Age of Deception (The Firebird Chronicles Book 2)

by T. A. White

  Right now, she was pinned down—defenseless—but all she needed was the smallest of windows. That would be when she struck.

  Until then, her mission was to survive and protect the man behind her with everything she had. Standing between him and the brunt of the drones’ full attack.

  Her movements were sharp. Crisp. Not even a single gesture wasted as the blade spun.

  Behind her, Devon stirred.

  She caught an energy bolt with the flat of her blade, shouting, "Can you move?"

  Devon glanced up, his eyes widening in confusion as he took in the swarm of drones. He fought to push himself upright, fear mixed with stubbornness on his face.

  A drone strayed close, breaking formation. Kira lashed out, slashing it in two. The pieces shot apart, striking two other drones. They exploded.

  Fierce satisfaction filled Kira at the destruction. More drones lined up, replacing the three she had destroyed.

  "Not going to let this be easy, I take it," Kira told them.

  That was all right. She was used to no-win situations.

  A glance at Devon told her running was out. He'd be lucky if he remained conscious for the next few minutes.

  "Get under the tree roots," she ordered. They'd provide a little protection at least, make it so she only had to defend herself and not the both of them.

  Devon moved to comply, for once not arguing. Kira struggled with impatience at his slowness, knowing he probably couldn't crawl any faster.

  A bolt hit the sword, accompanied by a splintering noise. A large crack ran up the length of wood as the energy she'd deflected finally exceeded the practice blade’s capacity.

  Kira cursed, grabbing one broken piece and flinging it into a waiting drone.

  Weaponless and out of options, Kira settled into a defensive stance, bracing as she raised her arms to protect her vital spots, ducking behind them like a turtle in a shell.

  Energy bolts hammered into her unprotected arms, pain shredding her nerve endings and stealing her breath.

  Still, she didn't waver. She didn't fall.

  She stood there, and she took it.

  "I am Kira Forrest, and I do not break so easily," she told them.

  Tough words when it took everything she had to remain standing.

  Kira locked her knees, leaning into the laser fire, chanting an old mantra. Embrace the pain. Make it part of you. Yearn for it like you do a good cup of chai on a cold day.

  When the body threatened to collapse, sometimes the mind had to step in and give it a swift kick in the ass.

  She held on, fire eating away at her arms. Her mind gibbered an endless litany of "it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

  Kira didn't care. She would not fall, not while there was a speck of life in her body.

  In that moment, she was no longer standing in a forest on a planet her ancestors had claimed. She was in another place, defenseless young behind her. The drones wore the faces of her enemies—and they were hungry.

  Falling meant losing the people she loved. Too much had already been taken from her.

  Just when she'd been forced to her knees under the onslaught, she sensed the opportunity she'd been waiting for.

  There—a break in the pattern as the drones closed in, intent on the kill. Victory was at hand.

  They inched closer and closer, their bolts containing the force of a tank. Still, Kira waited, gathering strength, coiling it deep inside as she waited with the patience of a spider whose victims had neared her web.

  Not yet. She'd only get one chance at this.

  Now.

  Kira sprang, one hand lashing out to catch the first drone. Its electric defenses flared, her hand going numb. She winced but didn't let go, grasping its side and turning its weapon on the rest.

  The smell of burned flesh reached her, and still she didn't relent as she took aim at her previous hunters, now the prey.

  Drones exploded, short-circuiting in quick order.

  The drone in her hand buzzed. Kira heaved it at another, not even pausing to watch the two destroy each other before leaping up to find another prey.

  Seconds later, the clearing lay still. Smoke curled along the edges. Drone carcasses littered the ground. Kira panted, unable to drop her guard, waiting for the next attack.

  None came.

  Her breathing slowed, and she allowed herself to start to believe it was over. By some miracle, she'd managed to win.

  The world stilled, the faintest hint of a presence dropping out of the trees where it'd been hiding.

  Kira twisted, her hand flashing out as she flung the remains of the sword hilt at the last drone.

  A dark shape flew from the side, and an en-blade split the drone in two as her broken practice sword embedded itself into the drone's casing.

  Graydon's chest heaved, a feral look in his eyes as he removed his blade from the drone.

  "You're late," Kira told him.

  Rage flashed across his face before being buried. Graydon straightened, danger rolling off him, carrying an almost tangible kiss of steel.

  This was a man very much in touch with his inner monster. The primus she'd faced wasn't anywhere near as terrifying as Graydon as his gaze lingered on the welts dotting every inch of exposed flesh.

  Kira was too exhausted to move or even pretend she was in better shape than she was. Every part of her throbbed. Fine tremors shook her hands.

  At long last Graydon inhaled, shaking himself slightly before aiming a dangerous smile her way. "I didn't want to take your spotlight."

  Kira couldn't even summon the ghost of a grimace to pretend at disdain. She was glad to see him. This fight had been close. Much closer than she wanted to think about. She'd danced along the abyss's edge and barely escaped.

  If the pattern hadn't broken, she wasn't sure Graydon would have arrived in time to save anything.

  "I look forward to experiencing the form your gratitude takes for saving your ass," Graydon told her, his pleasant expression not touching the darkness in his eyes.

