26. TWENTY-FOUR

twenty-four

“Idon’t know what you’re talking about,” Kira muttered as Alexander started toward Selene. “I did an excellent job of keeping a low profile.”

Jin’s guffaw was loud enough to make Kira flinch. She took an uneasy look around to make sure nobody heard. Luckily, most of those present seemed too lost in their own thoughts to pay any attention to what was happening around her.

The journey to make it this far had taken a toll on some. They were too busy remaining upright to care about anything else.

Good. One less problem to worry about.

“If you think the way you settled your duel wasn’t flashy, you’re fooling yourself,” Jin said after he’d finally stopped laughing.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Kira muttered as she shot a glare at the tunnel that would eventually spit out Raider and the other two.

What was taking them so long?

Devon and Joule had left before her. They should have been here by now.

Jin chortled, the lu-ong’s tail flicking against her wrist in amusement. “You survived a death blow.”

“It wasn’t real,” Kira said.

“Doesn’t matter. It felt real. Your body thought it was dying,” Jin responded. “That makes it real enough. Yet, you didn’t fall. Instead, you acted like you’d suffered a bee sting. How do you think the Tuann will react to that?”

Kira hated when Jin sounded logical. She wasn’t used to him being the sensible one in this relationship.

In retrospect, she probably should have found a different method to accomplish her goals.

“The wanderer didn’t fall either,” Kira pointed out defensively.

It took willpower to ignore the signals your body was sending you. It showed he possessed determination on par with Kira’s or that he’d faced training as brutal as what she’d undergone.

Perhaps both.

“You’re still an idiot,” Jin retorted. “We’ll talk about how suspicious he is later.”

Kira grimaced. Why was he suddenly so focused? Normally, he would have let himself be distracted a dozen times by now.

“Did you really think no one would notice?” Jin griped. “You might as well have stuck a sign on yourself that says ‘Look at me.’ You overcame death. If that’s not dramatic, I don’t know what is.”

“Yes, yes. I made a mistake. I get your point.”

It would have been better if she’d won by a narrow margin instead. Too bad she hadn’t realized how lifelike the bio feedback was until far too late.

“Not yet, but you will,” Jin threatened.

Sure. Right about the time she learned to fear cute, fluffy bunnies.

Quiet settled as Jin let the topic drop.

Not even a few minutes passed before he wasn’t able to resist breaking the silence. “Where are those three? They should have been here by now.”

Kira rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. “I’m sure they won’t be much longer.”

“How can you say that? Joule and Devon left before us, and Raider was only minutes behind us.”

Kira gave her wrist a look, finding his frustration revealing. “Are you saying this because you’re worried about all three? Or just Devon?”

“I just think it’s weird how long they’re taking,” Jin said, choosing to ignore her question. “Maybe I should go check on them.”

“Don’t you dare,” Kira said, her humor in the situation falling away. “Have you seen how many oshota are on the edges of this room? There’s no way you’ll be able to make it into that tunnel without one of them noticing.”

Not to mention, there was a possibility that the tunnels were like the archways and every path was different. She would have liked the chance to ask the others about their experiences and whether they’d walked through the same abyss she had.

Unfortunately, such questions would only draw attention to her.

Well—more attention than she’d already garnered.

“The quickest way to find out what is going on is to do a little reconnaissance,” Jin argued.

“Don’t you do it.”

If his mini lu-ong stretched so much as a tail off her wrist, Kira would incinerate the spawn with every bit of ki at her disposal.

Attention drawing actions be damned.

Before Jin could argue further, Devon stumbled out of the darkness. His face exhausted. Far more so than warranted based on Kira’s experience.

It was further evidence supporting her theory that the tunnels contained different experiences for those traveling through them.

Kira sensed rather than heard Jin’s sigh of relief.

Joule stepped out of the darkness next.

The two boys said something to each other before they started forward, a unit as they faced the rest of the initiates.

It was Kira’s turn to feel worried as the minutes passed with no sign of Raider.

Not much concern. Just a tiny amount. No bigger than a thimble full.

“He’s certainly taking his sweet time,” Kira remarked as Solal stepped forward, signifying the end was close at hand.

