“Is that unusual?”
Morgan’s gesture was part shrug, part grimace. “It’s a phenomenon we’ve only recently discovered, so we’re not sure how widespread the practice was—or is. But it makes sense. If a human bloodline adapts well to change, it’s only logical to—”
“Take advantage of the weakness?” Ashley snapped.
“I was going to say maximize the potential, but I understand your attitude.”
“Unfortunately,” Bandar reentered the conversation, guiding them back toward the present. “Garin’s team isn’t sure if the protein explains why she’s still alive or if it’s simply a coincidence.”
“Unfortunately?” She’d heard the word one too many times. She shoved back from the table and stood, glaring down at him. “This is a little more than unfortunate. Human females are dying so Rodyte males might someday regain the use of magic. It’s unconscionable.”
Bandar shifted his chair toward her, but remained seated. “We agree with you. No one in this room was involved with any of the experiments. Nazerel and Morgan were ultimately responsible for hunting Sevrin down and dismantling her operation.”
Ashley took a deep breath and then another. He was right. She couldn’t blame them for the despicable actions of others. Especially when one of those ‘others’ had been her father. “I’m sorry.” She sat back down, feeling sort of hollow. She’d often suspected that her father was involved in something not quite legal. Why else would he be so secretive. She’d never imagined that it was this…despicable. “So Garin’s team proved that Sevrin’s techniques weren’t really working, what happened next?”
Bandar scooted back around and went on as if her outburst hadn’t happened. “They backtracked through the research to a point where all of the transformations were stable in an effort to figure out where Sevrin’s people went wrong. Our information indicates that Daniel Kane is the person most qualified to help Garin’s team proceed. Or he would have been if he’d still been alive.”
An unexpected pang expanded the emptiness in her heart. She needed to understand her father’s motivations for participating in this sort of research, yet his death made that impossible. Her father had been obsessive and self-involved. Yet she’d always justified his neglect because his work was so important. He’d been trying to cure diseases, to save lives and end suffering. If what they said was true, he was just plain evil. “How many people know about my father?”
“We thought we were the only ones. Apparently, we were wrong.”
“If your shadow is aboard a ship commanded by one of the current ruler’s favorite generals, does that mean the current ruler is trying to beat you to the finish line?”
Bandar smiled, seemingly pleased by her conclusion. “That’s our concern as well. Quinton Keire likely dispatched Akim and my shadow is part of his crew.”
All they’d done so far was fill in the blanks with information she already possessed, so she grew a bit bolder. “And how does Garin fit into all of this? Is he some sort of a double agent?”
“More like a spy master,” Morgan said. “Garin is carefully maintaining his role as obedient general, but his true loyalty is to the battle born.”
“It’s imperative that Quinton go on believing Garin is still loyal to the crown for as long as possible,” Bandar added. “Garin has access to information and resources no one else could hope to attain.”
Again they were basically confirming things she’d already figured out, but it felt good to know they were starting to trust her. She couldn’t help ribbing Bandar one last time. “Was that so hard?”
“I’m a covert agent.” He finally smiled. “It’s my nature to be secretive.”
There were so many names and situations, she wanted to make sure she had everything straight. “So Quinton, who is Crown Stirate, is also Sevrin’s uncle?”
“Exactly right.” Bandar’s smile broadened. “He’s Pern’s younger brother.”
“I know Pern is dead. What about Sevrin? Is she still a potential threat?”
“She’s dead as well, thanks to Morgan,” Nazerel told her as he exchanged a meaningful glance with his mate.
“Okay, I’m almost out of questions.”
“Praise the gods.” Bandar grinned.
“What is the current focus of Garin’s team? Are they back to producing empowered babies or are they hoping to transfer powers into the female as well?”
“I don’t think it matters,” Bandar told her. “Either outcome would be acceptable to us. They’re focused on finding the specific criteria for safe and stable transformations every time. They can’t even attempt a clinical trial until all the simulations are successful.”
She was relieved to hear that, but she took it a step further. “And when they’re ready for clinical trials, how will they acquire test subjects?”
Annoyance flashed through his gaze and then he sighed. “Your mistrust is understandable, but no one under my brother’s command would ever experiment on an unwilling person. Every test subject will be a fully informed volunteer.”
“It’s important to note that most of Garin’s scientists believe the protein marker is significant,” Nazerel added. “They think her body tolerated the adjustment more easily because her genome contained multiple indications of Rodyte DNA.”
“And they hope to use this protein marker to locate other descendants?”
Nazerel offered her a full, warm smile. “I think there’s more of your father in you than you admit. Exploring that possibility is Bandar’s second mission objective.”
“And finding my father’s research is his first.”
It wasn’t a question, but Nazerel nodded. “You said you told Bandar all you know. Was the location of the research part of what you told him?”
His persistence made her smile. They’d indulged her far more thoroughly than she’d expected. It was time for her to play nicely with the aliens.
