Abendau's Heir (The Inheritance Trilogy Book 1) (40 page)

“I’m going to try for the palace,” Kare told them. “I don’t have enough to take the city, but we have a chance at the palace. Sam tells me Sonly’s on the way with aerial support and ground troops.”

“Will she back you? I thought she’s coming to get us off Belaudii, not an assault,” Lichio said.

Kare looked at him steadily. “Rjala’s dead, your hateful shit of a brother’s dead; that means I’m head of the military. She’ll come, and she’ll back me.”

“You’re still planning to take the port with a handful of soldiers and some spies.”

“And me,” Kare said. “I do turn the scales a little.”

“You’re great for reconnaissance,” Lichio told him, “but you’re not an army, Kare.”

He didn’t have time for this. What little strength he had wasn’t going to last. He needed Lichio and Silom on board, now.

“Don’t push me, Captain. This is my decision,” he said, his voice hard. “I value your input but I expect your full support. And it’s sir.” He stared at Lichio and knew he wasn’t going to back down, not this time.

“Colonel,” Lichio said, his voice less challenging, “are you really telling me you’re in any state to take command of an attack force? To lead them? I know what they did to you, sir.” He drummed the table. “You’ve been tortured for months.” He looked at Silom, perhaps seeking support. “We can talk around it, we can try to pretend it’s something else, or we can face the truth.” He spread his hands, palm up. “Sir, if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t speak up. Please, get away. Give yourself time and space. Don’t feel you have to keep going, pretend nothing happened.”

It would be so easy. Walk away and never look back. But it wouldn’t stop the nightmares, not as long as his mother was alive, seeking revenge. He drew in a deep breath, and focused on Silom. “And you, Sergeant? Do you doubt me, too?”

Silom hesitated and Kare waited, his breath held: this was Silom’s chance to tell Lichio what had happened with Beck. Once that was known, what little belief Lichio still had in him would be gone.

“I think you’ve been hurt enough. We all have. I’m with the captain; we should go.”

“And if I decide not to?”

There was the faintest of pauses. “Then I’ll stand with you. You know that.”

Kare moved his gaze to Lichio, who waited a moment longer before throwing his hands up. “You know I will. If you go for it, I’ll be with you. But ask yourself, and be honest; can you? Can you hold together long enough? Because, sir, you’re not fooling me and you’re not fooling Silom.”

“I don’t need to fool you, but I need the soldiers to believe in me. If you support me, they will. General Rjala and I planned an attack on the port before the raid. I know its layout, I know its weaknesses and I can assure you both, if we get inside, this attack is viable. Otherwise, I wouldn’t consider it. With Sonly’s force, I’ll have more than Rjala and I planned. Plus, the Empress will be off-planet; that’s a big advantage.”

“So, how?” asked Silom.

“There are four docking bays and two access points: one at the back, one in the control room. The control room links directly to the palace. The back access door is hard to reach quickly; we have about fifteen minutes from the alarm being raised.”

“The docking bays have cargo doors,” Lichio said. “That’s how they took us across to the palace.”

“It’ll be near dark, in Abendau; nothing that isn’t essential flies at night. The port will be in lock down and the cargo doors closed. So, three squads: first one is a twelve-man squad, two pairs take each of three bays. Silom leads that one. You, Lichio, have an eight-man squad. Secure the docking bay, one pair keep it locked down, the other three secure the access door. Last six are with me at the control room, which gives access to the port’s defence systems. Once we have that, they won’t be able to retake it.”

Lichio looked at Silom and then back at Kare.

“Well?” Kare asked. One part of him wanted them to say no, and force him to give this up. Another wanted to take Abendau and finish it forever.
Forever?
His mother was still to be faced. He drew himself up a little straighter and reminded himself he was here, still alive and fighting. Just about.

“Sounds achievable,” Silom said, and Lichio nodded.

“It is,” Kare said. “Silom, get the men equipped. The one thing we don’t have is communication sets; otherwise the arsenal is well stocked. That means you two need to communicate directly to me. Just voice it, I’ll pick it up.”

Silom nodded and left, and Kare turned to Lichio. “I need a pilot and co-pilot. At four forty-five I want the men here. I’ll inform the port there’s been an accident and we’ll go in as guards and prisoners.”

