Himiko: Warrior (18 page)

Sam was bent over Jerry, who was lying in a heap by the wall. Next to Matt, Aki's legs gave out and he tumbled to the couch. His mind was a blur of fatigue.

Robbie was there immediately, bending over his mate and taking Aki's face between his hands. Aki stirred, and Robbie kissed his mate lightly. Then he got up and turned to the Assessor. It didn't take long.

"He's dead. No question about it."

"And Jerry?"

Sam looked up as he heard Matt's voice, face looking drawn. "I... I don't know."

Robbie went to check on Jerry. "He's hurt. It may take some time before he wakes up." Robbie sat in silence, and Matt felt him give Jerry as much of his healing power as he could spare. "But he will wake up."

Sam's face was a study in relief when the Warrior heard that, and Matt remembered the raw feeling in Sam's mind, his unrequited love for the other Himiko at the very core of his existence. Matt felt a wave of relief that Sam hadn't lost what mattered most to him.

Then Robbie stood up, a little unsteady, and went back to his mate, curling up with Aki.

"I killed him." Matt's words sounded odd in the silent room. Nobody looked up.

He killed himself, Matt. You just defended yourself and your mate. Are you all right?

Matt looked at his mate. Pietr was still leaning heavily against the wall. Matt slowly nodded.
Yeah. I am, actually. It couldn't be any other way.

He was going to say something more when the door opened and Himiko guards rushed into the room. They stopped dead, taking in the scene.

"The power has changed." Pietr pushed himself off the wall. He was so tired, but he still stood up straight, growing in stature before Matt's eyes. "The Assessor once was the leader; he is no more. Now I am the leader of the Himika on this planet."

There was something almost ritual about his words, and the guards clearly recognized them. Matt could feel them hesitantly reach out, determining if Pietr's words were true, if he really had the power necessary to speak those words.

Matt poured the last remains of their joint energy into Pietr's mind, fortifying Pietr enough that he could defend the claim even now that he was almost empty of power. It was enough for the guards. There weren't any protests, just a simple acceptance of the change of power.

"The power has changed." The leader of the guards nodded.

"The power has changed." It was Sam, looking up from his friend.

"The power has changed." Aki looked dead tired, but he managed to say those important words.

"Take his body away. And get a doctor here, quickly, to help Jerry."

The leader of the guards nodded to Pietr before he turned to give orders.

The room was a bustle of activity during the next hour. Pietr sat on the couch, Matt as close to his mate as he could get. The guards looked, but they seemed to accept that their new leader had a human mate.

Matt had trouble staying awake until someone brought them some ReGen. The fluid felt so good that he almost got tears in his eyes.

You were tired.
Pietr's words were quiet, and Matt turned to look at his mate.

The ReGen had removed some of the exhaustion from Pietr's face. He still looked tired, but there was something new about his posture. With a shock, Matt realized that Pietr had been holding back, hiding how powerful he really was except in those few instances when Matt had caught a glimpse. Those had been only fragments of what he displayed now, though, even in his weakened state.

It was necessary. I was strong enough to be dangerous to the Assessor, but not strong enough to beat him. That was a life-threatening combination.

Matt nodded and pushed close. He knew all about necessary decisions.

You did well.

I know. I... know. And I don't regret it. Still, I killed another living being. You shouldn't take that lightly.

No, you shouldn't. You've also saved a lot of lives today, though. Human and Himiko.

Matt just nodded. He didn't really know how to relate to his actions yet.

He had a thought.
What are you going to do about the demonstration, by the way?

I'm going to let them be. They have a right to assemble.

It could go wrong.
Matt had seen that before, and with far less important issues than this.

It could. I'm keeping the Himika as far away from them as possible and letting the human police forces handle any trouble. Then, tomorrow, we're going to hold a press conference to tell everybody that things are going to change.

Is it that easy?

