“I’ll speak to Kila about it.” Vet nodded. “So, we’re just not going to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?’
“Those were dragons we were firing at with our alien blasters. That’s insane.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, but this is our new normal. And we haven’t been given all the pieces to the puzzle just yet.”
“What are you talking about?” Vet looked sideways at Riot. “You think they’re lying to us?”
“Nope, not lying. We just don’t have all the facts.” Riot walked past Vet out into the packed med bay. “Get working on moving our craft inside their walls. I’m going to help out with the wounded, then have a conversation with the prince.”
By the time Riot was done helping Wang and Deborah patch up the wounded, the sun was beginning to rise. Riot was so tired and hungry that she almost felt sick. This was normal for life in the Corps, though. She had been trained to look beyond being hungry, tired, and in pain.
With dawn’s light came a lull in the madness. It was decided Vet would go back to Silna with Kila, who insisted she was ready to travel despite her injury. If the pair got into any trouble, Vet could relay the situation to Evonne via his nanites, and Evonne would alert the cavalry.
Vet and Kila left that morning after a brief nap. They would eat their alien MREs on the way. It was just like the freaking Syndicate to introduce them to artificial intelligence, intergalactic travel, and nanites, but leave them eating MREs. The mess hall in the ship was capable of cooking up whatever food they would like, but when it came to traveling on the go, nothing beat a good old MRE breakfast.
Riot was on her way to her room for a shower and then food before the ship would be taken to Silna for their sit-down with the queen. Above all, Riot needed answers. On the top of the list: Who was this Remus, and what did he want? Right behind that question: How was the alien, Karnayer, controlling the dragons?
“I saw you in my fever dreams,” Ketrick said, standing outside Riot’s room, still wearing nothing but his bed sheet from the waist down. He held a white paper bowl in one hand, a plastic spoon in the other. “You looked like a Valkyrie.”
Riot stopped in her tracks. She was too tired to try to figure out what he was doing waiting for her. Half-amused, half-annoyed, she lifted her signature eyebrow.
“A Valkyrie is an angel of death that—”
“I know what a Valkyrie is.” Riot didn’t bother to mask the annoyance in her voice. “What do you want? You’re standing in front of my door. Are you eating oatmeal?”
“Yes,” Ketrick said as he scooped another spoonful of the brown mush into his mouth. “The ghostly voice aboard your ship recommended it as a breakfast food. She said it was one of your planet’s signature dishes.”
“Great.” Riot shook her head. “Evonne, can we please not feed the strays? You give them food once and they’ll keep on coming back.”
“My apologies, Master Sergeant,” Evonne’s voice rang out from nowhere and everywhere at once. “He looked confused in the mess hall.”
“Wondrous magic,” Ketrick said, looking all around him, trying to pinpoint the origin of Evonne’s voice, with no luck. “Are you a sorceress?”
Riot pushed past Ketrick and placed her hand on a square pad. The door to her room whooshed open as soon as it recognized Riot’s unique print. “Listen, I need a shower, and I have to get my own food before we get word from Vet and Kila and head to Silna in the ship.”
“Please, do so.” Ketrick followed Riot into her room as if he were invited. “I will not keep you.”
“Well, I’ve got to take a shower. I move fast, but not that fast, Muscles.” Riot nodded to the door. “Maybe it’s time you take a hint and go.”
“I owe you my life, Sorceress.” Ketrick took a seat on her bed opposite the bathroom. “I would tell you everything you wish to know while you rinse the smell of war from your skin.”
Riot rested her hands on her hips. She wasn’t really in the mood for a stranger to sit on her bed and talk to her while she was in the shower, but she did want answers. If there was some insight Ketrick could give her as to who Remus was, then maybe it was worth putting up with the annoyance. Plus, if she was being honest with herself, Ketrick wasn’t hard on the eyes. How long had it been since she’d had any sort of relationship or had gotten any action? She knew exactly when. The event that had spiraled her into a drinking depression before she joined the Marines. Riot forced the memories from her mind.
