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did
lend her a ship. It makes no sense. Rayne may be pretty, but, from
what I’ve heard, the Shrike doesn’t have a yen for women. Or men.
Maybe he took vows. It’s what makes him one of the weirdest slavers
in the galaxy, and the most difficult to spy on.”
    “ Does this mean we’re not going to attack the Shrike’s
ships?”
    “ We have problems enough as it is. If we can get her quickly
enough, sure, I’ll put a few holes in his ships.”
    “ What if he offers to join forces?” Marcon asked.
    “ He won’t. If he’s here to try to rescue her, let him, but
we’ll get to her first, I guarantee it.”
    “ Sir, that strikes me as counterproductive. He’s shown he
wants to help her by lending her a ship; surely it’s in her best
interests for us to let him help with her rescue?”
    “ The man is a wanted criminal, Marcon. If I can rescue her and
bag him too, I will.”
    “ But if he’s her guardian, you’ll be countering the
prophecy.”
    “ The prophecy doesn’t mention a guardian,” Tallyn said. “It’s
possible Rayne made up this guardian story to stop us hunting him.
Maybe she’s formed some sort of attachment to him, because he
released her when she was his slave. As to why he loaned her a
ship...” He threw up his hands. “I don’t know. But I’m not going to
make such a dangerous assumption based on so few facts.”
    One of
Marcon’s holograms flashed, and he placed his hand on the sensor
pad. “A communication from Hood. They demanded the release of the
girl, and Norvar tried to move off. One of the Shrike’s ships fired
a shot across her bows. Communications have opened between Norvar
and the Shrike’s lead cruiser.”
    “ Tap it.”
    Marcon closed
his eyes, concentrating. “The Shrike’s cruiser is offering to buy
the girl, refusing to allow Norvar to pass. Norvar has sent a
distress signal to Amranon. They’re accusing the Shrike’s cruiser
of colluding with us.”
    “ Damn,” Tallyn muttered. “Now things will get
messy.”
     
     
    Rayne paced
her tiny cell, trying to figure out how she could get out of this
mess. An hour ago, her jailers had released her from the table and
thrown her in here. Evidently the Draycons were too busy to torture
her, and she hoped it was because Shadowen’s distress call had been
answered. She had not spoken to him for a while, afraid the
transmission could be detected if the Draycons found the right
frequency. Even now, she was reluctant to call him and find out
what was happening, not wishing to be cut off from him if she was
discovered.
    The cell door
slid open, and four Draycons entered. Two held stunners trained on
her, the other two carried a metre-square steel box. An officer,
judging by his garish red and gold uniform, stood behind them, his
lips twisted in a vile smile.
    “ We brought you a pet to play with, human. Of course, it’s
more likely to play with you, and I shall enjoy watching. It’s no
longer possible to take you to Amranon, so you’ll die right here,
in a few minutes.”
    Rayne’s eyes
flicked to the box. “I thought your priests wanted me alive.”
    “ They did, but our plans have changed. You can thank your
Atlantean friends for speeding your death, and also making it
considerably more painful.”
    The guards put
the box down and left, the other two backed away, their weapons
trained on her. The officer raised a hand in a mocking salute.
    “ Goodbye, human.” He sniggered as the door slid
shut.
    Rayne wondered
what resided inside the box. If it was an animal, it could not be
much bigger than a medium-sized dog, but it did not have to be big
to be dangerous. She had studied many alien life forms whose
deadliness was only exceeded by their ugliness. Some could be
killed, and she had learnt every conceivable way to dispose of the
creatures, but a few were almost indestructible. Would the Draycons
underestimate her abilities? She hoped so with growing fervour as
she gazed at the silent box.
    A whir and
click made