Mystic Militia (11 page)

“Humans and Ontarians are genetic siblings. That’s part of the reason we are so fascinated by your species. Blood tests generally screen for something specific. Doctors would have needed a reason to go looking for the genetic anomalies you doubtlessly possess.”

“How strong is her Ontarian energy? Are you thinking parent or grandparent?”

“It’s hard for me to tell. The energy surges come and go. If she’s willing to have her blood tested while she’s here, the scientists at the COT could provide her with a complete genetic profile. I’ll also ask Charlotte if she has time to scan her tomorrow. Shall I have one of the guest bungalows set up for Tori’s use?”

It was another subtle reminder of the rules. Lor couldn’t take her to his cottage. His quarters were considered part of the Conservatory grounds. He let go of her hand and clasped his behind his back in a belated show of deference to his mentor. “That would be appreciated, sir. If things take longer on the COT than I expect, I’ll contact you.”

“Very good.”
Tal inclined his head toward Tori. “It was nice meeting you. I hope everything turns out well with your sister.”

“Thank you.” Tori sounded distracted, but she said nothing more as she followed him out into the corridor. The privacy panel slid closed behind them and she whispered, “Who is Charlotte?”

“Tal’s life mate.
She’s also High Queen of Ontariese.”

She pivoted to face him, her feet suddenly rooted to the floor. “Head Master of the Mystics is married to the High Queen? Talk about a power couple. Why does he want her to scan me?”

“Sensitivity, like yours, is usually passive. You cannot affect the powers that you sense. Charlotte, however, possesses the active version of your gift. She’s called a catalyst. Not only can she sense the gifts of others she can manipulate them.”

“In what way?”

“She can release latent abilities and amplify the strength of established abilities. She’s an extraordinary woman. I think you’ll like her.” He motioned for them to continue down the corridor and she feel instep beside him.

“It’s bizarre to think about all of these gifts. Humans are in awe of anyone who can demonstrate any sort of paranormal ability. Mainly because there are so few who can.”

“You’ll get used to it. Sixty-eight percent of Ontarians possess some sort of gift.”

“How many of those are accepted by the Conservatory?” She looked up at him with obvious speculation.

“Half of one percent.”
He tried to remain humble about his accomplishments, but he had worked extremely hard to achieve his goals. “And even fewer successfully complete their training.”

“In other word, don’t piss you off?”

He chuckled. “I would never harm you, no matter how angry I became.” Rather than using the landing area, he took her outside. The afternoon was mild and he suspected she would enjoy a short stroll across the grounds. They used the perimeter walkway, following the outer edge of the back lawn rather than cutting across.

“Where are we going now?”

“Teleportation is only allowed in designated areas inside the Conservatory, so we’re going to step out of bounds.”

“And then?” she prompted with a playful smile.

“And then I’ll flash us to the City of Tears.”

“Tal mentioned someone named Trey. Who is he?”

“Trey is Tal’s older brother. Trey dar Aune is Director of Covert Operations at the City of Tears. I’m primarily a Mystic, but I also work with Director
dar
Aune when specific missions require my skillset.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “That’s what Tal meant about you understanding better than most. Director
dar
Aune attempted to recruit you?”

“He did, but I feel my true calling is at the Conservatory. I would never agree to work for him fulltime.”

“Never say never.”
She laughed. “You’re daring the fates to make a fool out of you.”

“All right, I can’t foresee a situation that would make me reconsider my decision.”

“Fair enough.
You mentioned another name.
Odin-something.”

“Odintar Voss,” he told her. “We went through training together.”

“He’s a Master Level mage, like you?”

“His abilities are different than mine, but we each have earned that title. Apparently Director
dar
Aune was successful in recruiting him. I hadn’t heard. Odintar took an off-world assignment a couple of lunar cycles—or Earth months—ago, but I thought he would return to the Conservatory.”

“Are you friends?”

“More like colleagues. We’ve worked together frequently and I trust his abilities, but we don’t really socialize.”

They reached the end of the walk path, which signaled the Conservatory’s official southern boundary. The Mystic shield extended quite a bit farther, protecting the visitor center and bungalows, but as soon as they moved beyond the walk path, Lor was free to teleport.

“Ready?” He stepped into the wild grass, coarser and longer than the manicured lawn.

After she paused to look around, she joined him in the wild grass. “Do you socialize? This place seems pretty secluded.”

“Nowhere is secluded if you can teleport.”

“Good point.” She moved closer and lightly placed her hand on his chest.

He wrapped his arms loosely around her, torn between their need to get moving and his desire to explore their attraction.

“You never answered my question,” she pointed out in a breathy whisper.

“Do I socialize?” She nodded, her gaze drifting down toward his lips. “My responsibilities keep me pretty busy but I…” His need to kiss her won the battle and he covered her mouth with his. Her lips were warm and parted, waiting for him, so he deepened the kiss. Easing past her lips, he stroked her tongue and caressed the silky inside of her mouth.

Her arms slid up and around his neck as she arched against him. He could feel her breasts against his chest and desperately wanted to stroke her nipple with his thumb, or better yet, tug on the sensitive buds with his lips. He knew how soft and responsive her breasts were and he couldn’t wait to see them again, feel them warm and peaked beneath his fingers.

Knowing this was neither the time nor the place to fan that particular
flame,
he eased back and looked into her eyes.

Her lids drooped hiding her gaze, but she smiled. “You should stop doing that or I’m going to forget we just met.”

“It doesn’t feel like we just met.” And it wasn’t just a come-on. He’d never met a person on any world with whom he felt more comfortable.

“I know. That’s why you need to stop kissing me.”

“You seemed to be enjoying my kiss.”

