CHAPTER THIRTEEN

KYRION

W atching Vesper get into a transport and leave the estate was more difficult than I'd imagined, especially since all I wanted was to follow and make sure she stayed safe.

The velvety ribbon of Vesper unspooled in my mind, the strand growing thinner and thinner the farther away the transport moved. My hands tightened around the balcony railing at the unsettling sensation, and it took all my willpower not to frantically grab onto that strand like a belligerent child who refused to relinquish a beloved toy. My inner monster grumbled, unhappy with my decision to stay behind, but I grumbled right back at it, and the moody bastard finally shut up.

I watched until the transport was out of sight. Then I released my grip on the railing and went back inside the guest wing to continue my reconnaissance.

I prowled from one level to another, studying every single area, from small libraries filled with paper books, to larger rooms boasting hoverbilliards and other gaming tables, to hidden alcoves that were only large enough for a single rocking chair. I even swept through a kitchen with a well-stocked fridge and pantry and a servant waiting to make whatever I desired, instead of having a brewmaker or some other food fabricator spit it out.

Oh, yes. The guest wing featured everything I would expect in a noble's home—except security cameras. I didn't see a single camera embedded in the ceiling, hidden inside a light fixture, or attached to a glittering geode sculpture on the walls.

The Colliers were placing a lot of trust in Vesper and me not to be spying on our every movement. But I supposed when your society was largely based on notions of honor and etiquette, eavesdropping on your guests would be considered very bad form indeed.

I wound up on the ground floor, stepped through a pair of double doors, and stopped in front of the large, central topiary garden. Like everything else, the garden was securely ensconced below the estate's energy shield, so the air was pleasantly cool without a hint of the stiff breeze that was currently whistling around outside the shield.

House Collier guards armed with blasters were standing at the garden entrance, but they didn't try to stop me as I stalked past them. I moved from one sculpted tree and hedge to the next, making mental notes of where all the paths led and which trees and hedges were large enough to provide cover from the guards' blasters. I might not have gone with Vesper into the city, but I could make certain the estate was secure for her return.

Eventually, I reached the center of the garden, which opened into a wide circular area that featured several stone benches and small bubbling fountains. Thick stands of blue-moon peonies ringed the area, perfuming the air with their sweet spearmint aroma. A few mammoth butterflies were hovering over the blossoms, their shimmering black-and-blue wings making peony petals drift through the air like scented snowflakes.

Unexpected longing spiked through my chest. The area reminded me of my mother's garden at Castle Caldaren . . .

The air shimmered, and suddenly, Desdemona appeared, sitting on a bench and pruning stray leaves off some peonies. My mother looked up, and for a moment, her gaze bored into mine. Then she looked to her right, and another vision appeared: me as a thirteen-year-old boy.

In the vision, I stormed over to my mother and started yelling at her. Not such a happy memory after all, especially given the cruel things I'd said that day. I grimaced and spun away from the sight. As much as I cared about Vesper, I could have done without the odd visions her seer power showed me from time to time.

Lady Verona was sitting at a table in the middle of the circle, sipping tea and swiping through screens on her tablet. A single place setting was laid out across from her, as though she had been expecting me, while silver platters heaped with food covered the rest of the table.

From Holloway's research into the Colliers, I knew Verona and Aldrich were both psions, and I'd seen them telepathically communicate with each other in the library yesterday, but Verona anticipating my arrival was a tad unsettling.

Verona looked up at me, a wide smile splitting her face. "Hello, Kyrion. Care for some breakfast?"

"Of course," I murmured the automatic response.

I might be an Arrow, a monster, and a ruthless killer, but my mother had drilled good manners into me since I was old enough to walk. Desdemona had been a stickler for following protocol, although she'd also had a sly, subtle habit of bending societal niceties to her own will. More bittersweet longing spiked through my chest. So many horrible things had happened with my mother that I had almost forgotten how clever and devious she could be, even when she and my father had been under Holloway's thumb.

