The Charmer (32 page)

Her eyelids fluttered. “Keilor...help
her.”

He grit his teeth and tamped down on his
concern. She was still delusional. “Rihlia is...fine, Dragonfly,”
he said, skirting the fact that she was still in intensive care.
She was alive, after all. “But we need to get you some help.”
Careful not to jar her, he picked her up, blanket and all.

This had better work.

“The symbiont will not touch her as long as
you do,” Jackson warned Keilor. He held out one hand. “Your
choice.”

Keilor stared at Jackson’s shoulder as he
fought the instincts that clamored at him not to let this stranger,
this one-time enemy, touch his helpless woman.

Jasmine moaned and shivered as she burrowed
against him in a vain search for warmth. Her symbiont hung loose on
her wrists.

The symbiont riders winced, and the woman
murmured something sympathetic.

Keilor’s face softened at the sight of
Jasmine’s pain, and he placed her in Jackson’s arms.

She cried out, muttering something nearly
incomprehensible about drugs and ‘only Keilor’, but Jackson ignored
her, holding her firmly as he stepped up to his silver cycle. For a
moment nothing happened. Then the giant symbiont flowed and
completely enveloped Jasmine.

Keilor hissed and instinctively grabbed for
his sword, stopped just shy of drawing it. Thin streaks of pale
green and brown flowed out of Jasmine’s body and were absorbed into
the large creature. It worked on her for several seconds and then
withdrew, coalescing back into a blurred image of the silver cycle.
It settled on the ground with a soft whump.

Jasmine opened her eyes, ascertained that the
man holding her was a stranger, and twisted out of his arms. She
shoved him away with surprising strength, considering her wobbly
stance. “Who are you?” she demanded. A breeze teased her legs and
she glanced down at herself with horror. Snatching up the blanket
that had fallen away from the silver nightgown she wore, she
whipped it around her shoulders. “What’s going on?
Where’s

Keilor!” she squealed, as her
husband caught her up in a crushing hug. “Let me breathe!”

His arms loosened, even though he did not let
go. “I thank you,” he said hoarsely, looking over her head to
Jackson, who inclined his head in acknowledgment.

“For what?” Jasmine turned to see whom he was
talking to. Her frown turned to an expression of surprise when she
caught sight of the cycles. “Hey! A motorcycle!” She took a step
toward it. Keilor’s arms tightened a moment and then released her.
“Cool,” she said in awe. She reached out to touch it and then
withdrew her hand to glance at Jackson for permission.

Jackson did not hesitate, but his answering
nod was noticeably curt. In light of that, Jasmine kept her hands
to herself, but her circling inspection was no less thorough.

“Nice,” she pronounced with approval and
then, “How fast does it go?” with a gleam in her eye.

“Don’t even think it,” Keilor growled, taking
her by the shoulders and steering her away from temptation. “This
is Jackson,” he said, planting her firmly in front of the man she
had pushed and ignored in favor of his symbiont. “His symbiont
saved your life.”

Rattled at her lack of memory, Jasmine
frowned and unthinkingly asked, “Why?” Keilor’s fingers tightened
on her shoulders in disbelief.

Jackson’s left eyebrow twitched. “Good
manners?” he suggested.

Jasmine put her fingers to her temple and
rubbed, as if that might bring back the memory. “I don’t remember,”
she muttered. “Just guns and...Rihlia!” She turned as if to run to
her friend. “She’s hurt!”

Keilor stopped her with an arm around her
waist. “You already helped her, and she’s sleeping right now.” It
didn’t calm her down, and he grunted as her elbow connected with
his sternum. “Be still!” he ordered, squeezing off her air with his
arm until she quieted, panting. He glanced sharply at Jackson, who
spread his hands in ignorance.

“I’ve seen it before,” one of the other Ronin
offered, stepping forward. Jackson introduced the stocky fellow as
Ma-at. “It’s just the last of the poison working out of her system.
A little sleep should clear her head.”

“Very well,” Keilor scooped up his
uncooperative wife. “We’ll talk later,” he told Jackson, nodding
his farewell. He headed for their room.

“I can walk,” Jasmine grouched, struggling
and completely oblivious to their audience.

