Nojan (The Vartik King Chronicles Book 2)

by Liza Probz

  Sanri’s face took on an innocent cast, her hands rising in protest. The queen let out a gasp, clucking her tongue. “Son, it is not like you to be rude to guests.”

  “I’m just telling the truth, Mother. Sanri’s trouble. I should know, since I’m the one who picked her up.”

  “I’m sure we just got off on the wrong foot,” the raven-haired woman replied. “I think the world of your son. Perhaps it was the stress of almost being blown up, or of being hunted by bounty hunters, or maybe it was even when Mayra drove a knife into my belly that—”

  The queen slapped a hand to her mouth. “The oracle stabbed you?”

  Nojan rolled his eyes. This meeting was certainly getting away from him. As Sanri began to tell the story, Nojan spoke over her. “Look, a lot of things happened in a short period of time and we were all affected by the stress. The situation is much more complicated than we previously thought. For now, I suggest we assign the ladies some guest quarters and put them under guard. Then, if we might speak privately about what’s happened, I think together we can figure out what our next steps will be.”

  His father’s eyes narrowed on him and Nojan swallowed. At least if he could convince his parents to talk to him alone, Mayra wouldn’t hear the tongue lashing he was in for. At last, the king nodded. “Zelup, I want you to find quarters for the hitchhiker and the oracle. Station guards at both their doors. Your mother and I will deal with your little brother.”

  Zelup gave his parents a bow and motioned to the women to follow him. Nojan watched as his brother led the women out, thinking that the golden light of the throne room reflecting off Mayra’s flame-colored hair was lovelier than a thousand sunrises.

  “It is true?” his father asked as soon as the doors closed behind them. “Did the oracle stab that woman?”

  Nojan nodded, taking a deep breath. This was going to be a complicated conversation.

  A couple hours later, he was headed to his quarters with a more positive outlook on things. His parents had listened to him recount the story of his journey and had agreed that there was more to things than met the eye. They had decided to keep both Mayra and Sanri under observation and to not allow the women to be alone together. Then his father had asked the most difficult question of all.

  Do you love her, son?

  He had admitted the depth of his feeling, and his parents had understood. Nojan couldn’t say that they approved, but they had agreed to give him time to see how things developed. There were two brothers in line for the throne before him, and by the time Marek and Zelup got tired of ruling, he’d have made up his mind about abdication. Until then, Nojan was free to explore a relationship with the beautiful oracle.

  In his quarters, he tapped on the console to signal the guards set to watch over Mayra. He ordered them to bring her to his chambers immediately. He’d only been without her for a few short hours but it felt like an eternity. He wanted Mayra by his side every minute of every day, and being without her was agony.

  Powering down the communication console, he then made for the bathroom and a much-needed hot shower. He’d just finished washing his hair when he heard the bathroom door open. Could Mayra have made it here already?

  “Hello?” he said, washing the remaining soap from his face.

  The shower was an open affair, a tile wall blocking it off from the rest of the bathroom. Around the corner of this wall came Sanri, totally devoid of clothing. “Hello, lover,” she said, slinking toward him with a sultry smile on his face.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, his face a mask of shock.

  “If you have to ask that, you’re not as experienced as I thought,” she replied with a laugh.

  “Get out of here, Sanri. I’m not interested.”

  “How can you say that?” she asked with a pout, cupping her breasts and holding them out to him. “I know they’re not as big as hers, but they’re a handful and that’s really all you need.”

  “I don’t want you. Get it through your fucking thick head.” He shut off the water. “Go chase some other asshole and leave me alone.”

  He pushed past her to grab a towel and start drying off. She rounded on him, her face angry. “I don’t get you. I’m practically throwing myself at you, and I know I’m attractive. Why do you keep denying me?”

  “Because I love Mayra, you little idiot,” he said. “That’s not going to change.”

  Sanri shrugged. “So what if you love her? It doesn’t mean your dick is on lockdown. She doesn’t even have to know.”

