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Although far from convinced, the hybrids seemed—or at least acted—mollified by his words. It took everything in me to emulate their response. But deep down, utter and complete panic threatened to overtake me. Beyond the fact that I didn’t believe for one minute the explanation Nirkon had given, this could completely ruin our plans. All of us could fight. But without weapons against so many armed men, things could get ugly for us in record time.
Clearly relieved, Nirkon invited us to finish our drinks and take a seat. I cast a sideways glance at Jaek, wondering what we should do. He smiled and gently caressed my hair as if to say all was well. I smiled back despite the wariness stiffening my face and proceeded towards the seats.
Wanting to be in a central position so that all could hear and see us once we gave the signal, Jaek and I headed for the seats in the middle of the fifth row from the front. To my surprise, as the last of our friends sat down, Nirkon headed for the stage, getting up on it instead of staying at the bottom of the stairs like he had done last time. Deimos and his acolytes were still nowhere to be seen.
However, the armed Guldans and Sarenians reclaimed my attention. My stomach dropped as they split into two groups of twelve Guldans and three Sarenians. They spread alongside the walls on each side of the elevated rows of seats. Even though their stance couldn’t be called menacing, they were clearly not team leaders but jailors.
Deimos knows what we’re up to.
There could be no other explanation. One look at the other hybrids confirmed they shared my unease—not to say dread. I started questioning all the decisions we had made and the wisdom of our plan. Had we condemned the hybrids in our foolish desire to give Keran and his men a chance to escape?
Right now, they were probably coming to the same conclusion I was as to our current predicament. Aside from not having weapons, those like me in the middle of their row and those whose seats were located higher in the bleachers-like setup, would be sitting ducks as we tried to get down and confront our enemies. Those closer to the sides would likely get shot before they could do anything, their unconscious bodies creating additional obstacles for those of us further in.
My wheels spinning, I tried to come up with a workaround. Undoubtedly, Jaek and the others were doing the same.
Nirkon stopped at the front center of the dais, the hover mic rising from the floor to float right below his chin. He raised his hand, and only then did I notice the flute filled with a sparkling beverage clutched between his fingers.
“My dear friends, tonight, we start rewriting the history of Braxia with you in a central role. To celebrate what we hope to be the beginning of a new and fruitful collaboration with each and every one of you, our host invites us to share a glass of the finest Sarenian sparkling wine. My friends will pass around the glasses,” Nirkon said with an almost exaggerated enthusiasm.
I stiffened, cold dread washing over me. There was no question Deimos had spiked that wine with the serum. We could no longer doubt that he knew we’d tampered with the juice that had been served tonight. And these guards would ensure we drank something that would once again leave us at the Sarenian’s mercy.
Before I could think of some way to get us out of this mess, Vintor—who was sitting just one row behind us—stood up.
“Isn’t that premature?” Vintor asked, a challenge in his voice. “During our training with you and Jardan, you both repeated to the point of annoyance that we shouldneverdrink alcohol or enjoy any form of mind-altering consumable before a contract has been fully reviewed and signed. I haven’t seen or signed any contract. Have you?” he added, looking questioningly at our companions.
In that instant, I could have kissed Vintor. He’d come up with a very valid argument that wouldn’t give away the fact that we knew that wine would be detrimental to us.
To my shock, Nirkon’s face went blank. He reminded me of a malfunctioning android that had suddenly shut down to perform an emergency reboot. He blinked, then winced, his pain quickly hidden before he plastered an overly friendly and impressed expression.
The question triggered him into fighting the compulsion he’s under.
Jardan and his team had spent decades building a flawless reputation in always doing right by their clients. Training them to never sign a contract while impaired would be a bone-deep belief for them. Being compelled into convincing us to go against this fundamental teaching for him would obviously clash with his ability or desire to comply.
“Yes, of course. I am glad to see that you all remember the importance of having a clear mind before making any commitment,” Nirkon conceded graciously. “But this is different. Beyond the fact that the alcohol level is very low and will have no effect worth mentioning on men of your physical mass, accepting this toast is also a sign of courtesy and respect to your host.”
I didn’t know Nirkon well as I’d only seen him in person a couple of times, but I could tell he was struggling to speak those words, subtle though it was.
“With all due respect to our host, we will wait,” Vintor said in a tone that brooked no argument, which had the others nodding and grunting their agreement.
Nirkon looked at a loss as to how to respond. He’d been around hybrids long enough to recognize when a battle was lost. Vintor and the others wouldn’t be swayed at this point.
To my shock, Jaek stood and turned around to address our companions.
“If Nirkon says it will not harm us and that it will avoid us involuntarily offending our host, what harm could a single glass of fancy Sarenian wine do?” Jaek asked.
Despite my best efforts, I didn’t doubt that my face reflected the same shock and consternation displayed on the faces of the others. What in the world was he doing? Why would he suggest such a thing? But even as those questions popped up in my mind, I suddenly wondered if he was merely trying to buy Keran and his men more time. Could he also have added some kind of antidote in the Etil juice he had prepared for this meeting?
After staring at Jaek with undisguised confusion, Vintor nodded as if struck by a sudden understanding. He smiled at Jaek with a slightly condescending expression as one would with a naive or ignorant person.
“You were always the polite one among us,” Vintor said in a patronizing tone. “However, this is addressed to warriors and aspiring royal guards, not scientists. Discipline and strength of will before temptation are of the utmost importance. Therefore, we continue to decline to drink before the contract is signed.” He then turned to look at Nirkon with a smug smile while puffing out his chest. “If this was a test to see if we have learned your teachings, nice try. But it will take a lot more than that to trick us.”
My jaw dropped, and I looked at Vintor with newfound respect, while Jaek bowed his head in concession, an undefinable smile stretching his lips. Even Nirkon smiled with approval.
But not everyone reacted favorably to this response. While the armed Guldans continued to hide their thoughts behind a mask of complete stoicism, the Sarenians frowned, making no mystery of their displeasure.
A secret panel sliding open on the back wall of the stage ended the drink standoff. A hush fell over the room when Deimos and his two companions marched onto the dais. With a single look, he signaled for Nirkon to get off the stage. The Guldan trainer couldn’t seem to comply fast enough.
My stomach nodded at the cold and hard expression on the Sarenian’s face. He stopped in the center front of the stage, his friends resuming their position on each end like they had done the first time. The giant screens on the walls behind them came to life. I remembered all too well what had occurred the last time this happened. However, I didn’t doubt the efficiency of Jaek’s tampering with the drink.
