Lisa lowered her gaze. “There was no point. My gifts could do nothing to avert the horrors that had sprung upon us, butchering our people, tormenting our father, violating our mothers.” She shook her head futilely, tears flowing freely. “But that did not change the clarion call upon the ether, utterly unheeding of our own horrible circumstances, echoing only the interwoven threads affecting destiny as a whole. The destiny of an entire nation. An entire world.
“A savior had come. A healer, a saint, dispelling the red fog that black whispers of destiny had twisted into a skein that would have slaughtered us all, if that hero had not intervened.”
Petite hands clenched into fists, burst grapes unheeded. Her gaze locked upon Val’s own. “You just might have saved the entire Dominion. Do you realize that, Valor Hunter? It was an abomination forged of two worlds and folly. I could feel how that red fog burned hot and frigid at once. As if deliberately designed to slaughter entire cities within days, yet leave enough carriers alive to infect city after city, planet after planet, each wave of carriers themselves dying as soon as the plague blazed hot once more. There was no cure that would have saved more than the tiniest gathering of Jordians at the hands of alchemists deep in the Southern Wilds who had sworn their undying hatred of all things Dominion, endless centuries ago. Finding a cure was beyond even Highlords who do not fear embracing the mage’s gifts like, well, me.”
Sasha's enigmatic gaze lingered over Val for endless moments before she finally jerked a nod. "So much horror. So much death. The most sacred laws broken in the most horrific way imaginable. And yet, still, a halo shines about your gore-spattered head. But why did you soul bond everyone within Highblood Province?”
Val broke away from the girl’s too knowing gaze, almost as discomfited by Bethany’s brilliant smile, somehow knowing she would forgive him anything, anything at all, so long as he had a place in his heart for her and her sisters.
Val rubbed his brow, the beginnings of a tension headache coming on something fierce. “Dire necessity forced my hand. I had no choice but to soul bond, as you put it, everyone within Christine’s entire lab. We would all probably be dead, otherwise.”
Bethany nodded. “He’s right, sister. That glimpse Val allowed us of his mind, you saw the assassins Blackenthorp had planted at the laboratory as well as I. Assassins armed with exothermics. They are one of the most ruthless clans to have declared the red, redeemed only by their sense of honor.”
Lisa scrunched up her face. “And instead of finishing off his foes at their weakest moment, he saved Blackenthorp’s most powerful and, well, ethical Highlord and his only surviving daughter, earning their lifelong gratitude. And now we have to play nice with Angelica. You know how that bitch is.”
Bethany furrowed her brow. “You saw Val’s heart as well as I just did. Angelica’s doing her best to play the angel for Val’s sake, and her own. If she wants to start a new chapter, I’ll join her in that.” She flashed a rueful smile. “None of us were angels before we were humbled, Lisa. The least we can do is give each other fresh starts, now that we are all on the same side.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “You’re only saying that because you and she were more than just enemies.”
Bethany flushed, refusing to meet Lisa’s gaze. “That was long ago. Let’s not bore Val with it.”
Sasha raised her brow. “You two only broke it off when our fathers both declared the red. And her fingers grew back just fine. Why not see if she’s finally forgiven you? It will only help your future brood if you and your sister-wives can be lovers as well as friends.”
Val quirked a smile at Bethany’s madly blushing face. “I gave you all a glimpse into my soul. Now let me flesh out the details of what’s going down tonight. If you see a problem or feel this is too much for you, any part of it, please let me know before I go.”
And with some sketch paper and pencils the girls had thought to purchase, he laid out the details of his plan as quickly and concisely as he could. Bethany swallowed, squeezing Val's hand. "So that’s what our reconnaissance this morning was about. It’s an audacious plan, Valor. Do you truly have the skills necessary?”
Val rubbed his brow. “I can only hope so.” He squeezed her hand. “You already know I was using you as cover, but I wouldn’t have invited you along if I didn’t think you’d enjoy riding the bike as much as I enjoyed having you by my side.”