  Nojan snorted. “I’m going to come right out and say it. You’re gross, Sanri. Disgusting. I wouldn’t fuck you with my brother’s dick. Now get the fuck out of my room and don’t think about coming back. Do you hear me?”

  Sanri sniffed, her body stiffening. “Loud and clear, cowboy.” She bent to pick up her discarded clothes, then headed for the door. Before she left, she gave him the finger. “Fuck you, Vartik scum.” Then she slammed out of the room.

  “Classy,” Nojan murmured to himself. She was going to be trouble. There was no doubt about that. They’d have to brainstorm a way to keep her from creating chaos everywhere she went.

  Nojan set about his meticulous grooming ritual, glad to be home again. While he brushed and shaved, his head was filled of thoughts of his angel. He wanted everything to be perfect when she arrived.

  Chapter 29

  The guards led her to Nojan’s door, where Mayra knocked. “Come in,” a muffled voice invited, so she hit the keypad and the door slid open. The chamber wasn’t large, not even as big as Demaylia’s quarters on Vanfia, but it was filled with enough stuff to make Mayra’s head spin.

  Book and scientific instruments littered almost every surface. Nojan had devoted his life to study, and the equipment of that life was scattered all around her. The furniture was functional more than fancy, although everything looked comfortable and lived in.

  Then her eyes hit upon something out of place. Sanri was lying naked on one of the sofas, her lean body sprawled out, a catlike smile on her face.

  “Mayra,” she said. “What a surprise to see you.”

  Likewise, Mayra thought. What the fuck is she doing here?

  She’s come to supplant you, that evil inner voice chuckled. Duh.

  “Nojan summoned me,” Mayra supplied lamely, wondering if she should just leave now or wait to see how things played out. The decision was taken out of her hands when the bathroom door opened and Nojan strode out, equally naked.

  “Ah, you’re here,” he said nonchalantly to her before bending down to kiss Sanri on the sofa. “Good.”

  Mayra began to shake, confusion and rage battling for superiority inside her. “What’s going on here?”

  “I thought it best to make a clean break now that we’re home. My father had charged me with bringing out your oracle powers, and the only way to do that was sex. So I seduced you, and now you’ve unlocked your abilities and you can help us in our mission.”

  She couldn’t have been more surprised if he had suddenly grown two heads. “But—but you said you loved me. Said you wanted to be with me always.”

  Nojan laughed. “I wanted to stay on your good side. I saw what you did to my real girlfriend. I had to make sure you stayed docile until we got to Vartik.”

  The room started to spin. Everything he’d said was a lie.

  What did you expect? the voice inside her whispered. Did you really think a man like him could love an ugly beast like you?

  “You’re lucky you’re the oracle,” Sanri said, rising to stand beside Nojan and put her hands on him. “Otherwise, I’d make you pay for the pain you caused me.”

  Mayra shook her head. “This doesn’t make sense.”

  “Doesn’t it?” Sanri laughed. “You must be incredibly naïve if you think an unattractive and awkward behemoth like you could really draw the interest of one of the Vartik kings.”

  “Now, now, Sanri, no need to rub it in,” Nojan said, his tone indulgent. “We still have to
work with her, after all.”

  Sanri sniffed, then leaned her head into Nojan’s chest as he put his arm around her. “What are you still doing here?” she asked, sneering at Mayra. “Don’t you get the point?” As if to accentuate her words, the dark-haired woman raised up on tiptoe, pulling Nojan’s head down to hers and joining their mouths in a wet, sloppy kiss.

  Mayra wanted to vomit. She turned and fled, barely able to make out the door through her tears. Once on the other side, the guards grabbed her, forcing her to slow down.

  “Don’t bother,” Nojan said, sticking his head out the door. “Go back to your normal duties. The oracle can find her own way back to her chambers. You’re dismissed.” Then he slammed the door. Mayra could hear them giggling on the other side of it.

  The two Vartik guards shrugged and headed off down the hall, apparently not in the mood to disobey a direct order. That left Mayra all alone, weeping and confused. She started off down the hallway, not knowing what to do next.

