Bakiel moved away from the wall, his concern clear. “Where are we going?” he asked. “And why?”
“So, that’s why the jumps aren’t so small,” Anguissa mused. She went to the end point. “Formican,” she read from the displayed label, answering Bakiel. He looked shocked.
“No!” Ryke said. He was furious. “I don’t understand how this can be. Did you touch the nav?”
“Of course not!” Anguissa was thinking. She spun to face him. “How exactly was it that you were given the job of placing this freighter in its storage orbit around that moon?”
“It wasn’t easy, Snake-Eyes.” He averted his gaze.
“You did what an umbro does,” she guessed. “You invaded the mind of someone in a position of influence, and once you were done, he or she died, bleeding from all orifices.”
Ryke frowned. “No. That would have been obvious and I’d told them I wasn’t an umbro. That would have shown I was lying to them.”
“I can smell what you are.”
“They couldn’t.”
“Then how?”
“I can be persuasive, Snake Eyes.”
Anguissa felt her eyes narrow. “I would never have guessed.”
She could see that Ryke was uncomfortable talking about it, and Bakiel was surprised. “Why this ship?” she asked quietly.
Ryke shoved a hand through his hair. “Because Bakiel was in statis on it and I had to help him.”
“You did that much for a friend?”
Bakiel dropped his gaze, hiding his thoughts. Anguissa suspected she was missing some detail about the relationship between these two but she didn’t know what it was.
“Anyone would,” Ryke said, trying to deflect the question.
She didn’t know nearly enough about umbros or Centurios. It was a rotten time to be without her personal assistant. “Most wouldn’t. Why, Ryke? Tell me!”
Ryke confronted her, his voice a low growl. She liked how he towered over her and that he was fearless in disputing anything with her. That didn’t happen often to a dragon princess. “Because he was the only one who tried to help me when the Gloria Furore captured me. What kind of a person would abandon a friend who was that loyal?”
Anguissa liked that answer better than either of her suggestions or suspicions. “And no one knew of the connection between you?”
“Of course not!”
“And yet, this freighter was stocked with troops after you left it, troops programmed to attack you.”
Ryke folded his arms across his chest. His eyes gleamed as he tried to solve the riddle. “They were probably programmed to attack anyone who boarded the ship, Snake-Eyes. That’s the style of the Gloria Furore and one of their favorite defense mechanisms. I wouldn’t have known about it, because it wasn’t considered to be germane to the completion of my duties.” He leaned closer. “They didn’t know I planned to come back and steal the ship.”
There was that, but Anguissa was still troubled. “Did you ever consider that your assignment to be the last one aboard this freighter might have been assisted by someone else, instead of the result of your own brilliant planning?”
“No, because it wasn’t.”
Anguissa shook her head. “I think anyone who knew anything about you would guess that you would try to save Bakiel, and that you would come back for him, and that you would try to use this freighter to return to Centurios.”
“I’m not that predictable,” Ryke said, though the heat had left his voice.
“No, you’re honorable, Ryke, and that makes you predictable.”
He looked particularly grim and Anguissa knew he was giving consideration to her conclusion. “Let’s prove you wrong.” He turned and called. “Piper Twelve!”
The android appeared in the doorway to the chart room, though it appeared to be reluctant to cross the threshold. “You summoned me?”
It didn’t call Ryke “sir” this time, which gave Anguissa a very bad feeling.
“What happened to our course?”
“It was revised.”
“Who revised it, Piper Twelve?”
“The commander in authority of the ship.”
“But I’m the captain of this vessel...”
“No, Lieutenant, you have been outranked,” Piper Twelve interjected.
“By whom?” Ryke demanded.
There was a familiar chuckle and one wall of the chart room illuminated, dimming the display of the chart and showing the deck instead. Captain Hellemut lounged in the captain’s chair, smiling. She was as enormous and her smile as malicious as Anguissa recalled.
Was this another doppelganger, or the real Captain Hellemut?
Either way, this was who had arrived by teleport.
“We meet again, Ryke,” she said. “But this time, you won’t be visiting the deck.”
“How...” Ryke murmured, but Anguissa touched his arm.
“Let me guess,” she said to Piper Twelve. “There was no unauthorized use of the teleport because the commanding officer of the vessel used the teleport to board.”
“Exactly,” the android agreed.
“Robots,” Anguissa said softly. “What’s not to love?”
“You are under arrest, Princess Anguissa, for the willful destruction of the Armada Seven,” Hellemut said. “And you, Lieutenant Ryke, are being relieved of your rank, not just for treason but for aiding in the destruction of the Armada Seven. You will be tried on Formican, if you live long enough to arrive there.”
Ryke was particularly impassive, but Anguissa sensed that he was trying to hide his panic.
Piper Twelve spoke from the portal. “You will all be secured in the containment cells until arrival at our destination.” The robot gestured and six androids marched into the room, weapons at the ready.
Anguissa wasn’t going into captivity without a fight.
Ryke stepped ahead of Anguissa to defend her, an instinctive reaction. Bakiel was also behind him. He couldn’t see how they had a chance of evading arrest, but he wasn’t going meekly back to Formican and its moon.
