Instinctual (Rise of the Iliri Book 2)

by Auryn Hadley

  "Well, tell him I know, and I'll do them."

  "It's not going to be easy up there," he whispered. "They've never seen us."

  "I know."

  "You can't hold a form that long, either. Don't try. You'll make yourself sick and fall out at the wrong time."

  "I wasn't planning on it. They think we're a myth. That's probably a lot better for what we want."

  "Yeah. Have Cyno tell you some of the old stories. Keep him from going feral, too."

  Sal nodded, and pulled Risk down, kissing his forehead. "Pass that to Tilso for me, ok?"

  He just nodded and wiped at his eyes again before turning to his mare.

  "Sir?" Geo asked, moving toward her, Audgan beside him.

  "Sal," she corrected.

  "Yeah. Good luck, Sal."

  "Work with Zep, Geo. Have him show you knives and short swords, tell him to train you like he did me. You can fill in while we're gone."

  "Think so?" he asked, pleased to be thought of as good enough for assassination work.

  "You've got a natural talent. Don't fight it."

  "Yeah. Thanks, Sal."

  Audgan just smiled up at her sweetly then turned to walk away, but she stopped him. "Zyrn?"

  "Yes, sir?"

  "I owe you."

  He shook his head, and grinned. "Ayati. That's what you told me, so I'm saying it back."

  "Fair enough." Then she wrapped her arms around his lean frame. "Protect them?"

  "Always." He inhaled, breathing in her scent. "Be safe, Kaisae."

  The only one left to say her goodbyes to was Blaec. He leaned against his black stallion, a sad smile playing at his lips as he glanced up at Tharp behind them. Her eyes made their way to his, and like always, she felt the desire to look away.

  "Fuck this," he growled, and marched toward her.

  He closed the distance in five steps and grabbed her head, bending to kiss her deeply. Sal twined her fingers in the leather at his chest, pulling him closer, and heard men gasp in surprise as Blaec pulled her body to him. He kissed her passionately, in a way he never had before, making her heart pound in her chest. When he finally broke the kiss, she was breathing harder.

  "I love you, Salryc Luxx, and I don't care who knows it. You're right, it's time to stop hiding this shit."

  "That was a stupid-ass thing to do," she told him. "I love you, but that was fucking stupid."

  "I think I've got this covered. It's my word against his, and I don't want to spend the next year wishing I'd kissed you one last time."

  "Then kiss me one last time," she told him.

  He did, smiling as he pulled away. "West, love," he whispered before yelling at Cyno behind them, "If you let her die, I will kill you."

  Cyno chuckled. "It does na work like that. If she dies, it means they got through me."

  Blaec nodded and released Sal, clasping Cyno's bare hand with his. The little man's eyes widened, and he nodded before Blaec pulled him closer for a hug.

  "Alright, mount up," he called to the Blades. "I want to be in the flatlands by sundown."

  They all made their way to their horses, Sal swinging up onto Arden and looking back at the humans. Tharp stared at her with a cruel smile on his lips and winked. She growled and turned Arden to the west, Cyno pushing Raven to her left side.

  "Ya good?" he asked.

  Sal chuckled softly, and looked over at him. "As well as you are. Least we have a real bed tonight."

  He nodded. "Together?"

  "Yeah," Sal said. "I'd like that."

  She glanced behind her one last time and watched Blaec ride right at Tharp. His head was held high, and he made no move to hide what he'd just done. Tharp glared, his fingers playing with the sword at his hip, caressing the hilt as if deciding whether to use it. Arctic moved to his commander's side, saying nothing.

  "That was about the dumbest shit you've ever pulled, Major," Tharp told him.

  Blaec shrugged. "It's worth it."

  "Worth the Blades? You realize when Parliament hears about this, you'll be court-martialed and they'll disband your entire unit. Still worth it?"

  "Yeah," Blaec said. "And good luck proving it. No one out here but my men and yours, and what are you going to say? She's more than proven that there's nothing between us. There's seventy-five men in the 97th Pikemen, a good dozen or more at her favorite diner, plus I'm thinking the 112th will be more than happy to say that she's done nothing inappropriate."

