Ghost With Cats ~ Book of Eloh #1.Draft

Annie’s Rules played in her mind like a mantra as she and Vorn discussed rescuing Tal.

Rules for surviving:

#2 Always have a plan, another plan, and an exit strategy.

#3 Always expect the worst, prepare for the worst, pray for the best.

She had to believe Tal would survive long enough for them to find him. Vorn said he could sense that his master was still alive but Annie told him not to tell her more... Tal was alive, she focused on that.

The Pilot Hieth returned very quickly, so quickly that Annie wondered about speed of the Eloh craft if the larger ships where hidden behind the moon. He adapted to being expected to talk to Lady Annie and Lady Sharon much easier than the sword pets. Hieth was amazed at how kind the females of this world were, even to the sword pets. He was also amazed at how many skills they had. Lady Annie asked him all kinds of questions about their tech and his implants that helped him fly. She was truly concerned that the implants hurt him. She asked about his childhood, and how long he had been a pilot. Her father was a pilot in their Air Force, a branch of their military used for air combat and recon, and she herself could fly their aircraft. She was sad to learn that she wouldn’t be able to learn to fly Eloh craft without implants and years of neuro-training.

Hieth found that he really liked the one his Master shared his ink with. He hoped they would get to keep her. He listened to the Sword Pet called Bries describing all he has done and experienced on this world to his fellow pets. Heith was curiously amazed at how Lady Annie treated the sword pet and the things she taught him. Her attitude toward the pets and those of lower tiers was unlike any he had ever encountered. Heith shared the Pets’ sadness when Bries explained how the Master said they would not be able to take her with them, but Heith understood; Eloh was not a safe place for a caring female such as Lady Annie.

Boaz and Uri arrived after dinner. They had found the location of the yacht on a spy satellite. They finalized plans with Vorn to have Fliers ready to very obviously punch the atmosphere in Utah, Colorado, and a few random places around the world. It would cause a stir, but no one would be looking at Texas.

^..^

As they flew out toward the yacht, Hieth kept them less than 20 feet above the water. The ship’s magnetic propulsion was almost completely silent. They were lower than the tanker they were using for radar cover, they could fly in its shadow until the last 2 miles. Annie, Uri, Boaz, and Vorn would board the yatch first. The Sword Pets would board only if they met heavy armed resistance. Privately, Annie had decided she would try kill Lady Kahli if the opportunity arose rather than risk a future encounter with the evil woman. She was tired of her loved ones being hunted by those who only sought to spread terror and fear. Annie felt Lady Kahli was a terrorist, even if she wasn’t from this world.

The flier crept up on the boat silently, they made sure it was the correct ship. It was. Vorn could feel Tal unconscious below deck, and Kahli in one of the staterooms abusing a human male, who seemed to been enjoying it. He shook his head, wishing he had not felt that ‘image’. There were seven other humans on the boat. Uri and Boaz dropped onto the deck first, followed by Vorn and Annie. There were five levels to search. Working in pairs, they swept through the upper two, apparently the yacht was running a skeleton crew. On the third level, Vorn grimaced as they walked past the room containing Kahli and her companion. Annie rolled her eyes at the sexual noise. She pointed to the third door past the stateroom, Vorn nodded. Both could feel Tal.

Tal was handcuffed to the bed. It was covered in his own blood. He was bruised and bleeding with deep cuts on his entire body. Annie worked the locks quickly, while Vorn began cleaning Tal’s wounds and dressing them with a strange golden gel that healed the wounds almost as quickly as it was applied. Annie wanted to cry and puke at the same time, but she wouldn’t let herself, so she just let herself get angrier, a cold rage that she had not felt in eight years. Tal looked like he had been whipped with a barbed wire, beaten with a ball bat, then attacked by a tiger. Carefully, they put the clothes Vorn had brought on Tal.

When they were ready, Vorn nodded. “Call him back, my lady.” He wanted her to do it because he knew it would strengthen the bond between their souls.

Annie put her hands on either side of Tal’s face, “Tal, wake up,” she whispered and pressed her lips lightly against his bruised ones. “Please Tal, wake up, I came for you, now come back to me, we have to go.” Her heart prayed that he would hear, that he wasn’t already too far gone. He looked nearly dead.

