Shadow of the Coalition

by Jamie A. Waters

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Kayla muttered, but she stood anyway.

  Seara laughed and linked arms with her. “Well, if they don’t figure out a way to get along, they’re going to have to deal with two very angry Rath’Varein women.”

  Kayla smiled at the image and began walking with her mother back toward the restaurant with Brant falling into step behind them. Once they were close to the restaurant, she paused and turned to Seara. “I’ll meet you at the table. I want to talk to Brant for a minute.”

  Seara hesitated and then nodded before making her way back to the table. Kayla turned to Brant and pinned him with her gaze. He gave her another of his infuriatingly polite smiles as she stalked toward him.

  “Come with me,” she demanded without giving him a chance to argue. Gripping the sleeve of his jacket, she was surprised he didn’t yelp at the contact. Kayla half-led and half-pulled him around the corner of the restaurant and into an alley. Dozens of empty storage boxes were piled high against the walls, making the alley somewhat cramped. At least they were out of the general traffic though.

  She released him, and he quickly stepped away as though he didn’t want to remain too close to her. Brant surveyed their new surroundings briefly before focusing once more on Kayla. She didn’t miss how he positioned his body to continue to monitor the commercial thoroughfare and her at the same time.

  “Did you change your mind about returning to the restaurant?”

  Kayla tilted her head back to regard him. His hazel eyes skimmed over her, taking the opportunity to study her too. Although she didn’t get the impression he intended her any harm at the moment, the lack of energy threads around him bothered her. It was time for some answers.

  “Why is Alec having you follow me around?”

  Brant squared his shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back. “You’ll need to ask Master Tal’Vayr his reasons. I’m simply following orders.”

  Kayla put her hands on her hips. He could pretend to be nothing more than a drone if he wanted, but the shadows in his eyes told another story. She normally wouldn’t push, but she had a suspicion that story involved her. “That’s not good enough. You’re armed, coordinating with other people in the restaurant, and have been following me so close all night that I wouldn’t be surprised if you offered to flush for me on my next trip to the lavatory.”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he just continued to stand there and observe her.

  She frowned, growing increasingly annoyed. “There’s something about you that makes every single one of my senses go on alert. I’m beginning to wonder if it has something to do with the energy threads that disappear around you. I know there’s no way you’re a simple escort.”

  His eyebrows rose, but he still didn’t reply. That flicker of interest made her hopeful she could extract some answers from him yet. Encouraged by the response, she took a small step toward him. He eyed her approach warily but didn’t back away.

  “On top of that, I’ve been asked to pretend I’m engaged to Alec to prevent some evil plot. Since Alec’s ordered you to follow me around and you’ve seen me with Carl, you obviously know the truth about our relationship. So tell me, why the hell does he want you specifically to trail me? Does it have anything to do with the energy threads that avoid you?”

  Something akin to irritation flickered across Brant’s face. “Kayla, we should return to the restaurant. I’m sure Master Tal’Vayr will be happy to answer your questions in private.”

  That might be, but Alec wasn’t here, and she had no intention of being blindsided again. She cocked her head and decided to try a different approach.

  “Master Tal’Vayr said you would answer my questions when he’s not around. He’s not here, so go ahead and fess up. What’s your deal?”

  Almost reluctantly, the corners of his mouth twitched. The slight smile made the hardness around his eyes less intense. “I was warned you can be quite… headstrong. I suspect that was putting it mildly.”

  Her eyes narrowed at his description, but he didn’t appear concerned. “Very well, I’ll tell you what I can. I’m only permitted to discuss certain things, but I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can without breaking my word.”

  She crossed her arms and waited for him to continue.

  “Master Tal’Vayr is concerned about your safety, both inside and outside of these walls. I’ve been asked to keep an eye on you to make sure you remain unharmed and don’t use your energy unintentionally.”

  Kayla’s brow furrowed. “Using my energy unintentionally? Are you an Inner Circle member?”

  Brant’s shoulders stiffened at the question as his eyes flashed with some unspoken emotion. “No. I’ve been trained to detect energy channeling and to manipulate energy in such a way I’m able to neutralize an attack.”

  “Oh,” she murmured, wondering if she’d touched a nerve. At the very least, it explained the absence of energy threads around him. “I thought anyone who can use energy was an Inner Circle member.”

  “Not exactly,” he replied and his mouth tightened.

  He definitely didn’t like being compared to an Inner Circle member. Interesting.

  “So if I channeled energy right now, you’d be able to tell?” She steered the conversation in what she hoped was a safer direction.

  “Yes, ma’am.” His shoulders relaxed slightly. “You’re currently channeling a small amount right now. You have been since you arrived in the towers.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her and she frowned. She concentrated, trying to figure out if she could somehow be channeling energy. She didn’t sense it, but anything was possible. There was so much she didn’t know. The earthquake in the ruins was proof enough. Apprehension filled her at the thought of triggering another event and she bit her lip in concern. “Do you know how I can stop it?”

  Brant studied her for a long moment. “You may want to speak with Master Tal’Vayr about that. I’m sure he’ll explain that sort of thing when he trains you. In an emergency, I can temporarily disconnect your energy flow.”