  "And all of my men will say otherwise. You're known to be devious, Doll. They all saw the same thing I did."

  "I didn't see shit," Kolton said, turning his horse away. "I fight Terric, not CFC elites. Sorry, Captain. Guess I was looking the wrong way at the wrong time."

  Cheny nodded. "Give it up, Captain. She saved his life. He's not going to repay her like this. You demote him, you demote me, too. I won't serve under you for something this petty."

  Tharp ground his teeth together and glared at Blaec. "Fuck you, Doll."

  "Really?" Arctic asked, finally speaking up. "He's giving you half the credit for this to keep your unit together, and all you can see is that my eyes aren't as dark as yours. No, Tharp. Get your shit together and play the same game. I don't know why he wants to keep Star Fall intact, but he does. You should be thanking him."

  "We need them later," Blaec said softly, glancing once at Arctic before riding away.

  Arctic just nodded and fell in behind him, moving to take his place behind the line of mules. Emen pushed his gelding into the space the men left. "You're losing the men's respect, Brek."

  "What about yours?" Tharp asked him.

  "I really don't want to talk about that right now. We fucked this mission pretty bad."

  Tharp nodded, sighing deeply. "How do we pull our asses out of this shit, Foyt?"

  Emen just laughed. "We learn to play by Blaec's rules."

  "And what rules are those?"

  "They made our men respect them before they took a single step out of line. They had their asses so well covered that those two could have stripped naked and started an orgy in the grass, and nothing we said would convince the rest of the world. We were out-played, Captain. Plain and simple. We learn to play by his rules, or we get our asses kicked from both sides."

  Tharp cursed softly under his breath. "The fucking iliri think they're as good as we are. This keeps up, you know what's going to happen?"

  Emen nodded. "Yeah. They might just prove that they are."

  Epilogue

  Zep smiled down at Ryali as they stood before the door. She'd never been in a military compound before, near so many humans. She tried to hide her nervousness by adjusting her hair.

  "You sure you're good with this?" he asked.

  "You sure he's na about to conscript me?" she shot back.

  "Positive. He needs a favor."

  She nodded. "Yeh, let's get this over with. Can na believe I let ya talk me into this."

  Zep nodded and knocked on the door. They listened to the footsteps, and Ryali flinched when the door opened. Zep squeezed her hand in reassurance.

  An older man smiled from the other side, his eyes on her jaw, and moved aside to let them in.

  "Is it kaisae?" General Sturmgren asked politely.

  "Na, I am just Ryali, sir."

  "Miss Lyas?"

  "Just Ryali. Only Aces call us Miss," she grumbled.

  "And I would hate to be in that category. Come, sit." Ran gestured toward the chairs. "Can I get you anything?"

  Ryali shook her head, her disdain showing. "I doubt ya have anything I can eat or drink."

  Zep chuckled. "I don't think she's ever had decent mead before, sir."

  "Grab a bottle then, Zep." Ran turned back to the girl. "Sal's fond of it, so I'm pretty sure you can drink it."

  "He keeps it around just for her, ya know," Zep called from the other side of the room.

  "Why would ya do that?"

  Ran chuckled, claiming the chair across from her. "Look, I'm not as knowledgeabl
e about the iliri as I could be, so I'm just going to be blunt. Sal is my friend, and a very dear friend at that. I will do everything in my power to help her and Blaec Doll make changes, and I have pull in places they don't. I don't have pull in places you do, so I need your help."

  "Tell me first," she said, as Zep passed her a glass, "And I'll tell ya if I can help." She took a tentative sip, and paused, looking at the glass strangely. "What is this?"

  "Fermented honey," Ran said.

  "This is good!"

  "I'm glad you like it. Zep, give her the bottle. It'll go bad before I have use of it. Least someone should appreciate it."

  "You can na bribe me," she warned him.

  "I can," Ran assured her, his face still amused. "I'm not stupid enough to think a bottle of mead will do it, though. I'm really giving you that simply because it would go bad otherwise."

  "Then what do ya have that I'd want?"