“Later,” Keilor answered. “Right now you’re
going to take a nap. Then we’ll have a nice, long chat about
manners…”

Chapter 27

“So, what say we ditch these guys and see if
we can’t go scare up a pizza?”

Leo, the female Ronin, and only female other
in the council chamber, stared at Jasmine, startled. There was a
lull at the table around them as the men broke off their tense
verbal sparring to stare.

Jasmine didn’t care. Ever since she’d woken
up from her nap and joined the group in the council chambers, her
temper had been slowly climbing.

The Symbionts wanted to open up negotiations
for military cooperation with the Haunt. It seemed the cities
they’d constructed beyond the swamplands were under attack by
monsters from the East. Not only did they wish to drive the beasts
off, they wanted to strengthen their position with the Haunt to
ensure peace.

The Haunt princes who’d assembled at Jayems’
command weren’t adverse to peace, but they stubbornly refused to
budge from the principal that isolation made good neighbors. Jayems
himself remained silent as his Haunt peers dredged up ancient
history about the bloody Symbiont Wars, as they called it, slapping
down reason after ancient reason why the Symbiont nation was not to
be trusted. Even Jackson’s impassive face began to darken.

Figuring that it was either exit the place
gracefully or run screaming from the room, stark raving mad,
Jasmine decided to rescue the equally miserable and silent Leo
while she was at it and leave the men to fight it out.

Dropping a quick kiss on Keilor’s lips, she
stood up. “Gentlemen, it’s been fun, but I’m afraid my feeble
female mind has become dizzy with your dazzling intellect. Besides,
I drank too much water,” she admitted. “So if you’ll excuse us…”
Taking Leo’s arm before she could object, Jasmine half-dragged the
young woman with her as she strode from the room.

“Have you ever seen such a bunch of idiots?”
she muttered as soon as the doors

had closed behind them, drowning out the
sound of obstinate male voices.

“Jackson is my brother,” Leo replied.

“I was referring to the Haunt.”

“Ah. Well, in that case…” A suspicion of a
smile crossed her face. “Perhaps I could be persuaded to agree.”
She cast a sidelong glance at Jasmine. “How is it you came to be
matched with one of them, if I may ask?”

“Sounds like you have little use for
them.”

Leo turned her eyes to the hallway. “Our
people have never known peace.”

“A non-answer if I ever heard one,” Jasmine
observed, a little of her frustration seeping back. She hated this
verbal sparring. Couldn’t they just skip it?

Leo must have perceived her annoyance, for
she said, “I do not know these Haunt anymore than they know me. For
now I will try not to let my prejudice blind me.”

Cheered by that, Jasmine led Leo to the mud
spa after collecting Casanova and a couple of bottles of juice from
the cooler in her room. She directed Leo to sit by the waterfall so
that neither the two Symbionts who’d discreetly followed them nor
her own Haunt guard could hear what they spoke about.

Jasmine popped the cap on her own juice and
took a swig, staring at the moving water. “So tell me, besides the
fact that you’re Jackson’s sister, how is it that you’re the lone
woman here? Isn’t it a bit unusual?”

There was a moment of tense silence. “I
convinced the council that I would be a good choice,” Leo finally
said. Jasmine just looked at her, daring her to evade the question.
Leo sighed with disgust. “If you must know, it’s because I was the
one who followed you through the swamps, and am thus the one most
familiar with you.”

At Jasmine’s raised brows, she added, “Your
party was trespassing, and I was...curious. We rarely see strangers
in our swamps, and the combination of a human woman among three
male Haunts was most unusual. Unprecedented, in fact.” She took a
long swallow of juice. “It’s due to my information that my brother
decided the time was right to approach the Haunt. It was thought
your presence might be an indicator of softening prejudice.”

“Hm.” Jasmine scratched around Casanova’s
nubby horns and his ears went limp with pleasure. It was something
to do to avoid a reply. Politics, especially those involving
herself, were never her favorite subject. Casanova folded himself
down with a sigh and laid his head in her lap, eyes closed in
bliss.

Would she ever be able to trust so easily?
“But why did you want to come so badly?”

Leo stared at her boots, clutching her
bottle. “I had my reasons,” she said.

Jasmine decided to let her keep one
secret.

