Mars Colony

Trynity and Quynn walked back to the clinic together, and by the time they returned, Trynity remembered she had guests to take care of. Taeron hadn't returned, and Duo was with Shamara and the two scholars, while Stryfe busied himself in the kitchen slamming pots and pans around as he tried to prepare a meal. When Trynity entered the kitchen to see what progress he was making, he deliberately turned away.

Quynn hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter as Stryfe chopped vegetables. "So, did you have any heart to heart talks with Lord Duo?"

Stryfe glared at her. "I'm not talking to him!" Then he added, "Besides, he's not happy that I tried to help him out of his problem."

"The only problem he had was his own stubborn foolishness," commented Trynity as she put water on the stove to boil the pasta Stryfe had set out. That is what got him into this mess in the first place.

"So what is your excuse?" he snapped as he chopped harder at the vegetables.

"I feel sorry for that onion," remarked Quynn as she munched on a stalk of celery when Trynity didn't answer.

"How can you joke?" demanded Stryfe as he stopped chopping and spun to glare at her. "I feel as though my life has been turned upside down!"

Quynn shrugged. "My life was turned upside down when Pops was killed. Finding out about Duo Maxwell isn't a bad thing, Stryfe. I've always felt that there was something missing in my life, and now I know what it was."

"I didn't think that our own mother was keeping secrets from us," muttered Stryfe with a glare at Trynity.

"I'm sorry, Stryfe," she finally said. "I guess I didn't want you to know about a man you would never meet."

"Must have been quite a nasty shock for you to see him." Stryfe turned back to his chopping.

For several moments no one said anything, so all that could be heard was the boiling water, the chopping and Quynn's munching. Trynity didn't know what she could say to make her son feel any better. She didn't even know how she could make herself feel better. Duo's words kept replaying in her head, over and over. We didn't love each other…it's time to let it go.

The door opened, and Trynity was dismayed to see Duo enter the kitchen. She hoped Stryfe wouldn't say something he would regret, and she had to look away so that he wouldn't see the pain she felt.

"If you're looking for something to eat," spoke up Quynn, "Stryfe isn't done obliterating the onions and I don't know what he has planned for the green peppers."

Duo didn't smile. "Taeron hasn't returned, so I think I should look for him. I remember seeing a village nearby on our way here. Perhaps he went there, but I don't know the way."

"It's going to be dark soon," said Trynity, still not looking at him. "It's not safe to be out when the sun has set."

Quynn hopped off the counter. "I'll take him into the village. I need some parts for the generator. I'll take good care of him." Trynity watched as she went to Duo and hooked her arm around his. "Come along, Lord Duo. I have some questions to ask you, and I want some dirt on my mother so she doesn't nag me so much about my behavior."

Trynity didn't hear his response as they left together.

"I hope they can find Taeron," commented Stryfe after they heard the door to the house close. "I owe him an apology."

"You do," agreed Trynity as she added the dry pasta to the boiling water.

Stryfe came to stand beside her as he added the onions to the sauce he was making. He seemed a little calmer. "I can't believe I've gotten off on the wrong foot with him. I always wanted a brother, and now I've screwed up my chances of actually having one who will talk to me."

Trynity didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know how forgiving Taeron would be.

"I didn't know I'd be screwing up my own life." There was a catch in his voice and Trynity knew he was close to tears again.

"Nothing has changed," she said softly as she put her hand on his arm.

"Everything has changed." Stryfe pushed himself away from the stove and walked out of the kitchen.

Because the clinic was near the village, Duo walked alongside the crude road beside Quynn who didn't want to waste fuel on the short trip. At first she didn't say anything, but walked with him in companionable silence, but Duo could feel that she was bubbling with questions. He looked at her in a new light now, and Duo felt more than a little bit of awe that he and Trynity could have created such a lovely young woman. Like her mother, she seemed to be completely oblivious to her beauty although she did enjoy flirting with the men that were attracted to her.

He remembered that her initial flirtation with Taeron had ended quite suddenly while he was in the hospital and that prompted him to say, "You've known about me for a while now, haven't you?"

She tossed back her chestnut hair. "Since that day in the hospital, when I touched the princess." Quynn looked at him. "I didn't know if Mom even knew, or if Pops knew or what was going on. And I didn't know how to ask her straight out."

