“There’s still the matter of how we plan on stopping the Rex at all,” Ruckus pointed out. “Say Tilda agrees to help us, turns against him.… Then what?”
“We’ll start by taking the Vakar palace back,” Trystan said. “Then Tilda can get word out to her people that she’s no longer under my father’s thumb.”
“You mean your thumb?”
“Your people far outnumber Tilda’s,” Delaney reminded, drawing attention her way before they could start arguing again. “If she announces she’s no longer going to do what he says, the Rex will declare war—you know, that thing we’ve gone through all of this to avoid?”
“We’ll just have to hope she knows more about my father’s plans and can help us before it comes to that.” Trystan smoothed a hand over his hair, a nervous tick of his that gave him away.
“Hope isn’t really a lot to go on right now.” She didn’t like feeling so many steps behind. “We need to find a way to get your father off that throne. Take away his crown, and we take away his army at the same time.”
“I know that.” Trystan sighed again. “But I don’t know how yet, Delaney. We need more information, and right now Tilda is the only person I can think of who might have some. Who knows what my father’s told her since taking Olena hostage?”
“You should call him.” Ruckus motioned toward Rantan. “We’ve lost the luxury of time to figure things out further.”
Trystan looked like he was going to argue, probably just because the Ander was the one telling him what to do, but he ended up gritting his teeth instead. “You two wait here, in case we’re wrong and Rantan wasn’t the only one already sent our way.”
Sanzie went with him, leaving Delaney and Ruckus alone in the office. With Rantan’s body.
“This is fun.” Delaney scowled down at the Rue’s lifeless form and then went to the desk, turning so she didn’t have to look at him anymore.
“As long as Trystan can convince the Rex to let him make the trip to Vakar, it should be okay,” Ruckus said, trying to reassure her. He was obviously able to tell she was still feeling antsy over this partial plan of theirs.
“And Tilda?” she asked. “How do we convince her not to shoot Trystan the second she realizes it’s Olena in that body bag and not me?”
“She’s smart. She knows that’ll ensure war.”
“She’ll be standing over her daughter’s corpse. I don’t think she’ll be thinking clearly enough to consider killing the Zane—who had a hand in Olena’s death—a bad idea.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“Aren’t you the one who used to tell me to always be prepared for everything?” she shot over her shoulder. If Trystan got hurt carrying out this plan, it’d partially be her fault for suggesting it in the first place.
Ruckus licked his lips and then moved closer, resting a hand on the narrow of her back. Leaning in, he brushed his knuckles against her wrist, where she had both palms flat against the desk.
“We’ll have to take a stealthier route, past the East Mountains, in order to avoid detection on our way to Vakar,” he told her. “That’s plenty of time for us to convince the Zane not to stand anywhere near the Basilissa when we reveal that Olena’s dead. He’ll see the logic in being cautious.”
She shivered before she could help herself, her mind already going back to the other day and the traumatic experience she’d had. The cave Trystan had gotten them into had saved their lives, but she could still recall the frozen feeling, the burning and the numbness that had followed.
All those times she’d been pretending to be Olena, coming so close to death in the forms of bombs and zees, and yet, it was the hypothermia that really stuck with her. That particular fear had sunk in its claws, deeply enough she could feel it wiggling in the back of her mind at even the mere idea of having to travel near or around another mountain.
“Hey.” Concern thickened his voice, and Ruckus angled his body so that she was propped comfortingly against his warmth. The hand already on her back began rubbing soothing circles on her spine, while his other reached out to steady her hip. “We’re in the midst of our spring season. Winter’s already passed for Vakar.”
Delaney dropped her head against his shoulder and let out a humorless chuckle. “How’d you know that’s what I was panicking about?”
“Lucky guess.” He shrugged, but when she glanced up and caught him staring down at her, he added, “I know you, Delaney.” His brow furrowed, an almost bemused look passing over his features, and when he spoke again, his voice was no more than a whisper.
“Have you forgotten that?” he asked. “Have you forgotten us?”
“What?” She twisted in his hold and took his head between her hands. “Of course not.”
He didn’t appear convinced.
“Of course not,” she repeated, sending the words through their fittings this time. Speaking telepathically had always seemed more intimate to her. During their time on Earth, the two of them had spoken that way often, even when alone.
And she realized with a start that they hadn’t done so once since he’d found her in that cave.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “For being so distracted.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, I’m the one being ridiculous. It’s just…” He trailed off, and before she could press him on it, he chuckled. “Never mind. It’s me being insecure.”
“Insecure?”
“Poor choice of words.” He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
She didn’t believe him.
CHAPTER 4
Trystan tried not to twitch at his father’s perusal, knew that the other man’s gaze kept coming back to the splotches beneath his son’s eyes and the single strand of blond hair that refused to stay in place. Trystan did his best to act like he didn’t care about these obvious flaws, keeping his shoulders stiff and his expression blank.
He had no idea if the Rex was buying it.
“I’m not sure telling Tilda in person that her daughter was injured is wise.” His father tapped his fingers against the surface of his desk. “We’ve gained her loyalty by ensuring Olena wouldn’t be harmed, after all.”
