Abendau's Heir (The Inheritance Trilogy Book 1) (22 page)

“You’re about the only person he hasn’t out-manoeuvred,” she said.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

They fell silent, but it was comfortable, unforced. It was like the night before, when something had built between them. He was watching her, openly, his eyes focused on her, but it didn't feel uncomfortable.

“How did the meeting go?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Very well. I guess you heard?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ve known for a couple of days. Congratulations, Lieutenant. I couldn’t tell you– it was confidential.”

“It’s fine. It was nice to be surprised,” he said, his eyes locked on hers, as if he could see her very soul.

She set her glass down. “It’s just, whatever happens– ”
don’t force it, you don’t know anything will “
–
that won’t change– the confidentiality.”

“Really, it’s fine. I don’t snoop, I told you that. You know, what you said today, about me making your choices for you?”

“Yes?”

“I thought about it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “All day. I got nothing done– Lichio thought it was hilarious. I’m going to be a bit mysterious and say there
are
some things I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because I promised Karia I wouldn’t tell anyone about some things that happened on the ship, near the end. It was one of the last things I promised her.”

“Okay,” she said. She had asked the same from him, after all.

“I will tell you my father predicted that if I stood against my mother, others around me might be hurt, too. In building the system, fighting for the Banned on Corun, I’ve stood against her, and she
will
see it that way. I’m certain of that. Dad was, as Lichio pointed out, close to insane but he was still a Seer, and it’s hard to discount him.”

“Aren’t you scared?” she asked. He didn’t look away, but she saw a muscle twitch in his cheek.

“Sometimes.” He took her hand and entwined his fingers through hers, rubbing the palm of her hand with his thumb, making her light-headed. “I’m telling you so you can make your mind up. I’ve tried pushing you away, and it’s not working. So I thought I would just tell you, and let you decide. What was it you said– see if you wanted to say sod off or sod it?”

She paused, thinking about his words, and the atmosphere built around them, filling the apartment.

“Sod it,” she said. He kissed her. She could feel the heat of his body, the strength in his arm as held her against him, the tension in him easing. She tilted her head back, eyes closed, savouring the warmth of him, the closeness, how his lips were on hers, insistent, how his hands tightened on her waist, bringing her even closer. There was no way she could deny this. When he broke off, she made a soft noise of disappointment.

“I really, really like you,” he said, his voice shaking. “If I stay any longer, I’ll not be able to say no to you, and I want you to take another bit of time, and just think about what I said.”

“I know what I want,” she told him.

He stood up, and she did too. She took his arm and pulled him towards her but the soft fabric of his shirt slipped through her fingers. He put his finger on her lips, gently, and shook his head.

“Just take some time, even a little time, and be sure. I know I must come across as a bit paranoid– not sleeping in barracks, not leaving the base– but I’m not. I know what my mother is capable of. Think about it, before we let this go further. Please.”

She kissed his finger and he groaned, telling her what she already knew– if she wanted, she could make him stay.

“I’m going,” he said. “I have to, but I swear I’ll see you tomorrow. Just sleep on it for tonight, okay? I’m going to go to my own bed, in the barracks, to do the same.”

She thought about keeping him here, and then decided against it. Not if he didn’t want to.

“You know it’s not because I don’t like you?” he said. “You know it’s because I do like you that I’m going?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and let him open the door and go.

For a moment, she stood in the quiet apartment. Perhaps he was right. It had been so urgent between them, so overwhelming, that she had barely breathed properly all evening.

She got up, taking their glasses to the kitchen, and poured some water, turning off lights as she did. A few minutes later she snuggled down in bed and then groaned.
Lichio
. If she didn’t call, he would; he was far too nosy not to.

He answered his comms unit quickly. “Hi, did you change your mind?” he said, his voice low and intimate. She wondered, briefly, which girl he’d been with, but decided it was best not to know.

“Hi, Lich,” she giggled, “that probably tells me what sort of evening you had. Bad luck.”

“Your sympathy's touching," he said, in his normal voice. "Where’s Kare? You should be entertaining him, not calling me.”

“He’s away.”

“Hard luck. That’s both of us blown out. It went well, though?” he asked.

