Oath Forger (Book 5)

by Nia Mars

Chapter Seven

  AS I HEAD TO THE ROOF with my Five to my waiting pod, the only thing that keeps me from floating off to daydream land is the sharp pain at the base of my skull where Tiam injected the small neurotransmitter. That little device allows me to see a three-dimensional map of all the ships in orbit around Merim. It’s the strangest thing, a mess of pale dots, fairly easily ignored when my eyes are open. But when I close my eyes, I see it all, as if projected onto the inside of my eyelids.

  The pod door opens, and I forget all about the transmitter, however, when I look inside.

  “Captain Embrin!”

  The woman waiting for me smiles as she bows. We are old friends.

  I gather up my formal dress and get in. At least I’m not wearing the cumbersome Oath Forger robe. Dason is carrying it for me.

  I sit across from Embrin and keep my gaze on her. Suspicion sparks in my still pleasure-hazed brain. “I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

  Her hair is different than the last time I’d seen her—red. Almost the same color as mine. Same length too. Her eyebrows are shaped... Like mine, thin at the edges. And her eyes are a different color than they were before—green. Just like my eyes. She has on a lot of make-up. It alters the contours of her face. She looks a little like...me. I don’t think this is a case of imitation being the most sincere form of flattery.

  She remains silent. Koah gets into the pod behind me.

  “You can’t come along,” I tell him.

  He ignores that completely. “Captain Embrin is going to put on your Oath Forger robe and impersonate you at the negotiations.”

  Of all the idiotic schemes Koah could have cooked up while I’d been busy with Dason and Roax. “Captain Embrin...”

  Embrin is a seasoned military woman, the captain of Koah’s personal fighter ship. She looks at me with calm confidence. She is ready to die for me, if needed.

  I can’t let her.

  I sit up straighter. “I appreciate your offer of help, but I’m going to handle the negotiations myself.”

  “Not nearly,” Roax informs me as he pushes inside. “We’re all coming along. Gaden would never believe Captain Embrin is really you if we let her go alone. He knows we wouldn’t let the Oath Forger out of our sight.”

  Roax is in on this? When did Koah even have time to talk to the others?

  I glare at the men. “If Embrin is impersonating me, why am I here at all?”

  Koah answers. “In case the pirates have a man in the palace. They have to see you get into the pod.”

  A man in the palace. Because someone had poisoned the dul fruit that had killed Taly instead of me. I swallow the anger that thought brings. I want to see that freaking pirate lord face-to-face. I want the satisfaction. Then I want to evaporate his sorry ass.

  Except, I can’t blow up the pirate ship if the kreks and Embrin are on board.

  “I’m going to have to insist that I’ll go alone.”

  Tiam, Uthan, and Dason all get in and take their seats, their faces carefully bland.

  I gape at them. “You all planned this out together?”

  When we get back, I’m going to kill them. I catch the thought. I’m not coming back. Okay, then I’m going to haunt them. Smys likes me. I think it could be arranged.

  “I need to know what you want me to say to Gaden,” Captain Embrin says, taking my momentary silence for acquiescence.

  I suppose the plan had to be worked out fast. There hadn’t been time to iron out details. And I’d taken up half of what little time they’d had by going off on my ‘adventure’ with Smys.

  “We’ll do the talking,” Roax instructs Embrin, and she—one of the toughest women I know—doesn’t protest.

  I glare at him. “And what am I supposed to do in this great fantasy of yours?”

  “You’ll stay in the pod until our return.” He fixes me with a hard look. “Quietly.”

  “And not know what’s going on? If you’re safe?”

  “I’ll leave my comm unit open to yours,” Tiam offers. “You can listen in.”

  I keep a check on my fury. “So what is the plan, exactly?”

  Uthan tells me. “We are going to kill Gaden and his captains, and take command of the ship. The rest of the pirates will be too disorganized without leadership to stand against our Federation forces.”

  “And if you can’t take out Gaden for some reason?” Like, say, he has an overwhelming force present on his command deck, which he’d be stupid not to have.