“All right, Muscles.” Riot maneuvered Ketrick by his arms and positioned him on the other side of the bed with his back to the bathroom. Her hands didn’t even wrap around half his biceps. “Here’s the deal: you sit with your back to the shower and answer honestly all the questions I have, and you can stay.”
“Agreed, Sorceress.” Ketrick plopped down onto the bed, scraping the bottom of his bowl. “What would you like to know?”
“First, I’m not a sorceress.” And Riot laughed despite her fatigue. “Second, I want to know everything you know about Remus and how he was controlling those dragons.”
“You mean the fire serpents.” Ketrick nodded along with her words, understanding what she was getting at. “I’ll tell you honestly everything I know, although I do not have all the answers myself.”
“Just what you know will be fine.” Riot made her way to the bathroom and left the door cracked so she could still talk with Ketrick. “Who is he?”
The bathroom Riot was given was small but clean. On one side stood a white shower with silver handles, and on the other was a white toilet and sink equipped with a mirror and a cabinet underneath for storage.
Riot waved her hand under the hot water spout. A second later, the shower turned on, spraying glorious heated water onto her tired, sore body. Riot washed as Ketrick told her his impossible story.
33
You are the second stranger we have been visited by in eleven days now.” Ketrick’s voice was distant but still audible over the running shower water. “Remus came to us offering peace and an opportunity. My mother realized he wanted more than friendship. He wanted power. Within the first few days, he revealed his true plan. He wanted to ally with us only to use the fire serpents as weapons.”
As she maneuvered in the shower, Riot was reminded from a half dozen bruises on her body where the Brute weapons had hit her. Her armor had turned the deadly shots into purple-and-blue marks across her skin instead of life-threatening injuries.
Riot scrubbed at her armpits and lathered her hair as Ketrick explained the events leading up to her arrival. It made sense so far, but the biggest question still hadn’t been answered. Was Remus and his race of Karnayers the coming evil the Syndicate had promised, or were they just another bad apple in the barrel that was the universe?
“We hold respect and admiration for the fire serpents that occupy our planet,” Ketrick said, pausing as if he was debating telling Riot what he was about to say next. “I told you I’d be honest with you, so I will. Every few generations, what my people call a ‘judge’ is born. The judge has the ability to communicate with the fire serpents that rule our sky. I am one of those judges. When my mother and I realized what the Karnayers were really up to, we banished them from our planet. We hoped that would be the end of them.
“We were wrong. We should have known they would go to the Brutes and offer them the same lies. Believe it or not, Boris is not a bad leader. His biggest issue is that he’s an easily manipulated idiot. Our clans have gone to war in the past, but for the last century, we have had a peace treaty. Remus went to Boris and the Brutes, promising power if they aided him in capturing the fire serpents.”
“And they did,” Riot finished as she rinsed off the last of the soap and turned off the water. She began to dry herself as she asked the next question on her mind. “How many attacks have the Brutes staged with Remus?”
“I was injured in the first battle by an energy weapon Remus and his kind have. I have never seen anything like it b
efore. It halved my weapon in two and struck me as if it were a steel blade cutting through paper. You and your party participated in the second engagement. Unless I am mistaken, the third battle will take place soon. Boris is not known for his patience.” Ketrick yawned. “I suspect he will attack before the day ends. Remus will be with him, and so will the fire serpents chained to his rule. I’ve heard the others talking about the fight. The fire serpents would not have attacked us unless they were forced to.”
“You’re sure about that?” Riot dressed in her black-and-red uniform. “They didn’t seem too friendly when we arrived in your orbit. Do you know they can fly in space?”
“It is known the fire serpents can fly farther than the heavens,” Ketrick said, turning around as Riot exited the bathroom. “If they did attack you, it was because they perceived you as a threat to their nest or to their young.”
“Probably both.” Riot towel-dried her hair, looking at the massive Trilord sitting on her bed still wearing a sheet. “Come on, I need food, and you need some pants.”
Riot tossed her towel onto the bed and motioned for Ketrick to follow. The Trilord did so without question. His red eyes looked into hers in a way that made Riot look away.
