Free The Lereni Trade by Melanie Nilles Page B

from the ship before the Tah'Na had
released it to their use.
    Those who controlled knowledge
controlled the populace. The Tah'Na could say anything and Lereni
wouldn't know any better.
    Fingers curled into fists, the points
of claws poking into his palms as if to squeeze their conquerors
into dust.
    What did the Tah'Na want with the
daughter of Naperi? That question had replayed in his mind since
meeting Krissa.
    What would the Onduun inflict on the
Lereni? Karik hadn't even considered it, or he had but had
determined that the risk of attrition from the Onduun was worse
than further infliction of the rule of the Tah'Na.
    In two hours, they would
know.
    But by then, it would be too late for
Krissa.
    If only there was a way to contact the
Inari.
    If only he had known sooner that there was a connection
between them and the Onduun Seres and that the connection was the Inari.
    The same Inari who would not step in
and aid them in fighting the Tah'Na from their world. As he had
told Krissa, they were a peaceful race. They were not aggressive,
nor did they ally themselves with combatants but remained neutral,
despite the rumored power of their Starfire.
    Next to him, the figure inhaled
sharply and twitched.
    He held his breath, not wanting to
wake her. The longer she slept, the less time she had to
worry.
    To his relief, she fell still again,
her breathing slow and deep.
    Torik let out a sigh and caught the
faint scrape of a door. On lighter than usual feet, Karik stepped
from his quarters and crossed the lounge, only his eyes shifting
aside to check Torik while his face stared ahead with the hair on
his head partially standing in a calm demeanor.
    Then he was in a fair mood.
Perfect.
    Torik eased away from the sleeping
girl to join Karik in the command center, where the door closed
behind them.
    "There is no other way," Karik said
without looking up while he checked the controls at the panel next
to his command chair. A readout of their flight path appeared on
the overhead display of the front viewport with separate views of
the ship interior on either side, including the sleeping girl in
the lounge.
    Torik stood on the ramp next to where
he had set Krissa down to tend her injured ankle that first night.
There, he had a clear view of Karik's face and any hint of sympathy
he might reveal, although that would be unlikely.
    "How much did you hear?"
    "Enough to know you're wrong." Karik
paused to check his reaction. "She will never convince the Tah'Na
that she's useful alive. She cannot possibly convince them to spare
Leisil."
    "What of the Inari?"
    Karik dropped his attention to the
controls at his chair too abruptly to be casual. Torik had struck a
chord that Karik had considered also. There was the string to
pluck.
    "The Inari will not interfere in our
conflict, nor should they. This is between Lereni and
Tah'Na."
    "Your pride would prevent you from
asking?"
    Karik stiffened, his lips pressing
into something fierce but quickly curling back into the beginning
of a snarl.
    "You shouldn't have told her
anything!" Karik slammed his hands on the armrests and the display
jumped through a series of readouts. A second later, he was on his
feet towering over Torik in a threatening pose.
    They'd gone around once. Torik didn't
intend to openly challenge his captain again and stepped back in a
show of submission. He wouldn't hope to recover in time to save
Krissa, if he survived a second assault.
    "She can help us. She's even offered to sacrifice herself,
but if there is any chance of saving her and our world…"
    Karik's glare eased only after a hint
of trepidation lifted the hair on his head. "She must be handed
over. It's the only way. If she's willing, all the better. Our
world will be free of these vermin."
    "If they uphold their
agreement."
    A huff blew from the captain, who
returned to his chair.
    "Prepare the girl for our arrival." He
spoke while keying in several readouts on the overhead display.
"She should be made appealing."
    Torik