It was a ridiculous amount of data, he knew, and accessing some of those private logs would be very restricted. In this instance, however, being the chancellor’s underling had its benefits, and he would be able to access far more than the average person. Still, as the scans began to trickle in, he realized it was a lot of information even with those basic parameters.
“Add some filters to that search. Refine to only include traces large enough to be people. No small animals.”
The data was culled and parsed, but it was still a lot. And despite the computer’s power, this was something that would require his particular expertise and unusual way of looking at things. And so it was he personally spent hours poring over the images until his eyes hurt, zooming in, zooming out, and digging through more still and video footage than he ever wanted to, and all of it seemingly benign and normal. It was looking like nothing was out of the ordinary.
Almostnothing.
It was getting pretty late when he saw something. A tiny blip that caught his eye.
“Gotcha,” he said, a smile creeping onto his lips as he replayed the image over and over.
It was undeniable. Something had broken off from a group of Oraku hunters as they walked under some trees. It was almost impossible to see thanks to the canopy, but he had been layering visual, heat, and motion together, allowing the computer to fabricate a more complex and complete picture of what was happening than from any of the individual scans alone.
“Damn, Maddix, you’re good,” he muttered to himself with a happy grin. “Anyone else would have totally missed this.”
He double-checked the data, cross-referenced it with other files and extrapolated their direction from that mountain of information. A path was shown in bright red on the screen. It was still incomplete at the moment, but this was them. It had to be. And yet he felt conflicted. After so long searching, he should have been elated. But he’d grown to like these people he didn’t know. To respect their skills and appreciate the bond they had apparently developed. And as a result, a wild thought crossed his mind.
It would look bad if he didn’t find them, obviously, but no worse than it would for the rest of the trackers sent on this task. And he was quite confident that none of the others’ minds worked the way his did. No one else would find this data. The trail was cold for all but him and him alone.
Should I?he wondered.Do I delete this intel?
It was a crazy thought, but the idea of these two somehow making a clean break from Chancellor Vinchi’s indenture actually brought a little smile to his lips. He considered it a long moment, his decision becoming clearer by the moment, and the cheer in his heart growing as it did. He was going to do the unthinkable. He would let them go.
“He found them!” Galla blurted, the woman’s voice so close behind him startling the hunter. “Flagro! He found them!”
Maddix chided himself for not hearing her coming. He was a damn hunter, after all. But he turned and saw she was barefoot from her spa experience, walking on the balls of her feet, though out of a bouncy relaxation more than any attempt at stealth. Still, it had been quiet enough, and he’d been deep in thought.
And now his choice had been taken from him. Interrupted by the Vinchi heirs yet again.
“You found them? That’s marvelous. We should leave at once!” Flagro said as he followed his sister in, the two of them crowding over his shoulders far too close for his liking.
“It is night, sir, and part of this will require daylight to track properly. We should rest while we can and begin in the morning,” Maddix replied.
Flagro thought on it a moment. “Good point. But we leave first thing.”
Maddix nodded, his enormous decision having now been made for him. Any thoughts of his disobedience were gone. Had he not hesitated, he would have gotten away with it. But now? Now there was a job to do, and that was all there was to it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Far from the rest of the world, Maria and Zepharos were living their best life together. The bonding, though taking its time, had progressed to the point where their Infalas were tantalizingly close to matching. It was only a matter of time now, and likely no more than a week, if not days, though the thought of them becoming even closer than they already were seemed almost impossible when they stopped to think about it.
The degree of closeness they had achieved was unbelievable, the sheer force of their love and affection so strong it was overwhelming at times. They lived as one, and it often felt as if they could almost read one another’s minds. And that wasn’t even getting into the sex.
What Darla had described of an Infala bonding was already well in the works, and they not only delighted in one another multiple times a day, theyfeltwhat the other was experiencing. Not entirely, as could happen with a fully matched Infala, but close enough to drive them both to distraction on a regular basis, and with great enjoyment at that.
Maria had given herself totally to this man. This impossible, marvelous alien hunk of muscle who had sworn his very life todefending her. He’d given it all up for that oath, including his home which he now could not return to. And he’d done it willingly, without any subterfuge or requirements. Only his love for her had steered him to this fate, and she felt the safest and most protected she’d ever experienced.
And living in this perfect hidden refuge from the outside world they had it all. Their home had started out as a very rustic shelter, but in the months since their decision to stay, they had slowly built a more substantial structure, gathering hefty wood, with the assistance of their beasts of burden, to fashion the base and foundation, then working together to craft walls and a roof, thatching it with reeds and leaves, creating a snug and welcoming three-walled structure, the open side looking out on the lagoon.
The temperature never dipped too low, nor did it ever grow excessively hot. Thermals in the surrounding hills provided a base level of heat to the air that helped keep it from ever becoming cold enough to require more than the most basic of covers as they slept. And with the heat Zepharos threw off from his fit body, Maria was more than happy to draw her warmth from him instead.
They had worked well together, the human a quick study in all ways of wilderness survival, and it was Maria who had woven the fish pens in which they kept the larger of the lagoon’s resident stock, ready for dinner when so desired.
Naturally, they would not subsist on fish alone, but Zepharos now had the opportunity to go into far greater detail about the varied and impressively healthy and nutritious plants the Dotharians had seeded the world with. Plants whose seeds he now sowed in row upon row within the tilled soil of his handiwork, much of it dedicated to the varieties he knew Maria was particularly fond of.
Zepharos had taken it upon himself to clear a swath of landa short walk from their home in which they could raise all manner of plants. The soil, being volcanic in origin, was incredibly rich in nutrients, and everything grew with speed and vigor, leading to a secret garden of sorts that produced more food than either of them could possibly eat.
Fortunately, Popcorn and Zippy helped in that regard, the two animals happy to be free to graze at their leisure on whatever they wanted. Back in the Oraku village they were not allowed such leeway, the crops being designated for the entire village’s use. But here? Here it was just the four of them, and the two animals were treated like family as much as beasts of burden.
