Howl of the Wolf (Heirs to the Throne Book 1) (5 page)

The computer said, “Rescue crew standing by, code red.”  The overhead lights changed to flashing red.

Donovan chuckled.  “Won’t they be surprised when they find no one to rescue?”

“Let’s hope so.  I’d rather not end up in an Institute interrogation chamber.”  A warning-siren howled and they raced to the recovery cell.  “Could the blast breach the seals?” Alex asked with an anxious expression.

Donovan clamped down the seals on his helmet.  “These stations were built in detachable segments.  The blast should eject this entire section in one piece.  With luck we’ll join obsolete satellites floating in the outer system.”

Alex nodded.  “If we blow in the wrong direction, we could be the next shooting star downworld and history will record my demise in properly descriptive prose.”

“Yeah!  Inventor of Transfer dies in a blaze of glory,” Donovan quipped.  “Trenton’s the best tracker in the galaxy.  He’ll extract us from orbit and continue on course in one smooth move.  No one will realize we’re missing.”

“You put a lot of faith in that scoundrel.”

Donovan grinned.  “He is uncanny, can home in on prey by sheer willpower.”    

Alex nodded.  “He might actually have that ability.”    

“What do you mean?”

Alex said, “It might be a beneficial side effect of multiple Transfers.  Hold on!  We’re about to blast off.” 

Gripping their safety harnesses, the blast slammed their bodies against the hull.  The explosion screeched through steel walls, rivets popping and floor joists rippling, as the skeleton cracked like a fragile eggshell.  The section broke loose. 

Alex closed his eyes, Donovan clenched his teeth, and Krystal floated peacefully in her cubicle.  Free-fall felt good after the concussion of the blast.  The stomach-wrenching, erratic tumble of the pie-shaped section slowed to a gentle roll. 

Donovan started counting out loud, his voice sounding tinny over the suit microphone.  “Forty-five, forty-six…Trenton…forty-eight…you human bloodhound…fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two…get your butt in gear…fifty-four…and come fetch us!”      

Donovan felt Alex’s mind touch Krystal.  Even through tight mental barriers, the doctor’s raw emotions of worry and fear leaked out.  Donovan felt chilled.  Would Trenton make it in time?  Would they plummet into the planet, or go spinning into deep space?

“Three hundred seventy-five, three-seventy-six…you’re slowing down, old boy…three-seventy-eight, three-seventy-nine…in the old days…three-eighty-one…you’d have retrieved…three-eighty-three…us by now…three-eighty-five, three-eighty-six…”  

Krystal opened her eyes.  Donovan heard Alex’s thoughts
, Breathe slowly, keep calm
.  Her soft blue-gray eyes blinked. 
Stay calm
. 

She nodded.

“Six hundred ninety-one…Come on, Trenton…Six-ninety-four, six-ninety-five.”  A clank echoed through the distorted framework.  “About time, you old mountain goat.”  Donovan grinned at Alex.  “Now we know how it feels to be Trenton’s critters, waiting for him to open the trap.” 

Alex’s concerned gaze shifted to Krystal.  “How many minutes of air does she have?” 

Donovan tapped on the oxygen tank attached to the cell and Krystal’s eyes followed the gesture.

“Good move,” Alex said.  “She can slow her own metabolism.” 

“She’s doing it.  Trenton hurry, it’s getting tight in here!”  Donovan pounded the hull with his fist.  Clank.  “That’s a response!”  Reaching for his knife, Donovan tapped a staccato beat against the wall, and then paused to listen. 

“Five minutes!”  He held up five fingers to show Krystal, but glassy eyes stared at him, unaware.

“She’s gone into a trance, Donovan.” 

A red spot appeared on the wall, swelling to a large circle of glowing-hot metal.  “They’re cutting through.  Move as far away as you can, Alex.  I’ll shield Krystal.”  Donovan stepped between the wall and the container.  Beads of sweat formed on his brow.  “Won’t be long,” he said.  More tapping made Donovan laugh.  “Maggie wants to know what we’d like for supper!”

