by Vi Voxley
One of Worgen's strikes nearly knocked him down, but he managed to roll out from under the death blow that followed. Worgen's spear cracked the floor open where he'd lain a heartbeat ago. Corden was up before he finished rolling, aiming a stabbing strike at the other general's heart, but Worgen had managed to dislodge the spear and blocked.
It was almost like a dance instead of a battle, only every second posed the threat of one of them dying. They fit together too well, knowing exactly what the other had in store. Corden started to believe it would come down to luck or a mistake when Worgen stepped back.
"You're not bad, boy," he said, grinning that humorless smile. "I haven't had a good workout in years. But now it is over."
Corden had thought he'd seen Worgen move, but clearly he'd been wrong. He'd heard non-Brions describe the way the warriors became a blur when they fought. Now he got to experience that when Worgen moved so fast he seemed to teleport right in front of him, sweeping his feet from under him. Corden went down hard, striking back even as he fell, but Worgen had a much better angle to block. He landed, the other's spear on his throat.
Worgen lifted it to deliver the final blow when the howl pierced Corden's world.
"No!" Lana screamed.
It distracted Worgen for a fraction of a second. Long enough for Corden to do something he'd been taught never to do since he first took up his spear. He dropped the weapon and caught the blade coming to nail him into the ground. The pressure was immense, bearing down on him, Worgen's dark eyes promising oblivion soon.
Corden refused that offer, refused it with every inch of his body. The recognizing moment was still beating in his veins, Lana's scream had reminded him that dying wasn't an option. Of the bad and worse options he had left, Corden chose another incredibly risky one, knowing it was his only chance.
Instead of pushing the spear away, he pulled, ripping the spear out of Worgen's hands with one great, punishing effort.
Everything happened impossibly fast after that. Realizing the loss of his weapon, Worgen turned and dashed away from him. It took a moment for Corden to get up, now holding two spears, only to see the other general hadn't gone for the fighter like he'd thought.
He was standing a few feet from the vessel, holding Lana in his arms. The beautiful captain's eyes were flashing with rage and fear and an emotion Corden couldn't decipher. All he knew was that somehow, he'd lost.
Worgen knew it too, judging by the crooked smile.
"You see, this is what you've forgotten," he told Corden, backing into the fighter. "Only victory matters. Nothing else."
The doors slid shut after them, leaving Corden more alone than he'd ever been in his life. In the place of Lana, there was the absence of her and sheer, blinding fury.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lana
This is not my kind of fight, Lana thought, this is so much above my level I can't even express it.
The fighter moved away from the Raptor, leaving Corden behind. Lana still couldn't wrap her head around half the stuff she'd seen and heard. Her overall impression of it was that she was a tiny pebble, watching giants fight. She barely even saw them move when the two warriors battled. Their speed was greater than her ability to see.
This is crazy, she thought, it's like a story, happening to someone else.
And now the captain found herself in the company of the one man in the galaxy she didn't want to be anywhere near. Lana was grateful Worgen's attention was not on her until she realized what he was watching.
The Raptor.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
It was immediately clear to Lana that unless she did something in the next few minutes, her ship would be destroyed. Along with her crew, her friends. And Corden. She pushed the thoughts of her being his fated firmly away. That had to be a joke, right? Things like that didn't just happen out of the blue. She knew the guy for a few hours. And yet there was a part in her that hurt when she even considered the possibility of him dying.
Think, goddamn it. You heard him. You know what he wants. Think!
"Once I'm clear, fire upon the Raptor," Worgen spoke into his comm link.
Lana's heart skipped a beat. Okay, so she didn't have minutes, she barely had seconds.
"Isn't that unfair?" she asked hurriedly.
The general turned his black eyes to her, making her feel like she was drowning in a well.
"Unfair how?" he asked.
"I thought you Brions didn't kill people who had done nothing to you."
That sentiment was greeted by complete silence while Worgen waited for her to continue, as if she'd told a joke and forgot to say the punchline.
"We kill those in our way," he said.
"They are not in your way! We have done as you asked! My crew is innocent," Lana protested, desperate to buy herself time, but every second brought the doom of her ship closer.
"They are unnecessary. Only you might be valuable."
Lana gritted her teeth, plenty of words coming to her mind. About treating people like they were currencies or gemstones, some worth more than others.
"There are Palians aboard," she tried. "You said to spare them."
"I have plenty on other ships," Worgen said dismissively.
"Maybe not the one you need," Lana said, trying her luck with guessing.
To her surprise, that got Worgen's attention. For the first time, it seemed to her, the general was actually listening to her, not only registering her voice.
"Have you heard one of them speak of it?" he asked.
"Speak of what?" Lana said carefully. "First tell them to leave my ship alone."
"Rejuvenation technology," Worgen answered. "You have half a minute."
What? Did he mean?
The story of Palians and their rejuvenation tricks was a complicated one. Everyone knew they had the technology, but to what extent, even the Galactic Union was left in the dark. There were definitely many rumors, about people walking around in the galaxy who were centuries old.
Son of a bitch. They did it. The bastards did it.
