The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “Can we do that?”

  “Not unless she is insisting,” he said, and Sienna raised an eyebrow.

  “She is.”

  “Right,” Nathaniel sighed. “Then right away it shall be.”

  Chapter 4

  Nathaniel was always overjoyed to see Eliza, no matter the situation. He flipped between wishing they could be together all the time, and loving the life that they had. They had been lucky enough to experience both situations, and each had their pros and cons. Currently, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as she approached with her team, her long blond hair in twists and her dress flowing in the slight breeze. She was wearing jewels and a crown, which really wasn't practical for low-maintenance travel. But knowing her, she probably had five outfit changes somewhere.

  “Your highness,” Nathaniel said, with the dip he used for their public personas. Her people knew him, and they knew him well. He had been around for years, always loyal to the Queen, always working on her behalf.

  “Maestros,” she said, and he realized she looked tense. “I am eager to get started on our journey.”

  “Erm—” Nathaniel looked to Desmond, who certainly wasn't going to help him in this situation. “Our engine is a bit hot. It's best if we could wait, unless leaving is absolutely crucial.”

  “It's crucial,” Eliza said, and Nathaniel knew she wouldn't lie to him. There was more going on than met the eye, and he simply had to make it work.

  “Of course,” he said. “You can brief us on board.”

  “Thank you,” Eliza said and motioned for her team to start loading the things that were needed.

  “Any ideas?” Nathaniel asked Sienna, regarding the engine. She glanced to him, not quite used to this. The older she got, the more they asked questions like this, trying to teach even in the smallest moments.

  She tried to remember the lesson on this that Christa had taught, but her mind was coming up blank.

  “Ice?” she said at last, and Nathaniel chuckled.

  “While it would work on paper, it would take an amount of ice that we don't have access to. Think about cooling the ship from inside.”

  “Oh,” she said. “We could use thermodynamics and divert into the engine room valves.”

  “Exactly,” he replied. It was Desmond's turn to raise an eyebrow.

  “Will that work?” he asked. Nathaniel shrugged.

  “It's better than nothing,” he answered. “Unless you are willing to argue with Eliza.”

  “That, my former Tiro, is your job,” Desmond said. “I am eager to hear what her rush is.”

  “I, as well,” Nathaniel answered, as he watched the last of her bags be loaded. As always, Eliza travelled with a small team, ready to spring into action and give their own lives if she so much as lifted a finger. She had servants to dress her, servants to cook her food, body guards to defend her. The witches could defend her, of course, but Eliza took no chances. “Is she moving in?”

  “Maybe she has plans for her and you,” Sienna meant is as a joke, but Desmond did not take it as such.

  “Maybe I should remind you two how long we were in exile for my behavior with Mariah,” he said. “Do not repeat my mistake.”

  “Unless someone on the ship has a wagging tongue, I think we will be all right,” Nathaniel replied and Desmond sighed. Nathaniel was no longer his Tiro, but sometimes, he wondered if he wouldn't do with a bit more schooling.

  “That's it,” Sienna said as she watched what she was sure was the last of Eliza's things be loaded on. “We're ready.”

  “Always nice to visit Jeffro,” Nathaniel said, as they turned to re board their ship. “Albeit briefly.”

  “So briefly I'm not sure I actually breathed any Jeffro air,” Sienna said, and he chuckled.

  Desmond watched them trade jokes as they walked onto the ship, leaving him to follow on his own. They got on so well, as they almost always had. The first few years had been rough, with Nathaniel coming to terms with the fact that he was not going to have a warrior Tiro to continue his legacy. But as soon as he accepted that, it was as if they were made for each other. They were often lost in their own, even with the bond gone. They were always together, even when they didn't have to be. Desmond felt that the last few years, he had lost his connection with her, which was maybe to be expected.

  He had to find out, though, if it was gone forever, before he made his choice.

