Sunset in Silvana (Da'ark Nocturne Book 1) (15 page)

Tanya looked round nervously.  :
Aren’t you frightened we’ll be caught with all the ‘sniffers’ round?
:

:
Not really.
:  Sophie seemed supremely confident.  :
They can detect the use of psionics, but none of them are good enough to eavesdrop.  I’ve finished with this persona, anyway – and I can handle anything
they
can do.
:

:
I guess.  Well, if you’re so positive…
:

:
I am.
:

:
We’ve all broken our conditioning to a large degree – although I now have a confusingly large number of different sets of memories vying for my attention – and we need to get off this planet.  We believe that we are being impersonated back on Regni, and that whoever is doing it intends to cause some sort of catastrophe.
:

:
You could be right: I’m in regular contact with Regni, and I didn’t even know you were here until I arrived a few days ago and if they thought you were missing, I’d have heard
something
.
:

:
And nothing’s happened to the Governor?
:

:
Not that I’m aware of.
:

:
Then it may not be too late if we can escape.  Can you do anything to help us?
:

:
I’d like to, but I’ve got my own mission here…
:

:
…to stop the war.  I’m aware of that, but surely there’s
something
you can do?
:

:
Let me think a minute.
:

:
While you’re thinking, have you any idea why everybody is suddenly trying to kill us?
:

:
Yes.  Have you ever seen a copy of
The Free Silvanan
?
:

:
That scurrilous rag?  Once or twice.
:

:
Well, let me show you the front page of the latest issue.
:  A picture formed in Tanya’s mind: under a banner headline of
HEROES – OR VILLAINS?
there was a cartoon that displayed a perversion of the first day cover recently issued to commemorate Pregeor.  It showed a group of dead and dying women and children under a mushroom cloud, and overlooking the carnage were unflattering distortions of the stamps representing Tanya and her fellow Heroes.  These vile caricatures seemed to indicate their pleasure in the carnage illustrated below. Tanya’s image, with its devil horns, vampiric teeth and salacious grin, was particularly horrible.

:
Why now, after all this time?  I don’t think we were even
there
.
:

:
You weren’t – but the government has associated your names with the tragedy.  Something happened at Pregeor – something pretty horrendous that I won’t burden you with at the moment.  The government gave orders that the city be destroyed in order to prevent it spreading further.  They blamed Telphania, and the resistance believed them, and broke off relations with their allies across the border.  Last week, though, someone leaked evidence of what really happened to the Telphanians, and they wasted no time in presenting this to the resistance in hope of re-establishing their alliance.  That put you at the top of everyone’s hit list – and the newspaper article gives anyone who lost friends or family at Pregeor a reason to hate – and perhaps try to kill – you.
:

:
We have to get away before one of those assassination attempts succeeds.  Have you thought of anything to help us escape?
:

:
If you could get to Telphania…
:

:
But the Telphanians think that we’re Heroes of Pregeor.  We’d end up being arrested, and put on trial.  Even if we could persuade them that we’re not who they think we are, I can’t see them just letting us go…
:

:
I’m here with blessing of the Telphanian government, and I’ve already sent their people a message to inform them of your real identities, via my contacts in the Silvanan Free Army.
:

:
So you’re the reason Maria and her friends didn’t follow up on their threat to kill us.  I thought it might be your doing.
:

:
Guilty as charged.  They’re useful allies.  If you can get to Brogovel Shuttle Port, there may be a way off planet.  Find a contact of mine called Dick Haraldson, who works for Merrywine Intoxicants and say, ‘For Mercy’s sake, I need a crate of Regnian Ale’.  He should be able to help you.
:

:
Can you at least tell me who I really am?  I’m feeling very disoriented.
:

There was a pause.  :
No – I think not.  Your life is confusing enough as it is, and I think you’re going to have to act quickly and decisively very soon.  I don’t want to make things harder for you.  Just concentrate on being Tanya Miller for now.
 
