A Grim Baby Read online

  “Perhaps we could obtain some mianraí dubh for them and have it embedded in their doors for extra protection.”

  “That will make a fine gift, my Lisa. I will contact Lord Ynyr tomorrow and make the request.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Grim gazed down at his Lisa. Goddess, he’d never grow tired of watching her sleep. He didn’t know what he’d done for the Goddess to bless him so richly. If it were surviving the attack that had given him his scars, he would be forever grateful even though he was initially deemed unfit.

  The softest of cries from across the room had him carefully sliding out of bed to not wake Lisa, who’d only fallen asleep a short time ago after he’d loved her hard and deep.

  Moving to the crib, he smiled down at his newest daughter.

  “What are you doing awake, little one? Don’t you know your mommy needs her rest?” Big dark eyes stared up at him, and he could have vowed she understood every word he said. “Would you like Manno to pick you up?”

  At her babbling coo, he did just that, then moved towards the couch. “So, my little one, what do you want to do? Do you want your manno to tell you a story?”

  Again, Adora seemed to babble yes, and Grim smiled.

  “Let’s see. What story should I tell you?” Sitting down, he pretended to think. “Would you like to hear about the Great Raptor?”

  She let out a little shriek and wiggled in his arms.

  He took that as a no.

  “Really? Your older sisters love to hear about the Great Raptor.” She continued to wiggle. “Do you want to hear how your mommy and manno met?”

  This time, she stilled and seemed to settle deeper into his arms, getting comfortable.

  “It is not a pretty story, little one, but I vow it is truth. You see, your mommy and manno met when your mommy was kidnapped. By me. Your mommy was so brave and strong and beautiful. She was unlike any female I had ever met. She taught me what it truly meant to love, to be loved, despite your faults, physical and otherwise. She made me a better male, a better warrior, and she changed the world you presented into, making it a worthy place again.”

  “I didn’t do all that by myself.” Lisa’s arm wrapped around his neck from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder to look down at their daughter.

  She’d woken to the coolness of the sheets beside her, then heard Grim talking to Adora. She hated his one-sided version of how they met, which put all the blame on him. He wouldn’t have gone in search of Earth if Wray hadn’t ordered it. But if Wray hadn’t, Adora wouldn’t be here to hear the story.

  “You were there every step of the way, protecting and loving not only me but Carly and Miki. And now we have this precious little one. Proof that the Goddess has forgiven the Tornians and the Kaliszians.”

  “Truth, but not the Ganglians. Never them. It would be impossible.”

  “That would be up to the Goddess, wouldn’t it?” Moving around the couch, she opened her gown, sat down, and took their now fussing daughter from her manno to put to her breast. “There, little one. You’re hungry, aren’t you?” Resting her head on his shoulder, together, they watched their daughter.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Do you have the list?” Grim asked Alger.

  “Right here.” He handed Grim the tablet. “According to the warriors that verified the crystals, all the counts and grades matched.”

  “Let’s go make sure that’s truth. Starting with planetary defense crystals.”

  An hour later, Grim began to believe the warriors responsible for their energy crystal problem were on Vesta. The defense and blaster crystals all tested out perfectly, and they were more than a third of the way through the other powerful crystals with no problems. Then Alger looked up from the screen.

  “You found one.” Grim didn’t have to make it a question. He’d known Alger for too long.

  “Yes, there’s no way anyone testing this crystal could mistake it as high quality. It barely registers on the tester.”

  After that, they found six more that should have been high quality for use in repair units. It was even worse in the lesser quality crystals used for lighting, with nearly twenty being completely drained.

  “Why would they think we wouldn’t notice?!” Grim growled.

  “Because we wouldn’t have,” Alger told Grim what he didn’t want to hear. “Multiple lesser crystals are always used together. It is just replaced when one becomes dim or doesn’t glow, not the whole bowl.”

  Grim knew this was truth. He’d done it himself. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. Especially when it meant there was a problem within his House.

  “Who verified these crystals?” he demanded.

  “Warriors Fyfe and Wells.”

