Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (25 page)

“You found our electronics!” Bev cried happily, moving forward to look at all the little pieces. “Oh, wow! We can listen to our music again… if we can come up with a compatible power supply system.”

“Already done,” Trey said proudly, showing her what he had set up. She made an appreciative noise, then took the Nook from his hands and expertly popped the back cover off of it, showing them how it was accomplished.

“See,” she said, leaning forward to show the men the tiny space where the micro SD cards went. “You just slide this one out of it then slide the next one in. Wow! 64 gig. That’s hard-core. I wonder how she got around the file size limits?” Realizing that both men were staring at her, uncomprehending, she grinned ruefully and went on. “Pop the card-holder back down and you’re good to go.”

Hunter grinned at Trey and Bev, watching them go into what Ri would later lovingly dub ‘geek mode’.

“Wow. I wonder whose Nook this was? They have an incredible collection!”

“I believe it is Arianna’s,” Hunter said, showing Beverly the pack he had found it in. She looked at the driver’s license on the front, then blinked and gave a startled giggle. “What is funny?”

“Did you know that her last name is Hunter?” Bev asked, sitting back and smiling at him. He blinked, his mouth opening in shock. Mutely, he shook his head a Bev went on. “Neither did I, but that’s just a funny little coincidence, don’t you think?”

“Hunter is a rare surname on your world?” Trey asked, highly amused by his cousin’s reaction.

“Not really. It’s a lot more common than, say, mine.”

“Why do you have last names?” Trey asked, frowning. “Why not just give your children unique names?”

“There are too many people,” Bev shrugged, sitting forward and replacing the SD card in the Nook with a new one and letting Trey punch in the commands for saving the next batch of books into their archives. “We have over 7 billion people on our planet now. There are a number of people who share the exact same name, sometimes even in the same city.”

“How do you keep them all straight?” Hunter asked, stunned at the irresponsible numbers.

“Birthdates, social security numbers, personal information… that kind of thing. We have a system. It’s not fool-proof, but it mostly works.”

“Why do you not control your population, instead?” Trey asked, seeming truly confused. “Most worlds only get to that high of population if their resources are plentiful, and from what I have heard of your planet, such is not the case.”

“Yeah, well, our people are stupid,” Bev snorted. “It’s a long story, but it mostly has to do with religion and the directives to go forth and procreate. Much like your colonization directives, but without the common sense to limit births once the people outstrip the resources.”

“Stupid, indeed,” Hunter agreed, his eyes constantly scanning the titles listed on his screen. “What are all of these books?”

Bev leaned forward eagerly, then gasped in delight.

“It looks like the Great Books, the classics, lots of romance and erotica.” She looked up at Hunter, her eyes sparkling. “From the titles and the cover pictures, Ri seems to have a bit of a naughty streak.”

“Good!” Hunter grinned wickedly, making Bev giggle.

“She tends to favor the stories with one girl and more than one guy,” Bev went on, then blushed and gasped, realizing what she’d just revealed about her leader and new friend. “Forget I said that!”

“Not a chance,” Hunter growled, grinning rather fiercely. So his little Ri had a longing for more than one man at once, did she? That would make things so much simpler!

“Are all of those full of books?” Trey asked, pointing to the small pile of SD cards. Bev shrugged.

“Only one way to find out,” Bev said, and pulled over a chair for herself without being invited to do so. Hunter was actually amused and delighted to see her take control like that. It meant that he and his men had made her feel welcome and comfortable enough to take her place among them. His heart warmed at that realization. Only a few days in his compound, and already one of the women was right at home.

Hunter handed over the pile of tiny cards. It took the three of them nearly two hours to get everything archived from the device, but when they were done, Hunter was more convinced than ever that Arianna was their leader.