So that was the answer. To Fraly's guilty dodging of her questions. To Worgen ordering his men to spare the Palians in the hope that one of them knew about the techniques. There was no magic, no tricks, no secrets of time travel or black holes, all of which went hand-in-hand with Worgen's legend. The Palians had given him the secret of longevity and he'd simply been hiding in unknown territories of space ever since.
But it seemed the effects were wearing off. Lana wondered if the white strand in the general's hair was a mark of him aging.
"Ten seconds," Worgen said. "Do you have a Palian who knows the secrets of their scheming race?"
I don't know! And if I did, would I tell you? Fuck.
Lana threw caution in the wind.
"Yes," she said frantically. "I think so. I don't know how much he knows, he might not be able to help you—"
"Do not fire upon the Raptor," Worgen ordered, not taking his eyes off her. "Do not fire."
He shut the comm link, still watching Lana. "You better not be lying this time."
I honestly don't know if I am.
"I will take you to the Abysmal," the general said. "You'll be safe there until I deal with this new warrior and retrieve your Palian. What is his name?"
"Corden," Lana said without thinking, the name coming to her lips unbidden.
Worgen rounded on her. "That is not a Palian name," he growled. "Repeat what you just said."
With horror, Lana realized she'd misunderstood the question.
"Corven," she offered in the vain hope that Worgen would buy it.
The cruel smile on the general's lips told her that didn't work. "You said Corden," he whispered, so close to her Lana thought for one mad moment that he would kiss her. Or bite her face off—both seemed likely with this guy.
She said nothing, cursing herself for being so careless.
"Corden," the general repeated. "I should have expected it. This explains much."
&nbs
p; While Lana willed time to turn and let her go through the last minute again, Worgen prowled the cramped interior of the fighter.
"So they sent a general to kill me," he murmured.
What?
"He's not the same Corden," the words slipped over Lana's lips before she could stop it.
Dark, hollow laughter answered her. When she met Worgen's eyes, there was no hint of coldness anymore, only burning, hungry threat. Under her eyes, the ice that the general had been so far was melting, revealing a creature that had been resting for a long time.
He seemed to grow taller as he stood up straighter, the general's wide frame making the fighter seem too small for him. The steaming hot armor was glowing again, now closer to bright red. Lana backed away with a small scream when it came close enough to burn her.
The creature who stood before her was not the cold figure in black she'd met. It was the searing, blazing form of a demon, growling at the world.
"You think?" the general asked, his voice broken like crumbling rocks. "You think some random warrior can last in single combat with me like that? I should have known from the start. This proves it. There is something about your kind that makes men great."
General Corden, Lana thought. Looking at Worgen, she knew that her warrior had been right to want his presence to go unnoticed. And now she'd unwittingly betrayed him, trying to save her ship.
She might have, by lying about the Palians, but she'd accidentally exposed Corden.
Worgen was pacing like a caged animal, snarling at the outside world.
"This is great," the general murmured. "A real opponent. One of the generals in my grasp. Good, very good. A chance to test myself before Briolina."
I have to warn him, Lana thought. He needs to know.
The "how" was considerably more difficult to come up with than the realization. She had no idea how the Brion warships were built, nor what their full layout was like. And if the rumors were true, they were very dark to allow the valor squares to shine properly. So far she had been spared that because Worgen's valor squares were almost out, but deeper parts of the ship might be less guest-friendly.
There had to be another way. Lana knew she couldn't let herself be locked up. Worgen didn't strike her as the type to worry about a woman's opinions. He'd stick her in a room and come to her when he wanted to.
Lana's mind was spinning, trying to come up with a way not to be a prisoner.
Finally the solution came to her, but it wasn't a one she cherished.
I'm not the seductive type, Lana sighed in her head. I'm the captain of a spaceship, I don't flirt. How do you even flirt with a mad general? By playing the little terrified Terran girl, I guess.
"I want you to spare my ship," Lana said, making her voice timid and shy. "And my crew. Please. If you do... I'll help you."
Worgen regarded her with a long look.
"What help could you give me?" the general asked.
Charming, really.
"Information," she offered. "You've heard things, rumors and tales, but I can give you real facts. About the Galactic Union, about Briolina even. About the generals."
Most of it was a half-lie. Lana knew a lot about all of those. It was a part of her job to keep up-to-date with the events and people of the galaxy. But she had no idea if Worgen knew more, or less than her. Not to mention she had no intention of giving him information that could actually help the general attack more people.
"It will cost you nothing," she added. "The Raptor is no threat."
Worgen nodded slowly, as if it was a huge sacrifice on his part not to kill someone. "I will not harm your crew," he said. "Do not test my mercy."
"I won't," Lana said, forcing the words over her lips. "And if the Palians aren't able to help you with the—"
"Then they'll learn," Worgen said with finality. "We have time, but it's not forever. Soon one of them will have to reveal the secrets of immortality."
Lana seriously doubted any Palian knew that, but she wasn't about to stomp on his enthusiasm.
The fighter docked aboard the Abysmal with a nauseating lurch, almost sending Lana into the general's arms, but she stopped herself. Worgen made no attempt to see if she was fine.
