Stories_update_instafreebie

by Autumn Birt

  More than that bothered her though. Such as all the Guard who were not there: Gabriella, Farrak, and the troops still chasing the FLF across Asia. Even Kehm had chosen not to come. He’d found some likely activity on the satellite feeds and stayed in headquarters to evaluate a potential new target.

  But mostly on this last boisterous speech of the day, it was the lack of mention that the war continued outside of Europe that bothered her. From one city to the next, London, Paris, Prague, and Rome, not once had she heard mention further threats or those still in the field. She was tired though, having needed to fly Eldridge, le Marc, and a few other key politicians around Europe. She pushed it aside as Jared nudged her. It was her turn to praise and give hope. As she stepped forward, the crowd’s yell was deafening.

  The noise was still ringing in her ears as she and Jared walked back into Command. Exhausted, they both slumped in spare chairs still wearing their military best. The silence that greeted them was broken by Kehm attempting to cough down his laughter.

  “Oh shut up. You should have been a part of it too!” Jared said, tossing a ball of paper at the Chief Communications Officer.

  “There wouldn’t have been room on the plane for all the politicians then. Besides, I watched the parades on the satellite feed. It looked lovely,” Kehm said with a grin.

  “Can you imagine the wrangling to figure out which one of those dandies couldn’t go and talk about how they single handedly saved Europe?” Jared asked, glancing at Arinna. “What’s wrong,” he asked when she didn’t answer or acknowledge the teasing.

  “I ... did it bother you that they didn’t mention the fighting outside of Europe? Not once. Not all day,” she said, giving voice to the anxiety that had strengthened since that afternoon.

  Jared rubbed a hand over his eyes. “We’re tired. I’m sure they just didn’t want to diminish their victory day.” Arinna snorted at his rationalization. Jared sighed. “You think something is up.”

  Arinna leaned back, offering Jared a half smile. “Do you trust them? They didn’t even tell us they were planning this grand celebration.”

  “Well you can pester them tomorrow when you see them at the little soiree they have planned,” Jared teased.

  The reminder made her feel worse. Old memories long buried bubbled to life. “It’s a called a ball. Please tell me you know how to dance?”

  “You do?” Jared asked, surprised. “See you make a much better figurehead.”

  “Figurehead? That is a little ... inaccurate,” Kehm said with hesitant surprise as he glanced between Jared and Arinna. Arinna waved a tired hand.

  “You should have heard Eldridge’s speech today,” Jared said. “At least they acknowledged her role. But they are definitely setting my Lady here up for some grand displays when they will cart her out on their little political tours. Actually, you should upstage them and run for Prime Minister.”

  “You are insane. I’ll support you if you’d like, but I’m not jumping into that quagmire. Besides, there is still a war to win.” Arinna turned away from Jared, gaze falling on Kehm as she went to rise. Kehm’s expression kept her in her seat. “What is it?” she asked him.

  “Captain Vries makes a good point. Not that you should run, but what they are up to.”

  “Now you think they are up to something,” Jared said, crankier than Arinna had seen him in some time.

  “Go to bed,” she told Jared. “You think they want a backer for elections? Choose me because without their support, I’d be arrested?” she asked Kehm.

  “The Guard would never allow that!” Jared snapped. All three paused and exchanged looks.

  “Because I control the Guard,” Arinna said. “Claim victory in Europe, send us back to war, and let them keep the continent.”

  “Or split you up. The Guard follows both of you without question. MOTHER made its choice to court you, my Lady.” Kehm looked nervous.

  “They think I’ll be easier to control. Shit,” Arinna said. “Hell with it. I don’t care who is elected Prime Minister. Our job is to make sure Europe is safe.”

  “Really?” Jared asked, green eyes far too serious for her liking. Jared knew her and the truth far too well. “You wouldn’t care who in MOTHER controlled Europe?”

  She knew better than to answer him.