"My clan will not ally themselves with a
parasite-laden pack of humans!" Tor Maphin, one of the assembled
Haunt lords, shouted, rising from his seat.

Tilus, who was seated next to him, pulled him
firmly back down, but his words were no more encouraging. "There
has been peace between us for the past fifty years because of our
segregation. The Haunt are strong enough to hold our own lands. If
you are not, return to Earth."

The Ronin beside Jackson, Armatris, growled.
Jackson quelled him with a look.

Keilor, who, like Jayems, had said very
little until now, said mildly, "Even Haunt band together against a
common enemy, or to trade, Tilus."

"Who should speak but the Haunt who's sired a
half-breed abomination in the belly of his charmer?" sneered Tor
Maphin. "We shouldn't wonder that you'd take their side. You and
Mathin the Mad, with his fool’s talk of alliances."

A muscle ticked in Keilor's jaw, but it was
Jayems who said with cool challenge, "The charmer is not only my
cousin, Tor, but she saved my wife's life and the life of my child.
Show some intelligence and cry peace."

Mathin said nothing, but his very posture
breathed menace.

Tor Maphin looked away sullenly. "I withdraw
my complaint." Still, the tension in the room did not abate, and
this time it also centered on Keilor.

"If everyone has formed an opinion then I
suggest that we adjourn this meeting for now. Any objections?"
Other than some sullen mumbling from Tor Maphin, which he ignored,
there was none. "Very well." Jayems rose, and the rest of the table
rose with him.

"As my guests,” he said, addressing the
Symbionts, “you'll be sharing the meal with me. I'm certain your
journey has tired you, so I'll have you escorted to your rooms to
refresh yourselves first."

Not until the council room was empty did
Keilor allow a snarl to twist his lips. "Who made that mewling cub
a council member?"

A wry smile twisted Jayems’ lips. “We knew
this meeting might be worse than fruitless.”

Keilor crossed his arms. “There is truth in
what Tilus says.”

Jayems stroked his fisted index finger with
his thumb as he regarded Keilor impassively. “Perhaps. What of our
own kind, though? Recent events have proven they can be as
treacherous as any foreign enemy. At this time I am not averse to
strengthening my clan with human ties. Your wife has proven they
can be loyal.”

“It’s possible my wife is an exception,”
Keilor murmured. “I am concerned that her delight at meeting others
of her kind will weaken her judgment.”

“Maybe it will, for a time. It’s easy to
trust in the familiar, but she is your wife now. She will listen to
you.”

Keilor slanted him a look. “You think she
would accept it if I told her that I will not ally myself with the
Ronin?”

Jayems’ eyes slipped downward, conceding to
Keilor’s very valid concern. The Ronin had a valuable ally in
Jasmine, and no doubt knew it. “I know you’re in a difficult
position, Keilor, but I will support you. I will not command the
same from you, but…” He did not need to say what was already
understood. Together they could stand firm against the rest of the
Haunt, divided… Division might be disastrous.

“I need to find my wife,” Keilor muttered so
he wouldn’t have to answer Jayems. He knew what his answer would
be; the one that might make him a traitor in the eyes of his
people. But if that was what it took to secure the future for his
family then so be it. He could do nothing less for his wife and
child. If he had to choose whom to protect, his family or his race,
his race could go fend for themselves.

He was a family man.

“This is for you.” Keilor handed Jasmine a
black box like the one he wore on his belt. “It’s coded with your
personal frequency.”

Jasmine took the summons box and lifted a
brow. “My, what lovely presents you bring me.”

He smiled a little. “Until I say otherwise, I
want you to wear your gun every time you leave this room.” She
opened her mouth, but he cut her off sternly, “Every time,
Jasmine.”

She took a deep breath. “
All right
. I
can just imagine how stupid I’m going to look at nine months
pregnant, toting a gun…” Muttering, she took his hand and tugged
him down to sit beside her on the bed. Since he remained tense, she
rose on her knees behind him and began to massage the rock-like
muscles in his shoulders. “Is this about the Ronin?” His muscles
tensed under her hands, and she grimaced. At this rate she’d wear
out before he did.

“Among other things.” He was silent for a
moment. “Be careful. Just because they’re human doesn’t mean they
can be trusted.”