Hurry up, Raider, Kira mentally urged. Waiting on you, buddy.

“Is he trying to be the last one across the line?” Jin hissed.

Looked like it.

Jin let out an amused huff. “At least someone remembers the correct way to fly under the radar.”

Kira gave the sleeve that hid her best friend a dirty look.

Solal opened his mouth to speak but paused as Raider stalked out of the darkness, covered in blood with a face that said he’d gladly murder anyone who stepped in front of him.

“Get held up?” Kira asked as Raider changed course toward her.

“You could say I had to take care of a few, small annoyances.”

Kira shot him a quick glance, noting the shadow of a bruise on the side of his face along with a tear in his armor.

Kira knew exactly how much damage their armor could take. For it to show signs of battle, it meant Raider had tangled with someone or something a few categories above a simple annoyance.

Not that Kira planned to question him on that manner. If he wanted to downplay things, who was she to argue?

Solal started speaking just then. “The emperor wishes for me to convey his congratulations upon reaching this point. Some of you have shown your skills in battle and proven your ability to survive. Others may be confused as to why they remain after facing such a loss.”

Raider shifted his weight as he looked around at the bafflement on many of the faces around them. “They certainly like to state the obvious.”

In front of them, Solal waited until the murmurs in the crowd died before continuing. “Traveling beyond this point means leaving your childhood behind and stepping into the realm of an adult. Certain responsibilities come upon passing the adva ka. A few of you have tasted what that might involve. The possibility of death is something you should not forget. For that may be what is asked of you should your House ever come under attack. You will be the one standing at the forefront. The first to fall in defense of the more vulnerable members of your House.”

Solal’s gaze swept the crowd, lingering on the faces of those initiates who hadn’t made it through the battle royale.

“It is an unpleasant fact that we live in a dangerous universe. Your end may come at any moment.” Solal paused to let that sink in. “From here on out, the stakes become very real. It will no longer be pretend. If you die in the next stage, it will be for good.”

Solal’s gaze was solemn as two doorways shimmered into view behind him. One led to a dark tunnel, the second a large chamber that seemed to whisper Kira’s name.

“Those who wish to withdraw from the adva ka may do so now.“ Solal gestured to the doorway on his left. “There is no shame in turning from this path.”

“What do you think?” Kira asked Raider.

Her friend flashed her a cocky grin. “I’m going all the way, Nixxy. You should know that.”

Kira’s snicker was soft, having expected that answer. Raider had always been a competitive asshole who never turned away from a challenge and his reasons for being here hadn’t changed.

“What about you?” Raider asked.

“You have to ask?” Kira smirked. “Forward, my friend. Always forward.”

Solal was still speaking. “If there is even a hint of uncertainty in you, I advise you to reconsider your limits and how well you know yourself. The Mea’Ave will certainly judge you by them.”

For a short time after he finished speaking, there was silence. No one moving toward either door.

Kira was interested to see the initiates appeared contemplative as they considered the ramifications of the two options Solal had laid out in front of them.

It was no easy decision. Particularly in light of the fact that many of them had experienced the closest thing to death they could without actually dying.

They were no longer behind the safe, comforting walls of their Houses. There was no safety net waiting to protect them. Any choice made now held serious ramifications.

In a way the move was pure genius, bringing home in a visceral way exactly what they stood to lose.

Some would rise to the challenge while others would falter.

Kira was interested to see who would choose what.

It didn’t entirely surprise her when Tinsley was the first to march forward, moving into the chamber without a backward glance.

A distortion rippled the air as an oshota stepped into view, following Tinsley as she disappeared past the statues guarding the entrance.

Tinsley’s actions broke the ice, several more initiates following. A few took advantage of the distraction to slink toward the tunnel, disappearing into it without a word.

“I’m surprised.” Raider nodded toward Renata and Notus as they headed for the tunnel. “I thought they’d be in it to the end given how combative they were toward Joule.”

Kira too.

It unsettled her that they were acting out of character. Both had made it into one of the circles, so she doubted it was the fear of possible death keeping them from advancing.

