Destiny of Dragons E-Book

Jack Campbell

• Herausgeber: JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: The Legacy of Dragons
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 646

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

In the thrilling conclusion to the Legacy of Dragons trilogy, ancient weapons of mass destruction lie hidden under the city of Pacta Servanda... Remnants of the Great Guilds and rebellious factions of the Empire want to seize those weapons to allow them to regain control of the world of Dematr. Only Jason, brought by the first ship from Earth since the colony failed, might be able to disarm the threat. But he also might know how to employ those weapons, making him a danger for all sides. Standing between those threats is Kira of Dematr. But Kira, who inexplicably has been able to manifest Mage powers as well as technical skills, finds herself being consumed by the mental conflicts between those powers and skills. As rogue Mechanics, Mages, and mercenaries attack with every weapon at their disposal, Kira suffers more blackouts and begins to lose her mind. The fate of her world rests on whether she can stay alive and find answers in time to problems that no one else has ever confronted....

Leseprobe

Destiny of Dragons

Copyright © 2018 by John G. Hemry

All rights reserved.

Published as an ebook in 2018 by JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.

Originally published as an Audible Original in January 2018.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Cover art by Dominick Saponaro

eISBN 978-1-625673-63-3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Also by Jack Campbell

Acknowledgments

I remain indebted to my agents, Joshua Bilmes and Eddie Schneider, for their longstanding support, ever-inspired suggestions and assistance, as well as to Krystyna Lopez and Lisa Rodgers for their work on foreign sales and print editions. Many thanks to Betsy Mitchell for her excellent editing. Thanks also to Robert Chase, Kelly Dwyer, Carolyn Ives Gilman, J.G. (Huck) Huckenpohler, Simcha Kuritzky, Michael LaViolette, Aly Parsons, Bud Sparhawk and Constance A. Warner for their suggestions, comments and recommendations.

To Elizabeth MoonU.S. Marine, Mother, Chronicler of Paksenarrion and Vatta, Keeper of Horses No Matter How Difficult, Captain of Musketeers, and Friend.

For S, as always

Chapter One

Kira of Dematr woke from a dark dream of being pursued through an endless maze of boulders by faceless, implacable Imperial legionaries, dragons whose eyes glowed with mindless hate, and a mysterious figure in Mage robes who shadowed her every move with silent menace.

She looked up at the ceiling of her room, calming her breathing and her racing heart. Seventeen years old seemed too young to be having such nightmares built from real memories. For some inexplicable reason the twin scars made by a dragon’s claws on her left shoulder were itching but the marks of newer injuries from swords and a bullet were not.

Who had the Mage been, though? The lightning Mage who had tried to kill her and Jason in Kelsi? But Kira had been certain that Mage was a man, whereas the Mage in her dreams had felt like a woman.

From the morning twilight visible through her window, she could tell it was very early, dawn still a little way off. The house was silent with the peace of undisturbed sleep for her mother and father, and for her fiancé Jason in the room next to hers.

Kira’s eyes stayed on the door to her room. Sighing, she finally got up and walked to the door, turning the latch to assure herself that she wasn’t locked in. The fear was silly, here safe at home, but at the same time as real as the memories of her imprisonment a few months ago on an Imperial warship whose burned-out hulk now rested half-submerged in the harbor at Caer Lyn.

Knowing that sleep would not come again, Kira went to the window to look out on the still, dark fields around the house. Several hundred lances off she could see a group of riders, Lancers on patrol around the house. Sentries and bodyguards like that had been part of her life for as long as Kira could remember, protecting her mother, and Kira, from the enemies who wished them dead.

Acting on a sudden impulse, Kira grabbed her clothes, slipping into her trousers and buttoning up her shirt. Strapping on the shoulder holster was a task as familiar as pulling on her socks. She checked her pistol to ensure the magazine was full and the safety set before holstering it. Pulling on her jacket, she paused to make sure the loose cartridge was still in one pocket.

She’d brought that cartridge with her from the Northern Ramparts. During the night when she and Jason had nearly died, it would have been her last shot. She wasn’t sure of everything that it symbolized for her. Hope, definitely. Not giving up. Jason’s love. There were plenty of reasons why she kept it close.

Not wanting to disturb anyone else, she opened the door quietly before going down the stairs carefully and as silently as possible, carrying her boots until she reached the front door. Once out on the front porch she pulled on the boots, then headed for the barn, grateful for her jacket in the predawn chill. The air held a faint scent of seawater borne by the breeze from the coast south of the house. The outskirts of the growing city of Pacta Servanda were still far enough off that no sight or sound of it intruded on the countryside here.

Her new horse wasn’t in the barn, instead standing outside in the fenced field, looking toward the north. “Good morning, Suka,” Kira said, walking up to stroke the gelding’s neck. “Do you miss the mountains?”

Suka tossed his head in what might have been a nod before turning to nuzzle Kira affectionately. Obviously eager for exercise, the gelding waited patiently as Kira saddled and bridled him, not playing any tricks as she tightened the girth. Draping the reins across the saddle, Kira walked back to the gate, Suka following without any need for direction. Once outside the gate, Kira swung herself up into the saddle, leaving the reins loose as she directed Suka with her seat and her legs, falling quickly into the familiar rhythm of the horse’s movement.

She headed out across the fields. Suka broke into a tentative canter, and when Kira indicated it was all right her horse went to a full gallop, racing across the grass, wind blowing back his mane as Kira leaned forward, enjoying the feeling of freedom.

As they approached one of the patrols, several Lancers on their own mounts, Kira shifted her seat to the back of the saddle and broke with the rhythm of Suka’s movement, deliberately moving against it as she also lightly squeezed with both legs. Suka slowed to a walk again, almost prancing as he neared the other horses. The stocky mountain breed was shorter than the tall horses bred on the wide plains of Tiae, but the other horses gave him careful looks that testified to their wariness around the tough northern mount. Kira turned Suka by pressing lightly with one leg while opening the other slightly, so that she and Suka were riding alongside the patrol.

“Is there anything wrong, Captain Kira?” asked the corporal in charge of the patrol, saluting.

“No,” Kira said, returning the salute and realizing they had misinterpreted Suka’s gallop as a sign of urgency. “Sorry. My mount just wanted to stretch his legs. Is it all right if we ride along with you for a while?”

