Quest For Earth (41 page)

‘You have chosen this man?' Dyrke looked from one to the other. ‘Your brother will not be pleased.'

‘Tarak is not here,' she pointed out drily. ‘I have chosen my mate.'

Maaka snorted. He bent down and muttered near her ear, ‘Nay,
I
have chosen.'

Despite her concern over her missing friend, Sherise chuckled. She sobered quickly. ‘Barid and Bree must be freed. We must make contact immediately and advise the Board of what their fate will be should any harm come to either. My duty to ensure the wellbeing of the passengers and our crew remains. Although I now stand at Maaka's side, I will not forsake my responsibilities. Our priority to repair the ship must also remain paramount.'

‘The Corporation will not assist us now.'

Sherise straightened. ‘I don't believe they ever intended to help.'

‘You must be wary, Dyrke. There may be ramifications from the Corporation for your actions here,' Maaka pointed out. ‘They have revealed their aid to the Half-dead and may well have access to weapons that could damage your ship.'

‘All the more imperative that I return to the
Quinnie
without delay.'

‘Until peace has been secured, keep our people, including the passengers, on the ship.'

‘That won't be a long term solution, Sherise.'

‘I know. The battle may be over, but there remains a great deal yet to do. Maaka intends to sue for peace with the Corporation.'

‘And Bree?' the Commander asked quietly.

‘Does Kondo know?'

Dyrke shook his head.

‘Good. Leave it to me to tell him. I suspect the Board will use her and Barid as their new bargaining chips.'

‘We will free her,' Maaka said. ‘This I vow.'

The Commander inclined his head again towards Sherise. ‘With your permission, lady, we will return to the
Quinnie
. I will keep you updated on our progress.'

‘And I you, Commander. Thank you and your men for your assistance. Let us hope the treaty will be accepted so we can all live in peace.'

Dyrke strode back to his waiting shuttle while Sherise and Maaka returned to the wounded.

***

Darkness had fallen many hours before and the temperature had plummeted, dew freezing into sheets of ice. The land looked like an ocean of white crystals that glittered in the pale light afforded by the half moon. Overhead the river of stars twinkled like specks of frost behind slow-moving wisps of cloud.

Such a beautiful world—and so dangerous
. Sherise stifled her sadness as she thought of the dead and the wounded who, even now, battled for their lives. She had done what she could to help and had left them in the care of their healers while she sought a little rest.
Where was Bree? Pray Cercis, keep her safe.
Although she'd sent a message to the Board, so far, they'd failed to respond.

Drawing the fur closer to her chin she snuggled into its warmth before leaving the entrance and wandering across the cavern to where Maaka and a group of men squatted around a fire. The crackle and hiss of the flames was loud, an intrusion, compared with their hushed voices. Despite the victory of battle, a sombre air pervaded the Freebers' settlement. Many had fallen today and would never rise again. Sherise knew not all agreed with Maaka's decision to sue for peace with the Half-dead. Whether any would openly rebel, only the days ahead would reveal.

Maaka looked up at her approach, his stern face softening as he captured her gaze. He rose to his feet with effortless ease and walked forward to meet her. When he looped an arm about her waist, the heat of his body enfolded her; his touch stirring to life a hunger in the pit of her belly. She laid her head against the bulk of his shoulder, grateful for his strength. Although she had spent her allotted time in the medie tube, she still found it difficult to bend and crouch. Only to be expected after the events of the day. And she was out of practice.

From every day onward, I will hone my fighting skills.
There was much she could learn from these people.

Maaka snorted and she rolled her eyes when she realised he had read her thoughts.

Do not mention your sons!

He responded by nuzzling her hair.
Not tonight. The day has been long and arduous and you need time to heal.

His tenderness caused her to blink in rapid succession to dispel the prick of moisture stinging her eyes. He was right, of course, but too many questions buzzed like agitated flymoths in her head for her to seek oblivion.

She lifted her head from Maaka's shoulder and bit back a groan of protest as even that small movement required a monumental effort on her part. Maaka slipped both hands about her waist and with a gentle pressure pushed her back against his body, cradling her bottom in the apex of his spread legs. She relaxed against him.

The firelight painted red glows over the faces of the men. She recognised Kondo, Junta and the Freeber leader, Liu and assumed the others were warriors of rank. Kondo used a twig to draw a map in the sand while the rest watched with interest. Now what mischief did he plot?