  "Dru kanna Inessi Cynortas?" he asked her in heavily accented iliran.

  "I know who she is, but no, I do na know her."

  "Can you get a message to her?"

  "Why?" Ryali lifted her chin, holding his gaze.

  Ran politely looked away. "Because her son is still alive. I'm doing my best to keep him safe, and I have done all I can to help the Kaisae."

  Ryali looked to Zep quickly. He stood at the end of the couch, watching her. "The man with the tattoos. My friend?"

  "Yeh?"

  "Cyno, short for Cynortas. That's her son. He was conscripted four years ago," Zep said.

  "Ya want me ta tell his amma he's alive?"

  "And a Black Blade," Ran said. "And that he's with the Kaisae."

  "What's the bribe?"

  Ran held up his first finger. "I want word to get out in Guttertown that Anglia will soon support the iliri. The Kaisae is out of reach of Parliament, and we will make sure that she is safe until she..." He looked at Zep, "What's the phrase?"

  "Until she understands her abilities," Zep said. "You cannot print this. It needs to spread the old way."

  "Yer protecting Sal?"

  Both men nodded.

  "Why?"

  Zep shrugged. "We're not all assholes, Ryali. There's a couple of us on your side."

  "Why?" she demanded.

  "Because you're right," Ran said. "Because it really does matter."

  She finally relented. "I'll tell kaisae Cynortas, and I'll get the word out, but I'm na doing this fer ya."

  "That's fine. I don't want this for me."

  "Then fer who?"

  "Sal," Zep said, and Ran nodded.

  "You know what a continental war would mean for us all?" he asked the girl.

  She shook her head.

  "All iliri, dead. Most humans, too. Our way of life would change – both of ours – and not for the better. I've tried to find a solution, and there's only one I can see. We need Anglia, and the only way we can get Anglia is Sal."

  "What aren't you telling us?" Zep asked Ran softly.

  "Dominik Jens will be the king of Anglia, and he won't tolerate the oppression of the iliri. They have enough economic clout that we'll have to listen. If she can do it, and if she can gain his trust, we'll not only win this war, but also change everything for the iliri. If Anglia turns their back on us, the CFC will crumble."

  "Why did ya send her away?" Ryali asked. "We need her here."

  "Not right now, you don't," the General told her gently. "If Sal stayed here, they'd throw her in jail or hang her, and nothing I could do would stop that. I need her safe. She has Cyno with her. He won't let anything touch her."

  Zep nodded. "He's meant for her."

  "So she will come back?"

  Ran shrugged. "I don't know. What I do know is that Sal will never forget her people. You all accepted her when no one else would. She's still different from you, but you made her feel like she belongs somewhere. Like she's a part of something."

  "It matters," Zep whispered, grabbing Ryali's hand. "Remember when Tensa said that? Yeah, Sal does too. She won't forget it, either."

  "What do I need ta do?" she asked.

  "Talk to Inessi Cynortas. Let the people know that Sal is still working for them, even if she isn't here. And," he held up two fingers, "if you can, find me at least two people willing to run a newspaper."

  "We do na read Glish."

  "I didn't ask for a Glish paper. The military is about to commission advertising in Iliran. It should pay well enough to cover the startup costs. That's the second half of my bribe."

  "What does the military want with Guttertown?"

  Ran smiled. "Conscriptions will only be used for tried criminals. There will be no more pulling iliri from the streets and throwing them into uniforms. Iliri will be trained in Glish as part of basic training, and death benefits will be offered to the families for both volunteers and conscripts. It's not much, but I'm trying. Most importantly, though, the iliri will have a means to spread word of what is happening, including the political climate."

  "I will tell them, sir," Ryali said, standing. "I think it will make them happy."

  He grabbed the bottle and handed it to her. "Thank you, Ryali. I have a feeling that the next time we meet, I will be able to call you kaisae." He turned to Zep and said, "Make sure she makes it there safely."

  Ryali laughed. "I am safer in Guttertown than he is."

  "I meant the compound," Ran told her. "Don't trust them unless they're in black."

