by Amelia Jade
Gabriel’s mouth twitched. “I’m not sure I would say it was that bad. If they had truly wanted to pillage and plunder, there wouldn’t have been any of the city left by the time we came back in force. But they did cause significant harm to the inhabitants and the city itself.”
Her mind was working overdrive right now, filing away the various tidbits contained in his words for further use, so that she could write them down when she had a moment. The last thing she wanted to do right then was bust out her notepad and possibly distract him, or make him clam up. So she just stored it all in her brain and would regurgitate it to herself later.
“Why did it take you so long to respond?” she asked. “I heard it was upward of a month before you kicked them out.”
Gabriel nodded sourly. “Yeah, that’s about right. There are a lot of reasons. None of them good, unfortunately, but I also don’t particularly feel like explaining them to you.” He shrugged. “I was told never to air out dirty laundry in public.”
“Ah,” Stephanie said, understanding the gist of what he was saying.
“The one thing I will say though, is that we were surprised. They took us completely without warning. Our first sign that they were invading and openly declaring war was when they descended upon Cloud Lake in force. So it took us some time to even just assemble enough warriors to come back here and evict them.”
“Until the first battle of Cloud Lake, you had no idea Fenris was coming after you?”
He shook his head. “Not in open warfare, no. They had done things like hire mercenaries and the like, but nothing overt and formal.”
Interesting. She hadn’t known that bit about the mercenaries. Anything prior to the invasion of Cloud Lake wasn’t known, as it must have happened within Cadia itself. Perhaps there was more to the war than it seemed. Stephanie wondered if she could ever get that information somehow.
“I didn’t realize that things were so bad between Cloud Lake and Fenris,” she said.
Gabriel shrugged. “On a whole, they weren’t. But, like you, not all of us are normal. We all have our crazies who do stupid things, harm others, etcetera. In that aspect, we are very much alike, unfortunately. The difference is, we don’t suffer those fools. If they do anything, we kill them, simple as that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I wish we could be as blunt about it as you. Sometimes.”
Feet pounded on the pavement behind them. Gabriel spun with a quickness that belied his size, his arm shooting out and pushing her behind him none too gently. Almost as quickly as that all happened though, she saw him visibly relax.
A shifter in the now-recognizable uniform of a Green Bearet came racing up to them. Stephanie decided now was a good time to write a few things down, and her notepad and pencil came out of her pocket with practiced ease, and graphite began flying across the paper.
Chapter Six
Gabriel
“Captain Korver!”
He returned the salute as the corporal, one of the men from Luther’s company if he didn’t miss his guess, came slamming to a halt in front of him.
“Yes?” he replied, trying to haul in his curiosity before it got the better of him.
Why was this man out here, chasing him down in the middle of the streets? The men knew better than to interrupt him during his daily walks. They wouldn’t do that unless it was urgent. To his knowledge, nothing was supposed to happen that might classify as urgent, which meant this was something unknown, something new. Something he didn’t already know, and needed to. Which meant he wanted the other shifter to just spit it out already.
Gabriel hated waiting.
“Sir, you’re needed back at the motel.”
He suppressed a shudder of anger at the complete and utter vagueness of that statement.
“I gathered that, Corporal, from the fact that you came and sought me out during my patrol. What I don’t gather is why.”
The younger shifter blanched noticeably at the rebuke, but then pulled himself together and nodded. “Of course sir, my apologies. The prisoner has decided they want to talk.”
“Really?” he asked, blinking several times in astonishment. “Even after I…after what happened last night?” he finished, correcting himself, hoping that Stephanie hadn’t caught his little hiccup. It wouldn’t do to have a news agency knowing he’d beat up a prisoner of war just because he got angry.
“Yes sir. In fact,” the shifter hesitated.
“What is it?” he prompted.
“They said it was because of that, sir.”
“Oh.”
That couldn’t be good. If they wanted to talk to him because he’d beat them up, it was probably because they wanted to make his life miserable as revenge.
What could they tell me that would make me the unhappiest?
Far too many options ran through his head. Shaking himself, he turned back to Stephanie, noting the way the pencil in her hand flew across the paper, leaving a trail of marks that he couldn’t understand. It certainly wasn’t a written language he’d ever seen before.
“What the hell is that?” he asked. “You write in hieroglyphics?”
She laughed. “No, it’s my shorthand. Certain symbols for commonly used words. Means I can write a lot in a small space, and do so quickly.”
“I see.” He didn’t. “Anyway, I am somewhat sorry to cut this informal interview short, but I am needed back at the motel.” He hesitated, then continued. “Are you okay alone, and able to find your way back? I can leave the corporal here as a guide if you wish. Perhaps you can ask him some questions.”
Stephanie brightened. “That would be amazing, yes!”
He nodded. “Only day-to-day life. No security questions or that type, understood?”
She nodded solemnly. “I won’t abuse your trust, Captain.”
Grinning, Gabriel turned to the corporal. “You heard all that?”
“Yes sir, I’ll do my best to assist.”
“Good,” he said, and with a nod of his head in farewell, took off at a slow run down the street.
