by Lili Zander
Until the Choosing. Until she walks in, brave and courageous, and asks for a sponsor. Raven Unnuk. And though I have no intention of interfering in the politics of Boarus 4, it annoys me that he’s not giving her a chance.
So I step forward, and then I catch her scent, sweet and dangerous, and I realize we’re all in more trouble than we’d expected.
The easiest way to kill a Shayde is through tainted blood. Two hundred years ago, a plague almost wiped out thirty percent of Starra’s population before it was contained.
When I smell the human woman, Raven Unnuk, I realize what secret Harek Levitan is willing to kill to protect. If my suspicions are correct, and Ottar Thistle bit her, then the weapon they’re building is blood-based.
And this woman is the carrier. Perhaps the sole, surviving carrier.
The Overlord is a fool. He rigidly and slavishly follows protocol, and in this moment, I’m deeply grateful for that. Because if he’d been any closer to the human woman, instead of looming over all of us on his throne, he’d have smelled her, and he would have recognized what I do.
Raven Unnuk is the woman we’ve all been searching for.
I pull the woman into a side room, signaling for Zeke and Nero to follow. We have only seconds before the Overlord walks in.
Some Shayde can’t control themselves around blood, but I’m not one of them. Zeke and Nero have known me for a very long time, and they know I’m acting strangely. “What’s going on?” Nero asks me as he walks into the room. He grins cheerfully at Raven. “Nice speech out there,” he says. “If you ever get tired of my friend Saber, you know where to find me.”
I open my mouth to tell Nero what I’ve discovered but close it almost immediately. Zimmer probably has ears everywhere. Sure enough, Zeke shakes his head slightly. Not now.
“I just couldn’t wait to get a taste of my newest toy,” I tell them. There is a couch in the small chamber, and I sit down on it, pulling Raven on my lap. Her muscles are stiff, and her face wears a closed expression, but she doesn’t fight me. “Come on, you two,” I tell Zeke and Nero, my smile hungry and feral. “You’re welcome to a taste.”
Her face goes pale, and she swallows hard, but doesn’t move away. Sorry, little human, I think. This is what Zimmer will be expecting to see when he walks in, and I’ve got to play along. Your life is at stake here.
Nero’s eyes widen. Good. He settles on the couch next to me, and leans in, breathing in deeply. The moment he catches a whiff of her scent, his shoulders stiffen. “Join us, Zeke,” he drawls lazily. “The human won’t mind, will you, pet?”
“No, my Lord Shayde,” she replies, her voice toneless.
Zeke takes her hand in his. “What a tasty morsel you are,” he mutters. “Show me your neck, love. Let me have a taste.” Hidden by her face, his eyes meet mine. What are we going to do? he mouths.
Before I can formulate a plan, there’s a sound at the door, and the Overlord walks in. “Well, well,” he says, smiling lasciviously. “After you declined the entertainment I offered when you got here, I was beginning to think that the enforcers on Starra lived like monks.” He gives the woman a dismissive look. “I’ve clearly been remiss in my duties as host,” he adds. “This woman is a miner, and only O-positives work there. She’s not bad looking, I’ll grant you that, but allow me to provide you a better thrall, Jarl Saber. One whose blood will nourish you much better than this one.”
Raven tenses in my arms but has the good sense to stay quiet. “This one meets my needs,” I say easily, tightening my grip around her waist. She is a slight little thing. Her skin is soft, and her eyes are a sparkling blue. Her hair is brown-red, just like mine. In her braids, she’s tucked in small beads and colorful ornaments, and they sparkle when she moves. Her mine-issued jumpsuit is unflattering, but it can’t truly hide her beauty.
“I might not be able to feed on her,” I add, with a knowing grin, “but I’m sure she’ll find other ways to show her gratitude. Won’t you, little one?”
“Yes, my Lord Shayde,” she whispers, her eyes wide and afraid.
Zeke, who is the most honorable man I know, who must be revolted at the idea of causing her fear, winks at the Overlord. “We can definitely find her other things to do,” he says, undoing the fastenings of her jumpsuit until her cleavage comes into view. Even though this situation is dangerous, my cock hardens when the creamy swell of her breasts is exposed.
