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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Flagro lay in his bunk aboard Maddix’s ship, grumpy, but clean, and pumped full of pain blockers while the machinery worked on his injuries.

It was mostly soft tissue, and it seemed his ego was bruised more than his body.

Regardless, he locked himself in his quarters as soon as they reached the ship and left very clear instructions that he was not to be disturbed until they landed back home.

Galla, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to sit in the small galley, enjoying the first quality food she’d had in days, thanks to the tracker’s ridiculous plan.

She, unlike her brother, did not complain though.

The plan, unpleasant as it had been, had also yielded success, and they would be returning home to their father victorious.

It took a lot longer than any would have anticipated, but in the end, it was the chancellor’s offspring who had completed the task, not any of the other elite families.

The chancellor would be pleased.

As for Maddix, he would be given some pittance of an acknowledgment of his efforts then sent back to whatever corner of the world his indenture required of him.

“At least I’ll be free of these two idiots,” he grumbled as he lifted off and set their course home. “That’s worth more than any currency at this point.”

It had been a long walk. That in and of itself was to be expected.

Annoying, but expected. The incessant bitching and sniping from the injured man in his care, however, was not, and it had worn on Maddix’s last nerve to the point that he started entertaining the notion of killing the pair of them and hiding their bodies in the woods for the wildlife to devour with greater seriousness, consequences be damned.

Of course, he could do no such thing. Even if it had been caused by natural causes, the disappearance, or worse yet, the demise of the chancellor’s heirs would bring an even larger world of shit down upon his head.

And so he sucked it up and kept on as before, doing his duty despite his own desires.

One of them had to do with their prisoner. As she regained the power of not only her legs, but of speech as well, Maria had given them an earful, at least, when she felt confident her mouthing off wouldn’t result in a blast from the stun weapon.

“If I have to carry her again, it will only take us that much longer to reach the ship,” Maddix had to remind the siblings.

“Fine,” Flagro groused. “But I will make sure she pays for her insolence when we get back.”

He was in a miserable mood, and so it would remain all the way home.

Maria, on the other hand, was improving in spirits, her body rebounding from the stun in ways she hadn’t anticipated.

No one realized that her runes had been completed, nor could they have imagined that she was bonded to a native.

But as she sat quietly aboard the ship, pondering what her fate might be upon her return to the chancellor’s clutches, she couldn’t help but almost feel happy.

At ease. Complete. Her Infala was settled now, firm in its ultimate form, its power radiating through her body, calling out for its other half.

And she knew Zepharos was out there feeling the same thing. No matter how far apart they might have been, somehow, she was certain he felt it too.

She kept that to herself, of course. The siblings were ignoring her at last, and she wasn’t about to rock that boat.

As for the tracker-slash-pilot, he seemed to actually be a decent guy, and he set her up with some food and drink, making sure she was as comfortable as she could be without drawing the scrutiny of his other guests.

“Just sit tight and we’ll be there soon.”

“What are they going to do to me?”

He shrugged. “You ran, but they’ve spread the story that you were abducted.

If I were you, I’d lean into that for your own good.

Play the victim to enough witnesses and odds are the chancellor will have to be merciful, no matter how angry he may be.

He has quite a temper, but he is also very concerned with saving face.

He has an image to protect. Use that to your advantage. ”

“Thank you. But why are you helping me?”

Maddix sighed. “Let’s just say we’re not so different, you and I.”

“You lost in the games too?”

He turned for the cockpit. “A story for another day, perhaps. Now, eat and rest. You’ll be needing your energy.”

Left alone to herself for the first time in days, Maria did just that, eating every last crumb with relish, her body absorbing the nutrients like a dry sponge dropped in a bucket of warm water.

By the time they landed in the city a short time later, she felt decent.

At least as well as she could feel, given what was coming next.

“This is going to suck,” she quietly worried as the siblings roughly hauled her to her feet and dragged her out of the ship’s open door.

The tracker followed, close but not taking charge. They were the bosses, and now more than ever it was his role to play obedient lap dog, and do as he was told, no matter how it made him feel.

