Page 61 of Hot Zone

She sighed. She supposed it would do no harm to tell him at this point. He had come clean with her. Fair play dictated that she do the same with him.

“I’m from a couple thousand years in the future. My home is on the other side of the planet, in lands that these ancient people don’t have the faintest idea even exist.”

He nodded, kissing his way across her temple and distracting her thoroughly. Liquid heat warmed her lower body and melting need made her knees suspiciously weak all of a sudden. He was mesmerizing. Even when she was so mad at him she could spit, she still couldn’t get enough of him.

“Why did you come here?” he asked, his tongue swirling around the shell of her ear, causing her body to arch into his of its own volition.

“Research,” she managed to mumble.

“What did you lose?”

That startled her partially out of her sexual haze. “I beg your pardon?” She hedged, thinking fast. How was she going to answer or avoid that without lying to him?

“You’re looking for something you said you lost.”

Inspiration struck. She said smoothly, “It’s a modern map. I accidentally lost it, and it has to be recovered. I can’t interfere with the natural development of mankind, and leaving that kind of information behind could affect human progress.”

Rustam nodded in understanding. “Tricky stuff, time travel. We try to do as little of it as possible for the very reason you’re talking about. Time paradoxes are difficult to untangle and put right.”

“They can be fixed, then?” she asked with interest. “We haven’t gotten that far yet.”

He smiled wryly. “Then I guess I’d better quit talking about that, and not set your own history awry by giving you information your civilization isn’t ready for yet.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. The irony was too rich. She looked around the valley curiously. “Do you know where we are?”

He followed her gaze. “I told the horses yesterday to head south as far as they could and still avoid any humans. When we went over that cliff last night, I willed us to appear wherever the horses were. I imagine we gave them a hell of a shock when we showed up beside them.”

She nodded, thinking aloud, “So if the horses did as you said, we’re somewhere to the south of Thermopylae. Hopefully, well clear of the battle, which should start in earnest today or tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow if my race’s histories of Earth are accurate.”

His people kept histories of Earth? That was interesting. She would have to remember to ask him about that later.

Tessa continued her line of thought. “A horse without a rider would travel fifteen, maybe eighteen miles in a day. So we’re still thirty or forty miles from Athens, somewhat farther inland than we were last night.”

“Based on this terrain, I would say your estimate is correct.”

“Too bad you didn’t imagine us landing at the Parthenon.”

He grunted. “Xerxes is going to sack the place. I have no desire to be in Athens when he does.”

His arms fell away from her with a last caress of his fingertips along her wrists. Shivers rippled through her that had nothing to do with cold.

He murmured, “We ought to get going. I don’t know how far we are from the battlefield, and more Greeks may be moving through this area. As I recall, several local tribes joined the Spartans for their stand at the pass.”

She nodded. “The Thespians and Thebans.”

“Exactly.”

She nodded again and headed wearily for her mare. Apparently, teleporting really took the starch out of a person. It would explain why both of their auras had been so badly drained last night. Rustam looked tired, too, as he headed for Polaris.

They went through the simple motions of checking the horses and repacking gear that had been jostled about during their time away. Then the two mounted up, and Rustam turned the stallion to the south. In this open terrain, Tessa was able to ride beside him easily.

“Need to check anything?” she murmured, holding out her hand to him.

He smiled ruefully. “I still haven’t figured out why, ever since you showed up, my powers have been so messed up. Care to share what you’ve done to me?”

She blinked in surprise. “You’re the one who’s been messing up my powers.”

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