"G-Galian!" He ran his hands over his face. "The prince?"
I nodded. "I followed him all the way to an island in the north. I shot him down, but then my engine redlined. I was badly injured...he saved my life..." I chewed the inside of my lip. "We survived together for two months. Then the Kylaens found us and I was sent to Mael. Galian and his guard helped me escape." I swallowed. "And now I have to get back to the island so I can warn him what Bayard is planning to do."
"Theo..." Lanis said after a few moments of silence. "If I didn't know you so well, I'd have thought you'd lost your mind."
"I have lost my mind," I said with a small chuckle. "He's my....my amichai."
The weight of the word settled on Lanis, and he nodded. I trusted he knew it wasn't a phrase I would use to describe a crush, as some besotted kids did.
"If there was any other way, I'd do it," I said. "But Bayard isn't interested in ending the war, and all the Raven ministers care about is money, and who owes whom favors, and lying and keeping the poorest Ravens on the front lines while they send their own children to fancy boarding schools in Herin—"
Lanis covered my hand with his to stop my angry tirade. "'neechai. You're starting to sound like those rebels."
"Maybe they're on to something," I said. "After all, if Bayard cared anything for ending the war, he wouldn't have wasted all that money on a bomb. He'd rather retaliate against Kylae than try to come to a peaceful solution."
Lanis squinted and shrugged, as if that didn't sound like the worst idea to him.
"Lanis," I hissed. "We are not that country. That is not what we stand for. And besides, all that'll serve to do is reinvigorate Kylae. They'll come after us even worse than they have been. You said yourself that their attacks haven't been as frequent."
"'neechai." He took my hands and squeezed them.
"I didn't give up nearly my entire life in service to this country just so we could become like Grieg," I said. "I refuse to let Bayard sully our name like that."
"What are you going to do?"
"Galian told me that if I ever...if I ever got tired of all this bullshit, I was to go back to the island. He said he's got people watching that sector, and he'd come get me." I looked up at him. "Got a plane and a parachute I could borrow?"
"How sure are you that your princeling will come for you?" Lanis asked.
"He'll come," I whispered.
"Let's go then. I've got a friend in the tower who owes me one," Lanis said, standing.
I snapped my head to look at him, mouth open. "Are you—?"
"I may be an old man," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "But I still know how to fly. Besides, we're low on planes as it is. Can't afford for you to crash another one on that island."
Galian
I never thought being a messenger boy would cause me so much stress. By nine, I'd already nearly given two patients the wrong medicine and checked another for a rash instead of a lung infection. Thank God for my nurses, who patiently suggested that I might need a stronger cup of coffee and took over for me. I was even luckier that they didn't inform Hebendon, who showed up around ten to check on my progress.
I had no idea what to expect, so my mind ran wild with different scenarios. I imagined a Kader-like man in a dark cloak handing me a manila envelope, or a Raven child speaking riddles I would have to memorize. I even imagined Kader himself a few times.
At a quarter to midnight, I started skulking around the nurse's station, listening for his name. I had no idea how he'd come in—as a patient, a visitor, or what—so I wanted to be prepared. My hovering had begun to piss off the head nurse, who swore, with two minutes until midnight, that if she saw my face in the next hour, she'd flay me alive.
Luckily, just as she finished her threats, I heard the name in question come out of an approaching nurse's mouth. I made some flimsy excuse and bowed my deference to Nurse Rima before rushing down the hall toward my patient/message-bearer.
I slowed as I drew closer to the room and straightened up. I was a prince, a doctor, and, above all else, a pretty badass human being. What was I getting so worked up over? A meeting? A message? I'd survived two months on an island eating nothing but rabbits. I'd broken my girl out of a death camp—that I'd then closed down.
Amped up on my own ego, I stood in front of room forty and swung open the door.
Gerard McMullen was a short, squat man with fire-red hair encircling his bald head. He wore the hospital gown, his bare legs swinging against the table he sat on. My mouth twitched, and I closed the door behind me, staring at him for a good minute.
