THE PARADISE SNARE(21)

“Neither is cutting off my ears,” Han said. “Listen, I’ve had it. You tell me what you know, and you tell me right now, or I swear I’ll cut your throat wide open. And then I’m leaving here. I’ve had it with you.”

Thrackan’s dark eyes were wide with fear. Something he’d seen on Han’s face must have convinced the older boy that Han was so angry he would be wise not to push him. “Okay, okay!”

“Now,” Han said. “Talk.”

Stammering with fear, Thrackan told the story.

Years ago, Thrackan’s grandfather, Denn Solo, and his grandmother, Tira Gama Solo, had lived on the fifth inhabited planet in the Corellian system, a colony world called Tralus. Those were perilous times, and roving bands of raiders and pirates threatened many outlying worlds.

The raiders never reached Corellia, but they reached Tralus. A fleet of them landed and devastated the entire colony.

“Grandma Solo was pregnant,” Thrackan gasped, because it was hard to breathe with Han sitting on his chest. “And the night their town was attacked, she had her babies. Twins. One of them was later named Tiion.

Grandma Solo took her and ran away from the raiders. She managed to hide in a cave in the hills.”

“Tiion,” Han said. “Your mother.”

“Right. The other baby was a boy, Grandma Solo said. Her husband took him.

There hadn’t even been time to name them. Grandma said it was terrible.

Fires everywhere, and people running and screaming. She and Grandpa Denn got separated in the rush to escape.”

“And?” Han flexed his hand slightly, and the blade moved against Thrackan’s throat.

“Like I said, Grandma Solo and Tiion escaped. But Grandpa Solo and the baby boy vanished. They were never heard from again.”

“So who does that make me?” Han said, completely baffled.

“I don’t know,” Thrackan said. “But if I had to guess, I’d guess that you’re my cousin. That somehow Grandpa Solo and his son got away, and that you’re the son of his son.”

“Doesn’t anybody know anything but that?” Han demanded, feeling desperate.

This was a total dead end—the disappointment was crushing.

“Servants?”

“Grandpa Solo didn’t like human servants. He always had droids. And when Grandma Solo made it back to her family on Corellia, Great grandpa Gama had all the droids’ memories erased. He thought it would be easier on her that way. He wanted her to get married again, start a new life.” Thrackan struggled to take a deep breath. “But she never did.”

“So what happened to your mom?”

“I don’t know. She’s always been afraid to trust people, and she hates crowds. After my dad died, she just wanted to shut herself away. So she did.”

Han’s knife hand drooped, and he shook his head. “Okay,” he said.

“I’m go—” With a sudden heave, Thrackan threw him off, and then, before Han could counter the move, their positions were reversed. Han gazed up at his cousin, knowing that he’d be lucky to live through this.

Thrackan’s dark eyes blazed with hate, rage, and sadistic pleasure. “You’re going to be very, very sorry, Han,” he said quietly.

And Han was.

Thrackan locked him in a bare storeroom for three days, giving him only bread and water. On the afternoon of the third day, as Han was sitting listlessly in a corner, Thrackan unlocked the door. “I’m afraid this is goodbye, coz,” he said cheerfully. “Someone’s here to take you home.”

Han looked around desperately as Garris and Larrad Shrike followed Thrackan into the room, but as he already knew, there was nowhere to run.

Han shook his head and refused to let himself think about the days that had followed. Shrike had been held back in his punishment only by the fact that he hadn’t wanted to “damage” Han permanently because of his growing reputation as an expert speeder and swoop pilot. But there had been lots of things he could do that wouldn’t cause permanent damage, and he had done most of them …

The only time Han had been beaten more severely was after the debacle on Jubilar, when he was seventeen. Han had already been bruised and sore from the gladitorial Free-For-All he’d been forced to fight in, after being caught cheating at cards. That time, Shrike hadn’t bothered with a strap, he’d just used his fists—battering the boy’s face and body until Larrad and several others had pulled him off Han’s unconscious form.

And now he’s killed Dewlanna, Han thought bitterly. If anyone ever needed killing, it’s Garris Shrike.

For a moment he wondered why it had never occurred to him to kill the unconscious Shrike before he’d made his getaway aboard the Ylesian Dream.