Chapter 15
Helios
Istruggled with my emotions as I looked at the two Mageia in front of me. I knew they couldn’t know what they were saying when they talked about breaking a Bond, but it still stung.
This was what I was here for: Recruiting Mageia to our cause and telling them about our society. So I nodded.
“What do you want us to do, exactly?” asked Kat.
I couldn’t hide the quirk of my lips at his question. Trust my suspicious kitten to question everything.
I stopped myself. He wasn’t my anything. What the fuck was wrong with me? This strange attraction to him was driving me crazy. It couldn’t be our magic. This wasn’t like the reassuring hum I’d felt with Ri. That had been something warm, comfortable, like an old pair of jeans. Of course, I’d never been sexually attracted to Ri, either. He’d been like my brother. This? This was electric. I’d been shocked by an exposed wire once, and the feeling was similar.
“Hello?” Kat waved his hand in front of my face.
“Shit, sorry. I must have zoned out.”
“No shit,” he snapped, his eyes flashing angrily.
“I want your help convincing the other Mageia participating in the Machi Thanatos to join us,” I said. “Join Illyria in the war.”
They both looked at me in shock for a moment then at each other.
“That’s insane,” Kat said. “Mageia have a hard time trusting each other. You think we’re going to trust you?”
I sighed. Like I said, Alexandrian Mageia were a pain in the ass.
“Look, have you ever heard the saying ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’?” I asked.
Vlakas nodded, but Kat just continued staring at me.
“Just because there’s a saying, doesn’t make it true,” Kat spat at me. “These Mageians have been trained for more than half their lives to believe their sole purpose in life is to earn a place serving an Elusian. How do you convince them to fight for you?”
“How do I convince you?” I retorted. “I figure if I can convince you, as fucking paranoid as you seem to be, then maybe you can help me convince them.”
V smirked at his brother. “Well at least he’s a good judge of character.”
Kat ignored his brother.
“How do we know Mageians are any better off working with Illyrians than they are under the Elusians?”
“Well, it can hardly be worse, can it?” I demanded. I stood and began pacing, struggling to find the words that would sway these men to our side. Somehow it felt imperative that I convince them.
“In Illyria, Mageians are valued. Our Mageians are full citizens with full rights. Illyria doesn’t believe in slavery, in any form,” I said. I saw a strange glance pass between the brothers as if something I said was resonating with them.
“Why don’t Illyrians practice slavery?” Kat asked.
“Really? You can ask that, having been a slave to Elusians?” I said.
“Humor me,” he said, raising a mocking eyebrow at me.
I shrugged and answered, “Illyrians believe we were all created equal. Different, but equal. We value those differences because we each play a role in the balance of the world.”
“So in this utopia you describe, there has to be work that no one wants to do,” Kat said. “How does that work get done?”
“You mean like garbage and water treatment and the like?” I asked. Kat nodded.
“We pay people well. If fewer people want to do a job, we pay more to the ones who are willing to do the work. It’s supply and demand,” I said.
“So… you pay people to clean your sewers?” V asked, as if he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the concept.
I nodded.
“That’s…different,” he said, sitting back on his heels, his eyes thoughtful.
“What, does the King charge the nobles for the service then?” V asked.
I smiled. They really didn’t know anything about Illyria.
“Illyrians don’t have a King, or nobles.” I said. “We have a council of leaders, elected by each region. The councilors elect a leader, a council President. The President appoints people to different posts: there is a War Leader, a Health Services Leader, a Trades Leader, and more. The President serves a five-year term. He—or she, since there are no laws preventing a woman from being President—can serve up to two terms as President,” I added.
“What’s to prevent a—a President from seizing power?” V asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word. “If they appoint the military leader, won’t that person owe their allegiance to them?”
“I suppose it could happen,” I said, rubbing at my chin as I considered the question. My fingers brushed over the hardened scar tissue there. “We also have a judicial system that is separate from the legislative branch that helps keep power in check. No one is above the law.”
