“It will be your responsibility to recover the Key.”
She nodded. She had expected as much.
“How do you plan to accomplish this? You’ve had time to think of how to make amends, haven’t you?” She could hear in his voice that he hoped the answer was “no.”
“Yes, High Commander. I had opportunity to observe the humans. They avoid conflict. They fear the unknown and seek to make peace. I believe I can use that knowledge to pressure them into giving up the Key.”
“Are you confident this will work?”
“I am. I will have them begging for our mercy before the year is out.”
He looked as if he couldn’t decide between relief or annoyance that she was ready to come back from her failure. He settled in between and waved her off, dismissing her. “Very well. I expect your report and plan of action by midday tomorrow, Commander Xoa. You are dismissed.”
“High Commander.” She saluted and walked away, trying not to feel too smug about a victory she hardly deserved.
***
The barracks stood at the edge of the compound, consisting of five separate buildings connected via tunnels to a communal area at the center. Her own quarters were in the First Hall, but she did not go that way; instead, she entered the Third Hall and went directly to the Hub and its training facilities.
As she walked, she reviewed her duel with the human. He had looked so soft. It had been difficult not to laugh in contempt when he challenged her. She’d been so sure of victory, her only question was how slowly he should die; yet, he dominated her from the moment they entered the Astral Plane.
It was embarrassing. Infuriating. Selfishly, she felt worse about that than losing the Key. Her personal humiliation overshadowed the failure to her people.
She grimaced. If her failure wasn’t enough, she verged on dishonor, putting her own desires above those of the Archon. What she needed was a good week of training and discipline to realign herself. Khiann committed to starting immediately.
One of the training rooms was empty, so she claimed it with her mark and stepped inside. Her opponent was waiting for her when she entered. The automaton was programmed with Khiann’s fighting style, strengths, and weaknesses in mind. It fought without mercy, only stopping at the point of death in its mission to forge a better fighter out of her flesh.
It was a training tool. She wasn’t required to use it any longer, just as she didn’t need to find her old drill instructors to seek their approval. The automaton improved as she did. It provided a challenge few living warriors could.
She drew her blade and faced off against it. A matching weapon slid out of the automaton’s arm. It saluted her. She returned the salute and stepped back into a ready stance. Her first instinct was to attack. Today, she would remind herself how to defend.
The automaton charged. She deepened her stance, already moving to deflect its blade and turn the parry into a counterattack. Her blade swung up to meet her opponent’s.
Her body tensed, ready to resist the force of the blow. She leaned into it to give herself more power. When it didn’t come, she went off-balance. She dove into it, tumbling across the floor to come up on her feet, ready for a follow-up. That didn’t come either, and she saw why the automaton had frozen mid-program.
She had company. Khiann sheathed her blade and bowed.
“Stand.” Her father’s voice was clipped, as it often was when he was angry. She wondered what she had done, or what he had heard, to make him that way.
She straightened and forced herself to stand relaxed, a position that would pass for formal with her commanders, but certainly would not with Llir of Xoa. He watched her with his fingers steepled, his favored hangers-on hovering nearby. They were draped in silky fabrics that never saw a drop of honest sweat, and they were crowned with a lifetime’s growth of hair piled on their heads.
She resisted the urge to pat her own hair. It was bound up as well, but when loose it merely brushed her waist. It had been thinned out to make it easier to manage on her own. As her father had said more than once, she had the hair of a five-year-old servant.
“My lord. How can I serve you?” she asked.
“By addressing me as your father for a start. By removing that embarrassment and coming home.”
“I cannot break my vows, father.”
“No, I suppose you can’t. I would have to kill you if you did.” His companions tittered. “I am here to invite you to dinner with the family. You will dress as formally as possible. Should you require it, I will leave Mei with you.”
The female he pointed out blanched, then recovered in time to bow.
Khiann tried to imagine that, having one of her father’s entourage act as her servant for an afternoon. It was difficult to picture. Even worse was the idea of bringing one of his eyes and ears to her quarters, where everything would be scrutinized for a report back to her father.
“That’s very generous, but I can manage on my own. I thank you for the invitation.”
He scowled. “Of course, you do. That’s the least you could be grateful for. You could be living in speaking distance of our great leader, yet, look at you. A child who never gave up playing with sticks.”
She bowed her head, clamping her lips to prevent saying something regrettable. I have done more for our people in one month than you have in your lifetime. The words begged to be said, but just like with her High Commander, she did not wish to die.
“I wish only to bring honor to my family and the Pirr.”
He made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “See that you do. I will send something suitable for you to wear.”
“Yes, father.”
“One last thing. I know of your mission against the humans, and what your new orders will be. I have one command for you to obey.”
She hesitated. “If it doesn’t interfere with my official mission, I would be honored.”
“If you encounter a human, kill it. Give no quarter, do not hesitate. Most of all, do not besmirch your own honor by pretending it has any. Do you understand?”
She hesitated. “If it’s possible, within the limits of my mission, I will do as you ask.”