“Jin, do you have any more mini spawn lurking around?” Kira asked.

“Maybe.” Jin dragged the word out.

Raider patted her on the shoulder, signaling he was going ahead. She nodded to show she understood as he moved past her to join Devon and Joule.

Together they headed for the chamber.

“See if you can have them follow Renata and Notus,” Kira instructed.

“On it.”

Aware of Solal’s approach, Kira lifted her hand to cover her mouth as she spoke under her breath. “And don’t think I’m not mad that you created more of those things.”

Jin’s cackle made Kira want to roll her eyes as Solal stopped in front of her.

“Am I to take it you drew the short straw as my escort?” Kira asked.

“Not me.”

Kira glanced at Baran behind Solal and almost laughed. “Are you sure about this? He’s zero for two so far.”

Kira didn’t know the oshota very well. Mostly because he’d remained behind in human space for an as yet undetermined reason Kira bet had something to do with her. The few encounters she’d had with him always resulted in him chasing her with the aim for capture

He failed. Twice.

“I won’t make the same mistakes again,” Baran promised.

“Sure. If you say so.”

Kira moved past him, getting her first good look at the chamber and what was inside. It was a grotto, light trickling through several openings in the ceiling.

A brook wound through the space, moss clinging to its banks. The plants were a deep verdant green mixed with varying blues and purples. Glowing insects flitted from plant to plant, hovering a few inches off each one as their light flicked on and off.

The scene looked like something out of a fairy tale with small bridges offering passage across the brook in several places.

Pavilions were interspersed throughout, the structures almost blending into nature.

“Kira.” Jin’s whisper pulled Kira out of the trance she’d fallen into.

Kira swallowed hard. “I know.”

The next room wasn’t just otherworldly—though it certainly was that.

There was more than beauty contained in this place. Pressure clamped her body, growing with every step she took.

Power. Pure and hypnotic.

Enough to set Kira’s molars tingling.

The feeling was an uncomfortable one. The equivalent of being dipped into a pool of hot water that was just this side of boiling.

“This is a Nexus,” Kira whispered in realization.

A place where the Mea’Ave spilled into the world unfiltered.

Kira concentrated to force a little more strength into her limbs, becoming aware of a splash of red off to her right. An oshota withdrew her blade from the back of the initiate she’d been tasked with following. A young woman who now lay face down on the ground, the mossy plants absorbing the blood that had spilled onto them.

With an expressionless face, the oshota cleaned her sword before turning back the way she’d come.

Her gaze met Kira’s briefly as she left the fallen initiate on the ground at her feet.

Suddenly, Baran’s presence took on new meaning.

At her glance back, he smiled wide at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling as if to ask if she planned to continue.

Kira faced front, the unsettling feeling of an executioner waiting behind her as she struggled to figure out the reasoning behind the initiate’s death.

Because that woman was dead. True dead. No illusions or second chances kind of dead.

The Tuann had been so careful until now to keep casualties at a minimum. What changed?

Was it the abundance of Mea’Ave surrounding her? Soaking into her skin and bones. Filling her up.

Not until she saw the entranced expressions on several initiate’s faces, did she understand.

Temptation.

That’s what this place was.

Now that she’d had the thought, she could feel it. The whispers promising her anything she wanted.

She could take the Mea’Ave and rule. Not just the Tuann. But everything.

The Consortium. The Haldeel.

The Tsavitee would be no match for her. All she had to do was reach out and claim it.

Kira didn’t even hesitate as she paced toward the nearest bridge.

“How are you doing?” she whispered in Japanese.

“This is like nothing I’ve ever felt. It’s—“ Jin trailed off.

“Like you’re experiencing everything at once.”

Every single thing.

Life. Death. What came between—and afterward.

All of it.

It was overwhelming. Seductive. With the force filling her up, she could become a god. Someone no one could stand against.

“How do they live away from this?” Jin asked dreamily.

Kira’s steps slowed.

“Does that mean you wish to stay here for the rest of your life?” Kira forced a teasing note into her voice. “That’s a pity. Guess I’ll have to find a new copilot for the Wanderer.”

That seemed to snap Jin out of his enthrallment. “What are you talking about?”

