Читать книгу Red Smoke Rising - Rick Psy.D. Anthony - Страница 7

Adan repositioned himself on the tiny bunk and threw the pillow to the floor in a final, exasperated effort to get comfortable. He couldn’t sleep in the stupid bed. He hated spending nights at the prison.

The remaining three cots in the room were empty. It was silent and completely dark, but he still couldn’t sleep. Every time he opened his eyes he saw the flash of the auras around him. He could clearly see the walls, the other bunks—even the ceiling. Every tangible thing around him threw its own distinct aura. It allowed him to clearly make out every detail of his compressed surroundings. It meant he was still entranced. The ku wouldn’t wear off for another hour or two.

Smoking copious amounts of the drug to invoke his augmentation was all part of the job. Having the drug in his system was essential to maintaining his size. Such was the case for all impermanent augments.

He hadn’t realized the effects were still present when he had gone to bed, though. He spent so much time entranced it was hard to tell if he was sober or not. The lifestyle was devastating for some, but for men like Adan, the prestige and power that came with Myrmidon service was more than enough to compensate for such annoyances as lack of sleep.

He rolled over once in the stiff bunk once more. The bed creaked in protest. The beds weren’t adequate for a man of his size and they definitely weren’t made to fit augments. He closed his eyes and concentrated in an effort to turn off his augmentation and shift back.

As he calmed, his aura slowed its wild, spinning pattern until it eventually normalized. Altering his aura caused his body to twist and change shape. He cringed as he shrank. His skin and bones burned as they changed; pain seared through his body. After a few moments the discomfort subsided and he returned to his regular size.

Adan was a large man, standing about six and a half feet tall in his un-augmented state. Even in his normal state he was still too large to fit comfortably in the stupid bunks, but at least his legs didn’t hang off the end.

He was still on duty and wouldn’t be able to return home until the matter of the students was resolved and they could be officially turned over to Stern.

What am I going to tell him?

As he lay restless in bed, he recited the day’s events over in his head. His instincts had been off. It wasn’t until Kale had resisted questioning that Adan realized something was seriously wrong. It was at that moment he realized the day would be a bloody one. Under the circumstances, he had no choice. The students had stupidly questioned the authority of the Empire in front of a crowd. No self-respecting Myrmidon would have allowed such a thing and Adan was certainly no exception. As he lay awake in his bed, he wondered if it had been a test. Deep down, he wondered if Stern knew what they were walking into.

Stern was a powerful Kuvaleer known for the cruel tests he put his augments through in an effort to grade them. Adan had been in Empire employment long enough to have survived his fair share of the Kuvaleer’s tests.

Adan gritted his teeth. Even if it was a test, Stern wasn’t going to be happy about the men Adan had lost in the encounter with Mia. The man was known for his temper. His ruthlessness had gotten him to where he was.

Stern was one among a very elite group of Kuvaleers who were also generals. They had been charged with keeping peace and order in the name of the Empire. Each such cadre held a portion of the Empire’s lands under their control. Southern Muoro was Stern’s charge. Being one of his Myrmidons carried a great deal of prestige.

Adan yawned and rolled over again. Another Master—Mir—was scheduled to arrive at the prison early the following day and Adan’s presence had been requested. Mir was a special guest, a member of the Empire’s elite, a person even Stern held in high regard.

Adan knew little about Mir’s background. In fact, he knew nothing about Mir at all outside of the rumours that spread from Myrmidon to commoner alike. Mir was the one the Empire sent when they needed answers. Adan cringed as he thought about it.

Disgusting… He shifted in his bunk.

The time and concentration involved in manipulating auras made it impractical for most techniques to be used on a battlefield so it was rare to hear of someone being manipulated against their will. The thought of someone bound and manipulated maliciously made him feel sick.

The longer he thought of Mir’s techniques the queasier he felt. There are other, more practical ways to interrogate people, he thought. He had a strong stomach and had seen his fair share of carnage throughout the years, but the thought of being manipulated in such a manner was unbearable to him. The rumours were dark and graphic. Deep down, Mir and his methods terrified him. It was just one more thing adding to his restless night.

