Defender (Battle Born Book 4) Read online

  “Bandar says he feels different. It’s like he knows the magic is there, he’s just not sure what to do with it.”

  “Maybe Vox can help him,” Chandar suggested.

  Indigo nodded. “That’s a great idea. Vox has been able to teach me a ton in just a few sessions. He’s a really good mentor.”

  Ashley hesitated, her lips pressed into a nervous line. “I don’t know. Bandar’s not fond of Bilarrians.”

  “If Bandar is battle born, his mother was Bilarrian,” Chandar pointed out. “Why would he resent his own people?” Chandar knew Rodymia and Bilarri were at war. They had been for generations. But Harbinger Academy was isolated, somewhat removed from external conflicts.

  “Battle born soldiers are taught to hate Bilarrians,” Raina told her. “All Rodytes blame Bilarrians for starting the war, but battle born training goes much further. Bitterness and resentment make soldiers aggressive, remorseless, so they’re programmed to hate and destroy.”

  “And to follow orders without question or individual thought,” Ashley added with a frustrated shake of her head.

  “Your mates explained this to you?” Somehow that seemed unlikely to Chandar. Battle born males were harsh and fiercely prideful. Raylon was a prime example. He only talked about his feelings with extreme reluctance.

  “Hardly.” Ashley smiled at her.

  “Mercenaries don’t ‘explain’ their feelings to anyone. Well, not if there is any other option,” Raina elaborated. “The mating bond allows us access to their emotions and memories.”

  Chandar’s empathic bond with Raylon didn’t give her access to his memories. Did she want to know everything he’d suffered in his past? She had ghosts enough of her own. She shook away the tangent and returned to the original subject. “You should still encourage Bandar to work with Vox. Despite the fact that he’s Bilarrian, Vox is a damn good trainer.”

  Ashley accepted the advice with a thoughtful nod then looked at Raina. “The medical team cleared me yesterday, girlfriend. Now it’s your turn.”

  Intrigued by the banter, yet somewhat confused, Chandar felt comfortable enough to ask, “How does the transformation work?”

  All three earthborn females looked at Chandar, but it was Indigo who asked, “How much do you know about battle born males?”

  It was likely these earthborn females knew more about battle born soldiers than she did, which was odd. But she didn’t take offense. To be most effective, harbingers needed to be somewhat isolated from everything that went on around them. According to the elders, harbingers were guides. They provided insights and advice that shaped situations, yet they never directly participated in those situations.

  Unfortunately, Chandar was also curious by nature and her curiosity tended to win out over harbinger expectations. “The battle born are the offspring of Rodyte soldiers and their war brides. A war bride is a Bilarrian captive who is taken in the hopes that her child, or children, will inherit her ability to manipulate magic.”

  “Why do the people on Rodymia allow it to continue?” Ashley sounded frustrated and sad. Clearly, she cared deeply for her mate and his battle born comrades.

  “I didn’t say they do,” Chandar assured her. “The practice has been sanctioned, no, encouraged by the crown for decades. However, there are many who find the treatment of war brides barbaric and immoral—myself among them. We’re just not sure what we can do about it.”

  “So you do nothing?”

  With practiced ease, Indigo insinuated herself into the tense conversation. “Chandar asked about the transformation study, not about war brides.”

  “You’re right.” Ashley backed down then looked at Chandar and said, “I’m sorry. That particular topic always makes me testy.”

  “I take no offense. It’s only right that a female fight for the happiness of her mate.”

  The spark of an argument sputtered out, so Raina took up where Chandar had left off. “Some battle born females can manipulate magic, but battle born males are all born latent,” Raina rattled off facts, as scientists so often did. “The transformation study is attempting to awaken these dormant abilities.”

  “I understand that,” Chandar said. “But why are they using the mating bond to trigger this transformation and what does any of it have to do with earthborn females?”

  Raina looked at Ashley and then at Indigo. “Are we allowed to tell her? I know the study is the Rodyte equivalent of Top Secret.”

