Page 78 of The Inheritance

“Bring your witness to me or die soulless.”

His gaze shifted to my face. He squeezed out a single word.

A small metal sphere descended from the ceiling and hung in front of me. I sliced through it with my blade. It fell apart, spilling its electronic guts onto the stone floor. The gress recorded their kills, both to prove they completed their contracts and to boast.

I looked back at the gress. “Who hired you?”

He took a deep breath. “Rakalan.”

No reaction from the power within me. The gem was still dormant. “Did the Rakalan make this breach?”

“Rakalan do not invade. They are the invaded.”

“Who does the invading?”

“Tsuun.”

“How many worlds did the Tsuun invade?”

“More than six of greater of six.”

Greater of six in their counting system was six squared, so thirty-six. Six of thirty-six was two hundred and sixteen. So many…

“Why do the Tsuun invade? What do they want?”

He blinked slowly. “Power. Resources. Territory.”

He was fading fast. I had to get to the important questions.

“What were the terms of your contract?”

“Find sadrin. Bring her back. Kill her if you fail.”

“Is that why you hunt me?”

“Yes.” His voice was a soft sibilant whisper. “You are sadrin. I must take you back.”

“How do you know I am sadrin?”

His breath was a soft rasp. “I feel it…”

That wasn’t good. If he felt it, did that mean anybody could feel it?

“Was the previous sadrin a Tsuun?”

“She was Rakalan.”

“Her own people hired you to kill her?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Rakalan submitted. She did not. Rakalan resisted for greater of greater six of their rotations. Their sadrin held much knowledge. She was of value to Tsuun. Rakalan failed to deliver her. They feared destruction.”

The Tsuun had invaded the Rakalan world, and the Rakalans fought them off for one thousand two hundred and ninety-six years. In the end, the Tsuun won the interdimensional war, and the Rakalan surrendered. Turning over their sadrin must’ve been a condition of that surrender.

A death rattle clamped the gress. He reached for the amulet with a handless arm.