Kriegen roamed through the woods, restless.  The ancestor voices remained quiet, a fact he appreciated tonight.  Although he enjoyed long conversations while traveling through the mountains, he felt there was more to discover on his own.  Two-legs fascinated him.  He often gazed down at their desert encampment or forest village, and watched creatures that possessed intriguing skills.  How did they capture and hold fire?  How did they control creatures ten times their size? 

Tonight those questions flitted from his mind.  Something drew him into the woods, compelled him to search—for what?  The dark moon rose.  Its rays warmed his pelt, illuminated the night, and drove him to run faster.  Panting, he climbed until he reached the top of the escarpment.  Suddenly he saw her, standing, silhouetted against the night sky.  Moonbeams shimmered along her pricked ears to the tip of her bushy tail.

Tendra!
  He ran eagerly forward until she turned snarling. 

Her fangs glinted and her eyes glowed. 
Stay away!  We cannot bear to look upon you, regardless of the minds you host.   Kriegen is dead.

Blasted by her anger, Kriegen crouched, his ears flattened, and his tail curling under his belly. 

Tendra!  The noble line you host is shamed by your actions!
  The voice boomed within their minds. 
Hear me, love.
  The voice softened to a caress. 
When your host body died, we suffered the pain of loss.  The pain was bearable because your new host accepted your ancestor minds and you still lived.  Our minds live, only the shell containing them is new. 

Kriegen…Do we truly hear your mindvoice? 
Tendra ran forward, stopping a few feet from the young host. 
We missed hearing you waken us and yearned for your mental touch, for the happiness of merging.

The young Kriegen felt embarrassed overhearing this conversation, yet compelled by Tendra’s presence. 

Yes, Tendra, inside the new host my mind exists.  This body is a container, holding us, protecting us.  Listen and hear the seasons of the love we shared.  We are bound together for more than the existence of one host body.  Love us and our host.

Tendra howled.  Her mournful sound echoed through the mountains and valleys.  Kriegen joined her, canting his voice in a discordant pitch, and soon the voices of other wolves merged from a distance.  The howl drifted with the wind, melding past and future.

She turned and stared into his golden eyes.  Responding to a memory of playing tag in a field of flowers, he ran in a wild circle, darting one way and then another.  Tendra barked, and chased him.  They ran until their long tongues dangled.  As the dark moon passed overhead, the two mates started a new life together, a reflection of many lives. 

*****

“Welcome to the Zebulon, Krystal.” 

Krystal gazed into Donovan’s friendly green eyes framed by straggling curls of reddish-gray hair.  She remembered him—but he was no longer a blushing recruit.

“You’ve a most unusual method of joining the crew.”  Donovan laughed and tiny wrinkles formed a starburst around his eyes. 

Krystal enjoyed the sound of his laughter, felt comfortable in the warmth of his smile and the mellow tones of his deep voice.  But when he stretched his hand to help her out of the box, irrational terror filled her chest.  Sadistic laughter filled her mind, and she remembered a man reaching for her, causing pain.  Too much pain!  She shrank from Donovan—her eyes glazed and body trembling.               

Donovan jerked his hand back.

“Out of the way,” Chella said, pushing Donovan aside.  She knelt beside Krystal and said, “You’re okay, honey.  We understand.” 

Chella’s friendly voice eased Krystal’s terror.  Long cool fingers stroked Krystal’s trembling hands as she focused on Chella’s broad face.               

“You’re safe!  No one will harm you here!”  Chella’s black eyes flashed a clear warning directed at the crew, who shrank back as if ordered.  “Come with me, sugar.  You could use some nourishment.”

Chella led Krystal to the galley.  “I have a visitor who needs attending to, Maggie.” 

The small red-haired woman turned a beaming smile on Krystal.  “I’m glad to see you’re finally awake.”  Maggie’s bright green eyes and easy attitude made Krystal feel safe.

Krystal said, “I’m so glad to see you, both.  It’s been too long.”  Her voice wavered, and she felt ready to collapse.