“See that you do. This is your chance to be of use to our family, commander. See that you make use of it.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Khiann bowed deeply, and her father scoffed before walking out, letting the door bang shut behind him. She waited for the last footstep to fade before she straightened. She scowled at the closed door, wrestling with the rage in her heart.
When her mental balance was lost, her hand flickered too quickly for the eye to follow. A moment later, her blade was buried in the automaton, a full hand-length of blade protruding from the thing’s back. She gritted her teeth and yanked the sword out before leaving the training room.
***
Dinner was as miserable as Khiann expected. Her mother paraded a young scion of a rival family in front of her and spent the meal hinting that even military commanders had families of their own.
Khiann refrained from telling her mother that those commanders were male, and could continue their normal duties while their wives bore their children. It had all been said before. She was polite to the young male but exhibited no interest. She would not sow false hope.
Her father was stern when he spoke with her, but most of his attention was occupied by her brothers and his followers. The only true bright spot was the meal itself. She had been living on reconstituted food products for months. It was heavenly to sink her teeth into a meal that had never seen the inside of a factory. Everything was fresh from her family’s agricultural properties and, as usual, it made the most eloquent argument for staying on Hoi.
She returned to her own quarters at the end of the evening. She had a room on the estate, but she didn’t want to tempt herself with more luxury. She begged off instead, citing the report she was ordered to write and duties in the morning. She worked on her report and strategy until the wee hours, then
sent everything to her commander.
It was an unorthodox plan, and she knew it. It involved piracy, kidnapping, and the destruction of civilian property. They would harass the humans until they could hardly look at the night sky without flinching for fear of the Pirr. They did not need to conquer a single star system when all they had to do was make the humans fear them.
Then they would beg for peace. When she finally deigned to speak with them, they would be desperate. They’d be willing to hand over anything she required as long as she left them in peace.
She was smiling when she went to sleep, and the sense of satisfaction followed her into the next day. It even stayed with her when she was subjected to three days of meetings with the High Commander and his staff. She wrapped herself in confidence when she was called on to defend her strategy, in terms of effectiveness and keeping the Pirr’s honor intact.
They approved her plan at last, as she knew they would. She would leave in seven days, after her fleet had been provisioned. She spent that time handpicking her sub-commanders and bridge crew. She selected the most elite combat squads for her boarding parties. She wanted to command a force that could invade Earth itself with the greatest chance of victory.
Her last day on Hoi was spent in final preparations. Checklists, manifests, and rosters all passed through her for final approval. She met with High Commander Afit and her officers and, after the last meeting was over and the report approved, she was free, at least for the rest of the day.
She went outside in a soft green wrap, declaring herself off duty for the first time since her arrival on the planet. She still wore her sword strapped to her back, but it would take the Return itself to make her go anywhere without her weapon.
The Tower of Sorrows stood apart from the plain that held Legion Headquarters and the vast noble estates. It rose from the center of the forest that bordered the plain. From a distance, it looked like an ordinary stone tower.
It wasn’t until she had passed through the forest and entered its courtyard that she could see the true face of the Tower. Its stone walls were carved in the most intricate latticework, from the building’s roots to the roof that scraped the clouds. The Tower seemed woven rather than carved, and when the wind blew through its walls, its mournful cry was enough to break her heart.
The interior was a maze, but she had lived in the Tower’s shadow all her life. She traced the old path, letting her fingertips brush against the lacy walls.
She found her quarry in the Lower Temple adding pinches of incense to the braziers. When the deep red dust touched the hot coals, a sweet-fragranced smoke curled into the air. It was soothing to the heart and made her regret that she’d avoided the Temple on this visit home.
Loel looked up and nodded to show that he’d seen her. He moved to the next brazier to sprinkle the incense, chanting under his breath. When a new ribbon of smoke was winding into the air, he joined Khiann in the doorway.
“Lady Xoa. This is unexpected.” He bowed.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that.”
“Some wishes are impossible to grant.” He gestured toward a nearby bench. “Would you like to sit and talk? Perhaps you’d like to purchase a prayer for your next mission.”
“What do you know about my next mission?” she asked, a little more sharply than intended.
“I only know you’re a warrior, and there will always be another mission.” He went to the bench to sit. After a moment, she joined him. “What can I do for you?”
She contemplated Loel’s cool green eyes. They were unchanged from when they were children. His ascetic life had hardened the rest of him, but she could still see the sweet friend he had once been.
“You are correct. I’m leaving on a new mission tomorrow. I am here to ask for my penance for the duration of the mission.”
“I see. And you want me to give this to you?” Loel’s expression became pained. “I will need to know what you have done, or if this is only the penance for leaving the homeworld.”
“It is more than that. Every mission I undertake is another step toward the Return.”
“May your hand be the one to end the Exile,” he said.
She bowed her head in thanks. “I fear that I have failed the lost ones more than any Pirr ever has. I allowed the humans to capture the last Key.”
His breath hissed through his teeth. “I can’t grant you absolution for that. If my elders heard you say that, they might not allow you to leave this temple.”
