Allegiance

EIGHT

The storm beat the shutters covering the council chamber windows. X sat on the ridiculous throne, his hands folded into a pyramid that covered the gray stubble on his square jaw.

There was much to contemplate tonight, despite the fatigue weighing on him. His joints, his muscles—everything hurt, even his liver. And he hadn’t even been drinking—not the hard stuff, anyway, although he was starting to enjoy wine. “It’s basically fruit juice,” he kept telling everyone.

This wasn’t the first time he had stayed up for two days straight. In the wastes, he had survived days on end without more than a few hours’ sleep.

Miles, on the other hand, needed his rest now more than ever. The old Siberian husky hybrid slept on the tile floor in front of the throne, his fur rising and falling gently with each breath.

Having the dog with him kept X calm in the face of an uncomfortable reality. In a matter of hours, the truce between his people and the Cazadores had been threatened not once, but twice, by the actions of two criminally stupid individuals.

Everything he had worked so hard for over the past few months was suddenly on the verge of crashing down like an airship into the wastes. It had started when a Cazador mechanic smashed in the head of DJ, an engineer on Samson’s crew, with a length of pipe.

Then Lieutenant Ada Winslow had dropped a shipping container full of Cazadores into the ocean. And all this while they were still facing humanity’s greatest threat of all: the defectors. The machines were out there, and X had a feeling it was going to be a race against time to save the survivors in Rio de Janeiro from them. Indeed, the defectors may already have reached the shores of Brazil and begun looking for the bunker. It was also possible they had been there all along and the message was from them. The implications filled X with dread.

He looked up as the double doors at the end of the chamber creaked open. Rhino walked inside, bowing slightly.

“King Xavier,” he said, “I’ve gathered the people you requested.

“Bring them in.”

Rhino motioned for the group to enter. Leading them was Captain Mitchells, still in his white uniform. Lieutenant Sloan, Sergeant Wynn, and three militia soldiers followed, their armored bodies surrounding Lieutenant Ada Winslow and Ensign Eevi Corey.

X rose from his seat, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword. Miles glanced up and then let out a sigh and rested his head back on his paws.

Michael, Magnolia, and Samson walked in, and the doors closed behind them. They were the only ones who knew the truth about the events aboard Discovery, but X knew he couldn’t keep this a secret forever.

The group stopped in front of the steps, and X moved to the edge of the platform, looking down on Ada, who continued to avoid his gaze. Her youthful features were in shadow, but he could tell by her posture that she was nervous.

Rhino stepped onto the platform and stood beside X, cradling his double-headed spear so that it rested against his chest and shoulder. He was the only living Cazador who knew about what had happened beyond the dark barrier, and X trusted he would keep it that way.

X walked to the edge of the platform and looked at Ada.

“Why, Lieutenant?” he said. “Why did you kill them?”

He knew the answer. Hell, he should have known something like this would happen. Not only in the sky but also in the boat port.

“I’m sorry, sir. I just…” Ada’s words trailed off, and she bowed her head.

Magnolia looked at X, but he didn’t return her gaze.

“The crew of the Lion helped kill Captain DaVita,” said Eevi. “We all know what some of them did to Katrina once they boarded the USS Zion.”

X wanted to close his eyes and block out the image, but he kept his gaze on Ada.

He too had heard that some of the Cazadores dragged Katrina’s body onto the deck, where they held her up like a prize. Edgar Cervantes, the sole survivor, had witnessed it when the Cazadores took him into captivity.

The warrior had stayed with Katrina until the end—an almost certain suicide mission. But not only had he survived the Cazadores who boarded the ship, he had killed three of them before they finally subdued him.

Knowing that the courageous diver had been with Katrina in the end helped ease some of the pain X felt. But it didn’t bring her back.

“Captain DaVita sacrificed herself so we could live here in peace,” he said. “So that we could have a home. You just jeopardized it all—everything she died for.”

Ada glanced up, her eyes glazed with tears. “You don’t think they’re waiting to kill you, sir? You don’t think they’ll do the same thing to us when they get the chance? Parade our bodies on boats or hang us from the rigs? And eat us?” she said.

He had considered everything she was saying, but what was he to do? Commit genocide? When the human race was already facing extinction?

That would make him worse than el Pulpo.

He had to keep the big picture in mind. Sometimes, young people didn’t consider all the ramifications of their actions. When X was her age, he couldn’t think beyond a bottle of shine.

“She’s right, you know,” Samson said.

It seemed the older generation was also having a problem with the bigger picture.

“That mechanic killed DJ in cold blood, over a stupid boat,” Samson said. “And then the asshole stuck a screwdriver through my other mechanic’s eye when he tried to pull him off DJ.”

