Hope bloomed. “Then they should still be close enough to track!”
“We’re working on it,” her mother said. “They covered their tracks well, using transmission shadows, keeping close to stars so they’re harder to see. It’s Nocturna trickery at its finest.”
“Why would the Nocturnas kidnap their own heir?” Judit asked. Word would spread far faster than any ship. People would be looking for them halfway across the galaxy if not all the way on the other side. “I need to join the search.”
“One moment, Judit,” her mother said.
“The longer I sit here—”
“Your grandmother wants a word.”
And Judit knew what that word would be. She braced herself for more recriminations, for ways she could and should have handled things differently. Her grandmother had always firmly believed that one had to be constantly criticized if one were to better herself.
Judit stood before the door opened. Without looking at anyone, Grandmother took a seat behind her desk and gestured to the chair in front of it, letting her eyes fall with a grimace on the spot where Judit had rested before. Judit sighed and sat in the chair. She didn’t know if her grandmother had been watching the feed from this office, or if she’d left some invisible butt mark that only her grandmother could see.
Her grandmother fixed her with a steely silver gaze. Eyes that matched Meridian hair were rare but happened occasionally. It was said to be a harbinger of great things. Judit did her best not to squirm under her grandmother’s gaze, but the old woman could unnerve a brick.
“Your cousin,” she said at last.
Judit waited for more, tales of Noal’s importance, how he must be found, but nothing came. Would she allow Judit to take part in the search, even lead it, or was Judit to be punished by having to stay behind? Maybe she wouldn’t even be a guardian anymore. Would they let her roam the halls in her uniform with no rank, trusted by no one?
She had to head that possibility off. “Grandmother, please, I can find them, him—”
“Finding him will not be your responsibility.”
Judit’s heart sank, but she was already making plans. No matter what backwater they assigned her to, her crew was still loyal. She would send them a message; they could retrieve her, and then go looking on their own.
But now she had to put up at least a show of a fight. “I’m best equipped—”
“You will lead the attack on House Nocturna.”
Judit blinked several times. “We don’t know that House Nocturna is behind the kidnapping. And we can’t restart the war! The other houses will destroy us.”
“The other houses care only that there is peace. With all of Nocturna dead, there will be peace. That is the job of the chosen one.”
“His kidnapping will bring peace through destruction?”
“You are the chosen one, Judit,” her mother said. “You always have been.”
Judit stared at her, the words echoing in her head, but she didn’t believe them, could barely hear them. “What?”
Her grandmother drummed her fingers on the chair, casting one look toward Judit’s mother before her eyes rested on Judit again. “We knew this day was coming. We knew Nocturna wouldn’t honor their agreement. You and Noal were born hours from each other, but you were the one born first. We hid that from Nocturna because we knew they would betray us.”
Judit sat back heavily in her chair. She was the chosen one? Were they lying? But they didn’t lie. Nocturnas lied. She shook her head, trying to get a grip. “You knew this would happen?”
“Something like it. We’ve been building a fleet in secret, waiting.” She had a small smile lingering on her lips. Her grandmother loved nothing better than a good campaign. “And you will lead them as the chosen one.”
Judit swallowed past the lump in her throat. “And Annika? Is she the real Nocturna heir?”
Grandmother shrugged. “We will retrieve Noal, and if the Nocturna is still alive, we may take her also. But first, we will punish her house for behaving as we always knew they would.” She tilted her head. “And so the prophecy will be fulfilled. You will bring us peace by seeing Nocturna destroyed.”
Before Judit could stutter any more questions, her father cleared his throat. “She is a Nocturna, Judit. She was probably privy to this plan all along.”
“No! She was surprised. She ran after Noal—”
Her grandmother waved a hand. “In the end, it doesn’t matter.”
“So, while the galaxy looks for Annika and Noal, you want me to take the fleet and destroy Nocturna?” So many deaths, billions of them. How could they?