Pietr laughed and pulled him closer.
This is as far from easy as it gets. But we have to figure it out, and at least now the Himika can meet the humans with genuinely good intentions. That has to count for something. It won't be easy, though; too many mistakes already made for that.

You can make it.
Matt's words were quiet, but he let his confidence in his mate flow into Pietr's mind.

Yes. With you, I can.
There was no doubt in Pietr's words, or in his mind, and Matt sat back, enjoying the feeling of being loved and trusted. Sometimes, mates weren't all that bad.

Matt was pacing. He had tried sitting, looking out of the window, and watching TV, but now he was back to pacing again.

I can't believe I'm doing this. You're so going to pay me back for this.

Pietr didn't do anything to stop the pacing. He had already tried that -- twice -- and now he just patiently watched Matt freak out.

You're going to be fine. Don't worry.

Do I look like I'm not worrying?
Matt would have stopped to glare, but the pacing kept his nerves down to a tolerable level.

Not exactly, no.

Matt didn't have a clue how his mate could take things this lightly.

Pietr had worked all day yesterday, setting up meetings and gaining control over the Himiko society. Matt had stayed with him, but he'd had to nap a lot and go to bed early in the apartment they had borrowed; he had used almost all of his power fighting the Assessor and then given the remains of it to Pietr. Aki had been out like a light, too, and Robbie didn't fare much better after healing Jerry. The wounded Himiko had woken up this morning, to Matt's relief and Sam's wholehearted joy.

That was why Matt hadn't registered that Pietr had a meeting this morning. He didn't worry when he woke up alone; he'd needed his sleep, and when he came out of the shower, he could feel that Pietr was only a few minutes away. He had kissed his mate thoroughly when Pietr came back just as Matt had dried off.

Busy morning?

Pietr kissed him back just as thoroughly.
Not too bad; I had a meeting with your leader. Things are looking up.

Matt was caught up in deciding whether he should try to seduce his mate before or after breakfast.

God, you must be hungry if you're even thinking about that!
Pietr was laughing at him.

Matt tried to give his mate a dignified answer, but his growling stomach ruined that.
I'm starving.

Let's get you something to eat, then.

Matt was busy choosing between eggs and toast -- he wanted eggs, but toast was so much faster -- when he absentmindedly remembered Pietr's words from before.

Who did you meet with again? The mayor?

Uh, no? Your leader. I told you that.

Matt looked up, a piece of bread in one hand and a slice of ham in the other.
You had a meeting with the President? This morning?

Yes?
Pietr didn't seem to find anything odd about that.
You do remember what happened yesterday, don't you? Part of my job is to find a way out of the mess we've created. We had a good talk about that.

You talked to the President?
Matt had a hard time getting over that.

Yes, Matt. We're doing a speech together tomorrow. Today, it'll only be us, though.

You're doing a speech tog... What do you mean, only us?
Matt had developed a sound instinct for when he was supposed to get suspicious. Side effect of interacting with aliens.

Pietr looked straight at him.
I want you there. I want people to see that you're okay and that there are humans who talk to Himika.

Hence Matt's present pacing in the improvised green room of the hotel and his attempt at not peeing his pants at the thought of the horde of reporters waiting for them in the hall on the other side of the door.

His mate blinked, Pietr's mind doing a double take.

It's a saying, stupid! I've told you that a million times by now!

Pietr stepped into Matt's path, catching him the next time he turned to pace back.
You ARE going to be fine. We'll go out there, you'll tell everybody that you're all right, I'll apologize for what has been going on until now, and then I'll tell them what's going to happen in the future. That's all. We can do it.

Matt let himself be held for a moment, leaning on his mate and taking in Pietr's quiet confidence.

Then he stepped back, taking a big breath.

"World peace and all that, huh?" He looked at Pietr.

"World peace, baby." Pietr smiled.

Matt took another deep breath and nodded. He turned around and faced the entrance to the hall where the bright lights of the TV cameras waited. Then he stepped through the door with his mate.

End