Noble Lies

by Lyneal Jenkins

  At least it isn't a bug!

  The thought made me attack the stringy meat with renewed enthusiasm. Definitely better than eating the insects I couldn’t even look at, let alone put near my mouth.

  Someone screamed. I dropped my meagre dinner and spun on the spot with my dagger drawn.

  Nicolai patter my arm. ‘Be calm. It is only Holly. It takes time for the new arrivals to adapt.’

  I sheathed my dagger, picked the meat off the ground and dusted it off. The food supplies were too low to waste any. ‘Is she suitable for the Damiq?’

  He nodded. ‘I believe so. However, I am rather concerned about the Damiq you say was Fae.’

  I swallowed a piece of half-chewed rabbit. I would be here all night if I tried to mush it properly. ‘His shi was as dark as Parker’s.’

  ‘That can occur. How he fooled his habitat is a mystery.’

  ‘I missed it until the Fae geared up to attack.’

  He smiled. ‘I would not expect you to realise. However, his people should have.’

  Maria helped herself to a strip of the rabbit, avoiding the bowl of insects. She swallowed the meat with a loud gulp. ‘Maybe he had no people?’

  Nicolai offered her more food. ‘It’s possible. I have sent word out to the other habitats in the hope that someone knows him.’

  Maria handed me more of the tough meat. My stomach clenched as I accepted it, already anticipating the taste. I swallowed it before speaking in a low voice. ‘You think they’re dead, don’t you?’

  He shoulders slumped giving him a broken look. ‘If they had a Fae spy in their ranks, it is likely.’

  The meat wedged in my throat, and I choked. Maria slapped me on the back until I held my hand up, a silent plea for her to stop. I lifted the bottle to drink and found it empty. Nicolai offered me his bottle, and I drank to ease my throat. ‘Is it normal for Fae spies?’

  He selected a piece of meat and dropped it with a defeated sigh. ‘Not that I have heard of.’

  We sat in silence, each of us dwelling on his words as we watched the flickering flames of the small fire. If the Damiq habitats were under attack from the Fae, then we had more problems than we realised.

  ‘Why would they spy on you?’ Maria asked.

  Nicolai sighed and looked up at the stars. ‘Until now, the Siis have fought their war in private, but things are changing. More Fae are being created, and we are in more danger than ever before.’ He sighed again, deeper. ‘We can only hope that when the time comes, the Siis will remember that we are allies.’

  ‘Nicolai…’ I hesitated, not wanting to add to his problems. ‘Have you ever heard of the Siis creating their own Fae?’ I looked into the fire, unable to meet his eyes.

  The silence pulsed against my skin as he studied me. ‘No. Why do you ask?’

  I kept my eyes on the dancing flames. ‘No reason. Not really.’

  ‘Ana, I have learnt much about you over the previous weeks, and I have never known you ask anything without purpose.’

  I shouldn’t have said anything. The government were untrustworthy, I had no reason to believe what they had shown me, even if it had looked genuine. ‘It’s probably nothing.’

  ‘That is for me to decide.’

  I chewed my lip for a moment, not sure how to tell him what I had heard. ‘Like I said, it’s probably nothing, but while I was giving the government information about Cleas, they showed me a video of a Fae.’ I paused, the words much harder to speak than I’d thought possible. ‘He claimed—now remember, they had tortured him—but he claimed that Malachi and the council control him.’

  Nicolai stiffened, his eyes cold for the first time I’d met him, his kindness buried beneath the keen soldier within him. ‘Tell me exactly what was said and the situation surrounding it.’

  I gave him the little details I knew, once again wishing I had waited until I had more information before angering him with my words. Any goodwill he’d felt for the Siis, admittedly not much to begin with, was fading fast.

  ‘It could be a ploy,’ Maria said. ‘They could have threatened the Fae, forcing it to say that to turn you against the Siis.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ I stared ahead, wishing it could be true. ‘Maybe. But I don’t think they were lying.’

  ‘Maybe the Fae told him to say that,’ she said.

  Nicolai frowned, looking so much older, with two deep lines slicing the smooth skin between his eyes. ‘I doubt that. Unless he was sent out to be deliberately captured.’