  “You can explain or I’ll just scan your mind.” Chandar softened the statement with a playful smile, but it wasn’t an idle claim. She could easily extract the information from any of them, likely without their knowing.

  “She’s kidding.” Indigo tried to soothe her friends, but Ashley and Raina looked decidedly uncomfortable. Humans were so defensive about anything beyond their limited understanding. “Besides, all she has to do is ask Raylon. We all know she has him wrapped around her finger.” Finally, the other two relaxed enough to smile.

  Ashley continued to watch Chandar cautiously while Raina answered her questions. “When a mating bond is formed both male and female go through a metamorphosis that syncs their physiology and makes offspring more likely.”

  “I’m aware of this change.”

  “Well, the transformation team is using this naturally occurring metamorphosis as a delivery mechanism for their targeted mutations. By making adjustments to a naturally occurring change, they’ve been far more successful than previous attempts.”

  Chandar nodded. “I’m not a scientist, but the concept makes sense. How do humans fit into this equation?”

  Again, it was Raina who provided the information. “First of all, we’re only half human.” She motioned to Ashley and Indigo. “Each of us has Rodyte blood as well as human.”

  “And being a hybrid makes your genetics more tolerant to this mutation?” Chandar asked.

  Ashley nodded, finally calm enough to contribute again. “Sevrin Keire originally experimented on full-blooded humans, but none of them survived. That’s when she turned her focus to Rodyte/human hybrids. All of her formulas were seriously flawed, but the scientists aboard the Intrepid have been able to learn from her mistakes.”

  Sevrin Keire. Chandar shivered at the name. Quinton’s niece was as ruthless as her father, Pern had been. Rodymia had been an even bleaker place while Pern Keire sat on the throne. Chandar wasn’t sure they were better off with the weak, younger brother, but Pern would have been much harder to overthrow. And overthrowing the current crown stirate seemed almost inevitable.

  “This is really hush hush,” Ashley warned. “But the transformation team has a formula for full-blooded humans now. They’re still running simulations, but they’re weeks, maybe days, away from clinical trials.”

  “With full-blooded humans?” Raina shifted in her seat, pivoting toward Ashley. Her pretty features clearly revealed her astonishment.

  “Well, Tandori Tribe didn’t seem willing to share their females, so Garin told the transformation team to adjust their focus.”

  “If they perfect a formula for humans, the compatible female pool expands from several thousand to several million.” Raina shook her head, her expression still rather stunned. “I’m not sure if this is wonderful news or the most dangerous thing I’ve learned so far.”

  “That’s why none of us can say anything,” Ashley stressed. “I probably shouldn’t have told you.”

  “Their biggest challenge will be control,” Chandar predicted. “Once the battle born learn that any human female is a potential mate—”

  “That’s not true,” Ashley cautioned. “Genetic compatibility will still need to be determined, but this will exponentially up the odds of every battle born male finding a compatible female.”

  “Why was the current team able to succeed so quickly when Sevrin Keire failed?” Chandar digressed. Sevrin would have had all of the resources of the crown behind her. Unless her actions hadn’t been sanctioned by her uncle.

  “Sevrin was
trying to build an empowered army so she could overthrow her uncle,” Raina explained. “Everyone who worked for her was threatened or coerced into doing so. General Nox, on the other hand, is respected and admired by those under his command. They believe in the cause and tirelessly pursue common goals.”

  Having met Garin Nox in person, Chandar understood the appeal. Garin commanded without becoming autocratic. He inspired confidence rather than demanding respect. “And you trust these scientists and healers?”

  “Literally with my life.” Ashley smiled.

  “Why is unleashing their magic so important to the battle born?” Chandar asked as her mind digested the rest.

  “How anxious were you to regain your power?” Challenge threaded through Indigo’s question, though her gaze remained warm and kind. “How incomplete did you feel without it?

  “But the battle born have never controlled magic. How can they miss something they never possessed?”

