Just One Kiss, page 20
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.” He shuffled his feet, wishing he had better news. “She’s not in Aerth. If she was here, we could locate her like that.” He snapped his fingers to match his words. “But the Outside’s a different story. We just don’t have the technology.” He squinted out the window as if maybe his vision would surpass technology and allow him to find the missing woman through the thousands of miles that probably separated them.
Nick’s fingers throbbed from being squeezed into such tight fists, and his jaw ached with the effort it took to hold back the obscenities he wanted to yell. He’d known she was no longer in Aerth. He could feel it in the hollow space she’d left in his chest.
But he’d hoped.
Finding her in Aerth would be so much simpler than finding her on the Outside. His heart hammered, smooth and even, as his resolve firmed. It didn’t matter where she was. She was his. He would search every corner of the earth to find her.
“What else can be done?” His words might have been clipped but were otherwise controlled. He’d lived his whole life without having too much trouble remembering to control himself.
Until he’d met Tamara. Now control was a constant strain.
“Well, Your Highness,” the man turned from his unsuccessful search out the window, “if someone were to go outside the RD dome with a locater, we should be able to find her in an instant.”
“I’ll go,” Nick said without hesitation. He turned to the door, already planning how to relay the news to his mother.
“But, Your highness!” Mike squealed, then stopped short when Nick rounded on him with a look that would bear no questioning.
“Make the preparations. I’ll go out with the transporter when the others are returned Saturday.”
Mike squirmed some more, weighing the desire to save his king or himself. Finally, he nodded his acquiescence. He had no desire to be sent to the Outside for disobedience. “Yes, sir. We’ll have everything ready for you.”
Nick spun on his heel and left. He had much to do before going to the Outside. Including dealing with Luce. Luce hadn’t been detained yet, but his location was fully known. He was in the fortressed walls of one of Nick’s only enemies.
Nick shrugged his shoulders to work out the kinks that tightened his neck. Why someone always wanted to cause problems was beyond him. The Fulbrights were a prominent family. They’d worked hard for generations to ensure the advancement of Aerth.
But they didn’t have a love and respect for the Outsiders that most Aerthians did—nor the patience with them. They were tired of expending funds and energy towards the advancement and protection of the Outside, when their own advancements had taken a major hit with the loss of both his dad and uncle.
It wasn’t the Outsiders’ fault, though. Well, not exactly. With an eye to the sky, he considered the thanks they’d received for the help they’d freely given the Outsiders over the years. He tried to put himself in their position. A strange space vehicle appears from nowhere, built with technology they’d never dreamed of. Sure, he would have some questions.
But he wouldn’t torture or kill for the answers.
Waves of bitterness rippled just under his surface, and he increased his pace. He could see the Fulbrights’ side. He could also hear his dad’s last words, making him promise not to forget the sacrifice the Outside had made for their survival.
Just beyond the perimeter of the city, a T-Rex bellowed before crashing through the forest, most likely in pursuit of its next meal. Nick glanced around at his nonplussed friends, relatives, distant relatives.
Aerth had saved not only a group of people but all plants and animals in the dome’s circumference. Dinosaurs were a part of life for him. Barriers were in place to keep the city free from any unfriendly visitors, but it wasn’t unusual to have all kinds of wildlife within sight.
He wouldn’t blame the dinosaurs’ demise on the Outsiders. That had been in nature and God’s hands. But, how many animals had they driven to extinction or near extinction since then? And what had the Outsiders done to their air? His face screwed as he remember the dead, acrid air he’d been forced to breathe while outside the dome.
He took a long breath, appreciating the life-giving complexity of pure unadulterated air. It was sweet, and fragrant, and fulfilling. Much like a drink of icy-cold, pure spring water on a hot day.
Other than the fact that it would make getting to Tamara easier, it was just as well they were no longer taking ships to the Outside. Every time the dome opened, a bit of their precious air escaped and was replaced with the chemical slew from the Outside. It was bad enough they had to deal with the toxins that seeped through the ground and under the dome’s protection that ended two miles below the surface.
He knew that he came from the same genes as the Outsiders, but he didn’t understand their way of thinking any more than he did the Fulbrights’. They were wasteful and uncaring, from what he could tell, a blight on the planet they shared.
He tucked his hands in his pockets and stopped on the path, momentarily consumed with his thoughts. He couldn’t say he’d never considered what would happen if the world was cleansed of the Outsiders once and for all. But then he would think of his mother, and now Tamara.
Not every Outsider was bad, and he was obligated to protect them all for the sake of those who deserved to be protected. But especially for the one who was now part of him. Where was she?
Home.
The answer hit him hard. Of course. Whatever Luce claimed, Nick knew Tamara was fleeing from him, and where would she feel safer than her own home, far from here?
Was it possible? Could she survive such a major slip? He picked up his pace and drew in a deep breath of spicy air. Just because no one had slipped through the dome before didn’t mean it couldn’t be done and done safely.