A true gentleman.
She shook free of the horrifying idea of what would have happened if she actually was his fated instead of Corden's. That would have been absurd, almost as much as her real future. She was the fated of a Brion general, one more in the line of human girls. Three weeks ago, her biggest dating prospect had been one of the Palians leaving her a very formally phrased letter of appreciation.
She followed Worgen out, stepping once more onto the surface of the Abysmal. Every time, the ship filled her soul with a crushing weight and misery. There was something fundamentally depressing about it, like the ship had had its soul ripped out. Any breathing soul in it looked lifeless, as if breathing was truly their only function. Lana shuddered, the thought of living there coming to haunt her again.
Would Worgen care if she wasn't his fated? And if he found the right one, what would happen to her?
Bad questions for another time, she decided. Right now I need a comm link.
The Brions had cut all communications between the ships and the outside world, but the Abysmal's still worked, of course. Worgen needed his broadcasts to be heard all across the kidnapped fleet. Lana couldn't help wondering why he was keeping them. Naturally she didn't want them to be destroyed, but it was weird. Some part of Worgen's plan was not clear to her yet, but she was intent to fill in the blanks and do her part in the fight.
Worgen left her alone almost as soon as they'd landed. Lana noticed with relief that he gave no orders what to do with her. The general probably assumed there wasn't much damage a single human girl could do to his immense warship. Instead, Worgen went to instruct his men. Lana heard him say that they were to alert him immediately once they'd found the missing general. Then she slipped away.
Ignoring the questioning looks of the Brions around her, Lana went on the search. At least they hadn't locked her up. Now all she had to hope for was that she'd stumble on a comm console before Worgen started looking for her.
Her plan was heroic, but luck didn't seem to be on her side. Lana wandered the dark halls, trying anything that looked like it could be what she needed. Brions gave her weird looks, but at least in this Worgen's regime came to her aid. Without express orders from their general, no one bothered her.
It felt like hours had passed when Lana finally found a console that fit her needs. The controls were all off, but she thought she understood the basic principles of it. The captain double-checked to make sure she wasn't wasting her one opportunity to warn Corden. She was endangering her crew, but there was no other way.
The console was unfamiliar, so Lana could only pray she'd get the settings right. She wanted only the Raptor to hear her. If Corden was what Worgen thought he was, he could handle whoever was on board. Looking around to see whether someone was close by and finding the corridor empty, Lana opened the channel.
"This is Captain Lana Cormac," she said.
Her voice echoed back over the hallway, coming from speakers she couldn't see.
Oh well, so much for that, she thought. There was nothing to be done anymore, everyone would hear her.
"To the fleet," she went on in a hurry. "We have allies. We are not alone. There is a Brion general somewhere on the ships, but our enemies are looking for him. If there is any courage left in your bodies, you will help him! Help him, because we certainly can't help ourselves!"
The frustration she'd harbored was all pouring out at the fleet which was doing nothing but relying on Worgen's mercy. Lana had seen what that was like.
"Corden," she said then, her voice becoming tender for reasons she couldn't entirely explain. "He knows. He knows who you are—"
A strong hand closed around her arm, pulling her away from the console. She looked up into the cruel, merciless eyes of General Worgen. Lana opened her mouth
to say something, anything to stop the retribution she knew was coming, but found nothing. She had nothing left to offer. Her value was at an end.
Worgen dragged her to one of the huge wall-mounted screens, showing the space around the Abysmal. Before her eyes, gun turrets rolled out of the sides of the warship and took aim at the Raptor. Lana watched in mute shock as the fleet made room for the warship, getting out of the way of the guns, so as not to get caught in the fire. So much for courage, then.
"Don't do this," she whispered, knowing it was futile. "I will—"
"That's the thing with liars," Worgen said without pity. "You only get one lie. I warned you what would happen to those who betray me."
And like in a dream, the Abysmal opened fire. Lana thought she screamed. All she knew was that her eyes watched, unblinking, as the Raptor was blown into oblivion.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Corden
He'd taken her. Worgen had taken his gesha.
Corden felt like he was watching his own experiences happen to someone else. It certainly couldn't be him, so unhinged by that seemingly simple event. Only there was nothing easy about a gerion being separated from his fated. Especially if she was in danger. He'd tear down any obstacle in his way to get her back, to get her into his arms where she belonged.
Of all the things, Corden hadn't expected that. To find his other half in a place like this, right in the middle of the most important mission of his life. Ironically, he got the result Worgen was looking for. It was the other general who had wanted to find his bride, to have the connection to her push him to greater heights.
Now it would be used against him. Corden had only one task ahead now, like before, but now Lana was at stake too and that made everything so much... better. And worse, at the same time.
Every account he'd ever read about the bindings and finding the fated started with the simple truth that the feeling was impossible to describe. Finally, Corden could assure himself that it had been correct. Merely Lana's name made his heart beat faster, clearing his mind. Even colors and shapes seemed sharper, more real to him. It felt like before her, he'd lived in a world half-hidden in shadows.
