by SM Blooding
“Little brother,” Ryo said over the radio in Adalic. “Are you sure?”
Yes and no. “I am.”
“From up here, it looked perfectly timed so that the attack would cause your refueling station the most damage. And whatever weapon the Tokarz has, it was fast. From the time they showed up to the time the station exploded was . . . ”
Chills ran down my spine.
“Brother, they have a weapon that can slice through metal.”
I dragged my fingers along my scalp, pulling my hair out of the queue. I was out of my league and had no idea what to do.
The shrapnel falling from the sky lessened.
“Get people out there, assess the damage, and ensure our crew is safe.”
Wesley murmured to those around him.
“Little brother,” Ryo said in Handish. “He’s just sitting here.”
I swallowed. “He wants us to know it was him.”
“Yes. It would appear so.”
“Why?” one of the technicians beside me asked.
I didn’t answer.
“He wants you to attack, doesn’t he?” Wesley asked.
I watched the crew scurry on the flight deck like small bugs. “Yes. He does.”
Was Tokarz testing the limits of the League of Cities, trying to undermine it before it had a chance to begin? Or was Nix attempting to get the League of Cities to fight for her?
Either way, I was more glad than ever to have given control of the league to someone else. I didn’t care if that made me a coward.
CHAPTER 32
TUG OF WAR
“Mr. El’Asim,” the communications officer said.
I grimaced at her before returning my gaze to the carnage outside the glass dome.
“Queen Nix is landing. Her squadron is following.”
Flaming chunks of metal gouged the deck. Planes were severed. Materials fluttered in the wind.
The massive, black queen’s ship appeared from the clouds as if from a veil. I took in a deep steadying breath and headed for the stair. “I have the deck, Commander.”
“Yes, sir.”
The door at the bottom of the stair opened to a refreshing cool breeze. The fire from a nearby burning piece of shrapnel singed the air.
This felt wrong in every square inch of my gut, to stand down when I knew who had attacked the two stations. There was no doubt in my mind that Asim Station was the true target.
But anything I did to make the situation right would only make it worse. I hadn’t built the League of Cities for Nix.
That didn’t make the inaction feel any better.
I headed toward the queen’s ship, though I wasn’t the first. The captains and leftenants of the planes that had just landed were lining up in formation. The medals of their rank gleamed in the pale light of the filtered sun. I glanced around. The other pilots remained in their planes. At least someone was thinking.
A long ramp lowered from the queen’s ship, wide enough for one person. Varik was the first to walk down it. He looked even more ragged than before.
I stopped several metres from the end of the ramp.
Varik eyed me coolly then turned to the ship and nodded once.
Nix sauntered down the ramp, her hips sashaying from side to side with each careful step of her high-heel-shoed feet. Her eyes rested on me as she made her way down the ramp.
The anger boiling in my gut outweighed anything else I might feel for her. What lengths would she go to in order to gain control of me? I hated that woman with every fiber in my being.
Soldiers of the Wands followed her and fanned out around the queen’s ship in black and red uniforms.
Nix blinked, her long, thick lashes shading her dark eyes. “Permission to board.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “And if I refuse?”
She gestured behind her. “We will leave as soon as my ship is fixed.”
I watched her carefully. What I wanted to do was to beat her to a bloody pulp, to get her as far out of my life as possible. “Granted,” I heard myself say instead. “Your soldiers will remain with your ship. They’re not allowed free access of the station.”
She closed her smoky eyes and nodded. “Of course.” She turned to Varik and gestured before giving me her full attention. “If you will excuse me. I have a small matter to attend to.”
The door to the quarters opened and the pilots who had landed earlier poured through, joining the formation.
One of the men, who appeared to be a captain by the medals on the collar of his blue military uniform, gestured for them to head back to the planes.
The pilots paused, looked at each other, and obeyed.
Nix sauntered to the front of the gathered men and women, searching for someone. “Captains and leftenants of the House of Swords, welcome to Asim Station.”
I clasped my hands behind my back, watching her every move, listening to her every word, trying to glean any clue as to her next move.
The pilots stopped fidgeting, and gave Nix their undivided attention.
“Your refueling station is no longer in service. The Tokarz Family has been thorough. And, as you well know, with the fall of Sky City, the Hands’ resources are stretched thin.”
I frowned. What was she doing?
“The El’Asim,” she gestured to me, “has graciously agreed to take you on. You no longer bear the Mark of your House. You are now a part of the Great Families and as such, may regain your original names.”
“What about our sisters and brothers?” a man asked.
Nix tipped her head, the ruby spider on her chest gleaming in what little sunlight was still available through the clouds. “They are to remain in Sky City.”
Oh no. I closed my eyes and gnashed my teeth. Hostages. What was I supposed to do with them now? What could I do for them?
Nix raised her hands. “I will pretend no longer.” Her dark, heavily kohled eyes hardened. “I refuse to free all the citizens, all of my soldiers, pilots, scientists and engineers. I refuse. If you would like to throw away your newfound freedom, let me know now, and I will take it back along with your life.”