“It’s your destiny, Judit. Predicted by the hierophants, seconded by so many other houses. The chosen one will bring a final end to the war, and what could be more final than Nocturna’s destruction?”
“Marriage! We’re supposed to bring about peace with a marriage, not another war!”
Before her grandmother could respond, her mother sighed loudly. “We only planned for Nocturnas acting like Nocturnas. Just because we knew this would happen doesn’t mean we caused it.”
The room started to spin, and Judit had to curl her hands into fists to still it. She wondered if they would have ever let any marriage take place. If this hadn’t happened, would they have found some other excuse to launch their secret fleet? If she really was the chosen one, and they’d hidden her from the start, they must have been planning to use her even if Nocturna had gone along with the marriage.
But Feric had attacked both Noal and his charge instead. But why would Nocturna create their own destruction this way? They had to know Meridian would come for them.
And she was the chosen one. All her life, it had been her. What did that make Noal? A decoy? And she could have been with Annika all this time? The questions added to the mishmash of feelings, and she felt as if she was floating above the floor with no way down.
Her grandmother and parents spoke of plans to spread rumors, to make sure Nocturna was actively involved in the search so they’d be unprepared for an attack. They wanted as many Nocturna ships as possible out of the way, but speed was of the essence. Once the fleet started to assemble, Nocturna would know. They would prepare defenses, which was why Judit had to hit Nocturna while they were scrambling. With everyone gathered for the wedding, maybe they could get many Nocturna Bloods in one sweep.
“Won’t they be thinking the same?” Judit asked, hearing the breathlessness in her voice. “Aren’t you afraid they’re already on their way?”
“We’ve been preparing defenses, too,” her grandmother said. “And no doubt Nocturna’s spies will know that. However, our spies, even those at the deepest level, report no extra defenses on Nocturna’s part.”
She wondered if that deepest level meant Feric. Maybe this had all been Meridian’s idea. But she couldn’t dwell on that. She kept circling back to the fact that she was the chosen one. All the heartache she’d been through, the sleepless nights she’d had thinking about Noal and Annika, knowing she and Annika could never be together; they’d all been for nothing. All her training had been for nothing.
Well, not for nothing. Her family was counting on her to kill billions of people. Or were they? Maybe they only wanted a figurehead because of a stupid prophecy they were paying lip service to. Maybe they laughed at a destiny she’d always felt hamstrung by.
Her grandmother gestured toward the washroom. “Take a moment and compose yourself, Judit. Then get back to your ship. It’s time you were gone.”
She staggered to the washroom. She didn’t dare contact Beatrice, not yet, but plans were trying to form in her mind. Chosen ones didn’t matter. Prophecies didn’t matter. Only one thing was certain: Noal and Annika hadn’t kidnapped themselves. They were counting on her.
After she’d splashed some water on her face, Judit walked out of her grandmother’s office without another word. What was there to say? Leaden steps carried her back to the shuttle bay, and once she was behind closed doors, she cut
any of the feeds inside the shuttle, leaving Beatrice and her in privacy.
Beatrice watched in silence, and as they pulled out of the dock, she said, “What’s up?”
“We’re off to attack Nocturna.”
Beatrice nodded slowly, but her expression was filled with questions.
“Has the Damat been looking for Noal and Annika while I was talking to my grandmother?”
“As much as we can, but so far, nothing.” Beatrice looked to the controls of the shuttle. “Do you want me to fly?”
Ashamed that her hands were too shaky, Judit nodded. They sped back to the Damat, and the coordinates for the rally point were waiting for them. A few other ships from Meridian Prime cruised with them toward the nearest transmission gate. At other gates, more ships were lined up, waiting for Judit to lead them into battle. How many captains were ready to take her place if she gave the order to stand down? But no one could replace her. She was the chosen one, and only she could lead the Meridians to peace. They all believed it, even her grandmother, or the fleet would have already launched.
