Calabria, The Wastelands
"I will return within two solar weeks," Relena heard Maeryn tell Trowa. "I wish you well in your quest. If you are righteous, Trey, you will prevail; the gods will not fail you." Before she turned away, she gave him one last lingering look then disappeared into her craft. When the door had closed behind her, he stepped away and the small pirate ship lifted off and darted upwards into the twilight sky.
A strong wind swirled around them, and Relena almost choked on the desert dust before she covered her face with the hooded cloak Maeryn advised her and Trynity to never take off. The pirate chief hadn't questioned why they would want to follow their men to Calabria, but their men certainly did not want them in their party. Even now Duo and Heero stood near Trowa, both glaring at them.
"We made a mistake," remarked Relena to Trynity. "They might just leave us in the desert to die."
"Wouldn't be the first women dumped out here." Trynity turned to look in different directions. Relena followed her gaze, and although she could see mountains in the distance, the landscape was desolate and now obscured by sandy winds. "What are we doing here?"
"Now is a fine time to ask!"
Relena grabbed and gripped Trynity's hand. "We have to go through with it."
"We should have gone back to L10," Trynity said sadly.
"That's the first sensible thing you have said in weeks, babe." Duo put his arms around Trynity and drew her close to him. "You are stuck here now, so let's make the most of it. I certainly plan to."
Relena looked away as he kissed her. The handful of men from the pirate satellite who remained with them, quickly and efficiently set up a tent so that they could spend the night. They had been delivered to the surface of Calabria shortly after the setting of the second sun, a time when no Calabrian in his right mind would risk venturing into the Wastelands. Their party would spent the night here before setting out for a village at the foot of the mountains where the pirates would sell their contraband and Trowa would meet with Wattan and his followers. The pirate men were not unknown on Calabria, so their presence would not be noticed or reported by the people in the village, so Trowa was reasonably assured of anonymity until he joined the imperial guards favorable to his cause.
"Come into the tent and get some rest."
Relena looked at Heero. Since the day she had refused his proposal, he hadn't spoken to her except a few words, and those few words were to voice his opinion that she was completely without any sense if she intended to accompany them to Calabria. She was without sense where he was concerned. Then again, what made him ask her to marry him? What made him think she could do such a thing? No matter how she felt the fact remained that they were from different worlds. They couldn't marry!
Could they?
She followed him into the large tent and found a place to lay, wrapping herself in her cloak to keep warm. Heero stopped to talk to Trowa several feet away, and Duo and Trynity were cuddling nearby. One of the pirate men said something to Heero, and she heard Trowa laugh. Peeking from under her cloak, she saw one particularly grubby man holding out a handful of coins, speaking to Heero who did not even look at him, adding coins to the pile so that they clinked loudly to get his attention. Relena wondered what they were talking about until the man gestured in her direction. He was bargaining for her!
Relena was so furious that she almost stood to inform the oaf that she was not for sale, but then she realized the pirates outnumbered them. There were six of them and only Heero, Duo and Trowa to defend her and Trynity if need be although she didn't want to see Trynity fighting in her condition. And she remembered the last time they tried to stand up to one of them. She certainly didn't want a bloody battle raging in the tent.
The haggling stopped when Heero suddenly seized a handful of the man's tunic and shoved a dagger blade against his throat and coins scattered everywhere. Whatever Heero said made the pirate scamper quickly away once he had been released. Heero glanced her way, and after saying something to Trowa, he came to her, and she was relieved when he lay beside her.
She turned around to face him. She could barely see him in the darkening tent. "Thank you," she whispered.
Heero reached out to pull her against him. "I should thank you for keeping your mouth shut for once."
"I almost said something," she confessed as she burrowed her face against his warm neck.
"That restraint is a first." His fingers were sifting through her hair.
Relena wished they were alone.
Heero didn't seem to care that they weren't. His hands were wandering, and she soon enough wasn't cold. He kissed her, and she was glad that they weren't fighting, but when he wanted more, she was far too embarrassed with so many people sharing the tent. Relena shoved him back and turned away from him.
"Good night," she whispered forcefully although her heart was beating so fast that she thought she would faint and she was just as frustrated as he surely felt.
He put an arm around her and pulled her close. "I'm trying to protect you," he whispered in her ear.
