Defender (Battle Born Book 4) (20 page)

“I have to find out what’s going on.” He moved closer, resting his hands on her shoulders. “Garin will want answers and I intend to have as many as possible before he wakes up. We can’t devise a strategy until I figure out what all of this means.”

“I understand.” And she did. For Raylon, the battle born rebellion was not just a job, it was a calling. He’d dedicated himself to the cause long before they met and it wasn’t fair for her to hold him back now. She wasn’t battle born, but she understood what it was like to be powerless and to be a slave to the circumstances of one’s birth. “Is there any way I can help you?”

“Not unless you have another vision.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth. “But don’t push it. Get some sleep. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Chapter Nine

With both hands wrapped around a warm mug of
civata
brew, Chandar sat back and watched the other three occupants of the Pavilion’s dining room. Indigo had introduced her to the other two earthborn females and encouraged her not to hide away in her suite while they ate breakfast. But Chandar didn’t really know Ashley or Raina, so the conversation soon flowed smoothly without Chandar’s participation.

Chandar was comfortable as an observer. Harbingers intentionally tried to blend so well with any crowd that people forgot they were being watched. Just when she thought she’d successfully made herself forgettable, Ashley looked right at her and asked, “Are you really as composed as you look? We’ve all been horribly worried about you.”

Indigo shot her friend a disapproving look, but Chandar smiled. It was more awkward when people avoided all mention of Chandar’s past than when they asked about it. Besides, she’d inadvertently blasted Ashley with fear and desperation when Chandar sent out a telepathic distress signal on the
Relentless
. Ashley knew exactly how traumatized Chandar had been because she’d experienced a brief moment of the horror.

“My power is restored and I have an amazing support system helping me cope with the memories,” Chandar assured. Ashley was a vivacious blonde with big green eyes who was now mated with Bandar, the middle Nox brother. “How are the transformation sessions going?”

“The last session was yesterday,” Ashley told her. “Now it will either work or it won’t. The doctors have done all they can.”

“Really?” Raina playfully punched her in the arm. “You could have told me. How are you feeling? Has Bandar felt any different? Has he been able to access his magic?”

According to Indigo, Ashley and Raina had attended the same university and grown close during those years. So when the rebels needed a scientist familiar with hydroponics, Ashley had reluctantly helped them recruit Raina. Now Raina was mated with Kotto Tarr and the couple was anxiously awaiting their chance to participate in the transformation study.

“Bandar says he feels different. It’s like he knows the magic is there, he’s just not sure what to do with it.”

“Maybe Vox can help him,” Chandar suggested.

Indigo nodded. “That’s a great idea. Vox has been able to teach me a ton in just a few sessions. He’s a really good mentor.”

Ashley hesitated, her lips pressed into a nervous line. “I don’t know. Bandar’s not fond of Bilarrians.”

“If Bandar is battle born, his mother was Bilarrian,” Chandar pointed out. “Why would he resent his own people?” Chandar knew Rodymia and Bilarri were at war. They had been for generations. But Harbinger Academy was isolated, somewhat removed from external conflicts.

“Battle born soldiers are taught to hate Bilarrians,” Raina told her. “All Rodytes blame Bilarrians for starting the war, but battle born training goes much further. Bitterness and resentment make soldiers aggressive, remorseless, so they’re programmed to hate and destroy.”

“And to follow orders without question or individual thought,” Ashley added with a frustrated shake of her head.

“Your mates explained this to you?” Somehow that seemed unlikely to Chandar. Battle born males were harsh and fiercely prideful. Raylon was a prime example. He only talked about his feelings with extreme reluctance.

“Hardly.” Ashley smiled at her.

“Mercenaries don’t ‘explain’ their feelings to anyone. Well, not if there is any other option,” Raina elaborated. “The mating bond allows us access to their emotions and memories.”

Chandar’s empathic bond with Raylon didn’t give her access to his memories. Did she want to know everything he’d suffered in his past? She had ghosts enough of her own. She shook away the tangent and returned to the original subject. “You should still encourage Bandar to work with Vox. Despite the fact that he’s Bilarrian, Vox is a damn good trainer.”