Really, Saber?
If the Overlord finds out that Raven is the woman he’s been hunting for, he will take her from us by force. We’re in his stronghold now. We can try to fight our way out, but there are too many well-armed guards between us and the shuttle. Not to mention the fact that he controls the spaceport.
For the moment, we have no easy way out. Until we come up with a plan, we need to play along and hide who she is.
Zeke’s thumb is brushing the woman’s nipple, and the Overlord drinks in the sight greedily. I clear my throat, annoyed by the idea of him watching, his beady little eyes filled with lust. “The tournament,” I remind him. “My little human will be participating.”
“Yes, of course.” His gaze meets mine. “I’m sponsoring someone this year as well,” he says. “I’ll be interested to see what your human will do against mine. It’ll make for good sport, don’t you think?”
I stroke Raven’s arm in warning. “It will,” I agree, trying to figure out how quickly we can get the hell out of here. “I’m assuming that the competitors will be announced to the waiting crowds now?”
“Yes, along with their sponsors.” He gives Raven a stare. “You made some bold promises back there,” he says. “But talk is easy. Let’s see if you have skill enough to survive.”
I mutter a curse under my breath. I can guess how this is going to play out. Raven is a worker from the mines, as are most of the residents of this colony. They’re going to be cheering for one of their own. And in the meanwhile, Overlord Zimmer is fuming because he’s got a favorite in the tournament. He’s not going to make things easy for her.
Whether I like it or not, it appears that I’m interfering with local politics.
“Oh, one more thing, Jarl Saber.” Zimmer’s smile is malicious. “The Empress’ own half-brother will be in attendance for the first task. Make sure your human performs, otherwise, you’re going to look like a fool in front of Jarl Ragnar.”
Great. That’s all I need. As if the situation wasn’t already complicated enough.
9
Raven
Part of me is very afraid.
There’s another smaller, stupider part of me that’s turned on.
On FirstDay, I remember thinking during Ma Kaila’s lecture that I couldn’t imagine the idea of the Shayde being sexy. Boy, was I wrong. Because these Shayde are the three sexiest men I’ve ever seen in my life.
My parents died because of the Shayde. No, they didn’t die. They were executed because they were accused of plotting against the Empire.
What the hell is the matter with you, Raven? I think angrily to myself. How could you possibly find a Shayde attractive after that?
I keep quiet until the Overlord leaves the room. The moment he’s gone, I spring to my feet. “I thank you for your kind sponsorship, my Lord Shayde,” I say, my voice angry despite every effort to control it. “But I have no desire to become a vampyr thrall. If you would feed on me, and demand that I feed on you, I will pull out of the tournament right now.”
The Shayde sitting to the right of me grins wickedly. “I’m Nero,” he introduces himself cheerfully. “You were sitting on Saber’s lap, and the guy who was pawing your breast was Zeke.”
Zeke looks embarrassed. Saber, on the other hand, just looks forbidding. “Enough,” he says, layering his voice with compulsion. “We will go out to the arena. You will be introduced to the crowds, along with the other contestants. I will hear no more talk about feeding, sex, or thralls. Do I make myself clear, human?”
Just like that, the sexiness disappears. When th
is vampyr stood up against the Overlord, I thought he might be different from the rest of the Shayde on Boarus 4. I was wrong. “Yes, my Lord Shayde.”
“Good.” He gets to his feet and extends his hand to me. “Let’s go get this over with.”
The contestants line up to be introduced one by one. I wait in the wings, with the three vampyrs close to me. The way they surround me feels weirdly protective. The other Shayde, the ones that sponsored the other contestants, eye me curiously but don’t talk to me. Why would they? I’m just a human.
On the other hand, everyone—human and Shayde both—is very deferential to Saber, Zeke, and Nero. Lucky them.
“Introducing the first contestant, sponsored by Overlord Klaus Zimmer himself, I give you Tomas Cabal.”
A cheer rings out, and Tomas, a tall young man with his braided hair worn in a topknot steps onto an open-roofed skimmer and glides out into the crowd.
