by T. A. White
"The za na ri na is looking forward to your race in the Pinnacle, za na ri," the Haldeel said as the wall sealed behind her.
"How lovely, your little lostling has drawn the notice of royalty," the woman observed in a neutral voice that made it impossible to tell if she approved or disapproved. Her stare was intense as she regarded Kira. "I wonder what chain of events sparked such a rare occurrence."
Kira's expression was blank as she stared back.
To be honest, she'd really like to know that too.
It was never an auspicious occasion when you drew the attention of titans. That was a good way to end up dead or a pawn in someone else's agenda.
"We're being watched," the oshota observed in an undertone.
"This conversation would be best conducted elsewhere," Graydon said neutrally.
The woman's expression grew chillier. "Yes, I couldn't agree more."
Sensing a subtle threat in those words, Kira watched her warily.
The woman didn't say anything further, sweeping toward the exit. Her oshota followed her.
Kira raised her eyebrows at Graydon. "Colleague of yours?"
The corner of his eyes crinkled. "You could say that."
Kira had been right. The woman really was a Face of the Emperor. A beautiful, icy one.
She supposed the name of Face was apt, allowing the emperor to choose the aspects and personalities that best complemented his public persona. Graydon was the brute force that concealed an exceptional intellect. Kira was guessing the woman represented elegance and subtlety.
More and more she could respect this unknown emperor who seemed to make the most out of the people he placed by his side—even as she recognized the threat he could one day present.
The walkway extended over the placid lake. On the other side, several figures clad in black synth armor waited. Graydon's oshota. Kira had wondered where they got to.
Finn waited off to the side, his face expressionless as they approached.
"Yukina may look like a delicate flower, but she's the ambassador to the Haldeel. I'd be careful of her if I were you," Graydon warned as they neared the rest.
Translation—Yukina was treacherous—and knowing the Tuann, deceptively deadly. Qualities that would come in handy for any liaison to the Haldeel.
Her position as ambassador also explained her clothes.
Yukina stopped in front of the oshota, casting a contemplative glance at Kira. "Now that we're out of the Haldeel's seat of power, I'd be interested to know why they refer to you as za na ri. They don't even use that honorific when speaking to me."
There were a lot of things Kira could say to that. Most of them insulting. Things like maybe the Haldeel didn't like the woman or that she wasn't as special as she thought.
Kira said none of that. Not with Finn's careful expression warning her to tread lightly.
Diplomacy. Politeness. Blergh.
And the Tuann wondered why she went AWOL.
"You would have to ask the Haldeel. I’m unsure of the reason myself," Kira said in an exceptionally polite voice. She managed a soft smile.
Yukina's expression went cold. "I find that hard to believe."
Kira's lips stayed uplifted in a kind smile, but her eyes were wintry.
Yukina wasn't the only one who could channel an ice princess. Granted, it wasn't Kira's favorite persona to don. She much preferred smashing and bashing her way to victory, but when dealing with someone like Yukina, sometimes you had to fight on their level.
Yukina was the type of person who waged war through sharp words and cutting looks. Kira's least favorite kind of battle.
"You're free to believe what you like," Kira said.
Yukina's smile sharpened. "You're awfully brave. Do you know who I am?"
"Not particularly."
Nor did Kira care.
Yukina's attention shifted in Finn's direction. "You've picked an interesting oshota to have serve you. Are you aware they call him the curse?"
Kira didn't speak as Finn went motionless, his eyes blank.
If Kira hadn't known him as well as she did, she never would have spotted the fine tremble in his hands before he clenched them into fists.
"You're his third sword. The first was killed in battle. Finn was the only one to survive. The second he abandoned. I wonder which fate you'll experience."
This woman played a vicious game. She couldn't make Kira dance to her tune, so she went after the next best thing. Finn.
"I don't think I like you." Kira's voice sounded detached, as if it were coming from someone else.
"I'm heartbroken." Yukina's lips stretched into a feline smile. "Would you like to know another secret?"
Snap. Snap. Snap.
There went Kira's restraint.
"No."
Yukina seemed momentarily taken aback. "No?"
Kira sent Graydon an indifferent glance. "Do the Tuann usually find themselves unable to grasp such simple concepts? It seems like an unfortunate trait in an ambassador. Must cause all kinds of confusion with your allies."
Graydon's oshota stared in shock at Kira as if they couldn't believe her presumptuousness.
Finn looked alarmed.
For a breath no one moved.
A laugh that sounded like wind chimes came from Yukina. "You're very bold."
"And you're very annoying."
Great. They'd now pointed out the other's flaws. Time to hurry this game along.
If Yukina was like the rest of her race, she wouldn't allow herself to be insulted by someone she considered her inferior.
She'd retaliate.
Kira was looking forward to it.
Pressure built in the air between them, ratcheting up until the intensity fairly crackled.
Yukina and Kira stepped toward each other at the same time.
Graydon and Finn blocked Kira's path, Yukina's oshota doing the same to her.
"Move," Kira ordered calmly.
Finn didn't even bother shaking his head.
Graydon smirked. "I don't think so. Not today."
