by Auryn Hadley
Or could it just be when humans were watching?
She thought about that. It seemed he only worried about her iliran nature when humans might think less of her. He only wanted her to act human when it would affect how people saw his unit. She couldn't hide her species – her white skin and hair made that impossible – but she could help him prove that iliri could be controlled and used. She was one of the few iliri to serve in special ops, which made how she acted even more important.
But she couldn't be human. She couldn't even control her own urges! She was an assassin, and her job was to kill, but each time she did, the bloodlust took control. She kept screwing her partner then crawling back to her lover in between. That certainly was not something humans would ever understand. She shoved her face into Arden's mane and breathed in the musky scent of the horse to calm herself. She might be a damned good soldier, but she still couldn't control her instincts. Humans were right. She was just a beast that walked on two legs.
She couldn't stop her desires to kill. Humans smelled too sweet and moved like they wanted to be trapped. They were so predictable, traveling in groups, clustering together, just begging for her to pick them off. After the fight in those caves, she knew they tasted as good as they smelled. They were her prey.
The histories proved that, too. The more generations iliri were bred down, the easier they were to control. That's what made Blaec an excellent commander, he was human enough to get the iliran benefits without the consequences. She and Cyno, though, didn't get the control part. They had the desire to kill, the skills to kill, and the abilities to kill efficiently, but none of the control to understand when they shouldn't. Like with the hunting hounds, the handlers looked for dogs with a strong drive to track the prey, but a weak drive to kill.
And hounds that were too aggressive were put down.
She couldn't change who she was. She couldn't be anyone but herself. She could fake it for a few moments, but she was who she was. She was iliri; she was made to be a predator – a very good predator. Cyno hid in the shadows of others, never drawing attention to himself, but that wouldn't work for Sal. She was too pale, too female, and too obvious to be overlooked. Time and time again, humans noticed her, even when she did nothing to ask for it.
And now, that attention caused problems. She was ruining everything the Black Blades worked for! If she had to resign, then that's what she'd do. She loved her brothers in arms, but she loved them enough to leave them.
Sal sucked in a breath and blinked at the sky when she realized what she was telling herself. Her only option was to leave the Blades. She didn't know what she would do or where she would go, but she had to do it. Maybe she could be reassigned to the stables? That would let her see them occasionally, and maybe they'd be able to remain friends. Over time, they'd forget her. That's just how things worked, but without her, the Blades wouldn't have the threat of being disbanded hanging over their heads.
Sal lifted Arden's reins and gently turned her back to the barns. She patted the mare's spotted neck one last time. For a few months she'd had her dream. She'd tried. She may have failed, but at least she'd tried. She'd had her own horse, her own room, and even her own armor. It didn't sound like much when she thought about it like that, but she'd rarely had anything meant just for her. And she'd known love. Blaec's love, the love of her brothers, and the love of her job. For these last few months it had felt so perfect. She'd thrown herself into life with a passion. A passion that had ruined everything.
Step by step, she walked Arden back. She wouldn't be able to keep the mare. As a Private, she wouldn't have the wages to afford the care of a fully trained war horse. She definitely wouldn't need one. Arden would serve the Blades well and it would be a good life for the horse. All Sal owned was an entire wardrobe of clothes – most of it bought for her by Zep and Shift. That was more than she'd had when she had arrived. She had her clothes and a scar. It wasn't much to show for the life she'd led.
Sal! Jase's mind burst into her head. Maast, Sal, please hear me.
She sat up straighter, wondering if he'd somehow overheard her thoughts. I hear you.
We're fucked, kitten, he sent, panic tinting the tone of his mental voice. It was an ambush. We're fucked.
She stopped Arden without realizing it, all of her own problems forgotten. Can you get out? Fuck the mission, Jase, get out!
Na gonna happen. She could feel a part of his mind was preoccupied. They already got me, kitten. We're gonna lose the link in a sec, when they catch Arctic. I'm sorry, but can ya take this? I do na have time to package it right, so ya'll have to sort through it.
