by K. B. Wagers
So maybe I still wasn’t all that great at letting them be in front.
My amusement vanished as a blast slammed into the rooftop next to me. I rolled to my feet, bringing my rifle up and returning fire. I didn’t hit the Farian who’d nearly shot me, but I made them duck and it bought me enough time to come up with a plan.
It was a shit plan, but it was all I had. I took a deep breath and sprinted across the roof, leaping through the open air and landing on the next shuttle. I caught myself and kept going.
“Emmory, they’ve got people on the landing above us. Are you going to be able to get those doors open?”
“Gita will have better luck.”
“They’re almost there.” I took another shot at the sniper above me just in case they were suddenly interested in Gita and Orrin as they broke cover.
“Where are you?”
“Coming your way.” I ejected the charge pack and slammed another one in, grateful that Adora hadn’t bothered to search my pockets.
The last shuttle between me and Emmory was a shorter jump, but something hit me in the back as I leapt and I hit the ground hard.
It hadn’t been the sniper, the angle had been wrong, and besides there were no warnings blaring over my smati. I rolled, not fast enough, and the next impact felt like a meteor landing in my gut.
22
I retched, gasping for air as my body protested the abuse.
“Majesty, we need to go. Where are you?”
I pushed myself upright, gritting my teeth and dragging in a painful breath. “Almost there, give me a minute. We’ve got a slight complication.” I blinked the tears from my eyes as I scanned for the unseen threat.
“Your readings are all over the place. What’s going on?”
“Not quite sure.” I switched to my smati, searching the space in front of me, searching for anything to explain the sudden assault. But there was nothing; even the sniper was gone when they could have lined up a perfect shot on my head and blown my brains out.
“I’m coming out.”
“No—” My protest was interrupted by a strike that snapped my head back and sent me flying into the wall. I landed in a heap, curses sliding out of my mouth along with the blood I spat on the floor.
My ears were ringing. I shook my head twice as Priam resolved out of thin air in front of me. Even in my dizzy state I knew he hadn’t just dropped in like Thyra had when she moved locations. He’d been there the whole time and I couldn’t see him, not even with my smati.
“You were supposed to save us! You have ruined everything,” he snarled. “Spoiled thousands of years of work with your stumbling.”
“You haven’t been paying attention, that’s kind of my specialty.”
I blocked his strike, the impact ringing through my arm as I shrugged off the pain and twisted to grab the limb. Aiz’s lesson and the hundreds of hours I’d spent fighting were screaming in my head.
But Priam disappeared again, or at least he seemed to. I realized I still had a hold of him and took a swing, muttering a prayer as I did.
My fist connected with something solid. I tightened my grip on the Farian Hiervet, hitting him again until he flickered back into view.
“What did I ruin, Priam? What were you planning?” I hoped the questions would catch him off guard but he pulled out of my grasp and vanished in the same instant.
Bugger me. How the fuck am I supposed to fight this?
I’d expected to be fighting someone I knew after Aiz’s warning about how they’d play with my mind, but Priam just seemed to be content to trick my eyes by not being there at all.
“Majesty!”
“Stay there!” I shouted at Emmory before he could bolt from the shuttle. I couldn’t risk Priam killing him.
Dark Mother, think, Hail! How can you fight something you can’t see?
I closed my eyes.
The strange shuffling gait of the Farian Hiervet grew louder as Priam rushed me. I waited, counting on my patience and my luck to save me and when I thought he was close I dodged to the side, picking the direction on nothing more than instinct. Pain burst through my left shoulder and I looked down in horrified fascination as the blood welled from the spot where Priam’s limb had driven through the muscle.
That wasn’t the only cause of the pain that slammed into me; the rolling shock felt like someone had reached inside and was ripping the best parts of me away.
“I am going to eat your soul, Star of Indrana. Humans are weak, watery things, but maybe the stories are true and you will be different.” Priam shifted back to visible and I stared up into his black eyes.
