Tenacity (Rise of the Iliri Book 5) Read online

  Rayna nodded. "Sure. Before you go, what's the rules on stuff in here?"

  Sal looked around the room. "Don't ruin the books? Seriously, it's just stuff. Bed's for you tonight, Shaden. When you get tired, just climb in, ok?"

  "Really?" she asked. "Where will you sleep?"

  "Your choice. I'll either drag a cot in here, or one in another tent. Hwa and Roo, the grauori, will make sure no one but Rayna, Meia, or I come in here."

  Shaden looked at the floor for a long moment. Sal smiled, seeing the girl try to find the right answer.

  "I'm thinking she wants to be alone," Rayna said.

  "Works for me. If she panics, I can stop her from anywhere in this camp now that I've touched her. Just warn the Dogs, ok?"

  "Can do."

  "I don't want to be a problem," Shaden insisted.

  Both soldiers shook their heads. "No," Sal told her. "Every Black Blade knows what the first day of freedom is like. Every last one of us. It's not a problem." Sal stood, and glanced at the girl. "Here's all you need to know about us. If we want to know, we'll ask. You're always free to answer - or not. It's really that simple. If I expect something to happen, I will give an order. If I ask, it's because I want to know."

  Shaden smiled and ducked her head. "Thank you, Kaisae. You really are as amazing as they said."

  Chapter 3

  Sal slipped out without looking back. She stopped by Jase's tent, grabbed a spare shirt and dropped her leather armor across his to dry, then ducked back out. The weather was miserable again, but it was more of a mist than a drizzle at least. She walked quickly, her head down, into the collection of white tents, pushing inside Dom's pavilion. Ricown jumped to his feet when she appeared before him.

  "Sal, lemme get you a towel. You look damp," He grabbed a thick and warm cloth from beside the brazier.

  She rubbed the water from her body, looking down as she dried her hair. Tracks of mud stained the rugs in dark paths from the door to the seating area. Rragri, Dominik, Blaec, and Pig all leaned over a map talking in hushed tones.

  "Thanks, Rico," she said passing the towel back to him.

  She unbuckled her scabbards from her chest as she crossed the room, dropping the swords in a chair. They all glanced up at her, and Sal shoved her arms into the thick wool shirt she'd brought.

  "Hang those things, Sal, or you'll get the chair wet," Dom said. "Rico, get a cloth for her boots, too. We both know she'll end up curled in that thing soon."

  Sal apologized and hung her swords behind her where they dripped softly onto the already stained rug.

  Rico tossed the rag to Blaec. "Sir, you get to pull her boots," he said before moving back to his post guarding the door.

  "Pass that over, LT," Pig said. "Kick one of those things you call feet up here, Sal."

  She grinned as she pointed first one tiny foot, then the other at him. He slipped her boots off easily and set them beside her chair. As expected, Sal curled into the large plush seat, enjoying the warmth in the room.

  "Ok, catch me up?"

  Pig gestured toward the plans. "Short version, can't get through the gate. Long version, can't fucking get through the gate."

  Sal nodded with an impish smile. "So, I'm getting the impression the gate may be an issue. Why?"

  "It's made of acrylic. Battering rams just make it flex but do little damage. In order to open it, we need to be inside," Pig told her.

  "How do they open it?"

  "There's a room to the side, has the gate mechanism in it."

  Sal nodded then looked at Blaec. "And why aren't we sending Geo in?"

  He groaned. "Problem solved, guys. I'm a fucking idiot."

  What's Geo's skill? Rragri asked.

  "He's a friender," Sal answered.

  Rragri nodded. Yes, Blaec, then you are an idiot. That should work. My gerus also say that you found something strange on patrols today?

  Sal sighed and leaned back. "Ok. Her name is Shaden Lesedi. She's somewhere between 18 and 22 years old, appears to be a chimera according to Rayna - "

  "A wha'?" Dom asked.

  "Two twins grown into one person," Pig said. "Khai used to have a horse like that. Bay with big black stripes across him. That's why most of us know it."

  "Ah," Sal said, suddenly understanding. "Well, she's got a blue eye and an amber, hair is red, blonde, and maybe white. Her back is patterned with stripes. Rayna said it's all the right signs. One near human, one near iliri twin, combined into one."