She felt him offering his memories. The bright flame was raging out of control, larger than anything she'd handled before, but Sal reached for it. He passed the jumble of thoughts into her mind and she grabbed at her saddle, trying to hold them.
Ever'thing's in there. Ever'thing. Sal, oh, Sal. I never got ta tell ya, ok? But ya'll know.
Where are you, Jase? Can you hold on long enough for me to make it?
I do na know. Just a little town called Yager's Crossing. Arctic's trying for LT. I know where the steel is, Sal. Ya have to stop it. More than anything, ya have to stop the damned steel or they'll kill all a us. They wanna cleanse the world of our kind. Yer the only one that is strong enough to catch the memories.
I got them, Jase. I'm coming. Just hang on, killer. I'm coming for you. She put her heels into Arden's sides, making truth of her words.
Ya can na. It's the Black Widows, Sal. Just stop the steel. He broke off for a moment, and her heart lurched. Fuck. They got him. Oh, maast. Sal...
She didn't even pause for the gate, encouraging the mare to jump it, heading for the cabins and her gear.
Jase? she begged into the silence. A surge of fury hit her just before the link went dead.
She rode hard through the compound, humans leaping from under Arden's feet, not stopping until she reached her rooms. In a shower of dust, Arden slid to a halt and Sal slipped off, dropping the reins to the ground. Zep burst from his rooms behind her. They'd all felt the link fall silent.
"Sal!" he yelled.
"They got him," she called back, her feet never slowing.
She shoved open her door and didn't bother to close it, moving to her armor. She snagged the cuirass, fumbling to buckle it on when Zep grabbed the next strap.
"I buckle, you talk," he said simply.
"Jase said it was an ambush. He's caught, and they were about to get Arctic. I think they did, which is why the link's down. He sent me his memories, but he couldn't tie them up. Zep, they're burning in my head, and when I look at them it's going to knock me off my feet."
"Stop wasting time and look," he said, pushing her back onto her bed. "I can put you in armor while you're out cold." He grabbed a greave and demonstrated.
Sal nodded and closed her eyes, looking at the fires in her mind. The surge of information hit her hard, and she dug her fingers into the covers, gasping. Cyno and Arctic had been sent to a small town just north of Ft. Landing. A group of farmers there supposedly had been hired to assist with the transport of the steel into Unav. They were willing to talk in exchange for money. The Blades had taken the bait and sent Cyno in to make the deal, but he'd been met with the Black Widow Company instead of honest men. The Black Widows knew the Blades never worked alone and went searching for his partner. That's when Jase reached out to her. Trussed in a farm house, the Terrans were only keeping him alive because they wanted more information.
His cold logic clouded the memories, except for his thoughts about her. Warm and bright, his longing ran at the edge of each one. It was his only regret. Sal made herself look past it. The feeling was too personal. He knew she'd see it, but he hadn't known that when he felt it. She repackaged the memories, keeping only the facts the Black Blades would need, and tried to sit up – failing the first time. Her head felt too light.
"I know where he is," she gasped.
Zep helped her up. "Ok, what are we do
ing?"
A scrape in the dirt outside her door told Sal that they weren't alone. Looking over, she saw Shift and Razor leaning through the frame. She looked back to Zep. "You're getting the Blades together. I'm going to save my partner."
Shift nodded, accepting that, and ran, intent on some mission of his own. Razor pushed into the room.
"We work in pairs," he said.
"Not this time." Sal grabbed her weapons and started strapping them on. "Black Widows know that. Guys, I can get places you can't. I can do this. I need you to get the unit mobilized."
"No." Blaec stood in the door, sadness and anger clear on his face. "We need to stop the steel. I have the location."
"Yes, sir," Sal agreed. "You do. I need to get my brothers."
"You can't, Sal. You go in there, you'll give us away. The Black Widows have no idea we have this knowledge. We have to stop the damned bribe."
She looked up at him and snarled. "You were right about one thing, Blaec. I'm a damned beast. You don't fuck with a beast." She grabbed at her neck and yanked at the delicate resin chain hanging there. It snapped, leaving her holding the large opal. "I think there are a few things you forgot, Lieutenant," she said, tossing it at his feet. "I won't lose my brothers."