Chapter Four
Akim Farmon clasped his hands behind his back as he slowly circled his new covert agent. Akim didn’t know the man’s real name and didn’t care enough to learn it. The agent was known as Letos, which meant phantom, and Akim had been assured that Letos had earned the moniker by slipping in and out of countless situations without anyone realizing he’d been there. Some whispered that he was a sorcerer, able to command powers ordinary mortals couldn’t possibly understand. Others claimed he was a technomage or cyborg, more machine than man. This hype was part of the reason Akim had been so angry when Letos returned to the Relentless yesterday spattered in blood and making excuses for his failure. The only thing Akim hated worse than failure was excuses.
“You’ve had fifteen hours to reflect upon your situation.” Akim spoke in a low, menacing tone as he continued his leisurely orbit. Letos knelt in the middle of the detention cell, naked, head bowed. He was not nearly as mysterious now. “Think carefully before you speak. What have you to say for yourself?”
“I will not fail you again, sir. Please spare my life so I can finish my mission.” Despite his submissive pose, a defiant undertone rippled through his softly spoken plea.
Rather than angering Akim, the rebellion amused him. Any man broken by a few hours of frigid solitude wasn’t worthy of the name Rodyte. Maybe Letos wasn’t completely useless after all. “The female lives, so I’ve decided to spare you.”
Letos glanced up and then back down, clearly startled by the announcement. “How is that possible? I intentionally kept Bandar occupied so her blood would continue to flow.”
“Apparently, the Relentless is no longer the only Rodyte ship with bio-streaming technology. Either that or Bandar summoned Nazerel to teleport her to gods know where. The details aren’t important. What is important is that you didn’t have permission to kill her.” Akim stopped in front of Letos and jerked his face up. He glared into the spy’s blue-ringed eyes, feeling the tingle of his own phitons as they began to glow. “She’s the only connection we’ve found to the research. Do I need to remind yo
u how important it is that we locate the information before Garin’s men do?”
“No, sir. I’m aware of the urgency.”
“Then which ring of hell made you try to kill her?” Akim glared at the younger man, barely restraining the need to beat him to a bloody pulp.
“Instinct, sir. I’m only useful as long as no one knows my face. I’ve always operated with a no-witnesses policy.”
“I understand your need for anonymity, but I command you now. You should have brought the female here. We could have questioned her and then swept her mind.” Akim couldn’t believe he needed to point these things out to Letos. It was all so ridiculously obvious.
“I just reacted, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t. Now stand.”
Ever so slowly, tension rolled through Letos’s body. “You said you wouldn’t kill me.” He tilted his head and looked at Akim. “May I return to my quarters?” Each word was stiff with resentment, yet Akim saw fear spark within his gaze.
“The skills you’re reported to possess are still needed. Killing you now would be counter-productive. Failure, however, is never ignored. Now stand and accept your punishment like a Rodyte.”
Letos maneuvered to one knee with obvious effort. After his blood-stained clothes had been ripped form his body, Letos had been hosed down with cold water. Then he’d been forced to kneel on the alloy floor with his hands clasped behind his head. The detention cells were dimly lit and poorly heated, so the past fifteen hours had been uncomfortable, to say the least.
“I’ve already been punished,” Letos snapped, finally reaching his feet. “This cell is right out of the third ring of hell and you left me here all night.”
One corner of Akim’s mouth quirked as he unhooked the whip handle from the belt at his waist. Like the flexblade, the flexwhip could adjust to several lengths and thicknesses. The close confines of the cell prevented Akim from selecting his favorite setting, the long, wicked lash. Today, he’d have to settle for a short, snappy flogger. “Where were you trained? You’re shockingly squeamish for a Rodyte.”
“I was top of my class at Alandree Academy.” The fool’s chin jutted out as if the fact would impress Akim.
He snorted and swung his arm. The distinct whoosh of the flogger’s many strands was music to his ears. “That explains so much. If you’d had military training rather than civilian, I doubt we’d be having this conversation. The RPI has gone soft.” Rodyte Planetary Investigations had been at odds with the military nearly as long as the organization had existed. Their focus was providing bureaucrats with the detailed information they needed to negotiate and strategize. Most military leaders preferred a more direct approach to ending conflicts.
“If you’re so discontent with my—”
“Silence!” Akim reinforced the order with an unexpected snap of the flogger. The strands fanned out across Letos’s chest, momentarily stealing his breath. “You will not speak unless asked a direct question.”
Letos glared at him in open outrage, hands tightly clenched at his sides.
“Look straight ahead and raise your arms, hands clasped behind your head. You will maintain that position until you’re told to move.”
A muscle above Letos’s jaw twitched as he assumed the position. Akim took a deep breath, savoring the other man’s defiant submission and then Akim began. He watched the spy closely, studying his reactions to maximize the impact of each blow. Akim wanted pain to radiate through the spy’s entire body, clearing his mind and reestablishing his focus. However, he couldn’t afford to delay their objectives with debilitating damage.
This was how Akim had gained notoriety. It was the environment in which he thrived. He’d extracted information and meted out punishment for the past three Crown Stirates. His brutality was matched only by his skill and his unfailing loyalty. So when he’d requested command of his own ship as reward for his long years of service, Quinton had reluctantly agreed. Akim still completed missions defined by the crown, but he operated with complete autonomy.
