Shadow Revealed (The Enlightened Species Book Two) (4 page)

This wasn’t the first Morsdente hunt she’d been on. It was, however, the first she’d led; it was also the first one she knew of with a “do not kill” order. Morsdente were always executed on sight. Why was this one being spared, left free to kill? She couldn’t wrap her brain around it. The orders were to find the killer, save his captive, insert a GPS tracker on him and let him escape. She wanted to argue the orders, the same as the rest of her team. It was the presence of the Oracle Innanna and Adonai, the speaker of the High Ones panel that had kept her quiet. Was it the killer or the slave the Fates were interested in? Either way, it was never good to go against the Oracles. Her Uncle Miguel was Innanna’s protégé, and not even he would dare go against the mysterious and stunning female.

Irsu and her second in command Barry had made the determination to follow and watch in hope the reason the Fates wanted this particular parasite to continue living would reveal itself under observation. Of course, if it found a victim, then all bets were off, and she would take the Morsdente’s head. Irsu settled in, glancing across the dense forest, seeing the other members of her unit who had taken position near the camp. Unlike Irsu, Barry had elected to focus on the target through the scope of a rifle loaded with tranquilizers. They couldn’t even speak telepathically. Any use of any type of energy would alert the killer to their presence, though the Morsdente’s addiction withdrawals were going far at insuring that the killer remained distracted.

The sound of the slave’s chains being locked around the base of a large tree on the outside of the clearing brought her attention back to the campsite. The heavy thump of the metal indicated that the chains were made of an iron/platinum metal blend. Iron interrupted the magnetic field needed for psychic energy. Platinum was one of the few metals strong enough to contain a Volaticus. That would indicate that the victim was indeed Hulven. A leather sleeve encased the slave’s collar, hobbles, and the length of chain used as a leash to keep the non-tarnishable metals from reflecting sunlight and drawing attention from the sky. The hood was likely pure lead, weaved in the way of old chain mail armor. Without the platinum added, it had a dull sheen. The hood bore no eye slits, rendering the Hulven nearly blind.

She could see why there was nearly no description of the slave. It was without form or detail. Honestly, Irsu wasn’t fully convinced it was even female. It was just as likely a young male. The Morsdente had allowed it to loosen and lift the hood a few times to drink from streams along the way. It had never been given leave by the Morsdente to remove it entirely. Wearing a formless, potato-type sack, the poor victim had skin so dirty it was impossible to even tell her coloring. Assuming it was a she. Hooded, she’d never stood straight either, making height and weight impossible to determine.

“Give me your wrist, maggot.” The Morsdente’s voice snapped through the trees, startling Irsu. It was the first time the killer had spoken. The slave obediently raised a scarred arm in the general direction of the sound of his voice to her position. The killer stepped to within striking distance of the offered vein, slamming his fist into the female’s hood covered head. The slave fell at the killer’s feet, and the scent of iron-rich, copper, and … peppermint-scented blood tickled Irsu’s nose. It was definitely a female Hulven.

“I will not bend to you, you disgusting whore. Stand up and lift your wrist high enough to reach me.” The killer’s voice shook in maniacal outrage, his detox making him highly volatile. The slave shuffled back to her feet, leaning against the tree she’d been anchored to for balance. Her wrist lifted to the exact height of the Morsdente, she extended her arm as far a distance away from her as she possible could.

The Morsdente struck into the tender flesh so viciously, Irsu winched. The slave showed no reaction to what must have been horrifically painful. She stood stoically, complacent while the killer took far more sustenance than the starving female could have possibly spared, and more than the killer probably needed. Perhaps the female was to be a victim the entire time. Maybe the Morsdente had been dragging the female to lay a trap for them. The bulk of her unit was positioned along the perimeter. If the Morsdente was a part of a killing pack trying to lead them into an ambush, they were in for a surprise. Irsu would pit her unit against anyone confident they would prevail. Yes, they were that good.

“
Take the shot.”
She sent the order to Barry telepathically. The killer’s eyes flashed at the pulse of energy the telepathy generated. Too late. The Morsdente fell to the ground, the dart from Barry’s silenced rifle wiggling in its neck. Still hooded, the female could not seal the wounds of her wrist with her own saliva, her lifeblood flowing into the ground; horrified, Irsu realized the weakened slave could bleed out. She reached the victim as her legs gave out and the slave dropped next to her fallen master. Lifting the female’s wrist to her lips, Irsu quickly licked the wound closed. Through the moment’s connection and the few drops of blood that reached Irsu’s tongue before the girl passed out completely, she caught a psychic flash of the female screaming.

