Crystal Fire (7 page)

There'd be about a two-meter drop straight down before she reached the ledge that jutted over the cave. From there she could make it all the way down. The climb looked precarious, but there was indeed a chanceif she was quiet and very careful. And at least this climb wasn't as high as the one from Ardane's prison had been.

Marissa scanned the scene below for one last time. She caught a glimpse of the tall, hulking form of a Simian as he glided by. Her gaze followed until he disappeared from view. Hopefully, he was the only one she'd have to deal with. She eased her way off the edge. For a heart-stopping moment, Marissa dangled over the cave.

Smoke stung her eyes and she clenched them shut an instant before she released her grip. Marissa fell for what seemed an eternity. At the last moment she opened her eyes and landed with lithe grace. She flattened herself against the stone floor and waited for some response from below.

There was none.

Ever so carefully, Marissa scooted over and looked down. She saw Ardane leaning against a far wall, unbound, chewing on a piece of dried cerasa fruit. There was no sign of anyone else except the Simian.

Relief, then confusion, swept through her. Ardane was alive. But why was he lolling down there without an apparent care in the world, rather than bound like the captive he should be? Was it a trap to lure her in? Well, there was only one enemy to deal withand he had made a fatal mistake.

From the care the alien was taking with his captive, it was evident he intended on taking Ardane back alive. Recalling a Simian's love of money, Marissa knew there must have been a ransom offered for Ardane's capture. The Bellatorians seemed determined their countryman serve out his sentence to its fullest extent.

Marissa's hand crept to her stunner. Would even the highest setting be enough to stun a Simian? There was only one way of finding out, but she'd have to get closer. The alien was still out of firing range.

It took a long while to climb farther down, as utmost care was necessary. Simians were renowned for their acute hearing. Marissa thanked the long horas Raina had spent teaching her stealth techniques. They stood her in good stead now. At long last, Marissa moved into stunning range.

The Simian had resumed his place at the fire and was rummaging through the cloth bag she'd stolen the sol before. He growled in frustration at the lack of food in the sack and scowled at Ardane. The creature made a few quick hand motions Marissa couldn't see.

Ardane shrugged. "I told you before. The little Moracan went out to find more food. She should be back soon."

Marissa choked back a gasp. What, by the Crystal Fires, was Ardane doing? He'd all but given the Simian her exact time of return. Uneasiness wound about her heart. Had he betrayed her to the alien? And if so, why?

Her resolve hardened. It didn't matter; nothing had changed. Once she took care of the Simian, the Bellatorian was still coming with her. The only difference was that now he too seemed to play a similar game of deception.

The Simian made a motion of disgust and tossed aside the bag. With a sigh, he leaned back against the cave wall. His action gave her a clear shot. Marissa aimed the stunner and fired.

For a terrible instant she thought the small gun had failed to function. Then the alien jerked and a glazed expression spread over his face. He slumped forward.

"By the five moons!" Brace sat upright, his glance lifting until it met Marissa's.

He grinned. "Bring any food?"

Marissa climbed down the rest of the way. "Ever appreciative, aren't you?" she countered irritably, squatting before him.

She pulled the rag down off her face. "Some sol I'm going to grow weary of rescuing you." ''And did I look like I needed rescuing?" he inquired mildly.

Marissa glared down at him. "No. And why is that?"

"In the interim between your departure and return, this Simian and I have come to an understanding." Brace smiled grimly. "Seems my uncle has offered a bounty of five thousand imperials for my capture. Rodac decided to cash in on the opportunity."

He chuckled. "You can't help but admire his single-minded pursuit of wealth."

"Rodac?" Marissa stared at him for an incredulous moment. "By the Crystal Fires, how did you find time to make his personal acquaintance?"

"He looked familiar, and when I questioned him further, I discovered he was the same Simian you'd hired to rescue me. After several military assignments on their planet of Arbor, I still have some difficulty telling them apart. It seems he'd planned from the start to make money in freeing me from prison, then dragging me back for the reward."

Brace grinned up at her. "I might have to give that novel career opportunity some serious consideration."

