Harry's Sacrifice Read Online Free PDF

Council crystal. That was an amazing piece of work. You have my admiration.”
    “Thanks.” Rick nodded but his gaze still measured every word, every action. This was a man used to living hard. To have survived so long alone in the wilderness, his healer’s soul had generated a tough outer shell—that of a warrior. Ronin had seen it many times among the human survivors. He admired their resilience while at the same time felt an echo of guilt that his people and their actions were the reason behind it.
    “Now,” Davin reclaimed his attention. “Perhaps you’d like to tell us who you really are. I checked your codes and they’re downright ancient, yet still active in the most classified databases. That alone has me curious, and your words to this point make me more so. Who are you?”
    The words were close enough to the pre-arranged signal. Ceiling tiles burst as two bodies fell from above onto the conference table. They landed in a ready crouch, their faces shielded by the traditional clothing of the Zxerah .
    Both Davin and Rick jumped to their feet, their reaction time good, but Ronin knew it would not have been fast enough to save either of their lives should this have been a true assassination mission. As it was, his people were not armed. They stood ready, but only to defend, not to attack.
    Silence reigned as all within the room took stock of the altered situation.
    “What is this?” Davin spoke first, demanding answers.
    “A demonstration,” Ronin said. “Nothing more.” He signaled to the two newcomers to remove their headgear. “Proof of what and who I am and who I call members of my clan. My family.”
     
    Rick cursed inwardly when the two black-clad figures dropped explosively from the ceiling. He was on his feet in seconds, but not fast enough. He cursed again.
    Then the guy who’d introduced himself as Ronin signaled to the two newcomers. They pulled off their masks, revealing not the Alvian hit squad he’d expected, but rather two human faces—one male, and even more surprisingly, one female.
    “You were supposed to come alone,” Davin accused.
    “I did,” Ronin replied, gesturing with open hands. “These two have been here spying on you for more than a week. It is due, in part, to their reports that I’ve decided to contact you directly. To trust you.”
    “More than a week?” Rick looked at the two humans standing at the ready. They showed no weapons or aggression. “No way.”
    “Way.” The male stepped off the table in a fluid motion and leaned one hip against the edge as he stood between Rick and Ronin.
    “Prove it,” Rick challenged, facing down the other man.
    “All right. I’ll send you an image. Something no one else could have seen. Will that do it?”
    Suspicious, Rick nodded. A second later, he felt a telepathic knock in his mind. He responded, allowing the promised image through his defensive shields.
    A flash, nothing more, but the image was clearly of himself, Davin and Callie, making love in their private chamber. The view was from above, at a nearly impossible angle. Rick knew for a fact that there were no monitors of any kind in or near their private quarters. He made certain of that on a daily basis.
    But there were heating and cooling ducts and crawl spaces above the ceilings—just like in this conference room. The newcomers had already demonstrated how vulnerable the design made them. The image the man had sent could only have come from firsthand observation from above. In fact, Rick remembered the exact occasion that had put the three of them in that particular naughty configuration.
    A chill raced down his spine. At any moment, these people—these operatives—could have taken a shot. They could have killed him, Davin, or worst of all, Callie.
    “You’ve got a lot of nerve.” Rick sent the message back to the man, who he now knew was telepathic. What other gifts he might have remained to be seen.
    “Sorry, man, but I didn’t stay once I realized what