15. Fifteen

Fifteen

Snow crunched underfoot as Pallas forged the path ahead. Kira and Lathan followed with Graydon guarding their rear.

They hadn’t made it far when the lenacht poked it’s head out of Lathan’s cloak to chirp a greeting at Kira.

She smiled at its antics before running a finger across its brow ridge in a gentle caress it seemed to enjoy. "I take it you’ll be joining us for this adventure?"

The lenacht closed its eyes and leaned into Kira’s touch. A growling purr rumbled from its throat.

"She likes you," Lathan observed.

"Of course, she does. Kira is a beloved." Pallas stopped and held his hand out to the lenacht. The creature launched off Lathan, gliding the short distance to Pallas and nestling into his arms like she’d done it a thousand times.

"Although you’re the lenacht’s partner, Kira is her protector. Don’t underestimate the Phoenix’s effect on this one," Pallas instructed, gentle as he tucked the lenacht into his cloak.

The care he showed reminded Kira of something she’d almost forgotten; once, Pallas had held the kindest soul within the camp. A boy with a compassionate heart that made him a favored target of their masters who’d gone out of their way to break him.

And break him they did.

The first time he’d been forced to take a life he sobbed until he exhausted himself, his eyes swollen half shut, his cheeks wet with tears. He’d refused their captors’ orders after that. They made the rest of them watch as they beat Pallas bloody. A warning of what would happen if they stepped out of line.

Pallas, though, was stubborn. It didn’t matter what they did to him. He refused to fight under their orders.

So, they beat him some more. And when that didn’t work, they assigned him to be the subject of an experiment.

That was when Pallas changed. He was no longer the old Pallas when he finally returned.

Blood no longer bothered him. Killing either.

Too many other of her siblings had self-destructed upon being broken. Unable to cope with their new reality. For Pallas to come out the other end, still alive, if a touch crazy, was something she’d always admired.

"Where is he going?" Pallas asked, pulling Kira out of her memories.

She turned in the direction he indicated to find the J1N motoring away from them, its lights on full illumination.

Kira’s shoulders slumped. "Damn it. What does that thing think it’s doing?"

Pallas’s snicker followed her as she trudged after the drone. "Best catch him before he goes too far. You wouldn’t want to leave your best friend behind. You have a ruse to maintain after all."

And there was the asshole she’d come to know and hate.

Kira didn’t go far, only a few steps back along the path they’d trekked before she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Get back here, J1N!"

The drone stopped, swiveling in place as if trying to establish her location.

"That’s right. This way," Kira called.

She waved her arms, hoping movement would help the glitchy drone figure out which way to go without her having to walk all the way back to the ship.

The drone veered to the right.

Kira dropped her arms to glare at the J1N. "Don’t make me come over there."

The J1N didn’t seem to hear. Or if it did, it failed to recognize the significance of that threat.

It continued bumbling in the direction it had chosen.

Graydon stopped next to her. "Better catch it before it gets lost."

Now there was a thought. Unfortunately, not one she could pursue if she ever wanted to return Jin to his body.

Thankfully, corralling the drone didn’t take long.

"Stop wandering off and just follow," Kira ordered after catching him.

"Follow. Roger."

"Not that way." Kira grabbed the J1N when it immediately set off in the wrong direction. "This way."

She steered it back onto the right path before cautiously letting go. To her relief, it stayed on course this time.

Kira trudged after the rest. Pallas and Lathan had already set off again, but Graydon waited for her to catch up. He nodded as she passed him, falling in behind her.

The group set a punishing pace as they moved over the rolling hills near where they’d landed. It wasn’t long before Kira found herself wishing for some kind of specialized snow equipment.

Even with Pallas blazing a path, the going was tough with the snow reaching to Kira’s thighs in some places.

Ice from last night’s storm had created interesting shapes among the branches of the trees. Twisting ropes of icicles bowed the trees, their canopies nearly sweeping the ground from the weight.

It was strangely beautiful. A sight that deserved to be captured and memorialized forever.

The thing Kira was most worried about, however, was the possibility of straying into one of the numerous rivers that riddled Rothchild’s surface. There was a reason this planet was referred to as the river world.

Rothchild had no real ocean. Just a series of great lakes and rivers that covered huge swaths of the planet.

Flooding during the rainy season was a nightmare.

