by Tana Stone
“That can’t be from today,” she whispered, as I edged by her in my underwear and stepped into the bathroom.
“What?” It was only when I glanced at the warped reflective surface over the wash basin that I spotted the bruises blooming across my arms and thighs. Some were fading to a sickly yellow, but others were deep purple.
Juliette’s shocked expression gaped at me in the reflection. “Is this from father, or Donal, or…?” She clapped a hand over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
Damn. I turned and grabbed her by the shoulders. As much as I would have loved to blame my bruises on my father, or even Donal, I couldn’t lie to her. And apparently, I couldn’t keep my training a secret from Juliette any longer.
“It’s not from either of them, I promise.” I held her eyes. “If I tell you how I got them you have to swear that you won’t tell anyone.”
Her blue eyes became round with shock as she stared at me.
I gave her shoulders a small shake. “Promise me, Juliette. Promise me on our mother.”
She went still. When we were girls, promising on our mother was the most solemn promise we could make to each other. We never said it lightly, and we never broke those promises. As she finally nodded, she allowed the hand to slip from her mouth. “I promise.”
I released her and stepped back. “You remember how the Vandar kicked me from the training after he found out I was a female, and Donal made a big stink about it?”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Yes.”
“You know I never take no for an answer. Not when I really want something. So, I made a deal with Corvak. He’s been teaching me privately.”
Her jaw dropped but she didn’t say anything.
“I’ve been sneaking out at night so no one would know.”
Juliette managed to close her mouth. “And all those bruises are from…?”
I shrugged. “He’s training me just like he trains the males. It’s hard work, and I end up on the ground a lot.”
A glint flashed in her eyes. “So, that’s why he was so familiar around you.”
“I guess, but I promise you we’re only training.” I didn’t want to admit that I’d touched more of the Vandar warrior than anyone on my planet would consider appropriate, or that he’d ended up on top of me with my hands pinned over my head more than a few times. If anyone knew how hot and heavy our training sessions got, they’d probably insist we marry. That thought made my stomach flutter then become a hard knot as I remembered how eager the Vandar was to get away from my planet.
Juliette absently flicked her fingers through her pale hair. “What if you get caught, Sienna?”
I sighed, reaching over and turning on the water for the shower. “We won’t get caught. I’ve been extremely careful. We only meet after everyone is tucked away in their dwellings and fast asleep, and we go so far away that no one would ever stumble upon us. No one would even think to tramp out into the woods after dark.”
My sister nibbled the corner of her thumbnail as she shook her head. “You know what would happen if someone found out, don’t you?”
Actually, I didn’t. There had never been an alien warrior exiled on our planet who’d been secretly training a woman in the dead of night. I could be pretty sure the ministers wouldn’t be happy about it, but I suspected Corvak would face fewer consequences than I would. I flinched at the thought of our father’s reaction.
I rounded on my sister. “Which is why you can’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Corvak is doing this because he thinks I can help defend our planet. It would be unfair for him to get punished for it.”
I didn’t say that the real reason he was training me was because of our deal and my agreement to help him escape. That was something I wasn’t willing to reveal to anyone, even my sister. And I didn’t need to tell her that the punishment for my secret training would fall much heavier on me and even on her. My aberrant behavior would make our entire family the object of even more curious glances and whispers than we already were.
She cut her eyes to me. “Of course I won’t tell anyone. I’m not a fool.” She clutched my hands in hers. “But promise me you’ll be careful, Sienna. Donal isn’t stupid, and neither are the rest of the villagers.”
I pulled my hands from hers. “What does that mean?”
She cocked her head at me and pursed her lips. “You might be clever about sneaking around, but you aren’t clever enough to hide your connection. It’s obvious from the way you two look at each other that you aren’t the strangers you should be.”
I huffed out an indignant breath as I darted a hand beneath the streaming water and determined that it was warm enough. “I told you. The only thing that’s going on is battle training.”
Juliette crossed her arms over her chest and eyed me, looking older than her years and so much like our mother that my heart squeezed. “That may be so, but there is something between you, whether you can admit it or not. Especially on his part.”
I gaped at her, ready to argue that she was off base, but she waved a hand at me.
“You may not see it. You’ve never been great at noticing the way males look at you, and for some reason, you’ve never been aware of how pretty you are, but trust me when I say that the Vandar notices. The way he looked at you after defending you from Donal, was not the way a teacher looks at a student, Sienna.”
I was not accustomed to my kid sister being the one to give me advice and watch out for me. I was also not used to her being so savvy when it came to males. “And how did he look at me, little sister?”
She turned to leave, looking back over her shoulder. “Like a predator defending his prey from other hunters.”
I shook off her words, peeling away my underwear and stepping under the warm cascade of water. Corvak was training me to be a warrior. He didn’t see me as his prey.
I closed my eyes, letting the water stream down my back as I thought about his dark gaze tracking me during our sessions and the dominant flash of satisfaction when he pinned me beneath him. I swallowed hard. Or did he?
