5.5 - Under the Ice Blades (8 page)

“Are there women out here, Sire?”

Angulus joined her. “Two of the scientists are women, yes.”

“This isn’t wet.” Kaika held the scrap out to him. “When did it rain? This morning, right? Then it cleared up this evening. At least back home.” She eyed the damp rocks, guessing the weather had been about the same here.

“You think whoever’s garment this was went in or left after the rain? That probably means it would have been after Colonel Troskar left the facility and flew home to warn us.” Angulus frowned at the rock wall. “That doesn’t make sense. The murders had already happened by then. If anything, the soldiers and scientists should have stayed inside. Well, maybe not. Braksonoth said the threat originally
came
from inside. Something about a tunnel.” He thumped his fist on the wall. “I should’ve spent more time with Troskar, gotten more information from him, and from Braksonoth. Now it’s too late.”

His mask was fading again, a hint of anguish slipping through. Kaika’s instincts were to back away and let him be alone, the same as she had with Ort and Zirkander, but she laid a hand on his arm instead. He had lost his wife in the last month and now someone he’d worked with for years, if not decades.

“We’ll figure it out, Sire. Zirkander’s good, and so am I.” All right, Zirkander was good in the
sky
, and investigating mysteries and murders wasn’t exactly her job, but she had worked through a few puzzles in her day. True, Nowon had been the one to figure most of those out, but if examining some explosion site was key here, she could definitely do that.

Angulus looked down at her hand on his arm, and she withdrew it, suddenly feeling presumptuous. He wasn’t some colleague; he was her king. Was there a rule about commoners touching royalty? Even if the lines weren’t as strict as they had been in centuries past, there probably was.

“Thank you, Kaika.” He tilted his head as he met her eyes. “Or do you prefer Astuawilda?”

“I prefer to shoot people who call me that,” she said, wincing at the sound of the terrible syllables. “But since you’ve already been shot at tonight, I’ll just politely inform you of my preferences.” She realized she was being presumptuous again—or had that been a threat? Was it her fault that he seemed like a colleague rather than a monarch right now, dressed in plain travel clothing with his sweat-dampened hair sticking up in numerous directions? “Sire,” she added belatedly.

He didn’t seem to notice her irreverence, or the threat. “Technically, I don’t think our flier was shot at. We just had a fireball flung in our direction. Of course, my eyebrows
were
nearly seared off.”

“That’s probably a suitable punishment for using my first name.” She winked before she caught herself. What was she doing? Flirting?

His eyebrows twitched upward.

“Uhm.” Kaika cleared her throat and studied the cliff wall. “That protruding rock must be around here, huh?”

“Yes.” Angulus reached over her head and twisted a rounded rock. “Step back.”

A thunk sounded, followed by a scraping noise, and a clink-clink-clink of a chain unwinding. Kaika scooted to the side as a rectangular section of rock swung outward. It was large and heavy, revealing a cement tunnel wide enough to drive a steam carriage through. The passage was unexpectedly well lit. Lamps dangled from the ceiling at regular intervals, metal cages surrounding light bulbs. Electricity was still new in the capital, and Kaika had only seen such lamps a few times. There had been talk about getting wiring run to the military forts and flier hangars, but nothing had come of it yet. She certainly hadn’t expected some cave in the middle of nowhere to be so equipped.

“Sire,” General Ort said, jogging over to join them. “As the ranking officer here, I feel it’s my responsibility to keep you safe. Given that there are no troops stationed at their posts—” he waved to the ledge and also to the tunnel, which was empty of everything except those lamps, “—as I was led to believe there would be, we should return to the capital immediately. It’s not safe for you to be here.”

Zirkander walked up, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He wore a rifle across his back, but he hadn’t yet unpacked his flier.

Angulus looked at him. “Is that what you think, too, Zirkander?”

“I think I’m curious and would like to explore that tunnel, Sire.”

Ort glowered at him, his boot shifting, as if to kick his colleague in the shin. His expression never changing, Zirkander lifted his boot and set his foot down outside of Ort’s reach.

