Children of Zanar 1: The Zanari Inheritance Page 25

  Someone has to be, Thea. Someone has to be…

  ~~~

  Kaya tapped on Thea’s cabin door, heard something from inside, and pushed through into the room. It was, she noted, no different from her own cabin, aside from the fact that Thea was in the bed in this one, possibly naked, with the sheets pulled up to her waist.

  Kaya managed to grin, then schooled her face into something more serious. ‘You asked me to come to your room, Sister Thea?’ she said, hoping it sounded like a little joke. It sounded like a joke to her…

  ‘Yes,’ Thea said, all serious and straight-faced. ‘Come in and close the door.’ Kaya swallowed hard, covering that by turning to close the door behind her. She had already figured out that one of Nirayla’s ‘duties’ seemed to be sleeping with Sienna. Was Thea going to do the same with her? Was she really going to go there?

  When Kaya turned, there was a vague smile on Thea’s face. ‘You had trouble sleeping last night,’ Thea said. ‘We all noticed you were tired. You’ll sleep in here with me tonight. I don’t snore, even telepathically. You’ll be quite safe and secure, and we’ll hopefully avoid those bad dreams.’ She pulled the sheets back beside her.

  ‘Oh. Uh, okay. That might be better.’ Kaya walked over to the bed, entirely unsure of herself, but… ‘I think after all that time in the isolation gear… I just don’t feel right when I’m alone.’

  ‘We suspected that might be part of it. Do you normally sleep in a bikini?’

  Kaya’s cheeks flushed. ‘No. I… No.’ She paused to remove the two scraps of cloth and then had a vague moment of panic when she realised she was going to be climbing into bed, naked, with Thea, who was naked. Pushing down hard on any rebelliousness her mind might have considered, Kaya pressed on and climbed into bed, pulling the sheets over her.

  Thea nodded and looked across the room to the light switch beside the door. The room fell into darkness and Kaya lay still, on her back, listening to the sounds of the boat as it carved through the, thankfully quite flat, ocean around them. That and Thea’s breathing beside her, even and steady, but not yet sleeping. After a few minutes, Kaya began wondering whether she was actually waiting for Thea to do something. Or was she hoping that Thea would do something. Or was she just not used to being in bed with someone else. Or–

  ‘Turn on your side,’ Thea said, her voice soft. Kaya started turning toward her. ‘Other way.’

  ‘Oh.’ Kaya turned the other way, her back to Thea, wondering whether something was wrong. Did her breath smell or something?

  And then Thea was cuddling up behind her, legs curling to meet Kaya’s, an arm curling around Kaya’s waist. ‘There,’ Thea whispered, as though Kaya should somehow understand what was going on. ‘Now you just need to fall asleep.’

  ‘I, um, I’m not used to being in bed with… with someone else.’

  Thea chuckled. ‘I know you’re a little old for this, but did you never climb into bed with your parents when you’d had a bad dream?’

  ‘No… But I did when we had thunder storms.’

  ‘Well then, this is no different.’

  It was different! Oh, by the Mind, was it different. Except that Kaya did feel sort of warm, and comfortable, and… loved. Not sexually loved, just like… No… No, it was not like being in her mother’s arms, but there was something about it that made her feel safe and contented. And she sort of did want Thea to turn it into something else, but for right now, what Kaya needed was this.

  13/2/483.

  Kaya swam into consciousness, blinked a couple of times, rolled onto her back, sat up, yawned, wondered where she was…

  ‘Morning,’ Thea said as she walked out of the shower room, rubbing at her hair with a towel. ‘I left you sleeping. You seemed to need it.’

  Kaya blinked a couple more times and yawned again. ‘Yeah. Guess I did. Slept…’ Another yawn broke through, but her brain was starting to kick back in. ‘Uh, slept like a baby.’

  Thea shook her head, having finished with the towel. ‘No. There was no thumb-sucking that I was aware of. Cute as that would have been.’

  ‘Right…’ Kaya became acutely aware that she was naked and so was Thea. She tried to make pulling the sheets up over her breasts seem like a natural action, and then kicked herself because Thea had seen it all before anyway.

  Thea seemed, or at least acted, oblivious. She grabbed a bikini from the dresser and pulled it on. ‘Better get a move on. I suspect Nirayla and Sienna are already up, and if Nirayla does all of the breakfast, you’ll be stuck with all of the clean-up…’

  Kaya’s eyes widened and she leapt out of bed with a yelp, rushing for the shower.

  15/2/483.

  Three more nights passed with Kaya sleeping soundly in Thea’s bed, Thea curled protectively around her. The only difference was that Kaya made sure she got up first to be sure she did not end up doing the breakfast dishes on her own.

  It was not like they were servants or slaves or something. Nirayla cooked their evening meal with Kaya’s help, but Thea and Sienna cleaned up after, standing at the sink to do the dishes and chattering about whatever inconsequential subject came to mind. Jinny got to skip chores because she was taking the night shift in the cockpit without the slightest complaint. Kaya got the feeling that the three older zanari had arranged things between them, but she did not mention it. She was not going to complain either.

  A little after midday on the sixth day of their voyage, Thea walked out onto the aft deck where Kaya was sunbathing alongside Nirayla. She frowned at them for a second and then said, ‘Kaya, we need to get you fitted for a dress.’

  Kaya looked up, bemused. ‘A dress?’

  ‘The dress,’ Nirayla said. ‘Sisters wear a formal gown in public, unless another garment is required. Honestly, it’s really comfortable, so we wear it almost all the time.’

  ‘I can handle comfortable.’

  ‘Good,’ Thea said, ‘because we’ll need you in it when we get off the boat. You’ll be playing the Novice Sister until we get to the Sword.’

  ‘I guess I can do that. Sienna and Nirayla have been teaching me how to behave.’

  Thea nodded. ‘We need a few more measurements to feed into the fabricator program. Come on, you know the drill.’

  With a sigh, Kaya got to her feet. She could not imagine what else needed measuring, but…