"You don't think I can win."
"It won't matter if you win or lose because you’ll take some damage." He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Don't you have other business to concern yourself with?"
Kira hated it when other people talked sense—especially when her skin itched for a good fight and right now there was someone willing to give it to her.
Graydon didn't give her time to argue, addressing his oshota. "Escort Kira to the villa.”
Reluctantly, Kira let Finn herd her away, allowing herself one last look at Yukina. "Bummer. It could have been fun."
Amusement touched Yukina's features. "Perhaps another time then."
Amila stepped forward then, indicating for Kira to follow. Carrying Jin in her arms, Kira complied. Finn and Noor fell in behind her as they set off along the avenue. They didn't walk far before Amila headed toward an arch.
They stepped off the water road and onto stone similar to that of the white-gray archways. At this time of the afternoon, the city was busy. Despite the crowded streets, pedestrians moved out of the way when they saw Kira's trio of oshota.
A groggy voice came from her arms. "Why is it the first thing I hear when I wake up is you starting a fight? Can't you play nice for even a few minutes?"
To Kira's surprise, Jin sounded lucid, if a tad sleepy.
She'd felt his mind stirring shortly before Graydon and Finn had intervened, but she'd been afraid to let herself hope in the event she was wrong.
"What? You're not going to answer my question?"
Kira's snort was waterlogged as she forced down the riptide of emotions the sound of his voice engendered.
Jin was her constant.
The ancients of old Earth would have called him her north star. Without him, Kira would have been someone quite different. Someone much darker and more violent. She didn't know if she would have won against her own internal demons if he hadn't been there forcing her to confront her flaws and acce
pt the times she'd failed.
He was ridiculous and temperamental. Childish on occasion. But he was hers, and no one would harm him.
"Aw, you missed me. I knew you would," Jin teased.
"You wish," Kira retorted.
Jin tried to lift out of her arms. He made it only an inch before settling more firmly against her.
"Are you okay?" Kira asked.
"Yeah, I just need a moment to get my bearings." A smacking sound came. "Why does my mouth taste like metal?"
Kira rolled her eyes. Same old Jin. "You don't actually have a mouth so it’s probably your imagination."
"Are you sure?" Jin asked as the oshota led Kira across a street.
"No."
They reached the edge of the refugee quarter, its warmth and coziness evaporating as they moved into a more elite part of the city.
This was where the upper crust Haldeel lived and where esteemed visitors to the planet were given a place to reside.
It would be interesting to know whether the Consortium's representatives were ensconced near here or if they'd been relegated to the refugee quarter.
"What did I miss?" Jin asked.
"Not much." If one didn't count the negotiation between Graydon and Kira or the Haldeel using honorifics they had no business using.
Kira brought none of that up. There were too many big ears that might overhear something she wanted kept private. When they were alone, Kira would fill him in.
"Liar."
"Those who let themselves be knocked out are in no position to complain," Kira told him.
"And who's the one who told me to power down?"
Kira glared at him. "Maybe if you'd done an adequate job of shielding your power signature this wouldn't have happened."
"You say that like we weren't dealing with the Haldeel. The same tricks that work on humans aren't going to work on them."
Any response Kira had planned died as Amila stopped in front of a circular gate, its heavy ornate doors spread wide. A narrow waterway framed by leafy fronds led to a second gate. The pathway across was formed by stone blocks jutting above the water’s surface.
A pergola with thick vines draping over its wooden slats shaded the water. Through it, Kira caught the barest glimpse of a three-story building, terraces and balconies jutting from its sides.
Seconds later a pair of Tuann blocked her view as they regarded her with flat stares, only a slight flicker in their eyes betraying their uneasiness when they saw the oshota guarding her.
One was a broad-shouldered woman, her face blocky and her hair pulled into a tight tail. The other was male. He was short and stocky and had a pronounced brow.
Neither wore synth armor Kira recognized. It was a deep red with black accents.
"State your business," the woman demanded in Tuann.
Kira glanced at Amila. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"
Amila's chin dipped.
Kira waited, but no further response was forthcoming.
Okay then. It looked like she was on her own. It seemed she'd underestimated how peeved Graydon's oshota were about her abrupt departure.
Not ideal, but good to know.
Kira ignored the regret that moved through her, instead sending Amila a sidelong look. "Really?"
A flat stare was Kira's only answer.
Kira glanced at the stranger, contemplating the best way to gain entrance.
"State your business or move along," the woman ordered.
"Wren." Kira hung her head; she really hadn't meant to say that.
The woman frowned at her, her eyebrows drawing down in suspicion. "What about him?"
Kira exhaled. She'd already pulled the trigger. Might as well see where it went.
"He's my seon'yer."
The woman and her partner glanced at each other before looking Kira over.
Kira knew what they saw. A woman of average height—maybe a little short for a Tuann—wearing clothes that no Tuann would ever be caught dead in.
Although they were on guard against Amila and Noor, they'd already discarded Finn as a threat for the same reason.
Kira had always known most Tuann didn’t consider her intimidating. She'd seen Graydon and those he viewed as his peers. She lacked their stature and no amount of training would give her their muscle mass. Her delicate bone structure and gray-purple eyes didn't help that impression.