“But I do agree with General Ort insofar as your safety is concerned,” Zirkander added. “I can take you back. Ort and Kaika can look around, or they can come back too. Whatever you think is best. We’ll get Sardelle and maybe Tolemek if you’re willing to bring him out here. Then we can come back better equipped to deal with that sorceress.” He grimaced.

Sardelle had said the other sorceress, somehow woken from a centuries’ long sleep, was far more powerful than she was. It had taken Sardelle
and
Tolemek to distract her while Kaika set explosives in that flying fortress. And distract her was
all
they had done; neither of them had come close to killing the woman.

Angulus looked at Kaika. Was he asking for all of their opinions? Since she was just a captain, she was surprised he would care what she thought.

“Whatever you want to do, Sire,” she said. “I’m with you.”

She hoped that being
with him
wouldn’t involve her being sent home. That empty tunnel beckoned to her, promising a mystery and maybe some danger inside. Hadn’t he said something about spies and strange explosives? She could barely keep from trotting inside to explore on her own.

“Good,” Angulus murmured softly, the words seemingly just for her. He smiled slightly before turning back toward the generals. “We might be in danger all over again if we fly back. We have to assume the sorceress is still alive, and she may have more people with fliers out there. She might be able to track us down again, perhaps by the magic in the energy crystals powering our craft.”

Ort blinked. He might not have considered that they had been tracked. Zirkander nodded grimly, not appearing surprised.

“Also, I have people in here,” Angulus went on, tilting his head toward the tunnel, “people I hand-selected for this project. People who were led to believe that this was a secret facility and that they would be safe, no matter what kind of work they produced. At least two of those people are dead.” He frowned down at his hand, rubbing the piece of fabric between his fingers. “And I’m afraid there’s been more trouble since Troskar left to report that. I’m going to take a look.”

“Sire,” Ort started to protest.

Angulus stopped him with an upraised hand. “I agree that we need help. I want you to go back to the capital, Ort. Find Sardelle. You’ll bring her out here personally and anyone she thinks could be useful in dealing with the situation.” He frowned again. Not certain about Tolemek? “I also want you to tell Colonel Porthlok from Intelligence. He knows about this place. Have him pick a few solid men and bring them out. In fliers. I don’t want an entire dirigible crew to know about the facility.”

“Duck, Crash, and Colonel Sankoft from Tiger Squadron would be good,” Zirkander said. “Duck was with us on the Cofahre mission and knows quite a few secrets already. The others are trustworthy.”

“Tenderfoot and Vart from my company would be good for tunnels,” Kaika offered, not sure whether her suggestions for personnel would be considered here.

“You heard them, Ort,” Angulus said. “Hurry, and get back out here.”

“Sire.” Ort removed his cap and pushed sweaty hair back from his forehead. “I agree that there are still threats that we might run into if we fly back, but leaving you here without any guards...”

Kaika frowned. She wasn’t a bodyguard, but she could keep Angulus alive unless they faced truly overwhelming odds. “I can watch the king’s back, sir.”

Ort’s expression only grew bleaker. She tried to tell herself that he had never seen her shoot or fight and didn’t know that she was damned good at her job, but it didn’t work. She found her lips curling back in a challenge.

Zirkander slapped her on the back. “We both will. Only Kaika will do it effectively. Look, General, if you hurry, you can be back shortly after dawn. Five hours round-trip, and it won’t take long to get everyone. Sardelle’s in my new cottage outside of the city, the one that hasn’t been blown up yet. I figure fate is waiting until I’ve selected a new couch and really settled in to let that happen.”

Zirkander offered a smile, but neither Angulus nor Ort was looking at him, nor were they looking at Kaika. They were staring at each other, Angulus appearing stubborn and annoyed, and Ort appearing very similar.

“It’s not open for discussion, General,” Angulus said. He did relent and add, “We won’t go far. You’ve been into the testing chamber and seen the labs. It’s a defensible area. We’ll wait there for you to return with more troops.”

“Defensible against normal people, maybe,” Ort said. “What if that sorceress shows up here?”

“We left her twenty miles back. Unless she has a flier waiting for her, she won’t make it here before you get back, assuming you leave soon.”

