Defiance (Rise of the Iliri Book 3)

by Auryn Hadley

  With a groan under her breath, Sal sat beside him. "Yeah. Maast, how do you think they're gonna take this?"

  "Not well," Blaec admitted. "Ya might get demoted, little one."

  "Like I care. I've got over a year's back pay coming, so I can take a pay cut. The rank? It doesn't really matter to us."

  "Ya got Tilso headed up this way?" Jase asked.

  Blaec nodded. "When the last foal is born, he's supposed to head out, so is probably already on the way. He's bringing up a second string, too. I picked you both mounts, I hope you don't mind, and had Tilso work them up. The plan is for his sister to bring the young stock up to Anglia in a few months when the foals can make the trip. If nothing else, they'll make a nice gift for Dom, and I'm pretty sure Tilso can get a good spot with him."

  Sal patted his leg. "Then I'll make sure the King knows to expect him in a few months Roo and the pups, too. Dom's already agreed to that. There shouldn't be a problem."

  "Nah, Tilso's going to meet us in Myrosica. When we left, the big thing was an Alliance meeting between the nations to discuss dealing with Terric. Dom should be getting notice of it soon. Officially, I'm here to collect my soldiers and meet the Conglomerate delegation there to get our orders."

  Sal knew that was military speak for potential disciplinary action. "We going to follow them?"

  Blaec shrugged. "Depends. If they work for us, sure. If not, we'll be going rogue."

  "That's gonna make a few things harder fer us," Jase pointed out.

  Blaec closed his eyes in a long blink and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, but what choice do we have? We can't just let this keep going."

  "Nah, I'm with ya," Jase assured him. "Just wondered if we had a plan B."

  Sal spoke up. "Play on our reputation. I think we can get away with claiming any news about us disobeying orders is Terran propaganda long enough to pass through just about anyplace. When we make it into Terric, that's when it's going to get rough. I can hide, but what about Risk?"

  "He's played our slave before," Blaec said. "He's pretty convincing, too. Cyno, you may have to lose the silver locks, though."

  Jase tugged at his forelock. "Yeh. Sal likes it, but I'm ok either way. Ya should grow yers, man. She has a thing about longer hair."

  Blaec laughed. "Not until we're done with the Conglomerate. Have to admit, it's not going to be easy to go back to that crap, not after being here."

  "I know," Sal said. "And we've been here a while. One of you scream in my head when I try to challenge a human, ok?"

  "That's yer job, LT," Jase said. "I'd still rather watch her kill 'em."

  Blaec shrugged. "Do like him, demon. Play the mysterious assassin. It won't take long before you're annoyed with every human you see."

  "Yeah. Don't remind me. At least the damned Archduke had some information for us. I didn't hurt Risk too bad did I?"

  "No," Blaec assured her. "You slapped him once, but that's it. You bit the shit out of the Archduke, though."

  "I missed that?" Jase asked. "LT, ya owe me."

  "I know, I know. She's hot when she's killing." He chuckled. "See, Sal. That's why he's Ahnor, and I'm not."

  "Ok," Jase said. "Yer dressed. Let's get this place packed up and get the army back inta Dorton."

  Blaec stood and offered Sal his hand. "Kaisae?"

  Sal let him pull her into his arms. He kissed her, his lips making their way down the side of her face and across her throat. Then he paused for a moment before nipping at the soft flesh behind her ear. Sal relaxed into him. This was what she'd missed.

  "Bite harder," Jase suggested. Blaec obeyed, and Sal leaned into the caress.

  "Do not," she demanded, breathing heavier, "start ganging up on me."

  The men shared a look, and both grinned. Evidently, the two of them had no problems with their strange relationship. Sal certainly wasn't about to complain. She was the one getting pampered!

  "Least yer in a good mood now, kitten. Come on," Jase said, holding the flap of the tent open.

  Blaec and Sal slipped through, and Jase gestured for the Blades to start breaking their tent down. The packs and crates were carried out and loaded onto the mules. Audgan led over Scorch and Arden. Raven waiting quietly where her reins had been dropped. When the camp was completely packed, Sal looked across the site. What had started as a lush green pasture was little more than dirt paths and muddy circles. The Anglian army had already begun to move out, lines of soldiers trudging slowly southward. A few tents were still standing, and a group of men swarmed around Dom's pavilion. Sal watched the roof slowly collapse into the walls.

