Preda's Voice (Guardians of Vaka Book 1)

by Carolyn Gross

  Preda concentrated on breathing calmly through her nose. The more movement she made, the more she could feel the blade dig into her neck. A loud crash could be heard from outside the door. Banging on the door followed. Preda could see dents forming in the metal from the outside as someone desperately tried to break it down.

  “Every one of your Kait pets will follow suit after you die. I want you to know that. I want you to know we are everywhere. We have traveled back and forth among those who would be your friends. Your parents couldn’t hide, and neither can you. You are an abomination against nature, Vozia.”

  Frak spit when he said her name, and she could feel the saliva landing on her hair. Suddenly the metal in the door groaned, and it bent inward enough to fall off its top hinges. Will burst into the room, and Frak turned her so they were facing him. The knife bit into her, and Preda could feel hot blood start to pool at the base of her neck.

  Will stopped abruptly. His eyes locked with Frak’s.

  “Oh. That’s right,” Frak said in an amused voice. “You can feel this.”

  He dug the knife in a little deeper, and Preda felt her knees weaken under the sudden flash of white pain. Will didn’t even flinch or falter. His jaw clenched, but his eyes never left Frak’s.

  “That’s how you knew your precious Vozia was in danger. She doesn’t even have to talk, does she? You just know,” Frak said.

  Will didn’t respond. He looked as if he was made of steel. Preda realized he was patiently waiting for an opening. She had to give him one. Preda tried to breathe evenly and coordinate her next move carefully. She felt as if she would get only one shot to do anything before Frak killed her.

  Frak continued talking despite Will’s silence. “You don’t even know why you follow her, but you do. We don’t know why those things brought us to Vaka and left her family in charge. We have the intelligence to lead ourselves. The Vozia should have been our tools to use. Not the other way around!”

  Preda took her chance. Everything happened within seconds. She suddenly turned to dead weight in his arms and fell to the ground. The knife sliced her as she went down, but Frak bent forward with the weight of her momentum and trying to catch her with his other arm.

  Preda looked up in time to see Will uncoil in one fluid motion. He used her chair that had been kicked off to the side to vault himself over Frak’s head. Preda caught only a brief glimpse of Will as he came down on top of the Vank. Will rolled off to the side and was instantly on his feet. His knife was covered in blood. Frak stood slowly, using the chair for support. Preda could see the stain of red quickly spreading from below his rib cage on the left side. He would be dead shortly. She squirmed out of the way and backed against the wall underneath the peaceful painting of a green ocean.

  Frak had blood frothing from his mouth, and he coughed. His wild eyes met Preda’s, and he did not break eye contact, even as his hands came up toward his face. With one hand he grabbed his own tongue. With the other he held a knife and sawed clean through it.

  He was still looking at Preda as he collapsed onto his knees. Blood was pouring over his chin from his severed tongue, and Frak died without speaking another word.

  48

  Preda barely had time to process what had happened before Will was suddenly there. He was carefully extracting the knot from the silk sash entangled in her hair. She felt numb. Her guardian picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the room into the hall.

  Preda caught a glimpse over Will’s shoulder of several other bodies in the hallway. They must have attacked him when he tried to break into the room. He didn’t even look as if he had a scratch on him.

  She closed her eyes against the scene in the hall and let him carry her with her face buried against his shoulder. Preda felt small and stupid in his arms. Why had she not been smart enough to see what was happening before it escalated? This was all her fault.

  She didn’t look up until Will carried her through a doorway. She was in a part of the ship she had not been in before. She had no idea where she was, but then suddenly Foxy and Al were there. He must have taken her to one of their rooms. Will gently put her down in a chair, and Al was hugging her against his chest with his strong arm firm against her back.

  “Let me look at you,” Al said quietly, and he gently inspected her neck.

  He didn’t ask what had happened. He just got up and came back with a clean shirt, a bowl with soapy water, and bandages. Preda sat numbly and stared straight ahead while he gently cleaned and bandaged her wound.

  She could hear Will and Tamron speaking in quiet tones in the corner, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Will kept looking over at her every time the wound flared in pain from Al’s ministrations. She didn’t flinch, though. Al held the bandage on the side of her neck and told her to keep pressure on it. She did as she was told, and he went over to talk with Tamron and Will.

  Preda looked down at the front of her dress and realized it was covered in blood. She didn’t know if it was Frak’s or her own. Likely it was both. She looked up and made eye contact with Will, and they held each other’s gazes across the room as the three men continued to discuss her.

  After a moment Foxy finally turned to Preda. “Will is going to take you back to your rooms now. He will stay with you.”

  Preda nodded and kept her silence. She stood to walk out, and Will led the way down the corridor. The two older Kait immediately flanked them. Preda tried to hold her head high as she walked with her procession. She was still holding the bandage to her neck, and could only imagine how she must look wearing a dress covered in blood. Her hair felt as if it was a tangled mess where the gag had been tied and where Frak had wrapped his fist.

