Queen of the Savages - Complete (22 page)
"Even devils are humanoid," Lucina pointed out with a wide smile, as if she reveled at the prospect of standing her ground against creatures so unholy. Being pretty, small, and blonde, she was like a militant angel.
Unable to share her enthusiasm, I once again looked out the window at the glow flies in the dark sky, ignoring the girl with the mousy hair and earthy brown eyes faintly reflected in the glass. I was not a warrior, not like Lucina, or Gallia, or any of the other women on the Fortuna.
I mean, I had skills, I was perhaps one of the most skilled fighters on board, but I considered intellect a stronger weapon than a spear. And I was an optimist. We didn't know what the Surtu wanted, or why they were hell bent on attacking us, but I believed there was still a way to work our differences out before war began.
Such sentiment was why I was in the kitchen, and Gallia was in command.
I turned towards the door, dropping the rag on the counter. "I guess I better go see our Queen Sister," I said, using the name Lucina and I secretly thought of for Gallia. "Maybe she wants a chance to yell at me one last time before the Surtu attack."
"Probably," Lucina supposed. "She better start yelling now. Based on the formation of those ships out there, we don't have much time left."
"Terra Lynch, how old are you?" Gallia asked as I entered her office. Like me, she was dressed in a skin-tight, plain white jumpsuit. It was the standard uniform on the Fortuna, regardless of rank.
One of many differences between Gallia and myself was that her jumpsuit complimented her raven black hair and green eyes, which were both reckless and wise simultaneously.
"Twenty-four," I answered.
She didn't seem pleased. "You're a little young, but it still might work."
A little young? Gallia wasn't that much older than me. Few women on the Fortuna were. Many left in their thirties, ready to fall in love and start a family after serving their time, like my mother had.
"I've watched you train, Terra," Gallia stated. "You're one of the most skilled warriors on the Fortuna, but you have no bite. Why is that?"
"I think weapons should be the final solution, not the first," I said truthfully. I was confused as to why I was there.
Gallia frowned. "Even when the enemy already has their weapons pointed at you?" she asked.
"That's when your mind will catch them off-guard," I said earnestly.
"That sounds like fancy bullshit to me," she returned. "Why are you here if you won't fight? The whole reason for the Fortuna's existence is to fight."
I was getting nervous. Gallia's words suggested dissatisfaction with my performance. Was she thinking of sending me home?
I hoped not.
"The Fortuna is my legacy," I said, choosing my words carefully. "I've trained to be here since I was a little girl. It has always been my destiny. This space station is everything I know. I never said I wouldn't fight to protect it. I understand our purpose here. I just think we have to fight with our heads and our hearts as much as our fists."
"There's no heart in war," Gallia imparted. "You're naive to think so."
"Please don't send me home," I begged. "I'm an asset to this station."
She seemed amused. "Enlighten me."
"The girls trust me. They turn to me for support. They need me, especially now."
Gallia wasn't fazed. "That's why we have Bellona. She's here to provide counsel."
I thought of Bellona, the fiery priestess on board. "She's here to play a role. Her counsel is that of a superior. Mine is that of a friend."
I was panicked. I couldn't let Gallia send me home, no matter what the danger of staying here was. Although I did not want to fight, my life had purpose on the Fortuna.
My last remark caught Gallia's attention. "You think Bellona is playing a role?"
"Bellona is an assassin before she is a priestess, able to live in the shadows, her first strike her last. Her counsel is sensible, but it's not always comforting. I mean, we're all playing a role here, right? I'm no kitchen porter. I can barely pretend to be one. I wish the Fortuna had a library. A real one, not the one with all the forged spiritual text. That's where I belong. I like to learn."
"And you're also a trained warrior," Gallia said thoughtfully.
"Yes, and that. Please don't send me away."
"I'm not sending you home," Gallia revealed, her expression softening. "You're right, you are an asset to the Fortuna, despite your own personal philosophies on warfare. That's why I'm making you Commander."
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