20

PRINCES AND PAWNS

WE STARE AT each other in silence, feeling the inexorable traction of the net pulling us closer to the Reptiles with every passing second. The tension is thick.

“We should use the device the minute we get on the ground,” Matias suggests. “Eliminate them all, including your fallen prince. It’s the only answer. There are thousands of those creatures and ten of us. We don’t stand a chance.” I notice he doesn’t look at me when he makes his suggestion. Maybe he doesn’t know.

“Thought you were the greatest warrior ever,” Bass snaps, making Matias’s lip curl. “A hundred-on-one are pretty good odds for a fighting man. Ask anyone here.”

“Perhaps,” Matias concedes, “but why waste time when we can kill them all in one fell swoop?”

“Matias, we do not detonate the weapon,” Aenoh says in a clipped growl. “That is not an option. Not yet.” I force myself not to roll my eyes. Of course, why would he want to destroy his greatest prize? He, too, would want us out of range.

“As you say,” Matias replies.

“So what do we do?” Arven asks.

“We need to hide the maser,” I say slowly. “Cale may have laid a trap, but he doesn’t know what we have on board. I think he figured out we were going for help, but he couldn’t have known we’ d return with a weapon that could destroy his entire army.”

“But where could we hide it?” Arven asks.

“In the med bay?” suggests Sylar.

I think for a second. “That could work, but my guess is they’ d strip the med bay for supplies first.”

“How about in plain sight,” Inka says, chewing on her lip. “I mean, it looks like a canister, not a weapon. If you didn’t know what it was, you’ d go right past it. We could put it in the back with some of those oxygen tanks. The Reptiles have no use for those.”

“It’s a good idea, but they’ll scan the ship,” Bass responds. “They want weapons, and this weapon would be a huge asset against the Vectors.”

Arven stands, excitedly. “We could put it inside the propulsion jet casing.”

I’m shaking my head before he can get another word out. “No, Arven. The antiprotons are volatile enough. You really want that thing in there with those? If the whole thing goes unstable and blows, we’re not just talking about killing a bunch of Reptiles. We’re talking mass extinction.”

“The engines are powered down, so the risk would be minimal,” he counters. He takes a breath. “Just listen. According to the ship’s schematics, it’s designed with a sizable air pocket just inside the external shell, for cooling, I think. The radioactivity from the magnetic storage rings that separate the antimatter from matter should mask it, at least enough for us to bypass the Reptiles’ scans.”

I frown. “There’s a reason for that outer casing.”

“Wait.” Sauer clears his throat. “Let him explain. Arven, are you sure there’s no risk?”

“I can’t say a hundred percent, but I’m sure that the Machines that designed this ship would have built in a fail-safe if the matter/antimatter drive train were compromised.”

“It’s the best idea we’ve got,” Bass says in a low voice. “I’m with Arven. We’re nearly on the ground, so we need to move.”

“Okay, do it,” Sauer orders after a long pause. I concede. As much as the solution scares the pants off me, we don’t have much choice. That weapon is our one shot if things go south with Cale. “Arven, take Sylar and meet us back here as soon as you’re done. Bass, get us geared up.”

“I don’t understand why we don’t just stay on the ship,” Aenoh says after they’re gone. “The enemy can’t get in and, if they do, we kill them one by one.”

“Because, if I know Cale,” I say, “he’ll shut down the oxygen supply remotely. Then he’ll threaten to burn us out.”

“How do you know?”

My voice is cold, my face like stone. “When he was still human—when he had a soul—he ordered me to do the same thing with renegade soldiers who’ d stolen a hover. We dragged their bodies out, blistered and burned, as a flesh-eating virus consumed them. The old Cale never cared about anything other than what he wanted. And now he’s a thousand times worse.”

Aenoh’s mouth opens and closes. I stare him down, daring him to say more. He doesn’t.

“So, what now?” Matias asks after a while, palming his gun.

“We defend ourselves. If we’re going down, we’re going to take as many of those Reptiles with us as we can.”

“I don’t get it. Why bring us down in the first place? Why not just shoot us out of the sky?”

“Precious cargo,” I say.

“What?”

I shrug. “If I had to guess, I would say that Cale was here with so many of his Reptiles because he’s anticipating our return with an army at our backs. A more likely scenario, though, is that the tracker transmitted the weight levels on the ship, and since there is no army and we are four bodies heavier than when we landed in Avaria, Cale wants to see who—or what—we have on board.” I meet Caden’s eyes. “Your clone is very cunning, always ten steps ahead.”