"Are you m-mad?" Marissa sputtered in outrage. "How can you sit there, in danger of recapture, and admire that foul-smelling, underhanded"

She unsheathed her dagger and moved toward the Simian. "Wait." Brace grabbed her arm. "He's of far more value to us alive than dead."

"And have your brains turned to a pile of mush? He can't be trusted. That much is apparent by how quickly he turned on us. I'm only surprised that hulking bag of hair let us get this far before coming after us."

"Think about it, Marissa," Brace replied. "His strength will be useful in traversing these mountains. How long and far do you think I'd be able to travel before I gave out? We've got to get away from here before someone else finds us. Rodac is the only one who can help us do that."

"No." Marissa shook her head firmly. "I don't trust him and never will."
And I don't trust you, either,
she thought. "It won't work."

"It
will,
Marissa. He agreed to help us, for a price, of course, but one I can easily meet. And I risk far more than you if I fail. Remember that."

Her gaze met his.
Ah, Ardane
, she thought.
If you only knew the full extent of what I risked
. Yet, in spite of it all, the look burning in his dark brown eyes was so intense, so compelling, that Marissa found her resolve melting. Curse him! He could very easily betray her, yet she almost believed him. She turned away.

"Marissa," he prodded, his voice deep and rich. "Trust me in this. I know what I'm doing."

Exasperation filled her. They'd both regret this decision. She just knew it! But Ardane spoke true. They needed help desperately if they were to escape these mountains. For the time being, her wiser course was to use the Simian and wait for Ardane to misstep. And never, ever, lower her guard against either of them.

She resheathed the dagger. "Have it your way, you stubborn male. But if you're wrong and we live to regret it, I'll never listen to another thing you say."

Brace grinned, a broad, devastating expression filled with relief and boyish gratitude. Marissa's heart did a somersault. Then, with a fierce scowl, she turned away.

Curse Brace Ardane, she thought. From the start he'd been nothing but trouble. And the trouble he stirred with these new, exquisitely disturbing emotions frightened Marissa most of all.

Ah, curse him and the ill-fated quest that had forced them together. Curse him for the eventual pain she knew he'd cause her. And curse Ferox most of allfor forcing them both into this morass of lies and deception.

With hard resolve, Marissa quashed her fruitless lamenting and turned to eye the Simian's prone form. "I had no idea a stunner worked so well on a beast that size. But then, I did set it on high."

"An advantage that might stand us in good stead."

She forced her gaze to meet his. "You spoke of coming to an understanding with this creature. Are you planning on sharing it with me?"

At the bluntness of her question, Brace grinned. "Ever the diplomat, aren't you, Marissa? Have you given any thought to entering politics? Your verbal skills far exceed"

"Enough, Ardane!" Marissa snapped. "I'm tired of your clever banter. Either tell me why this Simian agreed to let you go, oror I'll slit his throat and be done with it!"

Brace laughed and held up a hand. "As you wish,
gentle
femina." He paused to glance around. "Did you bring any food back with you? I can easily talk while I eat."

Marissa rolled her eyes. "All you males think of is food. But I left my bag outside." She made a move to rise.

"No, Marissa." A big, gentle hand stayed her. "That's not
all
we males think of. But I imagine food is all you're willing to share."

Her blue-green gaze met his.

In the fire's flickering glow, Brace's dark eyes danced with golden lights. His look was smiling, almost teasing, but beneath it hovered a deeper messageintense, disturbing, and hungry.

High color swept Marissa's cheeks as she frantically considered and cast aside half a dozen responses. There was no reply she hadn't given before. She twisted free of his grip.

"I-I'll be back with the bag." Marissa fled the cave.

Brace was waiting when she returned. Marissa lowered herself beside the fire and extracted parcels of journey bread and meat sticks.

"Here, content yourself with these." She tossed Brace two packages.

He arched a dark brow and unwrapped the food. At sight of the meat sticks, he smiled. "Thank you, Marissa."

His rich-timbred voice slid over her, soothing her jangled nerves. She smiled, then caught herself. "You had it in your stubborn head you'd never recover without meat. I simply gave you what you wanted."

