by Jaleta Clegg
"I didn't promise him anything." It wasn't technically a lie. I hadn't promised Lowell anything, I'd already done it.
"Why don't I believe you?"
"No promises, Tayvis."
"Then what did you do already?"
"Gave him information on Trythia, linked it to Vallius."
"And? I know there's more to it than that."
I shook my head, rubbing it against his shoulder. "It won't matter soon."
He sat up, turning to look at me. "What are you not telling me?"
I squirmed uncomfortably. "It's nothing. Really."
He lifted one eyebrow.
I looked away, down at the sand colored rocks at my feet. "He made me join the Patrol before I could come back." I said it in a small voice, almost hoping he wouldn't hear me.
"You didn't have to come back." He sounded upset.
"I had to. Don't tell me you don't understand why. I know the situation here, better than anyone. I can access their computers. None of the others with me could do that. None of them really knew what was going on here. I had to come back."
"You could have just sent Lowell with the Fleet."
"To fly in blind? Who knows what they would have found. And someone had to find you and warn you. I was the only person who could do that. You understand why, or you're not the agent Lowell believes you to be."
"I know why you had to come back. I don't have to like it. And you gave in to Lowell, when he should have been begging you to do it for him?"
I shook my head. "He wasn't listening to reason. He wasn't going to let me come back. He insisted it was Patrol only."
"Which he was right to do. Why did you have to enlist?"
"It isn't all bad. He made me an admiral. Paltronis thought of that."
His lips twitched, he was trying to stay mad and losing. He finally grinned. "An admiral?"
"I think you still outrank me. Was I supposed to salute?"
"How long was the enlistment?" he asked, sobering.
I looked away. This was the part I really didn't want to admit. He turned my face back, not letting me hide from him.
"How long?" he asked.
I was saved by the entrance of a messenger. Half the sentries came in with him. He looked tired, exhausted and muddy.
"We're not through with this," Tayvis let me know.
"Will found them," the messenger gasped. "Two hundred or so. About ten miles north of here. The Trythians are moving on them. They'll catch them at sunrise."
It was as if someone had stirred an ant nest. All of them moved, quickly gathering supplies and leaving the cave. Someone took the beacon and put it back in the pack. I was glad I wouldn't have to carry it anymore. It was heavy. Tayvis held up a rifle.
"Who's got sharpshooter marks? Besides Dace." He handed me a rifle.
I took it reluctantly. I might have to shoot someone. I knew how good I was. I also didn't know if I could shoot even a Trythian.
They doused the fires as we left the cave. Tayvis kept me next to him, holding my hand when he could. I saw Vance, following us and watching every move Tayvis made. Vance's face was blank, his eyes distant. It made me shiver and I wasn't quite sure why. I trusted Vance. I brushed aside the shivers and picked my way through the moonlit night.
I was tired to begin with. I was stumbling with exhaustion when we finally caught up with the other group. They were more slaves, men from estates scattered over this continent. We were almost halfway around the planet from the space port. They looked worn, thin and tired. Their clothes were rags. But none of them wore collars. That much of Mayguena's plan had succeeded.
"There are too many of them to go back to the cave," Tayvis said after talking with their leaders. "And they wouldn't make it anyway."
"You know how to shoot that thing?" Will asked me. He was with the group, trying to help them find a better place to hide.
"What do you need?" I asked him.
He grinned. "Can I borrow her for a while, Tayvis?"
"Just bring her back in one piece," Tayvis said.
"This way," Will said.
I followed after him. We were in a high valley, steep and sloping down to a jagged canyon. Trees covered most of the valley sides, tall spiky green ones that effectively hid the men. Will led me down the slope. At the mouth of the canyon were two tall cliffs of yellowish stone. I scrambled up after Will, feeling for handholds in the moonlight. Dawn wasn't too far off. The stars were starting to fade.
