by Anna Carven
“I don’t need you for combat,” the General continued. “I have plenty of skilled soldiers who are willing to fight. No, I need you for something far more specific. I need you to bring me the head of Vionn Kazharan.”
“You want me to assassinate the Empress? You are serious?” Ashrael tested the General’s aura, searching for any sign of uncertainty, but there was none.
“I have mentioned it before, have I not? I do not say such things out of jest, assassin.”
“Why me? Why not send your First Division to storm the palace?”
“The Palace of Arches is the most heavily guarded, monitored, and fortified building on Kythia, and its layout makes it almost impossible to infiltrate without detection. We are skilled in combat, but we do not do stealth as well as your kind, and we will be occupied elsewhere. My plan relies on the element of surprise, and I do not want to give the Noble Houses any forewarning of what is about to befall them. They must all fall at the same time, before they can mount any sort of counter-attack. Only you possess the skill to infiltrate the palace without being detected, therefore only you can implement the most critical part of my plan.”
Ashrael took a deep breath. “And if I refuse?”
“Then you are not with us,” Akkadian said softly, “and we rarely have cause to keep our enemies around.” It was a thinly veiled threat, and it made Ashrael bristle. He didn’t like to be reminded of the fact that the General had sneakily fitted him with a neural immobilizer. It was a heavy price to pay for gaining a super-strong new arm.
Slowly, he flexed the fingers of his left hand. “I have a responsibility now. I am bonded to Noa, and she requires my protection. I can’t just leave her. If we are too far apart, the bond weakens and I regain my old programming. She is the reason I am free of the mindbond.” His tone became bitter. “Surely you haven’t forgotten what happened during your little ‘experiment’?”
“Indeed, it is because of her that you are free,” the General said. He leaned forward, his aura burning with sudden intensity. “Think about what is best for her, Ashrael. They sent the fucking Silent Ones after both of you. They intend to capture her alive and take her back to the Empire. For what? To be used as a slave, stripped and bound and perpetually drained of her power? You know what they would do to a Human, katach. Think on it. If she is as rare and valuable as Elgon tells me she is, they won’t stop until they have her, and they won’t stop until you are dead or back under the power of your Mistress. Of course, you could try to run and hide, but the Universe is an inhospitable place. Where could you possibly take her?”
Ashrael thought hard and fast, but he had no real answers. The General was right. In many parts of the Nine Galaxies, a Human would not survive for long without some sort of protection.
Images of the Empire using Noa as a slave entered his mind, enraging him. If they ever got their hands on her, they would imprison her and find a way to tap into her immense power. The Mistress would suck her dry like a parasite.
“Then we have a dilemma,” Ashrael said, his tone hard and clipped. “Clearly, you need me to infiltrate the palace undetected and kill the Empress, but clearly, Noa and I cannot be apart because of our bond. But there is no way in Kaiin’s hells I’m allowing her to set foot on the surface of that cursed Dark Planet. I would die before I allow her to fall into their hands. I would kill all of them.”
Trying to control the sudden fury that swept through him, Ashrael made a fist with his left hand, drawing out his claws. Thankfully, they had given him claws with this artificial limb, but as they dug into his palm, there was no pain, and he didn’t bleed. The thought of giving Noa up to them made him seethe with irrational anger, because he knew how they would treat a Human. He’d seen the way the Mistress treated her slaves.
“You have the fever,” Akkadian remarked mildly. “A relationship with a Human can be a wonderful thing if you are willing to accept the challenge. They tend to bring out long-buried instincts that we Kordolians seem to have forgotten we possess.”
“If you understand this so well, why are you thrusting me into an impossible situation?”
“The Empire must fall,” Akkadian said. “I have come to realize now that there is no alternative. Otherwise, the rot will continue to fester, and eventually they will destroy us all.” He inclined his head, his expression unreadable. “There may be a way to keep Noali within the radius of your bond without endangering her. Besides, do you not want to use this opportunity to kill your Mistress as well and break the mindbond once and for all?”
