by T. A. White
Kira's protector raised her hand, a black sphere appearing in front of her palm. The air screamed.
The woman drew back in fear. "This doesn't involve Roake."
"That's strange," a male said from above.
Kira glanced up to find another of Roake's oshota leaning against a balcony overlooking the courtyard.
His curious gaze met hers before moving to the red-clad oshota. "House Asanth attacks a daughter of Roake and doesn't think it concerns us?"
There was humor in his expression, but it contained a playful sharpness that said he'd happily dismember the two from House Asanth and sleep like a baby later.
Kira pushed at a lock of hair, her sleeve sliding down to expose the band of tattoos she’d received from the Mea'Ave.
The woman's jaw flexed as a guarded look entered her eyes at the sight.
"I did not realize she held Overlord marks," the woman said stiffly.
Standing in knee deep water, her blade drawn, she looked like she was re-evaluating her recent choices.
Kira’s protector finally spoke. "You knew she was the commander's yer’se."
Kira realized this was the woman who’d ordered them to let her through.
The woman from House Asanth lifted her chin. "She carried one of those human abominations through the defenses."
Kira's expression went cold. She'd known the Tuann weren't entirely comfortable with Jin being a drone, but this was the first time she'd heard such strong language in reference to him.
Now, she wished she hadn’t held back when they attacked for fear of causing an incident.
"And for this you tried to kill our heir?" the man from above asked.
Kira stiffened. What heir?
It couldn't be her, she told herself. No way would Roake appoint her as heir after the manner of her leaving. Harlow had to know better.
"House Asanth is responsible for the conclave's safety. It would be negligent of us if we hadn't acted," the woman argued.
The man whistled. "Someone's intent on being obtuse."
The man above tilted his head at Amila and Noor who until now had been watching the exchange silently.
"The little heir comes escorted by the emperor's own people." He set an elbow on the railing and gave them a charming smirk. "Or are you questioning their honor too?"
The woman's glare moved from Kira to Amila’s neutral expression, taking in the naked en-blade in her hand.
By now it was clear to everyone in the courtyard that House Asanth had overreacted. What's more the woman knew it, but didn't want to admit it at the risk of losing face.
Unfortunately for her, everyone already thought she was an idiot. Every second that ticked by reinforced that impression.
Left with little choice, the woman slid her en-blade into its sheath with a violent motion.
Kira’s protector finally moved her attention to Kira. She nodded at Kira’s foot where it still rested on the man’s back. "Are you planning on killing him?"
Kira considered. As interesting as that would be, it would likely only bring problems later on.
With a disappointed frown, she lifted her foot off the man, withdrawing the portion of her ki that enabled the water to keep him submerged and stepped back.
His fellow oshota reached forward, dragging his unresponsive upper body out of the water. She turned him onto his back, hammering a closed fist onto his chest.
The man's body jerked, but his chest remained unmoving.
The woman cursed, joining her hands into one fist and doing it again.
Water splashed out of the man's mouth. The man gasped and choked.
Seeing this, the woman grabbed his shoulders and turned him onto his side to allow him to expel the water from his lungs.
She patted his back even as she glared up at Kira.
"Don't start fights you can't win,” Kira advised.
Rage infused the woman's features.
Before she could retort, the water next to her erupted, a dark shape shooting from its depths. The shape hovered in the air, the drips of water droplets loud in the sudden silence.
A heavy layer of algae, pond scum, mud, and a writhing mass of vines covered the creature's misshapen body.
Kira thought she caught the wiggling tail of a fish stuck in the ball of muddy green.
Kira squinted. "Jin?"
THIRTEEN
THE PLANT MONSTER rustled. "Woman, are you trying to kill me?"
"I thought you'd be honored to be the decoy. Aren't you the one always going on about how I never include you in things?"
A garbled sound came from the mass of dead plant matter.
"That is not what I meant at all," Jin roared. "You threw me into water. I'm a machine. Water is my mortal enemy."
Kira waved an unconcerned hand. "Sometimes sacrifices need to be made, and technically I threw you at her." Kira pointed at the woman from House Asanth where she still knelt by her partner. "She threw you into the water. If you're mad, blame her."
Before the woman could prepare a retort, Kira’s protector stirred, aiming a bored look in Kira's direction. "Come with me."
She sauntered past Kira as she headed toward the residence, saying over her shoulder. "You two, return to your post. I'd advise you against making any further mistakes."
The water creature vibrated, bits of vegetation falling away until Jin's hard metallic shell was mostly clear of debris. Streaks of mud and green covered his normal gunmetal gray as he joined Kira.
"I can't believe you tried to kill me," Jin muttered.
"You were taking too long to recover your faculties. I thought you could use a little incentive."
"Spare me your kindness in the future," Jin said, aiming his "eye" at her.
Before Kira could respond, the man on the balcony placed one hand on the railing and leapt over it. He fell, landing hard, knees bent, body braced. The water rippled from the impact, spreading out in small waves that lapped the edges of the courtyard.
He straightened and examined Kira.