Ashley accepted the advice with a thoughtful nod then looked at Raina. “The medical team cleared me yesterday, girlfriend. Now it’s your turn.”

Intrigued by the banter, yet somewhat confused, Chandar felt comfortable enough to ask, “How does the transformation work?”

All three earthborn females looked at Chandar, but it was Indigo who asked, “How much do you know about battle born males?”

It was likely these earthborn females knew more about battle born soldiers than she did, which was odd. But she didn’t take offense. To be most effective, harbingers needed to be somewhat isolated from everything that went on around them. According to the elders, harbingers were guides. They provided insights and advice that shaped situations, yet they never directly participated in those situations.

Unfortunately, Chandar was also curious by nature and her curiosity tended to win out over harbinger expectations. “The battle born are the offspring of Rodyte soldiers and their war brides. A war bride is a Bilarrian captive who is taken in the hopes that her child, or children, will inherit her ability to manipulate magic.”

“Why do the people on Rodymia allow it to continue?” Ashley sounded frustrated and sad. Clearly, she cared deeply for her mate and his battle born comrades.

“I didn’t say they do,” Chandar assured her. “The practice has been sanctioned, no,
encouraged
by the crown for decades. However, there are many who find the treatment of war brides barbaric and immoral—myself among them. We’re just not sure what we can do about it.”

“So you do nothing?”

With practiced ease, Indigo insinuated herself into the tense conversation. “Chandar asked about the transformation study, not about war brides.”

“You’re right.” Ashley backed down then looked at Chandar and said, “I’m sorry. That particular topic always makes me testy.”

“I take no offense. It’s only right that a female fight for the happiness of her mate.”

The spark of an argument sputtered out, so Raina took up where Chandar had left off. “Some battle born females can manipulate magic, but battle born males are all born latent,” Raina rattled off facts, as scientists so often did. “The transformation study is attempting to awaken these dormant abilities.”

“I understand that,” Chandar said. “But why are they using the mating bond to trigger this transformation and what does any of it have to do with earthborn females?”

Raina looked at Ashley and then at Indigo. “Are we allowed to tell her? I know the study is the Rodyte equivalent of Top Secret.”

“You can explain or I’ll just scan your mind.” Chandar softened the statement with a playful smile, but it wasn’t an idle claim. She could easily extract the information from any of them, likely without their knowing.

“She’s kidding.” Indigo tried to soothe her friends, but Ashley and Raina looked decidedly uncomfortable. Humans were so defensive about anything beyond their limited understanding. “Besides, all she has to do is ask Raylon. We all know she has him wrapped around her finger.” Finally, the other two relaxed enough to smile.

Ashley continued to watch Chandar cautiously while Raina answered her questions. “When a mating bond is formed both male and female go through a metamorphosis that syncs their physiology and makes offspring more likely.”

“I’m aware of this change.”

“Well, the transformation team is using this naturally occurring metamorphosis as a delivery mechanism for their targeted mutations. By making adjustments to a naturally occurring change, they’ve been far more successful than previous attempts.”

Chandar nodded. “I’m not a scientist, but the concept makes sense. How do humans fit into this equation?”

Again, it was Raina who provided the information. “First of all, we’re only half human.” She motioned to Ashley and Indigo. “Each of us has Rodyte blood as well as human.”

“And being a hybrid makes your genetics more tolerant to this mutation?” Chandar asked.

Ashley nodded, finally calm enough to contribute again. “Sevrin Keire originally experimented on full-blooded humans, but none of them survived. That’s when she turned her focus to Rodyte/human hybrids. All of her formulas were seriously flawed, but the scientists aboard the
Intrepid
have been able to learn from her mistakes.”

Sevrin Keire. Chandar shivered at the name. Quinton’s niece was as ruthless as her father, Pern had been. Rodymia had been an even bleaker place while Pern Keire sat on the throne. Chandar wasn’t sure they were better off with the weak, younger brother, but Pern would have been much harder to overthrow. And overthrowing the current crown stirate seemed almost inevitable.