  It had all been a lie, a dirty trick to win Mayra over to his side. And now, she was experiencing the betrayal she’d been expecting all along. It hurt more than she had ever thought possible, especially after he’d said the words she’d been longing to hear.

  I love you.

  The cold voice inside her chuckled. I told you so. You should have listened to me from the beginning. If you would have slit your own throat on the ship, you could have avoided the embarrassment you just suffered. Now’s as good a time as any to find a bridge or roof to throw yourself off of.

  Mayra swiped at her tears, anger overcoming her good sense. He’s not worth it, she argued. I’m not going to kill myself over some dirtbag lying Vartik. I’m going home, and I’m going try to forget about all this bullshit.

  But you don’t have a home, the voice whispered. You have nothing and nobody.

  Not true. She had her mother. And if she could find her way to the lunar colonies, maybe she could build a relationship with the only family she had.

  Wouldn’t it be easier to just end it, the voice asked in a bored tone. It sounds like a lot of work to escape off-world. You’d have to steal a vessel, avoid the ships they’re bound to send after you, and make it through thousands of light-miles to get back to the colonies. Are you sure it’s worth it?

  Yes, Mayra thought. It’s worth it. She could steal a vessel, could make her way back to Territh’s moon. She was the goddamn oracle, and it was high time she started acting like it. Instead of heading back to her quarters, defeated, she would find her way back to the landing pad and commandeer one of the ships parked there.

  As she hurried through the hallways, she tried not to think about the sight of Sanri and Nojan together, locked in an embrace. All of a sudden, she froze. It was exactly as she had seen in her vision. She’d been warned, but she’d still fallen for the asshole. I guess I can add stupid to the list next to ugly.

  The pad had a few ships scattered around, and it didn’t seem to be guarded. There were men in jumpsuits, maybe pilots or mechanics, but no one gave her a second look. Maybe they don’t have any crime on Vartik, she thought idly. Maybe it truly was the paradise Nojan made it out to be.

  Or maybe it was full of shitty assholes who were too busy fucking dirty off-world whores to steal anything.

  Mayra had never been so mad and she enjoyed the feeling of letting her anger build. It was the only thing stopping her from collapsing into a heap on the ground, bemoaning her unjust fate. Fuck it, she thought. I don’t care if they have magical powers and their blood turns shit to gold. I’m getting the fuck out of here.

  She found a small ship, smaller even than the one Nojan had used to rescue her, and hit the panel to open the door. It had only four seats, a broad center console, and a small room in the back that she discovered held a tiny bathroom. Good enough.

  Mayra took a seat behind the console and studied the controls. She’d watched Nojan punching buttons a few times, so she had a very rudimentary understanding of the controls. Luckily, this ship had tiny pictures next to most of the buttons. She hit the one that showed a ship next to an arrow pointing up and watched the viewscreen as the ship began to rise.

  “Goodbye, Vartik,” she said as the ship sailed out of the atmosphere until the planet was a blue-green ball beneath her.

  “And hello oblivion,” a voice said from behind her.

  She spun around and almost fell out of her chair when she saw Sanri sitting behind her.

  “Let the real journey begin,” the raven-haired vixen said, and Mayra fell down a dark hole for what felt like forever.

  Chapter 30

  Once again feeling like himself, Nojan marched out of the bathroom, whistling an upbeat tune. He selected jeans and a T-shirt and ran his fingers through his damp hair. And then he wandered around the room, picking up random objects and books, waiting for his angel to arrive.

  They had work to do. He wasn’t going to blind himself to that. There were issues of trust between them that had to be carefully dealt with. And then there was the problem of Mayra’s rock-bottom self-esteem.

  Nojan swore to himself that if he ever saw that rat-bastard Rantel again, he’d make him pay for the number he’d done on Mayra’s self-worth. He didn’t understand how anyone could convince such a lovely and sweet woman that she was hideous and weak. He’d done what he could to convince her otherwise, but demons like these died hard. She’d already suspected him of telling tales when he praised her beauty. It would be an uphill climb to make her believe that this was how he really saw her.

