by Gwynn White
“How ungracious of you. You refuse to join my alliance, yet you want me to strategize with you.”
Felix allowed an acerbic smile. “It does seem a trifle ungallant, I’ll grant.”
He closed his eyes to think about the dilemma Lukan had dropped on him. If he were honest, he was getting weary of fending off Lukan’s crazy schemes that, somehow, always came back to threatening his family.
Before his thoughts had traveled too far down the road of solutions, Dmitri stood. “There will always be winners and losers, Felix. Choose wisely, my friend, on how you shuffle your remaining tiles around the board.” He swallowed the last sip of his hot chocolate and put the cup down heavily on the coaster. “You would not want to find yourself or Stefan in Kerrill Corner just to save Axel.”
The blood rushed from Felix’s gaunt face.
Dmitri seemed to bubble, rather like the effervescent Felix used in his lab, and then he was gone.
Felix looked at his watch. It was early in the morning in Treven. That couldn’t be helped. And anyway, Stefan usually slept with his inform next to his bed. Felix pulled out his device, flicked it into life, and buzzed his son-in-law.
It took a few moments before Stefan’s bleary face appeared. “Felix. This had better be important.”
As Felix surmised, Stefan had been asleep in his bed, next to Malika.
“Why else would I call you on the encrypted line in the middle of the night in Treven?”
Stefan swore softly. He closed his fist around the informa, blocking off the visuals. Felix heard the rustle of sheets, or perhaps clothing, and then the sound of footsteps, probably Stefan walking away from the bed so he didn’t wake Malika.
When Stefan reappeared, he wore a dressing gown. He walked through the sitting room in his private apartment in the palace. He moved to the fireplace and tossed a log on the dim embers from what must have been the family’s evening fire. The fireplace smoked. Stefan frowned and waved a hand at it. Far too slowly for Felix, he sat in an overstuffed chair. Felix wondered if Stefan was taking such an age to settle on purpose.
But then Stefan spoke with his usual, unflappable calm. “What bad news do you bring me tonight?”
Felix rubbed his temples. They had started to throb like a steam engine. “I cannot express the importance of discretion—”
“You’re talking to Stefan Zarot, Felix.”
“Quite. Forgive me. I am not myself today. Son, Lukan has a new weapon. Dragon’s Fire. It’s based on old technology—Chad’s gas he used to stop the invasion of Treven—only far more refined. And this time, it is released from a drone airship. And not an ordinary drone, either, but one that will evade the alliance’s early warning system.”
“He certainly keeps you busy,” Stefan said dryly.
Felix chose to ignore that. “He’s planning to use it in Oldfort, on the spring solstice.”
Stefan’s dark eyes drilled Felix. “You put me in an invidious position.”
“You and me, son.” Felix sighed. “We have to devise a scheme to warn Axel without Lukan figuring where the warning came from.”
“Have fun with that.”
“Really? That’s all you can say when so much is at stake?”
It was Stefan’s turn to sigh. “What do you want me to say? I am not the conniver. Left with me, I will do whatever it takes to keep the people I care about safe, regardless of Lukan. You, on the other hand, will do nothing to offend our moronic emperor, underscoring the current problem we face.”
Felix bristled. “Easy for you. You managed to escape to Treven. With my help, I might add. And you have a backdoor. Anytime you want, you can take my dear daughter and my grandchildren and flee into the mountains with Axel. But what about Katrina? She has no such luxury.”
“Yes, I could. And very tempting it is, too. But you know I will never do that, not while Axel needs me attending meetings in Cian. That ties me to my post as much as Katrina ties you to yours.”
It had always grated Felix how readily Stefan admitted to him that he supported the alliance. “What good will all that support do if Axel is dead?”
Stefan ran a hand across his face. “Okay. Who else knows about the Dragon’s Fire?”
“Vasily. But he’s discretion itself.”
“Then it’s time to throw him under the train.”
Felix rapped his fingers on his desk, annoyed that he hadn’t come up with that spectacularly simple answer. All the stress was definitely getting to him.