As he stared at the ceiling, Adan wondered why Stern would call for Mir before interrogating the students himself. Sometimes Stern’s judgment angered him. Adan wasn’t fond of any of the Masters, although he would never have said such a thing—especially to his own Kuvaleer. Stern had given Adan his augmentation. Such insolence would result in Adan being stripped of it.

Stern’s an arrogant prick, even by Kuvaleer standards. Questioning him wasn’t an option.

Without so much as a knock, another man entered the room.

“Adan?”

It would have been a welcome reprieve from the frustration of trying to sleep had the man’s message been a different one.

“Adan! You need to get up. You need to see this.” The Myrmidon’s voice sounded panicked as his eyes fluttered around the dark room.

Adan let out a sigh. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Without a word he rose from his bunk, dressed and followed the man out.

“They’ve escaped!” The guard’s words echoed over and over again in Adan’s head as the two jogged down the prison’s hallways past row upon row of steel cell doors. He strained to understand.

How?

“What the hell are we dealing with?” The man’s words seemed to project from Adan’s own mind.

“Whatever it is, we’ve underestimated it. Again!” Adan was furious.

The two moved rapidly down the corridors of the prison as they approached the cells that were supposed to have held the prisoners. Adan pushed past the men milling about the doorway. He couldn’t believe what he saw when he walked into the middle cell.

The walls on either side had been punched through, leaving jagged holes. The outer wall was breached in a perfect pattern. It was as if the bricks had simply been missed when the prison was built.

“Assemble a team,” Adan bellowed at the others and stormed out of the cell. “Get me horses and a tracker. We leave immediately.”

Marching back to gather his supplies, Adan passed the room where Stern usually worked. To his surprise the light was on and he could hear the sounds of a conversation inside. He peered in to see who was up at such an hour. His eyes met Stern’s.

“Adan, come in,” Stern said, noticing him in the doorway. Questioning the invitation with only a look, Adan did as he was told.

A tall, beautiful, dark-haired woman sat across from Stern. She was well dressed, a few years older than Adan but far too young for an old man like Stern.

“Oh, sir, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. . .” Adan headed back to the door.

“No,” Stern insisted. “Adan, this is the esteemed Master Mir.”

Adan felt ill as soon the words registered in his brain. It took only a moment to get over his shock before his stomach sank. The stories he had heard about the interrogator’s techniques were so vile, perverse and cruel that he never imagined the possibility of Mir being a woman. Somehow that made it even worse.

She showed no emotion as she reached out her arm to reveal a perfectly manicured hand. Her fingers, like the rest of her, were slender and petite. Her hand was tiny in Adan’s as he shook it.

“I...” Adan was at a complete loss.

“She arrived early,” the Kuvaleer said as he looked up at Adan. “We’re just about to get her settled. By the way, why are you up at this hour?”

Adan stared at Mir as he grappled for words. He looked back at the Kuvaleer and then at the floor before he spoke. “Stern, the prisoners from the university have escaped. I’m assembling a tracking party.”

The room went silent. Stern and Mir exchanged a glance.

After a moment, Stern spoke. The whine in his voice cracked a little more than usual under the stress of this news. “I’m sorry, Mir. The Myrmidon outside the door will see you to your quarters. I’ll have someone retrieve you as soon as the search party is assembled.”

Mir nodded and left the room without saying a word. Stern erupted the moment the door clicked shut behind her. “Are you unfit for duty?” he squawked as he leaned forward. “I sent you to investigate rumours of tainted auras and you come back with two dead Myrmidons—and then let the prisoners escape? Do you know how long it has been since a Myrmidon died in the line of duty? Do you know that no one has ever escaped this prison?”

“Sir, they broke through the cell walls; the structure failed,” Adan defended as he maintained his stature.

“You failed,” Stern countered immediately. “You failed because they couldn’t breach the wall without help or, at the very least, gross ineptitude. Either way this is your fault.”

Adan looked away. “Yes, sir. I take full responsibility. I wish to be charged with recapturing the prisoners.”

“Good,” Stern fumed. “From now on when someone resists arrest—kill them. Make an example of them and set a standard for your fellow Myrmidons. You are one of the most senior men at this post and you are among the most heavily augmented. Start using your power or I’ll give it to someone who will.”

