Chapter Four
I t was music that woke her. She got up, had some bread and cheese, sipped some water, and made a sandwich of smoked meat and more cheese. She left her little house with the sandwich and water.
The music was classical and a challenging piece. Litha wandered in the direction of the music and found a teenager dancing in an open shed with a wooden floor. A few people were watching, and Litha joined them while eating her breakfast. The young woman was good. Very good.
Litha finished her meal and drank her water. When it was gone, she just enjoyed the practice.
When the dancer took a break, the instructor came in, yelling at the girl in Erradian. Litha frowned. She caught some of it, and she was calling her sloppy and lazy. When the instructor waved her arm toward the crowd, Litha heard, Even that cow could do better.
Litha smiled and slowly spoke in Erradian. Challenge accepted.
The instructor paled. Madame, I didn t mean to insult you.
No problem. Let s see if this cow could do better. She stepped forward and turned to the young girl. A duet, or do you want to watch?
I would like to watch, miss.
Okay. The instructor was nervous, but she started the playback.
Litha lifted her hand, let her arms float away from her body, and danced. Quick, slow, en pointe, she moved through the spritely music, and then, she folded back into fifth position. The cow is rusty, so what corrections would you advise?
Your movements are stiff, but I suspect that is the suit.
Correct. Armour plates.
The instructor shrugged. You need to keep dancing.
No longer an option, but thank you. I am too old and bitter. She smiled. Maybe I should become an instructor.
The woman laughed, and her softly pleated features flashed. She said, This one is auditioning in the capitol. Will you give her some tips?
Litha looked at the young woman, her hair scraped back into a bun. Her slim body in the leotard and tutu. The pointe shoes were well-worn and probably needed replacing. Not everyone could have a version built into their suit.
They went through her practice again. Slowly. The girl asked, Where did you dance?
I was prima ballerina at the capitol for five years, and my name was everywhere, but I had to use a projector for my face. Five years later, I had to get into defending, and that was it for the pointe shoes.
The girl blinked. Oh. That was before I was born.
Litha laughed. I know. Now, try the jump again, but imagine landing on a daisy and balancing.
They went through combinations until the girl was grinning but exhausted. You are worse than madame but so soft-spoken.
You don t need to shout to be heard. You just have to show folks that not listening to you is worse than the alternative.
The girl smiled and nodded. I think I am done, and Petrov is watching us.
Oh. Shoot. The reason I am here. Forgot. Keep practicing until slow becomes perfect and perfect is natural.
The girl grinned. Thank you for this.
Thank you for letting me dip a toe in the past. She hugged the girl and walked over to Petrov.
He stared at her. You are a dancer.
No. Not anymore. Not for fifteen years. She smiled. So, shall we go crack into that cylinder?
Yes, I suppose. We are trying to make sure that there aren t any destructive materials in there that will detonate if we open it. Can you deal with that if it happens?
It s the reason I brought the suit. I can eat the power and take it up to dispose of it the way I did the last run. She looked at him. Do you want a lift again?
Please.
She stepped behind them, elevated, and caught him under the arms before flying them back to the devastation and charred soil.
They flew over a bank of farm equipment and semis full of straw and manure. They were staged and waiting. No pressure.
She flew to the object and set Petrov down. What do you want me to do?
Can you break it open?
Yes. I would rather cut it, though. You might want to step back for that.
Of course. May I record you?
Sure. My suit is wired with monitors, so a bunch of those will be recording. I can send a feed wherever you want before we get started.
Petrov smiled. Well then, may I get your com link?
She snorted and held out her wrist. He tried to connect, and she acknowledged it. Then, she brought up her display and sent her suit feeds.
He nodded and said, I look good from this angle.
He looked good from any angle. He was a prince from the fairy tales. Dark hair and pretty eyes. The wide shoulders were nice, the waist looked like he had his own dance training, and his trousers didn t show her what his butt or legs looked like. The boots were nice.