Once had been more than enough.
If he died defending his custo and the mother of his child, that would be the most honorable solution.
As he moved, Ryke glimpsed a shimmer of blue light. The hair stood up on the back of his neck and he turned in time to see Anguissa shift shape. She breathed a torrent of fire at the android guards and flung him behind herself with one claw. It was shocking how easily she did it. Bakiel ran for the far side of the chart room.
Ryke slammed into the exterior wall from the force of her shove and scrambled to his feet. The androids divided into pairs, each pair targeting one of them. One pair scurried toward him. He was surprised that only one carried a weapon, but then he saw that the other had a syringe.
Not again.
He fought furiously then, but the weapon was a stun gun, and one shot took him to his knees. He was reeling and disoriented, his heart pounding hard enough to jump out of his chest. He tried to fight them off, but he felt the needle slide home and knew he was done.
Powerless.
Again.
Ryke raged against the sedative that had to be in the syringe, even knowing his struggle would only make it take effect faster. The androids backed away, leaving him there.
Confident in the result.
He decided he just might hate robots as much as Anguissa did.
The pair confronting Anguissa carried energy beam casters, much like that on the deck of the Armada Seven. Ryke saw the green light at the end of their weapons, but they had no time to loose the energy field on Anguissa. Her shift had taken them by surprise. Anguissa reared up and snatched them both. She smashed them together between her claws, reducing both of them to spare parts with brute force. She flung the pieces into the corridor, and Ryke heard Piper Twelve depart in a hurry.
Bakiel gave a short cheer. He’d been seized by simple force and his hands were bound behind his back. One of his captors punched him in the fac
e and the other punched him in the gut. Bakiel doubled over and fell. He didn’t get up.
Ryke winced that he had failed his custo, again.
Anguissa breathed fire at the two androids responsible. They tried to duck beneath her but lost the battle. She destroyed them thoroughly and flung the parts after the two that had tried to subdue her. The last two androids fled for the portal and secured it from the other side. She breathed fire at the barrier and it glowed red for a moment but didn’t open. She pounded on it just as the display of the planets disappeared from around them.
“What’s happening?” Bakiel whispered, looking up warily.
“Jump,” Ryke managed to whisper.
He was fighting against the drug he’d been given, but losing the battle. The ship lurched hard to one side, sending them slamming into one of the walls. He rolled head over heels and Anguissa was evidently shaken up enough that she shifted shape again.
She fell against him, then turned to look into his eyes. “What did they give you?” she asked, but Ryke couldn’t speak. He managed to lift one hand, but it took a massive effort, and he could feel his eyes closing.
“A sedative,” she whispered. “Why?”
“Prepare to jump,” came the warning from the deck.
“To keep him from slipping,” Bakiel provided and Ryke nodded at the truth.
Hellemut had figured out what he was, which meant his future looked grim.
There were four seats at one end of the chart room, which would have to do for the jump. Anguissa started to drag Ryke toward them but he shook his head. “Bakiel,” he whispered.
“Responsibility first,” Anguissa said, understanding him perfectly. She helped Bakiel to a seat and strapped him down, then returned for Ryke. Anguissa took the seat between them, reaching for the tool compartment after they were strapped in. He wished he could do something to help, but the fog was invading his thoughts.
Anguissa found a universal key and unlocked the shackles on Bakiel’s wrists. He thanked her and rubbed the marks on his skin when he was released.
“Galactic convention,” Anguissa said. “No prisoner endures a jump under restraint. I remember it, even if Hellemut doesn’t.”
The sedative rolled through Ryke’s body, spreading lethargy.
To be powerless was Ryke’s worst nightmare and one he’d never hoped to experience again. To be helpless devastated him. To be used as someone else wished, to be unable to change his fate, to be a victim and an underdog was the most wretched fate imaginable. He fought against his situation, even knowing that there was nothing to be done.
He’d been drugged, again.
He was captive, again.
He’d never escape the Gloria Furore alive. They’d threatened to disembowel him before his own eyes. They’d threatened to kill him slowly, slowly enough that he would feel every instant stretch to eternity, they’d started on that diabolical plan when Hellemut had taken a fancy to him.
He’d been sedated and broken but not so lost that he would risk using his natural gift. He was determined to convince them that he wasn’t an umbro—because he knew that if he confirmed his nature, they would use him as a spy, to target and destroy the enemies of the Gloria Furore. They’d prodded and provoked him, hoping to compel him to try to save himself. Instead, Ryke’s resolve had hardened to steel and he became determined to hide his legacy.
He was sure he’d convinced them.
He was sure it was the reason they’d stopped sedating him.
But now, he was being put under again. Hellemut must suspect his gift.
Would he be used or destroyed? Desperation flooded through Ryke.
Anguissa knew his truth. He hadn’t told her nearly enough, and ironically, she was their only chance of surviving this ordeal. Ryke couldn’t lift a hand or even a finger. He could barely blink. They’d given him enough to stop him but not to kill him—his heart was still beating, albeit slowly, and he was breathing, very slowly. He was just barely alive.