“Of course, Captain.” The corporal looked Suka over. “He’s pretty fast.”

“Your mount could probably beat him in a dash,” Kira said, “but Suka can outrun most in a long race.”

“He’s a Free Cities mount?”

“Yes. From the Fourth Lancers of Alexdria. I rode him when I was up there. His original rider had to retire because of injuries, so the Fourth Lancers were kind enough to send Suka to me.”

The corporal nodded, smiling. “Any veteran of fighting the legions, woman or man or horse, is always welcome with the Lancers of Tiae.”

Kira nodded in reply, feeling embarrassed by the praise. She’d heard people calling her a hero, but heroes were supposed to be brave and she didn’t remember feeling brave. All she recalled of the long days and nights in the Northern Ramparts was being tired and hungry and scared, fighting to keep herself and Jason alive. The cartridge in her jacket pocket was a reminder of that, too, of how close they’d both come to dying, and how great a treasure it was to be alive and seeing a new day dawn.

Kira dropped back slightly, riding just to one side of the patrol, far enough out that Suka wouldn’t be tempted to nip playfully at any of the other horses. Trained cavalry mount though he was, Suka had a mischievous streak that could surface without warning. But this morning Suka behaved himself, letting her relax.

The patrols never followed fixed routes and times, avoiding any predictable patterns that enemies could exploit. Occasionally the corporal ordered the patrol to a trot for a minute or so before dropping back to a walk. The reins loose before her, Kira directed her well-trained mount without having to think about it, enjoying the open spaces about her, the open sky above, and the growing light as the sun rose into view in the east. Riding with the other Lancers was also pleasant, giving her a feeling of belonging that Kira had often missed when she was younger and hemmed in by bodyguards. For their part, the Lancers were comfortable around her, seeing Kira as one of their own, though being careful to treat her as an officer.

Captain. It still felt weird, to be respectfully addressed that way by men and women who in some cases had been soldiers longer than Kira had been alive. She had been only an honorary lieutenant in the Queen’s Own Lancers of Tiae, but after the fighting in the Northern Ramparts she had been field-promoted to Captain of Lancers by the Alexdrian forces, a rank that seemed to mysteriously follow her wherever she went.

The patrol met up with their reliefs, another group of Lancers. “Patrols are going to be doubled starting today,” the leader of the new group informed the others.

They all turned to look at Kira, but all she could do was shake her head in ignorance. “I haven’t heard anything yet.” As the two groups of Lancers turned over duties Kira saluted in farewell and guided Suka in a walk back toward the barn.

When Kira got close enough, she saw her mother—Master Mechanic Mari of Dematr, the daughter of Jules—waiting outside the house in her dark jacket, trousers, and boots. Kira had once bridled at her close resemblance to her mother, the greatest hero the world of Dematr had ever known, but these days seeing Mari as an older image of herself felt immensely comforting. So did knowing that under her jacket her mother wore the same sort of holster and carried the same kind of pistol. Because the patrols couldn’t stop every threat.

Kira swung down off of Suka as she neared her mother. “Good morning!”

“You’re in a good mood,” Mari observed, falling in to walk alongside Kira as Suka followed. “Of course you didn’t wake up to find your daughter missing.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

“Next time leave a note, all right?” Mari grimaced as memories flitted across her face. “I worry.”

“You have every right to,” Kira said, leading Suka into the barn and removing his tack. “I worry, too. That’s why I had to get out this morning.”

“Bad dreams?”

“Yes. And… I felt… confined.”

“I know all about nightmares like that,” her mother said, and for a moment her eyes went distant and Kira knew that Mari was once again on the walls of Dorcastle as the city burned and the Imperial legions attacked. It had taken Kira a long time to realize that part of her mother had never left those walls. She would always be there, forever fighting to free the world.

But then Mari’s eyes cleared and she was here again. “I’m glad you went out,” she told Kira. “Is there anything you need to talk about?”

“Not right now,” Kira said. “Riding is great therapy.”

Her mother helped as Kira rubbed down and brushed Suka. Kira enjoyed the shared work, feeling closer to Mari at such times. “Suka likes you, you know.”

Mari laughed. “I’m glad we finally found one horse in the world of Dematr who likes me.”

“I’m serious. If you ever want to ride him, I’m sure Suka would be fine. You’d just have to be very light on the rein. He’s used to being guided by a Lancer.”

“Thank you, but I’m going to try to avoid riding until this little guy is with us safe and sound,” her mother replied, patting the swell of her body where the pregnancy was now easy to see.

Neither one of them said anything about the last time, when Kira herself had still been very little, but yesterday Kira had noticed fresh flowers on the grave of her little brother, who had died during birth. She paused in her work with her horse to give her mother a long, wordless embrace. Some things didn’t have to be spoken.

Kira poured out some grain for Suka before giving him a final pat and walking back to the house with her mother.

Inside, the delicious aroma of coffee met them. “Mother, out of all the things you’ve done, teaching a Mage how to make good coffee has to be your greatest achievement.”

In the kitchen, her father Alain of Ihris, Master of Mages, offered them each a cup, even his Mage training at concealing emotions unable to hide his pride in being able to make coffee. Kira gave him a smile, knowing that even the simple workings of a coffee maker were beyond a Mage’s comprehension and that her mother made up everything and set the brewer over the heat. All her father had to do was take the pot off at the proper time, but for a Mage that was nevertheless something special. Alain could do things considered scientifically impossible, making parts of objects disappear for a while or creating intense heat anywhere he desired, but he couldn’t work any piece of technology more complicated than a knife even if his life depended on it.

“Where’s Jason?” Kira asked as she sat down at the kitchen table and grabbed a piece of buttered toast.

“He is still in bed,” her father said.

“You’re kidding. People from Urth must need lots of sleep.” Kira turned her head toward where the guest bedroom lay. “HEY, JASON! GET DOWN HERE FOR BREAKFAST!”

Her mother rubbed her ear. “Next time maybe you could go knock on his door. The security patrols probably heard that and went to high alert.”

“The security patrols should be used to me by now.” Kira sipped her coffee, watching her mother. “Speaking of high alert, I just heard that patrols around the house are being doubled starting today.”

