No Escape - Book 4: Trek Mi Q'an Read online

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  Warning:

  The following material contains strong sexual content meant for mature readers. “No Escape” has been rated NC-17, erotic, by two individual reviewers. We strongly suggest storing this electronic file in a place where young readers not meant to view this e-book are unlikely to happen upon it. That said, enjoy…

  Prologue I

  Airspace within the Kyyto Sectors, Planet Tryston

  Trek Mi Q’an Galaxy, Seventh Dimension

  6044 Y.Y. (Yessat Years)

  She had nigh unto given up hope of ever escaping him.

  Already four years had gone by—four incredibly long years since the moon-rising of her eighteenth Yessat year when her ownership had been transferred from her sire to Cam K’al Ra.

  She had been given several opportunities to escape him since she’d turned eighteen, yet nothing had come of any of them. Leastways, she had made a pact with her cousins. They had made vows unto the others that ‘twould be all of them who would flee together or all of them who would stay behind and remain prisoners to the fates. The closer she had gotten to the moon-rising of the claiming, the more Kara had sometimes wished she’d made no such vow. But a vow was a vow and she had given hers freely.

  It had turned out to be the right decision. She had kept her oath and now the three of them would be free the soonest, together for all time.

  From the moon-rising her cousin Dari had been forcibly carted off to Arak and onward, Kara Q’ana Tal had made certain to always give the appearance of being all things demure and submissive. She had given Cam K’al Ra no reason to doubt her acceptance of their impending joining and because of that fact he had been lenient toward her o’er the Yessat years, allowing her to remain in her family home with minimal guarding. He had come visiting upon occasion, kissing and licking at her body as though he’d never get enough of her, but for the most part he had left her alone, confident in her obedience.

  ‘Twas paying off.

  Kara had no desire to hurt Cam—truly she didn’t. And truth be told, she felt more than a little guilty turning her back on him that she might be free.

  But freedom. She shivered under the rouge-colored vesha hide wrapped about her. ‘Twas a heady thing, a state of being Trystonni females took for granted they would get to experience after their twenty-fifth Yessat year. And yet that very thing, the rite of passage into Trystonni womanhood so many thought nothing of for ‘twas considered a given, she and her cousin Dari had been systematically denied.

  Nay, Kara hadn’t the desire to hurt Cam, yet she hadn’t the desire to succumb to his wishes either. What’s more, she had matured enough through the years to realize that if she were to flee from him, she could never again return to him. Like as not, his pride would be sorely wounded and he would seek to punish her in ways she couldn’t begin to imagine—terrifying, whispered about under one’s breath ways that she had overheard her sire tell her mani about.

  Kara sighed. Had she thought Cam might give her no more than a small punishment she might have considered returning to Tryston and to him after a time. But nay, he had changed too much o’er the passage of time, had become grimmer and more formidable with the advent of each new moon-rising. ‘Twas for a certainty she’d be doled out the most horrific and final of punishments were she to return to him after fleeing.

  The older Cam grew, the fiercer he had become. Kara had watched with much trepidation as the young, carefree hunter she had known since her youth had grown into an unbending, ruthless warlord. From untitled hunter to high lordship, from high lordship to lesser king, from lesser king to king of planet Zideon, each rise he had taken up the political ladder had come at a price. And the price he had paid in battling and bloodshed had created a formidable, domineering warrior she had no desire to be bound to.

  He frightened her. Kara hated admitting as much for o’er the Yessat years she too had come into her own, had grown into a strong woman unafraid of most things. And yet there it was. Fear. Fear the likes of which she’d never before known.

  “We will be free and clear of Kyyto airspace the soonest.” Princess Jana Q’ana Tal whispered the words to Kara as she navigated the stolen high-speed conveyance through the shimmering gold twilight.

  Kara closed her eyes briefly and sighed. “Praise the goddess. If Uncle were to catch us within his own sectors, ‘twould be spankings for the deuce of us, twenty-two Yessat years apiece or no.” She kept her voice lowered, as did Jana. It was as if both of them feared he’d hear them, regardless of the fact that they had almost breached the Trystonni atmosphere altogether.