Akim admired the thin red welts he’d raised on Letos’s back and buttocks before moving on to his sides and chest. Surprisingly, the spy endured it in silence until the strands landed dangerously close to his sex. Letos gasped and a strangled cry escaped his clenched jaws.
“Do you have children?” Akim look pointedly at Letos’s crotch, his smirk intentionally provoking.
“Not yet, sir. Please don’t… I would appreciate it if that were still an option when you finish with my punishment.”
He snapped the flogger just hard enough to make Letos cry out. “Do you deserve mercy?”
“No, sir. I’m a failure. I deserve whatever you give me.”
Akim stepped back the flogger swinging in a lazy arc at his side. “I’m glad we finally understand each other.” Without further comment, he deactivated his flexwhip and returned it to the clasp on his belt. He started toward the door when the fool spoke.
“Are you finished? May I leave?” Letos lowered his arms and turned his head so he could see Akim.
Akim fought back a snarl. He’d been about to dismiss Letos. Why were some people so slow to learn such simple lessons? “You will speak when spoken to and move when you’re given permission to move. I thought you understood my instructions.”
Letos snapped his head back around and raised his arms, locking his hands behind his head.
The door hissed as Akim approached. Security had been monitoring the entire scene to ensure his safety, not that he couldn’t have dealt with a pampered RPI agent without assistance. The precaution was almost insulting. He pulled open the door, then let it slam closed behind him.
Two guards were stationed in the corridor, so he turned to the senior guard. “Make sure he maintains his current position for at least an hour then escort him to the infirmary. Inform the medic that Letos’s strength and mobility must be regenerated, but I want any discoloration to remain. I’d love to leave him like that for a couple of days, but he has work to do.”
“It shall be done, sir.” The guard responded in a strong, clear voice, his gaze fixed at some point beyond Akim. Now here was a man who knew is place.
Akim left the detention level and made his way back to his cabin. Though he commanded the crew, he wasn’t a qualified pilot, so he wasn’t bothered with the day-to-day operation of the ship. This left him more time to focus on the specifics of his mission, which was to find Daniel Kane’s research and return it to Quinton.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one with that objective. Two days after reaching Earth, Letos encountered Bandar Nox. Akim had been monitoring Letos at the time and immediately recognized Garin’s little brother. Bandar, on the other hand, had no idea who Letos was or who had dispatched him. They were obviously after the same thing and for the first time since the race began, Garin’s team had the advantage. Thanks to Letos’s stupidity, Team Garin had Ashley Kane, the most likely person to lead them to Daniel’s research.
Annoyance bubbled within him, making his whipping hand itch all over again. Quinton had insisted Letos join Akim for this mission. The Stirate had gone on and on about how resourceful and shrewd the spy could be. After this recent blunder, Akim couldn’t help wondering if Letos was here to spy on him rather than assist in reaching the objective. Quinton had no reason to mistrust Akim, but rulers were notoriously paranoid. It didn’t matter in any event. He had nothing to hide.
He reached his cabin and opened the door with a curt voice command. Crossing to the beverage station, he poured himself a shot of g’haut. He tossed down the potent liquor and hissed as it burned its way down his throat. “Why didn’t you warn me about this mess? Your visions have been suspiciously absent since we arrived in this star system.” When there was no answer, Akim turned around. “Don’t ignore me, slave. I know you’re not in a trance.”
The slender female raised her head and parted the thick curtain of her silver-blonde hair. “I’ve seen nothing.”
He set the gl
ass down and poured himself another shot. “I don’t believe you.”
“Why would I lie?” Her voice was soft and musical as always, her delicate features achingly beautiful.
“Come here.”
She hesitated, a punishable offense in itself. But her rebellion didn’t stop there. She remained on her sleeping mat in the corner of his cabin. The mat was supposed to be at the foot of his bed, but that was one of many compromises he’d learned to tolerate during the years she’d been in his keeping. She slowly stood and brushed her hair back from her face, revealing her captivating eyes. They were vivid blue, the color so rich and bright he could almost feel her gaze. And her phitons shimmered like polished silver. The rings not only glowed, they expanded and contracted, sometimes taking over the blue entirely, other times disappearing so only blue remained. Only organic harbingers had eyes like hers. Converted harbingers had silver phitons, but they always remained the same size.
“I’m still healing from last night’s activities.” She hesitated over the last word, making it sound as harsh and degrading as the episode had been. “I cannot allow you to—”
“You don’t allow me to do anything!” He flew across the room and fisted her hair, jerking her head back and slightly to the side. “You are mine, Chandar. Every breath you draw belongs to me. Every day you survive is because of my mercy.”
“Let. Go.” She didn’t struggle and her tone was emotionless. Smart girl. He loved it when she cowered and enjoyed it even more when she fought back, an occurrence that happened less and less these days. Too bad. It had taken much longer than he’d anticipated, but indications were clear, his harbinger was nearly tamed.
A surge of frustration followed the thought. Who was he kidding? This obstinate, irrational female would never be tamed.
“Bandar has Ashley Kane.” He released her hair but remained in front of her, staring down from his much greater height. “I need to know their next move.”
She lowered her head and her silvery hair swung forward, concealing her face again. “I told you, I’ve seen nothing.”
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