Out of Orbit- The Complete Series Boxset

by Chele Cooke

  “He doesn’t have enough proof.”

  Georgianna scoffed and rolled her eyes.

  “Like the Adveni ever care about proof!”

  Keiran smiled at her. It was faint, and he winced in pain, but it was there.

  “They do when the person they’re accusing is the Volsonnar’s son.”

  “Time, George.”

  “Just one more minute.”

  “You said that five minutes ago. I’ve given you your visit. Let’s go.”

  Georgianna packed the supplies into her bag with slow and careful movements. Beck would be angry that she was dragging it out, but she wasn’t ready to leave. Alec was outside the door, waiting. Yet she had to go. Edtroka had sent a message on her tsentyl that she return. She should have set off the moment she got it, but didn’t want to leave Keiran here alone.

  Beck shifted his weight and began tapping his foot. Gritting her teeth, she placed the last of her supplies into her bag. She slung the strap over her shoulder and grasped Keiran’s hand.

  “I’ll see you soon, I promise.”

  His smile expressed disbelief, but he didn’t say anything, for which she was grateful. She had a hard enough time believing it herself.

  “You know where to find me.”

  When she leaned in to kiss him goodbye, Keiran pulled away, his gaze darting to Beck. He shook his head, though pain and regret marred every inch of his face. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and got to her feet.

  In the time it took her to cross the tunnel car, Keiran had curled his body back against the wall, staring at nothing, silent. She jumped down, followed by Beck.

  “You two,” he ordered the two guards standing against the tunnel wall. “One inside, one out. You’re not to touch him.”

  “Marshall?”

  “You heard. Keep him here, but unless he makes a move to run, you don’t touch him. Of course, if he tries to run… shoot him in the head.”

  “What?”

  Beck only had to look at her to make her fall silent.

  “Cartwright, escort the medic back to the guards.”

  She didn’t think she’d ever heard Beck call her anything other than her name. Sometimes she called him Marshall, mainly because she knew it annoyed him, but he’d always used her name. She stared at the ground, avoiding the furious glare Alec was probably sending her way.

  In all her time helping the Belsa, she had never been ordered out of their territory. Fear clutched at her chest, making it difficult to breathe. What if they didn’t allow her back in? She choked back the fear that once she was out of the Belsa tunnels, Beck would ignore their deal and carry out Keiran’s sentence. What if all this had just been a way to make her leave quietly?

  “You have three days,” Beck snapped, walking away.

  The two guards gave her dirty looks as they moved into position, and Georgianna waited until Beck’s footsteps had stopped echoing along the line before she moved. She didn’t trust them not to hurt Keiran again. She didn’t even trust Beck, not really, not now, but she had no other choice. It wasn’t as if she could sit here and make sure.

  Georgianna didn’t wait for Alec as she set off down the tunnel. He walked a few steps behind her, remaining silent until they were out of earshot of the guards. Once they turned the corner, he lurched forwards and grabbed her arm.

  She growled and tugged her arm from his grasp.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  “Georgie, what are you doing?”

  Whether he used the name out of habit or in order to purposefully wind her up, Georgianna didn’t know, but she sneered and stomped down the tunnel anyway. She was already angry enough at him.

  “Georgianna!”

  “No,” she snapped. “You don’t get to ‘Georgianna’ me and talk to me like you know better!”

  He grabbed her arm again—this time ready for her to try to shake him off—and, keeping a tight grasp, he forced her against the wall. She wrestled against him, but he avoided the knee she drove in his direction. He sought her gaze no matter how hard she tried to avoid him.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded again. “Lying for a traitor? Making up stories of taking down the compound?”

  “He’s not a traitor,” she hissed.

  “Stop. Just stop. He was caught. Beck already knows you lied about where he was. You’re making things worse.”

  “Worse?” she demanded. “You’re going to kill him, Alec, how is there anything worse?”

  “It could be you!”

  She snorted and shook her head. She’d not really thought about Keiran’s taunt to Alec when she first arrived but Alec’s determination to keep her out of it pulled it back into her mind.

  “Is that really it?” she asked. “Is that why you’re so desperate to prove him a traitor? Because of me? Because I’m sleeping with him and not you?”

  Alec scoffed.

  “You’re a lot of things, Georgianna, but I never thought you were vain enough to believe that.”

  The twist in her gut was a mixture of humiliation and disappointment at how easily he had dismissed the idea, as if he already knew she would never have been good enough for him.

  “Then what? What is it that makes you hate him so much?”

  “HE WAS THERE!”

  Georgianna shrank against the wall as he roared. His hands left her in an instant, flung up, burying into his hair, tugging at his clothes. All of a sudden, he couldn’t be still. His face twisted in fury and aggression and, when he returned, his fist slammed into the rock next to her head. She flinched but, despite every nerve telling her to run, she couldn’t move.

  “He was there when I was captured,” he spat. “Me and Ashoke. He was there.”

  “What?”

  “Zanetti was my sergeant. He gave the orders. We were scouting out a new building and we became surrounded. He left us there to die!”