"She wouldn't have told you," predicted Duo sadly. Trynity hadn't wanted to admit that anyone other than Lars could have fathered her children. The ache he felt in his chest now wasn't from an ulcer.

"I think her heart was in the right place," commented Quynn. She reached out to grasp his hand. "I'm not unhappy. I loved Pops and he can never be replaced, but I think there must have been something very special between you and Mom."

He had always thought so, but now he knew it had been just an illusion. "I never would have left her had I known about you." Resentment still burned inside him, and he didn't think he could look at Trynity without feeling it flare up.

Quynn grinned at him. "I'm willing to give you a chance, but I think Stryfe is going to be a harder sell. Him and Pops were best friends."

"I would never try to replace Lars, but you have to understand how difficult this is for me. When I left your mother, it was with the intention of returning. I didn't think she would turn to another guy even though I knew he was waiting for that to happen." He stopped and put his hands on Quynn's shoulders. "I hope you can understand that I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that not only did he take the woman I considered my wife, but now I find out he took my children."

She smiled up at him. "I'm not even going to pretend to know how you are feeling. But I hope you give Mom another chance."

Over her head, Duo noticed a tall shape in the shadows cast from the trees as the sun set and a dark orange glow was cast over this strange place. Quynn turned to see what had drawn his attention, then she said, "If you guys wait here, I won't be but a few minutes. The garage where I find my parts is just over there."

Without waiting for him to respond, she continued on the path, but she stopped by the young man waiting uncertainly in the shadows. "He's all yours," she told him with a wink, then continued on her way.

Taeron seemed hesitant to move or to even look at Duo, so Duo closed the distance between them. Although he had made strides in understanding the language, he doubted Taeron understood what Quynn had meant.

"There is something you should know," began Duo.

"I am sorry, my lord, if I have offended you." Taeron dropped to his knees and lowered his head.

"Why would you think you have offended me?"

Taeron didn't look up. "I…I said things for which I do not have a right. You have been more than kind to me when I did not deserve it. I am not of your house, that I understand now."

Duo realized that Taeron didn't know the truth.

"I didn't want to believe what others said about my mother," he said, his voice quivering with emotion.

Duo understood now how deeply devoted Taeron was to his mother, and if she could inspire that much feeling, then maybe Larya wasn't as bad as he thought. She tried to make him forget Trynity, and for that he had resented her. Duo could not forgive her for seducing him and making him betray the love he felt for the woman from whom he was separated. Larya wanted him to fill an empty part in her life, to protect her as no man ever had, and giving him a son was her way of bringing that about. Even Trey had recognized her desperate plan as nothing more than the desire to bring some stability to her life. Duo had been a fool to throw away the sacrifice of what little self-respect she had remaining after her slavery to Lady Xuxa by giving him a son, which he refused claim.

"Your mother is a good woman," Duo said softly as he reached out to touch Taeron. As he did, he realized that he was touching his son. His heart was filled with pride. "Never doubt her, Taeron."

Taeron raised his head to look at him.

"You are my son, Taeron. She never lied to you. She may have made an error in judging me, but that is not her fault. If anyone asks for forgiveness, it will be me. When we return to Calabria, I will be proud to make you part of my house." Because Taeron knew about Stryfe and Quynn, he added, "And you are my heir, Taeron, my first son."

There were tears in his eyes as Taeron faced him. "I will never shame you, my lord."

Duo chuckled and ruffled his long hair. "See that you don't, boy. As for drawing your weapon on me like you did…"

"I will never again do such a foolish thing, my lord!"

"So, do you think your mother would marry a man like me?" asked Duo thoughtfully.

"Please do not ask her, my lord," Taeron answered seriously.

Duo raised a brow. "I thought you would want me to make her my wife."

"I would like to see my mother happy," admitted Taeron, "But I don't think she could be happy knowing that you love another."

Taeron was more perceptive than he thought. "I don't think I can make a life with that other woman."

"There is nothing that you cannot do, my lord."

Taeron had more faith in him than Duo had in himself.

