Within Ash and Stardust

by Chani Lynn Feener

  “You have a way to do that?”

  “I’ve ordered everyone to leave channels open and await my call,” he informed her, tapping the new shing in his back pocket for emphasis.

  “We don’t need many people on the inside,” she said. “Just enough to help us out if we get spotted by the Tellers who work for your father.”

  “Technically,” Ruckus reminded her, “they all work for his father.”

  “You’ve been in battle,” Trystan told him. “You know firsthand how hard it is to respect a leader who refuses to get his hands dirty.”

  “All the Rex ever does is get his hands dirty.”

  “Touché.” He grunted. “But you’ve never, and will never, see my father out fighting alongside his Tellers. It did not go unnoticed during the war. Especially when he refused to visit a particularly nasty area after a legion of our own was slaughtered by yours.”

  “Let me guess. You did?”

  “I did.”

  “Could you call him away?” Delaney addressed the Basilissa. “Get him to leave Carnage and meet you somewhere, anywhere that’ll give us enough time to get in and get out.”

  “He won’t be summoned,” Tilda said. “I’d have to have something important to him in order to draw him out. Something more important than his pride.”

  “Or something that plays into it,” Trystan speculated. “Tell him you know about your daughter’s death, and that you want to meet and renegotiate the terms of Kint’s hold over Vakar.”

  Tilda pursed her lips. “That would certainly get his attention.”

  “Make it clear that you aren’t interested in dissolving our … alliance, but that you insist on hearing about Olena’s assassination from him, and that you want to come up with new terms.”

  “What exactly does she have to bargain with?” Ruckus asked. “There’s nothing to use against him to renegotiate. Her heirs, both the one by blood and the Uprisen one, are thought to be dead.”

  “They can still proceed with a merger of the two houses,” Delaney stated, catching Tilda’s gaze in the process. She’d spent all night thinking the idea over, and had honestly felt stupid for not coming up with it sooner.

  It took them all a second to catch on, and Trystan was the first to vehemently reject the idea.

  “Absolutely not.” He held up a hand before she could say anything else. “I know you meant that Tilda would bond with my father, not me, but it still isn’t happening.”

  “She wouldn’t really,” Ruckus tried to explain, obviously more on board with the idea, but the Zane shook his head hard enough that his perfectly smoothed hair fell out of place.

  “And if we aren’t successful?” he asked. “If we fail to find proof, and he agrees to the merger? What then? He won’t wait like Olena and I had to, or even like Delaney and I. There’d be no cause to, not when they are both already rulers of the people. He’d insist on the ceremony being done immediately, before hold of Vakar could slip through his fingers a third time.”

  “Careful, Zane,” Tilda said, far too lightly for someone in her current position. “It’s beginning to sound like you’re concerned for my well-being.”

  He clamped his jaw shut so hard, Delaney actually heard his teeth snap against each other.

  “Relax. This could work.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and sent her next comment through their fittings. “She won’t end up like your mother, Trystan.”

  “I know that,” he said out loud, and only she knew that he meant it as a response to her last statement.

  Tilda was watching them closely, but had yet to give away how she was feeling about the suggestion. Surely the irony wasn’t lost on her; she planned on forcing Delaney to marry the Zane, after all.

  At the thought, Delaney inadvertently glanced at Ruckus. They’d yet to be alone since Trystan had gone to Carnage, always surrounded by the Tellers and Sanzie. When he’d asked her how she’d convinced Tilda to help them, she’d only had time to mumble something about the Basilissa understanding that doing so was best for her people. Then they’d been interrupted by the others.

  Guilt over the partial lie had been eating away at her, but she’d been unable to tell him about it when they had company, considering she also planned on explaining she’d agreed that they’d still leave Xenith. She knew she’d have to find a way to talk to him in private. Especially since Trystan was back and could say something to give it away before she got the chance.

