18. Eighteen

Eighteen

Odin was ordering the J1N to power down as Kira took her leave. The growing frustration in Odin’s voice when the drone failed to comply made her feel a little better about the past few days.

At least she wasn’t the only one the J1N gave trouble.

Kira stepped into the corridor, scanning it for Pallas.

He wasn’t far. Just a dozen feet down the corridor. Right next to an intersection, examining the wall and floor.

Kira stalked toward him. "What are you doing?"

In answer, Pallas tossed a rock he’d picked up from somewhere directly in front of him. There was a flash. Followed by a rat a tat tat as an SP4500 fired nearly three thousand rounds in the span of a second.

"Cute," Pallas drawled.

Kira stopped in mid step, suddenly aware of the danger she’d strayed into.

When Brie warned her of traps, she hadn’t quite figured on them making use of military grade weapons. That was her bad. She really should have. This was Odin they were talking about, after all.

"Your friend has been busy." Pallas tapped a wall as he glanced around. "It makes one wonder what they’ve hidden down there. It must be important given the level of defense."

"Odin’s secrets are his own," Kira said in a flat voice.

"Are you sure about that, little sister?"

Kira held his stare for a second longer before shaking her head and striding back the way she’d come.

Pallas joined her. "You always were a fan of dangerous games."

"Those are the only types I know how to play."

Pallas prowled beside her, making Kira feel like she was keeping company with a wild animal. There were no safeguards in place to keep that beast from devouring her whole either.

"I’m disappointed in lover boy. I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to let you meet the Sye on your own."

"Graydon isn’t my keeper."

"Does he know that?"

Kira exhaled a low laugh. "Why are you trying to get under my skin?"

"Because I find it fun."

Kira finally stopped to face the other man. "I need to borrow your ship."

If he wanted to play, she’d be happy to indulge him.

"My ship?"

"There’s something on the Wanderer that Odin needs to complete his task. They should have been here before us. I want to go check on them."

This was a test for Pallas. To see if he was ever planning to be helpful.

Pallas rubbed his jaw. "That’s going to be a problem."

Guess that answered that question.

Her eyebrows twitched downward in the beginnings of a scowl. "Why?"

"Reasons."

A one word answer and a careless shrug was all he gave her.

Kira stared at him for a beat, anger beginning to rise. "What is the forty three’s interest in the lenacht?"

Pallas’s features tightened. "I thought we were done with that topic."

"We were. Now, we aren’t."

If Pallas and the forty three interfered in her matters, they couldn’t blame her for doing the same with theirs.

She’d originally planned to leave this alone. One, because she didn’t have the space to care. And two, because ignorance was always preferable when dealing with the forty three.

Pallas’s continued assholery made her revisit that decision.

"A moment ago, you were trying to keep the peace. Now, you’re suddenly confrontational,” Pallas said.

"You know me. Anger makes me feisty."

"Reckless too."

That was also true.

For the most part, Kira had reasonably sound judgment when dealing with intense situations. She wasn’t fearless by any means, possessing a healthy amount of self-preservation. Case in point—the care with which she treated Pallas, an inherently dangerous individual.

But prick her temper, put her back against the wall, and that rationality went out the window.

Pallas flashed her a smile that failed to reach his eyes. "You always assume our intentions are nefarious."

Perhaps because the forty three had a history of getting in Kira’s way.

"The lenacht isn’t a newborn in need of saving. If it chose Lathan, it means it agrees with our agenda."

Kira’s eyes narrowed. "So, I was right. The forty three are trying to establish their own stronghold."

Pallas cast his gaze to the ceiling, as if asking for patience. "Not just the forty three."

"You plan to fold the wanderers into your ranks,” Kira guessed.

It made perfect sense. The forty three could use the wanderers as cover. They’d be able to form their own force without anyone the wiser.

"Clever, isn’t it?" Pallas leaned forward with a sly expression. "The Tuann emperor even agrees with us. Lathan never would have made it off Ta Sa’Riel, otherwise."

No, Kira imagined he wouldn’t have.

For all the Tuann’s lip service of trusting the Mea’Ave, there was no doubt they’d take action if they felt threatened. The emperor might not oppose directly, but she could guarantee he had a way to influence events if he so chose.

The very fact he’d allowed Lathan into the adva ka in the first place supported that argument.

"Torvald Elden is a smart man. He understands—like we do—that the wanderers are an armed bomb waiting to explode. If he doesn’t do something before it goes off, it’ll be far too late."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It’s rare for a Tuann to become a wanderer. Only a handful fall to that life every decade, but with how long the Tuann live—" Pallas trailed off to raise his eyebrows at Kira.

"A trickle can become a flood," she finished at his behest.