Tal was kneeling in his sanctum room, Annie told him to sleep, so his mind came here. Across his knees laid the antique samurai sword she bought for him that day. The day she had first kissed him under the mistletoe, he could still feel that kiss.

Tal opened his eyes, Annie was leaning back from him. Vorn was standing at the end of the bed, looking slightly smug. She had tears in her eyes because his whole body was hurt. She had come to save him as he knew she would.

“Welcome back,” she whispered.

“I love you,” he said weakly.

“I love you too,” she said emotionally, then they heard automatic gunfire erupt.

Vorn helped Tal to stand, Annie carefully listening near the door, the fighting was downstairs.

Boaz voice came in her ear. “We were seen leaving the engine room. Package in place.”

“We have him." she answered. "They placed the bomb. Time to get off the boat,” She whispered to Vorn.

Opening door, the corridor was clear, Vorn stepped out behind her just as a tall Eloh woman stepped out of the stateroom. Annie opened fire. The woman held a tall, thin human man up in front of her as a shield and ducked back into the room. Her laughter echoed down the hall to them. It had a hard, evil sound.

“You must be Anneliese,” the woman called out, “It is nice to finally meet you.”

Annie was backing, down the hall, Vorn and Tal behind her. They were ten feet from the stairs.

“You must be Kahli,” Annie drawled back, “I cain’t say the feelin’ is mutual.”

“Now Anneliese, females such as ourselves should be allies. We share such similar taste.” Kahli purred.

“Oh, that’s rich. Y’all think ’cause ya want Tal’s ink and I have it that we should be besties or something,” Annie taunted, her anger bringing the Texan out in her voice.

Vorn and Tal were at the base of the stairs. She waved them up the stairs. Vorn started up with Tal, but Annie didn’t follow. She headed back down the hall toward the state-room. Kahli had something Annie wanted. She knew the Eloh female would have an Eloh healing crystal like the one Tal had used to save Annie when she had been shot and Annie wanted it for Tal. She just needed to get it from the Eloh female and the only way to get close enough to do it was to bait her.

“What do you mean, human?” Kahli growled.

“Tal didn’t ink you, did he? He couldn’t, in spite of all the drugs and torture, and don’t ya want to know why La-dy Kahli?” Annie mocked coldly. “Step out and I’ll show you, I give you my word, female to female, I won’t shoot ya just yet.” She holstered her Glock 19 and holds out her empty hands for Kahli to see. From all Vorn told her, Annie knows exactly who she needed to be to deal with this woman.

Rule #3 for Daily Life : Pretend to be the person ‘they’ expect until you can be invisible again.

Kahli stepped into the doorway over her dead lover’s body. Annie unstrapped the velcro on the Kevlar’s left shoulder and ripped open the neck of her long sleeve tee on the left side. The inking had almost doubled in size during the day. Kahli gaped at the swirling henna-styled design on the human woman’s left shoulder. She had never seen such a large pattern, except in the archives. Her breath hissed through her teeth. She needed that ink, the remaining Admants were either joined, or old enough to be exempt from the lottery, the empty slots could remain so for years.

“I believe I outrank you now, Kahli,” Annie reminded malevolently, half-smiling. She pulled the strap back over on her Kevlar, “You shouldn’t have tried to take what was mine, darlin’. Didn’t your mama ever teach you that it ain’t nice to steal another girl’s things?”

They glared at each other for a full minute. Kahli’s lips curled into a sneer, her eyes begin to glow, and her nails turn into claws. “I will still have what I want, human.”

“Truce over.” Annie announced, seeing Kali changing into what Vorn explained was their predatory form was terrifying, and she pulled her Glock 19.

Kahli bolted up the side-stairs faster than Annie could target her. Annie cursed, reminding herself of their speed. She wasn’t fighting a human. She was fighting something much more dangerous, something she must kill, or the ones she loves most will never be safe. She stalked after Kahli through the dark boat, hunting her.

Rule for Surviving #1 Always have your tools.