Maria glanced around. She’d seen the city before, obviously, and had made her escape through part of it.

She’d competed in the grand arena and fled through the winding streets, but this?

This was impressive. They’d landed in a large courtyard within a manicured estate.

A familiar face stared at her from his plush seat, several dozen of the leading members of the city standing on either side of him to witness this moment.

It was Chancellor Vinchi glaring at her with cold eyes. And he was not amused.

“Father, we have returned with the escaped servant,” Galla called out. “Captured and brought home, as you wished.”

“It took you long enough,” the man said with a particularly dissatisfied sneer. “This is one woman. A commoner not even from this world. What could have possibly taken you so long?” He turned his attention to his son, noting his slight limp. “And what happened to you?”

“We were attacked, Father! A vicious attempt that injured my leg. I demand retribution! I demand blood!”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but the chancellor simply watched quietly as his son made his case. The surprising moment was when the hunter-tracker stepped forward, quite unexpected.

“Sir, that is not the case.”

“What are you doing?” Flagro hissed.

Maddix ignored him. “The escapee was simply living her life and posed no threat to any of us at any time. It was merely a lengthy and somewhat difficult journey to track them down. But track them down we did. And I would add, your children performed admirably,” he lied.

“Is this the case?” the chancellor asked his son .

“We did perform exceptionally well,” the young man said, puffing up his chest. “But the attack caused harm to my leg, further slowing our return.”

“Not so, chancellor,” Maddix again interrupted. “Your son was injured, it is true, but he fell victim to a clever animal trap while helping control the captive. It was an unfortunate accident, not an attack on your heir.”

“You dare contradict me?” Flagro snarled.

The corners of Maddix’s mouth twitched upward for a split-second.

“Dare? Dare what , if I might ask? You are a Vinchi, and I serve, but I am under obligation to your father , not you, and I relay the facts to the chancellor without bias, as I have always done. As I am duty bound to do. You may have a different perception of the events, as is your prerogative. I, however, merely convey what I observed.”

The assembled leaders and big wigs of the city snickered amongst themselves, sending Flagro into even more of a fit. His sister realized he was about to make a big mistake and grabbed his arm hard.

“Shut up, brother,” she hissed in his ear, turning and striding to her father, a broad smile on her face. She leaned in close, hugging him warmly in a long embrace, but her mouth was anything but happy.

“The other families laugh at us, Father. They disrespect us. They no longer fear you. In fact, I have heard some talk of the belief you may be losing control over our subjects. That you are no longer fit to be the leader of the city. Of the five families.”

“What’s that, you say? I’ve heard no such thing,” he replied quietly, his eyes darting to the nearby elites.

“I love you, Father, and I do not wish for any shame to fall upon our house, or for you to lose the power you have wielded so expertly my entire life. ”

She released her hug and stepped back, watching, and waiting to see what, if anything the chancellor would do.

Vinchi glanced at those assembled nearby, smiling politely as his mind raced.

Yes, he could see it now. Hints of doubt in their eyes.

But he was the leader of this city, and he would remind them exactly why that was.

The chancellor rose to his feet, his arm raising, pointing an accusing finger at the human woman.

“You have made a mockery of the sanctity of our Husken Games. Taken our hospitality when offered to you and thrown it in our faces. You offend all our people with your disregard for Dotharian laws. I was willing to overlook your lacking runes as a result of your difficult circumstances. I even had them provided for you at no expense. But you have proven yourself a thankless ruffian. One I should have left to the fates. A mistake I will rectify at once.”

He turned to his head of staff. “Summon the Dotharian Overseer for our sector. Tell them we have a gross violation of Dotharian law. An outsider scoffing at Dotharian oversight.”

“Sir?”

“You heard me. Summon them at once,” he repeated, then turned and stormed off.

The assembled group was abuzz, and Maria thought that more than one of their faces had drastically paled from of the chancellor’s command. Maddix was watching her, she realized, a sad look in his eyes.

This is not good. This is not good at all , she realized. And unless I’m really mistaken—and I sure hope I am—things just got a whole lot worse.