by Natalie Grey
The corner of Talon’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing to this.
“What? What is it?”
“It’s nothing.” Talon crossed his arms. “If you tell me it won’t get in the way—”
“It won’t.”
“—then I’ll believe you. I’ll need to be away for a few days, though, getting these weapons out to the resistance. It’s going to be dicey. He’s got the roads on lockdown now, and there are 31 districts to hit.”
“Take your time,” Cade advised. It was what Talon always used to tell him when Cade wanted to get the mission done quickly.
“I don’t think we can.” Talon looked over. “We picked up chatter on the way that he might be getting his weapon.” Frustration sounded in his voice. “And if I could only figure out what it fucking was…”
“If we move fast, we can take him out before we have to care.”
“It’ll have to be very fast.” But Talon was smiling. “Someone’s hired three carriers full of mercenaries, and I’d be willing to bet it’s him.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“Who else needs that many?”
“Good point. Is it possible that’s the weapon?”
“I don’t think so,” Talon said instantly. He’d thought about it, then. “It’s a rare person that can just wander through a town, killing everyone in it. Takes a sociopath, and there’s no way they found 15,000 of those. He’ll know that. He’s probably trying to keep the resistance penned in with a show of force. He’s terrified of them, Williams.”
“They do seem oddly fearless.”
“That’s because he’s going about being a dictator wrong.” Talon smiled mirthlessly. “It used to be that if they didn’t make trouble, he left them the hell alone—you know, other than making them work in the mines. But he’s starting to lose it. He’s been running night raids to get people he thinks are resistance fighters. Public executions … with their families.”
Cade looked over at him. He’d seen it before, all the Dragons had. It never got any less shocking, though.
“Now they don’t have anything left to lose,” Talon said quietly. “And if you want to keep people in line, they have to have something to lose. Otherwise, you have no leverage.”
“I suppose there’s that.” Cade considered. He sighed. “Look. There’s something else you should know about Aryn.”
“She’s pregnant with your child?”
“What? No!”
“I was just preparing myself.”
Cade gave him a look. “She was part of the resistance.”
It was rare to see Talon Rift surprised by anything, and Cade had been looking forward to it.
Instead, all he got was, “You’re sure? I wondered.”
“Goddammit, how do you know everything?”
Talon gave a chuckle.
“This isn’t funny, though.” Cade gave him a look and leaned closer. “If she’s been calling them, Ellian’s had a window into exactly where they were.”
“I don’t think he knows,” Talon said, after a moment of consideration. “I intercepted more than a few of the messages. Even if he knows she was, he likely doesn’t know she still is.” He gave Cade a look. “But it’s not impossible. The man has eyes everywhere. I’ve dealt with him before, I’ve seen deals that no one should have known about disrupted because he saw someone moving in on his turf.”
The back of Cade’s neck prickled, and Talon saw his look.
“Indiscretions?” he asked shortly.
“Yes.” No point in denying it.
“Then you’d better pray I’m wrong,” Talon told him. Dark eyes met Cade’s. “Unfortunately, that very rarely happens. So what you should be asking yourself is, if he knows about everything you two have apparently done, hopefully excepting the weapons, as I intercepted those messages within his network before they hit his monitoring system—which no one has thanked me for, by the way—then what’s his game?”
6
Samara waited at the doors to the launchpad. Her hands, clasped behind her back, were clammy. She was very aware of the cameras around her. It had been easy to waylay the deck crew on the way to the launchpad—easy enough that she found herself wondering why they hadn’t been so bold sooner.
She knew the answer, of course. Once this was discovered, which it would be, there would be a swift reprisal. There would be a round of night raids. The Warlord would be terrified, and he would make sure they felt ten times as much terror as he did.
But they had backup now. Samara watched the Niccolo descending onto the launchpad, and to her shame, she felt tears wet on her cheeks.
“Courage,” Arlon whispered beside her, and she clenched her hands so hard she felt one nail break the skin.
It was not courage she lacked—it was belief. As she watched their reinforcements arrive, she faced the fact that she had come here today still not believing that it was true.
She had believed that she would die here on this planet without ever having the promise of freedom, and she had not expected it to be a quiet death in her bed. She had expected her death to come suddenly, in the dark of night, hearing her own screams and the screams of those she loved—and then a single shot.
Even when she took command of the cell, she had not believed that this day would be possible.
She wiped at her cheeks hurriedly while the gangway came down. The doors opened with a click and an all-clear blare of the klaxons, and the fake deck crew hurried out into the sunshine. Side hatches opened on the ship for the cargo to be unloaded.
They were forming a chain to take the crates out when Arlon stopped Samara and nodded to the launchpad.
Samara’s heart flipped. She walked toward the gangway without feeling her feet strike the ground, and she had the thought that it was going to be incredibly embarrassing if she passed out right here.
And then Aryn turned her head, and Samara forgot how to breathe.
For a moment, Aryn thought she was dreaming.
“Samara?” She had wanted to see her friend for so long, and now here she was, her eyes widening as she spun around. She staggered when Aryn collided with her, their arms wrapped tight around each other.