I fixed a plate of food and sat down across from Verona. Cranberry scones, apple pancakes topped with sweet vanilla-bean cream, decadent egg frittatas filled with vegetables, crispy bacon covered with a tangy, blood-orange glaze. Everything was delicious, and I found myself relaxing.

I also gently, carefully checked my connection to Vesper, and a hum of happiness rippled back to me. Whatever she was doing in Asterin's workshop was pleasing her. Good.

I dropped my napkin onto my empty plate. "Thank you. The food was excellent. My compliments to your chefs."

Verona set down her tablet, lining it up perfectly with the edge of the table. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope your suite is also to your liking."

"Everything has been lovely so far," I replied, matching her politeness.

To my surprise, Verona let out a loud snort. "Except for my stepdaughter's rude welcome yesterday in the antiques emporium."

"I have received far worse welcomes, my lady."

She snorted again and waved her left hand, making an emerald ring sparkle on her finger. "Verona, please. We are not nearly so formal as you Regals are."

"I will try to keep that in mind, my lady."

Verona picked up her teacup and studied me over the rim. "You want to know if Aldrich and I are going to betray you to Callus Holloway. If we are plotting your capture at this very moment. That's why you've been prowling around the guest wing all morning, giving the servants and guards fits."

"If they were true guards, they wouldn't have such fits," I countered. "But yes, those thoughts had crossed my mind."

A delighted laugh burst from her mouth. "I can see why Asterin likes you, Kyrion. You don't mince words, do you?"

"Words are meant to be used, not minced, my lady."

She laughed again. "Well said, but let me reassure you anyway. Aldrich and I would never do anything to harm you or Vesper. We gave you our word and our order of protection. Unlike Regal society, words mean a great deal to Erztonians."

Her voice rang with sincerity, and the same emotion twinged my telempathy. A tight knot of tension unwound in my chest. I didn't care so much about myself, but knowing Vesper would be safe here lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders.

"But safe shelter isn't the only reason you came here." Verona set down her teacup. "You also want to know what's wrong with your truebond with Vesper."

"Yes." I saw no reason to lie, especially given my awkward conversation with Vesper last night.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, Kyrion, but nothing is wrong with your bond."

I frowned. "What do you mean, nothing is wrong? You and Aldrich both said the bond hadn't solidified and wasn't stable. That it was a danger to Vesper and me and everyone around us."

"Each truebond is unique to its individual couple. What works for one couple might not work for another. And yes, your bond is new, so it hasn't fully solidified yet. And yes, it is a danger, but not in the way you think." Verona gestured at the garden. "The two of you won't suddenly lose control of your collective magics and decimate the estate with psionic lightning the way you did the Crownpoint throne room."

"But?"

She dropped her hand. "But the bond will only solidify once you and Vesper figure things out."

"What things ?" I growled.

"A truebond is about more than just trust. It's also about balance." She paused. "And conquering your fear."

I stiffened in my seat.

Verona leaned forward, her blue gaze frank and assessing. "I can feel your fear, Kyrion. It wafts off you like the cold fog rises off these mountains each morning. You're afraid you're going to lose Vesper to Callus Holloway."

Once again, I saw no reason to lie, even if the confession cracked something deep inside me. "Yes, I'm afraid I'm going to lose Vesper, and I'm bloody terrified that I'm not strong enough to protect her. Not just from Holloway and the bounty hunters but everyone else who might come after us."

I scrubbed a hand through my hair, trying to put my frustration into words. "I have to be smart and strong and capable all the time. I can't slip up or make a mistake. Not even once , not for one bloody second , because that could mean the difference between Vesper living and dying."

I drew in a breath and let it out, along with the rest of my dark confession. "And even if I manage to protect Vesper, I could still end up killing her. Because if I die, then she dies too."

Another laugh erupted out of Verona's mouth, startling me. She waved her hand again. "Sorry! I'm sorry! But I just can't help myself when people say such ridiculous things. You Imperium Regals really do have some odd ideas about truebonds, but I suppose that's only natural, given all the dreck on your gossipcasts." Her face softened. "As well as what happened to your parents."

I stiffened in my seat again. Out of the corner of my eye, the vision of my mother reappeared, along with my teenage self yelling at her. "And how, exactly, is being worried about my own death and thus killing Vesper by proxy ridiculous?"

