There were several patrons in the dining room, a small crowd, but still, she wasn’t hard to find. Jade acknowledged him with a nod and a devious grin, the effect on him instant and jarring. There had not been a moment to talk since the previous night. Had it been more than twenty-four hours? Did it matter? He hadn’t stopped reliving that kiss with her for a minute since.
Which was its own sort of torture, because he knew that he should not, in any way, ever do it again.
He moved toward her table, drawn to her regardless. There was an empty table just behind her, yet he couldn’t bring his feet to move any further. Her grin was lopsided, evil, and her eyes had followed him with an unnerving sort of precision.
Once more. He had to kiss her just once more before this ended. When the envoy arrived, it was likely they would part ways, possibly forever. But he had to kiss her just once, properly, the way he had wanted to since the Maiden.
“You gonna stand there forever or sit?” She said, taking a sip of her drink.
He hesitated, then surrendered. Why fight it when it would be over in a day?
“You look nice,” she said over her drink, eyes casting around the room.
He waited for the rest of her comment.
“Makes me want to mess you up, again,” her eyes lured him like a siren, the vivid green a shade darker as his mind raced through all the promise of ‘again.’
Yet, she hadn’t thrown him off. Turn him on? Definitely. But she was starting to become predictable. There was a pattern to her impulses and actions that might seem random to those that didn’t know her.
His throat constricted, causing him to cough ungraciously into his fist. To those that didn’t know her? That had been him days ago. Dian didn’t get to know people, the nuances of interaction were boring and hard to read. He carefully pushed that train of thought aside, for reflection when he wasn’t in the middle of a crowded dining room.
“When do our babysitters get here?” She asked, sliding back into casual much easier than he could. He shifted in his seat, pants extremely uncomfortable.
“They weren’t specific.”
She sat back and crossed her arms. He waved down the waitress to order.
“So what happens now?” She asked as the waitress left. “I mean, when they get here?”
He took in a deep breath. He had talked about this with Jesiah and, while nothing was certain, he had an idea of how things would go. “For one, I’d imagine Cobalt will be disbanded.”
She frowned.
“I will either be stripped of command or, by a miracle, be given a new unit.”
“And the rest of us?”
He gave her a sad sort of smile. “I don’t know.” He hated not knowing, always striving to be certain in all aspects of his life, but everything was different now. He was different. He met her eyes, accepting that she was the only bearable part of his life that had altered in the past few days. Forget the matter of his trust in the system that had raised him, his failure, his likely fall from rising star to washed up no one, did he even care about any of it?
“I’m sorry I can’t offer you more, I wish I could.” He took the drink set in front of him, alcoholic, and took a sip. Gods it tasted awful. He took another sip.
“So…” She was looking away, everywhere. “So. I guess that would mean it’s unlikely we’ll cross paths again.”
His fingers turned into a fist on the table. “That’s entirely possible.”
She nodded, still looking away. He thought he saw a tremor in her lips, but he couldn’t be certain before it was gone. Was she sad? About not seeing him again? Because the thought was starting to develop into a physical sort of agony for him. The only thought in his head as she turned her eyes toward him, finally, was that he might do anything to make her smile again.
Then Legionnaires burst through the doors and his hope vanished.
4
Hooray. They were saved.
Jade rose slowly, arms heavy, expertly masking her profound annoyance at the shitty timing. They couldn’t have waited an hour?
“Ah,” A voice broke Jade’s melancholy, sending an icy chill down her spine, “So here are your friends.” The raspy tone sent her to a state of fear she rarely experienced. Her hands trembled slightly and the world grew distant, hazy. Slowly the world came back in focus, but her hands remained unsteady.
The Legionnaires were unarmed, ten of them waiting in a row with hands behind their heads. A host of people darted decisively through the dining room, to the exits and stairs. Free Chanters. Patrons leapt from their seats in alarm. And in the middle of the room, commanding the attention of everyone else, was a woman with spiky red and black hair. Amaria.