Kira shrugged. “You’re the one who was talking about not being able to live away from the Mea’Ave.”

Jin sputtered. “That’s not what I meant.”

Baran’s voice interrupted. “Who are you talking to?”

Kira and Jin went quiet as she looked over her shoulder. Baran’s narrowed eyes darted around the space as if he were trying to find the other person.

“Myself,” Kira said after a tense moment.

“Really?”

She nodded. “You don’t see anyone else, do you?”

Had he been Finn or any of Graydon’s other oshota, he would never have fallen for her lie.

But this was Baran.

He didn’t know her like they did nor was he familiar with Jin’s tendency of using his mini spawn as avatars. It left Kira a little wiggle room for half-truths.

Not much, mind you, but enough.

His eyes narrowed further.

“Shall we continue?” Kira asked, hoping to distract him from the suspicion she could see growing. “Or are you planning to put that en-blade to use?”

Baran looked down as if just realizing his hand was on the hilt of the blade.

He moved it away. “That won’t be necessary.”

Kira didn’t say anything about the fact he’d been fondling his blade, knowing the gesture was just as much about seeking comfort in the familiar as it was a potential first move toward violence.

Who hadn’t done something similar?

Kira practically lived with one hand on her weapon when she was a salvager. As long as that blade stayed in its sheath, she’d have no problems with him.

It was only if he drew it that she’d be forced to reconsider.

Kira turned back to the path. “I take it I passed the test.”

By now, Kira had crossed the bridge over the brook and was making her way toward the large stone structure built into the side of the rockface.

“You succeeded as soon as you took your second step into this room,” Baran informed her.

“Then why are you still following me?”

Baran gave her a flat look. “Observation.”

His answer made her realize that every oshota tasked with shadowing the initiates had worn the emperor’s colors.

There wasn’t a single exception.

“A neutral party is required to ensure Houses don’t try to assassinate the young of their rival’s,” Baran continued.

“What’s to stop the emperor from doing the same to those who might one day grow to oppose him?” Kira asked.

“No one is forcing them into the adva ka,“ Baran pointed out.

Kira scoffed. Some future that would be.

To never be considered a full adult. Kira couldn’t think of anything worse.

At the same time, she couldn’t fault Torvald’s decision to only allow his oshota to preside over the event.

The Houses’ participation would have been an invitation for bloodshed. Their feuds likely to rage through the adva ka even more than they already did.

Nor could she blame Torvald if he did take advantage of that small loophole to kill future enemies.

Maintaining the balance of the Tuann was a delicate thing.

Also, just because he could do something didn’t mean he would.

Kira moved past several columns, finding a set of steps leading upward. Vines crept over the walls. A carpet of gently glowing purples and blues that seemed to almost pulse with a heartbeat.

Kira set a hand on the railing, following the spiral staircase upwards.

She forgot about Baran, lost in the murals that depicted several battles.

Kira paused in front of the first, her gaze lingering on the artist’s use of light and dark. It drew the viewer’s attention to the hundreds of Tuann kneeling in the rain. They were guarded by shadowy figures whose features were indistinct and veiled by the rain.

The use of light threw the expressions of the Tuann into stark reality. The blankness of their faces. The way their eyes screamed with a pain so deep and stark it felt like Kira’s own.

The world faded as the sound of rain began to drown out the gentle babble of the brook.

As if from a distance, Kira heard Jin ask a question, but she was too immersed in the sensations of the painting to respond.

Water soaked into the knee of her pants as she knelt on the muddy ground. She bowed to the person in front of her, dread threatening to choke her.

Evil radiated from the outline of her master. A corruption she knew would destroy her soul.

There was no escape. Not even in death.

Kira became aware that she was crying. Tears trickled down her cheeks to be washed away by the falling rain.

“Kira!”

A sharp pain lanced the web between her thumb and forefinger jolting Kira out of the vision.

“If you don’t answer me right now, I will bite your finger off,” Jin snarled through their comms.

“Do it and I’ll destroy your spawn,” Kira retorted as liquid ran down her index finger to drip onto the stair where she’d paused.