  ~~~

  The dress had needed measurements for hip-to-floor, waist-to-floor, throat-to-waist, and inseam, which seemed odd until Kaya was actually trying it on.

  She looked at herself in the mirror in her cabin and could not quite believe she was expected to wear the thing. It was white and, in a way, quite covering. Floor-length and long-sleeved, but then there was the gap at the front which went all the way to the waistband, and the slits up both legs to the hip. And Nirayla had advised her that it was simply not done to wear anything under it, though Kaya was hard-pressed to imagine the undergarment that would have remained invisible under it anyway. There was also a pair of sandals, with six-centimetre heels, and the skirt was designed to almost reach the floor when wearing them. That way there was no danger of the hem getting dirty, so long as you stood up straight.

  Feeling like a total fool, Kaya went out and up, lifting the front panel of her skirt to clear the stair treads as she went. Climbing up into the solarium, she discovered that everyone else was waiting for her, and the only person not wearing a dress of the same design was Jinny, who was also the only one not wearing a chain around her neck.

  ‘You look,’ Sienna said, ‘like a proper novice.’

  ‘Perfect,’ Nirayla said. Kaya noted that Nirayla was also in white while Sienna and Thea were in wine and black respectively.

  ‘Looks good on you,’ Jinny agreed. ‘Never catch me in one of those things, but it looks good on you.’

  Thea nodded slowly. ‘Yes. That will most certainly do. You’ll wear it the rest of the day. Getting around in these things takes a little getting used to.’

  Nirayla giggl
ed. ‘I tripped over the skirt at least once a day for the first week.’

  ‘Unfortunately,’ Thea said, ‘Kaya has less time to adapt. At least you’re used to wearing heels.’

  ‘Something else I wasn’t used to,’ Nirayla added. ‘You might have it easier if you’re not worrying about the way your foot’s the wrong shape all the same time.’

  ‘I’m mostly worried I’ll fall out of this thing,’ Kaya grumbled. ‘Can’t I tape it or something?’

  ‘No,’ Sienna said. ‘A Sister possesses the grace to avoid wardrobe malfunctions.’

  ‘That’s easy for you to say.’

  Sienna laughed. ‘Believe me, keeping a straight face when I say that is not easy. Do the best you can, and… know that any spectators will appreciate it if you fail.’ Kaya’s shoulders sagged in exaggerated exasperation and Sienna broke into laughter again. ‘As I said, when you fail, it’s appreciated.’

  16/2/483.

