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Kalen laughed. “I like this idea, but Rakkur is right. He may have a company of men with him, because he’s a coward. This plan will give us the advantage of surprise, but we need more. I think I have an idea for that. But I’ll need the help of the ship orbiting Loros.”
Kalen passed over a piece of paper containing a couple of names and numbers. “These men can help us. They’re members of my personal guard, which was taken back to Loros after I met Mikol on Belline. With any luck, they’re still near or inside the palace. The ship can contact them using those numbers for their communicators. Send them a message telling them I need their help and use the code words ‘no mercy.’ It’s an old, long-standing code I’ve used with them in the past. That way, they’ll know it’s really me. Tell them where and when and they’ll be there to back us up.”
“Can they be trusted?”
“They’re extremely loyal to me, so yes. They’ll come to help us escape and get back up to the ship once I have Mikol.”
“You really think they’ll help?” Ryan asked.
“Yes. My men despise my uncle as much as I do.”
“Okay,” Kevin said. “So then what happens? How do we get to Mikol and Florin and the others?
“I’ll go to the dungeons and find him.”
“Alone? No,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “Mikol will be in his tyger and may not recognize you. He could kill you, Kalen.”
“I don’t know that he won’t. Not for sure. But he told me once that a tyger recognizes his mate.”
“That’s true,” Kevin said. “But it’s still a terrifying experience.”
“Back to the plan,” Ryan prompted. “What do you think of it?”
Kalen smiled. “I think it might work. If nothing else, we’ll kill Nerol, I think.”
“I don’t like this plan at all,” Dartan said, and Rakkur nodded.
“Yeah, Ryan. It’s kind of a shit plan.”
“No, it isn’t. Well, maybe it is, but I think it could work.”
“I think it has to,” Kalen said. “Because we don’t have anything else.
****
The gods must have been with them, because everything so far was going well. When they arrived in Lorian airspace, they took their own small shuttle to the surface. It was one of the royal shuttlecraft so it was impervious to scans. If the Pton or someone on Loros was trying to track them, they’d have no way of knowing how many people were really on board.
When they landed, Kalen got off the craft wearing his sapphire robe and doing his best to look as if he were frightened. Behind him was Ryan and Kevin, also wearing their robes and carrying the large box—one of the ammunition boxes onboard they had adapted for their purposes. All of them were wearing the black uniforms with the bristling armor under their robes. And Rakkur was hiding inside the box.
As they came slowly toward the palace, breathing hard, because Rakkur was surprisingly heavy, Kalen could see his uncle waiting for him at the top of the steps that led to the dais. He was surrounded by not only his guards, but some of the men who looked like the ones that attacked Mikol’s ship on the way home from the space station. Perhaps thirty men in all, all with weapons held ready.
When Kalen and the others had made it almost to the top step, Nerol held up a hand to stop them. Kalen knew it was so he could look down on them.
“Ah my son, how nice to see you. And you’re wearing the traditionaldressof the Tygerian nobyo. How sweet.”
Kalen took a deep breath, promised himself he’d kill this man soon and tried to speak through the anger that was choking him. “Uncle-father. How glorious to see you too. Where’s my husband?”
“Is that all you have to say to me after so many weeks?”
“Bring him to me.”
“Don’t you want to see your mother, or rest a while before we have to conduct our business? Perhaps you could introduce me to your friends?”
“Bring Mikol to me.”
“Tedious, as ever. First, I have to see what tribute you brought me. I do hope it’s all there.”
“It’s all there. Check it for yourself.”
