by K. F. Breene
“Later.” Shanti nodded at Maggie, who walked up with a sure step and a confidence some of the army men probably wished they had. “What is it, Maggie?”
She glanced at the Captain, hesitated, and then looked back at Shanti. “I can clear half of those Graygual, probably.” She held up her explosive device. “But…the Captain might need to make other sleeping arrangements.”
“You are responsible for the explosions?” he asked in a level tone.
She hefted her contraption again. It was the size of a small melon. “Yes.”
“Later,” Shanti said again. She homed in on the power pulsing within her, coiled and ready. Cayan’s power mingled and played with hers, dancing in the shared space of their Joining. Her people pushed them ever higher, spreading out the power like a living thing. It was like the wilds of the Shadow Lands, perfect and natural. All the merge needed was a Joined couple at their head. Amazing.
To Maggie, she said, “We won’t need explosives.”
She focused all the power, mentally checking in with Tulous, who would spin more complexity into the attack. She then took a moment to relearn the feel of the Warring power, a more vicious and one-sided attacking power that would make the assault more potent.
“This is—” Cayan cut himself off as he clamped down a surge of jealousy, feeling the other men within the merge and probably hating that they were so closely tied with her.
“You’ll get used to it,” Rohnan said.
Cayan’s unease passed through the merge, his emotions bordering on violent. Kallon’s nostrils flared. He probably sensed the challenge.
“What a time for learning,” Shanti mumbled, ignoring the competing alpha personalities that hadn’t yet had the chance to sort out a pecking order.
“Men make everything more complicated,” Mela said, eyeing Kallon with a grin.
“I’ll speak in this language,” Shanti said. “Rohnan, you translate to our people. Cayan, I will give the orders as it pertains to the Gift. You will need to coordinate with the army.”
“You will need to give orders to the women,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what they are capable of.” Unease spread through the merge again, followed by aggression. He probably didn’t like that the others knew his emotions. Kallon stiffened.
Shanti gave Kallon a hard stare. “Get along for now. Fight later.”
“She does not hold power over the Captain.” Mela gave a delighted smile. “How unusual.”
“What fun that will be to watch.” Sayas laughed.
“When you clowns are done yakking, can we get to it?” Sanders growled, waiting directly behind them.
Shanti couldn’t help a smile as she said, “Let’s go.”
“Fan out,” Cayan ordered the army. “Cover the entrances and exits. I don’t want any Graygual in that mansion escaping this city.”
“We should keep a few alive, sir,” Daniels said, his bow in his hand.
“We’ll keep an officer or two.” Cayan looked at the women. His need to coordinate in battle overrode his earlier directive. “Stay within firing range. Bring down anyone who tries to get away. Look after each other. If anything goes wrong, get to safety.”
“I thought commanding the women was your job, Chosen,” Kallon said in a low voice.
“They are his people, and he is the battle lord. We each handle what we are best at, Kallon.”
“And what are you best at, Chosen?”
Shanti flashed Kallon a warning look. “I will help you remember when this is all done. For now, unite with the group, or leave.”
“He forgets what it’s like to have to answer to another,” Tulous said with a disapproving scowl.
“The fun will be in reminding him.” Shanti winked at a smiling Sayas.
“Let’s go.” Cayan started to jog, his sword in hand. Shanti stayed by his side, effortlessly reading the subtle cues both in his body language and with their Joining. Those in the merge gleaned what she knew, just as good at reading her body and cues despite the lapse in time since they had last been together.
Shanti’s people fanned out as well, but in a tighter group, focused on the Graygual before them. They hit the mansion’s entrance straight on, jogging toward the stationary army. A blast of pain hit them. Shanti felt the lead mind of the Inkna and attacked, using the Warring Gifts to lend brutality, imagining bludgeoning the collective mind.
The lead Inkna staggered backward as the others around him winced. She slashed, tearing at them. Weakening their defenses. Before they reached the line, she said, “Unleash the thunder, Cayan.”