“Now, now. There’s no need to run. This city is ours now. You have nowhere to run to. Each of you will be tested and dealt with accordingly. It will go so much easier if you line up and get it over with.” Her dark eyes flashed with glee and Jade knew instantly that the words were taunts. Amaria wanted nothing more than a fight, a reason to use force. This was just a game to her. Her eyes fixed on Jade’s corner of the room, where the rest of her friends stood. Jade drew back, chest tight. “Let’s start with the Legionnaires.”
Amaria tapped the chairs as she waded through the small space. Each chair began to glow before pouncing at any movement, those trying to slip away while Amaria’s focus was elsewhere. Their cries and grunts broke the blanket of silence. “No one is leaving,” Amaria cooed, “Anyone who tries can have a seat.” She chuckled at her terrible joke.
“You,” Amaria tilted her head as she asked, “You are familiar.”
Jade willed her hands into fists, looking boldly into Amaria’s eyes. “Aw, you remembered,” she said, and she even managed to sound coy.
Amaria narrowed her eyes. “You had friends, though.” She searched the faces of Cobalt unit, brightening as she spotted her prey. “You and you, let’s step forward.”
Dian and Liam moved to Jade’s side. She took Liam’s hand, an almost subconscious motion that instantly soothed and reassured. Liam was there, he was always there. Yet, it was the scent of pine that eased her heart and helped her to breathe.
“The three of you again, hm? And none of you properly tested, if I remember correctly, so we can get that out of the way first.”
Jade sucked in air and Liam squeezed her hand, drawing her arm closer, not-quite-hugging her.
What am I so afraid of? I’m a Chanter, she can’t hurt me.
Amaria could test her all she liked and it wouldn’t do a damn thing. In fact, she’d have to consider recruiting Jade into her little club. Jade nearly grinned. She was going to enjoy telling this bitch to fuck off.
Amaria held up a small pouch, gold light glittering through the top as she worked it gently in her fingers. “Let’s see, I think I’ll start with you this time.”
No.
With a touch of her hand, Amaria enchanted a knife to glide through the air, to Liam’s throat. “Start walking or there will be blood.”
She wasn’t supposed to pick Liam. Fuck. Jade stepped in front of him. “Test me first.”
“Oh please, like I’m going to listen to you again. Step back or I’ll slit his throat, test or no.”
Liam gently released her hand and started walking. Distantly, Jade heard sniffling, tears, someone was crying. She didn’t think it was her, but her body was numb.
Liam stood in front of Amaria. His face expressionless. No more scars. She had promised him. His father had given him enough for a lifetime. He’d wanted a Chanter for a son, a kid who could win fights without fail. Maybe exposure would turn him? A few sprinkles of Glint here. A handful there. Over time, maybe Liam would become immune. Glint was already scarce in Harrowind and he threw it at his child. Liam won every fight, but it wasn’t enough. It was all about the profits, a Chanter kid in the pits would double the numbers, triple. Liam could take it. He was stronger than the other kids.
But Liam had refused to fight her. And they had escaped togeth
er. And she had promised no more scars.
Amaria forced Liam to his knees and tore his sleeve. Tattoos of tally marks up the length of his arm, for each victory to make him appear more threatening, and beneath those were blotches of discolored skin, faintly raised dots and patches. Glint burns. Obvious Glint burns.
“Well, it never hurts to be sure.” Amaria looked at Jade. That fucking psycho cunt knew those were Glint burns. She had to know, everyone knew, but she was going to test him anyway. Jade’s blood was boiling. Her hands were trembling, but not so much in fear. She was ready to fucking snap.
Amaria lifted a handful of Glint ready to let it fall over Liam’s arm, a few particles slipping through her fingers, hitting his skin with tiny pops of energy. Liam didn’t move. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t react. Each little pop hit like a hammer.
She couldn’t watch this. She wouldn’t.
Jade leapt for him before anyone could stop her, hugging Liam close to her and concentrating her entire being on keeping him safe. Taking the pain away. Stopping the pain.
Gold light burst from her, from everywhere, surrounding the two of them on the floor. Liam went stiff in her arms, but she held him tighter, ready to drag him away, get him out of there and deal with Amaria herself.