A smile quirked Brace's mouth. He bit into a meat stick, savoring the texture and tangy flavor of the highly seasoned food. Intense pleasure filled him. Brace swallowed, then sighed.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to try one?" he asked, offering her a meat stick.

Marissa choked down the gorge that rose in her throat. "No. No, thank you."

Brace noted the sudden pallor in Marissa's face. With one last, longing look, he set aside the meat stick and took up a slice of the thin, crisp journey bread.

"I'm still awaiting your plan for the Simian," she said.

He paused to swallow the bite of journey bread. "It's quite simple, really. I made him a better offer."

"Oh?" Marissa arched a slender brow. "And how did you manage to come up with something valuable enough to appease a Simian? Have a stash hidden somewhere?"

"In a sense, yes. I know where a cache of Imperial treasures are held here on Bellator. There's an air duct that will get us inside the building to the treasure rooms, once I've disabled the alarm system that guards it all."

"Sounds a little too easy."

Brace grinned. "It's a very sophisticated system. I just happen to have been around when it malfunctioned and was able to catch a glimpse while it was being repaired. The Imperial Academy prepares you for more than war, you know. The majority of my academic studies were in mechanical technology." "How convenient. I still find this all too easy."

"Well, there
are
a few guardbots about, if it's action you're wanting. Of course, once the alarm system's deactivated, it does hamper the 'bots' communication with each other. Not as even a fight, but the best I can provide."

Marissa shot him an exasperated look. "I thought as much. Now tell me, how did you 'happen to be around' when the system was repaired?"

Color spread up Brace's neck to flush his face. "I led several military expeditions to other worlds to 'appropriate' many of the treasures now housed in the Repository. I was delivering some of the booty one sol when the repairs were being done."

Marissa stared at him for a long moment, then gave a bitter laugh. "You've had quite a full life at the expense of others, haven't you, Ardane? I'm amazed your High King would have ever thrown such a valuable asset into prison!"

"Obedience can only go so far," he muttered. "Even I had my limits."

Disdain twisted her lips. "But how can that be? Limits to unthinking, unwavering obedience? Why, that's unheard of in Bellatorians! Your people recognize only one possible motive for disobediencecowardice." Marissa's eyes narrowed. "Were you a coward, then, Brace Ardane? Was that your crime?" "Careful, femina. My imprisonment is not the issue."

"Isn't it? Don't I deserve to know whether my partner in this quest is a coward or not?"

Even as she spoke, Marissa knew she shouldn't be taunting him like that. Assurances of his courage would settle nothing. Lies came too easily to most Bellatorians. Only actions would prove the truth of the matter. Yet the realization that Ardane was probably as mindlessly cruel as the rest of his kind was as unsettling as the contemplation of his cowardice. Either way, Marissa was strangely disappointed.

And it had
nothing
to do with her conception of him as a person, she was quick to assure herself. All that mattered was her quest. Ardane's true value would always be as trade for Candra's life.

Yet, in spite of her best intentions, Marissa couldn't help one last little dig. "Well?" she prodded. "Are, or are you not, a coward?"

Her taunt sliced through Brace, laying open that old wound of his imprisonment. A coward. Gods!

Scorching fury flared in his eyes. "You
dare
question my courage? Then why not call the whole thing off? Surely you've no need for a coward on your precious quest?"

His challenge drew Marissa up short. Why had she goaded him in such a stupid, mindless manner? Her foolish reaction to the possibility of his cowardice now threatened Ardane's con- tinued participation. She must calm him, and quickly, or risk losing everything.
Everything
.

Her eyes lowered. "II beg pardon. It was mymy anger at hearing of more Bellatorian offenses that drove me to lash out at you."

She glanced back up at him.

He graced her with a thunderous glare.

"Why were you imprisoned? Can't you at least tell me that?" she asked, managing a tentative smile.

"And why do you care?" he growled.

"Partners work best if they understand each other," Marissa replied softly. "And besides, I've decided you're not as loathsome as I first imagined."