Without a Front: The Warrior's Challenge (Chronicles of Alsea Book 3)

by Fletcher DeLancey

  She was so tired of this whole mess. She just wanted to wake up and find it had all been a bad dream. Then she wouldn’t be facing a caste coup, with no idea whom she could trust. And Micah would be fine. The gaping hole in his side would never have happened, and she would never have scrubbed his blood off her hands, or felt him drifting away from her, so far down the path to his Return…

  She was gathered into a warmron, her head held against a soft stomach, and only then noticed that Salomen’s anger had been displaced by a tangled ball of guilt and concern.

  “I’m a dokker’s backside. You didn’t need that. Andira, I’m sorry.”

  Tal shook her head, still unable to speak.

  “I’d rather have you mad at me than this.”

  That brought her voice back. “I wasn’t mad at you.”

  “Would you like to be? I’m sure I could say something inflammatory.”

  Tal’s snort broke the paralysis. Wrapping her arms around Salomen’s waist, she said, “Let’s save that for another time.”

  “All right. You had me worried for a tick.”

  With a final squeeze, Tal pulled away and looked up. “I’m fine. Just tired and overwhelmed.”

  Salomen nodded, her dark eyes troubled. “How bad is this? I mean, with Shantu?”

  “It’s bad. I don’t know who to trust anymore. Shantu wouldn’t plan a caste coup without support, which means there are other warriors on the Council standing ready to betray me as well. And I don’t know who any of them are. I never saw this coming; that’s what frightens me. I thought I had the support of my caste. I don’t understand how something like this could have gotten so far without me getting even a hint of it.” Another thought occurred to her. “Oh, no—Aldirk!”

  Salomen crouched down, resting her hands on Tal’s knees. “What about Aldirk?”

  “I asked him to track Parser after that last emergency Council session. I thought he was up to something then, when he switched sides and supported Shantu in a call to halt the implementation of the matter printers. But Aldirk never reported back on anything unusual. He couldn’t possibly have missed this. There is no way Parser could be colluding with Shantu and a majority of the high-powered warriors on the Council without Aldirk picking up on something.”

  She looked at Salomen in growing horror. “Aldirk knows everything. Absolutely everything. If he’s in on this, I…I can’t even calculate the damage.” She put her face in her hands, the weariness overtaking her. Everything was caving in, and why did it all have to happen now?

  Salomen wisely said nothing, simply communicating her support through her touch.

  “I am so tired of playing catch-up.” Tal raised her head. “Parser was right. I didn’t even know the game had started before it was already half over. I’ve been behind every step of the way. I’m not even sure I want to fight back a caste coup. Is it worth it?”

  “It’s worth it,” Salomen said.

  Her conviction got Tal’s attention. “Then tell me why, because right now I’m not seeing it.”

  “Because we need you. If you really want to retire, then I’ll gladly take you onto Hol-Opah and turn you into the best warrior-producer on Alsea. But I don’t think you’re the retiring type, and I know for a fact that Alsea is far better served with you in the State Chair than with a man who would kill innocent citizens to gain power. And it’s better served with Parser in prison where he can’t hurt anyone else. If Shantu wins, so does Parser. Do you want to leave Alsea in their hands?”

  “No.”

  Salomen nodded. “You care too much. And you’ve worked too hard to give up on us now. So start counting the people you know you can trust without question. I’ll top the list, though I’m not much use in an internal caste battle. But you have Colonel Micah, Colonel Razine…all of your personal Guards…Councilor Ehron, too. And those are just the ones I’ve met so far.”

  Tal’s laugh held no humor. “Yes, at least Ehron is on my side. That’s one warrior out of thirty on the Council.”

  But she couldn’t let Shantu win. Though she had always believed him to be far more principled, she had never been in doubt as to his lust for power. That lust had apparently overwhelmed his caste ethics, which made him unfit to lead. With sufficient evidence, she could put him in prison and cut the head off the coup, but that didn’t necessarily mean the coup would die. It all depended on who else was involved.

  She needed information, she needed it now, and she would start with Aldirk.

  A smile crossed her face as she realized where her thoughts were going. She was already planning her next move. No, she was not the retiring type.

  She looked back at Salomen. “You’ll top the list?”

  “You know I will.”

  Tal squeezed her hands. “That’s all I need. If they want my title, they’ll have to fight for it.”

  CHAPTER 41:

  Isolation

  While waiting for news on Micah and Shantu, Tal took care of a few more immediate needs. First came a call to Aldirk, who was startled to learn that he was needed in Redmoon immediately. He sputtered and protested, but she told him nothing other than to pack for two days and be on the next transport out of Blacksun. It was too bad she hadn’t learned about his possible involvement earlier; he could have caught the transport Razine had sent. Aldirk had naturally pointed out that fact, but if he had hoped for additional information, he was sorely disappointed. As far as Tal was concerned, her Chief Counselor was guilty until proven innocent. She could not afford to act otherwise.