They were closely matched, but what natural advantages the Eloh female had, Annie had made up for with body armor, studded half-gloves, and weapons. Most of the fighting was going on at the back of the boat and on the lower levels. But it sounded to Annie like the two former IDF soldiers were winning so she focused on finding and killing Lady Kahli. The gunfire stopped below deck.

“Hostiles down. Tal is evac’d. Three minutes to detonation, falling back. Annie! Where the hell are you?” Boaz voice came in her ear.

Annie didn’t answer, she was hunting.

Annie felt Kahli ahead of her, and backpedaled before the blow came. The Eloh’s claws shattered the thin wooden door. Annie opened fire and missed. Kahli managed to strike her, but her vest took the impact. Annie rotated and landed a studded backhanded fist to Kahli’s cheek, cutting it open. She twisted, firing and putting her last bullet in Kahli’s thigh. The Eloh leapt away. Annie reloaded, chasing her up the stairs. But she stumbled, falling over a dead crewman as she burst out onto the deck.

Annie rolled back to her feet, quickly looking around for the Eloh. The larger Kahli dropped on her from the wheelhouse deck above, knocking the Glock overboard. Annie was forced to her hands and knees under the crushing weight of her opponent, struggling to support both of them. Pointed claws painfully clutching Annie’s hair, pulling her head back as Kahli smelled her and licked the side of her face, her other claws closing on Annie’s throat, almost crushing it.

“I can see why Tal liked you, he always did have a taste for sweets. You’re simply delicious. I would have liked to have spent more time with you, Anneliese, we would have been great allies. But I can’t allow another female to share Tal’s ink,” Kahli purred, “In a moment, I am going to enjoy drinking your very sweet smelling blood.”

Annie trembled, kneeling under the burden of both their bodies, she shifted slightly reaching for her boot as she choked out, “I don’t think so, Kahli. You kill for sport and for pleasure and to cause fear. I have hunted evil people like you since I was young.”

“I prefer ambitious over evil, Anneliese. I do regret that I must kill the first worthy opponent I have faced in a long time,” Kahli growled.

“I doubt ya’ll regret anything.” Annie suddenly collapsed sideways, causing Kahli to fall straight downward. Annie twisted Kahli’s claws away from her throat at the same time.

Rule for Surviving #4 You are the only one who will save yourself... Never quit.

Kahli gasped, and struggled to rise. The hilt of a knife was sticking out of her lower chest. Her blood gushed down the front of her silk lingerie. She pulled out the six-inch blade with an inhuman snarl.

Annie rolled away from her and to her knees choking for air. She looked up to see the flier hovering over Kahli’s shoulder. Boaz was shouting at her through the earpiece to get off the boat.

Kahli started toward her, Vorn shot her in the shoulder. Kahli staggered past Annie against the rail, dropping the knife. Kahli turned, looking up then she noticed the flier. Standing in the open rear hatch of the ship were two humans and Admant Vanth’s Cypher, Talon Vorn, whom Kahli knew was as much assassin as seneschal. All were pointing weapons at her. Kahli snarled again. Clutching the pouch around her neck, it started to glow as she let herself fall over the rail.

“NO!” Annie screamed, scooping up the tactical blade. Annie went over the rail after Kahli and dove into the darkness. Swimming hard, she was chasing a faint sinking glow of Kahli’s crystal.

“Back us off, Hieth!” Vorn’s mind shouted to the pilot’s. The flier elevated quickly away from the yacht as it exploded.

The fireball could be seen 20 miles away. The Coast Guard would spend weeks investigating the incident, but never identified the ship the wreckage came from. It would be assumed to be drug smugglers.

Hieth circled the flier while they looked for Annie in the dark, cold water. The burning boat wreckage was creating many weird shadows as it sank.

Annie broke the surface gasping for air, she had won. Kahli had not expected the human to follow her into the water and Annie had buried her blade in the back of Kahli’s head then cut the pouch out of her dead hand before swimming back up as hard as she could. Burning debris from the boat was all around her, as she coughed and gagged, blinking the salt water from her eyes. Suddenly, a large hand seized the back of her shirt and almost ripped it off her, hauling her out of the water. She was crushed in two huge arms. Bries had pulled her onto the deck of the flyer.