Like the day before, he had to physically suppress the urge to look over his shoulder. The desire to get one last, fleeting glimpse of the irritating little reporter was surprisingly strong. Was it her little pigtails, so short that they were barely able to start falling down instead of sticking straight out? Or the thin-rimmed glasses that she never touched, as if she were so used to them they were more a part of her face than anything else?
Or maybe it was the freckles. The lovely dusting of freckles that he couldn’t help but picture in his mind as her mouth turned upward in one of those big smiles that seemed to come naturally to her.
What are you doing? Get a hold of yourself, man. You have other things to focus on!
The beast inside of him was rising, trying to assert itself, to tell him what it wanted. But Gabriel had more willpower than that, and he kept a tight rein on his bear and its wants, instead focusing on his legs as he ran at what was for him a sedate pace.
Of course, with his leg strength and agility, he was close to the speed of a sprinting human. The half mile back to the motel was through a maze of streets, but he knew the path like the back of his hand by that point, and not five minutes later he came to a slow, gradual halt in the shadow of the motel.
By the time he reached the stairs he had calmed to a slow walk. He nodded in return to the salutes he received as the guards acknowledged his presence.
“You’re back early.”
He turned to see Luther approaching.
“Yeah, something about the prisoner wanting to talk?”
The other captain made an unhappy face. “He insisted on talking to the man in charge.” He smiled. “I’m not sure he realizes that that’s you though. I was going to take it, but I figured I’d let you handle it, since your last session with him went so well.”
Gabriel smiled tightly. He’d thought the prisoner knew he was the one in charge. If he didn’t, maybe he wasn’t looking at making his
life a living hell after all. That would be a lovely relief. Not that he was going to believe that until he’d talked to the man.
“Want to come along and listen?” he offered, appreciative of Luther respecting his position as commanding officer of the Cloud Lake garrison.
There wasn’t a whole lot differentiating between the two of them, and in fact, Luther was theoretically senior to him. But Luther had been doing various side missions, and Colonel Garrin Richter had not wanted him tied down in case he needed to be sent off abruptly, so Gabriel had come to be in charge.
“Sure. I have to admit, my curiosity is rather piqued. At this stage of the game, I’m not entirely sure what he would have to tell us that’s useful. Fenris itself has surrendered to the humans. We know where those who rejected the peace deal are, and we know that the humans were trying to use them as a trap to have a reason to exert control over us as well. I mean, what more could be going on?”
Gabriel shrugged. He didn’t have an answer to that. The pair of them entered the main lobby of the motel, now perfectly devoid of any remnants of the patrol from the night before. Everything had been scrubbed and washed down. When the Green Bearets left Cloud Lake eventually, they would leave the hotel in better condition than they had gotten it in. Not worse.
They headed directly to the back left of the lobby and descended the beige tiled stairs into the basement, heading straight to the room holding the prisoner. They were both too curious to delay any longer.
“Leave us,” Gabriel said to the two guards.
They hesitated, and his expression turned dark. “I said leave us.”
Their eyes flicked to Luther behind him, and then back at him. “Of course, sir. Just yell if you need us.”
Gabriel paused at the door as they hastened around the corner and out of sight.
“You told them to prevent me from entering, didn’t you?” he asked, not bothering to turn around and look at the other captain.
There was the rustling of material, which he assumed was Luther shrugging. “You would have done the same if it were anyone else.”
Gabriel noted the lack of apology in his friend’s voice. At first that stirred up a sentiment of anger, the desire to force him to apologize. But Gabriel quickly tamped that down, giving his bear a mental shake. He knew he’d been out in the combat zone too long. His bear, having spent months on edge, was beginning to lose the ability to calm down. It was permanently agitated, always seeking to kill those who would slight or harm him.
One of these times…
He shook his head and slid open the bars holding the door closed. They walked into the room. Gabriel automatically went left, Luther stepped to the right, the pair flanking the door even as they leaned against its frame.
The message was clear. Help us, and you could earn your freedom. But you have to do something to get us to stand aside first.
He wondered if the other shifter would get it.
The Fenrisian prisoner looked back and forth at the two of them, and then at the clear path to the door. Understanding flickered in his eyes, and he stood up from the crouch he’d been in when they entered. He looked over at Luther once more, a longer look this time, picking out details of him from the shadows of the room. Then he cast his glance back at Gabriel.
The big shifter smiled.
Panic flashed across the prisoner’s face as he recognized Gabriel, and he took a swift step back. “Are you here to beat me up again? To trash the helpless shifter some more?”
Gabriel didn’t laugh at the taunt. “No,” he said bluntly.
The prisoner regarded him for a long moment, trying to judge his sincerity. Gabriel had nothing to hide, and he let the other shifter see that, making it clear he wasn’t here to hurt him this time.
I hope.
His bear was raging inside of him, and it was requiring more of a mental effort than Gabriel was comfortable admitting to keep it caged. It wanted to be set free, to fill the room with its bulk as it tore huge, gaping rents in the prisoner’s flesh, killing one of the men who had ambushed his patrol the night before. Gabriel couldn’t let that happen though, not if he wanted the information from him, so he shoved his bear back into the mental cage he’d built for it and slammed the door shut.
