"The Knight Commander…" Vivana was exasperated, pacing back and forth in front of the blue Phasematter cage.
Pom's fists were clenched at her side as she studied the specimen in the cage. Kormel had his eyes closed, maybe unconscious again. He looked like trash, but Fahon did too. The medic helped him peel his shirt off, which ripped from his back with a surprising amount of suction. It had been a plain gray. Now it was soaked with dark blood.
She assessed his wounds. "This one on your chest is a clean cut. It should heal without scarring. I'm worried about the stab wound. Be careful. I'll seal both wounds with regen-gel. We'll need to call for the surgeon when we get back to the safe house. In case he poked something vital."
Vivana, after hearing that, crouched in front of Fahon. "Your Excellence, you have sustained horrible injuries. Couldn't have waited until at least I arrived before engaging"
"I needed this."
Vivana scowled. "No one needs to get stabbed."
"Vivana…" Fahon clenched his jaw as the medic spread regen-gel into his chest wound. It was like ice being thrown on fire under his skin, creating discomfort. He balled a fist tight. "Speaking of skill in battle…Could you take the Knight Commander alone?"
"I've only heard legends of his skill in battle. I've never seen him fight myself. He was the rival of Retrik Scarl, the current Promise League champion. I am certain he must be on a higher level than me." She lowered her head, looking at the floor. She wasn't confident enough, despite being a prodigy at her age.
The medic finished sealing the wound on his chest and went to work on his side. It hurt worse than when she squeezed in the regen-gel. He yelped in pain, eyes closed tight, tears welling in the corner of his eyes. A cool sensation filled the cavity of the stab wound. She sealed it quickly and gave him pain medication with a shot in the arm.
Fahon grimaced as he waited for relief to kick in. "Let's gather the Knights and go after him together. There's no way he could take thirteen Bonded at once, could he?"
A Faceless soldier pushed open the door Kormel emerged from earlier. "Charge is planted."
Pom slowly and deliberately peeled the detonator from the man's hand. She looked at it, fire in her eyes. "Bind up, Kormel, and let's get out here."
Fahon dismissed the cage of Phasematter, bursting it apart into a cloud of tiny blue embers. A Faceless soldier tied Kormel's feet and hands roughly with zip ties. He hauled the enforcer's limp body onto one shoulder and strolled out.
Pom followed, fingers curling around the grip of her band cannon. Fahon figured she was considering executing Kormel and being done with it. Taking his life would do nothing at this point. It was better to expose the Syndicate's illegal involvement with the Zele Government. There could be no change, no elimination of corruption until the truth was out there. It echoed his own situation. He had to face corruption in his own court.
They left the building, stepping out into the pelting rain. Fahon lifted his hood and strode beside Vivana, drops splattering off both of their ponchos. Their Casters flew off into the stormy dark, spiraling around each other playfully. Now the threat was gone, they were safe to explore.
Once everyone was well clear of the building, Fahon erected a barricade of Phasematter, its crystalline surface a striking blue in the dark. The employees fled in their vehicles once they realized it was an attack. It was them and an incapacitated Kormel.
Pom activated the detonator.
The facility erupted in a chain of violent explosions, bathing the group in furious light. It was like staring into a dozen suns. Fahon covered his eyes with a forearm.
A shockwave washed over the forest and shook the barricade. Loose leaves spiraled in the shadows of the drenched forest, and acrid ozone filled Fahon's nostrils. The rickety block of an airship descended, rotors whirring in the rain. The pilot opened the cargo hold ramp as its legs touched down on the road behind them. Fahon dismissed the barricade.
They walked away, hellish retribution at their backs.
---
The good news was Fahon wouldn't die. He blinked through the disorientation of coming out of anesthesia. The surgeon stood beside the bed, gloves coated slick with his blood. She removed them and tossed them into a nearby garbage bin.
She provided a summary of his condition. The stab wound in his side had done plenty of damage. He would be out of commission for weeks until it was fully healed, even with regen-gel. Afterward, he would have to take it slow for a month. No training or strenuous activity. No fighting, especially.
Except, he didn't have weeks. Barely a few days or one week at most. The Knight Commander would learn about his survival at some point. The Syndicate was hunting for blood, and they would come after the dwindled Faceless in force. They planned to change safe houses today. There had been black sedans patrolling the Grotto's streets, Syndicate hunters. It wouldn't be long before the wolves came to feast.
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After getting bandaged, he went and laid on the cot beside Arik. His cousin stopped reading on his comm and looked over, whistling. "Slashed and stabbed; you got it worse than I did. Well, at least Kormel didn't kill you. It was idiotic for you to attack him alone."
"I know. That's what Vivana said." He hissed in pain as he found a comfortable position. Even with pain medication, the wounds hurt. Divinity warbled in concern as it whirled around Fahon.
"What's your next move?" Arik asked.
Fahon studied the peeling paint on the ceiling for a long minute. "It's what I wanted to talk to you about."
"I called it, by the way," Arik said in a dull voice. He didn't sound happy. "It was Crin all along. The slime pretended to protect your father and push the responsibility onto the Syndicate. A smart move, but entrusting Kormel to do his dirty work in killing you proved a huge mistake."
"You're right. I should have listened to you. Crin is a conniving slime of a man." Fahon pressed his hands into his face. "Should I reveal myself to the public? Inform Ophan and the Great Houses of his betrayal. It would back Crin into a corner."
