Thieves In Paradise (12 page)

"A'Kosu'ban, what did you just say?"

Kol stared at Barok who looked typically pleased with himself. The old man had never been above making inflammatory statements in Council sessions.

"I suggested that A'Kosu'ri and Charity-Foster seek to break their mating bond through the separation ritual before the Valencians take her into custody."

Yannick turned her pale gaze to the other Elders, all of whom shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. Demnar spoke next and annoyance pinched his doughy features. “Barok, you assured us A'Kosu'ri suffered from a stomach ailment."

"That is what I believed at first."

"Well, the woman is not Antarean. There can be no mating bond."

"According to A'Kosu'an there can be,” Barok countered. He moved to the central position in the room and everything about his demeanor challenged the authority of the rest of the Council. “Apparently an environmental toxin present on Lebron—the planet where A'Kosu'ri and Charity-Foster were stranded—caused a mutation in the bonding retrovirus allowing it to affect the female's human physiology. I don't claim to understand botanics or biology in depth, but A'Kosu'an's findings are very interesting and I encourage each of you to read the report she uploaded to the medical database earlier today. The mating bond was not initiated by A'Kosu'ri, nor was it intentional. To separate them now during the most potent phase of the virus's life cycle would amount to executing them both."

Yannick sat. She leaned back in her chair with a weary sigh. “I wish I had reason to doubt this fantastic tale, A'Kosu'ban, but I hold A'Kosu'an's word in the highest regard. This changes my vote on the matter."

Kol tensed. Beside him Charity seemed to coil, as if she were preparing for another outburst. He silenced her with a stern, sidelong glance.

"That makes the new vote two to five, I believe,” said Borak.

Demnar pounded a soft fist on the podium table. “Which means nothing. My vote remains the same. I will not see the A'Kosu harbor a criminal."

Faran spoke next. The least forceful of the Elders, his voice floated on the still, warm air. “Three to four. We cannot force a bonded couple to break their bond."

"Yes, we can,” Demnar countered.

Modric, Fourth Elder, cut Demnar off. “No. We cannot. There is no precedent. The choice remains with them. If A'Kosu'ri remains bonded, the woman becomes A'Kosu as well and therefore deserving of our physical and legal protection regardless of her guilt or innocence. It becomes our duty to hold her harmless until a trial has been conducted in full."

Ceres, the youngest of the elders raised his hand in agreement.

"Then make the vote six to one in favor,” Emin, the final elder, said. “We would not turn A'Kosu'ri over to a foreign government without a full trial, and we cannot do so for his bond mate."

For a moment the burden Kol carried seemed to lift. If Charity were to remain on Antares until a full hearing could be completed, they would have time to work on breaking the bond without the painful separation ritual, and she would be afforded all of the legal resources of his tribe. Surely they would find her innocent once they understood her plight.

His victory was short-lived, though. A new weight descended on Kol's chest when Demnar rose from his seat. His green robes rustled in the quiet air. “Everyone seems to have changed their minds as easily as a flaredragon changes its spots. I, however, put forth this question: If the bond was not entered into willingly due to this toxin, then it is not a legal bond, but an accident of nature that should be corrected with utmost haste. Be aware the female is not Antarean, and bonded or no, she jeopardizes A'Kosu'ri's claim to his lineage."

The other elders shuffled in their seats again, and Kol's shoulders sagged. Demnar was right. Kol's lineage was at stake because he had not chosen an Antarean mate.

"If the bond remains in place much longer, it will become permanent,” Demnar added. “And A'Kosu'ri will forfeit his lineage. As such, neither he nor his mate would qualify for the protection of the tribe."

Barok looked angry now. His clever coup to save Charity from extradition to Valencia had failed. “Then I propose we afford the bond mates time to choose their own destiny. Separate or remain bonded—and if they choose to remain bonded, we no longer have jurisdiction over A'Kosu'ri's actions or choices. In that event, he should likewise be free to leave Antares with his mate and seek protection for her elsewhere."

Yannick pounded the table. “I agree."

