by K. F. Breene
“Keep balanced,” she cautioned quietly. “You have found the extra sense you spoke of. It is fragile, though. A life of its own. Don’t try at it too hard or it will collapse. Have confidence it is there, and it will not fail you. Now let it go, and we’ll try that again.”
Cayan took a huge breath and opened his eyes. His power shriveled down into himself.
“Well, it seems you are really good at pushing it back down,” Shanti surmised.
“I’ve worked on it all day. I didn’t want a repeat of last night.”
“In my bed…” she muttered sulkily.
“It smelled good. Like fresh, clean woman.” He didn’t sound repentant.
“Yeah, well, you should put in a request to have your women bathe more often. Focus.”
They went through the exercise three more times, Cayan able to easily cast his power outwards by the end. Unfortunately, soon after, he pulled it all back in tightly again, not letting it expand. He had a lot of work to do.
“Okay, I think that’s it for tonight.” Shanti sighed deeply, curling her legs back under her and getting ready to find her peace.
“Then what are you doing?”
“I want to let my mind wander, soak up the life around me. I can’t do that when I am focused on you.”
“Can I… Is there a way…”
“Hitch a ride? Possibly, but chances are you will retreat when I start to spread out. Which is normal. Sit next to me.”
He changed positions, closed his eyes, and reached out his hand. She grabbed it, then startled when his fingers threaded with hers. Electricity worked its way up her arm and into her middle, quickening her heart. Making her breath speed up. Melting the ice of her past and letting the memories trickle out.
“That is more of an intimate hand hold,” she uttered in choked voice. “Usually it is resting hands together, like your handshake, rather than entwining them.”
“I need more contact than palms.” His voice wasn’t shaking, per se, but he was nervous. It was as if the man hadn’t done it a million times on his own before she‘d come. He just needed to get out of his own way.
Resigned, fighting the memories, Shanti said, “Open up your mind. After you do, I will connect with you and lead. You can just close your eyes and go for the ride. If you get…nervous, just let go of my hand. You can leave, then. I will continue on.”
He nodded. She waited for him to open up his power, needing only a couple prompts, then she connected gently, trying not to be distracted his hand squeezing hers. She expanded her mind with a heavy heart, unable to keep from thinking of her lost love. Thinking of the many times she had intertwined fingers with him. The warmth of his hands. The beauty of his face. Those deep brown, earth-colored eyes.
Her mind skipped, calling up her mother’s smiling face. So proud of Shanti for opening up at such a young age. Nearly four. It had been a record. They’d worked together all afternoon in the soft sunshine, her mother holding both her hands and encouraging with jokes and laughter. Keeping it light. Fun.
Then to her father—she barely remembered the scratchy feel of his chin. His large hand taking hers. The sun shining in his green eyes. She’d inherited those eyes, before the power had singed the color away. She was the spitting image of her mother, except for the eyes. And now all she had was her father’s ring.
As if thunderclouds had rolled through, sullen grey shadowed those happy times. The picture faded, and then bleached. Death showed up, ripping it all away.
Grief blurring the edges, Shanti pushed out past the city limits and out past the sentries. There was no effort to go this far anymore. She was well within her comfort zone, so she went farther still, seeing how far she could travel without strain. When she reached that limit, she drew back in and got more specific. She checked on the minds of the sentries, making sure each was alive and awake. One wasn’t. She gave him a prod.
She found her Honor Guard, knowing their brain signatures. They were sleeping, except for Leilius, who was sneaking around the city trying to catch cats. It was a punishment he was actually enjoying. He hadn’t caught one yet, but he was hopeful. She found Sterling and immediately bounded away—he was in an intimate moment. Hopefully Cayan would notice that that was a breach of privacy. She found Lucius next, who was worried. He probably wondered what kept her and Cayan. She hadn’t told him where they were going.
She pulled everything back in slowly so Cayan would have time to adjust, then gently disengaged. When she opened her moist eyes he was looking at her.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I didn’t realize.”
“Oh, Lucius will get over it. I often disappear without telling him.”
“No, about holding hands. I didn’t realize…what it meant to you. Memories it must have called up.”
That was the bad news about sharing a more in-depth mind space while touching. It was harder to keep things to yourself. She brushed it off. “It’s to be expected.”
His large hand squeezed hers gently. His soft gaze held hers. The spicy feeling made her heart race.
“Okay, then. Practice, practice. Good luck.” Shanti jumped up, ripping her hand away from his. She didn’t know what had made her so uncomfortable, but she wasn’t in the mood to find out. Without a backward glance, she was trotting home, eager for her bed. And her fresh sheets.
Chapter 33
Sanders lay in a puddle of himself. They had come to question him again, asking the same ones as the day before. It meant they weren’t getting answers, which meant the other men they’d captured weren’t talking. It was a blessing. He had taken experienced men, but not the top tier, in case the city was attacked again. This crew hadn’t seen the foreign woman fight or heard about her mental abilities, and for the first time, he was thankful for the Captain’s foresight in keeping that information among only those who had seen it. That was just one juicy piece of info on their city, though. There were plenty others.