“This is really hush hush,” Ashley warned. “But the transformation team has a formula for full-blooded humans now. They’re still running simulations, but they’re weeks, maybe days, away from clinical trials.”

“With full-blooded humans?” Raina shifted in her seat, pivoting toward Ashley. Her pretty features clearly revealed her astonishment.

“Well, Tandori Tribe didn’t seem willing to share their females, so Garin told the transformation team to adjust their focus.”

“If they perfect a formula for humans, the compatible female pool expands from several thousand to several million.” Raina shook her head, her expression still rather stunned. “I’m not sure if this is wonderful news or the most dangerous thing I’ve learned so far.”

“That’s why none of us can say anything,” Ashley stressed. “I probably shouldn’t have told you.”

“Their biggest challenge will be control,” Chandar predicted. “Once the battle born learn that any human female is a potential mate—”

“That’s not true,” Ashley cautioned. “Genetic compatibility will still need to be determined, but this will exponentially up the odds of every battle born male finding a compatible female.”

“Why was the current team able to succeed so quickly when Sevrin Keire failed?” Chandar digressed. Sevrin would have had all of the resources of the crown behind her. Unless her actions hadn’t been sanctioned by her uncle.

“Sevrin was trying to build an empowered army so she could overthrow her uncle,” Raina explained. “Everyone who worked for her was threatened or coerced into doing so. General Nox, on the other hand, is respected and admired by those under his command. They believe in the cause and tirelessly pursue common goals.”

Having met Garin Nox in person, Chandar understood the appeal. Garin commanded without becoming autocratic. He inspired confidence rather than demanding respect. “And you trust these scientists and healers?”

“Literally with my life.” Ashley smiled.

“Why is unleashing their magic so important to the battle born?” Chandar asked as her mind digested the rest.

“How anxious were you to regain your power?” Challenge threaded through Indigo’s question, though her gaze remained warm and kind. “How incomplete did you feel without it?

“But the battle born have never controlled magic. How can they miss something they never possessed?”

“I felt exactly the same way when I heard about the study,” Ashley told her. “But your basic premise is inaccurate. Every offspring of a war bride is born with magic. Males just can’t access it. They sense it, crave it, but they can’t reach it. I didn’t give Bandar something he doesn’t already possess. I just opened a pathway for him.”

Chandar nodded though she didn’t reply. The struggle Ashley described was so similar to the one Chandar had just experienced that she found her throat clogged with emotion. And then another thought occurred to her, a thought so staggering that the buzzing in her ears consumed the conversation. If Raylon bound himself to her, he lost his opportunity to unleash his latent power. He was strong, noble and selfless, everything she needed in a mate. But she was full-blooded Rodyte, which was not what he needed in a mate. He would claim that it didn’t matter, that he was content without his powers. But she now understood the situation too well to believe him. If she truly loved Raylon, truly wanted him to live life to the fullest, she had to let him go.

* * * * *

The final image stabilized and Pyre Sterling straightened in her chair. The main viewscreen of her shuttle was now divided into six equal panes, one for each guild master. The shuttle was no longer moving, but the guild masters didn’t need to know her exact location. There was a total of eight guilds, but the Integration Guild was currently without an official leader and she represented the Harbinger Guild. “Thank you all for responding so quickly. My news is troubling and extremely time sensitive.”

“Could your ‘news’ have something to do with your mysterious visit to the palace yesterday?” Master Belington represented the Academia Guild and tended to be the most vocal of the guild masters.

She’d taken precautions, but it was almost impossible to visit the palace without someone finding out. Rather than embolden him by answering his question, Pyre responded to the leaders en masse. “I’ll explain my visit in a moment. This will make more sense if I start at the beginning.”

“What’s this about? None of us are in the mood for one of your elaborate stories.” Master Naffra of the Entertainment Guild looked particularly blurry-eyed. No surprise there. Entertainers were notoriously nocturnal and it was barely past dawn.

Seeing no advantage to prolonging their ignorance, she came right to the point. “I have substantial reason to believe that Javin Aidentar is dead.”