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  Thor jogged to the ladder, looking like he meant to cut her off.

  She raised her palm toward him, then reached for the rungs. “I think I’ll be more effective with the sea life than that sword of yours.”

  He looked mildly affronted, but he didn’t try to push her out of the way to go up first. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  “No checking out her butt along the way,” Erick warned him.

  Thor look more puzzled by the notion than intrigued.

  “I don’t mind,” Jelena said. “I don’t have a shy butt like you do.”

  “Even so, a submarine full of soldiers and mercenaries isn’t the place to flaunt your ponies underwear,” Erick said.

  Something she was more likely to do when trying to swim with her Starseer robe tangled around her legs. “I’ll keep that in mind. And, as we’ve discussed numerous times, they’re unicorns.”

  “I fail to see how drawing a horn on a pony makes it a different species of animal.”

  “That’s because you have the imagination of a toad.”

  “You’re not actually wearing unicorn underwear, are you?” Masika frowned disapprovingly. It wasn’t clear if the disapproval was for the idea of wearing frivolous underwear on a serious mercenary mission or because she thought Jelena was too old for animal underwear in general. As if there was an age limit on unicorns.

  Thor cleared his throat, and Jelena climbed to the hatch. She spun a creaky, rusty wheel and shoved upward.

  For some reason, she expected sunlight to stream in from above. But she’d lost track of the time, and a starry sky awaited them. That should make it easier to sneak to shore without being discovered. Assuming the area between here and there wasn’t full of floating mines. She grimaced at the thought of a bevy of them planted on the water’s surface as well as far below.

  There aren’t any between here and the shore, Thor informed her.

  Good. Thanks.

  She climbed outside, keeping hold of the hatch as she maneuvered onto the small portion of the submarine that was above the water. Smooth and slick, it did not offer good footholds. She slipped, almost tumbling into the water. Only her grip on the hatch kept her from falling off and being swept who knew where. The craft rose with a huge wave, and fear surged through her limbs as she realized she couldn’t see the cliffs—or anything except water—with the water rising and falling all around them. Cold dark water that kept breaking over the surface of the submarine and splashing her.

  She hadn’t expected to feel so helpless and vulnerable up here. Reminding herself that she had mental powers to call upon, and that people were waiting for her to do so, she reached out to the dolphins. Even though she couldn’t see them in the dark water, she sensed their curious minds. There were ten of them, and they’d all come to see what this interesting sea creature—they seemed to believe the submarine an animal rather than a mechanical construct—wanted to do. She selected a few of the dolphins that were closer in and planted a suggestion in their minds. Wouldn’t it be fun to swim to shore with humans clasping onto their ridges?

  Their first response wasn’t that encouraging. They didn’t seem to think that sounded fun at all. More like work.

  Jelena suggested a race. Which dolphin could reach the cliffs first with the challenge of dragging a human behind them?

  The idea of a race met with more interest. To her surprise, some of the dolphins started leaping into the air. Even in the darkness, she could see the closest ones rising above the surface. They smashed into each other, and she sucked in a startled breath. But it was on purpose. Their chests—or what she would think of as chests—bumped against each other. It seemed to be a dominance ritual. No, a contest. They were seeing which of them was strongest and most able to engage in the race.

  “Uh, what’s happening?” Erick asked.

  He, Masika, and Thor had climbed out of the vessel. He and Masika were also gripping the hatch to keep their balance. Thor stood on the other side of the hatchway, his feet splayed as if he were riding a surfboard, his arms outstretched to help with balance. Jelena wasn’t sure if there hadn’t been room for anyone else to grab the hatch, or if he was showing off his balance.

  Really, he thought dryly into her mind.

  You’re not showing off?

  I’m challenging myself. Much like your dolphins.

  Just don’t start chest-bumping Erick, or I’ll grow concerned for your sanity.

  The dolphins finished their contest, and four of them came close to the submarine.

  “We’ll each grab one on its ridge,” Jelena said, “and they’ll swim to shore with us riding along. They’re fast and strong.”

  “I can’t even see them.” Masika squinted into the darkness. “Where are they? Right out there?”

  “Yes. Follow me.” Trusting the creatures to help, Jelena took a deep breath and jumped off the submarine in their direction.

  Water splashed her in the face, and she thought again of how different the ocean was from the pools and ponds she’d swum in before. Her pack weighed her down and she felt momentary panic. But to her surprise, one of the dolphins came right up to her, its side brushing against her, making it easy for her to grab its ridge. Most of its body was smooth, but the ridge was more like scales or serrated bone, and she found it easy to grip.

  “I’m on,” she called back to the others. She did her best to hold the ridge with one hand as she also hooked her other arm and her staff across it.

  Using her senses, Jelena could tell Erick and Thor had jumped into the water. They would be able to tell where the dolphins were, even in the dark. Masika hesitated. Jelena urged the remaining dolphin to get closer to the submarine so she might see it. The creature complied, though she sensed a little recalcitrance from it, a question of when the fun part would happen. When would they get to swim very fast and see who was fastest?

  Jelena wondered if she should warn her comrades of the “race.”

