Facets of Revolution, page 29
Bored with the view of trees, Kira looked away from the window.
The craft was at capacity, full of adva ka hopefuls and their seon’yers. There was an electric buzz in the air that fed off the excitement and nerves of those around her.
The prospective Roake hopefuls for the adva ka numbered a handful. In addition to Joule and Devon who sat quietly by themselves on the opposite side of the aisle from Kira, she recognized two.
She knew Rheya and Blake in passing from her time spent training in Roake.
The rest of the dozen were strangers. She was betting from the looks they were sending her, part envy and part curiosity that they had passed the uhva na, Roake’s own smaller version of the adva ka, before her.
From what Joule had told her, it was rare, but not unheard of, for a Tuann to go straight from obtaining a seon’yer to the adva ka.
Usually, it took years. Sometimes decades depending on how strict the seon’yer was and how talented the yer’se.
The fact that not only Kira but also several others in the same training class as her were advancing so quickly had likely led to jealousy.
Kira dismissed their gazes with a shrug.
Envy her all they liked; she’d earned her stripes. For her, the adva ka was merely a formality.
Next to her, Raider was a quiet presence as he leaned his head against the seat with his eyes closed.
Getting some shut eye before the uncertainty of what was coming felt like a good idea, but someone had to keep an eye on things.
Finn had told her enough about the adva ka that she knew it wasn’t uncommon for Tuann to knock their fellow initiates out of the running. While she didn’t want to think Roake would practice that against members of their own House and allies, Kira wasn’t going to put her trust in that.
History was written by those who betrayed their nearest and dearest.
So, Raider could sleep while Kira kept an eye on things. Later he’d return the favor if need be.
Besides, Kira was more interested in learning what Roake was planning than getting a few minutes of rest.
It was clear they were up to something. She just hadn’t figured out what—yet.
If she had to guess it was some type of initiation.
Pretty much every military organization had something. The Curs did and so did most of the ships she’d served on.
Sometimes it was as simple as buying a round of drinks for your squad mates the first time you went out on the town with them. Other times it was completing an insane workout that left you flattened by the end.
This scene had a similar vibe.
Movement came from up front as Harlow stood to face the initiates.
Kira nudged Raider in the side.
His eyes opened a crack. “Are they finally about to get started?”
“Looks that way.”
He sat up with a yawn, alertness quick to replace his sleepiness as he gave Harlow and the rest of the seon’yers standing at the front of the aircraft his full attention.
“What’s your guess? Leave us in the middle of nowhere or something like you faced during your training session?” Raider asked, attracting Joule and Devon’s interest.
“I’m sure whatever it is will be good.” Kira held onto the back of the seat in front of her as she looked forward.
The armor she wore was of Tuann design, identical to the one Auralyn had fitted to her before her final race for the quorum. It was lightweight and as durable as any combat armor she’d ever worn.
Many of those around her were outfitted with something similar, including Raider.
“You look almost Tuann,” Kira informed him.
It was true. The armor gave him the same aura of sleek danger that all Tuann seemed to project—at least the ones Kira hung around.
Raider shoved her with his shoulder as Harlow addressed the initiates.
“Roake has a reputation as the strongest House.” Harlow didn’t shout yet somehow his voice managed to fill the space. “That starts here.”
The walls in the back half of the hovercraft slid open.
Wind buffeted those inside as a few initiates were ripped from their seats.
“Members of Roake and its subordinate Houses earn what they receive.” A slow grin replaced Harlow’s serious expression. “They don’t accept free rides.”
The ship tilted before anyone could react.
Kira caught Joule’s and Devon’s startled exclamations before they, like the majority of those assembled, were jettisoned.
A woman with dark hair and skin and eyes that held laughter crowed as she nudged the person beside her. “Guess you owe me the next round this time. Your yer’se failed to outlast mine.”
The burly man beside her had a gruff expression on his face as he scratched his beard-covered jaw. “Yeah, yeah. The adva ka isn’t over. We’ll see how many rounds I need to buy before the end.”
Raider patted Kira on the shoulder giving her a hand sign that meant “see you below.”
“What—“ Kira started as Raider jackknifed to a standing position.
He let out a whoop before sprinting toward the back of the vessel and taking a flying leap into midair. His arms and legs went wide as he arrowed toward the ground below.
She watched him go, shaking her head. The man was every bit as crazy as he’d always been—long lost daughter or not.
Kira lost sight of him in the trees but couldn’t bring herself to worry. She had every bit of faith that Raider would find a way safely to the ground.
She was more interested to see what the next few minutes held for her.
Kira leveraged to standing, a little surprised when she looked to her left and then her right to find she was the last initiate left.
The conversation at the front of the aircraft faded as the seon’yers began to realize not all of the initiates had fallen for the trap they’d lain.
More than one considering stare found its way to her. Most surprised on one level or another. A few looked impressed.