Hope and anger swirled through Ashrael in equal amounts. Part of him wanted to tell Akkadian to fuck off. He secretly considered stealing Noa away and escaping to some distant part of the Universe, but that was merely a fantasy.
The Empire would come for them no matter where they went, and there were entire races that would see him dead purely because of the fact that he was Kordolian. Without a vessel or a crew backing them up, they would be in constant danger, and even he could only kill so many.
The General was offering him freedom, but he had to fight for it. Nothing in the Universe was freely given. Everything had its price.
“I have my terms,” he said quietly as everything around him became still. A calmness settled over him, bringing with it a strange sense of destiny.
“And those are?”
“I will deliver Vionn Kazharan’s head to you, but I also get to kill the Mistress. Her head is mine. Secondly, the contents of the hidden library beneath Palace of Arches is to be mine. And finally, you will do everything in your power to keep my sarien safe. If any threat reaches her, if anything happens to her, if I find so much as a scratch on her, I will find a way to kill you myself.” He bared his fangs. “There are only so many near-misses you can survive, General.”
“I would not expect any less of you, katach.” To Ashrael’s surprise, there was a note of respect in Akkadian’s voice. “We have some way to go before we reach Sector One. If Noali is as powerful as Elgon says, then she will benefit from some training. I hear there are ways you can strengthen your bond and increase its radius. If you can do that, she will not have to leave Silence at all. Perhaps you can work on that.” The bastard smiled.
Ashrael returned his amused look with a dark glare, but a strange sense of relief was spreading through him.
For the first time in his cursed life, he had a purpose.
“I will think on it,” he snapped, rising out of his seat. “I make no promises, but I will consider your proposal.” It wasn’t the actual assignment that daunted him, it was the thought that Noa could be placed in some kind of danger. He couldn’t allow that. Humans weren’t supposed to exist in their world, and Kythia was the cruelest of all planets.
He cursed the General for being a convincing bastard and went in search of his sarien.
After all, he had unfinished business to attend to.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Oh, Noa,” Abbey whispered, ushering her into the room. “Come and sit down.” Noa blinked, taking stock of her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the light.
She was in the only part of Silence that looked even remotely Human.
She stood in an oval-shaped room bordered on one side by a long window. In the distance, Earth was a glowing orb of blue and green, decorated with white swirls of cloud.
Noa had never been into orbit before. The sight of her beautiful home planet abruptly brought tears to her eyes, and she blinked furiously, annoyed at herself for getting stupidly sentimental.
It’s just that she was so fucking close to happiness right now.
It was all because of Ashrael. He made her feel that way.
Noa stepped into the light, and after hours spent skulking around in the darkened corridors of this sinister alien ship, it was glorious. The room had clearly been decorated with Abbey’s personal touches; bright lights hung from the ceiling, simulating daylight, and plants - actual green plants - had been installed into the walls, surrounding them wi
th lush foliage. In the center of the room was a large wooden table surrounded by a motley collection of chairs. It was laden with delicious looking treats; cupcakes, Earth fruits, and other strange but delectable looking morsels she didn’t recognize.
Abbey’s daughter was nestled in a crib, asleep, and gathered around the table were four other women. Noa recognized Sera, who offered her a sunny smile. She didn’t know the dark-skinned woman who was working away on a portable holoscreen, hundreds of characters and numbers streaming across her datalenses. She glanced up and offered Noa a shy smile. “Hey, Noa. I’m Riana. Please forgive me if I’m a bit preoccupied. I’m freaking out right now. Just trying to map a course so we can track where we’re going. I have to know for myself.” She shared a knowing glance with the other women. “Kail won’t tell me anything. All he’s told me is that we’re not safe on Earth right now.” She let out a sigh of frustration. “Ugh. He always does this.”