  "Interesting," Dom said, obviously wondering why this was important.

  "She burns things. Maybe explodes them? We're not real sure yet, and I don't know if she is either."

  "So keep her away from lanterns?" Dom asked.

  Her talent you foolish human, Rragri teased.

  "Fuck," Pig said sitting forward. "You just got my full attention."

  "Guys, she's not stable. I need to make sure the men stay away from her for a bit, ok?"

  Dominik, Blaec, and Pig all looked down and nodded. Those simple words were something they'd heard too often in the last few months.

  "It's worse than you think. Her own people chained her down there and gave her to the humans to keep them from their own families. She's been in the tavern basement since she was about sixteen. She didn't even know it was autumn."

  "How bad?" Blaec asked.

  "Pretty bad. I think she's got control, but I don't want to trust it. She's with Rayna now, and Meia's taken a liking to her." The words were barely out before Pig chuckled. "Not like that, you pervert," Sal told him. "Meia's feeling protective."

  "I know, Sal. She's also not above trying to convince the girl to her leanings, though. Just thought you should be aware."

  "Not my choice, Pig. If that's what Shaden feels comfortable with, none of us will complain."

  "Yeah we will," Dom pointed out. "Well, is she cute?"

  "She's a redhead," Pig replied as if that was an answer.

  "Yeah, then we'll complain. We won't begrudge her at all, but we'll still complain." He shrugged, grinning. "It's how the male human mind works."

  "Ok. Point being, a man grabs this girl, even to be nice, and she'll probably blast him to bits before she even sees him."

  I've never heard of anything like that, Rragri said.

  "Me either. Jase hasn't either, and you know how he is with the histories. When she trusts me a bit more, I'll climb in her head and see if I can figure it out, but even the idea of sleeping in a bed kinda had her on edge. Yeah, and she's in yours tonight, love."

  He shrugged. "We'll work it out."

  "So whose is she?" Dom asked.

  Sal shrugged. "No idea yet. She's fluent in Iliran though."

  "You get all the fun toys, Sal," he teased.

  "Usually," she stuck her tongue out at him. "Ok, so when does Geo go in?"

  Blaec answered, "Tomorrow I think. We've got all the small towns outside Syhar cleared now, so it's just those holed up in there that we need to worry about."

  Sal nodded, thinking. "Get him to grab some intel about the layout while he's at it? If we can get some other ways in, besides the front gate, the maargra can flank. Ayati knows we have enough of them."

  "Keep this up, Sal, and I'll retire soon." Blaec leaned back, settling into his chair. "Good work, soldier."

  "Thank you, sir," Sal replied.

  "Now," Pig told her, "Figure out what we're going to do with the soldiers to keep them occupied?"

  "The weather," Dom grumbled. "They're all stuck in their tents, and we've had a few issues."

  "So that's where Ilija is. Ok." Sal had noticed the Colonel's absence but assumed he was still on patrol. "What type of incidents?"

  Pig sighed. "Remember your little friend from the stables? Um, Keeya, I think?"

  "Yeah," she said leaning forward.

  "She knifed a guy. Guess he wasn't taking no for an answer."

  "She ok?"

  Pig chuckled. "Yeah. Something about cutting a ligament that wasn't fatal. She's tr
ying to be a little Sal I think."

  "You training her yet?" Blaec asked.

  Pig looked at him strangely. "Her?"

  Blaec slowly nodded.

  "Wait," Dom said. "You're doing the damned iliri thing again. Catch me back up."

  Pig waved at Ricown and waited. The Shield brought him a bottle and Pig glanced at Sal before opening it. "Mead?" he asked, filling his glass and handing it to her, then taking a pull directly from the bottle. "So, you know about LT's little trick with the future, right?"

  "Yeah, I also heard it's pretty unpredictable."

  "Yep," Sal said. "It's also very accurate."

  "Well," Pig continued, "he told me to make a girl cry."

  Sal held up her hand. "Pig, watch the girl. She seems delicate, but if you push her until she cries, she finds it. Make sure she cries. You'll feel like an ass, but only until the next morning," she recited.

  "How the fuck do you do that?" Pig asked.

