“You could stop yourself,” she replied softly. “You could ask permission.”
“Did you ask Headmaster Velle’s permission before you raped him?” Sovan countered. “Did you ask your friend Arven before you raped her? Do you ask your lover when he buries himself inside you and you dull his nerves to delay his climax for your own pleasure?”
Her mouth went dry. “I…”
“Of course you don’t, no more than you would ask permission to breathe or see or touch.” He grunted. “We are evil creatures, you and I. Misery and death follow swiftly in our wake.”
“No,” Krystia rasped. “No, our powers can help people.”
“Like healing, you mean?”
“Yes. I save lives, and you could learn to do the same. Our powers can be used for good just as easily as evil.”
Sovan leaned forward. “And you don’t take lives?”
“No,” she said pointedly. “Never.”
“I told you not to lie to me, Krystia. I know you too well.”
“I’m not lying,” she insisted. “I don’t kill people.”
Sovan studied her carefully for a long moment. “Then perhaps you only lie to yourself. I can help you with that.”
Krystia started to reply, but her breath caught in her throat once again. She looked up at him in terror, but he was no longer there. Images began to flash before her eyes, and she reached for the wall to steady herself—but instead of smooth wood, her fingers brushed against stone so rough it sliced open her palm…
The walls were a rough white stone, beaten but sturdy. Krystia sat huddled in her father’s arms for warmth. Her mother was next to her, and two others sat across from them.
“Don’t cry, darling,” her father soothed. “When this is over, there is a place we can take you—a safe place where no one will come after you again.”
“I want to stay with you.”
He smiled down at her. “You will. We can all go with you, but the safe place is far from here. It will take some time to get there.”
He was lying. She knew he was. Mother had been talking to the others about this place, about how bad children were sent away when their parents didn’t love them anymore.
“I’ve been there, Krystia,” the strange man across from her said. “It’s a very nice place. Much safer than here.”
“Even if your father and I have to leave, there are people there who can keep you safe,” her mother added. “Good people. Friends.”
They spoke to her as if she couldn’t understand, but she did. She knew they didn’t want her anymore. Maybe because she cried too much, or because they didn’t like playing with her. She didn’t mean to upset them. She never did. There were just times when she wanted something—when she needed something—and she had to make them understand. Afterwards they always got upset.
“I’m sorry, father,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “Please don’t make me go away.”
Father looked down at her with his wide blue eyes. He was crying too, and he almost never cried. He must have been very mad. “I don’t want to, but you need help. Your mother and I can’t help you alone.”
The walls shook. She squeezed her father even more tightly than before. The walls rattled so hard dust began to fall off them. Some fell into her hair.
“It will be all right, Krystia,” he soothed, holding her tightly in his arms. “It will be all right.”
She cried. No matter what she did, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. She didn’t want to leave mother and father. She promised herself that she would never hurt them again, she would never make them see or think things that weren’t real. She would do anything if it meant they could stay together. She could never be this safe anywhere else. She only had to convince them this one last time.
“I want to stay with you,” she said.
“You ca—” Father’s face twisted. “Krys…tia.”
“I want to stay with you.”
“Krystia, stop!” mother said. She grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away.
“I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU!”
Mother wrenched her arm, and the fortress shook again. Krystia screamed. Father shrieked. Krystia forced her eyes open against the pain, and blue fire burned across the tower.
The strangers cried out. Her parents cried out. Krystia screamed again.
And then they were silent.
“We cannot live alongside them, Krystia,” Sovan whispered. “Not really. We are not like them, and we cannot pretend otherwise.”
He was still on the bed, leaning comfortably against the opposite wall just outside the range of the small ball of light. She sat huddled on the floor by the door, her entire body shaking. Her eyes were swollen with tears, and her hands were wet. She watched the blood flow freely across her palms and drip down her arms.
“No mortal should have power over another, or she shall lead a life of evil,” Sovan said from the darkness. “And you and I are evil, Krystia. We belong here. We belong together.”
Krystia closed her eyes, and the ball of light extinguished.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Never trust a hungry dog…or a free chagari.”
—Asgardian saying
Garin Kroll’s eyes narrowed into thin slits as he looked out about the city’s bustling docks. Midnight was fast approaching, and neither he nor any other members of his squad had spotted their quarry. Not that Kroll was surprised. The Resistance hadn’t endured this long by being careless, and Lyebel was a thriving metropolis filled with rat holes for vermin to crawl in.
But no one could stay hidden forever, especially not from the Zarul. Eventually the Shadows would track down Jason Moore and kill him. The problem was that they were running out of time. The longer Moore possessed the cube, the greater the chance he might attempt to release its power. The mistress would not be pleased; she might even be angry enough to kill Kroll for his failure. And he would deserve it.
But he hadn’t failed just yet. Sooner or later Moore and his companions would make a mistake and reveal themselves, and then one by one Kroll would break them…
Sir, a ghostly voice stirred in his mind, I have located one of the spark-bearer’s minions, the free chagari.
