While Shaniah and Hollister had talked on the train, Chee had lain in his bunk, thinking about the woman, Dog taking half the bed as usual. After Absolution, he could not deny that her fighting skills were unparalleled. If what Hollister had told him about this Malachi was true, then she would be a valuable asset. And he had no reason to doubt the major.
Still, there was something off about the woman. There were words she did not speak. Important words. Things Hollister needed to know before he went into battle against this man, and yet she kept secrets. Chee was very good at telling when someone was lying. And what’s more, the woman knew Chee was aware she was lying. He made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was his juju, maybe the spells and signs his grandmother had taught him as a boy-the things one could do to protect oneself from the supernatural.
He had tried to tell the major of his concerns, but so far, his suspicions had fallen on deaf ears. And the reason for that, Chee knew, is because the major was smitten with Shaniah. More than smitten. Chee could tell the man had feelings for her. It was obvious in the way he looked at her. And Chee understood the major’s desire. She was a beautiful woman. No, she was more than beautiful. Stunning was the word. The major had been in prison for many years, and before that an unmarried officer on the frontier, and had had little opportunity for female companionship.
But though he could not explain it, this woman brought trouble with her.
Trouble for all of them.
T hey rode west over a slight rise through a small stand of aspen. The land flattened out some into a large valley. The weather was cooling down, a breeze coming out of the north and Hollister was sure it would bring rain, probably before nightfall. The floor of the valley held a large meadow and they rode along at a gentle pace.
Shaniah tried to watch Hollister without his knowing, staring at him through the folds of her hood. He rode nearly effortlessly, moving with the horse almost before the horse even knew where it was going. No doubt a result of his military training. What an interesting man, she thought.
The feelings confused her. Until she left the Archaic homeland to track Malachi, she hadn’t interacted with a human in nearly two centuries. She still had her human memories, and the Old Ones had reminded her that this made her different. As their leader, she would need to find a way through the coming clashes with humankind, and her remembrances were an advantage.
Was this why Hollister intrigued her so? Shaniah did not believe in destiny as the Old Ones did. Until she met Hollister and her memories of her long-dead husband, Dimitri, came flooding back.
Archaics did not have children, but they did have sex. In fact, they had it frequently, often, and athletically. But to her knowledge, she had never heard of an Archaic having sex with a human. In fact, she doubted any human could survive it. But looking at Hollister, with his long legs straining in the stirrups and his broad chest rising and falling with the gallop of the horse-may the Old Ones forgive her, but she wanted to find out if he could.
She wanted to find it out more than anything.
H ollister had left the train not telling Chee where he was going on purpose. Chee was not happy with Hollister’s growing closeness to Shaniah. At first, it had been a purely tactical decision. She knew more about Malachi and the Archaics than anyone else; she wanted his help for some reason. It made sense to find out what she knew.
But the part that made Chee uneasy was that it had now gone beyond that. He had heard them talk about things beyond just Malachi and his plans, or the Archaics and their history.
Hollister was attracted to her, and it was here that Chee had a point. Maybe he had crossed a line. She was beautiful, intelligent, and unlike any woman he had ever met. As they rode through the meadow, he tried to watch her without her knowing, but their eyes kept meeting, even through the folds of her hood.
It had been so long since he had even been close to a woman. Were the signals he remembered the same? The furtive looks, the quick smiles? Forgive me, Sergeant Chee, he thought. But I need to find out.