War Machine: Book One in the Destiny In the Shadows Series

by Maggie Lynn Heron-Heidel

  I snorted at his exaggerated attempt at a distraction. I had watched his elbow deliberately hit the glass. But it did the trick. The general stared down at his collectable ceremonial inauguration glass mournfully. “That was a full set. I don't know if I can get a replacement.”

  “Sorry, Sir,” Cain said with a fake yawn. “It’s been a long day. Maybe we should go-”

  “But you haven’t eaten,” Xorratti sputtered with a warble that triggered my suspicion. He looked almost panicked that he was thinking about leaving. “Here, let me call Roland. I can't let you go on an empty stomach! No, I don't know what could be keeping them.”

  When the monogrammed bowls were in front of us, I glared down at them even more suspiciously. My soup was ever so slightly thinner than the bowls placed across from me. It sloshed when the table shifted unlike the sludge in Michael’s bowl. I glanced over at Cain’s and saw the same as mine. I lifted the spoon to my lips and inhaled the smell. I barely detected the telltale odor of bitter almonds, but it was there. How poorly planned and executed.

  Cyanide.

  I grabbed Cain’s hand as he went for his spoon. I shook my head imperceptibly. His eyes narrowed at me and darted from the bowl back to my face. From the corner of my eye, I saw Xorratti watching. “Is something wrong, my dear? You haven’t touched your food. Would you like something else?”

  “No,” I said sweetly patting his hand. “He was going for the wrong spoon. That’s the soup spoon, Cain. That’s the dessert spoon I think. See, I have the right one.”

  I put the poisonous mouthful in and Xorratti’s eyes narrowed with satisfaction, confirming my suspicions. Michael had already downed his portion with gusto and was eyeing our conversation and bowls with interest. “Huh? What did I miss?”

  When the general turned to his son to reply, I picked up my goblet and spat the soup into it. Cain watched me out of the corner of his eye and his hand sank toward the gun on his hip. We both knew now that Xorratti’s dinner invitation had been an elegant ruse to keep us detained and he had probably called Rogee and gotten the order to terminate us. But as he shifted toward a more actionable position, I was reaching for the weapon I had collected in the sand earlier and fished it out of the pocket in my dress.

  “General,” I asked sweetly. “I must excuse myself. Nature has called and I cannot put it off any longer. Your story was so riveting I must confess I have put this off too long.”

  He waved me off without looking at me. “Understood. Now what is your problem, Michael?”

  I rose from my seat, weapon clutched in hand and went around the other side of the table toward the tent’s exit behind them. But no one was expecting it when I whipped around, grabbed Xorratti’s chair by the back and tipped it onto my knee. He yelped through my fingers which were covering his mouth as I dangled the scorpion I had collected earlier in front of his eyes.

  “Cool,” Michael said delightedly. Cain still hadn’t moved from his chair and was studying me with precision. I knew he was plotting in case he needed to save the general’s worthless hide. Xorratti’s eyes popped out of his skull and he whimpered piteously. The scorpion wiggled and snapped its pincers in his face trying to get free.

  I leaned over him so I could talk in his ear. “How poorly executed, General. Cyanide in the soup? Don't you know it’s never a good idea to try and play at an assassin's game with an assassin?”

  Michael groaned and clutched his stomach. “Oh, God. There wasn’t - I ate mine!”

  “Yours was fine,” I said bracingly. “But Cain's was spiked, too. How awful. Poisoning your dear protégé? Now tell me, whose fantastic idea was this? Was it yours, General?”

  I lowered the scorpion so the pincers were in a hairsbreadth distance from his eyeballs. “Tell me,” I hissed in his ear. “Quietly. I wouldn't want to have reason to drop this on you. Indian Red scorpions usually like bugs, but I think if dropped it in your pants it may find reason to sting. There is no antidote for this and mortality is a given.”

  He squeaked through my fingers. “Rogee! Rogee gave the order! Please don’t kill me!”

  “Oh, fudge crackers,” Argon said, peeking his head in. “Why wasn't I invited to the party?”

  “Argon,” I said jovially. “Would you please bring General Xorratti his two littlest slaves? We’re about to make a deal.”

