SpellBreaker: First Ordinance, Book 4 (3 page)

We were quite surprised to see who did come.

"Zaria," she held out her hand. "One of Quin's new guards," she added. She studied me for several moments as we clasped fingers, before turning to Berel and offering her hand to him.

"You're Karathian?" Berel guessed.

"Yes, as is Ilya, the other guard. The Karathian King insisted on two guards for Quin and the Prince."

"I'm surprised you lasted a day," Berel grinned. "Quin doesn't like guards."

"But I'm so likable and nonjudgmental," Zaria grinned back.

I like her
, I sent to Berel.

Me, too
, he replied.

"Ready to go?" Zaria asked.

"Absolutely," Berel grinned.

* * *

Avii Castle

Quin

"Honey, I'm home," Zaria announced as she landed Berel and Terrett inside my sitting room. Bleek and Barc were there ahead of them; Barc wanted to show me the drawing he'd made in day class.

Ilya, who stood guard by the door, barely lifted an eyebrow, although I read in him that he wanted to laugh—for a second time that day.

"Look," Barc wagged his comp-vid drawing at Zaria.

"What is this?" Zaria took the comp-vid. "Why, it's a reptagator," she breathed. "And a very good one, I might add."

"She guessed it," Barc was overjoyed and clapped all four hands.

"You figured that out?" Bleek said, taking the comp-vid from Zaria. "I didn't get it."

"Here—see, this is his snout, with all the teeth," Zaria pointed at the drawing. "His legs, rubbery hide—it's a reptagator."

"Come here, you," Berel swung Barc into the air, making him squeal with delight.

"Dearest?" Kaldill appeared inside my sitting room, careful not to knock into anyone else. For a moment, he stared at Zaria while a fleeting expression of recognition moved across his features.

"Do we have new guards?" he turned to me then, while ignoring her.

Perhaps I was mistaken, but I could have sworn for just a moment that she was terrified.

Kaldill no longer cared that she was there, so I dismissed it as unimportant.

* * *

Ilya

Zaria excused herself, explaining that she'd spend the next two hours guarding the terrace outside Quin's suite so the two Avii guards stationed there could get a meal and rest.

"It's raining out," I said as she passed.

"I can form a shield," she muttered, brushing past me on her way through the door. I saw it, then.

The sadness. Perhaps it was because of her past—her mother's death and her forced exit from Karathia. I didn't know for certain and at that moment, I dismissed it. I hoped her skills as a witch wouldn't fail us when real trouble came. She had yet to learn what I'd asked about already—those who hunted Quin and Bel Erland.

They'd destroyed an entire planet in their attempts to kill Quin before. Things could get worse from here on out—the very throne of Karathia was their goal and they'd proven that they had no qualms about murdering anyone who stood in their way.

At least I was coming to see Zaria as something more useful than a pretty cook's assistant. She was already turning heads and deliberately ignoring all of it.

Chapter 2

Quin

"We have new information," Caylon said when he and Salidar joined us at the breakfast table. "It appears the Arden twins are taking up Cayetes' old habits and pirating the shipping lanes. Three ships were taken two days ago. The information we have indicates that some of Cayetes' old crew boarded one of the ships before the recording devices were shut down."

"Where are the ships now?" Lafe asked.

"One is missing, the other two's crews were killed and the ships left to drift after everything of value was stripped out of them."

"The one that's missing—was it a freighter?"

"Passenger ship, with a few wealthy people on board," Caylon frowned.

"You think they're looking to ransom them?" Ilya asked. He and Zaria were at the table—with several people between them. I hadn't failed to notice the distance they placed between themselves.

"We don't know, and the pirates have Sirenali, so even the most powerful can't find the hostages—wherever they are."

Terrett hmmphed in his throat, pointing out his displeasure at their use of Sirenali, all of whom were little more than slaves. Like him, they'd had their tongues removed at an early age so they couldn't place obsession—and somehow, they'd been obsessed at the same time, so they'd never be able to fold space.

"So their ID chips have been deactivated? The hostages, I mean," Zaria asked.