  “It’s decided then,” Tilda said suddenly. “I’ll contact the Rex as soon as we’re ready to proceed.”

  “You’ll need to pick a meeting place where you can contain him,” Trystan declared, though it was obvious he still didn’t like this part of the plan. “As soon as we’ve obtained proof of his treachery toward Kint, we’ll release it. He’s going to try to run. If he gets away, he’ll regroup with those loyal to him. And, as Rex, he’ll have access to weaponry I do not. I won’t be able to stop him from releasing the bombs.”

  “The ones that destroyed that Vakar city years ago?” Delaney asked, ignoring the surprised look he sent her. Ruckus had told her about that during her first stay on Xenith. He’d also mentioned the possibility of something worse being created by the Kints. “Or the other ones?”

  Trystan had the good sense to drop his gaze. “The other ones.”

  “So our intel on that was true.” Ruckus cursed. “How bad is it?”

  “Bad.” The Zane ran a hand through his hair, smoothing back the blond locks he’d shaken loose. “He could destroy the entire western coast if he chose to.”

  “What?” Delaney wasn’t sure exactly how large that particular coast of Vakar was, or how many people lived there, but it sounded horrible enough that she was mostly positive she didn’t want to know.

  “That’s absurd!” Tilda exclaimed almost at the same time, true fear entering her eyes.

  “I assure you,” Trystan disagreed, “it is not. He’s been working on this for a while. His secrets have always been of the deadly variety. I only found out about these particular weapons last year”—he glanced at Ruckus—“maybe even around the same time you did. There was nothing I could do to stop their production.”

  “Did you even try?” Ruckus chided him.

  “If I’m being honest, not very hard. Our peace treaty was shaky at best, and despite how terrible those bombs are, they had the potential to protect my people. Unlike my father, that’s my top priority.”

  Part of Delaney was horrified, but the other part understood. He was a Zane, and he had responsibilities she could only dream about in her worst nightmares. Besides, the fact that he’d brought it up now, that he was warning them about it, meant he had no intention to use them himself.

  He was here, like the rest of them, to help avert a war and prevent bloodshed. Not cause more of it.

  “You find proof and release it to the public,” Tilda told them, though she kept her eyes locked on the Zane’s, “and I’ll make sure the Rex doesn’t get away before he can be judged.”

  “I’ll inform Fawna of our plans,” Ruckus said, but Delaney waved him off.

  “Sanzie can do it.” She smiled at the Sworn, trying to lighten some of the blow that would no doubt cause.

  From what Delaney had gathered, her issues weren’t just with Ruckus but Fawna as well. She and the Ander had sort of cleared the air, but for this plan to work, everyone needed to keep a clear head. Which meant Sanzie and Fawna couldn’t come to blows in the middle of it.

  “Excuse me, Lissa?” Sanzie’s dark brows winged up.

  “Is that going to be a problem?”

  The Sworn glanced around, settling one final glare on Ruckus before she stood and gave a curt shake of her head. “No, Lissa. Not a problem at all. Our fittings aren’t connected. I’ll have to use a communicator.”

  “I’m sure Julius won’t mind taking you to one.”

  The Teller, not really understanding what was going on, shrugged and moved off to lead Sanzie out of the room.

/>   As soon as they were gone, Delaney noticed the dry look Ruckus was giving her.

  “What?” she said. “It’s not meddling if I’ve given an order, right? Isn’t that your alien logic? Certainly got me to do all kinds of stuff I would have rather not.”

  He opened his mouth, but ended up closing it again and sighing instead. It was hard to argue with the truth.

  “Looks like she’s getting the hang of being Lissa, Ander.” Trystan chuckled. Without waiting for a reply, he started away, heading after Julius and Sanzie without so much as a glance back at the rest of them.

  “Well,” Gibus drawled, rocking on his heels, “I guess that means we’re finished?”

  “We’ve got our tasks,” Tilda stated matter-of-factly, as if excusing the Zane’s abrupt departure.