She nodded and looked at the canister. Right. You get back. I am going to take this apart carefully.
He nodded and stepped back.
Litha looked at the canister, tilted her head, then crouched, and began to use her plasma to cut a gap in the side of the metal as she struggled to split it in half.
She cut centimetre after centimetre until she got to the top. The hole she had burned was an inch wide, and she sat back as she tried to peer into the darkness within.
When the fingers shot out and curled against the smouldering edge, she screamed, There s someone in there!
Can you get them out?
I need water. Lots of it.
Petrov started talking into his com and said, They are coming. There are water actives in the trucks.
She looked at the fingers as both hands tried to shove the metal apart. Can you go get them? And a healer. We need someone good with burns.
He nodded and disappeared in a green swirl.
Litha put her fingers over the ones clawing at the inside of the vessel. She spoke Erradian and Aksallan and Common, saying, It will be fine; we are getting you out. We don t want to hurt you, so we are getting help. I don t want to burn you.
His fingers didn t stop grasping at hers, so she tried one last thing. Warrior, you have survived this long. Let us get you free. The world is bright, and you will be in the open air soon.
He stilled. She looked into the darkness, and suddenly, she saw a bronzed cheek pressing against the seam. A black eye full of stars was staring at her.
The voice was hoarse and slow. I. Will. Be. Free? The words were Erradian.
You will be free.
Men in work clothing were brought to her, and she looked at them. Water or healing?
Both men raised their hands. Water.
Can you do a spray?
We can.
She looked the person in the eye. We ve got this, but the water will enter the container. I have cut it to the ground, so the water will drain out. You will get wet; you will not drown. We are getting you out.
She looked at the guys. Spray as I cut.
They nodded, and she noticed that one had a tanker on their back. Water was water as long as it lasted.
She cut along the base, getting soaked in the cooling spray. She cut up on the opposite side, hopped on the top, and kept talking to the inhabitant, who was still alive after ten years covered with radiation in an open field. Whatever was inside was tough, and the Uraddans hadn t wanted it.
Litha finished the last cut, and the metal rang. She sat on the canister, put her heels in the seam, and pushed. The metal fell away and clanged heavily to the ground, and Petrov gasped. Midnight!
Litha looked down, and there was a tall but very thin male looking up at her. She floated to the ground and looked at him, keeping her gaze on his head. He was extremely naked.
She smiled. So, you have been around here for a while?
The midnight eyes looked at her, and he stepped out of the container, grabbing her in a hug. Thank you, miss. Thank you for coming for me.
She quickly babbled. Thank Dmitri. He asked me to clean up the radiation and look at what was in the middle of it. Just like a chocolate box.
He let out a sob and pressed his face into her neck. He whispered thanks in all of the languages she had used.
Petrov said, I can take him.
She was busy soothing the man who s wasted body was wrapped around hers. You might have to take us both. He s a stage four clinger.
Petrov approached cautiously. Midnight, are you ready?
The man clinging to her nodded. Petrov wrapped his arms around them as far as he could, and the world turned to green mist.
Litha was standing in a lab with the man wrapped around her with his mouth against her neck. Petrov was talking to the man named Midnight, and he slowly raised his head and looked around him.
I am home?
The oldest man in a lab coat smiled. Yes, General. You are home.
Dr. Voslov! The voice rumbled through Litha in uncomfortable ways. She tried to pry herself away, but she was stuck.
Midnight held her tight as he stood and looked at the surrounding men. I am really home? This isn t a dream?
Litha smirked against his chest and stomped on his foot. His attention snapped down to her, and she looked up. You can have this discussion without me. And have something to eat. You are scrawny.
He stared down at her. I thought they brought you to me to entice me out.
No. I had to neutralize the radiation and crack your cell. Job done. I have been promised a party. Gotta go. She tried to pull away, but he held on.
She looked up at him. Look, clothes give a lot more coverage than I do. You are with your people; you will be great with some food and a bath.