"Are you guys done bonding?" Quynn emerged from the darkness on the path. "I'm hungry, and I'm sure Stryfe is done cooking." She hooked her arms around both Taeron's and Duo's arms. "Let's get back there and eat."

Shamara had watched Stryfe march through the room and take the steps upward two at a time. She didn't need to touch him to feel the turmoil inside him. Although she wished there was some way she could help them all, she knew her parents would forbid her from meddling, and they would be right because she didn't know anything about their twisted relationships.

"You look troubled, my child."

Master Nazzar had put his hand over hers and she was surprised to feel nothing from him. She must have betrayed herself because he said, "I have plenty of practice hiding my inner feelings, my dear. How can I teach my pupil what I have not mastered?"

"I would like you to teach me to block my thoughts," she grumbled.

"Dagan is very skilled at reading them?"

"How long have you been his teacher?" she asked curiously.

"When his mother left the royal court, she came to me and they stayed with me until Seighen forced them to return. After her death, I took Dagan away from the court, and since then he has been my pupil. He is not a very patient young man, and I have had great difficulty teaching him some self-control." Master Nazzar chuckled. "Once he gets an idea into his head, he can't let it go."

Thinking of Dagan's obsession with knowing what purpose the gods had for him, Shamara laughed. "He thinks he has been sent on a quest by the gods."

His blue eyes were piercing as he looked at her. "Are you so sure that he is not, or that you are not?"

"What do you mean? I am here only to rescue him so that I don't have to marry the prince from Teralon."

"Why do you think the two of you were drawn here?"

Shamara sighed with exasperation. "Not you too, Master Nazzar! We were both pulled through the wormhole and he happened to land here."

Elder Hardane who had been sitting aside quietly came forward with his scrolls, which he spread out. Shamara recognized symbols that were similar to those she had seen on the cave. "Master Nazzar is right, princess. I do not believe your arrival here is coincidental. There is a being here that must be waiting for the Guerani who carry the powers of the light and dark gods to unite."

Trynity came into the room. "I have something for you to eat. I apologize for my cooking and for the lack of company. I'll light some candles so we can see what we are eating."

Shamara watched as she lit the candles set on the table. The flames flickered and cast strange shadows on the walls of the darkening room. She wished Duo and Taeron were back because she was starting to feel frightened. It wasn't like either of them to neglect their duty as imperial guards.

"Quynn will fix the generator when she gets back, and then we will have some lights." Trynity dished up the food when they came to the table.

Shamara picked up what appeared to be a long, white worm from a pile that Trynity had placed on her plate. "What manner of creature is this?"

"It's not a creature," said Trynity. "It is called pasta. It is made of a grain grown on Earth and which some farmers are trying to grow here."

Shamara exchanged wary glances with Elder Hardane. "This was not a living thing?"

"Of course not." Trynity laughed. "I know that you are used to eating different foods, but I assure you this is quite tasty."

Elder Hardane was braver than Shamara. Sucking one of the wriggly white things into his mouth, he slowly chewed it for a moment, then he nodded to Shamara. "Tastes a bit like sand slug."

"I won't eat it!" blurted Shamara, her stomach churning as she watched him. "Besides, I cannot eat anything that Taeron has not tasted first." There. That would save her from this strange food. The food on the human space colony was bad enough, but at least the governor's wife had tried to accommodate their diet.

The door opened and Taeron walked in followed by Duo and Quynn. When he saw the plate of food before Shamara, he hurried forward, almost tripping in his haste. "Princess, I beg you to forgive me! In my selfishness, I had forgotten my oath to serve you."

Duo sat beside Shamara on one side while Taeron sat on the other.

"By the gods, Taeron," she whispered to him. "This food is made from grain."

"Grain! That is not fit for our consumption!" He looked uneasily at Trynity who was covering her pasta with sauce. "What is she doing?"

Shamara shuddered. "I do not know!"

"Just eat the food. It won't kill you." Duo scooped the sauce onto his own pasta and twirled the long strands with his fork. "Trust me. A little variety…"

"Mom made it," commented Quynn. "You might find bugs in it."

Taeron took the spoon and stirred the pasta. "Where?"

"I think I am going to be sick," said Quynn. She pushed away from the table. "I'm leaving before he actually finds one to eat. I should have the generator fixed in a moment or two."