  “I felt exactly the same way when I heard about the study,” Ashley told her. “But your basic premise is inaccurate. Every offspring of a war bride is born with magic. Males just can’t access it. They sense it, crave it, but they can’t reach it. I didn’t give Bandar something he doesn’t already possess. I just opened a pathway for him.”

  Chandar nodded though she didn’t reply. The struggle Ashley described was so similar to the one Chandar had just experienced that she found her throat clogged with emotion. And then another thought occurred to her, a thought so staggering that the buzzing in her ears consumed the conversation. If Raylon bound himself to her, he lost his opportunity to unleash his latent power. He was strong, noble and selfless, everything she needed in a mate. But she was full-blooded Rodyte, which was not what he needed in a mate. He would claim that it didn’t matter, that he was content without his powers. But she now understood the situation too well to believe him. If she truly loved Raylon, truly wanted him to live life to the fullest, she had to let him go.

  * * * * *

  The final image stabilized and Pyre Sterling straightened in her chair. The main viewscreen of her shuttle was now divided into six equal panes, one for each guild master. The shuttle was no longer moving, but the guild masters didn’t need to know her exact location. There was a total of eight guilds, but the Integration Guild was currently without an official leader and she represented the Harbinger Guild. “Thank you all for responding so quickly. My news is troubling and extremely time sensitive.”

  “Could your ‘news’ have something to do with your mysterious visit to the palace yesterday?” Master Belington represented the Academia Guild and tended to be the most vocal of the guild masters.

  She’d taken precautions, but it was almost impossible to visit the palace without someone finding out. Rather than embolden him by answering his question, Pyre responded to the leaders en masse. “I’ll explain my visit in a moment. This will make more sense if I start at the beginning.”

  “What’s this about? None of us are in the mood for one of your elaborate stories.” Master Naffra of the Entertainment Guild looked particularly blurry-eyed. No surprise there. Entertainers were notoriously nocturnal and it was barely past dawn.

  Seeing no advantage to prolonging their ignorance, she came right to the point. “I have substantial reason to believe that Javin Aidentar is dead.”

  Belington rolled his eyes. “If you got me out of bed because your lover has replaced you, I’ll never accept your coms again.”

  She’d expected this reaction. The guild masters resented her. In fact, they mistrusted Harbinger Guild for following the dictates of females. Still, leading a guild entitled her to a seat on the steering committee and there was nothing they could do about it. She’d hoped that, given time, she could prove her worth to them, but their ridiculous attitude remained. Despite their exalted titles and mysterious ways, the steering committee was a self-serving boys club.

  “Javin’s elusiveness is what made me suspicious, I’ll admit.” She chose her words carefully. Despite her low opinion of these fools, she needed their help. “But my investigation was thorough and objective.”

  “Nothing about you and Javin has ever been objective,” one of the others argued. “Your relationship has been volatile from the beginning.”

  Rather than encouraging the debate, Pyre asked, “Have any of you seen or interacted with Javin in the past four months?”

  A thoughtful silence followed.

  “He has been even more reclusive than usual,” Naffra admitted. “It’s been at least six months since I’ve interacted with him directly.”

  One by one they all confirmed that the only communication they’d received from Javin in recent months had been indirect.

  “If Javin’s dead, why would the IG try to conceal it?” Belington shook his head. Argumentative was his default setting. “It makes more sense to choose a new master and then announce both Javin’s passing and his replacement at the same time. The Integration Guild has every advantage. They have no reason to play games with us.”

  “Unless the IG doesn’t know he’s passed beyond.” Pyre accented the possibility with an upraised brow.

  “How could the Integration Guild not know that their leader had passed beyond?” Belington waved away the suggestion with a sneer, but the others watched her closely, obviously waiting for more information.

  “It would have been simple for me to claim that I’d had a vision,” Pyre reminded them. “But I know some of you don’t trust me.” Because your misogynistic assholes. “So I chose to be completely honest with you.”

  “How refreshing,” Belington muttered.