  —

  She struggled with the idea of Eldridge as Prime Minister of Europe all night. It was her familiarity with exhaustion from days of battle that kept her sharp and on her feet at the ball. Jared didn’t know much about dancing, which left them sidelined for most of the night except for the few brave enough to ask if she’d like a turn on the floor while Captain Vries, in all of his finery, glared at them. Most turned away before they were within shouting distance. She and Jared began to make bets.

  Still, those few turns around the room made her nostalgic for times that were impossible to relive. Which made her miss the battlefield all the more. The ongoing war was her exit strategy from the past as well as the future peace offered. She spent the night avoiding Eldridge until a spate of victory speeches gave her little choice but to stand beside him.

  As the applause died down and before Arinna could make an exit hampered as she was by the sleek dress the occasion necessitated, Eldridge caught her elbow.

  “Do you have a moment? I need to see you,” he said in a low voice.

  “That would be lovely. There was something I wanted you to clarify,” Arinna answered.

  Now that the moment she had avoided was there, Arinna couldn’t help but to fight. Irritation at being played flared, but not as brightly as the anger kindled by thousands of lives lost and not acknowledged during the events the day before. She caught Jared’s eye as she turned to join Eldridge in the back of the grand hall, knowing he would follow just in case Eldridge had plans other than talking. She trusted Jared, not Eldridge. And she trusted Kehm. Arinna flicked on the communicator hidden in the folds of her skirt.

  He led her to a book lined study with far too much familiarity of the borrowed estate that had somehow survived the years of fighting. The door clicked behind him before he turned to face her.

  “You had a question?” he asked, voice holding nothing more than warm interest.

  “You seem to have neglected mentioning that there is still fighting outside of Europe yesterday,” Arinna said, crossing her arms.

  “Yes. I know,” Eldridge walked to the desk, shuffling the papers stacked neatly across it as he shook his head. “I warned them we should tell you before, but ... Well, you make MOTHER nervous. The rest of MOTHER. They don’t know you as I do. They were afraid to tell you everything in case you did not go along with it.”

  “Tell me what?” she hissed. The little confession threw her off balance, which she guessed was its purpose. Playing into Eldridge’s game was not a good feeling.

  “The war is to be forgotten.”

  Arinna stared at him. “But ... you expect us to pull back? The FLF ...” her thoughts stumbled, slipping out of order.

  “Oh no. Not that. The Guard is needed to continue the fight. It will be fully funded: technology, weapons, whatever you need. That will not change. What I, we, mean is that it will not exist to Europe.”

  “That isn’t even possible,” she said after a moment, staring at him.

  “Isn’t it? The populace doesn’t even have electricity much less computers, phones, or communications other than letters. There are no news journalists embedded with the troops to send back reports.”

  “There are soldiers who have families, friends. Are you going to declare them all dead?” she spat.

  “Good heavens, no. We’ve made a list of all active soldiers without remaining ties. You are to ask them to volunteer to continue with a silent war for the good of Europe.” Eldridge held out a handful of pages to her. She stared at them.

  “They may want to start new lives, new families,” she said quietly, unnerved by the forethought placed into this. She hadn’t seen it coming.

  “That is why
we are asking for volunteers. While the soldiers are active duty, they cannot marry. So those wishing to continue to protect Europe from the FLF will be making a very great sacrifice, one that may never be acknowledged.”

  “That stupid rule which was kept from the French Foreign Legion ... Even you could never have planned this purpose for it all of those years ago,” she said.

  Eldridge sighed, dropping his outstretched hand to his side though he did not put the paperwork down. “No. I never believed the fighting would go on this long or the ‘victory’ to be so tenuous and hollow. That rule was because we wanted the soldiers to focus on fighting and rebuilding the army and not on families. Arinna, it pains me to see it has come to this.” Eldridge looked her in the eye, appearing earnest.

  “Then why? Why do this?” she asked.

  “Because of the same reason I showed you in the market. The people cannot take it anymore. They are afraid to rebuild, believing the FLF will destroy it all again.”