"Is that what you were trying to do?" Relena was now angry. He had only been putting on a show! She shoved her elbow in his ribs and enjoyed his grunt of pain. "Don't do me any favors, Heero Yuy!"
"Don't do anything stupid, Relena."
"So! Now I'm stupid?"
"That goes without saying," commented Duo, then he groaned. "Yow! Why did you do that, babe? That hurt!"
"Butt out of their troubles!" warned Trynity.
"I was only agreeing with her. Yow! You are going to pay!"
Trynity squeaked, then giggled before they fell silent again.
Relena rolled her eyes. They were hopeless!
"We could have fun, too," Heero breathed in her ear.
"In your dreams!" Relena was so furious she wanted to hit him.
"Relena, you are a bitch," he murmured.
She pushed herself away from him. "If I'm such a bitch, maybe I will go sleep with Trowa."
"Only if you are going to put out," said Trowa from several feet away. Were they all listening?
Heero chuckled.
Duo snorted.
"Maybe I will!" she snapped. She heard Trowa laughing and she clenched her fists. What she wouldn't do to punch the clown prince!
Relena broke away from Heero and marched across the tent, stepping over the pirates and hoping one wouldn't grab her. When she reached Trowa, she resisted the urge to kick him before lying down beside him. But when Trowa reached out for her, she tried to slap his face.
He grabbed her wrist and threw her on her back so hard that the breath was knocked from her. Prince Trey was a lot stronger than she had realized.
"Now, shut up, Relena! You don't realize how unrelenting the light from two suns can be in the Wasteland, so we'll need as much rest as we can get if we are going to make it to the village tomorrow."
She finally managed to breathe again. "You aren't going to…"
Relena felt stupid for thinking he might be serious in his proposition.
"No, I'm not going to do anything." Trowa pulled her close to him. "Although our pirate friends are probably wondering who gets you when I'm through."
Relena realized how their change in sleeping arrangements must appear to the crude men. "Are you going to protect me if they try something?" she asked fearfully.
"You think I can? I am just a clown prince."
She felt ashamed for her mockery of him. "I…I'm sorry. Tro…Trey."
He laughed softly. "So, you are going to acknowledge me now? Perhaps when this is all over and done with, you might consider becoming my wife."
"What?" She was shocked by his proposal.
"Makes sense, doesn't it? You are a princess from a powerful kingdom on a planet with resources that could help mine."
"But…but…" Relena couldn't believe he was suggesting such a thing!
"I'm sure Miliardo would agree to some terms with me. We could seal the pact with a marriage. Such things are done on Earth and on Calabria."
"But I don't love you!" she whispered fiercely.
"We don't have to love each other." He chuckled. "I wouldn't even sleep with you, if you didn't want me. I'd have my concubines to keep me satisfied."
"What about me?"
"Well, you can't have concubines," he told her seriously.
Relena gritted her teeth. "I didn't mean that! Don't you think I have feelings? Maybe I'd like to marry someone I could love."
"I thought you already loved someone."
She sat up to look across the dark tent. Heero was apparently sleeping, curled up, and wrapped tightly in his robe to keep warm. Relena slid back down beside Trowa, and he folded her close in his warm embrace.
"I'm such a fool!" she whispered. She wanted to cry.
"I think Heero already knows that. Now shut up and go to sleep unless you want to go back over there with him."
"Nobody will get any sleep if I do." She giggled at her own nasty thoughts.
Trowa chuckled.
Heero heard them and glared through the darkness across the tent. For what remained of the night, he didn't get much sleep as he listened for any further noise from them. There was nothing except Relena's soft snoring which made him smile as he wondered what Trey was thinking of that in his ear. Just when he had finally fallen asleep, he was rudely awakened by the activity in the tent shortly after the rising of the first sun as the pirates began to pack up for the trek through the Wastelands to the village.
Trynity and Relena were already huddled together trying to be quiet and humble so that they wouldn't insult the men with their brazen behavior. Heero thought their humility was humorous, but his head was pounding from a lack of sleep, so he couldn't laugh. He would have preferred that they return to L10, but both women insisted on accompanying them and Maeryn, while not encouraging them, certainly didn't discourage them although she knew the dangers that could befall women on Calabria.