But what if she hadn’t survived? His stomach dropped, and he had to close his eyes to regain his balance in a world that suddenly tilted on its axis. Wouldn’t he know if she was gone? Wouldn’t the pain of her death be even greater than the wrenching pain of separation? He didn’t know, but there was someone who would have those answers. He pictured Markum and slipped from the path through the wall of Markum’s office.
“Your Highness.” Markum didn’t look surprised by the visit. He stood up behind a large desk covered with crystals and stones of various colors and sizes. “How may I be of service?”
He started to bow, and Nick waved him off. “Please, you know that’s not necessary.” Markum was a stickler to the archaic boundaries between the classes, even when the rest of Aerth had long since let them blur.
“I’m sorry to come unannounced,” Nick continued. Just because one could pop through a wall didn’t make doing it without an invitation polite or acceptable. “You know I wouldn’t intrude if it wasn’t important.”
“You’re welcome any time. Please sit.”
Markum returned to his seat and waited until Nick found a comfortable position on the pink crystal chair in front of his desk. He preferred to command gravity to hold him but wouldn’t insult Markum’s hospitality. Unyielding crystal pressed against his back and poked at his thighs. Air was much more comfortable than stone.
“You’ve heard what happened?”
“Yes.” Marked bowed his head. “I was sorry to hear about your queen disappearing as she did.”
Nick let out a deep breath and rubbed his hand over his mouth then leaned forward. “I think she returned to her home.”
He let the statement hang as Markum watched him with varying degrees of pity and disbelief. “Um,” Markum cleared his throat and flexed his fingers on his desk, looking for a delicate way to tell his future leader he was mistaken. “The transporter hasn’t been used. No one will leave Aerth until Saturday as planned.”
“I think she slipped through the dome.” Nick knew Markum would have trouble believing him, but the more he thought about it the more certain he was that was exactly what she’d done. “She’s not in Aerth. She learned to move molecules on her own after being here for only one day. I don’t think we should rule out the possibility of her finding a way to return to her home.”
Markum eyed him for a moment to assess the depth of his belief, then lifted a hand and scratched figures in the air. Pink and orange swirled with green as the figures he drew glowed between them. Even reversed as it was for him, Nick recognized a formula from his years in science training, but he wasn’t sure what Markum was trying to figure.
When the space before him was completely filled with glowing symbols, Markum stood and continued his calculations in the clean space above. “No.” He shook his graying head and squinted at the results he’d come up with. “The precision needed to slip between worlds is almost incalculable. No one could do such a thing without years of practice and proper training.”
“What if she was frightened? Scared out of her wits? Do you think the desire to escape danger would be enough to allow her to do the almost impossible?”
“I don’t know.” Markum sat back down and tugged on his lower lip. “It’s unlikely for sure, but with adrenaline boosting her system ...” He looked up at Nick. “You say she taught herself to slip. As in she actually slipped by herself while she was here?”
Nick nodded. “Luce tried to force a kiss, and she slipped into my arms.”
“He did what?!” Nick nodded, and Maukum rubbed his brow. “So she was frightened then as well. Perhaps there’s a chance,” he admitted the possibility but shook his head, clearly not believing it had happened.
“I have to find her.” Nick jumped to the point. “Could I slip through the dome like she did? Is there any danger in trying?”
Markum sputtered and stood back up. “You don’t even know if she survived. She might not even be ...” At Nick’s glare he cleared his throat and went a different direction. “What if you did make it out? How would you get back? Even if you managed to successfully slip once, there are no guarantees you could do it again. With all the electrical pollution out there, you know it’s almost impossible to manipulate the Outside.” He shook his head in a short burst of disgust.
“If I slip out now and find her, we could catch the transport back Saturday after you deliver the others to the Outside. Like you said, it will be easier going out than returning.” Nick had been giving the idea some thought. It sounded very possible, and he had to do something. His chest burned with the separation, a constant reminder that his life-mate had been taken from him. As if he’d ever forget.
Markum grabbed a bright blue stone from his desk that caught the light, revealing a blue-toned rainbow within it. He studied it then rubbed his thumb over the smooth surface. “Maybe,” he said to himself as he considered the possibility. “Your mother will never allow you to take the risk, though. You are the next ruler. You know your sister isn’t ready to take the position.”
Duty had been pounded into him since birth. It was his duty to set a good example. His duty to lead Aerth into the next generation. His duty to deny himself for the love of his people.
It was also his duty to love and protect the woman he was bound to.
“Mother will understand I must at least try to get Tamara back.” He didn’t fully believe that, but it wouldn’t matter. He leaned forward and pressed his hands against Markum’s desk. “Will you help me?”
He knew Riesel would be angry if he helped her son. However, she would understand. She’d shared a monumental relationship with her husband—the most perfect bond he’d ever witnessed, though he secretly believed her bond with him would have been even better. She would know her son could do no less than try to bring his queen home.
“It won’t be easy,” Markum said.
Nick gave him a tight smile and cracked his knuckles. “Nothing worthwhile ever is.”