“Even better, you can tell Axel that I am sending him Meka.” It gratified Felix when both of Stefan’s eyebrows twitched. “The prince is going to visit Vasily first, and then he’s coming to you. He will arrive a week before the solstice.”
A small smile from Stefan. “Allow me to say that I am impressed. I will inform Axel.”
“You won’t look so pleased when I tell you that you will also be hosting the emperor. He wants to be on hand to witness the Burning.” A catty smile from Felix. “If you can call a three-hour flight away ‘on hand.’”
Stefan actually groaned. Felix’s son-in-law was still to forgive Lukan for killing his father, and for inflicting the cruel beatings that had left his back knotted with scars. But Stefan’s views on Lukan’s social agenda weren’t what mattered now.
Felix’s mind raced. If Meka was to learn of the Dragon’s Fire while in Zakar, could he be persuaded to confront Lukan with that knowledge when they all gathered in Oldfort after the Burning? If Meka obliged, Lukan would most certainly command Felix to kill the boy. Faking a death was child’s play. The real challenge came in hiding Meka after the event so Lukan never learned of Felix’s duplicity. Especially after the emperor said he wanted Meka’s body left to rot in Oldfort.
A thought struck. He shook his head, marveling at the simple but elegant solution offered him by Dmitri: Lukan, who took no interest in his son, would never think to look for Meka in Nicholas’s jail cell. Felix had no doubt that with a little ingenuity, he could get Meka transferred onto Lukan’s imperial airship. Felix could keep the boy drugged until they arrived in Cian. Then, with the help of one of his operatives, who would not live to leak any stories, it would be a simple matter to move the prince to his new home with Nicholas.
Felix saw no reason to share the finer details of this scheme with Stefan. Instead, he said, “Meka is a rebel. I am confident that if he were to discover Lukan’s plan, he would not hold his tongue.”
A flicker of worry darkened Stefan’s face. “That sounds dangerous for the boy. I have no desire to throw him under the train with Vasily.”
“And we won’t. I give you my word, I will protect the prince. As I know you will, too.”
Stefan studied Felix’s face.
Felix left his expression open. After all, he had nothing to hide, given that he had no intention of physically harming Meka. What happened to the boy once confined in the cell in the asylum was Dmitri’s problem.
Stefan nodded. “If push comes to shove, you can always hide him with Nicholas after he makes his explosive disclosure.”
Felix resisted the urge to shutter his thoughts. How did Stefan know about that? Had Dmitri visited there, too? Felix would never ask, for to do so would be tantamount to admitting that Dmitri had manipulated him, which, in truth, was exactly what the seer had done to him.
“That is a good option. I will work on a plan to send Meka there for . . . safe-keeping.”
Annoyingly, Stefan showed no emotion to Felix’s offer to incarcerate Meka with the Light-Bearer.
With no clues to how much his son-in-law knew, Felix hazarded, “Your silence seems to imply doubts that I will ever release the Light-Bearer to you.”
“You remain a smart man, Felix.”
Felix snorted. “Stefan, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to give Nicholas to you, but you need to understand the challenges.”
“More pandering to Lukan?”
Anger flared in Felix. “Control your tongue! In his body, Lukan carries
the trigger to over one thousand airships, each loaded with enough poisoned gas to destroy every man, woman, and child on this planet. A single thought could launch them. Apart from a select few, only the birds and animals will survive. You have not been offered a bed in the bunker he prepared, should he decide to trigger that switch.”
Felix had the pleasure of seeing Stefan’s face pale and hearing him gasp.
He grabbed the opportunity to drive his point home. “He wanted to ignite that Burning on Nicholas’s birthday, but Axel thwarted him. The only thing that still stops him is Lynx. He won’t risk her life. But in Lukan’s twisted mind, he believes Axel will keep Lynx locked in the mountain while he burns Oldfort. What he will do if he finds her dead on the streets after the solstice does not bear thinking. This is the man I’m dealing with. He’s unstable, paranoid, and extremely dangerous. Until we can find a way to neutralize that trigger, I must tiptoe around him. That includes doing nothing to alarm him about Nicholas.”
