Read Fire Pearl (Beyond Ontariese 5) for Free Online Page B

and she took a step back.
Was she impressed or frightened? “You have connections with the
Symposium?”
    It was clearly admiration in her tone not
fear. Her reaction both surprised and pleased him. The Symposium
was an interplanetary council. Still, most associated it with
Bilarri. He had expected her attitude to reflect the same Rodyte
taint that had colored the rest of her thinking. “Is there
something you need researched?” If he admitted he was a founding
member and the current director of the Symposium, it would sound as
if he were trying to impress her. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad
idea.
    “When you’re stuck on a ship for years on
end, you do a lot of reading. It seemed no matter the topic, my
searches led to the Wisdom of the Ages.”
    She tried to wave away the subject, but
Drakkin wasn’t quite ready to let it go. “You weren’t impressed
with physical evidence supporting my story. Why does my occupation
put you at ease?”
    “I’m far from at ease,” she stressed, “but
this balances the fact that you’re a sorcerer.”
    She said “sorcerer” as if it were something
utterly undesirable. How very Rodyte of her. “I’ll accept whatever
concession you’re willing to grant, but I still don’t
understand.”
    “Members of the Symposium are known for their
integrity and neutrality. They are steadfast in their pursuit of
truth and do not tolerate any manipulation of the facts. You
mentioned this almost in passing. You weren’t using it to change my
mind.”
    Thrilled that he’d stumbled on to something
that added to his credibility, he simply smiled and allowed her own
conclusion to take root within her mind.
    “Did Vee mention me in one of the journal
entries?”
    “He captured your image in the crystal disk
and sent it to me on the day he was murdered. I teleported to
Ontariese when I felt his passing, so the package was waiting for
me when I returned.”
    “That’s kind of creepy.”
    Her candor made him smile. “I returned to
Ontariese and learned that Vee’s apprentice Evan had stolen the
journal and teleported off-world. When I spoke with Evan, he
explained that a spontaneous vision had taken control of his
teleportation. Guess where he ended up?”
    “On Earth?” She tucked a strand of hair
behind her ear, her hand trembling just a bit.
    “Not just Earth. He materialized in the hotel
where Star-Crossed is performed.” Drakkin chuckled. “We’re
probably lucky he didn’t end up onstage.”
    “This happened after Vee died? How could…?
Did Vee tell Evan about me?” For the first time since the
conversation began, she sounded as if she was sorting through facts
rather than indulging her captor.
    “Vee used coded journal entries to reveal
that he was being coerced by the Rodytes. Up until the moment his
spirit left his body, he was fighting to keep you safe. I think the
journal triggered Evan’s vision and the vision itself was a seeker
pulse preprogrammed to locate you.”
    She licked her lips and fiddled with her
hair. Her fascination with the strands increased with her
nervousness. “The day I teleported to Earth, I heard a voice inside
my head. Actually it was a conversation. A voice I didn’t recognize
told Faujer that his mission was over and ordered him to bring me
to wherever the other man was.”
    “Who was Faujer?”
    “That’s complicated.” She stepped just out of
reach.
    Tension banded Drakkin’s chest. It was
unrealistic to hope she was still untouched, but he didn’t want to
think of her in the arms of another man. Ever. He tried to
shake away the possessiveness. She didn’t belong to him. But that
fact didn’t seem to matter.
    “I thought he was my lover,” she continued,
“but apparently he was my guard.”
    “How did you…” He took a deep breath and
wiped his mind clear of the past. “It’s none of my business.
Forgive my rudeness. Did this man ever harm you?”
    Her gaze returned to his, warmth flickering
through the pain.