"It looks that way. All mundane methods of tracking have been destroyed or neutralized," Caylon replied. "No surprise, really, when you consider that we're dealing with a Fifth-level warlock and a strong, Fourth-level witch."

"These are the ones King Rylend worries about?" Ilya asked.

"Yes." I couldn't help thinking of all the lives lost, because of them and Vardil Cayetes, the master who'd commanded them.

Why they'd taken Vardil with them remained a mystery. I hoped we'd solve before it morphed into something we couldn't deal with. As far as we knew, Vardil was little more than a babbling idiot, even with the dark spells they'd placed upon him.

"So they needed Cayetes for something; that's why they took him with them," Zaria spoke. She'd said aloud what I'd been wondering myself.

"He's little more than a rag doll, according to Karzac," Caylon pointed out.

"Until they need a fingerprint, DNA, an eyescan or something else that only he has," Zaria replied.

"That's disturbing," Lafe sighed. "And could likely prove true."

"It's also a way to keep Cayetes' underlings in line—if Deris and Daris can make them believe that Cayetes is still in charge. Perhaps that's why they've started their pirating business again," Zaria pointed out. "To keep those underlings occupied with their usual duties while the Arden twins work on getting what they want from Cayetes. Once that happens, then the rest of them should watch their steps or they'll be fried—or worse—by those two."

I noticed Ilya staring at her, then; he couldn't understand how she'd gotten so much information in so little time.

As I couldn't read her, still, I was unable to tell him what he wanted to know, although I was just as curious as he was about it.

"You think we should actively hunt them, then?" I pointed my question at Zaria. "The ASD is already hunting them, for the obvious reasons. They've merely had little luck in finding them."

"Oh, we should hunt them, all right," Zaria replied. "I want to see those suckers die."

"Suckers?" Berel asked. It was an unusual term and one most of us wouldn't have used.

"Better than saying fuckers in royal company," Zaria replied, nodding to Bel Erland and me. "Excuse me, please." She scooted her chair away from the library table where we'd met for breakfast.

We watched as she made her plate disappear; I imagined it plopped onto the table in the kitchen, where it would wait to be washed by the Yellow Wings there. Then, she disappeared from our sight.

I understood the need to be alone at times. I imagined she'd return if Bel Erland or I had need of her. That was her job, after all.

Bel Erland, who sat next to me, rubbed my back gently.
She'll be back
, he sent.
I think this is new for her—she expected to be working in a kitchen
.

I understand that,
I replied
. I still like her—there's just some sadness and urgency in her. I can't put my finger on it
.

"Those words rhyme in the English language, while they don't in Alliance common," Salidar pointed out. "Sucker and fucker." He spoke in the designated language to prove his point.

"I guess you'd know," Caylon huffed before turning back to his eggs and bacon. I could tell that Sal knew something Caylon didn't, and that irked Caylon. The trouble was, that's all I could see in either of them. Whatever Sal knew, it was blocked from me for some reason, and I couldn't figure that out.

My talent appeared to be fine with everyone else, so I didn't quibble about it. I'd either learn it in time or I wouldn't. Still, it made me curious; I'd met few I couldn't read and somehow, Zaria was on that list.

"We're set to have a meeting with Justis this afternoon," Caylon said, breaking the tension at the table. "Queen Lissa is scheduled to come, too, to discuss continuing our involvement in the pirating trade. We're holding the meeting in her library."

* * *

I wasn't surprised to see the ones who'd manned the BlackWing ships before. Amos and Flossie Thompson were having tea with Queen Lissa in her library when we arrived.

Yanzi, who'd been visiting his brothers, arrived with two of them—Farzi and Nenzi. Those two had captained BlackWing II, so of course they'd be there. Yanzi gave me a firm hug and kiss before taking my hand and sitting beside me. Bel Erland grinned and let Yanzi have his seat.

Jayna had also come; Caylon was happy with her progress as a trainee and with his permission, she'd volunteered to serve aboard a BlackWing ship. His stipulation was that she continue with her training, and I imagined that someone would be on the same ship to ensure that she received it.

