Chapter Thirty-six

They were Transferred back to the mine entrance, though Tedra had asked Martha to put Challen down in a different spot, away from the one soaked with his blood. With any luck, Challen wouldn’t even know he’d left his planet-except all his warriors were still there, awaiting his return, and looking as amazed as barbarians could look upon seeing something materialize out of the air.

“Could you talk to them, Tamiron, and ask them not to mention to anyone what they’ve seen here today?”

She wasn’t sure Tamiron had heard her. He was staring with some amazement himself at Challen’s unmarked chest, this being the first he’d seen him since Transferring to the ship. There was no trace of a scar, nothing to show Challen had received a wound that would have killed him if not for the wonders of another world, one so far advanced, it still boggled Tamiron’s mind.

“What of his bones?”

“What?” Tedra frowned. “What bones?”

“Those that were crushed.”

“Everything has been fixed, Tamiron. I told you, he’s as good as new, and will be waking up any minute to prove it. Now didn’t you hear what I said about his warriors?”

“Certainly, but the matter should be decided by the shodan,” he replied.

“Actually, the one I didn’t want told was Challen. Does he really have to know he was injured? Couldn’t he just think he’d been knocked out for a little while?”

“Why?”

“I don’t want him thinking I saved his life.”

“But you did.”

“I didn’t. I just had the means available that could.”

“We do not keep secrets from the shodan, woman.”

She was learning fast what was a say-no-more-on-the-subject expression and what was not. “Well, how about letting me tell him, then? I’d like one more chance of getting him to believe me on my own, without you or your buddies backing me up.”

“Does he ask-”

“For Stars’ sake, just give me the rest of the day,” she said in exasperation. “You guys could leave, go on back to town. You won’t have to lie to him if you’re not here to be questioned, and that’s not keeping secrets.”

Instead of answering, he looked down at Challen again, and she knew it would drive him nuts to have to wait to confide to his friend all the wonders he’d seen. She also knew he still wanted assurance Challen was all right, assurance that wouldn’t come until he could speak to him. And none of that was going to get her another opportunity to convince Challen that she’d never told a tall tale in her life. And it was so important that he take her word for it.

“He’s breathing, isn’t he?” she said now in irritation. “You trusted me earlier, Tamiron, so why can’t you trust me now? I’ll have him back to town before moonrise. A couple of hours. Is that too much to ask when I’ve saved his life?”

The warrior’s brows shot up when he heard she was now taking credit for it, but Tedra wasn’t adverse to using any means to get what she wanted if she thought it might work. And it apparently worked this time.

“Very well, but no longer than the darkness,” Tamiron told her.

“No problem,” Tedra grinned, well aware his gratitude had taken a part in that decision. “You can even send out a search party if we’re a little late arriving back-due to unforeseen circumstances, of course.”

“Such would be pointless, do you make use of your going-to-the-ship box. This I will have back now.”

She handed it over with a shrug, but asked curiously, “Aren’t you worried about his reaction when he’s told you let me have it? You did disobey a direct order, after all, even if it was for his own good.”

“Were you not here and still his to command, then I would worry. But all was done as you claimed.”

That “his to command” got her goat, enough to admit, “I hate to burst that bubble of satisfaction you’re wrapped up in, warrior, but until I leave this area, Martha’s still got a lock on me and can Transfer me out of here just as she did to Challen. So you’re just going to have to take my word for it that I have no intention of disappearing until I’ve paid my full challenge loss service.”

“The shodan has called you a warrior woman. He would not do so did you lack a warrior’s honor, thus is your word on the matter sufficient.”

Tedra was chagrined to find herself glowing with pride over that left-handed compliment. “When you decide to trust, you go all out, don’t you? Thanks, Tamiron. But you’d better get going, or there won’t be a further need for trusting.”

He nodded and left with the others. She watched them until they’d passed around the jutting arm of the mountain that concealed the mine from Sha-Ka-Ra, only a short distance away. Then she turned to glance down at the big barbarian, looking so peaceful and harmless under the influence of the meditech’s sleep-inducer.

A shiver ran through her, thinking how close she had come to losing him. And now that she had him to herself, she was impatient for him to wake, also needing the reassurance that speaking to him would bring. She paced a few minutes, but finally sat down and lifted his head into her lap.

He sat up instantly, as if she had disturbed him from no more than a light sleep. With a swift glance around, he asked, “What do we out here?”

“Enjoying the late afternoon sunshine? You don’t buy that? Well, I’d tell you that you were just napping and I was just sitting here watching you nap, but I suppose you remember the tunnel collapsing on you?”

“Indeed.”

The meditech had cleaned him up, even his bracs. Since she was clean, too, maybe he wouldn’t recall that they ought to be dirty. And it wasn’t necessary to lie to him to temporarily avoid the truth.

“What can I say, babe? Your head’s not as hard as I thought it was.”

This got her a quick, reproachful look, but the man wasn’t dense, and he had a memory to rival that of a Mock II computer. “I recall pain, kerima, but not in my head. Why is it I feel none now?”

“Divine intervention? No? All right, I confess you got a little banged up, and since I can’t stand to see anything suffering, even you, I convinced your good buddy Tamiron to let me speak to Martha. You remember Martha, my God-like computer who can perform all kinds of miraculous feats? Well, she took you up to my ship and performed some, then sent you back down here, minus your bruises. Will you buy that one?”

Instead of the usual condescending doubt she always got, Challen immediately scooped her up and carried her to his waiting hataar. She didn’t know what he was up to, and he didn’t tell her, but in moments they were riding back to town, and his haste was unbelievable. All she could do was hold on as best she could, though she managed to get out an “Are you nuts?” before the barbarian’s hand covered her mouth. And it stayed there until they were threading their way through the traffic on Sha-Ka-Ra’s main street.

By then, Tedra had forgotten all about convincing Challen she was from another world. She wasn’t sure she wanted to ever speak to the crazy barbarian again, about anything. And he still didn’t give her any clue about what had sent them racing back to town. He went straight to the castle, but even then he didn’t release her, carrying her inside and all the way to his bedchamber. Only there did he finally let go.

Tedra began to pace immediately. Her arms crossed, her movements stiff, she marched back and forth in front of the warrior, who only now seemed to have relaxed.

“There was another sa’abo sneaking up on us, right?” she offered first, to be fair. “It even followed us back to town. No? Then maybe some fire sirens were going off that only you could hear? Or have you simply lost your mind?”

“It was necessary for the peace of my mind to enter a crowded place so the ‘fix’ on you would be lost,” he replied quite calmly, as if he weren’t shocking the hell out of her. And in the next breath, “I did not need to visit your sky-flyer to know it was there.”