Kat looked at me skeptically as if to say “Yeah. Right.” I was getting used to the look.
“You know this sounds too good to be true, right?” he asked.
“I suppose it would, to you,” I said. “But it’s all I’ve ever known. It’s hard for me to comprehend a country where almost a quarter of its citizens are essentially slaves.”
“More like forty percent,” V responded absently.
“What about your military?” Kat interjected. “Who fights your wars?”
“Everybody,” I said. “It didn’t used to be that way, of course, but with the way things have been the last hundred years or so, everyone who is physically able contributes to the war effort in some way. There are farmers that grow crops. There are manufacturing sectors that create weapons, supplies, and process food. That kind of thing.”
“So, you’ve been recruiting Mageia and, what? Getting them out of here? How? How do you decide who to recruit?” V asked. “How do you know they won’t turn you in?”
“I ask them.”
“How do you know they aren’t lying to you?” Kat demanded.
I tapped my ear again. “If they were lying, I’d hear it,” I said.
“Bullshit,” he said, looking at me in disbelief.
I sighed.
“You ever played the game, Two Truths and a Lie when you were kids?” I asked.
They both nodded.
“So test me. I’ll ask you three questions. You can lie or tell the truth. If I can’t tell you which is which, you leave with as much food and water as you can carry. No harm, no foul.”
“And if you guess right? What are we committing to?” Kat asked, raising that damn eyebrow at me again.
“You stay. Agree to at least see Illyria before making any final decisions,” I responded.
That looked passed between the brothers again and I couldn’t suppress a twinge of grief. Ri and I’d had the same ability to communicate silently with each other. There were days I missed him so damn much.
“Okay,” V said. “Three questions each. You pick out the lies and truths correctly, and we will help you recruit Mageia.”
“Six questions, eh? Seems like a lot,” I said thoughtfully. “But I’ll do it on one condition.”
“What condition?” Kat demanded; his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Any lies I identify, I get the truths, as well,” I said. He stared at me for a long moment. This was going to be fun.
“Fine,” Kat snapped.
I chuckled as I settled back on the ground, watching the brothers as they sat across the fire from me, slowly allowing my senses to expand until I could hear the air whistling in and out of their lungs, the steady beat of their hearts. Kat’s was slow and calm, a steady thrum that seemed to sync with my own. V’s was a faster beat, the air tinged with the slight smell of anxiety.
“Any topics off limits?” I asked, looking at the brothers curiously.
“Feel free,” V responded with an imperious gesture. Kat just shook his head.
“All right,” I said, focusing my attention on the younger man. “Vlakas,” I said, exhaling slowly. “First question. What is your favorite weapon?” I asked.
“The bow,” he answered immediately.
I listened to the sound of his heart quicken.
“Lie.” I responded.
He flushed. Round one to me.
“Question two. Who is your hero?” I asked.
Vlakas looked thoughtful, his forehead wrinkling slightly as he leaned forward, one hand on his lips as he thought. I listened to his heart beating, the blood pounding in his veins. “My hero…” He paused and glanced quickly at his brother, then back to me. I thought I could guess who he was going to say, but I would have been wrong.
“My hero is Elex.” He said.
The name shot through me like lightning. Elex… Blue eyes flashed in my head… eyes that looked like Kat, but the name didn’t fit. Why did I know that name? In my confusion I almost missed the look of shock on Kat’s face as well. Apparently he’d thought that someone else would be his brother’s hero.
“Elex?” I asked, looking up at him. “Who the hell is Elex?”
“Does it matter?” he snapped back, still a little testy at being caught so easily in a lie.
“For the purpose of the test? No, it doesn’t really matter,” a half-smile pulling at the corner of my mouth. “Especially since it was true.”
I could almost hear Kat grinding his teeth. Interesting. He must not think much of this Elex.
I paused for a moment, deciding to give the kid a break.