His smile was that of a teacher whose student had finally performed well. "And if that happens, the Tuann have a very big problem on their hands. The wanderers hold a lot of anger toward their former brethren. Much of it well earned."

Kira didn’t interrupt as he paused.

"Not all who wander chose that fate willingly. They’re the ones who were targeted by superiors." Pallas gave her a sly look. "I’m sure you can relate to that."

He was talking about the issues Kira had faced when she served Centcom. Not all of her superior officers had appreciated someone who looked as young as she did showing them up. It had led to several problems and given her a reputation as a troublemaker.

"Others were cast out because they walked to the beat of a different drum. They were pushed out. Then there are those from fallen houses. Your little friend, the one Selene seems so fascinated by, can tell you about that. It’s why he’s so desperate to become Overlord. The rest are born into the wandering life. They’re never given a chance to become something else."

"There’s always the adva ka," Kira pointed out, playing devil’s advocate.

"Without training or resources?" Pallas gave her a look that said he didn’t expect her to be this foolish. "No one can overcome those obstacles."

"Lathan did."

"Because he had me," Pallas snarled in a rare show of emotion. "I trained him. Picked him up off the streets and molded him into the warrior he wished to be."

He really did care for his yer’se, Kira realized. And the rest of the wanderers too, she suspected.

"But most of all, the forty three desire a home after all these years. You can understand that. Can’t you, Kira?" Pallas said with a scorn that rendered her momentarily silent.

"Yeah, I can understand that," she said in a tired voice.

Who better to empathize than her? A person who’d found and lost more than one home. Kira would never begrudge another the chance to make their own.

"I’m so glad. I would hate for us to become enemies in truth."

"Me too," Kira confessed as the darkness swallowed Pallas’s figure.

The shadows next to her stirred as Graydon dropped the synth armor’s camouflage to join her.

"I thought I asked you to wait," Kira said.

"I got bored. And you were taking too long."

Kira’s snicker was tired. "You held off longer than I thought you would. I was sure you’d follow as soon as I was out of sight."

"Yes, my restraint was admirable. Such forbearance deserves a reward, don’t you think?"

Kira shook her head and changed the subject. "How much do you want to bet that they’ll use this opportunity to establish their own house?

"I’d say it’s a foregone conclusion."

Kira examined his features. "Is Pallas right? Was this the emperor’s plan all along?"

Graydon’s gaze was steady. "Torvald’s methods are often multi-layered with a far reaching view to the future. While the rest of us look three or four steps ahead, he’s already at a hundred."

"That doesn’t answer my question."

"In this instance, yes, Pallas’s theory is one outcome Torvald was hoping to achieve."

"You say that like there were other things he wanted to accomplish."

The enigmatic expression on Graydon’s face drove Kira a little crazy as he offered her a closed mouthed smile. "For that, you would have to ask the emperor himself."

Kira eyed Graydon askance. "That’s it? That’s all you’re giving me?"

He slid an arm around her back, bringing her body flush against his. "I wouldn’t be a proper Face if I gave all of my emperor’s secrets away."

Kira rested her weight against the length of his body, fiddling with the scale like pattern of his synth armor. "Not even if I ask nicely?"

His head dipped toward hers, until his lips were just shy of hers. "I could be convinced."

"Oh?" Her breath caught as her mouth brushed his.

"Sure." His smile held a wicked edge. "As soon as you give up all yours."

Kira moved back to glare. "We both know you’re too good a Face to ever reveal the secrets entrusted to you by the emperor."

Graydon let go of Kira. "You can’t blame me for trying."

She snorted. "No, I suppose I can’t."

Especially when she was the one who started this game.

Elena - Tsavitee Planet

Uncle Jin!

Elena lurched upright, her hand moving automatically to the bicep the lu-ong spawn had been wrapped around before her fight.

"No, no, no, no," she chanted, finding nothing there.

He had to be somewhere. He couldn’t just be gone.

The probable concussion she had made the room swim in a disturbing manner as she looked frantically around, finding no signs of her uncle.

Elena had been brought to some kind of utilitarian hospital room. The sinister looking equipment gathered around the edges sent a trickle of trepidation down her spine.

It was no mystery what usually happened in places like this. Elena had heard the stories. The things that had gone on here only ever referenced in passing. As if whatever had happened was too painful to mention. The other kids did warn Elena, though. That if she was ever to find herself in a room like this—she should run and not look back.

The murmur of voices from outside had Elena throwing the sheet that covered her to the side. She slipped to the ground.

They’d taken her boots, she noted as her sock clad feet touched the floor. How very helpful of them. It would make sneaking around so much easier.

Elena crept to the doorway, arriving just in time to hear Ajix speak.

