Title: The Seer Author: Ariel MacArran Publisher: Here Be Dragons Publication Date: February 19, 2014 Genre: Science Fiction Romance 18+ Event Organized By: Literati Author Services, Inc.
Synopsis
Discovery means death but Arissa risks everything to save Fleet officer Jolar's life. Repaying this telepath means saving her from execution and Jolar strikes a bargain that will spare her life. In return, Arissa must join him on a dangerous mission and use her telepathic abilities to help him uncover hidden forces that threaten the Tellaran Realm. Jolar will do whatever it takes to clear his life debt to Arissa. The only thing he absolutely cannot let himself do is fall in love with her . . . Note: The Seer is a stand-alone novel but it takes place in a universe (The Tellaran Realm) where one already published book (Stardancer) takes place.
This scene, ‘Arissa’s Escape’, was the
original Chapter 4. It took place in the story between when Jolar makes the
bargain to spare her life and the scene with Arissa and Jolar in her cell.
I like the scene very much, especially
how Arissa gets out of the medical building and didn’t decide to cut it until,
literally, the last minute.
Chapter 4
Arissa concentrated on Doctor de’Sar ensconced in
her office next door as she touched the door control. The door to the hall slid
open but inside her office the doctor’s calm, intent focus remained unbroken.
Paperwork.
Reading a scholarly paper maybe. Or
writing one.
The brightly lit hallway would have active security
eyes and even at this quiet hour someone would probably be monitoring them. So
Arissa was going to make sure they didn't see anything interesting.
She was just going to walk out of here like it was
no big deal.
The offices she passed were shut down and quiet and
she didn’t sense anyone else on this floor. She didn't look around furtively.
She didn't have to. The stairs were next to the lift and she remembered her way
back there.
Arissa held her breath and gave the stairway door
hard push to open it. No alarm. Still, her heart was hammering as she went down
the institutionally bright white stairs. She fought the urge to run, keeping
her pace steady, her hand skipping the rail.
She glanced at the floor marker. Four more to the ground floor.
Her footsteps echoed loudly in the stairwell.
Three more.
The door to the second floor banged open as she went
past. Arissa spun and her breath drew in sharply.
"Oh!" the woman in the stairwell doorway
said, blinking at her. "You startled me!"
She was young, dressed in the blue shirt and pants
of a medtech. She had a rounded, freckled face, and gentle, brown eyes. Her
warm brown hair was smoothed up very much like Arissa remembered her mother
wearing hers to her job as director at the medical arts center in Galt-Apovia.
"Sorry,” Arissa stammered, giving her a quick
smile, her heart racing with fright. She offered a half-shrug. “Didn't want to
wait for the elevator. They always seem to take forever."
The woman gave a laugh, her vibrating nervousness
starting to calm. "I know what you mean.”
Arissa continued down the stairs, the woman at her
heels. “I hope it doesn't rain again tonight," she said over her shoulder.
“Seems like it's been raining on and off all month.”
The medtech gave a short laugh. "Yeah, the
weather has been crazy lately!”
One more. She couldn't
sense any suspicion from the woman but having someone right behind her had her
completely rattled.
She still had to get past the medtech at the desk;
he would recognize her instantly. She seized on an idea and on the ground floor
opened the door and held it for the woman. "After you."
"Thanks," the medtech said with a quick
smile.
Arissa followed right behind. She trailed at the
woman’s heels through the hall and toward the outside doors.
The woman waved to the medtech behind the desk that
Jolar hadn't let scan her. He gave a wave in return, his glance going to
Arissa.
The woman opened the door to the outside and nodded
to indicate she should go first.
Arissa turned back to give the man a wave. She
smiled inwardly as the disquiet ebbed from his mind. With the two of them
walking out together it looked just like she was headed somewhere with the
other medtech.
Arissa let her breath out as she stepped into the
chilly night air.
The woman turned to the right, heading off for a
group of buildings that way.
“Excuse me,” Arissa called. The woman paused,
looking round at her, eyebrows raised, impatient to be on her way. Arissa gave
a quick, apologetic shrug. “I’m a little turned around. Which way to the exit
gate?”
“Oh, sure,” the woman said and pointed. “Go that
way, turn left at the mess hall and you’ll see it about a half a kilometer
down.”
Arissa glanced that way. She had no idea where the
mess hall but any more questions might make the woman suspicious.
“Great,” Arissa said. “Thanks!”
She turned in the direction of the woman’s nod. The
buildings all looked similar— white stone yellowed by the base’s streetlights,
silver accents dull on darkened windows but the lateness of the hour could only
aid her escape.
She kept her eyes forward, her feet moving as if she
knew exactly where she was going. The base was paved with stone, the
landscaping neatly kept in well-contained green areas. Here and there she saw
Fleet personnel walking in ones and twos but she was afraid to ask any more
directions.
It would just take one of them curious enough to ask
her what she was doing here, to call FleetSec . . .
She was beginning to think she would need to risk it
when she spied a single floored structure ahead. It seemed deserted; she
circled to the back of the building and glanced around the corner. A shuttle
was parked outside, its design showing it to be a utility model, not meant for
passengers. Under the glare of the parking lot’s lights, two men were loading
an anti-grav unit with what looked like foodstuffs from the back of the
shuttle.
Okay. Definitely the mess hall, so left from here.
Only she didn’t see anything in that direction that
looked like an exit gate.
She chewed the inside of her cheek. The woman hadn’t
said anything about walking past the mess. Arissa retraced her steps back
around the building.
There.