“Question three. When did you first find out you were Mageian?” I asked.
“I was fifteen,” he responded automatically. I had expected him to provide another truth, since that was how the game rules went, but I heard the same telltale catch in his breathing and increase in his heart rate.
“Lie.” I responded, raising an eyebrow at him curiously. I saw his brother glance at him sharply. Whoa ho… looks like I wasn’t the only one he was lying to.
“Fuck,” V whispered, running his fingers through his unruly hair as he avoided his brother’s gaze.
“What’s he talking about, V?” Kat demanded, looking from his brother to me, then back again. V just shook his head, refusing to answer.
“Three down, three to go,” I said, grinning as I turned my attention back to Kat. “You ready, Kitty Kat?”
He tore his gaze away from his brother, ignoring my endearment, his expression thoughtful as he nodded at me.
“Okay. Question one,” I watched his stony gaze and decided I wanted to needle the little Mageia a bit. “How tall are you?”
“What the fuck kind of question is that?” he snapped.
I shrugged. “It’s just a question,” I said, keeping my gaze even and my face calm.
“Five five,” he grumbled.
I smiled. “Lie.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. This was going to be interesting.
“Fine. Five foot four and three quarters.” His eyes bored into me, but I couldn’t help but grin. Point to me.
“Question two. Which do you prefer, men or women?”
He blinked slowly at me, just like a cat.
“Which do I prefer for what?” he drawled, his blue eyes glinting like ice. “Lunch? Target practice?” he asked idly as I heard him try to control his breathing.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Do you always answer a question with a question?” I asked.
“What does it matter?” he asked.
“Fine,” I said, grinning. Stubborn Mageia.
“Fucking,” I said, drawing the word out as I watched him closely. “Which do you prefer to have sex with, men or women?”
“Neither,” he responded, his face calm. “I am an equal opportunity whore.”
I paused, looking at him for a moment. His voice had remained calm, his breathing steady. Something about what he said rang true. Or rather, he believed it to be true. But still… I swallowed hard, considering for a moment how much was relying on me being able to accurately read this Mageia. For a minute, I didn’t think I’d be able to decide whether he was lying or not, but when I swallowed, I saw his eyes drop to my throat, and his lips opened slightly, as if he were suddenly very thirsty.
“Lie,” I said, drawing out the word slowly.
This time he flushed like his brother had, making me smile.
“Question three…” I trailed off and I decided I wanted to play with him some more. My eyes swept over his face, down his shoulders to his narrow waist, strong legs, his calloused hands sitting on his knees. “What question did you most want me to ask you?”
This time I was the one swallowing hard. He held my gaze for a moment, and I wondered how I had ever thought those eyes were cold. They were the sharp blue heat of electricity. The smell of ozone seemed to linger in my nose as I took in all the data my senses were giving me.
“Nothing,” he whispered. “I didn’t want you to ask me anything.”
His breath and heartbeat remained calm, but he couldn’t control how the irises of his eyes expanded or contracted.
“Lie,” I breathed.
We sat frozen for a moment before he scrambled to his feet with a curse and strode across the room, running his hands through his hair.
“Wow,” I heard V whisper behind me. “You certainly got under his skin fast. Is that something all Somas can do?”
I turned back to him and smiled wryly.
“You guys don’t like to play by the rules, do you?” I asked. “There were a lot of lies in that conversation.”
V shook his head.
“We’ve had to make our own rules,” he muttered. “So what’s your plan? I mean, I’m assuming you do have a plan? To get out of here, I mean.”
“Yes, I have a plan,” I said. “But I need to know if you two are in or not before I share it with you.”
I held my breath. Something in me desperately wanted these two men to join our cause. It felt…imperative, somehow. Another look passed between the brothers before Kat finally turned back and answered.
“We’re in.” There was such reluctance in his tone I couldn’t help but smile.
