The Inquisitors (The Space Merchants Book 6)

by Wendie Nordgren

  “Understood,” Zared said before dashing off.

  I could see, smell, and feel. Although, at the moment I would have preferred not to feel. “I think my shoulder is really broken,” I said, unsure if any sound had come out. I struggled to stay conscious against the dizziness and succeeded. “Please, don’t let them get away. Please, don’t let them get away.”

  A severed robot arm struck the ground a few feet away from us. Farowyn darted away into the fray with his blades drawn. Robots and men poured from a smoking hole in the ground. I assumed it was the result of the explosion. Farowyn’s blades were a blur as he fought among my soldiers against countless AIs whose glowing yellow eyes showed no remorse for the injuries they inflicted.

  Then, I saw him, Felix. He had taken a jacket from a fallen soldier and was inching his way toward the jungle and presumably his hidden ship. I slid a blade from Levi’s belt, holding it in my left hand. Crawling forward, I was gone before they could stop me.

  Felix blasted a soldier who was in his way. I got to my feet and ran. Felix paused when he saw Nico and had changed direction to move toward him. Hate burned in his eyes. He raised his blaster, aiming it at Nico’s back. My guts turned to ice, and I threw myself forward like a broken shard of it, hitting Felix in the side and taking him down. Surprise covered his features for a frantic heartbeat when he saw my face from where I crouched above him with one knee pressed into the ground and the other digging into his thigh. I drove the blade I held into his guts, feeling the fabric as it gave way to flesh and sinking it into its hilt. Horror replaced his surprise. Pulling the blade free, I screamed with all of my pain, anguish for Luca, devastation for my Momma and Papa, and desperation not to lose Nico to this bastard who had already taken so much. I drove the blade into him again and again. Felix’s hot blood bubbled up, rushed over my hand, and soaked into my clothing as though I were a sponge for his misery.

  Nico’s arms were around me, hot and strong. He pulled me back against his chest and caged me in his arms. Felix wasn’t dead. Although filled with pain, he looked up at me with something akin to respect. I could feel the rumble of Nico speaking. Felix pulled something from a pocket and weakly tossed it. Zared grabbed it and entered some commands. The AIs all just stopped. Felix knew his robots couldn’t save him. Without medical attention, he would die from the wounds I had given him.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Flavian and Maxim. The scream that bellowed forth from my frozen guts was soundless to my ears. So were my words that followed. “On your knees!” Freeing myself of Nico, I ripped my bloody knife from Felix. Blood poured from the holes I had made in him. The Inquisitors dropped their weapons and went down on both knees on the rubble-strewn jungle floor. “I should cut your throats myself so that you don’t again escape.”

  I saw Flavian’s mouth moving. Nico pried my fingers free of the blade. A medic was keeping Felix from bleeding to death. With my bloodied left hand, I cradled my right arm. Farowyn looked at me with pride and bowed low to me. I acknowledged him with a dip of my own head, and he fell in at my right side. I wasn’t taking my eyes off of Felix. Nico had brought stealth and fighter ships to our location. All of my focus remained on Felix. I wanted him dead, but I also wanted to bring him home to Parvac bound and lay him at my Momma’s feet.

  After some medical attention aboard the Empress, my hearing returned. At Carmanor’s land port, the Galaxic Militia ships had joined my own, along with a few others. Learning of the unfolding drama at the land port on Arachne, all ships in the vicinity had changed their courses to assist in our pursuit. Zared had had no trouble tracking me and had flown with a squadron to find me and my team. My children were onboard and safe. Izaac had escaped injury as well.

  I remained in the infirmary. I couldn’t take my eyes from Felix. I had never hated anyone before, not like this, not even Nathan Green. Felix was unconscious from blood loss. In my memory, I saw his face before he had killed Luca and how he had looked as he had aimed the blaster at Nico’s back. He hadn’t taken from me this time. I had protected my husband and my son’s father. I lifted my chin. I wanted Felix eradicated from existence. My thoughts turned to Felix’s surviving clone, Andy.

  To my guards, I said, “If the prisoners so much as think of escaping, cut their throats.”

  Xavier and Kaoti bowed to me and left the infirmary.

  “Thank you for protecting my wife,” Nico said as he bowed to Farowyn.

