by Vi Voxley
The clones were losing. The blood on the deck was almost all that remained of their brothers and they knew it. The deck was treacherous beneath their feet, while Corden didn't stumble once and the Torons were incapable of it. The beasts who worked heavy jobs in mountain ranges, carrying precious metals upstream of cascading waterfalls, didn't even notice the change in their footing.
Corden laughed before he remembered Lana. He was losing himself in the fight, enjoying the righteous killing too much. The general couldn't allow that to happen. Not only would he have betrayed himself, giving in to the same sin that plagued Worgen—but also Lana and the fleet, expecting him to save them before the mad general realized it was over.
"Charge!" he bellowed to the Torons. "Onward into the ship! Take your revenge!"
They heard. The huge, hairy creatures were on a rampage again, but this time it was their own choice. They roared in response to him, at least those who could still catch his words. The leaders understood at least and where they went, the others followed. Trampling, clawing, and tearing through the clones, the Torons spread out into the ship and the bay was left in a heavy silence just moments later.
Corden stopped only for a moment to take it all in. The rage within him burned, beating mercilessly on his self-control, telling him to open his mind to the blood lust, but the general refused. He regarded the carnage, forcing his mind and body to cool, take account of what he'd done.
It had been necessary, he knew that, to take the bay by storm and open the gate to the depths of the ship. But the moment he enjoyed it, rejoiced in the killing, he was no better than Worgen.
He had to remember. This was not about a victory, this was about his duty. The Abysmal was falling, but it was still able to take them all down with it.
And he had to slay a man he'd been born to kill.
Corden ran further into the ship, his eyes easily adjusting to the darkness. He could no longer see the Torons anywhere, which was a good sign. The general couldn't have asked for better allies for a fight on a Brion ship. The beasts were used to the dark, preferring it themselves due to their cave-dwelling way of life. They could see almost as well as he did.
A smile kept creeping on his lips. This time it was because Worgen had brought this upon himself. A smarter man, a thinking man, wouldn't have angered those he didn't need to. The Torons were practically harmless without provocation, but the mad general had done everything he could to anger them. This was Worgen's own cruelty fighting him.
Corden fought the smile off his lips. He had to be righteous, not vengeful. But his core, the deepest part of him that he had always tried to silence, had woken. The man he'd once been was raising its ugly head, coming to life when Corden had almost believed it was gone.
The general walked through the halls of the Abysmal, eerily empty after the Torons had passed through. He left a blood trail after him, trickling from his spear. The taste of copper on his tongue was feeding life into the darkness within him and he followed the scent of blood like a predator.
There was a reason the Elders had chosen him for the task, for the position of an executioner. Two of them, in fact. The one Corden had given to Soren was true, it was because he possessed the most clinically analytical mind that could take people and their motivations apart.
But there was another, far more secret reason.
The smile was back on his face again and Corden could no longer fight it down. He walked, catching glimpses of himself on the few reflective surfaces that the Abysmal offered. Bloody, dark, and dangerous. The mirror image of Worgen.
After all, of anyone, the Brions would know the secret to fighting a monster like the mad general. The Elders had trusted him to keep the darkness inside and let it out only when it was absolutely necessary.
You had to fight fire with fire, monsters with monsters.
Corden bared his teeth in a ravenous grin.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Lana
Lana's heartbeat still hadn't calmed down.
The way Worgen had appeared from the darkness, the sudden hopelessness he brought with him, it was too much. She'd sincerely thought that she had gotten used to seeing him, but it wasn't true. Instead, every time it seemed to get worse, because it meant he was still alive, still a threat.
She'd allowed herself to be dragged away by Worgen's men, but she hadn't gone quietly. The captain had kicked and fought back as hard as she could. The Flora had seemed like a ghost town when she was taken back to the landing bay, but still some of her crewmembers had tried to help. They were all killed for it, just like Yarel.
The meaningless deaths made Lana rage and rebel even harder, hating the Brions from the bottom of her heart for that crime alone—killing those they didn't have to.
It was only in the fighter, hearing the warriors assigned to guard her discuss how weird it was that the jet had already been unlocked, that Lana realized. Worgen had stayed behind on the Flora. With Corden.
That did nothing to ease her pulse, on the contrary. For some reason, Lana had always thought that she'd witness the final duel between the generals. She hadn't imagined for a moment that she would have to hear about it afterward, when it was all over. Not knowing was terrible, practically unbearable.
Lana had been under the impression that the Brion bonds only worked on Brions, but there she was, ready to claw her way out of the fighter with her nails. She would have done anything if it would have helped her get to Corden.
And then? she thought bitterly. I wouldn't be much help, would I? I'd only distract him and give Worgen a chance to use me for bait.
Rationally she knew that it was better this way. The generals could settle the fight between them once and for all and she was—at the moment—not in danger. It was only that the role of a kidnapped maiden didn't suit her very well. But once again she was left with no other option. She could beat her knuckles bloody on the Brions and it wouldn't take her one step closer to Corden. .