Petrov said, Dmitri is on his honeymoon but will be here shortly.
Midnight blinked. Crowd got married? Who was dumb enough to fall for him?
Nelith s voice sounded amused. The Blade of Uradda. Don t worry, I have atoned to your government.
Midnight paused, and his grip relaxed. Litha stepped away, and Dmitri rushed in to hug what was obviously his friend.
Dmitri had tears in his eyes as he hugged his friend, and Litha smiled at Nelith. Sorry to interrupt your honeymoon.
The Crowd doesn t like all that sunshine anyway. It s more fun to cuddle under covers. Nelith paused. Are you okay?
Yeah. If Petrov is willing, I will have my fun dinner at the village and then head home.
Petrov was startled into motion. Yes, of course. I am just stunned. He s been missing for twelve years.
Petrov wrapped his arms around her, and they disappeared in a puff of green. She could have sworn she heard a shout, but they disappeared.
* * * *
N elith watched the man shout in panic, No!
Dmitri held him. It s fine. We only borrowed her to open what turned out to be your prison. She lives in Aksalla.
The man growled. Nephew, who is she?
Litha. She s a textile designer and a retired hero.
Nelith approached slowly. She s also a nova class active.
The man looked at her. You know her?
Yes. We are friends.
Tell me everything.
Put on some pants. Dmitri grinned.
The man growled and stalked over to where one of the lab techs had a set of cotton pants for him in black. He slid the matching open shirt on, and Nelith blinked. Oh, dear. General Midnight.
He growled. Sergei. My name is Sergei.
Nelith closed her eyes and tried to remember his stats and settings. She opened her eyes, and he was in front of her.
You are the Blade of Uradda?
I was, but I escaped, and Uradda has fallen. The actives have found refuge in a number of countries, and the thrashing serpent has no help rising.
He blinked. Were many dead?
More on their side than ours, but it was a multipronged effort. We tore their structures and organizations apart. There are still several key actives missing, but it was quite a blow.
Sergei nodded. And you are in love with Dmitri?
She wrinkled her nose. I wasn t at first, but he wasn t afraid of me, so that wore me down.
Dmitri chuckled. I am too dumb to be discouraged. And the Crowd insisted. I came around when she stopped looking like a child.
Nelith snorted and explained. My growth had been stunted by starvation and torture. I was given accelerated healing, and it kicked in, so now, I am almost normal-sized for my family.
Dmitri murmured, I don t suppose you have any of that with you, do you?
No, but I can go with you to get some. I just have to contact Khytten and see what she can do. What is the desired effect?
Sergei up to full strength and power.
Nelith shook her head. Not until we have a full scan that I can show to the doctor or Khytten, at the least.
He sighed and looked at his friend. Will you let the researchers scan you?
Sergei nodded. Yes, but handheld units only. No enclosures.
The team looked at each other and nodded. Of course, General.
Nelith sent a text to Khytten and blinked when she saw the before picture projected up on the wall for comparison. Whoa.
Dmitri snorted and lifted her hand to kiss the wedding ring. Too late; you are mine. He could have any woman in several countries and often did.
That isn t the flex you think it is.
He shrugged. I have you under my spell, which takes the effort of subduing ten women on a nightly basis.
Is that flattery?
Is it working?
She laughed and smacked him.
Sergei turned his head to look at them and shook his head with a slight smile.
Nelith got a ping from Khytten, and a reaper walked out of the shadows, handed her a stack of vials, and then Denier winked and returned to the shadows.
Dmitri paused. Did he have an Anubis head?
Yes, he did.
You know him.
Yes, I do. She smiled. You will, too. He s uncle to the grandchildren.
Oh. Wow. Fair enough. Should we have invited them to the wedding?
No, the triplets are too small.
Right. He hugged her as they watched Sergei getting a physical.
He had been scanned, and it was determined he had lost a hundred twenty pounds of muscle over his incarceration.
