“My precog ability could save you all,” I choked out.
Although it was warm on the bridge, Yani pulled her hat lower over her ears. “Can’t you keep the link between you going without being there? That would mean they can tap into it while they work to free Zyair.”
Rhodes’s eyes gleamed. “That—that could work.”
It wasn’t enough for me. But I understood that having me clinging to their dragon while they did this would seriously hamper the effort.
“We have two hours until the battlecruiser arrives,” Rhodes said. “Xandros and I will get into position. Yani and you will have time to acquire and install the actuator.”
I shivered again. I really did feel like I’d contracted some exotic flu—the ache was moving from my head to become a general kind of muscle thing, and my skin itched. It was a further sign, perhaps, that I would just be a liability if I accompanied them. What could I do, if I was with them, that I couldn’t do just as well through the link? Image communication could be even faster than verbal…
So, I simply nodded to him, and bankedStardriftertoward the shipyard.
The gale force wind blasted sand straight up the ramp and into theStardrifteras we struggled with what could be a last goodbye.
Every fiber of me trembled. I was pretty sure now, that it wasn’t just the stress—I was sick, dammit. But contracting some weird alien flu faded to the background as Xandros pulled me in close.
“We will be back, little drifter,” he whispered, but his voice broke on the last word.
I clung to him, only releasing him when Rhodes moved in to take his turn.
They were mine. And I had to let them go.
Both were dressed in lightweight cloaks with scarves wrapped around their faces and another set of taped boots on their feet. Apparently, this was appropriate desert-city wear. With the perpetual storms whipping up the sand, it was the only way to not breathe it in. Yani had procured the silky scarves from her personal stash, which explained the polka dots on Xandros’s. Rhodes had refused to wear it, although his featured some rather vivid stripes.
The stripes got relegated to his chin as he plundered my lips with a kiss that revealed more of his desperation than his stoic features would ever disclose. I raised a hand to his face.
“Promise you’ll be back,” I said. “That is an order.”
His eyes flashed, but he didn’t bother to try dissuading me. I appreciated the respect that offered.
“I will… I’ll be back,” he promised. His accent gave the phrase a nuance that reminded me of another accented version.
“After we get through this, we’ll watch the movie that made that line famous.”
He arched a brow. “Did he who spoke the words—come back?”
I sketched up a tremulous smile. “He did, actually. Many times.”
Pulling the scarf back up across his face, he shouldered the pack containing extra gear for Zyair. If Plan A worked, they wouldn’t need it. And I fervently hoped it would work. If it didn’t…
I swallowed as he and Xandros walked away down the ramp. The blowing sand hid them from view before they got to the bottom.
Yani put her arm around me and squeezed.
“We have our own piece of the puzzle to complete,” she reminded me. “We won’t be able to stage much of an escape without shields.”
I knew she was right, but when we descended the ramp and turned in the opposite direction from that taken by my Drakes, each step was torturous. In more ways than one—I ached all over, and I didn’t think the sweat that prickled beneath my cloak was entirely due to the stifling heat.
The gusts of wind channeled sand down the street, forming drifts against every surface. It was everywhere I looked—piled in every corner, coating the road beneath our feet, drifting over the metal skins of the ships we passed by. Visibility was only about twenty feet—it was like walking through an abrasive fog. It obscured the natural sunlight enough that the streets were lined with lights—they had to be on 24/7 in this murk.
“Is this normal?” I asked Yani.
“Apparently. Certainly glad I don’t have to live here.”
I glanced skyward. “Are they going to be able to fly in this?” The conditions were way worse than what Xandros and I had previously experienced.
Yani’s mouth straightened. “Drakes can fly in anything.” But I thought she looked concerned.