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and think logically. There had to be a way to be useful, to do something other than wait for the champion to come and claim her, whoever it ended up being. Lana made no illusions to herself. If Worgen happened to win, the only futures for her were death, or worse.
Lana searched her mind. She'd already been to the Abysmal several times, and while she wouldn't claim to know the layout by heart, getting lost was unlikely as well. As long as she didn't purposefully go too deep into the warship. And it was comforting to know that slipping away had already worked once.
All right, better, she thought. I can do that. I can slip away and find a way to join the fight. The spears are out of the question, but I have my gun and they can't all dodge bullets, can they?
Having a new purpose allowed her breathing to settle and Lana felt better, until she remembered that this time she was bound to be a prisoner and not a guest aboard the Abysmal.
She decided to deal with that later.
First things first, Lana had to figure out what she could do once she was free. Unbidden, the recent events at the Galactic Union came back to her. General Ryden's human bride Aria had sabotaged his ship to keep it from falling into the hands of the enemy. Lana remembered being very impressed with that, but she honestly didn't know if she could repeat it.
Aria was an engineer and was able to figure out the alien engine, but Lana had none of her training. She was a captain and the more complicated parts of the spaceships were pretty much a mystery to her. Not to mention that the Abysmal was a relic of an ancient time, one even the Brions themselves weren't sure about.
No, bringing the Abysmal down was out of the question, but it did give Lana other ideas. Sabotage wasn't the only way to cause Worgen trouble.
The familiar lurch underneath her feet signaled Lana that they had arrived on the warship. Her first test was going to be soon. If she was locked up, there was no way out.
The hatch of the fighter opened and Lana's guards took her outside. She went willingly, t
hinking that convincing two warriors to let her go was easier than attempting to escape the bay. So she walked with them, realizing she was being taken to the general's quarters. Back in the days when Worgen had ordered her to join him on his flagship, they'd met in his personal rooms.
The mad general had still been waiting for the recognizing moment to happen then. Lana was incredibly thankful that he hadn't tried to force her into anything, still hoping to honor the Brion traditions. All pretense of that was gone now. She was his prisoner and he would have his way no matter what.
She thought about what was going on back on the Flora, if Corden had already met with the other general and if her gerion knew where she was. Lana could only imagine how Corden would react to the news of her abduction. He hadn't taken it well in the past.
The ship was coming alive around her. Something was definitely going on, but Lana had no idea what. Could it be Corden, had he done it? But then the alarms started blaring and the message rang over the ship. The Claw had just arrived in the system and unlike the little ships that comprised the fleet, another warship was a serious threat.
Lana sensed her guards tensing up and realized her chance. They hadn't expected that to happen, which hopefully meant they didn't have orders for the situation. And on a ship like the Abysmal, making a mistake was punishable by death.
Lana stopped right in the middle of the hallway. Both of her guards—clones—turned menacingly, but didn't point their spears at her. That confirmed Lana's presumptions.
"Move," one of them said.
"No. Where are you taking me?" she asked.
"To the general's quarters," the guard replied. "You will be safe there while we handle this new threat."
"Will I?" Lana demanded. "If the ship is boarded, that is the first place they'll look for me."
"We will protect you."
Lana made herself laugh, seeing the hurt pride in the eyes of the guards.
"Against an entire Brion army?" she asked. "I don't think so."
The guards exchanged a look. Then they reached out for her and Lana knew that if she didn't come up with a better argument, she'd be physically dragged to her new prison.
"No," she said, backing away. "If you lay a hand on me, your general will know!"
Lana had meant to say that if they hurt her, Worgen would no doubt punish them, but the truth seemed to be even better. The guards froze, hands inches from her, but they didn't touch her.
By God, Lana thought, Brion jealousy is out of this world.
She wasn't even surprised. All the rumors said that the Brions were insanely protective of their geshas, up to the point where their guards were usually female warriors. It figured that Worgen would put a spin on that as he did with everything.
They couldn't touch her. Things started to make sense to Lana now. All this time, everyone around her had died, but no Brion warrior under Worgen's command had laid a finger on her. Even when she was being escorted, they kept their distance. She'd always feared the guards around her, but apparently she didn't need to.
Lana grinned.
"I see," she said. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
Now the spears pointed at her at last, but she saw the uncertainty on the faces of her guards. Lana judged the distance between her and the clones as well as the length of the hallway. There was no way she could outrun the warriors, but they couldn't hurt her. No doubt they wouldn't let her escape that easily. Lana was not prepared to see if she could simply walk between them, but...
"Your general told you to keep me safe," she stated, making it into a question.
The guards approached, frowns on their faces.
"We will," one of them assured her.
"Safe and unharmed," Lana said.
The looks in their suspicious eyes were enough of an answer. So they didn't know that Worgen was furious with her, or the general had plans for Lana that required her to be alive. It made her shudder to think what that might entail, but it didn't matter.
Words weren't going to get her out of this one, Lana was sure of that. It was time to be more like the Brions and try something incredibly stupid.
She ran.