  "This place used to be beautiful," she said softly, swinging onto her mare's back. The added height only let her see more devastation to the land.

  "It doesn't take long to come back," Blaec assured her. "In a month, you'll barely know there was a battle here. A few spare weapons lost in the fighting and the burial mounds, but besides that? It'll be back to normal soon enough."

  Sal believed him, but it was hard. Sometimes, it felt like everywhere she went, the chaos followed. "What would we do if there wasn't a war?" She asked on impulse.

  Jase looked at her. "What do ya mean?"

  "The iliri. What are we good for, besides fighting?"

  "Unav was known for the arts," Blaec said. "Iliri used to be renown for their craftsmanship. And it's not like there'll ever be a time without war. Ask the grauori."

  Sal bit her lips together and huffed out a breath. "Doesn't really matter, I guess. I'm just hoping we have a few of us to carry it on, ya know?"

  Both men nodded. Together, they turned their horses toward the rest of their unit.

  When they neared, Zep called out. "We're to wait for Ilija and the King."

  "Gotcha," Sal replied.

  "Have a good night?" Geo asked with a snide grin.

  Jase glared at him, but Sal answered, "Yeah. I did. I almost ate a human and then I fucked Blaec's brains out. Are you glad you asked? We good Risk?"

  Risk raised his voice to cover the distance. "Yep. Even in maast, you remembered. Next time, pull the swing a bit, please."

  "What did you do?" Zep asked, chuckling.

  Risk flashed a sharp-toothed smile. "I told her I needed a breather. I put that idiot together more than ten times, and she kept ripping him back apart."

  "Oww," Arctic muttered. "Sal, that's nasty."

  She lifted both hands in mock surrender. "He sang like a bird, though. We got the entire layout of the Terran palace, his summer home, and every known location the Emperor keeps. I asked him for enough that I doubt he'll put together what we were looking for. Did you know that Terric has a museum of the Landing?"

  "Really?" Audgan asked, truly interested.

  Sal nodded. "Well have to stop by when we're in the area." She looked at the young man for a long moment. "You really ok with this, Zyrn?"

  He edged his horse closer. "Lieutenant, I joined the Black Blades because I wanted to make a difference. My kind, we don't really live long enough to make much of an impact on the world." She nodded at him, understanding completely, so he kept going. "I knew that elites don't live long. I figure it's a pretty good trade, ya know?"

  "You said it better than I did when Blaec asked me. But you've already changed the world." He cocked his head at her slightly, wondering what she meant. She jerked her thumb back to where Dom's tent had recently stood. "The page? He's probably going to become the heir to the Anglian throne. At worst, I think he'll be a Marquis. Every iliri in his realm will have an easier life because of you."

  "And you," Audgan said. "You did something amazing here, Lieutenant."

  She dipped her head to catch his eyes. "When do I get to be Sal with you?"

  He glanced at her for a second, but when he looked away, it was with a smile. "When you stop scaring the shit out of me?"

  The men laughed, and Sal said, "I thought fear was your job, little brother."

  Taking a deep breath, he tried again and this time met her eyes.
"Yeah. I think it is, Sal."

  Chapter 48

  The trip back to Dorton was a long one. Ilija, Dominik, and Rragri pulled themselves away from the rest of the army, and it was obvious they were working out the details of their new government. On the second day of the trip, the spring rains made an appearance and followed them back into the capital. Regardless of the soaking weather, the citizens greeted them on the fifth day as victorious heroes.

  The Black Blades had been assigned rooms in the palace, but none of them bothered to unpack. They knew they wouldn't be staying long. Across the continent, Terric was still moving. The Conglomerate of Free Citizens was desperate – but not enough to overlook the liberties she'd taken on this mission. The blue envelope, delivered to Sal the next morning, verified it.

  She read through the summons, again. "Do I tell Dom?" she asked Jase.

  He shrugged. "He'll say it does na apply ta ya anymore. Ilija will understand, though. Trust him, kitten. Ya owe him that."

