Crimson Debt: Book 1 in the Born to Darkness series (42 page)

“I’d better be going,” Reddix growled. “I
need to get back and tell your mother and father and the rest of
our people I’m their next Overlord.” He snorted. “You can imagine
for yourself their overwhelming joy at the prospect.”

“Don’t go just yet,” Saber protested. “Stay
for awhile and recuperate—you look terrible.”

“Don’t look nearly as bad as I feel,” Reddix
rasped. “But don’t worry, I’m not running straight back to Tarsia
yet. I have some unfinished business right here on that little
blue-green ball of rock all our Kindred Brothers seem so fucking
taken with.”

“On Earth?” Saber frowned. “What do you want
there?”

“It’s not what—it’s who.”

“Reddix, if I could—” Saber began.

“Don’t say another word—your mind is made up,
I can
feel
it. The certainty that you’re not coming back is
like a weight around my neck. A
heavy
fucking weight.”

“But—”

“And don’t worry.” Reddix pointed to the half
unrolled vid screen which lay on the floor. “I’ll swear to your
mother you watched that and still wouldn’t come home. It’s
doubtless only the first of many lies I’ll be forced to…”

His words trailed off and he swayed again,
much more alarmingly this time.

“Are you all right?” Saber took another step
toward him in concern. “Brother?”

“Saber, I…I…”

But Reddix never finished. His silver eyes
rolled up, showing the whites, and he dropped heavily to his knees.
Then, before Saber could take even one more step forward to catch
him, he toppled forward like a fallen tree, face forward onto the
floor.