“Then it’s settled.” Mirak’s eyes shift to a screen. Likely a nav computer. “I can be on Noturn in four days. Sixth, will Danek be okay until I can pull him and Naomi Knoll out?”
“Cindifin patrols the space around Noturn,” Kadir points out. “Pirates have been stealing their rihim shipments.”
Mirak, whose mate Diana is the captain of a pirate ship, barks a laugh. “Imagine that. Don’t worry; I’ll stay out of trouble. Sixth, will Danek be fine until I get there?”
“Stop talking.” My voice snaps like a whip. “All of you.”
Silence falls over them. “Four days is not going to give me enough time to find out if Cindifin is building a prison on Noturn. I need to see this mission through.”
“The mission is not more important than your life,” snaps Kadir.
“Yes, it is.”
They all turn to stare at me.
“Everything that has happened is my fault. This is an outcome of my actions a thousand years ago.” I lurch to my feet and stride around the room. The cone of silence tingles as I breach its perimeter, but I barely pay attention. “I convinced Koval to rebel against the High Empire. I promised him that I would be the Draekon Warlord. I told him I would lead them into battle.”
“They were counting on me, the second-generation Draekons,” I whisper, staring into the distance. “I failed them. Because of me, they were all slaughtered.”
“That’s bullshit.” Mirak glares at me. “You know that.”
“Do I?” I shake my head. “If I hadn't talked them into it, none of them would have rebelled. I was responsible for the death the Empire rained down on us. I am responsible for everything that has happened since.”
Kadir opens his mouth to protest, and I hold up my hand. “I can't go back in time. Caeron knows that I would do anything to undo what I did, but that is impossible. But I will finish this mission. Abandoning it is not an option.”
“No.” Mirak’s voice is low and furious. “You have held onto your misery for too long. Out of respect for your pain, we haven't challenged your beliefs. But enough is enough. You are going to stop this endless self-pity and listen to us. You can’t convince someone to do what they don’t want to do; that’s not how your ability works. You show people the deepest desire of their hearts. Koval was a soldier and he was a slave. They all were. And they wanted more than that. They knew what they faced. They knew the risk. They wanted freedom so much that they were willing to die for it, and you will not disrespect their agency because you’re busy feeling sorry for yourself.”
“If you are trying to allocate blame for what happened,” Ruhan adds soberly. “Ask yourself whose fault it is? Is it your fault, you who were trying to help them, or is it the fault of the people that imprisoned them in the first place?”
“You’re determined to stay, aren’t you?” Sixth gives me a disapproving look. “I don’t recommend it.”
“With all due respect, it doesn't matter. This is my choice to make. Tell me how long I can stay before it’s a problem.”
“Very well,” he sighs. “You have a lot of natural immunity. You will be fine for two weeks. But after that…” He shakes his head bleakly.
Two weeks. Bast. That’s not long enough.
“With any luck, I won’t need it.” They’re all looking so very concerned. They don’t need to be. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything stupid. I have Naomi here, remember? I won’t let any harm befall her.”
Kadir’s eyes narrow. “No, you won’t, will you? That makes me feel a little better.”
“I’ll make sure I stay close to Noturn,” Mirak says. “When you need a fast exit, comm me. I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“Keep taking the cranisum,” Sixth advises. “It will help. It’s a pretty simple drug to synthesize. I’ll load instructions into your syn, if you don’t want the scientist to know you’re taking it.”
That reminds me. “Speaking of the scientist, she analyzed my blood and figured out I’m Draekon. Her name is Kenia ab Cindifin. Can you—”
“Monitor her comms?” Ruhan cuts in. “Will do.”
“I still think you should leave Noturn immediately,” Kadir says, looking acutely unhappy. “But you’re right. It’s your choice to make. But Danek, please be careful. We love you. We care about you. There were only six of us. One is already lost forever. Please don't make it two.”
16
Naomi
Holy crap, this house is nice. It’s not large, but it’s snug and comfortable and very homey. I walk around, taking it in. The kitchen has windows along the front, looking out to the park. There’s an artificial lake in the middle, and, as I watch, a fountain shoots water into the air in a graceful arc.
Pumpkin bounds into the kitchen and jumps onto the counter. “Oh no,” I chide, picking up the orange furball and setting him on the floor. “Counters are for food, little monster. Not for adorable floofs.”
A crash sounds from the back of the house. I hurry there, only to see Plague and Pestilence—damn it, Danek’s names for them are sticking—curled up on a corner of the bed, looking innocent and not at all guilty. Next to them, a vase rests on the floor, its flowers strewn everywhere.
Flowers in a vase? That’s a thoughtful touch. More and more, I wonder about the House of Cindifin. From what Resi and Afain said, they appear to be good employers. The two scientists we’ve encountered—Bash, on the Wekat Exchange, and Kenia here on Noturn, have been ethical, decent people. Lashi’vi and Xeni were nice too, friendly, and welcoming.
What would make them agree to allow the Zorahn Empire to use Noturn as a prison? Especially when they know the effects on the planet on Draekons?
I don’t get it. The Rebellion must have got it wrong. I’m sure a prison is being built for the Draekons, but it isn’t here.