“Before I share details, I need you both to answer this question. Do you intend to cause, or by inaction, allow harm to be caused to the Illyrian troops? Will you honestly try and support the Illyrian cause?” I asked.
V started to respond, but his brother stopped him with a raised hand, of course.
“We mean you no harm, as long as you and yours mean us no harm,” Kat said.
His pulse and breathing remained steady.
“Finally, the truth.”
I looked at V. He repeated his brothers’ words.
“Okay, then,” I said, clapping my hands together. “Welcome aboard.”
“That’s it?” Kat asked. “Just ‘welcome aboard’?”
“Did you want a parade?” I asked sardonically.
“I guess we thought there would be more to it than that,” V said, intervening. “What do we do now?”
“What are we going to do about these?” Kat demanded, tugging at his collar.
“We have a way to get them off,” I tried to reassure him. “We’ll remove them all once the ship arrives.”
“Without killing us?” Kat demanded.
“You wouldn’t be much good to me dead.”
V chose that moment to yawn. He tried to stifle it, but it was obvious that after getting some food into his system, he was still worn out from battling the venom.
“Maybe now isn’t the best time to start discussing all this,” I said. “We should probably let you both get some rest first.”
The two brothers nodded and moved back-to-back, laying down on the floor.
“What are you doing?” I asked as they seemed to settle in next to the fire.
They looked at me in confusion.
“Getting ready for sleep?” Kat said, genuinely puzzled.
I shook my head.
“There are beds you can use,” I gestured to the hallway.
“We only saw one,” V answered with a shrug. “I figured it was yours.”
“Even if it was, I wouldn’t leave you out here without anything to sleep on,” I said. Good goddess, how had they been treated to think that was okay?
“There are a couple of spare bedrooms and a barracks area. You want to stay in the same room?” Somehow, I suspected they would.
They both nodded, so I led them to one of the spare rooms with two beds. It was a little dusty since the last Machi was about three months ago, but the linens were clean. There was a bunk room, but it was on the far side of the complex and farther away than I would have liked. Something in me insisted I keep these Mageia close.
“Here you go,” I said, showing them the solar powered light in the room.
“Thank you,” V said.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” I headed back out to the living area. I was too excited to sleep yet.
I busied myself cleaning up the remnants of our meal. The task soothed me, and I found myself humming. My voice was nothing like it had been before the attack, but I still enjoyed the music.
“I don’t recognize that song,” I jumped at Kat’s voice behind me.
I turned from the sink to see the smaller Mageia standing in the doorway looking adorable in the oversize clothing. Something in my heart warmed to see him wearing my clothes.
“Um, yeah. It was something my mom used to sing,” I said, a little embarrassed. I didn’t usually let anyone hear me sing. I’d been proud of my voice before the fire. Now, it was just one more thing I’d lost when Ri had died.
Kat shuffled across the floor, his hands gripping the waist of his sweatpants and a look of pissed off exasperation on his face as he almost tripped.
“Here,” I said, reaching out to steady him. “Let me fix those.”
I reached for him carefully, uncertain of his reaction if I touched him. He started to pull away, then seemed to force himself to still. He held his breath as I pulled the dangling drawstring of the sweatpants tight and quickly tied it in a bowknot. He looked down at it, then back up at me.
“That’s gotta be magic right there,” he said, tugging gently on the waistband, seemingly surprised when it stayed put.
I chuckled.
“My people are primarily seafaring,” I teased. “We know our way around knots.”
He hummed in acknowledgement.
“You’ve never seen sweatpants before?” I asked, turning back to the sink to finish the dishes.
“Um, no,” he answered. “We have tac pants, but they at least have belts. Kinda need the pockets for gear,” he said.
“What about when you aren’t working?”
“When’s that?” he responded flatly, raising an eyebrow at me.
I thought about it for a minute. I guess I understood his point, so I shrugged.
“Did you need something?”
“Just wasn’t tired,” he said, avoiding my gaze and walked to the sink.