Bethany couldn’t help grinning at that. “You’re damn right I did, Valor Hunter. And I wanted to do a hell of a lot more on that hill overlooking the starport so perfectly than just share a picnic.” Her soft, husky voice brushing across his ear sent shivers down his spine. She stepped back, suddenly becoming serious once more. “Okay. Grabbing a veli should be no problem. And don’t worry, all three of us are competent drivers.”
“Most adults are,” Lisa quipped.
“We’ll meet up close to your planned gathering point and make ourselves known when you give the signal,” Sasha assured. “If no one shows or things look compromised? We take the million you left us, and make our way as best we can, on our own.”
Val nodded. “If a million credits really does translate to ten million US dollars, I’m hoping it will take you far indeed. And with your natural Psionic skills, it allows you a comfortable life in quiet surroundings anywhere you can hide in plain sight. Best of all, you never have to worry about politics again.”
Bethany nodded. “We won’t play the fools, Valor. We did that once already, to our eternal shame. We’ll keep ourselves safe. But I have every intention of fighting by your side as the best mech pilot you could ever hope for.”
Val couldn’t help grinning at that, solemnly handing all three suddenly speechless girls the greatest of all prizes.
“Heaven’s grace, three pairs of Psiblades and forceshields? These are priceless, Val!”
Congratulations! It’s now blindingly obvious how the girls feel about you. Sense Emotions is now Rank 2!
Val gazed into Bethany’s emerald eyes. “Save my own, they are the last I have. And you three are worth it. When all is said and done, trial by combat seems to be the most sacred of all Highlord rights here on Jordia. This way, no matter what happens to me, you and your sisters have the means to defend yourselves, to fight for your freedom in ways that even the High Council of fools here has to respect.”
The heartfelt gratitude Val sensed radiating from all three girls was overwhelming. It made him realize anew how desperate and afraid they had been, how close they had come to being trapped in lives of unspeakable abuse and horror, when they met in that seedy corner of the job fair. He couldn’t turn away then, and it struck him to the quick now. Suddenly choked up, he left before they could see the tears in his eyes.
37
“Val, you’re back!” Axel’s brilliant smile met Val’s own before he gazed ruefully at Val’s hover-blade. “Damn, but it’s sweet to see her in the hands of someone who can actually fly her!” He chuckled softly. “It almost makes up for how masterfully you played me to get her. Almost.”
“Tell me you have good news, Axel.”
Axel flashed a mercenary grin. "Indeed I do, boss. In fact, I just might have earned a cool million of that retainer you gave me. Maybe more.”
Val nodded. “Ten more pilots? That’s what I like to hear. Where are they?”
Axel pointed his chin towards the entrance. “Inside. Mostly my old crew, and a couple, well, friends, you could say. They’re all admiring the customized blades inside. Promised them each a bike of their choice, on the house, as an added enticement.” He grimaced. “It was damn tight notice. I hope you didn’t mind if I had to negotiate on your behalf, boss.”
Val frowned. “That depends. What did you promise them?”
Axel sighed. “Well, we are asking them to blow deep cover and put their lives on the line for a fool’s mission. Everyone in the know here in Newford knows that bucking the High Council’s golden boy is a sure ticket to an ugly fight, even if it’s just a backdoor move t
o sue for guaranteed rank and prestige later on in the game. Either way, I got nothing but cold stares until I upped your sign-on bonus to… well… 200,000 credits.”
Val blinked. “200,000 credits. Each. Just to sign on.”
Axel grimaced. “And, well, that’s not all, boss. No matter what happens, the battle-mechs you assign them? They are theirs to keep.” He flushed under Val’s stare. “Don’t get me wrong, they swore if they signed on it would be for as long as you kept them on board. It goes without saying that if they broke contract or fled the field of battle, they leave with the shirt on their backs and that’s about it. But if you ever let them go after honorably serving, if you end up suing for position on the High Council instead of daring the board entire and decide to retire your forces, well, they leave with the battle-mechs you gave them.”
Val held an increasingly discomfited-looking Axel’s gaze for more than a few seconds before finally giving a nod. “Alright, Axel. We’ll do it that way, then.”