  Finn arrived, appearing out of the trees like a ghost. He took in Kira's state, a heavy look dropping over his face. She could practically read his thoughts, feel his self-recrimination that she was hurt on his watch.

  "The kids?" she asked.

  "Safe. I killed the tala dogs and summoned help for the injured."

  The tight feeling in her stomach that had been there since she'd left Joule behind loosened. Her nod was sharp, conveying her gratitude.

  "Thanks," she told him. "I couldn't have done this without you."

  He might not like that she'd drawn the primus off, but his actions had likely saved the initiates. That was well worth any harsh feelings he might have.

  His expression thawed the faintest bit, and his nod was slow. Graydon's oshota appeared out of the trees, Maida and several from Roake at their side.

  With effort, Kira gathered herself, straightening with an internal wince. She might want to collapse into a puddle on the ground, but what would that say to her audience?

  Right now, she looked like a badass. The evidence of her abilities strewn all around her. No need for anyone to see how much this had cost her.

  Always keep them guessing, as Jin would say.

  "You destroyed one drone," she told Graydon. "Don't go getting a big head about it, or else I'll point out all the ones you didn't destroy."

  Those who'd joined them looked at the truth of her words. Kira knew how she must look, her skin covered in red welts, her clothing torn and dirty, broken drones all around her like a scene out of a holovid science fiction nightmare.

  Now to seal her badassery for the ages. Walking toward Graydon was an effort every bone and muscle in her body protested, her vision going gray along the edges, her head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton.

  Graydon remained motionless as she pulled abreast. "We're going to have a long conversation about this later."

  Kira had hit her wall, not even those dire words could summon more than faint
alarm. "But not now."

  The skin around his eyes tightened. "No, not now."

  Good. Whatever had put that look on his face could wait.

  Walking out of here was going to be a bitch and a half.

  Disbelief and awe were on the faces of those she moved past.

  Kira wavered, almost toppling as she forced her feet to move. Finding a deep dark hole where she could rest and regain her strength had become a priority.

  Willpower only took you so far, and she'd just hit the end of hers.

  Graydon's hand settled under her elbow. "Don't spoil your little demonstration by collapsing now."

  "Easier said than done."

  Graydon raised his voice, speaking to their audience. "Clean up this mess and get Devon to the healers." To Kira, he murmured, "So you do have a limit; how very human of you."

  Kira snarled silently. She forced one foot in front of the other, then did it again and again. The tree line closing with agonizing slowness.

  Finally, they were there. Kira made it two steps into its cover before her legs collapsed.

  Graydon caught her as she fell, lifting her to cradle her against his chest. "Good girl."

  He strode through the trees, his pace fast as her head lolled on his shoulder. She was too spent to give a token protest. She'd make sure to do that later when she could move her limbs again.

  Over his shoulder, Kira caught the concerned look Finn and Amila shared, worry written on their faces.

  The path she'd taken through the trees had seemed so short with the primus chasing her, but now it felt never-ending as Kira struggled not to lose consciousness.

  Graydon jostled her when her eyes closed for a second time. She blinked slowly up at him.

  Concern and anger warred in his expression. "What possessed you to take on a primus?"

  She forced herself out of the darkness's embrace. Tempting as it was to slip away and escape the pain radiating through her body—her very cells feeling swollen and tender—she couldn't. Not until she was safe.

  Her lips lifted in a halfhearted grin. "I don't think I did so bad, considering I can't reach my ki."

  Graydon's pace increased, not quite running. Her old drill instructor would have said he was moving with a purpose.

  Kira nodded off, waking herself at the last second.

  "Not far now," he assured her. "That course is meant to be taken with two oshota pods. Not by a single woman with suicidal impulses."

  "I see the conversation you wanted to have couldn't wait," Kira observed, her eyes drifting shut. Her words slurred. "I got skillz."

  Graydon bounced her in his arms, jarring her awake. "No, you don't get to fall asleep now. Stay awake."

  Kira moaned. So annoying.

  "At least this time, I saved you. I think I deserve a reward," Graydon said, his voice tight.

  Kira knew what he was trying to do. He wanted a fight.

  It worked. From somewhere, she summoned enough strength to fix him with a glare. "Bullshit, you killed one. I destroyed nearly two dozen."

  "In battle, it doesn't matter how many you kill if the last enemy still gets you," Graydon taunted.

  A thin growl escaped her. "I would have had it. You didn't need to interfere."

  He raised an arrogant eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because it looked to me like you needed saving."

  "You should take off those goggles you're wearing. They're impeding your vision," Kira said, disappointed to find her words lacked the appropriate bite.

  "I'd like to know how you managed to reset the parameters while being chased by an infuriated primus," Graydon said in a silky voice.

  "I thought we weren't doing this now."

  His smile held teeth. "Soon then."

  Her head sagged. No amount of taunting or will power was going to keep her upright much longer.

  "We're there." He set her on her feet.

  "Oh goody," Kira muttered. Resignation filled her.

  They moved out of the cover of the trees, Kira taking those last few steps on her own, her pace slow and measured.