Stefan’s head dropped into his hands, utterly shocking from the ever-calm man.
When Stefan spoke, his voice was muffled. “This is why you wanted Malika and the children to come to Cian?”
“Yes, and you blocked me at every turn.”
“Your invitation didn’t include me.”
“I fought for you, Stefan, I truly did, but Lukan has not forgiven you and Axel for putting itchy powder in his clothes when he was a boy.”
Stefan looked up, his eyes blazing belief.
Relief surged through Felix. Vindicated, he added, “So you understand why I cannot give you Nicholas until we know the world is safe. The best I can offer is to send the Light-Bearer Meka as a companion. It will, at least, do something to ease his burden. I will also make sure that Vasily is compromised for our leak to Meka, but you and Axel must convince the prince to confront Lukan with the news. Lukan will undoubtedly unleash Morass on Vasily.”
Losing Vasily would certainly complicate Felix’s life. It would be no easy feat finding a loyal replacement amongst the high-born to run operations in Zakar in a Chenaya where all education, besides the grand extolling of Avanov history, was banned.
“You better ensure Morass stops with Vasily,” Stefan said.
“I will be on hand.” Felix considered quickly and then said, “I have promised to kill the boy myself if we still find him rebellious after his Treven visit. Lukan will hold me to that.”
“And I’m holding you to keeping your word to me to protect Meka—alive.” A rare air of speculation settled on Stefan. “I have a better idea. If you cannot give me Nicholas, then I want the plans of that stealth drone.”
Felix sighed. The last thing in the world he wanted was to hand such sensitive information over to Axel. His son would waste no time in designing an airship with the Light-Bearer’s speed and the Dragon’s Fire’s invisibility. A fleet of those would put the palace in Cian right in Axel’s sights. He could feel Dmitri’s vile curse closing in like a noose around his neck.
Stefan stood. “You clearly are not on my side. Family or not, I suggest you watch your back, or you might find that it is you looking up at that train from the tracks.” Stefan started for the door.
“Wait!” Felix pulled out his informa. “Give me a moment, and I will send you the blueprints.” He fumbled with the device, cursing his missing fingers. Sweat beaded his brow when Stefan’s informa pinged. If Lukan ever found out about this . . .
Felix pushed the thought aside. He was in so deep now, he had no choice but to push ahead with what he prayed wasn’t a losing game.
Stefan pulled up screens and studied the images. Dark eyes settled on Felix. Voice flinty, he said, “Even if you have betrayed me and these plans are incomplete, Axel’s designers will manage to make something of this.”
Without waiting for a reply, Stefan stalked out of the room. Felix sighed, then tossed the informa down.
But there wasn’t time for Stefan’s fit of pique. By the end of winter, he had to devise a bullet to fire at Meka that would convince Lukan that the boy was dead, when, in fact, it would do nothing more lethal than spread blood across the prince’s chest and a death-mimicking sedative into his bloodstream.
Chapter 40
Lynx and Anna paced back and forth along a natural pipe in the rock. Dark as night, it ran between an air vent and scrubber at one end and their command post cave at the other. Above their heads, the jagged roof had been wired with dynamite, the alliance’s final stand, should the Chenayans overwhelm the vent and risk spilling into the mines.
Years before, alliance engineers had blasted out bolt holes at interval along the passage for sentries to hide in should the Chenayans attack. Gas masks offered protection against dust. The bolt holes offered sanctuary against falling rocks and debris. Each hole was supplied with additional weapons and ammunition.
Lynx was yet to use any of these defenses in earnest.
For days now, their vent had hummed its appreciation as she and Anna and their team of fifteen former Blades had guarded it.
In contrast, across the rest of the mines, alliance soldiers waged pitched battles against incursions of guardsmen. Thankfully, being the defenders, the loss of life on the alliance side had been limited.
The same couldn’t be said for the Chenayans.
Too many roofs had been brought down to stop a full-scale invasion by crushing the invaders and blocking the entrances. The downside of roof-busting was the loss of vents and scrubbers, which kept the air in the mines fresh. Until the engineers could dig the passages out, remove the bodies, and rebuild the vents, life in the mines was sticky, hot, and left everyone breathing with a bit more difficulty.
