Return Of The Fontalo
by Linda Rigsbee
Chapter 6
Donte marched with Rianne and the Infantry. They probably should have left the equines, but they would need them when they left the shelter. Donte had asked Rianne to ride, but she was too proud. If Donte was going to walk, she would too. Donte didn’t argue with her. If she began to fall behind, he would put her on one of the equines.
For the last half hour, they had been climbing a mountain. The trail was getting rougher all the time. He glanced back at Rianne. She was having a difficult time leading the equine and walking over all the loose rocks.
Donte handed the lines of his equine to the trooper ahead of him and walked back to Rianne. He stopped long enough to lift her into the saddle. He grabbed the lines to her horse and started up the mountain behind his equine. No one said anything.
When his medallion beeped, he tapped it. “Donte here.”
“This is Commander Adriaan. We have a confirmation of high command over the leaders on Purlieu and all the spaceships. The vote was 8 to 1 for you, Donte.”
Donte looked up at Rianne. He hadn’t thought about leadership of the colonies and the spaceships – only the infantry.
“Do you accept?”
He didn’t actually have a choice. They had already made their decision. Who voted against him, Chait? He could decline, but where would that leave them?
“I accept.”
“Good. What is your first command?”
They didn’t know what they were facing yet. It was hard to know what to do – except….
“Put some distance between the spaceships. That spacecraft wasn’t out there alone. We need to know where its flight originated. It would probably be a good idea to keep your shields up.”
There was a slight pause. “Say again?”
“Keep your shields up.”
Silence…finally, “Yes Monomi.”
“Has the spacecraft moved yet?”
“Negative.”
“It may have crash-landed. Do we have any ships in the vicinity?”
“There is a small fishing vessel, but we have no way of contacting them.”
“Can you send an airship to visually check?”
“Is that an order?”
The man ahead of Donte chuckled.
Donte smiled. “Send an airship to make visual contact only. Do not engage.”
“Yes, Monomi.” Adriaan was silent a moment. “See what happens when you decline a position as second on my spaceship?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
They finally stopped climbing and followed a trail that led around the mountain. They reached the cave and left the equines there. The back of the cave opened and they stepped into a large lift. It was dark until the doors closed and the lift started down. At that point a light came on inside the lift.
Rianne’s eyes were wide as she looked around. She moved closer to Donte. He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “There’s no reason to feel frightened. You’re safe here.”
She put an arm around his waist. “I wish Petra and Andras were with us. I don’t like to be away from them at a time like this.”
Donte nodded. “I know. As soon as we get things settled here, we’ll join them.”
The lift opened from the other side, giving them access to a large lobby. This wasn’t where Donte had been taken when Niall died. The first thing he wanted to do when he took command was see a diagram of the underground complex.
Donte and Rianne were left alone in the lobby. They were given no warning or reason when the infantry departed. They simply walked out the door.
Rianne looked up at Donte. “This is strange. You are their leader, but they don’t wait to be dismissed?”
Donte smiled. “I don’t think I’m their leader yet. I think this is where I’m supposed to meet Dalziel. There is probably some ceremony that transfers leadership.”
Rianne studied his face. “Aren’t you the least bit frightened?”
Donte pulled her into his arms. “Not about this part. I feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities that have been bestowed upon me in the last few hours, though. I’m not sure I’m up to them, but I don’t know anyone else who is either.”
The door opened and a man stepped into the lobby. Donte released Rianne and turned to the man. He bowed before Donte. “Dalziel will see you now. Follow me.” He glanced at Rianne before his gaze came back to Donte.
“She stays with me,” Donte said in response to the unspoken question.
“Yes Monomi.”
The man led them down a well-lit corridor to another lobby where a woman sat at a desk. She pushed a button and they were allowed access to a large office.
A man in a wheelchair met them at the door. He had silver hair and bright blue eyes, like Pieter. Unlike Pieter, he welcomed them with a genuine smile and said all the polite things a person might expect. He looked at Rianne. “Is this Celyn?”
Donte shook his head. “This is my mate, Rianne.”
Dalziel took her hand and kissed it. “A rare combination of brains and beauty, no doubt.”
Donte smiled. “As a matter of fact, that describes her very well, but you left out dependable and honorable.”
Dalziel chuckled. “No doubt.” He rolled his wheelchair back. “Take a seat. I would like to talk to you about this spacecraft. I have been listening to your conversations with Adriaan.” He paused; his expression confused. “What is this shield you spoke of? I was unaware that we had such technology.”
Donte waited until Rianne was seated before he sat in a chair. “Nor was I.”
Dalziel stared at him for a moment. Gradually his expression reflected comprehension. “You thought someone up there might be listening to your conversation.”
Donte nodded. “And that was my signal to Adriaan that our conversation might be heard by hostile ears. If it is The Fontalo out there, they know everything about those ships. In forty years, we could have come up with some major innovations, though.”
Dalziel grinned. “Which would make them think twice before firing on them.”
Donte shrugged. “Hopefully.”
“Do you think they would actually fire on their own ships?”
Donte nodded. “If they felt threatened by them.”
Dalziel rubbed his chin, his expression reflective. Finally, his gaze came back to Donte. “This spacecraft – do you think it belongs to The Fontalo?”
