The Scythian Trials

by Elizabeth Isaacs

  Gia started across the room. “Until this week, we believed most of their study focused on mutation in an attempt to make the Allos stronger and faster. But new evidence shows that might not be the case.”

  She knelt down next to a silver object that looked like a small propane tank. “Do you know what this is?”

  “No.” Jax’s voice became gruff as his imagination ran wild.

  Gia unscrewed the lid. “It’s the Allos version of a cryogenic storage unit. We found a partially destroyed vial, which we took back to the lab.”

  “And what does this have to do with Nya?”

  Her chin quivered. “The vial held a Scythian ovum.”

  Dread coursed through Jax as he looked away. The only female to ever be captured was now in Carpathia with Victor. “Can they create clones from Nya’s eggs?”

  Gia hesitated. “It’s possible. But the egg we found was left intact, which leads me to believe they wanted them for a different reason. We’ve never considered artificial insemination. Allos sperm isn’t durable enough to naturally impregnate a Scythian female. But if science forced the issue?” Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the container. “We just don’t know.”

  Horrified, Jax froze. “Are you telling me you think that bastard wanted to create half-breeds with Nya using artificial insemination?” The thought sent him into a tailspin.

  Gia looked empty, haunted. “After her abduction, we had a specialist examine her while she was still under from the hand surgery. Blood samples showed she’d been given high doses of fertility drugs, but her hymen was intact. The doctor had no idea why she’d been injected, but there was mention of the possibility of harvesting eggs, even though there was no physical evidence that such a procedure had taken place.”

  “There would be no physical evidence if Nya had already healed, or the other injuries masked the site.” Jax paced like a tiger in a cage. “Had no one thought of that?”

  “The physician did.” Gia pulled away from Ike, her voice became eerie, quiet. “He ran several blood tests when Nya was on her menstrual cycle, and we followed up with an internal ultrasound when she started the academy. He was concerned at some of the findings, but we had no conclusive evidence Nya’s eggs had been taken until now. I contacted him yesterday. He still believes she can conceive, as long as she doesn’t wait too long to start the process.”

  How could Gia calmly sit here and discuss this like it was nothing? Jax glared at them both. “I have to get back.”

  “Gia.” Ike’s jaw ticked as he stepped forward. “Check with the team and make sure the perimeter is secure.”

  Her stoic gaze met his.

  He softened his tone. “Satellites show a large convoy of trucks on the way, but Fourth Gen staged a lorry accident, which will have northbound traffic tied up for hours. I need an update. Go on. We’ll meet you at the truck.”

  She nodded and started toward the door. Ike kept silent, listening to her footfalls echo down the stairs and into the ballroom before pulling out his phone.

  “Gia’s on her way down. Give us ten minutes.”

  “What’s this about, Commander?” Jax asked.

  Ike disconnected the call, swiped to another app, and typed in a passcode. “There’s something you need to see. You and I both know we could have taken care of this with a secured conference call. But I needed to see you. Gia doesn’t know—it would destroy her.”

  He stepped closer so Jax could see the video loading on the small screen. “I encrypted a copy and then destroyed the original. I’ve shown this to no one, not even the Chancellor.” He pressed play. “From the timestamp, the video was taken mere days before Dmitri Sarkov died.”

  The grainy picture cleared, revealing a lavish room with shackles on the wall. Blood dripped down the arms of the small frame that hung there. Ripped shirt, swollen face, and filthy shorts, her chin rested on her chest as her raven hair fell in front of her like a curtain of death.

  The voice of Dmitri Sarkov came from off camera somewhere. “I’ll ask you again, Anya Thalestris. What do the Scythians know about Phoenix conditioning?”

  Nya’s head rolled to one side as if she were trying to gain momentum to hold it up. Her eyes, so full of pain, hatred, and determination, looked through strands of tangled hair.

  “Fuck. You.”

  “The Society doesn’t deserve such loyalty. Even a jackal looks after his young, but your father led me right to you. And still, you refuse to betray them, though you’ve endured pain that would have killed the strongest of men.”