  He looked at Cain who was staring transfixed at the reddish creature still struggling in my fingers. It seemed I had found a phobia of his. He looked horrified by the scorpion, not the proximity to Xorratti’s face. He seemed to surface and jerked his head back at Argon. “Do it and ready the others. We’re leaving.”

  Argon vanished and I returned to the slow torture I was giving Xorratti. “And where is Tiranshyck? I know he was here recently. How long ago was his departure? I’d love to chat with him. He and I are old friends.”

  “A day ago,” Michael answered, watching the creature dip lower with fanatical glee. “Wow, Dad. I didn't know you could turn that color…”

  “Now, we’re going to make a deal, Xorratti,” I whispered like I would to a lover. “When Argon gets back, you’re going to unlock the pin code on the two children’s wristlets and I’ll let you live. Refuse and the scorpion will take a swim in your stomach bile. Your choice.”

  Cain rose from his chair and peeked out the flap. “No sign of anyone. You really do have the worst guards, Vinkent. They haven’t heard a thing. Argon’s coming.”

  Xorratti sputtered as they entered. The two children backed against his legs as they took in the scene before them. “Michael, you can do the honors. The combination, General?”

  “The transport is ready,” Argon said in a hushed tone. “They’re waiting out back.”

  “The passcode,” I hissed into Vinkent’s ear. “Hold your fingers up so we can count.”

  He indicated six, five, nine, four. The voice controlled trackers fell off their hands and landed with a soft thump at their feet. They stared at them in shock. I smiled and turned back to the now irate-looking man in my grip. “Thank you. That will be all.”

  I brought my hand down on the soft spot on his head with a precision that had taken me years to master. Xorratti slumped on the chair without a sound, totally unconscious as I let the chair drop to the sand. I stuffed the creature back into my pocket. “That was pathetically easy.”

  “That was awesome!” Michael exclaimed, his voice cracking. “This is the most action I've seen in my whole life!”

  “Let’s hope you don’t see much more,” Cain snapped. “Damn! There’s a price on all of our heads now. We’re screwed!”

  Argon turned pale. “Say what?!”

  “People,” I said, bored already. “Let’s go.”

  Michael was out of his chair faster than a bullet leaves the gun. He was by my side in an instant. “Is it too early in our relationship to say I love you? Because I do, really I do. You’ve already met Dad and you get along fabulously-”

  I could tell he was riding a high from all this. I placed a finger on his lips. “Quiet. You can celebrate later.”

  “I’m free!” he crowed loud enough for me to poke him in the chest. He rubbed the spot. “That wasn't very nice.”

  “Wheels up in the back,” Argon said. “And who said we’re taking you along? And what are we going to do with those two? We only have so many ATV’s and motorbikes to ride on!”

  Cain massaged his forehead. “Rain, you want to bring them, you figure out how they’ll fit.”

  “I don't drive those,” I said quietly. “I’ll have to tag on the back of someone else.”

  “But I do,” Michael stage whispered. “I’ll drive. And I know how to operate Dad’s super speeder. It runs on oil so it won’t short out.”

  “Fine,” Argon conceded. “You’ve officially become of use, kid. Now let’s go.”

  “They’re going to hunt us down with a Reaper if he comes,” Cain snapped, pointing at Michael.

  “If they do, it’ll crash,” I said, rolling my eyes. �
��Remember the big nuclear bomb emitting a pulse out in the middle of nowhere?”

  Suddenly there was a loud bang and Cain threw me behind him, firing an answering round in return. Xorratti groaned and shifted on the floor. Michael grabbed my arm and we hightailed it out the back. He led me over to a fast-looking contraption that I immediately disliked. I hated vehicles, but this one took the cake. He hopped on, turned the key, and revved the engine. He looked back at me. “Coming?”

  I looked back over my shoulder. Cain and Argon ran at the distant dune where the ATV’s were, turning back to fire at the pursuant. The two children ran in front of them, sprinting toward where they had been told to go. I heard more engines roaring to life.

  I hopped on the back of the transport and wrapped my arms around Michael. I felt the thing take off and we were flying. He yipped triumphantly over the wind as we sped up. I jammed my eyes shut and fought off the impending nausea. I hated vehicles like this. It had two wheels and wobbled too much for my comfort.