The tent was quickly and efficiently taken down and packed with the cargo onto runners that easily slid across the sands. They all wore heavy white robes that covered their bodies, a necessity to save them from the merciless rays of two suns and the unrelenting wind whipping sharp grains of sand. Even covered as they were, biting insects attacked any exposed flesh. They all soon learned how to remain hidden in the robes.
Heero moved to walk by Trey as Relena and Trynity walked several paces behind the pirates who would have been insulted to have them walk with the men. "How long will it take to reach the village?"
"About three hours in your time," he said. Heero knew the passing of time was different on Calabria because there were two suns and two moons. He was more than a little amazed to see the morning rays of the second sun creeping over the horizon.
"I can't believe people live in these conditions," he remarked, then immediately regretted his words.
"They don't." Trey stared straight ahead for several minutes before he spoke again. "The Wasteland desert is a convenient place to dispose of the unwanted. Without the protection of these garments, we would be dead before we could reach the village. There are creatures under the sands you can't even see that pull anything under that isn't moving."
"There are people who live in these regions," Heero remarked.
"Not in the Wastelands themselves, but in the oasis tracts that can be found here and there. Even those dry up as the underground rivers frequently change their courses."
"How does the emperor govern these people if they are constantly moving?"
"He doesn't. They are left to fend for themselves, and if they complain too loudly or try to make demands of the empire, he sends his imperial guards to hunt them down."
"You have done that, haven't you?" Heero wasn't going to judge him, but he did want to understand how difficult his struggle would be.
Trey glanced at him and Heero saw regret in his eyes. "I learned very early in my life what was expected. But I have human feelings that I am sure my mother instilled in me despite Zeno's efforts to keep her away from me. What I did for Zeno and imperial Calabria is a black mark on my soul, but I understand the necessity of many of the customs on Calabria. The emperor must be strong and cannot be questioned."
"Are you willing to be strong?"
"I don't know."
Heero thought Trey should figure that out before he took his sword against his father. "You will have to be, Trey, or your men will not respect you."
Trey sighed. "I once thought I could change things. I vowed that when I succeeded my father, I would try to erase the injustices, especially to women and children, but I know you are right, Heero. I cannot allow any sign of my weakness to show, or I will not be followed."
"How do you think the Warlord will perceive you?" Heero wondered if the man would consider him a rival.
"As an enemy, I am sure. I am an imperial, the crown prince. I've been branded a scoundrel for the circumstances in which I left Calabria, and I have stayed away for many years. My own personal imperial guards were traitors who met a horrible death." He fell silent for moment as his eyes scanned the horizon. "She must have died in these very sands."
Heero didn't really know how to comfort him. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear it if something were to happen to Relena. Although she didn't seem to care about his feelings, Heero loved her. There wouldn't be another woman in his heart, not for the rest of his life.
"I was selfish," said Trey. "I never gave any thought to the consequences for her."
"Are you so sure that she is dead?"
"You heard Wattan. She was left in the Wastelands to die, left out here, without food, without water, without a robe to protect her. Knowing Dax, he probably left her naked just to shame her further. Arora was nothing to him but an embarrassment, and I will probably never know why he kept her after birth. And my father's decision to force her to become my imperial guard was an insult to both Dax and me. Although Dax tried to keep us apart to protect the honor of his house, Zeno forced her on me in an apparent attempt to shame Dax. I never understood why when the two men had been as close as brothers could be before Arora was born. There are those who say that the death of Dax's wife, Valerya, had unhinged him, that he kept Arora because she resembled her mother. But why did my father do that to her and to me?"
"Your father didn't care about you," commented Heero. "You told me yourself that he admitted he had hoped Virineia Sakarov would bring him more power, and he could do nothing but strike out at you when he realized his mistake."
"But when Dilan could have taken Arora as his concubine, Zeno did not allow it because of my feelings for her. And Arora told me that he entrusted his sword to her before she left Calabria. On Earth she was carrying the sword of Zeno the Butcher."
"Have you come to any conclusions as to why?"
Trey shook his head. "If only I could remember…"
"Perhaps there is a lot that you cannot remember that you may not wish to," suggested Heero. He didn't want to believe the worst about his friend, but the crowned Prince Trey who could lead raids on villages and hunt down Guerani survivors was a different man than the one who walked beside him under the hot suns. Heero remembered how Apolo had been belligerent towards him until he realized Trey had changed. Perhaps the old Trey was best forgotten.