"Targeting the girl will do nothing for you in the end. The level of skill she displayed during her fight was impressive. It bought her second place despite you putting her out of commission."

Elena was careful as she peeked around the corner to see who Ajix was speaking to.

Fyr stood next to the larger general with an angry expression. "You know what that means."

"The youngest of your cohort will be claimed as the Osiri’s newest experimental subject."

"And you’re okay with that?" Fyr burst out.

"Being claimed isn’t an automatic death sentence," Ajix said calmly. "There is a possibility that Saros will survive."

"Not a very good one. And even if she does, she won’t be the same. You know what they do to them. Death is preferable."

"I warned you against getting attached. We cannot protect everyone."

Fyr sent a resentful glare in the direction of Elena’s room. She ducked around the corner, hugging the wall as her heart pounded.

Did he see her? Please say he didn’t.

Elena wasn’t sure what would happen if Ajix and Fyr caught her eavesdropping, but she was pretty sure it wouldn’t end well for her.

Elena waited. The moments dragged on. Each more fear filled than the last.

Finally, Fyr spoke, putting her out of her misery. "I’m aware of my limits, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to throw Saros away for a stranger. You’ve traded her life for that outsider’s."

"I know what I’ve done. I’ll have to live with that," Ajix responded. "But this is the collective’s desire. Sacrifices must sometimes be made for the sake of our goals. It’s a regrettable fact that we must all accept."

The ugly sound Fyr made had Elena flinching.

"That woman. She has you and the rest wrapped around her finger. Since she came, we’ve gotten further and further from our true purpose. She’s using us like pawns," Fyr snarled.

"This isn’t up for debate," Ajix said with forced patience. "You have your orders. Do your duty or you’ll be the one the collective sacrifices next."

Elena darted away from the doorway as footsteps approached. She threw herself at the bed, diving under the covers as whoever it was stopped on the threshold of her room.

She lay still, her eyes closed, her heart pounding with adrenaline.

"She’ll wake in an hour or two. When she does, escort her back to the crèche and protect her until we determine the level of her usefulness," Ajix instructed.

There was no response from Fyr.

Elena chanced cracking her eyelids a small bit to see what was going on. Just in time to watch Ajix set a hand on the general boy’s shoulder.

"Don’t lose faith quite yet. Our spies on Ta Sa’Riel are due to report in soon. If you’re right and it turns out that woman is lying to us, it won’t be too late to deal with the child then."

Fyr’s nod was grudging.

Elena held herself immobile, squeezing her eyes shut to feign sleep.

It was hard not to imagine Fyr taking advantage of her defenseless state to strangle her. Or maybe he’d smother her. Less bruising that way.

If it was Elena, she’d definitely go for the pillow over the face. At least if she was hoping to not get caught.

The seconds ticked by, ramping up Elena’s stress and anxiety to stratospheric levels.

If he did try to kill her, what should she do in retaliation? She couldn’t let herself be snuffed out that easily. She’d have to defend herself of course.

Good thing she’d stuffed her friend the bone pick into her pant leg before departing the crèche.

Maybe she could just give Fyr a little stab. Injure rather than kill.

It flew in the face of Auntie’s teachings—always make sure to put your enemy down permanently. Never give them an opportunity to get back on their feet.

Elena flinched at Fyr’s sudden and explosive curse.

Luckily, the sound of him moving out of the room covered her mistake.

Elena held still, not quite trusting her good luck. Cautiously and half feeling like this was a trick, Elena parted her eyelids.

The room was empty.

She opened her eyes fully and looked around.

Still empty.

Huh. How about that?

Elena propped herself up on her elbows. She was alone. Unsupervised for the first time since she’d landed in this place.

For the second time, Elena tossed the sheet off her and lowered her feet to the floor.

There was no way she was this lucky.

Except as the moments passed, it seemed she was.

There was no one lying in wait. No one standing in the corridor to make sure she stayed in bed like a good little girl.

She was well and truly alone.

"Maybe he went to cool off?" Elena guessed.

Whatever the case, Elena planned to take advantage.

For just a second, she found herself studying the bed she’d woken up in. Remaining and waiting for Fyr’s return was definitely a safer option than exploring.

The problem was that only applied to the short term. Eventually, Elena’s charade was going to be found out. Whether by the Tsavitee’s spies or through her own mistakes.

She couldn’t stand by and wait for Auntie to save her. She needed to do something to get herself out of this mess.

The only thing that gave her pause was how unhappy Uncle Jin would be upon returning to find her gone.

Elena dismissed that thought with a shrug. "Oh well. Uncle Jin shouldn’t be the only one who gets to have a little fun."

After all, sneaking about was Elena’s specialty.