“Possibly. We know it isn’t ours.”
“But you’re not sure.”
“No.”
“You said you sensed malevolence.”
Donte nodded again.
“Could the malevolence be someone chasing that spacecraft?”
“I suppose so, but I don’t think so.”
Dalziel nodded. “I’ll trust your instinct on that. It has been uncanny so far. We’ll know more when the airship gets back to the Moeder.”
His gaze landed on Rianne with interest. He looked at Donte. “I understand Celyn thinks you are going to exchange vows with her. That’s going to get a little complicated, isn’t it?”
Donte sat up straight in his chair and looked at Rianne. “I’m not going to exchange vows with Celyn.” He shifted his gaze to Dalziel. “If that’s a requirement of this position, you’d better find someone else.”
Dalziel grinned, his attention on Rianne. “Is he this way about everything?”
She smiled. “If you mean; is he stubborn, the answer is yes, but he’s only this stubborn when he is sure he’s right.”
When Dalziel’s gaze returned to Donte, his eyes were full of humor. “The Prophesy said nothing about exchanging vows with Celyn. That’s her vision.”
“Her interpretation of a vision,” Donte amended.
Dalziel laughed out loud. “I admire a man with the kind of confidence you have with regard to women.”
Donte looked at Rianne. There was nothing remotely funny about the situation with Celyn. In any case, he wished he was as confident regarding women as Dalziel seemed to think he was. Celyn could think what she wanted to, but he was deeply concerned about what Rianne thought. At the moment, she appeared to be entertained by Dalziel’s amusement.
Dalziel sobered. “I apologize. This must be a sensitive subject for both of you.” He looked at Donte. “Rest assured that no one here is going to push you and Celyn at each other.”
He rolled his chair back so that he faced Donte. “Are you prepared to take an oath of allegiance to defend the planet of Purlieu against any invasion?”
“Yes. I am,” Donte said.
Dalziel unpinned a badge from his uniform and looked at Donte. “Lift your left hand and repeat after me…”
After Donte repeated the oath, Dalziel rolled forward and pinned the badge on Donte’s shirt. “It will look much better on your uniform, but I realize you were caught off guard during a civil outing with your mate. You are now the commander of the Premier Infantry.” His gaze became solemn. “You carry a heavy burden of responsibility with this as well as the spaceships – and the leaders of Purlieu. I think you are the best person for the position, though.” He rolled his chair back. “Of course, you can choose anyone you wish to assist you.”
Donte nodded. “Then I choose you.”
Dalziel smiled. “You have known me for less than an hour.”
Donte smiled. “I have known of you for over eight years. You have assisted me at least twice in the past. I think I know you well enough.”
Dalziel leaned back in his chair. “Plus, instinct tells you I can be trusted.”
Donte stood and offered a palm. “It has been nice meeting you at last, Monomi. Now I would like to see the complex and learn all I can about the way it works.”
Dalziel gripped his forearm. “The pleasure has been all mine.” He rolled his chair around and led them out the door.
Dalziel spent the next few hours showing them around the complex and explaining all the technology. He finally took them to look at a layout of the complex mounted on the wall. “If you’ll excuse me; it has been a long night and since the administration of the serum, I feel like an old man.”
How long had Dalziel known it was not a plague that killed all the Mascots? Niall knew, so it was reasonable to assume Dalziel did as well. Who else knew? Pieter had told him that he could protect him. Did he know?
Donte called after Dalziel. He stopped and turned; his brows lifted. Donte glanced at Rianne before returning his attention to Dalziel.
"Did Pieter know about this complex?"
Dalziel nodded. "The troops, who are sworn to silence when they leave, and all the spaceship commanders except Vidal." He sighed. "I didn't agree with that, but I had no say in it. Pieter was the only colony leader who knew. He and Niall didn't agree. I'm afraid my vision created a division between them. Pieter thought the complex was a waste of time and effort, but he never opposed it. As you know, he thought my vision was nonsense."
Donte had always wondered if his grandfather had believed it was possible, but his official opinion had been that it was folklore. Still, Pieter had apparently regarded the complex as an attribute. Something else occurred to him. Pieter had not said anything about the complex until he learned Donte had been named the Anialwch Connection. He knew where his grandson had been, yet he had remained silent about the place to his death.
Donte smiled at Dalziel. "Thank you for your assistance. Rianne and I will be leaving soon to go to the Groot Thuis. I will be in contact with you. Until I know more about what is happening, please continue as you have in the past.”
“Yes, Monomi.”
Donte and Rianne left the complex in the light of dawn. Donte led the way down the mountain. There, he stopped and changed into his uniform. He pinned the badge on the jacket and Rianne removed it, carefully replacing it. She looked up at him and smiled.
“It was crooked.”
He looked at it. “It’s difficult to tell from this angle – and no mirror.”
She put her arms around his neck and he pulled her close, kissing her. She drew back. “Don’t worry about that situation with Celyn. I’ll set her straight about who you belong to, and I’m not giving you up.”
He kissed her again. “That makes me feel better.”
They mounted their equines and headed for Bergen. At least one problem had been resolved.
Soft Science Fiction