Verona shrugged. "It is patently ridiculous to worry about things that might never happen. Besides, not every truebond automatically ends in death."

"What are you saying? That one person can actually survive a truebond even if the other person dies and the connection is severed? How is that possible?"

"No one really knows," Verona replied. "But one person dying in a truebond can have a variety of effects on the remaining partner."

Her shoulders drooped, and sadness rippled off her and twinged my telempathy. A memory bubbled up in my mind. Information from a file Holloway had given me on Verona, back when he'd been trying to force a truebond between Asterin and me.

"You had a truebond with your first husband, Urston, Asterin's father."

"Yes, I did. Urston and I were childhood sweethearts, and we got married after we both graduated from universities here on Sygnustern. Falling in love, getting married, having a truebond, it was all a slow, easy, natural progression."

A smile crept across Verona's face, and her eyes brightened. For a moment, I got a glimpse of the beautiful young woman she had been—and just how much she had loved her first husband.

But just as quickly, her smile snuffed out, and her gaze darkened with weary grief. "But then Urston died."

I remembered what Asterin had said about the mining accident that had claimed her father's life. "But you survived. How?"

"I had a heartbroken teenage daughter to care for, myriad lawsuits to settle, and mountains of debt to dig myself out of, quite literally. I didn't have time to die ." Verona's voice sharpened with every word. Her hands balled into fists, and her body vibrated, as if she was bracing herself to face an old, familiar enemy.

Questions swirled through my mind, but I held my tongue. Talking about this was obviously difficult for the Erzton lady, so why was she baring her soul?

Verona sighed out a breath and loosened her fists. "Not everyone involved in a truebond will end up like your parents, Kyrion. Some people can survive the severing of a bond." A sour note crept into her voice, and her nostrils flared with disgust. "Some people even thrive on it."

How could someone thrive on losing such a deep connection to another person? I had never heard of such a thing, much less imagined it was possible. No, everything I had seen, especially with my parents, had led me to believe a severed truebond equaled a slow, miserable death for the remaining partner.

Verona's tablet chimed, and she scooped up the device and got to her feet. "Duty calls. I must go help Aldrich and Leland prepare for the marriage mart tonight. You and Vesper are still welcome to attend as House Collier guests."

I also got to my feet and bowed to her. "Of course, my lady. Thank you for breakfast . . . and your advice."

Verona reached up and patted my cheek. The gentle motion reminded me so much of my mother it made my chest ache, and for the third time, I spotted that vision of Desdemona out of the corner of my eye. If only I could go back to that moment, I would have done so many things differently.

Verona dropped her hand, strode away, and disappeared into the garden, but her words kept echoing through my mind. With just one brief conversation, the Erzton lady had made me question everything I knew about truebonds.

Perhaps more important, she had also given me the tiniest ember of hope that I wouldn't end up getting myself and Vesper killed.

S ervants came to clear away the remains of the breakfast. Shouts rose in the distance, along with several distinctive thwacks . I followed the noise through the garden and over to a large training ring that butted up against the main castle.

Unlike the rest of the lush landscaping, not a topiary tree was in sight, and the ground was hard-packed dirt. Hoverpallets covered with towels, drinks, and other supplies sat off to the side, along with targets bristling with spears, daggers, and other sharp, pointed weapons. At the back of the ring, a permaglass wall jutted ten feet into the air, cordoning off this section of the estate from the dangerous drop below.

Siya paced back and forth along the edge of the training ring, watching two Hammers expertly batter each other with wooden staffs. The House Collier Hammers were the match of any Arrow I had ever trained with, except for Zane. As much as I hated to admit it, Zane Zimmer was an exceptional warrior—when he could control his own ego and end a fight without stopping to show off.

One woman knocked the other down, and the sparring match ended. The warrior who had landed flat on her back lifted her head and saw me. She let out a muttered curse, but I didn't care if the Hammers realized I was cataloging their strengths and weaknesses. We might not be outright enemies, but we certainly weren't friends.

