Jana’s nostrils flared, her will growing stronger by theNuba-second. And yet, she admitted, she could scarce contain the little girl words that kept swimming through her mind:
Papa, she thought desperately, sending out the fiercest wave of emotion she had purposely emitted in years,please come for me…
Chapter Eight
10 Nuba-Hours Outside Khan-Gori Airspace
Zyrus Galaxy, Seventh Dimension
6049 Y.Y. (Yessat-Years)
Kari was so frustrated that she could have screamed. She knew she had to get the long range transmitters back up and working like yesterday, but she couldn’t recall why the task was so important. Probing Dari for answers had only caused both of them more confusion because the princess was experiencing memory lapses as well. It was as if they’d both been drugged or…
She sighed. She just didn’t know.
“Mayhap just concentrate on getting the transmitters up and running,” Dari said pragmatically. “’Twill come to us eventually why the need is so pressing.”
“I’m trying. I’m just not succeeding.”
While Kari wasn’t exactly agastrolight-cruiserengineer—or whatever the fuck they called engineers here—she still knew enough about them to fix the long range transmitters. “But are they fixed?” she muttered to herself. “Of course not. That would be too damned convenient.”
She had no way of knowing that her every movement was being watched and assessed by High Lord Death. Neither did she know he was sending her little waves of emotion to help guide her hands. Perhaps if she had known, she would have resisted them. Or perhaps she would have done the opposite and paid more attention to her intuition than to her intellect.
Princess Dari noted Kari’s irritation from across the viewing gallery. She set aside her needlework and walked to where she stood. Bazi followed. “Calm thyself,” Dari instructed. “Mayhap do something else for a spell. Like eat,” she said pointedly.
Kari sighed. “I know. You’re right.”
“I’ve almost finished your leathers,” Dari told her. “’Twill be passing fair just to be wearing clean clothing for a time.”
Kari couldn’t help but grin. “Us two wearing the leathers of warriors.” She shook her head. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
Dari pulled her friend up to her feet. “Nor did I and yet here I stand.” She modeled the tailored leathers she wore in dramatic fashion. “Gastrolight-cruisershave leathers aplenty stowed in cargo, yet nary aqi’kaor azokafor women. Leastways, I think I look rather… what’s the word you called it?”
Kari laughed. “Bad-ass.”
“Aye. Bad-ass.”
“If you’re trying to get me into a good mood… ahh damn… itisworking!”
The women shared a smile. Dari motioned toward the table of foodstuffs afore guiding Kari toward it.
“Luckily,” Dari announced as she took a seat, “Bazi is of an age where his body is big enough to wear the leathers as they are. It saves my hands some of the ache.”
“We’re also lucky that these cruisers stock a ton of food.” Kari threw a little bit of everything onto her trencher. “I swear I lost way too much weight from being inhyatzi. Don’t make my leathers too tight because I plan to eat like a pig for a while.”
“A pig?”
“Sorry. That’s an animal where I come from. Think of how apugmuffeats and you’ll under—”
Kari stilled. “Hyatzi. We were inhyatzi!” She blinked. “Do you remember the void?”
“The void… Why does that sound vaguely familiar?” Dari’s lips formed an O. “I do recall it now! We were in the void with Klykka, aye?”
“Exactly!” Kari said excitedly. “And the void can cause a bit of memory loss. Usually the loss is only temporary though.”
“Mayhap I’m wrong, but could the something we both forgot have to do with contacting Klykka?”
“It’s got to be about Klykka—it has to be! We need the long range transmitters up so we can contact her and vice-versa.” Her smile was catching and her relief palpable. “Oh man. I could kiss you, Dari.”