"Sounds like a gamble. He might just send more assassins. Also, could we actually trust the Great Houses? Many aren't fans of House Drakk after your father's reign. They see us as a horse with a broken leg and want to put us out of our misery."
"But you're the one good at weighing the odds. What would you do?"
Arik chewed on those words, nodding slowly. "Let's see. You're the Sovereign. No one can question your power and right to rule if you defeat Crin. That's where I would put my marks if you weren't injured from your last fight, and it wasn't Crin Haloran. It's a sticky situation. Bad odds no matter what."
Fahon rubbed his tired eyes. "I don't know if I could take the Knight Commander, even if I were in fighting shape."
"Not every fight needs to be a duel, you know. This isn't a tourney match."
Fahon was wounded and didn't have time to sit around. Not while a traitor ruled his country. He wanted to head back to Whitestone and confront Crin. He didn't want to waste a minute longer in Zele.
Anger bubbled in his chest, threatening to overflow like lava from a volcano. His father's supposed best friend and ally killed him in cold blood. He would pay for it one way or another.
It would be dangerous if Crin didn't submit to his authority. He would claim Sovereignty if Fahon died. Who else had the strength to rule the nation? He couldn't imagine any of the other Argent Knights challenging the Knight Commander for the role of Sovereign.
In Ophan, being Bonded meant being in power. Many of the other nations shirked away from giving Bonded political authority. It didn't matter. Bonded often became the wealthiest and most influential people in their respective countries. Ophan's Sovereignty had been built on the notion.
Vivana joined them, leaning against the threshold. She must have heard the conversation from the other room. Her Caster, a shimmering chrome-shelled orb, flew into the room and to the curtainless window. "I reported Kormel's apprehension to the Knight Commander this morning. He's expecting our immediate return. The Shades have the airship all packed. Once he gets Kormel, I can't guarantee our safety any longer. I need a decision."
They discussed her report earlier. She had delayed her response since their meeting at the Golden Ponds. National Intelligence was getting impatient and threatening to send another squad of Shades on a recovery mission. They likely believed the agents to be compromised or dead.
Fahon told her to reveal Kormel's capture. If National Intelligence sent other Shades, it gave Crin the first move. The Knight Commander expected to get the answer about Fahon's location out of Kormel. The man would crack easily under interrogation, leaving him with little time.
He took the path of justice after the assassination attempt. Promised to be the hunter, not the hunted, a lesson he couldn't forget. Surprising Crin would provide a considerable advantage.
"Vivana, will you help me fight him if it comes to blows?"
"The nice surgeon lady said you're not supposed to fight," Arik reminded.
Vivana nodded firmly. "Yes, Your Excellence. As an Argent Knight, I vow to protect the Sovereign and his House at all costs. House Hammel's loyalty has always been to House Drakk."
Despite all the treachery, honor still existed in Ophan. He couldn't forget that. Vivana could have joined Crin and used this opportunity to grab power for herself. Instead, she chose the path of justice, the correct way.
"Excellent. Our fight isn't over until the enemy is in our hands."
---
The freighter airship soared through the night sky like an arrow shooting at the target of Haven. The gas giant judged the vessel like a stormy yellow eye. Fahon settled in beside Pom, who was sharpening her knife. Divinity floated over her and started scanning her knife. She shooed it away.
The passenger cabin of the airship was cramped. Six seats, like benches, line the walls. Overhead compartments, and cramped leg space, are to be expected of a vessel carrying cargo.
Arik sat across from them, lying across two seats with a blanket over him. Vivana was in the cargo hold with the other Faceless and Shades. Also, their current cargo is the conscious and grumpy Kormel. The surgeon spent hours stitching him. The Phasematter shotgun blast had tattered his back and legs.
But he was in better condition than Fahon now, sadly enough.
Pom nudged him with a shoulder. "Tell me, can you dodge knives?"
Fahon perked a brow. "Yes."
Nodding, she sheathed her knife behind her lower back. She curled her fingers around the grip of her hand cannon and drew it.
"Can you dodge bullets?"
"No."
"Good." Pom flipped the big revolver open and checked the chamber. "Is it true you can see all around you at once?"
Fahon could see where this line of questioning was going. "I have a present for you."
She slapped the chamber closed and slammed the weapon back in her holster. "Is it Kormel's head?"
"Even better." He reached into his armor pouch. Grunting from the pain of his stab wound. From inside, he produced a Caster with a red shell and two white stripes, proffering it to her.
She narrowed her brown eyes and ran her fingers over the orb's smooth surface. Holding its weight in her palm, she frowned. "Oh, dear. It's hideous."
With a chuckle, Fahon pressed on the sides of the Caster, and the shell popped off in two pieces. Underneath was a dull gray, featureless orb.
"Okay, it's a little better now…Still, why give it to me? I'm not joining your Knights."
Fahon smiled. "I wouldn't ask you to. You have a mission and a duty to your people. Kormel's Caster technically belongs to the Free States. It should be in the hands of someone who has the country's future in their best interest."
Pom tossed the Caster in her hand. "You know you're giving a priceless artifact to a wanted terrorist?"
He nodded. A mischievous grin spread across Pom's face.
"Now, say to it: 'Caster initiate Bond.'