One of the warriors nudged Siya, who looked in my direction.

"Well, well, we have an audience. Care to test your luck against some real warriors, Arrow?" Siya called out in a sarcastic voice.

I considered walking away. I was long past the point of letting an enemy goad me into a fight, except for Zane, who always slithered under my skin no matter how hard I tried to ignore him.

Siya kept smirking at me, as did the other Hammers. They wanted to fight? Well, I would be more than happy to oblige them. Perhaps my kicking their asses would make the warriors think twice about attacking Vesper and me again. Plus, my talk with Lady Verona had unsettled me more than I cared to admit, and taking my frustration out on someone else was always an excellent way of ignoring my emotions. My inner monster licked its chops in anticipation.

"I would be delighted to participate in your sparring session."

Siya's black eyebrows lifted in surprise, but she crooked her finger in a clear invitation. I walked through the center of the training ring, right past all the other warriors, eyeing them just as they were eyeing me.

The Hammers were a mix of men and women of all shapes and sizes. The youngest looked to be in his early twenties; the oldest was a woman in her sixties. I had never sparred with any Hammers, but Callus Holloway had spies everywhere, and from time to time, he showed me, Zane, and the other Arrows secretly recorded footage of the warriors' training. And of course, the Hammers had had a few skirmishes with the Techwave's mechanized Black Scarab troops that had aired on both the Erzton and the Imperium gossipcasts.

Rigel was here, leaning up against the castle wall just as he had done yesterday in Aldrich's library. He nodded to me, and I returned the somewhat friendly gesture.

Siya gestured at a hoverpallet. "Pick your poison, Arrow."

An impressive spread of wooden practice weapons covered the surface—swords, daggers, staffs, crossbows, and, of course, hammers. I was still wearing my stormsword, so I took it off and laid it on an empty spot on the hoverpallet, along with my blaster. Then I picked up one war hammer after another, testing their weight and balance. Even though the hammers were made of wood, their solid heft could still inflict serious damage.

I found a hammer I liked, then strode over to the center of the training ring and crooked my finger at Siya, mocking her earlier gesture. She growled, grabbed a wooden hammer, and stepped into the ring. The other warriors gathered around, except for Rigel, who maintained his relaxed position by the wall.

"The great Kyrion Caldaren." Siya sneered, circling around me. "According to the Regal gossipcasts, you're the best warrior in the Imperium and deal out death on a daily basis. I'm disappointed with the reality."

I matched my steps to hers as though we were two vipers trying to bite the other's tail. "What is the old saying? Never meet your heroes."

"Oh, you're no bloody hero. Just another Arrow assassin running around the galaxy and doing Callus Holloway's bidding."

"Like you aren't doing the same thing for Lord Aldrich?"

Anger sparked in Siya's hazel eyes, making them burn a bright, glimmering gold. "Aldrich is my father, and this is my House. It is an honor to serve my people, and I will give my life to defend them. Can you say the same about any of your fellow Arrows?"

No, I could not. I had never been close to any of the other Arrows, given the Regal politics and constant jockeying for position that permeated the group. The other Arrows had simply been tools to ensure my own survival and avoid Holloway's wrath, and I had certainly never cared about any of my fellow warriors the way Siya cared about her people.

Siya shot me a knowing smirk. "I didn't think so."

Without warning, she lunged forward, swinging her hammer and trying to catch me by surprise. I snapped up my own weapon to block her attack, and the force of her blow reverberated all the way up my arm.

My eyes narrowed. "You have a strength enhancement."

A wicked smile curved her lips. "Among other things."

She lunged forward again, and the battle began in earnest. Around and around the training ring we went, with Siya slamming her hammer into mine over and over. In addition to being strong, she was also fast—much faster than I expected—and she managed to break through my defenses and smash her hammer into my left ribs.

Even though we were fighting with wooden weapons, pain still erupted in my body, and the hard blow punched the air out of my lungs. I wheezed and staggered away.

"Not so tough without your stormsword, eh, Arrow?" Siya mocked.

The other warriors let out loud, approving claps and jeers, except for Rigel, who maintained his silent, watchful stance.

