Maid in Stone (Tales of the Citadel Book 59) Read online

  She opened the bin and a small creature was staring at her. The beak and big eyes were a surprise, but the cheerful chirp that it let out made her smile. “Hello, Mertwin.”

  Kiala stuffed her bags carefully to one side and strapped them in so they wouldn’t roll over on the little guy.

  “Can I just close this?”

  Luzor snorted. “Yeah, he can open it without any trouble.”

  She waved farewell to the small silver creature and slowly closed the compartment.

  She settled into the open seat and strapped in. “Ready when you are, Luzor.”

  “Call me Tren. I have a new suit, a new base, and a Yuluthu to help me with some developmental issues that I have been having.”

  He turned, and they lifted off the landing area heading for the skies.

  “You have a Yuluthu? I thought those were dedicated to Citadel personnel.”

  He grimaced. “They made an exception. I ended up being banished from the base you were on and dumped into the stars. Doo-linth connected me with Citadel Balen, and I went there for some psychic healing. Mertwin is my permanent physician.”

  “Oh. My. Was that just because...”

  “No. I was overextending myself. In addition to being a Guardian, I was involved in seven charities, did extensive speaking engagements, and got about three hours of sleep per night. I was an accident waiting to happen, and then, you and the recruiter showed up. One week later I was at Balen, and I have been with Mertwin for three months now and at Thanlossit for a total of two of those months.”

  She tried to act casual. “How is Thanlossit?”

  “Busy, but there is down time.” He smiled. “I hope to find out how you do what you do.”

  “I have been exposed to a lot of theories. Even my parents’ genes couldn’t unlock the clue. They were from different families and in different situations within the same guild, so I should have been normal. Such was not the case.”

  He snorted. “Normal should never be applied to you.”

  “That was decided very early on in my development. Fortunately, it meant I could defend myself. We were not in a stable situation for most of my upbringing; fortunately, my parents made up for it.”

  “Situation?”

  “Social volcano. I will explain it all another day.”

  “Fair enough. We are getting a ride on a war cruiser. You have been in a jump ship before?”

  She nodded. “Yup. No worries.”

  They flew in silence for two hours, getting closer to the giant metal hulk that was parked in open space.

  Tren contacted the vessel and a hatch opened up, letting him tuck the shuttle inside.

  “Are there many ships to Thanlossit?”

  “It is near a disputed system, so warships come through on a bi-monthly basis. This round trip is just for you.”

  She looked at him in surprise. “Yes, Tal said I was requested. Any idea why?”

  “In my short time there, I have been sliced up twice and punched through a glass wall. When I was recovering, I thought of you.”

  She winced. “That sounds unpleasant. Have you completely recovered?”

  “I am doing very well, thank you. Mertwin dotes on me and is an excellent healer.”

  “I thought he was psychic.”

  “He was before we bonded. Now, he is an empathic healer. He does a great job. No aches and pains in the mornings anymore.”

  She grinned. “You know, he is sitting on you. I didn’t even see him climb into your lap.”

  Tren sighed deeply, “I didn’t notice him either, but he goes where he wants to. I never know where he is going to turn up, but it is usually when I need him.”

  “I have heard that about them.”

  Lights started flashing a warning, and Ki exhaled deeply. Time to travel. She had the weird feeling that she was going home.

  Chapter Six

  Three energy blasts tried to take them out of the air on the way down. Ki was grinning like a fool. She could feel it.

  Tren laughed. “Easy for you to look like it’s fun. You don’t have to fly through it.”

  “No. If I try really hard, I can run through the origin points. I have read the legal codes, and if I am not mistaken, I can do anything but pre-meditatively kill someone.”

  “Basically correct. You can do what you want in defense of the population. It is defense of the defenseless that is your only concern. If you are attacked, attack back.”

  “So, due to the disputed areas, there are a lot of unsavoury characters here.”

  “Yes, and they have training.”