We climbed one side of the cliffs to a narrow niche near the top. There was a hollow in the rocks there, protected by an overhang of solid stone and walled by rocks bigger than my head. Will crawled into the space, moving to make room for me. I dragged myself into the hollow. I was ready to collapse. I scooted around to sit with my back against the overhang, looking out over the canyon. The moon was too low to shed much light into the canyon. Will leaned close to me. He pointed at the cliff opposite.
"Those rocks, the slightly darker ones, should collapse half the cliff if you can hit them hard enough. Think you can make the shot?"
I shifted forward and squinted down into the canyon. "I can make it in my sleep." I yawned. "What's your plan?"
"Lilliasa is too overconfident. All of the Trythians are. She'll come marching up the canyon. It's the easiest way here. The only other way that might even be remotely passable is over the top of the ridge, the way we came. That would add miles to their hike and is a lot harder. She'll come up the canyon. You wait until they're almost in the gap and shoot the rocks down on their heads." He grinned, teeth flashing in the night.
"First of all, I have no idea if the rifle can hit hard enough to bring the cliff down. And second," I fingered the gun uneasily, "they're people, even if they are Trythians. I can't shoot them."
He sat back, settling against the rock. I could feel him watching me in the darkness.
"You shoot it," I said, holding the rifle out to him.
"It would take a miracle for me to hit it at that distance. Are you saying you can't hit it either?"
"Hitting the target isn't the problem."
"They'll kill us. If they catch us. They'll slaughter us all up here."
"I know that." I cradled the rifle in my lap. The charge light glowed green, a faint light that barely reached my hand next to it. "I don't want more nightmares." I didn't want to face the monster that lurked in my soul.
"How many people have you shot?"
"Vunia was the first."
"You could have fooled me about that." He had been there, on that hot crazy day on Dadilan when I'd shot a woman point blank with an almost dead blaster.
"Xqtl was the worst," I said.
"Do I want to ask why you were there? It's nothing but ruins. Interesting, true, but not what I imagine you are interested in."
I scrunched down, pulling my jacket around me. My eyes were drifting shut. "It was the headquarters of Targon and Blackthorne. Crime syndicates. Was." The last word came out through a yawn.
"Tell me about it," Will begged.
"I haven't slept much for over three days, Will."
"Then tell me what else you've been up to."
"Ask Tayvis," I mumbled through another yawn.
"He won't talk."
I let my eyes close. "Wake me up when they get close."
"One day, I'm going to get you to tell me about all of it," Will answered.
I heard him shifting around, lying down to watch the sunrise and the canyon below. I went to sleep.
Chapter 39
"The rain is ending, des Shira." The sentry gave his report with a deep bow.
Lilliasa looked up from the table. She picked through a dish of exotic fruits, selecting a thick skinned purple globe. She tossed it to the sentry. "Very good. Have the army ready to march at dawn."
The man nodded and left.
"Is that wise?" the other occupant of the tent asked.
"To hunt them in their nest?" Lilliasa turned on the man. "I've made you my general, Kolvon
. Don't give me reason to regret it."
"A favor for your brother," Kolvon said coldly. "After you had your other brothers and your father and your future husband killed. I am flattered."
"You should be." She smiled seductively. "If you were not my brother, would you find me pleasing now?"
"I prefer my women with fewer aspirations to power. What is your plan, sister?"
She turned her attention to the maps spread over the table next to the fruit. "Kill them. All of them. These humans are trouble."
"And what of the ship we found last night? It is much more advanced than we were led to believe. How many stories of these slaves are true?"
"You've heard of their Empire? It was a lie, told to frighten us."
Kolvon frowned. "You do not take them seriously enough. These slaves were supposed to be incapable of using our equipment or flying our ships. They stole every flyer they could. And they flew them here."
"We shot most of them down," Lilliasa snapped.
"And what of your pet? She flew a starship. What else can they do that we know nothing about? You underestimate their intelligence and their skills."
"And you are frightened, Kolvon. They are aliens. They cannot live off our lands. They must have special foods. They will die soon enough."
