Chapter 10: Tessa
"You what!" Tessa spat. She was so angry she could barely get the words out. How could Jak have got himself into so much trouble in just one day? "Have you lost your mind? You might as well have challenged n’Tau and been done with it!"
"I know it was stupid, but I just couldn’t leave her there to die."
It was too early to face this kind of trouble, Tessa thought. Yes, the sun said it was late afternoon, but she’d spent most of the night with High Lord Cav n’Chall and had only just risen. She hadn’t even finished her first cup of tea when she’d opened her door to Jak and saw that tall Terran bitch standing behind him. She didn’t know why the woman was with Jak, but she was certain the reason boded no good for anyone. She’d dragged them both inside, fast, before anyone noticed them, or so she hoped. The story Jak told her confirmed her worst fears.
Tessa looked up at Jak with long stare that brought a flush to his scarred face. Green eyes stared back at her with uneasy defiance.
"No, you couldn’t leave her," she said, "not you."
She knew Jak couldn’t remember who he was or where he’d come from. He should have been nothing but an animal, a mindless body operating on instinct and desire. Instead, he displayed a stubborn sense of integrity that baffled her. Where did it come from? How could a man who couldn’t even remember his own name still have that core of honor? Irritating, inconvenient—she glared at him—no, make that deadly honor.
Tessa blew out a noisy, exasperated sigh, and threw herself onto her sofa. She leaned on one elbow, her free hand caressing the ivory velvet upholstery. She’d gathered many beautiful things around her over the years. Usually, they brought her comfort, reminding her of how far she’d come from the frightened slave girl she’d once been. Usually, but not today. She glared at the two still standing just inside her doorway.
"Sit!" she snapped at them. Jak promptly moved to his usual comfortable position on the floor at the foot of her sofa.
"I’ve agreed to provide ample compensation—"
"Oh, just shut up, and sit down!"
She glared at the tall, young woman as Kamura of Family Mabutu settled onto the chair across from her. The Terran was battered and bruised, wearing just a simple shift, her arm in a sling. Not so high and mighty now, are you, Tessa thought, although the arrogant bitch was still not above endangering both their lives to suit her needs.
"I found her in the alley outside the bar," Jak explained, still trying to justify what he’d done. "She was hurt, and n’Tau was gone, probably arranging for a disposal team, so I took her to my place."
"I must reach Tekena," Kamura interrupted. "It’s imperative that I be there before the new Overlord joins with the God Core in the Black Palace."
"I don’t care what’s ‘imperative’," Tessa snarled. "And that mumbo jumbo about being joined to alien technology is just a myth. The Lingyang n’Chall obviously made up the story to consolidate her power and the priests have backed her up to keep theirs."
She glared at the other woman, and then took a closer look. Oh, Lady Ur’s tits! She’d been fooled at first by the Terran’s height and confident posture. Kamura was just a girl, in her late adolescence at best. What was her Family thinking to send her to a planet like Shadriss? Tessa considered herself a tough, savvy woman, and even she had a difficult time staying alive in this lawless place. Yet, this child thought she could manage her Family business here? It was absurd!
"It is not a myth," Kamura asserted. "Once Joined, the God Core becomes permanently fused to the connector. The Overlord and the device are one until death."
Tessa ignored her. "Do you realize what you’ve done?" she demanded of Jak.
"I did what I had to do," he answered.
"You’ve endangered us both to save this silly girl."
"I’m not a ‘silly girl’," Kamura informed her. "I am a Recorder for Family Mabutu. I must reach Tekena before the Prime joins with the God Core so I can legalize the trading rights between Family Mobutu and Shadriss."
Right, Tessa thought. That story might fool Jak, but it wasn’t good enough for her. There had to be more to this than simply witnessing the ascension of the Overlord of an obscure and backward planet. Still, she was sure that getting the truth out of this girl would take a lot more time and effort than she wanted to invest in obtaining that knowledge. It didn’t matter why Kamura was here. All that mattered was that she was here and that her presence put Jak and herself in even more danger than usual.
As she often did when she felt nervous, Tessa ran her fingers over the small statue of Lady Ur that stood in a niche by the couch. She didn’t believe in the goddess, but she did have faith in the thousand credits that was hidden inside the statue. She caught Jak watching her, and moved her hand away from the niche. She’d told him the Lady Ur’s secret once and, if he remembered that, he’d realize just how afraid she felt.
But from his spot on the floor, Jak gazed up at her with calm confidence that said he was sure she could salvage even this disaster. She knew he loved her; it was her business to make men love her. She’d taken seeing into men’s minds and manipulating their hearts from a hard-learned skill to an art form. But most of the men she used thought of her only as a pretty toy. Only Jak seemed to see the woman inside the artful package she presented—the hard hearted, hard headed, ambitious woman—and he loved her all the more for it. Tessa found Jak’s attitude strange, even disturbing, but she’d think about that later, she told herself. Business first.
Still, she was glad she donned her favorite peach-colored silk robe and that gold glinted at her ears and neck. She shook her head, as if to throw off the soft ideas that were clouding her vision of what needed to be done. She looked at Kamura. Girl or not, she had to go.