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Eros pulls Michio into a hug, and I greet the governor of Stele with the traditional arm gesture.
“What the hell happened?” Eros holds his older brother’s shoulders.
“We have a lot to explain. But you’re sure you weren’t followed?”
“Yes. There’s no movement in the city. I’ve never seen it like this, not even when we believed the Vikings were going to get through our defenses.” Eros shakes Michio a little. “What the fuck happened?”
“That’s a long story.”
“Boil it down.”
“Forrest got wind that another agent working for a security council member was planning something, a hit on a governor or stealing tech—the source wasn’t clear.”
“I didn’t know who to trust. Not even my own agent. So I turned to Michio. I procured the cloaking devices for the two of us. I was hopeful that with Michio’s youth and agility, he would be able to help me.”
I can hear Little Krill’s voice in my head now. If they knew there was going to be an attack, why didn’t they stop it, cancel the plans? But a Dorian would never give the upper hand to an enemy. “You had the element of surprise.”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why you didn’t invite any of your family members.”
“But me,” grumbles Eros. “You could have given me a heads up.”
“I did tell you to come alone.”
“You did. But my mate didn’t come with me. She was invited by Porcia, the Koralli governor’s mate. Whom you obviously didn’t warn about anything.”
“The only ones we were sure weren’t involved were the two of us and Castor. He’s had his head so full of courting your mate, there’s no way he would be involved in a coup. Once you and your mates showed up, he was totally in the clear. As were all of you.” Forest pulls up a three-legged stool from the corner of the building and sits.
“And you knew the building was going to come down?” Eros asks.
“Of course not.” Forrest stands, his hand to his chest. “I would never want citizens to be killed.”
“No, we had the cloaking device because my source said there was going to be a diversion before whatever happened. I never imagined the whole dome coming down. I would never have run into the administrative building.” Michio’s head shakes.
“That’s one hell of a diversion.” I nod at the Stele governor.
“Absolutely. And what do you need a diversion for?” The older male’s eyes widen. “To do something else. But what is there to do in the Maelstrom? We don’t keep anything of consequence there. Nothing but what citizens bring in.”
I give him another nod.
“That’s what Nico thought too. The tech the governors bring in,” Eros says.
“Yes, when the first crack appeared and people started to scatter, Michio and I went to the lobby and into where the lockers are—were. Someone else cloaked was ripping them open.”
“Did you—” Eros begins.
“I intercepted him. Fighting when you can’t see your hands is not easy, especially when you can’t see your enemy. I didn’t mean to—he fell against one of the locker doors he had torn apart, and the sensor for the cloaking device fell off him. He had a large hole in the side of his neck. He was dead before he hit the floor,” Michio growls.
“Who was it?” I ask.
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
“We also have these.” Forrest holds up a bag of tech, blocks, tablets, and weapons. “We figured if they wanted them, we wanted them. The whole thing didn’t take long. The dead male had already gathered everything. It was Michio’s idea to come here and not go home. But we also don’t want to turn any of these on, not when the silo isn’t shielded. It’s only a matter of time before we’re found—we turn them on, and it’s going to look like we’re the masterminds of the whole thing.” Forrest taps the bag.
“We solve who did it, and we can clear your names. The list of dead is short. Tristan Bellucci of Vitrom is one,” I say.
“Damn. It wasn’t him. But the city won’t miss that bastard.” But I catch the look in Michio’s eyes and know what this means. Eros is free.