  Minutes passed and Nojan became frustrated. Where was she? He’d ordered the guards to bring her to him right away. What the fuck was taking them so long?

  Nojan strode to the communication console and punched up the lieutenant who’d promised to bring his angel to him. “Where are you?” he asked when the lieutenant answered his ping.

  “The private and I stopped by the mess to grab some lunch. Is there something you need?”

  Nojan saw red. “I need you to bring Mayra to my quarters, like I asked you to over half an hour ago.”

  “But, sir, begging your pardon, we already did.”

  “What are you talking about?” He took a deep breath to calm himself. “I’m looking around and I don’t see her. And do you mean to say that you left her alone somewhere? After you were given strict orders by my brother to guard her at all times?”

  “Sir, you yourself called off the guard.” The lieutenant was sputtering, clearly confused.

  Nojan hit the button to cut communications. He slammed his way out of his room and hit the hallway at a dead run. In a few moments, he was in the mess, his eyes scanning the room. When he saw the pair who’d he ordered to guard Mayra, he wasted no time grabbing the lieutenant by his lapels.

  “Where the fuck is the oracle? And why the fuck are you here instead of keeping an eye on her?”

  “We were guarding her,” the lieutenant swore, his eyes wide. “We brought her to your chambers not ten minutes after you asked for her. She went in and came out a few minutes later. You stuck your head out into the hall and told us that she could find her own way back to her room and that we were dismissed.”

  The other guard stood from his table, dropping his fork with a clatter. “He’s telling the truth, sir. You told us not to guard her anymore.”

  “That’s fucking ridiculous.” What was going on here? Nojan certainly hadn’t dismissed the guard, and the only one who’d shown up at his room was Sanri. Speaking of…

  He jogged to the communication panel in the wall, calling up the second guard detail. “Where is Sanri?”

  “In her room,” said the guard that answered his ping. “She’s been here the whole time.”

  “That’s impossible,” Nojan snarled. “She showed up in my quarters less than a half hour ago.

  He cut the connection, the wheels turning in his mind. Something was going on here, some kind of conspiracy that involved both the women. And apparently, someone who could imperson
ate him well enough to fool one of the loyal guards. Unless they’d been paid off.

  Nojan tapped on the panel again and soon heard the voice of his brother. “Zelup, I want you to meet me at my quarters. I want you to bring those two guards you assigned to Sanri, and the woman herself if you can find her. Something fucked up is taking place.”

  “I can be there in five.”

  Nojan headed back to the table, pointing at the confused guards. “You two, follow me.”

  Zelup made it to his chambers with a minute to spare, the two guards in tow, equal expressions of shame decorating their faces. Sanri was conspicuously absent.

  “The dark-haired temptress somehow managed to elude these two idiots,” his brother growled. “She wasn’t in her room.”

  “She never left, I swear,” one moaned, but a fierce look from Zelup silenced him.

  “Mayra is missing too. These guards say that they brought her here and I dismissed them myself. That never happened.”

  Zelup strode to the console and started tapping buttons. “I’ve put the forces on high alert. They are to locate the women and report as soon as they’re found. But I’m afraid they might no longer be here.”

  Nojan’s eyes widened. “You think they’ve gone off-world? But how? I know Mayra’s never piloted so much as a shuttle.”

  “But you know nothing about the other one, and that little minx has an infinity of tricks up her sleeves.”

  His brother had a point. Nojan still wasn’t sure why Mayra would want to leave. Things had seemed to improve between them just before they landed, enough so that he’d revealed his love for her. Why now would she seek to escape when she was so afraid of being captured by sinister forces?

  “I’m getting a transmission now,” Zelup said. “The crew reports that a small transport is missing from the palace landing pad. No one saw anyone take it, and no one even reported it leaving. No flight plan was input before takeoff either, all violations of protocol.

  “I’m going after it,” Nojan said, already running for the door.