  Delaney was barely listening to them, too caught up in Trystan’s parting words. He’d always believed she was going to continue being Lissa at the end of all this, had made that assumption and hadn’t bothered keeping it a secret. From anyone.

  She really needed to talk to Ruckus.

  “Once you’ve contacted the Rex,” Ruckus was saying to the Basilissa, not noticing Delaney’s sudden discomfort, “let us know the meeting time so we can plan accordingly. We want to get this done as soon as possible, but who knows when he’ll claim to be available next?”

  “He’s not usually one to make time for anyone,” Tilda agreed. “I’ll set up a communication with him now. You’re right: The sooner we do this, the sooner we can eliminate the threat and move on with our lives.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Ruckus and Delaney had left the study to allow the Basilissa time to prepare for her call with the Rex, but once they’d gotten to the room, Delaney had gone straight for the Tar information to resume going through it.

  Ruckus spent the first hour packing up a few of his personal items for the eventual trip back to Earth. He’d had to leave a lot behind the last time, especially since he’d thought it’d been for his denzeration, but now that he knew better, there were a lot of things of significant value he wanted to take.

  It was crazy to think about how he didn’t intend to return.

  Delaney was still typing away at the shing when he’d finished, having not glanced his way once during the entire process. She hadn’t even wondered what he was doing.

  “Delaney?” He dropped one of the bags onto the end of the bed and moved closer to the couch where she was sitting. “Delaney?”

  She made a noncommittal sound from the back of her throat, but it wasn’t good enough for him.

  “Delaney!” He sent it through their fitting, keeping his face schooled so she wouldn’t see his guilt when doing so caused her to jump a little. “I called you, but it was like you didn’t hear me.”

  “Sorry.” She clutched the device in her lap, only relaxing her grip when she noticed his gaze immediately drawn there. “What’s up?”

  Moving over, he dropped down next to her and took the shing away. He placed it on the end table at his back and then he settled closer to her, crowding her space some so that she’d have to give him her full attention. “What’s wrong?”

  She frowned at him, feigning ignorance. “Um, the fate of the worlds as we know it literally rests in our hands? Just for starters.”

  “That’s not it.” He brought his knee up so it pressed against her thigh, needing contact to settle the odd feeling in his gut. “We never got the chance to talk about what you overheard between Sanzie and me, not at length.”

  She paused for a moment and then shook her head. “I’m still a little upset that you kept it from me, but honestly that’s slightly hypocritical at this point.”

  Ruckus stiffened. “So it’s about Trystan. This thing that’s bothering you.”

  He hated having to bring the Zane up as much as he hated how bitter he sounded when he did.

  “What? No. Well, sort of, I guess. But it isn’t just about him. I didn’t tell you the truth when you woke up. Tilda was there, and I didn’t think it was a good idea to say anything in front of her, especially since I’m hoping there’s a way around it.”

  “Around what?” She’d completely lost him now.

  “Tilda thinks I’m staying once this is over,” she confessed.

  For a second he was sure he’d misheard, but when she didn’t take the words back, he slowly stood.

  “Explain,” he whispered intensely, done leaving room for interpretation. “Delaney, explain.”

  She dropped her head in her hands and groaned, then brushed them back through her hair, stalling. Which was something she’d apparently been doing this whole time. How long had she known she wasn’t going back to Earth? Or, more aptly, how long had she believed she wasn’t?

  No one was going to force her into anything she didn’t want. Never again. As angry and confused as he was right now, he knew he’d never let that happen.

  “It was the only way Tilda was willing to take the risk and help us,” she said. “I had to agree to stay on as Lissa.”

  He swore and spun away.

  “You were unconscious and there were fritzes pointed at us,” she rushed to explain. “We’d come all that way, and without Tilda’s help we stand no chance of stopping the Rex, ever. She needs an heir, and I’m already Uprisen so … as much as I hate it, her forcing the issue made sense.”