  Once the departure sequence was engaged, and they were well on their way into deep space, Nathaniel set the ship on autopilot and got up, finding Eliza with Desmond and Sienna in the mess hall. They tried to keep a meal schedule that matched the time zone they were in, which was often complicated and meant eating when no one wanted to. Sienna was evidence of this, poking at a bag of vacuum sealed rations without actually taking a single piece.

  “Eat half of that and I'll make you ice cream,” Nathaniel said, sitting down beside her. It wasn't really ice cream, the way he flash froze a fake milk ration and then half melted it, but it was as close as she could get. Anything natural reacted to her body, and her full diet of chemicals was saving her life.

  “Mm,” Sienna said, not quite interested. “I think we have other things to discuss.”

  “We do, but ice cream trumps all,” Nathaniel answered. “Unless her highness wants to explain the rush in negotiations.”

  “I've received intelligence that they have the inner workings of our palace, and a launch code engaged for a thermonuclear attack,” Eliza replied. “We've been at odds for so long, I need to smooth this over now.”

  “What?” Nathaniel's jaw fell open. “Why? What have you done to them?”

  “We may have killed some of their hostages,” Eliza said and Nathaniel put his face in his hands.

  “Eliza…”

  “I'll negotiate my country’s safety on my own terms, thank you,” she said. “But you suddenly see the urgency to go now.”

  “I see the urgency to go last week at this rate,” Nathaniel answered. “And this is the first stop of what I suspect is many negotiations of talking down thermonuclear threats?”

  “Jeffro is a powerhouse,” Eliza said. “The whole galaxy knows it.”

  “Because the whole galaxy knows Jeffro could blow it into oblivion,” Nathaniel pointed out.

  Desmond cleared his throat.

  “With all due respect, your highness, you should have given us this information before we departed.”

  “Why?” she asked. “So that your entire organization could know Jeffro's business? I do not need to provide that information when I book a team.”

  “You do not,” Desmond said. “We are bound by confidentiality, of course. But the type of team might have made a difference. We are not a combat team.”

  Sienna looked at the table then, the words hitting her a bit hard. No, they were not a combat team, although she wished they were. Her Maestros used to be the best combat team in the Order, but that was before her.

  “I don't need a combat team,” Eliza said. “I need negotiations, translation and diplomacy, which are the skills you have between you.”

  “A situation like that could turn hostile quickly,” Desmond pointed out.

  “It won't,” Eliza said, her eyes hard. “And if it does, have you wiped your combat experience from your mind?”

  Sienna cleared her throat.

  “It's because of me, Eliza. They couldn't fight and keep me safe.”

  Eliza's gaze fell on Sienna and her heart softened. The girl seemed so saddened by this, her voice timid. Eliza knew that they were oath sworn to protect their Tiro first, ensuring the future of their order. But the words Sienna said made her realize that the girl felt guilty about it, hopeless.

  “We will keep you safe,” Eliza said. “Don't you worry, little one.”

  It was the same thing that Nathaniel called her, and Sienna met her eyes at that, the words resonating. This was the only family that she had ever known, the only mother figure she had, aside from Mariah.


  “Are you thinking of back up?” Nathaniel looked to Desmond. “I am confident in our skills, but the numbers…”

  “No back up,” Eliza said. “The more people involved in this, the messier it is going to get. I don't want anyone else involved.”

  “Whoever we call in can be trusted to be confidential,” Nathaniel said. “Sybil and Kierry, you remember them? They are experts in undercover, in…”

  “No back up.” Eliza rose. “There will be no need. Everything will go smoothly.”

  Nathaniel sighed, glancing at Desmond. Although the younger was a Maestro in his own right, Desmond had seniority

  “Check Sybil and Kierry's availability,” Desmond said. “But don't reach out to them. It's just good to know who is available.”

  “It won't be necessary,” Eliza said, done with the conversation as she turned on her heel. “You'll see.”

  “Eliza...” Nathaniel rose, as well. “I'll talk to her.”

