“You demand the impossible.”
“Is it? Is it that you don’t want me or that you are afraid of wanting to want me?”
No avoiding the truth now. I was hurting him either way. “Both, but the attraction is just not there, Dantenn.”
“My insistence is that with time that could change if you gave us a chance. You start at the same argument every time. You don't factor in the possibility of yourself changing-”
“I won’t,” I murmured. I never did. Not since I gave up on my mother coming back for me as a child.
“Are you so sure?” he asked, voice coming closer. The sand shifted next to me as he sat down. “You’ve changed since you left. Your eyes are different. They aren’t clouded with fear and anger anymore. And don't try to tell me that’s because no one is home. I wouldn't have seen you cradling a baby decade ago. I’ll bet you surprised yourself. Such a soft, tender gesture but you were capable. You weren’t then. I was just too stubborn to see it.”
“And you’re too stubborn to see the truth now,” I sighed. He wasn’t going to give up; that much I knew. The only way I saw him giving up was by making it of his own accord. I couldn't discourage him by my actions, it seemed. Perhaps time would make him see. I peeked at him, seeing his face outlined in the moonlight. “Fine. Change my mind if you will.”
This surprised him. “Huh?”
I figured that this would make my life a whole lot easier as well. He would be less likely to fight my going off after the others if he thought he had a shot. I chuckled. “I figure if you exhaust all of your best efforts, you’ll give up eventually.”
He was quiet for a minute. “Does this mean you will come back with me; no fight?”
I fidgeted with my clothes. A hand sought out mine and I was forced to relinquish my grip on my robes. I couldn't go back on my word now even though I wanted to smack it away. “When we find the nuke, I suppose so. But don't expect us to be alone.”
“Yes, I gather other certain parties who have set their sights on you will be around as well,” he rumbled in an unpleasant-sounding, deep voice. “You’re still going to insist we go after them though, aren't you? You won’t go and track down this bomb together without them?”
It was my turn to be silent. “They’ll never make it to the state. Whoever is pulling the strings of this operation will not want them to return. If they aren’t sold, they’ll be done away with. They might be dead now for all we know.”
That in itself was unbearable for me to think about. I had become too close to those two. I shouldn’t care for them and yet I did. He felt me shudder and patted my hand. “Then we go back to MoiRai for reinforcements. We all come out, and find it and them.”
“No. The others should remain where they are. It’s safer there. The bomb is unstable. It is not a question of when it will go off; it is where.”
He grunted irritably. “I just don’t understand why they involved you in all this. They don’t need a guide all that bad. I don’t understand.”
“That has troubled me as well. Something's not right, Dantenn,” I murmured. “It is very possible there is a very dirty scheme at the center of all this. Xorratti was dealing with Tiranshyck directly, had the bomb in his possession, and we still don't know why or how that came to be. We were lied to, but we’re not sure by whom.”
“Sierr,” he murmured. “I think that once we have recovered them you should bow out. We can continue to hunt it down, but separately. There is an unseen force circling here and I have the uneasy feeling it will end with you in a trap.”
I looked up at the stars, sensing the truth in his words. But I couldn’t bow out just because I was threatened. There was too much at stake. “There is a good chance we can find the bomb in Chernobial”
“That was not what I asked.”
He knew me too well. “I’ll bow out if I feel there is no credible threat to the city. But if there is-”
“Then I will come with you.”
“No,” I cut him off. “If it becomes clear we are getting too close to the bomb, you go back to Moor En. The future leader of our people needs to stay close to home in case disaster strikes.”
Even though it was black outside, I could still see his glare. “I won’t leave you behind.”
I smiled sadly. “But see reason. You will be needed at home. I will not.”
“You are needed. I need you,” he murmured, a crack in his voice.
That was a crushing blow to my arguments right there. There was no way to get around that without rehashing the same old fight over and over. I bowed my head. “Then we cross that bridge when the river is in full flood and not a moment before.”
