Preda's Voice (Guardians of Vaka Book 1) (19 page)

46

T
amron was sitting in the corner, and he laughed loudly and harshly as Frak was leaving. Preda looked at him questioningly.

“Don’t you get it, Preda?” Tamron asked.

Preda shook her head in silence. She had expected some level of dissent, but this silent walkout was a far cry from the discussion she had anticipated. She had also been hoping to iron out which specific restrictions would be lifted and which would be kept in place.

“They can’t actually protest a proclamation you’ve made. You used that voice of yours,” he said with a grin. “It’s binding.”

Those left in the room looked satisfied, and some were clearly relieved to have the matter settled. Preda felt slightly nauseated. She had suspected that what she was doing would be binding, but seeing it in action was another thing altogether. The council behaved like a democratic governing body, but her position was as monarch.

Will seemed to sense her discomfort and whispered in her ear, “Remember, Preda. A body of their peers did not elect these people as they would in America.”

He was right. They had not been elected. They seemed to consider their positions birthrights.
Then again,
she thought,
what makes me qualified to govern other than birthright?
She had not even been raised on Vaka.

She looked at those remaining and saw only fierce loyalty in their eyes. They numbered seven and included Al, Laney, Percin, and Artem Vank.

“It seems we should conclude for the time being,” she said. Then she addressed Frak’s father, Percin, directly. “Thank you for your support. I hope we can persuade the others to take part in a detailed discussion of this decision and its implementation.”

He nodded in respect. “I will see to it that a meeting is scheduled as soon as possible, Madam Vozia.”

When Preda stood, the others in the room followed suit. She walked out first. She had been the last to enter the room, and now she was the first to leave it—aside from Fiver. He led the contingent out into the hallway. Even though her muscles ached, all Preda could think about was going for a run on that track. She said as much to Will, and he smiled and nodded.

After a quick change of clothes, the two found themselves back in the arena with Fiver. The cat once again took up his customary position on the bench to oversee the workout. Preda would have to remember to bring a cushion for him to be more comfortable next time.

She had never been a runner. Preda had avoided all forms of exercise up to now. Given her inherently clumsy nature and Philip Torrance’s rule that she come home immediately after school to cloister herself, it was no wonder. She started out at an easy pace with Will keeping step next to her on the track. She felt her tired and out-of-shape body protest.

Preda thought about the pressures she faced and all the people she was now responsible for, and started to jog faster. She felt as if she was running away from the weight of everything. Will wordlessly picked up his pace beside her. Their steps practically mirrored each other. Eventually he was in sync with her so that if someone was listening, that person would hear only one set of footfalls.

Preda sped up and slowed intermittently to see if Will could continue to mirror her, and he did without missing a beat. It was as if he could predict what she was going to do before she did it. She smiled at him and sped up to a run. He smiled back and matched her. It was exhilarating.

Preda didn’t know when, but at some point in the run, she no longer felt sore, and her healing bruises and wounds no longer hurt. There was only the sound of their footsteps.

After they had run for what felt like miles, Will put his arm out in front of her to slow her pace. She trusted his judgment that it was time to stop. They walked together for a time in silence before he decided they had had enough of a cooldown.

Will seemed hardly out of breath, and sweat once again drenched Preda. She decided she wanted to have dinner with Laney and Jim, so they went back to their rooms to shower and change.

The four ate in her dining area, which was far too luxurious by any standard. The food was no different. Preda had yet to taste Vakan food. Only supplies from Earth stocked the
Feria
. Laney informed her that Ceren cooks staffed the kitchen and made simple things such as bread taste exotic and gourmet. Preda was no connoisseur and not used to having others prepare food for her.

While Preda and Will ate in silence, Laney filled Jim in on the events from the meeting. His eyes widened when she described the way Preda had taken control of the room with her voice and made her first proclamation. Preda listened intently as well. It was intriguing to see how others saw her and how her words affected them. What Laney described was not how Preda perceived herself at all. Laney described a composed ruler. It was humbling to hear.