"I am sure my memory has returned except for that one day."
"You don't remember your mother."
"I remember Maeryn playing the flute for me, and I remember hearing my mother and father argue when I was on the verge of sleep, but I don't remember her specifically." Trey sighed. "I was just too young, and Zeno and Dax feared her influence would bring shame to the imperial house of the emperor, so they had forbidden her contact with me."
"How much trouble are you expecting in these regions?" asked Heero, changing the subject.
Trey laughed. "Let's just say that I plan to keep my head covered and my hand on my sword until Wattan shows up."
"Understood." Prince Trey was hated in the Wastelands. Well, it wasn't as if they hadn't been in this position before as gundam pilots.
Duo caught up to them. "I'm ready for a rest. Let's stop."
"We can't stop," stated Trey. He nodded toward the pirates who didn't say anything as they pulled their burden. "They won't wait, and we need to enter the village with them."
"Do you suppose Relena and Trynity can make it?"
Heero snorted. "Those two are tougher than the three of us."
Duo scratched his head. "I suppose that was a dumb question. I am hungry."
"You will have to wait."
Duo fell back, and only a few moments elapsed before he heard Duo ask Trynity, "You wouldn't have anything squirreled away to eat, would you?"
"Nothing I intend to share with you."
Heero smiled to himself when he heard Relena say, "Don't even look at me Maxwell or you'll be face down eating sand."
By the time they reached the village, Duo was quite vocal about his rumbling stomach. The marketplace was crowded, so they easily drifted away from the pirates who were more concerned with turning a profit on their cargo than keeping an eye on the crown prince regardless of Maeryn's orders to protect him. Duo quickly found food to purchase, and Heero was amazed that he chose to haggle with the woman who was defending her fresh baked bread. Trynity stuck to his side, and Heero moved to protect Relena who actually seemed grateful for his presence. The slave auction that drew the cheers and jeers of the men surely convinced her that she was wise to accept his protection. She didn't want to become one of the cowering women forced to stand on the center block as men bid for them.
Trey ignored the auction as he scanned the crowd for any sign of Wattan and the imperial troops who would help him in his attempt to take back his crown from Dilan. He felt pity for the whimpering women, but he couldn't do anything for them now. The custom of selling and buying females was so ingrained that Trey doubted he would be able to put an end to it even if he did become emperor. Trey didn't even have enough coin to buy one of the wretches away from the brothel owners who tried to outbid each other for the females they would work to death. In such a place no one would even blink if a dissatisfied patron killed the female.
Duo came to him and shoved some bread in his hand. "Eat something."
Trey chuckled. "Your answer to everything, Maxwell?"
Duo laughed. "Not everything, but I have a better outlook on life with a full stomach."
Taking a bite of the bread, he was enjoying the familiar aroma of well-baked Calabrian bread when he heard the crowd gasp and he turned to see a half-naked creature hauled onto the block fighting the chains every step of the way. Able to discern it was a bruised and bloody female, doubtless beaten repeatedly by her captors, Trey was amazed that she still continued to fight them and was strong enough to put up a struggle. Her dark hair was long, matted and filthy, and Trey felt sick with disgust.
He looked away from the abused creature.
Then he saw her.
The little girl with the green eyes.
She stared at him silently for a moment before raising her hand and pointing her finger toward the block.
Trey continued to stare at her, mesmerized by her until he realized that she wanted him to look back at the block. The auctioneer was pulling the female from the ground with a leather strap around her neck. She was choking, and the men gathered around the auction block were laughing and calling out rude comments as they spat on her.
Trey looked back to the girl. Tears were dripping over her long lashes, making tracks down her cheeks, then before his eyes, she suddenly dissolved into the air.
The hair at the back of his neck rose, and Trey spun back to the auction.
"I'll give you five zenos to cut her throat!" shouted out one man.
Trey reached into his own pouch. He had only six of the coins stamped with his father's image. "I'll buy her for six zenos!" he called out. What was he doing? Duo looked at him with his brows raised. Trey shrugged. "I can't let her die for their amusement."
"Seven zenos to see her bleed to death," returned the other man. "We can wager how long it will take."
Trey snatched Duo's money pouch.
