Twisting Souls Read online

  It hadn’t occurred to her that she wouldn’t be able to understand the language, but now, she knew better. Just because she felt like a citizen of the Alliance didn’t mean she was. They had given her just enough education to allow her to study and no more.

  Yashgat gestured to the station near the mineshaft.

  “He will take our bag and Stalker to the VIP quarters so that we can begin our investigation.”

  “Fine. Stalker, follow the nice representative.” She set Stalker down on the ground and watched Yashgat and her Yaluthu stare at each other until they reached an understanding.

  Wraith was all sober seriousness. “The mine foreman is at the end of the line. He will take us under.”

  “Great. I am looking forward to getting this over with.”

  He nodded his head slightly. “I had no idea that you didn’t have the complete language set. It wasn’t in your file.”

  She shrugged as Yashgat extended one of his powerful lower arms to Stalker and her new fuzzy friend was hoisted to the Selloki’s shoulder. Stalker was content to go to their quarters, and he had a determination under the fluffy exterior that she was fond of. He was going to be there when she finished her time in the mines.

  As the doors opened, Yashgat took their bag and Stalker, leaving her and Wraith facing the new Selloki.

  He didn’t bow; he glared up at them and set out a barrage of syllables and sounds that merely made Aymin blink.

  “He asks why I have brought my mate along this time.”

  “I am not your mate; I am your partner for this mission, and I have a skill that you lack. I might not be able to solve their problem, but I will understand it.”

  Wraith translated, and the man jerked before he spoke a short sentence with a smooth end.

  “He is the foreman, his name is Slyaso, and if you are interested in a sexual partner after your work is done, he is fascinated by other species.” Wraith kept his features calm, but Aymin could feel tension in his body.

  “I will consider it after I have done my duty. Work must come first, and then, I will think about your offer.” She didn’t smile as Wraith translated.

  She could already tell that what he said wasn’t what she had said. The disappointment on Slyaso’s features crossed translation.

  With a sigh, he turned and led them toward the mine.

  “So, tell me what they want me to do.”

  Wraith nodded. “As we discussed on the ship, they are being plagued by what appear to be ghosts that are tampering with the equipment. The largest problem is that no one can see them.”

  “How do they know it is ghosts?”

  “They don’t have talents and the objects are moving on their own. Do you have your breather with you?”

  She nodded and patted her hip. “Got it.”

  “Good.” He placed his hand at her back, and they followed their guide into the confines of the mine and down to the lift that would slide them deeper under the surface.

  Aymin could taste the difference in the layers of stone around them. There was a ton of spectral energy in the vicinity and that was troubling. Stone should be inert, even if it was being used as a recording medium.

  Wraith was calm, but then, he had been here before.

  “Can you feel that?”

  “What?”

  “There is a psychic pulse here. It is strange. I have felt this kind of thing before, but I can’t place where.”

  “Let me know if you figure it out. It could be important.”

  Her skin was nearly burning with the energy around her. Yeah, it was important, all right.

  She kept her mouth shut until they had made their way through a mile of stone and walked through to a warm cavern with machined walls.

  “This is it. Slyaso will be here when we finish our investigation. Today, we will look around, and hopefully, we will come upon a plan of ratification.”

  She stared at the flat stone face. “You are going to haul me through that?”

  “I am. Put your breather on.”

  Aymin grimaced and settled her breather on her face, turning off the feed for the time being. If she didn’t need to use it, she wouldn’t.

  Wraith wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. She couldn’t help it, she inhaled sharply when he walked them into the stone, but her senses scattered to black until they arrived on the other side.

  He remained in his shimmering mode. “Can you see them?”

  She looked over the natural cave that stretched out in front of her, the small figures with batwings flitted around, and a few came up to her, nodded and flew away.

  “Oh, I can see them. Now, I just need to talk to one of them.”

  She stepped forward and lifted her hands out at her sides. One of the spectral creatures landed, and she started a conversation at the speed of thought.

  When she returned to Wraith, she had learned what she needed, but she knew the Selloki would not like the answer.

  “Okay. I am good. Let’s go back and think about how to approach this.”

  He didn’t ask her anything. He wrapped his spectral arms around her, sent energy through her and carried her back through the panel of stone.

  When he set her on her feet at the other side, she was shaking. She set her hands on her knees and looked at the foreman. She stared and was finally able to see what had bothered her about the Selloki.

  She caught her breath and stood straight. “I need to work out a plan for this.”

  Slyaso let out a barrage of demands.

  “He wants to know if you can make them stop.”

  “I have to figure out a way so that everyone gets what they need.”

  Wraith blinked. “Right. So what do you need?”

  “What is their ultimate goal for this mine? I need them to be honest, or I can’t work on a plan.”

  During the walk back, Wraith and Slyaso spoke in rapid sentences, and she was content to wait.

  She had gotten three eons of data dumped into her mind, and sorting it was taking a bit of time. She hated to think it, but Stalker had been right. She needed him to help her recover and keep her mind even. She just wanted his little body in her arms and his mind attached to hers.

