Alien General's Fated: SciFi Alien Romance (Brion Brides) (36 page)

The point was, of course, that she would open her mouth and tell the truth. Sota had tried to convince her that since she wouldn't be able to change anything, she shouldn't try in the first place. Aria couldn't accept that. She would speak her mind and they could do with that as they wished.

The Galaya Hall fell silent when she stood. Ryden, who hadn't paid much attention to any of the arguments that broke around him, turned her way too.

"You are unbelievable cowards," Aria said.

The council welcomed that with stunned silence. Ryden was regarding her with a pleased look on his face.

"I went to see my rooms today," she went on. "And you are right. They were destroyed, blasted apart beyond repair. Everywhere on this moon there is damage that will take years to replace and mend. I could tell you exactly how we could have avoided most of it in advance, but I already did a year ago and I don't think you'll pay more attention to my words now than you did then."

She took a pause to look at Klaen and the Koliars directly.

"You want to get rid of Ryden, want to humiliate the Brions for coming to your aid. If you do not see the dishonor and fault with that yourself, I can't help you."

Aria then turned so that most of the council was before her.

"But above all, do you know what else I saw on my way to my quarters? People. Everywhere. I had to push through crowds at some point to get to where I needed to be. And that applies to all of you too. How many empty seats do you see? We are
all
here. The only reason for that is the things you protested against.

If we would have evacuated to the lower levels any later, many of us would have died in the bombardment or by the hands of the Clayors. I don't know what else I need to say. I would think you valued the lives of the people on Ilotra more than Ilotra itself, more than your wounded pride at being told to go and
not die
."

There was deafening silence around Aria by then. She gave them one more look and sat down. Wellack smiled to her encouragingly.

"Thank you, Ambassador Aria," Klaen said slowly. "The council will rule now."

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Ryden

 

He had to admit a part of him had doubted.

After Aria's initial dislike of him and her disapproval of the way he waged war, Ryden hadn't been sure if her support was sincere. It was known that bonded couples resonated with each other, but they also shared the other's mindset and opinions.

Even the cold general Faren had shown some emotion after binding to his lively, bright
gesha
. The girl herself, a pacifist, known for her opinions across all Briolina, had in turn admitted that some things were worth going to war for.

Hearing Aria speak, calling the council out, Ryden silently thanked the fates. He had waited for his
gesha
, wondering what she might be like. The bindings had always been a central part of the lives of Brions, but recent events had started to shake some old beliefs.

Truths that had not been widely known before started to emerge, stories that had been hidden were coming to light. And among them was the lie the Elders had kept in the hope of protecting their people: that all binds were made to work.

The High Senator Eleya had been the first to publicly admit to it. Her broken bind to the treacherous Senator Eren was common knowledge now, but it had taken Eleya many months to gather the courage to speak of it. She was the one who refused the binding, despising the man who the fates had brought her, now dead by General Diego Grothan's hand. After a powerful, influential figure like her had brought the lie to light, others dared to speak up too.

Brions had taken the lie in their stride with their unflappability. The news that not all binds were made to work had shocked them, but it hadn't broken them like some had feared. They merely hoped more, hoped for a true, good bond.

That was all Ryden had wanted as well. A
gesha
he would like, not just love. For other species, that distinction went the other way, but not for them. The binding worked, it always worked. The pull, the desire, the absolute commitment was always there. But nothing could force two people to like each other.

Aria was destined to be his world, his everything, from the moment he recognized her as his own. But with every moment he spent with the little Terran, he wanted her more. Ryden wasn't pulled along by some unseen force of the fates; he was willingly casting himself into the current that she was.

It was the reason he had decided to go about things the way he was. Not to create trouble for Aria, not to shed more blood. That wasn't his real trial. The only ones who could judge his actions were the Brion Elders, but he was certain they'd approve.

Her words were simple and true and he loved her for them, for the innocence he couldn't match. Aria's voice was hopeless. She knew she was speaking to a deaf crowd, but she still seemed to think of it as a process. Ryden knew it was all over a while ago.

The council had set its table and he had set his. Now they were playing chess, but he wouldn't have been a true general if he'd shown all his pieces at the very start.

The look on Aria's beautiful face was hollow when the council members finished voting on the matter. Ryden watched them with detached curiosity, more interested in whether he'd predicted everyone's votes correctly than the outcome.

After all of the ambassadors had made their mark on the screen implanted into their seats, Klaen pulled up the results. The general watched him intensely as a peculiar array of emotions warred across Klaen's face.

First, there was joy, then fear, then hesitation, and finally forced courage.

The decision is guilty, but he doesn't dare announce it.

It seemed that many in the hall had figured out the same or predicted it like he had. Ryden noticed quite a few sitting tensely, ready to flee behind their guards. It was truly vexing, the way they continued to believe that any of them could stand in his way. Stavor, perhaps, would slow him down.

"General," Klaen said. "This council regrets that it has decided to convict you on the charges of an attempted coup."

Ryden could scarcely hold back the grin. His mistrust and hate toward politicians was known—in fact all of the generals shared that particular opinion—but this was on a new level. They were accusing him of trying to take over Ilotra after he'd handed it back to them. It was said fear had big eyes.

Stavor was beaming, but Ryden read his posturing without trouble. The warlord wasn't sure he would emerge from a duel with him. The general swore to give him a quick death because for all of that, the Koliar stood, ready to fulfill his promise.

"Time for justice," the warrior growled.

Voices rose, filling the Galaya Hall with noise. Several delegations, including the Brions and the Palians were protesting the decision, saying it was illegal. Ryden didn't bother himself with trying to listen to their reasoning. It was pointless.

Aria had stood up too, pressing through the crowds to come his way, but the general signaled Wellack before she got very far. The Palian caught her, pulling her back to her seat. He was speaking urgently to her and after a long moment, Aria relaxed.