“Another reason you have to stop doing it.” She released a frustrated breath. “I don’t fall into bed with men I’ve just met, but sex is all I can think about whenever you touch me.”

He gently tilted her chin up until she looked back into his eyes. “I’m not sure what’s happening between us. This feels different than a simple flirtation. Still, I’m willing to take it slow if that’s what you need.”

“I don’t know what I need.” She hugged him and buried her face against his chest. Unfortunately, he suspected that uncertainty not affection had motivated her actions. “I can’t believe I’m on another planet. What was I thinking?”

He also heard humor in her tone, so he allowed her momentary retreat. “We still have a lot to accomplish before we head back to Earth. Let’s postpone this conversation until after we’ve spoken with Trey.”

“Deal.”
Her hands swept up and down his back before settling around his waist.

He pulled her more firmly against his body and closed his eyes, picturing the main tower cluster. Ever aware of rank and position, the Overlord’s office took up the entire top floor of the tallest tower and Trey’s office was situated on the top floor of the second highest tower. Lor found all the formality silly, but he was a Mystic at heart not a soldier.

Broadcasting the current access code, Lor teleported to the landing platform on top of the second highest tower.
The platform was large enough for compact shuttles and
helojets
. They were met by a uniformed guard, who scanned Lor’s face to confirm his identity. When Tori’s face didn’t register, the guard called in for authorization.

Tori didn’t seem to mind the delay. She stood well back from the platform’s edge, staring out over the City of Tears. “It’s so beautiful. The buildings are lavish and the grounds are amazing. Why is an army base so…luxurious?”

“The City of Tears was originally a leisure colony only the rich and powerful could afford.”

She glanced at him then back into the distance, curiosity shaping her expression. “When and why did it become the headquarters for your military?”

“The Great Conflict changed everything about Ontariese. The City of Tears is just one of the most overt.”

“Is the war still being fought?”

“The actual war is officially over, but I’m not sure the resulting conflicts will ever resolve. Ontariese is fractured and deeply scared by its past.”

She nodded. “Earth has had several Great Conflicts. One was even called ‘the war to end all wars’, but of course it didn’t.”

“The Director is ready for you now,” the guard called out.

Lor took Tori’s hand and led her through a set of automatic doors and down a staircase. A security door was scanned open by the guard posted at the entrance and Lor guided Tori into the luxurious office. The outer wall followed the curvature of the tower, giving the office a spectacular view of the city.

“Wow,” Tori whispered under her breath so he let her soak in the grandeur. “This is even better than the roof.”

“Just got off the link with by brother,” Trey began, forgoing the usual formalities.

Tori dragged her gaze away from the view and gasped. Her eyes rounded and her mouth hung open.

Trey just laughed. “I had a similar reaction the first time I saw a human.”

Every Ontarian Tori had seen so far had a distinct resemblance to humans. Director dar Aune’s appearance was not unusual for an Ontarian, but the only thing ‘human’ about him was the basic arrangement of his features. His skin had a rich golden tone and his hair was a wild combination of red, yellow, and orange. And the rotation of his amber eyes was more pronounced than any she’d seen so far.

“I’m sorry.” She snapped herself out of her stupor and blushed to the roots of her hair. “Everyone else has looked so…”

“Normal?”
Trey chuckled again. “I suspect Lor was easing you into it.” He motioned to the chairs in front of his desk, much as his brother had done. “Have a seat and cut to the chase. Did Allenton turn traitor or not?”

“I’m not sure. A good deal of their conversation was in Rodyte. Is Odintar here? I was hoping he could translate their conversation for us.”

Trey turned toward a multi-level console and activated his
holodisplay
.
“Person-to-person page, Odintar Voss.”

Odintar’s image formed within the wavering grid. He was
naked
to the waist and gleaming with sweat. Apparently the page had interrupted his training routine. “What is it, Director?”

Lor glanced at Tori and smiled. She was staring at the image with nearly the same wide-eyed wonder she’d shown to Trey. At least she’d kept her mouth shut this time. Odintar’s coloring wasn’t as striking as Trey’s, but he gave off a savage air that effortlessly intimidated. Lor had seen hundreds of people trip over themselves trying to get out of Odintar’s way.

“Throw on a shirt and come up here. It won’t take long, but it’s important.”

“Understood.”
The image blinked off.

“It will take a few for him to make it up here, so fill me in on the rest. What about Allenton’s team? Did you try contacting their headquarters before you returned?”

“Yes, sir.”
Lor stopped just short of rolling his eyes. “All four of his men were blocking my signal, so I decided not to flash into the middle of an ambush.”

“Understandable. Is there any chance Allenton didn’t see an option and decided to play along? You guys had been spinning your wheels for almost a week.”

“There’s a slim possibility he was using a pretend defection to find out where they’ve been hiding, but I don’t think that’s what happened.”

Trey sighed and folded his hands on his desktop. “Neither
do
I. Varrik has done an amazing job with the general troops, but the hunters have been a problem from day one. They were used to giving orders not receiving them, so they all balked against the changes.”

Tori tried her best not to stare as Lor went back over the details of the past day, but Director
dar
Aune was simply gape-worthy. His hair alone was a work of art. Individual strands of red, orange, yellow and gold flowed to his shoulders in mesmerizing waves. She’d never seen anything like it. His features were sculpted with rugged handsomeness, unlike his almost ethereal brother. She’d thought Lor’s eyes were amazing when they started spinning, but the rotation had been subtle compared to Trey’s. She could only glance into them without feeling woozy. She’d just about convinced herself that Ontariese wasn’t that different from Earth and now she suspected she had only glimpsed its wonders.