Forsaken Realms (Bounty Hunters United Book 1) (7 page)

“I’m flattered, but I’m not Kironian. I don’t really understand any of this. Have you forgotten that a short while ago we jumped from a ship in free fall with chutes that didn’t open? We need to be looking for basics like water, shelter, and finding a way to let Jason Naveen’s guards know where we are so we can leave this goddamned place.”

“Jason Naveen will not want to help us.”

“Why?”

“Your ship’s failure has provided him with an alibi to kill us and make it look like an accident. I believe he wanted me dead all along, but he didn’t dare do it by his own hand. Cryptoerasing was his second choice, but, now that your ship has blown apart, he has another story to tell. And no doubt a doctored record to prove we died in the fall. Which was almost true.”

“Why would Jason Naveen want me dead? I’m nothing to him. A hired hand.”

Syan shrugged in a gesture that appeared typically human. “I don’t know. Perhaps he’d like to keep his weird little clone secret—secret. Until you showed up, I think I was the first person outside his inner circle to actually see him in years.”

“That could be true. Jason Naveen’s an infamous recluse. Having the world discover he’s waxy, weird, and multi-cloned wouldn't be good for his reputation, but would he kill to keep it secret? I don’t think so.”

He furrowed his brow skeptically.

Gemmina pulled a compact blaster from the thigh pocket of her cargo pants and examined it. “The gun’s wet, but it’s still holding a low charge. Hopefully it’s still got some kick. We need to get to those packs. I’m starving, and I want an extra weapon on hand in case Naveen has stocked his little private paradise with a predator or two. When you were out here, did you see anything threatening?”

“I don’t know. I was never loose in the jungle.”

“Naveen said you were.”

“Naveen lied. I flew to Sarna to confront him about what he’d done. Naveen took me captive and brought me to his compound.”

“Is the ship you used still there?”

“Yes, in the large hanger.”

“You came alone to confront a man like Jason Naveen? That wasn’t very smart.”

Syan looked disappointed in her. “No, it wasn’t, but I had no choice.”

“We should get moving. Point the way toward the beach. I don’t have my bearings yet.”

With long strides, he started walking. “This way.”

She followed close behind, her soggy boots crunching fallen leaves. “Now I’m thirsty.” The day was uncomfortably hot. “Naveen picked a dead moon too close to its star. This place makes the humid summer heat of New Mumbai seem pleasant.”

The jungle was so thick with foliage that only dappled flecks of sunlight reached the ground. “It’s hard to believe this is all so new. How did everything grow so fast?”

Syan grabbed hold of gnarled vine and snapped off a couple long pieces. The broken section of yellow-green vine trickled pink liquid. “I know this plant. We call it bava vine on Sarna. Its juice is good to drink.” He handed a piece to her. “Try it.”

Gemmina held the section of vine to her lips. The outer texture was familiar almost identical to bamboo, but the interior of the bava vine was pulpy. Its juice was slightly sweet and reminded her of watermelon.

“This is good,” she muttered in between gulps as she drained the vine dry. “Would you break off another piece for me?”

Immediately he snapped off another large section of vine and handed it to her, before getting some for himself.

“It’s good you know these things.”

“When I was a boy, my family spent a holiday on Sarna. It was a special place. Very remote.”

For a fleeting moment in her mind’s eye she saw a faint image almost like a watercolor painting on tissue of a handsome family with young children. All had jet-black hair and were dressed in colorful flowing clothes as they walked together in what looked like a lush Eden. A heartbeat later the image faded, and no amount of concentration would recall it.

“That was Sarna,” Syan’s tone was somber. “But I don’t want to dwell on it. The memory is too sad. Still I’m glad you saw it.”

For her part, there were no memories of family outings with beautiful parents and sibling to repress, and, for a second, she felt a stab of envy. She drank her fill of bava and set the drained pieces of vine on the ground. “That was refreshing. I feel better.”

“You feel sad.” His gaze locked on her, and his mile-deep look seemed to penetrate her armor. “You don’t have to pretend or lie. I already know.”

It was true. A slight shudder passed through her as he said it, which she found disturbing. “You’re a stranger. I’m not used to this sort of intimacy. It’s certainly nothing I would volunteer for. Do I have to be in your thoughts and you in mine? This situation is too entangled for me.”

