Eyes in the Sky Read online

  She placed her hand in his, and his skin warmed and softened against hers.

  Might watched them for a moment before he left.

  “What is he up to, Natu?”

  He started to walk, and he kept his hand around hers. “He is following Alara’s vision. She can see possibilities, but according to Alara, we are a certainty.”

  “I thought your folk didn’t mix with others.”

  “We don’t, but since I am the exception to my folk, you can be the exception for me.”

  To her surprise, he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. Again, the moment that his skin touched hers, it changed texture.

  She stared at his lips as he pulled away. “So, stars?”

  He chuckled and they walked through the facility and out into the night. Instead of walking, he gathered her in his arms and launched from the ground into the air.

  She squeaked and held tight to his shoulders. She was high enough on his chest to see his wings working against the wind. She could also see the base and Citadel. There was something very wrong with the Citadel.

  She continued to stare toward the Citadel, and she could see what it was sending. “Son of the ugliest goat in the herd. He is telling them about me!”

  “I am sorry, but it was going to happen.”

  “Take me back there; I will drown him in his own drool.” She snarled and tensed in Natu’s arms.

  “They know about him now. You are the last person he will tell on. If it makes you feel better, he doesn’t know all that you can do. He thinks you are just a keen-eyed vision talent.”

  She still wanted to pound his smarmy face into the floor. “Fine, but I get to be there with the minder when they confront him.”

  “That is up to Might and the minder.”

  He landed and set her on her feet.

  She glared up at him. “Clovid is the wrong colour. He should be purple.”

  Natu blinked. “Are you sure?”

  “I am sure. He has been tampered with. Everything about him is wrong.”

  “Are the scars on half his face not genuine?”

  “They are, but he isn’t. He shouldn’t look like he does. I can see turmoil under his skin. It is repulsive.”

  “What do you see when you look at me?” His crystal grey eyes were bright points in his shadowed features.

  “I just see you, Natu. No more, no less.” It was strange to say it to someone who was so focussed on her, so she looked past him at the stars. “Oh, my.”

  He sighed. “I know I cannot compete with that.”

  He stepped to one side and let her look off the plateau that they were standing on and into the sky with no other light to confuse the sight of the eternal dance above her.

  She could see the path of ships, signals being sent via a satellite and so very many stars. Riasa sat and wrapped her arms around her knees.

  Natu knelt next to her, and together, they stared at the stars. She learned the constellations, the asteroid belts and spotted two ships far off in what seemed to be a shipping lane. She stayed out and stared at the stars until shivers distracted her.

  Natu whispered, “Time to get you inside.”

  She nodded and turned against his chest when he reached for her. Her face pressed against his neck, and instead of boosting her up, he held her tight and opened his wings, pulling them off the plateau and gliding back to the base in the distance.

  With her arms around his neck and his around her waist and back, she felt perfectly secure as they silently dropped through the sky.

  She shivered with cold and missed her robes. His body was warm but a lot of her was exposed to the rush of air and the bodysuit just wasn’t up for it.

  When he landed, he wrapped his wings around her and he tucked her legs up with one arm. He walked her into the base, and to her surprise, he took her into the dining hall.

  Natu deposited her in a curved booth and went to the beverage centre. He came back with some a cup, and he blew on it for a moment before handing it to her.

  “Drink up. It should be fine for you. It will replace the lost calories from the cold.”

  She shivered and wrapped her hands around the cup. “Thank you. I was an idiot to go out without my robes.”

  “I should have thought about it. I have a certain inborn resistance to weather. I forget about it.”

  She chuckled and sipped at the hot drink. It was sweet, creamy and rich. “What is this?”

  “Roxy has it brought from her home. It is called hot chocolate.”

  “It’s good.”

  He smiled and prodded at the surface of his cup. “When she gets a new shipment, there are small, white, sugary pieces called marshmallows. I think you will like them.”

  “You think I will still be here when that happens?”

  He smiled. “Alara foresaw it, so it is going to happen.”

  As she warmed up, Riasa sat back. “How does that work? Does she tell you exactly what to do?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “No, she gives only the broad strokes, because everything else is likely to change if you act on orders. With her whispers of the echoes she sees, she is more accurate than any other seer I have met.”

  She cocked her head. “Has she made predictions for you before?”

  His grin was boyish, a disturbing expression in such a harshly hewn face. “Only once. She told me that my life depended on going to Resicor during the extraction. I have to say that the way things are turning out, she was probably correct.”

  Riasa smiled shyly. “I am not complaining, but I will need to do more research.”

  “You can ask me anything when we are alone.”

  She had a question flicker in her mind, but then, she bit her lip when she would have asked him about anatomy. She was pretty sure that Alara wouldn’t have set her up with someone who was incompatible, but there was always a chance that their partnership would be platonic.

  Riasa wasn’t going to relax until she found out whether the flirting could go somewhere.

  “You have the most peculiar expression on your face.” He sipped at his cup and drained it.