I was thankful that just this once I didn’t have a quick retort, because it meant my mouth was closed when his head exploded.
Everything snapped back into place with the force of a punch and I couldn’t stop the scream that was ripped out of my throat. The bulkhead behind me was destroyed, but it thankfully had led to another compartment and the safety force field on the far side of that room had sprung into place the moment the outside was breached.
“Majesty!” Emmory caught me as I slid to the side, Priam’s limb still sticking out of my shoulder. “Deep breath.” He barely gave me any time to obey before he yanked the offending thing free.
“Emmory, we have to go now!” Gita’s voice was too loud over the com, or it might have been just in my head, which suddenly felt lighter than air.
Emmory scooped me up and sprinted back to the shuttle. “We’re in, Gita, go.” He lowered me to the deck and turned, slamming his palm into the panel by the door.
“Did you shoot him?”
“I thought the 201 might have better luck, Majesty. I was right.” He knelt at my side as the shuttle lifted off. “Let me see.”
“Be my guest. I’d heal it myself but I feel a bit funny.” I groaned and leaned my head back as he pulled down a medical kit and went to work. “Good job, Emmy. Remind me to give you a raise.”
Orrin was staring at us in awe. “You killed a god.”
“Technically he did. Come over here and give me a hand.”
“No.”
Orrin froze at the wealth of violence in Emmory’s voice.
“He doesn’t get to touch you, Majesty.”
I decided arguing was probably bad form and nodded instead. It was better to let my Ekam finish his work anyway. I sat up with his help as he wrapped the bandage around my shoulder and felt a sting, followed by a rush of relief as the pain abated. “Get me up, Ekam, so I can see.” I stood, wincing at the spike of pain that fought through the drugs and ignored Emmory’s protest as I slid into the seat next to my Dve. “Gita, power everything down as soon as we’re clear.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
From our vantage point we could see Adora’s ship and the force of Hiervet that was pouring fire into both her vessel and the others of her tiny fleet. At least four smaller ships were shattered, hulls broken open to the vacuum of space.
“Shit,” I muttered as the explosion flashed at the heart of Adora’s ship and I turned my head to the side, hoping that Gita had us far enough away from the fight. The shock wave hit a moment later, shaking the shuttle and sending alarms blaring, but a few seconds later silence descended.
“Majesty, the Hiervet ships are gone.”
“What?”
“The Hiervet ships warped out.”
“Fuck,” I muttered, leaning on the console. “What are they playing at? There’s at least ten of Adora’s other ships intact. Why stop now?”
“I don’t know,” Gita replied. “Do you want me to tell Admiral Hassan to bring in the fleet?”
“Do it.”
It was a thing of beauty to watch the combined forces of the Farians and the Shen warp in and demand the surrender of the other ships. Leaderless and in no position to engage in another fight, they complied, and I slumped in my seat with a relieved exhale.
“Majesty, let’s get you to the med bay.”
I blinked up at Emmory. “We don’t hav
e a med bay.”
“We just landed in the Hailimi,” he said with a patient smile, bending down and slipping an arm around my waist on the right side. I looped my arm around his neck, determined to walk under my own power even though my legs felt like I’d run the Hagran Jahali again.
“It could have gone worse, right?” I asked as we made our way to the back of the shuttle. “Hao’s still going to fuss, but I’m alive. Gita’s alive. You’re alive. I want to talk with Orrin. Also, we should talk about training together; I felt a bit out of step there.”
“After we get you fixed up, Majesty.”
I hummed and could have sworn Emmory chuckled in response.
Mia and Aiz were waiting at the base of the ramp along with Hao. My brother looked first at Gita and then to me, his golden eyes darkening even as I attempted a smile.
“Hail.” Mia moved forward first and I tried to wave her off, but my left arm still wasn’t working and my right was busy holding on to Emmory. Her hand was cold against my skin and something about her touch made my stomach roll unpleasantly. Mia hesitated, frowned, and waved at her brother. “Aiz, come here.”