In all this turmoil, this part of the mine, where Lynx patrolled, had remained annoyingly peaceful.
Lynx stretched her shoulders and then hitched her rifle more comfortably in her hands. Her back ached and her legs were sore, but that was what came from being a foot soldier on an eight-hour patrol. Despite reaching agreement with Axel over the monarchs, she had opted for a stint on the ground. If she wanted to have any real credibility as a leader in the alliance, she needed some real battle experience.
Pity she’d been assigned the wrong detail.
Especially as her inactivity left her with too much time on her hands to think.
They were no closer to finding Talon than the day he had been stolen from her.
Right after her test, Axel had called a conclave with the monarchs, but they were murmuring. They expected Lynx and Axel to visit them in each individual court, as Axel would have done if Talon had been with him.
But without the purpose of showing Talon the world as part of his education, neither she nor Axel saw the point in traipsing around the globe. Also, to concede to their demands would show weakness, something the alliance couldn’t afford. Axel had to appear to be in charge, the true king of the Free Nations, if he was to keep his tax-paying monarchs in line. He and Lynx were pushing the monarchs to meet them at Jerawin’s court in Oldfort.
Lynx and Anna passed each other in the passage. They stopped briefly to chat.
“Only ten more minutes,” the redheaded princess murmured. Her teeth gleamed in the dull red glow from Lynx’s headlamp. “I’m going to a party tonight. Dancing and cider. You want to come?”
Oh, to be young and carefree . . .
Lynx smiled back at her. “After a shift in this tunnel? No, I think dancing and cider is for the young and carefree.”
Anna grimaced. “Not so carefree. I’m playing while I can. I never know when my father will announce that I have to marry that prat Xipal.”
Lynx gave an understanding smile. She knew better than anyone the perils of an arranged marriage.
Anna sighed. “Why can’t my father be persuaded that Clay is the perfect match for me? He says Clay’s too old, but Xipal is twenty-four.” She sighed. “Hmm . . . why can’t Clay be persuaded that I’m the perfect match for him?” Her green eyes glinted. “Why can’t you persuade Clay? And my father
?”
Lynx laughed. “I don’t have that much influence.” She was surprised that Anna’s betrothed was so much older than her. Chad didn’t strike her as the kind of man to marry his daughter to an unsuitable man, regardless of the politics. “Have you met Xipal?”
“Once. He’s okay. Nothing like his father. Xipal is smoother. Always smiling. Always doing his best to please.” She scowled. “All it does is make me distrust him.” Anna stiffened.
Lynx felt the informa in her pocket vibrate against her leg.
She and Anna looked at each other in disbelief.
Was it finally happening? An attack on their turf?
She pulled her informa out just as Anna reached for her own device. The only person contacting them would be the programmer, Adar, the girl who tracked the movement of Stefan’s guardsmen. That could only mean that an attack was imminent. With Felix’s One Bullet, One Weapon system, Lynx and Anna would see how many rifle-toting guardsmen swarmed up the mountain to invade.
When the informa showed a mass of flickering lights, Lynx’s stomach sank. There had to be more than a hundred men out there, with more lights streaming up the mountain.
Including her and Anna, they had seventeen soldiers on her team.
A sound from the vent.
Lynx spun toward it.
On the outside of it, she caught the unmistakable scrabble of boots on shale.
Wordlessly, she and Anna ran thirty or so feet down the passage away from the vent and slipped into two separate bolt holes.
Heart pounding, Lynx crouched down and slipped her gas mask over her face. She flicked off her headlamp, plunging her bolt hole into darkness. She eased forward to peer around the edge of the wall and pushed the lever on her rifle, readying it to fire.
Moments later, a rustle came from the bolt holes behind her. Alliance troops slipping into them to defend the station.
Back on the surface, someone dropped something that rattled the vent.
Lynx braced herself.
A crack of noise, and a powerful vibration slammed at her eardrums.