For their purposes, though, it was the possibility of one of the rivers partially freezing over that presented the most danger.

If they stepped onto ice that wasn’t fully frozen without realizing, they could fall through and drown. Even if they managed to find their way back to the surface, they faced the very real possibility of hypothermia.

Up ahead, Pallas stopped walking. He lifted his forearm, bringing up the map and coordinates Kira had given him. "Something is wrong. We should have been there by now."

Kira caught up, the J1N continuing past. The sound of icicles cracking came as it veered into a tree.

Graydon lifted his eyebrows at Kira as he and Lathan joined them.

"Are you sure what you gave me is right?" Pallas asked.

"Like I told you—the blast changed the moon’s orbit. It affected the planet’s magnetic field. It’ll throw off any navigation you have."

She was starting to regret not allowing Selene to accompany her on this mission. Anything would have been better than dealing with Pallas.

"And like I told you—there’s no way I’m trusting any humans to work on my ship." Pallas tapped his forearm, dismissing the map. "Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to do this as quickly and discreetly as possible?"

Kira spread her arms to indicate the desolate landscape. "Look around, brother dearest. Does it look like we’ve accomplished either of those objectives?"

They were lost. Not to mention, they were being followed.

A fact all of them were aware of but had chosen to ignore in the interest of finding out more about their trackers.

They’d picked up the first a few miles back. Since then, others had joined.

Kira counted at least six out there. She’d yet to determine whether they were hostile or simply curious. It was possible they were locals who were exercising an abundance of caution. A smart choice given the current state of the galaxy.

Or they could be part of the roving bandit clans Kira had heard plagued the planet’s surface.

They usually only targeted outsiders.

And who fit that description? They did, of course.

Pallas raised his voice to speak to those using the landscape as cover. "You might as well come out. We know you’re there."

The wind blew, stirring the snow and making the branches of the nearby trees creak.

"Choosing to ignore my advice?" There was a brutal twist to Pallas’s lips. "Very well. You can’t say you weren’t warned."

By tacit agreement, Graydon and Kira put their backs to each other as they watched their surroundings.

The night stilled as they waited to see what their followers would do.

Pallas’s shadow stretched, darkness pooling under him.

"Do not kill them," Kira warned.

She’d already caused enough death on this planet. She’d prefer not to add more blood to her hands.

"It amazes me how someone who experienced the same upbringing as me still manages to be so soft." Pallas looked toward the spot where Kira’s senses warned her someone was hiding. "Our masters would be most disappointed in the way you turned out."

Kira glanced from the barely discernible bulge in the snow to Pallas. "I decide what I am. Not them. I refuse to be what they made me."

"I guess that’s why you’re you and we’re the forty three."

Pallas’s smile was slightly sad as the shadow under his feet swallowed him.

He vanished, reappearing an instant later right next to that bulge in the snow, sword in hand, his gaze trained on Kira. "Unlike you, we embraced what we were forced to become."

He stabbed downward.

"Pallas!" Kira screamed.

Snow exploded upward as the person underneath scrambled out of range. Pallas’s insane laughter filled the air.

Kira caught a glimpse of all white cold weather gear. A pair of goggles that covered half the person’s face. An antique-looking rifle in their hands.

They rolled onto their back, the rifle held up like a shield to block Pallas’s next attack. A second person appeared like a ghost on Pallas’s other side, their rifle pointed at his head.

Everyone froze.

"Cool trick, but I really wouldn’t," a woman warned.

Despite Pallas’s ability to kill both the person on the ground and the woman, he made no attempt to do so. He held still as four more people emerged out of the snowy landscape.

Pallas watched the woman and her companions out of the corner of his eye. "I guess the mice aren’t entirely without their fangs and claws."

The woman nudged the side of Pallas’s face with the barrel of her rifle. "Yeah. And we have no compunction about using them either. So back off."

Pallas allowed the sword tip to dip, no longer pointing it at the human at his feet but rather the snow. "Sure thing."

As if to punctuate his intention to surrender, Pallas took a step back, raising his other hand to make him seem more harmless.

The woman didn’t fall for it, keeping her rifle trained on Pallas as her companions helped the other man to his feet. "You’re trespassing."

Pallas scratched an eyebrow with his middle finger. "Is that so? We had no idea."

"How’s that possible?" someone muttered. "Everyone around here knows to warn visitors away from this area."