  Ki suspected assassins, but it was rare that they would have useful talents. She would just have to ask a few. She made a mental note not to break too many jaws.

  When they touched down, she unbuckled and got to her feet. Mertwin chirped and hopped ahead of her toward the storage bin.

  He waited at the base of the container and watched as she got her bags. Once she was wearing the long duffel bags over her back, he nodded and plucked at her leg with his beak.

  Tren was next to her. “He wants you to pick him up. We may have landed near the base, but he still likes to move fast.”

  “He thinks I am a better bet than you are?”

  Tren’s eyes gleamed, “I think he just wants a cuddle from a charming woman.”

  “That is not something I am called often. Are you sure you didn’t suffer a serious head injury?”

  He snorted and keyed the lock on the hatch.

  When the door opened, the flower-scented air of Thanlossit streamed in.

  Ki sneezed but quickly recovered.

  Tren led her out of the shuttle and toward a compound set in an open field.

  “That is a uniquely situated base.”

  He chuckled. “You could call it that. Anything mechanical flying overhead gets blasted. The riot runners that we use have keyed systems, but aside from that, if it flies, it dies.”

  She raised her brows and cuddled Mertwin to her. “So, we walk?”

  “We walk.”

  They walked. It took ten minutes to cross the blooming field, but when they arrived, there were two more Guardians waiting near the open gate.

  “Gentlemen, this is Citadel Master Kiala Navo. Master Navo, this is Jeth and Mathuan.”

  Jeth was a Lin-cart. His skin was in the steel blue range, and his eyes and hair were matte black. He was massive. His shoulders started where Kiala’s head ended, and she was not petite.

  Mathuan was a Morring. Powder green skin combined with rainbow hair that stuck out at all angles in strips on his head and down his arms and most likely his back. His clothing was designed to cover as little as it could and still be protective.

  All three Guardians were wearing a blue-grey that was distinctive.

  “I am guessing that I am going to have to pay for tailoring?” She wrinkled her nose.

  Jeth smiled and extended his hand. “We use Masuo. It grows wild here and is harvested from an area near radioactive minerals. It is fairly tough stuff and heals faster than we do.”

  “Oh. Great. Well, that’s easy. How long until I can use one?”

  Mathuan smiled as he gripped and released her hand. “I had one growing for you six months ago when this process started. It split, so now there are three pods, all with your genes embedded in them.”

  She blinked. “Where the hell did you get my genetics?”

  Tren cleared his throat. “There may have been some left over on the equipment at the base and the clothing found in the hospital.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Right. Forgot about that. I just wanted it off.”

  Jeth led the way into the compound, and the wide doors shut behind them. “Do you often disrobe in public places?”

  Ki chuckled. “Only when I am stored in a morgue. That is kind of a difficult thing to deal with without changing your outfit. A lady has standards, after all.”

  The men laughed, and Ki shook her head. They were easy to manipulate no matter wh
ich world she was on. The indulgent behaviour would remain right until she put her fist through a wall. After that, they would be wary of her. She would enjoy this while it lasted.

  The central building wasn’t their quarters. Their quarters were underground. Each private bunker had an aboveground shelter, but the actual access was under the surface.

  “What was this place?” She had to ask as she looked down the stairs into her new living quarters.

  Mathuan answered. “It was a biological weapons research facility. It has been cleared out, but it was agreed that we shouldn’t create an easy target with our living quarters in one place.”

  “Is it that serious here?” She wasn’t upset by the thought.

  “Now and then. Not always.”

  She entered her space and dropped her bags in the bedroom. She turned around and headed back up the steps a moment later.

  “Right. Is there a chance for a tour?”

  Tren cocked his head. “I need to stretch my wings. Would you care for an aerial view of the region?”

  Jeth snorted. “Show off.”

  Ki looked at the silver and grey Guardian as he flexed his wings. “Promise not to drop me?”

