by Auryn Hadley
"The search," Blaec said. "Yeah, Sal mentioned that."
"So Brant told her. Good. You have anything that might cause problems?"
Blaec just laughed. "Oh yeah. We're loaded with ‘em, from Sal's pair of steel knives to a deed for land up in Anglia."
Kinetry sat up straight. "You're defecting?"
"Dom was pretty adamant that he wanted to thank her. She refused the title and lands at least three times. He sent the deed anyway. Kinetry, you're a good man. I had a lot of hopes for you back in the trials."
"Thank you, sir. I didn't have a chance, though. Not with Sal there."
Blaec chuckled. "No, you didn't. You know why you made it to the trials?"
Kinetry nodded. "I do now. I didn't realize it then. It's my pale hair. I've got some iliri in me."
"Yeah." Blaec leaned onto his elbows. "What I'm about to tell you could cause you some real problems later. You still want to hear it?"
Kinetry flicked a hand dismissively. "I'm neck deep in this already, and I'm not about to start climbing out anytime soon, sir. Cyno's training saved my life. Sal, well, there's something about her, ya know?"
Blaec slowly dragged his hand over his mouth to wipe away the smile. "I know. I'm sleeping with her. Trust me, I know."
"I thought..." Kinetry stopped himself.
"You're right. Cyno too. It's an iliri thing," Blaec explained. "Ahnor means first mate. That's the title he had up there in Anglia."
"I'm going to have a headache tonight," Kinetry joked. "I can tell already."
"Probably. But look, Anglia is in the middle of a governmental reform. Dom - that's the King - he's given equal rights to humans, iliri, and grauori. He accepted the chosen leader of each as his equal."
Kinetry nodded. "Ok, so that explains this, Ragr person."
"Rragri, and she's basically a queen, now. He also acknowledged a queen for the iliri. We're matriarchal, you know."
Roo patted the soldier's leg, and Kinetry looked down, surprised to see the bitch offering him a bottle. "Roo rill need daht, rai fink."
Kinetry chuckled. Blaec pushed a pair of glasses toward him. "Fill two."
As he poured, Kinetry said, "So, there's only one iliri I know of that fits that. Why'd you come back?"
Blaec shrugged. "We have our reasons."
Kinetry shook his head. "Not good enough, LT. I'm putting a lot of my men on the line here. Why'd you come back?"
With a sigh, Blaec answered. "The Emperor has to die. We know where he is. We know how to get to him. With the changes Dom's making, we're even above any laws that might stop us. That's why the grauori are coming. And Viraenova."
Kinetry nodded. "Sal told me about Viraenova. Why'd you come back here?"
"It's complicated. Simple answer is Dom needs the alliance meeting to change the world. Complex answer is that we're soldiers. We got orders."
"Did she break any laws?"
Blaec shook his head. "No. She bent most of them, but she played within the rules. We always have. It's her pale skin that's on trial, not her deeds."
"That's what I thought. You hear that there's a segment in Parliament that wants to join with Terric?"
"Maast," Blaec whispered, reaching for his glass. "No."
Kinetry nodded. "Yep, they want the steel. They still don't know where it is."
Roo whuffed, closing her teeth on her tongue when Kinetry looked at her. She quickly turned and grabbed Raast from the bed, pulling the pup to her.
"Amma!" Rhyx yelled, reaching out her arms. "Amma ee oo!"
Kinetry smiled. "Yeah, that's a good distraction. I won't ask where it is, LT. I get it. Those are cute as can be, though." Rhyx looked at him and snarled. "Well, ok. Cute's the wrong word," he amended.
"The mean one is Rhyx, the one Roo's holding is Raast," Blaec told him.
"They look alike, how do you tell them apart?"
Rhyx trotted over to Kinetry and reached out for him. "Olld ee".
First, he looked at Roo, who nodded, then Kinetry grabbed the child and pulled her into his lap. "Ok, I'm holding you."
She tugged at her left ear, pointing the missing tip at his face. "Rai ought. Raast est nas i maargra."
"Rhyx," Blaec chided the pup. "Iliran or Glish. Not both."
"Rai na nou de oords," the pup pouted.