Once he’s lapped the perimeter once, the next contestant, Bailey Ware, a girl with pink braids is introduced. She steps onto the skimmer along with her sponsoring Shayde, and the assembled crowd cheers again.
“You look nervous.” It’s the vampyr with the short, spiky hair. Zeke. “Don’t be. Saber’s right. You’re a miner in a mining colony. Everyone’s going to be cheering for you.”
“That’s exactly what I’m nervous about,” I murmur before I realize who I’m talking to. “My apologies, my Lord Shayde.”
He shakes his head slightly. “I’m not very big on formality. Call me Zeke.” He puts his hand around my waist and tugs me against him. “Zimmer has eyes and ears everywhere,” he whispers, under cover of the cheers that ring out as the next contestant is introduced. “Just play along. We’ll explain everything as soon as we get a chance.”
Explain what?
A Shaye looks up and gives us a searching look, and I stiffen instinctively before relaxing against Zeke. His tongue laves my earlobe, and my toes tingle at the intimate gesture. “My Lord,” I giggle, sounding just like a thrall in the first flush of infatuation with her Shayde master.
But it does the trick. The Shayde laughs and says something to the woman next to him. “Good girl,” Zeke says, his voice approving. “You don’t like the hopes and dreams of everyone here resting on you?”
I think of Joanna Placzek’s brother Michal, serving a five-year sentence for failing to bow to the Overlord’s second-in-command, Olaf Vandar. She told me he’d be watching. To Michal, I represent a future beyond the re-education camp.
And to the watching miners? I represent hope. Something to be optimistic about. A dream to cling to during the long hours of backbreaking work.
Everyone in the camps and in the mines would love to see me win.
Me? I don’t care about the tournament. I just want a way out of Boarus 4.
Get to Starra. Find Ivar Karlsson. He will protect you.
I don’t tell him that, of course. He might seem friendly, but he’s a vampyr. If he finds out that I’m the woman the Overlord’s men are hunting, he will turn me in. “That’s a lot of weight for one set of shoulders,” I mutter.
“You’re thinking too much,” Nero says. “None of that matters. Let it go. If you spent ten years in the re-education camps, you know how to survive, to win. Act on instinct, and you will be fine.”
The ninth contestant enters the arena. Saber moves over to the Shayde making the announcements and says something to her in a low voice. The woman nods agreement.
“Finally, our tenth contestant. Sponsored by our honored guests from Starra, Jarl Saber Hafsson, Zeke Ulrich, and Nero Calorio. We have Raven Unnuk.”
Hafsson. Why does that name seem familiar? But I have no time to ponder the mystery because it’s time to head out. With shaking knees, I step onto the skimmer and nearly fall right off. Saber steadies me as he gets on next to me. Nero and Zeke stand behind me, and we start moving.
The lights in the arena almost blind me, after the relative dimness of the interior, and at first, I can’t see. I can hear though. I expect the crowd to be enthusiastic, but the roar of sound that greets me when our skimmer glides out into the arena takes me by surprise. My mouth falls open as the crowd surges to its feet, chanting my name.
I know I’m supposed to savor this moment, but it just makes me sick to my stomach. I feel like a fraud.
Once the introductions are done, the Overlord takes the stage in the middle of the arena. “There are ten contestants in this year’s tournament,” he says. “Last year, I devised five tasks that tested their strength, their ingenuity, and their skill.”
I pay careful attention. The first task is usually something pretty benign. Last year, if I remember correctly, the contestants had to chop a hole through the ice to reach the ice-fish underneath, and the first person who caught a fish won the round.
“This year, I’ve decided to change things,” he announces. “There won’t be five rounds. Just one.”
Everyone’s listening now. “Our planet is mostly ice. To win this year’s Night of the Shayde, our ten contestants will attempt to survive it. My men have placed flags in the deserts in five locations, each one eight foot-hours apart. Each of you will visit all five locations and bring back the flags. You will be given a map, a tent, and enough food to last two days. You will need to forage for the rest. Rest well today, contestants, and conserve your energy. You’re going to need it.”
Whoa. If each flag is eight hours apart, the Overlord intends for us to spend six days on Glacis. Out there, in the ice, with just two days of food. This is insane.