Axel’s eyes widened, unmistakable relief racing across his features. “Really?”
“Really.”
Axel swallowed. “Good. That’s good. Smart move, boss.” He grimaced. “Believe you me, this was the only way I could bring my entire squad out of the dark on this. A prize grand enough they could conceivably start over on the Southern Continent if everything went shit-sour here. They’re being asked to give up their cover, and there’s no guarantee it will be at all easy to get back with a galaxy full of bounty hunters that would be all too happy to collect on our asses. Having a battle-mech of their own with the ability to sign on cheap with any employer who only has to offer protection and maintenance just might be what saves their bacon in the upcoming years.”
Val nodded. “I understand. It’s not a problem, Axel. If you hadn’t signed them on at whatever price, we’d just be leaving broken mechs on the field.”
Axel frowned at that. “So when are we going over the plan?”
Val flashed a grin. “As soon as I sign up our newest recruits.” Val patted the seat of his bike, gazing at it with almost fatherly pride. His heart swelled with excitement to see if it could do what he thought it could, but now was not the time. He’d do it later, in private, keeping his cards as close to his vest as he could.
Val kept a sedate pace as he walked into the showroom, carefully gazing at the dozen hard stares taking his measure, just as he measured them in turn. He noted the way more than one pair of eyes widened, noting the dwarven armor he wore underneath his Shadowcloak, others seeming fixated upon his features, as if wondering how someone so young could dare make a bid for the throne.
Because whether or not Axel had given more details than he should have, no one in this room was a fool. Not the hardened mercenaries all around him, nor Val himself. They all understood there could be only one reason why someone would offer such generous sign-on bonuses, would offer up ownership of prized battle-mechs as well.
A broad-shouldered dark-haired man was the first to step forward, dipping his head, measuring Val with glittering silver-blue eyes.
“Name’s Caden. You must be the boy with steep pockets and a hunger for the throne?”
Val flashed a cold grin, not put off for a second, meeting the man’s hand with his own. “Got it in one. Name’s Valor Hunter.” He turned to catch every man’s gaze, measuring them all in heartbeats, liking what he saw. “And I’ve declared the red.”
Caden nodded. “I can taste the power radiating off you, boy. And don’t think I miss the Psiblade at your hip. You might have deep pockets and a Highlord’s gifts, but I can tell you’ve got Terran blood flowing through your veins.” He smiled at Val’s surprised look. “You a hybrid, boy? Terran mother in your father’s coterie? Cast out as a half-breed, making a play to get back at your clan?”
Perception check made. You see what is in plain sight!
Val blinked, going utterly still. He then noticed a dozen hands all casually at the waist, ready to pull out blasters in a heartbeat. He could all but taste the anxiety beneath Caden’s smile. The man was no fool, had spotted things no one else had or dared to mention aloud, even as some assumed he was pure Terran and most others assumed he was Jordian, his features having become so much more symmetrical and, well, more youthful-looking since he had catalyzed his own existence when he had first emerged from that ancient sarcophagus what now felt a lifetime ago.
Taking on his mother’s gifts to the fullest, her genes coming to the fore.
But Caden’s silver-blue eyes had sensed his mixed blood regardless, not even worried about the impossibility of it, without even needing a Highlord’s mind-probing gifts.
Val forced himself to smile. “With eyes like yours, now I know I want you on my team.”
Caden blinked, thrown off by his answer. “Alright, you can keep your cool. You’re not a complete fool. That might just keep us alive in the shitstorm to come. But you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Then yes, I am a hybrid. And no, I’m not the cast-off offspring of my father’s harem. My father’s the Terran, and until two years ago, when my kind first started jumping into your world, I didn’t even know Jordia was real, let alone that I was anything more than your typical Earth kid with a knack for killing."
Caden frowned. “Wait. You’re saying you were raised on Earth? I know you Terrans are using weird tech to mesh with our planet. Synths, right? Though how the hell those androids teleport out when your kind yells parachute to escape any hot situation is beyond me. Too bad it fries the brains of any normal human who tries to sync up with those things, or else the battlefields we fight on would change something fierce.”