  I hugged my knees to my chest and stared into the flames. ‘That doesn’t seem likely.’

  ‘No, it doesn’t.’ Nicolai massaged his chin, deep in thought. ‘It doesn’t at all.’ He turned to the fire as he mulled over what I'd said, his small shoulders hunched as he stared through the flames.

  ‘Where’s Adam?’ I asked Maria.

  She shrugged. ‘How am I supposed to know? He barely looks at me, and when he does, he has a certain gleam in his eyes as if he’s planning how to kill me.’

  I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to tame the tangled mess. ‘You have a habit of rubbing him up the wrong way. Have you spoken to Sally?’

  ‘Yes.’ She scowled. ‘She should have gone back with Grandmamma, her head is fried from the battle.’ She swung her legs out before her and stretched her arms above her head. ‘She will be useless if we get attacked again.’

  ‘Don’t be harsh on her,’ I said. ‘You know how hard it is after the first kill.’

  She shrugged indifferently, though her eyes tightened and lips pursed; she remembered too well. ‘If she wants to fall apart, that’s fine, but she should do it at home, not here.’

  I couldn’t argue with that. ‘Maybe Kye can bring her around?’

  She snorted. ‘If he can stop gawking at her for long enough. I don’t know why they don’t just screw each other and be done with it.’ Her words held of bitterness.

  ‘I never knew you could be so sentimental.’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘Sentiments are for the movies, not real life.’

  Nicolai looked up in… surprise? Sadness? I couldn’t decide as so many emotions came from the leader of the Damiq, heartache being the strongest. ‘You are an extremely bitter young lady.’

  Maria shrugged. ‘Not really. I'm just realistic.’

  ‘But what is life without loved ones?’ he asked.

  ‘As hard as it has always been. When you are on your own at least you aren’t let down.’

  He frowned but said no more as his gaze returned to the fire, too weary to try and convince her otherwise. Even a blind man would be able to see that Maria would not be swayed.

  A cold breeze ran through the trees, and I shivered, the cold like icy fingers fighting to take control of my body.

  ‘Do you want a blanket?’ Maria asked.

  I shook my head. There weren’t enough to go around, and I didn’t want someone freezing because of me. I looked up through the gap in the trees. The vast space filled with stars made me feel small and insignificant.

  ‘Do you feel it?’ Maria asked. ‘It’s like the heavens are gearing up for something bad.’

  I chuckled, a dark, depressing sound that made the hairs on my arms rise. ‘If the heavens are watching, they gave up on us a long time ago.’ I shivered violently, my teeth knocking together. ‘But I get what you mean. Something bad is coming.’ The foreboding feeling clenched my heart, refusing to let go.

  ‘I warned Cameron’s parents and recommended that they leave for somewhere secluded.’

  ‘Did they listen?’

  She nodded. ‘Whether they will actually do it or not is another thing.’ She sighed. ‘Everything is about to change, isn’t it?’

  ‘I think it already started.’ I touched my stomach, something I rarely allowed myself to do.

  She slipped her hand into mine. ‘Don’t worry too much. At least we will face it together.’

  I squeezed her fingers and smiled. My heart ached. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other w
ay.’

  We sat clutching each other as the first rays of sun lightened the sky, causing red streaks to mar the thin clouds. She was right. No matter what happened, we would face it together. That I could count on.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘Run!’ The panicked scream dragged me from my slumber, and I shifted onto my heels with my dagger drawn.

  Damiq ran through the trees, some clasping hands as they pulled their comrades with them, some alone, their fear spurring them on.

  I spied Maria near the fire, her hands filled with icy orbs. ‘What’s happening?’ I shouted as I searched the shadows of the stark trees, their empty branches like the crooked fingers of witches, waiting to snag any that crossed their path. Sharp wind blew my hair back as the shadows writhed like demons skulking towards us. Damn, I creeped myself out.

  ‘Soldiers.’ She turned on the spot as she also studied the surrounding darkness. ‘Parker spotted them while out hunting.’

