Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles Book 3)

by T. A. White

  The lines twisted and curved through the landing zone, occasionally disappearing to reappear as a new route opened up.

  Baran didn't have the same advantage, but then he didn't really need it. As an oshota, and a persistent one at that, he had his own methods for closing the distance.

  "This isn't going to work," Kira said.

  Even if by some miraculous chance she managed to evade him long enough to get out of the racing stadium, he'd simply track her down again. Just like he did last time.

  She needed to do something drastic and unexpected.

  Just then, the sight of a figure caught Kira's attention. It was odd because Kira could only see the woman's back, but there was something Kira recognized in her stance. A familiarity that made the chaos of the race's end fade into the background.

  The woman turned her head, her hair covering the majority of her face, except for the smooth line of her jaw.

  "Elise."

  Kira changed course, starting for the woman.

  As if sensing her approach, the woman moved into the tunnel the racers had exited at the start of the race. Her pace was easy and slow, no evidence of hurry.

  "Kira, why did you say that name?" Jin asked.

  "I saw her. I saw Elise."

  "No. You didn't."

  Kira didn't have time to argue, the lines abruptly disappearing from her interface.

  "Don't do this. You're seeing things you want to see."

  Kira didn't respond, picking up her pace as the ground in front of her cleared.

  "I programmed the interface to recognize Elise. Standing protocol means it will alert you to anyone matching her description. Did you get an alert?"

  That only applied with a face. Kira hadn't seen a face—at least not all of one.

  "I'll take a quick look."

  The map would eventually recalibrate. Even if it didn't, she'd figure it out. She couldn't see a chance like this and not take it.

  How would she face Elise later if she found out she'd come so close only to miss her because she hadn't taken the time to investigate?

  "You stubborn, stubborn woman. You're going to get caught."

  "It wouldn't be the end of the world."

  Granted, it would seriously screw up her immediate plans and put her into hot water with her contact, possibly alienating her fully from the rest, but Kira judged the risk worth it.

  If she could catch Elise, all those plans became obsolete.

  Elena wouldn't need a caretaker because she'd have her mother.

  Kira could finish what she'd started on Roake.

  Kira reached the tunnel and hesitated, some part of her remembering caution. Even if this were Elise, there was a good chance she wouldn't be the Elise Kira remembered.

  She'd been in the Tsavitee's grasp for a long time. Long enough to be brainwashed and have her loyalties changed.

  Kira stretched her senses into the tunnel. The ki she'd begun to experiment with floating before her. Nothing seemed amiss except a few racers lingering off to the side where they were tinkering with their boards.

  Kira stepped inside, keeping one part of her attention on them in case they presented a threat and the rest on the tunnel ahead of her. A tunnel that held no sign of Elise—or the woman Kira thought might be Elise.

  Where did she go?

  Kira hurried forward, staying alert.

  She glanced into bay after bay, noting the ones with the privacy screen activated. Nothing.

  It was possible the person Kira was looking for was in one of those bays. If Kira had the time, she could try to hack them. As it was, Baran was only seconds behind her.

  "Damn it," Kira cursed as the sound of running footsteps reached her.

  Time was up.

  She headed for the building's front entrance. It was the quickest way to the city. Perhaps she could lose Baran there.

  Kira made it a half-dozen steps before a hard force latched onto her arm, yanking her into a room.

  Kira shifted her balance, already preparing for a fight. The sight of Finn's serious expression stopped her from any reckless actions.

  He held one finger up to his lips, a question in his eyes.

  Kira didn't hesitate to nod.

  He set a hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes. His soul's breath moved within his body, spreading out to hers and coating them both in a thick film, creating a barrier between them and the outer world.

  Kira's senses dulled. Their surroundings drained of color, the sounds muffled, until it was the world that felt muted and unreal.

  The racing footsteps came closer until Baran appeared outside the door. His pace slowed as if he picked up on the change. He glanced around him in suspicion, even going so far as to peer inside their room. His gaze moved over them like they weren't even there.

  Kira held her breath, afraid the slightest disturbance would break the spell and draw his attention.

  In the room across from them, a tool clattered to the floor.

  Baran spun in time to see a figure that looked exactly like Kira race along the corridor.

  Fake Kira disappeared into a hallway as Baran gave chase.

  Only when the sound of their footsteps was long gone did Finn withdraw his ki and release Kira's shoulder.

  Kira didn't move, unable to put together what she'd seen. That fake had been an exact copy. Even down to what she was wearing.

  She looked up at Finn in confusion. "How?"

  Finn didn't seem to have any idea either, his expression as befuddled as Kira's.

  A message appeared in her periphery vision tagged with the sender name—Allfather.

  Kira hit play.

  Odin's laughter sounded in her ear. "How did you like the present I left Jin? Pretty neat, huh? The holographic projector is of my own design, tailored specifically for the Tin Can. Anyway, I hope you get some good use out of it. Something has come up, but I'll be back for the second round of the race. Don't do anything I wouldn't."

  "Odin's gone," Kira told Finn.

  The oshota’s lack of reaction told Kira there wasn’t much love lost between the two.