“What are you covered with?” Aiz asked.
“Priam, mostly.” That reply earned me an impressed look, but I shook my head. “Sorry, not even close. Emmory gets credit for that one.”
“Thanks for the guns,” Emmory said, patting Aiz on the shoulder with his free hand. “The pulse rifles don’t work on them but the 201s work just fine.”
“Good to know.” Aiz reached out and touched my face. His hand was also cold and I couldn’t stop the flinch. “What happened?”
“I was fighting Priam. He impaled me with his limb.” I tipped my head toward my bandaged shoulder. “Said he was going to eat my soul, and I’m pretty sure he started the process before Emmory blew his head off.”
Mia put a hand over her mouth and I heard Hao curse. Even Aiz’s smile faded to a grim expression.
“It didn’t feel great, like someone was pulling out bits of me. Then Emmory shot him in the head and it all came rushing back.” The room did a slow spin as the words rushed out of me. “I really should probably sit down.”
“Let’s get her to medical.” Aiz took his hand away with a shake of his head. “I want to consult with Sybil before we try to heal her. I don’t know what will happen.”
I sighed and leaned more fully against Emmory as we started forward. “Tell Sybil that Adora is dead. Her ship went poof. They should expect her and the other Farians wherever it is they show up when they come back.”
“We’ll tell her, Hail,” Mia said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Good. Where’s Hao?”
“Right here.”
I blinked, but the world refused to focus. “Sorry, gege. You were right about that mess.”
I heard his choked laugh and then the darkness slammed down on me.
I woke several minutes later to a heated discussion between Aiz and Sybil just out of my field of vision.
“Nope, stay down, Your Majesty.” The command was accompanied by a hand on my good shoulder and I sank back against the bed. “Dr. Maalai Vohra, Your Majesty. We haven’t met yet.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” I hissed in pain, earning a mild look from the older woman as she went back to cleaning out the wound in my shoulder. “Is that necessary?”
This time the stern look she gave me could have put a second hole through my shoulder, so I offered up a placating smile and looked back at Sybil and Aiz.
“They’ve been going for a solid five minutes.”
I jumped at the sound of Hao’s voice, and Dr. Vohra’s pointed “Dhatt!” snapped through the air.
“What are they talking about?”
“What happened to you. Concerns that they’re not going to be able to heal you. You’re going to have to start being a little more cautious if that’s the case, little sister.” Hao leaned on the side of the table, still watching the arguing pair. His warning was clear enough, though, and I reached for his hand.
“Priam said I spoiled something thousands of years in the making. And Orrin said—” I broke off, glancing at Dr. Vohra as I realized that this wasn’t news I wanted spread around.
Hao gave me a curious glance and I mouthed, Later.
“Thyra wanted to come with us when we went to get you,” he said instead.
“Really? Why didn’t she?”
“Mia.” He glanced down at me. “I don’t know what she saw, but she wasn’t about to let Thyra anywhere near your ship. Which was fine with the rest of us.” He cracked his neck. “I don’t like them, Hail. The longer we spend around them the more I can’t shake the feeling that they’re wrong.”
“Adora said she was helping the Farians evolve. The implications of that when I think about genetically engineered super soldiers is not good, Hao.”
“No, it’s not,” he agreed.
“Do you think they’re a vanguard for the Hiervet?” I murmured the question as low as I could, and though Dr. Vohra didn’t change the determined pace with which she was cleaning my wound I knew she heard me.
“It’s too easy an answer,” Hao replied. “I’d like to believe it, but it doesn’t add up right.”
“It doesn’t, and that is the really worrisome part.” I squeezed his hand and then cleared my throat. “Have you two sorted things out yet? I’d like to be able to get up off this bed.”