  As Masika eased away from the submarine and grabbed hold of her dolphin’s ridge, Jelena telepathically told everyone, Hang on tight. They like to swim fast.

  A query came to her from the creature whose ridge she gripped. He wanted to know where they would be racing to. She started to impart an image of the cliffs, but would that be the ideal spot? What if the dolphins would be willing to go farther? How long would it take them to swim up the coast to a more likely landing spot? Maybe they could even reach that harbor in the city. Since the Chollans were waiting for them south of the city, they might not have anticipated this move. If her team consisted only of humans and animals, might they not slip in under the radar or whatever detection systems the Chollans used?

  The harbor, she told the dolphin, trying to figure out how to share an image of a place she’d never visited or even seen a picture of herself.

  “What’s the hold up?” Erick asked, his teeth chattering. “It’s colder than space in this water.”

  “Just giving some directions.”

  “Should someone who’s never been here be doing that?”

  “Is there another option?”

  Abruptly, a perfect image of the harbor filled her mind. At first, it was the view from above, of the docks and the city stretching away behind them, but then, the view dipped below the surface, filling with pilings, wrecked ships, and the fossilized skeleton of what looked like some giant prehistoric whale. Jelena knew the image came from Thor, though she couldn’t guess how he could see everything so perfectly with his senses. She did her best to share the image with the dolphins, sensing that he hadn’t yet. Maybe he wasn’t sure how to share with animals.

  Understanding emanated from the dolphins, and then they circled each other a couple of times.

  Hold on, Jelena warned her team again.

  She’d barely shared the words when her dolphin took off in a burst of energy more like one would expect from a thrust bike than a sea creature. Jelena almost lost her grip as water rushed past her, splashing her in the face, the power tryi
ng to rip her loose. It dragged at her robe and her bag and her staff, and within seconds, her forearms trembled from the effort of holding on to that ridge. She channeled her power into her grip, trying to lend her mental energy to her physical strength. It wasn’t something she’d tried often, and she was glad she had the staff along to help her focus. Concentrating while water streamed past her and splashed into her eyes was not easy. Soon, it took all of her effort to hang on, and she lost track of how far they’d gone or if the dolphins were having the “fun” she had promised them.

  We’re almost there, Thor informed her.

  His telepathic words did not sound strained. Jelena gritted her teeth and didn’t reply. She focused on her burning forearms, on keeping her staff and arm hooked over that ridge, on—

  The dolphin leaped into the air, and she shrieked, unable to help herself. A second later, it dove into the water, taking Jelena under for the first time. She would have shrieked again if doing so wouldn’t have caused her to lose all her air. Terror clenched her body as she imagined being dragged all the way down to the bottom of the ocean and being unable to get back up to the surface again before she ran out of air. Should she let go?

  Forcing her panic down, she touched the dolphin’s mind, trying to get the gist of its thoughts. Only then did she realize they’d reached the harbor. The dolphin came up again, this time for another leap.

  Yours won, Thor spoke into her mind in that typical dry tone of his. It appears to be elated.

  Jelena caught a glimpse of lights and the hulls of ships, and let go, realizing they had made it to the harbor. And the water was thankfully calm here, at least in comparison to the waves where they had started out. Her bag and wet, heavy clothes dragged at her, making her wonder if she’d let go too soon, but the ocean water was salty and kept her afloat more easily than pond water might have. After a quick check to make sure her comrades had all made it—yes, and they’d also let go of their now-frolicking dolphins—Jelena stroked toward the lights. She attempted to share her gratitude with the dolphins, but she had no idea if they understood and experienced such emotions.

  Something touched her shoulder, and she sensed Thor next to her.

  Head in that direction. He shared a picture of a dark area between two docks. There are patrols marching along a walkway that follows most of the harbor. We’ll have to be careful about where we get out.

  Do you think anyone saw us arrive?

  I’m not sure. There are too many minds out here—hundreds of soldiers in a garrison over there and five big military ships with hundreds more—for me to check them all. But I don’t hear any alarms sounding.

  Jelena paddled toward the docks, her movements awkward with her staff in one hand and her pack shifting and bumping on her back. Her arms were weary even though the dolphins had done the majority of the work. Erick and Masika stayed close behind her, and she got the impression that they, too, weren’t the strongest of swimmers. It wasn’t as if space-based Jelena and Erick had found many opportunities for it while growing up, and if Masika was city-born, she might not have, either. Jelena was relieved when she sensed the water growing shallower underneath them. She angled toward a dark pier.

  There’s a ship coming in this direction, Thor told her. I think someone on the deck spotted the dolphins—and maybe us. Keep going. I’ll convince them that they didn’t see anything.

  Her entire body weary, Jelena kept swimming, eager to plop down on a beach. Behind her, Thor stopped, treading water and peering back the way they had come.

  She grabbed a barnacle-covered piling when she reached the end of the pier. It cut into her hands, but the support let her rest for a moment. She raised herself out of the water enough to search for likely spots to climb out. Thick shadows lay under the pier, and she’d just decided on angling for the beach at the head of it when a soft beeping came from the pier adjacent to hers.

