Her memories were a little murky. “He’s okay?”
The medica nodded. “I healed his leg.” Tavith waved a hand at the empty chair beside her bed. “He then proceeded to sleep in that chair and watch over you all night. Which meant his captain of the guard also stayed, leaning against the wall and glowering. Our stubborn overlord only left when some of his advisors dragged him out of here to deal with some pressing issues.”
Mal remembered something. Her chest hitched.
Rhain had mentioned Earth.
She looked out the window and saw it was evening. The huge moon was visible on the horizon and… Wow, more pretty auroras. The sky was full of color. “I slept all night and all day?”
“Yes. One thing our overlord is not good at is healing. I had to re-do some of his work. Don’t get me wrong, he saved your life by stopping the blood gushing out of you.”
Mal winced. “I couldn’t let his Overlordness get eaten.”
“But by the time I’d finished with you, your body needed rest. Added to that, the scans I’ve done on your body show…some changes.”
“Changes?” That didn’t sound good.
“Your body is reacting to our Zhalton environment.”
Mal scraped a hand through her hair. “The magnetic field?”
The medica nodded.
“What does that mean? That I’ll…develop some Zhalton abilities?” That already appeared to be happening. “Or I’ll get sick and die?”
“I honestly don’t know. You don’t seem to be getting weaker, and Rhain mentioned you wielded energy in the fight.”
She gave the man a clipped nod.
“I’ll continue to monitor you.” Tavith spread his hands wide. “That’s all I can tell you right now.”
Her thoughts turned to Poppy. She was out there, somewhere, alone for yet another day. Mal swallowed her worry.
She realized that she wasn’t tied to the bed this time. “No handcuffs. This is new.”
Tavith nodded.
Mal slipped off the bed. She realized her skin and hair were clean, and she was wearing a new set of bra and panties. Tavith held up some pants and a nice halter top in an emerald-green color.
She dressed in them and wandered to the window.
Jeez. Light filled the night sky, like a multicolored river. The auroras were gorgeous.
“You have an invitation,” Tavith said.
She raised a brow.
“Overlord Sarkany has invited you to dine with him.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Is that a polite way to say interrogation?”
“No. But I don’t believe you have a choice.”
She sighed. “Right. Where?”
Tavith swiveled and a brawny man stepped forward.
He was tall and muscled, with short hair and a jaw that looked made of stone. His eyes were a brilliant, sapphire blue. She’d seen him fighting the hexids.
He scowled at her.
“This is the overlord’s captain of the guard, Thadd Naveri. He will show you the way.”
Thadd’s heavy scowl said the man would prefer to escort her over the side of a cliff.
“All right. Thanks again, Tavith.”
“Try not to get killed. Or take on another pack of hexids.”
“Or fall into the lake,” Thadd added.
Clearly, he’d seen her fall.
Tavith blinked. “You fell in the lake?”
Mal winked. “I kind of jumped.”
“You did not,” Thadd said.
“Okay, lead on, Mr. Dark and Scowly.”
Impossibly, the man’s scowl deepened. He led her out of the medica ward and down the corridor.
“Mal,” she said.
“Thadd. If you pose a risk to the overlord, I will kill you.”
“Got it. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve no desire to kill your overlord, and I don’t work for your enemy. I just want to find my friend.”
They moved up some steps. People eyed her, curiosity on their faces. He led her up another set of steps. At the top, Thadd pushed open a heavy door. It opened onto a rooftop terrace.
He nodded and closed the door behind her.
The auroras stole her breath. There were mostly blues and greens, changing to pink toward the horizon.
She arched her head back and breathed deeply. The tension she hadn’t realized she was holding eased.
“You like the auroras.”
The deep voice made her jump. She hadn’t heard him. Rhain stepped up beside her.
“We get auroras on our planet too. But not like this, and just occasionally at the poles when the conditions are right.”
“You’re from Earth.”
She turned to face him. His face was shadowed, which of course just made him more masculine and intriguing.
“I am. How do you know?”
“I’ve met some people from your planet.”
Mal sucked in a breath, realizing what that meant. “The human survivors on Carthago.”
Rhain inclined his head.
Mal’s heart thudded, beating like a drum in her ears. “Is Carthago close?”
“It isn’t far.”
Oh, God. “That means we aren’t close to Earth.”
“No. I’m sorry, Mal. From what Imperator Galen told me—he’s the man who gave those from Earth sanctuary—your planet is on the other side of the galaxy. It would take several lifetimes to reach it with our fastest ships.”
She staggered. She caught herself, but felt a crushing sense of aloneness close in.
She’d never grab a beer with her fellow pilots at the bar, she’d never see her Breitling watch or Rusty’s sword collection again, and she’d never play the battered guitar she secretly loved. Rusty had given it to her for her birthday when she was nine. Hell, she’d never eat peanuts again.
A hand touched her back. “Mal. Breathe.” There was a snap of authority in his voice.
She swallowed and sucked in air. He led her to a couch and she dropped onto it heavily. It was soft, and dipped as he sat down beside her.
“How did you get here?” he asked.
“We were testing a new method of space travel. Based on information sent from the Carthago survivors. Something went wrong.”
He reached over and poured a drink. She realized the low table in front of them was laden with food.
“We opened up a wormhole. We were just supposed to travel within our solar system, not get flung to the other side of the galaxy.”
He handed her a glass.
Mal sipped, barely tasting the sweet juice. She put the drink back down on the table.
Once again, she didn’t belong. Her life had just been a series of places she’d never fit. Her biological father hadn’t stuck around to even see her born. She’d been terrified when her mother had died, but being with Rusty was the closest thing she’d had to a home. Looking back, she could see it wasn’t the ideal life for a young girl, but she’d been happy.
She’d been sure she’d found her place in the Air Force, but it hadn’t taken long to see she was a square peg in a round hole. She doubted she would have lasted long at Nynatech.
Now, she was lost on an alien planet with nothing, and if she didn’t find Poppy, no one.
“You have sanctuary here, Mal.”
She met those fascinating silver eyes. “I thought I was a suspected enemy agent.”
“You may have been at first, but not now. One, you’re from Earth. Two, it’s clear that Zhalto is unfamiliar to you, and three, you stupidly risked your life to save mine.”