by Lili Zander
What? Panic fills me at the thought of being separated from Ruhan. I’d just always assumed I’d go with him to Nestri Prime. I didn’t realize the guards would try to separate us. Big flaw. Perhaps if we’d spent more time planning last night, instead of making love…
My pulse races. Think, Lani, think. What would make them allow me to accompany him? I could pretend to be his lawyer, if they even have lawyers in Nestri. But somehow, I doubt the Okaki soldiers’ commitment to due process. Or I could pretend to be… “I’m his wife,” I blurt out. “His bondmate. I’m family. I demand to go with him.”
“Oh, fine.” I don’t think the soldier really cares about family; he’s just realized that a hundred cameras are recording this interaction. “You want to ally yourself with this criminal, so be it.”
He nudges me inside. I settle next to Ruhan, my palms damp from sweat, my heart still hammering from that moment of sheer panic. Okay, that was close. Too close.
Two Okaki get into the skimmer with us, and the vehicle starts to move. Ruhan quirks an eyebrow at me. “Did we not have a plan, Lani?” he asks, his voice steely. “One that definitely didn’t involve you accusing Gervil publicly of piracy?”
Oh, dear. He’s pissed.
“Gervil held me captive for three months. I won’t let him get away with it.”
Ruhan shakes his head. “The second the pirates abducted you, lovely Lani, they were dead men. You don’t need to plot for revenge. As soon as your safety is assured, their time is up.”
He’s speaking Zor, and the guards can understand every word of his threat. He doesn’t seem to care.
I take in the expression on Ruhan’s face. He means every word; I can tell. Once I’m back at the rebellion, my crazy, amazing Draekon will set off to kill Gervil.
I know I should be disturbed by this, but I’m not. On the other hand, I do care about the well-armed soldiers in our skimmer. One twitch of their tentacles, and Ruhan could have a bullet in his gut. “So,” I say, giving my Draekon a bright smile as I change the subject. “Tell me about Nestri Prime. What’s it like?”
23
Ruhan
When that soldier had shoved Lani inside the skimmer, it had taken all the restraint I possessed not to shatter the arm binding and crush him to death. Add in my prickling anxiety about the Empire finding Lani before Fourth shows up, and I’m a mess.
Yes, my dragon says unhelpfully. Love makes you vulnerable.
The convoy of skimmers slices through the desert at great speed. We fly past villages, the settlements getting larger as we near the edge of the sand. Lani looks out of the windows, her eyes wide, as we near Nestri Prime.
The city is a surreal mix of the ancient and the modern. Nine archways mark entry into Nestri Prime. We enter through the Nova Gate, which is shaped like a tall, rectangular frame. The gate is one of the tallest structures in the city, hundreds of stories high. It was built eight hundred years ago to replace the old Nova Gate, the one I’d burned to the ground.
Two hundred years after I gutted the planet, the people of Nestri came together in defiance and built what was, at that time, the tallest archway in the sector. It’s a profound tribute to Okaki resilience.
Lani laces her fingers in mine. “You don’t feel time pass when you’re in stasis, do you?” she whispers. “How recent is all this for you?”
I give Lani an appreciative smile. Clever girl. Earth is a primitive world; its residents have not yet achieved meaningful spaceflight. But despite how bewildering the Empire must be to Lani, she’s thirsty for information, and she absorbs knowledge. My mate is formidable. “For me, it all happened two years ago.”
“Ouch.” She gives me a sympathetic look. “You okay?”
“Yes.” I’m not lying. If Lani weren’t here, I would be in a very different place, but her presence focuses me. From the second we landed on Nestri, Lani has been my shield. I cannot fall apart; it would leave her unprotected. With her at my side, I don’t feel alone.
Bored by the lack of incident, the two soldiers in our skimmer have fallen asleep, a lamentable lapse in security. The Zoraken commanders who’d been responsible for training the six of us would have whipped us for such an egregious failure. Then they would have reported us to the Supreme Mother, and she would have lashed us with the rathr. My body tenses in remembered anticipation of the blinding pain, but those are just memories. The Supreme Mother is long dead, Lani’s holding my hand, and there is no pain. Just contentment, and a fierce, almost disbelieving joy that I’ve found her.