  Peeking out after a few minutes, I could see the other headlights bouncing along on our other sides. There were fewer than we had started out with. That worried me. I pulled out the earpiece Argon had given me earlier in the day and spoke into it. “Where is everyone?”

  “I disabled the chain engines on those who were too loyal to Xorratti,” Argon’s voice crackled over the line. “They’ll be fine. They won't catch up any time soon.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I thought we had suffered casualties.”

  “What the hell happened in there anyway? You didn’t give me much warning!”

  “He tried to poison us.”

  The line of trikes condensed to single file and we ran second. I could see the bike in front of us wasn’t Cain’s. The figure was too small so it had to be Ray. I glanced back and saw his face illuminated in red by our tail lights. In front of him sat the two stunned-looking children. I nodded at him gratefully and offered him a small smile. He didn't return it.

  I looked away as Michael patted my hands which were still holding onto him tightly. “I’m not going to crash. You can let up a bit if you want,” his voice rumbled under my ear. “I don’t mind, but your hands are going to get sore.”

  I reluctantly loosened my grip as we rode into the darkness. I wasn’t sure where we were going. I had no intention of looking back again to ask. Cain had not looked happy. I figured I was in for a good tongue lashing whenever we stopped. I had hijacked his plans unintentionally and I doubted he took that kindly.

  Michael’s back protected me from most of the wind as we rode toward the dawn. I ducked down even further and tried to close my eyes. Uncomfortable about the proximity as I was, I knew better than to squander the opportunity to try and relax. I closed my eyes and thanked the God I feared so much for sparing us all another day.

  Chapter Eleven 04:02:19:15 to potential nuclear explosion

  Moonlight stung my eyes. I sat up quickly and groaned as a head rush hit me. Oddly enough, I was on a blanket and in a tent. I blinked, clearing my eyes. I had lain down on the bare sand and gone to sleep outside when we had made camp. Someone must have moved me in here.

  I could see it was still dark through the panels. Looking around a little more, I saw that it was one of the tents the troops had brought with us. Monochromatic beige muslin camouflage to blend in with the sands was everywhere. It even lined the floor.

  Two frightened sets of eyes greeted me as I whipped around at the whisper of movement next to me. The young boy lay, sheltering an even younger girl with his body. I recognized the pose they were both cringed into. I had cringed into it often enough.

  “Are you our new master?” the girl whispered, eyeing me warily.

  “Quiet, Lily,” the boy chided. “We don’t speak unless spoken to. Pardon her, miss.”

  “No,” I said warmly, trying to be soothing. “Talk all you want. I’m not your master. You have no master. You’re free now.”

  “Free?” They both eyed me with distrust.

  “Aye,” I said. “No one will hurt you on my watch. That I promise.”

  Both sets of eyes swiveled over my shoulder.

  “She’s right. No harm will come to you,” Cain’s voice agreed. “You are under our protection now.“

  I turned around to see him sitting with a variety of maps in his lap again. He smiled lazily. I blinked, even more confused. Last time our eyes had met, his were daggers at me. This was new and genuine. Weird.

  “And that of the MoiRai as well,” I added, trying to ignore him. I sat up and extended my hand. The girl took it first. The boy tried to stop her and shot me a frantic look. I unfastened my cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. “There. You won’t be cold now.”

  The girl looked curiously at my scarred hands and gasped. I saw similar marks on hers. She then threw her arms around my waist in a weak attempt at a hug. It worried me how frail she was.

  “Thank you,” she whispered with a smile. My jaw clenched tight as I envisioned myself at that age. So innocent. This one had been saved just in time. I hadn’t. My former self had slipped away, never to return. That in itself was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I gestured for the boy to come over, too, but he stayed away. He nodded but kept his distance, dark eyes surveying me closely. I didn't press the issue.

  “Where’s Michael?” I asked, turning back to Cain. The girl had yet to let me go and seemed inclined to stay exactly where she was.

