Heart of Knives (The Complex Book 0)
Page 12
Gary, she’s going to need you, Sergeant.
Temera. She needs me. She’s so strong and smart, yet she decided that she needs me. I must protect her, finally. Thank you for not allowing me to forget.
The shadow lifts from his eyes, and reality settles back into his mind. Dropping his guns to the floor, he sees that the others are still under the spell. Sied’s smile falters, however, when Gary looks at him without fear.
“Good try, you sorcerous son of a bitch.”
“All these filthy names, Mr. Locke. But, what are you going to do to me when they’re about to shred you into pieces, including the love of your life?”
The goblin’s point is fair. Amarie’s sword, two bows, and Yenton’s stun gun are still pointed at him. He’s got a plan, but it’s going to hurt like hell. His only chance at survival is the sword at his side. There’s no way he can fight off four enemies, but he thinks he can shove the blade into the goblin’s heart. Maybe, if he kills the source, the others will come back to reality as well.
Drawing the katana, Gary stares into Amarie’s eyes, never once hinting his target is the goblin. One breath, two, and three. Gary leaps from the couch to the goblin’s chair. Sied’s eyes go wide as his destiny dawns on him. He attempts to rock the chair out of Gary’s path, succeeding in buying himself a second. Gary lands with the blade touching nothing but air. Keeping his momentum going, he turns three hundred sixty degrees and plows the blade straight through Doug Sied’s heart. The blade exits out the goblin’s shoulder blade, blood, bone, and scale flying past its final resting point in the air and spattering against the wall. Sied’s chains clank one last time as his body falls forward, his head resting in Gary’s sword arm.
Gary felt the arrows find their mark, and Amarie’s sword catch a finger on his non-sword arm. Holding it up, he finds a bloody stump where his index finger used to be. He’s still conscious, so Yenton either didn’t fire, or missed. A bright light flashes within the goblin’s limp body, and a white nova explodes out of him. Gary’s sword disintegrates to powder in his hands. The powder flows over Sied’s body, pulling every ounce of energy out of him and leaving nothing but a crisp husk slowly turning to ash.
Turning, Gary only half expects to find his own imminent death. Instead, the other five are staring at each other, lost in confusion. Smiling, Gary steps over to Amarie and kisses her full on the lips.
“Glad you’re okay, babe.”
“Babe? You’re going to call me ‘babe’? Oh!”
She grabs his hand, sees the stump and squints back up at him.
“Sied bit it off in his last moments,” he lies. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I suppose he had arrows in his back pocket, too?” she asks, warily.
“Yep. Sure did.”
“Damn, Gary,” she half laughs and half whispers.
“What happened to our culprit?” Major Yenton demands.
“He decided suicide was a better option than losing to us, the imbeciles,” Gary says.
“Good enough for me. You, Queen Vanyarin?”
“For that egomaniac? Oh yeah, good enough.”
“I’ll have Climintra in here to do a full investigation tomorrow, but I wouldn’t expect too much uh, trouble, to come of it. Meanwhile, I’m going home, and I suggest everybody else do the same,” Yenton says, walking out the door.
“Sounds good,” Gary says.
“Yes, it does. By the way, don’t get used to lying to me. I’ll see what I can do with your finger in my apartment,” Amarie replies, playfully scornful.
***
In an empty, cool, sterile room three days later, Gary stares at seven monitors. They’ve been set up for a special occasion: his official removal from the Complex, without honors. Each of the monitors have a single person looking at him, each face a President from the seven planets of Ama Seldova.
“In regard to your admittance to allowing a personal attachment to happen during what should have been a routine job, you have been found guilty of gross misconduct under Statute BZ-118,” President Nathan Clifton rotes from a separate screen.
“In regard to finding you guilty of murdering Prince Erihstoll Habbernock, you have been found guilty of first degree murder under Statute ALY 344-B. You will be taken to Raxu and imprisoned for no less than fifty years, effective immediately,” a second screen declares, this time President Wyn Qal, of planet Famiil.
The other heads, all Presidents of Ama Seldova, talk in mostly monotone declarations of Gary’s sins of the past week. He’s no longer listening, not really. All has been said before, first here in the Complex when the Climintra came into Amarie’s apartment, demanding his capture. She’d used every legal method to get him free, short of declaring him an honorary elf and thus under her judgment and rule.
The chains holding his hands and feet are heavy, especially while standing, and Gary just wants to be done with all of it. Major Yenton stands at his side, standing too straight to be comfortable, but not daring to move a muscle until ordered to do so.
In truth, Gary is glad they are sending him back home. Granted, he’ll be in prison, but it’s still home. Better than somewhere foreign, full of races that don’t care at all for Humans and a war still fresh in their minds. Losing Amarie though, that hurts like hell. The Climintra refused to let them see each other outside of the courtroom, and the lack of her warmth and constant love is affecting Gary far more than he’d have believed possible a month ago.
