Page 89 of Warrior's Reign
The. . .bitch.
“You prefer a green leaf, I understand?” Adevega murmured, and poured.
Reign accepted the cup of tea, inhaling the vapors—mint, honey, citrus—then taking a sip. It gave her even more time to consider the consequences of reaching across the table and punching this female. She could worry about Silence when Adevega was dead.
Adevega served an amber colored brew for herself and Ibukay—from the fumes it was the black, highly spiced blend they preferred.
Engrossed in controlling herself, she didn’t immediately notice Ibukay. Reign glanced at theBdakhunsharply, seeing her arm list to her side.
“Bdakhun?” Was she ill? Dots of sweat appeared on Ibukay’s forehead, her face paling to bluish gray.
“I. . . don’t feel well.”
Reign glanced at Adevega, whose face also looked ill. She knocked the teacup out of Ibukay’s hand, then Adevega’s.
“Don’t touch anything else,” Reign snapped, surging to her feet.
She snatched up the teapot and breathed deeply, inhaling the fumes then took the contents in a careful sip. Her sensors hummed, transmitting the data to her ocular implant. She read the brief report, her hand loosened in shock.
The pot crashed to the ground. “Ibukay!”
TheBdakhungasped. “Reign. I can’t breathe.”
Reign knelt, throttling panic. “It’s poisoned.” She grabbed Ibukay’s wrist. “Activate emergency heath protocol.” She rattled off Ibukay’s authorization codes.
As Ibukay’s guard, she’d memorized a series of codes that allowed her to access the tech in Ibukay’s wrist unit in an emergency. The wrist unit glowed, deploying the microscopic nanos Reign knew would stabilize the princess until a medic arrived.
She turned to Adevega. “Eyahun, activate your health protocols.”
Adevega gasped for breath and swiped her finger against her unit. “Guards.” She gasped an authorization.
Reign went cold. Adevega was calling for backup for an active assassination attempt. “Eyahun, I’ve commed for help. Activate your nanos.” She braced herself, dread suspicion arising.
“Threat . . . Obe’shan, Reign. Detain the assassin Obe’shan Reign.”
She whipped her head towards Ibukay. TheBdakhun’scolor was better, the wheezing breath from her chest eased. She met Reign’s eyes and grabbed her hand.
“Reign, run.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Reign, that’s a command. Run!”
“You’ve beenpoisoned.” And she was being framed for it.
“Set up. You’re the prey. Her guard will kill you as soon as they enter. They won’t listen to me.” Ibukay forced the words out between hoarse breaths, but sat up. “Go!”
She had a split second to process Ibukay’s words, a split second to balance her duties to the princess against Ibukay’s command.
Reign cursed. “Activate your shield.”
Ibukay’s body shield sprang into life, a bright yellow detailing the current severity of the threat.
The suite’s entrance chimed, indicating imminent entry.
“Go, Reign!” Ibukay shouted, pointing.
Reign turned on her heels and ran.