  “It is my honor to serve my Queen.”

  “Farowyn is mine. You should know I have accepted him.”

  Zared said, “I know. I knew all that had happened the moment I touched you, what you suffered, the fear you felt of losing us. You never will lose us.”

  “They planted an explosive device on Tora,” I warned.

  Zared concentrated, finding Jazon’s mind.

  “It is motion activated. If they touch it….” I felt Zared examining my memory of the bomb. My palms started to sweat in fear.

  Eli and Drex moved away from us and spoke in hushed tones with Captain Ricimer. I felt as though I waited helplessly between life and death.

  Zared said, “There is no explosive device on Tora. It was an Inquisitor’s trick.”

  “What? Are you sure?” I locked my eyes on Zared’s solid black ones.

  “Yes, they have conducted a full sweep. Sensors would have immediately discovered any such device.”

  I began to calm realizing the logic of his words. “Dr. Savelli, I want him in a containment cell. I don’t care if I bring him to Momma alive or dead.”

  “Understood.” He stabilized Felix. I followed and watched as my prisoner was secured. “Now, may I treat your injuries, Princess?”

  I nodded and walked with Dr. Savelli back to the infirmary. Commander Genso and Lieutenant Commander Glous stood at attention ready to fulfill my orders and had not left my presence. “Once everyone is aboard, take us to Parvac at maximum speed. Destroy any unidentified vessel or craft that approaches us.”

  “Yes, Princess.”

  “Kaoti, I want four of my Omnes Videntes guarding Felix at all times.”

  He gave a nod of his head in response.

  “Did you find the chip?”

  “Yes,” Kaoti answered.

  “I will shower here in the infirmary. I don’t want the children to see me like this. Please, have someone bring me a change of clothes.”

  My men bowed to me and carried out my orders. Felix’s dried blood itched on my hand but gave me satisfaction. Luca would be avenged.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Other than bruising, scrapes, and torn skin, your shoulder is okay. What did you do to it again?” Dr. Savelli asked.

  “A blast hurled me into a tree.”

  “Auditory canal and tympanic membranes are responding to treatment. You will be sore for a few days. You got lucky. Had you hit that tree a few inches more to the left, you might have broken your neck.”

  “I sense disapproval, Dr. Savelli.”

  “You should. I feel a great deal of it. Here. Have a pain patch.”

  Eventually, I entered the lift with Nico and Zared flanking me. We took it to the Imperial deck in silence.

  “Mommy!” Niklos yelled. I bent down and held my arms open to catch my son as he ran into them. Closing my eyes, I inhaled his scent and rested my face on his hair.

  “Where have you been?” Neema asked angrily.

  I thought carefully about my response. “I had an assignment to do.”

  “Oh, Neema learn colors.” She nodded sagely.

  I spent my time with my children, grateful to have them, and lavishing them with my attention. It allowed my mind to decompress. After dinner, I played with the children and Thunderdrop until they were tired, gave the children their baths, nursed Peter until he fell asleep at my breast, and tucked them into their beds. Then, I watched them sleep until Fitz came to get me.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Fitz asked.

  “Not yet. If you want to help, retur
n all of these calls for me. It seems Gram, Grandmother, and everyone else wishes to speak to me all at once, and that’s not what I need right now.”

  Fitz kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Drex and Eli had gone to listen to Felix’s drug induced semi-coherent ramblings. I still wasn’t sure if I could trust either of them, but Xavier swore to me that my prisoners would not escape. A deep weariness had set into me. I knew I needed sleep, but I didn’t want it. What I did want waited patiently for me, had been waiting patiently for weeks.

  I walked to Nico where he sat on the couch and watched me. Reaching down, I took his hand. Standing, he willingly came with me to the bedroom. “Zared,” I said softly as we stepped inside of our room. Nico raised a questioning eyebrow at me. Opening his jacket, I moved my hands over his chest, running my palms over the fabric and up to his shoulders before pushing it down his arms to fall to the floor. I stared into Nico’s brown eyes and pulled the protective silk shirt he had worn from his pants and over his head. He had taken precautions for his safety. Nico had no intentions of falling victim to an attack and leaving us. My eyes threatened to spill over with the knowledge.