Shamara noticed that Duo was staring at his forkful of pasta. "Are you going to eat it?"

"I'm not sure."

Trynity laughed. "Don't tell me you have developed a taste for insects!"

"They are a good source of protein," he responded. "I'm just wondering if you are a better cook than you used to be."

"I've gotten very good at some things," she answered with a half-smile.

He put the food in his mouth and started to chew, then remarked, "Cooking isn't one of those things. I don't think this is done."

"Stryfe had a hand in it too," she muttered under her breath.

Shamara giggled, then looked at Taeron. "I'm hungry. Taste it. Lord Duo is eating it, so maybe it isn't so bad."

Taeron picked up one of the noodles and it jiggled as he brought it to his mouth. At least that was encouraging, thought Shamara. He chewed on it for a moment, then told her, "I think it tastes like sand slug."

"What did I tell you?" said Elder Hardane while chewing on his food.

"I am so gratified to hear my cooking likened to worms," grumbled Trynity.

Shamara didn't mind the taste of sand slugs, so she picked up a noodle as Taeron filled his own plate. "I prefer sand slugs in honey."

"Roasted," added Duo with a chuckle.

"The thick ones are the best," added Taeron.

"I'm going to be sick, too," remarked Trynity. She looked at Taeron. "I am glad you didn't go far. Villages can be dangerous places to be. The brigands attack them to capture workers for the mine."

"I am not afraid of brigands," boasted Taeron.

Shamara sucked one of the noodles into her mouth. The texture was so strange that she started to feel queasy. She dared not spit the food out for fear of offending Trynity, then again she couldn't bring herself to chew it. So she swallowed it, then stared at her plate as it slid down her throat.

"Are you all right?" asked Duo at her side.

"Princess?" Taeron was worried.

"I am all right," she told them as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Almost immediately she felt herself being sucked away, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the eagle sitting on a low tree branch, a worm dangling from its beak. Shamara went to it and saw that it was a sand slug, so she put out her hand and the bird dropped the plump worm into her palm. She wasted no time in popping it into her mouth.

"By the gods, you didn't just eat that!"

Chewing, she turned to see Dagan watching her with a look of horror on his face. "Of course I did! It's quite delicious. Maybe I should tell my friend here to find you one so that you can see for yourself."

He put up his hand. "Don't do me any favors."

"I'm sorry I seem primitive to you, but our customs on Calabria were born of necessity. Many generations ago when the insects ravaged what few crops they could grow, the Calabrians realized they could harvest the insects instead. Now we grow crops to attract them." She smiled when she saw his bruised jaw. "Did my father do that?"

Dagan rubbed his jaw. "He is no soft, pampered ruler. How did he come into our trance?"

"He has done it before."

"Lucky thing he didn't fall off that ledge. The man has incredible balance! Not to mention a hard fist. He isn't around now, is he?"

Shamara laughed. "No. I am not on Calabria, so you may safely kiss me."

"After you put that thing in your mouth? I will pass." Dagan's nose wrinkled in disgust. "I cannot believe I ever put my mouth on yours."

"Where is your wolf?" She looked past him, expecting to see his animal, but it was absent.

"I do not know." He frowned. "Shamara, if you are not on Calabria, then where are you?"

"I have come to Mars Colony to find you."

Dagan came close and grabbed her by her upper arms. "Why? This place is cursed! I fear for you! I demand that you leave."

She shook off his hands. "I will do no such thing!"

"Why?" His knowing smile made her blood boil. "You want to be with me?"

"Ha! If I don't marry you, I have to wed the prince of Teralon."

"Avar? I know him. He eats worms too. You would be well suited."

She stamped her foot. "I am not going to marry a feathered bird man!"

"Why not? The women at my father's court thought he was quite a catch. My sister Ryana was especially sad when his visit came to an end."

"I don't care! I'm not going to marry a Teralonian." Suddenly the eagle came to land on her arm.

Dagan glanced at the bird and chuckled. "I think you had better start planning your nest because I am not going to marry you, Shamara."

"We'll see about that!"

"Sounds like a challenge." He raised his brow.

"One that you cannot meet."

Before he could respond, the howl of a wolf startled them. The eagle hopped off her arm and took flight.