"Then why are we risking our lives chasing them? Why don't we just stay here and wait for them to die?"
"Where is the glory in that?"
Kolvon laughed, sharp and bitter. "You are using this to consolidate your power. You want to set up your own Triad."
"No." Lilliasa smiled at her brother, a lazy smile that had nothing of joy in it. "The Triad is finished, along with the Code and the Electoriate. I learned a few things from my pet. When we finish here, on our triumphant return to the space port, I will make myself queen of the Hegemony. And you, my most loyal brother, will be my commander."
"If you can defeat these slaves."
"Do you doubt me?"
"Not your ruthlessness. You are truly our father's daughter."
"Then tomorrow, at dawn, we march to the slaughter. They have no weapons and little food. They will offer small resistance." She placed one slender finger on the map. "They are here, in this valley."
"They can defend it with rocks," Kolvon pointed out. "If we come up the canyon here, we are vulnerable."
"To what? A rabble of starving slaves? You would climb all the way around? It would take days."
"You underestimate them, Lilliasa."
"We go up the canyon, Kolvon. At dawn."
"As you wish, des Shira."
"No," Lilliasa corrected him. "Not des Shira, des Ro-Shera."
Kolvon's smile went brittle. She'd named herself queen, supreme ruler of the people. The title had not been used for centuries.
"As you wish, des Ro-Shera." He bowed and left her tent, hiding his anger at her arrogance. There would be time later to arrange an accident for his sister. He marched through the camp to meet with his commanders.
Chapter 40
Will shook me awake what felt like only minutes later. I grumbled as I rubbed eyes gritty from too little sleep. It was full day. The sun baked the rocks outside. Heat reflected into our hollow. It felt good, the night had been chilly. By noon it would be like sitting in an oven.
"They're coming," he whispered.
He didn't have to whisper. I could hear them clearly. The Trythians weren't even trying to be quiet. I rolled onto my belly and peered out.
They were marching up the twisting canyon, just like Will had predicted. I watched their progress. They would pass below in about fifteen minutes at their current pace. The canyon was steep, they walked slowly. If I shot now, they would be forced back and I wouldn't be burying them under rock. Trythian or not, I hated killing anyone.
I eased the rifle out, propping myself up on my elbows as I sighted on the cliff opposite. I shifted my weight, balancing on my hip and elbow. I hoped the rifle didn't kick too hard. I thumbed the safety catch off as I squinted through the sights. The wind was light. It wasn't an easy shot, but it wasn't that hard either.
I squeezed off a shot, hitting the layer dead center in a thicker part. I put five more shots into the cliff in quick succession. I should have known the rifles Lowell had given me were the absolute best the Patrol had. There was no kick at all. There was only the faintest blue shimmer from the energy bolt.
The rock layer puffed out dust and smoke where my shots had landed. Will watched with me, holding his breath. The whole front of the cliff, above where I'd shot, crumpled. It fell with a thundering roar, shrouding the canyon in dust. The shouts of the Trythians carried over the deep rumble of rocks. They sounded as much angry as frightened.
Will and I both stared down into the canyon, trying to peer through the dust. It cleared gradually, carried away in eddies by the errant breeze. The canyon was blocked, for the moment, by a crumbled pile of boulders. The Trythians milled in confusion farther down the canyon. Stray boulders still broke loose, from the pile as well as the cliff, to go bouncing down the canyon, wreaking havoc on the Trythians. Several were smashed by the rocks. There was little room for them to escape. Except for back down, I told myself. They could turn and leave. They chose not to.
I saw Lilliasa. She strutted among the men, her red hair a flame that was impossible to miss. She shouted, waving her hands. She glared up at the cliffs. I shifted back involuntarily. There was no way she could have seen us.
"Good shot," Will said, patting me on the shoulder. "Now we just have to wait to see what they do."
I heard the low thrumming before he did. I muttered profanities under my breath. They'd sent flyers out after us. We were trapped on the cliff, unable to climb down without being exposed.
