The Hunted Page 3

  “It shows. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

  Sighing, Robin nodded as they stopped beside another portal. “Yes.” He turned and looked out. “Since Freya can use magic, does that mean my brother and I can, as well?”

  After looking at him for a second, Tekmet moved to Robin’s side, rubbing his chin. “Perhaps,” he finally said. “Usually, family members do share the gift, and it’s possible, now that your…” He glanced down both ends of the hall. “You know,” he finished, nodding toward Robin’s covered bracelet.

  At his words, he lowered his gaze. “I don’t know if I ever had that gift.”

  “Did you ever try?”

  The next day, after showering and changing into some loose clothing in his room, Robin was meditating on his knees as he heard a knock at his door.

  “Come in,” he said, opening his eyes.

  The door opened, and Freya came in. “Hey,” she said with a smile he returned. “I heard you wanted to see me.”

  “I did,” he said, shifting to his feet and sitting on his bed. After pressing a button on the wall, the foldout chair slid out of the wall and folded into position, she sat.

  After a couple seconds of silence, she patted her thighs, looking around. Meanwhile, he tried to think of the right words to say.

  “I heard you got into Buccaneer squadron,” she said, and he waved it off.

  “I didn’t ask you here to talk about that.”

  “Then why did you?”

  Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair. “I heard you got in with the healers,” he commented, and she nodded. “As a Dragon Knight, though, you also have to learn how to fight.”

  Biting her lip, she lowered her gaze in thought. “I guess you’re right,” she said before looking at him again. “And I guess you’re going to have to teach me?”

  “Can you think of anyone better—or anyone else you trust more?”

  Lowering her gaze again, she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “I guess not,” she finally said. Freya looked him in the eye then. “When do we start?”

  “As soon as you change into something you can train in.”

  Shortly thereafter, they found themselves in one of the cargo holds that also served as the armory and training area. Freya, in loose clothing with her hair tied back in a ponytail, landed hard on the ground. The air rushed out of her while, above her, Willa, who was similarly dressed, circled her.

  “At least you’re getting plenty of practice falling,” the other girl said, offering her a hand to help her up.

  “Thanks,” Freya moaned, taking the offered hand and getting to her feet. “And here I was thinking I was wasting my time.”

  She turned to Robin, who watched from the side, and tried to not think of when they had stretched and she struggled to do a split when all he’d had to do was shift his hips from one split to another to get the result.

  “So, what’s next?” she asked, hands going to the small of her back as she arched it with a series of small pops.

  Rolling his eyes, Robin stepped forward. For a second, he just looked at her, and then, without warning and in a flash of movement, he tapped her first in the chest and then the temple with the back of his fist.

  “Those are called strikes,” he said as she recoiled, her hands going up in defense. “Now we work on blocks.” He turned his back on her, walking away.

  Eyes blazing, Freya charged at him. Robin was faster; he spun her, so she charged right past him. She whipped around and glared at him.

  “Anger doesn’t give you an edge!” he snapped at her before turning.

  Again, she charged at him. Spinning back to face her, he again deflected her outstretched hands. One hand slid up her arms as she went past, and the next thing she knew, the crook of his elbow was wrapped around her neck, cutting off her blood supply.

  “It blunts it!” he hissed in her ear before flexing his arm to make the point. She pushed him off and coughed, unsteady on her feet as the blood rushed to her head. “Now, let’s get started.” He looked from Willa to Freya. “She will strike,” he explained as Willa stepped in front of Freya, “and you will block.”

  For the next half hour, Robin watched Willa throw strikes at less than half her typical speed while Freya attempted to defend herself. He instructed her from the side every now and then, sometimes stepping in mid-action to adjust Freya’s movements. Thankfully, she had to be directed just once before she got it.

  “She learns fast,” Willa commented, drinking water as the pair watched Freya practice in the air.

  Robin nodded and then shrugged. “Must run in the family.” His face fell then as he thought of his father and the brother he had yet to find.

  Chapter 7

  The Haystack

  Back in his quarters, Robin fingered his toothed necklace and eyed the holographic projection of the galaxy that floated around him.

  “Talk about a needle in a haystack,” he murmured, “and I don’t even know which haystack to start with.” As his mind churned with thoughts, his doorbell chimed. “Come in,” he said.

  With a hiss, the door opened and Freya stepped in. She closed her eyes as she massaged her aching muscles.

  “If the rest of the sessions are going to be like that,” she moaned, “then I’m not sure…” She opened her eyes and paused at the sight around her. “Redecorating?” she asked, eyeing the floating planets and stars.

  “Not really,” he answered as she stared at him. “We still have a brother out there. The problem is trying to figure out where he is in all that.” He gestured toward the planets and stars. “There’s a lot of space out there to get lost in.”

  “Is there anything else I should know about this family?” she demanded.

  Glancing at her for a second, he smiled softly. “Aside from having no idea where our mother is? Not much.”

  For a second, she held his gaze in stunned silence. “But I thought…” She trailed off, pointing at the door. “Then who is Chikako?”