“Cold-blooded murder is also what Lieutenant Winslow did to those people in the crate,” Les said, glowering at his former XO. “You murdered them when I was trying to save them.”

“I couldn’t forgive them, and they deserved to die,” Ada said.

“So that gives you the right to disobey a direct order, commit mass murder, and put us all at risk?” X snapped. “Guess what? El Pulpo captured and tortured me when I was clinging to life by my teeth in Florida. This was after Captain Jordan abandoned me on the surface for nearly ten years. I had a hell of a lot more to forgive than you will ever know.”

The chamber fell into silence.

“The Cazadores aren’t the only humans to have sinned,” X went on. “We have also sinned, and I was trying to move past all that, to forgive the past and look toward the future.” He waited for Ada to look at him again and then said, “You just severely fucked all that up, Lieutenant.”

“If the Cazadores find out about the Lion, it will start another war,” Les said.

“Maybe they don’t have to know,” Samson said. “I mean, none of them survived, and they didn’t send any radio transmissions, right?”

“None that we know of,” said Eevi.

Rhino spoke up. “Colonel Vargas has spies,” he said. “If he or any of the other members of the Black Order find out, war is a given.”

X resisted the urge to sit back down on his throne.

He needed to think.

Maybe he should have had Rhino execute Colonel Vargas and the rest of the Black Order, along with the Praetorian Guards who protected them. But Vargas had taken the vow with the others, and X had let them serve.

In hindsight, maybe that wasn’t the best idea.

If they found out about the Lion, it would mean Ada’s and X’s heads at the very least; at worst, another war. He couldn’t afford more spilled blood. They had too many other problems and threats to worry about.

But how could he keep these events secret? He couldn’t silence everyone who had been on the airship. Alfred and the other technicians who had helped Les lower the hoist cables didn’t know exactly what had happened, but they knew their equipment. They had surely gone over every plausible accident scenario and come up with nothing.

X bent down and rubbed Miles’s neck, mulling his options. What should I do, boy?

The dog rolled on his side—an invitation to rub his belly. X almost smiled, but that would have been disrespectful under the circumstances.

He patted Miles again and stood.

His people looked to him for guidance. And a decision. This duty he had inherited was way above his pay grade. He didn’t want to be king, captain, or even a commander. He was just an old Hell Diver.

It was the only thing he was ever good at. And now he couldn’t even dive.

“I spent ten years in the wastes,” he said, “wandering like a crazed cockroach, thinking I was the last man on this poisoned planet, only to discover that not only were my people still alive, but there was a habitable goddamn paradise waiting for all of us. Then we fight for it, win it, and two idiots put it all at risk.”

He looked at Ada with a frown. “I should throw you to the wolves, kid. I should let them kill you for what you did. Or perhaps I should send you to the wastes—exile you from paradise and leave you, just the way Jordan left me.”

“You can’t,” Magnolia said. “That would be killing her.”

“I didn’t die.”

“True,” she replied, “but that’s why you’re the Immortal.”

“I’m not Jordan, and I’m not a Cazador, that’s for sure,” X said. “I’m a Hell Diver. My job is to save people, not kill them.”

Ada let out a small sigh of relief.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with you yet,” he said.

He saw Rhino stiffen.

“What I am sure of is that we can’t delay any longer on sending someone to check out that signal in Rio de Janeiro. I’ve made up my mind. I’m sending Discovery and deploying Star Grazer to take out any defectors and save the humans there.”

He turned to Rhino. “General, I’ve changed my mind about having you lead that mission. You’ll stay here and help me keep the peace. I want you to put together a team of men and women you trust, just in case our friends decide to do something stupid like Ada did.”

Rhino nodded.

“I want eyes and ears in the sky and on the sea for this mission,” X continued. “Mags, you know how to sail. I want you to start the mission on Discovery, and when you arrive at the target, you’ll use the Sea Wolf to accompany Star Grazer.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Magnolia said.

“Captain Mitchells, you are in charge of the mission in the sky,” X said. “Commander Everhart, you’re going, but I want only two of the best Hell Diver rookies going with you.”

Michael and Les both acknowledged their orders.

“Once you arrive at the target, you will scan for the defectors. If they are there, you will destroy them. Then Team Raptor will dive from the sky and rendezvous with Magnolia and the Cazadores to search for the survivors requesting our help. Splitting up will give you the best chance of reaching and rescuing these people.”

“Sounds like a good plan, sir,” Michael said.

“What about the council?” Les asked.

“Disbanded until the mission is over,” X said. “No way in hell I’m meeting with just Moreto and that fancy pants merchant Tomar.”

“Tomás,” Rhino corrected.

“Whatever,” X said. He looked at Lieutenant Sloan.

“Lieutenant, you make sure our security is airtight by the time Discovery and the warship depart,” X said. “I don’t want any surprises here at home while our divers are away.”