  Planet-hopping was, Kaya reflected, a great way to make you wonder how anyone managed to keep track of anything involving time. She had shown off her dress to the others a good four hours before sunset, but that was also just after midnight on BCU standard time. And when Thea announced she wanted to get an early night because they had a lot to do in the morning, it was just two and a half hours after sunset, but it was also six hundred thirty-seven on the standard clock. Just worrying about time on planets was much easier.

  Kaya had gone to bed with Thea because that seemed the right thing to do. It was going to be a busy day when they got up. But when they got to Thea’s cabin, Thea just sat on the bed and watched as Kaya began undressing.

  ‘What?’ Kaya asked when she was undoing the strap on her last sandal.

  ‘Hm?’

  ‘You’re staring.’

  ‘Am I?’ Thea got up from the bed and took off her own dress and shoes while Kaya settled under the sheets and turned on her side, waiting for Thea to cuddle up behind her and turn off the light.

  The light went off and Thea slipped under the sheets. There was the now familiar feel of Thea’s firm breasts against Kaya’s back which had discomforted her a little on the first night. There was the feel of Thea’s strong thighs against Kaya’s thinner ones. There was the arm slipping around Kaya’s waist… and the hand cupping her left breast.

  Kaya’s eyes burst open. She did not stiffen, but there was surprise. More surprise as Thea’s fingers began to stroke. ‘Thea?’

  ‘Mm-hmm?’

  ‘What are y-you doing?’ Whatever her mind was thinking, Kaya’s body was remembering the wish she had had that first night; her nipples stiffened under the soft caress.

  ‘It’s our last night on the yacht, and I don’t wish to pass up the opportunity.’ Pause. ‘Unless you want me to stop.’

  Kaya said nothing for a second or two while her brain tried to process her conflicting desires. Thea slid her fingers up and gently squeezed Kaya’s nipple, and an electric thrill danced down Kaya’s spine making a beeline down between her legs.

  ‘I…’ Kaya began. Another squeeze, another sharp zing of pleasure. ‘You… You’re with, nngh, Cassandra.’

  ‘Cassandra? Cassandra is one of my oldest friends and we do share certain benefits, but it’s complicated.’ Thea paused for a second, her finger circling Kaya’s nipple as she did so. ‘I’ll explain when we get back to the Oracle.’

  ‘O-oh.’

  Thea’s hand left Kaya’s breast and began a slow, tantalising slide down Kaya’s stomach. ‘Do you want me to stop, Kaya? Say the word, and I will. We can go to sleep. No hard feelings. None at all.’

  Kaya bit her lip. Her stomach muscles were fluttering like mad things. Her body definitely did not want Thea to stop what she was doing. Intellectually, Kaya was worried that things would change when they got back to the Oracle. Was she just being used again? Should she let this happen to her? Again? But Thea was not Jay…

  And then Thea’s fingers found Kaya’s labia, slipped between them to the nub beneath, and thought became something Kaya did not really have the energy for. Her back arched, pressing against Thea’s breasts. She was lost and, when Thea’s fingers entered her a few minutes later, there was no way she could think of anything other than what Thea was doing to her body.

  Sister Clementina, Ammendine.

  Sister Mirganna was waiting for the Sister Clementina when Nirayla steered her into her mooring in the marina. She came aboard before anyone could disembark, and she was wearing a serious expression which suggested she had news of a worrying nature.

  There were some pleasantries to take care of before they heard whatever it was, however. ‘A new novice?’ Mirganna asked.

  ‘Sister Mirganna, this is Kaya,’ Thea explained.

  Mirganna looked Kaya over and then smiled. ‘You certainly look the part, young lady. I’m glad they managed to find you.’ Her smile vanished. ‘However, it would seem that someone wants you back. There are Kraggan mercenaries all over Haven and the spaceport. Rumour has it that Xaviran Monteagle was killed and his son is livid.’

  ‘My fault,’ Jinny said sourly. ‘Well, he was trying to kill me at the time, but I was the one who shot him.’

  ‘Have they linked us to you?’ Sienna asked.

  ‘No,’ Mirganna replied. ‘None of them have even come to the chapter house. I sent one of the Sisters out to the spaceport. She was unmolested, so I don’t think they are paying us any attention. Her report indicates that they do appear to be paying particular attention to the landing area your ship is in, however.’