The skimmers slow down once they’re past the Nova Gate. Lani’s face is glued to the window. “This is beautiful,” she murmurs.
It really is. The road we’re on gleams like a mirror. Shallow pools line the roadway on either side, decorated with fountains that throw jets of colored water into the sky. Straight ahead, the twin temples of Pharlon loom over the plaza like two brooding birds of prey.
It was here that I assassinated the LoreLords. A thousand years later, it seems that I’m to return to the scene of the crime.
Let’s be honest: the plan I came up with isn’t great. Woven out of desperation, it relies far too much on luck. But I have a secret weapon, and that is Lani.
My little human really sold her part of it. When she’d stood before the journalists and announced that she was a storyteller, a hush had fallen over the crowd, and I could see them fall under her spell, the same way Gervil had.
For hundreds of years, the LoreLords have sought revenge on the Draekon that conquered their planet. They’ve stoked the flames of their anger, and they’ve bathed in the bitterness of their hatred. Every generation of the LoreLords swears a blood oath when they come of age. They will do everything in their power to eradicate every Draekon in existence.
Lani claimed she knew who the Draekon Conqueror was. I’m not being taken to a prison; instead, we’re being taken to meet the LoreLords. As I had hoped, the Okaki rulers have taken the bait.
The skimmers come to a halt. The soldiers jerk awake. When they realize they’d fallen asleep, identical looks of horror descend on their faces. They do a quick weapons check, and then turn to us. “Get out,” one of them snarls, aiming to nudge Lani with the butt of his weapon.
I move.
I block the attempt with my body. The red haze descends over me, sharp and swift, and I fight to keep control. “If I were you,” I say, very softly, fixing the nearest guard with a glare. “I wouldn’t do that again.”
The guards don’t know that I can break the restraints binding my arms with a flex of my muscles. They don’t know that I am Third of the Crimson Force, the third Draekon ever made, that I am the Draekon Conqueror, their collective nightmare brought to life. They don’t know that I am a tool forged in fire, a blade honed by death.
But every creature in the galaxy has a survival instinct. When they look into my eyes, they see their deaths. They back away.
Good. Time for the next stage of my half-assed plan. Let’s go see the LoreLords.
The temple guards frown when they see Lani. “You didn’t bind her?” the nearest one asks the soldiers as he searches us to make sure we’re not carrying comms and weapons. “Why not?”
“She’s his bondmate,” the solider responds, giving me a nervous glance. “She’s not guilty of anything. According to the law—”
“Fuck the law,” the guard says. “Our Zorahn friend here is going to the Pit, and the LoreLords want to speak to the woman. Neither of them is going to be in a position to quote the law at us for much longer.” He points at Lani. “They’re waiting for her. Take her up.”
I step forward. “She’s my bondmate. We’ll go together.”
The guard snorts. “Zorahn, you are a criminal. Your opinion does not matter. You have no rights here.” He lifts his weapon up and points it at my face. “Take the woman to the LoreLords,” he repeats.
My temper flares sharply. My patience evaporates. “On the contrary,” I say through gritted teeth. “While I’ve been accused of a c
rime, I haven’t had a trial, and I haven’t been found guilty.” I flex my arms, and the restraints binding me shatter. Before the Okaki can react, I yank the katha from his tentacle and crumple it into a ball.
I’m not gentle. Judging from the crunch of bones and cartilage, I’m pretty sure I’ve caused serious damage to the Okaki, not that I’m weeping any tears over it. The other guard lurches at me, his weapon raised. I push Lani behind me, grab his closest tentacle, and twist. His eyes widen with shock and pain, but before he can open his mouth to scream, I wrench the weapon free and toss him aside.
A dozen Okaki soldiers rush me. I grab the temple guard’s katha and fire, and the soldier in the lead falls to the ground, cut in two.
They set their weapons to kill, not stun. Assholes.
I take a second to adjust the weapon setting. As I do that, two soldiers rush me, their eyes focused. I drag Lani to the ground before they start shooting, roll back to my feet, and slam my fist into the soldier’s torso.
