Kelly swallowed the knot in his throat and felt it hit the pit of his stomach like a lead weight. “Is… is he likely to be lashing out anytime soon?”
“I’d say in the morning.”
“Why are you warning me? Why do you care?”
“Because I am of House Vayawand, and for seven thousand years my line can be traced. This mongrel, this abortion, is destroying our unique way of life.”
Before she’d dropped out of high school and run away to New York, Kelly had remembered his American history teacher saying that was how the Southerners had justified slavery. He didn’t think it was politic to bring this up to Mon’aella just now when she was being so nice to him.
“But I’m not Takisian.”
“I don’t care about your mind, darling. It’s your body that matters. The genes you carry, that you’ll pass to our children. We’re going to rule Vayawand. Maybe even a bit more if we’re cunning.”
“This is the sight and sound and smell of victory Wonderful, isn’t it?” Yimkin hawked and spat.
Looking at that quivering white glob of phlegm, combining it with the acrid scent of smoke and the cloying odor of burnt flesh was almost too much for Tisianne’s stomach. She tasted the morning’s breakfast before she forced it back down.
“This was not our fault.” The words sounded weak.
“I’m not saying it is. It is just ironic that we had to destroy Lirat’s capital city to save her.”
It had taken a few weeks, but they were finally on the move. Tis kept calling it D day, and there were similarities – it was the first time the Alliance had sought to penetrate the buffer of conquered Houses that protected Vayawand. Tisianne was a little depressed that her squabbling race could seem to pull together only in the face of outside threats – the Network, Blaise – but at least they were united. And maybe something good would come of all the destruction. The Alliance High Command had managed to put aside House pride, rivalries, and jealousies, and operate by consensus. They were also mobilizing to help other Takisians. A big change on a world in which it was every House for itself.
Unfortunately the first House to receive this “help” had been destroyed by Blaise’s retreating army. As a result the liberating Alliance was feeling pretty lousy.
Zabb dragged the toe of his boot through the scorched grass. “Blaise was here. It was by his personal command that the city was razed.” It was the desperate plaint of a man desperately trying to excuse himself.
“Still so sure we should not take the fight directly to Vayawand?” Tis asked in a low tone. Zabb spun on his heel and walked away.
“Ongoing disagreement?” Yimkin asked.
Bat’tam answered when it became apparent Tisianne wasn’t going to. “Lady Tisianne feels we must strike at the head. Raiyis Zabb…” He shrugged.
“Lady Tisianne is right. There are a great many cities, and the Abyss’s own armies between us and Vayawand. If Blaise is going to scorch Takis behind him, we must stop going head to head with him and try encircling.”
“Convince Zabb. I can’t -” She was interrupted by a cry from the ships, Incoming enemy!
She and Bat’tam went running for cover. A panicked madness seemed to have fallen over the conquerors of Lira. People ran in all directions. Ships leapt into the sky. And Tis wondered where by the Ideal her medical team had gone to. “Incoming enemy” proved to be two Vayawand ships. The ships of the alliance fired warning shots, and the two newcomers hovered and drew in their ghost lances. Everyone relaxed and returned sheepishly to what they were doing.
Tis and Bat’tam exchanged glances. Languidly the elderly man said, “Relatives from home. How marvelous. Perhaps they’ll have a letter for me.”
Zabb, Taj, and Yimkin were already deep in conversation with the five Vayawand nobles. The bridge of Zabb’s new flagship was crammed with people. Tis ruthlessly applied elbows and hips until she had forced her way to the front.
The spokesman – Sekal, Bat’tam provided telepathically, he was one of the first to swear loyalty to Blaise – was weeping.
Bat’tam leaned down to whisper to Tisianne, “Looks like the sparkle is most definitely off that pearl.”
My wife, daughters, sisters, all gone, all dead.
Sekal broadcast his distress to the assembled officers. There was an audible reaction. A rising murmur like a wind in tall pines as the Most Bred pulled the images of death and devastation from Sekal’s mind.
The story came out in sharp, painful pictures. How Blaise had returned home from House Lirat, already angry because he’d been forced to retreat, and even the destruction of the House hadn’t been enough to slake his bloodlust. Then had come the discovery that his wives had been poisoned. A death feast had raged in Rarrana. A few children had been saved.
ILLYANA!
Sekal looked at Tis for the first time, switched to the audible mode. “Your child is safe. The groundling and his woman were warned. They were away from the House when the killing started. But the wives…” The nobleman’s voice began to crack. “All the wives… my wife… killed.”
Mine too? thought Tis, giddy with relief at the news that Illyana was still safe. She blushed as she realized her imperfect shields had yet again sent the thought bleeding through the assemblage.
Taj stared at her from beneath his brows. “No, you’re still married.”
“Oh, grand,” Tis said.
“There’s some evidence it was the Lady Mon’aella who poisoned Blaise’s women,” Sekal said.
“Maybe she will make a decent addition to House Ilkazam,” Taj mused.
Zabb pulled the discussion back to reality. “So what do you want from us?” he asked. He was seated on an extruded desk, negligently swinging one booted foot.
“Return our House. Free us from this monster, this abortion,” Sekal replied in a voice gone ragged with hate.
“A monster of your own choosing,” Zabb said softly.
Tis stepped forward. She was out of line, she didn’t care. “Years ago you attacked my House, left my father in a living death. I think you deserve Blaise.”
“Cousin,” Zabb said placatingly.
“Now they want our help. I say it should cost them.”
“If we do you this little favor,” Zabb said, “House Vayawand becomes a cadet House to Ilkazam.”
They almost refused. Then they looked back out the doors of the ship at the burned devastation of what had once been a proud city. Sekal shuddered, and nodded.
Chapter Forty-One
“Once we’re in -”
“But that’s going to be the real trick, now isn’t it?” Taj asked.
“We’ve got a potful of renegade Vayawand here,” Zabb countered.
“That’s nice, but how are they going to get us in?” Taj shook his head. “Security is going to be too tight for an orbital drop. And a small raiding party trying to breach the perimeter defenses…” Taj let his voice trail off significantly.
Zabb smoothed his sideburns and leaned back in his chair. “We need some kind of ruse.”
Tis slid off the sofa, walked over to stand behind Zabb’s chair. “Like a Trojan Horse.”
He read the meaning from her mind. “Exactly. We’d need a Vayawand ship, and someone they recognize.”
“Who’s not a traitor,” Taj grunted.
Tis raked back her hair. “Our agents report that Blaise never leaves Vayawand anymore… only Durg. He goes to report on the fighting.”
“So who pretends to be the Morakh monster?” Taj inquired. “Zabb is big, I admit, but not near big enough.”
“We use Cosmic Traveler,” Tis said.
“Who by the Abyss’s cold hell is Cosmic Traveler?” asked Taj.
“Another one of Meadows’s ‘friends,’ a most useful fellow,” Zabb said. “He just might get us in.”
“And then the real problems start,” the older man said.
“What choice do we have, vindi?” Tis asked. “You’ve seen what Blaise is capable of. Do you want to fight him city by city? Blaise is suffering reversals on every front. I know him. He will want to get even. Kelly, Jay -”