Kira lifted her hand to find two deep pinpricks in the skin between her thumb and forefinger.

“I can’t believe this! You bit me!”

Kira’s anger made her almost forget that Baran was still watching her. It meant she didn’t yank up her sleeve to grab Jin’s spawn and stomp it into a million little pieces—but just barely.

Baran’s forehead wrinkled as his gaze landed on the injury.

Kira dropped her hand, tugging her sleeve over it before he could say anything.

“You know how I feel being ignored. If you didn’t want the consequences, you should have responded to any of the five times I called you.”

Kira paused. Five times?

“I didn’t hear you.”

“Hence the reason I gave you a snake bite.”

Unsettled and wanting to distance herself from the mural, Kira started climbing again.

“What happened?” Jin asked.

“You don’t know?”

“If I knew, do you think I would have employed such a drastic measure? I couldn’t get through to you.” Jin’s confession held fear.

“I felt like I was in the painting,” Kira murmured.

It was more than that. It was like she’d become the Tuann inside it. Every feeling and sensation as clear as if she were the one experiencing them.

She could have lived with that, but it was the unsettling similarity to her own past that made her want to flee and never returned.

“You really didn’t feel it?”

“No,” he said finally. “I felt nothing.”

Kira didn’t know if she should be grateful for that fact or worried since the murals seemed designed to engender a reaction in those passing by.

At least as far as she could tell.

It was difficult to know for sure without other Tuann nearby to act as a control sample.

Despite her worry, Kira had no choice but to continue to climb. A story began to emerge as she did.

The first image she saw below was the one where the Tuann were at their lowest. Slaves to their ancient masters.

The second mural featured the fateful encounter that would lead to their salvation.

It was of a Tuann whose back faced the viewer as they confronted a massive lu-ong, its mouth open to reveal teeth the size of a person. The creature flared its crest, the colors a brilliant azure and magenta amongst the dark subject matter.

Vertigo tugged at Kira as the lu-ong’s gaze shifted past the warrior to look straight into the heart of her.

This time Kira was smarter, jerking back before she could fall into the painting.

She told herself she was imagining the drip of water droplets on a stone floor. The whisper of scales that pursued her even as she started climbing again.

And she definitely didn’t feel the hilt of an invisible blade digging into her palm.

Nope. Not at all.

“You alright?” Jin asked as she hurried up the stairs.

Kira hummed an answer, not wanting to speak any further with Baran standing right there and watching every move.

She had no doubt at this point that he was there to observe—exactly as he’d stated before.

He’d probably carry every word and gesture back to Graydon and the emperor. Without knowing what these paintings meant, Kira didn’t want to reveal too much.

Kira reached the end of the stairs, stepping into a long corridor with several doors opening off it.

Two of the rooms were occupied. The rest on the floor were still open.

Kira counted. There were exactly the same number of doors as there were initiates.

Solal’s words came back to her.

“Rest. Right.”

Kira hesitated for only a moment before crossing toward a door with the outline of the same tree she’d perched in what felt like days ago.

She couldn’t say what made her choose that door out of all the rest. Simply that it felt right.

Like it was waiting for her to claim it.

Kira went to push it open, surprised when color spread from the place she’d touched.

A bird took shape next to the tree. Its wings spread as reds and oranges mixed with an electric blue until it looked like fire trailed in its wake.

“It’s a phoenix,” Jin said in an awed voice.

Kira stopped and stared, admiring the addition of the bird. One of the most powerful entities in human mythology.

There was a reason Kira had chosen the phoenix as her call sign over all others.

It was because the phoenix was a creature revered for its ability to resurrect itself from the ashes of its downfall. Having fallen a time or two herself, Kira could admire the fortitude it took to pull itself back together.

The sound of footsteps behind Kira announced Baran’s departure.

Jin took the opportunity to slip out of Kira’s sleeve, dropping to the ground as she pushed open the door.

The focal point of the room beyond was the bed. Soft and dreamy, its design delicate and feminine. It seemed to sing Kira’s name, the comfortable sheets and pillows beckoning her.

How nice would it be to lay down and forget everything for a while?