  ‘Jay knows what the Sword looks like,’ Jinny said.

  Thea nodded, frowning. ‘Might we trouble you for somewhere to stay until nightfall, Sister? I need to make some arrangements. We’ll be out of your hair tonight.’

  ‘Stay as long as you have the need, Sister,’ Mirganna said.

  Thea smiled but shook her head. ‘Tonight. We’ll take care of everything then.’

  Monteagle’s Prize.

  Nuberg-class assault cruisers had a very useful feature on an operation like this one, as far as Garaka Monteagle was concerned anyway: they came equipped with an ops room for directing troops. Xaviran had been directing the troops he had available to him for six local days and nights now, during which time he had managed about sixteen hours of fitful sleep.

  Garaka knew he was running on empty and would have to fold to the suggestions of his exec sooner or later and get himself medicated into resting. But he still had some life in him, along with a lot of hate that was working better than coffee and stimulants to keep him going.

  When he had discovered what had happened to his father, he had very much wanted to kill the men who had allowed him to go in alone, but he had needed the manpower. He had been rational enough at the time to realise that. In fact, his people had been worried by the calmness with which he took his father’s death. Then he had begun issuing orders and it became clear that he was rational, but extremely angry.

  Every merc he had in the system was pulling double shifts. He had called in additional people from out-system, dragging another Nuberg from an active operation. That would not get to Giltanish for another week or more, but it was on its way, costing the company money it needed to rebuild.

  No one was willing to call their boss on this. The members of the Kraggans were all hardened killers. It was pretty much a given in an organisation willing to slaughter an entire colony for money, not to mention the numerous ‘trade disputes’ which had ended with one side dying, the acts of piracy, the destruction of an orbital station with its eighteen thousand population… But one look into Garaka’s eyes told them that getting in the way of his revenge was a really bad idea. He might have needed the manpower, but one loudmouth getting thrown out an airlock was not going to make that much difference.

  Giltanish Prime Spaceport.

  Jay stood in the concourse overlooking the Sword, watching for any sign that Thea, Kaya, and any of the others were returning to the ship. He had managed to get his hands o
n some light armour and there was a null-field generator attached to his belt. His shotgun was loaded with personnel-suppression rounds, shot shells which would wound but probably not kill. He wanted Kaya alive and any of the others he could take would be a bonus.

  He was also pointedly ignoring the insistent stream of messages coming in on his personal unit from the Bowrain delegation on Giltanish Prime. They knew he was on the planet since he had sent them a message indicating that he had important information for them. He had hinted that it had to do with live zanari. That had been enough to get their interest. Now he had nothing to give them. Well, not exactly nothing, but Kaya was the proof he needed that…

  He shook his head, a grim smile forming. Luck was a fickle thing to put one’s faith in. It had been pure luck that Kaya had fallen into his lap like that, pure luck that the best smugglers available on Abertine at the time had been a collection of zanari. Now Jay’s luck seemed to have run out, but there was one more roll of the dice to come. Jay meant to make sure the odds were stacked in his favour.

  Haven, 17/2/483.

  Jinny checked her revolvers one last time before putting them away in a holdall. She had Thea’s sword in there as well, along with a few grenades which she had assured Kaya were ‘largely non-lethal.’ Kaya was not entirely sure what Jinny’s idea of non-lethal was and suspected that being near one when it went off would hurt.

  Kaya, along with Thea and Sienna, had stayed in her Sisterhood gown. According to Thea, they would change into something different at the spaceport. In the meantime, Thea had secreted several knives around her person. Kaya could not spot any of them, which was quite amazing and an indication of why Thea seemed to like the dresses, but it was also comforting to know Thea had them. Jinny was making her way to the port separately; the rendezvous was planned for a washroom near the main monorail station.

  ‘Everyone ready?’ Thea asked. Jinny nodded, as did Sienna.

  ‘As I’ll ever be,’ Kaya replied.

  ‘You’ll be fine, Kaya. Stick with Sienna. Keep your eyes open. Don’t panic. I realise this seems weird, but most of these people we’re up against are working off descriptions. They’ve never personally seen us. Just act as though you’re not being hunted and the hunters will ignore you. While you’re in that dress and chain, all they’ll see is the dress and the chain.’