Kroll leaned back on his perch atop and old wooden building. What is he doing?
He just entered one of the local taverns. At least two other rebels are following him, though they are attempting to be discreet. The chagari might not even know they are present.
Hold your position. Make certain he doesn’t leave—I am on my way.
Yes, sir.
Kroll pounced up from his perch and leapt off the side of the building. He descended a full forty feet before crashing down onto the cobblestone path, and the rocks shattered beneath his feet. Any normal human would have broken their legs or perhaps even died, but the Aether shielded him from the worst of the impact. Closing his eyes, Kroll stretched out his senses and located the Shadow who had sent him the message—he was about a half a mile away to the northwest. The trip would only take him a few minutes even if he stuck to back alleys. First, though, he needed to decide how to deploy the rest of his squad.
He could also order his men to follow the chagari back to the main rebel base, but the beast-folk were nearly impervious to alcohol; he could easily stay at the tavern until the break of dawn. Alternatively, Kroll could order one of the Shadows to try and rip the location directly from the chagari’s mind, but invasive telepathy was considerably more difficult when the target was in a public location. Neither option came without risks.
Fortunately, there was a third possibility. Free chagari were notoriously capricious, often moving from one mercenary job to the next. There was no reason to suspect this one was any different. Kroll could offer him more power and prestige than a band of exiles and outlaws could ever hope to match.
Smiling, Kroll dashed off through the streets.
***
A strong hand shook Jason from his dream, and he groaned groggily and cle
ared his dry throat.
“What the hell…?”
“Jason, you need to get up.”
He blinked the fog from his eyes and immediately felt the sting of angry muscles left hanging in an awkward position too long. He was stretched diagonally across his bed, his head crushing his left arm and his right leg bent in a seemingly untenable position. Movement only made his body protest more. When his vision finally cleared, he saw a pair of luminous blue eyes staring down at him.
“You need to get up,” Elade repeated. “There might be trouble.”
Jason vaulted upwards and narrowly avoided smacking his head against the top bunk. Only one of the room’s glowlamps was on, but he could make out a pair of moving shapes over the vaeyn’s shoulder. Sarina was already strapping on her leather armor, while Tam was scrunched into a ball of covers in the corner of his bed.
“What’s going on?” Jason croaked.
“Adar wants to move you out of here. His scouts reported some suspicious activity, and he’s worried the Zarul might have tracked us down.”
The grogginess vanished with a sudden rush of adrenaline. “Already? How many? How close are they?”
“I don’t know the details,” Elade said. “Just get up and let’s go.”
Grimacing, Jason quickly retrieved his possessions and pulled himself together. It took a few slaps from Sarina to get Tam to move, but a few minutes later they had all shifted into the common room. Adar and the others were already waiting.
“Jason, good,” the man said, smacking him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I’d like to move you and the cube to a safer location.”
“Why now?” Jason asked. “What happened?”
“Just some whispers from my people across the city. The Crell garrison has started acting strangely, and they’ve heard mutterings from some of the guards that the Green Coats are already here.”
“I told you they wouldn’t fuck around,” Sarina grumbled. “We should have moved him into one of the new safe-houses the moment he got here.”
“Recriminations can wait,” Tevek said as he joined them in the common room. He was fully armed and armored, and Selvhara swept in directly behind him. “Right now we just need to make sure the cube is secure.”
Adar nodded. “If we slip you and a few others away quietly, the Zarul won’t be able to track you as easily.”
“Uh,” Tam blurted out. “I think everyone’s a lot safer if we stick together. Splitting up seems like a terrible idea.”
“Kyle is right,” Tevek replied. “The Zarul are already here—they’ve had several days to prepare for your arrival. If they don’t know exactly where you are already, they will soon. The plan is to bait them into attacking the compound here. Once we defeat them, it will take time for them to mount a second offensive. By then we can bury you away even deeper if we need to, or just smuggle you out of the city altogether.”
“Unless they figure out that we’ve moved the cube and go after him directly instead,” Elade warned. “I agree with Tam—we should consolidate our forces and make a stand right here. If they want to attack us, we’ll be ready. And if they wait until daylight…well, that’s fine too.”
Tevek shook his head. “No, it’s too dangerous to keep everyone together. This compound is reasonably defensible, but Kyle has another safe house that only a handful of his most trusted people know about. Presumably, whatever mole leaked our arrival into the city won’t know where to find us, and if we do this quietly everyone will still think that Jason is here. Besides, he won’t be alone—you will be protecting him.”
Elade’s cheek twitched. “If you’re planning on fighting the Crell here, then you’re going to need me.”
The Highlord stepped over to her and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “The safety of the spark is of the utmost importance. Until we decide what to do with it, the cube must remain safe. I’m entrusting you to make sure that happens, and at least the two of us can communicate through our link.”
For a moment, it looked like Elade might protest. But then she glanced between Tevek and Jason and sighed. “Fine,” she murmured. “So what’s the plan?”