He growled, moving toward her, but Sal stood her ground. She stared deep into his eyes, her lip pulled away from her sharp teeth, and waited for him to get closer. He took the last step and she reached out, slapping her hand against him, her palm on his jaw. She shoved the information Jase had given her deep into Blaec's mind.
He gasped and stepped back, the force of the transfer so intense it rocked him on his feet.
"I quit," she said softly, then pushed him aside as she made for her mare.
"Sal!" Blaec called after her. "Stop!"
She grabbed her reins and swung onto Arden's back, catching his eye. "No, sir. We don't have time for politics. Act like a human all you want, but I'm done. Court-martial me when I get back."
She turned her mare and caught Shift coming out of Arctic's rooms. "You'll need this," he yelled, throwing something her way.
She caught the leather bag easily, feeling the tubes clank inside it. "A jakentron?"
"Yeah, his best." Shift hurried to Arden's side. "How many blades you got?"
"Four."
Shift began unbuckling his belt. "Guys, we need a pair of short swords, and... just more blades."
Blaec wrenched at his own belt, looking at the men around him. "I want her covered in an arsenal, men. Pikes, halberds, make sure they're her size. Move!"
"Thanks," Sal said when she accepted the sword Blaec passed up to her.
"You're right, Sal. I'll get the army moving; you bring them back, ok?" He rested his hand on her leg. "I was wrong, love. You're better when you're a beast. Come back to me?"
She buckled his sword across her back and nodded. "I'll bring them home, Blaec. We'll talk then."
"Black Widows has twelve men there, two are wounded. Arctic thinks three of them are snipers. They'll be looking for a pair. Move fast." He squeezed her leg gently. "Be feral."
She nodded as the men returned, passing daggers and polearms up to her. Halberd in hand, a bladed staff behind her, two swords hanging on each side of Arden's saddle, and about fifteen daggers placed across her and her mount, she couldn't fit any more weapons. When she waved them off, the men stepped back.
"Be safe, kid," Zep whispered.
Sal didn't answer; she just turned Arden and kicked.
Chapter 47
Blaec stormed into the Command Room, the door slamming against the wall from the force of his entrance. The Generals looked up, shocked and speechless when he grabbed a map from the wall.
"It's here," he said, throwing the map on the table and stabbing a finger at it. "I need two units of heavy, one light, one mounted archers, and fuck... make that three heavy. Infantry will never get there in time."
"What are you talking about?" an aged man asked, offended at the interruption.
"The metal bribe," General Sturmgren said softly, moving to Blaec's side. "How'd you get it?"
Blaec shot a warning look at Sturmgren. "My men were ambushed, but they got the intel out. Black Widows are busy right now, so we have to move quick."
"Five units of mounted?" General Gabik asked. "Ok, I'll send the orders down. This intel good, Lieutenant?"
"It had better be," Blaec growled. "I might lose two men over it."
"Ok then," Gabik agreed. "We'll run some background and get the orders out. I'll have the Captains report to you the day after tomorrow."
Blaec slammed his fist onto the map. "I need them now!"
General Sturmgren rested his hand on Blaec's shoulder, gently. "Lieutenant, the military doesn't move that fast. 112th is out east. Devil Dogs are in the North. You're down two in the Blades. Think Azure can take it?"
Blaec shook his head. "Mounted skirmishers, maybe. Azure is foot. Shadow Company?"
Sturmgren shook his head. "With Lightning Brigade in Eastern Escea."
"Fuck."
The men in the room watched the exchange, hanging on each word. Ran Sturmgren patted the Lieutenant's shoulder again.
"We may have been outplayed, Blaec. Tell me what you know. Let's come at this a different way."
Blaec shook his head. "I don't have time, Ran. I have two men held by the Widows. I have to get them out. We need to start mobilizing before I get back."
"We need your intel, Lieutenant," General Maklan said. "That's an order. I know you hate losing men, but we need this intel."