It was quiet as he lay. He could hear his own rasping breath, raking his burnt lungs. They’d brought in another torturer. Now they had four. He could hear the men screaming down the hall as the day wore on. Or night—he had no concept of time; how long it had been since he was brought in or how long the painful sessions lasted. He did know that each black-suited man didn’t last as long as he used to. They only had one or two good punches before their energy gave out. It was a good sign. Or a terrible one—he would rather they just kill him already.
He counted four different screams. He had counted eight dead before they took him. That left two. It was a slim hope that they had survived to get help. And if they didn’t, it would be too long before the Captain sent someone to look.
“How are you feeling?”
Sanders nearly growled. What a dumb fucking question. He had no strength to lift his head, let alone get up to his chair, and they asked how he was doing.
“I was hoping you would come by. I was beginning to miss our chats,” Sanders ground out.
“I came to inform you that we’ve gotten some information off of one your men. It won’t be long now before we piece it all together.”
“Well whoop-dee-do for you.”
“I also regret to inform you that we have accidently killed one of your men. Casualties are an unfortunate practice in this sort of thing.”
Sanders showed his teeth in a silent laugh. “Don’t have perfect use of the language, huh?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Look, we aren’t friends. I am enjoying a little R&R. Go away.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll see you again in another sun’s turn.”
“I’ll try to fit it into my busy schedule.”
So one more man had lost his life. Sanders wondered what he’d said. He wondered how important it was. He wondered whose family had just lost a loved one. And most of all, he wondered how long it would be before Junice lost one, too.
Chapter 34
The morning after Shanti’s training with Cayan, she and the Gua
rd were gathered in the park for their daily training. She felt refreshed and alive, having had a deep sleep and a better overall grasp on this new well of power. She was still wary of the power she shared with Cayan, but working with him made her feel more secure with it.
“S’ally, something is going on.” Leilius danced in front of her, hopping from foot to foot. Apparently her title was about to change again—which happened whenever Leilius’ brain short-circuited in fear or excitement. When she got used to rarely knowing if he was addressing her, or someone else, it became quite funny. Even now everyone was smirking.
It apparently pissed Sanders off to no end, however, prompting more fear in Leilius. And then prompting weirder titles. And then prompting Leilius airborne as Sanders lost his patience… Apparently that was normal when dealing with Sanders, though Shanti had never seen it.
Shanti nodded for him to go on. The rest of the boys stopped what they were doing and watched. She could feel Sterling winding his way toward them. Just another day of training.
“I was in the bush waiting for Commandant Sterling when two of the Captain’s men went rushing by. They were the guys on the gate. They were hurrying and flustered. Said something about one of them telling the Captain, the other getting aid. Medical aid. I heard Commodore Sanders’ name.”
Shanti’s mind was already spread wide—keeping her feelers out was so easy now, it seemed silly not to—but now she honed in, looking for the emotions that would be associated with the news. Most of the city was as it usually was, but by the gate, just as Leilius had said, there was anxiety. Worry, fear, anger, denial—they were shifting and changing like a color changing fabric.
“Sanders wasn’t with them? Coming along behind?” Shanti demanded of Leilius.
“No, s’am.”
Shanti searched, looking for the bundle of intents and emotions she’d come to recognize as Sanders. It was hard not to—pulses and flares of impatience and anger were always prominent, hiding a soft, tranquil bay of deep emotion and honor. The man played at being gruff, dominating, and callous, but you would find no man more loyal and ready to help.
That mind path was absent. He hadn’t returned. He was probably captured, and the Inkna were an especially gruesome people with a fondness for torture. Based on what she had learned from the little mouse, they were also exceptionally good at it.
“Lucius, go find out what’s going on,” Shanti commanded. “Leilius, you go sneak closer. Spy. Find out whatever Lucius can’t. Marc, go huddle near the doctor. If you find out it is Sanders, let your sorrow sink into you. I will find you, then.”
“What about the rest of us?” Xavier was looking at her with a hard face. He wanted to be in the middle of the action, like a warrior should. So did Rachie and Gracas, judging by their equally intense looks. Unfortunately, they were far from ready.
“Continue with your day. I’ll fill you in when I know more.”
Sterling burst through the trees with sparkling eyes and a winning smile, which were short lived. As the men ignored him and ran from the trees, he looked around in confusion. “What is it?”
Shanti started toward the prison. No more stalling. No more questioning. Shanti wasn’t good at torture, but she was great at pain. It might not last a long time, but it would last long enough to get what she needed to find Sanders. The Elders would not turn away for this, not when the innocent were at stake. Not when it was her duty to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.
“What is it?” Sterling asked.
As she passed, she said, “Someone has come into the city injured. The Captain will probably want you—“
A blast of power rocked the city. Shanti slammed down her shields as the rest of the men froze with wide eyes. They didn’t know what it was—just that something had made the air freeze around them.
“—now,” Shanti finished, not stopping in her stride.
Sterling fell in beside her. “How do you know?”