Mari raised her eyebrows in surprise at the news. “I didn’t think they’d react that quickly to what are still vague warnings of trouble.”

“Care to share?” Kira asked. “I saw that courier come in late last night with a half-troop of cavalry as an escort. Those must have been some pretty hot dispatches.”

Mari nodded, smiling at Alain as he sat down next to her, then turning a serious face to Kira. “Yes. Something’s up, but we still don’t have enough pieces to see the picture. Queen Sien’s security services here in Tiae are worried that the pieces they do have seem to point at us. There are reports of odd activity involving Mages in the Empire and the Western Alliance, and we still haven’t located the former leaders of the Mechanics Guild since they went into hiding after the Empire cracked down on them. And the Empire itself is a source of concern as always, but especially now. Prince Maxim is safely out of the way, but his former followers blame you for his death and his failures.”

Kira shrugged. “It’s not my fault that cowardly, arrogant jerk was stupid enough to kidnap me.”

“That’s right, dearest, but that also means next time they’ll just try to kill you right off rather than take any chances.”

“Why are those followers still running around freely, anyway?” Kira demanded, letting her worries come through as irritation. “I thought the Empire was really good at locking up people and killing its enemies.”

Her father smiled slightly. “That is usually true, except where this family is concerned.”

“Which is no grounds for complacency,” Kira’s mother warned. “The latest secret dispatches from Palandur say the old emperor is very sick. With his grip on power fading, the empire is already feeling some turmoil. He could die at any time, which could render the empire unstable until the emperor’s successor solidifies control.”

“Princess Sabrin is securely positioned to become empress, isn’t she?”

“Yes, but nothing is certain with Imperial politics. Nor can we be certain what Empress Sabrin would do.”

“Mother, I talked personally to Sabrin. She was sincere in offering to ally with me. With us. And she did help me escape.”

“I know.” Her mother took a drink of coffee, her eyes hooded with thought. “But Sabrin is a pragmatist. She’ll do whatever seems best for her and the Empire, and if that means changing her attitude toward me and you, she’ll do that.” Mari turned a sardonic look on Kira. “And for some reason Sabrin is concerned that the two of us may be what Imperial gossip claims.”

Kira tried to make a joke of the Imperial superstition that she and her mother were what Jason said were called vampires on Urth. “They probably think we start the morning with hot mugs of blood.”

“You’d almost think someone had encouraged the Imperials, and Sabrin in particular, to believe that we craved the blood of young men,” her mother said, still looking at Kira.

“Excuse me. I was trying to survive.” Kira took a bite of toast, reveling in the crunch of the bread and the rich taste of the butter. In the time since her ordeal in Imperial captivity and escaping at sea and through the mountains, she had been forced to fight a compulsion to squirrel away food. At times it still felt odd to know she wouldn’t have to go hungry today.

But that brought up memories of the Ramparts, and her nightmare.

“What is wrong?” her father asked, having instantly seen the sudden tension in Kira. Mages were like that; their training allowed them to spot any emotion in others, no matter how well hidden.

“Nothing,” she said. “I just had a nightmare before I woke up, that’s all. The usual dragons and Imperial soldiers and… ”

“And?”

“I don’t know,” Kira said, feeling irritable again at having to talk about it. “Some female Mage.”

“A female Mage?” Mari asked. “One of those who attacked you in Kelsi?”

“I don’t know. She had her hood up so I couldn’t see her face, but everywhere I went in that dream she was right there, watching me.” Kira took a sip of coffee to give herself time to think. “It was just another nightmare.” She decided to change the subject so she could divert the unpleasant memories that had been brought up. “Wasn’t the Western Alliance threatening to do something about the pirates hitting their shipping in the Jules Sea? Has that settled out?”

“No,” Mari said, accepting without comment Kira’s sudden change of topic. She leaned forward toward Kira, her arms on the table. “The pirates are still a problem. The Western Alliance is certain they’re based out of Syndar, and I’m sure they’re right. But Syndari officials are sure to be getting a cut of what the pirates are bringing in, and Syndar knows the Alliance isn’t eager to start hostilities, so they keep stalling, and for now Alliance warships remain outside of Syndari territorial waters, playing cat and mouse with the pirates. But at some point Alliance patience will give out and they’ll move against Syndar, unless the situation gets resolved first. What do you think I should do, Kira?”

Kira paused to think. When she was fifteen, she’d been terrified by the idea of trying to be her mother. Mari had done the impossible, defeating the Great Guilds to free Dematr. Mari had slain dragons and raised an army. Mari had changed the world. Kira had thought it ridiculous that she could ever step into her mother’s shoes, responsible for trying to resolve disputes between nations and if necessary rallying armies and navies to fight for her. And her mother had never pushed for that, trying to shield her daughter from the responsibilities and burdens that came with being the daughter of Jules.

But Jason had come to this world and Kira had been forced to face her legacy, discovering that she did have something of her mother inside her. And not so long ago Kira had experienced first-hand what could happen without her mother resolving disputes between nations. Kira had seen war up close. She knew what could happen, and how many could die. A still-fresh scar on one side of her neck told of an Imperial bullet that had come too close to ending her life, and when she moved quickly a lingering tightness in her side reminded her of the Imperial sword that had ridden along her ribs. She had survived, but others had not.

Kira hadn’t said anything directly to her mother since then about someday taking on at least some of the responsibilities of her mother. But she had asked questions, and cautiously offered opinions, waiting to hear her mother’s reactions and advice. And Mari, not without a certain sadness sometimes apparent, had accepted that her daughter was subtly volunteering to step up. Because when there was a job to be done, the women and the men in her family did it.

“Could you let the Syndaris know that Queen Sien is preparing to hit them because of the damage the pirates are doing to trade between Tiae and the Alliance?” Kira asked. “Syndar has been terrified of Sien ever since the War of the Great Guilds.”

“No,” Mari said. “I can’t threaten action, even indirectly, on behalf of Sien. That would commit her to following through if the bluff failed. One of the reasons the queen and I have remained on good terms is because I don’t presume to throw my weight around inside her kingdom. And Sien isn’t going to want to threaten action until she’s prepared to follow through on it if necessary.”