"Who's out there?" Ran asked.
"Arctic and Cyno. Sal's moving for extraction as we speak."
"Aren't those your iliri?" General Zorion asked him.
"Yes, sir."
Zorion waved it away. "Then we need the intel more. I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but you'll need to replace them." He looked at Maklan beside him. "Not like we don't have enough conscripts to give him more."
"We're all fucking iliri!" Blaec snapped. "Haven't you figured that out by now? That's why the Black Blades get shit done! Because we're faster, stronger, and smarter than humans! Now get me five mounted units by the time I get back – I don't care how you do it – and my iliri will save the Conglomerate again. Don't, and we can't. Clear enough?"
He shoved the map away from him, and stormed out of the room.
"Blaec!" Ran called after him, jogging through the swinging door.
Blaec turned, a snarl on his lips. "Ran, don't fucking try to stop me. I won't leave my men to die out there."
"Not what I'm gonna do," Sturmgren said. "Lieutenant Doll, I order you to retrieve your men, in any way you deem necessary, and report to me when the mission is complete. Understood?"
Blaec sighed and nodded, his gratitude clear on his face. "I owe you, sir."
"Yeah, you do. I'll try to fix the mess you just made in there, but I make no promises. You just told the officer's council that your entire unit is iliran, you realize that?"
Blaec smiled coldly. "I do. It's about time they figured it out. She was right."
"Good luck," Ran said. "And I want to meet this new one you got. She's put a little steel back in your spine."
***
It took less than thirty minutes to reach Yager's Crossing from Stonewater Stables, but each step of the trip felt like an eternity while Sal wondered if her friends still lived. Her mind stayed silent. Arctic hadn't even made an attempt to reestablish the link. She feared the worst. Her instincts told her to rush in, to see if they lived, to rip apart the men who tried to hold them captive, but Sal knew better. When the road grew wider, she pulled Arden into the hills, circling around the cluster of farmsteads. From the top of the highest rise, she could see the roofs below.
Yager's Crossing was quiet. Too quiet. No children played near the houses. No dogs rummaged through the compost. Every door and window was closed tightly even as the day grew warmer. Inside, it would be stifling.
She moved away from the hilltop, no
t wanting her silhouette to be seen by the Black Widow Company. They weren't fools, Sal reminded herself. They may have been humans, but they weren't fools. She found a cluster of trees and dismounted, looping a rein over a low branch to allow the mare to graze. Working fast, she assembled the jakentron and buckled on two belts full of daggers. Risk's fit her, but Shift's hung low across her hips on the tightest notch. It would have to do.
Holding the pressure valve open, she made her way to the edge of the rise, falling to her knees before she could see over it. When the hissing stopped, she dropped in a simple glass needle filled with a quick acting toxin. Her gun loaded and ready, she crawled the last few paces to peer over the edge. The hill dropped away into the back yard of someone's small cottage, offering a clear view of the three streets through town.
Her ears swiveling, seeking any hint of her enemy, Sal waited. Her slit eyes caught each movement, from the sheets blowing on the line to the hummingbird flicking around a flower bed. The town felt deserted, but she refused to move.
Her patience paid off. She heard the creak of old hinges first, and her eyes darted to the sound. The door cracked and a dark man peered through the gap into the empty streets. From where she waited, she could shoot through the door, hitting him easily, but Arctic had drilled her long enough that while she could make the shot, she waited. She wanted them outside, in the open, not hiding in the houses.
Seeing nothing, the Terran stepped out, moving slowly. He kept his body in line with the building, limiting the angles of attack and watched his openings. Step by step, he moved toward the center of town, his head looking between two buildings.
So now I know where they are, Sal thought. Has to be one of those two.
When he moved to cross the street, she took the shot. Leading her target slightly, she adjusted for the wind and the man's movement, giving plenty of room for the needle to drop. The Terran soldier paused in the open to slap at the side of his face. He found the glass shard, pulled it from his skin, and looked at it. She saw his shoulders sag as the realization hit him, then the toxin took effect. His body began to convulse and he screamed. Loudly.