“Aryn?” When Aryn did not let go, Samara nudged her with her head. “Are you all right?”
Aryn shook her head, her face buried in Samara’s shoulder. Only now, here, did she allow herself the thought: she had believed she would never see Samara again. Between the mines and the Warlord’s fury, they both knew how long Samara was likely to last, and now that Aryn was here, she could not hold back her tears. Guilt was pulling her down toward the ground, and Samara was all that was holding her up.
She was doing as much as she could to make it right, she reminded herself. It took four repetitions of the reminder before she could lift her head up and wipe at her eyes.
“I am so glad to see you here,” she whispered. Her voice wouldn’t come out any louder than that, and she was still worried she would burst into tears.
“And I you.” But Samara’s eyes darted to the crates, then back to Aryn, and around the launch pad. “Is Ellian….”
“No. I came alone. Well, with some people.” Aryn opened her mouth to say more and then decided to save that. Who knew what might be overheard? She would let Samara lead the way. “How are you here? Why aren’t you in the mines?”
Samara sighed.
“The Warlord locked down the district while most of us were in the bunker. Well, we couldn’t get out…so we couldn’t get to the mines. So they know, now, who’s part of the resistance—possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“We killed—it’s a long story.” Samara shook her head at the look on Aryn’s face. “Don’t worry about it.”
Aryn swallowed and tried to forget what she’d just heard. “Is it safe to talk here?”
At that, Samara laughed. Her gorgeous oval face lit up with the mischief Aryn remembered so well from their youth, and her brown eyes sparkled. She sho
t a look up at the tower operators, then sobered, biting her lip.
“Let’s just say we’ve gotten a little bolder. Those people think we’re the deck crew.”
Aryn raised an eyebrow.
“Well, he never thought we’d come to the launch pad, right? We don’t have ships, and who would know how to pilot them, anyway? But we did, just to see. Couldn’t go back to work, could we? And it turns out the Warlord’s getting … sloppy.”
“Sloppy?”
“You remember how it used to be for his supporters. They had anything they wanted. But now he’s started to act against all of the people who support him, too. He doubts everyone. He tests everyone. He seems to think no one at all can be trusted. And when he’s just executing people left and right, it turns out there are people to recruit everywhere.”
“I see.” Aryn looked up at the guard towers and saw one of the woman raise a hand in a tentative wave. “There are two things you should know. First, I’m here with Dragons.”
“What?” As she had expected, Samara’s eyes went stony.
“They didn’t know,” Aryn said quietly.
“The people they killed should have been a tip-off!”
“Well, we thought so. But the Warlord….” Well, there was no sense in keeping it back now. Talon had said he’d be presenting evidence to the resistance in each district. “He’s the head of Alliance Intelligence. He told the Dragons they were here to take out the Warlord’s people.”
Samara drew in her breath sharply.
“Exactly,” Aryn said quietly. “As far as they were concerned, they landed to take out the Warlord, started with some of his underlings, and then got told to pull out. For years, they’ve been hearing that Intelligence says there’s no way to get into the Warlord’s palace.”
Samara whistled.
“It’s a good story, but do you trust it?”
“Look over there.” Aryn jerked her head subtly to where she knew Cade and Talon were standing. Even knowing it was nonsense, she half-thought that she could feel Cade’s presence, a soft pull. “The one on the left is Talon, and he’s the one who got me these weapons.”
“The weapons are from you? Aryn—”
“In a minute.” Aryn looked over at Cade and felt her face soften. “That’s Cade. He left the Dragons, and he’s … well, Ellian hired him as my bodyguard.”
“Then you can’t trust him,” Samara said instantly.
“Why? Because Ellian is the Warlord’s arms dealer?” Aryn gave her a bland smile.
There was a stricken silence.
“Why would you say something like that?” Samara tried finally.
Aryn didn’t even bother answering the question. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice was quiet, but she could hardly get the words out, she was shaking so badly. “How could you let me go and not tell me?”
“We wanted to protect you,” Samara said helplessly.
“Protect me?”
“Aryn, I love you, you know that I have always loved you.” Samara reached out a hand to brush Aryn’s cheek. “You were my closest friend. You were….” She looked away. “You were never meant to be a soldier,” she said quietly. “You were meant to be a peacemaker.”
“And you thought I would become one if I married Ellian?” Aryn’s voice was rising.
“No. Yes! It’s complicated.”
“It’s not complicated at all,” Aryn said quietly. “About a week ago, I found out that the man I had married, slept with, and spent two years trying to love was, in fact, the same man who’d supplied the bombs that killed Devin.”
Samara flinched at the mention of it. Aryn’s brother had been eleven when he died, killed by the bombs that were raining down in the streets while families huddled inside their houses.
“Aryn—”
“No. Don’t tell me you did it to save me. Because you know what happened? I woke up one day and found out that I was completely alone in the world, that I was at the mercy of a man who’s killed thousands, Samara, if not more—and that my friends had handed me over to him without a word of protest. In fact, they encouraged me to go. And if I hadn’t had Cade, I would still be there. I would be a prisoner, do you understand? I would be watched every second of every day. I already lived with the guilt of leaving you all behind to die in the mines, and that nearly destroyed me. And then—then—I found out that the gowns I wore and the diamonds and the cars—all of it wasn’t just meaningless luxury. It was bought with the money Ellian got for helping the Warlord kill my family. Do you understand, Samara? Do you have any idea what you did?”