Sybil and Aiz turned to me and then seemed to come to some silent agreement. “I wish it were as simple as that,” Sybil said, folding her hands together and approaching the bed. “Your soul was disrupted, and you were terribly injured on top of that. I cannot say for sure what using our talents to heal you would set in motion. We feel it may be best to let it heal more naturally.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How long is that going to take?”
“A few days, Your Majesty,” Dr. Vohra said. “A standard week at the most. It’s a bad wound, but you heal quickly according to your Ekam.”
“I feel fine now, you know.” I let go of Hao’s hand to gesture at my shoulder. “Except for this, which one of you could take care of for me.”
“Your Ekam agrees it is best to be cautious,” Sybil said.
“Emmory’s not the boss of me. Don’t you dare say a word.” I pointed at Hao.
“What?” He grinned.
I sighed. “Dark Mother, I’m not getting around this, am I? Fine, if you all won’t cooperate, then get your asses out of here and let Dr. Vohra do her work.”
It was more surprising than it should have been that they obeyed, and, judging from Dr. Vohra’s snort of amusement, all too obvious on my face.
“I had thought perhaps the rumors were just that, but I see now they were true. You are a different sort of empress than your mother was, Your Majesty.”
“Did you know her?”
“No, ma’am. May Shiva bring her back to a more peaceful life.” Maalai lifted a hand to her heart, lips, and forehead before she returned to her work. “I only knew the empire she grew from her mother’s ashes and the sacrifices she made to keep us safe. She seemed a proper lady.”
“Yeah, I am not.”
“It is not a bad thing, Your Majesty.” There was laughter in Maalai’s voice. “I grew up in an orphanage on New Delhi and yet here I sit, tending to the hurts of the empress herself.”
“I suppose you have heard the story I told Hao about growing up in an orphanage,” I said with a laugh of my own.
“It’s been in the news some. I know we are not the same, Your Majesty, but you treat people like me as though we are. That, if you’ll understand I mean no offense, is not something I think your mother could have ever done.”
“You are Indranan,” I replied. “How could I treat you any different because of an accident of birth?”
“The fact that it is that simple to you is more important to me than you will ever be able to understand.” Maalai patted my shoulder and stood. “Let me get one of the ne
wer skin bandages we’re testing for this and then I’ll help you roll over so we can look at that scratch on your back.”
I’d forgotten all about the early strike from Priam, not much of a surprise given what had happened in the following chaos. Thankfully it wasn’t all that deep and with Maalai’s help I was able to strip off my shirt and lie back down on the bed.
“Knife, Your Majesty?”
“Same limb that impaled me, if you can believe it. I don’t know if they’re sharp to begin with or if they can make it sharper at will.”
“It’s a pity he was blown up with the ship,” Maalai replied. “I would have liked to do an autopsy.”
I laughed, then swore at the sudden pain. “I doubt Thyra would have approved that, Doctor.”
“True, we have no idea of their funeral practices, do we?”
“We know far too little about them all the way around.”
“Well,” Maalai said, smoothing a second micro-thing bandage over the cut on my back. “If you behave yourself, Your Majesty, you’ll heal faster and be able to get out of here sooner.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Hmph. I’ve heard the news stories about that, too, you know.”
23
I behaved for a total of fourteen hours before I overruled Dr. Vohra and ordered my Ekam to bring Orrin into the med bay to see me.
“If he won’t talk to anyone but me and you all won’t let me out of this bed, then we’ll do it the other way around. Don’t argue with me, it’s important.”
“Yes, Majesty.” His jaw was tight with frustration as he turned to go.
“Emmory,” I called. “If it bothers you to have him in the room with me, see if Fasé or Mia can join us; either of them can handle any trouble.”
He didn’t answer as he walked out of the room.
“It’s not just that,” Zin said, crossing to help me when I tried and failed to push myself upright.
“He’s mad I got hurt. We’ve done this dance before—ow.” I blinked at my BodyGuard and rubbed the back of my head where he’d hit me.
“Sorry, Your Majesty.”