  She blushed. “You really wouldn’t like to know what I am thinking. It falls under the heading of personal conversations.”

  He chuckled. “Finish your hot cocoa and I will see you back to bed.”

  “You will tell Might that I want to be there?”

  “I will. He might allow it, he might not.”

  She slurped down the last of the drink and licked her lips. “I have to try. If he won’t have me, at least have Reset work on him and set him back to birth standards. I can’t help seeing that he isn’t right.”

  “I will be sure to mention it. Come on, you are dead on your feet.”

  She chuckled and got up, swaying slightly. “It was a busy day.”

  As they walked the halls, he said, “You impressed Esur to no end. He has never seen a woman jump into mud before, let alone do it wielding a shovel like a warrior queen.”

  She smiled and walked with him to the barracks. “Am I the only one here?”

  “Yes and no. I was assigned here, but my home came in while I was off world with you. It is ready for me to move into.”

  “Well, I hope you get a good night’s sleep.” She returned to her bunk and settled down with her tablet.

  He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “You are going to stay up doing research, aren’t you?”

  She gave him a bland smile. “I am not keeping anyone awake, so why not?”

  Natu snorted and went to the bunk next to her. He hauled it over until it was touching her bedframe, and he lay down on it, in his bodysuit. “Go to sleep, Riasa.”

  She ordered the lights off and lay down. “Spoilsport.”

  He laughed and drew her against him with them both fully clothed. “Good night, Riasa.”

  She snuggled against him and pulled the bedding toward her to keep her front warm. With him breathing evenly behind her, she was asleep in minu
tes.

  * * * *

  Natu waited until Riasa was locked firmly into sleep, and he got up and exited the barracks.

  A knock at Brodin’s door brought him out with a sheet wrapped around his waist.

  “Riasa can see purple skin under Clovid’s flesh. She recommends that Gray be there to reset him into whatever he was originally. They have gone to great effort to get a spy in here, and they must want something more than the records of the Resicor Citadel members.”

  Brodin nodded. “I will send Gray the message to greet the minder and their party, as well as details about what is suspected.”

  “Riasa wants to be there.”

  “I don’t think that would be wise, but I will ask Alara. If she sees no harm, I will send a courier for Riasa tomorrow.”

  Natu nodded. “Excuse me. I have to return to her. Oh, she needs a heavier bodysuit. If she is to fly with me, she requires additional insulation.”

  Brodin smiled. “You don’t have a problem with her coming with you?”

  “She is amazing on several levels. I could not have asked for a better match if I had remained home.”

  Alara called out, “This is fascinating and all, but Brodin rarely has time for me lately, so I would like to make the most of it. Get lost, Natu.”

  Natu grinned and left Brodin to his mate. He looked forward to the day his own match demanded his attention, and then, he grinned. In her own way, Riasa had commanded him to remain with her. He was only too happy to comply.

  Chapter Five

  Brodin faced them and nodded, “I know you want to watch the take down, but I believe you can see just as well from a distance. Stone will help you be our eyes in the sky.”

  She blinked. “I would prefer you use another phrase. Eyes in the sky was my code word for watcher bots scanning an area when I did the broadcasts. I don’t want to be eyes in the sky.”

  Stone picked her up, “And yet, when I hold you that is what you are. Are you warmer?”

  She blushed. “Yes, the new suit is nice and much better at thermal maintenance.”

  The Citadel ship was landing, and when they came out, the first person was a null. Riasa had seen them before. They had an almost dead aspect when it came to personal energy. They only animated while moving.

  With the Citadel staff briefed on the situation, Natu took off with her in his arms. She faced forward, and his arms banded her just under her breasts and across her hips. They climbed higher, and Riasa watched.

  He perched them on the roof of the base, and when Clovid came out of the Citadel, he had some of his thralls with him. He was bringing backup.

  The null led the minders, and he reached out to shake Clovid’s hand.

  Clovid complied before he thrashed for freedom.

  Whoever had the grip on him knew what they were doing.

  The thralls shook loose and a few threw up.

  Riasa didn’t want to know what he had made those girls do.

  With him nullified, the minder went in and ripped out all thoughts that could be useful. It was a painful process to watch, but when Reset came in with Mist and she touched him, the sub-vision came into glowing bright life. He was a Vorwing half breed. There was no doubt. The colour bred true but the wings didn’t.

  By the time the gathering was done with him, the women were in therapy, Clovid was dazed and guilty, being hauled along for a complete wipe.

  In a strange gesture, he raised his hand to his lips and bit down hard on his thumb.

  Riasa could see a circuit in his thumb. “I think he tried to blow something up.”

  From inside the base, a curl of fire broke out. She heard shouts as everyone ran for the barracks where the fire had started. “He tried to blow my suits.”

  “Thank goodness for our flight last night. Getting a heavier, Guard-weight suit was not on the agenda, but it seemed like the right thing to do if we are flying you around.”

  “And by we, you mean you.”

  “Yes.” He held her tightly. “His last act before losing his mind was to try to destroy you. What secrets do you hold that can tip this situation?”