Less than a knur later, it’s done. The temple’s main floor is covered with Okaki soldiers writhing on the ground, tentacles broken, moaning in pain. “Like I said,” I announce, crushing the last katha into a useless metal ball. “I will be accompanying my bondmate.” I turn to Lani, offering her my hand. “Shall we?”
She looks at the injured soldiers and just shakes her head. “Seriously?”
“Admit it, lovely Lani,” I tease. “You loved it.”
She rolls her eyes as she takes my hand. “Kinda flashy,” she remarks. “I thought you were keeping a low profile.”
“Who, me?” I shrug. “I didn’t break free in Drobal only because it would have got Taen, Zara, and Parkim in trouble. Besides, it’s too late for that. My face has already been plastered all over the media.”
If First sees me in the news, he’ll know I’m on Nestri. Fourth had better show up soon, because otherwise, I’m getting into a fight with the rogue Draekon, whether I want to or not.
We take the chute up to the top floor. The three LoreLords are there, waiting. When they see Lani and me, they get nervous. “Where are the guards?” the Younger demands.
“Good question,” I reply, stepping into the spacious chamber. “I left them all downstairs. They looked like they could use a healer. Let’s talk.”
From the dawn of time, there have always been three LoreLords. The Elder, the Between, and the Younger. From the pieces of gossip I’ve been able to pick up, the Elder is the most reasonable of the three, while the Younger and the Between are hungry for power.
The Elder is also the smartest. He looks at me, and then at Lani, and then back at me. I can see that he’s weaving all the threads of information he possesses into a story, and he doesn’t like what it tells him. “Who are you?” he asks slowly.
“A much better question.” I hold out my arm and wipe off the tattoos. “The old temple was dark and cold. The rebuilt version is much nicer. Your ancestors did a good job with it.”
The Elder sucks in a breath.
“But the basic layout hasn’t changed,” I continue. “It was in this room that a thousand years ago, I killed the Elder, the Between, and the Younger.” Sorrow washes through me. “Unlike the three of you, they were good and honorable people. I will regret my actions until the day I die.”
“You are the Conqueror,” the Elder whispers, his voice shocked.
“Yes,” I confirm. “I am.”
I take a deep breath. The past engulfs me. So many memories. The fear on their faces when they realized why I was there. The way they’d pleaded for the lives of their younglings…
“I was ordered to annihilate the line,” I say quietly. Lani touches my shoulder, and the past recedes, and I’m able to breathe through the pain. “But I couldn’t bring myself to kill the defenseless spawn. And I’ve always believed I did the right thing. I never thought I’d regret it.” I look up at the three Okaki LoreLords, so obsessed with their desire for power that they are ready to gamble with the lives of billions of innocent people. “Until now.”
“You cannot be the Draekon Conqueror,” the Younger breathes, his voice laced with shock. “How is this possible? No, this cannot be. This is a lie. A fraud. I refuse to believe it.”
Devnik, Gervil’s sociopath second-in-command, is the spawn of this LoreLord. Like father, like son. “Believe it,” I say grimly. “I spent a thousand years in stasis. I don’t recommend it.”
The Younger opens his mouth to say something, and I put up my hand. “After the destruction of Nestri, your ancestors searched for the Crimson Force. Yet, two years after the Empire annexed your homeworld, the six Draekons disappeared from the galaxy without a trace. Your ancestors were determined to find us. They swore revenge, and they almost bankrupted Nestri in their quest. And they never found us.”
“Nobody can spend a thousand years in stasis,” the Elder says. I’m not sure who he’s trying to convince. The others, or himself. “Two hundred years is the longest recorded time a Zorahn can spend in stasis.”
“A Zorahn, yes. But I’m Draekon. I was made to withstand anything. I was designed to be expectational. I was never allowed to be ordinary.”
The Between stares at me for a long time. “You’re not here to kill us,” he says finally. “If you were, we would already be dead. So, Conqueror, tell us. What do you want?”
Well, he’s no fool.
“You’re right, I’m not here to kill you. I’ve done enough damage to the Okaki.” I pin the three of them with a hard look. “I’m here to deliver a warning. Renounce your bid for power. Abandon your plans for this insane war.”