The same glowing vines below were present along one wall here too. They climbed toward the ceiling, an intricate tapestry.

Kira whistled as she leaned against the door’s frame and looked around, Jin having already disappeared.

Good thing too, given the man watching her from his seat on the opposite side of the room.

“This is certainly fancy. Not the sort of accommodations I’d expect in a challenge as strenuous as the adva ka.”

“Those who work hard should be rewarded,” Graydon told her with a faint smirk. “Don’t you agree?”

Coli, subtleness isn’t in your skill set, Graydon thought at her with a silent rumble of laughter. For all her attempts to go unnoticed, she shone as brightly as any star.

Personally, he found it quite amusing.

A woman set on obscurity unable to achieve it because of her excellence.

Yes, it was entertaining to watch, if nothing else.

Had Kira been anyone but the heir of Roake, he was sure Torvald would have already drafted an invitation requesting she pledge her service to him.

As it was, Roake had lucked out in its chosen heir.

“First your warning in the arena. Now your presence in a place I’m certain would meet with disapproval.” The tilt of Kira’s head was almost coy as she stepped into the room, letting the door close behind her. “What’s the matter, Graydon? Miss me?”

This time Graydon’s rumble was audible. “Always, coli.”

Every second she spent away from him. She was an ache in his bones. A gaping hole in his soul.

Warmth expanded in his chest as he caught the way she froze in place, her eyes blinking rapidly as if his answer had surprised her.

It took effort to remain seated and not respond to her delightful reaction.

Tension entered his body as he controlled his breathing, watching Kira with a careful gaze.

A predator afraid of spooking his prey before it was time.

That’s it, coli. Come closer, Graydon whispered in his mind as Kira advanced a few steps toward him.

“Enough flirting. Why are you here?” Kira said with the cute little frown that always made Graydon want to kiss it from her face.

He resisted the impulse, watching her out of the corner of his eye. “Truthfully, I expected you sooner. Anything I should know?”

Kira narrowed her eyes at him, the expression making him bite back a laugh.

“Excuse my delay. I was distracted by the whole oshota murdering initiates thing,” Kira said in a sarcastic voice that couldn’t quite hide how disturbing she found that fact.

Graydon couldn’t help but regret the harsh return of reality. “Now you know why Harlow wasn’t thrilled with your decision to step into the adva ka.”

“He could have warned me.”

He did. Kira simply hadn’t listened.

“There is a vow of silence involved with the adva ka. Advice can be given but only up to a point.”

Graydon was sure Harlow and Wren did everything in their power to prepare Kira for what she would face.

It was one of the reasons a position in Roake’s training program was so highly coveted. Tuann who underwent the uhva na almost never failed this section of the trial.

“Tomorrow’s trial is where most Tuann fall,” Graydon informed her.

Kira’s gaze sharpened, a blade trying to dig out all Graydon’s secrets. “Is that why you’re here? To warn me?”

Graydon allowed himself a small rumble of amusement. “You could say that.”

Kira’s eyes narrowed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

As ever, his coli was as suspicious and wary as a turz. A small mammal on one of Roake’s planets that was cute and adorable but highly paranoid.

When agitated, it had been known to take on adversaries twice its size.

In that, the turz and Kira shared much in common.

“Each initiate is permitted a guide in hopes the counsel they provide can help them with what is coming.”

Kira stopped to aim an arch look at Graydon that spoke volumes. “And Harlow was okay with you taking that spot?”

He wasn’t.

In fact, he’d been quite vocal in his opposition. The only reason he backed down was because Kira had entered the emperor’s path.

As much as he loved his niece, Harlow was also an Overlord of the Tuann. Duty and the preservation of their way of life were difficult taskmasters he couldn’t ignore.

Kira shook her head after studying him for a moment. “I don’t think so.”

Clever woman.

But then, that was what he loved about her.

“The emperor may have intervened,” Graydon admitted.

“I bet Harlow was thrilled about that.”

Graydon let out a hum of agreement. That was putting things mildly.

Kira flopped onto the settee across from him, sprawling along its cushions with a boneless grace. “Are you going to tell me why you’re really here? Or should I just guess?”