Born of Legend (35 page)

He saw flashes of images he couldn't place. Though some he was sure belonged to Trajen's distant memories.

“Breathe steady, and focus.” Trajen's voice soothed the churning in his gut. “Don't fight me. Just follow my lead.”

Jullien took a deep breath. Suddenly, he was inside a Tavali freighter that was docked on a Starken outpost, alongside a large group of other Tavali ships. Most of them were Gorturnum by their Canting and flags, but a few were Wasternum. He had no idea which one was Chaz until he saw Vasili. Even though Vas was only five in this memory, he knew the boy instantly.

He was the perfect five-year-old-male version of his mother, with bright, curious eyes and the happiest disposition Jullien had ever seen on any child. Vas was running mad circles around the adults, laughing while he did so.

How adorable.

“Vasili!” his father snarled. “Stop it, this instant!”

Freezing in place, he opened his mouth like a fish. “Like this, Paka?”

Jullien laughed at the boy's game. But his father didn't find it amusing. Instead, Chaz picked him up and spanked him for it. Then set him down hard in a seat to cry.

“Don't move again. I mean it! And stop that noise, or else I'll give you a real reason to weep!”

Fury shortened Jullien's breath at those harsh words.

Ignoring his son, Chaz went back to the group that was meeting on the ship. He returned to the starchart. “Are you sure we can take him by surprise? Trajen's a slippery bastard. No one's been able to get near him since the night he murdered my father.”

“You're his FA. When you make your report, you'll have to take the shot. You're the only one who can get close enough to him for it. He won't let anyone else into his offices.”

Chaz nodded, then glanced over to one of the Wasternum pilots. “What about Dane?”

“I've got my agents in. I can move on Hermione and her bastard immediately. After they're gone, and you're in place, we'll let the Septurnum take the fall for it—then we can put in one of our own to lead them. At that point, the Council is ours. Venik's already said he won't interfere so long as we keep his name out of the takedown and stay out of his business. We'll rule the other three Nations and they'll tithe to us. You'll have vengeance for your father, and I won't have to take anymore shit from another Dane ever again.”

Chaz shook his arm. “Sounds good.” He glanced to the others. “Are we all in accord?”

One by one, they nodded. Until he came to a Wasturnum who was off to the side. Tall and athletically built, he still wore the face paint and mask that they used whenever they were hauling illegal cargo that kept their identities hidden from enemies and authorities. He stood with a slightly taller member of his Nation. The two of them exchanged a frown.

“What do you think?” the taller one asked.

The shorter one let out a heavy sigh. “I don't know … I got a little problem with the plan.”

Chaz glared at them. “What?”

The shorter one lowered his mask to reveal his chiseled, patrician features, dark olive skin, and long, wavy dark red hair. “For starters, that you're planning to murder my mother, you fucking bastard. Secondly, Trajen's a friend of mine. You go for my brother, you go for me. Oh, and yeah, that's the third thing. You're coming for me, too.” Ryn Dane drew his blaster at the same time the others opened fire on him.

Vasili started screaming in terror as total chaos erupted. Shots flew thick. Two struck Ryn's armor as he ran to save the boy Chaz had abandoned to the fight while Ryn's friend covered him.

Somehow, Ryn managed to get off the ship with Vasili in his arms. He handed the boy off to a blue-skinned woman before he locked the ramp with the others trapped inside the ship.

“Blow that bitch in six!” he snarled into his link. “I don't want a single one of them left alive. Make sure we're clear and that no one gets off it. Then we'll call Trajen and let him know he was right to be suspicious.”

“Hey, Dane?” the woman whined. “What do I do with this? Not maternal and it's leaking and loud! Did you break it?”

He cursed under his breath. “It's a child, Yra, not a poisonous reptile.”

Softening his features, he took Vasili from her and walked quickly with him away from the ship as he tried to soothe the boy. “It's all right, little guy. I'm Uncle Ryn. I'm going to get you home to your mama, okay? Shh … it's all good. It's…” His voice trailed off as he froze mid step.

