Defender (Battle Born Book 4) (21 page)

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 with 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?”

“You better send your entire security staff,” Belington advised. “Have you ever gone up against a technomage?”

“She’s been deceiving them for months. Will the technomages even bother protecting her?” Gutorrez asked, his dark eyes narrowed, mouth grim.

“I have access to people who have experience with this sort of thing,” Pyre asserted. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Who?” Gutorrez challenged. “How are you going to break in to IG Headquarters and spirit Haven away?”

It was none of his damn business as long as she accomplished the goal. Still, all six men stared at her expectantly, waiting for her explanation. “The only way to best a technomage is with another technomage.”

“You have a spy inside the IG?” Gutorrez still sounded doubtful.

“How I do it is irrelevant, as long as I get her out,” Pyre snapped. She was tired of their cross-examination and yesterday had taught her the dangers of oversharing. “I’ll com you when I have her so we can figure out how to proceed. Agreed?”

It took a moment for all six guild masters to respond, but eventually everyone agreed.

* * * * *

“Are you feeling the mating pull or is this a temporary flirtation?”

Surprised by the personal nature of Danvier’s question, Chandar quickly lifted her mug of spiced tea as she decided what to tell him. They were alone in the dining room, but he’d returned to the Pavilion too late to eat lunch with her. Indigo and Vox were training in the courtyard and this location had felt less personal than inviting Danvier into her suite. Despite the fact that they were brother and sister, they had been separated for most of their lives.

“I’m sorry.” Color stained Danvier’s cheeks and he looked away from her face. “It’s none of my business.”

“Do you dislike Raylon?” She carefully set down her mug and tried to summon an emotionless mask like the one Danvier had perfected.

“I’ve known Raylon for many years and respect his abilities greatly.” It was obvious he chose his words carefully.

“But,” she prompted, though she was no longer sure she wanted to hear his opinion.

“But he’s a harsh and violent soldier.” Danvier’s gaze returned to her as he added, “He seems an odd choice for a harbinger.”

She couldn’t blame Danvier for expressing a doubt most in their acquaintance shared. On the surface, she and Raylon seemed like the quintessential mismatch. “He makes me happy and he makes me feel safe. Surely you can understand why those things are important to me.”

“Of course. I understand why you chose him to protect you.” He left the rest unsaid and still his message was clear. Raylon made a good bodyguard, but certainly not a lover, or Creation forbid, a mate.

“It makes sense to me and Raylon. That’s all that matters.”

Danvier inclined his head. “Again, I apologize.”

She sighed and wrapped both hands around her mug, absorbing the warmth through her palms. She’d suggested they have lunch, hoping to bridge the gap created by time, yet she seemed to be pushing him farther away. “I remember how close we were as children, but I don’t really know the man you’ve become. I want that to change.”

“I want that too.”

“I don’t want to feel so awkward around you. You’re the only family I have left.”

He started to say something then smiled. “You no longer consider
her
family?” Though his wording remained neutral, the resentment in his tone spoke volumes. Clearly, he hated their mother just as much as Chandar did.

“Pyre Sterling gave birth to me. For that I’m thankful. She also allowed me to be given to Akim. She knew where I was and that I was being abused for the past two years, and still she did nothing about it. For that, I will never forgive her.”

They looked at each other in silent understanding. Life might have taken them in different directions, but they still had a common foundation. They’d been shaped by similar forces. More than anyone else in the universe, they understood each other. And nothing could take that away.

“Do you remember our father?” Danvier finally broke the silence. “You were still very young when he passed beyond.”

“I have scattered memories of him. I remember a silly little song he used to sing whenever I was sad.”

“The one about the flower and the lamb?” His stoic mask slipped and for just a moment nostalgia softened his features. His gaze warmed and his lips started to curve into a wistful smile, but something in the memory was bittersweet and the smile faded before it was fully formed. She understood the reaction all too well. Every pleasant memory she possessed was tainted, directly or indirectly, by Pyre Sterling.

Stubbornly, pushing thoughts of their mother aside, she focused on their father. “I can still see his smile as if he’d just left the room.” Predictably, her smile also faltered and the warmth inside her cooled as a persistent image shouldered the other aside. “Unfortunately, the most detailed memory I have of Father is the disbelief and anguish on his face as Pyre shoved her blade into his chest.”

Danvier reached across the table and touched her hand. “I didn’t bring him up to make you sad. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Excellent idea.” She was more than ready to think of something positive, something untouched by their mother’s ruthlessness. “You’re a really good big brother. I remember many times you ran to my defense or stopped someone from harassing me.” His only reaction was a slow incline of his head, so she brought the conversation back into the present. “Apparently, time hasn’t diminished your protective tendencies. Why else would you be worried about Raylon?”

“You’re still my little sister.” He sounded stern, almost autocratic, but affection and determination combined, making his eyes shine. “No one will ever hurt you again, and that includes Pyre Sterling.”

As if summoned by his words, Pyre’s image materialized in Chandar’s mind, sharp, detailed and current. Pyre hadn’t changed much in the past two years. Her color-morphing hair was longer and the lines around her eyes were more noticeable, but—reality blurred as the vison took Chandar deeper into the scene. The dining room faded, replaced by the compact interior of a Rodyte shuttle.

“What is this about?” A deep, male voice drew Chandar’s attention to the speaker. “I don’t like being summoned like a slave.” He was tall and dark-haired like most Rodytes, but that was where the resemblance ended. His hair had been shaved on the sides, leaving a long, wildly curling strip down the center. Though his broad chest was crisscrossed by wide synth-leather straps that held a crimson mantle and assorted weapons, his arms, shoulders and abdomen were exposed to the elements. The impractical style also showcased the subdermal art covering much of his skin. He looked savage and deadly. What would Pyre want with this sort of man?

“I have a task for which you are uniquely qualified,” Pyre told him.

He chuckled and his dark eyes gleamed, yet there was no hint of colored rings in the endless blackness. “I’m uniquely qualified for any task.”

“I need you to kidnap someone from inside IG Headquarters.” She arched her brows, allowing the request to sink in. “I don’t know anyone else who could do this.”

“There isn’t anyone else who could do this. The question is, why should I?”

She shrugged, yet cunning made her silver phitons shimmer. She moved toward him slowly, hips rolling, shoulders squared. “I thought you hated them and would welcome any opportunity to reveal their weaknesses.”