I see terror on the faces of the other contestants. Even Tomas Cabal, the Overlord’s chosen champion, is looking shell-shocked. The ice deserts are a part of our planet, but not too many people venture out into Glacis. Why would they? It’s brutally cold out there. The wind rages, blowing up shards of ice that feel like a thousand tiny knives against your frozen body. The s’kal cats hunt in packs during the day, and only fire will deter them.
Boos break out from the crowds. “This is impossible,” voices shout. “You are trying to kill them.”
The Overlord’s eyes rest on me, glittering with malice. He doesn’t have to speak the words out loud for me to understand that this is a message.
Let’s see if you have skill enough to survive.
10
Zeke
We wait until we are back in the antechamber. Then Saber whirls toward the Overlord. “This is an impossible task,” he says, his voice vibrating in anger. “A death sentence. I have been to the Night of the Shayde in many planets, and none of them have ever been as brutal as this. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
We all know what he’s doing. Klaus Zimmer’s motivations aren’t hard to uncover. Jarl Ragnar, the empress’ half-brother will be in attendance. The Jarl detests leaving Starra, and the only reason for him to travel to a remote mining colony is the dwindling production of boarium. The Overlord knows this as well as I do.
Zimmer wants to show Jarl Ragnar that he’s doing everything in his power to increase the output in the mines. This display of ruthlessness is meant to set the Empress’ mind at ease.
“So what?” the Overlord asks, his tone indifferent. “What if a few humans die? They’ll be easily replaced. We have ten thousand of them in this colony alone, and they breed like bush-grubs, wild and uncontrolled.”
At my side, I feel Nero’s tension. Raven, on the other hand, seems relatively calm. She’s obviously not as afraid of Glacis as the other contestants. Because she spent ten years there? The next few days are going to be perilous to the extreme, and her lack of fear is reassuring.
Saber clenches his hands into fists. “Nobody dies,” he snaps, lifting his head and staring into the Overlord’s eyes. “Do you understand me?”
The two men glare at each other. The Overlord is making his calculations. Saber is an enforcer, one who carries the might of the Empire on his shoulders. As a captain, he speaks with the voice of the Empress, and vastly outranks the administ
rator of a remote colony far away from Starra.
On the other hand, Zimmer controls the mines and has ensured a steady supply of boarium for the last fifteen years. If matters came to a head, which one of them would the Empress side with? Which one will survive?
It seems that Zimmer isn’t ready to find out. Not yet, at any rate, and not over something so trivial. He drops his eyes first. “Very well,” he says curtly. “My enforcers will patrol the ice deserts and keep an eye on the contestants. If they appear to be in trouble, we will rescue them.”
Nero watches the stand-off, but I watch Raven. Her eyes widen when Saber goes head-to-head with the Overlord, and she seems shocked that he’s willing to intercede on behalf of the humans. I guess I can’t really blame her for her surprise, and I certainly cannot blame her for being suspicious of the Shayde. Given the callous disregard that the Overlord has displayed for human life, it would be a miracle for her to think well of us.
Nero and I are still crowded around Raven. We can’t risk the other vampyrs coming close to her. If they catch a whiff of her scent… We need to get out of here. Right now, the only thing that’s keeping the others from discovering Raven’s identity is that by staying so close to her, we’re muddying her aroma and keeping the others from scenting our little human.
The Overlord bares his fangs into a smile. “Now that’s settled,” he says. “It’s time for a celebratory banquet. You will join us, won’t you, Jarl Saber? Bring along your new possession, if you’d like.”
My temper flares sharply. She is not a possession. Nero opens his mouth to say something hot and angry, but Saber interjects before he can blurt out whatever is on his mind. “I must decline,” he says, his eyes turning to Raven, hungry and demanding. “As you pointed out, I have a new toy, one I’m quite eager to play with.”
Raven’s eyes flash fire, but Saber’s compulsion holds, and she doesn’t open her mouth to contradict him. Zimmer chuckles, but I can feel his eyes on us, thoughtful and assessing.
He’s wondering what’s so special about the girl that we are unprepared to leave her side.