"Well?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"Er...do you have...a message for me?" I said, keeping my voice low and dangerous.
"Yeah, I need a full panel to check my cholesterol," he said. "And you're terrible at this."
I slapped down the clipboard and glared at him. "It's my first day. Give me a break."
"Hope you're better at sticking needles than espionage."
"For your information, my nurses... You know what? Never mind. What's the message?"
"Tell yer mother I got shut down," he said, holding out his arm. I walked toward him, realizing that he did, in fact, want a blood panel. I took the blood pressure sleeve off the wall and wrapped it around his meaty forearm, pumping it up.
"In what way?"
He heaved a sigh. "Your mother asked me to talk to some of our dark-skinned friends across the sea. Find out if there's any viable candidates looking to unseat Bayard."
My stethoscope nearly fell out of my hand. "Are you...serious?"
He glanced at me. "Don't tell you much, do they?"
"I told you, it's my first day—"
"Well, it don't matter because the few contacts I had shut me down. They said no matter how much money I said I had, they wouldn't trust no Kylaen. Couldn't even barter transport into the damned country."
I glanced at his red hair. "You'd stick out like a—"
"Yeah, well, ain't nobody else agreeing to go," he snapped. "How's my blood pressure?"
I looked down at the sleeve and realized I'd forgotten to check.
He made a noise and ripped off the sleeve, handing it to me. "If you want my advice, stick to doctoring."
There was a knock at the door, and the nurse poked her head in. "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Helmuth, but there's an urgent call for you."
"I think we're done here anyway," I replied, picking up my clipboard from the table. "Make sure Mr. McMullen gets a full blood panel."
I followed the hall to the main nurse's station, where I was directed to the doctor's lounge to take the call. I opened the door and took a step back. "Rhys?"
"Gally," he said with a tense smile. "A Raven plane just flew over your island."
Theo
There weren't many two-seater planes in the Raven fleet, but one of the other squadrons had two at their disposal. Lanis sought out its young captain, finding him on his bunk. He was barely twenty years old, and mumbled his responses to the chief mechanic. But when we asked to borrow one of his two prized planes, he was clear that was a no-go.
So, I pulled rank and told him to sit down and shut up. As we left him stammering in his bed, I promised myself that would be the last time I ever did that.
Once we'd checked the plane, Lanis called in that favor to the air tower, saying he was giving me an aerial tour of Vinolas. If the air control chief had any questions, he kept them to himself because he gave us the all clear to depart.
The two-seater plane was larger than my girl, and much slower, which was why it was rarely used during attacks. The second seat had the gun-mount on it, versus the normal Raven planes where flying and shooting were handled by the pilot. I toyed with the trigger a bit, glad I no longer had to worry about that side of piloting.
Nearly two hours after we left Vinolas, Lanis' voice came through my helmet. "Hey, Theo, we're approaching some islands ahead. How are you gonna know which one is yours?"
"I'll know," I
said, unhooking my seatbelt to sit on my knees and look over Lanis' shoulder. Ahead of us, a few mounds of land rose out of the dark waters of the ocean below. Those couldn't have been our island, because there wasn't anything else around us.
I scanned the horizon, knowing that the sun was setting and there was only enough fuel to do a quick search before Lanis would have to head back to Vinolas.
Then, I saw it. "There."
"Are you sure?"
"Very." I had no idea how I knew it was our island, except that I felt it in the same place that had told me it was Galian's plane I was shooting down. It hadn't steered me wrong before.
Lanis circled around to fly lower over the island as dusk colored the sky a mixture of purple and pink. But the wreckage still visible on the beach was unmistakeable.
"One final chance to change your mind, Theo," Lanis said.
"Thanks for everything, Lanis," I replied, turning and hooking in my restraints. "Pull it."