  She let out a frustrated breath. "Yeah. I do. Think I'm going to be court-martialed or just reprimanded?"

  Jase leaned over her chair and tilted her face up. "Prolly court-martialed. They do na like our kind lookin' good, but it will na matter. They can na hold ya, and we will na let them." He kissed her gently. "Ya did the right thing here. We're doing the right thing."

  "I know. I don't regret it. It just feels strange, ya know? I'm a Black Blade. I did what I was ordered, and this is how they pay me back? This is how they reward us for doing the impossible?"

  "Yeh, but ya do na know what LT went through ta keep ya. He fought for ya, kitten. He is na about ta stop. Go on, go tell Ilija. I'll get yer uniform ready fer tonight." Jase grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet, turning her shoulders to the door.

  Sal grabbed the blue envelope, flapping it once at Jase, and smiled weakly at him before leaving. She made her way through the halls and down the stairs, listening to the sounds of people excited about the evening's events. Laughter was common, even on the lowest level. The palace basement had changed almost as much as the rest of the country. Now, it belonged to the Anglian elite soldiers. Currently that was the Verdant Shields. Soon there would be more.

  Reaching Ilija's door, she tapped gently on the thick wood, listening to footsteps move closer to the door. The handle creaked as it turned, and the Colonel peered through a small crack. Sal watched his gaze slide down until he met her eyes. With a smile, he opened the door the rest of the way. "Kaisae," he greeted her, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

  "My turn, it seems," she said flatly, referring to his lack of clothing.

  ***

  Hearing the tone of her voice, Ilija knew this was serious. "What's up?"

  She answered by passing him the letter. His eyes scanned the words. It wasn't at all what he'd expect an envoy to receive after everything she'd done. This sounded like a recall for an escaped prisoner, not a military hero! When he reached the end, she spoke.

  "It's today. We're riding out this evening."

  He read through it again. "Sal, this sounds like..." he let the words trail off. She already knew. He didn't need to make this worse.

  "I'll probably be court-martialed. I may be stripped of my rank and position, possibly even jailed. It's unlikely they'll sentence me to execution."

  Like fuck they would. "And you're going?"

  She nodded. "We have to." Sal rubbed her hands against her thighs. "Mind if we sit?"

  "No, no. Shit, Sal, no," he muttered, as he escorted her into his rooms. "There's more?"

  She sank heavily into a chair. "You trusted me so many times. Now, it's my turn, and I have a couple of big favors to ask."

  "Anything."

  "I need another pair of mules or pack horses. We prefer mules. If there's any way you can get some common clothes in our sizes, that would be wonderful. Worn, used, stained. The more typical, the better. I need a set of manacles, too." She paused thinking.

  "Got it. Disguises. Who do the manacles need to fit?"

  "Risk."

  "Ok."

  "That's not all, just the easy ones. I'm going to rip Ricown wide open. I need to give our history to someone, and he's going to be out for a few days afterward."

  "We'll work around it, Sal, plus we have the grauori, now. What else?"

  Sal looked at the ceiling and blinked, sucking in a shuddering breath while shaking her head. "You can't tell Dom. Not until the morning. We'll need the lead on him or he'll try to stop us."

  "What are you doing? This," and he held up the envelope, "doesn't sound like a pleasant invitation."

  "It's not," she said, meeting his eyes and holding them. They were so white, like all the rest of her. Pure in a way that pierced right through him. She didn't even blink. "We're going rogue, most likely. That's why you can't tell Dom. He can't be tied to us, Ilija. We'll go play the part and, depending upon my sentence, decide what comes next. If they do more than demote me, we're cutting ties and ending this. Either way, we're ending this. We'll make sure Anglia is safe."

  "This?" he asked.

  "Yeah. The Archduke gave us what we need. We know where he is, how to get in there, and we have the skills to do it."

  "But you're not coming back." It wasn't a question. He knew. Jase had already made that clear enough.

  "No. I doubt we'll make it back. That's why I need Ricown. Someone needs our history." She looked down and rubbed her hands on her thighs again. "Here's the part that you can feel free to refuse. If we don't come back," she blinked quickly, "I was hoping you'd let Rico rebuild the Blades. We all agree. We'd like to know that it continues beyond us."