“He’s not so smart if he’s a Reptile.” Aenoh snorts dismissively.

“You don’t get it, do you?” I snap. “Cale was exiled. The only thing out here in the Outers is death. He was clever enough to not only rebuild his failing organs, but to organize the Reptiles—who, for all intents and purposes, should have killed him—into a cohesive, deadly unit. No one has ever been able to control them… until now. So, you tell me if you still think he isn’t brilliant. If I had to guess, I’ d say he wants this ship”—I jab a finger at him, Inka, and Caden—“and whoever is on it.”

“And you?” Aenoh says, mockingly.

“Especially me.”

I don’t know why I’m letting Aenoh get under my skin, but we’ve underestimated Cale enough. He wants this ship. With its offensive capabilities he wouldn’t need to batter down the remaining walls of the dome—he could just blow the entire city into the ground, then fly to Avaria and do the same there. Nothing would stop him.

As far as taking me as a hostage—I’m not sure. Though Cale deceived me by sending me to the Otherworld poisoned by lies about Caden, in the end, he’ d twisted his command into my betrayal because I’ d chosen the rightful prince.

And Cale has always been one to hold a grudge.

Then again, so have I. And I have a score to settle with him.

Arven and Sylar rejoin us, and he nods to Sauer and me just as Bass walks in, arms loaded with weapons. “It’s secure. What now?”

I take a breath. “Cale wants the ship intact. His army will only shoot at us at close range. Once that door opens, we fight like hell. Protect the Lord King”—I hesitate and swallow hard—“and Lady Inka at all cost.” I’m relieved that my voice didn’t waver, but I notice Caden’s sidelong glance and Aenoh’s offended look. “You have Matias,” I remind him with a grim smile. “And right now, we are on Neospes’s lands, and the Lord King is our priority. I suggest staying close to your man.”

For a brief second, I imagine how easy it would be to send one of my blades back during the mêlée, accidentally striking him. I shove the thought away. For now, there’s more at stake than Aenoh’s debauched plans.

“Bass, you and I will take point. Sauer, you’ve got the rear with Sylar and Arven. The rest of you, stay central. Matias and Enola, on the sides with Aenoh and Inka between you. We stay together and work as a unit. Do not, under any circumstances, separate from the group. The Reptiles will swarm you. Do you understand?”

I survey the nine people nodding beside me as the vessel abruptly stops. Everyone is armed. Bass has his staff, Inka her bow, and me my ninjatas. Everyone is dressed for the volatile temperatures of the Outers. The sun is dropping, but it’s well over one hundred degrees out there. I bring my suit online, checking that everything is functional.

Oddly, I don’t feel anything but absolute readiness. Fighting comes second to breathing for most of us. Glancing behind me, I notice that Caden is holding his saber and I wink at him. I’ d rather have him fighting beside me than anyone else, including Sauer and Bass, who are both extraordinary fighters. My sister, Shae, taught Caden everything he knows, and she’ d been the best single swordsman in all of Neospes. “Hope you haven’t gotten rusty from lavish living in the castle,” I say over my shoulder.

“Not a chance,” he tosses back with a confident look. “Too bad we didn’t have a chance to spar. I’ve been training with Sauer.”

“Oh, well, there goes all of Shae’s training.”

“Hey!” Sauer protests. “Who do you think taught Shae?”

“Who’s Shae?” Aenoh asks, irritated.

I glare at him. “She was my sister. Cale, you know, the one who you think isn’t so smart? Well, he killed her and made her into a Vector. You’ve heard of them, right? Programmed reanimated corpses? Then Cale made me fight her in front of everyone and kill her all over again.”

Aenoh pales, but says nothing more. I turn back to Caden. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks, okay?”

Caden nods. “I won’t. Wind at your back.”

“And at yours.”

“How many do you think are out there? A couple thousand?” Bass asks, circling his shoulders slowly. He, too, looks ready.

“Just about.” My adrenaline spikes as something pries the access port open. They’ve overridden the security system and the power grid of the ship. “Here we go.”

I engage both offensive and defensive modes on my suit, feeling it become one with my body, and smash my ninjatas through the first Reptile that comes through the door. Bass takes care of the next two, his staff lunging outward like a pike. We move as a single unit through the doorway, striking from all sides as wave after wave of Reptiles rush us. Even from the inside, Inka is fast with her bow, firing arrows designed with electromagnetic arrowheads that ignite once lodged, frying the target from the inside out. Enola has her hands full, but seems to be in control. She’s also using a bow, but is nowhere nearly as fast as Inka.

“Riv,” Bass yells. “On your left.”

