BlackWing: First Ordinance, Book 3 (19 page)

After he'd broken my wing, I didn't want to help Bleek, either. That's when the vision hit me. Before I knew it, I was standing and grasping one of Bleek's hands in mine while latching onto a handle of the coffin with the other. The Orb, which appeared in a blast of light, flung us away from the
Killshot
.

* * *

Avii Castle

Bel Erland

"We'll have a peek into the throne room where the interview is taking place," Master Scholar Gurnil smiled as he led us down a hallway. Justis had delivered us to him, first, before going to the throne room himself—by leaping off the library terrace and flying there.

Our journey would be a much slower one.

I'd imagined the inside of the castle to be darker. I was surprised to find it well-lit with solar lights overhead and at knee-level through the halls. The halls were wide enough for three to walk side by side comfortably; the one who'd built it had certainly taken wings into consideration in the design.

I realized that Gurnil was more than curious about the interview and that's why he was taking us to the throne room first. I couldn't fault him for it; I, too, was curious, since Jurris seldom granted interviews.

It took ten minutes of determined walking by the Blue Wing scholar to reach our destination. My first look inside the Avii throne room revealed a woman journalist, who was quite pretty. A hover-mic floated over King Jurris' head as he answered questions for her. Nearby, two crewmembers watched and listened to ensure the image and sound were of good quality for broadcasting.

Except one of them wasn't doing his job. Instead of staring at the comp-vid images on the tablet he held, he watched someone who stood not far from Jurris' side—his young son, Liron. Liron's mother, Wimla, stood behind her son, her hands on his shoulders to keep the boy from running to his father.

I glanced back to the inattentive crewmember, who now wore a hungry look as he gazed at the boy.

Yanzi growled as I raised my hand.

The images from my visit to the Avii throne room will always play in my mind, as clear and crisp as the day they occurred. The camera crewman dropped the tablet and pulled a pistol from a pocket at the same time.

Yanzi flung himself forward. Jurris, seeing where the gun was aimed, also flung himself from the Avii throne.

So many things happened simultaneously, and I recall all of them with such horror-ridden clarity.

A shot was fired at the boy. Jurris and Justis leapt. Yanzi also leapt and turned to lion snake in a blink.

A flash of light.

A four-armed giant.

Quin's cry as she fell.

A glass coffin sliding across the floor and upending the one who'd fired at Liron, turning him in a somersault in the air before he crashed to the marble floor.

Justis' movement to pull Liron and Wimla away.

The bullet hitting Jurris in the forehead as he shoved himself in front of his child.

The shriek of the cameraman as he died in midair.

Yanzi's capture of the fallen Jurris, who was already dead—Yanzi had to force himself back to humanoid to catch the King's body.

If Jurris had allowed his brother to protect his child, he would have lived; Justis pulled the boy and his mother out of the bullet's path a hair's breadth before it would have hit its mark.

Jurris, understandably worried about his child, had also gone to his rescue.

Jurris died protecting his son.

Quin was up and weeping over Jurris' body; she couldn't bring back the dead. She could only heal those who hadn't crossed that threshold. One of her wings was obviously broken, and my guess of the one responsible fell upon the four-armed giant who blinked in confusion around him.

"You will stay where you are," Lafe held a blade at the Blevakian's throat. It didn't surprise me at all that the Falchani carried a hidden blade; I'd have been more surprised if he hadn't.

Justis stalked toward the one who'd shot his brother while the journalist and her soundman cowered away from his anger. Lifting the dead man by his shirt collar, he pulled the body off the floor and shook it before tossing it across the floor as if it weighed little.

Wimla and Liron wept in a corner; Gurnil, who'd stood in shock as the incident occurred before his eyes, gasped as we watched the Orb appear over Justis' head. Justis' wing color changed in seconds—from black to red. He was oblivious to it as he began to stalk the journalist and her remaining crew.

Gran?
I sent.
We need you.

* * *

Quin

Daragar came to repair my wing.

Bleek was held in a cell in the Avii dungeon, his son's coffin left just outside it so he could keep his eye on the child. Somewhere, in an orbit around Harifa Edus, several ships arrived to take
Killshot
and six other ships owned by Vardil Cayetes.

All those ships bore the
BlackWing
name and logo. For all Vardil knew, he'd been attacked by a newly formed crime syndicate—named after me. Justis, still in the throne room and in mourning while Queen Lissa and Gurnil attempted to help, refused to see any of the Avii Council.

Gurnil had sent news of the Orb's appearance and the wing color change almost immediately. That meant that the castle mourned Jurris' death and breathed a relieved sigh that they still had a Red Wing King.

I had things to tell Justis and Queen Lissa; that I'd killed the one who shot Jurris. I'd made his brain explode by enlarging the cells. I admit to being so angry when I saw him and his intent to kill Liron at Cayetes' command that I'd taken his life with barely a thought.

I blamed the Orb, too, for telling Cayetes that it—he—was Liron.

Too many things were becoming clear, after surviving in murky mystery for years. Some of those things I wasn't ready to say, yet.

Yet
.

My body was covered in bruises, thanks to Bleek's crew. At least all of them were sitting in cells, now, although a few had died attempting to escape.

Whip, unfortunately, was still alive—he'd escaped before the BlackWing ships arrived to take the others.

While Daragar ran his hands over my nude body, healing the worst of my injuries after healing the broken wing, I considered what I ought to do next.

Amlis, Rodrik and those from Vogeffa II would likely not know that they'd been marked by Cayetes. Perhaps Lissa should tell them so they'd be on guard against future attacks.

