Survivor Planet III by Juliet Cardin Page B

moment. Ayres gave me his hand and helped me to my feet. I noticed we were in the alcove where all of our equipment was set up. Kenix stood before the metal table, beside him was the treacherous Lissa. He appeared relieved at my safe arrival, while she avoided my glare. Though her presence pissed me off I was at least glad to see the cut, red cheek she sported thanks to the wallop I’d given her earlier.
    â€œTook your time retrieving me.” The anger in my voice was due to my recent encounter and Lissa’s foul presence.
    â€œI couldn’t find the coin,” Lourde admitted. He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly. “I put it back in my pocket as soon as you left. I needed both hands to keep an eye on the monitor. When I saw that you suddenly disappeared, I came running, figuring there must be trouble. When I reached Ayres, he said you’d just vanished, but he hadn’t seen you toss the coin. I reached for my coin, but it was gone. It must have fallen out of my pocket. As soon as I backtracked and located it, I did rub it. Nothing happened.”
    â€œThis idiot took it from me.” I nudged Baynar with my foot.
    Ayres leaned down and lifted Baynar’s head off the ground by his hair. “Out cold. What the hell happened?” He stood up and narrowed his gaze at Lourde.
    â€œHe must have found the other coin. The one I lost when I escaped.” From the stunned look on his face I could see that both of us transporting here simultaneously was paramount on his mind.
    â€œThat’s exactly what happened,” I informed them. Tightly grasped in my hand was the coin. I handed it over to Lourde who inspected it with a smile, seeming pleased to have the missing small piece returned. “I was aboard the Lariton, I think. They must be getting ready for the game on Taleon. Baynar was as surprised as me.”
    â€œYou could have been killed,” Ayres informed me.
    Now that the heat of the moment had past, I felt pain in my body, especially my hands. Eyeing my fists, I could see bruising on my knuckles. “I admit I was scared—at first. But then I felt you connect with me.”
    Ayres stared at me in confusion. When I looked at Lourde he shrugged. “If you two connected, I had nothing to do with it.”
    â€œOkay, that’s weird. I definitely felt you there with me,” I insisted.
    He appeared to ponder this revelation for a moment. “I was thinking about you,” he admitted. “I wasn’t linked onto you though. Not like when you were on Earth and I could concentrate and link us in the beginning. My tracker’s not even turned on.”
    â€œBut that’s impossible. I felt you. You took control of me and I was able to fight Baynar easily.”
    Ayres took my hand. “I’m glad you were able to fight him. Looks like you did a good job of it. If feeling me there gave you confidence, then so be it. But don’t undermine yourself, either. You trained hard on Taseeus.”
    My head flicked in Lissa’s direction. “Don’t tell that skank where we’re hiding out! She’ll betray us all.”
    Lissa had the decency to flush with shame. Surprisingly, it was Kenix who came to her defense. “Amanda, I discovered Lissa in Graneden. It was she who approached me, with Oro.”
    â€œOro? He’s just as much a deceiver as she is,” I snapped. “What the hell were you doing in my town?”
    â€œYou’d mentioned it to me, and when I was allowed to return to Earth I decided to go there…since you couldn’t.”
    If that was her twisted way of honoring me she was crazier than I had been. “So, lucky you. You get to return to Earth with your evil sidekick. Congrats on winning the game by the way,” I sneered at her.
    â€œI’m sorry. I never meant to betray you and Ayres. And Oro and I didn’t stay together. He remained on Calixtus. He only found