Maggie took control.  “Sit down, young lady.  What can I get for you?”  The delightful aroma wafting from a steamy cauldron mingled with the homey scent of hot bread.  She felt famished.

“Whatever you’re cooking smells good to me.”  She eased herself onto the bench, leaning her tremulous body against the stability of the plasteel table.  “I feel like I haven’t eaten in months.”

Chella said, “You haven’t eaten this way in spans, my dear.  Maggie’s magic touch makes standard rations actually edible.” 

Krystal sipped a steaming cup of broth and bit into a butter-soaked roll.  “This is heavenly!”  

Maggie grinned.  “That’s just an appetizer.”  She piled food onto a plate.  “You look so thin child, but I’ll take care of that.”

“She will, too.”  Chella patted her own flat stomach.  “I spend hours in the gym to work off the affects of Maggie’s cooking.”

“You look just as tall and slender as I remember,” Krystal said.                        

Maggie nodded.  “I can’t fatten that one up, good Lord knows I try, but she’s skinny as a scarecrow.” 

“Meditation and exercise counteract excess calories.”  Chella leaned forward, placing her long black fingers lightly on Krystal’s wrist.  “Your pulse is returning to normal.  You’ll feel like your old self soon.”

Krystal felt better surrounded by cheerful friends but tears trickled down her cheeks. 

“Now, now, little one.”  Chella wrapped Krystal in her arms.  “What is it?”

“I’m headblind.  I can’t feel anyone around me and it makes me feel so empty inside.”  Krystal’s voice cracked.  “Why did I shy from Donovan?  I knew he meant me no harm, but I couldn’t let him touch me.”                         

Chella smoothed Krystal’s hair with long strokes.  “You’ve been through a trauma.  It’s common to shut your mental shields under stress.  It will pass.  Can you remember what happened?” 

“No.  When I try to remember the last few days it’s like looking through a thick fog.”

Maggie asked, “How did your ID get switched with Jenny’s?”

“Jenny?”  Krystal frowned.  “There’s something…I can’t remember…it just won’t come back.”  Hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Perhaps it’s best, dear.  There’s time to remember after the pain passes.  Don’t try now.”  Chella’s voice sounded reassuring.

“But I know there’s something crucial I must tell someone.”  A jolt of electric pain stabbed her forehead, throbbing uncontrollably.  “What’s happening to me?”  Krystal gasped.

Chella hugged Krystal tight and absorbed the pain.  Chella’s expression contorted into a grimace of agony.  She whispered, “Fight him!  Think of a hot flame burning the pain away, searing his evil from your mind.  That’s it, a pure white flame!  I’ll help guard against his touch.” 

As Chella spoke, Krystal relaxed. 

Chella said, “Maggie, get Trenton’s brandy.  Krystal needs it more than he does.”

“No argument there.”  Maggie poured a glass and coaxed Krystal to sip the golden liquid.  “What happened?”

Chella shivered.  “A man touched her mind.  He’s evil!” 

Maggie’s eyes widened with alarm.  “Are you okay, Krystal?”

“For now.”  Krystal sighed.  “That image of a hot flame did the trick.  I feel better now.”

Chella said, “Keeping mental barriers tight drains energy.  You stay with Maggie.  I’ll have a talk with Donovan.”

*****

Donovan jerked his hand away from Krystal’s expression of horror. 
She looked at me like I’m space scum.  Why did I inspire such fear?  I feel like the clumsy boy who unwittingly broke my sister’s favorite doll.

“Captain, what should we do with the wreckage?”  Trenton’s question interrupted Donovan’s thoughts and he consciously assumed the identity of ship’s captain. 

“Any search craft in the sector?” he asked.

“No, sir.  Two other sections ruptured during the explosion.  We’ve got debris all over, so it might be days before they sort through it.”  Trenton’s eyes sparkled with pride.

“Rig a charge to make it look like the explosion ruptured our seal.  They’ll find an empty chamber and shouldn’t question losing three crew members.” 

“Done, Captain.”  Trenton said.