Shamara watched it. "I don't think we should follow them today. Let's just stay here and I will prove to you that you cannot resist me so you will have to marry me." She looked from the sky to Dagan, but the spot where he had been standing was empty. She sighed. "Well, I guess I will have to prove that you cannot resist me after we are almost eaten by some beast."

Although in the other world it was night, here in the trance the sun was shining, but this Mars Colony was a dim planet lit by a far off single sun. Shamara saw the eagle circling over a spot in the distance so she concluded that the wolf was there and Dagan would be headed in the same direction. Just to be safe, she drew her dagger and then plunged into the forest. Once under the shade of the trees and over grown plants, Shamara felt as if she were in the dark. She hacked at vegetation in her way as she followed the sound of the screeching eagle.

"Dagan, where are you?" she called out, pausing to catch her breath. The eagle didn't seem to be getting closer, and she couldn't hear Dagan cutting through the forest. "Dagan?"

Something slithered around her ankle. Shamara looked down to see that she must have stepped into a vine because it had wound around her lower leg. She tried to pull it free, but her leg was stuck, so she hacked at the vines, and when she thought she had succeeded, she felt vines around her other leg and thought she must have stepped into this bizarre plant. She swung her dagger to cut the vine, but her arm was caught. As she turned to see that vines had curled around one arm, she felt vines wrapping around her midriff and other arm.

"Dagan!" Where was he? This was becoming beyond annoying. Shamara wasn't afraid of a plant! Although she was effectively trapped, she didn't see any other indication that the plant would harm her. She was sure Dagan would find her before it slowly digested her, that is if it did have the ability to do so, which it didn't seem to.

Then she heard a low growl, and she slowly turned her head. At first she saw only the green of the forest. Yet now she could sense that there was another being nearby, and looking closer she saw two greenish red eyes peering at her through the leaves and vines.

"Dagan!" She struggled with the vines, but they held her tighter and several more wrapped around her. Shamara realized she must have wandered into a trap.

The creature's face emerged from its hiding place. As it growled, it bared long, sharp teeth from which dripped saliva and foam. Shamara knew she was intended to be its meal, but she couldn't move as the beast tromped forward. Like the forest, it was green and brown, and Shamara wondered how long it had tracked her, the hunter stalking its prey. The beast stood on two legs and it towered so high above her that it blocked the light from the sun. Was anything on this planet small?

It squatted before her, grunting and sniffing. When it wrinkled its nose as Dagan had earlier, she thought maybe it didn't find her scent agreeable, but it moved in so close that it brushed her body with its snout-like nose as it examined her more thoroughly. Where was Dagan? Shamara could still hear the eagle in the distance and the wolf howled again.

The creature sniffed its way to her face. Shamara jerked at the vines as it began to lick her, leaving a trail of slimy, putrid saliva over her skin. As she fought the trap, she wondered where it would take its first bite. This was where the gods had meant for her to die? Was she destined to end her life in the stomach of this creature? Is this the destiny her father saw? Shamara could not believe that! Why would he send her to her death on Mars Colony? Because he had said she must make her own decisions and the decision she had made was to come here and find Dagan. She came to find Dagan because she didn't want to marry Avar of Teralon. Wasn't that the reason? Her head was starting to hurt just thinking of the possibilities.

The creature was nuzzling her neck, grazing her flesh with its sharp teeth. While it tickled, Shamara guessed it was just looking for a nice juicy spot to begin its meal. She tried to twist away, and the beast smacked her with his meaty, clawed hand. Momentarily stunned, Shamara went limp and could feel her own warm blood making a trail down her face. The beast immediately began to lap it up.

Dagan, where are you? Her last thoughts were going to be of Dagan?! Why would she think about him when she didn't want to marry him, but was going to do so as a last resort? She should be thinking about her father and mother, her brothers and sisters, but instead she was thinking about that oaf!!!

The wolf howled again, this time the sound so pitiful that it drove straight through Shamara. Dagan was in danger! She had to get out of here!

Summoning all the strength she could from inside, she released it. The sky gathered clouds and a wind rushed through the trees. The beast grunted and looked upwards as lightening illuminated the dark clouds in streaks. With its dumb eyes the beast stared at the sky, then returned to Shamara to continue feeding off her blood. Shamara was beginning to feel weakened, both from this initial use of power she didn't know she possessed and from the loss of blood. The beast was starting to suck from her wounds.