It happened in a burst of wind and the exhilarated rush of being launched out of the plane. Cold air froze my hands as they moved to pull the parachute release. The whiteness billowed around me, and I watched Lanis' plane disappear into the purple sky.
"Thanks," I said, hoping that my helmet radio was still connected to his.
I wafted down, carried by the breeze, toward the place I'd called home for two months. My feet landed on the soft sand of the beach, and I unhooked the straps to release myself. The moon was bright and full, casting an eerie blue glow as the sun disappeared below the horizon. I took a moment to drink in the sounds and the feel of the wind on my face.
"I'm home," I whispered to the salty air. The only thing missing was my amichai.
Shouldering my pack, I walked to the forest, pressing my hands against the familiar trees and feeling for the marks Galian had left in them.
The dark outline of my mangled ship greeted me. A ghost of pain ached from the back of my right leg and the calf of my left.
This time, I was a bit more prepared, as I pulled a flashlight out of my pack and shone it over the campsite. A white tail disappeared into the bush, and I had to smile. I had some rations; I wasn't planning on killing any more rabbits any time soon.
Instead, I found the old stones we'd used to start fires and quickly made one with some nearby kindling. I'd brought an extra jacket, which I wrapped around myself, but it was still chilly. And I wanted Galian to know where I was when he came for me.
The fire crackled and popped, and I settled back against my familiar tree. Our mattress was still in our cave, about an hour's walk away. In the morning, if Galian hadn't made it, I would venture there.
More pressing was what I would say when I arrived in Norose. I knew Galian would believe me, but would the rest of Kylae? Would his father? And if, by some miracle, I could convince them, would it be in time?
Was I walking to my own death?
I exhaled a long breath. When I'd last been on this island, I'd been so convinced that Kylae was the villain. From my limited perspective, everything had seemed so cut and dried. But now I was committing high treason against the very country I'd given seven years of my life to protect.
I considered what might happen if I was successful and Norose was saved from almost certain doom. I obviously couldn't return to Rave—a thought that caused an awful ache in the bottom of my chest. And although Kylae was much safer for Ravens with the closure of Mael, it had been made clear that anyone who disagreed with Grieg was in danger of finding themselves blown up.
Herin was probably too closely aligned with Rave to offer me asylum. Jervan could be an option. The Jervanian president hadn't seemed so sure about murdering Kylaens; maybe they could be reasoned with.
And if that failed...
I glanced around the still trees and smiled to myself. Well, we'd lived here before...
A cackle escaped my lips and I settled against the tree, pulling my coat tighter. We'd need to build a house and perhaps bring in some livestock and try to make the rocky soil into something I could grow food in. Not to mention figuring a way to pipe in water from the vile laboratory on the north end of the island...
I yawned and closed my eyes, dreaming about making a new life with my amichai.
And, just as quickly, a loud sound woke me. It lacked the buzzing of a passing propeller plane, and was more the whirring of a helicopter. I stepped to attention, gazing at the black sky above my head. Yes, I was sure of it—there was an aircraft approaching. I stood and closed my eyes, trying to pinpoint the direction it was coming from.
I grinned and pulled on my pack, rushing toward the beach. The fire I'd made was bright enough, but I wanted him to see me. I doubted he would've come alone and I was all-too-familiar with how trigger happy Kylaen guards could be.
The helicopter landed a way down the beach. I broke into an all-out run, my calves burning from the shifting sand under my feet. Despite everything, I was beyond excited to see him, to have him hold me in his arms like he'd done in Jervan. For that brief moment of sublime happiness before we had to get to the business of saving our countries from themselves.
I saw his dark form standing in front of the ship, and my heart raced. He started walking toward me, and I cried, "Amichai!"
"Amichai?"
Where I'd expected Galian's sweet voice, came the cold, heartless voice of Cannon, and a contingent of Raven soldiers.
EIGHTEEN
Galian
"So you drag me out of the hospital, and you aren't going to let me go get her?" I scowled, crossing my hands in front of my chest. "What the actual fuck, Rhys?"