  He reached across the space between them and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. "If it comes to that, Sal, yeah. I'll promote him to it and give him free rein for what he needs. I'll give him Jarl, too. I know what your blade means, Kaisae, and he's seeing the future. If we have to start over, I'm behind it. I swear. I'll make damned sure that the Black Blades always follow the old way, even if I have to learn them all myself."

  She hadn't expected that; he could see it on her face. Sal gasped a shaky breath and nodded. "He'll be the King. Jarl. Don't throw him into it unless it calls to him, ok?"

  "I won't, Kaisae. I'm going to let him choose. There's one thing I can't promise you, though."

  Slowly, she raised her eyes, and Ilija understood what Jase meant about the torture of not crying. She was so small. If he didn't know better, he'd say frail. Everything about the little bitch sitting across from him made him want to protect her. She was like a wildflower daring to peek through the snow to bloom. Without thinking, he caressed her cheek, jerking his hand back when he realized who he was touching. For the first time in his life, he understood what Jase meant about the vis. Sal wasn't just a soldier. She was his, and Dom's, and all of Anglia's. That simple fact tied them all together and made her so much more than anyone would expect from one tiny little girl.

  He cleared his throat, trying to get back on topic. "I can't promise that I won't try to change things. You've meddled in all of our lives for months now, Sal, and I'm going to pay you back."

  She shook her head. "You can't. Anglia has to stay above this. What we did here? This is why we do this. This is what we'd always hoped for, seeing humans and iliri," she chuckled, "and the grauori. Seeing all of us together, peacefully. Equally. If you do anything to ruin this, it wastes all that we've done."

  "I know," he assured her. "But trust me for once, Kaisae. I may not be able to get the revenge we all want, but I'm about to have control over the largest and now probably the most powerful military on the continent. It doesn't have to be a black or white thing. I swear to you, I will keep Anglia honorable – and still do my damnedest to make sure you all come back alive. Ok?"

  She nodded.

  "Dom got one of those too, you know." He said, passing the envelope back. "There's a meeting to form an official Alliance of Nations, and they politely requested that we come."

  "Shit," s
he whispered. "Already?"

  His eyes narrowed. "Why? What's wrong."

  Sal groaned and flopped back against the chair. "Dom's going to be there for the trial then, isn't he?"

  "Knowing that," Ilija gestured at the letter, "yeah, I'm gonna make sure of it."

  "Don't. It won't help and will only make things worse."

  "Why?" he insisted.

  With both hands, she pressed her ears against her head, smoothing them back. "You ever wonder why he inherited the throne? Think about it, Colonel. What do Jase and I do? There was a long line between Dominik Jens and the throne of Anglia."

  Contagion, heart failure, animal attack... No assassin could do those things! Except the Blades. His eyes grew wider as the reality sank in. "Fuck, Sal. How'd you pull that off?"

  "Have to know the right drug for the right effect – and get enough dirt to understand what people around them expect. Fulfill the predictions they've made a million times over, and no one will think it's anything but fate."

  "We didn't even suspect a thing. Shit. You gonna tell him?"

  Sal shook her head. "No. That's why I don't want him there. Not to mention King Jensen."

  "We caught the assassin for that."

  "No, you just thought you did. Why do you think I had the walls so heavily manned and his windows grated? Jase had company up there. The stupid bitch was a junker, too. They told her to kill the King, and she couldn't make the shot."

  "Jase did," he said, understanding.

  Sal dipped her head, unwilling to meet his gaze. "Yeah. He took the shot and tossed the girl from the wall. Hwa trailed her as a dog and called out when the guards nearly lost her. Jase made sure she died before she could be interrogated."

  Leaning over his knees, Ilija cradled his head in his hands. "That's a lot to take in, Sal. Why?"

  "Officially? Dominik was the only possible heir who might form an alliance with the Conglomerate. Well, we were supposed to see if the Jonkheer of Eriwald had any leanings because he was also considered acceptable."

  "But you didn't."

  "Kinda. Only Dominik had any sympathy to iliri. The rest were known separationists. My orders were to instill a king and gain his confidence. By assigning me to his side, we wanted to form an alliance who would help the iliri as much as the Conglomerate."