  “She and her husband, Jun, adopted and raised me,” he explained, “right after our mother gave birth to all three of us and disappeared. She told them the three of us would have to be separated.”

  Again, she stared at him, her mouth open, and plopped down on the bed next to him, sighing. “What’s she like?” she asked.

  Lowering his gaze, Robin shrugged. “I don’t know, but I wish I did.” He climbed to his feet, his hands patting his knees. “The question is,” he started as he walked through a couple of the projections, “where could my father have hidden our brother?”

  As if in answer, he felt the tooth of his necklace grow warm. With a start, he took it in his hand and faced Freya, who held her own. Before either could speculate about what was happening, both necklaces shot out of their hands into the air. They watched in amazement as they circled the room before stopping with a jerk. The two necklaces pointed at each other with a giant rotating planet between them.

  Robin stepped closer, eyeing the rotating holographic mass in space.

  “I think we’ve found it,” Freya murmured.

  “He’s in the Bedie System.”

  Chapter 8

  A Course to Danger

  Leaving Freya to gather the others, Robin left his quarters. Soon, he arrived outside Hector’s door and pressed the chime button on the side.

  “Enter,” came the minotaur’s voice.

  Robin pressed the release, waited for the door to open, and stepped in. Hector sat on his bed, a great axe across his leg as he sharpened one of the blades with a grinder.

  “Yes, Ryuu,” he said, putting the tools aside. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I need to leave,” Robin said, and the other man blinked.

  “You’ve barely been here a couple days.” He put the axe back in its place of honor on the wall and the grinders away in a cupboard and stared at Robin, frowning.

  “I’ll probably only be gone a few days. It’s just—I
got word of my brother’s location. I have to go after him.”

  After looking at him closely for a few seconds, Hector closed the cupboard. “Are you sure it’s him?”

  “Let’s just say I have a very reliable source,” Robin answered as Hector walked past him.

  The black minotaur was silent as he leaned against the wall, away from Robin, whose nerves grew tighter and tighter with every passing second.

  “I must say you are devoted,” Hector finally said, facing him, “which means you would probably leave, even if I didn’t give you permission.”

  Robin’s shoulders loosened at his words. “Does that mean I can go after him?”

  “I might as well not fight the tide when it comes to you—especially after everything I’ve heard about you,” Hector said and held out his hand. “But you had better come back alive,” he added as the pair shook hands. “Like you said, we need all the fighter pilots we have, and I’d hate to lose you.”

  At his words, Robin nodded and turned to leave.

  “By the way,” Hector called to him, and the man paused. “What system did your source say he was in?”

  “The Bedie System,” Robin answered and then frowned at the deep frown of concernd on the minotaur’s face. “What is it?”

  “I just got a report from a scouting party,” he said, going to his computer and pulling it up. “It says half the Black Dragon’s fleet is heading for the Bedie System.”

  Robin’s eyes widened.

  Chapter 9

  Difference of Opinion

  Back in the storage area, as before, the rest of Robin’s friends, Tekmet, and his mother gathered around him. The villagers stood ahead, murmuring at everything he had just told them.

  “So now you’re leaving us again!” Dulgard barked, stepping forward.

  “I have to,” Robin answered. “The location of my brother has been narrowed to the Bedie System.” People murmured at that.

  “So, once more, you’re chasing after your family rather than doing what you ought to!” Dulgard continued while his father and friends nodded with sly grins. “With this, I say we recast—”

  “SHUT IT!” one of the villagers shouted at him, and Dulgard froze, stunned. “Instead of you blabbering about him abandoning us, why don’t we hear why he has to go?”

  After blinking in surprise at his defender, Robin continued, “Aside from the fact that this is my brother, it’s more than likely that he is the last Dragon Knight.”

  Murmurs arose again.

  “There’s no proof that…” Suji started but was silenced by a look from a villager.

  “The fact that his sister was also made a Knight is a strong indicator!” Willa shot to the crowd.

  “There’s more reason to suspect it,” Robin continued, and they all looked at him. “Hector recently told me that for reasons unknown, the Black Dragon recently deployed half her fleet there.” Again, hushed voices began talking. “We all know the Bedie System has virtually nothing to offer!” Robin called over the crowd, which fell silent to listen. “I don’t know why or how, but if rumors have reached her that a Dragon Knight is in that system, then they are hunting for him.

  “We need to reach him first, if he is the Knight—we need to find him and bring him back here. That way, we can be a stronger force against her tyranny!” He stared at his people and then continued, “With another Knight in our ranks, we will have a better chance against her forces until we can find the Sherwood and the Resistance!”

  People looked at each other, some nodding in agreement.

  “Okay, fearless leader,” Dulgard said slyly, “who will you leave in charge, pray tell?”

  After shooting him a exasperated look, Robin turned to the others after raising his gaze to the heavens. “Willa, Little John, and Freya,” he said, and the three stepped forward, “you’re coming with me.” Willa and LJ nodded while Freya stared at him. “Tuck and Much, you two are in charge,” he continued, and they nodded. Robin and Tekmet shared a look, and then Tekmet gave him a slight nod.