Nelith looked at him. I am surprised he isn t squirrelly by now. That is a long time to be alone.
He stares into the void of space when he is using his activation. I believe that he slept for much of it.
He is your friend?
Friend and uncle.
Father s or mother s side?
Mother s.
That explains why he is so pretty.
Dmitri wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Don t mention that. It is exceptionally annoying.
To him?
To me.
She laughed softly, and Sergei smiled. He had more scans to get through, and then, they would give him Khytten s vials.
* * * *
T he trucks rolled the moment the government extracted the canister, and the village was excited that the plowing would soon begin the process of mixing the mediums into a proto soil.
Six hours after she had left the lab, the party was underway.
The amount of dumplings offered to her was astonishing. She added sour cream, jam, and saut ed onions as well as pickled shredded cabbage.
She smiled as the locals explained the details of the area and what a hardship it had been with the dead zone so close. She ate and nodded, and Petrov translated the older language from the elders. It was a little harder to understand as several folks were teeth-optional.
Veru sat next to Litha and asked, Having fun?
This is lovely. Thank you.
Did you really find Midnight in the canister?
Yes.
Veru looked around. How badly was he decomposed?
He wasn t. He s alive, and he s at the lab getting a going over. Dmitri and Nelith are with him, so he s in good hands. She shoved another dumpling into her mouth.
Their hands were fine. Do you know someone named Kitten? The low, soft voice spoke, and Litha winced. Her chipmunk cheeks were impossible to hide.
She looked at him, and he crouched next to her and laughed. He reached out, wiped the sour cream off her lips, and then cleaned his thumb off with his tongue.
Veru exhaled slowly. General Midnight.
He turned to her, his stellar eyes sparkling. Hello, miss.
Veru. She is the wife of the head guy here.
Veru was spellbound. Her eyes sparkled, and there was a flush in the exposed cleavage of her blouse.
Litha chewed and swallowed. Does that happen a lot?
Midnight looked back at her and smiled. Sadly, yes. It was fun when I was younger but wore my nerves out.
Understandable. Khytten. Oh. That explains why you look better now.
Not so scrawny?
She winced. I did say something to that effect, but since I was plastered to you, you were really bony. Sorry. She looked at him. But now, you are much improved. Congratulations.
She didn t say that he looked edible in the open tunic, loose trousers, and the leather boots that the other men were wearing. He was crouched near her and started to snag stuff off her plate. He looked surprised when a fork embedded itself in the back of his hand.
He paused and removed her fork, returning it to her. Did it slip?
Did your hand? I am an active, and I don t fuck around with food.
He blinked and shook his head. His black hair was bound in a slick tail. It was long but not as long as one would expect for a ten-year incarceration.
He grinned. Your Erradian manners are lacking.
I live in Aksalla. It isn t an issue. I am also wearing armour to a party. So... all kinds of wrong etiquette. She forked up some of the pickled cabbage and winced.
What does your spouse do?
Well, when I was five, it was a pony; when I was nine, it was a singer in a boy band, then another pony, and when I was fourteen, it was the hero teams and then... nothing.
He was frowning.
Oh, you didn t mean in my imagination. Right. No idea what he does or even if he s real somewhere in the world. She used her tongue to go looking for the remainder of the zingy cabbage. So, when do you start therapy?
What?
For being trapped in a canister for a decade.
I will work it out.
Wow. Your funeral. They made me do all kinds of crap, but now, I am homicidal and not suicidal, so that s nice.
He chuckled and then looked at her. Oh, you are serious.
Oh, yes. My patience is this big. She held her finger and thumb touching. Glad you found some pants.
He chuckled. See? I knew you were looking. He grabbed another dumpling, and she stabbed her fork right next to his hand. You missed.
Did I? The target was so tiny.
He paused, his eyes widened, and then, he started laughing.
Litha kept eating and sighed. It wasn t. It had rivalled one of the sausages on the platter near her. It was not a small sausage.