Chapter Sixteen
Ch 16
Corvak
I entered the hall, finally able to pass through a doorway without bending my head and paused on the threshold as my eyes adjusted to the lower light.
“Join us!” The voice from the far end of the cavernous space beckoned me forward, the sound echoing off the arched stone walls and ceiling.
This was my first visit to the gathering hall, which was also used for the meetings of the planet’s ministers. Many long tables extended the length of the hall, but only one was occupied. Fewer than a dozen humans and Kimitherians clustered at one end, all clad in light-colored cloaks, as the warm light from massive chandeliers made from bone-colored shells glowed down on them.
The cool air was a stark change from the heat outside, and I welcomed both the respite from the heat and the sunlight. I wished I’d had time to bathe before my first audience with the ministers, but the incident with Sienna and that fool Donal had distracted me and delayed my return to my dwelling.
No matter, I thought, as I strode up to where the males sat. They knew I was a Vandar warrior, and they knew I was tasked with military training. A little grime was to be expected.
The human I recognized from my first night on the planet stood as I approached. “Greetings, Corvak. Thank you for meeting with us.” His gaze flitted to the dirt smeared across my bare chest. “We know you are busy with the task we gave you.”
The Kimitherian who had accompanied the human Terel on that first meeting peered up at me from underneath his hood. “Are you making progress?”
I did not take a seat on the long benches with them, preferring to stand with my hands clasped behind my back as I gave my report. As I scanned the group, I wondered which minister was the father to Donal, then I forced that thought from my mind. It was better I do not know, otherwise I might have the urge to give him the same treatment I’d given his arrogant son.
I rocked back on my heels, keeping my gaze over their heads. “There has been progress. The trainees have mastered the basics of hand-to-hand combat and are learning to use weapons, although I have not found many weapons to use.”
The pupil in Kerl’s large yellow eyes contracted. “Since we have been a peaceful planet for so long, weapons have been unnecessary.”
The concept of a culture without a means to defend itself was unthinkable to me, but I nodded as if I understood this madness. “But surely, if you believe your planet to be at risk, you should make an effort to procure some weapons. I do not wish to send my newly trained army out with rocks and spears made from sharpened sticks.”
Terel cleared his throat as he worked his hands together, scanning the other males at the table. “The Vandar makes a good point. It is time we equipped ourselves with blasters.”
A rumble passed through the small group and the Kimitherians’ hoods shook back and forth.
I tempered my urge to raise my voice. “I am not suggesting we arm your villagers, but if you truly believe that your planet will be at risk from an imperial assault or invasion in the future, it would be wise to have a stockpile of weapons for the fighters to use. Otherwise, you will be sending them to certain death, because I assure you the Zagrath will be well-armed.”
One of the other humans pinned me with a sharp look. “You do not carry a blaster.”
I instinctively shifted one hand to rest on the hard iron hilt of my battle axe. “Vandar warriors are trained to use our axes as effectively as any blaster, but we are also excellent blaster marksmen. We just rarely carry the weapons on our bodies.”
“Because you prefer the old ways,” another Kimitherian said. “Like us.”
I inclined my head at him. “In a way, yes. But our horde ships are outfitted with the latest technology—innovation even the empire does not have. We prefer to appear as our ancient ancestors, but we never reject progress. Not if it will aid in our mission or improve our chances in battle.”
More grumblings.
Finally Kerl spoke again. “Even if we manage to procure weapons, they will not arrive in time.”
I studied the group as they shifted on the benches. “In time for what?”
Terel let out a loud breath, shaking his head from side to side slowly. “It is probably nothing, but the empire has alerted us that a ship is inbound.”
My entire body tensed. “A Zagrath ship?”
“Only one,” one of the other human ministers said, his voice cracking. “It isn’t unheard of for the empire to send a ship.”
“There is no way they could know I am here, is there?” I asked, looking from male to male and searching for signs of deception.
“We have no open communication with the empire,” Terel said. “They could not have learned it from us.”
“Is he the reason the empire is coming?” one of the Kimitherians hissed to another, but loud enough for me to hear.
If the residents of Kimithion III did not inform the empire of my presence, I could be sure my Vandar brothers did not. Even if word had spread through the hordes, the information would not have leaked to the empire. The Vandar had no leaks. At least, we never had before.
“There is little chance that the enemy knows I am here. The Vandar would have taken great pains to keep that from them.” I shot a fierce look at the Kimitherian who’d suggested otherwise, and the blue-green scales on his face turned a sickly shade of yellow. “I would bet that they are performing a scouting mission.”
“What does that mean?” Kerl asked, tilting his elongated face at me.
I clenched my grip on my axe. “It means your suspicions were well-founded. The Zagrath are meticulous. Before they invade a planet, they gather information. It will appear that they are peaceful, but they will be mapping everything about your community to make their eventual incursion easier.”
One of the scaled Kimitherians darted his gaze around the table. “Impossible. They haven’t shown any interest in our planet for hundreds of solar rotations.”