Then the light died and Jade’s strength wavered. Amaria pounced, throwing the entire handful of Glint into Liam’s face.
“NO!”
Jade lunged at her. Punching. Punching. Punching. She was swinging so blindly most of her hits were off, easily deflected or dodged entirely. She stopped before any other Chanters decided to help, except Amaria wasn’t looking at Jade at all, but at Liam.
Oh, gods, Liam. Jade turned slowly, bracing herself. Would there be blood? How was she going to get them out of here?
But she saw no blood.
Liam looked at his hands before slowly brushing the Glint particles from his shirt. No cries or screams of pain.
“What the Fuck.” Amaria’s voice broke the ringing in Jade’s ears as she tried to process what she was seeing.
Every eye in the inn was watching, had seen. Though no one was ready to speak.
Liam finally looked up at Jade, shock clear on his face but it was otherwise normal. Untouched.
Jade shook her head. His stories from before, those hadn’t been lies.
“What the fuck just happened? Since when are you a Chanter?” Amaria turned on Jade and quickly threw a handful of Glint into her chest. The low cut of her top meant that her beautiful breasts might have been permanently scarred, but thank ‘Meria nothing happened except a bit of sandy particles falling into Jade’s cleavage.
Amaria growled and looked back at Liam. “Are you telling me, these aren’t Glint burns?”
“They are,” he said, getting to his feet and staring at Jade. What had she done?
The implications were all there, but Jade refused to acknowledge them. It was too insane. Just a few days ago she wasn’t even aware she was a Chanter, now this? She had never heard of this. Judging by the pressing quiet and Amaria’s agitation, no one had heard of this.
Amaria’s face changed again, her lips spreading into a grin. “This is extremely interesting. Possibly interesting enough to save you— ”
A shout broke the suffocating silence, forcing attention elsewhere. Jade didn’t know or care who was shouting. Or that Amaria rushed off to deal with it. Or that furniture was breaking and splintering somewhere behind her. She wanted to rush to Liam, but she was afraid. What if he didn’t want this? What if he hated her for it? He was so sensitive about Glint and Chanters...was he a Chanter now or just immune to Glint? No one had stopped to check.
A hand took hers. Jade was about to resist, when the scent of pine put her instantly at ease. She followed broad shoulders blindly through the commotion. Once out of the dining room her back was eased against a wall. The fighting was muffled, out of sight. Warm arms quelled the surge in her chest.
Jade looked up into Dian’s eyes, a flutter of panic rising up her throat. What was he going to say?
“You have to go.” His voice calm and quiet.
“I didn’t know,” she pleaded, “I swear I didn’t know until Meraton and then I wasn’t even sure and I have no idea what that was back there, I don’t know what I did— ”
He was smiling. “It doesn’t matter.” His voice was soft, soothing. The panic started to ease. His hand moved to her face, thumb caressing her flushed cheeks. “The Queen has given the order that all Chanters are to be detained. All Chanters.”
Me.
She waited to see what he would do next.
“You need to go,” he repeated, “You need to grab Liam and go. Everyone saw and the Legion isn’t safe anymore.”
“Go?” Somehow, she managed to say it without her voice cracking.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, fingers gliding gently to her hair, trailing chills in their wake. “You should leave Vacua. That would be the safest choice.”
“Where?”
His other hand cupped her cheek, holding her face so gently tears almost broke free. His eyes dipped to her mouth and her stomach flipped despite the emotions already churning. It pulled her into the present, overpowered the turmoil. “Just once more,” he whispered, “Before you go,” his breath warmed her lips, “May I?”
May I? Fucking ‘may I’? What the fuck kind of dork gentleman question was that? ‘Meria, she was half-way to climax when she breathed, “Now.”
This was nothing like before. They didn’t crash together, so much as he had decided to pull her flush against him and seduce her with his mouth. Thoroughly. Refusing to rush. Tongue sweeping between her lips with sensual, slow strokes. The kiss was tender, almost sweetly erotic. And it broke her heart.
His hands wove fully through her hair, to the back of her head, coaxing a moan from her throat and then he pulled back. He set his forehead against hers, breathing together.
