“Anddid you get what you needed to quenchyour thirst?” Two taunted. “I understand that the Havoc can be most productivein that area. Is that true?”

“Theonly thing I’m thirsty for now is your blood.” Trin strode forward, keepingTwo’s attention fixed on her.

“Ah-ah,my dear—I don’t think so!” He raised the dissipater and pointed it at her. Trinnodded slightly at Sidna and the medic rushed Two from behind. Locking one armaround his skinny throat, she grabbed the arm with the dissipater and jerked itup sharply, just as he fired.

Thedissipater went flying from his grasp and the shot went wild and hit a panel ofinsulation near the ceiling, burning a huge hole in the greenish-yellow stuff.Luckily it absorbed most of the damage and kept the dissipater blast fromeating through to the top of the ship. Trin was distantly grateful for that—shedidn’t need a hull breach on top of everything else right now.

Steppingup, she shoved the muzzle of her blaster right under his jaw before he couldwriggle loose from Sidna’s grip.

“Goodjob, Sidna!” Trin told her friend. “And you—hold still.” She glared at Twocoldly. “Or I’ll blow your head off now rather than later.”

Twostopped struggling at once. This close to him, Trin could see that the rottenpatches in his exposed brain had grown until almost all of the gray, spongytissue was consumed by putrid, black decay. She could smell his stench—thestench of dead things hidden away in a hot, dark space—even through the clearplasti-shield he wore over that area of his head. She’d been too drugged withthe passion berry wine to notice before, but now it made her want to gag.Somehow she held her stomach in check and shoved the blaster even harder into hisskinny neck.

“Talah,”she said, without looking away from him. “Go to the anteroom attached to mineand get the manacles on the cot. Bring them here to me now.”

“Y-yes,Captain.” Trembling, Talah did as Trin said and was back in an instant with themanacles—and also Thrace.“I’m sorry, Captain,” she whispered to Trin. “I had to let him out when I wentin for the manacles. I tried to stop him but he’s so big.”

“Don’tworry about it,” Trin told her, never taking her eyes from Two. “It’s fine.Just put the manacles on the prisoner.”

“I’lldo it,” Thracesaid. Sidna stepped back and he took the metal cuffs from the trembling cookand locked them around Two’s skeletal wrists, cinching them tight. “All right,”he said in a low voice to Trin. “Now what? You want to shoot him?”

“Yes,kill him!” Sidna exclaimed in a trembling voice.

“Notyet,” Trin snapped. She gave the medic a look that made the other woman stepback. Then she glanced around. “The wine. Where’s the wine he made me drink?”

Thracerummaged through Two’s pockets and found the flask.

“Hereit is—now what?”

“Arethere enough for three drinks?” Trin asked coldly.

Thracefrowned. “There are but I’m not sure how it would affect a male of hisspecies.”

“Giveit to him. Let’s find out.” Her voice sounded distant and cold in her own ears.

Thrace startedto protest then stopped.

“Asyou wish, Mistress,” he murmured, unscrewing the cap of the flask.

“What?No!” Two protested, trying to jerk away when Thrace pressed the flask to histhin, liver-colored lips. “This is not part of the foretelling! You are supposed to be my doom!” heexclaimed, staring wildly at Thrace.“You’re supposed to shoot me and put me out of my misery—not add to it!”

Thracefrowned. “Are you saying you want todie?”

“Lookat me.” Two nodded his head, indicating the rotten patches in his brain. “OnceI thought I’d live forever.” He sighed deeply. “Ah, but alas, I am not the samesince I received the burst of power which killed my friend. The ache in mybrain is more than I can bear…yet I cannot end myself. Why else would I pursuemy own death and be certain that you would hate me enough to kill me?”

Thrace staredat him blankly. “And you think I’m theone who’s going to do you in?”

“So it was foretold,” Two said. “Listen…

No Kindred shall kill you

Thoughyou spill rivers of their blood

Theone who is your doom

Comesfrom desert and from flood.

Afree-born male

Tooproud to bend his knee

Enslavedof his own will

Againsthis will set free.” He nodded at Thrace. “That’s you, Havoc! Don’t you see? Well—don’tyou?”

Trin and Thraceexchanged a glance.

“Idon’t know what in the Seven Hells you’re talking about and I don’t fuckingcare,” Thracegrowled. “My mistress says drink so you’re going to drink.”

Heforced the first mouthful past Two’s metal teeth while Trin held the blastercentered on him.

“Swallow,”she directed Two. “Try to spit it out and I’ll shoot you someplace extremelypainful but not remotely fatal.”

Heswallowed, his knot of an Adam’s apple bobbing in his scrawny throat. Almost atonce he began to shiver.

“C-cold,”he gasped, his teeth chattering with a strange, metallic echo.

“Well,well—looks like this wine of his works almost immediately,” Thraceremarked. “Must be the special strain of berries he developed for it.”

“Good.Give him the second drink. See how he likes burning up,” Trin said ruthlessly.

Thrace forceda second swallow into Two’s mouth. He was jabbering and babbling now, spoutingmore words of “prophesy” and boasting about his plans for the future. Not oneword in ten got through to Trin. She was too busy watching him through cold,dispassionate eyes and planning her next move.

“Thethird drink,” she ordered Thraceafter Two began to sweat and tug at his black coat, complaining of the heat.“Give him the third drink.”

Thrace lookedagain like he might protest but then he only shrugged.

“Asmy lady wishes.”

Twofought and struggled but he was no match for the huge Havoc. As Trin watcheddispassionately, Thraceforced the third drink of passion berry wine past the other male’s thin,liver-colored lips. Then he clamped one broad palm over Two’s mouth and noseuntil, with a convulsive swallow, the wine went down Two’s skinny throat.

“Ahhh!”Two’s eyes rolled back in his head and he shivered all over, his skeletal framequivering with what Trin hoped was unbearable pain.

Good, she thought. Let him suffer. I hope it hurts—hurts a hellof a lot. Because whatever he was feeling, was nothing to what he hadcondemned her to endure.

AndTrin knew she would have to endure it alone.

“Nowwhat, Mistress?” Thraceasked, breaking her morbid train of thought. He looked down at the writhing,twitching heap that was Two. “Are you finally ready for me to shoot him?”

“No.”Trin frowned. “Bring him and come with me.”

Sheled the way out of the control area and down the metal corridor leaving therest of her crew standing there stunned behind her. Thrace hooked one hand under theback collar of Two’s black coat and dragged him like a reluctant pet after her.When they got to the exit for the nearest life pod, Trin stopped and he did aswell.

“Nowwhat?” he asked again, frowning. “You want to shoot him and flush his body outthe airlock? It would serve the bastard right.”

“No.”Trin was still feeling cold and dispassionate—removed from the situation. Itwas like she was standing outside of herself, watching this scene as anobserver. “No, I want him to suffer. The way he made me suffer.”

“You’renot just talking about the pain and need you felt after he made you take thethird drink are you?” Thracemurmured. “I know what you must have felt, having your mother see us likethat—”

“Howcould you know?” Trin demanded. “You have no mother—you never did.”

“No,but I had a Sire and I valued his good opinion greatly—beyond anything else,” Thracesaid quietly. “I’m just trying to say that I’m sorry for your pain andhumiliation.”

Trinwaved a hand. “That’s nothing compared to what—” She stopped abruptly but Thracestared at her sharply.