“Can I help?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, surprised at the offer. I grabbed a dishtowel and handed it to him. “You can dry, if you don’t mind.”
He stood next to me and looked at the pile of dishes draining next to the sink. I realized he might actually not know what I wanted him to do.
“Like this,” I said. I took another towel and started drying off the bowls and pans, then setting them aside. Kat caught on quickly and we made short work of the task.
“Thanks,” I said as we put the last of the dishes away.
“Thanks for feeding us,” he said. “And…for helping V.”
“You care a lot about your brother,” I said, watching him out of the corner of my eye.
“He’s the only good thing left in the world,” he whispered, then seemed to realize he’d spoken aloud. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, he’s my brother. Sometimes he’s a pain the ass, but still…”
He seemed genuinely uncomfortable, so I tried to think of safe topics to talk about.
“How long have you guys been here? I didn’t catch the air drop.”
“Um, about a week, I think?” he said. His nose scrunched up adorably as he thought, like he was trying to squeeze the answer out of his brain.
“Damn. I have some catching up to do,” I said. “I usually spot when they make a drop. I thought the Machi Thanatos was held on a specific schedule.”
“Usually. They seem to be holding them a bit erratically, lately,” he responded. “They have even started including younger and younger kids. V shouldn’t even be here.”
“What was it like in the Legion?” I asked. “Were you ever… happy?” I asked finally, the silence making my nerves stretch taut.
“Fuck, no!” The angry look he shot me indicating how stupid the question was. “We fuckin’ hated it there. The shit they did to us. To V…” his voice trailed off. “If there is any way to keep him from ever having to go back to that, I’ll take it.”
I nodded. It was a stupid question, really. I had heard some of the horror stories, but every Mageian seemed to have more.
“Look, you want a drink?” I asked desperately as the silence stretched, pulling out a bottle of vodka. It was one of my few vices. I mixed it with a local fruit juice so you couldn’t even tell it had alcohol in it. Probably one of the reasons I liked it.
“Sure,” he said. I pulled out the juice and poured us both generous drinks, then took the bottle over to the fire pit. We sat down, and I couldn’t help but notice he seated himself so he could see all the exits.
He sipped his hesitantly, then coughed in surprise.
“You okay there?”
“It’s…different,” he said after wheezing and spluttering for a moment before taking another sip. “Not bad, though,” he admitted.
I smiled back. “You’ve never had vodka? It’s one of my favorites.”
He shook his head. We drank for a few minutes in companionable silence. Finally Kat spoke.
“So, what are the next steps? Now that V and I have agreed to help. What do we do now? You’ve been here for what, two years right?”
“How’d you know that?” I couldn’t hide my surprise as I eyed him over my drink.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, obviously pleased to have caught me unawares.
“The Tagmatarches told us about the ‘scary, cannibalistic beast’ who ate all the Mageia they sent in,” he said.
I felt myself flush at being called a beast. It wasn’t exactly the first time, but it still stung.
“Well, at least they bought the story,” I growled. “I had to come up with some reason for Mageia to be disappearing. A couple of ripped up corpses, a stew pot with a skull in it, and there you go…”
This time Kat wrinkled his nose in disgust. I had no idea a nose could be so expressive.
“Oh, my goddess… That’s brilliant! You made them think you were a cannibal to hide missing Mageia?”
“Yes,” I growled. “And I’d do it again, if it meant stealing more people out from under those bastards.”
I paused for a moment as a thought occurred to me. His suspicious sniffing of the food I’d offered him earlier made more sense now.
“Wait—is that why you were so suspicious of the stew, earlier?” I asked, struggling not to laugh.
“I had cause,” his chin tilting up in defiance. He took another sip of his drink, and I noticed his cheeks were taking on a delicious flush.
“You might want to take it slow with that. If you’re not used to it, vodka can hit you like a freight train.”
He shrugged, and as if I had dared him, he gulped the last of his drink and set the glass on the table defiantly.