Once Laney was finished, Jim looked at the Ceren with appreciation and asked, “What do you suppose Frak is going to do?”

“I don’t know,” said Preda honestly. “I don’t know him or what the motives for his actions might be. I think he is intentionally being divisive, but I can’t figure out why.”

“He probably wants to marry you,” said Jim.

Preda almost spit out the tea she had been drinking. “What?”

“I thought someone must have told you by now,” Jim said, and he glanced at Will. “The Vank feel very strongly they should be represented within the Vozia family. It is well known that Percin Vank has been grooming Frak to govern alongside you.”

Preda looked at Will. He did not meet her eyes. This was confirmation enough for her. She considered Frak’s handsome face and felt nauseated. Any sense of control she had been beginning to feel quickly dissipated with the thought that an arranged union had been planned. Will was looking at his plate and moving his fork around the dish in concentric circles, and Preda suddenly remembered the argument she had overheard him having in the kitchen while she slept on Desolation Island. “They will argue it is the right thing to do to maintain peace within the families,” he said quietly.

Preda suddenly felt like a trapped animal. She could see exactly how this was to be laid out before her. By denying Frak and his family, she would be creating a fracture where they needed a strong front against the Soundless.

As though perfectly timed, a message was slipped under her door. Will got up and retrieved the note. His face was carefully lacking any emotion, and his jawline was tense. He looked up from reading. “It’s from Frak Vank. He requests your company at dinner tomorrow night.”

Preda felt her stomach drop. She felt as if she had been a pawn this entire time. Walking out of the council meeting had been the only form of protest Frak could make after her proclamation. In doing so Frak had deliberately made her unable to deny his request. For diplomacy’s sake she would be forced to agree. Preda railed internally at the thought, but she looked up at Will and said, “Please reply that I accept.”

Laney was looking at her with sympathetic eyes, and Will was still careful not to show any emotion. He nodded and put pen to paper.

“You will be there, right?” she asked Will. “As my guardian you have to be.”

He looked up from writing and made eye contact with her. “Where you go, I go,” he said seriously.

47

P
reda was dragging her feet while getting ready for dinner the following night. Jim had been just as hard on her in the training arena today, and she had taken out her frustrations on him as well. When she looked in the mirror, bruises covered her. She smiled, though, and thought Jim might also have one or two.

The run afterward had been just as satisfying as the day before, and she could have sworn Will let them go slightly longer. When Preda offered for Jim to join them on the track, Jim had glanced at Will, smiled, and shaken his head. He told them he was meeting Laney for lunch.

Preda sighed in frustration after a dissatisfying search through her closet. Nothing seemed ugly enough for this dinner. Everything in her wardrobe was perfectly tailored and made of nicer cloth than she had ever worn. She looked at Fiver and held up a simple black dress.

“What do you think?” she asked the cat. Fiver yawned in response and started grooming himself. “Good enough,” she murmured and started getting dressed.

When she looked in the mirror with the dress on, she was upset at how it hugged her small curves in just the right way. At least the black color felt appropriate. It suited her mood.

A soft knock on her door from Will signaled it was time to leave. Preda felt so relieved for his presence that evening. Her guardian was the one thing in her life she had been able to choose for herself. When she opened the door, he was standing in a sharply cut black jacket and maroon pants. It must have been the army uniform. Preda caught herself looking at Will a little too long, and she smiled when she saw him appraising her in the same way. She twirled around and asked, “Is it somber enough for the occasion?”

Will shook his head. “No.”

She left Fiver behind in her rooms. Will escorted her down several corridors until they reached a door almost as ornate as her own. Preda realized then that Frak’s status within the Vank family probably also qualified him for fancy living arrangements.

Will knocked for her and then stepped back. “I will be right outside the door,” he said.

He seemed to be searching her eyes for something, and she nodded bravely. She did not trust herself to speak.

Frak opened the door and wore a broad smile. “Preda Vozia,” he said, and he bowed with a sweep of his arm. “Welcome to my humble living quarters. I am delighted you could find time in your busy schedule to have dinner with me.”