I knew that would not satisfy him but he did not question it further. The grip on my hand tightened, however. And it didn't slack through the night, even as he slept.
* * *
Chernobial was as ugly as I remembered it. If you were into slavery, drugs, arms, or just a plain warlord, you passed through here. It had taken a half day’s journey to arrive, so I had to hope we were not too late.
There were no security systems here except for inside the buildings so we had had to do some major hacking earlier. From what I had learned, two captives had passed through here previously that matched the description of who we were looking for. And even more to my anxiety, they were now in the fight pits, the worst place for anyone to ever wind up in.
The fight pits were essentially a take-off of Roman gladiator fights. The only real difference was there weren’t any regulations on who could or couldn’t fight. If a slaver felt his captive was either more profitable to garner bets off of or not worth putting on the auction block, they wound up down here. Survival was at a rank fifty percent at maximum. It was usually unopposed slaughter, a favorite of the spectators.
God, I hated most of humanity. Blood, money and sex were the mantra in this place, and blood usually permeated the allure of the other two. And worse, I knew the upper classes of Nacin often came out here for sport. After the slave auctions, why not go for some more entertainment? Death and gore are all in good fun, right?
I gritted my teeth, sending a nasty look at a wealthy patron proudly heading past me, his new slave in tow. Oh, yes. All in good fun. I loathed them all.
Dantenn hid his unease well as we hurried through the crowds. He allowed to me guide him through this forsaken place where too many souls had expired for wealth and pleasure. We drew plenty of stares. Two warriors in this place were unheard of. And especially since many of the regulars recognized me, he was in much prominence. They were curious as to who he was. Was he another assassin? A wealthy patron I was meeting with? Curiosity abounded.
People bowed out of my way as I passed. The only people to hassle us at all were the prostitutes. They catcalled him as he walked past. Much to their displeasure, he ignored them totally and sidled closer to me.
“I feel like I have just entered hell,” he muttered, looking at the dirty streets around us.
“Close enough,” I growled.
This place indeed was hellish. Fires burned around us and the air was filled with the noxious smell of heavy drugs. Every so often we passed a brawl of some sort. A person was shot to my left and I had to ignore it. Dantenn was less peaceable, however. I could hear his cursing loudly by my ears and he visibly jumped. He hid his cringe very well as the person’s brains were laid out for all to see, but I knew him well enough to see he was freaked out and revolted by the behavior around us. His eyes darted around in nervousness.
At last we came to our destination. The plebeian gatekeeper gulped at me. He knew me well enough. I had killed his former boss in front of him a few years previous. “Sierrenna, what can I do for you?”
I bore down on him, seeing his unease. “I believe two of my belongings have been stolen from me and found their way into the pen. I am here to reclaim my property.”
“Do you have their papers?” he asked timidly, seeming afraid of the answer.
“Do you wish to rema
in in possession of your eyeballs?” I said sweetly, making him squirm. “Let me see if they are indeed here before I lose my patience.”
He gulped again, eyeing Dantenn’s strong but silent force behind me. He knew better than to argue. He opened the gate and ushered us in. I started walking. Fortunately my companion kept his yap shut until we were out of earshot. “Eyeballs? Do you have a collection or something? Wear them around your neck instead of pearls?”
“My reputation precedes me. Show some respect.”
I hurried along, glancing in as I went, sickened by the things I saw. All of these people would likely meet their deaths today. I could hear the roar of the crowds. Men came and placed their money down on who would survive the longest. It varied by the day. Yesterday was the animal variety of fighters. Today was a different case altogether.
The enormous cages toward the front shook from what was contained in them. Who said the days of ancient Rome were gone? Though on a smaller and grislier scale, this was the equivalent.
At last we came to the right cage. Much to my displeasure it was the furthest one in. Dantenn stood a little ways away keeping watch. We had come at the right time. They were about to be put into the ring. A guard stood off at a distance, watching me much too closely for my comfort. Michael spotted me first. “Rain!”