"Blame her for that." Pallas tilted his head at Kira. "She refused to let me stop in any of the nearby settlements."

Kira wasn’t even surprised at how he tried to shift the blame to her. He always was a liar.

Graydon chuckled lightly as he straightened, his stance relaxing a bit as his earlier caution fell away.

Kira would call his confidence arrogant, but having seen his reflexes, she knew he didn’t have much to fear from these humans. Despite the weapons—both the ones they could see and the ones they couldn’t—trained on them.

Like the rest of her companions, the woman wore a pair of goggles that served to hide the upper half of her face. Their lenses had a greenish cast to them that Kira was guessing meant there was night vision built into them. Maybe a few other bells and whistles as well.

The stranger’s coat was lined with fur around the cuffs and hood and looked thick, capable of keeping her warm even in this freezing temperature. Her hood had fallen back, leaving her pigtails visible.

She was also armed to the teeth. A rifle in her hand. The hilt of a bladed weapon sticking up over her shoulder. Not to mention the belt around her waist that held an assortment of tools that Kira didn’t recognize.

All of a home design, Kira was betting.

Blue would have loved that. If the two didn’t kill each other, they’d have something to talk about for hours.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the woman demanded.

Pallas smirked. "Yeah, Kira. I’d like to know that too. The second question. Not the first. I already know your name."

The woman’s head twisted toward Kira. "Wait. Kira? As in Kira Forrest?"

A murmur ran through the humans. Pallas mouthed a fake "oops," not looking at all sorry.

The woman’s rifle shifted until it was pointed at Kira. The rest of her team kept Pallas in their sights.

"Remove your hood," the woman ordered.

Kira glared at Pallas. "I blame you for this."

The woman advanced aggressively. "I won’t ask again."

"Yeah, yeah," Kira muttered under her breath, reluctantly reaching for her hood. There was no point in continuing the charade now that her identity had been compromised.

Of all the things for Pallas to reveal, why did it have to be her name? It would have been easy to convince the humans that they were harmless if he’d just stuck to the script of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There was a sharp inhale as Kira slid the hood back, exposing the burgundy of her shoulder length hair. Along with the face she knew had been plastered on more than one news broadcast during the war.

For a brief second, there was silence as Kira regarded the humans steadily.

Maybe her worry was for naught. Human memory was short and this group was young. They would have been only kids back then.

"I was right," the woman breathed, dashing that hope. Her muzzle dipped toward the ground. "You’re Kira Forrest. You’re the Phoenix."

Graydon eased closer to Kira.

Several rifles snapped in his direction.

"Move again and you’re dead," someone barked.

Graydon shifted forward another step, his gaze on those who still had their weapons trained on Kira. His movements stealthy. Predatory. A hunter stalking its prey.

"Graydon," Kira warned.

If she didn’t stop him, there would be a blood bath. And it wouldn’t be her team’s blood staining all this pretty snow.

Graydon stopped, the ki he’d been summoning sliding away as he gave her a rueful look. "The things I do for you, coli."

"I’ll be sure to reimburse you later."

"I’ll be sure to take you up on that," Graydon murmured.

Kira acknowledged his statement with a wry twist of her lips as she focused on the woman and her companions. "You asked why we’re here. It’s simple. We’re looking for someone."

To Kira’s surprise, the woman nodded. "I know. You’re here for the All Father."

Pallas’s head jerked toward Kira. "No."

His reaction made the humans jump. Their rifles swiveled toward Pallas.

Not that he paid them any attention, his focus on Kira. "You were supposed to cut off all contact with that person!"

"As we’ve established many times over the years, I’m neither required nor am I obligated to listen to the forty three’s requests."

If Pallas was under the mistaken impression otherwise, that was not her fault.

The veins in Pallas’s neck and temples protruded as he pointed at her, looking like he was about to say something several times before shaking his head wordlessly.

Well, well, well. Would you look at that. She’d rendered him mute. Her most dangerous brother. The man who always had a witty quip, no matter the situation.

Jin would be proud.

Too bad he wasn’t here to gloat with her.

Pallas shook his head at her again, his anger still too great to allow for words.

A human tried to intercept as Pallas walked away. He was lucky her brother didn’t immediately kill him. Instead, he grabbed the barrel of the rifle pointed at his face and used the human’s grip on it to fling him away. The human sailed several feet before hitting the snow and rolling.