  “This pod is programmed to shoot its way out of the cargo bay and take you to a secure location on Uthan’s home planet, at a single click from any of our comm units.”

  I stare at them, speechless. I’m not sure what to do with the kreks. I can’t fight my way out of the pod. They’re physically stronger. I could probably blow them up, but that would defeat the purpose.

  A sense of betrayal seeps into me, like smoke, and leaves an acrid taste in my mouth.

  They don’t trust me. They still see me as someone to protect, not someone who is here to protect the Federation. They see me as weak.

  I thought... I really thought we were past this.

  My throat tightens. And then the next realization that hits me breaks my heart clear in half. I love my men with everything that I am, but I have neither their trust, nor their love. After what I’d just shared with Roax and Dason, this is like a bucket of cold water in my face.

  Dason looks away after flashing me an apologetic half-smile. He knows this is not right, but the others are convinced in all their warlordly righteousness that they’re doing this to protect me.

  By the time we land in the pirate ship’s cargo bay, I’m so mad I think steam might be coming out of my ears. I want to tell them exactly what I think of their patronizing bullshit, but it’s not the time to fight. There are pirates all around our pod. We are in enemy territory. So I simply watch as Captain Embrin puts on my robe.

  Then they’re gone, and I’m alone in the pod, and I plan.

  The sandstorm of my emotions is scraping my heart raw. I am the Oath Forger. I’m not theirs to hide away. This is supposed to be a partnership.

  But I don’t have time to worry about that now. I have to save the people I love. I have to work with what I have.

  I’m here, but the pirates don’t know that I’m here. They think Captain Embrin is me. That’s an advantage. I can’t blow up this ship, but I can try other things. And I can do it unobserved. Nobody can stop me.

  I close my eyes. Thousands of little dots appear on the back of my eyelids, like a star map. Except, the dots of lights are not stars. They’re spaceships.

  I try to send out my awareness among them, fly out in space without my body as I’d done with Smys just hours earlier.

  Okay, so that doesn’t work. So I just watch those little dots and try to feel my power. I also listen through my comm unit as someone is talking to the kreks and Captain Embrin. Mostly directions, like “This way” and “Left turn.”

  Then tense silence as the footsteps stop. They must have arrived at the command deck. I listen carefully, holding my breath.

  There are no greetings, no niceties.

  “State your demands,” Roax says at last. “We will come to an agreement.”

  He sounds supremely confident, his strong voice filled with power, and in that moment I realize what he’s doing, what his plan is. He has the power to compel. He got himself in front of Gaden in person, so he could try to compel the pirate lord into surrender.

  But then Uthan says, “Odair,” at the same time as an unfamiliar voice sneers, “I didn’t think I would see you again.”

  Who? And why didn’t he think he’d see Uthan? Is he the fourth-level mystic in the pirates’ employ who almost killed Uthan? Even as I wonder, holding my breath, whether the fourth-level mystic can protect Gaden from being compelled, outraged male shouting comes through Tiam’s comm unit. Unfamiliar voices. Curses.

  “Where the hell is she?” a harshly spoken demand cuts
off all the rest.

  “I’m right here,” Captain Embrin says bravely.

  Then a shot sounds, and almost at the same time, she screams.

  My eyes snap open. Oh, for stars’ sake. That went to hell faster than anticipated.

  “I don’t need any of you,” the same harsh voice shouts, then more shots.

  And I panic, my heart racing and my lungs squeezing tight, because there’s no way I’ll get there in time. Dammit, I should have gone with them in the first place. Or I should have done what I’m about to do, sooner.

  I close my eyes, and focus on the map on the inside of my eyelid again. I take one last look at the pirate ships and where they are in relation to me. Here goes nothing. I extend my hands and send out my power.

  I might yet kill all of us, but at least there’s a chance at success. If I don’t do anything, I’m sure we will end in disaster.

  “Come on. Work!”

  The power uncoils and wraps around me, feeling both familiar and different. Different in a good way—not tight, not suffocating, but more like an armor. It fits. I think Smys changed something inside me, charged something, solidified my control somehow when my soul floated through space. And then, immediately after, I accepted Roax and Dason, which centered my newfound strength. I feel in control now.