  She nodded and, with Zep at her side, left the suite. She turned to say something, but he shook his head, gesturing for her to follow. Without a word between them, he led her to the business district, two blocks outside the compound walls.

  "This is where I turn back," he told her. "I'm still on duty."

  "I'm sorry I did na trust ya," Ryali said, looking at the ground. "I try."

  "I know. These things take time. But thank you."

  "Fer what?"

  "Cyno's amma. He wanted to see her, but he was afraid that he'd give her hope just to die and crush it."

  Ryali cocked her head to the side and looked up at him. "So why now?"

  Zep smiled. "LT said it's going to be ok. He said they will come back to the Conglomerate. It will be a while, but they will return."

  "Then I will tell her now. I work tonight, but tell the General that he's welcome at Tensa's."

  "I will. I'll see you tonight," he said, grabbing her hand quickly before turning and walking slowly out of sight.

  Ryali rubbed at her head, trying to make sense of it all. The Black Blades were already making a difference and it sounded like they would only continue to make things better. It felt like a dream. Like waking up human, with the world at her fingers and no one to tell her she couldn't because of who she was. She couldn't help but smile as she walked through Guttertown.

  In front of a small grey house, a tiny, pale woman whistled as she watered the flowers in her window box. Ryali recognized her immediately. Most people knew of Inessi. She'd taught their children and kept the old traditions alive each time the humans tried to crush the iliri. She was a hero to many of them, but four years ago, her son had been conscripted and she'd withdrawn. She only ever came outside now to water the flowers and whistle a song of mourning.

  "Kaisae?" Ryali asked.

  "Do not interrupt me, girl," the woman snapped back in Iliran.

  Rayali responded in the same language, "I think I should. Your song is wrong."

  Inessi turned slowly and stared at Ryali. Quickly, the girl dropped her eyes to the ground.

  "Why is it wrong?" Inessi snarled, her jaw set.

  "I was sent here to tell you that your son is alive. I have seen him."

  The water can hit the dirt-covered cobbles, bouncing once before landing on its side, the water slowly leaking out. Slowly, the kaisae's hands went to her face, and she began to wilt toward the ground. Ryali rushed forward and grabbed the cloth over her shoulders, helping the woman to sit gracefully.

  "Jassant?"

  R
yali nodded. "He was in Tensa's, asking about you. We did not know him, so no one told him you were still here."

  "Where is he?"

  "He's in Anglia. I'm not exactly sure where that is, but I know it's another country, and it's far away."

  Inessi nodded. "It's very far away. Why is he there?"

  Ryali smiled and squatted so she could look the woman in the eye. "He's a Black Blade. He's protecting the Kaisae and training her."

  The woman swallowed and nodded, unable to speak. She nodded again, then held her hand out to Ryali. Without hesitation, the girl grabbed it, watching while Inessi closed her eyes.

  "Is that the Kaisae?"

  "Yes."

  "Why are they with a human?"

  "He is their brother."

  "A human?"

  Ryali just nodded. "Your son speaks Glish as well as I do, and he's teaching the Kaisae to read and speak Iliran. And the human, I think."

  "That's my boy. I knew he'd be a great scholar one day."

  "He's more than that, kaisae. Zep said he's one of the best assassins in the country. He's almost as good as the Kaisae. He has a list of his kills on his left arm, and there's a lot of them!"

  "I cannot believe that he's still alive. My boy is still alive!"

  Ryali nodded. "And he's coming back. It may not be soon, but there's been a vision of him coming back."

  "With the Kaisae?"

  "I don't think you understand. Salryc Luxx keeps your son on her left."

  After four years, Inessi Cynortas finally was able to cry. She'd refused to shed tears for her son, telling herself that at least his life would be no worse and cursing herself for bringing him into such a cruel world. This time, she didn't try to stop them. The tears flowed down her cheeks and she smiled. Maybe her son would live to see something better. Maybe he would even help to change the world. Inessi wiped at her cheek and laughed. These tears were tears of joy.

  Dear Reader,

  Instinctual continues the story of the Black Blades, and there's much more to come. Please consider following me on my author page to get updated when the next book comes out.

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