Chaz came out of the shadows with a blaster aimed at them. “Call off your orders. Now!” He clicked the blaster's setting from stun to kill.

Ryn scowled at him. “Davers, I'm holding your son. Let me set him down and we'll discuss this.”

“You think I care about that brat? I didn't even want him. Now don't fucking move! Do what I told you. Call off your orders or I'm shooting you!”

“Paka?” Vasili cried.

“Shut up!” he snarled. He tightened his grip on his weapon. “I'm not playing, Dane. Don't try anything. I know how your family works. You brought us here 'cause we can't breathe fire in this atmosphere. You're sneaky bastards. And I'm not going to die on my knees like my father did. Nor am I spending another day serving a piece of shit Vaqim whore and her family. Now release my friends!”

Vasili cried even harder.

Tightening his grip on the boy, Ryn's gaze went past Chaz's shoulder. He covered Vas's eyes with his hand and kept the child's face buried against his shoulder.

An instant later, Chaz hit the ground, dead. Splintered into pieces as if a bomb had detonated inside him.

Repulsed by the vision, Jullien pulled his hand away from Trajen's as he let the reality of what he'd just seen go through him. That wasn't a memory tainted by emotion and perception. It was the harsh, unvarnished truth.

“Damn, Tray. You're a cold-blooded bastard.”

“Era suera.”

Jullien snorted at the idiomatic Trisani expression that was literally translated to
like eats like
, but meant
it takes one to know one
.

Maybe he was right.

“You didn't murder his father.”

Trajen shook his head. “No. I fought him for my position, per Tavali law and custom. While I'm Trisani, he was a Fyreblood. And I didn't use all my powers in our Calibrum. I could have killed him as easily as I did Chaz. But rather, I battled him relatively fairly.”

He particularly liked Trajen's use of the word
relatively
. “And you never told Ushara the truth about her husband?”

“No, I let her think that our enemies attacked him and his envoy, and did that to them. It would destroy her to know that Chaz had been involved in that kind of treachery and had pointed a weapon at his own child.”

Yes, it would. She honestly thought Chaz had loved her and her son. But the truth was far from her delusions. “He was using her for her family's position and ties?”

Trajen nodded. “Back then, I kept myself cloistered and left the running of the station and Nation primarily up to Ushara's father and family. Chaz was my field admiral and his brother was the VA under my predecessor. Since I was an outsider, I thought it best to let things stay as normal as possible … my mistake.”

“Ushara told me that Chaz was a pacifist.”

“A lie he lived. He battled his way to become my field admiral, then kept his head low while moving into position so that he and his brother could assassinate me. I believe you're familiar with such tactics.”

“Little bit.” Jullien rubbed his hand over his face. “And Vas? Does he remember any of that?”

“No. I made sure of it, but … my interference had unforseen consequences.”

“Mindwipes usually do.”

A tic started in Trajen's jaw. “I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't leave the boy with that memory. Could you?”

“No. Trust me. You did right by him. Having been on the receiving end of many similar father-son exchanges, I'm a walking advertisement of what happens to sons whose fathers are in bitter need of parenting classes. We come out all kinds of effed up and arselings back.” Jullien narrowed his gaze on Trajen. “So if you weren't interested in leading the Gorts, why did you battle to become their HAP?”

“I had my reasons.”

“So you did and they're all yours and none of my concern. Gotcha, boss.”

Trajen snorted. “I can't believe how much I strangely like you.” He pulled a flask out from his pocket and handed it to Jullien. “You're the only one, other than those who were there, who know the truth of what happened that night.”

Jullien was impressed by his compassion. “You left all of them with their memories?”

“You and Ryn Cruel are the only ones who know what happened that night.”

With a scoffing laugh, Jullien took a swig, then choked on the potent drink. “What the hell is in this thing? Ship fuel?”

Grinning, Trajen took it and knocked back a large gulp. “Trisani Starfyre. Forget that watered-down shit the Tondarions make. We brewed the malt whisky that put hair not just on your chest, but on your knuckles and tongue.”