He ran over and stuck his hands through the bars, meaning to embrace me. I eyed them disgustedly. “Remember your manners, slave. I gather you are pleased to see me, but contain yourself. Have you or your companion been damaged?”
He stared at me with confusion. His counterpart continued to lean up against the cage on the other side. Cain caught on to my meaning before I had to act further. “Answer her. Master does hate to repeat herself.”
I was displeased to see he was covered in claw marks. Cain twirled a switchblade between his fingers, eyeing the doors. He knew what was going on out front right now and that they were in line for the same fate. But it seemed he must have protected Michael from the worst of whatever they had been subjected to. There wasn’t a mark on him. I allowed my eyebrows to rise. “Dantenn, please inform the gatekeeper they are indeed here and that I am most displeased I was not notified.”
Dantenn headed over to the man who had been eyeing me with open interest. I rolled my eyes at Michael’s hurt expression. “So what have my two favorites been up to?”
He gulped. “We were in the ring last night. Cain gutted some creature.”
Cain snorted humorlessly. “So, how did you get lover boy to agree to come here? He seemed intent to cart you off to Shangri La and leave us to rot.”
Dantenn returned on cue as if Cain had called him. “There is trouble brewing. It seems the gatekeeper called some people. Does a man with a black mask over one half of his face mean anything to you?”
This was great. Tiranshyck’s eldest son was indeed the one who had stirred the pot. “One of my former master’s cockroach-like offspring. He’s a scream and a half.”
Anything further I had to say was lost as the doors to the pen began to open. A great roar from the crowd rang loud in my ears. Michael had turned a vibrant shade of purple as I rattled the door in front of me. It was locked tight.
“Move!”Dantenn growled, sticking a switchblade of his own into the lock and attempting to pick it.
I looked at the bars. They were way too thick to attempt to bend them and judging by the frantic jiggling from below, he was not having any success with the lock. I was seriously starting to be worried. We were running out of time. Michael was turning from purple to a bloodless color. I knew he wasn't a fighter, but it seemed he had absolutely no inclination to turn around and see what he would be facing. He was eyeing me with desperation.
I saw some enormous shadow outside the door and on the opposite side of the ring, the remains of some poor soul being carted away. Who they had out there waiting to fight them had to have been a professional fighter. I could hear them stirring the crowds up, looking for attention.
“It’s going to be fine. We’re going to get you out.” I took Michael’s hand. The door shuddered to a halt, fully open now. The crowd roared in the stands. “What’s in there, Cain?”
He didn't look at me as he glared out. “Get him out of here. If one of us doesn't take off, the floor will electrify. That simply won't do.”
I guessed his plan before I saw him take his first step. “Cain, no!”
“Find the nuke,” he said, ignoring me with his eyes on whomever was in front of him. He patted Michael roughly on the shoulder as he took off and pointed at me. “And protect her.”
I never felt so helpless in all of my life. I had to admire the bravado he went out with though. Head held high and shoulders squared, he sauntered out. As soon as the heavy metal door slammed shut, I felt my knees turn to mush. I gripped the bars of the cage to steady myself as the crowd shrieked their approval. This was bad. Now we had no way to get in there and help him unless…
I backed up, looking at the distance to the stucco wall to my left. It wasn't so high that I couldn't scale it. It would be a piece of cake. The question was how I was going to get out. But I didn’t have the time to worry about that now. I’d leave that to Dantenn. Once I was in there, I knew he would not rest until he had gotten me free. It would triple his intent to free Cain if I was there as well. “Get Michael out and acquire transport. Meet us by the Meaty Washboard.”
He must’ve guessed my plan. He snatched at me but I evaded his outstretched hand, whirling away and sprinting at the wall. “Don’t even think about it!”
