Stardust Dreams (37 page)

Happy thoughts!

Her amazing discoveries in
Innerworld. The first time she was given a starring role.
Men.

She tried to focus on her
favorite males from all her years as a mature woman, but there were only a few
whose faces and names were memorable. And those, she realized, she remembered
only because they were friends rather than lovers, like Falcon and Thor; or
lovers that remained friends after the initial case of lust waned, like her
beautiful Apollo.

Gallant's face loomed in
her mind's eye—with and without the patch—frowning, laughing, teasing,
loving.
Was he so different from all the others, or did the prolonged togetherness he
had forced upon her only make it seem that way? How could she know for sure,
when she had never spent this much time with one man? To be perfectly honest,
she couldn't think of another man that she could have tolerated for this long
without a break, regardless of the circumstances.

Accepting that as a fact,
she decided Gallant Voyager could be placed on her list of Grade A happy
thoughts. When she put some concentration into it, she was able to come up with
about ten more Grade A experiences before she started on those that she
considered Grade B. Despite her best, most optimistic efforts, however, every
minute that passed felt like an hour.

Where are you?

Her mentor was back! "I'm
in a hole—"

Hush. The guard will hear
you. Think of the route you took, and I will come to you.

She imagined herself being
led from the main hall, through the maze of corridors and down the two ladders.
A few minutes later, a shadow partially blocked the torchlight from above. She
looked up through the grate to see Josep's face peering down at her. "It
was
you!"

"Yes, and I will
explain everything, but we must free you first. Princess Honorbound intends to
kill Gallant as soon as she receives his seed."

"Dear God! Get me out
of here." As soon as Cherry heard him unlatch the grate, she began inching
her way to the top.

"I have placed a
strong suggestion in his mind that should keep him semiconscious and impotent
in spite of the drug she gave him. It should last for the time I need to
explain a few things to you."

Once again, her robotic arm
came in handy as she used it to heft herself out of the pit. He replaced the
grate to make it look like she was still in the pit.

"You said there was a
guard."

"Yes, on the level
above, but I put him to sleep. Fortunately, my mental powers have not lessened
with my maturity. Come, I'll talk as we go."

Cherry sped up the first
ladder and saw the peacefully napping guard, then had to wait for Josep to
slowly climb high enough for her to help pull him the rest of the way up. She
was shocked by how fragile he felt, but said nothing.

"It is only old age,
little one. The mind may still be strong, but the body is failing. Your concern
is heartwarming, however."

"Do you butt in on
everybody's thoughts without permission?" she asked in an annoyed whisper
as he paused to recover his strength.

"Whenever it suits me.
I have walked a double path for so long that my special abilities have become
my primary means of self-preservation. However, not even the princess is aware
of the extent of my power. Had she known, I doubt I would have survived till
now." He motioned her to head toward the second ladder. "Before we
rescue our friend, I must tell you some things that you will relay to him for
me when he is clearheaded.

"My allegiance to
Illusia prompted me to heed the directions outlined in the hundred-year plan,
but my oath to Gallant's father, who was my closest friend, has been my greater
motivation. Some time ago, I began to worry that the two loyalties would one
day conflict."

When they reached the foot
of the next ladder, Josep hesitated again. "There was no mention in the
royal plan of Honorbound and Gallant mating to secure their family line. She
lied this evening, but I could not afford to confront her before the council. There
are those who doubt my loyalty because of where I spend most of my time. They
would have sided with Honorbound and neither I nor Gallant were in any
condition to defend ourselves.

"At the time the plan
was written, no one suspected that the entire family would be eliminated. Honorbound
has always been jealous of Gallants existence, but had continued to harbor the
hope that he would either not show up as planned, or would not accept the
responsibilities of sovereign. In the latter case, she had the right to execute
him immediately. No one on the council is aware of her personal ambitions, and,
until today, I did not perceive her true intentions.

"Once she is
impregnated with Gallant's child and arranges Gallant's timely death, she
becomes guardian of the heir or heiress, and ruler in that one's stead until he
or she comes of age."

But what about that
business of Gallant's image being projected to the people on Earth?"