“And what about the Cazador that killed DJ?” Wynn asked. “You aren’t just going to let him go free, are you?”

X had decided to go with his gut on this one. It would be tossing the Cazadores some red meat while dealing with the problem in a way they would understand.

“General Santiago is spoiling for a fight in the Sky Arena,” X said. “I say we let this Cazador murderer fight for his freedom. If he wins, he goes free. Otherwise, justice is served by his death.”

Rhino nodded and said, “That is a wise decision, King Xavier.”

“Glad you agree,” X said. “’Cause once this storm passes, you’re the one who’s going to kill the bastard.”

“You really have to go?”

Magnolia flinched at the unexpected voice, and out came the pistol on her belt. She looked up from her work on the deck of the Sea Wolf to see a figure on the dock.

A man stood in the shadows, away from the glow of the torches, not far from where DJ got his head bashed in.

“Just me, Mags,” said Rodger, walking into the light with his hands up.

“Jeez, Rodgeman, don’t scare me like that.” She holstered the pistol and took out her tin snips.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay, I’m just finishing this roll up.”

She used the snips to cut through the roll of razor wire she was adding to the boat’s rail. Then she set the coil down and waved him aboard.

The storm outside had weakened, but she could still hear the wind rattling the door of the boat port. The sound gave her the creeps, and she was glad Rodger had shown up.

Not that she was new to violence or monsters, but the dark water slurping against the tethered boats made her uneasy. There was no telling where the Cazadores’ famous human-eating octopuses were right now. No one had seen them since el Pulpo took his last breath.

Rodger took the access ladder to the Sea Wolf’s deck and stood with his hands in his jumpsuit pockets, head bowed slightly.

“I really wish you didn’t have to go,” he said.

“I know. Honestly, I wish I could stay, but X needs me out there, and I want to be ready for whatever we might face on the seas and at the city.”

Rodger looked at the mounted harpoon gun, the razor wire, and the crates of supplies she had yet to take belowdecks.

He pulled a small cardboard box out of his pocket, looked at it, and handed it to her.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Gee, I guess you’ll never know unless you open it.”

Magnolia untied the string and opened a flap. Inside was the head of a wolf, carved in exquisite detail. It looked just like the Hell Diver team logo, and the figure Samson’s team had added back to the deck of the boat after the Cazadores painted over it.

“Wow,” she whispered.

He raised a brow above his glasses, a half smile on his face. “You like it?”

“No, Rodge, I don’t like it,” she said, pausing a second before adding, “I love it!”

She reached out and gave him a fierce hug, then kissed him on his cheek. Rodger tilted his head, no doubt expecting another kiss, this one on the lips. But romance was the last thing on Magnolia’s mind.

Not with recent events.

She was staggered by the news that Ada had dropped the container of Cazadores into a watery grave. But learning of DJ’s murder had hit her even harder. The forty-year-old engineer had left behind two kids and a wife.

Magnolia’s heart hurt just thinking about it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling away. “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you, Rodge. It’s just everything that’s happened, and the uncertainty of the future.”

“I understand. Trust me, I do.”

She held the wolf carving up to the light and smiled. “It’s going to look great next to my elephant. They’re so realistic, I hope they don’t scare each other.”

Rodger returned her smile, but she could tell he was disappointed.

“You really have a knack for this stuff,” she said. “Maybe you should open your own shop and try selling it to the Cazadores.”

“Maybe,” he said, slipping his hands back into his pocket. “Hey, I was thinking maybe we could have dinner with my mom and dad later tonight. They want to get to know you better.”

“Sure, I’d love that,” she said. “Maybe I’ll see if you get your humor from Bernie, or Cole.”

He smiled and looked at the razor wire coiled on the deck. “I’ve got something I need to finish for DJ’s funeral, but I should have a spare hour right now if you want some help.”

“Yeah, actually. Would be nice to wrap this up and get some rest before we ship out.”

“When’s that?”

“Two days,” Magnolia replied.

There was a lot to do before then, and she worried about what could happen when she left. She tucked the wolf carving into her bag and put her gloves back on.

“You got to look after X when I’m gone, okay?” she said.

“I’ll have his back, don’t worry.”

Magnolia snipped another section of wire and glanced up. “I’m serious. I’m really worried someone might try and knife him while he’s sleeping.”

“You’re talking about the Immortal, Mags. You think someone’s just going to waltz into X’s bedroom, somehow get past Miles, and stick him while he’s sleeping?”

Rodger had a point, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t try to ambush X when he was alone on a swim or in a dark hallway.

“I’m just worried, okay?” Magnolia turned to make sure no one was eavesdropping from the dock. “I’m worried about Ada, too. She’s young, and dumb like I was at that age. I doubt she really understood the repercussions of her actions.”