“Listen, Romeo”—Riot exited into the hall—“I’m on a mission from my planet, and that mission doesn’t entail hooking up with the locals.”
“What does ‘hooking up’ mean?”
“It means sex, relations, lying together in the biblical sense.” Riot looked up at Ketrick. “We need to keep the main thing the main thing, here.”
“As you wish, Sorceress.” Ketrick shrugged. “I agree with you. You must learn to contain yourself around me. The main thing, as you say, is to deal with Remus and his Karnayers. They will be defeated, and the fire serpents freed. Then you can have your way with me.”
The Marine and the prince reached the mess hall again, and as they entered the wide room, Riot was still trying to understand if Ketrick knew what he was saying or something was being lost in translation.
The mess hall was filled with benches and tables in the middle. Along the far wall, large screens with meal slots below stood ready. The touch screen had everything from bananas to cheesecake to coffee and sushi. Within seconds of making your selection, your ordered item would be ready in the meal slot below the touch screen.
Riot and Ketrick weren’t alone in the mess hall. It seemed Riot wasn’t the only one seizing her opportunity to grab a bite. Rizzo sat at one of the tables, an extra large pepperoni pizza and diet cola in front of him. He grinned as he saw Riot walk in, and did a double take at Ketrick’s bed sheet skirt.
“Don’t ask.” Riot waved away Rizzo’s questioning eyes. “Diet cola with a pizza?”
Had to draw the line somewhere, Rizzo signed with another grin. Tastes like heaven.
“Yeah, I bet.” Riot went over to the closest screen and ordered enough for a small family. Everything looked good at the moment. “Let’s see: pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, coffee—my God, do I need coffee, hash browns, orange juice, toast, and yeah, we’ll add some fruit in there, too.”
“You speak with your hands?” Ketrick asked Rizzo.
Riot looked back in time to see Rizzo nod.
“Why must he speak with his hands?” Ketrick’s eyes doubled in size as he saw Riot grab her two trays loaded with food and join Rizzo at the table. “And who is meeting you to consume food in such quantity?”
“First, don’t fat shame me, not cool.” Riot chugged her orange juice, then attacked her pancakes like they were her mortal enemy. “Second, Rizzo is a warrior like you and me. He lost the ability to speak against a foe we vanquished from our planet. He’s also the best damned pilot I’ve ever seen. He talks using his hands as a form of communication called sign language.”
“I like it, but strange.” Ketrick leaned in, examining the hand sign Rizzo was showing him at the moment. “What does this one mean?”
Riot almost choked on her forkful of eggs and bacon. Rizzo had a thick slice of pepperoni pizza in one hand, with the other he was flipping Ketrick off. The Savage prince was leaning in, examining Rizzo’s hand as if he thought it were going to perform a magic trick at any time.
“Uh…” Riot shook her head furiously at Rizzo. They were here to make allies. “That just means hello.”
“Interesting.” Ketrick folded his arms over his massive chest. “You beings from Earth are truly unique.”
“I feel like I could sleep for a day.” Deborah entered the mess hall. Bags hung under her eyes, her blonde hair was a frizzy mess behind her head, and she grabbed at her stomach in mock pain. “I just sent another report to the Bulwark. The whole time my stomach was rumbling. Feed me.”
Ketrick smiled at Deborah and raised the middle finger of his right hand at her. His enthusiasm for the act was confusing.
“Ketrick, why are you flipping me off?” Deborah walked to a screen and tapped in her order. “You know what, on second thought, I don’t care. I just need food and sleep.”
“Eat up and rest while you can.” Riot shoved another load of hash browns into her mouth. “As soon as we get the call from Vet and Kila, we’re off again. How are the Savages faring in the med bay, and where’s Wang?”
“He’s still down there, eating an MRE. He said he’s fine. He actually looks fine. I don’t know what he’s made of, but he has just as much energy as if he’s had a full night’s sleep.” Deborah grabbed her tray of grilled fish and vegetables, and sat down at the same bench with the others. “The injured Savages will all recover, Hemming included. Those healing nanites are worth their weight in gold. I’d like to inject the squad with them in preparation for any injury that may be sustained in the field.”