  They passed only a few people on their way to her rooms. Most respectfully averted their eyes from the menacing Kait surrounding her. Will opened the door that led into her sitting room and followed her in. Tamron and Al left as soon as she was inside.

  Fiver jumped off the chair he had been sleeping in and started weaving in and out between her legs. Preda dropped the bandage she had been holding on her neck to bend down and scoop up the cat in her arms. He immediately started purring loudly and aggressively rubbing his head on her chin.

  Preda gently put him down after a minute and slumped down on the chair closest to the door. She looked up at Will and saw the barely contained rage still burning in his eyes. He was pacing subconsciously.

  Will had killed Frak like a predator. Philip Torrance had been wrong. Preda was no predator. Philip Torrance had never known what a true predator was. Preda was looking at one. She had chosen her guardian well.

  Will stopped pacing when he noticed she was staring at him. “Preda, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I should have been in there sooner. I felt you getting stressed. I started to open the door, and then there were others. Some were council members. They were people I was taught to revere. I shouldn’t have hesitated as long as I did.”

  Shouldn’t have hesitated as long as he did? “I saw no hesitation,” she said.

  He shook his head and changed the subject. “You should take a bath. I’ll stay out here and wait for word from Tamron and Al.”

  Preda nodded. She was grateful for the suggestion. Her bathtub was enormous. When she first saw it, she thought it must have been built for twelve people to use at the same time. As hot water filled the tub and steam filled the bathroom, it looked like the most inviting thing she had ever seen. Preda practically had to peel the bloody dress off herself. She threw the garment in the trash as soon as it was off.

  Careful to keep her neck dry, Preda started to scrub away Frak’s blood. It felt as if the water couldn’t get hot enough, and she couldn’t use enough soap. She could still feel his breath against her ear when he told her she was going to die.

  Preda realized then that it was not the thought of her own death that terrified her. The moment she had felt the marrow
in her bones go cold was when Frak had told her that those who had helped her would die because of her.

  She had not realized how much she had come to care for these people. She chastised herself for being so stupid. If she had gotten herself killed, it would have meant the Vakans who had come to Earth had sacrificed for nothing.

  Just because Frak had been a council member didn’t mean he could be trusted. Once again Preda found herself resolving to not repeat a mistake. She would not be so trusting in the future. She heard Al’s words in her head and repeated them like a mantra. Trust nobody.

  When she had finished and wrapped herself in an oversize robe, she came out to find Will still sitting in front of the door. Jim and Laney had gotten there while she had been taking a bath, and all three stood as soon as she walked out. Laney immediately ran to Preda and hugged her fiercely.

  “Preda, I’m so glad you’re OK,” Jim said.

  “I wouldn’t be if not for Will,” she said once Laney let her breathe again.

  Jim was smiling and glanced at Will. “I suspected he downplayed his part in the story. Listen, Preda,” he continued, “rumors of what happened have spread fast. Everyone is terrified. Frak was very popular among those of us who had come to Earth. A lot of people listened to him. Fights are breaking out all over the Feria. Many people perceived to be his followers are being sought out and attacked.”

  Preda couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Laney looked worried for her and said, “We know you must be exhausted, but you made me a council member. I feel as if I must advise you to intervene as soon as possible. I think you should call a council meeting. Now.”

  Preda had wanted nothing more than to curl up into a tiny ball and hide under the bedcovers. Will saw the look on her face. “The meeting will have to be tomorrow.”

  “No,” Preda said. “It should be tonight.” She looked at Laney. “Is there a larger meeting area on this ship? I want to include everyone who wishes to hear what I have to say.”

  Laney smiled. “I know of just the place.”

  The place was the large central room from which all parts of the ship could be accessed. Preda hadn’t noticed before, but the center of that area was slightly raised. It was the perfect setting for a public meeting. She sat at the head of the long table that had been brought in from the council room, and watched as hundreds of people gathered to stand around the perimeter. There were so many, they spilled out into the hallways protruding like arms from the high-ceilinged space.

  Preda had met with Foxy and Al before setting up the meeting, and their stalwart presences on her left side comforted her. Will stood behind her, and Jim stood behind Laney, who was sitting next to her on her right side.

  Tamron had told her they were able to clean Frak’s room and corridor before anyone else saw what had happened. Although word had spread fast that he had attacked Preda, no one knew of his final act committing him to the Soundless cause. Frak’s father was told of his son’s death, but the Kait had not yet permitted him to see his son’s body.

  Preda watched in silence when Percin Vank entered the room accompanied by several men and women Preda had not met or seen before. It seemed as if he carefully avoided eye contact with her. His face was the perfect example of a poker face.

  Preda had not yet decided on exactly what she would say until she saw Percin’s face.

  49

  Will watched Percin walk into the room. His immediate family, including Frak’s mother, Macera, flanked him. The woman looked like a robot. She didn’t acknowledge anyone else’s presence, even though practically everyone on the ship had turned out. Will had seen Macera Vank only a few times before, and he remembered her as a frigid and carefully poised woman, which her son’s death seemed only to have amplified.