“They use voice recognition,” Lichio said. “They’ll never open up for us, sir.”

Kare raised an eyebrow. “That bastard le Payne has no confidence in anything I say.” The voice, the cadence, the timing were all unmistakable: Captain Beck had just spoken.

“I’d forgotten you could do that,” admitted Lichio. “But, sir, this isn’t impression night at the barracks.”

Returning to his own voice, Kare assured Lichio, “It’s identical. It will pass any voice recognition check. It’s not just an impression, it never was. It’s about the only fun quirk my parents landed me with.”

“I still think you’re mad,” Lichio said, quietly, to him. “You should run for it. But, if you’re determined to do it, I’m with you. Apart from anything else, my big sister will kill me if I abandon you. And that’s much more frightening than anything I might face in Abendau.”

Kare smiled and beckoned to Sam. He’d been lucky to have Sam come across to them, luckier than he deserved to be. He made a mental note to keep the doctor close during the attack, make sure he made it through.

“Right,” he said. “Who’s your contact, and how do I reach them?”

“I don’t know her name,” Sam said. “Tall lady, middle aged. Seductive voice, beautiful eyes.”

“She’s still there,” said Kare. He’d put her into the palace, had spent hours getting her story in place, making her believe she wasn’t Cadence from the Banned anymore, but Simone, looking for a job as a housekeeper.

Sam handed over the comms unit and Kare waited for a moment before it was answered.

“Simone?”

“Yes, who is this?” came the reply, calm and unruffled as ever. He smiled at the familiar voice. He hadn’t given the spies up, but he’d come so, so, close, his mother’s mind worming into his. That day– the lashings, the shocks; oh
gods
, the shocks–
had faded into a red circle of horror but he still remembered how he
’d been on the verge of saying their names and only their faces– faces he’d chosen, trained and placed– had stopped him.

“Is the line secure?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Colonel Varnon,” he told her.

“You’re alive, then,” she said. “That’s good, we were worried. I was worried, sir.”

Kare smiled at her lack of emotion, knowing the small statement said more than any inflection might have done. “Alive, and not too bad, all things considered. Do you recognise my authority?”

“Sonly has sent a very clear message, sir. Yours is the commanding authority in Abendau.”

“How many agents do you have available?” Kare asked, and hoped his relief didn’t show in his voice. Up until now he hadn’t been sure, not completely, that Sonly
would
back him.

“I have twenty in the palace, ten in the city and five of those are military.”

“Good. Can you report back that I aim to take the port this evening?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once I secure the port, Sonly can bring her assault force in. I land at five-thirty this evening; the port will be expecting a prison convoy. Have your people at the back door to the port, waiting.”

“Do you need anything further from us, sir?”

“No,” Kare said. “I’ll make contact once we’re in.”

As he put the comms unit down, Sam placed a bowl in front of him. He frowned. “
More
food?”

Sam shrugged. “It’s nothing much. Porridge.”

Kare lifted the spoon and then set it down again. “I’ve eaten breakfast and lunch, Sam. I don’t want to get carried away with dinner as well.”

Sam crossed his arms. “Eat. I’m the doctor, and I say you need it. Now eat.”

***

Later, Kare looked at the drawings of the port and palace in front of him. They were drawn from memory, but he was pleased by how much he recalled. The two seats opposite were pulled out from the table and he looked up to see Lichio and Silom.

“Well?” Kare asked.

“I managed to find one pilot,” Lichio said. “The only other with
any
flying experience is you; you’ll have to co-pilot.”

Kare winced at the thought of flying a heavy desert transporter to Abendau. “That sounds fine. Silom, show Sam how to use his gun, make sure he knows how not to shoot himself, at least. Or me,” he added, remembering his decision to keep the doctor close. “Lichio, your big sis is bringing the cavalry, so we will have an assault force.”

Kare walked into the main room of the barracks and waited as the soldiers pulled themselves to attention. He knew them all, some better than others. One looked to be about eighteen, young but hardened after Omendegon and the quarry. Kare took a deep breath; he had to convince them to give him their respect and loyalty.
I didn’t run or betray them. I’ve been through worse than them, and I’m still here, standing with them; let that be enough.
He stepped forwards.