  "It's just how our minds work. When he spouted that, I was linked, so I got a copy of it seared on my brain." Sal shrugged. "That's verbatim."

  "Yeah," Pig agreed. "So, now LT says Keeya's the girl. What does it mean, though?"

  Blaec shrugged. "I can tell you it's her face I saw. I can tell you I saw you screaming at her, and her crying, then you looking morose, drinking in your tent, and a feeling that the next morning all would be important and good. That's how it works."

  "Oh fuck me," Sal said sitting up. "I have to talk to Arctic."

  "Why?" Pig asked, pushing her boots toward her.

  "He got Ray and Dom in the first one, you remember that?" Sal pulled the boots on.

  "Yeah," Pig said.

  "He told Zep to hang on?"

  Pig nodded again.

  "Pig, that was Zaqala. Zep was dying, and we held his soul. It was like death was pulling him from us, but Jase and I wouldn't let go, and Zep kept telling us we had to or we'd be dragged in. Neither of us could've held him alone, and we were losing him until Jase told him to trust me - and not to let go. Zep started fighting. Raast made it to us, and brought him back." She looked Pig in the eyes. "You remember the next one he said?"

  "No," Pig shook his head. "I just remembered mine, the rest didn't make much sense."

  Sal quoted, "Arctic, it burns. You're the only one that can stop it from burning."

  The room fell silent, and Sal shoved her heel the rest of the way into her boot, standing and grabbing her swords.

  "The girl," Blaec said. "She burns. How does Arctic apply?"

  "She smiled at him and thinks he's nice. Not like the other men she's known. He submitted to her when he brought the tack in. He can't even meet her eyes. He refused to stay away, even when he knew I had the situation, and gave her a safe compliment before retreating."

  Pig chuckled. "You iliri are so cute. So he's got the hots for her?"

  "No," Blaec said softly. "No, that's different. He's drawn to her. What Sal just explained is something that means more than just wanting a piece of ass."

  Sal nodded. "Look. Iliri women release pheromones. That's why you all adore me - mostly. I also leak, but that's beside the point. From a hundred meters away, you could hate me, but if I touch you, I'm suddenly not as bad. It's an iliri defense mechanism. It's easier for us to seduce you than to fight you." She waved that away. "Thing is, it works with our males, too. Jase knew when he checked my recruitment papers. Blaec, well, that's his story to tell. It's not like they suddenly think they met their dream girl or something. It's more like they smell us, are madly and instantly in love with us, and there's not a damned thing they can do about it."

  Blaec nodded. "It's like a bitch in heat. No male can refuse it, even if he hates her otherwise. Even Risk is susceptible to it."

  Sal raised an eyebrow at that, and Blaec nodded. "Interesting," she said.

  "That's why they were careful with you around him for so long. Being drawn in and being happy about it aren't always the same thing," Blaec told them.

  "Explain Zep," Dom said.

  Sal grinned. "He loves me." She shrugged and headed for the door. "We're gathering in my place. Jase's place. It's the only one with a door open to yours."

  When Blaec nodded, she ducked back out into the rain, jogging back to the tent.

  Jase, Zep?

  Yeah? Jase answered.

  Mm? Zep asked.

  Party at your place this evening. The girl is for Arctic. I need to talk with him.

  Sal felt Zep sit up straight in sudden understanding. She burns. Gotcha. We'll move things around so everyone fits.

  Thanks, guys.

  When Sal made it back to the camp, she scratched at Arctic's tent.

  "Come," he called out.

  She slipped inside. He sat on his bed, his legs crossed, in nothing but his pants. A book lay open before him, and a dark resin blade slid slowly across a whetstone.

  "Cute feet," Sal said, walking to him.

  He glanced up at her with his pale eyes. "I'm not going to touch her, Sal. Not till she's ready, ok?"

  "I know." She sat beside him. "So you figured it out?"

  He sighed. "Hard not to. When I saw her, my heart just started pounding. I thought it was because she was caged, right? Then she tried to torch Zep, and I assumed it was fear. But when you started talking to her, I just couldn't stay away." He sighed again. "I get it. I may be a bit creepy for a bit, but I'm not touching her."

  "Yeah," Sal said patting his leg. "Arctic, she burned Zep's armor. Burned it."

