Chapter Fifteen
She awoke the next morning to a knock on the door. During the night she’d been given a new set of clothes and the chance to get clean. Tugging on the loose-fitting cardigan she’d been given, she rose slowly.
Though her body had been overcome with lassitude last night, she’d only caught a fitful sleep. Planting her hand on her forehead, pushing up her fringe, she waited for the door to open.
Expecting to see Max, she was taken aback when the Major walked in, two tall Guards behind him. Standing there, one leg leaning up against her cot, she waited for him to say something... anything. He simply stood their though, appraising her with a calculating look.
“Yes?” she hazarded, bringing her hands up and pulling at the sleeves of her over-large cardigan, fixing it around her as tightly as she could make it.
“Come with us,” the Major flicked a hand at her, turned sharply on his boot, and marched out.
A pulse of doubt ignited as she watched him go. Where was Max? What were they going to do with her? And why had the Major taken the time to so thoroughly analyze her before making his move?
Trying to keep her hands and tattoos tucked out of view, she followed. The two tall Guards who had accompanied the Major immediately took up post either side of her. They were carrying large, sleek machine guns, and unlike the other men she’d seen at this facility, they did not curse her. They didn’t even look her way. Their expressions were neutral and attentive.
Frowning, her doubt began to grow. Something didn’t seem right here.
They walked her down the corridor and out into a yard. It was a cold, fog-kissed morning, and she could see the remains of a frost still hunkered under the shadow of the various sheds and buildings. She was thankful they had given her new clothes, even if they hardly fit her. A skirt, a blouse, a cardigan, stockings, and some buckle shoes. They were worn and very old in their style, but she wasn’t about to complain. The leggings were thick and kept her feet thankfully warm.
Breath chilling to white in the frozen morning, she stared around her, trying to find Max. He was nowhere to be found.
Her lingering doubt quickly turned to a full-bodied fear as they led her past a wall riddled with bullet holes.
Were they going to execute her? Had they dismissed Max’s story and dispatched him in the night?
Clutching a hand to her collar and flattening the fingers onto her cold skin, she tried to keep control of her emotions. If she was going to be executed, surely it was for the best. At least she would finally be free from the Zeneethians.
Before she could strengthen her resolve, they walked her right past the wall and to a waiting car.
“Where are you taking me?” she tried as she heard the engine start with a rumble.
Neither of the Guards answered. The Major had already walked ahead.
She was not handcuffed, but that all changed when they loaded her into the back of the vehicle. They also pulled another bag over her head. While she was not yanked and pulled around as much as she had been yesterday, these new Guards had a keen, cold efficiency that was somehow far more unsettling.
She knew better than to ask questions, but as the car revved up and its tires crunched over the gravel, panic filled her.
It stayed with her, niggling at her gut, until their journey was over. In less than half an hour, they came to a stop. Again she was loaded out, someone securing her arm and leading her down from the back of the transport and out over an uneven ground. The heels of her worn buckle shoes made a strange, hollow, thumping sound over the terrain, reminding her of wet rope moving over wood.
She had no idea where she was. The bag over her head completely obscured the view and any smell or other hint her environment could give her.
As she walked, she began to hear voices. She was brought to a stop just as she recognized one.
Max.
Though she hated herself for it, relief and hope rose through her at the sound of his voice.
“Why the hell does she have that bag over her head again? I’ve told you how important she is to our plans. Her safety is of utmost importance. Remove it immediately,” Max snapped.
She felt someone tug the bag free. She winced against the sudden sunshine, unable to clamp a hand over her eyes to shade it.
As she adjusted, she looked around her.
They were on a wharf. There was a keen salty breeze washing in from the ocean behind. A large ship was docked just behind them, throwing a huge shadow over the group. Seagulls took off and landed over the loading equipment piled up by the ship, sailors working far off down the way, their shouts mixing with the distinct call of the birds.