  His fist hit the wall again. She sucked the inside of her lip between her teeth, watching him, waiting for the next outburst, but it didn’t come. He was so close that she could smell the soap on his skin. She could see each of the tiny scars making a web across his neck. Scars he blamed on Keiran. A life he should never have had.

  “I didn’t…”

  “I didn’t do this for revenge, George, or because I want you.”

  She cringed away from his words. She felt so stupid for saying it now. It was ridiculous, and if Alec hadn’t been so furious about Keiran, she never would have even wondered if she was the reason. It had all seemed too personal, too close for comfort, and now she knew why.

  “I did this because we’ve been watching him for two years.”

  “What?”

  “Si was watching him, gathering proof of what he is.”

  “Si?”

  “Well, I couldn’t exactly follow him around, could I?”

  She gulped.

  “Si saw things. Things Zanetti lied about to others, places he shouldn’t be. We were waiting for proof and then Si was…”

  Shaking her head, she let out a sigh. Si had spent three days out in the sun, hiding from a group of Adveni who spotted him talking to Alec. The heat had driven him half-mad.

  “Beck wouldn’t be able to take anything he said as proof,” she agreed. “Not in his condition.”

  Alec nodded.

  “This is why you need to stop lying. You’re not protecting a man who made a mistake or who has been wrongly accused. You’re lying to protect a traitor. He’s been doing this for years.”

  Things were getting too confusing. It was hard to keep up with all the stories and lies. Edtroka and Keiran keeping secrets, then Alec taking those secrets and twisting them into stories of his own. She needed to figure out what was real. She’d have to ask Edtroka and not drop it until she got an answer, no matter how angry he became.

  “No one will blame you,” he urged. “I can take you to Beck now. He’ll understand.”

  His voice was soft, caring, and she felt herself slipping. No matter what Edtr
oka had told her, if Alec was telling the truth, Keiran’s betrayal had led to Alec’s capture and Ashoke’s death. She wanted to find out the truth, but she didn’t know if she could handle it any better than the lies and secrets. Maybe her father had been right: she should have never gotten involved.

  “It’s alright,” he murmured. “You’re doing the right thing.”

  Though he never touched her, it felt as if he’d punched her in the stomach and sent a zap through a cinystalq at the same time. She felt her stomach clench and when she looked at him his expression was belittling, like he’d expected her to crumble all along.

  “The right thing?”

  “Yes.”

  “To let you kill him is the right thing?”

  “George…”

  “No,” she hissed. “No, you have no proof. You said it yourself.”

  “You are my proof, Gianna. I know you’re lying for him…”

  “You don’t know anything.”

  She shoved him away from her. He stumbled back a step and as he righted himself, Georgianna pushed herself away from the wall, clutching her bag in front of her. She wanted a barrier between them. She stepped away from him, down the tunnel.

  “If you thought I’d support you in killing him, you obviously don’t know me at all,” she breathed.

  He came after her, but for every slow step, she took two. She stumbled backwards, away from him, trying to put a larger gap between them. The gap between them was far larger than she’d ever thought there would be and, though she was the one running away, he was the one who had created that divide. He wasn’t the same person she used to know. Had he always been like this? Had she just been too blind to see it?

  “I do know you,” he begged. “You know I do.”

  “No, Alec. You don’t…” she said, defeated. She turned away from him. “And maybe you never did.”

  Georgianna scratched her arm through the itchy sleeve of the shirt Edtroka had bought for her. Apparently he’d bought it at one of the Adveni stores and she couldn’t help but think that the itchy material was intentional. The Adveni believed in making themselves stronger through suffering, or something like that. If that was it, then Edtroka had to be a much stronger person than she was, for he seemed quite cheerful in his smart clothes.

  She’d tried to talk to him about Keiran, to explain what was happening and describe her deal with Beck, but he wasn’t interested. He’d called her back for a purpose and everything else would have to wait. Even after they had left the apartment and had time to talk, he still told her to drop the conversation. Instead they’d spent the walk in silence.

  From what she could tell, the function was important. It didn’t surprise her that he had been invited, not since Keiran had told her about Edtroka’s family. Sure enough, when people spoke to him, he was treated with far more respect than she assumed was afforded to a guard. He had said it himself: until he took a command, he was a soldier and little more. Yet, here he was, talking to the important volsonnae of Adveni society as if they were his equals.

  There were a number of faces she recognised, even if she had no idea who they were or what they did. In amongst them, dreta stood docile behind their owners. They didn’t talk, they barely moved, they just watched. She did the same, trying not to fidget or look out of place while Edtroka spoke to others.

  The building was one Georgianna had never set foot in before. It was plain, but the simplicity of its design made it all the more striking, especially with so many well-dressed Adveni mingling around. It reminded her of Edtroka’s apartment, but on a much grander scale. Everything he owned seemed functional and there was never any clutter around. She wondered if that was another part of their training.

  At first, Georgianna had tried to listen to Edtroka’s conversations, but now, after two hours, she’d given up. All the conversations were in such rapid and complicated Adtvenis that she didn’t have a hope of following with any kind of real comprehension. She understood words and short phrases but the meaning was pretty much lost. Frequently, she wished that, like Nyah, she had taken the time to learn more Adtvenis. The longer she stood politely behind Edtroka, the more she took on the vacant look of the other dreta. She wondered whether they’d been to so many of these events that they knew to give up paying attention the moment they stepped inside.