  Forming a description of the events in her mind was difficult, but if she could just get a little relief from the pounding in her head, she would be able to organize her thoughts.

  Wraith took her arm and steered her into the lift. Aymin could see the world around her, but interacting with it was beyond her.

  She could hear their voices and see them, but Slyaso and Wraith may as well have been miles away.

  She swayed with Wraith’s hand on her back and held her mind together as they journeyed to their quarters.

  Stalker met her at the door, and the moment he jumped into her arms, she felt better. “Oh, hey, Stalker. Thanks for that.”

  Wraith closed the door and frowned. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. I just got overwhelmed. This is my first time meeting an alien species, and I wasn’t quite ready for what they gave me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She looked up from the fuzzy top of Stalker’s head and met Wraith’s gaze. “They aren’t ghosts. The spectres are the original inhabitants of this world, and they are protecting their largest city.”

  Saying it out loud took much of the stress off her mind.

  “I will get our food ready. Rest for a moment, and I will call you.” Wraith’s face showed his concern.

  Aymin nodded, and she wandered in search of a couch, finding a bed instead. She lay down and Stalker cuddled against her side as her mind straightened and the path she needed to set the Selloki on became clear. The problem was that they were not going to like it.

  She didn’t even know if her words would have any weight at all. She sighed and relaxed as her thoughts continued to circle in contingencies that she had no authority to put in place.

  * * * *

  Jex looked at Aymin, and her bone
less sprawl spoke of her fatigue. Stalker was nestled tightly to her chest, and his half-lidded eyes showed his focus on dealing with whatever Aymin had experienced in the cavern.

  Jex walked up to her and checked her breather. He blinked in surprise. She hadn’t used it. The tanks were still full, but he had seen her speaking and interacting with the spectres for several minutes.

  He got up and fished the med kit out of the bag, doing a quick scan of her body. To his shock, her system was slightly stressed but otherwise fine. Her extremities all had good blood flow, and there were no side effects of oxygen deprivation or radiation exposure.

  Stalker opened his eyes wide, and his fuzzy body relaxed. Jex took it as a sign that Aymin was recovering.

  He put the med kit away and got the rations ready, including a serving for Stalker. When the Yaluthu came and stood next to him, Jex felt relief stream through him. The beast wouldn’t have left Aymin if she still needed him.

  Jex walked back to the bed and stroked his fingers down her cheek. “Aymin. Time to eat.”

  She opened her eyes slowly, the thick lashes exposing her dark eyes as she smiled. “Food?”

  “Food. Come on. It is in the other room.”

  Aymin pushed herself upright, and he helped her to her feet, holding her lightly as she gained her balance. When she smiled up at him, his heart flipped in his chest.

  As he helped her sit in the other room and set her meal in front of her, he admitted to himself that he was hers if she crooked her finger. He knew a mate when he saw one, and though they had several incompatibilities that had to be addressed, he knew that she was the one he had been waiting for. She just had to make the first move.

  Chapter Eight

  Aymin finished her meal and held Stalker’s food for him. When everybody was done, she settled back and gave Jex a serious look. “How did the Selloki get the rights to this world?”

  Jex got up and grabbed a data pad, flicking through the histories. “They simply took over the unoccupied world and began mining.”

  “Right. Well, it wasn’t unoccupied.”

  “What?”

  “Those things aren’t ghosts; they are indigenous people. They are like Selloki, but they have wings and they use the mineral that has been mined to transport themselves through the globe. With the mining, they have been concentrated into the heavier deposits, and now, they are defending them in the only way they can.”

  Jex sat back and frowned. “You are sure?”

  “I am. I met with their clan head, their shaman and the leader of their breeder family. All of them confirm that they have three thousand years of recorded history on this world, and they are being forced into a corner where the next course of action is attack.”

  Aymin heard the cursing that was coming out of Jex’s mouth, even if she couldn’t understand the words.

  “I am guessing that this is a problem.”

  “Rather. I am going to send a message to the Alliance Council and hope for a quick response.”

  “All right. Well, at least they aren’t ghosts.” She smiled weakly.

  “Right. I will be back shortly. I have to use their communications array.” Jex got to his feet.

  “I could come with you.” She offered it with a hopeful tone.

  He shook his head. “You are still tired and will be fine here. Stalker will look after you, and I should be back in a few hours.”

  Aymin looked at her companion as he sipped at the cup of water she held for his blunt beak. “Okay.”

  “You are absolutely sure about your findings?”

  “I am positive. The mineral deposits resonate at the same level as their energy signatures. It is why the minerals are so good at holding information. They have been used to transfer living consciousness for thousands of years.”

  “Right. Just checking. I will see you soon.”

  To Aymin’s amazement, Jex pressed a kiss to her forehead before he left. She was still feeling the weird tingle on her skin when the door latched shut.

  She sighed, “Well, Stalker. I guess we should just nap this out.”

  He chirped a confirmation, and it was enough convincing for her. With a sense of relief, she stripped out of her suit and peeled back the bedding to tuck herself between the sheets.