He wasn’t fast enough. In the second I heard his response, I was already over the top and running along the flat edge of the wall. I could see Cain as I ran, dodging the enormous pro fighter as he charged him. Cain slipped past by a hair, scoring a wound across the fighter’s ribs with the switchblade.
The audience paused in their jeers, watching me run around the top of the encasing wall. This was certainly not in the program. They were not expecting it when bullets started flying my way. I dove down into the ring amidst outraged and fearful screams. From what I saw, Cain was the only one not to react. Maybe he didn’t notice me as I ran up alongside his opponent from the other side, drawing my sword. It was understandable. He had tripped and there was a very large, falchion angling toward him, one that whizzed inches from his face as I managed to score a long gash down the man's back.
His roar of pain made me cringe on the inside. But the fighter’s reaction seemed to alert Cain to the fact I was there. Cain’s eyes noted me and then darted away again. “Get out of here!”
The ridiculously tall man with the bald head rounded on me as I drew my wakizashi. He looked at them both with a leer, towering over me. “Hey, sweetheart. What are you going to do with those? You should put them away before someone gets hurt.”
Fool. “That’s obtuse considering who I am and who you are.”
He laughed, taking his eyes off the ball. I sliced my blade down toward his heart, and in his arrogance, his hand barely made it down in time to stop me. He wasn’t laughing now. I parried back a flurry of blows from him, noting his strategy. He was relying on brute strength and would tire easily. He took one step toward me and I stomped down so hard on his foot that I caused him to lose balance. Instead of killing him like I could have, I used the flat edge of the sword to rap him on the face. He stumbled back, nose and teeth broken.
Cain was still getting to his feet, obviously in a great deal of pain. I helped him up and handed him the brother to the now bloody katana in my hand. He wiped a rivulet of blood that was dripping from his nose, sweat covering his face. I eyed the man, now wary to approach the two of us. “Do you see a way out?”
“There’s a low point in the gates over there, but I see too many guns, ones that are starting to aim over here at us.”
We parted as the man attacked again; me to the left, he to the right. I swiped a long cut on his haunches and Cain did the same on the other side. We circled the dark-haired fighter, coming a
round his back. He was breathing heavily and favoring his leg.
Cain’s eye traveled over the ring as I plotted. I was displeased to see he was edging to the side of me, blocking the men from shooting me and also from the man now glaring murderously from the other end of the pit. He addressed our opponent now. “Look, we don’t want to kill you but we will. Stand down.”
“Are you kidding?” the fighter shrieked back. “If I don’t, they’ll shoot me! It’s either you or me, and I’m not in any mood to die!”
“If you come near us, we’re going to gut you,” Cain spat back.
Stupidity seemed to be the name of the game for this fellow. He took a running start at the both of us, brandishing his weapon over his head, mouth open with a thunderous roar that echoed around the stadium. This of course was nothing but an attempt to scare us, and if anything was proof of his foolishness. Making this move left him open for a number of evasive and offensive actions, all of which would mean his death. My mind immediately went to calculating them. I had no need to do so, however.
I started to call out as Cain met the challenge head on. Fortunately, my concern was ill placed. As he came close to the attacker, he slipped to the side and brought the edge of my katana down over the man’s thigh, cutting it to the bone. His opponent went down with a scream, dropping his sword.
Cain snatched it up, already moving on to the next task. He tossed me my katana and kept the falchion for himself. “You can thank me later.”
The fall of the other man seemed to be a signal to the men with the guns. They took aim, waiting for some indication to shoot. I saw absolutely no way out of this other than to get flat on the ground but that would only sink us further.
An idea struck me as Cain made to move in front of me again. We needed to climb the wall and get a foothold enough to make it over. I ducked down, feeling around in my boot for the tool that would save us. I came up with a small length of parachute cord. “You’re American, right?”
I started looping it into a noose. He glanced at me. “I’m no cowboy if that’s what you’re getting at. Why? What would I be aiming for?”
War Machine: Book One in the Destiny In the Shadows Series Page 24