Breathing a sigh, I allowed my head to fall on Daragar's shoulder. He hummed gently as he continued his work.

* * *

Lissa

"I met him on the castle tour boat. He said he wanted to see the inside of the castle," Trese Herak wept. "He said he was from Refizan."

Translation—she'd slept with him and allowed him to convince her to take him as a member of her crew when she did her interview. Probably planned ahead of time, but I'd have to check with Quin, first.

I also had questions about the bastard's death—Karzac reported that his brain exploded. I understood Quin's grief at not being able to heal Jurris, but dead was dead and I knew of only one person and six Larentii who could reverse that. They hadn't appeared, so Jurris' resurrection wasn't to be.

Instead, the Orb had chosen to anoint Justis, which, in my mind, was more than fair. My concern, however, was that he'd be tied to Avii Castle from now on, instead of following Quin.

I understood being tied to duty.

Too well
.

* * *

Quin

"Justis?" I walked softly into his old bedroom, where he sat on the bed, his head bowed.

Red wings spilled across the bed behind him—they were magnificent and of no interest to him at the moment.

His brother was dead.

Without a word, I worked my way beneath one of his arms and settled on his lap before laying my head on his shoulder. His arms wound around me then, and he wept.

* * *

Avii Castle

Lissa

"When Justis is available, I'll discuss moving that four-armed monstrosity from his dungeon," I sighed.

"What about the child in the coffin?" Merrill asked. "It has a spell on it—the coffin and the lock. The child inside is in stasis, likely placed by Cayetes' warlock."

"Is it his child—the four-armed man's?" Dena had brought tea to Merrill and me inside Gurnil's massive library.

"I believe that's true," Merrill inclined his head in thanks for the tea.

"Do you think that's the hold this Cayetes' person had over him?" Dena asked. "Is your tea to your liking? I have more honey and milk, if you want it."

"I'll have milk," Merrill smiled at her. She blushed at his attention.

No, Merrill isn't handsome or anything. I turned my head so he wouldn't catch my smile.

"It is most of the hold Cayetes has over him." Quin had come, with Justis right behind her. She'd spoken; Justis looked haggard. I couldn't blame him—he'd lost the only brother he'd ever had.

Now he was saddled with the Avii throne while he mourned Jurris and worried about Liron and his mother.

"What do you think we should do with Mr. Bleek, Quinnie Bee?" I asked.

"I think I should heal his son, and then see what Bleek does. I just don't have a way past the spell on the lock or the coffin."

"I can get the boy out," I shrugged. "Without upsetting the spells."

"I'll have to heal him the second he's out," she sighed. "He'll die if I don't."

"What about the one who killed my brother?" Justis muttered, anger in his voice.

"I killed him," Quin turned to Justis and placed a hand on his chest. "I made him die—as he killed your brother. I'm sorry I couldn't save Jurris. I wanted to."

"Who was he?" I asked.

"Cayetes' assassin," Quin turned back to me while Justis placed his arms around her and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "Magul. That was his name. I wish I could send a message to Cayetes, but I know he's already left Zephili—he did that the moment he knew his ships around Harifa Edus were under attack."

"You said he was on Zephili," I sighed, covering my face with both hands. "An Alliance world. Fuck."

"He could be anywhere, now," Quin said. "He's quite good at self-preservation, as we've seen already."

"We found Sirenali aboard each of Cayetes' ships," I dropped my hands and blinked at Quin. "Most of them are dying, and they aren't that old."

"A flaw in the cloning process," Quin explained. "I healed one of them. I can heal the others, too. I don't believe any of them wanted to be where they were. None of them can speak, either, if they're like the first one."

"Yes, we've already discovered that," I agreed. "None know how to read or write—they only know they'll be beaten if they don't obey."

"Like Terrett," Quin closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Terrett teach himself," Yanzi appeared, bringing Terrett with him.

"Terrett?" Quin jerked her head up and held out her hand.

He took it and kissed it, giving Quin a smile. I'd never seen a Sirenali in love. I'd only seen those who were cold and calculating, who valued no lives except their own. This, I think, was how it was supposed to be.

"Shall we heal a young Blevakian?" I stood and held out a hand to Merrill.

"Why do you want to heal him?" Justis growled. His arms dropped and he frowned at Quin as she turned to look at him.

"Because I want to see whose side his father falls on afterward," Quin replied. "Cayetes is afraid of Bleek. If Bleek agrees to work with us, he will become a powerful soldier in our army."

When did she become a general?
Merrill quipped in mindspeech.

No idea
, I responded.
Let's heal the boy and see what happens
.

* * *

Quin

"Queen Lissa will bring your child out of the coffin," I explained to Bleek, who looked as if he'd been punched in the stomach when we'd arrived to examine the coffin. He was terrified for his son—that was easy to see.

"How?" Bleek's voice was a low whisper. The bars of his cage held him back; he might have tried to kill all of us if they hadn't. All four hands gripped thick, steel bars as he gazed upon his son. "He'll die," Bleek moaned.

"That is not our plan," Lissa snapped. "Quin will do her best to heal him. After all, the boy hasn't done wrong. Just you."

"How can you get him out?"

"I'm a vampire who can turn to mist," Lissa said. "I can mist him out, the spell won't be triggered and the boy won't be harmed."

"Show me." Bleek's grip on the bars tightened.

"All right."

Lissa disappeared before Bleek's eyes. Then Bleek disappeared a moment later, landing outside his cage beside Lissa and not far from the coffin.

"For now, we'll trust you," Lissa said. "Make a wrong move and Merrill here will kill you."