  Betrayal flashed across her face as she forced her head to stay up. “That’s because I’m not a weak Allos.”

  “Yet you are the one pinned to a wall like an insect on a board. Who’s weak now?”

  She smiled, her eyes nothing but chips of hate. “Take off these shackles and let’s see how brave you are.”

  “What do the Scythian’s know about the Phoenix?”

  She gritted her teeth, defiantly glaring back at him.

  “Have it your way.”

  Nya’s eyes shifted as a man wearing a surgical mask and gloves appeared at the edge of the frame. He held up a large syringe, filled with thick, gelatinous liquid.

  Sarkov’s voice chuckled. “Let’s see how fearless you are after the Phoenix has taken flight.”

  Nya whimpered as the man with the mask came forward. Chains rattled as she struggled to break free. The man pushed her head to the side and plunged the needle into her neck.

  “If she lives, my son can choose her triggers. That is his reward for bringing her to me.”

  The man with the needle ran his finger down the side of her face, his eyes just inches from hers. “Welcome to the Drahzdan army.”

  Nya’s screams rang as the video faded to black.

  Jax locked his knees. “Where did you get this?”

  Ike’s finger shook as he swiped the screen closed. “There was a mass exodus from the Drahzdan fortress in Astana. Only a skeleton crew of servants remained. I sent in a team to infiltrate and sweep the place, looking for anything that might be substantial. They found a shattered camera in one of the main rooms, and this was one of the videos recovered.”

  Jax’s mind whirred with thoughts, trying to find a thread of hope. “We don’t know if Phoenix conditioning works on Scythians. After the Trials, we’ll run tests. She can still recover.”

  Ike’s eyes, hollow with despair, found his. “Have you ever seen the Phoenix at work?”

  “No.”

  “Once, before we went to Ireland, I was ordered to engage a Drahzdan cell trying to sabotage a Turkish nuclear power plant. We set up surveillance around the perimeter. As Sarkov’s mercenaries arrived, one of the men must have questioned the commander, because the entire unit stopped a few yards from the gate. The captain calmly walked back to the soldier, uttered a few words, and the man fell to the ground screaming in agony. We found his body the next morning in the exact spot that he dropped. Blood streamed from his ears, eyes, and mouth. Coroner’s report said the man literally boiled from the inside. That’s what Phoenix conditioning can do.”

  “Damn it.” Jax glared at the other man. “If I would’ve known this I never would’ve left Vtachi. Is there anything else? Anything at all?”

  “There’s one more thing.”

  Oh, God. What now?

  Ike scooted between the hospital bed and plastic lining the large window. He pulled the thick sheet back, revealing a small mark on the window seal.

  Metal against wood screeched as Jax pulled the bed farther from the wall and bent down to inspect it.

  Scratched in the wood was the Dacian symbol for enemy alongside a crude shaped Scythian crest.

  “She also scratched a message to me in the basement. I’ll send you pictures, but I’m not going back there. She’s telling us that this is the place of our enemy.”

  Jax rubbed the back of his neck. “Or she’s trying to tell us that Scythian’s are the enemy.”

  Ike’s gaze fl
ew to Jax. “That’s impossible.”

  “Is it? Then why is Alexandra so obsessed with Nya’s memory?”

  Ike stepped away from the wall. “It’s a security issue. You and I both know if Nya broke during interrogation it wouldn’t be good for our side.” He turned back to Jax. “And what you’re suggesting is ludicrous. Alex is Pumpkin’s godmother. She hid Nya’s abduction because she wanted to protect my daughter’s reputation. Some of the elite might not understand what happened, which would ruin her chances for finding her equal.”

  Jax bitterly smiled. “You haven’t watched the news, have you?”

  Ike swallowed. “Not in the past few days, why?”

  “Zander baited Nya, and she attacked him. The cameras were there.”

  Desperation flashed in Ike’s eyes. “Is she all right?”

