Keeper of the Heart

Chapter 22

“We may have a problem, kiddo.”

Shanelle rolled over in bed to face the intercom. She didn’t feel like getting up yet. She hadn’t felt like doing much of anything since they’d left Sha-Ka’an three days ago. But if she didn’t show a little interest, Martha would start asking why.

“Is something wrong with the ship?”

“Nothing so easily fixed. What we have is a shadow. It showed up last night on my long-distance scanners. Nothing unusual in that, except this ship is using us as a directional beacon. I’ve changed course three times since I noticed them, and each time they changed directions with me.”

“You’re telling me we’re being followed?”

“Didn’t I just say so?”

“Sometimes I’m not sure what the hell you’re talking about.”

“All right, what’s your problem now? You’ve been moping about since we left, not to mention taking cute little snipes at me like that one.”

Shanelle sighed and rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. “My father is never going to forgive me for leaving without his permission. I know I had no choice, but I wish I didn’t feel so guilty about it.”

“I wouldn’t worry about your father if I were you. Your mother will make sure he understands your reasons. It’s that warrior you deserted at the symbolic altar that you ought to feel guilty about. He was probably devastated by your disappearing act.”

“Let’s not overlook mad,” Shanelle retorted skeptically.

“No, we can’t discount that, but I’ll wager he feels hurt more than anything else.”

“So what was I supposed to do?” Shanelle asked defensively. “Tell him good-bye to soften the blow?”

Martha chuckled. “That’s rich. If he had had even the slightest clue that you were thinking about leaving, he would have dragged you straight to your father and wouldn’t have let go of you until you were his by the laws of Sha-Ka’an. But maybe that’s what you’re now wishing had happened.”

Shanelle sat up to scowl at the intercom. “What wire did you short? Would I have got my father displeased with me on a mere whim? It’s guilt I’m feeling, Martha, not regret. There was nothing else I could do but leave. Even my mother thought so, or I wouldn’t be here.”

“If you’re using her support to justify what you’re doing, forget it. I happen to know she thinks you’ll come to your senses before too long and go home. But we both know you don’t have any sense.”

Shanelle ignored the gibe. “Does she really think I’m just fooling around about this?”

“She thinks your fears are real enough. Tedra just gives you more credit than you do yourself, because she’s sure you’ll overcome them.”

“What about Falon’s loss of control? Am I supposed to overcome that?”

“No, he is, and it stands to reason that he will. Or are you forgetting that he was just as upset about unintentionally hurting you as you were? Any man who wants you as much as he does, and wants to protect you from harm, isn’t going to risk hurting you every time he touches you. Either he’ll get those raging passions of his down to a manageable level or he won’t touch you at all, and you show me a warrior practicing abstinence, and I’ll prove he’s been dead a week but nobody knows it.”

Shanelle dropped her head to her raised knees and did some forehead banging. Why did Martha always have to shoot down firm beliefs with her thought-provoking logic? All it did was confuse the issue. Now Shanelle couldn’t help but wonder if she was in the wrong-no, even if Falon could conquer his problem, there were still too many other things against him. Martha was just taking opposite sides as usual. If everyone agreed with the computer, she’d have no fun disagreeing and causing arguments, which she purely enjoyed doing.

Irritably, Shanelle glanced toward the intercom again and suggested, “Let’s get back to that ship you say is following us. Have we drifted into a war zone? Or is this area known for space-pirates?”

“Nothing so dramatic, doll, though you might prefer attack from a battleship to what you’re likely to find instead. Probables say that’s your warrior come to get you.”

Shanelle stiffened before she burst out, “But he couldn’t get a ship!”

“Sure he could-if he happens to think about it. According to Brock, Falon was brought to Sha-Ka-Ra at the request of the Catrateri ambassador to trade for gold, which Falon apparently has in abundance. The Catrateri would do just about anything for him right now to make a deal, including turning over whatever ship they have sitting in Spaceport for his use. Your father could also buy any ship in the port with the mere promise of a gaali-stone shipment, so-”

“If this is a joke you’ve come up with to pass the time, it isn’t funny, Martha!”

“You know me better than that. I don’t cause panic for my own amusement.”

“But Falon hates everything to do with visitors. He wouldn’t board one of their ships, he just wouldn’t!”

“Wanna bet? Just picture that man being told you took flight-literal flight. The first thing that would cross his mind is to go after you. The second thing might be that the only way he can accomplish the first is unacceptable to him, but I seriously doubt that would stop him. Agreed, he might hate having to travel through space, but he’ll do it anyway.”

“Couldn’t you be wrong just this once?”

“Do you really want to know the odds on that happening?”

Shanelle groaned and dropped to her side to curl into a tight ball of despair. “Now what am I going to do? This wasn’t planned for, wasn’t even a possibility.”

“Maybe not in your book, kiddo, but in mine it was at the top of the list. But I’ve got your options all worked out. You ready to hear them, or are you going to He there and pout all morning?”

“Are any worth listening to?”

“Anything I have to say is worth listening to.”

“Real cute, but if you’re going to suggest we put on the brakes and wait for Falon’s arrival, I’d just as soon pout all morning.”

“Parking here is an option, no matter how distressing you find it. And the consequences aren’t all bad. You might get a little punished for running off-only to be expected-but then you get a lot of sex-sharing with a man we both know you still want. And consider the end results. Your mother can stop worrying about you, your father forgives you once you’re back where you belong, you make one Ba-Har-ani warrior ecstatically happy, and you end up happy yourself in finding things less objectionable than you thought,”

“And I believe all that like I do the space we’re navigating is breathable. Forget it, Martha.”

“Have it your way.” Only Martha just had to point out, “But has it occurred to you that the less time it takes him to get his hands on you, the easier your punishment will go?”