Blaec sighed. "I Fought," he told her, emphasizing the F. "Raast is not a soldier. That's not true either, but those are the words. Raast may be a fighter, too. I don't growl at everyone. Just because amma Sal does, doesn't mean it's the only way."
Rhyx ducked her head, her ears pulled close to her skull. "Ah k, dava. Ahye growl dough."
Kinetry laughed, pulling the pup close to him. "Yes you do growl, little one. And some of us growl a lot."
Rhyx grabbed Kinetry's shirt in her stubby paws and pushed her head against his chest, nibbling gently at his shoulder. "That's a Grauoran kiss," Blaec explained. "She likes you. Rhyx doesn't like anyone that isn't in the pack."
"Yeah. I can believe that. How you gonna keep these quiet, LT? How you gonna pull this off?"
Blaec shrugged. "Ayati. It's all we have."
"What's Ayati?"
"Fate. The will of the world. Things that happen that are meant to be."
"Well, that's nice and all," Kinetry said, "but we need to do something about when they come searching. I know you have steel. It's not on Sal. You said there's a deed. What else?"
"Plenty. I'll get it in packs. Hwa - that's Roo's mate - can move it. No one seems to watch where they run off to."
"Ok. I'll have someone find him a place to stash it. I have a couple of ideas already. There's a nice Iliran brothel up the road a few of us like."
Blaec nodded. "That should do. Kinetry, there's something you, of all people, need to know."
"What's that?"
"Anglia's got an open door policy. Any iliri is welcome there. No questions asked. Swear fealty to your leader and you're allowed in. They're taking oaths to an unnamed Kaisae. Things get bad; there's another option."
"That's intense, man," Kinetry said. "That's some intense shit. What's the price?"
"Except for the fact that defecting is considered treason?" Blaec shook his head. "That's it. Anglia's huge. Dom showed me his maps. Ours don't even show a quarter of it. Viraenova's the same. East of the Ahnian Ridge, it just keeps going. Nothing but grauori out there, but they welcome iliri. Orassae Rragri said towns would be good - and Anglia borders Viraenova back there. The grauori travel freely between them."
"Yeah, across the river," Kinetry pointed out.
Blaec chuckled. "It's no more than a few feet deep west of the mountains, except during the spring thaw. There's room, there are allies, and there's an offer. I'm not saying you should take it. I just want the iliri to know the offer's there. Just in case you need it."
"Let's see how this plays out, sir. I'm pretty happy where I am."
"Yeah, I was too.” Blaec lifted his hands to show that he wasn’t trying to pick a fight. “In Anglia, they don't know what the phrase scrubber means. They don't see anything wrong with having pale skin. Just think about it. It's there for all of us."
"Yeah, but that won't stop the Emperor. He'll just shove in and start killing us there."
Again, Blaec shook his head. "No. They won't come back to Anglia for a while. They met the grauori. About sixty-five hundred Terrans died up there. It was a slaughter. We lost about two hundred in the first battle, and twenty-eight in the second."
"That's some heavy losses for both sides," Kinetry said sympathetically.
"No," Blaec corrected. "The second battle we lost twenty-eight men. Not hundred. Just twenty-eight soldiers. They lost almost six thousand to our twenty-eight men. They won't come back anytime soon."
"Fuck. The grauori did that?"
"Kinda. Grauori and humans, together. Sal planned it. All three of us are different. Humans defend, iliri attack, grauori surprise. Sal used our species to our advantage, and Terric's scared. That's why they're
coming. Terric's scared, man, and the grauori are pissed."
Chapter 3
It took two days before Sal was called to stand trial again. Nyurin woke her at dawn, rubbing at his own eyes.
"Orders came, Sal. Get dressed quick. You're to be before the tribunal in twenty minutes."
"Thanks," she said, peeling out of the over-sized blues and into her blacks. One of the pikemen had pressed her uniform and hung it perfectly. Her medals had been cleaned, but the bars lay untouched on the table. "And tell whoever did the polishing that I owe him one."
"For leaving the bars?” Nyurin asked. “Nah, Cyno made sure we knew. A decade of blood, sweat, and tears, he said. So yeah, I told them not to touch them."
Tucking her shirt in carefully, Sal twisted her hair into a braid. "I'd kill for a mirror," she grumbled.
"Can't get ya that, but I can give ya a hand," Nyurin said. "Come here."