At his console on the bridge, Lieutenant Roberts frowned over his data, his dark eyes wide with questions.
“What is it, Roberts?” Judit asked, looking over his shoulder.
“I’ve been going over the data from the ship that took the heirs, Boss, and well, I don’t want to disagree with the Blood.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
He smiled slightly. “If my calculations are correct, Nocturna can’t be the kidnappers. These engine signatures are all wrong. These trajectories are wrong. Even the possible destinations. It had to have been someone else. The math doesn’t lie.”
Annika and Noal in unknown hands. No wonder Judit’s grandmother had hurried her so much. She knew. And other people would be analyzing the same data. Grandmother had to know Judit’s crew would figure it out, but maybe she thought her granddaughter would be so focused on her mission that she wouldn’t bother. Or maybe Grandmother thought her completely incompetent and wanted Nocturna destroyed before anyone had the chance to find out that Nocturna wasn’t responsible. Which meant Annika was in as much danger as Noal. They couldn’t wait until after a full-scale attack. What could happen to them in the meantime?
“Bea, tell the fleet to hang back. We’re going through first. What’s your math say about the trail, Roberts?”
He squinted at his data again, pointing at a set of coordinates. “Best place to start is here, Boss.”
“Send that data to the gate, and then use our command codes to shut it down behind us.”
Beatrice glanced at her. “The family will have it up again in no time, Jude.”
“By then we’ll be long gone.” And once her grandmother figured out where she went, no one would follow. They’d be too busy trying to figure out another way to wage their war.
Chapter Four
Consciousness came back with a snap, but Annika forced herself to remain still, to listen and feel. The surface under her was soft, but she felt nothing against her sides, head, or feet. Probably a mattress rather than a sofa or any other piece of furniture. Slight heat coming from her left side told her she wasn’t alone, but whoever it was wasn’t moving, either. By the faint odor of cologne…Noal. She heard the hum of air reclamators and smelled a slight tang of antiseptic. Possibly a medbay, though she didn’t hear the sound of biobeds or other equipment. A slight vibration carried through the bed, humming ever so slightly in the surrounding walls. They were aboard a ship.
Ama would tell her to stay cautious. She heard nothing else, no one shifting around, but even if they were alone, there could be cameras or other sensors. She flexed the muscles in her calves and back. She was wearing clothing, but not the dress she’d been taken in. The feel and pull of it indicated some kind of bodysuit with a tighter fit. Whoever had taken her probably feared a concealed weapon in her own clothing. They were prepared, but they couldn’t know everything she could do; not even her grandmother knew everything.
Time to put on a show.
She rolled her head to and fro, moaning and frowning in mock pain and confusion. She sat up slowly, squinting at her surroundings and blinking in what she hoped passed for surprise.
They’d taken pains to make a comfortable room, at least. She and Noal lay side by side on a bed, both of them dressed in soft jumpsuits of black fabric, something lightweight that they’d have a hard time making a weapon out of, though she suspected her captors considered that a dubious possibility. Her family would have known she didn’t need a weapon.
The mattress underneath them was bare, a solid piece of foam. All the other furniture had the sheen of plastic, and she noticed bolts securing it to the floor. She looked to Noal and shook him as a panicked person might. He’d be a helpful distraction and make whoever was watching them have to look in two directions at once.
He snored loudly then smacked his lips before sitting up, and either he was a far better actor than she could ever hope to be, or his surprise was genuine. “Where…” He launched off the bed and slipped, turning a full circle before looking at her with wide eyes. “Your guardian attacked me! Where are we? Where is Judit?”
“I don’t know,” she said, making her eyes fill with tears. “Feric grabbed you, and I ran after.” She blinked so the tears would dribble down her cheeks. “Judit was fighting, and I told Feric to let you go!”
His face softened, and he approached the bed gently. “I’m sorry, Annika. Don’t cry. You didn’t know?”
“Of course not! Poor Feric. He had to have been…manipulated in some way, but by whom?”