  Jana thought of their uncle Kil and swallowed a bit roughly. “Yet further proof that we have made the correct decision.” Her nostrils flared. “Leastways, we shan’t be spanked on Galis.”

  Kara smiled at that. “I shall still miss him,” she said softly.

  “Aye.” Jana’s eyes gentled, though she didn’t turn her head from her navigating duty. “So shall I.”

  Kara’s eyes flicked o’er her cousin. “’Tis fortunate indeed your sire permitted you to learn how to navigate a conveyance.” She looked away, glancing out the wide front porthole as they breached outerspace. “My sire would permit me nowhere near one.”

  “Mayhap he expects you to flee. Mine believes I’ve no reason to do so.” Jana’s lips curved downward into a grim smile. “In truth he would have permitted me to learn even if I’d had a reason to flee.”

  Kara patted her knee sympathetically. “Uncle Dak has not been the same these four Yessat years Dari has been removed to Arak.”

  Jana’s spine went rigid. “Neither has my mani,” she gritted out. She was silent a long moment, then said, “Leastways, I feel that by removing Dari from her prison, I am evening the score on my parents behalf a wee bit.”

  Kara nodded. Her eyes narrowed in thought. “I dislike the notion of bringing you bad thoughts, cousin, yet am I worried for Dari. The holo-call she sent out was nigh unto chilling…” Her voice trailed off. “My apologies,” she murmured. “’Twas not necessary to say—”

  “Nay.” Jana’s jaw went rigid. “But mark my words as truth, Kara. If Gio has beaten her, ‘twill be the last action he ever makes without consequence.”

  Kara agreed. She couldn’t begin to imagine what else could have possibly upset Dari enough to be frightened to the point of tears. ‘Twasn’t like Dari to have tears in her eyes at all, for she tended toward the stoic for a certainty. The best Kara and Jana could figure was that she was being maltreated—yet further proof ‘twas past the time to flee.

  Quiet fell between the cousins, giving Kara time to think. ‘Twas something she didn’t desire to do much of these days for when she did it inevitably meant that her thoughts would turn to her betrothed, or her former betrothed as it were.

  Cam was going to be furious when he found out, more angered than she felt comfortable thinking on. He’d be furious at her for fleeing, at himself for being fooled by her displays of obedience, and at her mani and sire for not keeping a close enough vigil regarding her whereabouts. Aye—he’d be angered with them all.

  Kara could live with knowing of his fury, however. ‘Twas not his fury she’d be thinking about for she would be forever removed from him and any punishments he might think to inflict upon her.

  She sighed. ‘Twas not Cam’s ine
vitable anger that made her flinch when she thought on him—‘twas the possible hurt and embarrassment she might cause him by fleeing. She would that it could be otherwise, yet the course had been set and there was no turning back. But then, neither did she wish to turn back.

  Freedom. Her sire and betrothed had tried to deny her, but she would not be denied. Daughter of the Emperor or no, she would be no warrior’s battle prize.

  “We’ve reached the shield,” Jana murmured.

  Kara’s head shot up. Her hearts rate began to accelerate, knowing as she did that all of their planning came down to this one moment in time. If the codes she had stolen from the warring chamber were accurate, their ship would be permitted to breach the invisible energy field her sire had ordered commissioned only three Yessat years past to guard the planet. But if the codes were wrong…

  “Let us pray to Aparna that our ship is not instantly disintegrated.” Kara took a deep breath then looked at her cousin. “Are you ready for the codes?”

  Jana did a little deep breathing of her own. Moisture gathered between her breasts and on her brow as an acute sense of fear settled into the pit of her stomach. “Aye,” she whispered hoarsely. “Read them to me.”