Sal stood on the other side of the heavy resin bars of her cell door, and he reached inside, tugging her collar into place. "Check the line of your pants, and your belt is crooked." Sal made the corrections, and he looked her over one more time. "Ok, you need help pinning on the medals and bars?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Hard to line them up looking down."
Nyurin carefully slipped a hand inside her collar, attaching the clasps to the pins that held her medals in place. When he finished with those, he grabbed the bars.
"Never thought I'd touch these. Which way do they face?"
"They're read from the front."
Nyurin attached them, shifting one slightly before pinning it again. "Ok. I think that's as good as you’re going to get. You're near parade ready. The day shift should be in shortly. I have good men on you, Sal. Ok?"
"Thanks, Nyurin. I owe ya a couple."
He chuckled. "I still owe you ten krits. You never collected on that bet, you know."
Sal shrugged. "It's just krits. There's more important things to fight for."
Nyurin shrugged it off, and the two of them chatted casually until the day shift arrived. They saluted him sharply before turning to Sal.
"Good, you're ready," Brant said.
Opening her cell, Private Brant and two others escorted her across the compound. There were few eyes to watch them this early in the morning. It didn’t mean her trip went unnoticed.
She entered the courtroom and the men paused at her side, all three soldiers standing at attention. At the same time, Representative Berrik and a group of officers made their way into the room languidly, chatting and joking as they found their seats. One man walked in alone. He glared at the casual atmosphere, then took a seat to the side. Sal's eyes never moved, but she recognized General Sturmgren easily.
"Court is again in session," the Representative called out, tapping her gavel against the desk. The men beside Sal saluted and turned sharply on their heels, leaving her to face the tribunal alone. She listened to their footsteps fade.
"Lieutenant Salryc Luxx, do you recognize the man to my right?"
Sal finally looked at the General. "I do, ma'am."
"And?"
"That is General Sturmgren, ma'am. Our unit reports to him."
"Exactly," Berrik said. "So can you please tell me your orders now?"
"No, ma'am," Sal answered.
The woman groaned in frustration. "And why not, this time."
"Representative," the General said, leaning forward. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves here. Lieutenant Luxx, your missions details have been declassified. Order 19-707-G allows authorization for you to discuss these matters within proper military proceedings. You may answer the questions asked of you without repercussions."
"Yes, sir," Sal said.
Sturmgren pointedly looked down the long desk. "Now, ask her again, Halin. Don't berate the soldier for following orders."
"That's fine, Ran, but our hearing has been delayed because of this," Berrik snapped at him.
"It's not the soldier's fault that the politicians forgot to check the proper protocols," he reminded her.
"Lieutenant Luxx," Berrik tried again. "Now will you tell me your specific orders?"
"Yes, ma'am. I received orders with first level clearance commanding me to Anglia. Once there, I was to ensure that the ruler of Anglia was sympathetic to the Conglomerate. I received briefings on every -"
A loud sound in the courtyard beyond interrupted her. Representative Berrik held up her hand, stalling Sal's report. "Someone go see what that's all about? You, soldier. Be quick."
Sal listened to a man jog to the door and heard it open. While they waited, the authorities on the dais spoke among themselves. Sal's eyes drifted slightly and fell on the General. His hand rested on the desk casually. Too casually. It was curled into the gesture used in the Lightning Brigade for "proceed with caution." She flicked her eyes to his for a split second and he nodded, settling his hands back in his lap.
"Sir," the soldier said, entering the courtroom and saluting.
"It's ma'am," Berrik corrected.
"Yes, ma'am. The Anglian delegation has arrived. They've asked to view the trial."
Sal's heart beat faster.
"Fine," Berrik said, flicking her hand at him. "Tell them to find their seats and keep quiet. If this court is disrupted again, I will have the room cleared."
"Yes, ma'am." The soldier ran from the room, and Sal could make out voices at the door. The discussion was brief. Then the soldier said clearly, "This way, sirs. You may sit here. Please respect the silence of the court."
"Thank you," Berrik said again.
Not the way I wanted to see you again, Kaisae, Ilija's familiar voice whispered into her head.
Not the way I want to be seen. Dom's with you?
"Lieutenant, please start again."
"Yes, ma'am," Sal answered. Get him out of here! she thought at Ilija.