Silence descended as Kira studied them with an alert gaze. Harlow’s expression was hard to read as he regarded her evenly for several seconds.
An oshota Kira didn’t recognize said something, sparking laughter in the others.
Harlow’s mouth quirked seconds before he advanced on Kira.
She held still, jealous of how steady his balance was given the strong winds still buffeting the inside of the craft.
She’d like to know how he did that.
She glanced at his boots. An application of ki she didn’t yet know? Or maybe a function of his synth armor since the rest of the initiates hadn’t seemed to know how to circumvent their ejection?
“As talented as you are, niece, even you must follow tradition,” Harlow informed Kira.
Any question she might have asked died a vicious death as Harlow shoved her hard. A force caught her body, yanking her out of the aircraft before she could resist.
A strangled curse left her as she plummeted.
“Find your own way to the arena, niece,” Harlow said, his voice sounding like he was speaking right next to her.
Kira let herself fall for a second longer, her gaze on the turbulent gray of the clouded sky and the sight of Roake’s hover craft streaking over the trees.
Feeling resigned, Kira flipped in midair so her front side was facing the ground.
The trees that had seemed so small when seated in the craft loomed larger with every passing moment.
Kira watched their approach, her body tensing.
Her hands clenched and then opened as she reached for her ki. It flooded her senses, like a hyperactive toddler released from its leash.
It changed the air around her, slowing her descent as she broke into the canopy of the forests.
Branches cracked, unable to take her weight.
Kira grabbed one, letting go the moment it snapped. She landed on another, using it to change the trajectory of her fall.
She landed hard on the ground seconds later.
Kira straightened, using every one of her senses to check out her immediate surroundings.
The distant sound of birds trickled to Kira. The trees whispered to themselves, their voices louder and more distinct than the last time she’d walked among them.
There were no signs of Tuann presence nearby. For now, Kira was alone.
Her stance relaxed. “Jin, can you give me an idea of where I am?”
Silence filled their comms.
“Communications blackout. Lovely.”
That meant she had no way of contacting Raider or anyone else. She supposed that was the point.
It wouldn’t be much of a test if the initiates could rely on those stronger than themselves.
Kira wiped her hands on her armor as she looked around. “Would have been nice if they’d given me a hint on which way to go.”
That they hadn’t must mean this was also part of the test.
Kira used her time to get her bearings. She turned in a circle. Unless her instincts failed her, Roake’s fortress and the city lay in that direction.
The trees seemed to agree as the wind set their branches swaying.
Kira studied them, noting the direction of the broken branches. The ship had been traveling in a northwestern path. A normal person would estimate that if she continued in that direction, she’d find the place she was supposed to go.
Of course, that was assuming that Harlow hadn’t chosen a deliberately misleading route. Something she was finding she couldn’t put past her uncle.
He and Graydon might as well have been related given their preference for the art of deception.
All she needed to do was solve the puzzle before her. Until she figured it out, there was no point moving from the spot where she’d landed. To do otherwise held the potential to lead her astray.
In this forest, that would be a mistake.
Already, darkness crept along the edges. Wander without a purpose and there was every chance it would try to swallow her.
The forest felt almost sentient as it waited for her to make a choice.
Kira set her palm on the tree next to her, tuning her senses to pick up the faint trace of consciousness contained within.
A spark lit deep in her mind as something in her chest drew her to the north and west, a few degrees off the path of Roake’s vessel.
It was like a lodestone, trying to guide her home.
Kira’s eyes opened. “Of course, the forest on a Tuann planet would be as strange as everything else.”
She lifted her palm from the tree, whispering a soft “thank you”. With the feeling in her chest acting as her compass, Kira trudged forward, hoping she didn’t have far to travel.
Hours later, Kira was hot and thirsty despite the cooler temperatures as she finally left the trees behind. A massive stone monolith jutted into the sky before her, a lake carved into the ground at its feet.
Kira resisted the allure of the water as she skirted its edge, heading for the large opening she could see in the rock face of the monolith.
She eyed a pair of wooden gondolas waiting on the banks of the lake for any brave enough to risk the water.
They were tempting, but Kira had one too many encounters with the lu-ong, who seemed able to mysteriously travel through the depths of any body of water, to trust it wasn’t a trap.
It was exactly the type of thing the Tuann might do. Offer a shortcut that ended up being a massive pain in the ass.
No, thank you. Kira preferred the longer but less treacherous path. At least until circumstances dictated otherwise.
She plodded over the sandy shores of the lake, working her way around until she stood in front of a sizable cave.
Despite the natural features of the entrance, Kira suspected she was in the right place given the complicated set of carvings surrounding the mouth of the cave.
The symbols reminded her of the archways that dotted the surface of Ta Sa’Riel. The gates acted as a type of teleportation device, enabling those who stepped through to travel instantly from one point to the next.
It was a significant technological advancement that the Consortium was decades from replicating.