“Six months ago, I commanded a force of thousands. They died at the Empress’ hands. The base was destroyed. Children slaughtered.” He pointed at one of the soldiers in the back row, one of the base security team. “Tomas, your partner.” And another. “Your mother, Amir.”

He lifted his chin. His child, his family. “Tonight, we avenge them. We show our enemies we are still here and fighting. That they
cannot
take our will.” His voice had grown stronger, but he lowered it, letting the words hold the essence of a betrayal that would never be forgiven.

“I will not betray you as Eevan did. I will fight beside you until my last breath. I will hold the memories of those I fight for, and they will give me strength.” He saw the belief in their faces– they would follow him. He lifted his right hand, fist clenched. “Together we take the fight to the Empress. We will destroy all she has built. Teach her the rebellion does not end. That no matter how she crushes our spirit, we come back." He took a breath and cast his eyes around the room.
Please, let him come back.
"All of us.”

Kare opened the comms link to the Palace. “This is Clenadii Quarry.” He waited, breath held, as they checked his voice patterns. It should work, he and Rjala had tested it, but even so….

The comms unit crackled to life. “Go ahead, Boyce.”

He breathed out. “Sir, we have a problem here; the plant’s overheating. We have to evacuate.”

“When do you plan to evacuate, Boyce? Can it wait until morning?”

“We’re in the process now, sir. The first ship will be with you in forty-five minutes. It’ll be a small transport; we’re bringing the high-security prisoners in first.”

“Do you need additional support?”

“No, sir,” Kare said smoothly. “It’s better if you leave it to us; we’re used to handling them.”

“See you when you get here then, Boyce.”

Kare reached for the collar he’d worn until the previous evening, and panic rose in him. He gulped. “You’re sure I have to wear it?”

Sam nodded. “Everyone knows what they did to you; without the collar, they’ll know something’s not right. And you can’t go in as a guard– neither can Silom or Lichio– you’re far too well known.”

Kare snapped the collar loosely into place, and fought to keep his voice steady. “All right, but next time it comes off, it’s staying off. Let’s go.”

Sam climbed onboard and headed to the prisoner hold of the transport. Kare joined the pilot. As the heavy transport lifted off, the winds of the desert plains pulled at it, threatening to take it off course.

“There’s no way we can use the automatic settings to fly. The winds are too unpredictable,” said the pilot. “It’s no wonder they use Controllers.”

“I’d prefer if we had a bit more experience, Jin,” admitted Kare as he scanned the charts. But few pilots had been taken from the Banned; most had been killed in the battle for the base. He saw the perspiration on the other pilot’s brow. “Actually, I’d prefer it if you were my dad.”

“Makes two of us,” said Jin.

They sat in silence, Jin concentrating on the controls, and Kare on the charts. The ship dipped, threatening to crash into the mountains. Sweat broke as the control panel screamed at them to bank. He reached forward and silenced the alarms. Thank the gods for his father; flying with Ealyn had given him good nerves, at least. Even so, he almost let out a yell when the ship dropped too close to the ground.

“Abendau,” said Jin, his voice terse. "Just ahead, sir.”

Kare saw the lights of the city emerge against the encroaching darkness. It was the first time he’d had a chance to take in the full extent of the city, and how it spread into the desert, a massive oasis carved out of the land. The palace and port were near the centre, standing tall over the rest of the city.

“Well done,” he said, biting back his nerves. The port were taking too long to make contact. He glanced at Jin, who looked sick. The comms unit burst into life.

"Permission to land granted; docking bay three."

Kare sucked in a breath and Jin gave a thumbs-up. He moved to the main prisoner hold where Lichio held a pair of cuffs out to him.

“You’ll have to do it; he never cuffed me in front.” He put his hands behind his back. The eyes of his men were on him as Lichio took his wrist and encircled it with the cold metal. Kare struggled not to tremble but Lichio must have felt it, because he gave the other wrist a gentle squeeze as he clicked the cuff on. Kare tested the bonds, straining a little.

"Thanks," he croaked.

"No problem." Lichio settled his own hands into cuffs, taking care not to lock them, and walked over to join his squad.

“Are those cuffs locked? They look locked,” Sam said.