His Gift, bolstered by all the others, with the spice lent by the Warring minds, rumbled out, blazing before them. A low rumble of blistering power rolled over the Graygual and Inkna alike, shuddering their bodies before making them wither, unable to withstand the sheer strength. Inkna shrieked. Graygual officers went pale, trying to stand their ground in silence, but wavering.
Cayan pushed, booming before them. The first line, then the second, sank to their knees. Swords faltered. Eyes squeezed shut in agony.
Shanti reached them. She kicked the first man in the face as she reached over him and stabbed the one behind. Cayan slashed a Graygual before running his sword through another. Kallon, to her other side, made fast work of those in front of him, sweeping his sword left and right, cutting and slicing as he went.
Cayan urged them through, leaving the rest for the army men and the women coming behind.
At the doorway, Cayan put out his arm, stopping her from entering first. He slowed as well, sword in front, pausing in front of the doorway.
Their Gift spread into the house, mapping out the officers covering the entrance, and those standing outside the living area. There were no others.
“He didn’t expect us to get this far,” Shanti said quietly, her hand on Cayan’s large arm, letting his movements direct her.
“He’s not at all afraid, can you feel that?” Cayan said in disbelief. “He must know this is the end.”
“Would you be afraid?” Kallon asked.
“I would fear for those I loved,” Cayan replied.
“He loves no one,” Kallon spat. “He was bred, much like the Inkna. Much like their horses. He does not love; he does not feel. He’s barely human.”
“Let’s make that bastard a dead human,” Sanders rasped. “I have a wife to check on, and she had better not be among those women out there.”
Shanti grimaced. Half of her people glanced at her with a grin.
“Not a damn card player’s face among you,” Sanders growled. “I am going to kill her.”
Shanti felt the minds on the other side of the door, ignoring the yelling and clang of swords behind her. They were cunning and clever, focused and intent. She bet they were excellent with swords, which meant they had the potential to wound or kill some of her party.
What they didn’t have, however, were any more Inkna.
She cut through the minds, fast and sharp, putting the substantial power at her disposal into the strike. The minds winked out. Though she couldn’t hear it, their bodies would’ve thumped to the ground.
Cayan, having watched her, pushed through the door when she glanced his way. Sword out, he faced an empty room. Shanti glanced to the left, right behind him. Two Graygual lay on the ground, their bodily fluids spread across the floor.
“What caused that?” Kallon whispered.
“Later,” Shanti said. There was so much she’d have to explain before the day was done.
They walked into the living area slowly where one lone mind lingered.
The Hunter sat peacefully on the couch, his sword sheathed, a small smile on his face. “Welcome.”
“You are in my home,” Cayan said in a level voice. “And in my city. You aren’t the one who issues welcomes.”
The Hunter tilted his head forward. “How right you are. Yet did I not keep good care of your city?”
“I suppose that is your way of asking for mercy?” Cayan asked.<
br />
“Oh no, not at all.” The Hunter looked at Shanti, his dead eyes giving her the shivers. “The violet-eyed girl. I had hoped to present you to the Being Supreme. But you keep surprising me. It is miraculous.”
“Not really.” Shanti shook out her arms.
“Isn’t it? First you make it into the city under the watchful eye of my Inkna. Then you wander around the city for over a day undetected, even after killing. You even managed to make the docile creatures of this city fight. How, Shanti Cu Hoi? How? I must know.”
“I put faith in them.”
“Faith in imbeciles. I would call that a weakness, and yet here you are.” The Hunter tsked. “I expected you to give yourself up when you realized the city was in danger.”
“I would’ve. I was talked out of it.”
“Hmm.” The Hunter crossed his ankle over his knee. “I snatched two women to hold for when you came in, did you know that?”
Cayan braced.
The Hunter smiled, seeing it. “Yes, you see? You would have stood down if you saw what I had planned. Unfortunately, they not only escaped, they killed my men to do it.” He scratched his nose, an incredulous expression working at his features. “I am so very amazed by this city. By this whole affair.”