She nodded. “I know. My shame has no bounds.”
He lowered his head and steepled his fingers. She couldn’t tell if he was thinking or praying. She didn’t know if there was any difference among the Devoted. She waited quietly, willing herself to hold still.
“This is the Third World. The First was lost to Fire,” he intoned.
“Second to the Void,” she responded automatically.
“The Keepers of the Void, the Vile and Corrupt, took the Keys so that none could end the Exile. Our lost ones wait for release, but their patience is not infinite.” He lowered his hands to his thighs and drummed his fingers against his knees.
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. All this was elementary. She’d learned it in her cradle, just as everyone had for the last ten thousand years.
“There is one Key left. It is guarded by the ancient enemy, waiting at the heart of the Lost Jewel.” He turned his head suddenly, looking her in the eye. “You went to Ixhoi?”
“I followed the humans. The dragon had lowered its guard, and I passed by with no trouble. I followed the humans, but one of their Exalted challenged me and defeated me. They left with the Key.” She hesitated. She wanted to complete her mission. More, she wanted to redeem herself, but that wasn’t truly her decision. It wasn’t even the High Commander’s. “If my crime calls for my death, so be it.”
“Don’t be foolish,” he snapped and propelled himself from the bench. He started to pace, running his hands through his hair until it stood up like a bird’s crest. “Your mistake was to accept the challenge.”
“My honor required it.”
“We do not recognize their honor. Only the Pirr may issue a legitimate challenge. To accept another’s is to dishonor yourself.”
She grimaced at the insult’s sting but accepted it. This would be only the first stage of her penance.
“I won’t set you a punishment. It would serve no purpose. If your plan does not end with the Key in our hands, only the Wyrms can absolve you.”
She sat, frozen for a moment, as that news sank in. If she failed, she would be consigned to the Void until the Wyrms had been freed. That would be impossible without the Key. She wasn’t just setting out to reclaim her lost honor. Her very existence was at stake.
Loel placed his hand on her crown and murmured a few words. His tone was hardly soothing, but she would take any blessing he would offer. After he was gone, she sat for hours, forgetting that she was due at her father’s manse at sundown. She could only sit in the deepening shadows, learning to bear the new weight on her shoulders.
CHAPTER TWELVE
From the moment his shuttle penetrated the atmosphere, Jack felt welcome. No other sky was the same shade of blue as Earth’s. Even the gravity felt right. When he stepped off the shuttle, a warm spring breeze that smelled of rain and flowers enveloped him.
He would just as soon go home from there, yet the group wasn’t so lucky. There was a debriefing to go through first. They couldn’t so much as call anyone before they were finished.
“Tell me this is normal.” Jack glanced at Coraolis, who wore his usual amiable smile.
Coraolis glanced at Jack from the corner of his eye. “Going through debriefing is routine, especially in a situation like this. This should have been covered at the Academy.”
“It was. This is a lot more stringent than I remember, that’s all.”
“You’re right, but this is a unique situation. Don’t worry, Jack. We’ll be home in time for dinner.”
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br /> “I’ll hold you to that,” Jack joked, but his voice sounded strained even to him.
They walked past a pair of stone-faced MPs and into HQ. Their escort hurried them through the airy lobby to the more functional low-ceilinged corridors where the work got done. The MPs finally left them when they reached the main conference room. Administrator Andrus waited for them outside the heavy oak doors.
“Andrus. I’m surprised to see you here,” Coraolis said. “You know Jack, don’t you?”
“I don’t think we’ve met,” Jack said. “Jack Gagnon, Administrator. Good to meet you.”
Andrus accepted his handshake with all the enthusiasm of a Monday morning. Jack was free to study the older, sour-faced man since his focus was on Coraolis. Andrus had a reputation for being strict and stuffy, but that didn’t mean his presence was a bad thing…or so Jack hoped.
“I’m here as a representative of the Secret Council. The Earth Fleet wants to interrogate you about your experiences on Amadeus. I insisted that a member of the council be present, to make sure you weren’t mistreated.”
“You volunteered? Andrus, you do care!” Coraolis clasped the man’s shoulders. Andrus leaned back, but it wasn’t quite enough to get out of Coraolis’s reach.
“There’s no need to make a scene,” Andrus muttered. “Get inside before they come looking for us.”
Coraolis led the way into the nearly empty room. A pair of decorated officers sat next to each other at one end of the long table. A fresh-faced young man stood behind them with a datapad in his hands. The rest of the seats were empty.
Andrus cleared his throat. “Mystic Coraolis, Mystic Gagnon, this is Captain Adam Poe of E.F. Intelligence. He has some questions for the pair of you.”
Poe stood up and came around the table to shake hands. He had a ready smile and a lot of freckles. They gave him the look of a man far too young, not to mention a little naïve, to be captain. That was negated in part by the lines at the edges of his stone-grey eyes.
“I’m glad you made it back, gentlemen,” Poe said. “Have a seat. This won’t take long.”
Dragon Wave Page 11
