Knight of a Trillion Stars Read online

  “That ‘woman’ is your wife, Lorgin. Another fact you have neglected to inform her of. While you might be right in withholding information on the Shimalee, I cannot condone the other. She has a right to know. Even now, she expects to return to her world.” Yaniff stroked his chin and looked slyly at Lorgin. “Due to the circumstances, I am not at all sure if this constitutes a proper union.”

  Lorgin relinquished his relaxed pose, standing in front of Yaniff with his fists clenched. “The oath was given and taken. She returned the Cearix to me in the time-honored manner.” His eyes narrowed. “She is mine and I will hear no more on it.”

  Yaniff chuckled to himself, having accomplished what he set out to do. Lorgin, usually so much in control, had little where this woman was concerned. The old mystic decided to fuel the fire.

  “Perhaps…perhaps not. In order for the oath to be irrevocable, you must complete the Transference This you have not done.”

  Lorgin’s gaze flicked to Bojo, who peered at him from Yaniff’s shoulder like a nosy old woman. “She is not ready yet. She needs more time.”

  Yaniff sighed. “Time, my friend, is something we do not have. Make her ready. We cannot risk her falling under the power of another. She was meant for you, but destiny can play tricks on the unwary.” Yaniff’s eyes suddenly gleamed with humor. “Do not hesitate; I have complete confidence in your abilities in this area, Lorgin.”

  Lorgin grinned sheepishly. Yaniff could be embarrassingly direct at times. He decided to sidetrack the old mystic. “What was this development you spoke of earlier?”

  Yaniff was not sidetracked, but he knew Lorgin had heard his words and would act accordingly. He answered the question put to him. “There is a man here on Ryka Twelve who recently returned from a journey to the far sector. Information was given to me that he might have some knowledge which might be of value to you. He resides in Pod 25.”

  Lorgin raised his eyebrows. “That is a long journey from this cavern—on the border of what the inhabitants here call the Wilderness Reaches.”

  Yaniff nodded. “Yes. We should begin the journey without delay.”

  Lorgin was surprised. “You are accompanying us?”

  “Only as far as the tunnel relay. As you know, there is a dampening field here. There are only certain fixed points from which the tunnels can be entered. Even I am bound by natural law. Another matter—Adeeann must be equipped with a translator device as soon as possible. It is dangerous for her not to understand what occurs around her.”

  “I agree.”

  “There is a healer in the direction we travel, in the Wilderness Reaches. She can do it.”

  Lorgin nodded. “What is the name of this man I seek in Pod 25?”

  “He is called Greka al Nek. He is not to be trusted, but for the right amount of coin he will be honest enough for your purposes.”

  Yaniff peered at the wall in the direction of the cave Deana was in. “Let us return to your zira. Rejar is up to mischief.”

  Lorgin did not wait for Yaniff to catch up with him as he bounded back to the cave he had left Adeeann in.

  Chapter Five

  Lorgin’s voice boomed in the small chamber. “By the blood of Aiyah, woman! Do not scratch behind his left ear!”

  Deana’s head whipped up at the urgency in his tone. Horrified, she looked down at the cat, quickly standing to put some distance between her and it. Was it poisonous in some unknown way? Would she even now start seeing her life flash before her eyes? No matter how awful the truth was, she had to know.

  “Why ever not?” she demanded of Lorgin, expecting the worst.

  “Because he likes it too much!” Lorgin bellowed.

  “Because…” she sputtered. “Now that makes a lot of sense!” She stormed over to Lorgin. “You scared me half to death, I ought to…”

  And she did.

  Kicked him hard on his shin.

  Unfortunately the effect was spoiled by the thickness of his boot. “Ohhh!” She stormed off to the other side of the cave.

  Lorgin leveled an angry glare at the cat.

  Rejar gazed tranquilly up at him, as cats often do when they are being the most mischievous. “Meowww.”

  Lorgin took a step toward the cat, but Yaniff’s hand on his arm stopped him. “We do not have time for this foolishness. We must make haste to depart.”