“Oh.” That made sense. Kira frowned down at her coffee, thinking. “What if… the Syndaris heard that Queen Sien was… thinking about… joint action with the Western Alliance against the pirates?”

Her mother smiled and nodded. “Which Sien would agree to me saying, because it doesn’t commit her to any action. And it is likely to get Syndar’s attention.”

“Is that what you’re going to do?” Kira asked.

“I’ve already sent a message to Sien asking if I can inform Syndar of that. I think the queen will agree. As a matter of fact, one of those dispatches last night told me she is going to open some secret talks with the Alliance in case action does have to be taken.” Mari hoisted her coffee cup in a salute to Kira. “Good job.”

Kira felt her face growing warm at the praise. “Thank you. Um, what about the librarians? Has Urth told us anything yet?”

“No.” Mari glanced at the sky outside the kitchen window as if the far-off star that warmed Urth was somehow visible during the day. “I haven’t heard anything new, which means that Urth still refuses to tell us anything about what might be buried under Pacta Servanda. As soon as Jason is fully recovered, we need to go take a look at it.”

Jason came in, smiling sheepishly, his hair still rumpled from sleep and walking a little stiffly because the bullet wound to his leg was still healing. “Hey, dragon slayer,” he said.

Both Kira and her mother turned to look. “Which one?” Mari asked dryly.

“Ummm, Kira. Sorry. Good morning, Lady Mari, Sir Alain.”

“Stop being so formal,” Mari said. “We’re going to be your parents whenever Kira gets around to setting the date.”

“Good morning, my love,” Kira said to Jason. “Want to get married today?”

“Sure,” Jason said, getting some coffee.

Her father shook his head. “You ask him every morning as a joke, but once you both turn eighteen, Kira, you might say that and find that Jason has turned the joke on you by having the papers all prepared and ready to say his promise to you.”

“Oh, Father, Jason wouldn’t ambush me into getting married without me even knowing what was happening! Who would do something like that?”

Mari bent a sharp look Kira’s way. “Very funny. Your father never complained… once he realized what had happened. I’ll remind you that after the wedding your father and I barely escaped before the harbor of Caer Lyn was locked down. There wasn’t any time to waste on explanations.”

“Maybe Jason and I will do the same thing,” Kira suggested. “A very quick wedding with just the two of us and then dash away before anyone can catch us.”

“You’re not allowed,” her mother said. “In part because there are still too many people who want to get their hands on you and too many assassins waiting to get a shot at you. But also because a lot of people want to be there when you and Jason exchange promises. Queen Sien would not take it well if you two eloped instead.”

“It’s not like Sien is still my queen,” Kira grumbled. “She never really was.”

“She’s always treated you like a daughter of her own, young lady. And she’s one of our best friends, who fought alongside your father and me to reforge the kingdom and defeat the Great Guilds. Even if she wasn’t the Queen of Tiae we’d want to give her wishes some consideration. But, speaking of the wedding, exactly when do you turn eighteen, Jason?”

“That’s a good question,” Jason said, sitting down beside Kira. “Relativity kind of messed that up. I mean, there’s my birthday back on Earth. If we did a straight count of Earth standard days, I’d be twenty-eight now. I think legally, on Earth, I am twenty-eight, if anyone still cares about me back there. But during my ten-year-long trip to this world, only about two months passed inside the ship because of how fast we were going most of that time. So in terms of how much I’ve aged, I’m really close to eighteen. I think I’m a little over eighteen. But your days aren’t exactly the same length as days on Earth, and your years aren’t exactly the same length, so… I don’t know. I doubt anyone knows.”

“If the date is so uncertain,” Alain said, “why not choose the birthday date on this world that feels right to you? No one can call you wrong.”

“A Mage’s answer,” Mari said, smiling. “Just make something up!”

“Not so,” Kira’s father objected. “If I understand Jason right, then the date of his birth on Urth cannot be used to determine his age here on Dematr. His exact age is not a fixed illusion like a wall, but something uncertain and ever changing, like the flow of a river. Pick any spot on that river, then, and say his journey began here.”

Jason scratched his head. “So, I can say I’m eighteen now?”

“Nice try,” Kira’s mother said, offering him some toast. “But you don’t get to marry Kira until she’s also eighteen, and we know exactly when that will be. You’ve got another month before she’ll be of legal age.”

“We’re really not in a rush,” Kira said, grabbing another piece of toast. “I mean, we’ve already got each other.”

Mari nodded. “That’s what counts. But the promises count, too. You may not believe that, but when you say them, it matters, and you know it in your heart.”

“All right! I’ll try to decide when. Maybe we’ll do it in a couple of years,” Kira added.

“Fine,” her mother said.

“It’s almost like you don’t want to argue about it.”

“Almost.”

“Just remember that Jason knows he can back out any time before the wedding if he decides he isn’t comfortable always worrying about being killed by our family’s enemies.”

“I’ve survived everything so far. I’m sort of used to it by now,” Jason said. “Did I hear something about going to Pacta Servanda?”

“Yes,” Mari said. “We’ve been waiting for Urth to relent and actually tell us something, but so far they’ve simply ignored the last two messages about it that the librarians sent through the Feynman unit. I’m uncomfortable continuing to wait. Even if the weapons that might be buried there are still stable after all this time, there’s still the chance that someone might find references to them in the old files of the Mechanics Guild, and if they do that they might come up with some scheme to try to get them and use them. If you feel up to it, I can see how soon Queen Sien and the others can get here, and we’ll see what we can see of whatever’s buried under Pacta.”

“Okay,” Jason said. “I hope I’m wrong. But we do know the crew of the colony ship that brought your ancestors to Demeter—”

“Dematr,” Kira said.

“To Dematr,” Jason continued, “they broke a lot of rules. Suppressing most technology and knowledge of where you guys had come from, and putting themselves in control of everything as the Mechanics Guild. If they really did bury beta field generators and other weapons at Pacta, it could be a real mess to deal with. A scary mess.”

“We’ve dealt with scary messes before,” Mari replied. “But I agree with you. One less scary mess would be a nice thing.”

It should have been a nice moment, one where Kira could relax with those she loved, but as she thought about the dangers of what might be under Pacta her Mage powers abruptly surged past the bonds she had placed on them. Kira, alarmed, concentrated on once again suppressing them as much as possible.

