The Last Knight (An Awakening the Lightforged Novel)

Chapter 19: Hiding the Gem

It has to be enough.

C. 11 days, 25 hours since the assassination of rebel leadership

Koruuksi took a deep breath as he approached Last Shadow's command room. It had only been four days since he'd arrived but even while catching up with Lysanda and having fun with Nomlana, Koruuksi felt like weeks had passed.

He still hadn't entirely gotten used to hours of manual labor, either.

The doors to the command room stood open. The frame was tall and thick, likely made of titansteel or some other strong metal, and had both georaural and electric components to it like the one back at Wolfden. Two guards flanked the entrance, and inside, Mahele, a thick Samjati man with tall, Nimikadeka antlers and dark blue skin sat in a chair, broad shoulders hunched. Two women, presumably his daughter, Paiz, the Samjati one, and Kytai, his wife's Natari advisor, stood to either side, talking to each other. Another man and woman stood within, but they didn't participate in the conversation. From their posture, clothing, and the weapons they carried, Koruuksi guessed they were some type of elites or bodyguards.

Koruuksi took a deep breath.

Just relax. They have no legitimate reason to throw you out, and they're much less likely to kill you than Bonde's people were.

Still... the terse responses Aaden had received from Mahele hadn't suggested Last Shadow's leadership was listening to reason these days.

Koruuksi brightened his clearnodes, hoping to catch some of the conversation.

The light wasn't too bad, but he winced at the smell of so many people without showers living in a tunnel system, and had to sift through all the ambient conversation and noise his enhanced hearing picked up to get anything from in the room.

"... if we allow them to operate their fighters out of our hangars," the Natari one, Kytai, was saying to Mahele, "Anarak might allow us to work with some of their sympathizers on the continent for resources so we don't have to raid the Imaia supply shipments."

"I still say it's too risky," the other woman—presumably Paiz—said. "They're so close to Imaia territory, and some of their people are working with Frozen Phantom. We don't want them operating out of our base. It draws too much attention."

"What if we could get a few fighters out of the deal?"

"We'd still need fuel and ammunition. The costs just..."

Koruuksi took note of that, but tuned the two women out as he peered at Mahele. The man sat hunched in his chair, resting his head on one hand. His silvery-gold eyes were downcast under his orange brow, but they weren't bored.

Thoughtful. And a little haunted.

That was reassuring, at least.

When Koruuksi got to the door, he assumed his appointment would allow him to just walk in, but the guards stepped inward and held their rifles out to the side, blocking him.

He dimmed his clearnodes.

The closest guard had an aqua gemcrest at her brow and the light blue-violet skin and thin, branching antlers of a Juusanariti'i. She glared at Koruuksi, trying to look intimidating, and while the scar across her right cheek and jaw helped, Koruuksi was used to Estingai's glares.

Koruuksi looked to the other one, a tall Natari man with light red skin and stripes that climbed from his neck up his jaw and to his cheeks. His uniform hid the gemcrest at his clavicle, and he merely studied Koruuksi.

Koruuksi smiled and identified himself. "Mahele said he had some time to meet with me today."

Both guards blinked, eyes going to his forehead, then growing wide. The Samjati one paled a bit, swallowing. "Of course, Koruuksi. I should have recognized you. Let me—"