“She deserves to know the truth,” Trystan repeated, for what might have been the tenth time since the call had started over fifteen minutes ago. “And Delaney—”
“Right,” he cut him off, “the newly deceased Miss Grace. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?”
“She was Tilda’s heir.”
“She was human.” The Rex paused, then canted his head. “Where is Rue Rantan?”
Trystan held his gaze unflinchingly, not bothering to answer. It was fairly obvious, seeing as how there was only one reason Rantan would miss an opportunity to make the Zane look bad in front of the Rex.
His father sighed, but it was impossible to tell if it was out of annoyance at having lost a valued member of his council, or just at his son in general.
“If you didn’t want him dead,” Trystan finally said, “then you shouldn’t have sent him.”
“I had hoped you’d have better control of your actions,” the Rex replied. “But, yes, of course your misplaced feelings for the human getting the best of you was a possibility I’d considered.”
Trystan stopped the disgust from showing on his face just in time. He’d hated the Rue, who’d been all but a waste of space since he’d first joined the council. But the man had been loyal to the Rex, if nothing else. Seeing how little his father appreciated that fact made his insides twist.
“I don’t want Lissa Olena anywhere near Vakar without me present,” his father said. “It’s too risky, especially now that Delaney is dead. It’ll put Tilda on edge, perhaps even give her foolish notions of rebellion.”
“She’s still in critical condition in any case,” Trystan told him. “I’d hoped to leave Olena here, so she could continue getting medical attention. I’ll allow her to conference call with her mother once I make it to Vakar, so that the Basilissa
has proof her daughter is all right. I think it best we keep all of this to ourselves as well.”
The Rex lifted a brow, a silent indication for him to go on.
“I’ll tell Tilda I’m arriving with information, and show her Delaney’s body once I’m there. If we inform her of her Uprisen heir’s death without me present, I fear she might have the same rebellious reaction you hope to avoid.”
Making sure his father didn’t tell Tilda anything ahead of time also meant they’d have a better chance of controlling the story.
“All right,” the Rex said, waving a hand. “Take Miss Grace’s body to Tilda as a show of good faith, and tell her about Olena’s injuries. But I want a full update, and to be notified as soon as Lissa Olena is out of surgery. Is that understood?”
“Of course, Father.” Trystan bowed his head, keeping his gaze low to avoid eye contact.
“You have until tomorrow night to get to Carnage,” the Rex continued. “If you aren’t back by then, I’ll be forced to send more men to retrieve you. Like a child.”
“Once I’ve completed my business with Tilda, I’ll board a ship immediately.” The very thought of going back to that place made him want to vomit all over the sleek marble floor. But at least he’d know beforehand that Delaney was safe.
So long as they could convince Tilda not to do anything rash.
* * *
DELANEY ADJUSTED THE zipper on her coat, then tugged at the ends of her gloves to make sure they were secure. She fidgeted, doing pretty much anything and everything she could think of to distract herself from the awkwardness of her current situation.
At her left, Trystan stood statue still, eyes trained straight ahead on the slowly closing ship doors. He hadn’t spoken since the call with his father, other than to mention that he’d bought himself until tomorrow night, as planned. Whether or not the Rex was actually going to let him get away with that was still to be seen, but what choice did they have but to try?
On her right, Ruckus had his arms crossed over his chest, and was glaring. He wasn’t doing it at anything in particular, which was why it was so obvious that his angered look was really meant for the Zane.
Shocker.
Fawna had arrived with Ruckus’s ship less than twenty minutes ago, and they’d had to wait to check airspace to make sure she hadn’t been followed before boarding.
Delaney had yet to even see the pilot, though Ruckus had met with her already in order to ensure everything was going as planned and they were safe. Apparently, Fawna had been hiding close by ever since they’d been captured in the Vakar palace. She was so good at staying hidden, she’d trailed the Kint ships all the way from there to Inkwell without once being detected.
Finally the doors clicked into place, and sealed with a low hissing sound.
“Lissa.” Sanzie turned to her, angling her body between the awkward little group and the doorway. “Would you like to get a refreshment from—”
“An entire galaxy of yes!” She was halfway to the Sworn, eager to get away from the uncomfortable situation, when she had a thought. Coming to an abrupt stop, she inhaled deeply, and then spun around to address the guys. “Don’t kill each other, okay? In fact, let’s just make that a general rule from here on out, so that I don’t have to worry about it happening later on down the line.”
Trystan’s expression suddenly matched Ruckus’s. “You can’t be serious.”
She held his gaze. “Deadly so.”
“If you recall, we’ve already had this discussion, Lissa.”
At the mention of their original deal to keep the Ander safe, her eyes narrowed. They’d made that agreement before Trystan’s father had thrown a wrench in everything. He couldn’t seriously think their previous understanding still applied, could he?
“What are you complaining about?” Ruckus asked him tersely, saving Delaney from having to come up with a response. “I have more reason to want you dead than the other way around.”
“That is far from true, and you know it.” Trystan turned and shared a cryptic look with Ruckus over his shoulder. For a split second it actually seemed like the two of them were on the same page about something.