“There won’t be any punishment if he can’t find me. Now what’s next on the options list?”

Martha sighed. “It’s too late to lose them. I can’t tell yet what kind of ship they’re in, but it’s faster than the Rover with a gain of about two hours in twenty-four, and they’ve already proved they have a firm lock on us. By tomorrow they’ll be within communicating distance. Transferring will be possible in five days if they’re equipped with it, and the day after that they’ll be right on top of us. So running is out, leaving only hiding as your number one choice.”

“Where?”

“You ought to know, doll, that in the Niva Star System, the possibilities are limited. Only nine planets have been discovered here since your mother found Sha-Ka’an. And only two of those new discoveries are in the five-day range we have to work with.”

“But the Centura Star System is closer than five days off, isn’t it?”

“Sure is, and there’s a planet tucked in the corner of that system right about where we enter it. Care to guess why I didn’t mention it?”

Shanelle racked her mind for a moment to figure out why Martha was sounding so damned amused; then she groaned inwardly. “If memory serves, that planet would be Sha-Ka’ar.”

“Your memory serves pretty good, and the only help you’ll get there is assistance in mounting an auction block. But you are going to need help. You’ll have to actually arrange for some type of sanctuary or protection, because whichever planet you land on, your warrior can also land on, and if he isn’t informed by someone in high authority that he can’t have you, well, you know how warriors are… and this one will be armed with your father’s approval-if your father hasn’t come along for the ride himself.”

“Don’t even think it!”

“Relax, Shani. Your father joining the chase isn’t high on the probables list. Challen would have an excess of confidence in Falon, or he never would have given you to him. As for the only two planets within our range, I hate to admit it, but I don’t have an abundance of information on either one.”

“So give what you do have.”

“Sunder and Armoru were discovered by accident four years ago when a cargo ship from Antury was damaged in a meteor storm-shows what happens when humans do the piloting-”

“Put gloating on delete, will you?”

“You’re no fun at all this morning,” Martha complained, but continued. “The Antury drifted for a few days while making repairs, and by the time they were ready to get back on course, they had both Sunder and Armoru in their sights, the two planets orbiting so close to each other they were almost touching.”

“That’s impossible.”

Martha’s tone turned testy. “I’m making a point here, so stop interrupting. The fact is the planets are close enough to be seen clearly by each other, and for male-dominated societies with an excess of aggression, that can have a predictable effect-each one wanted to conquer the other.”

“Are you saying they’re in a state of war?”

“Semi-war.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“Sure there is. The Armoruans would go in and wipe out the Sunderians’ entire race if they could get in, but fortunately for the Sunderians, the Antury picked their planet to land on first and they’re now in possession of a Global Shield, and just in time. Both planets are advanced in some areas, like medicine, government-weapons, though not by our standards-but they’re babies when it comes to transportation, and they would probably have annihilated each other long ago if that wasn’t so. They didn’t even know there were other worlds in their own Star System when the Antury arrived, let alone other Star Systems. But two things happened only recently. One, they each finally developed spacecraft that would reach the other. Two, the women of Sunder somehow took over their government five years ago and that put an end to Sunder’s desire to go neighbor-conquering. As it stands now, Armoru is still concentrating on finding a way to sneak over the space border to do whatever damage it can, while Sunder is now determined to prevent invasion.”

“You’re not painting an encouraging picture, Martha.”

“Did I say your options were wonderful?”

“Does either planet even welcome visitors?”

“Who knows what policies will be in effect from one week to the next with such war-minded civilizations? You’ll probably find it easier to land on Armoru, but you’ll find better assistance on Sunder-if you can talk your way in. Armoru has been visited by a couple of worlds since discovery, but as backward as they are, and with so little of value for universal trade, they haven’t been put on the traders’ route. Their men just aren’t easy to get along with.”

“And their women?”

“Pretty low-class. They also have a servant class and a slave class.”

“Dammit, Martha, why do you always wait until the last minute to drop your bombs?”

“Sorry, but it’s the same on both worlds. The Armoruans would much rather invade Sunder, but until they can manage to do that, they’ll keep fighting and conquering among themselves. They’re too aggressive not to. And, typical of more cultures than not, whoever doesn’t get killed gets enslaved. Up until five years ago, Sunder was doing the same thing.

“Sunder, on the other hand, is still pretty much a mystery. They made a point of educating themselves about the rest of the universe by sending a delegation off with that first Antury ship when it continued on its way. But they’re very closemouthed about their own discoveries, and very suspicious of anyone requesting landing. And no one outside their world, and maybe not even all of their own people, know how the women of that world managed to wrest the power away from their men.”

“Do they still have armies?”

“Undoubtedly. They’re on constant alert for invasion, after all.”

Shanelle sighed. “You’re sure there isn’t another planet around you’re just not telling me about?”

“Would I make things harder for you than they have to be?”

“When you obviously want me to give up and go home? Who are we kidding?”

Martha chuckled. “In this case I didn’t have to try. Of course, we can always make a run for the Centura Star System and hope our shadow gets delayed for some reason or other. Just one extra day would put us within reach of another four planets, three of which would treat you like a queen for just half of the gaali-stone cargo Tedra had loaded for your use. But that puts us in risk of getting within Transferring distance. And you know that in order to keep it safe you can only Transfer three times without waiting at least an hour in between. Otherwise we’re talking definitely unhealthy, as in ‘missing limbs and organs.’ And that third Transfer would put you in Falon’s arms no matter how you look at it-unless you wouldn’t care if he got Transferred a fourth time?”

“No-no, and the risk isn’t worth it to try for that extra day. Take me to Sunder, Martha.”

“And if they don’t let you land?”

“I’ll worry about that when I get there.”