I ignored the taunts and drew in one deep breath after another, even as I slumped my shoulders and lowered my hammer, just a bit, as though I was more injured than I truly was. Siya took the bait, darted forward, and swung her weapon high overhead.

I might not be as proficient with a war hammer as she was, but I had learned a long time ago that I didn't always need to be quicker or stronger than my opponent—just smarter. So even as Siya brought her hammer down, trying to break my collarbone, I went low, dropped to one knee, and spun past her. Then, before she could recover, I used my hammer's long hilt like a wooden staff and swept Siya's legs out from under her.

The other warrior landed flat on her back. The hard fall stunned her, and the hammer tumbled out of her grasp. I rose to my feet, twirled the hilt of my own hammer around in my hand, and pressed the spiked end up against her throat.

Siya froze. Even with a wooden practice weapon, I could easily crush her windpipe and kill her. The other Hammers froze as well, and their mocking jeers cut off. A tense, charged silence dropped over the training ring, and the only sounds were Siya's raspy breaths.

"Do you yield?" I asked in a soft, dangerous voice.

Fury sparked in Siya's eyes. She surged up, trying to use her speed to slip away, but I pressed the spike a little more firmly against her throat.

"Do . . . you . . . yield?" I asked again, deliberately drawing out each word.

All around me, the other Hammers crept forward, hefting their practice weapons, and mistrust crackled through the air like psionic lightning about to vaporize us all. I hoped Lady Verona was right about Vesper being able to survive the truebond even if I died. Because one wrong move, and my death would become a fact instead of an eventuality—

Kyrion! Thieves are breaking into the House Collier mineral exchange! I'm going to try to stop them! Vesper's voice rang through my mind as clear and loud as an alarm blaring in my ears, and the velvety ribbon of her vibrated with determination.

Vesper? Vesper, wait for me!

I tried to send a thought back to her, but I couldn't tell if she had heard me. Worry shot through me, morphing into cold claws of fear that stabbed deep into my heart.

I lifted the hammer from Siya's throat and stepped back. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed her weapon to continue our fight, but I stabbed my hammer at her.

"Where is the House Collier shipping yard?"

Siya blinked at the abrupt change in topic. "What?"

"Where is it?" I growled. "Vesper is there, and she says thieves are breaking into the shipping yard."

Siya's eyes widened, and she looked over at Rigel, who pushed away from the wall and yanked his tablet out of his pocket.

"Not the shipping yard," he muttered, swiping through screens. "The mineral exchange."

Concern surged off both Siya and Rigel, the emotion strong enough to break through my own cold worry and tickle my telempathy like hot, needling fingers. All around the training ring, the other Hammers snapped to attention.

Siya's gaze flicked back over to me. "The shipping yard is in the city. Close to the antiques emporium."

"Take me there," I growled again.

She glanced over at Rigel, and the two of them shared a look I couldn't decipher.

"Take me there right now , or I will find it myself." I stabbed my hammer at her again. "But if I get there too late, and Vesper is dead, then I will hold you accountable. Understand?"

Siya flinched at my cold, deadly tone. Wariness flickered across Rigel's face, and all the other Hammers tensed.

After a few seconds, Siya jerked her head in agreement. "We'll take a transport. Rigel, contact security at the shipping yard and mineral exchange, and see if you can find out what's going on."

Rigel nodded and started typing on his tablet. I strode over to the hoverpallet, dropped the wooden war hammer onto the surface, and scooped up my stormsword and blaster. Siya and the other warriors also hustled over to the hoverpallet and exchanged their practice weapons for the real things.

As soon as we were all armed, Siya raised her hand in the air and made a circular motion with her index finger. "Let's go. Move! Move! Move!"

The other Hammers rushed out of the training ring and sprinted into the topiary garden.

"There's a transport garage on the other side of the garden," Siya said. "You'd better be right about this, Arrow."

"And Vesper better not be dead, Hammer," I growled right back at her.

Siya's eyes narrowed at my icy tone, but she plunged into the garden. I followed her, worry thrumming through my body with every quick step.