I turn swiftly, my blades flying as I make short work of the five dog-like Reptiles that have flesh dangling and oozing from their metal exoskeletons. I barely see the giant bear-creature rushing me, and its paw catches my shoulder. I go down like a sack of rocks, slashing blindly with my ninjatas. A head flies toward me. Caden’s cleaved it straight off the creature’s body. I stab the tip of my blade into the back of the skull and watch the neon yellow light in its eye fade to nothing.

“Thanks,” I say, vaulting to my feet.

“No problem.” He swings his saber, easily dispatching something that looks like the demon-spawn baby of a spider and a komodo.

“I swear, these things get uglier and uglier,” I gasp, taking on two more. “They’ll scavenge for anything.”

“No kidding,” Bass agrees, sidling up to my back. His staff is covered with gore. He kicks a Reptile in the face and slams the end of his lance into its head, twisting ruthlessly. I face off against two more, just as four attack Bass. I finish mine off quickly and turn to help him, but he doesn’t need it. I’ve never seen his staff move so quickly, like a fluid extension of his arms. He spins it in a circle over his wrists, and decapitates the last creature with a flourish.

“Nice work,” I tell him.

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

We write off another dozen creatures, and then, for a brief moment, the wave stops as if the Reptiles have received a remote command. Our crew huddles together warily, shoulders touching, a circle of ten surrounded by a leering ring of thousands. Hundreds of destroyed Reptile bodies separate us. Not bad.

“Everyone still alive?” Sauer asks.

We answer affirmatively, some more vocally than others. Enola looks winded, but unharmed. So does Sylar. Sauer is flushed, and has moved from guns to blades. So has Matias, who’s run through his considerable supply of ammunition. Aenoh has a curved blade in his hand, and he’s breathing heavily. I’ll hand it to him—at least he didn’t turn tail and run. Then again, he’s a warrior, even if he is an arrogant ass. Inka seems to have an inexhaustible supply of arrows. Caden’s covered in gore but doesn’t seem to be injured. Apart from a few minor hits, we’ve taken the first wave quite well.

“Status?” Bass asks me.

I glance down at my body, registering the data from the suit. “A couple hits, but nothing major. You?”

“All good.”

Not that that means much considering how many creatures are still standing, poised to attack. We’ve barely made a dent. I take a long breath just as a ripple shudders through their ranks. I raise my ninjatas, but none of the Reptiles advance. Their piecemeal bodies stand watching and waiting. A hush falls and they go preternaturally still.

“Ah, Riven, always fighting the good fight.” The disembodied voice is somewhere to my left. My body tenses in response.

“Where are you, Cale? Why don’t you come out and face me?”

“Did you miss me?” the voice taunts. “Oh, wait. Why would you? You sent me out here to die.”

“You tried to kill us. You committed treason.”

“Treason? I was defending my throne.”

Caden tenses beside me. “It was never your throne.”

There’s a moment of silence before Cale speaks again. “Ah yes, I see you’ve brought the prodigal son with you. The perfect specimen, so to speak. Tell me, Riven, does my perfect self do it better?”

Heat flares up my neck. I can feel the eyes of the others—Bass, Aenoh, Inka, Matias—flick toward me. My ears burn. Caden doesn’t say a word, but I feel his shoulder lean into mine, and I take strength from it.

“What do you want, Cale?”

“You know what I want.”

“No, I really don’t.”

Mocking laughter erupts from the Reptile crowd, sending a shiver down my spine. It doesn’t even sound like him anymore. “I’ve really missed our games, you know, this lovely back-and-forth between us. You always were the one who knew me best.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because you took my life from me. He stole it, and I want it back. I want it all back—Neospes, the throne, the crown, you. I want you at my side where you belong.” His voice takes on a conversational tone. “You know, in hindsight, I never should have sent you to find him. The Vectors would have eliminated him eventually. You became his savior.”

“Cale—”

“And left me to rot as soon as you had your happily ever after with him.” Cale cackles loudly. “I heard a vicious rumor that he’s bound to someone else now. A beauty, so I’m told.” He pauses. “Ah, I see. The rumors are true—your bride-to-be is indeed lovely, dear brother. Can I call you brother? I feel, in my heart of hearts, that we could be brothers. On second thought, maybe sire is better. After all, I was created in your hallowed image.” I give Caden a sharp look, hoping he doesn’t respond to the baiting. I want Cale’s rage trained on me. “Riv, it’s really too bad that you weren’t good enough. Don’t you get it? You’ll never be good enough for him. But, hey, if you’re fine with being third-rate seconds…”

I wheel around, furious, but Bass beats me to it. “Why don’t you show your face, you piece-of-shit coward?”