  I sensed Zared behind me. He gathered my hair to move it over my shoulder, so he could reach the closure of my dress. My knuckles skimmed over Nico’s skin as I pushed his trousers down his thighs. My dress pooled at my feet, and I stepped closer to Nico until his warmth seeped into me. My lips found his neck. I had been too close to losing him.

  “He was about to take you from me, as he took Luca and tried to take Zared.” A hard ache rose up to lodge in my throat. “I couldn’t bear losing you. I need you, so does your son.”

  Nico trailed his fingers down my throat. “I know exactly what you need, woman.”

  I laughed at him through my tears and wrapped my hand around his hot, thick, manly appendage. Nico and Zared both laughed at me.

  Nico said, “Oh, you’re getting that.” He picked me up and laid me on the bed, covering my body with his own and burying himself inside of me. He said, “Come with me…”

  I giggled. “We just started.”

  Nico chuckled softly as he drew his hips back and pushed them forward. “To Apellan or any planet you wish. I think you need to get away for a while. All of us could benefit from it. What do you say?”

  I moved my legs up and felt Nico’s hips and sides against my inner thighs. Zared joined us in bed, capturing my left breast in his hot, wet mouth. In my thoughts, Zared asked, “Do you like that?”

  Moaning, I said, “Oh, yes. Yes.”

  Nico said, “It’s settled then.”

  My Laconian husband began spiraling so much pleasure through me that their little trick to procure my verbal agreement didn’t matter to me.

  The next day eager to return to a schedule, I went to meet my team in the gym. Seeing to Peter’s needs had already made me tardy. Rushing into the lift, I stopped short in surprise when a clawed hand prevented the door from closing. Farowyn’s brown eyes met mine as he entered the lift command. Then, he stared straight ahead. I stared at his pointed ear until the door opened. He silently followed me from the lift. Then, he went over to where his men waited.

  “Her majesty finally graces us with her presence,” Inquisitor Rovek said rather snottily.

  Through a mouth opened as though ready to scream, I dragged in a shocked breath. “I thought you were dead!” I stumbled toward him. “I thought they had killed you!”

  “So, did we,” Cedrenus said quietly.

  Rovek gave me a bored look. I kept staring at him, trying to understand what was going on and how he was here. “Continue to stare at me like that, and I will count it as insubordination.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. I shot a glance at Clark. He looked like he had seen a ghost. So, it wasn’t just me.

  Eli approached us. “Teagan, Rovek isn’t one for acknowledgements of bravery or accolades. He responds best to cadets who follow protocol. Allowances have been made for your rank and familial situation. Inquisitor Rovek may seem harsh, but I assure you he is not.”

  “But…”

  “Teagan, you must learn to be prompt. It would be better for you to practice doing so here than at the Academy.”

  Was Eli deliberately misunderstanding me? Rovek was alive and standing in front of us. I thought he had been stabbed to death protecting the boys.

  Eli continued on as though we were having the same conversation which confused me and the boys. I could tell from their eyes that we had the same questions. “He isn’t as strict as the expression on your face suggests. During my days at the Academy, my team and I had a loathsome instructor. He once left us naked on a mountain in winter for a week and ordered us to survive.”

  “Oh, Eli! That’s wretched! Was he punished?”

  Eli tilted his head and met my eyes. “No. We banded together and lived. However, during that first night, we vowed revenge. We knew what would happen should we be caught, but made it our mission to play an evil prank on him each week until we graduated.”

  “Did you ever get caught?”

  “No, I never got caught and neither did Rovek.” Eli grinned at me.

  I scowled at him and glared at Rovek. So, they were buddies. Great.

  “Probus and Ross, spar,” Rovek ordered.

  With a sigh, I put on my gloves. The way Ross sparred with me reminded me of how Nico play wrestled with Niklos. Afterwards, the two of us sat to the side of the mat and drank water while I caught my breath. Ross didn’t need to. He grinned at me sheepishly. Clark and Binder had replaced us on the mat and were tearing each other up. My attention strayed from them to the other side of the gym where metal sounded against metal. Farowyn and one of his men had stripped down to their shorts and were sparring with long knives. Their faces had been transformed from their intense concentration. I watched the muscles slide beneath Farowyn’s skin as he twisted and brought his blade down. One of his men caught me ogling Farowyn and grinned. I blushed and turned away in time to see Clark hit the mat with his back. Cedrenus and Levi were next. I sneered at them. They were hitting each other as hard as they could.

