Page 47 of Tamed

Lilian moved up through the crowd, pushing other females out of her way as she went. “Where are the bodies? DNA tests will prove whether or not?—”

“The transports were destroyed during the battles,” he explained. “We will not have access to the bodies.”

“Then Jevara has them,” someone else insisted. “He must have planted those bodies so we’d think our friends are dead.”

Zevon’s attention had been focused on Lilian so he didn’t see who spoke.

“I hope she’s right,” he said to the room at large. “And I will do everything in my power to find out for certain. However, it’s more likely that your friends lost control of their power. Fire is extremely volatile when first released. That’s why it’s so important for conduits to bond with controllers.”

The room erupted in overlapping conversation. A few of the females were fighting back tears, but most were solidly in denial.

“Have any of you formed a telepathic connection with the missing conduits?” Everyone looked at him blankly, so he moved on to the next possibility. “Had any of the conduits been flirting with one of my soldiers?” They looked confused, but no one answered. “If any of the missing conduits formed a transfer link, we could find out what really happened.” Again, he was met with silence and hostile stares. He didn’t know any more than he’d told them. If they weren’t going to cooperate with the investigation, there wasn’t much left that he could do. “If anyone thinks of anything that might help, notify me immediately.”

Discouraged by their lack of trust, Zevon made his way up to the observation deck at the top of the spiral. Maybe the females would confide in Raina or one of the mentors. Contacting one of the missing conduits telepathically would be the fastest way of finding out if they were still alive. He was slightly winded by the time he reached the observation deck, but the exertion helped him think. He stood at the curving bank of windows staring out into the vastness of space. This was his favorite place to come when his thoughts were troubled and they certainly qualified right now.

He’d debated long and hard before he agreed to become president of the Citadel. The outpost had been in desperate need of strong leadership and he thrived on challenge. The biggest obstacle he’d faced had not been the empowered soldiers. It was the board of governors. Most of the governors were bureaucrats with ulterior motives driving each decision they made. The rich and powerful on Altor bribed them, ensuring that their decisions protected their wealth and influence. One by one Zevon had worked to replace the corrupt governors, but the old guard, as he liked to call them, still outnumbered his allies.

The old guard had fought him on the alliance, which was one of the reasons he found this development so devastating. He had been so close to a final confrontation with Jevara, one significant enough to bring about lasting change. Now fifteen people were dead and Torret was in the hands of yet another madman, one who seemed to be even worse than his predecessor.

Turning from the tranquil vista, he took a deep breath and prepared to make the final comm. It might be easier to break this up into two conversations. No, that seemed cowardly. He wasn’t sure how this would affect the alliance, but he suspected that it wouldn’t be good. Zevon pinged Soro Kintar, the newly appointed leader of the Torretian rebels and Movu Surcatt, a prominent member of the Wraith council on Pyron. They were Zevon’s two closest allies, and he needed to make sure that hadn’t changed.

Movu responded immediately but it took Soro a few minutes to join the holo-comm.

“There has been a development,” Zevon began once both were present.

“What sort of development?” Movu prompted.

Never one to procrastinate, Zevon dove right in. “Are you aware that Jevara is dead?”

Soro nodded, but Movu’s eyes widened and he leaned closer to the camera. “When did this happen?” Movu’s long silver-blue hair and dark eyes announced his planet of origin to anyone who had ever been to Pyron. His flowing robes and mysterious demeanor made it equally obvious that he was a Wraith, the elite mystics who could manipulate Air.

“Two, maybe three weeks ago,” Soro answered for Zevon. “Verbet made an official announcement yesterday, but we’d suspected from the beginning.”

“And you didn’t think it was important enough to alert your allies,” Movu grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Soro shrugged. “One brother is just like the other. They were both raised to believe they were God.” He wore fatigues of black and gray. His deep mahogany hair had been clipped close to his skull and his teal gaze continually took in his surroundings. He might have left the Torretian military behind, but he was clearly still affected by his training.

“Apparently, Verbet agrees with you because he just attacked the alliance transports,” Zevon explained before the conversation could get completely off track. “His soldiers slaughtered everyone on board, including the six conduits.”

Soro’s jaw dropped.

Movu actually gasped. “Why in the name of Destruction would he do such a thing?”

“Jevara was obsessed with the conduits. This was Verbet’s way of proving that he’s not his half-brother. It was also a loud and clear message that he disapproves of our alliance,” Zevon told him. “Verbet, and everyone in that bloodline, cannot manipulate magic so conduits don’t mean as much to them as to us.”

“Killing an enemy in the heat of battle is very different than murdering innocent females.” Movu shook his head, obviously disgusted by Verbet’s actions. “Verbet might be worse than Jevara.”

Zevon couldn’t argue with the statement. He’d come to the same conclusion.

They lapsed into tense silence for a moment, then Soro asked, “Can one of the Wraiths teleport the next set of conduits to their destinations?” His gaze shifted to Movu as he asked, “Can you?”

Zevon was shocked by the rebel leader’s callousness. “Six conduits have just been murdered. Can we give the others a day or two to mourn before we move on to round two?”

Soro appeared genuinely embarrassed when he spoke again. “I didn’t mean to seem crass or uncaring. Of course the females need time to mourn. But power triads are the connective tissue holding this alliance together. I was simply trying to ensure that no one else falls victim to Verbet’s ambition.”

“All of the conduits are staying here,” Zevon decided. “The courting rights outlined in our agreement are still in effect, but the males must journey to the Citadel to claim them.”

Movu shook his head as he shifted in his seat. “That’s unacceptable. We can take additional measures to keep the females safe but it’s simply not possible for most Wraiths to be away from Pyron for weeks on end.”

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