"She assumes that a
few illusionary tricks will establish her in his place when the time comes. For
the sake of the council, she had to at least appear to be following the stages
of the royal plan. Because of my promise to protect Gallant and his right to
inherit, and knowing how strong her jealousy was, I never kept her fully
advised of all the facts, as you quickly noticed.

"I have known for a
very long time that the royal plan would never work as it was first written,
but to reveal that knowledge too soon might have resulted in her ordering a
more aggressive war, which would have spelled catastrophe for several
civilizations, including ours."

He held up a hand to
indicate that he needed a moment to catch his breath before going on. "I
have fluctuated between two worlds for too long. The time has come for me to
make a choice. I have lived among the Noronians and know they are not the
devils Illusians have built them up to be. Yet I am first and always an
Illusian at heart. I cannot change that, but I have the power to stop my people
from taking an action that I am now positive would ultimately cause the
extinction of the entire race.

"I could not stop it,
however, until Gallant was brought to Princess Honorbound and told of his
inheritance. Although I did not believe he would accept the role of sovereign,
I could not make that decision for him. By leading Gallant here, I fulfilled my
part of the royal plan as promised, but I must now fulfill my vow to his father
to protect his life at all costs."

He urged her to climb the
ladder to the upper level, where she saw another sleeping guard. "I'm
confused about the copy of the plan that was smuggled off Illusia and ended up
at the Consociation." She pulled Josep up beside her. He seemed to take
even longer this time before he could speak.

"No copy was smuggled
out. It was the one given to me by Gallant's father. The princess had begun to
listen to the grumblings of those council members who would have preferred to
eliminate me as her chief advisor. You see, I am the only one among them with
telepathic abilities, thus I represent a danger they cannot fight with brute
strength.

"I needed to give her
a fictitious person to focus her suspicions on, instead of me. I also needed to
come up with a convincing lure that Gallant couldn't resist following to the
ends of the galaxy. By passing the document on to the Consociation and letting
her know about it, I accomplished the first goal. By having it stolen before
anyone could do more than verify its authenticity, I provided the irresistible
incentive for Gallant."

"Incredible. I would
be impressed with the complex logic of it, if it wasn't for the fact that
several people and a beast ended up dead because of your lure."

Josep shrugged.
"Casualties of war. It could have been millions had I chosen a different
course. At any rate, I am not looking for your approval, only your
comprehension." From inside his tunic, he removed a brown parchment that
had been folded down to palm-size. "This is the document that could
convince the Consociation that the barrier around Illusia must be reinforced
immediately. Give it to Gallant. It will be his decision what to do with it,
but I believe he will do what is just."

As he pressed the small
square into her right palm, he enclosed her hand between both of his. Instantly,
the usual tingling started again, though it was much milder than when she
touched Gallant.

"Shall we go rescue
your man?"

"He's not my—"

"Tch-tch. Remember, I
know your thoughts. Remain behind me. If anyone stops us, I will say the
princess ordered you to come assist your master in doing his duty."

"Get out of here, you
useless girls!"

Cherry could hear the rage
in Honorbound's voice and quickly cowered behind Josep's bent frame as the
novitiates scurried from the princess's warren. She hoped her fury signified
that Josep's mental suggestion had kept Gallant in an uncooperative condition,
yet still alive.

Stay here until I call you,
Josep thought
to Cherry.

"Princess?" he
called softly. "I saw the girls leaving. Is everything in order?"

"No!" she replied
as she pulled aside the animal hide hanging over the opening.

Cherry held her breath, but
Josep entered before Honorbound could step outside.

"This is impossible,
Josep! There must be something you can—"

The princess's sentence was
completed with the sound of a muffled thud.

Come in now.

In spite of his invitation,
Cherry's entrance was cautious. The princess lay in an awkward sprawl just
inside the opening, and, in the center of the room, on a deep pile of furs,
Gallant looked like a naked corpse. "You
can
bring him out of it,
can't you?" she asked in a worried, yet hushed voice.

"It would be better if
I didn't have to, but there's no way you and I would be able to carry him out
of here."

"Why would it be
better?"

"When I withdraw my
suggestion, the drug will take over again. With the extra portion the princess
gave him, his sexual need will be uncontrollable. It will be next to impossible
to reason with him."