Syan glanced down. “I’m sorry, but it has to be this way at least for now. I can’t stay out of your thoughts.” His face bore misgivings. “Am I truly unwelcome there?”

As he said it, she felt terrible. “Let’s forget about it and concentrate on getting those packs.” They walked onward in silence. The distance was greater than she’d anticipated. “You carried me all this way. Why?”

“I wanted to make sure we remained unseen beneath the densest portion of the canopy.”

“You do understand we’re going to need Jason Naveen’s help to send a communiqué to the outside or get a ship. We can’t approach him with accusations. Aside from treating you badly, I’m not convinced he’s done anything more than be a weird eccentric protecting his privacy.”

“You don’t understand yet? Look what happened after you turned your ship over to Naveen’s autopilot. Naveen’s an underhanded man who wants us dead.”

“A weirdo trillionaire wants me dead? It makes no sense. I had to turn my ship over because I was on private property. I follow the rules. I don’t make it up as I go. My line of work demands I honor the facts. I can’t afford to chase every paranoid thought. It seems pretty straightforward to me. Naveen wants control of his little kingdom. You’re a trespasser, or have some other beef with the guy.”

Syan looked perplexed. “What is a beef? I thought beef was a food animal but the way you are using the word made it sound like a complaint.”

She sighed. “Telepathy only works if two minds think alike. We’re having a little communication meltdown, aren’t we?”

“Beef? I still don’t get it. Not only are there cultural issues to deal with, I am also aware of the vast differences between the male and female brain. So much of what I thought I knew about women is beefshit.”

“Bullshit.”

His face was ultra serious. “Yes, that is what I meant. The meaningless defecation of male bovine.”

They came to a broad white beach dotted with palms that stretched out into a shallow turquoise sea.

He pointed to a tiny island on the far horizon. “We splashed down near that atoll, but it was too exposed to the elementals. I decided to swim to shore where our chances of survival would be better.”

“You swam all that way, towing me and the packs and then started the jungle march?”

“And the chutes. They dragged along with us. I couldn’t figure out the release mechanism until I got to shore.” He walked toward a pile of rumpled orange fabric stashed under the brush. “Here’s what’s left of the chutes. The packs are underneath.”

The whir of an engine caught her attention. A quick glance between the palm fronds revealed a patrol craft flying along the coastline in the opposite direction before heading over the jungle.

“Hey! They’re searching for us.” With arms waving, she bolted toward the beach to signal the craft.

“Wait!” Syan chased after her. In a heartbeat his arms locked around her waist, and he dragged her into the brush.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” Gemmina struggled, but couldn’t break free. “I’m not going to turn you over to them. We need a ship. Pretend you’re sedated, injured, or something.”

“I don’t trust them.”

“And I should automatically agree with you? You’re not thinking clearly. How are we going to leave this place without some help?”

“Watch.” He released her, darted toward the wet parachutes and dragged them into the open where the jungle met the beach. With swift efficiency he knelt and scooped armfuls of sand and a few fallen palm fronds into a long lumpy mound that resembled a prone body and covered the sculpted shape with the orange chute. “They’ll see this for sure on the second pass.” Using a brisk wave of his hand he motioned for her to head into the brush. “Keep your weapons handy and don’t show yourself in the open.”

They hunkered down in the brush. Syan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his side. “You’d be safer behind me.”

She jockeyed to reposition herself. “You’re not a window. I can’t see through you.”

“Fine.” He pulled her under his arm and turned away from the beach using his broad torso as a shield.

Gemmina felt his every breath rise and fall. Minutes passed. He was tense and getting impatient. She was so used to working alone that it was difficult to be so near another person and control her own anxiety. The overall feeling was strange and far too intimate. If he hadn’t held her so tight, she would have tried to squirm away.

“Be patient.” His soft breath bathed her ear. “Give them time to turn around.”

As they huddled close she became acutely aware of the heat radiating off his body and the slightly spicy undertones of musk. Syan’s distinct scent was all male and provocative. Her thoughts wandered. When she glanced up, he was already looking directly at her with his dark eyes glittering, and it was almost too much.