  “They might! There is barely a safe zone around Europe’s borders.”

  “You’ll keep them out. We would have surrendered if not for you. You’ll find a way to keep us safe.”

  “With just those soldiers on your list? This is insane, David. And it makes no sense. I will have no part in it.” She turned to leave.

  “They will kill you if you don’t. They will kill Captain Vries, whatever it takes to make this happen. And I don’t want to see that. I know you and he are the only two who have succeeded against the FLF. But they will slit Europe’s throat to make this happen.”

  Arinna stopped with one hand on the door knob. A glint of perspiration highlighted his receding hair. But it was more than that which stopped her. There was fear in his voice. She leaned a shoulder against the door.

  “You weren’t here. God knows I don’t want to have seen what you did fighting ... but you were not here in Europe as it fell apart. Even before the war. Did you think just because we only had flooding, and not hurricanes on the magnitude of Lempert and Dexter that we did not suffer? HALO hit Europe just as hard as the United States. We watched your country flounder and fall to martial law, but we stayed free as a beacon to the world. Then the FLF destroyed the USA despite all of their power. Then they came here.”

  “The war isn’t over. Hiding it will not solve anything,” she said, frustrated.

  “What will reporting on it every day gain?” he asked. Arinna stared at him but couldn’t think of a response. “People do not need to be fascinated by a war. They need to be thinking of industry, electricity, and food. We barely have enough crops to feed people and produce seed for next year. Dammit, I think there are only three flour mills in operation! Our coffee and tea is grown in two regions in Italy. A few more years of this chaos and we’ll be living in caves like Neanderthals, one bad winter or disease away from extermination. You’ve gotten the FLF out of Europe. Please, give us the breathing room to save something good of what Europe once was.”

  There were tears in his eyes. Eldridge looked old and tired – not like a good politician playing the part, but like a man who had gone through a war and felt its sacrifice.

  “You’ll restore everything? The government too? Voting and not this inheritance thing? And not this pseudo-oligarchy run by MOTHER?”

  “Yes. As soon as we have a means to vote and count them, of course.” His eyes held a brief flicker of hope.

  “Okay,” she said, closing her eyes to block seeing the victory on his face while hating herself for agreeing. “For now. I don’t think hiding a war will last.”

  “The lie just needs to last longer than the war.” That made her feel dirty. “So once you are done finding the volunteers to continue, you can come back. You’ll be needed as a war hero and—”

  “No.” Her tone in the one syllable stopped him. Eldridge stared at her. “You don’t really want me here full time messing about in your little politics, do you?” Arinna asked. Eldridge paled, which made her smile though it was a cruel one. “Kehm can reach me if you need me for something important. As you said earlier, it takes both Captain Vries and I to defeat the FLF. I’ll be on the front lines. And you’ll get me anything the Guard needs to succeed ... or things will be unpleasant. Are we clear?”

  She left before he answered, not caring what he or MOTHER thought. Jared fell into step beside her.

  “Your orders?” he asked, his sober tone indicating he’d heard the conversation as well.

  “I need to get out of this bloody dress and get my sword and gun. We have a war to win.”

  ###

  Friends of my Enemy:

  After the War

  The story continues ... as does the war. Book 2 of this series begins three years after Last Battle and the declaration of victory in Europe in 2065. How long can lies remain hidden and uneasy alliances go untested? Find After the War on Amazon here and you can sample the first three chapters below.

  Look for background information to the war and the years leading up to the first story, First Meeting, set in 2055 on the book’s page.

  For now, enjoy the first three chapters below!

  Friends of my Enemy: Book 2

  After the War

  Chapter 1

  April 2068

  THE LADY GREY

  KESMERE

  Arinna could not see if she held her sword or gun, the black smoke was so thick. The blast that had sent her off her feet to land hard on her left shoulder numbed her arm down to her fingertips. Not that she would tell Jared that.