“I’m okay, shiny head.” Annie coughed as he set her down. She patted Bries cheek. Bede and Burq stood quietly to one side, bowing in respect to her. Lady Annie was a real warrior like the Master. Now, they really wished they could keep her.

“I’m getting too old for this,” Boaz complained, he was smoking again and shaking his head. Uri just looked relieved.

Vorn hugged her, she was shivering, wet, and cold but he didn’t care, “I am grateful you are well, Lady Annie.”

“Where is he?” Annie demanded.

Vorn lead her to the forward compartment, Tal was laying down. It looks like he was asleep, but at least he was still alive. She sat on the edge of his bed crying with relief. He put his hand on hers, she looked down at him.

“Why are you wet and cold?” he whispered weakly.

“I had to get your present, it went overboard,” she explained.

He looked at her strangely. She reached into her shirt and pulled a silk pouch out of her bra. Turning it on end, a silvery crystal fell out in her hand.

“Where did you get that?!?” Vorn blurted out in shock, holding out his hand.

Annie gently placed the resurrection crystal in the Cypher’s hand and he began examining it. The cloudy heptagon was perfect and un-tuned. Vorn realized he knew exactly where it came from and how Annie must have gotten it. Lady Kahli was dead by Lady Annie’s hand.

“Kahli won’t be needing it,” Annie answered drily, “Ever.” She looked in Tal’s dark eyes, “She will never hurt you again.”

Tal struggled to sit up, pulling her to him, and hugging her. A tear slowly slid down her cheek mixing with the gulf water dripping from her hair. “I love you. I couldn’t let you die.”

“With your love as my shield, she was not able to hurt me,” Tal responded, giving her a lick on the forehead. Then he pushed her wet hair of her shoulder, and gaped surprised at the mark revealed by her torn shirt. Gently, his fingertips traced the pattern his ink left in her skin. She just rested her head against his shoulder while he looked at the design. It felt so good to just be in his arms and not be afraid. He licked the center of the design. He had never seen an inking like the one they made together. He only regretted how it was made.

“I am so sorry,” he whispered, remembering her fear.

“I’m not,” she assured him then she kissed him very carefully.

^..^

They watched the first hint of sunrise color the sky over the gulf. Bries had packed their few items, he was being very brave. But he was holding tightly to the old tuxedo cat for comfort. He knew he may never see Annie again, but she promised she would pray for him often and never forget him. It is wonderful and painful to be loved. The tiny brown kitten was on his shoulder. He would miss cats more than chocolate he decided.

Tal was stronger, his wounds had begun to scar under the strange golden gel, as they healed but he as still in a great deal of pain. Annie helped him onto the flier. She touched his swollen cheek. “Be careful, Kahli didn’t do this alone. Someone gave her ships, and resources,” Annie cautioned.

“I know. Vorn and I will have to figure out who else is against the king,” Tal answered.

“I wish I could go with you. This is the kind of thing I used to do best,” she murmured against his shoulder. “I know I could help.”

He breathed in the sweetness of her hair, there was still a slight salt smell from her swim during the night, even though she took a shower. He wanted her to come more than anything. He wanted her to meet his brothers and cousins and aunt, but Annie must stay here to be safe, he would not be able to bear it if she died.

He looked over her head to where Vorn was holding Sharon. His Cypher was tracing Sharon’s face with the tips of his fingers, like he was afraid he might forget what she looked like. Tal had never seen his Cypher so emotional. They were leaving the women they loved to face an unknown enemy in an undeclared war to save their kingdom.

“I promise I will return for you as soon as this is ended, and I will return Vorn to Sharon. We will have time to be quiet together, to be happy together. Time when we are not being chased like prey,” Tal vowed. “Will you wait for me?”

“Forever,” Annie whispered and looked up at the stars in his eyes, “I love you, Tal.” She carefully pressed her lips against his.

He smiled and gave her a small lick on the forehead, “I love you, Anneliese. I will return for you soon.”

Annie cradled the giant cat and kitten and Sharon hugged her as they watched their loved ones disappearing into the sunrise. Annie held her tears back, they both knew ‘soon’ may never come.

^..^