But her father had sensed the outburst, of course, and was watching her intently. Her mother picked up on that. “What happened?” Mari asked.

“Kira’s Mage powers suddenly became easy to sense,” Alain said.

Jason was watching her now as well. Kira tried to control a burst of annoyance fed by her own worries. “It’s all right. I’m fine. I just needed to reinforce the barriers I’ve built to keep them suppressed. Sometimes they break free.”

“Is that normal?” Mari asked Alain, her voice carefully neutral.

Kira’s father shook his head, his eyes fixed on Kira. “Many Mages work to hide their presence from other Mages. I know of none who seek to suppress their powers.”

“Well, I’m kind of unique, aren’t I?” Kira replied, her voice growing sharp. “I’m not supposed to have any Mage powers! It should be impossible for anyone who can do Mechanic work to have Mage powers, as I keep being reminded! So what’s the big deal if I try to suppress them? Maybe if I suppress them long enough and hard enough they’ll go away and I’ll be a little less of a—” She bit off the last word with a guilty glance toward Jason.

But he knew what she’d been about to say. “You’re not a freak,” Jason said in a low voice.

“Those Mage powers have saved your life,” her mother said, keeping her voice calm.

Her father nodded. “Kira, it is impossible to say what will happen if you continue to suppress the powers.”

She glared at them and shoved the toast and coffee away, her appetite and her happiness both vanished. “I can tell you what happens when I don’t suppress them! How do you think it feels to realize you’ve been blacked out and doing things without even being aware of them? Why would my powers do that to me if they weren’t trying to hurt me?”

“We understand your worries,” Mari began.

“No, Mother, you don’t! You can’t! None of you can! Because there’s never been anyone else who could be a Mechanic and also have Mage powers. It’s not natural! Everybody who knows has been worried about it since those powers first manifested, so don’t try to tell me this is something I shouldn’t worry about! And the fact that my powers keep fighting me is proof they want to take over! That’s not going to happen! They will either listen to me, they will stay completely under my control, or I will find a way to make them go away for good!” Kira jumped to her feet, trying not to glare at everyone. “Excuse me.”

She went out to the front porch and sat down, glowering at the sky, her insides churning with unhappiness. One hand went into her jacket pocket, her fingers feeling the loose cartridge and gaining comfort from that.

After a while, Jason came out as well, sitting down a little distance away but saying nothing.

“What do you want?” Kira finally asked.

“Nothing. I just thought you might want some company.”

“I’m fine.”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “But we’ve got each other’s back, right? No matter what, we’re there for each other. Like in the Ramparts.”

Kira covered her face with one hand, trying to calm herself. “How upset are my parents?”

Jason shrugged. “Your mom and dad aren’t happy. They’re worried.”

“And so are you. So why doesn’t everybody say, ‘You’re right, Kira. Suppressing those powers until they go away is a great idea!’”

“They hope you’re right.”

This time Kira buried her face in both hands. “I can’t believe I went off on Mother like that when she’s expecting. What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re seventeen,” Jason said. “Seriously. It’s a crazy time, even when you haven’t had to deal with kidnappings and war and dragons and stuff. Or so my life science classes back on Earth warned me.”

“The only good thing that ever came from Urth is you!”

“You guys all originally came from there. I mean, your ancestors did.”

“I’m trying to vent and you’re being logical,” Kira grumbled.

“Sorry.”

She looked over at him, feeling guilty for snapping at him earlier, old doubts forcing their way to the surface. “Jason, did you say yes to my proposal because it looked like we were going to die soon?”

His expression shifted rapidly from incomprehension to puzzlement to cautious humor. “That’s a joke, right?”

“I’m serious. We spotted the legions entering the Northern Ramparts and I asked you to promise yourself to me and you said yes and I can’t help wondering if you thought you had to so I wouldn’t lose all hope.”

He acted puzzled again. “You’re serious?”

“Just answer the question. Why aren’t you answering the question?” Kira pressed, a tight feeling growing inside her.

“Because… ” Jason paused before speaking slowly and earnestly. “The happiest moment of my life was when you asked me that. The second happiest moment was when I asked you back and you said yes to me. I really don’t understand why you’d think… I felt obligated.”

Kira frowned at the boards of the porch under her feet. “I’m not the easiest person to live with, Jason. I have my mother’s temper. I’m as stubborn as my mother and my father combined. I tend to… attract trouble. And assassins. We heard this morning there’s more trouble brewing! I’ve had those blackouts and have Mage powers I’m not supposed to have. I wake up screaming sometimes because of stuff that’s happened.”

“You don’t wake up screaming very often,” Jason said, looking like he realized how weak that assurance was.

“I’m not beautiful—”

“Yes, you are!”

“Jason, even you called me ‘exotic,’ whatever that is.” Kira’s hand went up, two of her fingers stroking the long mark under her jaw. “I’m seventeen years old and I’ve already got scars! What do people think when they look at me?”

She heard him laugh and looked over, perplexed, to see Jason shaking his head.

“Kira, do you know what I think when I see that scar on your neck?” Jason asked. “I think it’s even more beautiful than the rest of you. Because I think about me lying there, I’ve lost a lot of blood, not sure how much longer I have to live, and you standing between me and the legionaries who want to finish killing me. I see you fighting like the toughest valkyrie out of Valhalla, determined to die before you let those legionaries get to me and kill me. Fighting like that for me. And I think, what did I ever do to deserve a girl like that? Maybe I have to do a lot more before I deserve her. Maybe I have to spend my life trying to do enough that I deserve her. Because I’m no special prize. But for some crazy reason this amazing girl loves me and says she wants to marry me, and I’m so lucky I can’t put it into words.”

Kira had to look away again, smiling with embarrassment. “What’s a valkyrie?”

“A type of female warrior,” Jason said. “They’re really brave and smart, and they never give up, and they believe in doing the right thing even when it’s dangerous or hard, and there’s no better friend anywhere, and exotic actually does mean a type of beautiful.”

She couldn’t quite stifle a laugh. “You’re insane. Have I told you that?”

“Fairly often,” Jason said.

She smiled at him. “I’m lucky, too. And I need to go in and apologize to Mother and Father.”