No, it was only after people spent time with her particular brand of crazy that they realized the true awesome of Kira Forrest.
"You? You're his yer’se?" the woman asked, not hiding her skepticism.
"Yup, that's me."
Though Kira was betting Wren regretted his decision by now.
Too late. No take-backs.
"Then you must have a token," the woman said.
Kira stared at her blankly for several seconds before she remembered. "Oh, right."
Kira balanced Jin as she stuck one hand down the neck of her hoodie. Her fingers brushed metal, and Kira withdrew a necklace chain attached to a medallion. A creature Kira didn't recognize was stamped on its front. On the back was the crest of Roake—the coiled body of a lu-ong, its fangs bared and its mane flared.
Kira held it out to the woman. With apparent reluctance, the stranger took it from her, holding it up so she and her partner could examine the markings.
"It does look like his sigil," the man whispered in Tuann.
The woman turned it over several times as if trying to spot any discrepancies.
"Why is there a hole in it?" the woman asked.
Kira shrugged. "Easier to keep track."
"Why would a respected commander like Wren take someone like you?"
"Perhaps you should ask him."
Kira was sure he'd like that. The woman and her partner, on the other hand, might not enjoy the outcome.
The woman's eyes flashed. "Maybe it's fake."
Next to Kira, Finn bristled. If he'd been an animal, he would have puffed up to double his size in affront.
The oshota, perhaps not realizing the danger they were in, sneered.
Kira shook her head at Finn. As entertaining as it'd be to watch him teach these two a lesson about the perils of making assumptions, she was already in enough hot water.
She nodded at the medallion and held out her hand, making a give me motion. "You want to give that back now?"
The woman frowned, holding the medallion closer to her torso as if to guard it.
Don't do it, Kira warned the woman silently.
Kira could brush off the minor digs, ignore the more blatant insults as unimportant. What she could not do was allow the woman to keep what was not hers.
Wren had given that token to her. He'd entrusted it to her. It represented his willingness to guide her in her path to the adva ka. It wasn't something to be sullied with these people's greed.
Kira was already being nice enough by letting them set eyes on it.
Should the woman continue down this road, Kira would act. Violently, if need be.
A refusal started to form. Kira could already hear the words no on the woman's lips.
The muscles in her legs flexed as she calculated her attack.
Using ki directly on them was out. Even with the inhibitor, she couldn't chance killing them. You didn't use a nuclear warhead when a crowbar would do.
"Let her through," a woman ordered from out of sight.
The female oshota scowled, her hand clenching around the medallion. Reluctantly, she held it out to Kira. "Follow us."
The woman and her partner led the way through the gate, their steps echoing on the stone.
Without the obstruction of the wall, Kira had an unimpeded view of the courtyard. Trees and plants crowded the narrow channel of water. Tall walls and the pergola created an enclosed feeling.
The backs of the oshota in front of Kira were tense as they shot several glances over their shoulders at her.
Kira's answering smile was more of a grimace.
"How muc
h do you want to bet those fish are carnivorous?" Jin asked at the same time as there was a low buzz.
The oshota reacted like they were being attacked, their weight shifting as they reached for their swords.
Kira hurled Jin at the woman's face, stepping into the man's guard in the next instant.
She hammered a hard palm against the elbow of his sword arm, preventing him from unleashing his en-blade.
The woman batted Jin away from her face. He flew, hitting the water with a splash and sinking.
Kira backhanded her, sending her stumbling off the stepping-stones and into the water.
Behind her, Kira heard a commotion as Finn and the rest attacked the barrier that hadn't been there seconds before.
Kira didn't spare them any attention, too preoccupied with surviving the unwarranted aggression.
The man recovered while Kira was distracted with the woman, the sharp sound of metal sliding against metal filled the air.
She caught his hand before he could fully bring the sword up, yanking him to the side.
Her ki slid through her. She reached, gathering molecules of water and tugging hard. Beads of water crawled up unnoticed onto the stone steps around the man's feet.
He dashed forward, only to lose his balance on the suddenly slippery stone. He hit the ground belly first, his head and left arm sliding underwater.
Kira stepped onto his back, keeping him there, as the water infused with her ki closed around his torso and held him firmly under.
The woman snarled and charged her.
Frantic, Kira threw her senses as wide as they'd go, one hand sweeping in front of her. A wave of water shot up to form a barrier.
A shadow dropped from above.
Kira’s ki snapped back to her, collapsing her makeshift defense. When it disappeared, Kira blinked at the stranger standing between her and the oshota, her back facing Kira. White-blond hair was bound in a tail, its ends stopping between her shoulder blades.
The woman who’d protected Kira wore synth armor decorated in Roake's colors of midnight blue.
The barrier popped, vanishing from existence as Amila and Finn stalked through.
Finn's face was a mask of rage, his en-blade held at the ready.
Noor had a knee to the stone as sweat rolled down his forehead from the effort of destroying the barrier.
"Move. She set off the defenses," the woman in the red synth armor growled.