"Hey, that's mine!" But Trey wouldn't let him take it back. Duo had eight zenos. Where did he get that? He glanced at his friend who smiled and shrugged apologetically. Theft? Duo wriggled his brows and suddenly had another pouch in his hand.
"Be careful!" hissed Trowa. "They'll cut off your hand and other parts of you that Miss Stryfe might miss."
"Don't underestimate the value of my hand," laughed Duo.
"I'll pay fifteen zenos!" called out Trey.
Eyes turned toward him. Heero was suddenly at his side.
"What the hell are you doing? Do you want to be recognized?"
"They won't recognize me." Trey was confident of that. His voice was muffled and he was still hidden in his robe.
The auctioneer rattled the female's chains and she lashed out at him, but he struck her over the back with the spare end of the chain, beating her down to the floor of the block. When she tried to rise, she was whipped again. "The bid is fifteen zenos! Who will bid more, either to watch me kill this Wasteland whore or take her for himself."
She raised her head as her strong arms pushed herself from the ground, and Trey caught his breath when he got a good look at her bruised and swollen face. Duo swore.
"Arora," breathed Heero in shock.
"Twenty zenos!"
There was laughter when Trey upped his own bid, but he couldn't stop himself.
"The stranger is eager!" The auctioneer pulled her back to her feet.
"I don't have twenty zenos," Duo whispered to Trey.
Trey glanced at him. "I suggest you get it."
Duo wandered away.
Heero grabbed Trey's arm. "You can't continue this."
"Twenty-one zenos!" called another man. "She must have some value if he wants her so badly."
"She is as strong as any man!" called out the auctioneer. He ripped her shapeless garment so that it fell off once shoulder to expose her. "But she is every inch a female. Maybe she can breed a strong son."
"Twenty-five zenos!" called a different man.
"Thirty zenos!" One of the brothel owners was now bidding.
Trey looked for Duo and saw him bobbing and weaving through the throngs of people in the market. "Forty zenos!" he bid.
"Fifty zenos!"
There was a buzz of discussion and Trey turned toward the direction from which came the last bid. On a horse sat Wattan, and beside him, Dilan.
Heero followed his gaze. "Holy hell! Your brother!"
"I'll cut Wattan's throat myself for his betrayal," snapped Trey before turning back to the auction. "Sixty zenos!" He saw Duo throw up his hands in frustration.
"Seventy zenos!" Dilan surely knew who she was, but Trey could only pray to the gods that he didn't know his brother was bidding against him.
"Eighty zenos!" Trey couldn't let Arora fall into his hands.
"You cannot outbid me, stranger," warned Dilan in his slick voice.
Trey gritted his teeth, then called, "One hundred zenos."
A moment of silence ensued. Trey didn't dare turn around.
Heero snorted with laughter. "They're counting their money. Doesn't look like the crown prince has enough."
"I don't think we do either," whispered Trey, wondering where Duo was. Relena and Trynity were standing close behind them.
"Do I hear a further bid for this female?"
Silence met his query.
Duo was suddenly at Trey's shoulder. "I think I got more than enough." He slipped a heavy pouch in his hand.
"Sold to the stranger!"
Trey raised a brow. "You had better hope I have enough," he remarked before he started forward. His heart was pounding rapidly as he approached the block. He could barely believe what his eyes were telling him, that Arora was alive, and he had just purchased her. Once he paid the man and he handed her over, she would be a female of his house, safe from her father, safe from Dilan. But any second Wattan could recognize him and Dilan could order an attack. He didn't care! Arora was alive and she would be his in the eyes of the law!
"Unchain her," he ordered as he opened his purse and began to count the coins into the man's hand. He heard the rattle of her chains, but he didn't look at her when all he wanted was to pull her into his arms.
But as he dropped the last coin in the auctioneer's hand, he realized he was five zenos short. Damn! Why did he trust Duo Maxwell when the moron couldn't even pass one of Dimster's math tests? The dumb ass couldn't add!
Trey smiled at the auctioneer as he reached into the empty pouch.
The auctioneer smiled back for a moment before the smile faded.
The silence between them stretched for what seemed an eternity before a coin suddenly flipped through the air and landed on the block, spinning until it came to a stop. Five zenos.
Duo winked.
Trey cursed him with his eyes, then picked up the coin and placed it in the auctioneer's hand.