“Leilius was hiding from you and heard a conversation as gate guards rushed past. I don’t know if it is Sanders, but I can think of no other thing.”
Sterling immediately pivoted and headed off north. Cayan had picked his officers well.
When Shanti finally got to the Captain’s office, all the first and second tier commanding officers were there. Leilius had managed to sneak in and was hiding in the back like an unwanted rodent. It was a testimony to how distracted Cayan was that he didn’t notice.
The door had been locked.
Now it was broken.
She took unhurried steps toward the desk as Cayan stood up, flexed from head to toe. “Get out!” he bellowed.
A blast of emotion rocked her shields. Embarrassingly, her body’s first impulse was to flee. She smiled it away. “Sanders is caught. I am going to break him free.”
His blue gaze blazed into her. Wrath and turmoil slapped against her shields. “You are going to stay here and stay alive. End of discussion.”
“Let me take this opportunity to remind you that I am not under your command. He saved my life. I will save his. I am going.”
“Get her out of here,” the Captain yelled, looking down at his desk.
Oh, really?
Two gruff men peeled away from the others, marching toward her with grim faces. She squeezed them, dropping each to his knees. Shaking hands grabbed their heads with terrified eyes.
Cayan’s head jerked upward. War lit up his features.
Shanti stood her ground. “What are you going to do if they come at you with mental warfare?” she asked before he exploded. “You can block it, yes, but what about your men? I used barely a fraction of power just now, and they sank to the ground, ready for slaughter. I am one person. They’ll have many.”
Cayan stared at her, his hands braced on the desk, his men itchy to move away from the battle in front of them.
“You cannot retaliate,” she went on. “You can search, yes, but so what? You’ll point out that men are coming…and then what? How will you disband them when they are a hundred paces away and your archers are crumpled at your feet?”
“With respect, my Lord,” Daniels cut in. “She can fight, but outside that she is unimportant. Let her run to her death, if she wishes.”
A vein in the Captain’s clenched jaw started to throb.
Daniels didn’t realize he was mostly ignorant concerning Shanti. He wasn’t helping.
Cayan’s eyes flickered. He’d just made a decision he didn’t like. “If I allow you to go, you are under my command. You will do as I say. You are not a leader anymore—you no longer have an army. You will remember that.”
Ouch. “Okay.”
“You will follow orders or you will be outcast.”
I’ll be outcast anyway. “Yes.”
She felt his mind brush hers, then linger. He wanted more confirmation than her verbal acknowledgement. Smart. He thought mind touch couldn’t be fooled. Naïve.
Getting what he was after, he nodded and looked down at his desk, his shoulders tight with stress. “We have the trade location. Based on what the survivors said…“ Cayan’s words hitched imperceptibly, causing him to roll his massive shoulders, fighting down the rage. Shanti’s stomach wiggled—she was interested to see him in battle. “They didn’t make it that far. So then, based on their description, I would imagine they were taken somewhere along here…” He traced a groove in the map with his finger. Daniels leaned in to note the coordinates. “But we can only speculate where they were taken after capture.”
“I have the exact location, should you need it,” Shanti noted quietly, trying not to further ruffle his razor-like feathers.
All eyes found her. Lucius smirked.
“How?” Daniels asked with a pompous air, his voice as hard as his eyes. He still didn’t trust her.
“I asked the prisoner. Unfortunately, even though I said ‘pretty please,’ he tried to keep it a secret. I had to pry the knowledge from him. He’s no longer…much use.”
�
�Point to it on the map,” Cayan commanded.
She produced a hand drawn sketch made with a shaky hand. A boxy picture of a house or castle—not much was to scale—was on a bluff along a large river. Sterling took it and laid it in front of the Captain. He traced the areas that seemed to line up on both maps and put a big “X” to indicate the goal. They would have found it, but it would have taken a day or so. That one day could’ve made the difference in Sanders’ life.
Because it was Sanders who had been taken. Him and a few others. The half-dead man who made it back had said that in Leilius’ earshot. And if Sanders had even a glimmer of a chance at being alive, he would be. Shanti had to believe that.
“We leave at dusk. Assemble the troops.” Cayan straightened up.
“I would like to take Leilius,” Shanti said quietly with bowed head. Now was not the time to poke at the Captain, so she kept her tone light and small. “And you probably want to take Marc.” She cleared her throat into the thick silence.
Of all the incredulous staring, Cayan’s blue stare was easily the hardest. “No.”
“I think Leilius can be of great value. He can get to places where not many others can. He has a gift for it.”
“He’s too young. He’s not ready.”
“Well, he’s sitting ten feet from you, and since no one has noticed, I would say he might be close to ready…”
Everyone looked toward the nearest window.
“Stand up Leilius,” Shanti instructed, trying not to lounge in any way. Everyone else had such straight posture when the Captain was around, she thought it best to try and follow suit. At least until they were on the road.
The rustle behind Daniels had the older man jumping and whirling around, grabbing a big eyed Leilius. Cayan was still staring at Shanti.
“And Marc?” Cayan asked calmly, like an executioner sharpening his axe. All the men in the room stiffened.