Val raised his brow. “Normal human?”
Caden smirked. “That’s right. People who don’t have ape blood flowing through their veins.”
Val shrugged. “What can I say? It boosts our immune systems something fierce.”
“Fair enough. Your kind do make good hunters, even if you’re all no more literate than wolves. And you all pick up skills damned quick, if someone holds your hands through the basics. I’ll give you Terran adventurers that, at least." Caden's mocking smirk turned serious. "Now tell me how the hell a Terran raised on Earth has a prayer of taking the throne of Jordia?”
Val locked gazes with the man before him. "The same way I claimed Highblood Province. Greengrove Province. Blackenthorp Province. By having the best soldiers I can possibly find fighting by my side, and doing what my enemies don’t expect.”
Caden’s eyes widened. “I heard something serious went down with the Blackenthorps, but it all turned to rumors and smoke. You’re saying… shit. I can see it in your eyes. You’re not lying. I could smell it on you if you were.” He shook his head and whistled. “And how the hell, why the hell, did you nab a province halfway around the world?”
Val flashed a grin. “Magic.”
Burning Light successfully cast for 5 mana. Feel the burn!
Caden’s eyes widened as the artfully lit room blazed with sudden arcane light, Val summoning a pillar of hot flame in his hand before releasing it as a brilliant streak of fire against a solid-looking support pillar that was only slightly scorched, followed by a gust of steam as Water Spout struck an identical spot a heartbeat later.
“Watch your magic, boy, you’re going to fry everything in this room!” roared Axel.
Val smiled. “I’m a man of many talents, Caden, and if your commander would stop to check, he’d find his bikes are working just fine. As are your implants,” he added pointedly, more than a few men slapping hands to foreheads and the back of their necks, giving shuddering sighs of relief.
Caden swallowed, jerking a nod. "Well shit, maybe you are something special after all." He frowned at Val, studying him intently for a few quiet moments as his fellows murmured among themselves before giving an abrupt nod. “Alright, kid. Two hundred thousand up-front, two thousand per week of service, and double everything earned up to that point if you actually manage to take the goddamned th
rone! In addition, the mechs you assign us are ours for life, so long as we stick by your side as long as you want us. Deal?”
Val could feel the sudden hush of expectation, a wave of tension against his chest. His eyes flickered over twelve hopeful stares, and the half dozen he had already signed on.
Val flashed a smile, taking the man’s massive paw in his own. “Deal. So long as you swear to fight by my side in good faith, and as best you can. So long as you swear never to reveal my secrets or betray me. I, in turn, promise to do my best to think through whatever you share, and not strike you down just because I don’t like the news you bring. If you ever decide to leave my service before I dismiss you, that is acceptable, so long as we are not in an active fight, and you leave the mech behind. But you’re still bound never to knowingly work against me, or betray my secrets. Is that acceptable to you?”
Caden flashed an avaricious grin. “Damn right it is, boy. Done and done!” His eyes widened and he gasped, shuddering, looking at his hand, finding his powerful paw unable to break free of Val’s own. “What the hell did you just do, boy?”
Val relaxed his hand. Caden jerked his free. “We’re bound, now, Caden. You know you’re getting the richest prize you’ve ever gotten as a merc gunning for a contract. I, in turn, expect loyalty and the peace of mind of knowing you'll never try to stab me in the back or reveal my secrets. You telling me that's not a fair trade? That you’ve never been Oathbound before?”
Caden frowned before shaking his head carefully. “It startled me the first second, but shit, warn a fellow next time. Still, it doesn’t leave me with a bender of a headache like a poorly forged Psionic Oath will.”
“That’s because it’s a Greater Oath.” Val turned to Axel, who was smirking sheepishly, but forbore to ask why he hadn’t warned his old crew, not wanting to cause dissension in his ranks.
“No shit. And I saw you casting those spells. Greater Oaths blend both disciplines, right? Magic and Psionics? Do I even want to know what happens if we knowingly break the oath?”
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