He brushed his fingertips across her cheek with the sweetest whisper-soft touch. “Trust me. I’ll protect you.”

The patrol craft swooped overhead in a wide circle. The trees swayed and parted. Gemmina tipped her face skyward and squinted into the jet wash, her long hair whipping in the breeze. Protectively, he drew her close. The craft slowed as it approached the beach and hovered above the orange parachute lying in the sand. The operators of the craft did not land or speak through an intercom as she expected. For many agonizing moments, they hovered at tree level and did nothing. She held her breath and waited for them to investigate matters or volunteer help, but the operators of the craft offered either. Her suspicions leaped when she saw the clouded look of concern on Syan’s brow.

“Something doesn’t feel right.”

The gunwales of the patrol craft opened, and the red beam of an energy weapon was unleashed. The blast ripped across the sand, creating an explosive wall of flame and incinerated the parachute in seconds, leaving behind a smoldering ring of flame and a molten pit of gritty soot on the beach. The craft retracted its weapon and sped away.

Syan’s soulful eyes turned serious. “Well, do you still think they want us alive?”

A soul-paralyzing chill settled deep in her gut. Too scared to think, she stared at the blackened char on the beach with an empty sense of disbelief. She’d badly miscalculated. If Syan hadn’t stopped her from running into the open and signaling the craft, she’d be a pile of ash too. “I usually read people better than this. My telepathic enhancements always catch this sort of stuff. I depend on my judgment for a living. How could I get it so wrong?”

“It’s simple. You didn’t want to believe it, so you tuned it out.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Do you still think I’m a mass murderer?”

Without hesitation, she returned his gaze. The rugged lines of his face were gentled by the full swell of his beautiful mouth. There was nothing about his demeanor that seemed cold, detached, or violent. “I don’t believe you’re a killer.”

“I’m not. So stop tuning me out, and start trusting your judgment.” Syan rose to standing and offered his hand. “Let’s get out of here in case they return. They think at least one of us is dead, but they’ll need to make sure. I don’t want to wait around for them.” He grabbed both packs and then looped them over his shoulders with ease and strode into the jungle.

Gemmina hurried to keep up. “Where are we going?”

“Deeper into the jungle, where the patrol craft will have a harder time spotting or retrieving us.”

“How long will hiding from them work?”

“Not long. Hopefully they’ll think we died in the jump, and they won’t be looking for us. It might buy us a little time.”

With squishy boot steps she rushed to keep up. “Time to do what?”

“Time to finish what I intended to do on Sarna.”

“I’m involved now so you’d better tell me exactly what you plan to do.”

“Kill Jason Naveen.”

“What?”

“It’s the only way to stop him. I went to Sarna to investigate a missing colleague. The man was never found. I’m certain he was Jason Naveen’s victim. I plan to get a signed confession, confront and kill Jason Naveen. I owe it to the people of Kiron and Sarna.”

“Would you consider scaling back that plan? Jason Naveen is a powerful man with a cloned army. The odds against us are rotten. What makes you think he killed all those people on Sarna, which by the way I never heard of until today and I have no idea if it even exists.”

“Sarna is a real place.” His long strides sped ahead. “An Eden as you might call it. Naveen killed a large section of the planet—plants, animals, and people—in a misguided experiment in mass cloning and forced accelerated growth. Naveen wanted his paradise now and didn't want to wait for it to grow at its own pace. He used Sarna as his experimental template and destroyed it in the process.”

“These are dangerous accusations that would have to be reported to an intergalactic court. Proof is essential.” She stole a glimpse into Syan’s thoughts and feelings, but they were too turbulent to read clearly. “Do you know all this for fact or are you guessing?”

“Both,” he said sheepishly. “I long suspected something was very wrong on Sarna, but I couldn’t be sure so I made an unscheduled trip to investigate. Sarna is not a technology based culture and the Kironians honor their wishes by not bringing our technology, beyond our ships, to their planet. We’ve had millennia to work this out. There is an old Kironian saying, ‘one visits Sarna with only the clothes on his back and then one sheds the clothes.’ Sarna is what we call a grandparent culture, very advanced in artistic and spiritual ways and extremely basic in others. They did not want change, and we did not try to force our ways on them.”