She was not used to the ocean. Her monastery had been up in the hills of the Hega Province. Landlocked, she’d only been down to the coast four or five times.
The chill of the wind against her face was refreshing, and the view of that crystal-like water stretching on towards the cloudless horizon was mesmerizing.
“Why is she handcuffed?” Max was standing almost ten meters from her, arguing with the Major. A little of Max’s calm authority had worn off. Even to someone less skilled in empathy than her, it would have been obvious that he was stressed.
“She is handcuffed because she is a dangerous prisoner. I should not need to remind you that she is a Tarkan spy,” the Major had his hands clasped firmly in front of him. He was dressed in a full military uniform, a handgun slotted into a holster at his belt. His demeanor also matched his outfit – warlike, he hardly shifted his mouth as he spoke.
“I am well aware of that fact,” Max spat, “as you should be aware that you’re superiors have given you a direct order. Why have you taken her here? You should have handed her over to me already.”
“We are here, Archer Reed, because we have deemed travel by road too risky. We have received recent reports of Tarkan activity close to our border. We have decided it is safest to move our prisoner by sea. The Tarkan Navy has never been a match for our own.”
“Sea? Need I remind you, she is not your prisoner. Her security is not your concern. Unless you are seeking a severe reprimand, hand her over at once.”
“I am doing my duties as they are outlined by law. I do not need to be reminded of them by a pup with a position above his competence. Your so-called prisoner is my concern as long as she is in my jurisdiction. And I have made the decision that it is too risky to transport her by road. She will be shipped—”
“This is not your call,” Max growled. His anger peaked in that moment, all control seemingly lost as every one of his neck muscles ridged with tension.
“This is not up for discussion,” the Major nodded at the two Guards holding Ki. Immediately they began to walk her towards the long, rusted gangplank of the ship. She caught a glance of the name emblazoned across the prow. The Maqueda.
“Major, think about what you are doing here. This could cost you your career,” Max straightened up, his once-ferocious anger quelling into something far darker.
“The transport of these prisoners is my own concern,” the Major nodded at another car that was parked off to the side of the group.
The door opened and two Guards got out, pulling a man between them.
Jackson.
Ki stopped, one foot on the gangplank as she strained her neck towards him. “Jackson?”
He was too far away for her to read his expression.
Before she could shout his name again, one of the Guards beside her told her in an impassive voice to be quiet.
They did not push her up the gangplank though. They all waited there by the side of the dock.
“What the hell is he still doing alive? We agreed he would be executed this morning,” Max twisted to stare at Jackson.
That news seemed to clutch and crawl its way up Ki’s spine, and she felt her cheeks pale from the shock of it.
Jackson was an Ashkan, why would they execute him?
It was such an innocent question, she realized with a pang. She was dealing with the Zeneet
hians here – they could do whatever they pleased. Jackson had gotten in their way, he knew about their technology and capabilities, of course they weren’t going to allow him to live.
Yet he was still alive, much to the clear surprise of Max.
Something was going on here.
Before she could wonder what that thing was. The Guards next to her stepped to the side. She hardly noticed as she fixed her concentration on Jackson.
“You have continually tried to undermine my authority. I will accept that no longer. This is my jurisdiction, and I will use the authority that has been vested in me by the Ashkan High Command to ensure the security of this State. If we disagree about how your prisoner can be transported, she will not be moved at all.” The Major turned from Max and walked towards the ship.
“What are you doing?” Max moved to follow him, but several Guards snapped up and moved in front, shouldering their rifles.
The Major walked casually towards her. She watched in total confusion as he reached for his gun.
As he passed a pile of crates and equipment ready to be loaded on the ship, several gulls took flight, their calls echoing above the dock as they flew towards the ocean.
She stepped down from the gangplank, her heart all but stopping.
She watched the Major raise his gun. With no further warning, he shot her.
She fell against the gangplank, slipped to the side, and down into the water far below.