Faran, Modric, Emin, and Ceres agreed also, which left only Demnar who seemed pleased with the outcome of his decree. He nodded and gave an unctuous smile. “I agree as well. It is unanimous. A'Kosu'ri will make his choice within two days, renounce his bond mate or renounce his lineage. I will gladly abide either choice."

Barok hung his head and his narrow chest heaved with a weary sigh. “I am sorry, Kol'A'Kosu. I tried to help,” he whispered as he shuffled past them out of the darkening chamber.

Kol held still and silent while the Elders filed out. Then he turned to Charity. She looked as if she'd already performed the separation ritual. Her face seemed gaunt, and her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

"What are you going to do, Kol?"

He held her gaze for as long as he could, wishing the answers were simple. Finally he tugged on her hand and pulled into an embrace. “Whatever I must,” he said as full darkness descended around them in the empty chamber.

The A'Kosu compound covered hundreds of square kilometers of temperate lowlands, descending to a long, narrow crescent of white sand beach only a short walk from the Great House.

Charity felt like she'd covered every inch of the place that night. She and Kol had walked for hours after they left the Council chamber, hand in hand, though she'd come to worry that any physical contact now would only prolong their agony later on.

They stood now on a rock promontory overlooking the Antarean ocean. The first warm rays of daylight had broken over the white-capped waves and all around the rocks a school of brilliant red fish danced and spun, jumping out of the water to catch the small insects that were attempting to settle on the surface of the gentle waves to lay their eggs.

The blue veil of the nearby nebula had faded to a haze just visible along the horizon and the moon hung low and fat above the water, ready to trade with the sun for a place in the lavender sky.

"You can't give up your lineage for me,” she said after a deep breath of the salty air.

"Nor can I allow Gremin to torture you."

"I'll leave. I've escaped worse places. We can do this ritual bond-breaking and I'll—"

"The Council has determined you will be turned over to Gremin as part of the contract they made with the Valencian government. They will not allow you to escape."

"So what do we do?"

"The only thing we can do is convince the elders to change their decision. Is there anyone else on Gossamer or Celrax you can contact to speak on your behalf?"

Charity stared at the sky. Her home seemed so far away, and all the people she might have turned to for help had their own problems and worries, any of which would be magnified by their association with a known criminal. “No. Let's do the bond-breaking and let me worry about finding myself an ally.” She couldn't bear to admit that the odds were no one would be willing to help her. Since her mother's death, she'd relied on no one but herself, and that wasn't about to change.

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"There must be a way to reverse the effects of the pollen,” Kol insisted. He paced in Gia's lab the next afternoon, frustrated and angry with the Elders.

Charity sat in the next room, giving yet another blood sample to one of Gia's technicians. So far none of her tests had turned up any chemical alternative to the separation ritual.

"The pollen seems to have limited effect,” Gia replied. She looked up from the microscope that held a sample of Kol's blood. “My tests show the pollen spores cause a short-lived surge in hormones. There's nothing there to reverse. The ... sexual activity caused by inhaling the pollen triggered the right chemical response in your body to activate the bonding retrovirus and you know the only way to reverse that."

"What about ways to suppress the virus, even for a short time?"

"No.” Gia shrugged. “It wasn't designed to be suppressed. It can only be killed by the right combination of electro-chemical stimulation and an overdose of adrenaline that occurs during the ritual."

"And you can't recreate that combination without physical pain?"

"I'm sorry."

Kol took up his pacing again. “What about complete decontamination?"

Gia shook her head. “That would not destroy the virus, only any bacteria you may have picked up on Lebron."

"There must be—"

"Kol.” Gia laid a hand on his arm. “This separation ritual works. It's painful, but temporary. It's the only thing you can do to spare your lineage and relieve Charity of the agony of separation once she's taken from Antares. You must do it or you must leave with her."

"She deserves our protection."

