Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(65)

The night before I left the settlement, one of the elders gave me the ring and told me a story. They said one day the great Empress from an unknown world would come and unlock the blood in the stones that would give life back to their planet. The elder told me the ring is said to have belonged to one of those that struck down the creatures that attacked centuries before. It was found in a city hidden beneath the mountains. He hoped giving the ring to me would lead the Empress to their world.

The stone is known as a blood stone and contains a tremendous amount of energy that absorbed the radiation. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that the Elpidiosians had joined the Alliance a few years ago. I would like to return it to the Grand Ruler.”



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“I don’t know if the ring is of any relevance to what is happening or why the human females have been kidnapped, but something told me it was important,” Sula murmured when the transmission ended. “Beth and I searched everywhere for it. There was no record of the ring in the inventory of items returned with Badrick’s body. It was also not on his body during the autopsy. I thought for sure Badrick had hidden it in his living quarters somewhere. I was able to have the computer recreate the ring and this is what it looks like.”

“Shit!”

All eyes turned to Mason, who stood against the back wall. He groaned and ran both hands down his face. He dropped them to his sides and shook his head.

“I know where it is,” Mason said with a grimace. “I forgot all about the damn thing.”

“What are you talking about? How can you have it?” Destin asked.

Mason shrugged. “It was a crazy day. It was the day Kali had been taken by Colbert. We were going in after her. If you remember, the place lit up like hell having a party. I was helping clean up the bodies. I caught one of the guys stripping valuables off the dead. I made him empty what he’d taken and kicked his ass to the curb. One of the items was that ring. I guess it got stuck in the bottom of my jacket because I found it a couple of months later. I tossed it in a box. It’s been in the top of my closet ever since,” he explained.

“But what does that have to do with the missing women?” Mary asked.

“I don’t know – maybe nothing,” Sula said with a sigh.

“I can go get it,” Mason suggested.

“That would be….,” Sula’s voice died when the sound of an alarm went off. “What…?”

“We’re under attack,” Cutter stated, pushing past the group.

The rest of the group headed out the door. Patch strode out of his office and down the hallway. Chelsea came out of the room down the hall. Destin gently steered Sula toward Chelsea.

“Beth, Mary, I want you to stay with Chelsea and Sula,” Destin ordered.

“Destin,” Beth started to protest before she pressed her lips together at his fierce expression.

“Protect her, Beth. She’s hurt… and she’s pregnant. I need you to keep her safe for me,” Destin stated in a quiet yet urgent tone.

“You go on and keep yourself safe. We’ve got Sula covered,” Mary said firmly. “Come on, honey. We’ve got to find a safe place.”

Sula watched Destin hurry after Jag and Cutter. Fear gripped her when she remembered the brief glimpse of the tower on fire and the city in ruins once again. Her eyes moved back to the portable vidcom Jag had placed on the center of the table. She blinked when it flickered again.

Stepping away from where Beth, Mary, and Chelsea were standing, she stepped back into the room. A frown creased her brow. For the first time, she saw the enlarged image of the ring. Staring at it, she stepped closer and peered at the image. Her lips parted in a gasp when she saw the small slit in the side.

“What is it?” Beth asked above the sounds of the sirens.

“It is a microchip,” Sula whispered. “Badrick liked to capture vidcoms of his meetings. There is a microchip in the ring. He would only have done that if it contained vital information that he didn’t want anyone else to know about.”

“But… What kind of information could he have?” Mary asked.

Sula turned and looked at Mary with wide eyes. “He was on Dises V. One of the reports I opened made a brief notation of it, but more importantly, it may have information on where the missing women were taken,” Sula whispered with a growing urgency.

“Once we know what is going on, Mason can give you the ring,” Mary said.

Sula shook her head. Her mind swirled with fear. What if this was the only chance there was of finding the women? What if there was information that could help against the Waxians and the Drethulans?

“I saw the tower in flames,” Sula replied, glancing back at the other women. “We have to get the ring before the tower is destroyed.”

“But, how will we get there? Neither Grandma or I know how to fly one of those space transport things,” Beth replied.

“I can, but I don’t know where Mason’s living quarters are or how to get in them once I find it,” Sula said.

“Now that I know how to do,” Mary stated with a smug, determined smile. “If there is a chance of finding those girls and bringing them home and defeating an alien species – the bad ones, darling – I can pick a lock to a flea’s locker.”