The alien made a good point. I drummed my fingers on the handle of my weapon. “Why are the Zagrath coming now? You mentioned that you believed they might try to invade, but what made you think that after living unnoticed for so long?”
Terel glanced quickly at one of the ministers then away again. When he met my eyes again, his cheeks were flushed. “There was an unfortunate slip. A Zagrath ship was forced to make an emergency stop on our planet not long ago. We offered the soldiers hospitality.”
Realization dawned on me. Someone had let the truth of the planet’s miraculous properties slip to the imperial soldiers. I studied the bowed heads and nervous twitching among the group. “One of you revealed the truth?”
All heads snapped up at once then there was vigorous shaking.
Terel expression was offended. “One of the planet’s own ministers? We would never be so foolish.”
His protestation of innocence was too strong for them to be blameless. “Then who are you all so eager to protect?”
Kerl straightened his shoulders and flipped back his hood. “It was the child of a minister. Someone who also should have known better but who enjoys bragging.”
The human whom Terel had exchanged a nervous glance with pressed his palms flat on the table and raised himself halfway to standing. “He understands his mistake. He could not have known the imperial soldiers would take his claims so seriously.”
I eyed the man, noticing a strange familiarity in the arrogant set of his mouth and the shade of his brown hair. “You are the father of Donal.”
His gaze swiveled to mine, and I saw in it the same weak cruelty I’d spotted in his son. He did not acknowledge my statement, but he didn’t need to.
“That is why you are so concerned and why you asked me to train your males. You didn’t suspect the empire would be coming. You knew it.” I slid my gaze to Terel, my blood firing as the reality hit me. “I suspect you felt fortunate when my Vandar horde reached out to you and asked you to take an exile. It was not just the financial incentive that prompted you to agree so eagerly, was it?”
The man dropped his eyes. “We thought you were the solution to all our problems.”
I tightened the grip on my axe, wishing that I could swing it over my head and bring it down into the dark wood of the table. “Yet you did not tell me everything. You did not give me the information I needed.”
“What do you mean?” Kerl asked.
I slammed my hands down on the table, and the males jumped back in surprise. “I have been training as if the empire might come, when I should have been training as if an attack was imminent. There is now no doubt in my mind that the Zagrath have targeted your planet as one of the next ones they will take over.”
Terel slumped in his chair. “Then it’s over.”
I thumped my palms on the table again. “Not if you let me train your fighters for war, and arm your planet to fight off an invasion.”
The leaders glanced at each other quickly before bobbing their heads up and down.
I straightened. “Good. That means I have a lot of work to do.”
Taking long steps from the hall, I frowned. It also meant I would have little time to spare anymore. And even less room in my life for pretty distractions.
Chapter Seventeen
Ch 17
Sienna
I paced a small circle in the middle of the open ring, tipping my head back to peer at the deep-blue sky, and the three glowing, white orbs high above. Aside from the chirping of the water crickets, the woods were quiet. No sounds of heavy footsteps tramping toward me, or even muffled ones. My cloak was draped over the fallen tree trunk, so I rubbed my arms to ward off the chill of the night.
Where was he?
After he’d disarmed me for the final time the night before, holding my body tight to his from behind as I’d tried to wiggle from his grasp, we’d agreed to the same time and same place tonight. Then I’d let him leave first, watc
hing him stride off through the spindly trees as I’d calmed my racing heart.
I loosed an impatient breath. Did this have anything to do with what had happened with Donal earlier in the day? Shaking my head, I walked back to the log and leaned my palms against it, the curling bark succumbing to the pressure of my hands as I let my head hang between my shoulders.
I thought back, my mind scouring my memories for any indication that Corvak had been upset with me, or worried about meeting. I remembered his hot gaze holding mine but also how kind he’d been to my sister. Not anything like the gruff brute he usually was.
I stood and grabbed my cloak. Whatever the reason, it was clear he wasn’t coming. I swallowed the bitter disappointment as I left the clearing, hating to admit to myself how dependent I’d become on my secret training sessions with the Vandar. Somehow, the drudgery of my job, the horrible reality of my father, and the endless monotony of life were more bearable if I knew I’d have a couple of hours grappling with Corvak.
I almost laughed. If anyone heard me say that out loud, they’d think I was crazy. Why would getting attacked, flipped through the air, and pinned to the ground be something that made my days better? It wouldn’t make sense to anyone but me—and probably Corvak.
Even though he’d never said as much, the Vandar enjoyed our sessions as much as I did. It was the only time he fought an opponent with any sort of agility or skill. And when we were in full battle mode with our fists flying and our kicks high, his usually scowling expression became one of pure joy. The grumpy bastard actually grinned while he kicked my ass. He even smiled the few times I came out the victor, although he still slapped my ass with his tail.
So why bail on me? I stomped away from the trees and past the path leading to the shallows, the sound of the water bugs almost deafening now. When I reached the stone entrance to the amphitheater, I slowed my pace, hesitating at the sound of voices coming from inside. Who was there at this time of night?