"Very mature, Pallas," Kira called after him.

The snow covered landscape swallowed Pallas.

"Let him go," the woman ordered when her companions moved to engage.

Kira approved of that decision.

In Pallas’s current mood, he wouldn’t be gentle to any human that antagonized him.

At the moment, no one had died and everyone was still in possession of all their limbs. Kira would like to keep it that way. Especially since this woman seemed to be familiar with Odin. At least familiar enough to know Odin’s moniker.

"You’ve seen my face and know my name," Kira told her softly. "I think turnabout is only fair."

"Brie," a man protested.

"She’s right, Doug." The woman pushed the goggles to the top of her head. "One compromise deserves another."

Brie had strong boned features. Expressive eyebrows sat above a pair of blue eyes that suggested the woman had seen her fair share of hardship.

Brie’s lips quirked. "I was wondering when the Phoenix would get around to visiting. Didn’t think it would take another war to get her here though." She made a show of looking around. "Where’s your drone? I was under the impression you never went anywhere without him."

The J1N’s antigravs sounded particularly loud in the resulting silence. As was the ominous tinkle of cracking ice.

"Is he stuck?" someone asked quietly.

Kira ground her teeth at the sight of the J1N trapped in a cage of ice and branches. A prison it had wandered into entirely under its own recognizance.

She’d be furious, but by this point, she really had no expectations.

Brie gave the J1N an interested look. "He’s not what I imagined from the descriptions."

Kira’s smile didn’t touch her eyes. "He just needs a tune up. The planet’s magnetic field is playing havoc on his antigravs."

That’s right. Nothing to see here. Just a drone with a little problem with his positioning system.

Brie’s nod made it clear she wasn’t entirely convinced.

"Jin, come here," Kira ordered, raising her voice.

The sound of the J1N’s engines increased in volume. Wood creaked but that was it. The tree’s branches refused to break. As did the ice coating them. A second later, the drone throttled its engines.

"There seems to be a problem," the J1N announced in an emotionless voice.

An amused cough came from one of the humans. They ducked their head to hide their smile.

"I require assistance," the J1N declared.

Do not destroy the drone, Kira told herself, taking a deep breath to control the need for violence. Jin requires a body. If you cut it in half, he will try to do the same to you.

"I’ll let you handle that," Brie said with a light chuckle as she moved away. "When you’re done, I’ll take you to the All Father."

Graydon joined Kira. "Things are going quite well, I think."

Kira shot him a glare that said she wasn’t amused.

Graydon’s cough covered his laugh. "Are your adventures always this haphazard?"

"I don’t want to hear that from someone who jumped through a rift in space without knowing what was waiting for him on the other end," Kira said, examining the maze of branches that had trapped the J1N.

It was something of a miracle that the drone had managed to venture as deep into their depths as he had. No wonder he’d gotten stuck. Although the branches were thin, they were highly flexible. Had they been thicker, they would have broken under the weight of all that ice.

Instead, they endured.

Kira snarled as the tip of an icicle snagged on her hood. "J1N, come here."

The J1N continued to buzz like an overgrown bumble bee as it pressed against the branches directly in front of it.

"If someone hadn’t been on the other side of that rift, I never would have been so reckless," Graydon defended.

"Bullshit," Kira said, ducking under several branches and crawling through the snow until she was crouching just under the J1N’s position. "Say what you will. You’re just like me when it comes to this sort of thing."

They had a way of thrusting themselves into danger without a second thought, trusting their skills and a considerable amount of luck to save them.

Kira glared up at the J1N. "Get down here."

The drone avoided her reach, propelling himself into the branches overhead. His action dislodged a pile of snow, causing it to fall.

Right on Kira’s head.

She froze as something cold and wet slid into the collar of her shirt and then down her chest and back.

Graydon made a choked sound as Kira dusted the snow off with exaggerated motions.

"Oops," the drone said in such a Jin-like fashion that Kira might have thought her best friend had returned to his body if not for its flat tone.

"Screw this," Kira snapped, drawing the akieri.

It only took a second for the blade to unfold, the metal snapping together with loud clicks. Each one like a death knell. When it finished assembling, she swung it at the nearest sheet of ice, clearing a path. A creature the length of her hand, its body white with a bluish tinge, fled the destruction. It landed on the ground and skittered away.

Kira jumped, snagging the J1N out of the air with more ease than would have been possible if it had been Jin.

