Priestess of the Eggstone (13 page)

“Can you cook like that on a ship?” I asked, curious. The Twinkle wasn’t equipped for it, but if I knew she could, there was no reason not to add a full galley to the list of equipment I wanted on my ship. If I ever got one.

“If you give me the right tools and a steady supply of fresh foods.”

“Then we’re definitely partners.” Nothing would ever come of it, but I could still dream.

“What’s this about partners?” Jerimon dropped his spoon into his bowl.

“We really do need two pilots,” Jasyn said.

“He doesn’t have to be a full partner, does he?”

“It’s only fair. He is my brother.”

I stood, needing some advantage over Jerimon. “Some day, if we ever manage to shake the Sessimoniss, Jasyn and I are going to buy a trading ship. If we can find a banker delirious enough to sign a loan. And if we can find someone stupid enough to let us buy their ship.” The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that it would never happen.

“I know a place we can get both,” Jasyn announced. “I’ve got close to fifteen-thousand credits saved up. What am I going to spend it on here? On Nevira?

“You’re serious?”

“You don’t know anything about her, Jasyn,” Jerimon warned.

“Butt out, Jerimon.” I could almost taste hope.

“Why shouldn’t I trust her, Jerimon? You did.”

“I took a chance and look where it got me.”

“The Sessimoniss were your fault,” I said.

“She works for the Patrol, even though she denies it. You don’t want to get involved with them.”

“I’m a big girl, Jerimon. I can handle myself.”

“Why are you objecting, Jerimon? Is it because I wouldn’t let you kiss me?” I had the immense satisfaction of watching his face turn beet red. Jasyn smothered a laugh.

“She’s trouble, Jasyn,” he said.

“So are you, little brother.”

“We’ll let you sign on as pilot.” I guessed at the real reason for his objections. He was afraid I would take his sister away and leave him behind.

“You like her, don’t you?” Jasyn teased. “Because she actually said no to you.”

“But you didn’t, Dace.” Jerimon said. “You just didn’t say yes.” Jerimon pushed away from the table, leaving the kitchen. A flush crept up my cheeks. Jasyn shook her head.

“You let him kiss you?”

“No,” I lied.

“You know, he can hear every word you say in here. The apartment isn’t that big.”

“He heard everything we said earlier?”

“He won’t let on if you don’t.” Jasyn gathered the dishes. She lowered her voice. “Don’t encourage him, Dace. He isn’t ready for you.”

I kept mine barely above whisper. “I’m not encouraging him. I’ve done everything I can to keep our relationship professional, nothing more. He’s the one that tried to make it personal.”

Jerimon’s footsteps approached the kitchen, deliberately loud.

“Have you ever tried shebash nut cream?” Jasyn placed a bowl of pale tan foam on the table. “I think you’d enjoy it.”

“I think you’re enjoying this,” I muttered. She did not deny it as she handed me a dish of her concoction. One bite convinced me that somehow, some way, I was going to stay close to Jasyn.

Someone who could cook like she did, on short notice, was worth any price I could pay. Even if she turned out to be a lousy navigator her cooking more than made up for it. I helped her wash the dishes after we finished. Jerimon settled in the other room with a book.

The lights dimmed about the time we finished. I looked up, startled. The howling of the wind had increased without my noticing. Jasyn shrugged. “Sometimes the storms take the power station out for a while. Especially when it gets really cold.”

“Do you want me to start a fire?” Jerimon called from the other room.

I dried my hands, wondering just how often he’d run to his sister for help. And just how long Jasyn had been slinging drinks in that bar.

“Sure,” Jasyn answered her brother.

I walked into the room just in time to catch the smell of woodsmoke as Jerimon lit the fire. Yellow flames danced in the plascrete fireplace that dominated one section of wall. I swallowed hard to keep myself from running screaming out of the building. The flames danced higher, licking eagerly at the dry wood. The smell of smoke was overpowering. I sucked in air, trying to breathe as the light of the fire billowed higher and higher. The heat of it beat against me. I tried to look away, tried telling myself that the fire was not around my feet, but it didn’t help. I was caught fast in a waking nightmare.

Chapter Ten

Jerimon slammed a door shut on the fireplace, closing off my view of the flames.