Jullien laughed as he continued to wheeze. “Is that legal?”

“Of course not. Outlawed by every known government. Melted the brains of lesser species.” He held the flask out toward him.

“Well then … gods know I never needed my brain activity. Pretty sure I was brain dead on arrival at birth.” More prepared this time, he drank it and let it burn its way through his system. It was toxic going down, but had a smooth aftertaste that mellowed into something very pleasant after a few minutes.

Trajen clapped him on the back. “I'll make a Tris out of you yet, Andarion.”

Snorting, Jullien ran his thumb down his right fang. “So you've confided in me. Poisoned me … dare I ask why? 'Cause I got be honest, these little chats of ours scare the Tophet of out me.”

“You don't believe in Tophet.”

“Not true. I currently live in it.”

Trajen confiscated his whisky for another swig. “Truthfully? I don't know. I think it's because I can't hide from you. I still haven't figured out how you saw me so clearly when no one else ever has. You see everyone.”

He locked gazes with Jullien. “And I see you, little brother. You're as fucked up as I am. It's why I wanted you to know the truth. I didn't want you to keep comparing yourself to a ghost that never existed. You held Chaz up as this shining beacon of perfection in fatherhood and husbandry, when the truth is he didn't give a shit. He took his wife for granted and ignored his son. I think it's why Vas glommed on to you the way he did in that bar. You protected him when you didn't have to. And I know you're stralen. It's faded for now, but I can still see the traces of it in your eyes. The more you're around Ushara and Vas, the stronger it'll become.”

“That's what I'm afraid of.”

“It's what we're all afraid of. Love makes us weak. 'Cause you know you're no longer in control of anything.
She
is.”

Jullien let out a tired breath at that single truth.
“Swáhytsý
, brother.”

Trajen capped his flask. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“On what?”

“Your marriage.”

Jullien blinked as those words hung in the air between them. “Pardon? My
what
?”

“Ah.… Didn't know, did you?”

Confused, Jullien stared at him. “Am I drunk?”

“I don't know. Are you?”

Jullien scowled as he held his hands up to test their stability. No. He appeared sober. Everything was relatively right, except …

“What makes you think I'm married?”

“I don't think anything.” Trajen pulled out his link and handed it over to Jullien. “Know it for a fact. It's how my favorite admiral kept your ass out of jail and off the bounty sheets after a certain family went to file formal charges on you behind her back. She done went and changed your name, lineage, bio, and your address, and everything else in your files.”

Jullien's jaw dropped as he read through his personnel files. Trajen wasn't kidding and he wasn't drunk. According to this, he did indeed have a wife, and a new last name.

Furious, he handed the link back to Trajen and jumped down from the ship.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

Jullien glared up at him. “To make myself a widower.”

 

C
HAPTER
11

Ushara came awake to a giant, hulking shadow standing over her bed. She started to shoot it until she recognized the muscular outline. “Jullien? What are you doing here?”

“According to my files, I live here now.”

“Wha … oh.” She cringed. “I was going to tell you about that in the morning.”

“In the morning?
Really
?”

She bit her lip and cringed. “I had to do something. After you stormed off, there was more fallout over the fight. And…” She paused at the low feral growl he let out over her words. If he'd been a Fyreblood, she'd have expected smoke to come out of his throat to punctuate that guttural sound. “Why are you so mad, anyway?”

“Why?” He stepped back from the bed and gestured angrily toward the door. “Oh, I don't know. You married me without my consent, or even notifying me of the event. How would you feel if I did that to
you
?”

While he had a valid point, she wasn't going to let him know it. “You're stralen.”

“So?”

“So … you're stralen,” she repeated. It wasn't like he could just run off and find another female now. Unfortunately for his rare breed, it didn't work that way. Once that gene kicked in, the male became pair-bonded to a frightening level to the one who'd caused it. While they could be with another female, their loyalty and
heart
would always remain with the one who first awoke the chemical change in their bodies. It biologically altered the male for the rest of his life, and there was nothing he could do about it.