  “You can do that?” she whispered breathlessly. Hope filled her at the thought of being able to turn off the energy channeling at will. It could be the answer to her problems.

  Brant seemed startled by her eagerness but nodded.

  “Is it possible to do it permanently?”

  He looked alarmed by the question and quickly glanced around to see if anyone was within earshot. “Mistress Rath’Varein, we should return to the restaurant. I have already overstepped myself by discussing this much with you.”

  “Wait,” Kayla protested. “Can you at least cut off my energy now so I can see how I’m channeling it?”

  He hesitated and then shook his head. “It only lasts as long as I hold it in place. It’s a tactic used to subdue someone from offensive energy attacks. I swore an oath to protect you. By using my abilities on you in that manner, I would effectively be breaking my word. I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You need to speak with Master Tal’Vayr.”

  Kayla sighed and inwardly cursed. Getting information out of Brant was like pulling teeth. She’d put up with it for now, especially if his presence also had something to do with the High Council targeting Alec. “Fine. Can you at least tell me what outside influences Alec thinks might be a threat? I get that he’s worried I might blow someone up, but I’d like to know if he thinks someone might want to return the favor.”

  “I’m sorry, but I cannot say anything more about that. I was simply asked to protect you from anyone seeking to cause you harm,” Brant stated with finality, ending any further discussion.

  Something about the way he said it struck Kayla as funny. When she thought about it, the whole thing was ludicrous. Unable to resist, she burst into cathartic laughter. Brant seemed puzzled by her reaction. When her laughter finally subsided, she grinned at him.

  He hesitated for a moment. “May I ask what you found so humorous?”

  “I don
’t know what Alec is worried about happening,” she admitted with a shrug. “To be honest, I’m more concerned about zapping someone by accident than anyone trying to hurt me. I’ve spent my whole life taking care of myself. I’ve seen things and done things that would probably give most of the people in these towers nightmares. Compared to what’s on the surface, they live their lives surrounded by warm, fuzzy balls of fluff. I’m not like them. If I can’t take care of myself, then whatever happens falls on me.” She looked down at her hands with a frown. “It’s just the energy stuff that I don’t know about and apparently, I can’t shut that off.”

  Brant gave her an incredulous stare. “No one deserves to be harmed if they can’t defend themselves.”

  She shook her head and frowned. “Maybe they don’t deserve it, but that’s not how the world works. The only person you can always depend upon is yourself. If you get in the habit of relying on someone else and something happens to them, what then? If I fail for whatever reason, I’ll either die or learn the lesson I’m handed. Life isn’t always forgiving enough to give you second chances. And if you’re fortunate enough to get a second chance, you better learn your lesson quick because you can be damn sure there won’t be a third.”

  “You’re unlike any Inner Circle member I’ve met,” he murmured thoughtfully.

  Kayla grinned, pleased by the comment, and bumped her shoulder against his arm. “That’s because I’m a ruin rat. But you’re all right, Fluffy. Even though you won’t turn off my energy, I’m starting to kinda like you.”

  Chapter Seven

  Kayla slid back into her seat. The tension at the table was palpable. Both Alec and Carl were watching her intently, and she had the impression they were both holding their breath waiting for her to issue her verdict.

  Instead, Kayla ignored them and reached for her glass. She took a long sip and tried to gather her thoughts. She needed to make it clear she was going to do things her own way and in her own time.

  When she finally lowered the glass, she announced in a low voice, “Okay. I know this isn’t the place to have this conversation, but I’ll say this much. Seara gave me some things to think about. I’m not angry anymore, but I’m also not happy that something like this was kept from me. I want you both to know that if either of you ever keep something like this from me again,” she picked up the knife off the table and waved it at both of them, “I swear I’ll cut off your balls, tie them to the back of my speeder, and drag them through all four districts.”

  Carl grimaced and took a long drink from his glass. Alec looked equally pained but asked, “Do you still want me to renounce the announcement?”

  Kayla squeezed her eyes shut. This was the hard part. It was like standing on top of a fulcrum and the slightest movement could send either end toppling. Through her shared connection with Alec, she could sense his apprehension and concern. Underneath, she could also sense deep feelings for her and his fear that he could possibly lose her. Although she couldn’t sense Carl in the same way, she knew he was anxiously awaiting her decision too.

  “No,” she said in soft voice and lowered the knife, putting it back on the table. Alec didn’t reply, but she felt his sudden rush of relief crash through their bond.

  In a whisper so low only Alec and Carl could hear, she qualified, “But I’m not getting married.”

  Carl remained silent at her words, but his entire body tensed. She reached under the table and squeezed his hand gently, her eyes pleading with him to understand. He had to know she was only agreeing to this charade to protect Alec. He searched her gaze and whatever he saw there made him relax. He nodded and gave her a small smile before rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

  She slumped in relief and withdrew her hand. He understood.

  Seara’s voice broke through her emotional rollercoaster. “Alec mentioned you received a tour of the kitchen. What did you think?”