Noa nodded in greeting as Riana turned back to her screen and began to plug in some data.
Her attention turned to the other two, whom she’d encountered only briefly. The statuesque, rather intimidating looking woman with cropped blond hair was called Arin. Beside her sat a petite woman with jet black hair and sharp brown eyes. Jia. “Welcome to the Kordolian wives’ club,” she laughed, before waving her hand to indicate she wasn’t serious. “Only kidding. This part of the ship has officially been colonized by us. Humans only. We need to have a space that feels a little like home, don’t you think?” Her petite nose wrinkled in distaste. “Kordolians have no sense of aesthetics. I think it’s because they’re so used to living in darkness. If we’re going to be holed up here for a little while, we have to make this place habitable.” She shook her head in frustration. “I swear… I could have found us somewhere safe on Earth, but Kalan seems to think it’s too dangerous for us to be anywhere but here for the time being. He’s in uber-protective mode for some reason.”
“Something’s going down,” Arin added. “I haven’t seen Rykal this edgy since we were on the Hendrix II. The problem is, these boys are too secretive for their own good, and whatever it is, we have no choice to go along with it, because you just know it’s going to be something Humans can’t handle. I thought Xargek were bad,” she shuddered, “and these Empire guys sound no better. From what I’ve heard, they’re all certified psychopaths.”
“We’ll get the truth out of them eventually,” Sera said, projecting calmness. Noa almost envied her. She picked a gleaming red apple from a basket and took a bite out of it. “Don’t worry. Xal’s terrible at keeping secrets from me. He’ll break sooner or later. They always do. In the meantime, I’m not going to argue with Xal. The one thing I’ve learned is that if they say it’s dangerous, it’s usually ten times worse than we think, so for now I’m going to bunker down and see what happens next.”
“I think the fact that the Silent Ones managed to get so close has rattled all of them. They don’t like being beaten at their own game. Tarak’s the worst. He has to be Lord and Master of his own little domain, otherwise he becomes plain insufferable. I think not being in control actually gives him anxiety.” Abbey frowned, a troubled look entering her eyes as she shook her head. “You know, I once swore I’d never go back to Sector One, but I understand his reasons for wanting to keep me close, and I understand why he wants to finish things once and for all. Right now, Silence is the safest place we can be.” A look of disquiet crossed her face. “Tarak once told me that I’m his greatest weakness and his greatest strength, and that if anyone ever tried to use me against him, he’d lose it, and that wouldn’t be good for the Nine Galaxies.”
“I can totally identify with that,” Jia agreed. For a moment they were all silent, lost in their own private musings.
Then Jia turned to Noa, breaking the silence. “Noa, grab a seat. There are lemon and vanilla cupcakes and Veronian sweets. You have to try the Veronian stuff. It’s mind-blowing.”
“I was meaning to give you the lowdown on Kordolians back when we were on Earth, but it turned out my timing wasn’t so good.” Abbey pulled a chair and sat, folding one leg so that her bare foot was resting on the seat. “Unfortunately, we were rudely interrupted by invisible assassins and my hungry little monster, and since then, I hear you’ve been a little busy.”
“Maybe,” Noa said cautiously, not wanting to give away too much. Without thinking, she reached out to Ashrael through their bond. He responded with a gentle burst of warmth.
I will find you.
“The first thing you need to know about Kordolians is that they’re misunderstood.” Abbey placed a few treats on a plate and slid it across to Noa. “They’re not innately evil, but they’ve been indoctrinated into a fairly harsh, authoritarian culture. My husband is getting better at understanding certain things, like actually talking things through instead of killing first and asking questions later, but it takes time.”
“Because, or maybe despite their background,” Arin added, “they are insanely protective, almost to the point where it becomes pathological. If anyone ever tries to fuck with you, say a little prayer for that poor soul, because a Kordolian will do scary things to keep a girl safe.” She regarded Noa with an even blue stare. “Scary things. Trust me.”