  A humorless chuckle slipped its way past his lips and he turned to her. “That’s not what you thought over a month ago when Trystan fed you the same bullshit line.”

  “I didn’t have a choice,” she reiterated. “It was the only way to get her to not shoot Trystan and me as well.”

  “And we couldn’t let the poor Zane get hurt, now could we?”

  “That isn’t fair.” Her expression darkened.

  “Neither is you staying here, Delaney! I’ll get you off the planet,” he said, his mind racing over the possible ways he could do it. “All we really need is the opportunity to do it when Tilda and Trystan aren’t looking. Fawna will pick us up. We just have to make sure we’re quick about it, so that by the time anyone notices, it’s too late to stop us.”

  Delaney was quiet a moment and then asked, “What about when we get back to Earth? Originally I figured we’d just make a run for it, too, but … they know where I live, Ruckus.”

  It was the “I” part of that statement that had him freezing, lifting his head to look at her. Because wasn’t it where they lived? Together?

  “We’d have to leave everything behind,” she continued, either not noticing his stricken look, or believing it was still because of her promise to Tilda. “Go on the run. Do you want to live that way? I know you like Earth because it’s simple. Running … that won’t be. We wouldn’t be returning to the same life we left. You know better than anyone, they won’t let us get away that easily.”

  “Trystan won’t, you mean.”

  “It wasn’t his call,” she insisted. “Tilda is the one who put me in this position.”

  “And I suppose the Zane fought for your right to choose, huh?” He was so upset, he didn’t even consider taking the harsh words back when she noticeably flinched, unable to stop himself from continuing. “Why are you even defending him right now? Have you forgotten what he’s done? He’s half the reason you’re here, Delaney! He kidnapped you! He threw me in a cell!”

  “I know.” Delaney took a shaky breath. “But he’s on our side now.”

  “He’s not on our anything!” He stopped, another thought hitting him. “If you’re going to pick up being the Lissa, that means you’ll have to go through with being his bondmate, too, doesn’t it?”

  She stood from the couch, but he threw both hands up to stave her off. There was too much going on in his head right now, and her touching him wasn’t going to make any of this easier for either of them.

  “I’m not saying no to the two of us leaving,” Delaney said. “I’m just pointing out that things will be different if we do. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

&
nbsp; “Isn’t being together what you want?” he asked.

  “This is your home, Ruckus. If you left with me this time, you really would be marked a traitor. You could never come back. Never see your friends again … Before, you had the option to return to your life here, to pick up being an Ander—”

  “Tell me this conversation really is all about me,” he cut her off. He didn’t want to, but another reason was niggling at the back of his mind, one he could no longer ignore. “That it has nothing to do with the Zane. I’m not the only one who’ll have to say good-bye to people here, Delaney. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at him: It’s different. Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t want to go on the run.”

  “Stop bringing him into this. You’re the one who keeps bringing him up. If I don’t want to run, it’s only because I don’t want to abandon the people here, and I didn’t think you would want to, either.”

  He stared at her pointedly, waited for her to realize how ridiculous her words were. He’d given up everything, walked away from responsibility, once before already. For her.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s not … Look, I just want to make sure we don’t leave a huge mess behind. If I were to go, we’d need there to be a reason for Trystan and Tilda not to follow. And, come on, you can’t honestly tell me you’d be fine with leaving your planet in chaos? You’d need to see that Vakar is safe just as much as I do.”

  Did he want anything bad to happen here? No, of course not. But he hadn’t felt a connection to Vakar for a while now, maybe even before meeting Delaney. As Ander, he’d been forced to watch over a spoiled Olena like some babysitter. Needed to follow orders and regulations dictated by others.

  He’d felt more at home on Earth than he had on his planet in a long, long time. Fawna, Gibus, and Delaney, those were his people. As long as he knew they were safe … He could leave. He’d do it with little more than a brief glance in the rearview mirror.