No one moved.
“Are there any volunteers to be the object of our lesson?”
Everyone glanced at each other, but no one spoke. We’d all seen her lessons.
“Good. You are to report to Synn El’Asim immediately. Captain Bennen?”
“Yes, Queen Nix.” A tall man in the blue and silver uniform of the Swords stepped forward, his brown hair cut short.
I watched him with interest. If Commander Wesley were to be believed, this man was quite the prize. I flinched. Had I really just thought that?
“I am promoting you to lieutenant colonel, commander of this company.”
He frowned and bowed. “Thank you, Queen Nix.”
“Leftenant Rose.”
No one responded at first. I wasn’t sure she was even there until she spoke up, her voice brassy and strong. “I am here.”
Nix watched Rose step through the formation.
I knew that look. Nix coveted this pilot, but hadn’t figured out how to control her. Interesting.
“You are his new captain.”
The pilot was stunned. “Yes, ma’am?”
Nix raised her chin, but her gaze remained on Rose. “You are all excused. Captain, I would have a word.”
The new commander lingered for a moment as the other men and women walked toward their planes.
Nix waved him off.
I stepped forward. This was my station, after all.
Nix didn’t even acknowledge my presence as she spoke softly to the new captain. “You’re wondering why I did not have you executed.”
“The thought crossed my mind.”
Nix took a step forward and raised a hand to Rose’s face, tracing the new captain’s jaw with her diamond encrusted claw. “I can do nothing with you, and can do nothing about you. You are simply too valuable to kill.”
That piqued my intere
st. Was there someone in this world who Nix coveted almost as much as me? What was it about this captain, this pilot, that made Nix want to keep her?
Rose took a step back. “How long are you going to keep me because of my Mark? You collect people like trophies. I’m not a trophy.”
Was her Mark powerful? Or was it something unique? Why would Nix want it?
The queen smiled tightly. “Indeed you are.”
Smashing her lips together, Rose shook her head. “You have nothing you can hold over me, nothing to force me to submit. You couldn’t break me before, so you’re going to bribe me with my freedom? What’s the point? What do you want?”
“I want you.”
So, the way Nix treated me, this was nothing new. She treated everyone she wanted to keep the same way.
“You are fond of Bennen Domitius,” Nix said.
Rose didn’t answer.
Nix leaned in, stopping inches from Rose’s nose, and whispered something I couldn’t hear.
All the color left the pilot’s face. “And if I tell anyone about what I saw . . . ” She trailed off, leaving the obvious unspoken.
Nix blinked slowly, a cold smile slithering into place along her full lips. “Yes. I will. Without hesitation.”
Rose opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Nix cupped Rose’s jaw in her jewel-clawed hand. “Oh, my little battle rose, you are so extraordinary.” The queen’s dark eyes stared into Rose’s. “I will have you. One way or another.”
The new captain pulled her chin out of Nix’s hand. “I doubt that.”
The queen smiled and took a step back, the sun glinting on the gold, twirling phoenixes of her crown. “You have your freedom, Rose. Enjoy it.”
Rose watched as Nix walked toward me, her gaze never flinching.
I raised my eyebrow at the queen. “What was that?”
She ignored me. “I am glad to see you paying attention to your station finally.”
I didn’t take the bait. “What are you doing here, Nix?” And more importantly, what could I do to her?
She stared at me with the cool confidence I was used to, but then flinched, her expression shifting. She lowered her gaze. “Can we walk the deck?”
I clenched my hands and turned away. I needed to see the damage up close anyway.
She commanded the pace, which was slow.
I clasped my hands behind my back, readjusting my sword to make the position more practical, and walked beside her, studying the planes and damage.
“Did you like my gift?”
Most of the planes she’d gifted me with were now broken. I didn’t think that was an accident. “What are you doing here? And don’t tell me your ship is damaged.” I turned toward it, gesturing with my hand. “I don’t believe it.”
She took in a short breath, a ready smile on her ruby lips, but stopped. Her lips screwed up in a very uncharacteristic expression. “I want to show you that I’m not . . . evil.”
“Nix.” I put a hand on her arm and stepped in front of her. “Don’t tell me that the destruction of your station was an accident.”
She looked up at me in surprise. “I’m quite sure I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
I mashed my lips together, eyebrows raised. “Right. Play innocent, but this—” I gestured to everything around me, the planes, the carnage. “—it’s all a little too convenient, don’t you think?”
“I’m simply trying to—”
“No. I just saw you strong-arm those pilots. They all fear for the lives of those they love. You can’t deny what you did.”
“I’m simply trying to ensure they don’t do something that will endanger you.”
“So that was—” I shook my head. “You honestly think you were doing a good thing back there? Nix. Do you even know how to be a decent human being?”
She didn’t say anything.
“And what was that with Rose?”
She let out a frustrated breath. “Trust me, Synn. She is an asset you can’t afford to lose. You need her.”
“Why?”
She didn’t answer.