  Kara closed her eyes briefly and sent up one last prayer to the goddess. Clutching the trelli parchment firmly in both hands, she opened her eyes and began reading off the hieroglyphic-like symbols that corresponded to Trystonni numbers. “Sii, Sii, Fala, Sii…” She continued to read off the numbers in a slow, measured tone until the last one had been keyed in by Jana.

  “’Tis done,” Jana said quietly.

  Kara nodded, her breath coming out in a rush. “’Twill take but mere seconds.” She sucked in a lungful of air and unconsciously held it. Her eyes wide, she grabbed her cousin’s hand and squeezed it as the deuce of them awaited their shared fate together. ‘Twould be death or freedom.

  As their ship thrust through the Trystonni energy field, they both released a pent-up breath, grinning as they hugged each other. “We did it!” Kara beamed. “We well and truly did it!”

  Jana smiled fully as she switched on the dimmer control. The dimmer allowed the high-speed conveyance to become invisible to detection scanners, but it also made her job as navigator more difficult. Leastways, passing-by conveyances and other assorted ships wouldn’t be able to see their craft to know to steer clear of it. ‘Twould take much concentration to navigate the conveyance to Arak.

  “Aye.” Jana chuckled. “’Tis nigh unto impossible to believe, but we are free and clear of Trystonni airspace.”

  “How many Nuba hours to Arak?”

  “Approximately five.”

  Kara nodded. “I shall remain quiet so as not to distract you.”

  The next few hours proved to be the longest of Kara’s life. Nearing Arak also meant nearing the chance that the three of them would be caught and punished accordingly. She couldn’t begin to imagine how horrific their punishments would be, but she knew they’d be harsh for a certainty.

  There were approximately six hours left of the moon-rising, six hours until the dominant sun broached the Tryston sky and declared it morn. Her absence would be noticed mayhap an hour or two after that. That gave them seven Nuba hours at worst and eight Nuba hours at best to snatch Dari away and hightail it to Galis. There was no time for mistakes.

  A horn-like sound blared just then, breaking both escaped princesses out of their quiet reverie. Kara’s gaze shot toward the communicator. Her eyes rounded. “’Tis another holo-call from Dari,” she muttered.

  Jana’s brow furrowed. Why would her sister be calling an hour before they were scheduled to dock? “A recorded message or a living dimensional representation?”

  Kara’s fingers flicked o’er the complex keyboard. She punched in directives until the requisite information appeared on screen. “’Twas recorded two Nuba minutes past and ‘tis labeled as urgent.” She keyed in another sequence, commanding the communicator to play the recorded memory. “’Twill take a few seconds for it to rewind and play—ahh here we go.”

  A moment later, Princess Dari’s three-dimensional image appeared on a display screen that emerged from the front ceiling of the conveyance. She looked frightened, Kara thought nervously. Something had spooked her for a certainty.

  Greetings unto you, sister and cousin. I fear I haven’t much time to speak, so this message will be brief...

  Dari looked o’er her shoulder, quickly ascertaining that she hadn’t been followed. She turned back around to face the recorder, throwing three long micro-braids o’er her shoulder as she did so. Her almond-shaped eyes were wildly rounded, the fear in their glowing blue depths apparent.

  Head for Galis with all speed, she choked out. Do not come here to aid me for I cannot leave. Not yet.

  Horrified, Kara glanced at Jana with her mouth agape. She couldn’t begin to imagine why Dari would want them to leave her behind. Leastways, it made no sense. Dari hated—

  An evil dwells here, Dari murmured. An evil that must be destroyed. She swallowed shakily, closing her eyes briefly. I mayhap have not the power to destroy it myself, yet I will not leave Arak until I’ve enough information to—

  The sound of approaching footsteps caused Dari to stop speaking and turn on her heel to gage who it was that was about to come upon her. She turned back to the recorder and spoke quickly.

  I must go. Vow it to me that the deuce of you will not return to Tryston. Forge onward to Galis and create your new destinies. I will join you the soonest. ‘Tis a vow amongst cousins, she adamantly swore.