  ‘Where is he?’ My chest tightened with dread, the imagined horror of witches and demons swallowed by fear so real, I choked on it, able to feel the water pouring down my throat. I closed my eyes to see the solder stood over me, a shower hose spurting water at his feet as he screamed the questions I had no answer to. My eyes snapped open, though the fear lingered. I needed to focus on the present, not the horrors of the past.

  Maria shrugged. ‘Last I saw Parker, he was rounding the little ones up.’

  I turned on the spot, my hand already aching from my grip on the dagger. Soldiers? I should have known they wouldn’t leave us alone. ‘Where’s Adam?’

  ‘Left about an hour ago. He said he would be back as soon as he finished.’

  ‘Finished what?’

  She shrugged. ‘How the hell am I supposed to know?’

  ‘Ana!’ Bill called from behind. ‘We need to run.’

  I wanted to follow his instructions, every inch of me screamed to, but I couldn’t move. ‘Just go,’ I shouted back. ‘I will try to delay them.’

  Maria moved to my side, the orbs illuminating the area with their crisp blue light. ‘We’re staying?’

  I shook my head. ‘You’re not. If they find out what you are, I don’t know what they will do to you.’

  ‘And what about you?’

  A damn good question. ‘They have already let me go once. I should be okay.’ If only I could believe that.

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘You don’t believe that.’

  She was right, but if I wanted to save the Damiq, I had to remain here. The government must have put a tracker on me. I felt along my collar but found nothing. That didn’t mean it didn’t exist. They had to have found us somehow. If I fled with the Damiq, they would follow.

  More small figures slipped through the trees. Parker, Nicolai, and seven other Damiq joined Maria and me.

  ‘Please leave.’ I scanned the trees, searching for the threat. More Damiq joined us. At least there was no sign of the smaller Damiq.

  ‘Not a chance,’ Parker said through his teeth. ‘They took our people once. I’m not letting it happen again.’

  I looked at Nicolai, my eyes pleading. Surely he would understand that he needed to protect his people, that without him, their chances of survival went down. He was the father who kept them in check, the role model many of them aspired to be. He was their heart.

  He shook his head, his eyes hard, with none of his usual warmth. ‘We have to put a stop to this.’

  ‘But their weapons—’

  ‘Will help them, but we will not go down without a fight.’ He placed his hand on my arm, his eyes direct and hard. ‘It is our right to fight for our survival.’ He wasn’t merely their father and mentor, he was also a warrior; something I needed to remember.

  I wanted to say more, but a beam of white light came from above, cutting through the trees and illuminating the area. ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.’ If it did, none of us would survive. ‘Maria, hide those orbs. The last thing we need is for them to know what you are.’

  She nodded and clenched her hands, distinguishing the blue, glowing flames.

  We stood together, waiting, the seconds dragging out. It felt like an eternity before the dark figures drifted into the clearing like smoke, two of them not detectable by sight, only the sharp sense of their hardened thoughts as they surrounded us. I whipped around, determined to keep them all in sight. I wouldn’t be taken by them again. I would die before that. I snorted at myself as I fought the urge to clutch my stomach. I would do what I needed to save my child, even if it meant going into their hands again. I sent a silent prayer out to the universe, God, or any other deity that would help save my child, to protect the baby from the pain I might suffer from anyone who would do her harm.

  The first man broke through the trees, his face concealed with the heavy-duty goggles that made it possible to see the shi, his arms gripping a rifle, the barrel raised to greet us. Magic pricked the air as Maria raised her arms.

  ‘Not yet.’ I scanned the area, my shoulders tense, looking for the thing that didn’t fit. I closed my eyes and focused on the four approaching soldiers. Fear pricked the edges of their consciousness, but I detected none of the determination I expected if they were about to attack. And if they were attacking, why only bring four soldiers?

  ‘Ms. Martin?’ one soldier shouted.

  All moisture fled my mouth as I stepped forward. The Damiq and Maria matched my movements, the Damiq with their daggers ready, and Maria with her hands clenched, restraining the urge to form fiery orbs as a trickle of sweat ran down her temple.