“It looks like she’s managed to download almost every free book out there, and quite a few that aren’t.” Bev sat back, cracking her knuckles and neck wearily. When she leaned back and Trey began massaging her neck, she didn’t react other than to groan thankfully at the treatment. Hunter felt Trey’s hunger and his delight in her. “She has a really great sci-fi/fantasy section, some of the best romance authors, and there are even some really ancient texts. Hmm… looks like all of the sacred texts from the major and quite a few minor religions, history books, ancient books from various museums… She’s a history buff. Hunter, there are university libraries that don’t have this many books or this complete a collection.”

“She’s their lore keeper!” Trey said reverently. Hunter nodded. Trey turned reverent eyes on his superior. Hunter got up, stretching his long arms and legs from the hours of sitting.

“You’re a lucky man,” Trey told Hunter with a great deal of respect. “A Reader, their mentor, and their lore-keeper? She is one in a million women.”

“Was Arianna awake when you left her?” Hunter asked Bev. She nodded, not looking up from the screen in front of her.

“Yes, sir,” she murmured. “She woke up when you guys got back and wanted to come, but she wasn’t sure she should. She didn’t want to have to bother anyone to bring her.”

“Is she well?” he asked, trying not to sound too concerned. Bev laughed softly.

“Other than being bored out of her mind,” she said, shrugging, “She is okay. Jace has been taking care of her, as have the rest of us. She just really wants to be out and doing something, not stuck in bed.”

“Do you think she would like to be here now, for this?”

“It’s her stuff,” Bev grinned up at him. “Wouldn’t you want to be here?”

He left without another word.

“Lore keeper?” Bev asked after a moment, arching her brows at Trey, a little bit jealous at the reverence he’d shown when talking about Ri. “These things are accessible to anyone who has an internet connection, a library card, or enough money to purchase it all.”

“Aye,” Trey said quietly, acknowledging her point. Seeing her frown, he grinned to himself and reached for her hand, boldly stealing a kiss to the back of it, sending pretty color into her cheeks. “But few choose to spend their time and means on such a collection. It takes someone with the heart of a lore-keeper to ensure that they have as many records as they can of their literature and history, in a storage system easy to carry with them at all times, for just this kind of happenstance.”

“That makes sense,” Bev murmured. She had a Nook as well, but nowhere near as many titles or as extensive a collection. Ri must have been from big money, to be able to afford so many of the storage cards, not to mention all the titles that weren’t free to the public.

Thinking about her Nook, Bev got up to look through the many tote bags the men had recovered. She found her reader quickly, along with three Kindles and a Sony e-reader. She gathered them all and hurried back to transfer their growing library to the main computer system while they waited for the commanders to return. And if Trey moved his chair closer to Bev’s so that he could help her with file destinations and getting to know Thorsani systems, no one said anything. And if Bev happened to lean to the right and Trey to the left so that their arms touched as they worked, their heads together… again, no one heard any complaints.

CHAPTER TEN

Arianna was still awake, her leg paining her and boredom battering at her lively mind. Hunter grinned to himself, sensing all of that as he walked into the dorm. At this hour, she was the only woman awake, probably because the pain meds had been keeping her asleep for such long periods the past few days. She sensed his presence and sat up in bed, her mind locking onto his with gladness.

“Hunter!” she breathed when he crouched down beside her bunk. She reached out and hesitantly touched his face, smiling in welcome when he let her. “Hi.”

“Hello, little one,” he murmured softly, turning his head to kiss her palm, as though they’d done such a thing a hundred times. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. Her eyes softened on him and she traced his lips with a soft fingertip.

“You’ve been gone awhile,” she whispered. He nodded, taking her hand and twining their fingers together, his smile kicking up at the corner.

“Yes,” he said, “But it was worth it. I have something for you. Are you up for an excursion?”

“Oh, gods, yes!” she nearly wept with relief, her eyes following him as he stood. “I’m so tired of this place, and I’ve only been stuck here two days.”

Hunter’s chuckle had some of the girls shifting restlessly in their beds, while nearby, Chelsea and Kim came awake in a rush.

