Prime Imperative (The Prime Chronicles Book 3) (33 page)

“Another Terran, Francis Bacon, once said ‘revenge is a dish best served cold,’” Bria said. “And, Mel, you were the match to the long-buried fuse of Tenar’s revenge. Nadia and I are just extra scoring points.” Bria shuddered and turned to look at the other women and the men who’d come to provide backup. “Are we ready?”

“This does not feel right.” V’niko’s face was cast in grim lines. His pale blue skin had darkened to cobalt over his stark cheekbones, and his eyes were the color of a starless night sky. His narrowed, raptorial gaze searched the area for something, a something that had his aura screaming black and red.

“What is it, V’niko?” Mel and the others began searching the area as if V’niko’s dread had infected them.

“This place is evil.” V’niko pulled his laser rifle off his shoulder and flicked it to high stun. “It isn’t safe for you to visit with your
gemats
’ uncle today.”

“Places aren’t evil. People are.” Nadia turned in a circle. “But V’niko is correct. We’re being watched. The eyes aren’t friendly.”

Bria turned to look back, down the twisting, turning mountain road they’d taken to reach this point in their journey. “Maybe we’d better leave. Come back with our
gemats
and Ilar as backup.” And a couple of military units.

“Too late. We’re caught between whoever is behind us and Tenar’s fortress. This was a trap.” Mel muttered under her breath, “Wulf is going to spank my ass for this.”

Then Mel began issuing orders. “V’niko, you and Cred go and see what’s coming up the road. Cas take A’nan, find a higher vantage point, and see if you spot any suspicious movement coming from the fortress. Stay off the road. Tenar might’ve set up an ambush. Bre, find us a way off this fricking mountain other than the road. If that isn’t feasible, find us a damn cave or any hole in the ground to hide in until help arrives.”

Finally, Mel looked at her and Nadia. “Battle-mates, time to open up to your men. Tell them where we are, what’s happening, and what we suspect. Then weapon up. Keep your eyes peeled for an attack from above, because that’s what I’d do.”

The five men ran to do her bidding without question.

“I’m going with Bre,” Nadia said. “He’ll need me to cover his ass from anyone trying to shoot him off the side of the mountain.” She snorted. “Huw is going apeshit in my head. But they’re already on their way. Susa didn’t wait the whole hour. They’ve seen the videos. Huw is using some Prime swear words I’ve never heard before.”

“So’s Wulf.” Mel sighed. “Be careful, Nadia. This will soon be a battle zone. Wulf’s got
Galanti
soldiers coming up the mountain. Find us a place to get out of the line of fire.”

Bria tried to pay attention to Mel’s orders and what Nadia said, but was distracted by her own
gemat
going nuts.

Bria…
Ansu bhau
. If you…get hurt…I’ll tie you to our bed for a month.

Well, that’s no incentive. I like it when you tie me to the bed.

A reluctant chuckle came over their connection. A non-corporeal hand swept over her hair, down her back, and then swatted her butt.

Peata lubha
…stay alive until I can reach to your side.

That’s the plan.

Stay open to me…no matter what.

I’ll try. I love you.

Don’t try…do. I love you, too. Now strip the military vehicles for what you need. There should be climbing gear under the rear seats.

“This is all my fault.” Bria moved toward the two vehicles they’d used to travel to Tenar’s mountainside trap. “I should’ve taken my theories and Susa’s proof straight to the men. But I never thought Tenar would figure out we suspected him this soon.”

“He probably hasn’t.” Mel paced her to the vehicles. “Most likely, he saw tea with us as a golden opportunity to move his plot forward faster. After all, he’s tried to kill or capture all of us and failed several times. So stop blaming yourself. You figured him out before he could succeed in his ultimate revenge.” Mel shoved her in one direction. “Get all the weapons and the med kit from the Jods’ vehicle. I’ll get the same from ours.”

“Iolyn said there should be climbing gear in the vehicles.” Bria ran to the Jods’ transport and pulled out the gear Mel had requested and placed it on the ground by the back wheel, facing away from the fortress. She then checked for the climbing gear. “Yes! We’re in business. The gear is under the rear seats just as Iolyn said.”

Bria pulled out all the ropes, harnesses, bags of pitons and carabiners, and hammers and laid them next to the other gear.

“Bria—” Mel’s voice was tense. “We have company.”