  "See the conveyance," Graydon murmured. "Make it there, and you're done."

  She could do that. She'd pay for it later, but she could do it.

  The trek across the small distance felt interminable. The edges of her vision were fading as Graydon snapped a few words. The Roake near the conveyance moved, opening the door and stepping back.

  Graydon was careful not to touch her during the forced march.

  Kira reached the conveyance and stopped, staring at the two stairs standing between her and blessed unconsciousness. They might as well have been a mountain guarded by a fast-moving river, that was how much of an obstacle they presented.

  "One step at a time," Graydon murmured.

  One step at a time. Like everything else in life. Focus on the next thing. Only then could you look up.

  Kira didn't know how she made it up the steps, her vision entirely gone, her head spinning. Finally, she collapsed inside, Graydon crowding in after her. She was past caring who saw or judged. Her body was done.

  Darkness reached up for her; she reached back.

  *

  Kira groaned on her return to consciousness. Her body hurt, but not to the extent it should have. Before, it had felt like she'd burned off a couple of layers of skin. Now, she felt better than she had any right to, not good as new, but close.

  She blinked up at a strange ceiling.

  "Jin, we're going to need to talk about what you term non-lethal," she muttered.

  She sighed when he didn't answer. She wasn't surprised since the comms had gone dead somewhere in the middle of that last barrage, the energy coursing through her system from the laser fire probably shorting them out.

  Kira shifted in the comfortable bed, taking in her surroundings. This wasn't her tiny, dark room in the initiates hall, nor was it the med bay.

  She'd been an unwilling guest of too many a hospital room not to recognize when she was in one. None of those had looked anywhere near as inviting as this.

  The walls were stone, the furnishings comfortable and of obvious quality. Narrow windows marched along one wall, and a fireplace took up one corner, the fire within bringing the comforting smell of burning wood as it chased away any lingering chill.

  Unlike Luatha, which seemed to prefer bright whites, the room had a color palette that was warm and welcoming. Homey, for lack of a better word.

  This was the sort of place you'd look forward to coming home to at the end of the day.

  It was someone's room, Kira decided as her gaze found the man sitting in a cozy-looking chair next to the bed. He stared at something in his lap.

  Kira almost didn't recognize him without his synth armor.

  She started to sit up but didn't make it far before the pain that had been absent upon waking made itself known.

  "I'd take it easy," the man said, not looking up. "The healers did a lot, but it'll take more than twenty-eight hours of rest for you to heal."

  Kira relaxed into the bed and stared at the man, her gaze roving over familiar features, ones she saw in the mirror every day, ones nearly identical to the statue Graydon had showed her of the previous Overlord.

  This man was older than the one who'd posed for the statue, the rigors that came from living a hard life stamped on his face, but the line of his jaw was the same, the set of his eyes. Hair so red it was nearly black was pulled away from his face, exposing the harsh lines of his features and the neatly trimmed beard he wore. She suspected that hair was nearly as unruly as her own.

  A scar bisected one eyebrow, missing the eye, before continuing on to his cheek. Another smaller scar was visible on his forehead.

  The man was huge, giving Graydon a run for the name Mountain. His long sleeves had been pushed up, exposing forearms corded with muscle. His chest was broad, his legs the size of tree trunks.

  "Not even going to ask who I am?" Tawny, golden-colored eyes met hers.

  Kira made herself more com
fortable. "I know who you are."

  The hair was a pretty good giveaway.

  "And who is that?" the man asked calmly.

  "The Overlord. My uncle."

  And the orchestrator of current events. If not for him and this House, she'd be on her ship. Of course, she'd also still be slowly dying, so you couldn't win them all.

  When he didn't speak, Kira continued, "Is this where you give me a speech about how you love me because I'm a child of your House and want only the best for me?"

  Because if so, she'd pass.

  "You're certainly your father's daughter," the man, whose name she still didn't know because he hadn't bothered to introduce himself, mused.

  Kira didn't say anything, settling to watch and wait. Often people felt the need to fill the silence, their inane chatter revealing more than they wanted.

  Kira preferred to let other people hang themselves with their words. Usually, it worked. Not so much on this man who seemed to have taken a page out of her rule book.

  The silence between them deepened.

  "You're certainly as stubborn," he observed. It didn't sound like a compliment.

  "What are you here for?" Kira asked.

  This Overlord would be more difficult to manipulate than Liara. He wasn't an untried youth. He'd held his House together in the face of tragedy. Trying to deceive him would be like dipping a bleeding finger into a tank full of piranha. Dangerous and liable to end with her missing an arm before the end.

  No, this man had more in common with Himoto. Circling in the shadows, arranging and pushing until events took the shape he wanted.

  "Don't bother trying to pretend it's because I'm the daughter of your brother, and you want to give me a good life." Kira was many things, but a fool wasn't one of them. She had a hard time seeing the man before her as sentimental. Those emotions were often the first thing to go when faced with hardship. She had no doubt he had dealt with his fair share of that.

  "My brother was the most important person to me in this world. Ensuring his daughter has a future is the least I can do for his memory," the man said.

  "If you really care about my wellbeing, arrange passage to my ship," Kira challenged.