  Kayla straightened in her chair, thankful for the change of subject. “It was great. I’ve never seen anything like that. One of the chefs let me make garlic bread.”

  Her mother’s laughter was a tinkling sound of merriment. It helped break up the rest of the tension. A moment later, several of the wait staff approached their table and placed steaming plates of food in front of them. A large basket of garlic bread was set in the center of the table.

  Kayla looked down at the seafood pasta dish in front of her. It looked even better than it appeared in the pot. Unable to resist, she took a bite. Yep. No doubt about it. “This is even better than what I sampled earlier.”

  Seara smiled at her. “We have all sorts of different restaurants on this level that you might enjoy. Each has their own specialties. We’ll have to try some different ones and see what else appeals to you.”

  Kayla wasn’t sure she was willing to stick around long enough for that. Instead of agreeing, she stabbed her fork into the round-shaped pasta. “Man, Cruncher’s going to be so jealous when I tell him about this. Think they’ll let me take some home to him?”

  Carl chuckled and shook his head. “I think he’d prefer the sandwiches.”

  She snorted. He was probably right. She wished it were possible to bring back some of these experiences to the other ruin rats. Taking another sip of the wine, Kayla once again considered Seara’s words and wondered how she could make life better for the ruin rats.

  “If you wanted to build another tower, not as big as these of course, how difficult would it be?”

  Alec looked at her in surprise and then glanced at Seara questioningly. The older woman simply smiled and sipped her wine. Alec turned back to Kayla, his voice edged with caution. “It would depend on the scope of the project. What did you have in mind?”

  “Let’s say you wanted to create a smaller version of this tower. How would you go about doing it?”

  Alec tilted his head, considering the question. “Well, I would decide the approximate number of people I wanted to house within the building and what amenities would need to be included, and then I would have our designers work up some ideas. From there, you’d need to determine what resources would be required to begin building. You’d need materials and labor, as well as a suitable building site.”

  “Kayla, where are you going with this?” Carl shifted in his chair to face her.

  She glanced at him but didn’t answer right away. Instead, she took another bite of her food. She didn’t know if this was even possible. After she swallowed, Kayla gave a half-hearted shrug. “It might be nice if the ruin rats had a permanent home.”

  Alec glanced at Seara, who was still smiling over the rim of her glass. He chuckled and said, “Kayla, you are definitely your father’s daughter. He proposed a similar idea many years ago.” His face sobered as he added, “The cost and drain to our resources was too high though. The High Council argued against it.”

  “Oh.” Well, crap. There goes that idea. Her shoulders slumped in dejection.

  “That doesn’t necessarily mean no,” he said in a rush, placing his hand over hers. “If this is something you want, we can explore it. Seara can show you where your father kept his files. I’ll be happy to go through them with you. If we provide suitable arguments to their objections, there’s no reason why we couldn’t propose your project to the High Council again.”

  Carl eyed Alec with suspicion. “Is something like this really a possibility?”

  “We won’t know until we get all the information. But if this is something Kayla wants and she’s willing to make it happen, I don’t see why not. I’ll do whatever I can to help her.”

  Seara nodded in encouragement. “Sometimes all it takes is just one person to make an idea come to life.”

  Kayla pushed her finished plate away. If something like this was within the realm of possibilities, she owed it to the ruin rats to try to make it a reality. Although some of them would balk at the idea of living under OmniLab’s rule, there were others who would jump at the opportunity. At the very least, they’d have the choice. That w
as more than what they had right now. “Could I talk to one of the designers so we can figure out what would be needed?”

  Alec nodded. “Of course. When you come to my office in the morning, I’ll see about arranging someone to meet with you.”

  The conversation drifted off after that, each left to their own thoughts. Once they’d finished their meal, Alec escorted the group back to the Rath’Varein family quarters. Seara and Carl headed inside, but Alec stopped Kayla at the door.

  “I just wanted to thank you again for allowing the engagement to continue.”

  Kayla glanced back into her family’s quarters to Seara and Carl’s retreating figures. “Seara’s worried about you. She thinks the engagement will help protect you. I’m not going to pretend to understand the politics in this place, but I trust Seara.”

  Alec hesitated and sent another light wave of energy over her. His thumb glided along her jaw and traced across her lower lip. “It’s not just about the politics, my love. My feelings for you are real.”

  Kayla frowned and took a step back. His touch, the energy… it was confusing, overwhelming, and addicting all at the same time. Just like with any addiction, she needed to stop it. Now.

  “Alec, don’t.”

  He lowered his hand and his eyes shuttered, once more appearing the pragmatic High Council leader. “Very well. I’ll come by in the morning around seven to pick you up. Does that work for you?”

  She blew out a breath, hating the conflicting emotions inside her. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  Her eyes narrowed on Brant standing nearby. She gestured toward him. “Are you planning on telling me the real story about him tomorrow? He’s pretty tight-lipped with the information sharing.”

  Alec glanced at Brant and nodded. “Yes. He’ll be leaving in a few minutes, but he’ll return in the morning. I’ll have another security officer stationed outside your door tonight should you need anything. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t leave these quarters without an escort until you’re trained.”