Crystal Heat

5

The beeper in her hand, Lylunda walked along the beach.

Shadith was waiting beside the lander, but she wasn’t alone. A red-haired woman a handspan taller stood beside her. Lylunda wondered about this woman, but tried not to let hope get too strong a hold. If this fell through, the loss of that hope would kill her.

As she got closer, she could feel the tung stirring in her. The Bond didn’t like that redhead and the closer she got, the more it started fighting her. She took two more steps, then stopped, about two body lengths from the lander, unable to walk closer, the tung cramping her muscles and threatening nausea.

Shadith spoke. “Are you willing to come with us, Lylunda El ang T’

Lylunda understood the formality in the words, an offered contract. When she tried to speak, though, her throat knotted and she couldn’t make a sound. She managed a nod before her whole body froze on her.

“I take that as agreement. My companion is Aleytys, the Hunter from Wolff. If you’re heard of her, you know that she’s a healer. If anyone can keep you alive, she will.”

Aleytys the Half-Vryhh, Lylunda thought. Maybe I will make it… She started shaking, her eyes watered until she couldn’t see much but blurs, her stomach jerked, and hot vomit filled her mouth.

A moment later she felt hands on her. Someone stripped the mezu away, someone grabbed her arms and pulled her toward the lander. As she stumbled and nearly fell, someone swore, then hands were lifting her, carrying her.

Words came through the roar in her ears. “Abra, go!”

Broad straps are drawn tight over her body. Metallic clunks as they are locked down. Something hard and heavy on her mouth, collecting her spew and suctioning it away.

Words. “Hang on a moment, Shadow, soon as I’ve finished here…

Hands on her.

Pain. Worse than the last time she’d drunk the cherar infusion. Knives scraping along her bones. Muscles cramping, trying to throw her into convulsions. Straps holding her, bruising her.

Coughing. Vomit hot in her mouth, sucked away. Again. Emptying herself into the sucking machine.

Wind. Hurricane. Driving across her, snatching her breath from her nostrils. No wind. Again the wind. No wind. Again…

The tung desperate in her, clawing at her as it is driven forth. She hangs on, feeling the tung torn out of her.

Between one breath and the next, there was no more pain.

Aleytys’ hands were warm on her, feeding her strength, pouring life into her body.

She was strong again, as full of energy as a berry with juice.

She opened her eyes, looked up into that blue-green gaze. “Thanks.”

Aleytys smiled wearily. “It’s not done yet, not quite. Rest a while. I’ll be back to you in a minute.”

Lylunda turned her head to watch and was appalled at what she saw.

Shadith lay on a cot like hers, strapped down. An ugly gray and ocher fungus grew in patches on her face and body, some of it even on her eyes, blood trickled from her nose and mouth with each labored breath. She was shuddering and moaning… and the moment Aleytys set her hands on her, she screamed. With her mouth and her whole body, she screamed, spewing blood and bits of rotten flesh over the healer’s face.

The hurricane roared again. Air exchange, expelling the organism as Aleytys killed it and drove it from the body.

It was like watching a replay of what had happened to her, only seeing it from the outside, this time.

Lylunda coughed. And was afraid. The infection was in her again, growing in her. Exploding through her. It wasn’t fair. She was clean a moment ago. It wasn’t faiiir.

An eternity later, well-being returned to her, Lylunda watched Aleytys lean into the harness that she wore to keep her in place during the rush of the air exchange; her face had a faint webbing of fatigue lines that made her look for a moment as if she were a thousand years old, her body was slumped in utter exhaustion. Without opening her eyes, she said, “Sterilize, Abra. It’s time.”

A mellow baritone voice answered, “Heard and done, Archira.”

The pumps hummed again and in seconds the room was filled with a gas that stank and stung like pepper essence. Lylunda’s eyes teared and her body felt as if she were being whipped with nettles.

The baritone voice sounded again. “Take several deep breaths, Lylunda Elang. It will be painful, but it is necessary.”

She grimaced, but followed instructions.

“Thank you, Lylunda Elang.”

The pumps hummed again and the gas was drawn out. She sucked in cool clean air and, thought that no pleasure would ever be as great.

Aleytys unsnapped the harness and moved alongside Shadith, undoing the latches that held the straps in place. When she’d finished and was turning to do the same with Lylunda’s straps, Shadith sat up, stretched, and groaned. “Merd, Lee, that’s nasty stuff, that organism whatsit. Whew! I definitely don’t want to go through that again.”

“Agreed. The Jilitera can have that world without any complaint-from me.” Aleytys straightened after she’d dealt with the last catch. “Abra, if you’ve finished sterilizing the rest of the lander, send Doll with the clothing I set aside for us.”

“We’re ready to berth, Archira. The outside clean was finished a moment ago.”

“Good. The clothes, please.”

The robe Aleytys handed Lylunda was a silky material that seemed to caress her skin as she drew it on, a dark blue that changed tones with liquid grace as it moved with her. She stroked the sleeve, sighed. Avrishum. Expensive enough to pay rent on a tie-down slot for several months. The robe Shadith was tying on was a dark crimson and Aleytys’ was a dark green. And I’m about to visit a Vryhh ship. Walking into one legend with another strolling before me, wearing the finest avrishum. Daddy dear would die to be here. She grinned as she followed the two women from the cleanroom.

This time there was no lock to tumble through, only a melting wall that put them onto a skimmer flat that might have been stationary while the ship dissolved and reformed about them or might have carried them through a liquefying chaos until they were in another place.

What solidified around them was a room that looked like images she’d seen in triddas about forgotten times, paneled with rich carved wood and shelves with books on them, large leather chairs scattered about, elbow tables by each one; there were other, larger tables, a soft dark green rug on the floor, a fireplace with a screen in front of it, wood burning on firedogs, the sound perfect, snapping and crackling as sparks flew, the steady hiss of the fire. On shipboard it was so out of place it shouted luxury even more than the avrishum.

Aleytys and Shadith turned to her then. Shadith was the one who spoke. “You’re free now, Lylunda Elang. We’ve paid your price. Where did you take the Taalav array?”

18. Solutions