Bria scanned the area and found nothing. She turned to look at Mel. “Where?”

“Look up.”

She angled her head back and found a hovering air vehicle. It was a cargo drone. The side doors were open, and a man in all-dark livery aimed a laser rifle at them.

He shouted, “Don’t move. We are sending a harness down for each of you. You will put it on, and then we will lift you one at a time. If either of you attempts to run, I will kill the other. Understand?”

“Yes. We won’t run.” Mel signaled for Bria to remain quiet.

Bria had no intention of arguing with the man or running. They had backup on the way, and the others were safe. If she and Mel couldn’t survive long enough—or find a way to escape—until help arrived, then they’d better resign as battle-mates.

The harnesses came down. They put them on. This was one time she really wished the telepathy she had with Iolyn also worked with battle-mates.

Wait, maybe it could, in a roundabout way.

Iolyn…
Her mate was aware of her danger and was beyond pissed. Somehow that made her feel calmer than the situation warranted.

You are doing well,
peata
. Don’t test these men. We’ll be there soon. Follow Mel’s lead. I’ll let you know what she plans. She and Wulf are having that discussion now.

Good. We’ll be fine. We’re battle-mates.

Yes, you are. You’re also my heart and my soul. Stay safe.

The sound of laser fire came from behind their position.

Bria froze for a split second and then looked at Mel, who shook her head and mouthed, “Stay alert.”

Iolyn…some of our people are under fire.

Fear for her friends chilled her to the bone. V’niko and Cred must be taking on the enemy. They’d be outnumbered. Were they hurt?

We’re in communication with them and are almost at their position. They’re fine. I’ll be with you soon.

And just like that, her fear dissipated and a preternatural calm settled over her. Iolyn was always with her, and he’d do anything to keep her safe.

The person manning the harness pulled Mel up first, then Bria.

Once inside the drone, Bria was shoved onto the floor next to Mel. The door slid shut. The drone made a wide turn and headed toward Tenar’s fortress.

Mel lay on her side. Her body limp, her eyes closed.

Ice-cold water ran through Bria’s veins. “Mel?” Bria shook her friend’s arm. No response. But she was breathing.

As she grasped her friend’s lax hand, she glared at their stone-faced captor, who still aimed his laser weapon at them. “What did you do to her?”

Iolyn…Mel is…

Wulf knows. Her life signs are good. We’ll find you. Don’t do anything to make them hurt you.

“We gave her a sedative,
sued seuater,
” the man said.

Seed sucker? Not ever—or not for him anyway.

Iolyn bristled in her mind.
Look at him,
lubha
. I want to see the face of the man I am going to remove a tongue from.

Bria stared at the man, who was definitely Prime. His dark uniform had the Caradoc family crest on the shoulder.

“We will render you unconscious also. But first, I have one question for you—Where is Huw Caradoc’s
karote
?”

This guy had a death wish. Iolyn’s buzz-saw growl reverberated through her whole body and made her skin itch.
Huw will kill this one after I remove his tongue.

“I don’t know.” Which was the truth, because she didn’t.

“Go to sleep,
sued seuater
.” The man used a high-pressure injector and shot her in the arm.

Blackness fell on her like a rock fall.

In the fading distance, Iolyn screamed inside her head.

* * * *

“
Ansu bhau
!” Iolyn kicked at the mercenary lying on the ground who, while not dead, probably wished he were. Then he kicked him again. “Bria is unconscious now.”

Wulf grunted and looked as if he’d like to shoot the mercenary he had at his feet.

Huw looked up the road as Cred approached with V’niko. “Where’s Nadia?”

“She’s with my brother Bre.” Cred hooked his com unit on his belt. “They’re down on the mountainside, but are climbing back up and will come to this position. Cas and A’nan will also meet us here.”

V’niko nodded. “A’nan has reported the drone with Bria and Mel is definitely heading for the fortress.”

“Good, at least they aren’t heading out to sea or rendezvousing with a larger air vehicle,” said Wulf, who then turned to address a specially selected security team from the
Galanti
. “Are we secure here?”

Wulf hadn’t trusted the on-planet Home Guard’s loyalties in this matter, so he’d pulled in all the personnel he could from their own crew already dirt-side.