“Yes, and that’s all I’m telling you, so stop digging. I’m only calling because I’m going to bed, and I didn’t want you waking me.”

Her brother’s voice softened. “I’m glad it went well. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Sonly put down her comms unit and turned out the light. She was just starting to drift off when the unit went again. She cursed and turned the light back on.

“Yes?” she asked, tersely. She was always nervous of calls at night. When she’d been growing up, it was often a call that had got her dad up, followed by the sirens ordering an evacuation of the base.

“Sonly, when did you say Kare had left?” asked Lichio.

“About half an hour ago.”

“He’s not in the barracks, nor the project room. I sort of thought I’d catch up with him, but I can’t find him.”

You sort of thought you might snoop.
“Call his comms unit.”

“I did– he’s not answering.”

Sonly sat up. A cold finger of fear ran down her spine. He’d told her he was still a target.

“Lichio, get down to the port. Tell them to stop all flights. I’ll meet you there.”

Lichio didn’t respond and she knew he probably thought she was overreacting, but she didn’t think she was. Kare had left to go to the barracks.

“Sonly, he’ll be around somewhere, don’t panic.”

“Now!” she said. Her voice
was
panicked and her heart was beating too quickly, making her breathless. She got out of bed and started to dress. “Lichio, go! I’d rather be wrong and have flights delayed than…”

He must have caught the desperation in her voice, because this time he said, “I’m on my way.”

Her comms unit went dead and she finished dressing. Running, she left the apartment and went to the port. Something was wrong; she knew it.

Thermals
. Next time Silom saw Lichio le Payne, he’d shove a pair of them somewhere he wouldn’t forget. He shivered, his hands– in thin, thermal gloves– gripping his bolt-caster. He flexed his fingers, knowing to keep them supple, and glanced up at Merrandron’s sky. Grey, heavy clouds rolled in; it was going to snow again.

“There.”

He followed the line of Charl’s finger and saw the small group of soldiers emerge from the barracks.

“Wait.”

This was what he liked about being a corporal: taking on a mission, being involved in the planning and trusted to carry it out. He brought his caster up, waiting for the last man to pass the transport. The scope zoomed in on the man, feeling oddly off-target with its calibration for the lighter gravity. Silom checked his features against what he’d been shown and confirmed he wore the livery of a general. Silom’s mouth tightened–
a general who’d ordered the massacre two weeks ago on Callazon. There was a low buzz as the target was confirmed, and he pulled the trigger, a bolt pulsing above the snow field. The general let out a cry, the bolt lodging in his neck, burrowing.

“…two, one,” counted Charl, and the general’s carotid exploded in a gush of blood, spraying across the snow. His knees buckled.

“Go!”

Charl and Silom skidded down the hill, steps off-kilter, too light and fast, to where Davos and Kym were waiting, scoots primed. Silom climbed behind Kym, his hand around her waist. “Go!”

They crossed the snow to the waiting Banned transporter. The scoots cleared the wide gangway, their treads adjusting easily, and before the soldiers had dismounted, the gangway was closed and the transport lifted off, ready to join the Banned squadron above. Silom pulled down his hood and took off the balaclava underneath. “Well done, everyone. Good job."

The squad moved into the main cabin and Silom sank onto one of the seats, tired but proud. Space battles might be what newcomers wanted to be part of– he guessed there was an Ealyn Varnon in everyone– but this type of mission was pretty bloody satisfying, too.

Kym sat beside him, pulling off her thin gloves. Her hair, too, was mussed, but it suited her.

“They’ll have to close down the Nero base,” she said.

“I expect so. They wouldn’t have attacked so close, otherwise.” He paused, took a deep breath– he had to tell her; he’d been putting it off for a week. “I’ve been offered a transfer.”

Her eyes widened a little. “Where to?”

“Back on base.”

“Why the hell would you go to the base? It’s boring– you’ll end up stuck in a training role or something.”

He rubbed his hand over his chin. She was right, it was in the training corps. “I haven’t accepted it yet. I wanted to tell you first."

“I don’t want you to go,” she said, softly. “I like working with you.”

“Really? That’s the only reason you don’t want me to go?”