“I’ve got your back.”

“That’s my man. Did I tell you I love you?”

“Not yet today.”

“I love you,” Kira said. “And I’m sorry for going off on you and… doubting. It all gets sort of scary sometimes.”

He smiled at her. “I know you can handle it, dragon slayer.”

“Jason, some things are much harder to slay than even dragons.”

* * *

The house was simply too crowded, Kira decided. Her mother was working on some complicated diplomatic agreement in the kitchen with representatives from the Western Alliance and the Bakre Confederation, and her father was discussing wisdom with three other Mages in the living room. Mari had let her look over the dispatches from the night before, but just as her mother said, they offered only vague outlines of trouble. Somebody was preparing to act, but how and where remained frustratingly unclear. There were disturbing hints that Kira was the target of some of the threats, though. At least Kira’s powers hadn’t flared up again, but she had to devote attention to keeping them suppressed.

Feeling increasingly penned in, she made it until a hour after lunch before shutting her Mechanics studies book and walking the short distance to Jason’s room.

“Are you up for a walk?” Kira asked. “Physical therapy, I mean.”

Jason nodded, smiling. He had to take the stairs carefully before following Kira out the front door. Jason moved stiffly at first, his gait becoming more natural as the injured area loosened up. “Another week and I probably won’t even notice this leg any more. Where are we going?”

“Those trees.” Kira indicated a small patch of trees a few hundred lances from the house, their branches trimmed high to avoid offering cover for anyone trying to sneak up. “There’s a special spot there.”

As they walked, she looked around them for any signs of trouble, her eyes lingering on the pasture where Suka was grazing, seeing her horse gazing alertly, ears and head up, toward an empty field. Kira studied the field as well, but stopped worrying when a patrol rode through it without reacting to any trouble. Whatever had spooked Suka wasn’t still there.

Reaching the trees, she pointed to a small depression in the ground. “See that? If you lie down in there, you can’t see the house, or anyone around. And no one can see you. Unless they noticed you walking out here. When I was younger, I’d come out here and lie there and imagine I was all alone.”

“That’s, uh, cool,” Jason said, giving her a curious look. “Why did you want to show it to me?”

“I want to see if it works for two people. Come on.”

She helped him lie down in the depression so they were face to face on their sides.

“No one can see us?” Jason asked.

“That’s right,” Kira said, grinning. “We’re all alone.” She pulled off her jacket and shoulder holster, then closed her eyes as her lips sought his.

Almost lost in the experience, Kira felt an irritating tingle behind her forehead. She dismissed it, focusing on Jason, only to feel it return after a short time.

Kira opened her eyes as she continued to kiss Jason, remembering her mother’s advice about keeping an eye out for trouble even at times like this. How had it gotten so dark so fast?

She realized the sky hadn’t darkened. There was a black haze drifting across her vision. Her foresight, warning of serious danger approaching. “Blazes!” Kira shoved Jason away and lunged for her holster lying nearby. “Look out!”

Chapter Two

After a moment of bafflement, Jason grabbed his knife and looked around. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” Kira said, flipping off the safety and chambering a round. She steadied her pistol in both hands as she slowly studied the open area where the haze over her vision seemed darkest. “I’m going to let my Mage powers loose a little.”

She flinched as her tentative loosing of her powers resulted in them swelling out, filling her with a jolt that felt physical. But Kira forgot about that instantly as she sensed something: not the glowing pillar that would mark a Mage bending light to remain unseen, but the absence of that. If not for the fact that her father and Mage Asha had demonstrated it for her, Kira never would’ve noticed that subtle trace that still existed when one Mage used the newly developed means to hide the presence and spells of another. What could be sensed was not a spell itself, but an absence where a spell ought to be.

That absence of something felt way too close. It also felt like it was getting closer very fast.

Kira aimed for the center of the absence and fired.

A female Mage appeared seemingly out of nowhere, not much more than a lance from Kira, reeling away under the impact of the bullet.

Kira swung her pistol to the right as a male Mage appeared next to Jason, swinging the hilt of his long knife at Jason’s head.

She tried to target the Mage, but Jason was in the way. As Jason fell, the Mage shoved him at Kira, leaping to attack her and reversing his knife to strike at her with the blade.

Kira staggered as Jason’s weight hit her. Shrugging him to one side, she got off another shot, the bullet going wide as the Mage grabbed her arm. Then she was locked in a hand-to-hand struggle as they fell to the ground, the Mage managing to stay on top. Pinned beneath the heavier and stronger Mage, she couldn’t get enough leverage to break his grip on the gun hand. Her other hand grasped the Mage’s wrist, trying to hold back the knife, but the Mage’s superior strength was slowly forcing the blade closer to her throat. She drew up her leg and slammed her knee viciously into the Mage’s groin, but he didn’t flinch, staring at Kira with unfeeling eyes.

She gasped with relief as Jason appeared over the Mage’s shoulder, his expression grim. Jason swung his own knife hilt hard against the Mage’s head. The Mage fell to one side, wavering on his hands and knees as Jason, still wobbly from the hit on his head, also swayed and tried to regain his balance. Kira rolled up to her feet and swung the butt of her pistol down hard against the Mage’s skull, dropping him to the dirt.

“Thanks,” Kira gasped. “Tuck in your shirt,” she ordered Jason, fixing her own shirt. “The nearest patrol will be here any second and I don’t want them to be able to see what we were doing.”

The thunder of hooves came from two directions as different groups of sentries came charging toward the sound of Kira’s gunshots. She held up one hand as they approached, gesturing toward the two fallen Mages with her pistol.

* * *

“What were you doing out there alone?” Mari demanded.

Kira glared at her mother. The kitchen had gone from feeling like a warm, safe place this morning to having the aura of an interrogation cell this afternoon. “We wanted some privacy.”

“Why—?” Mari paused, looking from Kira to Jason, then sighed and nodded. “Privacy. All right. I understand.”

“No!” Kira said, embarrassed.

“No?”

“All right! Maybe! We just wanted to be alone for a little while!”

Her father came into the kitchen, where Kira, Jason, and her mother sat around the table. “The female Mage is badly hurt. Healers are seeing to her. The male Mage has not yet regained consciousness. Both carry the stench of Dark Mage about them.”