Gia gave him a stern look. “Are you so sure? The bond has clouded your judgment about her. She's wanted in connection to a number of thefts. Perhaps she—"

Kol whirled around and glared at this tribe mate. What bothered him more than her lack of faith in Charity was the fact she was right. He had never doubted the guilt of any of his targets before. He'd never questioned their motives or considered their side of the story. He'd merely done what he'd been assigned to do and never looked back.

He'd never been to Celrax or Gossamer and he'd never known anyone who was starving on the Rim colonies or anyone hoarding selenite for their own greedy purposes. Could it be he believed Charity's story because his body had become conditioned to love her, thus his mind followed suit?

Gia held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I mean no offense, Kol. I like Charity-Foster and I think, regardless of the bond, she cares for you. I've seen it in her eyes. I'm only stating the arguments the Elders have used."

Kol drew in a steadying breath. “Rather than parrot the elders, why don't you look for a way to prove them wrong? Please contact me if you find anything useful."

He strode out of the lab, his heart racing. If only adrenalin were all he needed to break the bond, he could no doubt cure himself.

Charity woke at dawn the next morning and let her blurry gaze travel across the room to where Kol slept on a portable pallet on the floor. He hadn't touched her since the elders’ decree and, despite remaining close enough to ward off the effects of separation, her body ached for him now.

It's all chemical
. She repeated the mantra over and over as she shifted under the thin, snow white sheets of his bed. The way her heart fluttered and her stomach tightened when he looked at her had nothing to do with genuine feeling and everything to do with some genetically engineered bug designed to keep couples together long enough to raise their babies. She and Kol would never have babies together, nor would they be allowed to live happily in the quiet luxury of the A'Kosu compound.

The bond would be nothing more than a curse for them. And it had to be broken, if for no other reason than she couldn't bear to look at him knowing he'd made love to her because his body demanded it, not because his heart chose it.

She rose in the gray light and slipped into her clothes. He'd held off the separation ritual because he wanted to spare her the physical pain of it, but the Valencians would arrive before sunset today and she had to be ready to escape, or die trying.

Without waking him, she left his quarters and headed through the tranquil gardens toward the A'Kosu Great House.

Her absence woke him. Kol rolled to his feet in a swift movement and focused his gaze on the empty bed.

She couldn't have been gone long, but the uncomfortable twinge in the pit of his stomach told him that each moment took his bond mate farther from him. Was she trying to escape the compound?

He'd made sure she understood that if she strayed too far from his side during this potent, early stage of the bond, the physical agony would incapacitate them both. He thought she understood.

Kol dressed quickly and flung open the door. Gia stood there, her head bowed. Her long, black hair had been carefully twisted into ceremonial braids and she wore her white, formal medic's robes.

"What happened? Where is Charity?"

"She waits at the Great House. The ritual of separation will begin as soon as you arrive."

A thousand rude questions sprang into his mind, but he suppressed them. By the look in Gia's eyes, Kol could tell she was not involved in this.

"I saw myself standing at your door, telling you this,” she said as he shouldered past her. “So I dressed and came over."

"What else did you see?” He tossed the cavalier question over his shoulder, not expecting a response. His long strides faltered when her quiet answer reached him.

"I saw my white uniform, covered in blood."

Kol resumed his pace, unable to form a suitable comment. This was not the time to debate the veracity of Gia's visions or his own. He'd seen nothing valuable in days, and that had him just as concerned as the disturbing visions that had plagued him since the moment he'd seen Charity's ship slicing through the storm clouds on Lebron.

The doors of the Great House were open when he arrived, and a crowd of his tribe mates had gathered in the front courtyard. It seemed everyone in the compound knew of the separation ceremony but him. With furtive glances, his brothers and sisters parted to allow him and Gia to pass.

When Kol's eyes adjusted to the dimness inside the Great Hall, he saw Charity. The pain of their temporary separation subsided instantly and was replaced by a different sort of ache. In three swift strides he passed her and positioned himself before the assembled Elders.

This time Barok occupied his rightful place next to Demnar, rather than pacing the chamber floor as he usually did. Kol addressed the Second Elder only, careful to keep his gaze averted from Demnar's strangely peaceful expression. “We were to be given a choice in this matter."