  He looked at her blankly for a moment, then the realization hit him. "Fuck. She burns. Ok, so what now, Sal?"

  "You're iliri. Be iliri. It was humans that did it to her, and that matters, ok?"

  "Sal?"

  She looked up at him, and he ran his hands through his long hair.

  "It's ok. Ask."

  His white eyes slowly raised to meet hers. "What do I do? I can't even understand."

  "Go slow. Don't touch her, just show her she can trust you. Be sweet."

  "You ok?"

  She cocked her head. "Yeah?"

  Folding the corner of his page, he closed the book and set it aside. Then he gathered the weapons and dropped them on the floor, clearing space to lean back. "Come here, demon," he said, patting the spot beside him.

  Sal slid next to him, dangling her ankles off the bed. Arctic wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rested his head on hers before grabbing her hand again.

  "You fool them all, you know that, right? I read your file, Sal. Before we recruited you, I read all the files and ruled out the ones that were incompatible. How many times?"

  "I don't know," she said looking up at him. She looked easily into his eyes. "It's not the same."

  "So you say. I know why you were conscripted. I've read your tattoos."

  "When?"

  "When you were drugged, when you lounge around in that short little dress you like so much, name it. How many times?"

  "I stopped counting. I was a slave, Arctic. It's not the same."

  "Why not?"

  She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "I wasn't chained to a cage. I wasn't helpless."

  "Weren't you?"

  "No. I learned how to deal with it. Forced prostitution isn't the same."

  He chuckled wryly. "That's the story you're going with?"

  "And I'm still not human."

  He nodded. "You don't feel regret. Got it. You don't do hate. Got it. Here's the problem. Fear, I've seen. Helplessness, I've seen. Sadness, I've seen. You do those. What's the difference?"

  Sal squeezed his hand. "The difference is that I won."

  "Doesn't make it hurt less, Sal. If I'm going to help her, I need to understand, and you're the only one I know strong enough to help me." Arctic leaned forward and looked down at her, waiting until she met his eyes. "I'll leave it if you ask, but I'm hoping you trust me enough."

  Sal looked away.

  "It's ok," he promised, leaning back against the pillows. "This stay
s here. Forget I asked."

  "I don't talk about it, Arctic."

  "Yeah, I know. Ever think you should? Having her around is going to be like ripping a few scabs off. Worst part is you have to be strong for her. I'm pretty sure Cyno knows, but I don't think Zep or LT do, right?"

  Sal chuckled. "I never really know what Jase knows."

  "Ain't that the truth. I'll make you a deal, Sal. We have this talk, I'll never speak of it. I'll let you bury it so far in my mind that even I won't even find it." He sighed. "You let her out of the cage as soon as you realized what happened to her. You didn't get the answers, you just kicked us out and released her."

  Sal dragged a hand down her face. "Yeah, not my best moment."

  "I saw the look on your face. You can't cry, but that isn't the same thing as not wanting to. Right?"

  "Yeah."

  "You've only got one problem with the story you've been sticking to. If you learned to deal with it so well, why were you begging to be conscripted? Why did you tell him you'd rather die? It was all there in your file, demon. The punishment they gave you for that, too. I also know about the men you tried to kill in that bar your first year. Your story has holes."

  Sal nodded.

  "I'm here when you need me, ok? I've never told any of them, but that doesn't mean I didn't know."

  "You know they paid six hundred thousand krits for me?"

  Arctic relaxed, knowing he'd just opened the door. "Pretty impressive."

  "Yeah. You know why?"

  He nodded. "Iliri female."

  "Yeah. And they knew they could make it all back."

  She paused, and Arctic rubbed her shoulder gently, waiting. Shifting slightly, she stared at her feet and then nodded. Sal used the toe of one foot to shove her boot off, then repeated the process with the other.

  Guys, I'm going to be a while, she told Jase and Zep.

  Take your time, kitten. We understand, Jase replied. His mind touched hers gently, and it was the last push she needed.

  Chapter 4

  She turned to look at him, then scooted between his legs to lay against his chest. Arctic made room for her and wrapped his arms around her protectively. Sal told her story to the walls of the tent. It was the first time she'd ever really talked about it with anyone.