Together, they looked around. She didn’t recognize anything from their surroundings, but maybe he would. He tiptoed through the room and tried the door controls, but of course, it didn’t budge.
He knocked on the metal surface and called, “Hello?” It almost made her chuckle, and she knew she would have had a very hard time doing anything nasty to him if all had gone according to plan. And then, even while not knowing anything about where they were or what was happening, a sense of relief washed over her.
Noal hugged his elbows. “There’s no window, but I can feel the engines through my feet, so I think we’re on a ship.”
She nodded slowly, and her estimation for him went up a notch. She’d half expected him to collapse into a puddle and cry his eyes out, but maybe that was still her grandmother talking.
“Keep calm, and you will not be harmed,” a female voice said over a hidden speaker.
“Who are you?” Noal called.
The voice fell silent. If their kidnappers needed leverage, the hostages needed to remain alive and in one piece, at least until they’d outlived their usefulness. Annika didn’t intend to let things get that far.
She looked to Noal and saw the complication there. To escape, she’d have to betray some of her skills. Of course, if this was her family at work, the marriage was probably out the window, and she could show Noal who she really was. But if the kidnapping wasn’t the work of Nocturna, the marriage might still continue.
Ama’s wisdom was silent on the matter. Of all the times she’d had Annika fight her way out of various situations, there’d never been anyone she cared about with her. But Ama didn’t expect her to care about anyone. When she’d first met Noal and Judit, Annika hadn’t anticipated coming to care for them, either. But Noal had been open and friendly, far different from anyone Annika had ever met.
At first, Annika had only noticed Judit’s attractiveness, but their second meeting had come after a particularly brutal training session. Annika had been clumsy, leaving an opening, and Ama had broken her rib. Leaving it broken for a day was her punishment, and though she’d tried to hide it, her pain had shown through her expression.
She’d told Noal and Judit she’d fallen, that she didn’t want to admit her clumsiness to her doctor. They’d argued with her, but when she was adamant, Judit had tenderly bound her ribs, saying she’d learned how in battlefield training. He
r hands had been steady and sure. Even with the pain, each time Judit’s hands had grazed the bare flesh beneath Annika’s bra, little jolts of flame shot through her. When Judit had finished binding the ribs, her gaze traveled up Annika’s body as if she’d been fighting the urge to let her eyes wander and had finally lost. When their eyes met, Judit had looked away quickly, but Annika had seen the desire there.
Noal had told her silly jokes to make her smile, and she’d thought, how could she hate these two enough to destroy them? But as her grandmother often reminded her, it wasn’t about hate. It was simply necessity.
In the room now, Annika looked at Noal and grinned. Escaping was also a necessity and now an opportunity as well. She would save herself and Noal. And if her family didn’t like it, well, they should have guarded her better or filled her in on this part of the plan.
Noal stared at her. “What is it? Have you recognized something?” He swallowed. “Please don’t tell me you’ve gone crazy. I don’t think I can handle that.”
If the door wouldn’t open, Ama would get someone to open it for her. Annika crossed to the door and examined it. Someone would have to come in to give them food and let them out to use the washroom, but she didn’t want to wait. Always better to catch people off guard.
She turned to Noal. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I have gone crazy.”
He took a step toward her, reaching out. “Please, don’t worry. I’m sure our—”
When he was within reach, she slapped him. He staggered back, grabbing his cheek, and she pounced, trying to seem unskilled. It was harder than she thought. He left so many openings, she could have killed him six ways over. She wanted to whisper that she was sorry, but she didn’t know how good the listening devices were. He squirmed in her grip, crying out for her to stop, but she persisted, yelling things like, “This is all your fault,” and, “Your family is behind this!”
She scratched and bit him, going for pain without damage, trying to make him cry out. The voice came over the speaker again, repeating its message for calm, but it seemed less sure of itself.
House of Fate Page 4