He spoke as though nothing had happened the day before. She gave him a polite smile in return, and he led her inside and shut the door behind them. Preda looked back and saw Will dutifully take a stance next to the door as it was closing.

Frak’s rooms were even more opulent than Preda’s. He led her into a dining room with a small table set up for two people. The lighting was dim, and the situation was just as she had feared. This was no business dinner. Frak chivalrously pulled out a chair for her to sit, and then he sat down across from her.

As soon as he was seated, servants came and poured wine from Earth in both glasses. Preda had never tasted wine before. She had been restricted from such things growing up with Philip Torrance. She thanked the servers and noted that Frak did not.

He drank first, and she took a tiny sip. The warmth of it spread down her throat and into her chest. It was delicious. She realized such a thing could make her less inhibited. She also realized that might have been what Frak had in mind. Preda put the glass down without drinking more.

Frak was studying her from across the table with his fingers laced together in front of him. Preda refused to be the one to start any conversation. Silence was, after all, very familiar to her. Instead she busied herself studying her surroundings. Several exotic paintings were around the room. The one next to her was a beautiful scene with crystalline green water. The sky above had a slight purple tinge to it rather than the blue Preda was used to seeing.

A ship unlike anything Preda had ever seen was centered on the water. It looked more like a floating island, but rather than masts with sails on the top, there were odd winglike structures. The entire thing was metallic. Within the wings Preda saw what looked like feathers. Then Preda could see they were more like oscillating fans.

As much as Preda wanted to ask about the painting, she kept her silence. With a carefully practiced indifference, she pretended to sip more wine. She took note of Frak’s attire over the rim of her glass. He was wearing a beautifully tailored suit. The cut of the sleeves was tapered in a fashion Preda had never seen before. She briefly wondered if all men on Vaka wore this type of clothing.

Preda knew this game of silence was immature, but something about Frak made her want him to have to speak first. So they sat in silence for a while. Frak scrutinized her without deviating his attention. It was unnerving, but she was determined not to care.
Let him look at me.

After they had eaten a delicious first course of vegetable soup, he finally cleared his throat and asked, “How is it?”

Preda childishly delighted in having won their small battle and smiled sweetly at him. “It’s quite delicious,” she said, and servants came and removed the dishes in front of them.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he continued, “but the main course is a type of meat from an animal on Vaka called linki. It is my favorite, and I wanted to be the first one to see you try it.”

“I am sure it will be good,” Preda said.

He nodded somberly in response. When the meals were finally set before them, they looked like pieces of art. The aroma coming from the small piece of delicate white meat dominated her senses. Frak was watching her appreciate the display. He picked up a small piece between his fingers, and the juices dripped onto the plate. “It’s so delicate that we traditionally eat this dish using our fingers,” he said.

He placed the piece he had been holding in his mouth and closed his eyes before swallowing. Preda picked up a small piece of her own linki with her fingers and placed it gently on her tongue. It practically melted, and she swallowed without even needing to chew. Frak was watching her intently once again and seemed satisfied with what he saw.

Preda smiled because it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. “It’s incredible,” she said.

“Yes,” he agreed, and he wiped his fingers with his napkin.

The entire portion of his linki was gone. He had eaten it so fast, she hadn’t even noticed. Without warning his entire countenance suddenly changed. His face fell from the fascinated and seemingly amused person who had been intently watching her eat to something much darker. Alarm bells started to go off in Preda’s head, but there was nothing overtly menacing happening aside from the change in his face. She stopped eating and looked at him questioningly. “Is everything OK?” she asked.

“No,” he answered. “Now that you mention it. It’s not, Preda.”

Preda started slowly inching her chair backward. Her soreness from training earlier instantly dissipated, and she felt her heart rate pick up speed. She schooled her face to careful indifference. “Why exactly?”

“Well, yesterday did not go exactly according to plan,” he said, and he stood up from the table.

Frak had his hands laced together behind his back, and he walked deliberately to stand behind Preda so that she couldn’t back up any farther.