Riot nodded along as she crammed down her pancakes. She was just partially hearing what Deborah was saying. Her actual thoughts were on Wang. He was still popping pills. She’d have to go talk to him, after Ketrick put on some pants.
34
Riot left Ketrick in Evonne’s care. She would be able to guide him to finding some clothing while Riot talked to Wang. Just like Deborah had said, she found him in the med bay where most of the Savage Trilords were sleeping. Those awake nodded at her in greeting.
She exchanged the act, catching sight of Wang, who studied something against a back table. A microscope in his hands, he hunched over the tool.
“Amazing.” Wang looked up from his work as he heard Riot approach. “Take a look at this. It’s the medic nanites the Syndicate left. I’ve been able to supercharge them. Once we have these in our bloodstream, they will be able to heal the most grievous wounds within seconds.”
“Sweet.” Riot blinked a few times to keep her eyes open. “I’m not here about the nanites, though. I’m here about you. Everyone is dead on their feet, and you look like you just rolled out of hibernation. The pills, Wang, it’s time for you to stop.”
“I’m fine, Riot, really.” Wang looked at her with large eyes as he tried to protect his stash. “I can control myself. I only take them if I really need them. Everyone else can get some sleep while I stay awake. It’s a win-win.”
“Yeah, until you crash, or worse, make a mistake because you haven’t slept in two days. Trust me, I know a thing or two about addiction.” Riot shook her head. “I don’t want to make this a thing. Get some sleep. I would tell you to hand them over, but you’re the freaking medic on board. You have access to those drugs twenty-four-seven. The only way for me to really keep them from you is to lock you up and let you sweat it out.”
“You won’t have to do that.” Wang shook his own head. “As soon as the last dose wears off, I’ll get some sleep.”
“See that you do.” Riot turned on her heel and began walking to her quarters. She stopped and looked back at Wang. “Good job today, Corporal Wang. You and Deborah saved a lot of lives.”
“Thank you, Master Sergeant.” Wang grinned back.
When Riot finally did fall asleep, her dreams were not those of rainbows and
butterflies. Riot was on a hill, looking out over a sea of Brute Trilords. Their chanting made her insides vibrate. Yellow eyes looked up at her as they prepared to charge.
A scream? No, many roars clouded the sky as dragons came down from the heavens, each one of the different-colored beasts fitted with a collar around its long neck. Behind the gathered force were three alien ships, the likes of which Riot had never seen.
Although she couldn’t see who or what was piloting the crafts, she could guess the Karnayers, and more specifically, Remus, was behind the attack.
“Here we go.” Vet appeared next to her in full uniform, his one eye sad, almost watery. He looked through Riot, at someone else on her other side. “This is for her. Let’s send as many of these freaks to the grave as we can. If it’s our time to die, then it’s our time to die, but we’re not going alone!”
“Aaarrrooo!”
Riot looked to her right, where the rest of the squad stood equipped with heavy battle armor. Even Deborah carried a Villain Pulse Rifle.
The thought that they were talking about her crossed Riot’s mind. Was she already dead and seeing this from some kind of celestial state?
Before she could wake, the battle began. The yellow-eyed warriors surged against the walls surrounding Silna. The Savage warriors were outnumbered and outgunned. The dragons dove down on them, along with the three larger alien ships.
A shadow crossed the twin suns that reigned over Hoydren. Everyone fell silent as a giant, white dragon raced toward the battlefield. A rider carrying a war hammer as long as a lance descended to aid the Savages. A cheer from the people of Silna rose up and echoed into the air. The rider was Ketrick.
“Riot, wake up!” Evonne’s voice blared into Riot’s room. “Wake up!”
Riot’s eyes snapped open, a long line of drool came off the corner of her lower lip. She wiped away the spittle, still trying to wake up from the vivid dream she’d had of Ketrick riding on the back of the dragon.
War Wolves: Boxset 1-3 Page 13