Jeanne G'Fellers - No Sister of Mine by Jeanne G'Fellers (the rosie project .txt) 📕

“Hey, Cance!” Brandoff stumbled into the living area, her hand wrapping a near empty crystal. “Look who finally showed.” She stepped aside and Talmshone loped to where Cance stooped. The trio of fingers on his left hand looped a crystal of Starnes’s finest.

“My my, what a pitiful collection you have accumulated, Cance.” His smile revealed row upon row of razor-tipped teeth, which he flashed at the wide-eyed Autlach men. “Why are they still breathing?”

“The older one’s been nursing our backup plan.” Cance kissed LaRenna’s hand, placed it by her side, then rose to Talmshone’s level and returned his crooked smile. “The girl here is—”

“Your sibling has provided a sufficient update,” interrupted Talmshone. “So this is the Taelach of All’s only child.” He lifted the edge of LaRenna’s blanket and shook his head. “You two definitely know how to amuse yourselves.” Then puzzlement creased the Iralian’s eye ridges. “She is Taelach, is she not? Her size is rather disconcerting.”

“Military brat of a military bitch.” Cance glowered suspiciously at the Iralian. “And don’t get any bright ideas. You haven’t paid me enough for that privilege. She’s mine so leave her alone.” Cance jerked the blanket from his hand and smoothed it back in place. LaRenna stirred when she was touched, opening her eyes to see who was tending her.

“Iralian,” she whispered. “I should have known.”

“Seems your lady has regained her senses.” Talmshone’s animalistic grin softened with his laugh. “Since her condition has stabilized, shall we return to the lower level and discuss business over more Sarian finery?”

“I suppose it’s safe.” Cance eyed her captives, casting each a separate but equally threatening glare.

“After you, then.” Talmshone spoke with the grand eloquence all Iralians possessed, an effective ruse for the savagery they were capable of. He held the door open for Cance and Brandoff then followed them down the stairs, looking back briefly to bare his teeth again at Starnes and Bane.

Trazar waited until things were quiet then rattled the window casing. The noise caught Starnes’s attention, drawing him toward the sound. Seeing Trazar, he sighed, mouthed a brief prayer to one of the lesser Autlach deities then shook his father. “Dah, the window! Quick!”

“By stars,” Bane declared when he woke. “Help has arrived.” He crawled to the window, held fast to the ledge, and unfastened the lock.

The window groaned when Trazar slid it open. Once inside, he rushed to LaRenna’s side. “Hey, you,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you. Your employer said you ran off with one of my sentries, but I thought better.” LaRenna peered up at him, her delicate blue eyes standing out against the dark bruises on her face. Trazar’s mouth opened and closed in dumbfounded surprise. “Taelach!” he whispered. “You’re Taelach!”

“You shouldn’t be here,” she began.

“Family helps family,” he replied deftly, making a quick check of her physical condition as he shushed her objections. “We’re related,” he assured her. “I’ll explain how later. Right now, we need to get you and the others out of here.” He turned to Starnes. “Sentry Commander Trazar Laiman of Vartoch at your service.”

“Great,” sighed Starnes. “Another one for the slaughter.”

“My son’s pain has clouded his manners, Commander Laiman.” Bane frowned at his offspring. “I’m Asabane Tackwell and this is my youngest boy, Starnes. We’re grateful for any assistance you can offer.” His keen eye immediately recognized the resemblance in LaRenna’s and Trazar’s faces and he smiled, warmed by the commitment of family. “Brother and sister, aren’t you?”

“Yes, we are,” Trazar replied, half to Bane and half to his disbelieving sibling. “Trust me.” He looked about the room, trying to determine the best escape route. “Any suggestions?”

“There are no other exits besides the ones downstairs,” supplied Bane. “But sometimes,” he added, “the best course of action is simply to wait. You could drop them individually as they come upstairs.”

“They may not come up that way.” Starnes proved as pessimistic as usual.

“I’ll take the chance,” snapped Trazar. “We have the element of surprise on our side.” He slid his arms under LaRenna’s shoulders and knees. “I need to move you out of harm’s way.” Trazar carried her into the adjoining room, placing her on Starnes’s sleeping platform. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know,” she said between gritted teeth. “You did what was necessary.”

“Hang on, little sister.” Trazar patted her head. “You’ll be safe soon.”

Starnes came next. Trazar assisted him into a chair despite his vocal preference for the padded lounger by the door. “I want you all as far back as possible.” Last, he assisted Bane to a spot on the floor next to LaRenna, placing his hand on top of hers. “Watch her, please. She’s in a lot of pain.”

“She’ll be fine.” Bane pulled a small dagger from beneath Starnes’s bed. “I’d been saving this for just such an occasion, but I hadn’t had the strength to get to it until now.” He offered it to Trazar, who refused the gesture by brandishing a double-edged serrated blade from his boot sheath.

“Already got one.” He used the knife to free Starnes, carefully removing the barman’s leg tie in a solid piece he could reuse.

“Give the knife to me.” LaRenna held out her free hand.

“You’re in no condition,” said Trazar and nodded to Bane, who placed the blade in his back waistband.

“Neither is he,” she began, but Trazar placed a finger to his mouth. There were footsteps on the stairwell. He slid into the front room and shut off the light, exerting enough force to shear the switch.

Brandoff stepped through before she noticed the darkness. “What the—CANCE!” Trazar twisted Brandoff’s arm behind her and covered her eyes, thwarting any phase. He pushed her headfirst into the doorjamb, giving her head quick cracks until she crumpled to the floor. Trazar jerked up as she fell, snapping her shoulder from its socket. He rolled her out of the way and slammed the door in Cance’s face.

“Open up!”

“Allow me.” Talmshone stood behind her. He punched through the door’s metal casing, grasping and