  “A Moor pulled her off Zander before he got to his feet, so yeah, she still has all her teeth if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Alex implied that our old Trial footage had resurfaced. It upsets Gia, and so I’ve made sure to stay away from the media.”

  “Awfully damn convenient, don’t you think? I guess she also didn’t mention that a part of Nya’s memory resurfaced when Alex confronted Vtachi about the attack. The warriors that overheard her telling me Penn was the one who captured her exploded with questions and accusations, which had the Chancellor retreating to her chambers.”

  “No. Alex didn’t mention that either.” Ike frowned.

  Jax shoved the bed back to its original spot. “Damn it, Ike, think. Nya’s memory is returning, and the Chancellor sent the only person that can get through to her to another fucking country.”

  Ike’s nostrils flared. “Nya is the last of Ares and Otrera’s line. No way would Alex jeopardize her like that.”

  Disgusted, Jax started toward the door. “Past behaviors predict future decisions. You’ve put the Society above everything else, including your family, your entire life. The Chancellor knows this. If Nya died, you’d be heartbroken, but you and Gia would eventually have another child. And if that didn’t work, I’m sure you’d find a female of good breeding and have a bastard or two. Everything in your past predicts it. And so, I ask again—just how certain are you the Chancellor won’t sacrifice Nya if she felt it was necessary?”

  “I’d stake my life on it.”

  Jax shook his head. “The question is, are you willing to stake Nya’s? Because I’ve got to say, I’m not. But I guess that’s the difference between us, isn’t it? In the end, you’ll do what’s right for the Society, but I’d turn my back on everyone, including the Tovaris if it were best for her.”

  Giovanni made idle conversation as they passed a horde of reporters. Mercifully, the media could only follow them as far as the path that led to the stables. He took every opportunity to graze his fingers here, or whisper a caress there. Nya knew most females would have melted into a puddle by now, but his soft touch did nothing but ramp up her anxiety.

  Jax hadn’t contacted her since he left. What if something had happened to him?

  “... and that’s how I picked them. Which one would you like, Dea?” He smiled as he pulled her to a stop, waiting for an answer.

  “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  His smile slipped a little. “I asked which of the stallions you would like.”

  “I’m fine with either, really.”

  Giovanni grew quiet, and Nya inwardly cursed. So much for keeping an open mind. She took his hand, determined to do better. “I apologize. My thoughts keep wandering.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at the cameras trained on their backs. “I admit the media is a bit distracting.”

  “I hoped it would die down by now.”

  He grinned. “You are the first in years to bring a Tova to his knees. What had you so enraged that you went against the doctor’s orders?”

  No way was she telling Giovanni Zander had called her Penn’s sloppy seconds, but she had to say something.

  “The Tova’s Suveran insulted me. I reacted as any warrior would.”

  Whinnies rang ahead as two stablehands brought out the horses, one speckled gray and another black. Nya thanked them and chose the dappled steed.

  Giovanni watched her mount the horse, his eyes traveling up her thighs to her hips, then breasts before stopping on her face. “I see you’ve ridden before. Our compound has a stable that houses everything from Thoroughbreds to Irish Draughts. After I’ve shouldered your mark, we’ll ride often if you like.”

  Nya eased her horse into a canter without replying. She glanced over at the Italian and sighed. Giovanni might be a little over the top, but he was kind. And since lunch, she’d basically ignored him.

  She slowed to a trot. “What was your childhood like, and how did your parents meet?”

  Giovanni smiled. “Ah, my Dea is finally curious. This is a good thing.” Italian rolled off his tongue like warm honey. “Mama and Papa met here, at their Trial. Although theirs was a rocky start.”

  Clouds rolled in, cooling the air, and Giovanni pulled his horse to a stop.

  “See, Mama was in love with another and made sure he was one of her Chosen. But in the end, Papa defeated the other male.”

  Nya’s hands tightened around the reins. “That must have been difficult. What did they do?”

  “They honored the contract and went through the tattoo ceremony that evening, and then father claimed his romni’s body that night.”

  Nya squirmed in her seat. “That’s not what I meant. How did your father deal with your mother being in love with another?”