“I can handle it,” he insisted. I shrugged and poured him a refill, distracted by his flashing blue eyes. We’d see.
“So… what are you doing with the Mageia you are recruiting here?”
“I get them back to Illyria. Hopefully we can match them with Somas and train some Tesseris mages.”
“So, you’re essentially building an army,” Kat said, his eyes darkening as he spoke.
“If your family were under attack, I think you’d do anything you could to protect them,” I said. “I’m trying to protect my country, my people.”
“Do you have any family?”
The thought of Ri made a sharp ache hit my chest. To hide it, I drained the rest of my own drink and poured another, topping off Kat’s cup as well. He was definitely starting to feel the effects of the vodka.
“Not blood family. Not anymore. Cousins, maybe. I don’t know. My parents died when I was young. I was raised by some family friends,” I said.
“I’m sorry,” he said, looking down into his drink. For a moment I could feel such a sense of loss from him. He really seemed to know how I felt.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” I said gruffly, taking another drink then gazing into the fire. I felt a little warmth from the drink spreading through my body and I cherished it while it was there. Like other drugs, alcohol didn’t last long on a Soma.
The feeling of fingers, light as butterflies, regardless of the callouses on them, flitted across my cheek and I looked up in surprise.
“Is that how you got these?”
Suddenly the heat of the alcohol was like a match beside an inferno as a shot of power lashed through me from his touch. He must have felt the same thing because he jerked his hand back and looked at me as though I had bitten him.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded, shaking his hand. “It seems to happen every time we touch.”
I suppressed a shudder. He’d felt it, too!
“I think the Goddess is trying to tell us something,” I said, sighing, looking at my little Mageia. I reached out and took his hand. The zap was less this time, but I felt his power rising and humming over my skin. This wasn’t like it had been with Ri. This wasn’t quiet and comfortable. It was powerful. Stinging. Insistent.
“What—” he paused to wet his lips, which seemed unexpectedly dry. “What do you think She is trying to tell us?”
“That our powers could Bond,” I said, moving shaking fingers across Kat’s hand, tracing patterns across and through his power. It was like stroking your hand through hot bath water. It had a bit of a sting to it but was relaxing at the same time. It felt so damn good I couldn’t bring myself to stop.
“Is it like that with any Mageia?”
I shook my head.
“If your powers aren’t a match, you wouldn’t feel anything. The better the match, the stronger the reaction,” I said. “I’ve—never felt anything quite like this, though.”
He shuddered visibly, eyes closed as his lips parted slightly, as if my fingers were tracing over something far more intimate than his hand. I was overcome with the desire to close the distance between us and see if his lips were as soft as they looked.
I had just started to move when a laughing, lilting voice echoed from the doorway.
“Gee, guys, should I come back later?”
I groaned, dropping Kat’s hand like it had burned me.
“Welcome home, Betts,” resignedly I stood and turned away from Kat.
The interloper was dressed in black pants with silver buckles and multiple weapons secured on her person. She ran forward and jumped into my arms, wrapping her leather-clad legs around me and placing kisses on my scarred cheek.
Betts was Ri’s younger sister, and I’d known her since she had been born.
“Hey there, sexy!” She laughed as I spun her around. Betts was one of the few people who had treated me exactly the same both before and after Ri’s death.
“Careful with the heels!” I growled mockingly before setting her down. “You’ll put someone’s eye out with those things!”
She laughed, the braids tied in her dark hair whipping back and forth.
“Hasn’t happened yet!” she said, laughing as she stood. “Who’s your friend?”
“Kat, this is Betts,” I said, introducing the hellion to the Mageia.
Kat was still frozen where he’d been sitting, a slightly dazed look on his face. Betts tended to have that effect on people. He blinked a few times before standing, nodding gravely at her, glancing from her to me and back again.
Betts turned toward Kat; her head cocked sideways like a bird watching an insect.