I closed my eyes and tried to banish thoughts of fires. My hands shook.

“Something wrong, Dace?”

I blinked away the nightmares. They were my private, horrible memories of Dadilan. I shook my head. “I’m fine, just keep that fire away from me.”

Jerimon gave me a strange look, his hand brushing my arm.

I balled my fists, wanting more space. He didn’t move back and I couldn’t slide away; the room was too small.

“You’re sure you’re all right? You look a bit pale.”

“Go away, Jerimon.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“Why do you care?” I stared into his face.

He wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. “I just want to help.”

“Why?”

“It might be important.”

“What if the Sessimoniss build a big bonfire and I panic? How likely is that?” I sincerely hoped it wasn’t very likely, but with my luck it probably was. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “It has to do with the reason my file is blank. I got stranded on a planet named Dadilan, mixed up in some deep Patrol business. I was almost burned at the stake.”

“You’re lying,” he said incredulously.

“They were quite serious about it. They brought their children to watch.” That had been the worst part, feeling the heat of the flames licking at my legs, smelling my clothes scorching, and seeing the little children laughing and pointing. I shoved the memories away. “It took me weeks to quit having nightmares about that planet. If I really worked for the Patrol, do you think they’d leave my file wide open? I’d have a cover story so tight you could carry water in it. They didn’t want anyone digging into what happened on Dadilan. I’m supposed to keep my mouth shut.”

I pushed him away, stumbling into the little washroom tucked next to the bedroom. I shut the door, flipping the lock. Cold water splashed on my face did little to stop the shaking.

Jasyn’s apartment was small, just the four rooms, but it was a lot bigger than the ship’s cabin. I still wanted the ship. There were no fires on it, no reminders of the time I’d been stranded on the primitive planet of Dadilan. I’d walked away from it only a few months previously and now I was in more trouble. How did I manage to attract it so quickly? Maybe I should have taken Commander Lowell’s offer. But that would have meant giving up every dream I’d ever had. Why couldn’t life be simple?

I didn’t have any answers. I washed my face again then opened the door.

The lights went out completely, but Jasyn was ready with a couple of battery-powered lights. The smell of smoke faded to a level I could ignore.

Jasyn was the perfect hostess. She loaned me some of her clothes. They were too long, and I didn’t fill them out nearly as nicely as she did, but nobody mentioned it. We made the best of the situation and went to sleep soon after sorting out blankets.

I didn’t sleep well. I kept waking up, staring around at the unfamiliar shadows and listening to the wind howling. Gusts rattled the windows, throwing snow like pellets of lead at the walls. I peeked out the window at one point and saw nothing but swirling darkness.

The power was still off the next morning. We ate cold bread from Jasyn’s cupboard. Jasyn found a deck of cards and we spent a while sitting at her table playing. Jasyn was a sharp player. We were evenly matched. Her strategies intrigued me; she often played in directions I would never have considered. We called it a draw at noon when the power finally came back on.

By then, I knew quite a bit about her and her brother. They were children of space gypsies, one of the large families of wanderers that traveled all through the Empire and beyond. Her parents, though, had been disowned before Jasyn was born. She and Jerimon were raised on dozens of different planets and stations, wherever her parents could find work. A mining accident shortly after she turned nineteen had claimed both their lives, leaving her and Jerimon on their own. They had managed to scrape together the money and knowledge to pass certification, Jerimon as a pilot, Jasyn as a navigator. Jerimon ended up at her home several times a year, between jobs and usually in a bit of trouble. Never as serious as this time, though.

Jasyn cooked again for lunch. We got talking about spices and cooking. She was interested, seeing the same possibilities in trade that captivated me at the Academy. Spices were small, very portable, and in demand. Jerimon got bored with the topic and went to watch vids.

I really liked Jasyn. The idea of working with her felt more real with each hour. She understood; she wanted the same things that I did. I found her company easy, and the feeling was mutual.

The day finally dragged to a close. Wind shrieked around the building. The white of snow faded to gray and then to black.