  I let all my power flow and find its targets.

  “Oh.”

  It’s nothing like cracking ceilings and blowing up trees. I feel the horror of the dying. Pirate ships are evaporating in space, and each extinguished life is a stab of pain in my chest.

  There are a lot of them.

  I drop to my knees first, then collapse completely against the seat next to me.

  So there’s a price. Of course, there is.

  Sweat beads on my forehead. My teeth are clenched. I’m blowing apart ships. I feel blown apart. I was too focused on being glad that I have power to unleash, that I know now how to unleash it, how to direct it. I forgot to worry about how to leash it back. I’m shaking with the effort, gasping for air, holding on to the pod’s seat for dear life, my nails digging into the upholstery as my body desperately tries to anchor itself to something.

  My muscles lock up, and it’s agony. I’m barely conscious by the time the power finally runs out on its own. I stay collapsed against the seat, breathe through the pain as it rises in a wave for another few seconds, then ebbs and disappears.

  “Thank you,” I whisper the words, even if I don’t even know who I’m thanking.

  My body trembles with aftershocks as I check my virtual map again.

  I’ve erased half the invading ships from orbit. And I think a lot of the other half are damaged. The explosions out there don’t stop, however. The Federation fleet has engaged what’s left of the enemy.

  Over the comm unit, I hear Gaden screaming. “What. The. Hell. Is. Happening?”

  He still has my Five, I feel my connection to them. They’re still alive at least. As I struggle to my feet, I find that the surge of power left me with clarity. The undeniable truth hits me. The kreks might have left me behind here, but I let them.

  I’ve spent most of my life hiding. It kept me alive. But I no longer live underground. And I won’t hide in this pod, either. To be the Oath Forger, I’m going to have to stand tall, out in the open. I can’t lead from hiding.

  “Okay. So my hiding days are over.”

  I reach for the gun at my waist, then hesitate. If I walk out of here with that gun, it’ll give the impression that the weapon is what I’m counting on for help. I want to give the impression that I hold a vast power. So I leave the gun on the seat, hoping it won’t be yet the worst decision I made today.

  When I exit the pod, pirates surround me before I can take two steps. Every gaze is fastened on me, every man pointing a weapon at my chest, postures stiff, eyes tight, breaths held. Yeah, they know who I am. But nobody is in a hurry to shoot, not after my demonstration of power.

  So far so good. “Take me to Gaden.”

  They lead me forward without a word, keeping their distance.

  Once I can see the opening to the command deck, I sweep in front of the men, steel my spine, and stride in, running on sheer bravado.

  Captain Embrin is sitting on the floor, holding her bloody shoulder. Dason is kneeling next to her. I think he’s trying to surreptitiously lick her. I’m not even jealous. I don’t want Embrin to die because of me.

  The kreks are surrounded by an overwhelming force of men all armed for war. Roax’s lips are trembling. That’s so weird, I look again. No, they’re not trembling, but moving ever so slightly. He’s whispering to the pirates under his breath. To hold them off? Maybe Gaden’s mystic can protect the pirate lord, but not every man on deck.

  Sweat is running down Tiam’s face in rivulets, his expression desperate, his eyes darting, his hands flailing at his side, and a second passes before I realize what he’s doing. Controlling fire. The pirate ships I blew up are probably raining fiery debris on the planet. I should have thought of that. Shit!

  Uthan’s gaze is riveted on a tall, green man in a shimmering robe, and the man’s gaze is riveted on him. They are the only two people in the room who don’t look at me for even a second. Locked in a mystic battle?

  Koah stares at me with an intensity that makes me nervous. Does he sense what’s going to happen? Is it disaster? Do I have time to change it?

  I lock gazes with the pirate lord who is a smoking pillar of fury.

  Chin up. Knees and back straight. “I am the Oath Forger. I am here to negotiate.” I pause a beat as I rethink, the explosions out there reminding me that our men are dying. “Actually, fuck that. I’m not negotiating anything. I’m taking your ship.”

  All around us, the battle rages on, explosions shaking the ship as other vessels blow up nearby.