“I will escort you to the safe house,” Ria put in from the corner. She had also suited up with her armor and crossbow. “A small team will be waiting for us.”
“So then what about the rest of you?” Jason asked. “You just try and hold the fort?”
“We’re the bait,” Adar told him. “I’ve sent men out to try and find your chagari friend. He seems to have slipped away for some reason.”
“Probably because you told him not to,” Tam grunted. “Gor is a cat—he likes to do the opposite of whatever everyone wants.”
“We’ll be fine here,” Tevek said, his baritone voice calm and collected. “Now get moving. Elade will protect you.”
“Right,” Jason whispered. He rubbed his face and tried to clear the fog from his mind. One of these days, he might actually get a full night’s sleep. “Then let’s—”
“I’m not just sitting around and waiting for the ‘Coats to storm through the front door,” Sarina growled, snatching her bow and crossbow. “I’ll see if I can flush them out.”
Adar eyed her warily. “I was just going to suggest the same thing. See if you can pin down any of their teams, but don’t engage unless you’re absolutely sure you’ll be safe. We need you.”
“I know what I’m doing,” she said, tossing a quick glance back at Jason. For a moment, it seemed like she desperately wanted to tell him something…but then she turned and stormed out the door.
“One of these days, she’s going to get herself killed,” Tam muttered.
“She knows what she’s doing,” Jason said. “Usually. Anyway, I assume you have some fancy way for us to slip out without attracting attention?”
Ria nodded. “There’s a tunnel under the building that will spit us out two blocks away. We should be at the safe house in fifteen minutes, tops.”
“All right,” Jason said, sharing one last glance with his friends. “Then let’s go.”
***
The Riptide Reprieve was the consummate dockside tavern. From its watered-down ale to its cheap whores, the establishment was built to cater to the worst dregs of the Lyebel underworld. Tonight, however, it was especially boisterous for some reason. The bottom floor was broken into three areas, one for eating and drinking, one for gambling, and another for singing and dancing. The noise from all three coalesced into a cacophony of wasted lives and failed aspirations, and Garin Kroll did his best to ignore it.
Fortunately the free chagari, Gor, wasn’t exactly a needle hiding in a haystack. He sat by himself in the dining area, enjoying a platter with at least five different meats and steins full of different ales. While there were a handful of other free chagari in the city, they rarely went into bustling human establishments like this one, and as a result the patrons gave him a wide berth. The creature didn’t seem to mind; he tossed irritated glares at anyone who fastened their eyes on him too long.
But Gor wasn’t alone. Two rebel escorts sat just a few tables away, and they periodically tossed wary glances at the chagari. It was clear they didn’t want him to notice them, and it was just as clear that Gor had anyway. Had he abandoned the rest of his companions for a reason? If so, then this would be even easier than Kroll had initially hoped. He was a soldier, not a diplomat, but he did know chagari better than almost anyone else in the city. He had served alongside several chagari warriors in a mercenary troupe just a few years ago, and that experience was about to come in very handy.
Wrapping his cloak more tightly over his armor, Kroll maneuvered through the crowd towards the chagari’s table. He pulled out a chair without waiting for an invitation, and Gor’s orange-yellow eyes narrowed dangerously as he ripped a hunk of beef off an over-sized bone.
“Allow me to be blunt and skip the niceties,” Kroll said, setting his drink down at the center of the table. “You and I need to have a chat.”
; “Really,” Gor replied, licking a strand of meat from his fangs. “And here I was thinking you should find another table. I wouldn’t want to make a mess in this fine establishment.”
Kroll smiled thinly. “Why would you come to a place like this if you wanted to be alone?”
“They don’t deliver,” Gor grumbled. “Now leave before I lose my patience, little man.”
“I have more gold than I can spend,” Kroll said, ignoring the threat. “I want to hire a mercenary, and you’re exactly the type of man I’m looking for.”
“Curious. You look like someone who’s used to handling his own ‘dirty work,’ as you humans say.”
“I don’t want a mercenary to do my dirty work. The job I have is quite clean and simple.”
Gor made a guttural purr, which Kroll knew was roughly the chagari equivalent of a human grunting dismissively. He then slid a claw into his vest and half-pulled out a gold brick. “I doubt you have enough gold to make even something clean and simple worth my time.”
“This job has an added bonus,” Kroll pointed out. “If you accept, you get to leave this city alive.”
The chagari’s eyed narrowed further, and for an instant Kroll though he might actually pounce across the table. “If that’s supposed to be a threat, I’m not impressed,” he hissed. “Better men have succumbed to my claws”
“It’s not a threat,” Kroll assured him. “I’m simply presenting you with an opportunity. If you agree, you stand to quadruple that brick of yours. You will also earn free passage anywhere within the Imperium.”
The chagari remained silent for a long moment. As a race, his people didn’t scare easily and typically responded quite poorly to intimidation—overt intimidation, anyway. Subtle suggestions tended to go a long way and could quite easily prey upon their instinctive fear of captivity.
The Godswar Saga (Omnibus) Page 36