Shamara!

She heard Dagan's call and knew he was in very grave danger. With what little strength she had left, she looked to the skies and willed the power to her, and she was amazed to see a streak of lightening head straight for a tree nearby.

When the tree burst into flames, the vines became limp and fell away. The creature had been thrown to the ground by the blast, and now as Shamara stumbled from the burning tree, she stopped before the beast now cowering and whimpering on the ground in primitive fear. Its teeth were red from her blood.

Emboldened by the discovery of her power, she looked to the sky and raised her arm to call forth another blast. The beast squealed like a pig as it was hit, and she turned her head from the bright light of the lightening bolt. When she looked back, she saw only a pile of charred remains and the air was heavy with the stench of burned flesh.

Shamara!

She took her eyes from the carcass, and after kicking it, she grabbed the dagger she had dropped on the ground and plunged back into the forest. The eagle was now flying overhead, guiding her through the wild, untamed lands. The ground started to become rocky, and the trees thinned until she suddenly burst out from the forest and came out on a plateau. The wolf was sitting on a ledge howling.

Shamara saw Dagan then, lying on the ground with some creature, not human, not beast, its body little more than a skeleton with rotting flesh clinging to its bones, holding a spear while two similar creatures looked on. The creature thrust down with the spear, but Dagan rolled out of the way then dived for the sword he must have lost previously. He saw her then.

"By the gods, where were you? Looking for grubs to eat?" He jumped back to avoid being speared again by the skeletal creature.

One of the other undead fiends saw her and rushed forward swinging a club that was covered with spikes. Shamara charged at it, leapt in the air and did a somersault, landing behind it and driving her dagger into its back. She was almost unable to avoid the attack of the third fiend, but she quickly seized the fallen creature's club and swung back, striking it in the chest. It shrieked in pain and backed away until it stumbled and fell to the ground where it lay unmoving.

Dagan was still holding off the last of the creatures, which was using the spear with incredible speed and skill. Shamara looked around for something to help, and when she saw Dagan's sword fly from his hands, she became frantic. Dagan managed to avoid another swing of the spear, but upon landing, he must have twisted his ankle, because he lost his balance and fell, knocking his head against a rock. Although he wasn't unconscious, he was dazed and couldn't move.

The creature gave a hideous, evil laugh as it stood over Dagan. "Are you ready to die, sorcerer?"

Shamara ran forward, did two flips to gain more momentum, and on the last flip, she propelled herself up using a rock that she carried with her. She landed on the creature's shoulders, then brought down the rock with all her strength. The sound of crushing bones, and the stench that accompanied the blackish matter that flowed from the smashed skull made her sick. Falling beside Dagan, she vomited until her stomach was empty.

By the time she was done, Dagan had sat up and she felt his hand patting her back. "I knew you shouldn't have eaten that bug. No good can come of eating things that are crawling around on and under the ground."

As she wiped tears from her eyes, Dagan pulled her against him and stroked her hair. "You saved my life, princess. Now it belongs to you. I think I can tolerate marriage to you."

She burrowed her face against his chest. "I told you that you wouldn't be able to resist me."

Dagan lifted his hand, which was sticky from the forest creature's saliva. "What is this? Gods, princess, you reek!"

"I stopped for a meal on the way." She didn't add that she was the main course.

He put his hand under her chin and raised her head. There was shock in his eyes. "You are bleeding!"

"It is nothing." She jerked her chin from his hand and laid her head against his chest. "I need some rest."

Dagan held her close to him. He was afraid that if she closed her eyes, she would disappear. But she was weak and trembling in his arms, and he couldn't selfishly keep her awake because he wanted to keep her near. So he held her, and soon his own eyelids grew heavy and he could no longer hold them open.

"Do not get yourself into any trouble, my princess," he murmured in her ear.

Then there was darkness.

The sunlight streaming through the trees awoke Dagan. Although he had what might be considered a good night's sleep, he was exhausted. His muscles ached, his head felt as if it had been split open. Had Shamara not arrived when she had, he wouldn't have opened his eyes at all.