"The female is yours, stranger."
Before Trey could turn to take possession, screams and shouts signaled that the marketplace was under attack. Imperial guards disguised and no doubt looking for Trey threw off their cloaks and drew their swords. But they were not fighting the pirates who seemed to have conveniently disappeared. Another force of men on horses, cloaked against the Wasteland elements changed through the marketplace, their own swords clanging against those of the imperial guards who had accompanied Dilan to the market. Trey quickly picked out the leader who rallied his men to attack, and he knew that this was the warlord Wattan had spoken of.
Trey spun to speak to Arora, but she swung the chains that had been so recently removed and caught him in the side of the head with the shackle. Dazed by the blow, he fell to the ground, and he was vaguely aware even with the ringing in his head, that the auctioneer screamed, before falling to the block, his face even with Trey's, eyes lifeless. Arora scattered the coins over them both, and then she bounded away with a bloody dagger in her hands. Trey shoved himself up, shaking his head, and watched with frustrated anger as the masked Warlord charged to the block, whistled to Arora, and she leaped through the air to land neatly on the horse with him. The warlord whistled, and as he raced away from the marketplace with Arora clinging to him, the majority of his men followed his retreat while others continued to fight the imperial troops.
Heero jumped up on the block and grabbed Trey's arm. "Are you all right?"
"Pissed off and a little dizzy," admitted Trey. His head was throbbing. He looked for Wattan and saw him fighting one of the warlord's men. "Where is Dilan?"
"Fled with at least a dozen of his men. He left Wattan here without enough to defend himself. I think he's following Arora."
"Bastard!" Yet that would work to Trey's advantage. Dilan hadn't taken enough of his men to challenge the Warlord.
Duo hopped onto the block. "So, does this mean we keep the money?"
"Be my guest."
Duo looked at the coins resting in the blood from the auctioneer, then shrugged and began to gather them. "Never know when we might have to buy another woman."
Trey looked for Relena and Trynity and saw that they were safely hiding between buildings. Pulling his sword, he entered the battle, slashing his way to Wattan, killing two imperial guards and at least three of the warlord's men in his effort to reach him.
Recognizing him, Wattan lowered his sword. "I cannot fight you, my lord prince."
Trey was breathing heavily, disgusted by the sight and smell of blood, and yet he wanted to spill more. "You betrayed me!"
Wattan did not respond.
Trey put the tip of his sword to Wattan's neck. "Who did you tell?"
"I swear I told no one but Dax. Dax suggested that Dilan kill you in the Wastelands before Zeno discovered your return. He believes that you are an impostor."
"Dax!" Trey spat. "I will let you live to return to Dax. Tell him that Trey, son of Zeno, is going to end his miserable life."
"Yes, my lord prince!" Wattan was shaking with fear.
Trey stared at him. "And return to tell Zeno that his days are numbered."
He allowed Wattan to mount up and ride away. He had no escort because the crowd had murdered any of the imperial guards who remained alive, and Trey realized the danger that he was in. Heero seemed to realize it too. He had gathered up horses whose riders lay dead and dying, and after tossing the reins of one to Trey, mounted his own, and he and Duo left to get Relena and Trynity. Soon they headed out of the village, picking up the tracks the warlord and his men had left behind. They lead straight into the heart of the Wastelands. Fortunately, the first sun was setting, leaving the area bathed in twilight, making their trek more bearable. There were two sets of tracks headed in the same direction until one set veered to the south, which would take the riders toward the Edgeland Fortress. Dilan had given up. Trey didn't even think about the prudence of tracking the powerful renegade until they reached an oasis where a small pool of water was enough to serve their needs and those of the horses. The Warlord had stopped there also, but much earlier.
"We might be making a mistake," remarked Heero.
Squatting near the pool to fill a canteen he found on the borrowed horse, Trey shrugged. "I would have sought him out sooner or later."
Heero joined him to fill his own. "You aren't seeking him, and we both know it. You can't afford to get distracted, Trey."
Trey closed his eyes. Heero was right. Although he needed the Warlord's help, Trey would just as soon kill him to get Arora back.
"She might be his woman," stated Heero.