Not gonna happen. He's adamant. You're good, though - mostly. I told him about the nobles.
She nodded imperceptibly and began again. "I received orders with first level clearance. I was commanded to enter Anglia and secure the Anglian throne for an heir that was sympathetic to the Conglomerate. The ruler at the time, King Jensen, was considered unacceptable. His son, the Baron of Bysno was also slated for removal. The younger son, the Jonkheer of Eriwald, was thought to be a possibility, but he required careful assessment before being allowed to inherit. If Eriwald was deemed unsuitable, I was commanded to ensure the ascension of Valmere."
"And what do those orders mean to you, Lieutenant," Berrik asked, glancing over Sal's head.
"Those orders clearly state that Bysno was to be assassinated. Eriwald would be analyzed, and if found unsuitable, also assassinated, along with King Jensen's older brother and a nephew, to make the line to the throne clear for Valmere."
"I see. And did you accept these orders?"
"I did, ma'am. The orders also stipulated that I was to encourage Anglia to form an Alliance with the Conglomerate of Free Citizens in any way necessary. I was to be deployed for approximately one year, no more than two years, in order to be sure that this alliance was reached."
"And did General Sturmgren give you these orders himself?" Berrik asked.
"No, ma'am. I received my orders as usual. Sealed blue envelope, transcription encoded. The General requested my presence the next day and clarified any questions I had about the mission."
"I see, and you had questions I assume?"
"Yes, ma'am. I queried what made a noble considered suitable to the Conglomerate."
"And?"
"I was told that my only goal was to form the alliance, at any cost, so long as it would not cause the Conglomerate to suffer."
"And was the Jonkheer found suitable?"
"No, ma'am. He refused to see us, stating that the Conglomerate had no business in Anglia. We made three diplomatic attempts. Each was refused."
"I see. And you say, 'we.’ Who do you mean by that?"
"My partner, Sergeant Jassant Cynortas, and myself."
"Was the Jonkheer the first noble in Anglia you spoke with?" the Representative asked.
"No, ma'am. We met with Bysno first."
"And your orders were to eliminate Bysno?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"So why did you meet with him?"
"To eliminate him, ma'am."
Representative Berrik looked at Sal strangely. "I do not understand. Explain."
"Yes, ma'am. Sergeant Cynortas and I requested a diplomatic meeting with Lord Bysno. Because women are not - were not considered equal in Anglia at the time, I was introduced as Mrs. Cynortas. The Sergeant met with Lord Bysno and requested that he send troops to assist the Conglomerate with our battle against Terric. Lord Bysno supposedly agreed to send one hundred troops on the condition that the Conglomerate feed and house them at no cost to Bysno. He added a stipulation to the agreement that I spend the night with him."
"I see. So you had sex with this Lord Bysno?"
"Yes, ma'am. At which time, I administered Murtadem."
"Did you know that you would have that opportunity or did you simply think that your mission was an excuse to enjoy the Anglian men?" she asked snidely.
"That opportunity was intended. We made sure that it happened," Sal answered clearly.
"How? You think any man is just going to fall in bed with a scrubber?"
"Lord Bysno was well known as a womanizer. He preferred women with pale skin and dark hair. A few cosmetics made sure that I matched his type. When I entered the throne room to be announced to him, the Sergeant refused to look at me, and the few times he did, he held an indifferent gaze. I broke customs and looked at the Baron when I curtsied and held his eyes for exactly three seconds. When he smiled, I looked away quickly. When the Baron said my name, I bit my lower lip. Those things, combined with the intelligence we had on him, assured that either he would simply ask for the pleasure of my time, or find a way to demand it. Naturally, Sergeant Cynortas did not refuse the stipulation."
"So you poisoned the man in his bed? And how did you explain that?"
"Murtadem is a slow acting poison. His family had a maternal history of heart complications, starting around age forty - Bysno was forty-two at the time of his death - and the chemical causes a blockage of the neurotransmitters that regulate heart beat. It takes weeks before any symptoms can be discerned in a healthy man, and one with a history of coronary issues is unlikely to notice any symptoms for three to four weeks. After thirty days, the toxin should be in full effect. Any intense physical exertion will result in coronary failure. Lord Bysno died shortly after spending a night with his wife, ma'am."