  Instead she spent her time wringing her hands and trying not to think about Keiran and Alec. The more she thought about them, the harder it was to stand still and not scream at Edtroka to listen to her. He’d been waiting for Keiran to get back from his trip, from making contact with whoever it was he’d been sent to talk to, yet he showed no interest in the information she tried to give him.

  In amongst the important Adveni, Georgianna felt small and insignificant. Perhaps Keiran had been right and Edtroka wasn’t going to help her. He was only interested in protecting his own lies.

  There had been a few comments about her. A new drysta was probably a topic of conversation in the way Veniche discussed new clothing. There had been one man who clapped Edtroka on the shoulder in congratulations for managing to find a pretty one, hoping he made good use of her. Edtroka had laughed and assured him that she had many uses, but when he looked back at Georgianna, he’d rolled his eyes in a way that made it hard for her not to giggle.

  The only time anyone actually spoke to her was when Edtroka asked her to fetch a drink. Each time he did so, the demeaning tone in his voice became more evident, though he never snapped at her like some of the other Adveni who had personal dreta with them. She’d seen one young Veniche kicked in the shin when he took too long to return and, when he dropped the drink as a result, he received another kick, much to the mirth of the surrounding Adveni. Georgianna made sure to offer him a kind smile the next time she passed him.

  As Edtroka discussed something involving the compound with a rotund, middle-aged man, Georgianna found her gaze drifting around the room. She still had no idea what the function was actually for. She watched the men and women discussing business and their lives. She gazed at the dreta waiting patiently, hoping that it would soon be time to leave. The Adveni in the room were getting progressively drunker and as they did, bolder. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, Georgianna glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening when her gaze met Maarqyn’s. He was talking to two women but his gaze never wavered from her face. The moment he realised she was watching, he smirked wickedly.

  She didn’t hold his gaze for long. She turned back to stare at Edtroka’s shoulder, but each time she checked, Maarqyn was still staring at her, even as one of women with him touched his arm and leaned in to speak into his ear.

  “Georgianna.”

  Georgianna jumped at the unexpected address and looked up at Edtroka. He wasn’t even looking at her this time. A glass was thrust towards her.

  “Drink.”

  She took the glass from him and gave a curt nod to the back of his head before making her way through the people. A number of Veniche, all dressed in identical pale blue uniforms, were working tirelessly behind the bar. It only took a few moments before one of them approached her.

  “Edtroka Grystch,” she told them.

  The woman didn’t need any further explanation, and poured the drink within moments.

  “Perhaps you should consider changing that to water.”

  The woman appeared next to her, leaning onto the bar. Her long dark hair was coiled up to sit in a perfect knot at the nape of her neck. Georgianna recognised Ehnisque immediately.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Edtroka’s drink. You wouldn’t want him getting too drunk, would you? No doubt he’ll be in the mood for more than just looking.”

  Georgianna glanced down at the drink next to her. She desperately wanted to tell the woman that if Ehnisque wanted to meet Edtroka’s sexual needs, she was more than welcome. However, remembering that Edtroka had told her to speak as little as possible, that most of the Adveni at the function would have no time for a Veniche, she held he
r tongue.

  “Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t have to suffer him for much longer. Daddy’s boy always has his toys taken away before long.”

  Ehnisque leaned towards her and, though Georgianna wanted to step away, to put some space between them, she stood rigid. Keiran had told her that Edtroka was the Volsonnar’s son, which put her owner in a very important position. However, this woman seemed to look at him as a lesser man. While family wasn’t as important to them, Edtroka’s connections were enough to keep him safe, and Georgianna wondered if he had done something particularly nasty to this woman to incur such open disdain.

  “The commander will treat you well.”

  “Volsonne Guinnyr?” Georgianna asked politely.

  “Once Edtroka realises his mistake in sidestepping the commander, he will take steps to rectify it. You will be sold, have no doubt. You should consider enamouring the commander to you now to make the transition easier on yourself.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

  Ehnisque smiled and took Edtroka’s drink. She lifted it and took a sniff, a wrinkle of her nose telling her that she didn’t like the drink in question. She drank a mouthful of it anyway.

  “This isn’t the first time my brother has made a move for his personal gain that he would later regret. Once he realises what he has done and how much he angered the commander in purchasing you, he will make the necessary corrections.”

  Georgianna glanced over at Edtroka, still wrapped up in conversation with the same Adveni. Even from here, she could see that the conversation bored him. He looked perfectly polite, but his back was a little too rigid. He was, without a doubt, speaking to someone superior to him. She gulped, worried by how well she could read him. She’d become too involved, instead of using him to gain information the way Beck had wanted.

  “Is he really your brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “By blood?”

  “Yes. Edtroka is my younger brother.”

  So, this woman was also the child of the Volsonnar. That scared Georgianna. Maarqyn may have been worried about accusing Edtroka due to his father’s power, but with another of the Volsonnar’s children behind him, one who believed her own brother to be a traitor, Edtroka was in a more precarious situation than she had realised.