“This ends here,” Cayan said. “Now. I will give you a fair fight, if you want it. Otherwise, I’ll execute you. Your choice.”
The Hunter laughed and reached over the arm of the couch. “Such a simpleton. What is the point in challenging? I do not have mind power. Even if I wasted my effort to best the violet-eyed girl, I would not make it out of this city alive. And if I did? My fate would be worse still.” When his hand came back up, he was holding one of Maggie’s contraptions. “I might have the timing wrong. Ingenious dev—”
“Run!” Shanti screamed, sprinting toward the door. She used her hands to shove and direct people out in front of her, getting everyone through the door, begging the Elders to give her enough time. Cayan was caught ahead, having been swept up with his men trying to get him out.
“Chulan!” Rohnan yelled as his blond head disappeared into the bright sunshine. Mela looked over her shoulder, pushed ahead by a frantic Rachie.
“Get S’am!” Xavier’s shout was muffled.
“C’mon, Shanti, we need you alive!” Tobias hung back and then ripped her forward. He then filed in behind her, the last out of the door, pushing her ahead with his body.
Her foot hit the first step when her world turned white. Like a giant hand swatting her, pressure hit her back and sent her flying.
Shanti’s head smacked against the ground. A body landed half on top of her before rolling off. A monotone ringing blocked out sound. In a daze, she lifted her head as debris rained down. Bodies lay all around her, some with limbs haphazardly stretched out to the side. A man had his leg broken, with bone sticking out.
A rushing sound filled her skull, louder and louder, before the crescendo of a small pop. Sound rushed in. People screaming. Yelling. Someone crying close by.
“S’am? S’am!” Shanti barely recognized Marc’s voice. She felt a hand on her back. “That’s the Captain,” Marc yelled at someone. “No, don’t move him. Wait for me. S’am, are you okay?”
She glanced to the side, unable to comprehend. Sightless brown eyes in a slack face stared at her. Blood ran down his cheek in rivulets from a partially crushed skull.
Tobias.
She knew one moment of intense, consuming pain before blackness consumed her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Shanti awoke in a sterile-looking room, all white except for the furniture, which was wood and metal. She shook her head, knowing instantly where she was. She’d woken up in a similar room a few times before, and each time couldn’t help but reflect on how much metal these people had at their disposal. The Shumas would grin like children when they saw, not to mention the leather.
The Shumas.
Shanti’s Gift exploded out, weak because of its extensive use in the battle, but enough to reach half the city. All she really needed was a glimpse in the hospital, however. They’d all be locked up in here just like she was.
She hoped they were, anyway.
Her mind touched on Kallon, awake and filled with wonder. He was only a few rooms away and probably checking out the riches. Mela and Sayas popped into her mental map, and then Rohnan, but no others.
The spicy feeling carrying relief bubbled up inside of her. Cayan could feel her awake. She focused in on him through their Joining. Grief colored his thoughts, along with intense physical and mental strain. He seemed to be working, though, probably out in his city getting everything organized and helping everyone begin to patch together their lives.
“Ah. You’re awake. Lovely. I’ve missed our chats.” The city’s doctor walked through the door and grabbed a wooden chair from the other side of the room. Fatigue lined his face. He sat down stiffly, looking at a sheet on his clipboard. “So—”
“Are my people okay?” she asked with a rush of panic.
His brown eyes flashed up, hitting hers. With a small sigh, he dropped his board to his lap. “I see your manners haven’t improved. But I am rather glad you are asking about someone other than yourself. What a welcome change. I’m sure you have one or two more friends because of it.”
“Doctor…” Shanti sat up, wincing. Her head throbbed. She touched it gingerly, feeling the bandage.
“It hurts to sit up, doesn’t it? That is because you’re injured. Or did you plan to self-diagnose, like usual?”
