Alkard

ALKARD

I cradled Tessi in my arms, praying to the Night Mother with the most fervor I had ever mustered. I'd done it.

Bit her.

Claimed her.

The rest was up to fate, or chance, or luck. Whatever you wanted to call it, it remained the elusive unquantifiable energy that made the galaxy go around.

A lot of people thought, given my meticulous attention to planning, that I held great disdain for luck. I tried to plan for every contingency, to make sure that a procedure was in place for everything.

That wasn't because I didn't believe in luck.

Rather, I planned my life carefully, precisely because I feared luck turning against me. I didn't like to think that my fate was not entirely in my own hands, but I had to admit that it was true. If a meteor storm or rogue planet ruptured the station's hull, I would die despite all of my carefully made plans.

I didn't like leaving things to fate. But now I was thrust into that position. So far, Tessi lived. That was all that mattered.

Before long, the door opened. I didn't bother turning around, nor did I feel any alarm. Scent told me it was the brotherhood, coming to back me up for a fight already done.

Tazhr and Havek came to my side, while Makar checked all the bodies to make sure they were truly dead.

Any who were still breathing, he assisted to the afterlife.

And, no doubt his pockets would be full of anything he deemed valuable on their corpses.

"What happened?" Havek asked.

Tazhr shook his head, eyes filled with alarm.

"She doesn't look so good."

Havek smacked Taz on the arm and glared at him. "We need to get you fixed up, Boss. Give her here."

No.

I rose to my feet, bearing the delicate bundle in my arms.

I would not allow anyone else to take her off my hands.

I didn't release her until I laid her on the bed in my own home. My men remained inside the home with a dozen soldiers stationed outside pretending to be members of the Promenade crowd.

Nobody was getting at her this time.

Nayal took a close look at her, turning her head from one side to the other. He felt about her jaw, and then pried open her eyelids and peered intently.

"You claimed her?" Nayal asked, his voice bearing an edge of recrimination.

"Yes, I did."

Nayal turned to me, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Master Alkard, what you have done is very dangerous! Nobody has ever claimed a human before! Their bodies may not be able to deal with the transformative process."

"I know, Nayal," I said softly.

"Does she even know how she will change and in what ways? What the claiming means to our people? You have written her future, her fate for her, should she survive."

"I know, Nayal," I said again, a bit firmer.

"You thought the claim would heal her injuries, didn't you? But the claim isn't a medical infusion. It's?—"

"I know , Nayal," I snapped, then calmed myself as best I could and tried for a more respectful tone. "Can you help her?"

"I don't know. I can help repair her injuries, which seem to be healing anyway, but I can't do anything to make her surviving the claiming bite any more likely. That she will have to do on her own."

"Just do what you can, please."

Nayal nodded and rolled up his sleeves.

"It would be best if you waited outside, Master Alkard."

"I'll stay right here."

Nayal glared at me.

"Do you wish to distract me during my important work? Or do you want her to have the best chance for survival?"

He'd found the one thing which would make me leave.

Outside, I was surprised to find the entire circle waiting.

"How is she doing, boss?" Havek asked.

I sighed, my wound finally starting to affect me as the adrenaline wore off.

"She is…healing. Whether or not she survives is still up in the air."

"Damn," Razov said. "I hope she makes it."

I arched a brow at him.

"What happened to ‘if she runs, let her run?' Don't tell me you've gone soft, Razov."

Razov looked embarrassed.

"I…she does kind of grow on you, doesn't she?"

"If she's charmed her way through Razov's stone heart, then what chance did the rest of us have?" Makar asked. "We like her. I think she would make an excellent mate for you, Alkard. No one else stands up to you the way she can."

"She does have spirit, does she not?" Tazhr agreed.

I allowed them to treat my wound at last. It would take more than a simple dose of nanobots to repair the shattered bones.

My arm in a sling, I sat with the others and waited.

Nayal finally exited the room after an hour, looking tired and worn. The others slipped away without a word, leaving us alone.

I rose to my feet and looked at Nayal expectantly.

"I have done all I can. The rest is up to her." I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Master Alkard. This was all my fault. I was supposed to watch her, but I got distracted."

"Do you think she'll make it?"

Nayal did not answer right away, sending icicles down my spine.

Was she already fading away?

Then he turned and went toward the hallway.

"Your pardon, Master Alkard. Could I ask you to bide for a moment?"

Without waiting for a reply, Nayal vanished out into the hallway. The butler reappeared a moment later carrying a box in his hands. He put the box in front of me

"What is this?" I touched the thin, crinkly, and brightly colored paper tightly binding the exterior. A glossy red, flat string further bound the box shut. "Some kind of art object of human design?"

"Of human design, yes, but it is a present."

"A present?"

"Yes, humans have a habit of wrapping the gifts they give. I did the best I could based on her description. She bought that as a gift for you."

"What is it?"

"Some human artifact she thought you might enjoy. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Nayal," I said with mounting impatience. I rounded on the butler, feeling as if I wanted to throw the present across the room. "How does this relate to my asking if you think she's going to make it or not?"

"If you'll just be patient, I'm getting to that bit, Master Alkard. My point is, she bought this present for you because she wanted to make you happy. She went out of her way to do so, and put a lot of thought into it."

"So?"

"So, I'm saying her feelings for you run much deeper than you might imagine. I don't think she's hanging around you just because you're helping look for her friend. Maybe at first, but not now. She cares for you, Master Alkard."

I stood there, stunned, looking at the box in my hands, and then lifted my gaze up to lock eyes with Nayal.

"Whatever happened to you offering your tacit disapproval of her?"

"I've gotten attached to her since then. I didn't understand her at first, or what you saw in her. Now I do understand. I think you have a fighter on your hands, Alkard, and a fighter is what you'll need. Your enemies are circling around you, and growing more bold by the hour."

"I know." I sighed and ran a hand down my face. I felt exhausted. "I have about, oh, a million things or so I should be doing right now. But I…"

I let my voice trail off, and Nayal nodded because he understood without the need for words.

"Whatever is going to happen with her, it will happen soon," Nayal said. "In the meantime, Master Alkard, I would suggest that you open your present."

He headed off and I turned my gaze back to the present. I fingered the ribbon, looking for a way to untie it, but it proved stubborn. I finally used my nail to flick the ribbon in twain.

I tore through the thin, crinkly paper, revealing a plain white box. Inside the box, I found a statuette of some sort wrapped in cellophane.

I unwrapped it, and found myself looking at a garish figure with prominent fangs, wearing a big black cloak with small black winged creatures on the fly behind him.

I guess she thinks this is funny. I'll have to look into this human ‘vampire' legend and understand why they keep bringing it up about us Vinduthi.

It did make me feel better, like a little bit of Tessi's humor poked at me. I settled in for a long wait, not able to bring myself to think about anything else while she fought for her life.

A soft knock at the bedroom door caused me to look over. I rose and answered it, finding Havek standing in the hallway.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Havek said in a low voice. "But I thought you would want to see this right away."

I stared at a tablet in his hands, an old one but solidly built.

"What is this?"

"We didn't find Mera yet, but we did finally find her bag. A derelict found it in the Under near a sluice gate recycler. This was inside."

"Have you decoded it?"

"Yes."

My face fell into a hard grimace as the video played.

"If she had this on her, then…" Havek said.

I nodded.

"We may not know where Mera is, but we do know why she was taken. It's a start."