Desa Kincaid Collection: The Complete Series

Excerpt from Desa Kincaid Collection

Aladar was a city of shining light, a place of electric lamps and horseless carriages, a beacon of civilization. But its prison cells were the same as every other one Desa Kincaid had seen across the face of this continent. Three stone walls and a set of bars that cut her off from the cellblock. The only window was about the size of her palm and also blocked off by bars.

Desa sat on a bench with her elbows on her thighs, covering her mouth with both hands. “Well,” she said. “This is quite the predicament.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“Need I say anything more?”

Miri stood with her back turned, one hand braced against the wall. The woman hung her head in frustration. “I don’t know,” she muttered. “Perhaps you could offer some suggestions as to how we get out of here.”

A smile grew on Desa’s face, and she shook her head slowly. “After all our adventures,” she said, “you still have so little faith. By the way, I’ll need your belt.”

Spinning around to face her with a scowl that could ignite dry kindling, Miri took one step forward. “Sweet Mercy!” she growled. “What in the name of all that’s holy are you gonna do with my belt?”

“Just trust me.”

Grumbling to herself, Miri undid her belt and yanked it free of the loops. “Here!” she said, thrusting the thing at Desa. “Anything else?”

“Yes,” Desa replied. “I need you to distract the guard.”

“And how exactly am I to do that?”

Tilting her head back to study the other woman, Desa blinked a few times. “You have a quick wit,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Miri sighed and stalked off toward the bars, grabbing one in each hand. “Hello!” she called out to the guards at the end of the cellblock. “Might I have some water, please? You see, I was traveling for several days in the desert, and I…”

Desa closed her eyes.

Miri could handle the guards. The woman was a fast talker. Now, hopefully, those louts out there would focus on the loud-mouthed woman and not on the one sitting quietly. Centring her emotions, Desa reached out to the Ether.

It came reluctantly – her mind was frantic after Adele’s betrayal – but years of training helped to put the anger aside. She focused, and the world broke apart into a sea of particles, all swirling and dancing around her. Only a few moments. That was all she needed

Desa began a Field Binding, building a lattice of energy in the molecules of Miri’s belt buckle and in one of the bars of their cell door. She was vaguely aware of a human-shaped collection of molecules stepping into view. The guard began chastising Miri.

He wasn’t focused on Desa; she could tell. Now, if Miri could just keep him busy a few moments longer. The lattice grew as she Infused the metal with a connection to the Ether. Only a few moments more. She had to make sure her Infusions could release enough energy.

“But you see,” Miri went on. “Dehydration leaves one vulnerable to all sorts of nasty pathogens. Pathogens that you lot might contract now that we're staying under your roof and all. So, in the interest of continued health – mine and yours – I highly recommend that you get me some water.”

The guard rapped on the bars with his truncheon. “You’ll get your water when we decide to feed you,” he said. “Now, sit quiet and respectable like your friend there.”

Desa had to suppress a smile.

The Infusion was complete.

She opened her eyes, clouds of molecules snapping together into solid objects. She saw the man on the other side of the cell door. He was a rough-looking fellow with tanned skin and a stubbly beard. “Both of you, stay quiet and still,” he said. “I’ll suffer no more trouble from either of you.”

Sitting primly with hands folded on her lap, Desa smiled and shook her head. “Perish the thought,” she murmured. “Thank you, sir, for your kind indulgence of my friend’s difficulties.”

With a grunt, the man turned on his heel and walked away.

“Are you ready?” Desa asked Miri.

The woman spun around, resting one hand on the bars and grimacing as if Desa had just spoken nonsense. “Ready for what?” she asked. “Whatever plan you’ve got, it better be a good one. They might show Marcus some respect, but Tommy…He’s an outsider.”

Desa rose from her seat, stretching her arms above her head as she drew in a breath. “I suggest you move to the back of the cell,” she said. “And stay behind me.”

Miri did as she was told, pacing to the small window in the back wall, turning around to stand under it with her arms folded. “Whatever you’re going to do…”

Desa put herself in front of the other woman, lifting Miri’s belt as a shield. Then, with a thought, she triggered the Force-Sink in the buckle and the Force-Source in one of the cell door’s bars.

An explosion of kinetic energy knocked the other bars off their mountings, energy that expanded into the cell and out into the cellblock, hurling bits of metal and debris. All of it came to an abrupt halt about two feet in front of Desa, bits of it hanging in the air.

She heard the footsteps of guards running to check on the cacophony.

Gritting her teeth, Desa seethed with anger. “Now it begins.”

She ran out into the cellblock.

One guard was coming toward her, his hand resting on a holstered pistol. He drew the weapon just as he got within arm’s reach of her.

Desa swung the belt like a whip, its buckle lashing him across the cheek, stunning the man. He stumbled, clapping one hand over the wound.

Spinning like a whirlwind, Desa lashed out again, the belt buckle striking the gun and tearing it out of his hand. The startled guard gasped as she came around to face him.

A swift kick to his belly made him fold up on himself. Desa grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanked his head down and brought her knee up to smash his face. Down he went, crumpling to the floor in a heap.

Three more guards appeared at the end of the cellblock.

Falling over backwards, Desa rose into a handstand. She grabbed the fallen gun, flipped upright and pointed the weapon at her enemies. Drawing back the hammer with a click, she watched them hesitate.

“Now,” Desa said. “You’re going to let us out of-”

One of the guards surged forward.

Dropping to one knee, Desa extended her arm with the gun pointed at him. She fired once, filling the cellblock with a thunderous roar. Her bullet pierced the man’s leg, and he fell flat on his face.

The other two had their weapons up.

Desa threw herself sideways, rolling into the open cell. She came up and backed away from the door, positioning herself beside Miri. “This is going to get ugly…”

Miri had fists balled and teeth bared. There was fury in her eyes. “The next time I don’t have any faith in you,” she muttered, “feel free to give me a good slug in the gob.”

“Noted.”

Miri moved like a striking snake, pressing her back to the wall near the door. When the first guard appeared, thrusting his gun into the cell, she grabbed his outstretched arm with both hands and gave a twist. His weapon fell to the floor.

Elbowing him in the face, Miri sent him careening into the wall on the other side of the cellblock. The final guard spun around the corner, lifting his weapon, firing blindly into the cell.