Not unlike stasis.
But his mind was awake and he was aware of everything around him.
He couldn’t save himself. He couldn’t change his situation. He couldn’t even tell Anguissa what he knew.
She said she would be the mother of his second child.
Because of her dragon nature, slipping into her mind could be suicide.
Ryke had never been so conflicted about a choice. Invariably, he knew the right decision immediately, but—like so much else about Anguissa—the situation left him torn.
Was it possible that Bakiel was right? If Anguissa was his luxa and if the old stories were true, she’d survive a slip, regardless of her nature. They’d be able to work together, that was how the fable went. Ryke had never believed it, but he was desperate for options.
Would he survive slipping into the mind of an abomination? Or would she—as those stories went—twist everything he knew to be true so that he couldn’t discern fact from fiction anymore?
The strategy wasn’t without risk for either of them.
But Anguissa embraced danger.
She also liked surviving certain death, and the prospect of celebrating that with her made the choice. Ryke had everything to lose and only one slender chance of success.
He was going to take it.
All he had to do was convince Anguissa that he was right.
Ryke slipped, not quite all the way into Anguissa’s mind, but close enough that she would hear him at the virtual keyhole.
Knock knock, Snake-Eyes.
There was a voice in Anguissa’s thoughts, a voice that sounded a lot like Ryke’s.
She turned toward him, his face close to hers in the darkness, and found a knowing gleam in his eyes. Ryke? She thought the question.
Who else?
But...
The only way our child is going to get out of this alive is if you know what I know, and the only way that can happen is if you let me in.
Anguissa felt her eyes narrow. Let you in?
Give me access to your mind.
I thought an umbro didn’t need permission to slip.
We don’t but I’m asking.
Why?
You know why. Slipping isn’t without repercussions for the host.
Anguissa arched a brow. You’re going to take charge of my mind and body, feed on my spirit, then leave me to die? And you expect me to agree? Not a chance, Ryke...
He interrupted her with a savagery typical of Ryke. I knocked, Princess.
Her heart chilled. That was evidently important, which led to an obvious conclusion. And you didn’t have to?
Ryke’s grim tone was also familiar. We never knock. I vowed a long time ago to be different.
Because it’s your birthright to go where you want, uninvited.
Slip, not go. We call it slipping. And yes, pretty much.
Anguissa stilled. Who are you, Ryke?
There was amusement in his reply. Is the answer the price of admission?
Pretty much.
You’re no pushover, Princess. I like that. But you’ve almost guessed.
King of the umbros.
Something like that.
Anguissa realized that he’d agreed very easily, for Ryke, and felt her suspicion rise. What did he know that she didn’t?
That we haven’t got a chance otherwise. These are very long odds.
Anguissa was inclined to agree. No tricks.
Wouldn’t risk it. You’re the best ally I’ve got. She almost heard him chuckle. Is danger really the spice of life? If so, this should be the obvious choice.
Anguissa took a deep breath. It wasn’t a joke. She could die. Her trust in Ryke could be misplaced. If she declined, though, he could just slip into her mind anyway. And given the situation, they were all as good as dead.
Danger it would be. All right then. Come on in, Ryke, but don’t make me regret this.
The invasion chilled her mind and she couldn’t suppress a shiver of dread. There was something w
rong about him being there, and she felt his presence so keenly that her thoughts actually seemed crowded. She found herself compartmentalizing her memories, thoughts, and observations, as if she was locking away her own secrets to protect them from him.
Don’t fight it. I’ll be as unobtrusive as possible.
Anguissa forced herself to relax. And then?
And then we’re going to jump. Get ready, Snake-Eyes. He paused and she wondered why. There was doubt in his tone when he continued. I’m not entirely sure how this will work.
His admission sent fear through Anguissa. You said abominations can defy umbros.
The upside is that it hasn’t killed either of us so far, but we could still go insane.
Anguissa caught her breath. She knew that Ryke hadn’t made the choice lightly and respected his understanding of the risks—and the possibilities.
We or me?
We, you, me—all combinations are possible. Sadly, I have no ability to see the future. Do you?
No and you know it.
His tone was wry and confident again. True. I did peek.
Anguissa swallowed and faced the facts. She wasn’t going to think too much of having a ruthless umbro in her mind who could easily kill her. She was going to think about Ryke and what she knew about him, about the way he went back for Bakiel, about her conviction that he’d keep his word. She felt him waiting on her reply and let herself scoff. And I let you in.
He chuckled. Exactly.
They jumped and Anguissa lost awareness of her situation, just as she always did.
And then she found herself where she’d never been before.
In more ways than one. She guessed that she was visiting Centurios—and she was doing it by sharing Ryke’s memories.
She watched avidly, wanting to learn as much as she could about her enigmatic partner.
The crowd was restless.
Hungry.
A network of corridors and rooms, even prison cells, ran beneath the seating of the massive forum in the capital city of Centurios. Even through the layers of rock, the shouts of the attendees could be heard. The stamping of their feet made the walls shake. The air was filled with their shouts and their bloodlust.