“Yes, Captain.” Lieutenant Commander Z’es, head of security on the
Galanti
, saluted. “We have loaded those still alive into the vehicles. They will be locked down in the Alliance Military facility.”

“Wulf.”

Iolyn turned and saw their father striding up the road, followed by four of his personal security team. “Father, what are you doing here?”

“Father, it isn’t safe,” Huw added.

“Tenar has your mother.” Their father’s face looked haggard. “He invited her to take tea with her daughter-kin. We…I…thought nothing of it. Why would I? I trusted him. When you sent me the videos of what he’d done to Susa. When I heard your report on Bria’s theories, I couldn’t believe them, but…”

“But what, Father?” Wulf asked.

“I should’ve figured it out.” Their father looked older than his years. The weight of his guilt threatened to choke Iolyn.

“Father…” Iolyn hugged his father. “We all knew Tenar well, saw the face he presented to the world. It took Bria and her more objective point of view to see something didn’t make sense—that all the Prime’s woes began with Mother rejecting Tenar. It all fits and—”

“And his current actions have proven Bria’s theories,” Wulf finished for Iolyn. “Now, we need a plan to get into the fortress and get our women out safely.”

“Nadia and I can help with that.” Bre and Nadia, both disheveled, dirty, and breathing hard, jogged to the group. “But we need to go down and across the tributary to get into the mountainside under Tenar’s fortress.”

Cas and A’nan arrived from a different direction just as Bre spoke. “The cave systems,” Cas said. “I forgot about them.”

“Yes, the ones we played in as children.” Bre turned to Wulf. “The waterfall that flows from under the fortress’s foundation has carved out an extensive cave system. There are both natural and man-made tunnels that run upward into the lower levels of the buildings inside the fortress walls. As children, we explored the tunnels until forced to stop by fortified doors.”

“Escape tunnels just as we have in our home, Wulf,” Ilar said.

Wulf turned to Bre. “Can you get us into Tenar’s home without the enemy being aware?”

Bre bowed his head to his captain. “Yes, sir, with luck, care, and some time. Once inside the natural cavern behind the falls, there are multiple tunnels. We’ll need to find the correct tunnel to get us into the main residence’s lowest level.”

“Sons,” Ilar said, “let’s go get our mates.”

“Father, we’ll get Mother back,” Iolyn said. “You need to go home. Tenar would like nothing more than to kill you—kill all of us—and achieve his ultimate revenge.”

“Your mother is in there.”

“Father…please.” Wulf grasped their father’s forearm and squeezed. “My
gemate
is pregnant. I can’t worry about
you
and her.”

“Nadia will go home with you, Father,” Huw said. “She is also pregnant, and I don’t want her in danger. Owww!” He turned toward his
gemate
. “Why’d you hit me?”

“I’m a battle-mate. I’m going after my sister-kin and my mother-kin.” She turned to the Jods and V’niko and A’nan. “Pick us up some com headsets from Z’es. Bre and I found the climbing tough going. You’ll need your hands. Get me some climbing gear from that pile over there. Oh, Cas, make sure you include head lamps, we’re not all night-visioned like Bre. Let’s get moving, people.” The men jogged off to follow Nadia’s orders. “Iolyn, you with us?”

“Yes.” He moved to get a com headset and weapon up. His
batel rabia
was bubbling and threatened to explode into the molten wrath of an erupting volcano. He still hadn’t been able to touch Bria’s conscious mind. She was dreaming. Her dreamscape fed on her fear.

“Wulf, stop arguing with Father,” Iolyn snapped out. “He can stay here with Z’es and the other
Galanti
soldiers and begin hostage negotiations. That will provide us a distraction at the front gate.”

Iolyn joined Nadia, who already strode toward the brush she and Bre had emerged from less than five standard minutes before.

“That’s a good idea, Iolyn. Nadia can stay with Father…” Huw paced his mate.

“Shut it, my
gemat.
” Nadia’s growl was strong and sounded much like Huw’s responding snarl. “I’m on this mission. You stay with your father.” She never broke stride as she slipped on the com headset and shouldered the laser rifle Bre handed her. “It’ll take at least sixty standard minutes to get down the mountain and through some caves on this side of the fork of the river. Bre and I had almost made it to the fork when we heard about the attack. It’s a fairly straight downhill shoot once in the caves. Getting across the Category-Four rapids will be the biggest problem.”