She smiled, her eyes shining. “Well, one of them…”

He was quiet for a moment, not sure what to tell her: that his friend was at the base, and he was choosing him over her? He’d be lucky if she didn’t shoot him, and with her aim, he’d be singing soprano. He put his head back on the seat rest. “It’s complicated.”

“Why?”

He could try the truth: sorry, I have this cousin, and his father said he’s going to bring down the Empress, and I’m pretty sure I’m involved somewhere, that I met him for a reason. Oh, and by the way I’m crazy about you, and the last girl I was crazy about got– what? …killed, questioned, escaped… her life turned upside down in some way because of it all.

“It just is. Look, if I did go back– we’d see each other, right? On leave and what not.”

“It wouldn’t be the same.”

True
. “I’ll think about it.”

A door opened and one of the pilots came towards him.

“Corporal Dester?”

“That’s right.”

“There’s been a change of plan,” the pilot said, not quite meeting Silom’s eyes. “We’re to go directly to Holbec.”

“Why?”

The pilot looked away for a moment, and then back. “They didn’t say why. Just that you were to be brought in.”

Silom’s heart started to beat too quickly. It had to be Kare, there was no one else they’d recall him for. What had happened? Had he been taken? Or thrown his head up and left– and he might, if he thought he was becoming too much of a danger. He nodded his thanks and tried to stay calm; he'd find nothing more out until they landed and even at top speed, that was six hours off.

“What was that about?” asked Kym.

He paused for a moment, before reaching out and taking her hand. “That, I think, was the shit just hitting the fan.”

***

In the port– at least she’d called it right, wherever Kare was, he hadn’t been found– Sonly gripped Lichio’s hand so tightly it must be hurting him, but he didn’t complain.

Eevan paced opposite, casting dark glances across at them. “Ma’am, if they have him...” his words trailed off as he looked at Rjala.

Sonly swallowed, determined to face the truth. “They’ll question him.”

“They will.” Lichio put his free arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “I’m sorry.”

She gulped and nodded; questioning in Abendau meant only one place. She wondered what exactly they did in Omendegon, and pushed the thought away. It might not come to that. Oh, lord, please let it not come to that.

“Surely his information is limited to the project only?” asked Eevan.

Sonly looked at him, hating him. Kare was a person– more than that, a person who’d been holding her and kissing her a couple of hours ago. Tears pricked her eyes; why the hell hadn’t she made him stay?

Rjala crossed her arms. “If they have him, it’s serious.” She glanced at Sonly. “Serious enough we’d have to consider relocating. The project overarches our offensive and security programmes; the base would be compromised. How are we fixed for that, with Michael off base?”

Her words cut through Sonly’s fear, making her focus. “If we have to, we can: it’s prepared. I’d have to see Glen; he needs to mobilise the emergency base team.” Rjala nodded, and Sonly went on, “But that’s only if they have him, and he talks…”

Eevan snorted. “When he talks– he’ll not last two minutes in Omendegon. He may be some genius programmer, but physically he’s a sack of shit.” He spat in disgust. “Let’s hope we can find him. We’ve got ships tracking anyone who left tonight, but they have to board each– there’ll be some we don’t get to.”

Rjala took the decision. “Focus on what’s here. If he’s gone, we can’t do anything except prepare.”

“How sure are you he hasn’t decided to go himself? That he wasn’t here to get the information you’ve kindly given him?” Eevan asked.

“I’m sure,” Sonly said. “He wouldn’t do that; he wouldn’t betray us.”

Rjala paused, and then said firmly, “I’m sure. I trust him implicitly.”

There was movement at the entrance to the port and a sergeant came towards them. Sonly’s heart jumped, sure they’d found him. The sergeant stopped in front of Rjala and saluted. “Colonel, we searched his quarters, and found this.”

He handed something to Rjala. Lichio’
s arm tightened on Sonly's shoulder, and she bit her lip.

Rjala looked at the object. “Thank you.” She waited until the sergeant went away. “It’s a message tab.”

She set the tab down and projected the image in front of them. Sonly gasped at the familiar features of the Empress. They listened to her words, and when the image faded there was silence.