“They seemed pretty tough for Dark Mages,” Kira said.

“The lives of Dark Mages have grown more difficult since the fall of the Mage Guild,” Alain said. “Only the least capable, who escape notice, and the most capable, who can survive if noticed, still follow that path.”

“So we don’t know who sent them?” Mari asked.

“Not yet. Perhaps they will not know, if an intermediary was used to hire them.” Alain sat down next to Mari looking at Kira and Jason. “It is odd. I am told the male Mage did not attempt to kill Jason.”

Jason nodded. “I barely had time to notice him swinging at me and start to dodge out of the way. It was enough that he only hit me a glancing blow, though. I was dazed but not knocked out.”

“He did try to kill Kira,” Mari said.

“Yes,” Alain said. “Why attempt to kill Kira, but refrain from killing Jason?”

“They must have wanted him alive,” Kira said. “Maybe for his knowledge?”

“Perhaps,” her father said. “Why were you and Jason—”

“They had reasons,” Mari interrupted. “Kira, you said your foresight warned you of the danger?”

“Yeah. So I opened my eyes and— Jason, don’t give me that look. You know I do that sometimes even when we’re… busy,” she finished, trying not to look at her father.

“Thank the stars above for your foresight,” Mari said. “And that you listened to your mother’s advice on keeping your eyes open for danger even when you’re… busy. Our own Mages guarding the security perimeter should have sensed those two approaching, though, before they activated those spells. Isn’t that right, Alain?”

Her husband nodded. “Both Mages had been sweating heavily, as if nearly worn out from exertion. It is possible they activated the invisibility spell, and the spell to hide that spell, while still far off and held the spells until Kira spotted them. They should have both been nearly exhausted.”

“That male Mage was old-school,” Kira said. “You could see it in his scars and his eyes. I kneed him hard and he didn’t even flinch.”

Mari looked at Alain. “You’re still tough from having gone through that brutal acolyte training the Mage Guild used to employ.” She shifted a puzzled gaze to her daughter. “There’s something that I don’t understand, though. Kira, why doesn’t foresight make you black out?”

“Ummm… I don’t know.”

“Foresight does not work like other Mage talents,” Alain said. “It cannot be summoned on demand, no matter how much power is available in the world around a Mage.”

“Mages must have some idea how it works,” Mari insisted.

Kira shook her head. “No. It’s not like that, Mother. Mage talents… it’s like you knew how to drive and operate a locomotive, and knew how to feed fuel into it, but you had no idea how the locomotive worked to move itself and pull things. All you knew was how to make it work. I mean, it’s all based on the nothing is real concept, but that’s just sort of a starter key for an engine that works by unknown means.”

Mari nodded in reply, intent on Kira’s words. “You don’t know how wonderful it is to have someone who can explain Mage things in Mechanic terms. You’ve got a unique perspective, Kira.”

“Yeah,” Kira said. “Great. Lucky me. Anyway, Mages have even less idea how foresight works than they do how their spells work. Foresight just happens to some Mages, as if knowing how to drive that locomotive suddenly enabled you to also… play a musical instrument. Only you couldn’t play it when you wanted to. The ability would show up sometimes, and the rest of the time it wouldn’t be there.”

“Your Uncle Calu thinks it’s somehow tied in with quantum-level probabilities,” Mari said. “The foresight only kicks in when the probabilities line up, and even then you might be seeing something that is itself only a product of future probabilities. He thinks the minds of Mages can translate that into visions or sounds that make sense to us.”

“Another form of illusion,” Alain said. “Calu suggested that many people can on rare occasions experience such a thing in dreams.”

“Déjà vu,” Jason said. “That’s what they call that on Earth. The sense that you’re experiencing something again even though it seems to be the first time. It’s still not considered real because it can’t be proven. Maybe it isn’t the same thing as Mage foresight, or maybe it’s just too unpredictable to ever be provable.”

“Unpredictable is the word for foresight,” Mari said. “I’m glad it hasn’t caused you to black out, Kira. As much as I complain about vague warnings from foresight, sometimes it is a life-saver.”

“Are we sure you’ll black out again if you use the other powers?” Jason asked Kira. “I mean, those two times you blacked out were under very stressful conditions.”

“Two times?” Kira sighed, feeling awful. “I lied about the second time, when I had to hide us from the legionaries using the invisibility spell. I also blacked out that time even though I told you I didn’t. You knew, Jason? I knew Father did. I couldn’t… it was too much to deal with then and there. So I didn’t tell you the truth. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll never lie to you again.”

Her father placed a reassuring hand on Kira’s shoulder. “This was known. I had already told your mother. We knew you would tell us when you were able. What Jason says may be so. Perhaps the stress under which the spells were made caused the blackouts.”

“How can we know?” Mari said.

“A small spell, Kira,” Alain suggested. “Perhaps the invisibility spell again. Here. Surrounded by those who love you. Knowing that you are safe no matter what happens.”

She felt a surge of fear and tried to control her breathing and heartbeat. “You want me to try a spell?”

“Only if you wish to.”

Kira closed her eyes, attempting to calm herself. What if Jason was right? What if the blackouts had been triggered by stress? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to learn that, to know that her Mage powers weren’t dangerous to her?

Opening her eyes, she nodded to her parents and Jason. “I’ll try. The invisibility thing.” Kira shifted her chair about so she was looking out the window. Sitting with her eyes fixed on the sky, she tried to block out all distractions: her parents, Jason, the guards and sentries outside. No one else was here. And what she could see—the window, the counter beneath it, the world outside—was all an illusion. None of it was real. The light itself that streamed through the window was an illusion, an illusion that with access to enough power could be altered for a short time.

Kira cautiously lifted her controls on her Mage powers, feeling them immediately surge through her again like a powerful wave crashing through a seawall. She heard a sound from her father, and knew he must have been as startled to sense that rush of strength as she had been.

Block it out, block fear out, block everything out. Sense only the power available in the land around her to help her cast the spell. Not much, but enough. Invisibility didn’t take a lot of power unless it had to be sustained for a long time. Her thoughts threatened to wander down Mechanic pathways of calculating power usage over time. Kira brought them back to concentrating on the Mage teachings. Calm. Illusion. Change the light, so it did not strike her, but flowed around her. She could—

Kira came to a sudden halt and stared at her mother, who was blocking the front door of the house, barricading it against her. She took a shaky breath, looking around before returning her gaze to Mari. “What happened?”