  The soldiers fanned out surrounding us. Parker hissed under his breath, turning to keep them in sight. The first soldier lowered his weapon, pointing it at the ground. ‘Are you Ms. Martin?’ he asked.

  I nodded. ‘Who are you? And why have you come to my home with weapons?’

  The soldier glanced around, their expression sceptical, questioning how the sparse woods could be our home.

  ‘Why are you here?’ I said.

  ‘I’m Sergeant Forsett.’ He lowered his weapon but kept his finger on the trigger guard. ‘I have orders to collect you, ma’am.’

  ‘Orders from who?’

  His weapon moved up a fraction as he scanned the area, eyeing the Damiq with nervous suspicion. ‘The Prime Minister, ma’am.’

  I stared at him stupefied, sure I had misheard him, that my brain had finally snapped, and I imagined things. The Prime Minister had been desperate to get me and Eris away from him. He had been a good actor, hiding behind a stiff upper lip, but his fear had been very real.

  ‘Why?’ Maria asked before I could demand the same.

  ‘I don’t know that.’ He eyed us all nervously. ‘I have orders to bring Ms. Martin to London, where she will be escorted to Downing Street.’

  I lowered my dagger but continued to scan the area, waiting for the trap to spring closed, for the soldiers to swarm from the shadows. ‘What if I refuse?’

  The sergeant scanned the area again. ‘Your safety is assured, Ms. Martin.’

  Maria snorted and magic rippled over us both. I fought the urge to step away from her, remembering the pain of her magic against my shi far too clearly. ‘Yeah right,’ she said. ‘As if we're going to believe that after what you have already done to her.’

  I wanted to warm Maria to keep her cool, to not reveal the biggest weapon we had against them. I didn’t dare look towards her. I needed to keep my eyes on the soldier, to look for any sign of deception.

  The sergeant lowered his weapon further, letting it hang at his side, and removed his goggles. ‘I know nothing of that, ma’am. I only have my orders. If I don’t get back with Ms. Martin, I’m going to get it in the neck.’

  Nicolai touched my arm. ‘It is not safe to go.’

  I nodded, not taking my eyes off the sergeant. ‘What will you do if I refuse?’ I asked again.

  The sergeant frowned, his lips parted in surprise. ‘But the order has come directly from the Prime Minister.’


  ‘That didn’t answer my question.’

  The sergeant glanced at his comrades with question in his eyes. ‘Your safety has been assured,’ he said, as if those few words were the key to move me.

  ‘So you said, but that doesn’t make me want to go with you.’

  The soldier sighed with confusion? Frustration? Maybe a little of both. Letting his rifle hang off its strap, he retrieved a large phone from his front pocket. He used his teeth to remove his right glove and jabbed the screen. ‘It's Sergeant Forsett,’ he said, turning away from me. He listened for a minute. ‘Yes, Sir…. No, Sir… She refuses to come, Sir.’ He held the phone out. When I gave him a blank look, he said, ‘It is for you, Ms. Martin.’

  Already regretting it, I accepted the phone and raised it to my ear, unable to shed the ridiculous notion that they could somehow harm me through the phone, made even more ridiculous by the armed soldiers surrounding me. They had lowered their weapons, but they still had the advantage. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Ms. Martin, I’m Captain Breen. Your presence has been requested by the Prime Minister….’

  As I listened to the official man speak, my mouth dropped open in disbelief. When he finished outlining the reason they wanted me, he asked, ‘Do you agree, Ms. Martin?’

  I nodded numbly, unable to comprehend all he had said.

  ‘Is that a yes, Ms. Martin?’

  ‘Yes,’ I croaked before the line went dead.

  ‘What is it?’ Maria demanded.

  I handed the phone back to the sergeant. ‘They need me in London for a photoshoot with the Prime Minister.’ I nearly laughed aloud at the absurdity of the request.

  Parker kept his eyes on the soldiers. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because they are turning me into a hero.’

  ***

  Maria and I left with the soldiers, leaving an unhappy Nicolai behind. I said nothing but silently thanked the soldiers for refusing the Damiq passage with me. Nicolai’s people needed him, and he was a lot safer here than he would be in London.