  Stalker snuggled in next to her, and she curled around his warm little body as she settled in to sleep.

  You must wake up, Aymin. Your partner is in trouble.

  Aymin’s sleeping mind batted at the small energy being. He’s fine. He is just sending a message to the Alliance Council.

  The Selloki did not like the message. They are holding him as a terrorist and plan to destroy him to remove the proof of his being on this world. They are coming for you next.

  Why?

  You know what we are, who we are and that we are not an anomaly. Wake up, Aymin!

  She gasped and sat up. The light had changed, and Stalker was next to her, bristling with his fluff standing out at all angles.

  “Did you hear that?” She asked him, and he pecked at her hand.

  “Right. Got it. Getting dressed.”

  Stalker prodded her along with pecks and head butts to her legs as she gathered the bag and supplies before pausing outside the door. She could feel minds coming toward her, and they were not friendly. She couldn’t understand their language, but she could definitely grasp that.

  She scooped Stalker up and settled him on top of the bag she wore across her body. He was settled next to her hip, and he was determined.

  With a deep breath, she opened the door before the two Selloki reached her, and when they raised weapons against her, she did what she did best. She pulled on their souls and turned them sharply to one side. Both of the males dropped to the floor of the hall.

  She moved past them quickly. She had to find Wraith, but it was going to be difficult. Finding one mind in an alien city had never been part of her training.

  The whisper in her mind coaxed her to turn left. So, the clan leader of Selloki 5 was in her mind and willing to help. With a Yaluthu on her hip and an alien energy being in her mind, she didn’t feel quite as alone as she had when she first woke up.

  The storms kept most of the folk inside. Stalker huddled against her body, and the flier in her thoughts coaxed her forward, directing her through the streets until she saw the lights of the detention centre.

  The whisper in her mind told her where she could find Wraith, and Aymin gathered her focus for entering the building. Fourteen souls stood between them, and she wasn’t going to let them stay between her and her partner.

  She wondered why Wraith hadn’t simply walked through the walls, but she walked into the detention centre calmly and with her hands at her sides.

  When the first Selloki raised his weapon to her, she turned all of the officers off.

  Wraith was in a cell with cuffs covered in small crystals. “Aymin, how...”

  “One of the fliers called me and led me to you. Can we get out of here?”

  “I am sure that we can. I managed a distress call before they cuffed me. The beacon has been on for hours. We should have additional help soon.”

  She smiled tightly. “Good. I don’t like knocking folks out.”

  Stalker chirped, and Aymin turned to let him near Wraith. With a few hammering pecks, the cuffs fell away.

  Wraith flexed his hands, went translucent and then solid. “That’s better.”

  “So, the crystals keep you from shifting through solid matter?”

  “Yes. It allows transmission of certain energy and blocks others. They must have scanned me the last time.”

  She picked up the cuffs. “They must have. These have been programmed with your frequency.”

  He looked at the objects as if they were snakes. “You are kidding.”

  “No. I can read them like I can read living beings. This is your energy signature, but it is your signature when you are solid. If they have these, they were planning to grab you at some point.”

&n
bsp; He looked like he wanted to discuss it more, but he changed to all business. “Can you get us out of here?”

  “Sure. The officers will be out for a few more hours.”

  Stalker chirped and slicked down his fluff. He was ready for battle. She tucked the cuffs into the bag and smiled.

  With the guys ready to travel, she nodded to Wraith, “You lead the way, and I will knock down any opposition. I am guessing we are heading to the shuttle?”

  “Yes. We have concluded our investigation, and now, we need to tell everyone. The Alliance may be large, but they can move quickly when an intelligent species is at risk.”

  Aymin’s occupant whispered. “They are content to defend themselves with increasing violence. They will be here when the Alliance comes to mediate between them and the Selloki.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “One of them is speaking to me. He’s in my head. Yahfreet is the designated communicator. It will probably kill him to stay in me until we get to the shuttle, but he is doing it.” She passed on all the information he was giving her.

  Wraith nodded and then said, “We had better be on our way to increase his chances of survival.”

  “Lead the way, but let me have a sight line.”

  He nodded again and led the way out of his cell. He tried to swing around to the exit, but Yahfreet spoke in her mind.

  Aymin smiled weakly, “I think I should lead. There is a shortcut to a transport system that will take us to the shuttle.”

  He gestured for her to lead the way, and she took off with a fast stride. They went through the detention centre, down two flights of stairs, through a kilometre of steam tunnel and out into the transport line. The train pulled up just as they arrived, and without a word, they stepped into the train and looked at each other.

  She grinned. “Well, that worked.”

  “I am finding it more likely that you have an alien entity in your head.”

  She chuckled. “One in my head, one on my hip. Even one as my partner. I am a cornucopia of alien life.”

  They sat in the train for an hour before it slowed to a halt. Yahfreet urged her to head to the control panel, and he had her press her hand to the electronics. To her surprise, the train began to move again.