“Ri?” Kim called anxiously, seeing the big shadow near Ri’s bed. Chelsea was out of bed with her arm locked around Hunter’s neck before he could fend her off. A horrified squeak escaped Ri’s throat, but Hunter simply held still, letting Chelsea hang from his back. He chuckled and then quickly flipped her around in a neat move, ending with her pinned up against the wall. The tall woman stared down at him in shock.

“When you attack one of us from behind like that, young one,” he told her kindly, “You will want to do so with a knife in your hand, or with far more skill. We are much larger, much heavier, and had I not sensed your approach, I could easily have killed you in reflexive self-defense.”

“Good to know,” Chelsea choked out, holding onto his hands on her shoulders. Very slowly, Hunter let her slide down the wall to stand, then held her until she was steady on her feet. He nodded at her, narrowing his gaze.

“I admire bravery,” he told her. “But not fool-hardiness. We will see about training you so that the next time you feel the need to protect your commander, you may do so much more effectively. For now, go back to bed. I have need of your leader for awhile. I assure you she will be in no better hands.”

Chelsea laughed at that and found her bunk, rubbing her shoulders, more from embarrassment than actual pain. Kim settled back down as well when Ri nodded to her.

“Now,” Hunter said, leaning down and scooping Ri into his arms, blankets and all. “Let’s see if I can’t manage to surprise you, little warrior.”

He turned and strode with her down the walkway, only to be stopped by a pale figure blocking the path. Narrowing his eyes, he was able to make out Amy’s face and her … naked… body.

“Hunter!” Amy breathed, wetting her lips, her eyes shining with lust. Hunter took a step backward.

“Amy, what are you doing?” Ri asked, aghast.

“I’m greeting my love,” Amy said dreamily. “Hunter came to see me because he missed me. He’s been gone for so long, but he’s back now.”

“Amy,” Ri said softly, “You’re dreaming. Get dressed and go back to sleep.”

“No!” Amy fiercely whispered. “He came to see me!”

“Then why am I leaving with Arianna in my arms?” Hunter asked pointedly. His skin was crawling from the lascivious thoughts Amy was sending out. At the mention of Ri, she actually hissed.

“You!” Amy growled low in her throat, switching her attention to Arianna. “What kind of mind control do you have on my sweet Hunter and Jace? They think they’re in love with you, but there’s nothing about you to love!”

“Hunter,” Ri said quietly, shaking with anger and something else that Hunter couldn’t focus on at the moment. “I think we need to get out of here. I don’t like where this is going.”

“Amy, move,” Hunter ordered, adding a mental push as he spoke. Amy started, then nodded slowly. Ri touched on Hunter’s command and silently urged Amy to get dressed before going back to sleep. When the thin young woman moved out of the way, Hunter hurried past, trying to shield himself and Ri mentally. At the door to the dorm, he looked back to find her staring at him, still naked but with her gown in her hand.

“There’s something very wrong with her,” he shuddered, holding Ri closer. She nodded her agreement, and he could feel the shivering of her body from the odd confrontation. Stopping at the medical station just inside the door, Hunter murmured a few orders to the medic on duty, then hurried out into the chilly night air.

“So what is the surprise?” Ri asked, once the clear, open night air had refreshed them both. She tilted her head back against the thick pad of muscle on his arm, gazing up at the stars. Her breath caught and Hunter slowed his steps. “The stars are so different here.”

“I imagine so,” Hunter chuckled. “You
are
on another planet. Of course they will be different.”

“What planet is this, anyhow?” she asked as he started walking again. “I don’t think you’ve ever said.”

“We call it Ishira,” Hunter said softly. Ri repeated it.

“Ish-EE-rah…” she said slowly, then smiled. “It’s lovely, but I’m not getting a translation for it, just… light.”

“Ishira is a concept,” Hunter told her, picking his words carefully. “It comes from our ancient legends and is the shining sanctuary of hope and peace. It is said that from Ishira will come the Ish’ra, a being of pure love and brilliance that can stop entire wars with a single thought and bring peace to the galaxy... the stuff of legends.”