It freaked Delaney out too much to want to stick around and decipher what exactly that was, so instead she took a pointed step back. “Guys.”
“Yes, all right.” Trystan grunted. “But I still don’t like it.”
“Join the club.” Ruckus pushed past him, bumping his shoulder pointedly against the Zane’s to jostle him.
“Nope.” Delaney signaled to Sanzie to proceed, giving the other two her back. “Not staying for this.”
When the Sworn had led her halfway down the hall and she still didn’t hear the sounds of zee fire or punches being thrown, some of the tension in her shoulders eased.
“They fight like children,” Sanzie said as she broke the quiet, irritated. “It is a disgrace to their stations.”
Delaney blinked at the Sworn as they took another corner, for a moment unsure how to respond. “Haven’t they always been like that?”
Even as she asked, she knew that wasn’t the case. They’d always disliked each other, sure; that’d been apparent when she’d been pretending to be Olena. But there’d still been a level of feigned respect between them, if only to keep up appearances.
“Wux is still an Ander, and therefore he must follow the Zane’s commands,” Sanzie told her. When Delaney laughed, Sanzie sent her a confused sideways glance.
“Ruckus was Trystan’s prisoner for weeks,” she reminded Sanzie, finding it a bit strange she even had to. “There’s no way he’s going to do what he says now that he’s free. And he shouldn’t be expected to, all things considered.”
“He’s not Vakar royalty; therefore, he must fall in line when in the presence of the Zane.”
“I’m thinking the dynamics from before no longer apply,” Delaney stated. “Does this have anything to do with you and Ruckus, about your past?”
Delaney still didn’t have any of the details, only that the two of them had once served together in the Vakar army until Sanzie had gotten into an accident. The Sworn had been abandoned by her squad and, weirdly, rescued by the Zane. She’d worked for him ever since. That left a lot of questions up in the air, but Delaney hadn’t had the time to press for answers.
“How close were you two, anyway?” It dawned on her that Sanzie had been leading the way since they’d left the hangar. And that this was Ruckus’s ship. “How do you know where you’re going?”
“These particular crafts are all built the same.” She shrugged.
Delaney halted, suddenly not finding any humor in this. “I’ve been on both Vakar and Kint ships before, Sanzie. I know that’s not true.”
“Different models,” she insisted, but it was obvious Delaney didn’t believe her. “All right, yes, I’ve been on this vessel. I used to know Fawna, too. It was a long time ago; this should be the way to the kitchen area, though.”
Sanzie started forward, leaving Delaney no choice but to follow after.
“Eventually you’re going to have to tell me the whole story,” she said at the Sworn’s back, noticing the way her spine stiffened at her comment. She tried to ignore the quick flash of jealousy and suspicion that rushed through her. With the future as up in the air as it was, the past shouldn’t matter to her.
“There’s not much to tell,” Sanzie assured her. “When I worked for Vakar, we sometimes went on missions together. The Ander’s ship is one of the fastest and most secure on the planet. Not all of them can successfully operate within, and outside of, Xenith’s atmosphere.”
This was the same craft that Fawna had used to travel to Earth, and they were currently flying on the planet the same way an airplane would. Delaney didn’t know much about rocket science, but she was aware a fighter jet couldn’t do the same things a rocket could.
“Here we are, Lissa.” Sanzie stepped through an opening in the wall and entered the tiny kitchen area on the ship. She motioned towar
d a large black box-shaped device tucked into the corner that had always reminded Delaney of a vending machine. “Shall I make you some squa?”
They were still in Inkwell, and it was chilly on the ship despite the fact that Fawna had turned the heat on as soon as she’d docked next to the palace. Up until that point, she’d apparently kept all heating systems off to avoid being detected by Kint.
“Funny story…” Delaney moved into the room and over to the device, sending a smile over her shoulder to ease the bite of her words. “I’ve actually been on this ship before, too.”
There was a smaller rectangle in the center of the device, about the same size as a laptop screen. Until Delaney pressed her finger to it, it was black, but then it lit up a pale yellow. Words she didn’t know began to appear, separated by an outline of tiny circles. She’d memorized what most of them would give her while on her trip back to Earth, though she didn’t recall ever having tried squa here.
Before she could overanalyze, she tapped one of the buttons near the bottom—the drink she’d been obsessed with herself—and watched as a row of white lights lit up around the outside of the entire device.
A small compartment slid open around her knees, exposing a panel of glass, and a whizzing sound filled the silence. A second later a cup was pushed forward, a light pink liquid sloshing around, close to spilling over the rim. It was almost exactly like a coffee machine back on Earth, and the first time she’d tried it, Delaney had expected scalding, stale liquid to meet her tongue.
Instead it had tasted like rich, hot strawberry milk and roasted cashews.
“What would you like?” Delaney asked as she reached down to remove her cup. She set it on the counter at the right, and then turned back expectantly.
“I’m fine, Lissa.”
She thought about pushing, then decided against it. The screen had a small arrow at the bottom right, and she tapped it so that the items offered would change. Then she selected the one she knew Ruckus would prefer, and waited for that cup to fill.
Within Ash and Stardust Page 4