It’ll come back to you in its own time.  Trust your mind – it knows what’s best for you.  Now let’s get back to your companions.  Don’t worry – I’ll keep in contact…
:

:
But how?
:

Sophie gave a knowing smile.  :
Never mind.  If you
do
manage to escape, head east and I’ll do what I can to help.  If not, I’ll come for you when my mission is completed.  Oh, by the way, be wary of Valentine.
:

:
Why?
:

:
I’ve met him before, elsewhere.  He’s not what he seems.
:

:
I can tell he’s psionic.
:

:
Yes, and he’s no more a native of this planet than you and I are.
:

:
Is he the one that kidnapped us?
:

:
Possibly, but I don’t think it was his idea.
:

Tanya frowned.  :
I get the feeling he wants us to escape.
:

:
If he does, I doubt it’s for your sake.  No, he has some sort of agenda of his own – opposed to that of his mistress.
:

:
His mistress?
:

:
The one pulling his strings.  She’s the one responsible for your abduction.  But I don’t think she quite realises the determination of her puppet to have his own way.
:

:
So he might be on our side.
:

:
Possibly – for the moment – but I wouldn’t trust him: things can change in an instant, and he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice all of you, either for his own purposes, or because his mistress commands it.  He might regret it, but he’ll do it – just like you or I would.
:

:
Am I really like that?
:

Sophie gave a sad smile.  :
’Fraid so – circumstances sometimes force people like us to make uncomfortable decisions.  Now let’s get back to your friends.
:

Sophie and Tanya made their way back to their seats, and as they began to eat their desserts, there was a commotion outside.  A cocky-looking security lieutenant, accompanied by six subordinates, pushed his way into the room and announced in a loud voice: “I’m sorry to disturb your meal, Comrades, but we’re searching for a dangerous off-world fugitive.”  His team spread around the room and started looking around intently, and Tanya felt a significant increase in background psionic energy.  She guessed they’d detected Sophie and her ‘conversation’, and that things were about to get ugly.

Suddenly, the Lieutenant looked at Sophie and froze.  He gasped, clutched his chest and fell as she ‘signed her signature’ on proceedings.  His squad, all of whom had drawn their weapons, turned towards her and fired, but the bullets passed through the empty air where she no longer was.  After a moment of stunned silence, everyone panicked at once.

More security troops arrived, both through the door and from the veranda.  Tanya looked around for Sophie in the confusion, and caught sight of her across the room just as several poppies seemed to bloom on the white cotton of her dress.  The red stains grew and merged as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.  She’d been knocked back against a partition and slipped slowly to the floor leaving a smear of blood behind her.

When the security detail entered the restaurant, Bartes had been on his way back from the lavatory. 
Oh my God
, he thought,
we’re really in the shit now.  What can I do?
 

It was clear, though, that there was nothing he needed to do: Sophie was giving an encore of her previous performance.  Tanya had described her abilities, but the reality was more impressive still. 
She’s literally a heart-breaker
, thought Bartes, smiling sardonically at his own wit –
and... dear God, she used psionic blur to avoid those bullets.  Where the hell has she gone?  Did she manage to escape?
  He looked around and noted that the security detachment had sealed the room. 

Another volley rang out. A figure in a dress no longer white lurched against a partition and collapsed in a bloody heap.

Bartes’ reflexes took over.  He broke into a run, but before he could reach Sophie’s body, a security guard dived in front of him.  She was shorter than Bartes, and over her head, he could see the crumpled corpse.  Sophie’s corpse... 
No. Something’s not right
, he thought.
It looks like Sophie all right – but it doesn’t
feel
like her
.

He cleared his mind and looked again.  Now he saw the body of a woman in a security uniform – a woman who looked strangely like the one that was now standing in front of him.  The latter winked at him, whispered, “Thank Tanya for teaching me that trick, would you?” and walked past him and out on to the veranda. 

He returned to the table, where Tanya was comforting a near-hysterical Anoushka, and relayed the message to her in an undertone.

“Comrades, would you
please
remain in your seats while I ascertain what happened,” Major Valentine said as he sat down next to Sophie’s general, who was looking completely bewildered.  “Just where did you meet that young lady, General?” he asked.

“At the ballet – just last week,” the General told him.

“Did you see her perform?”

“N-no…”

“Then how did you know who she was?”

“She told me.  A-and you could tell she was a ballerina, just by looking at her.”

“And she’s been staying with you?  And meeting all your friends?”

“Yes…”

“Hmm…  I think you’d better get yourself home now.  I’ll visit you later to discuss what she may have learned.”

As the General got unsteadily to his feet and staggered off toward the cloakroom, the Major turned back to the others.  “Comrades,” he said, “it appears that the young lady who was accompanying the General was a spy.”

Tanya gasped and put her fingertips to her lips.  “Was she here after us?” she asked.