“Great Fates.” Irsu didn’t need to look to know Barry and Gord had stepped up beside her. “Did you hear her scream?”

“She made no sound.” Barry said shaking his head. He would know; Aquatie’s had greater hearing than any other species.

“I was sealing her wrist and I heard it. The female was screaming—in elation.” Pulling the hood off the limp form, Irsu looked at the filthy face. “I think she was joyous to be dying.”

Barry and Gord began pulling the Morsdente away from the female. “She will need blood, Chief. There is some in an insulated container along with an IV kit.” Gord offered, pointing with his chin in the general direction of the bag he’d discarded on the ground.

Tossing the hood aside with disgust, Irsu withdrew the items. She prepared two IVs and, using her fatigues, wiped away the dirt that clung to the female’s arms so she could locate a vein. Irsu inserted an IV of blood in one arm and an empty collection bag in the other, eliminating the risk of giving the slave too much iron and potentially poisoning her. They’d recently learned that an iron-rich Hulven would release excess iron if a secondary vein were tapped to drain. By using both an in-flow of blood and an empty catch IV, Irsu would be able to tell when an iron-rich Hulven had reached the maximum iron limit. Satisfied she was doing everything possible for the female, Irsu leaned back on her heels, replaying the sound of the female’s final scream echoing in her mind.

“Here, I found these in the Morsdente’s pocket.” Gord handed her a set of keys. “The beast is secured.” Gord, a Tellus male, paused over the heavy hood that Irsu had removed from the slave and discarded on the ground. “I should have used that hood on the animal.” Oblivious to the smell and the dirt on the female, Gord swept a chunk of the female’s matted hair from her face. Hissing, he drew his hand back. Drops of blood beaded up from the points where his finger had been punctured by the tiny fish bones tucked into the female’s dread-locked naps. Carefully he lifted the lock of the female’s hair for a closer look; it was a weapon of sorts. A defense against getting her hair pulled. Gord shook his head with an appreciating grin. “The ingenuity of females will never cease to amaze me.”

That observation from one of the most dangerous males Irsu had ever known caused her to take a new view of the slave. From the bone-mined hair, to the caked dirt that coated the female, to the combination of scents clinging to her, it was clear that there were older, underlying smells of animal and vegetative decomposition and/or excrement beneath the stronger, more recent smells of the same concoctions. Focusing, Irsu was able to separate the different aromatic nuances. What first appeared to be a simple result of neglect was in fact a well thought out defense strategy on the part of the slave to avoid attention and attraction from her master. “I thought we were going to observe?” Gord said as he handed the empty dart to her.

She noticed that Barry had resumed his position in the tree, switching to a live-round sniper rifle. “Our orders were to save the victim, not watch him kill her. I wasn’t taking any chances,” Irsu replied. “I just called Vince. We need the tracker implanted and the wound healed before that monster wakes up. You’re on assist.” With a single nod, Gord trotted off to help the medic gather surgical supplies.

“Any sign of ambush?”
She used a pulse of energy to bridge the members of her unit telepathically. The Volaticus members, like her, didn’t need the pulse. They are naturally telepathic. The bridge was for the Aquaties and Tellus members who could only psychically communicate through bridges supplied by her or one of the other Volaticus.

She heard each check in using “
clear
” as she mentally accounted for her full unit before releasing the bridge. Fury consumed her as she snatched the lead hood from the ground and marched over to the secured Morsdente. Gord’s voiced idea paramount in her mind, Irsu placed the slave’s hood over the Morsdente’s head, then punched him in the same way she’d watched the creature strike the female. Taking small satisfaction when its head rocked, she wished it weren’t drugged and could feel the same pain.
“Fucking Bastard.”
She thought the weight of her short sword against her hip a tempting reminder that despite the Fates, the Morsdente should be destroyed.