Kira couldn’t help admiring the cleverness behind its placement here. The gates would allow initiates and others access to the site for the duration of the adva ka while also denying them knowledge of the test’s exact location.
Its presence protected the site from those forces that might seek to take advantage of it.
The shadows stirred as an oshota appeared in Kira’s peripheral vision. Her synth armor proclaiming her as Roake.
The woman provided silent witness as Kira marched toward the mouth of the cave.
Kira stepped through.
A charge skated along the surface of her skin. The world tilted around Kira, depositing her into an immense corridor that reminded her of the architecture from humanity’s ancient history.
Many of those buildings had been destroyed in the war with the Tsavitee but Kira had seen pictures of them. Enough that she imagined those halls had once been infused with the same weight that came from centuries of use.
It was like a soul resided in this place. Fed by the thousands of visits from Tuann over the years. A feeling of community and connection wound through every inch of the space.
It was as comforting as it was intimidating.
A reminder that even as powerful as the Tuann were—or could be—they were still no more than a speck in the long existence of the universe. No more consequential than a tiny ant.
The floor of the hall was flat and glossy, echoing with Kira’s footsteps as she moved forward.
Columns ran the length of the avenue. Each one carved with a motif that Kira suspected belonged to a Tuann House.
Roake’s lu-ong wasn’t hard to spot among the various insignias.
Vaulted arches supported the high ceiling.
“Humans would call those a groin vault or a double barrel vault.” Amila’s voice came from the columns on the right side as she moved into view. “I always found it interesting how many terms they can use to describe the exact same thing.”
“You’re joking,” Kira said.
Amila shook her head, still staring up at the vaults in the ceiling. “You’d think but no. That’s really what they’re called. You can look it up.”
Kira narrowed her eyes at the oshota, moving further down the avenue as Amila strolled beside her. “I didn’t peg you as someone with an interest in architecture.”
The words made Kira realize how little she knew about the woman at her side.
In a strange sort of way, Kira considered Amila as a friend. Their acquaintance had been short—but memorable. The fact Kira hadn’t taken even a small bit of interest in Amila’s personal life made her realize the other might not feel the same about her.
“My family wasn’t always oshota. The first of our line helped build the Citadel and the Shining Palace.” Amila sent Kira a wink. “Humans would call this a hobby, I think. A pursuit I enjoy but not something I’d want to do every day.”
Kira returned Amila’s smile as they reached the end of the corridor. Amila nodded at the doors in front of Kira. “Your destination is through there.”
Kira started for the entrance.
Amila’s voice followed her. “There was a bet going on which initiate would be first through those doors this year. I’m happy to say Graydon and I won.”
Kira sent her a smile. “You know that means you owe me a drink later.”
Amila smirked. “Pass this and I’ll buy you all the keeva your body can handle.”
“Deal,” Kira said over her shoulder.
nineteen
Kira stepped into a room that was in the shape of a rotunda with a solitary tree growing at its center. The ceiling was a glass dome, allowing a shaft of solid light to play in the tree’s gnarled branches.
Gold accents ran throughout the room. A monument to the Tuann’s wealth and history.
The scene looked like something out of a fairy tale. Almost dream-like.
The tree at the rotunda’s center was covered in blooms whose color reminded Kira of the trees that lined the road leading to Himoto’s ancestral family home on Atlas. The petals and shape were different. The light blush edging to brilliant pink in the center, but it had that same delicate appearance. The same ability to create a sense of awe and admiration in its viewer.
Kira circled the room, noting the alcoves dotting the perimeter. The eyes of the statues inside seemed to follow her as she passed.
Kira ignored the feeling. She’d never had any real expectations of privacy.
The Tuann might not be as high profile with their use of technology as the Consortium, but only a fool would expect they wouldn’t be observing from behind the scenes in something as important as the adva ka.
Kira suspected every step of the initiates progress was being recorded and displayed somewhere.
Who had access to those recordings was the real question?
The emperor definitely. Likely the Overlords of the major Houses as well. Beyond that she was uncertain.
Kira completed her circuit, making note of the six doors leading into the rotunda.
Five of those doors contained the crests for the major Houses. It was the sixth and final door Kira found most fascinating.
The crest was one she hadn’t seen before. A motif of the tree at her back.
She couldn’t help but wonder at its meaning. The other five were easy to figure out since the door Kira used to enter carried Roake’s symbol.
She was betting once the rest of the initiates started trickling in, they’d do so via the door affiliated with their House. Did that mean this door represented Houses not within one of the major five? Or was there a sixth House that wasn’t spoken of?
As interesting as the question of the sixth door was, Kira didn’t want to waste more time thinking about it.
She raised her arms above her head and stretched, enjoying the gentle pull of her muscles. Her jaw cracked around a yawn as she searched out the best spot for a nice snooze fest.
She dismissed the benches with barely a thought. They’d be far too uncomfortable to sleep on for long. Not to mention their easy accessibility practically invited challenges.