Finally, all the accusations have been called out, judged, and sentenced. A grand total of one hundred fifty years for an umbrella sentence of crimes against humanity. Yenton grabs Gary’s upper arm roughly, and begins leading him outside, where a ship awaits to carry him and a few others back to Raxu.
“I don’t know why you turned on me, Yenton, but I will find out,” Gary tells his captor.
“There must always be a bad guy, Gary. You destroyed the true villain. It’s only fitting you take his place. Not like I was going to take the fall for the massacres.”
The walk to the space station is beyond the domed walls of the Complex. Armed Climintra guard the huge doors leading out, and it takes a couple minutes for those doors to open fully. Hissing closed behind them, Gary takes one last look at the Complex.
“I’d just found my place here, Yenton. Found love.”
“You fell for a broad who was emotionally stunted by attacks against herself and her people. That isn’t love, Gary. You should know better.”
“Guess it doesn’t matter. Not like she’s going to travel between here and Raxu, huh?”
“Wouldn’t get my hopes up, kid.”
Reaching the space station, it takes only a few minutes to get inside. Gary stares at the small craft that would carry him away from Amarie. Might as well be a coffin I’m stepping into.
“Get into the craft, Locke,” Yenton demands.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m out of your hair Major. Don’t be a dick about it.”
The door behind them slams open and a familiar voice, almost calm, declares, “Major Yenton, release your prisoner.”
Yenton’s surprise couldn’t be more obvious. His whole body jerks, and he nearly salutes the air until he realizes it wasn’t a President’s voice. Gary’s laugh is only a little too loud at the display.
“Queen Vanyarin. I just came away from a meeting with our prestigious Ama Seldova Presidents, and they say my prisoner is going to Raxu, on this ship. Now, on whose authority do you think you speak?”
A second body steps through the door. Yenton’s eyes go wide and his body begins to shake. Gary notices, and turns to look himself. His smirk at Yenton’s displeasure disappears.
“Y’know, I heard plenty of rumors about shady works in the Climintra. I never thought you’d be a part of the problem, Major Yenton.”
Gary’s mouth falls open. “How?”
Amarie smiles, beaming about something.
“Oh honey, magic does wonderful things. Even to a broken-ass body like mine was,” Temera
answers. “As for Major Yenton, I’ve done my own investigation. I’m certain the Presidents will see things my way, and Queen Vanyarin’s way, with a few simple documents. Now take those chains off my boy.”
Fear grips Yenton, and Gary can see that the Major knows what Temera’s talking about. Yenton unlocks the chains to Gary’s hands and feet, then steps back to give him room. Gary rushes to Temera with the biggest hug he’s ever given anybody. She hugs him back, then shoves him over to Amarie, who kisses him hard. The best kind of kiss, sweet as honey, urgent as a snake-bite.
The bodies have been cleared, the cavern now deserted. All is quiet. Near the back wall of the cavern, a small hiss and whir begins. The sound is enough to make the cavern’s rats twitch their ears. The sound grows in power, slow but sure, until it becomes a constant buzzing. Nothing notices, nobody sees, but behind a magic curtain, knives whirl like the gnashing of teeth.
___
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my novella from
THE COMPLEX!
All reviews are appreciated.
If you would like to read more from THE COMPLEX series, please click on the link below:
The Complex Website
Growing up,
L.V. Lewis wanted to be an internationally known rock star, but unfortunately, lived in the wrong part of the country to pursue that career (and neither American Idol nor The Voice were available then). An early love for the written word gave her the Plan B she sought. Now she pens romance novels that let her live vicariously through rock stars, Olympic athletes, witches, and other fascinating archetypes she’s fortunate enough to create.
Learn more about L.V. Lewis at http://www.lvlewis.com.
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PARANORMAL ROMANCE & FANTASY BACKLIST
THE CASTER’S CANTICLE © 2016 © 2017
When hopelessness and lust collide, how do you give life to a heart that sings to you like no other?
Disillusioned with his own kind and living among humans, powerful warlock Stellan Kierkegaard encounters his foretold soulmate in the ailing Leilani Gibson.
Together, they’re prophesied to knit dark and light covens to lead the Caster world. Yet how can this be when she is, by every indication, mortal?
The Caster’s Opus © 2017
COMING AUGUST 1, 2017
When the love of your life is taken, how do you retrieve the heart that is meant to knit your people together forever?
War is brewing in the Caster World...
After a surgery to repair Leilani Gibson’s severely damaged heart, she recuperates to more than just a better quality of life. The procedure reveals a shocking twist about Leilani’s true nature. Powers that had been siphoned from her since childhood are now restored.
Although Leilani has use of her magic and has united with the powerful warlock, Stellan Kierkegaard, they face a number of threats as they work through the clues in search of the stolen Caster’s Opus.
The unknown foe who plotted to relieve Leilani of her powers is still at large, and the entire Kierkegaard coven is on the run from their governing body. If they can’t retrieve the Opus in time to join the Dark and Light covens together as prophesied, the Caster World as they know it will descend into chaos.
Publishing Date: August 1, 2017.
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