  Dari then hesitated, mayhap deciding how much time she had left to speak. In the end she decided to risk another Nuba second’s worth of speech.

  Worry not o’er me, for I will be passing fair. The Evil One knows not that I am aware of its existence. Please, she begged, do not return to your impending matrimonial prisons. I will join you the soonest, she whispered fervently. I have figured out how to escape—

  The holo-call abruptly ended, leaving Kara and Jana more than a little frightened for Dari’s safety. They turned to look at each other, both of their expressions horrified. ‘Twasn’t necessary to speak, for both of them implicitly understood what the other one was thinking.

  What evil one had Dari spoken of? Why had the recording ended so abruptly—had Dari been caught or had she merely switched off the holo-recorder device herself? Should they risk returning to Tryston and mayhap get caught in the doing to inform their sires of Dari’s predicament, or should they continue onward as Dari had directed them to do? Would she truly be able to escape without aid?

  “What do we do?” Jana whispered. She sounded lost. Frightened and lost.

  Kara nibbled on her lower lip as her fingers danced once again o’er the main communicator’s keyboard. “First things first, cousin. I must ascertain whether ‘twas Dari who ended that holo-call or if ‘twas an unexpected interloper who ended it for her.”

  Jana nodded as she steered the conveyance away from Arak and toward Galis. “If the genetic map of any but Dari shows up on the fingerprint scan, we must turn ourselves in for a certainty that we might inform our sires of what we know.”

  “Agreed.” Kara pulled up the recorded memory and punched in a sequence of keystrokes. She waited what felt like forever for the communicator to analyze the fingerprint scan. When ‘twas done, she turned to Jana. “Dari ended it,” she murmured. “’Twas her genetic map and no other’s.”

  Jana blew out a breath of relief. “Thank the goddess.”

  “Aye.”

  They sat there in silence for a suspended moment, both of them realizing they had little time to make a decision. Their sires would send out hunting calls the soonest. If they chose to continue onward to Galis as Dari had instructed them to do, ‘twas now or never to see it through.

  Now or never, Kara thought anxiously. They had to breach Galis airspace before every hunter in Trek Mi Q’an was alerted to their escape.

  Jana swallowed a bit roughly before she s
poke. Her voice came out in a shaky whisper. “I vote we carry onward.”

  Kara’s eyes widened. “But what of D—”

  “In my hearts,” Jana said adamantly, “I know my sister will make good on her word. I know this for a certainty.”

  Kara said nothing to that. ‘Twas true that blood siblings shared a mental bond that others could not feel or understand the why of. Yet still…

  “I, more so than you, have my reasons for desiring to continue on to Galis. But I will not go unless ‘tis certain you are that—”

  “I am,” Jana said simply. “I know Dari will come to us.”

  Kara blew out a breath. She turned away from Jana and stared out of the front porthole of the conveyance.

  “What is your final decision?” Jana asked anxiously. She was clearly too emotionally charged up to trust her own judgment on so critical a matter.

  Kara pondered that question o’er for a torturous moment. ‘Twas for a certainty neither Jana nor herself would know happiness again if anything happened to Dari. And yet her cousin had seemed so certain of herself, so convinced that she could escape Arak and join them on Galis…

  “We will continue onward,” Kara said quietly. Her glowing blue gaze tracked the movement of a passing meteorite that Jana’s navigating had expertly dodged. “And we will pray to the goddess ‘tis the right decision.”

  Prologue II

  Palace of the Dunes

  Sand City on planet Tryston

  Fourteen Nuba hours later

  Cam K’al Ra, the King of planet Zideon, strode through the great hall with all haste. His harsh features grew all the grimmer when he took notice of the weeping manis seated at the raised table offering each other solace. The High King Jor was seated between them, his large palms stroking both his mother and auntie’s backs.

  This, Cam conceded, did not bode well. He hadn’t the faintest notion why he had been summoned before the Emperor, yet he was now certain that it somehow involved his betrothed. The Empress would not be weeping otherwise. He would not have been summoned otherwise.