  She flexed her wrist, which happily still responded. There was weight and resistance to the movement of the object she held. Sword then. That meant she must be out of bullets. Shit.

  Her right hand trembled when she held it to her temple. The blast must have been worse than she remembered. Or maybe she had hit her head? Her memory was blank, and it frightened her. She sucked in air only to choke on smoke. A bullet struck the wall beside her close enough to spray grit. It pelted the grey jacket she wore over quicksilver body armor.

  Everything felt immediate and threatening. She was caught blind and overwhelmed, claustrophobic with only this one moment between herself and a fight she couldn’t recall.

  Captain Jared Vries looked over at her, blood and dirt smeared across his forehead and along a cheek. Even in the dimness, she could see the concern in his green eyes as his brows pulled together.

  “My lady, are you okay?”

  She opened her mouth to answer as a jolt lanced through her. Arinna gasped and opened her eyes, uncertain when she’d fallen asleep. The carriage bounced again, slamming her against its wooden walls and into her sore shoulder. She hissed from pain as well as irritation as she struggled to sit up.

  “Tomas, what is it?”

  “It’s this sodden rain, my lady. The streams are swollen and the road’s mud. It looks like the Brinny is over the bridge ahead.”

  Arinna, sighed, weary beyond weary. She pushed open the carriage door before Tomas could react and jump from the driver’s seat. Rain pounded the earth into mire and promised her a cold bath if she stepped out. But there was no hope for it. If she wished to get to Rhiol this night, it was not going to be by carriage. Not if the Brinny was over the road.

  “My lady you don’t have to ...”

  Arinna waved away the rest of what Tomas would tell her.

  “It’s okay, Tomas,” she said as her boots sank ankle deep in the muck and rain flattened her short hair to her scalp.

  It was at least one consolation that she was not on the way home from some silly social event that duty led her to. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to struggle home in the rain wearing a dress. Though the thought of what that feat would have done to such a garment brought a feral smile to her lips.

  Rain struck her cheek, scattering spray with a feeling too much like her memories of dust blown by bullets. She sucked in cool, wet English air and tilted her head up towards her driver.

  “When hasn’t it been raining of late? J
ust like the storm grounded my shadowcraft, you can’t reach it with the carriage. I’ll walk through Alder’s field and make it to Rhiol in a couple of hours.”

  “Are you sure, my lady? Captain Vries will have me head if he knew.”

  “I’m his commander, Tomas. I can assure you, I’ll manage just fine.”

  It took some pressuring, and then downright ordering, to get Tomas to turn the carriage and head back to the closest inn. In the end, he gave her his woolen coat to cover the T-shirt she wore. Her coat hadn’t been worth keeping the last she had seen of it.

  The rain was barely a bother. As a soldier, it would not have slowed her anyway, but after her dreamed recollection, she felt untethered. The open countryside of early evening, soggy or not, was a welcome refuge from burning smoke and the hissing retort of gunfire, flashback or no. It was the past now. It had been reality half a day ago. Her memory had swept back moments after Jared had asked her if she were well. The fight had pressed on, and they had won.

  Arinna trudged into the field of thick grass, searching for a crossing. Within a few minutes, she was cold and soaked to the skin. The Brinny was swollen more than she had imagined, more than she had seen it in the few months she’d referred to the estate of Rhiol as home. There was no way across as she worked her way upstream, cursing herself for a fool until she had to laugh. After all these years, she was either going to die by drowning or from pneumonia. That would be ironic. Jared would be apoplectic to hear of it.

  The distant lightning flashing across the sky cast the peaked roof of Kesmere Manor into black relief. Arinna stopped and stared, undecided. If it were any other estate, she would have walked to the front door and asked for a horse. The entrance lights flickered with torchlight, but those in the front hall held steady, so were assuredly electric. That display could only mean the earl was home and expecting company. With any other lord, she would have thought herself lucky. With the Earl of Kesmere, it seemed bad luck followed on the heels of a foul few days.