That didn’t last as he continued to chuckle, her glower growing more pronounced the longer his laughter rang out.
Finally, Graydon got ahold of himself as he wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes. “I apologize, coli, but if you think you’ll be allowed within eyesight of that ship before we reach the waystation on the edge of our solar system, you have another think coming. No. You will travel with the rest of your House and stay in the room I’ve already procured for your use. Once we arrive at the waystation, you may make repairs to your ship before journeying to the planet.”
“Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” Jin interjected from where he hovered over their heads. “You don’t trust us with the ship on the journey to the planet but you’ll let us fly it down?”
Kira was with Jin this time. The Tuann’s reasoning was nonsensical. Illogical even.
“The ship we’ll be traveling in is much too large to land on Ta Sa’Riel. Otherwise, you’d never be allowed to have contact with your ship,” Graydon said. “Besides, our defenses have been instructed to pay careful attention to every move your ship makes. Try to run and they will stop you.”
He didn’t have to say the means by which they’d do that. Kira was betting they’d disable her ship in a way that would render it unusable.
“You get to have your ship and the Tuann get to have you. This is a reasonable compromise, yes?”
Kira’s eyes narrowed, her tongue tingling with the urge to argue. The problem was he had a point. Their requests could almost be considered sensible even.
That didn’t stop Kira from wanting to argue however.
Graydon leaned over, his breath brushing her ear. “Play nice and I’ll get you that meeting with the Tsavitee prisoner you’ve been asking for.”
Damn.
“And have to pay another price? What’s next? My firstborn child?” Kira bit out.
“Nothing so extraordinary, though I’d never say no to a child of yours,” Graydon teased, his face softening in a way she knew that meant he liked that idea. Liked it very much. “But no, any exchange would be no more painful than the current one.”
“When?”
Graydon straightened, the question a sign of Kira’s surrender. “Three days from now. Once we’re under way. I’ll send you the location.”
Smart man. He knew Kira well enough to realize if he left anything to chance, she’d use it to wiggle out of any agreement she made with him. This way he guaranteed her presence on the ship before she got what she wanted.
“Can I bring a friend?” Kira asked.
Graydon considered her with a deep gaze. “Depends. Do you trust this person?”
Kira barked out a laugh. “You know me better by now.”
Trust wasn’t exactly a well-used word in her vocabulary.
“But they have knowledge that could prove useful,” Kira conceded.
“Very well. If that’s what you desire.”
“I’ll be there then.”
And hope she found the answers she sought.
“I look forward to it, coli.”
That made one of them.
three
Three days later – Tuann ship
Somewhere between Jettie and Ta Sa’Riel
“Wait for me here,” Kira told the figure next to her.