Lana turned on her heels and dashed away as fast as she could. She didn't get far, but that had never been her plan. There was no way she could escape Brions on their own ship, in those damned dark corridors. One of the spears swept her feet from under her and Lana went down hard, grunting when she hit the floor. In the next moment, both the guards were towering above her.
Lana gritted her teeth, preparing for the searing pain that was to come and slowly got up. She stood, seeing the clones observe her with unguarded hate in their eyes. No doubt Lana was a very uncomfortable prisoner for them, but she didn't care. In fact, she intended to make it much worse for them.
As soon as she stood, she sprinted away again. This time, the spears stopped her way more forcefully. Bracing for the impact, Lana took one step too far and the razor-sharp blade cut into her. The shock of pain shot through her body. As a scream escaped her mouth, Lana fought not to lose consciousness. The wound wasn't even that deep. The suddenness of the pain had been worse.
Fuck, those things are sharp, she thought, crumbling to the floor, pressing her hand down on the wound. They weren't even trying to hit me.
True enough, neither of her guards had done more than attempt to bar her way. But they had severely underestimated Lana's will to stay in the fight. The Brion spear had cut right through her jacket and into her stomach. She hoped that the angle she'd chosen had been the right one, avoiding all major organs.
Lana sat on the ground, gasping for air, blood on her hands. One quick look at her guards told her that her gamble had paid off. Both warriors were pale, almost trembling. Having seen how Worgen treated his men, especially the clones, Lana wasn't surprised.
She had to sell her plan now.
"Take me to your healer or whoever you have for that," she said, groaning in pain. "Have them fix me. Your general doesn't need to know. Hurry, it hurts."
And again, playing the scared little Terran girl helped. Hearing her words, hope suddenly flared to life on the guards' faces.
Maybe it would be fine. Maybe Worgen wouldn't find out.
Lana had no doubt that he would, but it had been her only way of avoiding getting locked up. As the guards slowly lifted her up—apparently the "no touching" rule didn't apply when she was bleeding—Lana felt absurdly victorious. She knew the Brion healers were amazing, able to fix wounds that would have taken months to heal on Terra in a few minutes.
They stumbled through the dark corridors, feeling the ship work furiously as it fired at the Claw. The pain in Lana's stomach was getting worse now that she was moving, but she bit her tongue and tried to suffer through it. The going was slow because of her and all along they heard the alarms blare without pause, signaling that the Abysmal was at war.
Reality started to slip away from Lana as her body grew weaker from the wound, but she kept her goal in sights. Escape, help Corden. Save the fleet. Yes, that was it.
Everything was going to be all right.
Lana believed that even when the raw, heavy reek of blood reached her. The guards helping her walk were not so optimistic, it seemed. One of them slowly approached the med bay in front of them, the spear on guard. The other waited a bit farther back with Lana, whose drowsy mind was starting to comprehend that something was wrong.
The fact that the med bay doors were ripped off their hinges should have been a dead giveaway. The guard peeked in and disappeared out of her sight for a long moment before returning, his eyes hateful and concerned at the same time.
"They're all dead," he said, both to Lana and the other clone. "There is nothing left of the bay. Judging by the bodies or what's left of them, I'd say it was the Torons. How did they get on board?!"
"She's dying," the other said as Lana started to drift away. "We have to get her to a healer."
Corden, Lana thought. Corden brought the Torons. He's h
ere and I'm dying.
Her plan had backfired miraculously, but Lana no longer had the strength to even be upset. She heard footsteps from afar and so did her guards. They nearly dropped her when the steps sped up into a full-on charge. Lana slid down the wall, watching with heavy lids as her clone guards died at the hands of three attackers.
It took her a while to make out their faces, but she finally recognized them. Corden's new warriors. Lana couldn't remember their names, could barely remember her own. Only Corden's name was true and clear in her mind.
The three approached her carefully, looks of honest despair on their faces.
"Corden..." Lana whispered.
"He's here," one of the three said in a hurry. "So is Worgen. They're both looking for you and the Torons are on the loose. This place is in chaos."
Turning to the others, he added: "We have to get her out of here. She needs help, and fast."
"Down," said one of the others. "There is no other way."
Lana was no longer following the conversation. In her mind's eye, she saw only her gerion, on his way to rescue her.
The last thing she felt was one of the warriors picking her up. Lana's head rested on his shoulder as he carried her and the others followed, staying watchful. She tried to stay awake, fearing that if she passed out, there might not be any waking up.
Her strength ran out just as the warriors took a turn and descended down into impenetrable darkness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Lana
Seconds passed, or maybe an eternity.
Lana woke with a cry and then she kept screaming when a hand closed over her mouth to silence her. After blinking her eyes a couple of times, the darkness began to wash away, revealing a face that she knew.
"Tuven," she breathed. "What happened? Where am I?"
A thousand ideas raced through Lana's mind. Everything was a mess and she didn't feel like she could trust her own memory, because all it seemed to give her was nonsense. Did she really willingly run into a Brion spear? Corden had warned her that they were the most powerful weapons in the galaxy, but apparently she didn't listen.