“You need to go,” he said, barely audible.
“I know.”
“I’ll buy you time.”
A million words were on her tongue, but she didn’t know which to say. Any of them would be too much, make this too hard. Make saying goodbye to him impossible. So she said nothing. He kissed her again, quickly and hard, then stepped back and returned to the fight in the dining room. Somehow, the world hadn’t stopped.
Jade swallowed her tears and followed him. The scene had changed. Amaria was gone, several people lay on the floor moving or still, and it seemed the Legionnaires had won the fight. While everyone was still distracted with their wounds and the captured Chanters, Jade caught Liam’s eye.
She ducked back into cover and raced to her room to grab her satchel before meeting him downstairs. When she returned, Liam was waiting with Caprice, Kirst, Minoza, and the enchanter woman with the gorgeous hair, Gideon.
Jade pulled Liam aside, “We need to get out of here. The Legion is rounding up Chanters. We can’t be weighed down.”
Liam shrugged. “Caprice has a home in Rosewall where we can rest until we figure out our next move. I don’t know what the others are doing here, they just followed. Apparently, Free Chanters have taken this city, too.”
Jade cursed, but there wasn’t time to argue with any of them. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
5
Dian had managed to keep Commander Sparks occupied while the last of his unit slinked toward the back of the inn. He knew Liam would leave, Caprice too had no reason to stay, but Minoza and Kirst were technically still part of the Legion. They were both deserting by following Jade.
“We’ve secured the area, Faer, have you found your men?” Sparks led the envoy sent to retrieve Dian and the remainder of Cobalt. He’d been instructed to debrief about the situation in Meraton and then escort them to Azlemaine. Thankfully, distracting Sparks had not been difficult. The man was nearing eighty and should have retired a decade ago.
Jesiah remained with Dian, quietly avoiding questions and therefore implication in the slig
ht fabrication Dian was about to weave. “They must have been captured in the struggle.” Dian answered. “I’ve searched the inn and there’s no other signs of them.”
“Hm. Well. That is unfortunate,” Sparks gave a gruff sort of cough, “But it is not our duty to rescue, our orders were to debrief and retrieve. The, uh, two of you will have to suffice.”
Dian nodded solemnly. In his career he’d never lied to a superior officer. He had never been inclined to lie in his life, yet just now he’d managed it with little upset. Perhaps because it was the right thing to do. If his men wanted to desert, after everything, he wouldn’t hold that against them. Not in times like this, though others may feel differently about desertion in war time. And keeping her safe hadn’t even been a question.
“Sir.” The Lt. under Sparks moved to his Commander’s side, his hair dark and slicked back, his profile harsh and narrow. “What about the woman?”
Sparks paused, and Dian wasn’t sure if he legitimately forgot what had happened moments ago or had forgotten the question he’d been asked seconds ago.
Lt. Riker continued, his voice calmly civil. “The woman who can turn non-Chanters into Chanters.”
“Is that what she did?” Dian challenged, looking Riker in the eye.
“That’s what I saw.”
Dian shrugged. “I saw a lot of light and that’s about it. Hard to say what happened.”
“True, true,” Sparks nodded as if he were part of the conversation, “It was unlike anything we’ve ever encountered. The General would want to know about her, regardless of the particulars. The Queen herself should hear the report. From myself, of course.”
“Of course, sir,” Riker said and those cold, calm eyes didn’t leave Dian’s. “But wouldn’t it be better to have her in hand?”
“Is she not here?”
“She was a part of Cobalt unit, if I’m not mistaken.”
Dian unclenched his fist and teeth. He determined, rather quickly, that he did not care for Riker. But this is why he had stayed behind. Why he hadn’t followed the impulse to go with her. He would make sure she wasn’t followed, at least for as long as he could. Her power had been a shock, even to her. Yet, if everyone was going to believe what they had seen, then whispers would grow to rumors. A Chanter that could create Chanters. If everyone jumped to the same conclusion as Riker then Jade would be sought by both sides of this mess. A target. A prize.
Catalyst (The Second Cycle Book 1) Page 28