This close it was easy to see the details Kira had missed before.
A square jaw and bright, curious eyes made the man seem downright amiable. The orange hair that stuck up in tufts around his head added to his approachability.
He was one of the shorter Tuann Kira had met. Although only about her height, he made up for his small size in the width of his shoulders and chest. His forearms and biceps were lined with muscle.
He stroked his chin, looking at Kira. From anyone else, the look would have been considered insulting. With him, he somehow managed to come off as curious and appraising.
"Is this her?" he asked.
The blonde lifted a lazy shoulder as if she couldn't summon the interest necessary to answer with words.
The man didn't pay any attention to her, taking the lack of response in stride as he focused on Kira.
He reminded her of an overgrown puppy. Friendly, eager to play, with a bouncing enthusiasm. Except this puppy had teeth. If his interaction with Asanth was any indication, his bite was way worse than his bark.
He stroked his chin as he looked her over. He nodded to himself as if she'd passed some sort of test.
"Token. Let's see," he ordered, holding out his hand.
Kira stared at his palm before lifting her gaze to his. He quirked an eyebrow at her in expectation but didn't move. The look he gave her said he could wait all day if he had to.
Kira's lips quirked. Friendly but with the same stubbornness as every other oshota she'd met.
Left with little choice, Kira fished out the token and handed it over.
The stranger turned it over in his hands and grinned. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this."
Large hands settled on her shoulders before she could react—and she tried. Unsuccessfully.
"Finally. Finally, I'm no longer the youngest," he crowed. His grin was infectious. "Don't worry, little junior. I'll make sure to show you the ropes. If any of these idiots give
you a hard time, let me know. I'll be sure to sort them out."
A hand appeared, knocking one of the man's hands off her shoulder.
"Keep your hands to yourself," Finn said stiffly.
The man blinked at Kira's oshota, scanning him. "What are you wearing?"
Finn's expression went cold as the man cocked his head.
Freed, Kira shifted so she was out of the man's reach.
He was good. She'd give him that. He'd been much faster than she'd expected. If he'd meant her harm, she would have been in a little trouble there.
"I mean, really, what are those?" the man asked, his focus entirely on Finn.
Kira discreetly took a step away.
The blonde saw her movement and her lips quirked.
"None of your business," Finn told the man coldly.
The stranger reached out, plucking at the fabric of Finn's hoodie only for his hand to be knocked away by Finn.
"Where's your synth armor?"
Finn's frown grew more pronounced.
"Is this a disguise?" the man asked like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen.
"It's none of your business," Finn snapped.
The man responded with a sage nod. "You don't want to talk about it. I wouldn't either."
Their interaction pointed to a history between the two—one that wasn’t entirely antagonistic given Finn hadn't already tried to kill the other man yet.
"Maksym, are you quite done?" a feminine voice asked.
A woman clad in the same dark blue synth armor as the other two appeared at the end of the stepping-stones, the archway of the house framing her.
Soft-looking, brown hair framed a pretty face that had a small smattering of freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Unlike many Tuann, her hair was short, only about chin length and formed a soft halo around her head.
Her gaze was chiding as she regarded Maksym. "You'll scare our junior if you continue down this path."
Maksym looked away, the picture of guilt as he rubbed his neck with one hand.
The woman ignored him, aiming a friendly smile at Kira. "I apologize for my friend's enthusiasm. He gets a little carried away sometimes. When we heard Wren had taken a yer'se, we were all curious to see what kind of person they would be."
The term yer’se roughly translated to disciple as Kira knew from her studies of Tuann.
The woman nodded at the oshota next to her. "That's Auralyn and I'm Zoella. Maksym, you're already acquainted with."
Kira's nod at the three was cautious.
Maksym and Zoella both smiled. Auralyn watched her with an expressionless face that still managed to convey boredom.
A moment passed before Zoella looked beyond Kira to Amila and Noor. "We'll take it from here. You can return to your sword."
The words were polite, but the dismissal was clear. Zoella had just laid a claim on Kira. One that made it clear the other two were considered outsiders.
Amila hesitated, her gaze shooting to Kira before she nodded and spun on her heel.
"Amila," Kira said softly, stopping her.
Amila paused and gave Kira a questioning look.
"Thanks for everything and sorry for the trouble,” Kira eventually said after some consideration.
It was as close to an apology for the matter of her leaving as Amila was going to get. It probably didn't mean much, but Kira couldn't stop herself from trying.
She'd enjoyed the oshota's company. The other woman had a subtle humor that she only displayed to those she trusted. Kira had been in that circle once. She regretted that an action she'd taken had destroyed that.
Amila’s chin dipped in acceptance. "I'll see you soon."
Lightness spread through Kira.
Amila winked. "Find us if they give you too much trouble."
Not waiting for Kira’s agreement, Amila strode in Noor’s wake.
Too late it occurred to Kira that she had no idea where Elena was, and it wasn’t like she could ask Wren’s people.
If they didn’t already know about Kira’s niece, she wasn’t going to be the one to inform them.