The brightly lit gate was at least a half-kilometer
off open to both land vehicles and foot traffic but it looked like there wasn’t
much of either right now. She considered and rejected the idea of hiding in the
back of the food shuttle. Even if she didn’t get caught in there she wasn’t
sure it was actually leaving the base any time soon.
Once past that gate she could slip into the night
and disappear back into the sea of humanity that was Xan-Tellar.
She was broke and still had nowhere to sleep tonight
but Jolar and Jensah wouldn't tell anyone about her. They didn't dare. They’d
be guilty by association for not reporting her.
But it wouldn't be a bad idea to relocate to another
city on Tellar as soon as she could manage it . . .
Now I just have
to get off the fracking base.
Arissa tried to control her breathing as she headed
toward the gate. She hugged the edge of the walkway, ready to turn off quickly
if she attracted any attention from the tan uniformed FleetSecs there.
She was too far away to get a sense of them but the
guards’ body language was alert but not alarmed. The guardhouse was well lit
and from the thickness and slight distortion the plexisteel windows were
probably blasterproof. A roof extended over the gate openings on either side to
the shielded fence that surrounded the entire Fleet installation.
As she drew closer her hopes soared. While the
FleetSecs seemed to be stopping and verifying everyone coming onto the base,
they didn’t seem to be paying the slightest bit of attention to anyone leaving.
Once on the other side of that gate she’d be all
right. She’d get herself back to the marketplace even if she had to walk all
the way. She’d find someplace to spend the night and once the morning crowds
gathered she’d lift a few billfolds. With money in hand she’d choose a new name
and find another rooming house where cash payments meant no questions and no
need to provide ID.
And Jolar . . .
Well, whatever kindness he’d shown her, she knew he
wouldn’t come looking for her. Why should he? She was a huge problem that had
just vanished right out of his life.
She winced as she trod on a pebble in her worn, thin
slippers. It got far colder in Xan-Tellar than it did where she’d grown up on
Apovia and winter was coming. She’d need warm clothes and sturdier shoes.
She decided she’d go back to see if any
of the money she dropped was still there. There wouldn’t be many people
wandering that section at night and she had the ability to evade any that might
be. Tired as she would be when she got there, five hundred creds was well worth
the time it would take to check. Any of it would help.
Two Fleet officers ahead went through on foot and
they weren’t stopped.
Arissa clung to the edge of the walkway, skirting
the circles of bright streetlights as best she could. In her dark green pants,
tunic and light jacket she was obviously a civilian. Should she go back and try
to find a uniform? She wished she’d thought to grab med-tech scrubs.
She could get a clear sense of the guards now. They
were aware but at least one of them was bored, probably reaching the middle of
his shift. She discarded the idea of disguise. That would mean turning around
and she could get caught pinching something she might not even need. It wasn’t
worth the risk.
Her breathing quickened when she saw a civilian
woman go through without being questioned or stopped. No scan, no ID. The
guards scarcely glanced her way.
Okay, head down,
keep moving, almost there.
She was about a half dozen paces from the gate. She
certainly had a sense of the FleetSecs now and their attention was definitely
focused on people coming on the installation, not going out.
A pulse of surprise and disturbance drew her eyes
toward the guard inside the guardhouse. Through the plexisteel she could see he
was holding a comm unit. The other two guards were occupied with a groundcar on
the other side of the gate.
The guard inside the gatehouse stood, frowning, his
glance already darting about in search. In just that instant he turned and met
her eyes.
His focus narrowed to her, intense and dangerous as
a predator’s. Her throat tightened with horror knowing neither guile nor her
stolen security pass was going to be of any use now. The guard was already
reaching for something—the alarm, his blaster, she didn’t know.
Arissa ran for the gate.
“There! Stop her!”
Blinding floodlights snapped on and Arissa stumbled
forward a few more steps as the FleetSecs rushed her.
One grabbed her arm and instinctively she twisted
free from his hold. She clawed at the second as he caught her. The FleetSec
gave a yelp as her nails raked his face and his hold slackened a little. Then a
third caught her from behind, yanking her arms back and locking her wrists
behind her with his grip.
“Is she armed?”
“I don’t know!”
Arissa’s kick connected with enough impact to make
that FleetSec go down with a groan.
The one holding her swept her feet out from under
her. He brought her to the ground, the duracrete hard and cold under her cheek
as restraints closed around her wrists. One guard jammed his hand against her
back, keeping her flat against the ground as another patted her down.
“Not armed. Should we get a scan?”
“No!” she cried, struggling.
The ranking officer hesitated then his mind
hardened. "We’re entitled to know what we’re dealing with here. Hold her
there. I’ll get it."
Arissa tried to twist away. "No!”
“Damn it, hold her!”
The guard behind her grabbed her hair painfully and
held her head still.
She squeezed her eyes shut against the red light of
the scanner.
"You festering little—! Danden, get her eye
open!”
“Come on, girl, don’t make it worse.” One of the men
gripped her eyelids and forced her lid open.
No! No! Oh,
please!
The red light flashed in her eye.
"Got it!"
"Holy Goddess of—" the sergeant broke off.
"Who is she?" Danden asked.
"Kassar, Arissa. Apovia. Died fifteen years
ago? At age five?”
Danden snorted. "She seems pretty lively to
me."
They changed their grip and hauled her
to her feet.
"Take her to a holding cell," the sergeant
said, stepping back. "I’ll call it in and let them know we got her.”
About the Author
Ariel MacArran has loved books and writing since childhood. Growing up in New York City, her first self-published works (at 5) were made with construction paper and yarn and featured original stories and illustrations by the author. She holds a degree in English and a Masters in Counseling. Ariel lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her family.
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