She landed softly, crouching and half crawling out of the opening she’d made.

"Not a word," Kira ordered as Graydon’s shoulders started to shake.

She stalked over to Lathan, thrusting the J1N into his arms. "Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him wander around until we get him fixed."

Lathan’s face held a faint touch of amusement as he nodded.

Kira startled as the lenacht popped out of his hood. "When did Pallas hand him off?"

Lathan patted his companion. "A little while ago."

The lenacht paid no attention to their conversation as she spotted the J1N. Scrambling out of Lathan’s hood, she perched on the drone’s casing.

"What the hell is that?" Doug asked, drawing closer.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself about," Kira said, taking the J1N and the lenacht out of Lathan’s hands and setting them in the hood of his cloak.

She drew it up, ensuring both were covered before sharing a look with him.

The Tuann she knew were notoriously distrusting of humans. Normally, Kira would argue in humanity’s defense, but in this instance, she agreed. The lenacht was a mystery that humans were better off never discovering.

Kira had too much experience with their greed to risk exposing its existence.

Had she known they’d encounter anyone but Odin, she would have recommended Lathan and the lenacht remain on the ship.

"Come on, Doug," Brie ordered. "Let’s show our guests the way." To Kira, "Do you need to collect your friend?"

Kira hesitated, glancing at Lathan in question. His neutral expression offered her no clues.

Kira shook her head. "No, he has a tendency to wander. I’m sure he’ll return when it suits him."

She just hoped he didn’t kill anyone in the meantime.

"Alright, stay close then. The footing is treacherous in this area," Brie ordered before taking the lead.

"This should be fun," Graydon drawled as Brie’s companions flanked them, fully surrounding her and the other two.

Kira rolled her eyes before glancing at Lathan. "You going to be okay?"

"You don’t need to worry about us. Wandering is a part of the process. You cannot find a home if you never seek it," he said as he passed her.

Kira fell in beside him. "How very philosophical of you."

"I’m no stranger to humans either." Seeing her surprise, Lathan’s smile grew a touch wider. "There aren’t a lot of places a wanderer is welcome. The Tuann Houses distrust us. The Haldeel are cautious in our presence because they know what we’re capable of. Human territory is one of the few places where we’re not judged as soon as we step outside of our ship."

They traveled past a copse of trees and up a steep incline.

"I was present during humanity’s war with the Tsavitee. A few of us were, actually," Lathan volunteered.

"I didn’t know that," Kira said with a frown.

"It was only towards the end and our participation was kept hidden by the Consortium’s military. By the time some of us joined, the tide had already started to turn," Lathan admitted. "I can see why you like humans, though. There’s something about them. They have a zeal the Tuann lack."

That was it exactly.

For all their faults, humanity had a drive to ascend that Kira hadn’t seen anywhere else. They were greedy and short sighted, but they also possessed a nobility of spirit. Able to sacrifice themselves for one another without a second thought.

She’d seen the best they’d had to offer. And also, the worst.

Despite that, she couldn’t tell which of those traits were more common. It was what made them so fascinating.

"How did you end up with Pallas?" Kira asked, curious in spite of herself.

They were such a strange duo. Pallas wasn’t exactly mentor material. Not because he didn’t possess the talent either. Kira would wager he was every bit the warrior Graydon was. It was just that he lacked patience and the necessary attention span to guide others.

"He’s not what you think he is," Lathan informed her.

"You mean crazy? Because I’m pretty sure he is."

She had the scars to prove it too.

"Some say the Phoenix is insane. That loss drove her out of her mind." Lathan peered at Kira out of the corner of his eye. "Is that true?"

"I take your point."

"Pallas is complicated. I’m not saying he doesn’t have his demons, but the man I know?" Lathan’s smile was a thing of beauty. "I’d lay down my life for him."

With one final nod at her, Lathan’s pace quickened. Kira let him go.

Graydon fell back to join her as Brie crested the hill with her companions. "Find out anything?"

"Not even close."

"Should I be worried?" Graydon asked.

"I’m not sure yet."

They reached the top of the hill, the terrain on the other side coming into view.

Kira’s expression changed.

"What is it?" Graydon’s gaze went from Kira to the vista before them. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Are those ships?"

A raw sound left Kira. "It’s the Vega."

Kira’s former home. And the final resting place for many of her friends.