  “By all means,” Desmond said, and Sienna half-stood, as well. “No.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “You haven't even started eating.”

  “But…” she said, so used to following Nathaniel whenever there was something to be done.

  “Eat,” they both said at the same time, and she sighed, sitting.

  She fell into silence with Desmond at her side, munching at a piece or two before speaking again. “Kierry will take the tests next month,” she said at last, and Desmond cocked his head.

  “Really? Already?”

  “Not already,” Sienna answered. “It's normal. If Devon was still here, he would have already taken them.”

  “Do you still think about Devon?” Desmond asked, and she blushed.

  “Sometimes,” she replied, putting another ration piece in her mouth to avoid answering any more on the topic. She chewed before speaking again. “If Kierry can take the tests now, I might have a shot.”

  He sighed at that.

  “Sienna....”

  “We are almost the same age,” Sienna said. “And I've been training for longer than Kierry. I know my magic is blocked but there are other areas.”

  “There are other areas,” Desmond answered her. “But you are not ready.”

  The harsh reality hit her and she stopped eating.

  “Will you tell me when I am ready?”

  “It is a Maestro's responsibility to determine if a Tiro is ready for the tests,” Desmond answered. Her language skills were just weak enough to miss what he was actually saying. Desmond hated that he knew what words to use to confuse her, but he needed to in this moment.

  “So you will decide together?” she asked.

  “Nathaniel and I will talk,” Desmond assured her. “Please finish eating. You didn't eat anything this morning.”

  “The pills make me feel…” She paused before the word. “Full.”

  “That's because they are full of chemicals,” he said. “But they have no nutritional value. Remember that you have to be strong, Sienna, at all times. Nathaniel and I may not be here to protect you forever.”

  “Why, where are you going?” she asked, and for that, he had no good answer.

  “Finish eating,” he said, sternly, and she obeyed.

  She fell into silence as she did, and he found the opportunity to lose himself into his thoughts. He used to sit with her like this years ago, when she was a child, and she would eat next to nothing. Her magic had been out of control then, and they had encouraged her to not to use it at all, until they figured out the solution.

  The first time he sat with her like this, he felt Mariah's thoughts invade his head, questioning his choice. He wasn't supposed to take another Tiro, he was supposed to retire and be with her. But he had promised her just one more, if she would just a wait a bit longer. Although he had been drawn to Sienna, no one expected her to survive as long as she did.

  Nothing had changed since that moment. She still couldn't use magic. She still didn't eat properly. She was no closer to the tests than she had been back then. It wasn't for lack of trying or lack of learning, of course. She was good at so many things. But being certified at a full witch was a different matter entirely, and it was a matter that she had not been born to fulfill.

  Mariah was still waiting, still unsure, still questioning, even if she was supportive.

  They were stagnant, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  And Desmond knew they had to move forward, one way or another.

  Chapter 5

  Sienna was sitting in her bunk, working on homework, when she heard the alarm. She had just gotten comfortable, hooked up to an IV that administered the Cinemron. Currently, she had untangled the wires and was enjoying full mobility as she scribbled on her tablet.

  She looked up at once, to see the control panel at the door flashing bright red. The alarm wasn't piercing yet. It was in every room rather than overpowering the whole ship. However, she knew this was a precursor to something terrible happening.

  She leapt off the bunk, wincing at the height as she moved toward the panel. The IV ripped out of her arm, leaving a bleeding gash. She covered the wound with her hand, her face contorting in shock as she rushed toward the panel. To her horror, the screen was flashing.

  Engine at critical temperature Engine at critical temperature. Shutting down in four minutes.

  She pushed the door panel open, leaving her things on the floor as she took off down the hallway. She was sure she cracked her tablet, but it didn't matter as she rushed into the cockpit.

  Both Nathaniel and Desmond were already there, clearly aware of the problem by the panicked look on their faces.

  “Maestro…” she started, and Nathaniel only glanced at her a moment.

  “Just stay there,” he said. “I might need you in a moment.”

