Chosen (The Warrior Chronicles, 1) (21 page)

The Captain strode past Sanders, not slowing to let the other man catch up. “Do you know why I needed you in there?”

Sanders had no fucking idea, but he wished he’d left that girl by the tree where he found her.

“You have never balked at the fact that she can fight,” the Captain went on. “You have always taken her at face value. You see a dangerous person, while the others see a woman playing with knives. I need the other two commanders on board with this—I need a unified front—and we all need what is in Shanti’s head, me most of all. I need you to help me turn them to my way of thinking.”

“You’ve never had a problem with that before.”

“We’ve never had a situation that confronts our prejudices. All our problems have been within the realm of war. They don’t see that this is, too.”

“She has been nothing but disruptive to my life
,” Sanders growled.

“Just think what war will be when we meet it unprepared.”

Sanders blew out a breath. That was true. He hated when the Captain used logic.

They walked a while in silence before the Captain said, “Sorry about the… other thing. That was meant for me, I believe
. I am not telling you your business, but there is no need to relay that to…anyone else. I would prefer that stayed under the hat.”

“The other thing? You mean the invisible
hand on my bells and whistle? Yeah, I don’t need anyone knowing that shit. Sir.”

The Captain nodded once.

They continued out the door and back to business. Sanders couldn’t help wondering how much this strange woman was going to mess up their way of life.

Shanti was
on a bluff above the tent on the edge of the fighting camp. They had taken Simon and left his twin sister Simone in the holding cell. Now they marched him toward a tent at the edge of the huge camp, to one of the higher-level battle commanders who waited outside to receive him.

Simon
had his hands tied in front of him and four guards surrounded him. His mind-power was weak and his fighting only decent. It was why they had been able to take him. It was also why only four men could hold him.

“The man you requested, Battle Lord.”

“Yes, thank you. Pass it down that the women aren’t to be touched. The Supreme Being doesn’t want any man’s seed in them but those appointed. Anyone who breaks that rule will be killed slowly and painfully on full display.”

“Yes
, Battle Lord.”

The filth gestured to Simon.
“Tie him to the bed inside. Make sure he cannot inflict harm. The rest can be distributed. I only require this one.”

“Yes, Battle Lord.”

Shanti closed her eyes as Simon was led out of her sight, into the tent.

Shanti could free him. She could kill the man about to do this thing and take Simon right now. Maybe Simone, too. But she couldn’t get to the rest. They were within the clusters of fighters, spread around. The men would be used like Simon. The girls were being herded to a tent with guards, keeping the others away. She would reveal herself, cause a giant manhunt, and probably eventually get captured herself. She could kill herself, though. She could free herself from a life of rape
and torture. She would also kill the hope of all of her people with her, leaving these few to the same existence they faced right now without her help.

Shanti touched Simon’s mind. Gave him a nudge.

She felt his awareness. Then his surprise. Finally…his desire for death.

She spread out her mind, found each of her people. Did the same. And with each, felt the same. Even the women—they knew their fate. They were safe now, but not for long. They couldn’t end it themselves
; they needed her.

That’s when she felt it. Simon—his horror. His fear. His
grossly intimate abuse.

Something snapped.

Bowing her head, not caring if this was the end, she latched on to each and every mind belonging to her people. So different than the beastly brain patterns of their captors. She focused on them, feeling that two others were going through the same treatment as Simon. They were suffering. She felt it.

With one blast of pure, intense power, she
fried
them. It took more energy, but it was quicker. Less painful. Most fell dead immediately. The three strongest fell into the pain, not allowing themselves to scream, until finally succumbing to it.

Simon went limp on the crate,
his face clearing.

Barely a
ble to stand, sobs choking her, knowing she had just killed people she had known all her life, she fled. Stumbled and ran. Nearly blind, no strength, she made herself keep going. Legs catching on brambles. Dogs barking, chasing her. Men shouting. She had to keep going.

Had to keep going.

****

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Shanti thrashed at the arms, crying out, struggling away. Her face was pressed against a chest with no give. The arms that held her were like giant bands of cable. She lashed out mentally and splintered on a hard block. Cayan.

“
Sssshhhhh.
I’ve got you. You’re safe.” His rough voice calmed her. Reassuring.

She drifted back into dreamless sleep.
If only keeping going wasn’t so painful.

The ground cooled slowly as the sizzling sun disappeared entirely from the sky. The electrifying colors of dusk settled into the blues and blacks of night, cloaking the land and hiding its mysteries. Somewhere within the large park Leilius roamed, looking for Shanti, skulking behind trees and blending into bushes, cloaked in black and trying to become the darkness. He was great at hiding, but not so great at moving silently. It was a work in progress.

Five days
after the battle, Shanti was recovering yet again, still in the Captain’s city. Cayan had offered her a place as long as she wanted. When she was ready to go, he offered her any help he could provide. And while she was thankful, because she needed to heal again, she wasn’t exactly comfortable. She felt the pull of the East, the urge to continue with her duty and move the war effort along. Not only that, but she had dragged his people into her struggle. He and his commanders were starting to think of the overall picture now, having an idea of what was coming, and already choosing a side. That was good, obviously, but they were such a small nation—Shanti couldn’t help but think she had made a grave mistake by not killing him. He’d be taken, and he’d be used. And right now, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.