Samara stared at her, face white. And then her jaw set and she stared Aryn down, a sheen of tears in her eyes.
“I. Saved. Your. Life.” Her words came out between clenched teeth.
“You could have told me!”
“You wouldn’t have gone!” Samara yelled back finally. Over by the ship, Cade and Talon looked around at once, and stayed where they were only when Aryn put her hand out shakily. The sight of that only seemed to infuriate Samara. “You wouldn’t have gone, Aryn. And you would have died in the mines, or in another attack—if you were lucky. You think Ellian’s the only one who wanted you? The Warlord’s people were beginning to notice you, too. They could have….”
“Brought me close enough to kill the Warlord?” Aryn asked acidly.
“Aryn.” The fight went out of Samara. A tear trembled on her lashes, broke free, and trailed down her cheek. “You’re not a murderer. And you’re not a soldier. No one here thought any less of you for going. We knew we didn’t have that chance, and your mother and father … well, they’ve been good to everyone here. You marrying Ellian meant they got to go into the city. They can go to hospitals now when they’re sick. They don’t have to work in the mines. You saved them a terrible death, and yourself as well.”
“While I left behind everyone I love,” Aryn whispered back. “It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t.” She covered her mouth with one hand. “I don’t think I can ever make up the debt.”
“Aryn.” Samara’s hands were at her shoulders. An alarm sounded for them to leave the launch pad and she put an arm around Aryn’s shoulders, leading her to the tiny hangar at the side of the platform. “Listen to me. You just came back with weapons we desperately need. How did you get them?”
“Well.” Aryn sniffed. “Um. You said Ellian wouldn’t help us. And of course you were right. So I decided to get you the weapons myself. I pawned some of my jewelry.”
“And Ellian doesn’t know?” There was a laugh bubbling up in Samara’s voice now.
Aryn shrugged, wiping at her eyes as she gave a strangled sort of laugh.
“He might have, if—well, if things were different. Cade saw everything. But he kept my secret.” She shrugged, and gave a look over her shoulder, feeling something in her heart unlock as she looked at him, walking with Talon. “He … didn’t realize what I was doing. He was horrified.”
“I see.” Samara held her silence as they piled into the hangar.
Cade’s presence was warm at Aryn’s back, his eyes taking in the tears in her eyes. She shook her head and smiled—nothing for him to worry about. Then she let Samara draw her to the far corner.
“Aryn.” The woman’s voice was suddenly grave.
“What?”
“That man….”
“He’s on our side,” Aryn said fiercely. “He would never betray us. I promise you that.”
“I don’t doubt you,” Samara said simply. Wryly, she added, “Though unless I’d seen it with my own eyes, I’d think an offer of help from the Dragons was … a trap.”
“Me as well. But Samara, you should have seen his face when he learned the truth. There’s no doubting—”
“That you’re in love with him,” Samara finished flatly.
Aryn felt her smile die. She shook her head slightly.
“You are. Don’t bother denying it. I’ve known you all my life. I see your face when you look at him, Aryn.”
“It’s … it hasn’t come to anything.” Other than a kiss that still tormented her.
There was a pause.
“Why not?” Samara asked finally. The flames of the descending ship were reflected in her eyes. Her face was lit gold.
“Because….” And it all came crashing in. She hadn’t thought far ahead, and she realized now that was because she knew the answers without thinking. She knew what had to be. “Because even if I’d known who Ellian was,” she said quietly, “I would have gone.”
“What?” Samara stared at her, aghast.
“It’s three for one,” Aryn said simply. “There’s my parents and Nura. And my parents will die soon, and Nura doesn’t want anything to do with … Ellian’s money … but what if she did? She could still get out.”
“Aryn…”
“He’s going to be angry.” Aryn was shaking now. “I should go back now, before he finds out. And Cade….” For once, she said the words in her head. “Cade complicates things.”
“Because you love him.”
“But I can’t! Don’t you see? Ellian knew I might never love him, but to love someone else, right under his nose….”
And yet, how could she go back? How could she live knowing that Ellian would do the same thing on other planets? Was she going to undo all of his work, always, flying down to slums and backwater moons with crates of weapons every time she found out about a deal? A hysterical laugh was rising in her chest.
She remembered her parents’ faces. Nura, with those same blue-grey eyes and dark, dark hair. She kept their pictures on her desk at home, and not from sentiment. She steadied herself.
“Ellian,” Samara said softly.
“Yes,” Aryn said quietly. “Because of Ellian. That’s why it never came to anything. Why it can’t.”
“No.” Samara was shaking. “Ellian … is here.”
“What?” But she realized that the crowd had gone silent, and saw several figures slip into a back hallway—Talon and the other Dragons moving almost faster than she could see.
“I have to go.” Samara was looking panicked. “Wait for my signal. I’ll send you a signal.”