“Ooooooh! He’s a pretty one, Hel,” she purred. “Can we keep him?”
“Leave him be, Betts,” I warned. She pouted, but I’d been resisting her pouts since she had been a baby.
“See if I share my news with you now,” she muttered.
“What news?”
“The Chrysalis will be here in about two weeks!” she burst out, grinning like a child.
I sighed. The Chrysalis was the ship that took Mageia to Illyria, and Betts was its Captain. We usually had it in place before the drop occurred for the Machi. Either the Elusians had sped up their timetable or we had miscalculated somehow.
“It’s also bringing your replacement,” she said, poking my chest as I scowled.
“Replacement? Why?”
I’d been at Heraklion for over six months before I had been able to flag down the first Illyrian ship to take a message home. Those first few months had been hellish. I had been forced to fight Mageia after Mageia to survive. Most of them had been so intent on taking the medallion from around my neck there was no chance for them to figure out I wasn’t their enemy.
Finally, I’d convinced the first Mageian to join our cause, and things had exploded from there. Over the last two years I had spearheaded the recruitment of Mageians to our cause through the Machi arena. In that time, we had recruited almost five hundred Mageia to the Illyrian banner. That was more Mageians than Illyria would have birthed on its own in a hundred years.
“I think I’m just going to head back to bed,” Kat’s voice cut through my reverie. “It sounds like you two have a lot to catch up on.”
Before I could stop him, he had slipped past us and through the door to the sleeping area.
“Great timing, as usual, Betts,” I sighed as I watched him slip down the corridor.
“Sorry, not sorry,” she quipped. “He is cute though. Maybe you’ll get to spend time with him on the trip home.”
“I’m not going back,” I growled, turning away from her.
I felt a light hand on my shoulder.
“Ri wouldn’t want you to put yourself in exile, Hel,” she said, her voice low. “You did nothing wrong.”
Betts had been at sea when the attack occurred. She was the only member of Ri’s family who had survived.
“I didn’t do anything right, either Betts. If I had, your brother would be alive,” I snapped.
She shook her head at me.
“There was nothing you could have done. The investigation cleared you of any wrongdoing. There were other Somas present who weren’t in the middle of their Bonding ceremony,” she said angrily. “It was their job to protect the camp, not yours.”
Betts could say what she wanted, but I knew the truth deep in my bones. It was my fault that Ri was dead.
“Anyways, orders are orders, and Polemos has ordered you back to the mainland,” she said, stabbing a finger into my chest.
“Why the fuck would Polemos want me back?”
Polemos was a Mageia who had joined us as a refugee about ten years back and had enjoyed a meteoric rise through our ranks. His background was shrouded in mystery: some said he was a descendant of one of our ancient bloodlines. Some claimed he was the child of a goddess and an Illyrian (his name means “War” after all). Others claimed he was just a military prodigy. Regardless, he had led us to our few victories in recent years and had been named the Minister of War the year before.
Polemos had been the second-in-command of the first ship I flagged down and had arranged transport for the Mageia I recruited in Heraklion. He and others back home were working to match them to Somas and get them trained.
The Chrysalis was Betts’ ship. She had stayed behind on this last voyage because she claimed I was spending too much time alone. The fact I preferred it that way didn’t seem to matter to her. Sisters, even adopted ones, are a pain in the ass.
“No clue,” she said. “I just have my orders to bring you and any Mageia we can gather back to Illyria. We’re getting so close, Hel!” She squealed and jumped on her tiptoes to place a kiss on my cheek. “Last time I was in Nymphaeum, almost half of the Mageia you rescued had matched with a Soma! Thanks to you, we have a fighting chance.”
I rolled my eyes, but I felt my heart warm. The idea that I had finally done something for my people helped ease the ache of Ri’s loss.
As much as anything could, I thought, my eyes lingering on the now-empty corridor and the fierce Mageian I was having a hard time getting out of my head.