Preda refused to crane her neck backward to look at him, so she stared straight ahead with her back perfectly straight. Frak placed both hands on the back of her chair, and she could feel his fingers almost touching her exposed neck. Preda felt her skin crawling, and it took all her willpower not to jump out of her seat. Suddenly he leaned down and spoke in a whisper right next to her ear. “You were supposed to be afraid.”

“Should I be afraid?” she asked.

Preda could feel her voice falter slightly. Then she turned her head so she was facing Frak directly. Her face was only inches from his. “Because I’m not.”

She made sure he could feel the venom in her words. She would not be intimidated this way. Just as the words left her mouth, Frak gagged her with a silk sash from his waistband. She didn’t even have time to scream before her head was yanked viciously backward, and he forced her to stand in front of him. He had knotted the material behind her head and pulled her into an upright position using her hair.

Preda tried to remain calm, but she couldn’t even call out for help. He had gagged her, but she could also feel the sting of cold metal biting into the skin of her neck. He held her hair in one hand and a knife in the other. Frak was still calmly whispering into her ear when he spoke. “You should have known it wouldn’t have mattered what happened here. You have been traveling toward your death ever since you set foot on the
Feria
.”

Preda concentrated on breathing calmly through her nose. The more movement she made, the more she could feel the blade dig into her neck. A loud crash could be heard from outside the door. Banging on the door followed. Preda could see dents forming in the metal from the outside as someone desperately tried to break it down.

“Every one of your Kait pets will follow suit after you die. I want you to know that. I want you to know we are everywhere. We have traveled back and forth among those who would be your friends. Your parents couldn’t hide, and neither can you. You are an abomination against nature, Vozia.”

Frak spit when he said her name, and she could feel the saliva landing on her hair. Suddenly the metal in the door groaned, and it bent inward enough to fall off its top hinges. Will burst into the room, and Frak turned her so they were facing him. The knife bit into her, and Preda could feel hot blood start to pool at the base of her neck.

Will stopped abruptly. His eyes locked with Frak’s.

“Oh. That’s right,” Frak said in an amused voice. “You can feel this.”

He dug the knife in a little deeper, and Preda felt her knees weaken under the sudden flash of white pain. Will didn’t even flinch or falter. His jaw clenched, but his eyes never left Frak’s.

“That’s how you knew your precious Vozia was in danger. She doesn’t even have to talk, does she? You just know,” Frak said.

Will didn’t respond. He looked as if he was made of steel. Preda realized he was patiently waiting for an opening. She had to give him one. Preda tried to breathe evenly and coordinate her next move carefully. She felt as if she would get only one shot to do anything before Frak killed her.

Frak continued talking despite Will’s silence. “You don’t even know why you follow her, but you do. We don’t know why those things brought us to Vaka and left her family in charge. We have the intelligence to lead ourselves. The Vozia should have been our tools to use. Not the other way around!”

Preda took her chance. Everything happened within seconds. She suddenly turned to dead weight in his arms and fell to the ground. The knife sliced her as she went down, but Frak bent forward with the weight of her momentum and trying to catch her with his other arm.

Preda looked up in time to see Will uncoil in one fluid motion. He used her chair that had been kicked off to the side to vault himself over Frak’s head. Preda caught only a brief glimpse of Will as he came down on top of the Vank. Will rolled off to the side and was instantly on his feet. His knife was covered in blood. Frak stood slowly, using the chair for support. Preda could see the stain of red quickly spreading from below his rib cage on the left side. He would be dead shortly. She squirmed out of the way and backed against the wall underneath the peaceful painting of a green ocean.

Frak had blood frothing from his mouth, and he coughed. His wild eyes met Preda’s, and he did not break eye contact, even as his hands came up toward his face. With one hand he grabbed his own tongue. With the other he held a knife and sawed clean through it.

He was still looking at Preda as he collapsed onto his knees. Blood was pouring over his chin from his severed tongue, and Frak died without speaking another word.