Page 6 of Only Rogue Actions
“Why?”I asked.
“The lunarium blades could amplify your psionic abilities, instead of making you and Kyrion rely solely on your bond.”
I grumbled, but Asterin gave me a serene smile that was an eerie match to the expression Lady Verona so often used to get her way.
Footsteps squeaked on the tile floor, and Siya stepped into view carrying two silver cuffs.“Here,” she said, holding the cuffs out to Kyrion and me.“Put these on.”
We did as she asked.The silver was surprisingly lightweight, and the cuff shrank a bit, automatically adjusting so that it fit snugly on my left wrist.A small holoscreen embedded in the metal flared to life, and a series of numbers appeared, showing my vital signs.
“What are these?”Kyrion asked in a suspicious voice.
“Holocuffs,” Siya replied.“They are synced to the main panel in the control room and create holograms that Asterin and I can watch.The cuffs will also show us where you two are in the maze, what obstacles you encounter, and how much stress they put on your bodies.”
I hummed in appreciation at the thought of analyzing all that data, but Kyrion glared at his cuff like he wanted to rip it off.
“What else will this device do?”he muttered.“Shock us if we don’t reach the center of the maze quickly enough?”
Asterin frowned.“Of course not!Why would you even think that?”
“Holloway used such devices in the past,” Kyrion replied in a stiff voice.“Tomotivateme during my Arrow training, especially when I was younger.There are always consequences for failure.”
My heart squeezed.Kyrion was such a strong, accomplished warrior I sometimes forgot all the cruel, grueling things he had endured at Holloway’s hands.
“No, the cuffs won’t shock you,” Siya replied.“But Lady Battiswillcharge House Collier for every single minute you go over the allotted time to reach the center of the maze.”
Kyrion and I shared a wary look.Now there was even more pressure to complete the training as fast as possible.
More footsteps squeaked on the floor, and several people trooped into the locker room.They were a mix of men and women, all shapes and sizes, and ranging in age from early twenties to late sixties.All wore red House Battis uniforms stained with sweat and dirt and singed with minor blaster burns.One woman even had a couple of pink-star honeysuckle blossoms snagged in her long, tangled blond hair, making her look like a princess from some old fairy tale.
Every person was carrying at least one weapon.Mostly blasters and war hammers, along with a few hand cannons.
I studied the cannons, but they were an old, standard model by House Collier and not the new, much deadlier Techwave cannons that were based on my stolen design.I exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.Sooner or later, someone besides me was going to figure out how to fix the faulty Techwave cannons, but that was a worry for another day.
The men and women split off, going over to the other lockers or heading toward the shower stalls.None of them said a word, and they were all either limping, grimacing, or both.
More footsteps squeaked, and a tall man swaggered into view.His uniform was immaculate, and he was whistling instead of wincing.Ah, this must be the winning warrior.
The man was quite handsome, with longish wavy dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and tan skin that practically glowed with health and vitality, as though he had just gone to a fancy spa.He looked to be in his late thirties, the same age as me, Kyrion, Asterin, and Siya.His body was all lean, hard muscle, and his high, sharp cheekbones, straight nose, and square jaw could have easily gotten him a modeling job on a fashion gossipcast.
Several daggers hung from his black leather belt, along with a blaster I recognized as a House Battis design.I sniffed.A serviceable enough weapon, although it wasn’t nearly as powerful and reliable as the new Quill Corp blaster I had been working on before Kyrion and I were forced to go on the run.
The man stopped and beamed at my friends.“Asterin!Siya!”he said in a deep baritone.“How wonderful to see you both again!It’s been far too long.”
Asterin stepped forward, smiling wide.“Hello, Roderick.It’s good to see you too.”
He returned Asterin’s smile, then looked over at Siya.“Hello, Siya.”
“Roderick,” she replied in a cool voice, her face neutral.
Roderick’s smile remained steady, although his eyes narrowed at the Erzton lady’s less-than-warm welcome.
Asterin gestured at him.“This is Roderick Battis.He’s the one who extended the invitation for your training and agreed to let us use the facility after hours.”Next, she gestured at Kyrion and me.“This is Lord Kyrion Caldaren and Lady Vesper Quill from the Imperium.”
“Of course,” Roderick murmured.“I’ve seen them on the gossipcasts.”
Kyrion’s jaw clenched.As a Regal lord and the head of the Arrows, Kyrion had been a staple on the gossipcasts for years, but he had shot to a newfound level of notoriety thanks to our truebond.
Several weeks ago, Callus Holloway had tried to siphon off our truebond magic during a midnight ball at Crownpoint Palace.Kyrion and I had managed to create a storm of psionic lightning that had decimated the throne room, and then we had fought Imperium soldiers and Holloway’s Bronze Hand guards before getting onto Kyrion’sDream Worldblitzer and flying away from the palace.