  He grinned. “I will keep it to four feet or less.”

  She laughed. “Fair enough. Let’s go.”

  Mertwin was put down underground, so she waited until he hopped his way up the stairs before she closed it.

  Jeth blinked. “Mertwin was with you?”

  “Yeah. He likes cuddles.”

  Tren grimaced. “I can hardly wait until his wings come in. I want to be able to fly with him.”

  Kiala grinned, “That should be fun. I mean, as soon as his little ones are able to be on their own.”

  Jeth blinked. “What little ones?”

  “Yaluthu are born pregnant. Whatever amount of little Yaluthu was started in Mertwin’s body were there when he was born. His children will be the same, whether there are two or twelve. They are a self-replicating species tinkered with by idiots.”

  Mathuan cocked his head. “Why are the Citadel spreading them?”

  “They are a beneficial species that only eats enough to maintain its own mass. Their healing ability and knack for keeping folks sane is legendary. Insane talents are dangerous, as you can imagine. It is better to keep them calm and the Yaluthu do that naturally. They are also drawn to the sick or injured, so you save on med supplies.” She ticked the points off on her finger.

  Tren grinned. “What she said.”

  He bent and lifted her in his arms, her robes draping decorously.

  Two steps and they were away from the structures and Tren’s wings were out. He bent his knees and pushed up abruptly while his wings scooped air downward.

  She had flown with Citadel personnel before, but this felt far more intimate. Even with the layers of her robes, she could feel the bands of muscle around his chest flexing against her arm.

  She gradually turned her head to look at the mix of landscapes that were available for exploration. She saw old-growth forest, young forest, open plains and the blue-green sheen of an ocean. The scents in the air were of spring and summer. Everything was bright and alive.

  In the distance, she saw a cityscape and other marks of habitation.

  Tren circled slowly, and she caught a glimpse of mountain ranges in the distance.

  The base was a lot larger from the air. Their underground cubbies were spacious—larger than her Citadel quarters—but they were tiny in comparison to the fenced-in expanse.

  The weaponry that Tren mentioned was definitely visible from this angle, and she was happy that she wasn’t a target. Finding a skin to repel missiles or energy bolts was not something she liked to improvise. She liked to get a feel for it a few seconds before she shifted.

  Ki had to ask, “Why did you change your name to Tren?”

  “Tren is my name. Tren Luzor. No one looking for Guardian Luzor will find me. It is one of the easy alterations that I was taught at the Citadel.”

  “They are clever. It helps that the best legal minds are working with them, as well as the Sector Guard.” She smiled. They had helped her with a few mental logistics as well. There was nothing wrong in hurting people who hurt others, as long as you witnessed it firsthand. If you didn’t, you had to be more delicate.

  “Have you seen enough?”

  “For now. Can I request the honour of another tour at another time?”

  He chuckled. “Of course. Landing on the tarmac is tricky with a passenger. Can I drop you?”

  She nodded. “Sure. Twenty feet and drop. I have gotten a little better at my landings.”

  “I can bring you in closer than that.”

  “If you can, you can. I can be dropped from four hundred feet, but I need a spot to land where I won’t crush anything, and I don’t want to set off the weapons’ system.”

  “Right. Here we go; I am just going to shift my grip.”

  He kept his arm around her but dropped her legs so that they hung free. She thickened her skin and extended both arms. He took the hint and braced her as he flew in. When they were within the walls, he dropped her.

  Her skin went onyx as she tucked and rolled. She stood straight the moment she lost momentum and brushed the dust from her robes.

  The divot she had made on landing was over a foot deep. She had pointed her toes to make the roll easier, and they had dug right in.

  Jeth and Mathuan were staring, so she walked slowly toward them and resumed her normal colouring. She smiled brightly. “I am guessing that there was some kind of bet?”

  Mathuan shook his head. “No. There was just a lack of belief. I have also heard that you can put your hand through stone.”

