Adrian turned back to Tyranny. "Does it have to be this way? It seems so brutal."
Tyranny whipped her head around. "Brutal?" she repeated venomously. "You think this is brutal? Are you mad? Do you have any idea what would have become of us had we been captured? For all we know the Citadel is still crawling with these monsters. You are still new to the horrors of war, sister. Out here it is kill or be killed. Besides, it is my sworn duty to dispose of them. Wherever and whenever we encounter them, they are to die. It is a standing order from the Jin'Sai."
"Very well," Adrian answered. "If that is how it must be."
Tyranny gave Adrian another harsh look. "Steel your sensibilities further, sister," she warned. "I want to question one of them first, and no matter what you see me do, you are not to interfere. They are a very tough lot, and the harshest of incentives need to be applied. Do you understand?"
Adrian nodded. Tyranny sheathed her sword, and the two women walked over to Scars. He had his sword held high over his head and he was about to bring it down again.
"Hold!" Tyranny shouted.
Scars turned to her, startled. "Captain?" he asked.
"I want to question this one," Tyranny said. She looked over at one of her bloodied crewmen. "Go below and bring me a bottle of wine."
The crewman went below. He soon returned with an amber-colored bottle.
Tyranny took the bottle from him and allowed herself one long, luxurious draft. She casually lit a cigarillo and blew the smoke out her nose.
Then she poured the rest of the wine onto the deck. She walked over to the gunwale and smashed the empty bottle on it. Reaching down, she picked up two sharp pieces of glass. She walked back over to the demonslaver who kneeled before Scars. She looked at her first mate.
"Open his mouth," she ordered.
Scars took the slaver by the throat and lifted him to his feet. The slaver tried to wriggle free but to no avail. At Tyranny's signal, two warriors walked over and used a sharp dagger to force the slaver's jaws apart.
Tyranny turned to the next slaver in line. He gave her a defiant stare.
"On your feet," she said.
With a snarl, the slaver did as he was told.
Tyranny didn't particularly approve of what she was about to do. As much as she hated the demonslavers, this would be difficult, even for her. But she was embroiled in an all-out war-one that consumed her on both a personal and a national level-and she meant to help win it, no matter the cost.
Thinking of Tristan, and of her parents' hideous deaths at the hands of these abominations, she steeled her heart and came closer. She looked the slaver in the eyes. He glared back at her hatefully. No one on deck spoke; no one moved. Her eyes still locked on the slaver's, Tyranny pointed to the one whose jaws were being held apart.
"Watch and learn," she said.
Reaching up, she placed the two razor-sharp shards of glass into the other slaver's waiting mouth. With a nod from their captain, the two warriors forced the monster's mouth closed.
"Put him back on his knees," she ordered.
Blood ran from between the slaver's lips and down his chin as Scars shoved him back down to the deck. Tyranny took another step closer.
Without warning she lifted one foot, and kicked the kneeling slaver in the chin.
The blow knocked him over onto his back. He writhed and choked for a time, then died as his own blood slowly filled his lungs.
As the final death rattle escaped him, Tyranny walked over and picked up two more shards of glass. She walked back to the other slaver and held the shards before his face.
"Answer my questions truthfully and you won't suffer the same fate," she said. "Now then, how many more slaver ships guard the Citadel?"
His hateful arrogance withered; the slaver bowed his head. "None," he answered. "Sure of his victory, our messiah sent them all."
"And the number of slavers?" she asked.
"They all came with the fleet."
"Then the traitorous consuls constitute the only remaining defense of the Citadel?" she asked.
"No," the thing said. "There are now others there, too. They are human, like you, but they are not consuls. They arrived just before our lord departed for Eutracia. They asked for his sanctuary and he granted it. He seemed glad to have them there."
Concerned by this unexpected news, Tyranny took another step closer. Her eyes narrowed. "Who are they?" she demanded.
The slaver shook his head. "None of us know," he answered. "They remain largely out of sight."
"Can you tell me anything else about them?" she asked.
The slaver shook his head again. "That is as much as any of us knows."
Rubbing her chin, Tyranny backed away. She took a final draft on her cigarillo, dropped it to the deck, and crushed it beneath her bloody boot. She looked over at K'jarr.
"Have our troops returned from the enemy vessels?" she asked.
"Yes," the warrior answered.
"Good," Tyranny said. "Have all of the surviving slavers taken back to their ships. That is where they shall meet their fates."
She turned back to K'jarr. "As this is being done, order all of our remaining vessels to form a line in the sea, with the Reprise at the center."
K'jarr clicked his heels. "As you wish," he said.
The demonslaver that Tyranny had questioned glared at her harshly. Struggling to break free of Scars' grip, he spat at her.
"What about me, you bitch!" he screamed. "You said that if I talked, you would spare me!"
Tyranny barely glanced at him "No, I didn't," she said.
She nodded at her first mate, then looked at Adrian. "Walk with me," she said.
As the two women strode to the gunwale, Scars wrapped his hands around the protesting slaver's throat, and the screaming died away. The privateer looked out to sea.
"The slaver's information is disturbing," Tyranny said. "What do you make of it?"
Adrian shook her head. "I have no idea," she answered. "But the Jin'Sai and Jin'Saiou must be informed immediately."
At the mention of Tristan, Tyranny felt the familiar pain go through her heart. "Indeed," she said. "Provided they are still alive."
Silence reigned as the two women watched the Minions fly the slavers back to their vessels. As ordered, the remainder of Tyranny's fleet began lining up on either side of the Reprise.
By the time the ships had deployed as ordered, the sun had set and stars twinkled above.
"What will you do now?" Adrian finally asked.
Tyranny turned to her. "I'm giving you command of the fleet," she said.
Adrian's jaw dropped. "Wha-what?"
"You heard me," Tyranny said. "My job here is done. Both the warriors and I can be of far greater use in Tammerland. I shudder to think of what we might find when we arrive. We will leave straightaway."
"What are your orders?" Adrian asked tentatively.
"Have the acolytes blow holes in the hulls of the slaver ships until each of them is sunk," Tyranny answered. "And make doubly sure that each and every demonslaver has drowned. Then and only then are you to order the fleet back to the coast. Many of our vessels are in a bad way, but the voyage is short. I will leave Scars here to help you. Anchor off the Cavalon Delta, then report to the palace."