“She might
have
a flier.” Ort sighed, but finally dipped his head in acceptance. “Stay safe, my liege.” Though propriety only demanded a salute, he dropped to one knee and touched his forehead before rising and walking stiffly toward his craft. “Ridge, see me to my flier.”

It seemed a strange request, since his flier was less than ten meters away, but Zirkander walked after him without comment. Angulus pocketed the fabric and took a couple of steps into the tunnel.

Kaika started after him, but paused, catching Ort’s whispered words, words that clearly weren’t meant for her—or the king—to overhear.

“What do you think about knocking him out, tying him up, and throwing him in the back of one of our fliers?” Ort asked. “It’s for his own good. It’s ludicrous for him to be out here.”

Zirkander shook his head. “I think we’d both lose our heads if we succeeded.”

“He wouldn’t kill us for trying to save his life. I don’t think.”

“Our careers, then.” Zirkander’s hand lifted toward his flier, as if to reach out and stroke it.

“Damn it, Ridge. You can’t put your career ahead of the king’s life. It’s our duty to keep him alive.”

“It’s our
duty
to follow his orders. Besides, who’s going to knock him out? Unless you’re a better pugilist than I remember, I’d be the scapegoat, and he’s got forty pounds on me.”

“Together we could—”

Aware of movement inside the tunnel, Kaika only had time to step back before Angulus stormed past her. Judging by the livid expression on his face, he’d heard at least some of that conversation.

“If
either
of you lays a finger on me, I’ll have
both
of your heads,” Angulus roared, his anger surprising Kaika, more because she had never seen him lose his temper than because it wasn’t justified.

Ort’s shoulders slumped. Zirkander’s face paled. Kaika had never seen him wearing such a distressed expression, not even in the face of certain death, but having his king angry with him clearly drove horror into his heart. He lifted his hands, looking very much like someone who wanted to deny all culpability, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Ort, get in your flier and get back to the city and follow my orders before I shove you off that ledge.”

“Yes, Sire.” Ort ducked his chin, then scrambled into the cockpit as quickly as any young cadet.

“Be careful out there, sir,” Zirkander said and stepped away from the flier.

Already activating the thrusters, his back stiff and his face unreadable, Ort did not look down or acknowledge the warning.

Angulus looked at Kaika. She straightened her back, hoping he wouldn’t think she’d had anything to do with the conversation. She could sympathize with the generals’ desires to keep the king safe, but she couldn’t see laying a hand on Angulus, unless it was to shove him out of the way of an oncoming bullet.

Fortunately, his fury did not appear to be for her. When their eyes met, he winced, his expression shifting from anger to apology, as if he was embarrassed to have been caught yelling.

“Zirkander,” Angulus said as Ort lifted off, “toss that camo netting over your flier, then follow us inside.”

“Yes, Sire,” Zirkander said, his voice contrite. From him, that tone was even rarer than the king’s fury.

“Kaika?” Angulus removed his rifle from his back and held it in his arms. “Let’s go.”

As he headed into the tunnel, Kaika hurried to catch up. She strode at his side, so she could see the way ahead, and so that she could spin and protect his back if needed. More than ever, she felt the need to ensure he walked out of here safely. As serious as this mission was, her body hummed with excitement. She had wanted a worthwhile assignment, and now she had it.

K
aika stepped out of the tunnel and into the hollowed-out chamber ahead of the king, her rifle ready as she searched every dark nook and corner with her eyes. For the moment, she paid little attention to the three-story cylindrical construct of conduits and panels in the center, or to the smaller, unfamiliar mechanical contraptions that rested on the floor in the back, or to the glass-walled laboratories lining one side of the cavernous chamber. Instead, she searched for signs of danger, eyes alert to movement, her ears straining to detect sounds, her nose inhaling the strange mix of scents inside. Chemicals, moisture, and something akin to burned black powder. A faint hum came from a distant wall, or perhaps another level of the complex, and the floor vibrated faintly.

She did not see anyone crouched in the shadows, either in the chamber or in the labs, but she spotted and pointed at two unmoving men in blood-stained white lab coats, their bodies laid out on the cement floor alongside a wall. Even from several meters away, she could tell from their frozen faces and pale features that they were dead. Their hands rested across their abdomens, and duffle bags lay at their feet.