Nor was it feasible to search the grounds of the residence. Her encounter with House Asanth made it clear how precarious the balance of Tuann peace was.
Kira had no desire to start fights left and right.
Auralyn strode on. "Follow."
"A woman of few words. Remind you of anyone?" Jin asked.
"Why are you looking at me when you ask that?"
He snickered as they started after Auralyn. "I don't know. What could be the reason?"
Kira shook her head as they moved through the secondary gate, getting their first unobstructed look at the residence where the Tuann were staying.
Greenery encroached everywhere Kira looked, the straight lines of the building softened by the many plants.
Large windows took up many of the walls. The tint on them offered privacy to those inside, allowing them to look out while not allowing visitors to see in.
It was a nice defense feature, Kira had to admit.
It left her wondering if it also had heat-shielding capabilities that would prevent someone with infrared equipment from pinpointing the bodies inside.
The layout was blocky, like someone had taken several rectangle containers and welded them together. Some rectangles lay on their sides, while others stood vertical. Still more were stacked one on top of the other in inventive ways, creating the numerous balconies.
There wasn't much of a transition from outside to indoors as they stepped past a pair of columns. Tall trees with large fronds reached toward the ceiling.
There was no door to knock on as they moved into the entryway, the coolness of the building embracing them.
A stairway led up to their left, and there was a large area with seating overlooking a small garden to their right.
Auralyn ignored all of this, steering them deeper into the house.
"I don't suppose you have any showers around here?" Jin complained.
Auralyn's pace slowed as she regarded Jin. "Didn't you say water was your mortal enemy?"
"What's your point?" Jin asked
Kira's mouth twitched as Maksym squinted at him.
"Won't water destroy your circuits?" Maksym asked, curious.
The sound Jin made was rude. "What type of cobbled together, second rate drone do you mistake me for?"
Kira's shoulders shook as she tried to suppress her amusement. It would be less funny if Jin wasn't serious.
"You're not going to talk sense into him," Kira advised. "Mainly because he has no sense."
Auralyn hummed, looking askance at Kira. Whatever her thoughts, she kept them to herself.
Maksym pointed to one of the ponds visible outside the windows. "Why not use one of those?"
“Do you know how unsanitary those things are? Who knows what kind of bacteria are in there? Not to mention the fish. The Haldeel grow deadly varieties in their ponds. How will you make it up to me if one tries to take a chunk out of me?”
"That's what you're afraid of? Being eaten?" Maksym didn’t hide his skepticism.
"Of course not. Those low creatures couldn't even scratch my casing, but that doesn't mean they won't try."
In Jin logic, everything made sense. It was everyone else who had trouble following.
Kira listened, not interfering, more interested in seeing how these oshota of Wren's handled her friend. You could learn a lot by how someone interacted with those they perceived as lower in status.
Most people had some sense of self-preservation. They wouldn't knowingly antagonize a person who was equal or stronger than them—but introduce an entity they thought they could get away with bullying and you saw their true character.
Knowing their reaction would shape how Kira and Jin approached their time with the Tuann.
Jin was pushing the envelope a bit, but sometimes that was when you got the best reactions. Better to know now what they thought of Kira and Jin rath
er than get stabbed in the back later.
Of course, as always with Jin, there was some level of truth behind his actions.
He really did want a shower to wash off the muck, and he really did think the pond unsanitary for his needs.
Right now, the knowledge that his beautiful casing was smeared with unknown organic material was probably driving him crazy.
In all the time Kira had known him, he had never been one to allow anything to mar his perfection.
Auralyn didn't argue with him as she raised her arm, pressing her fingers near the crook of her elbow. A map slowly formed over her arm.
She pointed to a section that included several rooms. "This is where we are residing." She moved her finger and pointed to a room in the middle. "This is Kira's room. You may go there if you'd like a shower."
Auralyn held the map for a second longer before it faded. "Do you need me to show you again?"
"Nope. I got it." Jin shot toward the ceiling.
"One thing," Auralyn called before he disappeared to the next floor. "I'd advise staying out of the territory of other Houses. If they find you, they won't be as kind."
Jin paused, shifting until his "eye" was focused on Kira in question.
Kira had known Auralyn was dangerous, but her words showed she was also smart.
Her seemingly harmless advice disguised a warning. What’s more, she demonstrated how well she understood Kira and Jin, cutting off Jin’s investigations of the rest of the dwelling.
Now, if he were caught, he wouldn’t have the excuse that he didn’t know. It was Auralyn’s way of saying obey the rules or there would be consequences.
Kira shook her head once at Jin, telling him without words to give up on exploring. Better not to tip their hand.
If Elena was here, she was under Graydon’s care. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her niece.
"Understood." Jin disappeared around the corner in the next instant.
Auralyn directed a bored look at Kira. "Shall we continue now that there are no other distractions?"
By all means, Kira thought.
A faint smile touched Auralyn's features as she walked past Kira. "Your seon'yer is expecting you. I'm sure you two have much to talk about."
Kira grimaced. That’s what she was afraid of.