  He shrugged. “I don't know. I brought you in here for your protection. He might mug you for affection. You’re his savior or so he thinks. Last I saw, he was running around the sand like a kid in the snow whooping his head off. Argon thinks it’s hilarious. I’m not sure what we’re going to do with him yet. He may speak a boatload of languages, but we’re not exactly looking for someone who speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. And as for these two rug rats, I have no idea.”

  “They can go to MoiRai tomorrow. I’ll take them to the base of the mountains along with the baby. Dantenn will be mad I didn't come up for a visit, but he’ll live.”

  “Dantenn?”

  I shrugged. “A comrade. We grew up together.”

  “And did this Dantenn approve of you going off to wage war on the slave trade?”

  “No,” I said truthfully, wondering where his sudden curiosity was coming from. “He thought I was suicidal and tried to stop me. But now, since I’m sure that he’s heard all that I've been up to, he wishes I had been.”

  Lily let out a light snore and I looked down. She was out like a light bulb. She had curled herself around me and tucked her head in against my heart. I looked up and laughed. Her brother was still staring at me with a defiant look on his face.

  “If I were this Dantenn, I wouldn't have let you go off alone,” Cain said in a low voice, leaning forward. “I’d have gone with you.”

  “He would have, but I left in the night. He still probably hasn’t forgiven me for it,” I murmured.

  “Were you close?” he asked curiously.

  “No,” I said wryly. “I avoid relationships of any kind. My youth was no different. He wanted to be friends, then something else as we grew up. But I trained myself until my bones cracked and had little time for much else. I was too angry.”

  “And now?” he pressed on. “Are you still angry?”

  I hesitated. The honest answer was yes, but I didn't think that was a good idea to tell. Fortunately Michael burst in at the same moment Cain was going to go in for the kill. He had a couple of ration bags for us. I looked at them glumly. It tasted like wallpaper paste no matter what it was. Freeze dried or not, it was terrible.

  “Your dinner in a pouch is here y’all,” he beamed with a false southern twang. He was still riding high over being free from his father’s clutches; that I could see. “Oh, hi, Rain!”

  I had no interest in eating the rations now. “I’ll take the night watch. I’ve slept enough.”

  “Naw,” Cain insisted. “We need you awake during the day. You�
�re an asset when it comes to the desert. You-”

  I felt a wiggling in my pocket and realized with a start that I had never set the scorpion free. It was a wonder I hadn’t gotten stung by now. I jumped and pulled it out, tossing it out the end of the tent. When I turned around, both men were looking at me funny. Cain looked positively revolted. Michael was equally disgusted as he spoke. “I thought you kept that thing in a box or something.”

  “Please tell me you don't have any other creepy crawlies hidden up your skirt. I let you sleep on my cot,” Cain said, eyeing my tunic warily.

  “No,” I said. “I had a feeling there would be trouble. I saw it crawling along the rocks and picked it up. But you should know that it was not an Indian Red. If I ever come across one of those, I will not be picking it up with my hands. Those are wicked. The hallucinations I got were awful-”

  “You were stung?!”

  “As a child,” I said, unrolling my hair from the bun and shaking the pins free. “I was lucky it was only a glancing sting. A full on one will kill you easily. This scorpion was harmless.”

  “Aw, shucks. So it wouldn't have done anything to Dad?” Michael asked disappointedly.

  “If I had dropped it down his throat, he could have choked on it,” I said sarcastically. “Or given him a terrible stomach ache.”

  Michael clutched his stomach with a grimace. “Let’s talk about something else. Like what are you going to do with the baby? It can’t come with us. It’s been wailing all night up ‘till now.”

  That was simple. “When I take these two to MoiRai tomorrow, I’ll take the babe as well.”

  “I’ll drive you,” he volunteered eagerly, looking over at Cain. “I’m sure the ‘General’ will provide us with an escort.”

  Cain glared at Michael’s facetious tone. “Obviously.”

  “And, ooh,” Michael exclaimed eagerly, pointing at my scabbard beside me. “I want to know why one of those is longer than the other.”

  Again with the questions. I picked them up and unsheathed them partially , letting him look at them. “One is a katana and the other shorter one is a wakizashi. One is to parry for defense and the other is for attack. The two of them together are referred to as a Daisho.”