  Pyre ignored the slur. “Javin took another lover last summer.” Before they could fixate on her humiliation, she rushed on. “Her name is Haven Tandori.” She paused, letting that sink in for a moment. “I believe Haven has been issuing orders and making decisions in Javin’s name without admitting the fact that Javin is no longer able to act on his own.”

  “This female,” Naffra digressed, “is she a member of Tandori Tribe or a descendant of the Tandori bloodline?”

  Oh Pyre had their attention now, but they obviously hadn’t moved beyond the obvious. She glanced at Master Gutorrez, head of the Civil Order Guild. He’d been trained in both law enforcement and judiciary protocol, so he tended to be more pragmatic than the others. He also only spoke when he had something significant to say. Of all the guild masters, it was most important for her to enlist the help of Gutorrez.

  Shaking away the momentary distraction, Pyre explained, “Haven is Simolta Tandori’s granddaughter.” The Earth-bound exodus had been led by three Tandori brothers. Simolta was the eldest. Descendants of the original three where considered royalty by Tandori supporters.

  “You know this as fact or you’re basing this on gossip?” Belington sounded less growly now, but no less skeptical.

  “I know it as fact.” She didn’t want to reveal the lengths she’d undertaken to identify Javin’s lover, but the confession would hopefully shut up Belington. “When I learned her name, I had a similar reaction. What in hells rings was a Tandori doing back on Rodymia, much less in the capital? So I bribed one of Javin’s staff to bring me a few strands of her hair. DNA doesn’t lie. She is a direct descendant of Simolta, the eldest Tandori brother.”

  “This is a disaster.” The growl returned to Belington’s voice, but it wasn’t directed at her this time. Apparently, even the contrary Master of Academia had begun to understand the situation. “Tandori Tribe cannot be allowed to align with the IG. They’ll place a Tandori descendant on the throne and all of us will have no choice but to bend a knee.”

  Now came the tricky part, the part where she abandoned her momentary foray into honesty and twisted events to her advantage. “I’m not sure how Quinton learned of any of this, but he summoned me to court yesterday and interrogated me for hours.” In truth, the meeting had only taken a few minutes and she had instigated it. “The entire time, I was comparing what his questions implied wi
th what I already knew. The conclusion was inescapable. Javin is dead and Haven is acting in his place.”

  “Quinton knows about all this?” Now Belington sounded downright hostile. “Did he tell you what he plans to do about it?”

  “It wasn’t easy, but I got him talking.”

  Belington scoffed. “That’s not hard. Quinton loves nothing better than the sound of his own voice.”

  “Except for the stroke of his own hand,” Naffra said in a stage whisper as he demonstrated the appropriate motion with his hand. Everyone but Pyre laughed.

  Annoyed by their childish humor, Pyre brought the conversation back on track. “This is no laughing matter, gentlemen. Quinton plans to take control of the IG.”

  Naffra’s eyes narrowed and his levity evaporated. “And how does he intend to do that? Only technomages are allowed to sit on the IG council. No technomage is going to take orders from Quinton.”

  “He’s just foolish enough to try,” Pyre warned. “He seemed shockingly focused during my interrogation. He wants this badly.”

  “Quinton cannot get his hands on Haven,” Gutorrez stressed, his tone low and emphatic. “Support of Tandori Tribe will be crucial when it comes to the final confrontation.”

  “Are we finally admitting that Quinton must be replaced?” Belington challenged. The steering committee had been debating the issue for the past two years. Much to Pyre’s exasperation, this was as close as they’d come to consensus.

  “Javin was the obvious choice to replace Quinton,” Xartis, Medical Guild Master pointed out. “We’ll never agree on anyone now.”

  “That’s a debate for another day,” Pyre cautioned. “I agree with Gutorrez.”

  “That’s got to be a first,” Belington snapped. “You never agree with any of us.”

  “We have to head off Quinton’s advance,” Gutorrez added. “If anyone puts a Tandori on the throne, it will be us. Haven must be protected, and controlled.”

  “I’m not sure she’ll see this as protection, but I’m closest to IG headquarters,” Naffra said. “Shall I have someone go over and pick her up?”