“And Bass,” the voice drawls mockingly. “So much to be said of you… the turncoat’s turncoat. You don’t even know where your loyalties lie, do you? One day, all those secrets will come tumbling out, so be very, very careful.”

Bass’s lips thin into a hard, white line but, to my surprise, he doesn’t respond.

I frown. What secrets?

“What a fun band of adventurers you’ve brought with you, and they’ve done a lot of damage. You, too, of course. But you know, nothing goes to waste in the Outers, so it’s not a complete loss.” Cale’s laugh is long and slow, grating on my nerves. I exhale slowly, counting backward in my head. “Good to see you still know how to fight, Riven. I’m proud that your skills have improved with age. Almost like we could be back in the holo-dome during the elite trials, isn’t it?”

“You mean when you were human?” I snap.

“Oh, I’m human,” Cale says. “I’ve just made a few minor adjustments. Nothing to get all freaked out about.”

“Then show yourself.”

Everything goes quiet for a while, and I think that maybe I’ve lost him. Or he’s finished talking. And then the line of Reptiles opens up and someone walks forward, stopping between the Reptiles and us.

Caden inhales sharply. There’s the boy I saw on the hologram in the Peaks. The boy I used to know.

Only, it’s not really him.

The leader of the Reptiles is tall and slender with dark hair and piercing green eyes. Make that piercing green eye. The other one is a dull red ringed with yellow. The hologram hadn’t been that good on detail. At close range, I can see the tech melted between his bones, wiring running from his neck to his temple, metal shining through in patches. He looks nothing like the boy from whom he’ d been cloned. A high-tech, advanced-weaponry crossbow is grafted to his shoulder. I don’t have to look to know that it’s trained right at Caden.

“So what’s the verdict? Do I pass muster?” Cale’s lips curl in a smile. “Do you like my enhancements?”

“Is that what you call them?” I ask. “You’re nothing more than one of them… a Reptile.”

“Semantics,” he says with a careless wave of a half-metal hand. “I needed a new lung, and my wonderful sire standing beside you didn’t want to part with his. I also needed half a heart, and a kidney. You wouldn’t believe how resourceful these creatures can be.” His hand slides over the head of a feline-bird beside him. The Reptile leans into his palm like a cat. “And loyal. So loyal.”

“What do you want, Cale?” I repeat, tired of his games.

He steps forward until we’re barely two feet apart, and lowers his voice. “I would welcome you back, Riven. I will always make you feel special, because you are special. You would never be second best. After all, you’re not really real either.” He grins. “Did you like getting my little electronic messages? If you weren’t like me, how could you have received them and followed them to a T? We are two of a kind and you know it.”

None of us is prepared for what happens next. Bass rushes Cale just as the crossbow goes off, the arrow flying toward Caden’s heart like a flash of brilliant light. I don’t know how I do it, but I grab the arrow mid-flight, nearly losing my fingers in the process. When I turn back, Cale has Bass in a choke hold, the metal fingers of his right hand holding him at least four inches off the ground. Bass kicks uselessly, his face turning purple.

“Let him go, Cale.”

“Or what?”

“Or nothing,” I say. “Take me instead.”

Cale pretends to think about it and then shakes his head. “As much as I love watching my maker squirm, you and I both know that you have nothing to bargain with. But I’m in a generous mood.” He releases Bass, who falls to the hard earth, coughing, clawing at his scarlet throat. “There you go. Feel better now?”

“Thank you.”

“Now, with that out of the way, shall we discuss the terms of your surrender?”

“Our surrender? You’re crazy.”

“I thought you’ d say that, so time for a little incentive.” Cale signals to a Reptile toward the back of his line, and an inordinately large creature moves forward. It’s carrying something… something I immediately recognize as human. The large Reptile lumbers closer, and the silvery glint of the person’s hair nearly does me in. It’s not her. It can’t be her. But her features take shape as the giant nears, and my heart stalls.

With a cry, I lurch forward and grab Cale by the scruff of his neck, pointing the tip of my ninjata into the flesh there. He doesn’t fight me, a glimmer of a smile hovering over his mouth.

“Riven, don’t!” Sauer shouts, but the warning is dull, as if coming from miles away. The giant Reptile holds my mother high like some kind of grotesque trophy, and I release Cale with numb fingers, my knees buckling as I stagger backward.

“What have you done to her?”

Cale grins at me, his face bright. “Sometimes, dear one, in times of war, sacrifices have to be made.”