Lady Moon, Sha'tan #1

Chapter 13 Melting the Iceberg

Finding General Andersen’s door ajar, Dana peeked through the narrow opening. What was he doing in, on a Bank holiday? She could only see his left hand and arm. Tentatively, she pushed the wooden panel, popping her head in. He was seating at his desk, reading her report.

“What do you want?”, he said abruptly, without lifting his eyes.

Dana moved in, not bothered by his usual lack of manners. Respectful, short and to the point, was the best way to address him.

“I apologize for the interruption Sir, I noticed the opened door and thought I might ask if you were happy with this. I wrote it fast and could have forgotten something.”

The General looked up and grumbled:

“Up to now it seems fine. Sorry for the short notice though. I was very surprised myself when I got this mail yesterday afternoon, requesting this report for today. I have to bring it to the Council by ten AM, and I don’t know why, considering that the meeting is only scheduled for four PM tomorrow. But well, even Generals have to follow orders sometime…”

Dana pulled an indifferent face:

“And who will collect this, if I may ask Sir? I mean, they might be specifically in charge of this file.”

Andersen shrugged:

“Stan Myer, Sir Myer’s son. I didn’t know he was in the military department, last time I heard he was counselling his father in artistic matters. He must be acting on his instructions.”

Like hell he was! Dana scowled. Stan Myer was Ray Powers’ adoptive brother. The two of them were notorious debauchery buddies, although it was rumoured that Powers’ sadistic pleasures had gone overboard and pushed them apart. Knowing she was in charge of a sensitive file, must have made him fear she wouldn’t be discharged from the army any time soon. The Council was getting tired of covering for his scandals, showering money and threats to silence poor girls who had been beaten, tortured, and even raped for fun. He was starting to outlive his purpose, and if Dana was not available soon, he might eventually get what he deserved. And he wouldn’t want that. For a White Sha’tan, his crimes meant branding and deportation to a Cornwall tin mine, where the horrific work conditions could not be endured by humans, serving a very long life sentence. The owners of the mine would pay good money for him, one hundred and thirty two was still young in Sha’tan’s years. With a bit of luck, one of his victims would be a guard’s little sister…

Yep, Dana could see why he would try and get her kicked out now. She would have to be extra careful. He might stop when aware of the four months deadline she was given, but if he knew of her plan to train for the competition, he could well step up to another level.

Her mind snapped back to the conversation:

“Do you know what the announcement was about yesterday, Sir? That was unexpected, to say the least?”

He sighed:

“I haven’t been informed yet. Maybe tomorrow. But right now I can only guess. Close the door behind you will you?”

He was already focusing back on his work.

“Yes Sir!”

Turning around, she smirked at the blunt dismissal. What happened to: “get your lazy arse back to work”, or “get the heck out of my office”? The man must be tired or in love, she thought. Anyway, she was not going to worry today. This was a Bank holiday after all, and she wanted to make the best of it.

Her head was buzzing with projects when she reached her computer. It was early enough, she could make it to the Blue Lagoon before lunchtime, and soak happily for the afternoon… or not. According to the message on her screen, she had to be at Liam O’Brien’s place at 5.30. She cursed her luck. Why did she have to start precisely today? But she could not turn it down, so she decided to go for the next best thing: Nauth Beach. The coldness of the ocean, at the meeting point of the Atlantic and Arctic waters, was extremely unwelcoming, but that particular area was heated by hot geothermal springs, making it a popular bathing spot. Shortly, she entertained the idea of waking Jan up, before thinking better of it. As much as she liked him, she’d rather wait until he cleared his issue with Kate. That might be selfish, but she needed some alone time to clear her mind and focus. If Liam O’Brien was still living up to his reputation, training under him was not going to be a walk in the park.