Her father answered from behind them. “We saw the spell take effect as you vanished from sight. I could still sense your presence, and saw you rise from your chair and head quickly for the back door. I was able to get there first and stand across the door. You turned and I cautioned your mother to close off the front door.”

Kira took in a deeper breath, trying to calm herself, her heart pounding from more than the exertion of the spell. “I tried to run away. That’s what happened. Isn’t that what happened?”

Her mother’s eyes stayed on her, worried. “Yes. You don’t remember anything?”

“No. I was sitting in the chair and then I was facing you.”

“You have no idea why you tried to run out of the house?”

The word almost caught in her throat. “No.” Kira closed her eyes, concentrating now on both hiding her Mage powers and suppressing them, layering on the strongest controls she could manage.

When she gazed around again, she saw the look in her father’s eyes. “What?”

He spoke carefully. “I was surprised by the strength of your Mage presence, Kira.”

“Yeah, well, so was I. That’s just wonderful, isn’t it? I want to get rid of it, and it just keeps getting stronger.” Kira looked at Jason, who was standing to the side, looking miserable. “It’s not your fault. You made a good suggestion.”

“I want to help,” Jason said. “What are you trying to run away from?”

“I don’t know!” She took another look at him and suddenly understood the worries behind his words. “Not you. No. I don’t want to leave you. Not ever.”

“The blackouts didn’t start until after you said you realized you loved me,” Jason said. “That’s what you told me.”

Kira hesitated, not certain what to say or do. She saw her parents also uncertain. “That’s not it,” she finally said. Kira looked down at herself, seeing what looked like a single glowing strand of spider silk leading from her to Jason. “The thread is there, Jason! It’s still there, running between us, just like it has ever since I realized that I loved you! I’m sorry you can’t sense it. I’m sorry it’s not really there, but it is there. Isn’t it, Father?”

Alain nodded, speaking with the authority that only the sole Master of Mages could claim. “Just as the thread that runs between Mari and myself is there, and not there. Kira could not fake such a thing between you and her.”

“But only Kira can see—" Jason began.

“When she speaks of it,” Kira’s father continued, “she speaks only truth. Kira sees it, and feels it.”

Kira walked to Jason and held him. “The only time I have ever lied to you was about that second blackout. I haven’t lied to you since then and I will never lie to you again. What I feel, what I sense, is real, and you are so very much what I want. And… ” She looked at him, trying to sort out a sudden sensation. “I have this feeling that any solution will need you. I don’t know why I feel that way. But I do.”

He gave her a doubtful look. “All of a sudden you know that?”

“Yes! Suddenly I know that!” Kira insisted. “You’re part of the answer. Somehow. Don’t ask me to explain. But I know that’s true.”

“Then I’ll be here,” Jason said. “I promise.”

Her mother put her arm around Kira. “When I ask Queen Sien to come up here for our look at what’s under Pacta, I’ll also ask her to bring along Doctor Sino. If there’s something wrong, Kira, maybe she can find it.”

“Yeah!” Jason agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “Doc Sino will find out what the problem is. The sooner the better.”

“And we’ll try to discover who sent those Mages and why.”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Kira asked. “Your enemies are still after me, Mother, as well as the enemies I’ve personally managed to acquire. Mechanics who want to return to the days when their Guild ruled the world, Mages who want to be able to do anything they want like they could when their Guild existed, former Dark Mechanics, disgruntled Imperials seeking revenge, and regular people hired to do the bidding of those others. That’s not exactly the first time someone has tried to kill me.”

“It is the first time since the ship from Urth left that someone might have tried to capture Jason,” her father reminded her. “If so, that argues that something new is happening. We have to learn what it is.”

Later, when Kira walked with Jason up to his room, she stopped at the door and looked away. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Jason asked.

“You’re not exactly getting a perfect girl. Jason, if you want to reconsider the engagement—”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Because… because there might be something seriously wrong inside me!” Kira said, finally turning her head to meet his eyes.

He looked down, obviously uncomfortable and searching for words. Finally Jason looked back up at her. “Wouldn’t that mean you needed me there all the more?”

She found herself smiling at him. “Yes, it would. I’m serious, though, Jason. You didn’t agree to promise yourself to someone who might black out at any time and do things without having any memory of them.”

He shrugged. “On Earth they say for better or worse at weddings. So… yeah… I was thinking that. For better or worse. We’ll get through whatever it is. Together. That’s how we’ve survived everything so far, right?”

“Right.”

“You wouldn’t leave me, Kira, even when I wasn’t much fun to be around. I won’t leave you.”

“Thanks, my Urth demon.” She held him tightly.

“Do you really think I’ll help you find the answer?”

Kira nodded, still holding him and feeling that indefinable sense inside her again. “Yes. It’s not foresight. I don’t know where it’s coming from. But it says you’ll help me figure out what’s happening. Jason, there’s something else you want to say.”

“Having a girl who can spot that sort of thing takes some getting used to. I was thinking… Kira, that guy tried to kill you.”

“As I said to Mother, he’s not the first person who’s tried to kill me.”

Jason looked away, frowning. “I bet Maxim isn’t dead.”

She stared at him, rattled by the sudden announcement. “Why do you say that?”

“Because in vids and games bad guys are always faking their deaths.”

Kira drew back, exasperated. “Jason, how many times have we talked about this kind of thing? Those Urth vid and game things aren’t real.”

“Nothing is real,” Jason said, holding up a forefinger for emphasis. “You and your dad keep saying that. So if that stuff isn’t real, and nothing is real, that stuff is just as real as anything else.”

“Seriously? That is what you’ve learned since coming to this world?”

“Kira,” Jason said stubbornly, “you have a feeling you can’t explain that I’ll help you figure out what’s going on with your powers. I have a feeling I can’t explain that Maxim is still alive. And if he is, he’s going to want you totally dead.”

“Um, yeah,” Kira agreed. “If he is. All right. I’m staying alert. And keeping my eyes open.”