Ki Book One (25 page)

“
If you take me back to Zeneethia, I’ll
find a way. You won’t continue you’re experiments on me.
I’ll find a
way
.”

He dropped the plate beside him and
grabbed her shoulders
.
“You don’t know what you’re saying. I realize the experiments might
be... uncomfortable. But they are necessary. We need you. You can
save lives.”

“
Uncomfortable?” she choked on her words,
tears staining her cheeks as she jerked her head away from
him.

“
Hey, I’m sorry. But there’s no other way,”
Max didn’t let go of her shoulders.

“
Get away from me. Just leave me alone. I
won’t go back with you. If you take me up there I’ll find a
way—”

He
stood up, the plate falling from the bed and shattering by
his boots. His face was white, the muscles loose, his mouth cracked
open. “You can make this hard for yourself,” his words were slow
and staccato as he searched her gaze, “but we won’t let you do
anything. You’re too valuable to us.”

“
Why?” she screamed. It sent shooting pain
through her neck and throat, and she heaved in a gasp, clutching at
her mouth.

He stood back, gaze still darting over
her. “Don’t hurt yourself, please,” he tried.

“
Why?” she screamed again. But she could
hardly force her voice out. Bringing her hands down to her neck,
she groped at it as she panted through the pain.

Max sucked in his lips, locking his jaw
tight until the line of it cut a shadow against his neck. “Just
don’t hurt yourself. Don’t make me knock you out. I will do it.
I’ll do
anything
to keep
you safe.”

Shaking, she pushed herself backwards until
she was propped against the cold, uneven wall. Holding his gaze,
she finally closed her eyes.

Without another word he walked out. Minutes
later more food and water were brought to her room. If she didn’t
partake in it, she knew he would be back. Next time he would come
good on his threat and force the food down her gullet or
anesthetize her and feed her through a drip.

While everything seemed uncertain, there
was one thing she could not doubt – his resolve. Max appeared ready
to do anything.

Chapter
Fifteen

She awoke the next morning to a knock on the
door. During the night she’d been given a new set of clothes and
the chance to get clean. Tugging on the loose-fitting cardigan
she’d been given, she rose slowly.

Though her body had been overcome with
lassitude last night, she’d only caught a fitful sleep. Planting
her hand on her forehead, pushing up her fringe, she waited for the
door to open.

Expecting to see Max, she was taken aback
when the Major walked in, two tall Guards behind him. Standing
there, one leg leaning up against her cot, she waited for him to
say something... anything. He simply stood their though, appraising
her with a calculating look.

“
Yes?” she hazarded, bringing her hands up
and pulling at the sleeves of her over-large cardigan, fixing it
around her as tightly as she could make it.

“
Come with us,” the Major flicked a hand at
her, turned sharply on his boot, and marched out.

A pulse of doubt ignited as she watched
him go. Where was Max? What were they going to do with her? And why
had the Major taken the time to so thoroughly analyze her before
making his move?

Trying to keep her hands and tattoos tucked
out of view, she followed. The two tall Guards who had accompanied
the Major immediately took up post either side of her. They were
carrying large, sleek machine guns, and unlike the other men she’d
seen at this facility, they did not curse her. They didn’t even
look her way. Their expressions were neutral and attentive.

Frowning, her doubt began to grow. Something
didn’t seem right here.

They walked her down the corridor and out
into a yard. It was a cold, fog-kissed morning, and she could see
the remains of a frost still hunkered under the shadow of the
various sheds and buildings. She was thankful they had given her
new clothes, even if they hardly fit her. A skirt, a blouse, a
cardigan, stockings, and some buckle shoes. They were worn and very
old in their style, but she wasn’t about to complain. The leggings
were thick and kept her feet thankfully warm.

Breath chilling to white in the frozen
morning, she stared around her, trying to find Max. He was nowhere
to be found.

Her lingering doubt quickly turned to a
full-bodied fear as they led her past a wall riddled with bullet
holes.

Were they going to execute her? Had they
dismissed Max’s story and dispatched him in the night?

Clutching a hand to her collar and
flattening the fingers onto her cold skin, she tried to keep
control of her emotions. If she was going to be executed, surely it
was for the best. At least she would finally be free from the
Zeneethians.

Before she could strengthen her resolve,
they walked her right past the wall and to a waiting car.

“
Where are you taking me?” she tried as she
heard the engine start with a rumble.

Neither of the Guards answered. The Major
had already walked ahead.

She was not handcuffed, but that all changed
when they loaded her into the back of the vehicle. They also pulled
another bag over her head. While she was not yanked and pulled
around as much as she had been yesterday, these new Guards had a
keen, cold efficiency that was somehow far more unsettling.

She knew better than to ask questions, but
as the car revved up and its tires crunched over the gravel, panic
filled her.

It stayed with her, niggling at her gut,
until their journey was over. In less than half an hour, they came
to a stop. Again she was loaded out, someone securing her arm and
leading her down from the back of the transport and out over an
uneven ground. The heels of her worn buckle shoes made a strange,
hollow, thumping sound over the terrain, reminding her of wet rope
moving over wood.

She had no idea where she was. The bag over
her head completely obscured the view and any smell or other hint
her environment could give her.

As she walked, she began to hear voices. She
was brought to a stop just as she recognized one.

Max.

Though she hated herself for it, relief and
hope rose through her at the sound of his voice.

“
Why the hell does she have that bag over
her head again? I’ve told you how important she is to our plans.
Her safety is of utmost importance. Remove it immediately,” Max
snapped.