Trey stared at the water, trying to check his anger and jealousy. He had already come to that conclusion by the way she had fled with the man. The Warlord had obviously come into the village to save her, and Trey had gotten in the way. The man must have come across her after Dax had left her in the Wastelands and saved her life. Arora had no option but to become his woman. Trey should be grateful that she was alive. Instead, he was furious to think she was with another man.
"Are you all right?"
He turned his head to see Trynity. She dabbed her robe in the water and reached out to touch the now dulling throbbing bump on his head. For the first time he realized the side of his face was stiff with dried blood.
"I guess she got me pretty good," he remarked with a laugh.
Trynity smiled as she continued to wash the wound. "Don't underestimate us women."
Trey chuckled as he remembered the beating she had given Duo Maxwell. Duo was standing with Heero talking, munching on what appeared to be jerky he must have found in the saddle pack. Trey wouldn't tell him what kind of creature he was actually consuming. Then again, Duo probably wouldn't care as long his stomach was filled. "I won't be underestimating any woman from now on."
A shriek from the bushes where Relena had disappeared to take care of her personal needs made them all dash to her. She was unharmed, but stood in horror pointing to what appeared to be a dead animal lying under the bush. They were all relieved that she wasn't in danger, and Heero turned away with annoyance.
"It…it's not an animal!" gasped Relena.
Trynity took a closer look, then stepped back. She was pale. "Looks like a baby."
Trey looked from it, to them. "Not an uncommon sight here, I'm afraid."
"You don't seem to bothered by it," accused Relena.
"I told you, it is common." He reached down to touch the finely woven cloth wrapped around the dead infant, then despite his distaste, opened it. "A female. Imperials do not keep infant females."
"What?" Trynity and Relena burst out at the same time.
Trey straightened. "They are a sign of weakness and an embarrassment to the house."
Trynity clenched her fist and took a step toward him. "Are you saying that I am weak?"
He laughed. "You are not a Calabrian female."
"And Arora?" asked Heero. "Was she not an imperial female?"
Trey's brows drew together. "I do not know why Dax did not expose of her. I remember no other female born of an imperial family."
"Your people are disgusting and barbaric!" cried Relena angrily. "Why would you want to return here?"
"Because I belong here." He turned and walked away from them. They didn't understand. Life on Calabria was difficult, almost impossible for females. Their function in life was for breeding and serving the needs of the men. Imperial families had no use for females. Imperial families raised the men who served the empire. When they needed one, they purchased one or traded with Wasteland families. Even on Earth there were cultures that preferred to expose infant females than to waste resources on them. That was the way on Calabria. Everyone knew what was expected of them, even females.
He paused back at the pond to continue washing the blood from his face, knowing Trynity wasn't likely to help him now. He was reaching down to cup some of the water in his hand when the hairs on the back of his neck rose.
Looking up, he saw her again. She looked like Arora when she was a child but for those green eyes he now saw in his dreams.
"What is your name?" he asked her.
She smiled. "You know my name! That is a silly question!"
Trey felt a flash of both hot and cold run through him. "Shamara."
She nodded her head and tossed back her long, dark hair.
He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. The bump on his head was throbbing painfully. When he looked again, she was still there. Duo was comforting Trynity and didn't look his way. Heero was talking to Relena, probably trying to calm her. Trey was alone with the child.
"I'm waiting for you," she said softly.
A breeze lifted her hair, and he watched, unable to move as she seemed to glow, and Trey realized he was experiencing a Guerani trance. No matter how much he loved Arora and Apolo, he was deeply frightened by their powers. Even now he was paralyzed with fear.
"Come for me! Come for me!"
"Trey!"
Trey shook his head. The child was gone. He knew she would be.
Heero was standing over him. "Are you all right?"
He stood. "I think that blow to my head has affected my thinking." Without further explanation, he went to his mount and swung up onto the saddle. "Let's move out before the sun rises."
"I'm quite satisfied where I am, thank you very much," remarked Relena before Heero mounted his own horse, reached down and yanked her up across the saddle before him. "What are you doing?!" she demanded angrily.
Heero whacked her across the bottom. "Shut up! You're not in charge here."
Trynity made no complaint as she got on Duo's horse behind him. "What are your plans, Trey?" she asked.
"I don't have any," he admitted.
But he had to get Arora back.
And to find Shamara.
She had called him back to Calabria, and he was going to find out why.