Page 21 of Warrior's Reign
Her eyes flashed, gaze turning to his finally. “I said I’m fine.”
“As of this morning, you are under my command.” Vykhan paused, allowed her a moment to reflect. “Are you disobeying an order?”
He knew that look in her eyes. Had seen it before. Vykhan almost smiled, but grappled with too much cold anger for such an expression. These attacks had to stop. Theywouldstop. It was not only Ibukay’s life at risk now. The sinking pit in his stomach warned him to brace for impact. One day Reign would face injury, even death, and not come out the victor. It was inevitable. The numbers of them who died in service far outweighed the numbers of them who died from old age.
How did his father stand it, knowing the female he loved placed herself in danger every day?
He trusted in Aanyah’s strength, of course. But still, it must be difficult. Vykhan found it difficult now.
“I’ll report,” she said finally, and turned on her heels without waiting for a second dismissal, favoring her side ever so slightly.
Vykhan waited until she was gone and commed the medic on duty. “Obe’shan is approaching. She is injured. Ignore any attempts to claim she is not.”
Eagan grimaced. “The new one? One of those, huh? Figures.” He cut the visual and Vykhan brought up the stream from the security vids in the restaurant.
A moment later, a hail flashed across his console. “Accept, audio only.”
“So now you see how deeply the rot inside your palace goes,” the silky-smooth voice said.
“Lohail,” Vykhan said, forcing himself to say the name of his adversary. Of his ghost.
“If I had desired theBdakhun’sdeath tonight, I would have had it. The human female presented me with a veneer of deniability. I’ll have to send her flowers.”
It was bait, the most insidious kind. “She will learn.”
“She will have to.” Amusement in Lohail’s voice. “Surprisingly competent for her youth, but then we know who trained her.”
Vykhan tensed, but allowed none of it in his voice. “What do you want?”
“I told you before, you have a problem, ‘anshara. I know you will never believe me unless I build a road brick by yellow brick.”
Lohail always said the oddest things. “If there is a traitor in the palace, then stop your game and tell me.”
He made a clucking sound. “Is that how we play the game, Vykhan? You’ve grown fat and lazy. I’m nearly disappointed. No. . .I’ve already given you too much, and for old times’ sake, too. It’s up to you from here. This game offers far too much amusement to end it quickly.”
Vykhan spent a moment attempting to trace the comm, then sent the information to Evvek, knowing he would be unable to do so as well. But it was their duty to make the attempt. Then he hailed Tai’ri.
The male’s face snapped into place above the console. “Vykhan.”
“We have a further difficulty.”
9
“Obe’shan,”AdekhyunNumar said.
Reign flipped to her feet, gave the proper obeisance and dashed to the training circle center, an excited grin on her face. Though there were only a dozenaja’ekiin her cohort, he rarely called on her.
Numar glanced away from Reign. “Come.”
Reign didn’t make the mistake of taking her eyes off Numar to see who he spoke to. That mistake she’d made only once, like the mistake of forgetting the obeisance. Either could end with a student in the infirmary, and Numar made them heal the slow way.
She watched peripherally as a tall male figure rose, long legs uncoiling. He wore the dark gray robes of anAdekhanlevel alumni, edged in white. . .but his face was covered with a thin silk mask, obscuring everything except for the hint of shape of his bones and mouth.
He bowed, his obeisance slightly different from that of anaja’ekoat her level. She’d never seen him before, and observed warily. He moved with the internally coiled energy of someone who knew they could kill you with a flick of their fingertips. Who was he and why was he here?
“Vow of Silence,” someone muttered. “More cycles than I have fingers and toes. Don’t bother talking to him, he’ll just ignore you.”
He approached on silent feet, appearing weaponless, but Reign’s bruises knew better. No one who wasn’t a student was required to go weaponless, and if Numar had trained him, he would have any number of surprises on his person. She hoped he wasn’t allowed to use them in training combat.