  Gaden watches me with eyes that are yellow instead of white around his small dark irises. The color matches his curved, pointy teeth. He’s ridiculously overdressed, wearing a gold-embroidered cape over skintight clothes that are made of some kind of bumpy leather that resembles alligator hide.

  He speaks in what he probably thinks is an imperious tone, but just sounds nasal, “So I’m going to give you my ship, in exchange for what?”

  “Not having your heart boiled while it’s still inside your chest.” I make that up on the spot, then I pause for effect. “I think whoever hired you to capture me failed to inform you that the Oath Forger has powers.”

  Chapter Eight

  THE INTERROGATION TAKES PLACE in front of a tribunal held at the Onyx Tower in Merim. The cracks caused by my awakening powers have been fully repaired, and all diplomatic work has now resumed. I’m glad I didn’t cause any permanent damage. So is everyone else, judging by the careful looks people—from reception to security—cast me when I walk in. There seems to be an underlying message of We’d all very much appreciate it if you didn’t completely lose it again.

  Who? Me?

  I am present at the tribunal because I’m done with being considered a ceremonial figure.

  After I blew up a few thousand pirate ships two days ago without so much as a scratch on the Federation fleet—how is that for control?—the kreks decided to trust my abilities. I feel like they’re even a little wary of me—an unintended positive consequence of my ‘heart boiling’ comment. But I’m not going to tell them that I can’t really boil people’s innards. Yes, I think I’m just going to keep that a secret for a few more days. I’m so freaking mad at them still.

  “What did you plan to do with me after you captured me on your ship?” I ask the pirate lord.

  The tribunal and I sit at a table on a raised platform, looking down on Gaden who is alone in the middle of the cavernous room. My kreks are in the seating area in the back, once again, observing. So is Olipha. She turned up this morning, back from a secret mission to the Breach. I can’t remember the last time I’d been as happy as I was when she walked into the dining room while the kreks and I were having breakfast.
>
  Gaden’s gold-embroidered robe is gone, but he’s been allowed to keep his alligator-hide-like suit. It’s so tight, for a second I wonder, Wait, is that his own skin? But no, the tribunal wouldn’t make him stand trial naked. When I look closer, I can make out the line of demarcation between sleeves and hands.

  “I simply wanted to separate you from your kreks,” the man says in a tone of respect that’s as false as his smarmy smile. He glances at the door, then back at me. He’s been doing that since we began an hour ago. “Just wanted to get you away from the upcoming battle. For your own safety, Oath Forger. And of course, my own self-interest. I just needed to remove you. Nothing more.”

  I’m pretty sure he meant to kill me. He would kill me still, given half the chance. I can see it in his cold, yellow eyes.

  “On whose orders?”

  “Nobody’s. My people have decided to expand inside the Federation. Why should we limit ourselves to the Frontier? The Federation was ready to tear itself apart before your arrival and confirmation. That you’re knitting it back together is something of an inconvenience.”

  Which is exactly why he wanted to kill me. “On whose orders?”

  He glances toward the door again. “Nobody orders me.”

  “On whose orders?” I put warning into my tone. Like I’m saying Last chance before I boil your black heart. Am I terrible if I’m enjoying this a little?

  Silence is the man’s only answer.

  I draw a deep breath and release the tiniest shiver of power, just enough to make the floor tremble.

  Shocked gasps sound all around the room.

  Koah catches my gaze. His eyes say, I hope you know that’s the last time you’ll be allowed in the Onyx Tower.

  I give him a slight, one-shouldered shrug, and I pin my full attention on Gaden.

  He’s a shade paler than he was a minute ago. I think he knows he’s been beaten. He has no fleet. His men are not coming to rescue him. And neither is his powerful connection.

  After a brief staring contest, he looks down at his cuffed hands. “Fered Sayer.”

  Surprised murmurs spread through the room, but there are also plenty of faces that don’t look the least bit stunned. I stare at Gaden. Sayer? But he’s so likable. If we’re talking about traitorous Trade Alliance leadership, my money would have been on Fered Wofol.