by Ryk Brown
“You’re right; you do have a big imagination.”
“I am also the last of them, aren’t I?”
“As of today’s execution, yes,” General Telles confirmed.
“Why all this subterfuge?” Lord Mahtize wondered. “I thought the Ghatazhak were trained killers, yet you have gone to great lengths to avoid killing.”
“A promise to a friend,” the general replied. “Believe me, I would have preferred dispatching them directly.”
“How do I know that you will not kill me, directly or indirectly, once I am no longer of use to you?”
“There are times when the taking of life is needed, and there are times when choosing not to take a life, even though the individual deserves to have it taken from them, is the wiser course of action. Ensure that yours is always the latter, and you will have nothing to fear from me.”
Lord Mahtize looked at the general. “Did you make the same offer to Weller? To Mendoza? To Constorta?”
“You are the only conspirator in the assassination of Casimir who has been offered this dispensation,” the general replied. “If you do not agree, your family will come home to the gruesome suicide of their patriarch.”
“I thought you made a promise to a friend not to kill,” Lord Mahtize reminded him.
“I believe he would forgive me in this instance.”
“And what if I agree to this now, and then betray you later?” Lord Mahtize asked.
“That, too, would be unwise,” General Telles warned with steely eyes. “Your security forces cannot protect you, and neither can the Dusahn,” he added as he rose from his seat and headed for the door. Upon reaching it, he turned to face Lord Mahtize. “You cannot out think me, and you certainly cannot out fight me, for I am Ghatazhak. More importantly, I am Karuzari, therefore I am justice.”
Thank you for reading this story.
(A review would be greatly appreciated!)
COMING SOON
Episode 10
of
The Frontiers Saga:
Rogue Castes
Visit us online at
frontierssaga.com
or on Facebook
Want to be notified when
new episodes are published?
Want access to additional scenes and more?
Join our mailing list!
frontierssaga.com/mailinglist/