  “I don’t think it is what I hold, it is what I can find out. I intend to study my butt off and work as much as I can.”

  She had a mean thought. “Will you put me down where he can see me?”

  Natu answered by carrying her to the ground, several meters away from Clovid.

  The reaction she caused was far more violent than she anticipated. Clovid ran for her, screaming and gibbering. Natu extended his wings to stop him, and to her shock, Clovid impaled himself on what seemed to be feathers.

  Her partner cursed, pulled his wings free and carried her to safety on the building once again.

  Reset was healing Clovid, but he was fighting her.

  “Well, that didn’t go as I expected. I am sorry. Did it hurt when he ran into you?”

  Natu looked at her like she was soft in the head. “No. I didn’t feel it, but I did smear his blood all over the ground and on a few bystanders.”

  She clung to him and watched as Clovid was hauled to the minder’s ship with the null keeping contact. When they left, everyone remaining separated into their duties. Counsellors headed for the women and the Citadel while the Guards got together and discussed what they had seen.

  Natu flew down and they joined the conversation.

  Riasa had been his target, and he had blown up the bodysuits she had been given to prove it.

  Might wanted to keep her in the facility under guard, but Alara put her foot down. “If she isn’t out there seeing what needs to be seen, she won’t be pivotal to this whole situation. The best thing for her is to keep her with Natu, and he will keep her safe.”

  Alara smiled at Riasa, “Through all the echoes, that one remains constant.”

  Might’s mouth was tight but he nodded. “Right. I had better put her on the roster then. I thought she would be safe as the manager of the Citadel.”

  Alara laughed at him. “She will be safe with Natu. If you want to transfer him to the Citadel, that is your business.”

  Might held up his hands in surrender, and when Riasa looked up at Natu, he was grinning.

  “I think we should check on the Citadel members. See what the fallout of Clovid’s tampering has wrought.”

  The Sector Guard members turned and began the very long day that would provide insight into what had been perpetrated by the spy in charge.

  Riasa rummaged through Clovid’s desk, taking stock. Fortunately, his lechery had been restricted to four women, and they were all in therapy to determine the long-term result. The women seemed more furious than victimized and that was a good thing.

  The best part of the horrible situation was that none of the women were pregnant. The counsellors were working with them to find a way to deal with the betrayal of trust.

  “Have you found anything?”

  “He didn’t order any supplies from the Citadel depot. He didn’t do anything. How did Might not notice this?”

  “The Sector Guard and Citadel do not share any financial resources. They are independent entities. You will have to work out what is necessary and fill out requests for personnel.”

  Riasa sat down with a huff and reached under the desk. She found the crystal she was searching for. “Got it.”

  “Got what?”

  “He had to keep the data pack he sent yesterday. It wasn’t in his com unit, so it had to be on separate storage.” She held the crystal up. “Here it is.”

  “You are very good at this.”

  She looked over at Natu. He was sitting on a chair turned around to let his wings go unfettered. “At what?”

  “Finding things.”

  “I am good at seeing things. I saw the message last night; it was a data burst with my image in it. There was no way for him to send it if he didn’t have that file on the unit. It had to be somewhere.” She chuckled. “Just like looking for a toxic weed when the kids get colic. You know it has to be somew
here even if you can’t see it in front of you.”

  Riasa cut off the signal to the satellite and slipped the crystal into place. The file opened and nine others with it. “He had a list of people from Resicor. Many of them were from a research station and the staff are now in the Sector Guard. He was unable to pursue their files due to that separation you mentioned.”

  “But, he found you.”

  “I dropped into his lap. Whomever he worked for was not expecting more of us to escape Resicor. I am a bonus talent.” She scowled. “I hate being a bonus talent.”

  “It isn’t an insult, but was that why he was here?”

  “Yes, he was here to find those talents.” She worked her fingers over the unit. “They tracked them to Teklan and then lost them. They want those talents back.”

  “What is so special about them?”

  “You will have to ask Reset. She was the last known contact with those talents.” She took her file and worked it over.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Giving them a little misinformation. I am going to send this as a final burst and tag it for tracking purposes. We might be able to see where it bounces to, or at least get the general direction going.”

  Natu touched his suit. “Com, we are going to need a trace on this signal.”

  “Understood.”

  Riasa raised her eyebrow as a voice came out of his suit. “That is interesting.”

  “Yours does the same.”

  “Nice.”

  He cocked his head. “How do you know where to send it?”

  “Clovid is an idiot. He left the coordinates in the unit. He has sent seven reports to it, and it is not a Citadel outlet or facility. This is the route that he sent the message to and it has never been altered.”

  She reconnected the com and sent the burst. “It is the wrong time of day and the signal is being sent to a fixed router. They might retaliate and they certainly will know that their mole is gone.”

  “You seem to be good at this.”

  She chuckled. “Farm girl. Finding moles is what I used to do.”

  When the burst was sent, she shut down the terminal. “I am going to need a new terminal. Take a note.”