  “Override code failed.” The ships computer felt the need to chime in at that moment and Nathaniel slammed the console in frustration. He swore, and Desmond took that as his cue to dial in a communications code.

  “Christa isn't going to know it,” Nathaniel snapped at Desmond.

  “She may not know it for this particular model, but she may have an idea, and we're about to lose power,” Desmond answered, trying to reach out as far as his bond would go for his former Tiro.

  “What in Creator name is happening?” Eliza burst into the control room, looking annoyed.

  “We're over-heating, your highness,” Nathaniel snapped at her. “Exactly what I tried to tell you would happen.”

  “Well, fix it,” Eliza answered, and Nathaniel growled at her.

  “We're trying.”

  “Hi,” Christa's voice came through the speakers loud and clear.

  “Christa, please tell me you can override an error code 543J,” Nathaniel said. “We're in a Koli u74.”

  “543J?” Christa asked in shock. She was the best pilot in the galaxy. If anyone had the skills, it was her. “Take her down and now.”

  “What?” Nathaniel demanded.

  “You can't override that.” Christa's panic was only slightly apparent “You need to get everyone on that ship into the control room, and fast. That's going to be the last area to shut down the oxygen.”

  “Sienna.” Nathaniel spun around. “Go, now!”

  Desmond reached up, hitting the ship wide PA. He failed once to get it working, and Sienna noticed before she ran that his hands were shaking. Her Maestros were nervous, and that added to her fear.

  She ran down the hall, trying to remember where she had last seen people. Her hand was soaked in blood, feeling hot and sticky underneath her palm. She had ripped the vein, and she was going to be in danger of bleeding out if she didn't fix it.

  “All personnel to the pilot's cockpit, now. Repeat, all personnel to the pilot's cockpit, now,” Desmond's voice came over the PA. He sounded calm, but inside the cockpit, a second alarm was starting to sound.

  “You should have hard warnings before this,” Christa said.

  “We did,” Nathaniel said, through gri
tted teeth, “I ignored them.”

  “Don't you blame this on me,” Eliza barked. “If the ship wasn't safe to fly, you should have said.”

  “Did I say that?” Nathaniel asked her.

  “Hey,” Christa's voice came back through. “I'm going to lock onto your ship and see if I can find the nearest planet. But you need to descend, Nathaniel, and now.”

  “Descend with nowhere to land?”

  “You're going to lose oxygen,” she reminded him. “You need to have the best chance of entering breathable atmosphere as soon as possible, and you'll do that by flying low.”

  “Can't I override the shutdown?” he asked. “I know that you can do it on other models.”

  “You can,” Christa said. “And it will lead to combustion, so don't even try. Creator, your engine is hot!” She had received their stats and Desmond could hear her fingers on the keys wherever she was, frantically searching. “Well, this is good. You're near Arborath.”

  “Can you key us clearance for landing?” Nathaniel asked, frantically trying to keep the ship under control as it started to tremble.

  “No need,” Christa said. “Arborath is not controlled by the Union. It's a snow planet, so you'll cool down right away, if you can get there fast enough. Stand by.”

  “It's not a Union planet?” Desmond asked. “What is it?”

  “It's…” Christa's wince could be heard in her voice. “Just be on your guard It's one of those misfit planets. But if you blow your engine, you should be able to pick up a new one around there.”

  Nathaniel glanced to Desmond, but said nothing. They had been on those planets before, and it was anything but safe.

  “Key it in,” Nathaniel said, knowing they were taking a huge risk. In addition to a fragile Tiro, they had the Queen of Jeffro aboard, and enough jewels to fund a planet for six months, it seemed. Planets like Arborath could smell money from miles away.

  Sienna felt like she couldn't catch her breath as she motioned for the bewildered guards to make their way toward the front of the ship. She could feel her hand grow slippery and her head was fuzzy. It probably didn't help that her heart rate was over accelerating as she rushed from door to door.