”

“
It was my idea. Relax, I don’t bite. You looked
uncomfortable.”

“
Thanks.” She pushed back her hair, which was stiff with dried
slime. “How long did I sleep?”

“
Quite a while. Feeling better?”

Rayne nodded.
Her mind was still raw and hollow, but the emptiness had diminished
somewhat and the fatigue was gone. He drew a flat flask from his
pocket and offered it to her. The energy drink was warm, but sweet
and refreshing. She handed it back half empty, and he tucked it
away, then stood up and stretched. Rayne healed her legs and hands
before she rose and joined him next to the transparent wall, where
blood beasts swam past.

“
Let me see your arm,” she said.

“
It’s just a scratch.”

“
Those soldiers have poison. It might get
infected.”

Tarke pulled
open the rent in his sleeve, exposing a long shallow cut on his
forearm. She clasped it and closed her eyes, sending her mind into
his flesh. A few minutes later the cut was a pink scar, and as soon
as she released him, he closed the tear.

“
Thank you.”

“
What about the wound you got on the Draycon ship?”

“
That’s healed.”

She moved
away. “I never got the chance to -”

“
Let’s not get into a gratitude gala, okay? I helped you, you
helped me. We’re quits. It’s water under the bridge, and when this
is over you’ll never see me again.”

“
Why?” she asked, dismayed.

“
Why would you want to? Your Atlantean friends don’t approve
of me, and I’ll have served my purpose. You’ve had your ship and
your rescue; now you have protection while you win your battle. I
seem to have little choice in the matter at the moment, but I hope
that changes when this is over.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Being your guardian is not something I volunteered for.” He
faced the translucent wall. “Tallyn told me, and you seem to be
right. For some reason I’m drawn into your problems, and I find
myself getting you out of situations. I don’t know why, except I
don’t want the damned Envoy attacking my planets when it’s done
with Atlan. I don’t know if it’s fate, but I’ll be glad when it’s
over.”

“
Let me answer the question you asked a minute ago,” she said.
“I do want to see you when this is over. I’d like to help you to
free slaves. I’d like to join your... whatever you call it, empire,
organisation.”

“
Why?”

“
Why not? It’s a good cause, which appeals to me. When this is
over, if I win, what else will I do?”

He turned to
her. “You’ll be a celebrity on Atlan, paid a fortune for interviews
and public appearances. You’ll get rich opening hospitals and
schools, having your picture taken with children and small fluffy
animals. Why would you want to take up a life of anonymity and
danger, chasing scum slavers and freeing pathetic, helpless
beings?”

She hesitated.
“As I said, it’s a worthy cause -”

“
Don’t lie, Rayne.”

“
I’m not! I like helping others.”

“
You sound like a damned politician. There’s a big difference
between helping little old ladies across the street and killing
criminals. You hated it when I executed Jamdar, but he would have
gone on selling people for food if I hadn’t. I don’t think you’ve
got the stomach to do what I do.”

She pulled a
face. “Maybe not that part, but I could do other things, like heal
the slaves you rescue, help them to deal with what was done to
them. Surely being an empath will make me better at that than
most?”

“
Yes, it would, but it will also expose you to the horrors
that were perpetrated on those people. You’d be forced to share
their pain; their humiliation and hatred; their despair. Many of
them commit suicide after they’re freed, unable to cope with the
horror of their past and losing their families. Why would you want
to do that when you could be feted and pampered on
Atlan?”

“
Because it’s for a good cause, to help slaves.”

He shook his
head. “When you think up a better reason than that, let me know.
Until then, the answer’s no.”

“
What do you want me to say, that I want to be your friend?
That I want to help you, and get to know you better? Is that what
you want to hear?”

“
Only if it’s true.”

Her breath
caught. “And would you let me stay with you then?”

“
No. It’s not a good enough reason.” His voice was almost a
caress. “You don’t belong in my world. Stay in your
own.”

“
Mine’s dead,” she retorted. “I don’t belong
anywhere.”

“
You’ll find somewhere.”

“
I’m trying, but the door’s just been slammed in my
face.”

He sighed,
turning away. “Let’s not argue about this, please. What’s happening
with the Envoy? I’d like to get this over with.”

“
He’s still dormant. He might stay that way for a while. You
can never tell.”

“
We can’t keep heading for Atlan. Tallyn will panic soon and
attack the Ship. Can’t you tell it to turn away?”

Rayne closed
her eyes, searching for Scrysalza’s presence. The Ship was still
resting, and responded vaguely, as one who has just woken would. It
accepted her concern and agreed to do something, although it did
not specify what. A few moments later she sensed the twisting of
space and time as the Ship sank into the third dimension.

Tarke asked,
“It’s gone into the void dimension, hasn’t it?”

“
Yes.”

“
So if it dies in this final battle, we’re doomed.”

She was
shocked. “Scrysalza’s not going to die.”

“
Did you see what happened in there? This creature isn’t as
strong as you seem to think. It may be huge, but it’s got a
delicate constitution. The Envoy might take it with
him.”

Rayne opened
her mouth to refute this when Scrysalza’s gentle voice spoke in her
mind. It agreed with the man-thing’s words. The Envoy could kill it
quite easily. The only reason he did not was because he needed it
to survive. If he sensed his impending death, however, he could
doom the Ship as well. It assured her that it would have several
minutes, while it was dying, to rise back into the second dimension
and send them back to their metal shells. It would do this for
their friendship’s sake, because she had tried to help it. It knew
the risks involved, but still wanted to take the chance.

Scrysalza had
seen how she was able to hurt the parasite, and that had given it
the courage to join the fight. It promised to do everything to help
her, and it would not let her die if it did. It was sorry for its
previous cowardice, but even death, it explained, was better than
suffering the Envoy’s domination. It would have chosen death
before, except the parasite would not let it die. He controlled so
many of its functions that even that simple wish was denied it.
When its gentle mental touch faded, Rayne’s cheeks were wet with
tears, and she wiped them.