  Preda had spoken with Tamron and Al about what she should say in detail. Will was dreading the response to the news about Frak’s betrayal, but Preda was going to deliver a simple directive in that voice of hers. No individual should take action until they had finished investigating the true extent of Soundless involvement. They had all agreed Preda should leave as soon as she was finished speaking. Will felt his hand reflexively clench around the blade handle at his side.

  Once Percin had taken his seat along with his wife and other children, Al called the council meeting to order. Everyone was silent while the gruff, one-armed soldier finished speaking, and then all eyes turned to Preda. She seemed deep in thought and sat still for at least a minute. She was staring in the direction of Frak’s family. It seemed to Will that no one else in the room dared breathe.

  Finally Percin looked up from where he had been staring at his hands in his lap and made eye contact with Preda. Once she saw him, she nodded ever so slightly and stood. Will steeled himself when she looked at him briefly, and he felt the now-familiar feeling of her voice fill him. Preda turned back to the room with her back straight and proud. Will could see the fresh wound in the side of her neck that she had refused to cover up. He felt a surge of anger as he thought about the knife held to her throat. Frak’s death had come too quickly.

  The acoustics in the room could carry voices a long way, but Preda didn’t need it. Will observed that when she was emotional, she had less control, and the room practically thrummed when she spoke.

  “My fellow Vakans,” she said. “It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of three council members today. Among their number was Frak Vank. Many loved Frak, and his loss could not have come at a worse time.”

  Will shared a quick glance with his father. She was definitely deviating from the script.

  “I want you all to know that the ones responsible for his death were none other than the Soundless. I know he fought against them bravely, but he succumbed in the end.”

  Preda paused as she waited for Percin and Macera to look at her again. Will tried to keep his face impassive, but Jim’s mouth was practically hanging open next to him. When she was sure she had the Vanks’ attention, Preda continued.

  “You can rest assured knowing my retribution will be swift, and I will not soon forget this wound they have dealt tonight. The council,” she said with emphasis, “is part of my family. An attack against them is the same as one committed against me. When we arrive on Vaka, I want a memorial to Frak Vank erected. Who will build it for me?” she asked.

  Immediately at least fifty people from the Ceren and Landi families stepped forward and bowed. Preda smiled slightly. “Your efforts will be appreciated,” she said, and they beamed back at her. “I would like an inscription,” Preda continued before they could step back into the crowd. “It should read, ‘The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.’”

  Will remembered learning the quote from a Chinese general in history class with Preda. It was fitting. He wondered how she had remembered it so accurately. Will looked over at Percin and saw tears standing in the man’s eyes. Tamron was staring straight ahead with his jaw clenched.

  Preda paused for effect. “We have the opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat by standing together. Frak would have wanted us to be united against our common enemy. It is with a heavy heart that I ask this council to start an offensive task force. For too long we have been on the defensive end of this fight. We have been hiding. When we land on Vaka, we will take it back for ourselves. This starts with opening unrestricted trade between the main and outer islands.”

  The chamber erupted in a cacophony of voices. Most Vakans on the ship hadn’t known about her earlier decision to open trade. This had been unexpected. Preda had a mischievous smile on her face, and she watched people who had been angry over Frak’s death and betrayal become obsessed with the trade proclamation.

  She put her hand in the air, and the room immediately silenced. “Artem Vank is our new head of trade regulation,” she finished. “I expect he wi
ll be able to cement the details now and in the future for trade routes between and within our families.”

  When she had finished, Preda winked at Artem. He looked as if someone had just lit his hair on fire. She nodded at Al, who looked just as shocked. He stood and called the meeting to a close.

  Will was amazed. By refusing to blame Frak for any wrongdoing and focusing on the Soundless, she had preserved his honor in death. Percin Vank looked as if he had just received a priceless gift. Will knew he was a powerful ally who would forever be grateful to the Vozia for what she had just done.

  Preda left the room quickly. She did not look back to see the pandemonium she had just released on the council members. Will glanced back to see Percin watching Preda leave over the heads of everyone else in the room.

  While most people aboard the Feria were asleep that night, Will stood silently by while Percin and Macera were allowed to see their son’s body. Macera wept silently, but Percin stared in silence at the mouth agape and without a tongue. Unlike Preda, Tamron had not sugarcoated the actual circumstances under which their son had died.

  Frak Vank had almost gotten away with assassinating the last Vozia, and Preda had responded by erecting a memorial in his honor. A young girl with no training or exposure to their world had enacted a perfect political maneuver.

  50

  That night Will slept on the couch in Preda’s sitting room instead of in his own room. When she was having a nightmare and practically screaming in her sleep, he was there with a hand on her forehead to smooth her damp hair. She awoke the following morning with a tightness behind her eyes, but she insisted on ramping up training with Jim anyway.