  "Eventually Baran will catch up to Jin and expose the trick," Kira said.

  The holographic projector replicated her appearance, but it wasn't actually real. Baran would figure it out eventually. It might take a while, but the first thing he'd do when that happen would be to retrace his steps.

  Kira planned to be long gone by then.

  "We'll head to our bay and change our clothes then find a place for the night," Kira said, checking the hallway to make sure no one was waiting out there.

  Seeing it was clear, she stepped into it before making her way to their bay.

  "I thought you planned to rendezvous with Graydon and Wren," Finn said from behind her.

  Kira paused in the act of keying in their code.

  He was right; she had said that. What's more—she meant it.

  "When I go back, it'll be under my own terms."

  The privacy screen deactivated. Kira stepped inside, waiting to see if Finn followed. He hesitated on the threshold, studying her.

  Kira lifted her eyebrows. "You coming?"

  Finn narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. It seems I am."

  Kira reactivated the privacy screen. "Good. I'd hate to have to fight you."

  Finn slid her a sidelong look. "What makes you think you'd come out the winner in that scenario?"

  "You're saying I wouldn't?"

  Finn moved further into the bay. "There's a reason Graydon trusted me to act as your lone oshota. Normally, you need at least two shields for adequate protection."

  Kira pressed her hand to the side of the mask, waiting as its seal released before pulling it away from her face. She set it on one of the work benches.

  "You're saying you're a bad ass."

  He lifted an eyebrow. "Whatever made you think I wasn't?"

  Good point.

  Finn's talent had always been obvious. He held every bit of the skills as any of Gra
ydon's oshota. He was simply a little lower key about it.

  If not for the fact his reputation had taken a hit after he left his former sword under less than ideal circumstances, he'd be heavily courted with Tuann trying to get him onto their side.

  Instead, he'd agreed to be a nanny/bodyguard for Kira. She still wasn't sure what had compelled him to make that choice.

  "What are we doing here?" Finn asked, looking around.

  Kira took off her hoodie, throwing it onto one of the tables.

  "Change of clothes and to decide our next steps. We'll have to find somewhere to spend the night."

  She crossed to one of the unopened boxes, crouching in front of it and sliding off the top. A plain white shirt and a black leather jacket waited inside.

  Jackpot.

  Below them was an outfit similar to one you'd find in Haldeel fashion. That one she held out to Finn.

  "Here, you go."

  He took it with a grimace. "Are you serious?"

  She nodded at the cloak he still wore. "Unless you plan to lose the armor."

  His choice.

  To her surprise, he looked like he was actually debating it.

  Kira fished around in the box, lifting out a men's pair of pants and a hoody and shirt. She held the outfit out to Finn and waited.

  With a marked hesitation, he took them.

  They turned their backs on each other, changing quickly.

  "Your hair will still draw notice," Finn said when they were done.

  Kira's hair was a distinctive color. Anyone looking for her would be able to pull her out of a crowd in seconds. She reached into the box withdrawing a wig with spiky purple hair.

  She set it on her head, tucking her real hair away. "Better?"

  Finn grunted. "I suppose."

  Kira paused to look him over. It was a little odd seeing him out of the armor, almost like something was off in the picture he presented. The clothes fit him well, however.

  Except for the en-blade in a sheath at his waist, he could have been mistaken as human as long as one didn't get a glimpse of his ears.

  "You'll do." Kira headed for the bay's panel, once again disengaging the privacy mode.

  "Where are we going?"

  "First, we're going to find a place to stay the night. Then tomorrow, we're going to visit an old friend."

  Finn's frown deepened.

  "You should be happy. You're about to experience what no Tuann has had the chance to. Tomorrow you get to meet another of your people's lost children."

  NINE

  A KNOCK PULLED Graydon from his observation of the night skyline outside his balcony.

  "Enter."

  The door opened and Raider appeared.

  "What is it?" Graydon asked when the human lingered on the threshold, seemingly unwilling to step inside.

  Graydon took a sip of keeva, contemplating the myriad of ways the day had not gone according to plan.

  He should really be used to it by now. Kira made a practice of taking his assumptions and then turning them on their head. This was simply the latest in a long line of them.

  He'd like to know how she managed to evade Baran, though. His oshota was one of the best trackers among the Tuann. For her to give him the slip was impressive.

  When Baran had returned earlier with an update, he'd been beside himself. His frustration had been evident as was the blow to his pride. Graydon didn't even try talking him out of setting out to see if he could pick up her trail.

  He knew a waste of time when he saw it.

  Baran wouldn't be able to let this rest until he'd redeemed himself.

  Graydon had already sent people to watch the station and look for her ship. There was no way she could leave without him knowing.

  Though, something told him that was the last thing she wanted.

  Her actions during the race gave her inner desires away. If she'd really wanted to go undetected, she never would have taken the chances she had.

  He could only conclude she wanted to be found. Eventually, one way or another, she'd return to him.

  He simply needed to wait.

  Graydon swirled the keeva in his glass as he studied Raider. The man seemed more subdued than usual—as if he had a great weight on his shoulders.