  Lorgin walked over to Deana, placing his hand on her elbow. “We must leave now, zira.”

  Deana was put out with him; nonetheless, she felt a frisson at the man’s touch—a touch that was becoming all too familiar to her. She frowned up at him. “You are totally weird, do you know that?”

  He smiled at her comment, while leading her from the chamber.

  Deana could only gape at the outer cavern they entered. It was huge, perhaps the size of two football fields. Everywhere people were milling about in what looked to be a bazaar.

  She could see several stalls selling various wares, some of which she had never seen before. There were carts brimming with all manner of items—beautiful sheer materials, jewelry, exotic foods, and much, much, more. Performers, dancers, and jugglers entertained the crowds. Strange music filled the air. It reminded her of stories she had read of the marketplaces in Elizabethan times.

  Except for the aliens. There were all manner of beings here, presumably from other worlds. The sights, colors, sounds, and smells were overwhelming.

  To think that she was probably the first Earthling to ever see this! To experience alien cultures coming together and interacting! She felt Lorgin’s finger under her chin as he closed her gaping mouth.

  Lorgin. He had done this for her.

  Deana beamed at him. “Lorgin, this is wonderful! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

  Lorgin was momentarily spellbound by her radiant beauty. He had no idea what had made his Little Fire so happy, but he would be more than willing to take credit for it. He leaned toward her, lightly touching her lips with his own.

  He murmured against her soft lips, “It is just a sacri, a marketplace—nothing compared to the wonders I will show you, Little Fire.” Unable to help himself, he placed his arms around her, this time deepening the kiss.

  Oh, he tastes so sweet, Deana thought, once again becoming somewhat dreamy. And a little spicy, too…

  Lost in their embrace, neither heard Yaniff approach until he noisily cleared his throat. “Ahem! Now is not the time for tarrying, Lorgin.”

  Lorgin broke off the embrace as Rejar scurried forth into the fracas of the cave. “Come, zira, I need to purchase you clothing more suitable to our journey.”

  He led her to a stall which displayed various articles of clothing. Deana looked at several garments made of a beautiful, printed silky fabric, and was quite disappointed when Lorgin purchased a simple pair of harem type trousers and a tunic made of a heavy homespun material in a drab olive color. He also purchased a matching cape with a hood, and a pair of nondescript black boots.

  Deana eyed the ugly garments. “Gee, thanks, I don’t know what to say.”

  Lorgin patiently explained to her that these clothes were purchased with the specific purpose of not attracting attention. “Some of the areas we will be traveling through attract all manner of unsavory characters, including slavers from the Oberion colonies. We do not need to draw attention to your beauty, Adeeann.”

  Her beauty? Jeez, who would believe it? And put that way, who am I not to humor the man?

  After she had changed, they continued through the marketplace as Lorgin made various purchases he deemed necessary for their journey. How he made this determination was a mystery to her, as his list of purchases reminded her of scavenger-hunt booty.

  He bought them all, including Rejar, small pastries filled with something grainy that tasted spicy. After they had eaten, Lorgin placed all of his purchases on the ground and nodded to Yaniff.

  The old mystic extended his now glowing scepter, closed his eyes, and so help her, the items vanished! Deana noticed several bystanders giv
ing Yaniff discreet looks and a wide berth. She correctly guessed that such ability was not a usual occurrence here.

  “Where did the stuff go? And why did you go to the trouble of buying all of that if you were just going to have Yaniff make it disappear?”

  Placing an arm around her shoulders, Lorgin explained, “Yaniff sent everything up to the next dimensional level. How do I convey this? In this next dimensional level, everything folds in on itself, and exists in a different spatial plane. When we need the items, Yaniff will bring them out of that dimensional plane into this one. Is this clear to you?”

  Deana scoffed. “As mud! All I got out of that is that you’ve got plenty of closet space that follows you around.” A brilliant thought occurred to her. “You know, you, ah, I mean…we, we could make a fortune with that idea back on…Disney. You see, they have these things called selfstorage places, where people rent space for storing their stuff and…”

  As she was talking, Lorgin led her through a throng of people to a side tunnel, throwing an amused glance over her head at Yaniff, who just raised his eyes to the ceiling while shaking his head.