  “Why do you wear such an expression?” Ross asked.

  “I’ll never learn to protect myself if my sparring partners are always babying me.”

  Clark said, “I once allowed myself to be manipulated into actually sparring with you. It is something I deeply regret. Speaking of manipulation, did you notice that?” he asked Ross.

  I looked back and forth between the two of them.

  Ross said, “I did.”

  “What?”

  Clark said, “Inquisitor Beck and Inquisitor Rovek used a misdirection technique to change the subject from Rovek’s supposed death. They are hiding something.”

  “I want to know what it is,” I said quietly.

  “We’d better find out carefully,” Ross said under his breath.

  Talking out loud to myself, I said, “As Inquisitors we are taught to gather intelligence, learn the secrets of our enemies, and punish those who break our laws. We must serve loyally without allowing our personal feelings to affect our judgement.” Something or everything was feeling off to me, but as soon as I started to grasp an idea as to what, Rovek interrupted.

  “Two miles,” he ordered.

  I groaned. I hated running. It took me longer than everyone else and made my boobs hurt. I had finally finished and noticed the boys had surrounded a sparring mat to watch. Being nosy, I squeezed in between Levi and Stayton so I could see. Eli and Rovek circled each other. They were bare from the waist up and held dull blades in each hand. In a burst of speed, they came together. The clashes of metal filled the air as they dueled with the four blades striking too quickly for me to keep up. I tried concentrating only on Eli’s right hand. It frightened me. Even more terrifying was that they stared into each other’s eyes as they stabbed, parried, and deflected as if the blades were extensions of their arms in some deadly game of pat-a-cake. I gasped as Eli cro
ssed his blades in front of his face to catch Rovek’s blade. He lashed out with his left foot as Rovek angled his second blade at Eli’s unprotected side.

  By the time they had concluded their match, I held my hands clasped together under my chin hiding my lips with my index fingers to keep myself from crying out.

  Calmly, Rovek announced, “Once you learn hand-to-hand, you will begin sparring with wooden batons. Dismissed.”

  I hunkered down into myself a bit more. The Inquisitors hadn’t even broken a sweat. I wondered if the demonstration had been for us or for Farowyn and his men.

  When I returned to my quarters, Nico met me in the shower and kept me there until my fingers were shriveled. We had started laughing and were still doing so as we came because of the sound my rear made as it slapped against the shower wall. Nico handed me a towel for my hair. I told him about the demonstration Eli and Rovek had put on for us.

  “Teagan, there is something you should know.” Nico’s tone had turned serious.

  I waited wondering if it had to do with Felix or with Flavin and Maxim. “What is it?”

  His hands moved lovingly over my wet hair. “For the duration of your training at the Academy, you along with other students in levels nine through twelve will be tested by various Inquisitors as they return from assignments for fun.”

  “For fun?” I asked as I looked at Nico as though he were nuts.

  Nico laughed. “Participating as villains in cadet training activities is enjoyable for seasoned spies. It’s a relaxing game, requires very little effort, and allows for them to interact to an extent with the children while giving back to the program.”

  “Children? I’m not a child!”

  “Teagan, when you are a few decades older, Academy students will seem like children to you,” Nico said in a placating tone.

  “Do I seem like a child to you?” I scowled up at him.

  “No, and don’t forget that I know why you want to graduate, for our own daughter.” Nico kissed my scowl away.

  Later that day, I was sitting on a couch with Niklos looking at a picture book. His bare foot was in my hand, and I gave it a gentle squeeze. It was a fat little foot and almost as long as my hand. I kissed his toes. Niklos laughed and pulled his foot away from me. Fitz had been pensive and now held Peter, who had a calming effect on him. He brought his index finger down to Peter’s nose, making him go cross eyed. Peter trilled and grabbed Fitz’s finger with both of his clawed hands. Thunderdrop sat on the floor with Neema and allowed her to pet him. I took a deep cleansing breath. My family was safe for now. However, I continued to fear the accomplices of Flavian and Maxim within the Inquisitors Branch and any others who might be sympathetic to their cause.