I dreamed that night, a horrible nightmare involving fire and men with big nasty swords chasing me. I couldn’t run, my legs seemed to be stuck to the ground. They came closer, huge hairy men laughing cruelly. One raised his sword, which was suddenly burning with hot flames. It came down closer and closer to my head. I ducked and tried to squirm away. The sword just kept falling. Yellow flame touched my shoulder and I screamed.

“Dace, it’s me. Wake up.”

I blinked my eyes open to see a dark shape looming over me. I scrambled desperately for the weapon I used to keep under my pillow. I fell out of the narrow bed instead. The dark shape bent closer. I was so disoriented, I had no idea where I was. I tried to crawl away from the groping hands.

“Dace?” The hands grabbed my shoulders.

I fought to get free, flailing widly with my fists.

The light in the room flicked on. The dark shape looming over me was only Jerimon. Jasyn stood across the room by the switch looking confused. I pulled my knees up and put my head down, wrapping my arms around my legs to try to hide the shaking.

“Does she do this often?” Jasyn asked.

“Not on the ship.”

I raised my head and hoped the shaking wasn’t as noticeable to them as it was to me.

“Just a bad dream,” I said and tried to smile. It came out twisted.

I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted Tayvis then, more than ever. He’d made the nightmares go away while we were in the middle of living them on Dadilan. He’d made me feel safe. But he was as untouchable as the Emperor’s throne, off somewhere on Patrol business where I couldn’t follow. I’d left him in a Patrol hospital with only a vague promise that he’d look for me in the future. I took a final breath and opened my eyes.

Jerimon and Jasyn watched me. I felt like a zoo exhibit.

I stood and picked up the blankets I’d knocked onto the floor. “I’m fine.”

“You were screaming. Was it the Sessimoniss?” Guilt fairly dripped from Jerimon’s voice.

“I haven’t had a single nightmare about eight-foot lizards ripping my shoulder open and poisoning me. It doesn’t have anything at all to do with you, Jerimon.” He had too much ego, thinking everything must be his fault.

“Does it matter?” Jasyn asked, yawning. “If the excitement is over, I want to go back to sleep.”

“Then you were just having nightmares about the Patrol. That was your own fault. I told you we shouldn’t have run at Viya.”

“And you had a better plan? Who was playing the hero?”

“You could have warned me about Leon.”

“You could have looked!”

“And you could have told me!”

“If you two are going to argue, you can do it outside,” Jasyn said. “Either kiss and make up or go away. I want to sleep.”

Jerimon and I stared each other down until Jasyn flicked off the light. Jerimon stumbled from the room, muttering to himself. I stood by the narrow bed and wondered why I was picking fights with Jerimon.

The nightmare brought back memories of Tayvis. Compared to him, Jerimon was a whining little boy. Not that Tayvis didn’t have his faults. He’d treated me like an imbecile; he’d pulled a knife and threatened to kill me, twice. But he’d also made it possible for me to leave Dadilan in one piece. He’d kissed me when he thought he was dying. Only the timely appearance of the Patrol had saved him, saved us both.

Thinking of Tayvis and those last hours on Dadilan reminded me of Jerimon’s kiss in the cargo bay. I didn’t want to remember that. I argued with Jerimon because I found him very attractive and I didn’t want to. I wanted life simple. I flopped on the bed and wrapped the blanket around me.

“Dace,” Jasyn spoke from her own bed, “why don’t you just admit you like him and quit picking fights with him?”

“I can’t, Jasyn.”

“Why not? It’s easy. You just go up to him and say, ‘Jerimon, I actually like you, so let’s quit fighting.’ Simple.”

“That isn’t the problem.”

“Then what is? You’re sitting over there sighing so hard I can’t sleep for the noise. I haven’t seen Jerimon act this way before. He’s treating you like a person.”

“How does he normally treat women?”

She sat, a darker shadow in the dark room. “I’ve seen him when he thinks he’s in love. This isn’t it. If you two just quit fighting long enough to really talk to each other, you could solve the whole problem.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Just be his friend, Dace. Don’t try to complicate it. He isn’t ready for a long-term relationship. I don’t think you are either.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I didn’t know whether I should be offended or not.

“Let’s just untangle the mess you’re currently in before you try to make another one.” Jasyn yawned.

I leaned against the wall, wondering if she was right.