“Or what?” the Between sneers. “You’ve betrayed your weakness, you fool. You don’t have what it takes to kill us. You can’t stop this war.”
“You think you can still pin the Konar’s explosion on me?”
The Between shrugs. “Maybe not. But we can pin it on somebody else. We’ll pick a Zorahn off the streets, alter his face to look like yours. Who’s going to ask too many questions? The media? They all work for us.” He laughs coldly. “The trial will continue, Conqueror. Someone will end up in the Pit.”
That’s right. Keep talking. “And if the population doesn’t take your bait? What will you do then?”
The Younger laughs coldly. “Do you really think we’ve left it up to chance? We’ve planned everything. In three days, Dranta will riot, the Okaki there revolting against their Zorahn neighbors. The day after that, it’ll be Gashire and Stivale. Then, Fiburn, Ifrore, and Holis. In a week, the entire planet will burn. Then we’ll move in. To protect the Zorahn residents, of course. For their own good.”
“And you’ll use them as a bargaining chip with the Empire,” I state. “Do you really think you’ll get away with it? Do you not care how many people will die?”
“Of course we’ll get away with it.” Between looks puzzled. “We control the media. We control the flow of information. Who will stop us? You? You don’t have the courage to do what is required, Draekon. I see your pain. I feel your ambivalence. You will not engage in another war. Your conquering days are in the past.”
“You idiot,” Lani snaps. “You think that just because he doesn’t kill you, he’s weak. If he wanted to, he could snap you like a twig, but he does not. It’s a sign of his strength that you are alive.”
The Elder speaks up. “Nestri isn’t your planet, it never was. We have waited a thousand years to scour the Zorahn stain from our homeworld. We will wait no longer. I don’t care how many people die. It will be worth it.”
Just then, Blue pings me. “Fourth wants to talk to you,” he says in the feed. “He says it’s urgent.”
Time to go then. We have what we need. I slump my shoulders, pretending to be dismayed. “Millions of people will be at risk,” I repeat. “I appeal to your better nature. Stop now, before it’s too late.”
The Between bares his teeth. “Your reputation is known,” he snarls. “We cannot stop you from leaving the temple. And you cannot stop our plan fr
om coming to fruition. Consider it an impasse. Leave Nestri now, Conqueror. But now we know that you are alive. No matter where you hide, we will find you, and we will kill you.”
It’s very tempting to kill them, but if they die, the LoreLords will become martyrs. Best to stick to the plan. “Come on, Lani,” I murmur. “Time to go.” I look up at the LoreLords one last time. “You will be judged for your crimes in the Gardens of Caeron. I do not envy you for that.”
Blue pings me as I turn away. Troops moving into the temple, the bot warns.
Can you keep them off the elevator?
Of course, he replies. Done. And before you ask, I’m patching in Fourth. Now.
We step into the chute. The second it starts to move, Fourth’s image tears into existence next to us. Lani, who didn’t know it was going to happen, yelps in shock and clutches me.
“Ah,” Fourth says, giving me an amused look. “I see how it is. My apologies for startling you, Lani Dennison.”
“Lani, meet Fourth. Brilliant navigator and pilot, and all-round pain in the ass.” I turn to Fourth. “What’s the matter?”
“What’s the matter, you ask.” Fourth sounds thoroughly exasperated. “I thought I told you to keep a low profile. You’re all over the Nestri networks.”
Ouch. “Is that what you called about?”
“No.” Fourth’s expression turns serious. “You remember the hunch you had that it wasn’t just cinnacar that brought First to Nestri?”
A very bad feeling fills me. “Yes?”
“You were right. It turns out that Tarish has found himself another source of information about Blood Heart.”
“Who?” I interrupt.
“I don’t know,” he replies. “He’s being very secretive about this. Knowing what happened to his last spy, I don’t blame him. Anyway, this person sent Tarish some information.”
“And?”
“First was furious after Kadir got away on Consalas. According to this source, he’s addicted to killing.” Fourth looks directly at me. “There’s a secret Draekon settlement on Nestri, the largest of its kind. It’s got ten thousand Draekons who cannot shift.”