With that Stern opened the door, showed Adan out and slammed it behind him.

Adan stood for a moment without moving. He inhaled deeply; his shoulders heaving with every breath. After taking a moment to collect himself he turned and walked through the corridors to meet his search team.

Kuvaleers were known for their arrogance and insolence, especially where their reports were concerned. Stern had given Adan his augmentation and he also had the ability to take it away. The day would come when Adan would retire and his augmentations would be removed, but being constantly threatened with de-augmentation and dismissal was starting to grate. He would do anything to keep the physical power he possessed. The problem was Stern knew it.

Adan paced his breathing. He drew each breath with force as he concentrated. He could feel his muscles tighten and his skin stretch. He concentrated harder as he walked. In a flash of light he shifted and grew into his goliath, augmented size.

“Adan,” a voice came from behind him. “I’ve been authorized to come with you.”

Adan stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn to respond. For a moment he ignored the voice completely. Slowly, grudgingly, he turned to see Mir. She had changed her clothes and wore a suede riding suit. Her dark hair was pinned neatly on top of her head. He would have thought she looked beautiful were it not for the despicable tales about her—and the permanent scowl on her face.

He tried to sound as professional as he could. “With all due respect, Mir, these students have proven to be very dangerous. Two Myrmidons are dead and now they have escaped from an inescapable prison. Having you in my care would be a liability for my patrol.”

Mir’s response came quickly. It was as if she expected the rebuff. “Capturing them is your duty. Then I will take over and do mine. They could be a few hours away already and it may be days until we catch them. The information they have could be critical and bringing them back for questioning will take too long. I will come with you and we will interrogate them where we find them. Stern has already assigned me to your patrol. I’m coming with you.”

Adan had nothing to say. He scowled as he stared down the hallway at the slender woman. There was an ugly taint to her aura that he couldn’t put his finger on. He simply nodded, turned and walked to the stables to meet the others. Mir trailed behind him.

They arrived to find nine other Myrmidons assembled and ready to ride.

“Sir,” one of the other Myrmidons addressed him, “two horses are missing.”

“Jeanea,” Adan responded as he shook his head. “Someone find the healer Jeanea!” he hollered as his face reddened further.

I knew she was far too anxious to heal the injured ones, he fumed. No one else had access to them.

After a brief search of the barracks it became apparent that Jeanea was nowhere to be found. Adan’s suspicions were confirmed.

“We have a traitor in our midst. Alert Stern,” Adan instructed a stable hand as he mounted his horse. After a horse was prepared for Mir, the patrol trotted out of the stables together.

“The horses are augments?” Mir asked as they moved out.

“Yes, for speed and endurance, plus it helps them see at night.”

“Interesting,” she said. “I’m assuming it is impermanent? So they shift? How do you administer the drug to them to invoke the change?”

“The stable hands light a fire in the back that fills the air with smoke just before we use them,” Adan explained. “They don’t like it much. They aren’t smart enough to control their shifting so they stay augmented as long as the drug is in their system.”

Adan wished Mir would stop asking questions. He ground his teeth.

Dawn would not come for another couple of hours, but any time spent waiting for light would be time for the escapees to get even further.

“Who’s my tracker?” Adan bellowed.

“I am, sir; my name is Cyril.” The smallest Myrmidon yelled back as he coaxed his horse to the front of the group. “I see their tracks.”

“Are you sure?” Adan asked.

“Yes, sir,” Cyril responded, “absolutely sure. I’ve been augmented to track, sir.”

Adan realized then why the man wasn’t oversized like the rest. His augmentation was designed for another purpose. It was an interesting trick; Adan was anxious to see how it worked. “Okay. You lead, we’ll follow,” he told him.

They rode off, leaving only dust in their wake as they tore across the prairie in search of Mia and her companions. They traveled for hours and the night wore on with no capture; the horses barreled on at full speed.

The light of dawn became visible over the horizon as they came upon a ranch house. The wail of dogs pierced the air.

The hunting party charged the ranch. The sound of hoofbeats replaced the frantic canine yelps. Adan planned to end the matter for good.