He was safe—for now. As much as he boasted and preened, Luce knew the Fulbrights didn’t have the kind of power needed to protect him forever. Nor did they want to. Now that his cousin had spread the rumor he’d tried to force that stupid girl to kiss him, he was losing supporters quicker than he could count. The Fulbrights had started making not-so-subtle hints that he should turn himself in to the authorities. They were only willing to back a sure winner.
His face puckered into a bitter expression. With his fingers laced behind him, he stared at a photograph of the Outside that hung in the guest room where he was staying. It was a rare acquisition, as interaction of all kinds was limited with the Outside for safety. The Fulbrights would have paid dearly for it. So many people. And vehicles. And buildings. He squinted at the frantic blur that was Time’s Square and debated his choices.
Aerthians didn’t believe in corporal punishment, thankfully. If he stayed here, he would either be placed under permanent house arrest or exported to a remote, unpopulated area on the Outside. Either of those choices would crush his dreams of punishing the Outsiders for what they’d taken from him. Anger sprang to life with the thought. It was getting harder and harder to keep the almost-ever-present emotion hidden.
He leaned closer to the photo. His reflection stared back at him from the shiny glass. With Tamara on the Outside, as his sources claimed, her bond to Nick would be nullified.
Rumor had Tamara on the Outside. What if instead of trying to make a quick bond with someone here, he went to the Outside and found her? The recruits who choose to return to their old lives would be returned Saturday. If he snuck aboard the transporter, he could go to the Outside, snatch the impossible woman, and return in time to bond with her before Nick tried to claim the throne.
He drummed his fingers against his thigh as anticipation filled him. Tamara was more powerful than anyone had expected. She would raise his standing with his supporters as no other could. And he would have a lifetime to make her pay for rejecting him while her “first choice” was just out of reach. He chuckled at the irony of that thought, but he liked it. He really liked it.
Chapter 18
Crystal tinkled overhead as another rumble from the angry volcano shook the house. Nick grabbed his glass before it could tip, but Mills wasn’t so lucky.
“Yikes!” She jumped out of her chair and patted at the pale liquid that made a run for the edge of the table, as she watched the lights swing overhead. “Should we be worried, yet?” Her voice held as much frustration as fear. She knew the RD dome could protect them from almost anything. The almost was the part that worried her.
Riesel sent her a calming smile across the wide table of salmon-colored crystal. She’d added an aqua hue dark to her hair to match her dress. She trusted Markum and his staff implicitly. As long as he believed they were safe, she believed it as well. “The most active volcano is far enough away that the dome won’t have any troubles doing its job. You know there was an earthquake during your great-grandfather’s day that zipped right past Aerth and even that didn’t shake the dome.”
“But it could have.” Mills wasn’t trying to be petulant. She was scared. She might be young, but she wasn’t stupid. The RD dome wasn’t indestructible, no matter how strong it was.
But it could be reinforced.
She dropped her napkin by her plate and refrained from stomping her small foot against the currently bluish-green floor. If only she could make her powers work, she could at least help reinforce the dome. But no, she was pretty sure she was the only Aerthian-born girl without a lick of extra ability. Coming from the powerful bond of her parents, she knew she was a surprising disappointment to everyone.
“Sit down, dear.” Riesel glanced at the crystals above, thankful to see they were hanging peacefully once again. “Let’s enjoy our meal as a family.” She didn’t add “last,” but she feared it might be so. She wouldn’t forbid Nick from going after his queen, but she had little faith he would return from his quest. Slipping through the dome was always considered impossible. Now they knew it was possible, but was it safe?
“Mother.” Nick sensed her thoughts. He let out a long, suffering sigh from his position at the head of the table and pushed his untouched plate back. “Getting out will be the hard part. Coming back will be a breeze.” His words were full of confidence, but he would be foolish to discount the possible danger. That was the reason he was here, spending time with his family instead of already on the Outside. It was his way of telling them goodbye. Just in case. “I already made it out and back once on the transporter,” he added. “It worked perfectly.”
And had taken years off her life as she worried he might not survive the experimental device. He had made the trip safely, though. She needed to find faith he would do it again. She drew in her lips, then forced herself to take a drink to hide that nervous habit.
Her son was bound now. He and Tamara shared a soul, and he would never be whole without her. It would be not only selfish but cruel to ask him to give her up—at least not before he tried everything in his power to get her back.
“Why can’t I manipulate mass?” Mills asked the all-too-familiar question, drawing Riesel from her worries about Nick. “I try. I really do.” She propped her chin on her fist. “Is something the matter with me?”
“Of course not.” Riesel came around the table in a swift movement. Her teal gown was full with layers of paper-light, multicolored underskirts that floated behind her. She wrapped her daughter in her arms and murmured comforting words in her hair. “You’re perfect just as you are. You know I never showed an ounce of ability until after I’d been here for years. Maybe we’re just late bloomers.” She tried to laugh, but pain caused it to come out in a choked half-sob. Where once her life had been a fairytale, now hardship filled her days.
If only Reign was still here.
“Maybe I don’t belong here,” Mills said. “Maybe I would fit in better on the Outside where I was like everyone else.”
“Don’t say that!” Riesel gasped. “You fit in perfectly here.”