"I didn't say you couldn't go," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I just want to gather the facts before I approve this mission. Lochan, report."
Lochan, a one-striper barely out of basic training, nervously gripped his cap, staring between me and Rhys as if we'd behead him at any moment.
Behind me, Kader cleared his throat, and the boy jumped. In a shaky voice, he said, "Sire, about three hours ago, we had a report of a Raven plane leaving the forward operating base at Vinolas, flying over the island where Prince Galian had been found then returning to the FOB."
"So that means nothing, Gal," Rhys said, sitting back.
"I have to check," I said. "Send me. I still know how to fly."
"You can crash a plane," Kader replied. "But in order to get on and off the island, you'll need a VTO."
"V..TO?"
"Vertical take-off," Rhys snapped without looking at me. "I'm not pulling a VTO out of the fleet on a lark. Take the Ledsi. Do a flyby. If you see signs of life there—"
"You won't know unless you're on the ground," I snapped.
"Really? You think Theo wouldn't have thought to get a flare?" Kader replied.
I reddened slightly. She was always more prepared, so she probably did have one.
"How long will it take to get there?" Rhys asked.
"With the Ledsi? Three hours, if we punch it," Johar replied.
"If she's there," Rhys said with a pointed look at me. "We'll take a team with a VTO. I'm not convinced this isn't some big trap."
"Theo wouldn't—"
"Theo wouldn't, but her country would," Rhys replied.
My pulse quickened. "You don't think..."
"Let's not jump to conclusions until we know what we're dealing with," Kader replied. "Johar and I will take the Ledsi and report back."
"I...don't want this to get out," Rhys said with a little fear in his voice. "This sort of thing would require...approval."
"Understood," Kader said, bowing and disappearing through the door with Johar in tow.
"Guess that means I'm on duty tonight," Rhys said, slouching into the radar operator chair. "Wonder if this'll count for my quarterly assignment."
"Rhys..." I said, taking the seat next to him. "Thanks for this. You don't—"
"Don't thank me until we know what we're dealing with," he said with a stern look. But he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder a
nd squeezed. "Congratulations, you're now officially off reserve duty and back in the force as a radar operator. You want some shitty coffee?"
Theo
"Amichai?" Cannon said, his smug voice audible over the sound of the helicopter. "I didn't think you liked me that much, Major."
"What are you doing here?" It was all I could do to keep my voice normal. I didn't know what he knew, and I didn't want to give anything away.
"Catching up with an AWOL soldier, it seems." The gleam in his eye was visible even in the darkness. I considered running, but one look at the guns hanging from the Raven soldiers told me I wouldn't get very far. "Of all the places I expected you to go, this island wasn't one I would've picked."
I swallowed. "I wanted to get away from it all."
"And yet you landed the exact same island where Prince Galian of Kylae was marooned."
"Is it?" I said, and then shrugged. "Coincidence."
"At first, I thought so, but there were so many unanswered questions about you." Cannon stood a mere foot from me, wearing a self-satisfied smile. "You crashed here, too, didn't you? The princeling didn't survive on his own, you helped him."
I clenched my jaw but didn't deny his claim.
"That, in itself, is grounds for a treason charge," Cannon said, but I knew he wasn't here to drum up some false charges against me. "And yet, you said amichai."
I couldn't hold his gaze any longer, choosing to give him the win versus showing what that word meant to me.
"To be frank, I thought the Kylaens had offered you some sort of deal. Spy on us in exchange for your freedom. I told Bayard as much, but he didn't believe me. So we tested you and allowed you to accompany us to Malaske, just to see how you'd react."
I closed my eyes, ashamed at my own foolishness. In hindsight, it had been strange that they'd sent me to such a highly secretive place out of the blue. I hadn't even attended a cabinet meeting.
The Complete Madion War Trilogy Page 39