“I’m fine, but I won’t ask you again. Are my people okay?”
He glanced at the board in his hand. “I don’t know how many of your people are in the city, but I’ve treated fourteen and released eleven. As for the bullheaded boys trying to force their way in here, they are all fine. Minor cuts and scrapes, a knife wound—Marc looked at most of them.”
At the mention of Marc’s name, an image of dead brown eyes assaulted her memory. Her chest squeezed, the loss weighing on her. And he was only one. How many others?
“And the women?” Shanti asked.
“I really don’t have time to pick through the records. I need to examine you, and then see to the others.”
“No need. I’m fine.” She pulled back the sheets as her door opened. Kallon walked in wearing nothing but a few bandages and a lot of scrapes.
“Ah yes, one of yours, I take it?” The doctor got up with a put-upon expression. “He doesn’t like the bed gowns, either. Go figure.”
“Are you well?” Shanti asked Kallon.
“He seems to think so.” The doctor pursed his lips. “A people of nudists and doctors, hmm?” The doctor focused on Kallon. “And don’t worry, the cold has that effect. I’m sure it won’t stop you from getting dates.”
Kallon’s brow scrunched up in confusion.
“Did Cayan get admitted?” Shanti asked as she threw her legs over the edge of the bed and stood. A searing pain exploded up her leg. Reaching out to brace herself on Kallon’s arm, she pulled up the end of the nightgown. A white bandage covered the side of her right thigh.
“A piece of wood lodged in your thigh,” the doctor said, having stopped at the door. “If you women are going to play with explosives, you reap what you sow. And the Captain has been discharged. Not because he is well, mind you, but because he is apparently too important to listen to my advice. I don’t know why I even bother.”
The doctor’s eyebrows settled over his eyes before he walked out.
“He is put out by his profession?” Kallon asked.
“He is put out by people challenging his authority. Do you have any information?”
Kallon shook his head, slipping his arm around her waist to help her stand. “No. The healer wouldn’t tell me anything. I was waiting for you to be ready before we left. Sayas and Mela recently woke up, and Rohnan has been resting. He has a back wound that is bothering him.”
She glanced down at his body, and then surveyed the room. As expec
ted, she had no clothes other than the silly drape that tangled her feet when in bed. “You will need to cover up. These people don’t like nudity.”
“Yes, I got that impression. I’d rather not wear a dress, however.”
“Me neither, but you don’t see me complaining.” Shanti failed to mention her previous stays. It would just confuse matters.
“Have you heard from the others?”
Shanti could hear the light plea in Kallon’s voice. She felt a pang in her heart. Portolmous had said people with a similar description to her were spreading the rumors about the Wanderer, but locations had been vague. There was no telling if those rumors came from Kallon’s journey, one of the other groups, or all three groups who had gone into hiding. “No. I sent the messages at the same time. Your group was the closest. I’m sure they are coming.”
Kallon’s expression was troubled, but he nodded.
“Come on,” Shanti said. There was no point in worrying about it now. “Let’s get the others and see…where we stand.”
“You are close to these people,” Kallon said as they left the room.
“Yes. I don’t want anything to harm them. They’ve helped me.”
“And the Captain.”
“Yes.”
“You’ve Joined with him…”
Shanti opened Mela’s room. She sat on the bed, her gown tucked up to her waist. Her eyes lit up when Shanti entered. “Chosen!” She hopped up, and then staggered, grunting in pain. Shanti stepped forward to grab her, stepping on her bad leg and teetering toward the wall. They hit with a thud.
“I hope the Graygual give us a break. I could use a bath.” Mela straightened up, hugging Shanti close.
“What the fuck is going on?” Sanders stopped outside the room. Angry red marks scored the side of his face and ripped the skin down his arm. “Why the hell is everyone naked?”
“Oh, I see you’re releasing yourself, too,” the doctor’s voice drifted in. “Why does that not surprise me?”
“Because you’re smart, doc, that’s why,” Sanders replied.