Chosen (The Warrior Chronicles #1)(68)

It apparently pissed Sanders off to no end, however, prompting more fear in Leilius. And then prompting weirder titles. And then prompting Leilius airborne as Sanders lost his patience… Apparently that was normal when dealing with Sanders, though Shanti had never seen it.

Shanti nodded for him to go on. The rest of the boys stopped what they were doing and watched. She could feel Sterling winding his way toward them. Just another day of training.

“I was in the bush waiting for Commandant Sterling when two of the Captain’s men went rushing by. They were the guys on the gate. They were hurrying and flustered. Said something about one of them telling the Captain, the other getting aid. Medical aid. I heard Commodore Sanders’ name.”

Shanti’s mind was already spread wide—keeping her feelers out was so easy now, it seemed silly not to—but now she honed in, looking for the emotions that would be associated with the news. Most of the city was as it usually was, but by the gate, just as Leilius had said, there was anxiety. Worry, fear, anger, denial—they were shifting and changing like a color changing fabric.

“Sanders wasn’t with them? Coming along behind?” Shanti demanded of Leilius.

“No, s’am.”

Shanti searched, looking for the bundle of intents and emotions she’d come to recognize as Sanders. It was hard not to—pulses and flares of impatience and anger were always prominent, hiding a soft, tranquil bay of deep emotion and honor. The man played at being gruff, dominating, and callous, but you would find no man more loyal and ready to help.

That mind path was absent. He hadn’t returned. He was probably captured, and the Inkna were an especially gruesome people with a fondness for torture. Based on what she had learned from the little mouse, they were also exceptionally good at it.

“Lucius, go find out what’s going on,” Shanti commanded. “Leilius, you go sneak closer. Spy. Find out whatever Lucius can’t. Marc, go huddle near the doctor. If you find out it is Sanders, let your sorrow sink into you. I will find you, then.”

“What about the rest of us?” Xavier was looking at her with a hard face. He wanted to be in the middle of the action, like a warrior should. So did Rachie and Gracas, judging by their equally intense looks. Unfortunately, they were far from ready.

“Continue with your day. I’ll fill you in when I know more.”

Sterling burst through the trees with sparkling eyes and a winning smile, which were short lived. As the men ignored him and ran from the trees, he looked around in confusion. “What is it?”

Shanti started toward the prison. No more stalling. No more questioning. Shanti wasn’t good at torture, but she was great at pain. It might not last a long time, but it would last long enough to get what she needed to find Sanders. The Elders would not turn away for this, not when the innocent were at stake. Not when it was her duty to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.

“What is it?” Sterling asked.

As she passed, she said, “Someone has come into the city injured. The Captain will probably want you—“

A blast of power rocked the city. Shanti slammed down her shields as the rest of the men froze with wide eyes. They didn’t know what it was—just that something had made the air freeze around them.

“—now,” Shanti finished, not stopping in her stride.

Sterling fell in beside her. “How do you know?”

“Leilius was hiding from you and heard a conversation as gate guards rushed past. I don’t know if it is Sanders, but I can think of no other thing.”

Sterling immediately pivoted and headed off north. Cayan had picked his officers well.

When Shanti finally got to the Captain’s office, all the first and second tier commanding officers were there. Leilius had managed to sneak in and was hiding in the back like an unwanted rodent. It was a testimony to how distracted Cayan was that he didn’t notice.

The door had been locked.

Now it was broken.

She took unhurried steps toward the desk as Cayan stood up, flexed from head to toe. “Get out!” he bellowed.

A blast of emotion rocked her shields. Embarrassingly, her body’s first impulse was to flee. She smiled it away. “Sanders is caught. I am going to break him free.”

His blue gaze blazed into her. Wrath and turmoil slapped against her shields. “You are going to stay here and stay alive. End of discussion.”

“Let me take this opportunity to remind you that I am not under your command. He saved my life. I will save his. I am going.”

“Get her out of here,” the Captain yelled, looking down at his desk.

Oh, really?

Two gruff men peeled away from the others, marching toward her with grim faces. She squeezed them, dropping each to his knees. Shaking hands grabbed their heads with terrified eyes.

Cayan’s head jerked upward. War lit up his features.

Shanti stood her ground. “What are you going to do if they come at you with mental warfare?” she asked before he exploded. “You can block it, yes, but what about your men? I used barely a fraction of power just now, and they sank to the ground, ready for slaughter. I am one person. They’ll have many.”

Cayan stared at her, his hands braced on the desk, his men itchy to move away from the battle in front of them.

“You cannot retaliate,” she went on. “You can search, yes, but so what? You’ll point out that men are coming…and then what? How will you disband them when they are a hundred paces away and your archers are crumpled at your feet?”