  Robot sentry, Erick told her.

  A problem for us?

  I’m not sure. We should—

  Thor cried, Look out! into her mind.

  Erick lunged for her before she knew what was happening. He grabbed her shoulder, pushing her under, just as a flash of light drove away the night. A boom erupted, seemingly right above Jelena’s head, and a shockwave slammed into her. Stun grenade, she had time to think, before she lost consciousness.

  Chapter 8

  When Jelena regained consciousness, her first thought was to be relieved that she’d done so. She might have drowned out in the harbor, unconscious under the waves. Her relief faded as she realized that she was sitting on a bench in the back of a truck, intellicuffs bound her wrists, and something was clipped to her belt from behind to keep her from getting up—or falling over. Her chin was drooped to her chest, her head bobbing as the vehicle rolled over uneven roads, and she continued to let it dangle. She kept her eyes closed as she checked her surroundings with her senses.

  Masika and Erick sat to either side of her, also cuffed and hooked to the bench. At least they were there and alive. Good. Ten armed men were also in the truck with them, and another two rode up front in a cab. Less good. Thor was…

  A jolt went through her. She didn’t sense him.

  As their vehicle bumped along the rough road, and she became even more certain that the belt hook was to keep her from falling, she double-checked the back of the truck and the cab for Thor. Then she extended her senses to see if other trucks drove in front of or behind them in a cavalcade. A cavalcade of prisoners. There was another truck following behind them with more armed men in it, but Thor wasn’t in the back of that one, either.

  With unease gathering in the pit of her stomach, she checked their surroundings. They drove through a city with old buildings rising to either side of the pothole-filled street. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell this metropolitan area had suffered damage similar to that of the Opuntian capital.

  Was the Alliance’s interest in the planet truly a legitimate reason for what was clearly a devastating war?

  A question for another time. For after she found Thor.

  She’d sensed him from afar on Upsilon Seven and also when they’d been children. Even from across the entire system, she’d known that he was alive, and she’d known when he had been hurt. Granted, that had been more of a hunch, a sense of intuition, than a result of the application of her Starseer skills. And now… yes, he still seemed to be out there, a little presence in the back of her mind representing him. She was certain he was alive. In the cosmic sense of measurement, he wasn’t far away at all, but since they were traveling by foot—or truck—rather than spaceship, cosmic senses didn’t matter much right now. She suspected he was still back at the harbor. Had he been captured by the soldiers on that ship? Or had he also been caught by the stun grenade, but left behind instead of hauled out of the water? She had no idea. All she knew for sure was that she was heading in the opposite direction of the harbor.

  Jelena? Erick murmured into her mind. You’re awake, right?

  Yes, I’m looking for Thor.

  Masika and I are glad to know he’s your main priority.

  I already looked for you. You’re right here, sitting on my robe. Thor either didn’t get captured, or he’s… Jelena grimaced, thinking of the stun grenade again, of how it had struck so close. Had that robot dropped it? The weapon had taken Thor by surprise as much as it had her. He’s not dead, she said firmly, though it was hard not to imagine a scenario in which he’d been knocked unconscious and left to drown in the harbor.

  I’d think it would take more than a grenade to kill him. Can you talk to him?

  Not yet. She tried to reach out in the direction of the harbor. They couldn’t be more than ten or fifteen miles away. That might be the edge of her range for telepathy, but she felt certain his range was farther. Maybe he was too busy running to communicate with her now. Or maybe he was injured and couldn’t concentrate on telepathy. She grimaced again. Apparently, riding into the harbor on dolphins hadn’t been as subtl
e and under-the-radar as she’d hoped.

  You know your staff is missing, right? Erick asked.

  A new flash of alarm went through her. Was it? She’d been too busy checking on the others to worry about her gear.

  She searched the truck with her senses and located Erick’s staff in a locker behind the cab, along with Masika’s blazer rifle and knife. Their packs rested against the locker. Her staff wasn’t anywhere within her range. She must have dropped it when she’d been knocked out. Damn it. It had been a gift from Grandpa on her sixteenth birthday. A real Starseer staff designed to enhance her specific talents. Now it was floating out to sea or lost at the bottom of the harbor. She spent so little time in water that she didn’t even know if the staff floated.

  The thought of losing it distressed her more than her current predicament did, and she felt a twinge of despair mingled with homesickness. If Grandpa were here, he would have known what to do so they wouldn’t have been captured or separated and wouldn’t lose anything—or anyone—important. She’d been so determined to show her independence these last couple of months, to show that she was capable and didn’t need to rely on her family for help, but had anything actually gone right, thus far?

  Jelena?

  Yes, I see that it’s missing, she replied, trying to keep the despair out of her words. She felt doubly aware of the cool way the cuffs hugged her wrists, the smart material tight against her skin, just shy of cutting off her circulation. I must have dropped it.

  Maybe we’ll have a chance to go back and search for it later.

  Yeah.

  We can escape any time, you know. He nudged her slightly with his elbow. I can break those cuffs, and we can throw up barriers, grab Masika, and jump out of the truck and disappear into their city.