Captive Surrender by Linda Mooney Page B

abilities. “If you have doubt as to my authority, you can contact—”
    “I do not question your status, Jurasu. I will inform the Tribunal of your request.” Giving her a deferential nod, he left.
    Seconds passed as she calmed herself and soothed her power back into invisibility. She opened her fists to release her death grip on the blanket. She’d won this battle. At least for now.
    One thing, however, was very certain. There would be no leeway for Safan. No mercy. No quarter. He would be punished. How they would punish him remained to be seen. All she could hope for was that he’d be allowed to live. If he lived, her own sacrifice would be worth it.
    A wave of weariness swept over her, and she lay back down. I have to rest. The next battle will be here soon.
    Good advice, but it wouldn’t keep her from worrying about him.

Chapter Eighteen
     
    The next time she woke, Maurra found a pile of clothing sitting at the foot of the bed. Moving slowly, she managed to swing her legs over the side and scoot forward until her feet were flat on the cold floor. The wave of dizziness she expected never came. “So far, so good.” Standing up, however, was another problem. Her legs wouldn’t support her, and she fell back onto the bed. “All right. I take it back. Time for a little rejuvenation.”
    She hadn’t used her powers to revive herself since she’d tried to fry the Kronners. Closing her eyes, she reached inside her psychic core. Her psi energy greeted her with the bounding enthusiasm of a loving pet. It was ready to be released, and more than eager to help.
    The power surged through her body with the force of a tidal wave crashing onto a beach. Maurra gasped from the intensity as she fell across the bed, unable to move, unable to think, unable to do anything until the power receded into the center of her being. As it drained away, she could feel her toes and fingertips tingling. Her head felt clearer, her vision brightened and the aftertaste of the joolis teased her tongue.
    She sat up. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”
    On her second try, her legs remained strong, her balance unwavering. She grabbed the clothes to discover they were the simple drab brown pants and top worn by the average Ellinod. A bit too big for her, but that couldn’t be helped. At least they provided her with some modesty. She ripped a piece of cloth from the bottom of one pants legs and used it to tie back her hair.
    “All right. If the moon won’t come to the planet, let’s see if the planet can go to the star.”
    She expected resistance, but no one tried to stop her as she walked out of her room and down the corridor. There was a small hub located at the end of the hallway. Two Ellinods looked up from where they stood behind a counter and blanched when they saw her. Their eyes remained locked on the gyrating sparkle sitting in the middle of her forehead.
    “Where do you hold your prisoners?” She asked politely, as if it was something every patient asked at some point during her stay.
    One beast finally managed to stammer, “Th-there’s a guard at the main doors. H-he can show you.”
    She thanked them and followed the path pointed out to her. The other Ellinods who passed her gave her a wide berth or ducked into doorways until she’d passed. None of them challenged her.
    The uniformed guard outside was expecting her. He’d probably been notified by the terrified beasts at the counter. “Take me to see Safan,” she ordered. By now it would be a safe bet that all the planet was aware of Safan’s transgression, just as they also knew who and what she was.
    Nodding, the Ellinod spoke into his cuff. “This is Abrin. Leaving my post to escort the JoJo to the Consulate.” Without waiting for a reply, he gestured for her to follow him.
    She had never been on Ellinod before. After having dealt with only two or three of the beasts in the past, she had formed her own opinion about the species without any further investigation.