She felt someone tug the bag free. She
winced against the sudden sunshine, unable to clamp a hand over her
eyes to shade it.

As she adjusted, she looked around her.

They were on a wharf. There was a keen salty
breeze washing in from the ocean behind. A large ship was docked
just behind them, throwing a huge shadow over the group. Seagulls
took off and landed over the loading equipment piled up by the
ship, sailors working far off down the way, their shouts mixing
with the distinct call of the birds.

She was not used to the ocean. Her monastery
had been up in the hills of the Hega Province. Landlocked, she’d
only been down to the coast four or five times.

The chill of the wind against her face was
refreshing, and the view of that crystal-like water stretching on
towards the cloudless horizon was mesmerizing.

“
Why is she handcuffed?” Max was standing
almost ten meters from her, arguing with the Major. A little of
Max’s calm authority had worn off. Even to someone less skilled in
empathy than her, it would have been obvious that he was
stressed.

“
She is handcuffed because she is a
dangerous prisoner. I should not need to remind you that she is a
Tarkan spy,” the Major had his hands clasped firmly in front of
him. He was dressed in a full military uniform, a handgun slotted
into a holster at his belt. His demeanor also matched his outfit –
warlike, he hardly shifted his mouth as he spoke.

“
I am well aware of that fact,” Max spat,
“as you should be aware that you’re superiors have given you a
direct order. Why have you taken her here? You should have handed
her over to me already.”

“
We are here, Archer Reed, because we have
deemed travel by road too risky. We have received recent reports of
Tarkan activity close to our border. We have decided it is safest
to move our prisoner by sea. The Tarkan Navy has never been a match
for our own.”

“
Sea?
Need I remind you, she is not your prisoner. Her
security is not your concern. Unless you are seeking a severe
reprimand, hand her over at once.”

“
I am doing my duties as they are outlined
by law. I do not need to be reminded of them by a pup with a
position above his competence. Your so-called prisoner is my
concern as long as she is in my jurisdiction. And I have made the
decision that it is too risky to transport her by road. She will be
shipped—”

“
This is not your call,” Max growled. His
anger peaked in that moment, all control seemingly lost as every
one of his neck muscles ridged with tension.

“
This is not up for discussion,” the Major
nodded at the two Guards holding Ki. Immediately they began to walk
her towards the long, rusted gangplank of the ship. She caught a
glance of the name emblazoned across the prow. The
Maqueda.

“
Major, think about what you are doing
here. This could cost you your career,” Max straightened up, his
once-ferocious anger quelling into something far darker.

“
The transport of these prisoners is my own
concern,” the Major nodded at another car that was parked off to
the side of the group.

The door opened and two Guards got out,
pulling a man between them.

Jackson.

Ki stopped, one foot on the gangplank as
she strained her neck towards him. “Jackson?”

He was too far away for her to read his
expression.

Before she could shout his name again, one
of the Guards beside her told her in an impassive voice to be
quiet.

They did not push her up the gangplank
though. They all waited there by the side of the dock.

“
What the hell is he still doing alive? We
agreed he would be executed this morning,” Max twisted to stare at
Jackson.

That news seemed to clutch and crawl its way
up Ki’s spine, and she felt her cheeks pale from the shock of
it.

Jackson was an Ashkan, why would they
execute him?

It was such an innocent question, she
realized with a pang. She was dealing with the Zeneethians here –
they could do whatever they pleased. Jackson had gotten in their
way, he knew about their technology and capabilities, of course
they weren’t going to allow him to live.

Yet he was still alive, much to the clear
surprise of Max.

Something was going on here.

Before she could wonder what that thing was.
The Guards next to her stepped to the side. She hardly noticed as
she fixed her concentration on Jackson.

“
You have continually tried to undermine my
authority. I will accept that no longer. This is my jurisdiction,
and I will use the authority that has been vested in me by the
Ashkan High Command to ensure the security of this State. If we
disagree about how your prisoner can be transported, she will not
be moved at all.” The Major turned from Max and walked towards the
ship.

“
What are you doing?” Max moved to follow
him, but several Guards snapped up and moved in front, shouldering
their rifles.

The Major walked casually towards her. She
watched in total confusion as he reached for his gun.

As he passed a pile of crates and equipment
ready to be loaded on the ship, several gulls took flight, their
calls echoing above the dock as they flew towards the ocean.

She stepped down from the gangplank, her
heart all but stopping.

She watched the Major raise his gun. With no
further warning, he shot her.

She fell against the gangplank, slipped to
the side, and down into the water far below.

Chapter
Sixteen

Jackson hated every moment of it. Watching
the Major shoot Ki at point blank, seeing her fall between the ship
and the dock. Hearing that splash seconds later.

Skin slicked with a cold, drenching sweat,
he waited.

Max snapped.

He launched himself at the three Guards
who had positioned themselves before him. He moved so fast they
couldn’t react. Landing a blow to the nearest one with is fist, he
twisted, slamming another in the jaw with his elbow as he
simultaneously kicked the remaining one in the gut.

In a flash, he’d dispatched them and grabbed
up one of their guns, rolling to the side and bringing it up.

If Jackson had never seen the Zeneethian
Scouts in action before, Max’s display would have been
unbelievable.

Max snapped up from his
roll
, aiming at the
Guards closest to him. Though he clearly tried to shoot them, the
gun would not work.

It had no bullets in it.

Realization dawning on him, Max’s face
paled, slack jaw shifting open.

“
Surround him,” the Major yelled as he ran
back from the dock.

Max took a single step back, letting the gun
fall from his grip as it clattered onto the ground by his feet.