“I don’t think so.  I think she was gathering information from the General and his acquaintances for the Telphanians.  She was a very talented psionic, so the General shouldn’t be blamed – though no doubt he will be.  I wish we could have captured her quietly for interrogation, but my over-zealous colleagues chose to shoot her instead.  They will be severely reprimanded, not just for the loss of a valuable prisoner, but also for alarming you, our guests.  In the meantime, let me assure you that you were in no danger, as she was unarmed. Now, please excuse me while I check on my other guests.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Tanya muttered, “Who needs weapons with psionics like that?”  She looked pointedly in Bartes’ direction.

“Well-armed is well prepared,” he replied.

She shook her head.  “You shouldn’t rely on artificial aids.  You ought to practise with your mind more – let your brain take the strain.”

Bartes laughed briefly, but no one else seemed to see the joke; their faces showed a mixture of puzzlement and distress.  None of them could face much more to eat, but they drank a fair bit to steady their nerves.

Major Valentine circled the room, talking with the guests at all the other tables, giving everyone his personal reassurances, and no doubt subtly rearranging their memories.  He came and sat with Bartes and his friends.  “A terrible business,” he began.  “I know we’re all under a great deal of stress, but Lieutenant Kaspertin should not have acted like that.”  He shook his head and sighed.  “For once, though, my friends, it appears you were not the targets.  That fake ballerina was obviously after the general.  May I ask what you and she talked about in the Ladies’ Room, Comrade Talia?”

Tanya’s brow furrowed.  “Nothing untoward, Major.  Clothes, make-up – and one or two more personal feminine matters that I’d be happy to reveal to one of your female officers.”  She blushed artistically.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” the Major replied, his own face reddening slightly.  “Now, when you’ve finished your meal, I suggest that I escort you back to the dacha.”

“I don’t think any of us wants anything more to eat,” Bartes replied.

The Major looked around at the half-eaten desserts, and at everyone’s ashen faces, and nodded.  “I understand.  Just wait here while I check on your transport.”

As they boarded the helicopter for the flight back to the dacha, RD and Joseph joined them.

“What happened?” RD asked, looking with concern at Anoushka’s tear-stained face.  “We heard a commotion and some shots, but the Major’s guards blocked the door and wouldn’t let us out.

“There was another incident, Comrade,” the Major explained as they took off, “but none of your friends were hurt.  For once they appear to be innocent bystanders, to an attempt to capture a Telphanian sp
y
who had infiltrated our gathering.   Unfortunately, there was a brief fire-fight, and the spy was killed.  Now, I suggest you put today’s events out of your minds and look forward to the trip to Lake Kuraken.  By the way, my superiors think that it is time you took an extended vacation.”

“Now?” Bartes asked.

“Yes – at least until we’re sure it’s safe for you to go back to work.  The incompetence of some of my men has put you in danger even when they’re trying to keep you safe – how you’d fare unprotected I dread to think.”

“But –” Tanya interjected.

“The Medical Centre can function without you for a week or two, Comrade Talia, and I know Boris and Ivan were bored with their work at the moment.  And as for Comrades Goran and Josef, we’ll put in a Temporary Manager at
The Tangled Comet
, and I’ll arrange for the boy’s tutor to come to him rather than the other way round.”

“That reminds me: how badly damaged was the
Comet
?” RD asked.

“Don’t worry,” the Major replied.  “My men will clean up and make repairs.  Everything will be as it was before when you return from your ‘vacation’.  Oh, and I’ve ensured that the occurrence will go unreported so that your business won’t suffer.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too concerned about that.”  RD’s offhand manner surprised them.  “Something like that would actually be good for business.  It attracts the ghouls – and their money is as good as anyone else’s.”

Some minutes later, they landed by the dacha and waved goodbye to the Major.  As soon as he departed, RD looked at Anoushka and his eyes softened.  He took her by the hand, and led her inside and over to the sofa.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked.

“A-a drink?” she murmured dazedly.

“Coffee?”

Her eyes focussed and she shook her head emphatically.  “No – vodka – lots of it.  Enough so I can forget the look on that poor girl’s face.  If I ever c-can.”  She buried her head in her hands and her shoulders heaved as she sobbed uncontrollably.  Tanya sat down next to her and held her close.

Iain and Bartes accompanied RD to the kitchen and the latter filled large glasses of vodka for them all.  “What really happened?” he asked them.

“Tanya’s friend from last night, Sophie the Psionic Ballerina, turned up with her tame security general in tow.  Something alerted the security forces and they tried to arrest her,” Iain said.