Rodger kept his voice low. “Did she really kill all those Cazadores?”

“I wasn’t there,” Magnolia replied. “I only know what Les said happened.”

“What do you think X is going to do to her?”

“I don’t know.”

“You think he’s going to banish her from the islands?”

“Like I said, I don’t know.”

Rodger must have realized he was annoying her, and stopped with the questions. He politely asked if he could borrow the tin snips.

After handing them over, Magnolia tapped her wrist monitor and pulled up the collection of music she stored on it. She scrolled through until she found her favorite album.

“You like rap when you’re working, right?” she asked.

“Depends on what I’m doing. If I’m using a hammer, sure.”

Magnolia laughed. “I don’t mean the verb, silly. I mean the music genre.”

“Oh.” He shrugged. “Sure, it’s okay.”

“Good.”

She hit the button, and hip-hop music crackled from the speakers built into the computer. To her surprise, Rodger started singing along with the ancient beat.

He wasn’t bad, either.

“I’m a bad bitch,” he sang. “A bad bitch with supernice tits.”

Magnolia chuckled as Rodger continued improvising the words.

“Them Sirens think they bad, but they never met a bad bitch diver like me…” He shook his chest like a dancer and broke out in a huge grin.

“Nice one, Rodge.”

“Thanks, Mags.”

When he finished singing, he twisted a roll of wire around the rail and she helped, trying not to look at the black water over the side. Not much in life scared her more than dark water.

They installed razor wire for the next hour and then took the crates down to the enclosed lower deck.

“That’s good for now,” Magnolia said. She turned off the music and pulled off her gloves. A faint noise came over the slap of water on the piers and boats. It sounded a lot like a Klaxon.

Rodger walked to the edge of the boat, hearing it too.

“What the hell is that?” he asked.

Magnolia had her pistol out, and Rodger bent down and grabbed the small semiautomatic from his ankle holster.

“What?” he said when he saw her staring.

“How many bullets does that hold, two?”

“No,” Rodger said. He released the magazine, looked, and reseated it. “Six.”

Magnolia rolled her eyes before taking the access ladder to the pier. Then she set off for a hatch that led from the rig’s protected boat harbor to the docks outside.

“Hold on,” Rodger said, opening the hatch and stepping through first.

The rain had mostly stopped, though clouds still blocked the stars and moon over the capitol tower. On the horizon, just outside the barrier, the clouds flashed blue from the outer edge of the storm, which had finally passed.

The water was mostly dark, with a few lights from boats moving between the rigs.

Magnolia glanced up at the platform where el Pulpo had once sat and watched his wives lying out on the sundeck near the pool. Several militia soldiers and sky citizens stood there looking out over the water.

“What the hell is going on?” Rodger asked.

She unslung her backpack and pulled out her binoculars. Then she motioned for Rodger to follow her to the elevator cage.

She hit the lever, and the chain started pulling them skyward. When they were a few floors up, she looked through her binos, zooming in on several Cazador boats.

Dozens of people stood on the deck of each vessel. But it was the massive container ship that caught her attention. On the deck, hundreds of Cazadores held torches in a circle.

“Well, what do you see?” Rodger asked.

“Trouble.” She could hear the fear in her own voice. Her gut told her that the Cazadores knew about the crew of the Lion and were coming for revenge.

Why else would an entire fleet of boats be sailing in the open water while Klaxons blared from the other rigs?

The cage clanked to the top, and Magnolia shoved the gate open and rushed out. She found X standing with several militia soldiers, looking out at the flotilla gathered below.

“What in the wastes is happening?” she asked.

Miles rushed over, tail wagging, clearly not worried about the boats or anything else.

X leaned against the railing, and Magnolia relaxed a degree. His casual attitude told her this wasn’t some war party coming to kill them.

“X, what are they doing?” she said.

“Mourning.”

Magnolia followed the deep voice to the hulking figure of General Rhino, standing in the shade of a fig tree and watching over his king.

“So if that that’s not a war party, why the Klaxons?”

X looked to Rhino for the answer.

“The gods are angry from this tragedy at sea,” he said. “So many of our warriors have been lost all at once to the depths. We now must summon the Octopus Lords and ask their forgiveness.”

Magnolia recalled the shell whistle that el Pulpo had worn around his neck. The Klaxon wasn’t a call to arms; it was to beckon the underwater beasts the Cazadores worshipped.

“We must offer a sacrifice,” Rhino said. “If we don’t, the Octopus Lords will destroy everything we have built here, before any of us have a chance to.”

Magnolia looked down at the spectacle on the water. The belief about the Octopus Lords turning against the humans if left unappeased was probably just superstition. But standing here in this miraculous paradise that was the Vanguard Islands, she wasn’t so sure.