Later Trenton, Dr. Alexander and Donovan discussed their choice of escape routes on the bridge.  “We have little choice after our abrupt retreat.” Trenton hunched over the glowing starchart table.  He said, “We’ll make consecutive jumps through this system to avoid patrols.”

Alex nodded. “The Institute will be desperate to find us, and it’s entirely my fault.  I called attention to our location by rushing in…”

Donovan shook his head.  “You responded like a doctor. As captain, I changed our plans to rectify an unraveling situation.  The final decision was mine.”  Donovan leaned forward to examine the starchart.  “Don’t let me hear more on the subject, past history.  We just need to decide where to go from here.”

Trenton said, “I have an idea.”

“By your irritating grin, I see you do.  Your attempt to appear contrite just makes you look more like a rascal.  Out with it.”

“A small place, off the regular trade routes…”

“This wouldn’t be a planet you know personally?”  Donovan frowned.  “A little piece of heaven and a trapper’s delight?”

“Why, Captain!  You’re a mind-reader, too.”

“It’s not difficult when it comes to you, Trenton.  You’re forever bragging about your home world, Drako.  I’ve never understood why you ever left such a paradise.”

Trenton shrugged.  “A boy’s entitled to one mistake, and I was a very rash lad.”

“I remember very well.  Where is it?” 

“Sector forty-five, sir, a two-sun system right there…”  Trenton pointed eagerly at the starchart.  

Donovan frowned.  “It’s too risky.  They’re sure to trace us to our home worlds even one so distant.”

“But my records don’t list Drako as my home world.”

Donovan’s eyebrows lifted.  “Why not?”

“Well…I was a stowaway…too young for the service…I sort of…borrowed an ID.”  Trenton sounded genuinely embarrassed.

“Borrowed?  And the owner never objected?” 

“Well no…he was hardly in any condition to object.  You see, he was…kind of…dead, sir.”

“Dead!  You murdered a man for his ID?” 

“Sir!  The man was already dead when I found him.  I’m no killer,” Trenton pleaded.

“What’s your real name?”

“It’s been so many spans I’ve forgotten.”  Trenton hedged, averting his gaze.

Donovan laughed.  “You never cease to be a source of amazement.  Is this the truth or another con?”  Donovan scrutinized Trenton’s face.  “Our lives are on the line here.”

Trenton blustered, “You cut me to the quick, sir.  I wouldn’t lie to you!” 

“Your whole life’s been a lie,” Donovan scoffed, “but a very clever one, I admit.  What do you say, Alex?  Do we head to his home planet?”

Alex solemnly placed a hand on Trenton’s shoulder.  “If Trenton knows the place, so that may give us an advantage.  I’d prefer a planet with a defense system.”

Donovan sighed.  “I sense that there’s something you haven’t told us, Alex.”

The doctor nodded.  “Among the list of scientists escaping the Institute, they will be frantic to find me in particular.  I sabotaged the supply of mendilium crystals, a crucial element of Transfer mechanisms.”

Trenton asked, “Can’t they just mine more?”

Alex shook his head.  “The crystals are easy to mine but we guarded the secret of the hardening process.”

“Why?” Donovan asked.

Alex stared.  His gray eyes looked eerie, ghostlike.  “We wanted a trump card.  Mendilium crystals are the perfect bargaining chip against Institute interference.  We didn’t count on their willingness to commit murder.”

“Why sabotage the supply?  Now they won’t give up until they find us.”  Donovan shook his head in disbelief. 

“An insane government that rules men by coercion must be toppled.  I destroyed their control over humanity.  With only one life to live, people won’t allow the Institute to control their lives!”  The doctor’s spine stiffened and determination burned in his eyes.

Donovan yielded.  “What’s done is done.  Now, we need a planetary defense system.  Trenton, does your little piece of paradise have such a system?”

Trenton grinned.  “Aye, Captain.  It’s old but we should be able to make it work.” 

“We’ll use shipping lanes to cover our ion trail, make our first jump into hyperspace at this position, and two more jumps to throw them off track.  Got that?”