  She inclined her head and spread her hands. “Pick a wall.”

  Jeth pointed to a building that looked like it had taken a hit or two. “That building is scheduled for repair. Do your worst.”

  She increased her density until she could still move but was impervious to damage. She waded forward at the top speed for the rigidity and flexibility that she could manage.

  She walked up to the wall and began a slow pivot at her waist that pounded her fists into the wall. She continued the pummelling until there was a hole nearly two feet wide near each fist.

  Ki resumed her normal appearance and turned back to her witnesses. Tren had joined the other two.

  Jeth was staring at the gaping wounds in the stone.

  She smiled brightly. “Or would you prefer this?”

  Ki made a fist and propelled her arm through the stone to the elbow.

  The open jaws of the three men were answer enough. She had made her point.

  Mertwin hopped up to her and chirped as she pulled her arm free of the wall. She scooped him up and scratched him under the chin. His furry feathers were so soft she wanted to bury her face in him.

  “So, do we take turns making dinner or is it a ration machine?”

  Jeth nodded. “It’s my turn.”

  “Excellent. You two can fill me in on what you do over dinner.”

  Tren smirked. “What about me?”

  “Telekinetically assisted flight with gravity nullification for anything you touch. Easy.” She walked close to him and handed him his creature. “He’s hungry, too.”

  Tren looked down at Mertwin and asked, “How did you know that?”

  “Easy, he told me so.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jeth was a reasonable cook. Ki sat at the table with the others and watched as he chopped, flipped, and grilled dinner. It might have been lunch, but she was hungry.

  Tren was looking at Mertwin like he had grown another head. “I didn’t know he could do that.”

  “Do what?” Ki grinned. The fluffy critter was turning around and around to give Tren a better look.

  “Speak to someone else. I thought he was mine.”

  She chuckled and looked back toward the cooking show. “He isn’t yours. You are his chosen person. It doesn’t mean that
he can’t talk to anyone else. He shares with you, and you take care of him. That is the basis of your relationship.”

  Mathuan nodded. “So, she knows more about your pet than you do.”

  She reached out and plucked one of his arm hairs. He yelped. She held the hair up. “He is as much of a pet as this hair was to you. Once bonded, they are part of the body and psyche. He heals and cares for Tren, and Tren feeds him. Tren, you still haven’t fed him.”

  Tren cursed and got to his feet, going to a cupboard in the kitchen, dodging Jeth as he did so. The blue Guardian was collecting dishes on trays and didn’t look happy to have someone in his space.

  Mathuan looked to her with a resigned expression. “I know you are going to ask, so I will just say that my hair extends and acts as an extra limb. I can use it for travel, as a weapon, or as a means of confinement.”

  “I figured as much. It moves on its own.”

  “And yet, you plucked one out?”

  She grinned. “I had to get my point across.”

  “You are a bizarrely jovial woman.”

  “Yeah, I am. I had two parents in constant danger and as normal an upbringing as they could manage. It warped me a little.” She wrinkled her nose. “Does Jeth always cook?”

  “Pretty much. Tren tries now and then.”

  “You don’t?”

  He grinned. “I shed. A lot. On purpose.”

  She snorted. “Now tell me who is twisted.”

  He shrugged. “Fair point.”

  Tren came back with a bag of seeds and nuts. He poured a portion into his hand, and he sat with Mertwin while the creature ate happily. “Who is twisted?”

  Before they could answer, Jeth called out, “I just cook it; I don’t deliver it.”

  Ki and Mathuan rose and went to retrieve the food. The pots were huge and the portions enough for over a dozen. It should be just about right for four talented Guardians and one determined Yaluthu.

  “So, Kiala, what did your parents do as occupations?” Tren smiled as they worked their way through the huge communal stew with the dozen small bowls of sides.

  She cleared the mouthful she was chewing and asked, “Before or after I was born?”

  Jeth smiled. “Did having you change their lifestyles?”