  Later, Robin had just begun packing a few clothes when his door chimed. “Come in,” he called out, buckling a belt with holsters holding his buster sabers.

  LJ came in as he buckled the holsters to his thighs. “I think we have a problem.”

  “What’s that” he asked, practicing drawing and holstering the plasma sabers.

  “Freya is refusing to come.”

  Robin looked at him, blinking, and then followed Little John down the halls to where Freya stood, looking out into space. Her arms were crossed and her face was hard.

  Sighing, Robin stepped closer. “What did LJ mean when he said you weren’t coming?” he demanded.

  “I’m not going anywhere without Tekmet,” she growled.

  He nodded in understanding, albeit with a sigh. “I understand why you don’t want to leave them,” he said, and she glanced at him, “but I need Tekmet here.”

  “Why?”

  “We don’t have time for this.” Robin ran a hand down his face. “Right now, we have to get to the Odysseus. Our brother needs us, and we have a better chance of finding him together than alone.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder down the hall.

  “Why?” she asked. “You found me just fine.”

  “That was pure luck,” he countered with a jab of his finger. In response, Freya turned back to the portal. Robin’s eyes turned upward, and a memory popped into his head. Before she could say anything, he drew one of his plasma sabers with a twirl. “Hold this for me,” he said simply after pressing a small button and tossing it to her.

  She barely had time to ask, “Why?” before she caught it in one hand and then went stiff as a stunning electrical current raced through her.

  Eyeing her grimacing face, teeth bared in shock and pain, Robin slipped the plasma saber from her hand. Her stunned eyes rolled back, and she started to fall forward; he bent down and scooped her over his shoulder.

  “Unless you know how to fight them, never argue with a guy with a blaster,” he told her unconscious form as he walked down the hall. People stared after him in surprise.

  “Lucky for her, you had that thing set to stun,” LJ murmured as they entered the hangar.

  When they boarded the Odysseus, Willa gasped and asked, “What happened with her?”

  “A difference of opinion,” Robin answered, depositing Freya in a seat and strapping her in.

  Shortly after, the Odysseus left the hangar and, after clearing the asteroid belt, jumped to Hyperspace.

  Chapter 10

  A Sister’s Wrath

  As they sped through Hyperspace, Robin made adjustments from his seat.

  “What are you doing?” Little John asked, watching him.

  “Making sure everything is running smoothly,” he answered, making a couple more adjustments—either trying to put things off or anticipate her retaliation. “In case I’m not here to do it later.”

  At that, LJ chuckled, patting him on the back. “If Freya is anything like you,” he said, chuckling, “I’d be more concerned about having my will in order.”

  Robin shot him a slight snide look. After glancing around at the controls and settings around him, he sighed. “Might as well get it over with,” he murmured, pressing a button on his chair and sliding it back.

  “Got any next of kin I should notify?” LJ asked over his shoulder. As he walked through the hatch, Robin rolled his eyes.

  As in the transport before, ridged frames supported the halls if the ship got attacked. Every now and then, he eyed a maintenance access port with line-covered wires exposed. A solid column of lights ran along the corners.

  At the end of the short hall, he opened the hatch to the main room. Frowning, he glanced around, and saw only Willa sitting at the bench, a hovering table before her.

  “Where’s Freya?” As if in answer, a fist suddenly connected with his cheek, and he stumbled to the side. Regaining his composure, he caught the kick Freya threw as a follow-up. “At least I k
now you’ve been paying attention,” he mumbled, keeping his grip on her leg as he rubbed his stinging cheek.

  “Let go of my leg, and I will give you more than that!” Freya hissed. “Especially since you kidnapped me!”

  “You didn’t leave me much choice,” Robin countered, “and that is precisely why I am going to be holding onto it a little while longer.” He looked at Willa. “You could have warned me!”

  She shrugged and smiled. “We girls have gotta stick together.”

  At that, Robin rolled his eyes. “And I thought you were my friend.”

  “I am,” Willa said, leaning back in her seat with her hands behind her head, like she was enjoying herself, “but you had that coming.”

  “Let me go!” Freya snapped, and the other two looked back at her.

  “You promise not to hurt me?” Robin asked, eyebrows arched. In answer, she growled at him. “Fine,” he said, and she yelped as he lifted her foot higher and placed it on top of a console.

  Robin and Willa watched her hop to keep her balance for a second before she freed her foot and jumped back.

  “At least she’s flexible,” Willa said with a nod.

  Glaring, Freya marched up to Robin. “This isn’t over,” she growled in his face.

  “Fine,” he shot back, drawing one of his plasma sabers with a twirl. He held it out to her. “Here’s your chance to settle it.”

  She looked at it and then back at him. Reaching up with one hand, she tapped it a couple times. When it seemed safe, she jerked it from his hand and pointed it right between his eyes.

  In a flash of movement, Robin seized her by the wrist, pushing it to the side. He spun her around and his elbow connected with her side, causing her to arch back. With an arm hooked under her shoulder, Robin threw his sister to the ground in front of him. His plasma saber returned to his hand at his side.

  “Are we done now?” he asked.