The human mind was an incredible thing, and it was far more complex than that of the animal that resided within it. The strength of that complexity was what allowed a shifter to harness his animal and use its powers as his own, instead of being overcome by the beast. That happened on occasion, and when it did, the wild animal had to be hunted down and killed.
It was sad anytime that happened, but it couldn’t be helped. The beast that Gabriel could turn into was twice the size of a normal bear, and if left to its own devices, would ruin the ecosystem of any place it ended up. That couldn’t be allowed to happen.
Dammit, I’m getting distracted again. Focus!
He glared at the prisoner. “You said you wanted to talk.”
“Yeah.”
“So start talking,” he said icily. “You killed some of my men last night. Whatever you’ve got to say had better be good if you’re expecting leniency from us.”
The prisoner, who despite being trapped in the cell was still a hulking behemoth of a man no more than a couple of inches shorter than himself or Luther, drew himself up to his full height. He was no longer allowing himself to be intimidated.
“The situation at the camp is deteriorating. And fast.”
“Camp? You mean your temporary base a few hours north of here?”
Gabriel wondered if the Remnants realized that Cadia knew exactly where they were and had the base scouted and plotted out fully.
“Yes. Things there are coming unraveled. Something is going to happen, and soon, if this stalemate keeps up much longer.”
“What? What’s going to happen?” Luther asked, speaking up.
“I don’t know,” the shifter said. “They haven’t shared any plans with us, which is one reason why things are falling apart. It’s as if they don’t know what to do, or are afraid to do it. I don’t really know.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Gabriel was curious as to what would make a prisoner reveal the building tensions in their enemy’s ranks. It was a potent tool that they could hopefully use against them.
Their prisoner hesitated for a moment, as if considering what to say.
“I have nothing against you,” he said at last. “Cadia never did anything personally to me to make me hate you. I’m simply following orders, that’s all. But my orders never meant to put us in league with the humans, whether it be the ones who have taken over my homeland, or the ones trying to spring a trap on you at our camp.”
Gabriel couldn’t stop his eyebrows from raising. This low-level shifter knew all about that? Interesting. Even he and Luther had only just heard that the humans had wanted to trap Cadia into attacking the Fenris Remnants. When they did, somehow a human would end up getting killed in the battle, and that would be all the reasoning they needed to involve themselves in Cadia proper.
He was ready to leave, but the prisoner wasn’t done. “The more time I spent in the camp, the uglier it got. There are even rumors that humans started the war, by goading our leaders on, promising them things.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how many people believe it, but it makes sense. I have no interest in going back to them,” he spat, making it clear he was done talking.
Gabriel nodded.
“Thank you for this information,” he said. He wasn’t sure how it could be used just yet, but he knew it would be of use somehow.
Without another word he turned and left the room, leaving Luther to lock up behind him. He didn’t slow his steps until he was out of sight of the room, only then taking a deep breath to calm his bear. He had to force it to stop bellowing in rage, sending images of it ripping the prisoner apart.
“You may return to your post now,” he said, passing the guards.
They snapped to attention and then hurried bac
k down the hall even as he took the stairs two at a time. He needed a drink. Or food. Or both. And fresh air. Being confined with a Fenrisian like that was a lot to take.
“Captain Korver, how nice to see you again!”
He slammed to a halt at the top of the stairs as Stephanie came toward him. Behind her stood the shifter who had summoned him back to the motel, looking sheepishly at the ground, or the wall, or the ceiling. Basically anywhere but at him, trying to avoid the glare he knew he was likely to receive.
“Stephanie,” he said as cordially as he could manage at a moment like that. “What brings you here?”
“Why, to see what a day in the life of a Green Bearet is like!” she admonished. “You didn’t think I could truly learn about it by just standing outside, did you?”
Actually that was exactly what he had in mind, though Gabriel wasn’t likely to tell her that.
“I see,” he said slowly.
“Is everything okay? You look like you’re in a bad mood?” she asked, dropping the ultra-polite and innocent act.
He looked away. “I’m fine. I can’t talk about it though. It’s classified.”
The moment the words were out of his mouth he realized it was the exact wrong thing to say to a journalist.
Chapter Seven
Stephanie
It’s classified.
Her ears started burning. She felt her facial expression react with intrigue and delight, even as Gabriel’s—no, Captain Korver’s, we’re in public—face closed down, blocking any emotions from coming through.
“Classified?” she asked in as neutral a voice as she could. “Classified how?”
Gabriel sighed. “Classified as in classified. You know, where I can’t talk to you about it? Surely you reporters understand words with three or more syllables?”
She glared at him, her temper flaring, until she saw his lip twitch. “Was that supposed to be a joke?”
“About as much as you acting like I would actually talk about something that’s classified,” he responded without hesitation.
Stephanie tried in vain to keep the answering smile from her face, but she failed. She turned her face away as if embarrassed to meet his eyes, but her gaze followed his steps backward, until they reached the stairs. Whatever it was, it was down there. Perhaps if she could find a way to sneak down there, she could dig around, find out just what was going on. Whatever it was, keeping it classified meant it would be a good story if she could break the news of it.