I pulled the corners of my mouth toward my ears and looked away, rubbing my head. “You’re bribing me.” I bit off the rest that I wanted to say.
Her expression filled with mild frustration. “No.”
“Yes. Nix. The planes that you then destroyed. The pilots who are terrified of you and will do anything you say to make you happy.”
She took in a sharp breath and looked away.
I stared into the gathered clouds, the moisture thick on my arms in the fire-warmed air. “I will not be your knight.”
Shock and surprise filled her dark eyes. “Why not?”
I looked at her incredulously. “Really?”
She turned away, her arms flopping at her sides. “You can’t tell me that the time spent with me was so horrible. You appear . . . ” She looked me up and down. “ . . . to be unaffected.”
My expression opened in disbelief.
“You were dancing with Keeley.” Nix raised her chin. “Which means I left no damage.”
I ground my teeth and looked away. I did not want to discuss this. The fact was, there wasn’t a woman I craved more than Nix. That was a disgusting thought.
“Your only thought should have been how to please me,” she growled, her calm exterior slipping. “If only I’d had more time—”
“You’d have broken me completely, is that it?”
“I would have shaped you into a stronger man.”
My nostrils flared as I watched her. “So you think I’m weak. Is that it?”
“The Tokarz escaped unscathed,” she sneered, “after destroying a refueling station and damaging your own. He shot down at least a dozen of your planes, destroying even more.” She gestured to the damage around us. “You didn’t even order your sky army to take off and defend you!”
I let out a chuckle that turned to a growl. “I’m not falling into your trap. That’s exactly what this was. This ‘gift’—the attack.”
“Of course not. That’s not what I—” She stopped herself and walked away, skirting around a large fan blade wedged into the deck. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“That’s exactly why you’re here!”
She turned and stood her ground.
I jutted my chin forward, stretching my neck, and rolled my head before continuing beside her. “What do you want?”
She was quiet for a long moment, attempting to regain that new face of hers, the one she thought I would buy. I probably would if I thought for a second it was real. “I want to show you that a merging with the Hands is not a bad thing.”
I ran my tongue along my back molars.
“Do you think I will sign your treaty without you as my knight?”
“I have the backing of your sisters, Nix. I don’t need you.”
She snorted. “Don’t let Dyna fool you. She may think she has Risa and Salmia’s votes, but I control the council of queens. Not Dyna.”
“You may be surprised.”
“I think not. Dyna is young yet, and as such, she is naïve.”
“Huh.”
Silence gathered between us.
“What do I need to do, Synn? I’ve given you fuel. I gave you your freedom, and a way to buy your peace. I’ve even given you a fleet of planes and pilots.”
And then conveniently destroyed them while inviting me to war.
I ground my teeth and breathed, walking along the perimeter of the flight deck. A shadow flickered in the clouds. I narrowed my gaze, trying to find it again.
She stopped, her hand on my arm. “What do I have to do?”
I looked down at her, my fists clenched. “Stop trying to own me.”
She opened her mouth.
I cut her off before she could speak. “I am not yours, Nix. I never was. I never will be. What do you hope to gain by having me as your knight, especially if we head into peace?”
She tipped her head, but did
n’t meet my gaze. The hand on my arm twitched.
“I lose more by being your knight than I do by remaining in the Family.”
She bared her teeth. “I will stop the fuel shipments.”
“I have a letharan city and an airship fleet, Nix. To be perfectly honest, you’d be doing me a favor.”
She looked around in surprise. “I’d take away your planes.”
“With no fuel to power them, most of them in pieces, and the loyalties of all my pilots in your control, again, you would be doing me a favor.”
She blinked furiously. “I would be taking all the knowledge of how to build them with me.”
“I have the Librarium.”
She gnashed her teeth and swept away. It was a visible fight to get herself back under control. By the time she turned back to me, she was collected and calm. “I need you. As my knight.”
I didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. “You want control of the El’Asim Family, of the League of Cities.”
Her dark, thickly lashed gaze met mine.
“No. If that means,” I said, standing so close my words were murmured against her cheek, “that I forfeit the treaty with the Hands, I will do so. I don’t know if you noticed this, Nix, but I’ve gathered a force unlike any you’ve ever seen.”
She sneered a smile. “But you don’t lead it.”
“I have something better. Their respect.”
She took a half step closer, challenge dancing in her eyes. “I still have the advantage with my planes.”
I gave her a cold smile. “You think you do.”
I let that thought sink in.
Doubt entered her dark eyes with a twitch of her lids. “What have you done?”
I took a step back and held my hands wide. “What any good leader would do in my place, Nix. What do you think?” I turned away before I said something I’d regret.
I knew this was the right thing, letting her and Tokarz leave.
But this didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like justice.
It felt like cowardice.
I’d find a way to make this right. It just wasn’t going to be today.
CHAPTER 33
FINDING DIRECTION IN A SEA OF WIND
I grabbed one of the station’s crew members. “Please escort the queen to her ship and make sure she stays there.”