  “Ah.” Giovanni smiled. “Well, Papa worried that she would never accept him, but he was determined to love her as much as she would allow. His patience paid off, and my mother now sees the joy of finding her true equal, even though she was heartbroken when she first shouldered Papa’s mark.” He reached over and took her hand. “Understand, Dea. If I am strong enough to claim you, I will not let you go. My parents found happiness, and we will, too. Our young will grow up surrounded by friendship and love. Of that, I have no doubt.”

  Nya swallowed past the lump in her throat. Her upbringing had been so different from his. She was born out of an obligation to continue Ares and Otrera’s line. Her parents never laughed, and they moved so much that Nya never had the chance to make friends, except when they settled in Ireland and she met Penn.

  She patted his hand. “You’ll make a great rovni and father someday, Giovanni. I know you will.”

  He pulled away as they both heard her unspoken words.

  Just not with me.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  As soon as the guards opened the castle’s front door, Penn stormed through. Light arced across the dilapidated foyer, and Sergei held up his hand, motioning for everyone to stop.

  “What is it?” Stephan whispered.

  “I’m not sure, but something is off.” Sergei softly spoke into a band on his wrist, and a team of soldiers poured in from the front, some surrounding Penn while others ran up the stairs and through the hall to the back.

  “You’re paranoid,” Penn growled, pushing Stephan out of the way. “I’m going to the containment room.”

  Stephan kept up with his quick pace as Sergei cursed and jogged ahead. They made their way down the back steps and into what used to be the dungeon. Penn stood outside her cell, looking at the mattress on the floor, the place where she first discovered her life had changed. He had to admit, he was surprised by her reaction. He thought she’d embrace her new life, not fight like hell to leave it. But in the end, it didn’t matter. She would be his. The pharmaceuticals they’d used along with intense psychological conditioning assured that she would come back to him. Submit to him. And then they could build a new empire together. One where she wielded power, usurped only by his. It was a matter of time before the world was theirs. And then she’d see. He was right all along.

  Penn closed his eyes at the sweet memories of her screams, her whimpers. She. Was. Exq
uisite. That’s what he craved. Her, helpless. Begging. Needing him just to breathe.

  He perused the room. The place looked as it had the night they brought her in. He inhaled, taking in the pungent smell of urine, mold, and dirt. God. A part of him hated that he had to contain her with chains, make her suffer that way. But breaking her body was the only way to break her spirit. And once he did that, she’d be his forever. An unpleasant step, to be sure. But oh, so necessary.

  “Sir, the men cleared out most of the top floors last night so the restoration team can start at dawn.”

  Penn nodded that he’d heard, his eyes still fixed on that mattress. She’d managed to kill one of her guards before they tranquilized her enough to shackle her. He could have taken her then, but forcing the issue wasn’t what he wanted.

  He wanted her to bow to him, to understand her place was under him, serving his needs as a real wife should. He would decide what was best for her. And she would depend on his control. That was the Drahzdan way, as it was meant to be. Men were responsible for decisions—and women were content to be protected and loved.

  “Sir,” Stephan’s voice grew soft. “I must ask. Shouldn’t we wait until your Ana is back in our care? It is a risk to start on the castle right now. We have security measures in place, but if this is to be your home, we’ll need to insure the entire area is secure. Renovating before we have control of the surrounding villages is dangerous.”

  Penn sighed, his voice eerily quiet. “Haven’t we been through this? I will admit, I thought my Ana would have broken a few months after she’d been taken from me. And then she went to that nasty place in America, where we couldn’t get to her. But it is no matter. Our sources confirm their therapies weren’t working. She still cannot stand anyone’s touch but mine. She will allow no one near her. When she is forced to find a husband, she will break and come running back into my arms, where she will take her place once and for all. It’s been a long time coming, but the Drahzdan Empire is on the cusp of change. Allowing my Ana this time to struggle on her own will only make her surrender that much sweeter. And when she comes home, she’ll have a castle worthy of her and our offspring.”