  When he looked up, Graydon saw his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red.

  He'd been crying.

  Graydon tensed, taking Raider's presence a little more seriously. "Why are you here?"

  Raider moved further into the room. He was quiet as he seemed to debate with himself.

  Eventually, he put a small data chip on the end table beside Graydon. "There's something you should probably see."

  Graydon took the chip, setting his keeva down.

  Raider didn't look at him, staring out the window instead.

  Graydon set the chip on a console.

  A video of Kira appeared in front of him.

  "This was taken shortly after she and Elena left Ta Sa'Riel," Graydon said after it finished playing.

  It was confirmation of what he'd suspected. Her flight from the planet had been unplanned and not entirely of her desire. She would return when she felt the girl was safe.

  Graydon didn't think she expected Elena to fall into their hands. It meant the girl's caretaker was likely somewhere on the planet. It was the only conclusion Graydon could make for the sequence of events.

  Raider turned toward the door. "You should watch the rest. Start at the beginning."

  "Where are you going?"

  "I've already seen it." Raider reached the doorway, leaving as abruptly as he'd come.

  Graydon didn't dwell on the human's oddity, accessing the chip and selecting the oldest file on it.

  A video of Kira formed in the air in front of him.

  Everything in Graydon went still.

  He inhaled once, then again as he fought to understand what he was seeing.

  A gaunt and broken woman looked out at him, her expression dead. She was skin and bones, her eye sockets and cheeks sunken, causing the rest of her features to jut unnaturally under the skin.

  Her skin was waxen and pale as if it hadn't seen the touch of sun in years. Her hair hung lank and limp around her face.

  But it was the eyes that truly made this horrifying to watch.

  The eyes that always seemed to tease and taunt, filled with more personality than Graydon had ever seen in another, were lifeless and dead. All vitality had been snuffed out of them.

  Her expression was blank as she stared into the camera. If it hadn't been for the barest movement of her chest, Graydon would have assumed this was a picture rather than a video.

  From off camera a voice said, "Kira, you have to say something. How will he understand if you don't explain?"

  There was no shift in Kira's expression. Long moments passed before the video ended without Kira speaking a single word.

  The next video started to play as Graydon remained motionless, that image burned into his brain.

  It took several seconds for him to register the change in her appearance. She no longer seemed so broken. She was still underweight, but not to the same extent.

  The way she held herself was brittle, as if she might break at any moment.

  "It's been a long time, Raider." A wry smile stretched her lips. The movement seemed unnatural—as if this Kira was out of practice. "At least I managed to say something this time, right? Improvement."

  Kira looked uncomfortable. "So, it seems Jin has been keeping secrets. Shocker, right?" She shot a wry glance at the camera. "You're going to flip when you find out."

  Kira looked down. "I certainly did." She nodded to herself. "Anyway, Jin says the Consortium is doing a good job of hiding your and the others’ whereabouts. Too bad they didn't take those steps sooner."

  Bitterness touched her features before disappearing as quickly as it'd come. "It'll take us a little while to track you, but you should know we're on our way and we have something that belongs to you. See you
soon."

  Barely any time elapsed before a different Kira appeared again in the same seat, a background Graydon recognized behind her. It was the bridge of her ship.

  This Kira was covered in blood and had that same dead look in her eyes. Once again, she stared into space for a long while as the minutes slowly slipped by.

  "I fucked up, Raider." Kira touched a blood stain on her shirt, her expression threatening to crumble. "I thought if I could get your daughter to you, everything could go back to the way it was. But we can't go back, can we?"

  A raw laugh escaped. "I can't even send this message to you now that I've mentioned her."

  Kira dragged her hands over her face. Only when she dropped them did she speak again. "Ninety-six. That's how many people died today. Many of them by my hand. I can't even say all of them were trying to kill me either. For some, their only crime was knowledge of your daughter's existence."

  Kira rubbed her hands on her legs. "I thought it'd be safe. They were in the war with us. Fought side by side. I never thought the Tsavitee would get close enough to turn them into their puppets. If the Tsavitee learn of Elena, they'd hunt her like they did her mother."

  Kira shook her head and looked away. She tapped one finger on her knee before staring directly into the camera. "You're not going to forgive me for the decision I'm about to make. I accept that. Elena's not safe with me. I have a contact but their stipulations insist you can't be involved in her life. They're paranoid like that. Worse than Jin even."

  Kira nodded, taking a deep breath as if steeling herself. "I promise you'll have the chance to hate me. I will reunite you with her." Her expression turned wry. "But it won't be today—or likely tomorrow either."

  The video shut off, the next one already queued to play.

  It was a long time later when Graydon sat and stared unseeing at the wall.

  In an abrupt movement he hurled his glass, feeling nothing as it shattered.

  Noor entered the room, a questioning look on his face.

  "Out," Graydon ordered.

  He found he wasn't in the mood for company, not even that of his most trusted.

  Noor took note of the shattered glass but didn't say anything, nodding once and disappearing back the way he'd come. Graydon knew several of his oshota were standing guard along the perimeter of his room, ensuring none could harm him even in sleep.