The five women all nodded sagely as they nibbled on their snacks. Sera picked up an autopot and started pouring green tea into small porcelain cups.
Noa shuddered, but it wasn’t out of fear. It was because she could easily imagine Ashrael doing said scary things, and she didn’t mind.
Was that a bad thing?
Jia nodded towards Noa’s plate. “Try one of those. They’re amazing.” A smile tugged at her lips as an indulgent expression crossed her face. “They can be stubborn. Extremely stubborn.” The three other women nodded, “but sometimes they will listen to reason. You just have to explain it in a way that they understand.”
“There are ways,” Abbey agreed with a wink. “Trust me, there are ways.”
“Oh, and they are extraordinarily good lovers.” Sera said in a low, conspiratorial voice. “Just don’t tell any of them I said that.”
“I…” Heat rose in Noa’s cheeks. “I wouldn’t know about that.” Why were they even telling her all this stuff? She wondered how much gossip had been exchanged on her behalf. Damn Ashrael and his shamelessness.
“They’re actually big softies at heart,” Riana added quietly, barely glancing up from her screen, “but absolutely do not tell any of them I said that.”
Noa valiantly fought her rising blush as she thought of Ashrael. In an attempt to distract herself, she popped one of the Veronian sweets in her mouth. It was a crystalline cube with a blossoming purple and orange nebula in the center.
“Oh!” She gasped in surprise as an explosion of flavor sent her into epicurean ecstasy. It was sweetness with notes of jasmine, honey, blackberry, and a hint of spice. “Holy moly,” she blurted, and the Human women laughed.
“They’re like drugs, aren’t they?” Jia teased. “Once you’ve had one, you’ll never be able to give them up.”
“That seems to be a recurring theme around here,” Noa said softly. Soon, Ashrael would come for her, and she knew that once that happened, she would be forever lost.
Chapter Twenty-Three
He came for her as she lay in her bed. They’d allocated her a room near the other Humans, away from the busier areas of the warship. It was a fully operational battle-cruiser after all, and she’d been warned to stay away from the bridge and the command areas.
Her bed wasn’t a bed; it was more of a cocoon-like pod. It was dark and strange and it took a little getting used to, but it came with the softest sheets she’d ever slept in. She was ensconced in darkness, wrapped up in the mysterious, organic substance of this dark alien craft.
The door was apparently coded to her biological signature, meaning only she could exit and enter the room, and Noa found that incredibly reassuring.
For someone who’d spent the greater
part of a year locked up in a cell in a creepy medical facility, she was adjusting to her surroundings surprisingly well. The room seemed to protectively wrap itself around her, and it was blissfully silent. The only thing she could hear was the music in her head, and after struggling for so long to get it back, wondering if she would ever play again, it was glorious.
She re-visited Bach and Beethoven and Chopin and Liszt and Rachmaninoff and every single one of her favorite composers in-between, reliving memories of her past life.
She’d been a freak with a prodigious memory and a pair of oversized hands. She was the only living person who could play some of the pieces in her head - music that had been written in a time when Humankind couldn’t even fathom the existence of aliens - and she’d been called many things; genius, virtuoso, flamboyant, eccentric.
Her fingers moved as she closed her eyes and played out the tune in currently swirling in her head, Liszt’s Sonetto 104 del Petrarca. She was curled up in the fetal position, her body aching with unfulfilled need.
Because thoughts of Ashrael were driving her mad. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she thought she could feel him beside her.
Where are you?
Here.
Her eyes flew open, but she could only make out the faintest outline of his form as he flowed towards her, merged with the darkness.
“Am I dreaming?” she said aloud, and he laughed softly.
“No, my sarien. You are not.”
“How did you get in? I thought that door only opened for me.” If it were anyone else, she would have been freaked out. But Ashrael… she’d been waiting for him.
“I have my ways. Remember, I tasted you. Your bio-sig is on me.”