  Rejar scampered behind, his tail swishing.

  It wasn’t long before they left the sounds and bustling activity of the large cavern far behind. The tunnel passage they traversed was not as brightly lit as the cavern. And it seemed to Deana that the further they got away from the main cavern, the darker it became, until all that remained of the light was a dull green glow emanating from the ceiling and walls.

  Lorgin insisted that they travel in single file as he led, followed by Deana, then Yaniff, with Rejar bringing up the rear. What good a cat would do if they needed protection from behind was beyond her, but amazingly, the cat stayed to the back of the line.

  When they had first left the market area, the tunnel had been fairly wide, allowing for the many travelers to this sector to converge into the city from the various tunnels. However, the farther they traveled, the narrower the tunnel became, until there was only room for two people to walk abreast.

  Deana realized the reason they traveled in single file when they passed several parties going in the opposite direction. At these times, it seemed that Lorgin was very tense and watchful, often glancing behind him at the rest of the party to be sure nothing was amiss.

  They walked for hours, crossing intersecting tunnels every now and then. Deana wondered how anyone could know where they were going in this seemingly endless maze, marveling that Lorgin did not hesitate in his movements at all.

  She also wondered when they were going to stop and rest; her feet were starting to hurt. Putting one foot in front of the other in robotic fashion, she gazed at the beautiful crystalline structures on the ceiling and idly wondered if they were composed of gypsum. Since this was not Earth, there was no way of knowing.

  “We will rest soon, child.” Yaniff’s kind voice came from behind her.

  She turned and gave him a grateful smile, noting that the orb on the end of his staff was glowing, giving the old man a little more light for his steps. It rather endeared him to her.

  After a while, the tunnel began to widen, and soon they found themselves in a cavernous room abundant with stalactite and stalagmite formations. A few stray wayfarers were resting and eating.

  Lorgin led his group off to a far corner behind some large columns, away from the other travelers. Yaniff slowly lowered himself onto a rock while Deana gratefully sank to the floor at his feet. She rested her back against the side of the rock the old man had perched on. Lorgin leaned against a pillar, and motioned to Yaniff, who used his staff to produce some of the supplies Lorgin had purchased.

  Surprisingly, the old mystic proceeded to cut up a bunch of odd-looking vegetables with a little knife, threw them into a caldron-like pot, and added some liquid from a pouch. Deana couldn’t help grinning at the incongruity of it.

  “Something amuses you, child?” Yaniff asked her, his gaze never leaving the pot.

  Deana was almost getting used to this man’s uncanny ability to know her moods—even when he had his back to her, as he did now.

  “I was just wondering why you don’t wave your magic wand and produce the soup already made.”

  Yaniff chuckled. “Never tastes the same that way.”

  “I think I know what you mean. It would be like using a microwave to bake bread.”

  Lorgin sauntered over to them. “With all this talk we will be here till the morrow before we eat.” He waved his arm across the caldron and a fire sprang up under it. Deana’s eyes widened.

  “Do not look so surprised, Adeeann. Did I not tell you I had power over fire?” He walked off to a curtained area, presumably to use the facilities. Deana made a face at his retreating back.

  Rejar, who had been watching her, sauntered over and curled up next to her, placing his head on her lap. She absentmindedly stroked his fur, her thoughts still on Lorgin.

  “Sometimes he is so obnoxiously arrogant!” she fumed.

  Rejar purred his agreement.

  “If only he weren’t so devastatingly gorgeous.” Rejar picked up his head and stared at her. “Well, he is, so don’t look at me like I’ve just lost my mind.”

  The cat blinked.

  “I’ve never met anyone like him before.” She gazed down at the cat. “I’ll tell you a secret,” she whispered.

  Rejar stopped purring and, as if intent on her words, leaned closer to her.

  “He is the sexiest man I have ever seen. When he looks at me in a certain way…I absolutely melt.”

  Rejar widened his eyes.

