Free Shattered Soul by Angela Verdenius Page A

the facts. You and your sister warrior were frozen in ice for years. Your sister is missing, you were still there. You thawed out in our freezer. Your leader, Reya, is coming for you. End of story.” He crossed over to the viscomm in the wall. “And because I know you won’t believe a word I say, here’s some history for you and a word from Reya herself.”
    “Reya? Reya’s a child.”
    “Reya’s a married woman with a child,” Abra said brusquely, touching the screen. “Just watch this. No doubt you still won’t believe, but it’s the best I can do.”
    The viscomm flared to life and without a backward glance, Abra strode from the cabin.
    “How the hell did she wake up so soon?” someone demanded from the corridor.
    “Had to,” came Abra’s reply. “It was either that or starve her to death.”
    “You should have waited for one of us to accompany you.”
    “She’s weak as a lykitten. No threat right now.”
    “Is it wise to leave her unobserved?”
    “She’s about to watch a bit of history.” Abra’s voice faded down the corridor.
    He was lying. The bastard hunter was playing with her, he— Ceri was diverted by the scene playing out on the viscomm screen.
    It looked like a court of some kind, a meeting of many people. A couple she recognized and she pushed herself up weakly into a sitting position, leaning back against the wall. The black-robed, grim-faced man she’d recognize anywhere. Meekta, leader of the Intergalactic Peace Ship Council.
    She stiffened suddenly when a door opened and a group of Reeka warrior women walked into the big room. She knew them—the warrior with the red/gold curls, the younger one with the hair like old gold coins and eyes the same colour as her own. Tenia and Reya, the daughters of Karana. Dana, their hot-headed cousin. Connie... so many others she hadn’t seen for a couple of weeks. Tenia she hadn’t seen for a couple of years... But wait. Ceri squinted and then her eyes widened.
    These weren’t the young teenagers she remembered. Reya and Tenia looked older, their curves filled out, their eyes harder. Reya’s held a coldness she didn’t remember ever being there and Tenia looked worried. Gone were the carefree young girls she remembered.
    What was happening?
    Looking down at the date glowing in the corner of the screen, she swallowed. 7006. It couldn’t be 7006. It was 6992.
    Heart lurching, she looked back at the happenings on the screen. People were talking, some in uproar. Across the top was printed “Historic Meeting & Pardon of the Reeka Race 6995”
    No, this had to be a lie. A trick. But there was no doubting the husky tones of Tenia when she spoke, the defiance in Dana’s eyes, the cold acceptance in Reya’s. The watchfulness of them all. Then, when some man started running and screaming at them the warriors with them slammed back to back in a typical defence pose.
    Numbly she watched the play out, saw a recording on a monitor, watched it enlarge to fill the screen. It replayed the slaughter of fellow sister warriors and she saw herself fighting in the distance with Rani by her side.
    Bile filled her mouth and she swallowed back the tears that pricked as a young warrior, no more than six years of age, fell in a spray of blood. The sights changed to show the bloody Inka Empire leader, Shari, and her eyes widened when she saw Vulya lying in an ornamental coffin.
    Vulya, Karana’s beloved husband. He’d died just before the Reekas were forced to leave their settlement and become nomads. What was he doing with Shari? Shock coursed through her as the scenes continued to unwind before her disbelieving eyes.
    The Reekas were pardoned, and then Shari came in firing a laser. A big Daamen trader threw himself in the path off laser fire, saving Tenia, who screamed his name, fell to her knees and cradled him close. She was crying. Mayhem, everywhere mayhem.
    The scene unravelled and she didn’t even have time to absorb it properly before there was a full