So here she sat,
trying to block out the pressure of her duty, her mistakes and failures, and keeping her mind completely closed so Leilius wouldn’t have a chance to sneak up on her. It was amazing, and more than a little frustrating, how mangled her plans had become in the space of a month.

As night settled, she heard stomping to her right. It was loud enough to be a massive land animal. If that was Leilius, he would get his ass kicked, no two ways about it.

“Tasha, wait.” A male’s voice rang through the clearing. Commanding. Controlling, more like.

“Tasha!”

A pretty young woman stomped into view with tears rolling down her face. She had a look of determination intermixed with fear. Behind her stepped a man the usual height for this land, but he was lean for these people. There was a confidence in his bearing that said he could hold his own, but wasn’t an excellent fighter. Dirty fighter, perhaps. Punched people when they weren’t looking.

He grabbed
the young woman’s arm and swung her to face him. She collided with his chest, her arms coming up immediately to push away.

“I j
ust want to talk,” he said gruffly. By the way his body loomed over hers, and the way his hips slightly protruded, that was horseshit.

The fear in the girl’s body said she thought the same thing.

“No. I don’t want to. I’m not ready.” She had tears in her voice. “Please.”

He grabbed her with both hands. “
You can’t lead me on and then walk away, Tasha. That’s not how this works. What am I supposed to do…” He shook her a little, pulling her back toward the trees.

Boy-o
h-boy did he pick the wrong time to step into Shanti’s life. With her nightmares waking her up screaming three nights out of four, she was not in the mood to witness any more social injustices.

Shanti
stood up silently and walked closer slowly, trying to control herself before she jumped into this altercation. Because she would absolutely be jumping in. In this city, based on its rules, no woman should be manhandled. It was like roughing up an
Empathic
in her village. Or someone not engaged in the fighting arts, man or woman. The strong didn’t pick on the weak.

“No, Tommas. Please…”
the girl begged.

“Oh, hello,” Shanti said casually, walking into a spot of moonlight in the small clearing.

Tommas startled but held on, not letting go of his prize. Tasha stayed mute, mouth closed tight. Her eyes said help, but they also revealed guilt. Possibly she had been making out with him in the trees and he tried to go too far. Didn’t make it right, but this woman was too young, or too entrenched in social customs, to know that.

“What do you want, bitch?” Tommas asked with a snarl. “Can’t you see I’m havi
ng a private moment with my girlfriend?”

“Ah yes, bitch. I don’t love that word, myself.
Passive aggressive. I much prefer cunt if you are looking to make a point. Much more vulgar, don’t you agree? Widens people’s eyes. Regardless, I wanted to know if I can assist in any way? It seems there is need of a mediator.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You seem to be having a dispute. I thought I might be able to solve the situation logically. As an impartial third party, of course.”

“Fuck off, you stupid
cunt
!”

“Oh, lovely. Two of my favorites in the same sentence. I just love the word
fuck
. It’s very similar to
flak,
in my homeland. You can hear the similarities. The meaning is slightly different, however.
Flak
is more of ‘everything good in the world suddenly going wrong’. Turning to shit, you might say. Fuck seems to be more sexually based, however loosely. But
oh
the things you can do with it, am I right?”

Tommas just stared. He had no idea what she was talking about, what was going on, and why his vehemence wasn’t scaring her off. She used this distraction to move ever closer,
lackadaisically getting into range so that she could get Tasha away and then have some sport with Tommas.

“For example,” Shanti continued. “You can use it as an action: I am going to fuck you sideways and call you Martha. Or as a thing: you are a dumb fuck. Or as—“

“What the fu—what do you want?” Tommas spat.

“It is certainly used more often when angry, yes. I have noticed that.” Shanti was a step away now, her feet light on the ground, in predator mood.

“Fuck
off!”
Tommas threw out a hand to push Shanti away at the shoulder. Instead of blocking, or swiping it away, or even letting it reach its destination, she instead grabbed it and pulled.

Tommas lost his balance immediately and took a giant step in Shanti’s direction. He let go of Tasha in anticipation of landing on his face. Shan
ti stepped around him deftly, putting herself between the two.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Tommas growled. He’d just decided to kick her ass.

What a small minded idiot. As Rachie would say, he was in bad need of a bitch slap.

“Tasha, there is about to be violence. You’d best run off now,” Shanti said calmly, her eyes never leaving Tommas. “If you head east, you will probably run into a fifteen-year-old kid called Leilius. Ask him to take you home. Stay away from this Tommas creep. If he comes near you again, you let me know and I will sort him out. Yes? Hurry along.”

And she was running away east. Good girl. Now for the creep.

“What the fuck, Tasha?” Tommas frothed. His disheveled glare found hers. Something was wrong at the basic level with this youth. He wasn’t safe and probably just starting to show the signs.

Luckily, she had a great deterrent for future violence in others. It was called
fear.

Tommas’s body was square to her. “
What do you want, you nosey slut? To take her place?”

“Slut? I’m unfamiliar with that one. But since you were so kind to use it in context, I think I get the jest.
Gist? Jest is a joke, I think. Although, that also works.”

“Screw this. No one will believe you over me.”
Tommas struck out, the back of his hand swinging at her from across his body. He was
impossibly
slow.