When he followed the howl of the wolf, he had expected Shamara to be right behind him. Leave it to her prattling to prevent her from staying with him. The undead creatures had come upon him at once when he emerged from the forest. All three had attacked with such frequency and ferocity that he could not take the necessary time to build his energy. One blast would have done them in, but he was unable to get away long enough to do it.

Dagan cursed himself for not practicing the martial arts, but his father had not insisted on that training because he assumed that his powers would be all that he needed. Dagan knew now that it had been a mistake to rely solely on a power that was difficult to draw upon. Shamara had powers too, and yet she could fight like the most skilled champion in his father's armies. He no longer doubted that she was the first princess of Calabria. And now he was resigned to marrying her. He really had no choice after she had saved his life.

Feeling like a fool for the position that he had gotten himself into, Dagan wondered how he ever could face Oxana again. She was so sweet and gentle that she would be hurt terribly when he married the princess. He had met Oxana while living with Master Nazzar, and they had been together for almost two years after he had saved her from her cruel father's abuse. Dagan had helped her escape the man's house in the dark of night, and during the chase, her father fell off his horse and broke his neck. She had no one else in her life, so she stayed with Dagan at Master Nazzar's home. He never would have taken advantage of her, but when Oxana came to him, he couldn't resist her. What was he going to do with her now? Would Shamara allow him to keep her?

That thought disgusted him. When Dagan married, he wanted his wife to be the only woman in his life. He remembered his mother's tears when Seighen made no secret of his preference for other women. Dagan swore he would never do that to a woman. For so long now he had been convinced that he would spend his life with Oxana. She had been his first love, and he was sure his only love, but now he had to face life without her.

Dagan didn't really know Shamara of Calabria except through these trances. Perhaps she was not the innocent she portrayed herself to be. The true Shamara might be an ugly shrew. But Dagan knew that wasn't true as he remembered the only time he had ever met her. Their hands had touched so briefly, and at the time he had been ashamed to be so over-eager to touch the beautiful princess that he had used his uncontrolled powers. Now he wondered if she had used her power as well. The Guerani touch was reputed to be enchanted, so he wondered what had really happened that day?

"Wizard, get up!" Magnar was standing over him, blocking the sun with his huge, almost deformed body. "The boss says that you are able to travel with us. We go to sector Y497. Scouts report that there is a gathering of rebellious men planning an assault on the mine in that sector. Easy pickings."

Dagan stood. "What do you need me for?"

Magnar's shaggy brows drew together. "Are you refusing to come?"

Dagan saw the giant flexing his muscles and he noted the ax in his hand. "No. But I hoped to get more rest."

"You are a lazy sluggard! Let's get moving now."

Dagan rolled up the blanket on which he slept, then packed his things onto the beast he rode. The animal used to nip at him, but Dagan had taught it proper behavior, so now it was submissive. As he was about to mount the animal, he noticed a worm crawling along a leaf. Dagan winced when he remembered Shamara eating just such a creature. Then with a shaking hand, he reached out to take it between his thumb and forefinger. It wriggled in an attempt to escape. Dagan's gut twisted and wrenched as he brought it closer to his mouth. A sweat broke out over his forehead, and if he had anything in his stomach, he might have retched, but he hadn't eaten yet this morning and he had slept through the evening meal. Maybe he could try it just once.

Suddenly the thing was swiped from his hand and he was stunned as he saw Magnar pop it in his mouth and chew. Magnar then threw back his head in laughter and walked away. Dagan had dry heaves for several moments, which earned him the ridiculing laughter of the other men. He didn't care what the vile wretches thought of him. The gods were surely punishing him by sending him here. Somehow he had displeased them, and now he was paying the price.

They traveled most of the day over rough terrain, and away from the forest. The rocks and hills were red, as if they were covered with blood. Dagan thought they were, with the blood of the innocents herded into the mines to feed the monsters below. He rode behind Magnar and had to listen to his obnoxious boasting of the women that had begged for his favors the evening before. Dagan thought it more likely that they were begging for food. He had stayed at Quatre Winner's mansion until he couldn't stand what he was seeing any longer, then he returned to the camp in the forest to sleep alone.