I'm sure he'd say the same to me; I spent two hours each day training with Justis' troops—Caylon now taught hand-to-hand combat while Ardis only taught aerial combat. In fact, Ardis lined up with the others when Caylon held training sessions. Salidar, Drake and Drew assisted Caylon, because of the sheer number of troops they trained.

Once we were all together in Lissa's library, Ilya and Zaria took up positions by the door, to guard us. I didn't imagine that anyone or anything could successfully attack Lissa in her palace, but they were ready, in case that happened.

Zaria had found a better wardrobe for her new position—suitable pants and shirts that allowed for easy movement. I imagined they'd also provide some protection if she were attacked.

Ilya wore leathers like most Falchani warriors did and, like them, he was quite serious when on duty.

"While it appears that Cayetes' ships are back in business," Lissa announced, "Kooper says they've found evidence that drakus seed has been traded between criminal factions. I think the Arden twins have used this past six months to grow more of that shit and now they're selling it."

"No word on where they're growing it?" Lafe asked.

"Nothing yet. It may be that it's growing wherever they're hiding out. As a side note, there are six more planets infected with the poison."

"So we can be assured they're not on a poisoned planet, then," Kaldill appeared inside the library. "Sorry I'm late; I've been instructing Lendill on court protocol. He has little patience, and that is a must when hearing complaints."

He turned toward me then and offered a brilliant smile. I couldn't help it—I smiled back at him.

"I suppose that means we can weed out all those planets affected," Lissa hunched her shoulders. She knew, just as I did, that something needed to be done soon or the poison would destroy the worlds it infected.

I wanted to curse the rogue gods responsible for that, but didn't fully understand which ones to blame. Liron, after all, had provided protection from the poison for Siriaa—until his death. Then, due to the failure of a physician to do as Liron asked, followed by the rise of a grasping Prince and his evil advisor, Siriaa had been overcome by the spreading menace.

I would never forget, too, the part Vardil Cayetes played in spreading the poison throughout the universe by blasting a dying Siriaa to bits.

Those bits were now traveling, unhindered, to other worlds, where the poison was more than willing to grow and spread through fertile ground.

"They need plenty of water to grow drakus seed," Kaldill pointed out, bringing me back to the present. "On Vic'Law, the fields were near the ocean, where it was easy enough to supply desalinated water to the plants during dry periods."

Kaldill knew plants and trees—I think it was in his blood, somehow. The Elf King could grow roses in solid rock if he wanted, and in seconds, too—I'd seen him do it.

He smiled at me again while a beautiful, red rose appeared in his hand. It floated toward me until I could pluck it from the air.

Thank you
, I sent to him.

You are more lovely
, he replied,
than any flower I have ever seen
.

"The Larentii have gone
Looking
for the Arden twins," Daragar announced after appearing behind my sofa. "There is obvious Sirenali involvement—we can find nothing relating to them or to the drakus seed."

"So they have Sirenali at the seed fields and Sirenali aboard the ships taking it offworld," Zaria spoke up. "Or someone would be able to find it."

"True," Daragar turned toward her. "Q'elindi," he bowed to her.

Ilya and Bel Erland drew in a breath.

* * *

Bel Erland

"Did you know?" I demanded.

"I suspected," Zaria shrugged. "I've never been tested again, so you see why it remained a suspicion."

We'd adjourned our meeting shortly after Daragar's arrival, which meant I could question Zaria about her hidden talents. I considered calling Dad, but he was in a meeting. I decided to contact him later.

"How have you survived with the visions this long?" I asked.

"I learned to block them," she said. "Some were just too painful."

"If you've learned to block them, then you're the first Q'elindi to do it," I sighed. "Why didn't you contact my father about this? He'd have welcomed you to court."

"I think he'd have been somewhat dubious," she replied. "How many do you get every year, claiming the same thing?"

"Several," I admitted. "Dad doesn't go easy on them after they lie to him and the court."

"I don't want to do that as my job," she hunched her shoulders. "I just had a bad feeling about everything—that's why I wanted a job at the palace. Something is threatening the throne. I found out what it was when I saw you the first time."