  Deana didn’t think a cat could look amused, but this one certainly did. “So, you think it’s funny, do you?”

  Rejar put his head back on her lap and started purring again.

  “See if I scratch behind your left ear again,” Deana grumbled as she petted his head.

  While the soup was cooking, Yaniff sat next to them, his gaze falling on Rejar. “You do enjoy stirring up your own soup, eh, Rejar?” The cat swished his tail without changing his comfortable position. Yaniff chuckled. “Best be off before he comes back, if you know what is good for you, scamp.”

  Rejar begrudgingly picked himself up and moved off to lie in front of the fire.

  Deana knit her brow. “What’s with Lorgin and his cat?”

  Yaniff seemed amused by her question, but declined to explain, choosing instead to question Deana about her world.

  Deana had a few questions of her own. “Yaniff, when you made the items Lorgin purchased disappear, I noticed that many of the people near us seemed in awe of your ability. I was under the impression that magic was a rather common occurrence here. Why did they seem so fascinated, yet fearful?”

  Yaniff reached up and stroked Bojo as he thoughtfully replied, “Magic is a common occurrence here, Adeeann, but the ability to perform it is not. Very few have such ability in our worlds, as the training is long, the discipline required strict. The supplicant must also be born with a latent ability to ‘sing’ to the forces which comprise our existence. And of course, some have more innate talent than others.”

  Yaniff gazed thoughtfully at Rejar. “Then, there are some that have great abilities, but refuse to acknowledge the gift in themselves.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that those that can ‘sing’ to these forces are looked upon as specialists here, as we, in my world, would view a doctor or engineer?”

  “Specialists, yes, but there is also a mystical ‘respect’ involved. I believe that is what you perceived as the fearfulness amongst the villagers.”

  “Did you teach Lorgin?”

  “Teaching. It is an ongoing process throughout one’s existence in this plane.”

  Deana shook her head. “This is very different from my world.”

  “Not really. Yours is a world based on technology. Our world is based on mystical principles you call magic. The machines from your world which I have seen in Lorgin’s mind would be as legends to our people. They would regard your
devices as you would stories of the unicorn. Although there are similarities, what is real for us is not always real in your world, and vice-versa. For this reason, our universes must exist independently of each other. Knowledge of each other would disrupt the very fabric of existence, the basis of reality for each of our spaces, causing total annihilation.”

  Deana gulped. “Sort of like matter and anti-matter combining?”

  Yaniff nodded. “A very similar concept.”

  “Basis of reality…a great scientist of ours talked about reality in frames of reference; he called it relativity.”

  “Then he was a great mystic.”

  “Um, I’m not sure he would’ve viewed it that way.”

  Yaniff smiled wryly. “Perhaps not.”

  An uncomfortable thought occurred to Deana. “Yaniff, I am aware of your existence. Wouldn’t this constitute a threat to our universes?”

  Yaniff looked at her thoughtfully. The fact that he knew she would not be returning to her world must not figure into his response. He had a trust to Lorgin, and it was the younger man’s responsibility to guide her to her destiny. His reply was measured.

  “Not necessarily. You would have no proof of our existence, other than your word. While one’s word is good enough in our land, in a world based on fact and science, I believe it will not be enough. They will need irrefutable evidence, and even then belief would be slow in coming. Such is the nature of the existence of your kind.”

  Deana sighed. He was right about that. No one would believe her in a million years. Worse, they’d probably throw her in Chumley’s if she became too vocal about it. The best she could do was enjoy the adventure, and when she was back in her own living room, convince herself that she hadn’t imagined the whole thing. Perhaps if she wrote it down as a story…

  As her thoughts wandered along these lines, something occurred to her. “Yaniff, if your universe is based on magic as you say, why does Lorgin have a translation device?”

  Yaniff smiled. “The device is not based on technological principles, Adeeann. It is”—he paused, searching for the right way to explain it to her—“for lack of better words, an intricately contained ‘conjure’ of the Guild. The Guild of Aviara produce many such devices for the Alliance, a useful tool in trade and negotiation.”