“They were no match for her,” Bartes added.  “She pulled the heart out of one of them and outran a hail of bullets.  She swapped appearances with another officer – who was shot down by her own colleagues – and made her escape psionically disguised.  I encountered her on her way out, and she even claimed that our Tanya had taught her the trick.”

RD grunted.  “I knew that woman was a witch.”

Bartes gritted his teeth.  “Whoever or whatever she is, she’s one of us.  It’s all of us or none.  We’ll have to work together to have a ghost of a chance.  You’ll have to get over your prejudice.”

RD’s eyes flashed, but he swallowed his reply.  He paused.  “And what did
that woman
learn from her fellow sorceress?”

“She and Tanya went to the Ladies’ Room together, but I haven’t yet had a chance to talk to her about it.”

“Well, let’s go and ask her.”

When they re-entered the living room with the tray of drinks, Iain switched on the radio and found a channel playing a patriotic march.  “Was your friend Sophie any help?” Bartes asked Tanya quietly.

“Well, from what she told me, we’ve been set up: we were never at Pregeor, for a start.  And the Zelynan government was actually responsible for what happened, so – as their figureheads – we’re shouldering the blame.”

“That makes sense,” Bartes said.  “Can she do anything to help us escape?”

Tanya shook her head.  “Not really.  She’s a Mercy operative with her own mission: to avert war between Zelyna and Telphania – and as such, she’s got her work cut out, without much time or effort to spare in our cause.  She did say she’d got word to the Telphanians that we’re not their enemies, and she gave me the name of someone at the Shuttle Port in Brogovel, the Telphanian capital, who might be able to get us off this dirt-ball.”

“Then, by all means, let’s get to Brogovel as quickly as possible,” RD said.

Tanya nodded.  “There’s only one other way off this planet that I’m aware of – the Skyport.  If we escape, our captors will assume we’ll head there because we daren’t go to Telphania.”

“But what about John?” Anoushka asked.

“The Major told us that John would be joining us at the Lake.  If we can break his conditioning there, we’ll take him with us, but if not – well, the mission comes first.  Sophie said to head east, and that she’d help as much as she could.”

“Right, Telphania it is,” RD said.  “But, if I remember correctly, it’s a long way from the Lake to the Telphanian border.  We’ll never make it on foot.”

“We’ll need transportation,” Bartes mused.  “If we can cross the lake in the
Reaper’s Darling
,
perhaps we can steal something.  But I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  We’ve still got to get free from our ‘bodyguards’.”

“But at least we’ve got a plan now,” Tanya said.  “We can’t do much more till we arrive at the Lake and see how the land lies.”

“Did you pick up anything more from Sophie?” Bartes asked Tanya.

She looked pensive.  “I don’t
think
so – there was a horrible cartoon of us in
The Free Silvanan
…”

Iain shrugged.  “So what else is new?”

Tanya’s brows knit in thought.  “There
was
one other thing: she said that, as far as she was aware, nobody back on Regni knew we were missing – but she thought nothing untoward had yet happened.”

“That’s a relief, but our doppelgängers must be intending some sort of mischief,” Iain pointed out.

“But I still don’t understand why whoever kidnapped us is keeping us alive,” Bartes said.

“Probably so that we can shoulder the blame for whatever they’re planning,” RD said.  “It’s just one more reason why it’s vital that we escape as soon as we can.”

Anoushka had been drinking the vodka that RD had provided and her misery gradually subsided.  Soon she was only producing the occasional sniffle, and she laid her drowsy head on Tanya’s lap.  After a while, she seemed to have fallen asleep and Tanya beckoned RD over.  “I assume that you’ve finished your own preparations for the trip?” she asked
sotto voce
.

“Both the boat and I are ready to go,” he replied quietly.  “I’ve stored the weapons safely.”

“Good.”  She lifted Anoushka’s head and shoulders gently and slid from under them.  “Sit here – I’ve got to go and pack for the two of us.”

“But –”  He seemed nonplussed.

“Don’t worry – she shouldn’t wake.  Just stroke her hair every so often.”

He sat and did what he’d been asked to do.  He seemed rather tentative, and the confused look on his face told Tanya that, though he didn’t really feel comfortable about what he was doing, in an odd way he was really enjoying it.

“I didn’t realise the old man had a soft spot for Blondie,” Iain muttered as Tanya passed him on the way to the bedrooms.

“Neither did I – but I wouldn’t tease him about it – at least not until we’ve escaped.  He’s a bit touchy, and I wouldn’t want to have to transport your unconscious body.”

He guffawed.  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it to myself – for now.”