  After a call to the commander of Redmoon Base, she recalled all of her Guards—including Gehrain, who was delighted to be released from observation—and had the transport moved to the base. Her Guards were housed in guest quarters and given spare uniforms to wear until their own supplies arrived. Shantu’s men were still being held on the transport, since Tal trusted no warriors but her own. After considerable discussion with Salomen, she decided to hold Herot on the transport as well, but gave him the aft cabin to keep him separate from his captors.

  Gehrain and Vellmar set up a duty rotation schedule, with two Guards keeping watch over the prisoners, two stationed outside the transport, and four guarding Tal and Salomen in their temporary quarters. Not surprisingly, every one of the off-duty warriors opted to take local transports back to the healing center, where they kept vigil into the night. It was Dewar who called Tal from there at night-one and seventy. Micah was out of surgery.

  Tal borrowed a short-range transport from the base and flew it to the healing center, creating a stir as she exited with Salomen and four Guards. The local journalists, having learned of her presence in town, had gathered on the landing pad in hopes of seeing something exciting. The Lancer entering a healing center with her lover in the middle of the night certainly qualified, and they clamored for news. When Tal walked through them without answering, they turned their attention to Salomen. Tal felt her dismay at the chaos, which was a far cry from their carefully planned announcement of her new status. Putting her arm around Salomen in a clear display of intimacy, she informed the journalists that they would learn everything they needed to know about Raiz Opah from tomorrow’s State House announcement. Then she swept past them and into the healing center, where the peaceful environment was rigorously enforced by the staff. In the past, she had run afoul of the stubborn mentality of healers and their support staff, but on this occasion she welcomed it as they repelled the eager journalists and closed the doors in their faces.

  “I suppose that was my first taste of the future,” Salomen said as they followed an assistant healer toward Micah’s room. “No wonder you assigned me my own Guards. I’ll need them just to push through the crowd.”

  “It’s not always like that.”

  “Sometimes it’s worse?”

  Tal squeezed her hand in reply; she knew Salome
n was trying to lighten her mood. “Look on the bright side. If there’s a successful coup, you won’t have to worry about the crowds.”

  “Every flood brings new growth,” Salomen said cheerfully.

  The assistant led them to a closed door and stood to one side. “Healer Elwyn is waiting.”

  “Thank you.” Tal entered the small room as her Guards took up positions outside the door. She was so focused on the figure in the bed that she didn’t notice the slender man sitting in the corner until he stood up to introduce himself, and even then she hardly heard a word.

  Micah appeared so much better that she felt real hope for the first time that night. The oxygenator was gone and his color had returned, and for a moment she expected him to open his eyes and give her a knowing smile. Did I make my point? he would say. There’s still some usefulness in this old warrior.

  “—a strong man,” the healer was saying. “He sustained significant bone and soft tissue damage. He now has a synthetic hip joint and several spans of new intestine, both large and small, and we had to reconstruct all of the major muscles in the affected area. Your team did a commendable job of minimizing the blood loss and getting him here quickly.”

  “That sounds positive,” Tal said. “Do you expect a full recovery?”

  “We only finished surgery forty ticks ago. It’s still early in the healing process. I really cannot answer that question just now.”

  “But you can make an educated guess.”

  “Healing is not about guessing, Lancer Tal. It’s about observation and response.”

  “And what have you observed that prevents you from giving me any kind of answer at all?”

  He pressed his lips together, glancing at Micah.

  “Did someone on your surgery team Share with him?” Salomen asked.

  “You’re familiar with this procedure?”

  “Not until tonight. Lancer Tal and I both Shared with him on the flight here.”

  “You never heard of that until tonight and you performed the procedure? You’re either extremely courageous or blissfully ignorant of the usual myths. Most people believe that Sharing with a dying person is a one-way trip to a Return.”

  “Put me down for ignorance, then. And I notice you sidestepped my question.”

  Tal almost smiled at the expression on Elwyn’s face. “I’m also curious about your response.”

  After a pause, he said, “Yes, we did. When he arrived, it was obvious that he would not survive surgery without extreme measures. I called in a colleague who is known for her skill in retrieval. She held him, but afterward she told me that he was not willing. It was a forced hold.”

  “But he’s stable now, correct?” Tal asked. “Does a forced hold matter once the physical danger is past?”

  “Now you’re moving into an area that has eluded our science since the First Healer. Sometimes, for reasons we still don’t understand, Alseans simply do not wish to be healed. Their bodies recover, yet they never regain consciousness. Sometimes they Return for no physical reason we can find. Other times they lie dormant for days or ninedays or even moons, and wake up as if nothing had ever kept them away. I know of cases where Alseans awoke as much as five cycles after their original injury. In all of these cases, the patient underwent a forced hold.”

  He held up his hand in a placating gesture. “It is far too early to determine whether Colonel Micah will fall into this category. Please don’t take this as any sort of diagnosis on my part; I’m merely sharing information. It’s just as possible that his forced hold was necessary because he believed his injury was fatal. Once his body understands that it was not and transfers that information to his consciousness, he may awaken almost immediately. His body will heal, though it will take time. As to the rest, I simply cannot say.”