Winner obviously thought of himself as an invincible god, and his son equally disgusted Dagan. The two of them openly discussed how they were going to get the healer and her daughter in their beds, and what they would do to them once they grew bored with them. Dagan wished there were something he could do to help them. Dr. Nelson had been kind to him, and Shamara said she had saved her life. Dagan had a debt of gratitude to the woman. Her daughter had seemed impertinent that brief moment he saw her at the healer's clinic, but hearing Malik Winner's complaints about her teasing, Dagan began to think she deserved better than what the degenerate heir to the Winner fortune was planning for her with the approval of his father.

But Dagan couldn't afford to worry too much about the Nelson women. Shamara was now on the planet. He feared she would stumble into some type of trouble. He wondered how she had come to be here and whom she had brought with her. When she had come to Bayman the governor of one of the moons had accompanied her, Lord Duo, a human who had returned to Calabria with Trey and had remained. Surely the human had come to the Mars Colony with her. Did they come alone? Were there more Calabrians? She should have brought a legion with her. Shamara didn't strike him as one with the sense to think of it.

Before he could contemplate the subject much longer, Magnar called a halt and shouted his orders. The hideout was just ahead in a canyon.

Magnar dismounted along with his men and walked over to Dagan. "When they come out, blast them with your fire powers."

His order horrified Dagan. "You want me to kill them?"

"Now or later, what's the difference? They are rebels. Those that survive will be taken to the mine. Those that die will serve as examples, and those that escape will spread the word of the your mighty power." Magnar narrowed his eyes at Dagan. "Do you have a problem, sorcerer? Perhaps your conscience?"

Dagan looked away from him. "They are merely fodder."

Magnar laughed and slapped him on the back. "Now you understand."

Dismounting, Dagan went to stand before the line of men that formed a wall behind Magnar. Dagan wasn't sure he could do what Magnar demanded of him. The men were innocents trying to survive on a hostile planet controlled by a man who was most likely insane. They would leave behind women and children, children who would grow up to face this same terror.

You are gutless, sorcerer.

Dagan was startled to recognize the same voice of the undead creature that had attacked him in the trance. He looked over his shoulder and saw Magnar smiling with pleasure at what he was about to witness. Where did that voice come from?

Your protectress cannot aid you now. Where is she, sorcerer? Where is your shield?

Dagan felt as if he were surrounded by pure evil.

Magnar signaled to his men who tossed small bombs into the canyon. Dagan raised his hands, and despite his revulsion for the task, he called forth his power from deep inside.

"Now!" shouted Magnar.

Dagan closed his eyes and released a blast stronger than any he had ever done. The energy seemed to keep flowing from deep within and he began to feel it growing stronger and stronger.

"Enough!"

This time when he stopped, Dagan did not feel faint and weak. He expected to see the charred remains of the men he had killed, but there was nothing but a blackened hillside. Was his blast so strong that he had completely wiped all traces of his victims away?

"Bravo!" He heard clapping behind him.

Dagan turned to see Quatre Winner mounted on the ugliest and fiercest of the beasts they rode. He brought the thing forward, but it balked at approaching Dagan.

"You have frightened my gryffid," laughed Winner. "And he doesn't scare easily."

Dagan thought for a moment that he could now end Winner's miserable life and wipe these filthy brigands off the planet. "What are we doing here?" he demanded. "Where are the rebels?"

"There were no rebels," said Winner with a smirk. "Magnar didn't trust you, and watching you at my palace last night, I began to understand his reasons. But you have proven him wrong, haven't you?"

"I have given you no reason to doubt me," stated Dagan apprehensively.

"No, but I sense some misgivings for the deeds you have had to perform. Now I see you care as little as the rest of us for these weaklings. They deserve their fate."

The weak should be protected, thought Dagan, but he nodded his agreement.

"In the future, I hope you control your power. The boreworms prefer living flesh, not crispy corpses." Without another word, he jerked the reins of his gryffid and rode away accompanied by a handful of Magnar's men.

Magnar was staring at him without expression.

Dagan returned his stare, but he swallowed nervously as a slow smile spread across Magnar's lips.

The cry of an eagle drew his attention to the sky. There was a great evil on this planet, and Dagan knew that it stalked not only him, but Shamara as well.