"Flitters?" Will muttered. "I didn't think they had any within a hundred miles."
"Their range is thousands of miles. They've been hunting me since I landed the escape pod."
"They still shouldn't be much of a problem," he said confidently. "We stole a dozen to get here. And crashed most of them when they ran out of fuel. They aren't that maneuverable and don't have any weapons."
The humming got louder. The flitters came into view, staying within the canyon walls. One hovered, slowly working its way up the canyon towards us. The Trythians weren't backing off. They watched the flyer confidently as it searched.
I shifted the rifle around. I did my best to remember the files on the flyers. I'd pulled them up a few times in my search to learn to fly their spaceships. These flyers were armored. I squinted as the sun reflected off the body, trying to remember if there were any weak spots.
The flyer shot several rounds of solid ammunition into the cliff not far from where we hid. The rocks shook under us. Several tumbled free of the cliff and fell down into the canyon.
I sighted on the gun ports of the flyer and squeezed off one shot. The blue shimmer slid right up the gun. The flyer exploded in a spectacular fireball. I ducked behind a rock as the heat washed into our hollow. I told myself it was only a machine. I deliberately didn't think about the people on board.
"Nice," Will murmured as he crouched next to me.
"We're sitting targets here," I answered. "Did you think of that when you picked this spot?"
"Only from the air," he answered lightly, as if he didn't have a care in the universe. He grinned.
"You're enjoying this too much, Will."
Four flyers suddenly appeared in the canyon, dropping in from above. All of them targeted our side of the cliff, they weren't too far from our hollow.
I took one deep breath, steadying myself. "Training exercise," I whispered.
I fired six shots in rapid succession. Three of the flyers careened away, smashing and exploding against the cliffs. The last flyer swerved. Shots rained down on our side of the cliff.
The rocks rattled and shook. Dust filled our hiding spot. The rock overhead creaked and groaned.
"I think we'd better be going soon," Will said, eying the rock.
&nb
sp; "Crushed or shot, the choices you give me," I complained.
I wriggled out to the edge on my belly. Shots still rained over the cliff. I took aim at the last flyer. My shot glanced across the windscreen and off into the far rocks. The flyer swerved away, firing closer to our hollow.
"Will, you got any ideas?" I asked.
"Go left," he said, and pushed my hip.
I crawled to my left, keeping the rifle up and ready to fire when the flyer came back into range. The hollow opened out to a single narrow ledge. Exposed to those below as well as those above, it also held an assortment of prickly bushes.
"Go!" Will urged, pushing me.
"Go where? There isn't anywhere to the left!"
"Left and then up."
He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the hollow and up the steep cliff face. Shots rang around us from the flyer. Rocks splintered and chipped, throwing shards everywhere. One grazed my cheek.
"In here," Will said.
He hauled me up the cliff and shoved me through a tangle of bushes. He slid in behind me, into another cleft in the face. I turned immediately and fired off a burst at the flyer. The flyer spun away and retreated, trailing dark smoke. I sat back with a sigh of relief.
The rock we had been hiding under split from the cliff with a loud cracking groan. It smashed its way down into the canyon. I scooted farther back into the split as the ledge gave way, following the larger slab.
"How do we get back now?" I asked.
Will didn't answer. I turned to look at him. Blood had turned his sleeve dark red. I slung the rifle over my shoulder and reached for his arm.
"It's nothing," he said.
"And I'm the Emperor's mother."
I pulled his arm out. He had a long gash across his forearm, blood welled from it. I ripped the end of his sleeve off the rest of the way, it was slit almost in half already. I wadded it up and pressed it against his arm.
"Hold that," I ordered him. I had to find something to tie around the cloth to hold it in place. I also had to figure out how to get him off the cliff and back somewhere relatively safe. I liked Will. I didn't want to lose him.
I had a small knife in one pocket, a tiny folding thing that was useful for unscrewing things mostly. I hoped it wasn't too dull. I got out the knife and eyed Will's tunic.