  Tal looked back at Micah. His square jaw and short, bristling hair belied the frailty of the body beneath the cover, but she knew that his true frailty was not physical. Healer Elwyn could not touch the real injury.

  “Is there any issue regarding my Sharing with him now?”

  “No, not at all. In fact, it might help.”

  “Would you like me to join you?” Salomen asked.

  Tal shook her head. “What I’d like is for you to Share with him after me. I think Micah is content with his Return. We need to let him know that the rest of us aren’t nearly so happy about it.”

  With the healer’s assistance, she tilted his head slightly to enable a better match of their forehead ridges. Slipping her hands into place, she lowered her head and soon found herself in a familiar darkness, but this time she quickly broke through. Micah could be awake right now; he was just on the other side of the barrier. He was tired, but the utter exhaustion that had marked their prior Sharing was gone.

  Come back. Please.

  She felt his sorrow; a sense of longing for something. Whether it was for his final release or something else, she wasn’t sure.

  I need you. She projected her fear, her grief, her love, her own longing for his safe awakening. But she never felt a direct response. It was as if she could not quite make the connection, and with a sinking heart she understood why. Micah was no longer allowing her to touch him. He had been held back against his will and was now keeping his distance.

  She tried again and again, each time getting the same result, and finally withdrew in defeat. The first thing she became aware of was Salomen’s hand on top of hers where it touched Micah’s jaw. She straightened, pulling both of their hands back.

  “He’s not listening. I can’t make the connection. I don’t even know if he’s aware of me.”

  “Do you think it will make any difference if I try?”

  “It can’t hurt. Perhaps we should just take turns until we annoy him so much he’ll have to listen.”

  Salomen gave her a sad smile before stepping into place.

  Tal watched her eyes close as she rested her forehead against his. “Good luck,” she whispered.

  But Salomen had no better results, and they were forced to leave Micah in his self-imposed isolation. After thanking Healer Elwyn, Tal led Salomen to the notification area to break the news to the Guards.

  They crowded around as soon as she appeared.

  “How is he?”

  “Will he recover?”

  “They won’t tell us anything, the dokkers.”

  Half of them were talking at once, and Tal raised her hands. When they had quieted down, she said, “Colonel Micah came through his surgery just fine. The healer said that we did a commendable job of stopping the blood loss and getting him here. Though he didn’t say it in so many words, I know the colonel would not have made it without Guard Dewar’s quick thinking and efficient treatment.”

  Dewar looked embarrassed as her fellow Guards clapped her on the back. “But how is he now?”

  “Physically on the mend. I just Shared with him, and he’s right on the other side.” Tal paused, wondering how much to say.

  “There’s a very large caveat coming,” Gehrain said. The others nodded, looking at her expectantly.

  “You might as well tell them,” Salomen whispered. “They already know.”

  She was right, but Tal needed a moment to find the best way to say it.

  “The colonel is not responsive on the emotional plane,” she said at last. “He’s there, but he won’t allow a connection. Healer Elwyn gave us some possible explanations, the most common being that Colonel Micah doesn’t yet realize his injury was not fatal. Once he understands that, he may wake up immediately.” Their expressions were still expectant, and she shook her head. “I don’t think that’s the case. I think he has decided that his time has arrived. He suffered an injury in the line of duty that sent him a long distance down the path of his Return, and the fact that we prevented his Return may be irrel
evant to him. Salomen and I both attempted to persuade him to come back, but he’s not listening.”

  They looked at each other, a few of them murmuring quietly. Gehrain caught Tal’s eye and said, “Colonel Micah can be a little stubborn.” Amid a few chuckles, he added, “I’d like to Share with him as well, if the healer doesn’t think that would cause any problems. Perhaps he needs to hear that we don’t accept his resignation.”

  Tal smiled at his choice of words. “It won’t cause any problems. Healer Elwyn suggested that a Sharing couldn’t hurt and might help. Thank you, Gehrain.”

  “Then I want to Share with him, too,” Dewar said.

  “Me too,” said Senshalon. “I’ve been serving under Colonel Micah for nearly four cycles, and in my opinion we’ve just now got him broken in. Starting all over again with someone else is not an option.”

  That set off a chorus of voices as nearly every other Guard in the room pressed forward, eager to take part.

  “All right, all right!” Tal called, and they settled down again. She looked them over with considerable pride. Her Guards were just as stubborn as Micah; they weren’t about to stand quietly and do nothing.

  “You just hate waiting around, don’t you?” she asked, causing another chorus of agreement. Looking at the one Guard who had held herself apart from the requests, she said, “Vellmar, you’ll be the liaison with Healer Elwyn. Find out what he advises regarding the number and duration of Sharings, and set up a schedule. In the meantime, there’s no need for all of us to be cluttering up the notification area. I suggest that once you’ve established your Sharing times, you head back to Redmoon Base and get some sleep.”

  The vibration of her wristcom distracted her, and she checked the screen to find a cryptic message from Razine, carefully worded against interception.

  Vid yielded enough frames for identification. We have a match for both. Guards found an empty house and no sign of the occupant. Request immediate consult.