Pivoting on her heel before she bucked her orders, she returned to the backpack and replaced the empty bag of blood from the female’s IV with a fresh one. Finding a bottle of water, she uncapped it, taking a long drink. A small gasp sounded beside her. Irsu looked over to the young female, still chained, and met large, dove-gray eyes looking at her.

A raspy sound came from her throat, so quiet Irsu wasn’t even sure she heard her, the female’s voice unrecognizable from torture, thirst, and lack of use. “You shouldn’t be here. He’ll kill you.”

Irsu capped the water bottle, reached into the bag for a fresh one, uncapped it, and held it out to the female, hoping the slave didn’t suffer from Stockholm syndrome. The female looked longingly at the water, refusing to reach out for it.

Irsu decided to see what the girl was made of. “Are you worried about that guy?” Keeping her eye on the female, she pointed to the Morsdente, restrained and unconscious across the clearing. “He isn’t going to kill me, and he sure as fuck will never harm you again.”

The girl looked long at the killer. Her eyes slowly sliding back to Irsu, she started to reach for the bottle. The chains stopped her hand short. Irsu leaned the rest of the way handing off the bottle. “I’m sure you want out of those chains. I can’t release them yet. The Morsdente may try to use his bond to you to make you help him. I can’t risk my unit. You understand?” This girl is made of tough stuff. Irsu kept her tone gentle, talking to her like she had talked to her daughter Jerika when she was little and hurt.

The girl downed the bottle. Irsu handed her the one she’d taken a swallow of. The girl downed it just as fast. Damn. Gord and Vince came through the trees, entering the clearing next to the Morsdente. “Hey Vince, you have water and rations on you?” She sure wasn’t going to offer the victim anything Gord may have had on him for rations. Strange diet the Tellus had.

“You betcha. Gord told me about, errr, your new friend. I brought a bag.” Healers were always on the ball when it came to bedside manner. Vince was a good medic, since healers weren’t warriors; they weren’t permanently assigned to any unit. She tried to request Vince whenever she could.

A squeaking sound brought her attention back to the girl. She was turning blue. Staring at Gord and Vince, her eyes practically popped out of her head. She was trembling. Did the males scare her? “It’s okay. They’re members of my unit. They’re here to help you.”

“Stay away.” She  whispered. Irsu held her hand up, Vince stopped mid-step, the bag of supplies in his hand. No questions, no lip, cancel her earlier thought. Vince was a great medic, smart enough to know not to rush in. “Stay away.” The girl repeated more adamantly.

“The medic won’t come near you without your permission,” Irsu tried to assure her. The girl’s next words shocked the shit out of her. “Not me.” Her dove eyes met Irsu’s again, then snapped back toward Vince. “Him. Stay away from him.”

Irsu was officially confused. “Are you worried my people will hurt the Morsdente?” Maybe the girl wasn’t free of Stockholm after all.

The girl furled her brows. “He’s a killer.” She said it really slowly, staring at Irsu like she was stupid. Which she probably deserved from the girl. At this point she was feeling pretty stupid. “That male will kill your people. Stay away from him.” The girl continued to emphasize each word.

Irsu couldn’t help it, she laughed. The girl pursed her lips, annoyed. Irsu laughed harder. Were there two people on the planet that had ever gotten their wires crossed worse than she had with this dirty girl in chains?

When she was able to stop laughing, she couldn’t help continuing to smile at the girl. “What is your name?”

The girl didn’t answer immediately she finally whispered, “Umbrae.”

“Well, Umbrae, the killer has enough tranquilizers in him to keep him out for the next—” she glanced at her watch “—thirty-five hours. My people are safe. Vince, get over her and give Umbrae some food.” The medic grinned and trotted the distance, kneeling beside the girl. She showed no fear of him. Her gaze kept furtively glancing over to Gord, who was still next to the killer setting up instruments.

“Umbrae, I think you and I are going to be great friends.” Irsu grinned, watching the girl snatch and devour can after can of rations.

Chapter Four

Osiris approached the clearing cautiously. Zakel feared him … and rightfully so. That didn’t change the fact that Zakel was a Morsdente. Unstable and dangerous. When Zakel had called Osiris a few weeks ago, Osiris had nearly refused to talk to his old friend. Then when he’d heard about the female, he’d wanted to beat Zakel to death for hiding her from him. He’d come personally to collect the female just to be sure no mistakes were made. Distant voices brought him up short.