Page 9 of Warrior's Reign
Reign nodded, rising. They left the building and hit the street. The pristine white sidewalks were constructed of a springy material made to absorb the shock of hundreds of footfalls. It had been one of the strangest things to her when she’d first come to the city. The quiet of everyone’s footsteps.
“Tell me about the threat,” Reign said, scanning their surroundings as they walked.
“My parents and brother, the Heir, rule well. But they can’t devote the same attention to certain matters that I can.”
“I’ve been reading about your platform the last few decades.”
“Alien trafficking.” Ibukay’s voice was clipped.
“You’re disrupting business?”
Ibu nodded.
“So you’ve pissed off some people who have money and no compunction against using force, even against a member of the ruling family.”
“Yes. The nerve.” She looked insulted. “I amYoungest Daughter.”
“How dare they, right?” A frisson of awareness. Reign paused, putting a hand on Ibu’s shoulder. She looked in the window of a frozen dessert shop, examining the display of treats. “I love those little frozen cream cookies. Did you have an agreed upon route you’d take on this walk?”
Ibu blinked. “We’re heading back to my penthouse. I own a place for when I don’t want to be in the palace.”
“No problem. Let’s just change our route.”
“Vykhan won’t—”
“I’ll worry about Vykhan. Let’s go. Walk casually.”
Ibukay lifted a brow, but shrugged. Reign took over the route. She had a decent idea of their heading, there were only a handful of luxury towers in walking radius that would accommodate the security and amenities required by aBdakhun. Reign guided Ibu down a side street, walking a hair faster.
“Is someone following us?” Ibukay asked, voice calm as she allowed Reign to subtly direct their movements.
“I’m exercising an abundance of caution.” She maintained their pace. Running looked good in vids, all dramatic and shit, but in real life dashing through crowded streets attracting attention was a tactic best used in desperate circumstances. “What building?”
Ibu gave the name and Reign nodded, smiling as if they were having a casual conversation. The itching in her shoulders bloomed into full-fledged alarm. “In a block I’ll give a signal, we cut and run. Can you do a full out sprint for two blocks?”
Ibu looked around, laughing. “In these shoes? Sure. I’ve got a medtech on staff.”
“Stellar. Where the fuck is your Vickie?”
“Vykhan. I implore you not to call him Vickie to his face.”
“What’s wrong with Vickie?” The question was rhetorical, of course. It was nothing but a flicker on the edge of her vision, nothing but the instinct honed from years of training and experience. Nothing but. . .
“Time to go. Now!”
They took off, Reign cutting them across one of the many small sitting parks that dotted the landscape of this part of the city. They’d lose the tail by taking the least direct route.
Emerging onto the building’s—tower’s—block, Ibukay’s breath coming faster, they ran past a series of looming abstract sculptures.
A shadow leaped from the narrow space between one stall and another, tackling Reign to the ground. She rolled, hands ripped away from Ibukay, and came to her feet, rushing the figure.
“Signal your guards,” Reign snapped at Ibu, and then there was no time for speech.
They exchanged a series of blows, spilling onto the tower’s grassy courtyard. Gray robes that jolted her system for a moment, bare muscled arms that moved like the wind, kicks and turns silent snaps of power that if she’d been just a hair slower, would have put her out of commission sooner. A blow to her stomach glanced off her rib cage. Reign absorbed the kick, teeth gritted, distracted from keeping half an eye on Ibukay, who stared at them, lips pursed.
Suddenly the princess strode forward. Reign snarled at her, taking a blow to her shoulder for the trouble of dividing her attention for that split second.
“Vykhan,” Ibukay said crisply. “That’s enough.”