Seeing another man's hands on his
gesha
set his valor squares pulsing, but the Palians knew better. The moment Aria stopped struggling, he let go, retreating to a respectful distance.

Palians
, Ryden thought.
They think of everything.

The noise was getting annoying now. Stavor was pacing restlessly like a leashed dog.

Ryden stood from his seat. "
Silence
," he roared.

His powerful, deep voice carried easily to every corner of the great hall. The ambassadors fell quiet at once, some with fearful looks on their faces, but Ryden had no interest in them. They were nothing to him. Only Stavor and the Fremma mattered.

He turned to the Koliar. "What about the
Conqueror
?" he asked.

The warlord gave him a measuring look. "If you submit yourself to the will of the council, your ship will be left unharmed," he said.

That brought a new clamor, but Ryden focused his attention on Stavor.

"You don't seriously expect me to bare my neck to you," he said, letting the council argue over their heads.

Stavor snarled. "Slay an unarmed man? What do you take me for?"

Ryden gave him a nod.

"Very well, then," he said. "We fight. And you leave my ship be."

The Koliar nodded grimly. Ryden knew he'd keep his word, considering the council an excuse as much as he did. They could say and decide whatever they wanted. Stavor had only looked for a reason to fight him, and Ryden was buying time. If the Koliar insisted on dying, that was out of his hands.

"This is not what we ruled," Klaen shouted to Stavor over the mayhem around them. "We have yet to decide the fate of the
Conqueror
and its crew."

"Everything is clear to me," Stavor said. "The general and I will settle this."

"This is not some duel!" Klaen called. "He must submit himself to the council's will."

Stavor laughed, the sound echoing across the suddenly very silent hall. The warlord turned to the council, letting his eyes take them in. Ryden knew Stavor hated them as much as he did, the lesser men presuming to decide their fate.

"Is that so?" Stavor asked the council. "I wonder if there is anyone here that thinks he will. If there is, I must suggest you give up your seat on this council right now."

Silence answered him, although a few were glowering at him for the insult. Ryden enjoyed the show of the council's guard dog turning against them.

"No, I didn't think so," Stavor said when the moment of silence lingered.

With those words, he stepped down from his podium into the empty area before the council seats. It wasn't ideal as an arena, but it would have to do, Ryden thought, following him.

He took a moment to look at Aria, who was watching him go with quiet dignity, even if she couldn't hide her fear from him. Then Ryden put her firmly to his back, so as not to get distracted in a fight with the man who often killed his enemies months after he'd fought them. The warlord's poisoned sword was already in his hand, ready to find any weakness in his armor.

It wasn't only a fight he had to win, it was a fight where he couldn't allow for a single mistake.

And he had beaten Stavor before. The trouble was, then the commander of the Gray Armada had been under the hive mind's influence. Clumsier, slower, at war with his own mind.

There would be no mercy this time. Ryden drew his spear.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Ryden

 

Ryden had been downplaying Stavor in his mind, even going as far as to boast, something which he normally didn't do. But the truth was that one didn't become a commander in the Gray Armada by chance. Stavor was deadly, strong, and clever. The hive mind might have been able to play with his head, but Stavor didn't need much strategy to outmatch him.

All he needed was one strike and Ryden would be no good for anything for the rest of his life, if he lived at all.

The Galaya Hall fell into revered silence as he approached his opponent. Stavor was waiting for him, silent and expectant. His gray armor was nearly as thick as Ryden's and he was about his height. Ryden couldn't underestimate him and the sword. The hive mind had been a different enemy, one that required a clear mind and cleverness to beat, but Stavor was pure power. It was a match of skill and speed, nothing more.

A simple fight
, Ryden thought, stopping a few feet from the warlord.
I've missed those.

Simple in concept, but not in execution.

He met Stavor's eyes for a second, acknowledging his opponent. It was a match of warriors, after all, not a brawl or an unmatched battle. They were equals and took a second to consider that before they gave themselves over to attempting to kill each other.

Stavor charged first, since it was his best chance to hit Ryden with the poison quick and hard. There was a shield in his hand, one that Ryden was familiar with. The Koliar shields were as legendary as the Brion spears, created with the same technology that powered the shields of their ships. It was, to say, unbreakable.

But since it required huge amounts of energy to maintain, it wasn't very large—barely enough to cover Stavor's arm—but it was an obstacle. Every blow Ryden dealt to it, dodging and blocking the sword, was met with a clash that left his hand shivering. To hit the shield with his spear with full strength felt like slamming his fist against a wall.

He wondered what sort of a poison Stavor had chosen for him. Of course no matter what the particular concoction was, it was meant for a Brion. The Koliars were very specific about their weapons, always perfectly aware of their opponent. All their tactics, the different aspects of their weapons, it was designed around their enemies.

At a more peaceful time, Ryden had seen a Koliar armory once. Their preferred weapon combination was their shield and a sword, with a long and sharp blade, but it didn't mean they had nothing else. He'd seen walls upon walls of swords. Long, short, curvy, wide, ones with many blades and those with blades that warped.

He'd been very impressed. Brions would always appreciate warriors who took pride and care with their craft.

For the fight with him, Stavor was wielding a long, incredibly thin blade, but it didn't break even against the battle spear. Ryden didn't have a moment to look closer at such details, but for a second he could have sworn that the weapon was the same material as the shield.

Clever. Very clever. It's a pity our qualities make us better enemies than friends.

That applied to all Brions and Koliars, the tensions between them finally boiling over. Ryden wouldn't have chosen it to end that way, but Stavor didn't leave him another choice. He would have to kill him. And hope that whoever succeeded the warlord would keep his promise to not attack the
Conqueror
.