She recalled the moment when she'd informed him of Bree's possible imprisonment. The way his eyes had flattened and turned deadly cold. Although Sherise had impressed the importance of them working as a team to free her friend, she wasn't entirely certain he could be trusted to obey.

‘I will not rest until we find her.' Maaka brushed his knuckles down the side of her face.

‘Yes.' She pressed a kiss to his tense features. ‘I know, Maaka.'

He snaked an arm about her waist, pulling her closer. ‘I feel your suffering.'

‘I am already feeling a lot better. By tomorrow, I should be completely healed.'

‘Not all wounds are physical.' He rested his head against hers. ‘I understand what you have lost by remaining with me.'

He was speaking of her family back on Darkos; of a brother and nephew who she'd never see again. She leaned back and stared into his face. ‘Then, understand also, what I have found.' She laid a finger against his lips. ‘I will not give you up for anything.'

‘This is good, for I will not release you.'

‘You did once.'

‘Aah, that was part of my cunning plan.' She heard the smile in his words and it eased a little of her heartache.

It was time to step into her future. Sherise moved out of Maaka's embrace and stared with brimming eyes at the distant stars.

Goodbye, my brother. May your life be long and filled with happiness.

Beside her, Maaka intertwined his fingers with her, his touch warm and firm. When he lifted their linked hands and placed a tender kiss to her fingertips, her heart floated as high as the moon.

And Sherise turned her back on the star-lit sky.

Thanks for reading
Beyond Aquarius
. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you'd like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage
www.segilchrist.com
, follow me on Twitter
@segilchrist1
, or like my Facebook page
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.

You can also follow me through my publisher's page here
www.escapepublishing.com.au

Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you've read, and what you thought.

You've just read the first book in my
Search for Home
series. This series is a follow on from my
Darkon Warriors
series.

If you liked this book, here are my other books:

Legend Beyond the Stars

The Portal

Awakening the Warriors

Star Pirate's Justice

When Stars Collide

Bargain With The Enemy

Touring The Stars

This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you'd like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

BESTSELLING TITLES BY ESCAPE PUBLISHING…

The Darkon Warriors Books 1–4
S. E. Gilchrist

In this anthology explore the Seven Galaxies and S.E. Gilchrist's bestselling science-fiction romance series The Darkon Warriors.

In
Legend Beyond the Stars
, Captain Alana Knight volunteers to aid a dangerous operation to transport colonists between Earth and alien traders. When the colonists are betrayed and sold, Alana's mission is re-defined. Nothing will stop her from keeping those in her care safe and finding a passage home. But her new captor is nothing like she expects…

In
The Portal
, when Janni, a young salvager, boards a space wreck, she is caught for daring to steal Darkon tech by the one man she had thought never to see again. Now they are trapped on a wreck and with an alien life-force hunting them. Will the patroller save her or abandon Janni to her fate?

In
Awakening the Warriors
, Fran left her ordinary, safe life and volunteered as a colonist to terra-form a new earth. Now she is trapped in a prison cell on an alien planet a zillion miles from home and bound for a hideous death in notorious research chambers. She has one chance of escape: awaken the long dormant sexual urges of the Darkon Warriors shackled in the next cell.

In
Star Pirate's Justice
, Carly has one focus in her life: to return home to her terminally ill younger sister. When she learns that a Darkon traitor possesses gateway maps to Earth, she uses all her skills to track him down. But capturing the charming star pirate turns out to be trickier than she anticipated…

 

When Stars Collide
S. E. Gilchrist

The third full-length novel in S. E. Gilchrist's bestselling erotic SF series mixes one sexy spy, a soldier looking for salvation and an unlikely mission to save the world.

Reece, contortionist bubble dancer and part-time spy, has one goal – a safe haven and independent life far from the war. But her plans go awry and her future becomes dangerously uncertain when she is falsely accused of the murders of her friend and a Darkon traitor. Now her new list of goals includes payback.

In her way is Ulrac, a banished Darkon patroller responsible for incarcerating females for barbaric ‘treatments' and ‘research' on the planet Isla. He's determined to use the capture of the spy and her intel to win the approval of his father – a hard-line Traditionalist with his own agenda – and help him overthrow the current ruler of Darkos.

But the war of the Seven Galaxies has reached a critical stage, and personal plans and goals suddenly hold very little meaning. The enemy is poised to unleash a terrible weapon and no one stands between him and total domination of all the universes.

No one – except Reece and Ulrac

 

Bargain With The Enemy
S. E. Gilchrist