  Both warriors had served within his House for several years. They were warriors he’d trusted. “Have them brought to my Command Room.”

  “I’ll see to it personally.” Alger was nearly as enraged as Grim.

  “No. Send it through an open comm. I want every warrior within Luanda to hear they’ve been ordered to report. It won’t give them the chance to flee. I want you, Agee, and Kirk, to search their quarters. Find me those crystals.”

  “As you wish, Majesty.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “When, Mommy?” Carly demanded later the next morning.

  “Grim told you it would be after your nap, Carly,” Lisa reminded her oldest.

  “But that’s sooo long from now,” Carly whined.

  “Then you’d better find something to do. Maybe color a picture?” she suggested.

  “I already did that,” Carly pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Play with your sister?”

  “Miki’s coloring. She wants to make something special for Dagan.”

  “And you don’t?”

  Carly shrugged her little shoulders. “I want to do something else. Something like Manno does.” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Can I go find Manno?”

  “No, Carly. He told you he had things he had to do this morning. You have to wait until after your nap.” Lisa could tell that wasn’t going over well with her oldest. Carly was growing up and developing her own independent attitude. Still, she was only six. “How about this? I’ll contact Cook and see if he has time for you to come help him in the kitchen.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “Because he is preparing mid-day meal for all the warriors. It takes a lot of work, and he may not have time for your ‘help.’ You don’t want the warriors to go hungry, do you?”

  “Oh no, Mommy.” Carly vehemently shook her head. “They work very hard.”

  “They do. So while I’m contacting Cook, why don’t you see if Miki wants to go, too? Then pick up your room. I’m guessing you haven’t put away your paper and crayons.”

  “Okay, Mommy,” she said, running off.

  Cook was more than happy to have either one or both girls visit, claiming he had a special task for them. So after both girls happily skipped out of the wing with Ion and Adora slept, Lisa decided to take some time for herself. A bath sounded perfect. She was only halfway across the room when a knock on the door stopped her. Sighing, she changed course.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Warrior Wells. Warrior Fyfe. Report to the King’s Command Room immediately.”

  Every warrior within House Luanda paused as the order came through their comms. Comm-wide announcements were only made during the direst of times, as when the walls were breached, and the queen attacked. To use it to summon two warriors meant something drastic had happened—something involving those warriors.

  Wells and Fyfe shared an uneasy look as they felt the weight of every warrior’s stare while they made their way through Luanda to the King’s Command Room. The two had grown as close as blood brothers since coming to Luanda. What could the king possibly want with them?

  Halting before the massive doors of the Command Room, they searched the faces of the warriors guarding it in the hope
of some hint of what was going on. Keen and Ro were males they trained with, males they knew, but they refused to make eye contact. Instead, Keen reached behind him and knocked on the door.

  The king’s distinctive voice was easily heard through the solid doors. “Enter.”

  As Wells and Fyfe obeyed, the doors closed tightly behind them, sealing them inside. Their king was sitting behind his desk, looking every bit the intimidating and fierce warrior they knew him to be.

  They came to a halt before him, crossed an arm over their chest, bowed to him in respect, and waited. Finally, the king spoke. “Do you know why you’ve been summoned here?”

  “No, Majesty,” they responded.

  “Really? I find that hard to believe. How long have you served me?”

  “Two years, three moon cycles, Majesty,” Wells immediately responded.

  “Two years, two moon cycles, Majesty,” Fyfe followed.

  “Have you been fairly compensated for that time?” Grim demanded.

  “Yes, Majesty,” Wells spoke first.

  “More than fairly, Majesty,” Fyfe added.

  “Then why are you stealing from me?!” While Grim didn’t roar the question, it had the same effect on the warriors before him. They stumbled back in shock.

  “Wh…what?” Fyfe recovered first and spoke for both of them. “Majesty, we would never! It is an honor to serve you. We would do nothing to dishonor that.”

  “Then explain this!” Grim slid the tablet across the top of his desk. Fyfe had to lunge to catch it before it hit the floor.

  Scanning it, Fyfe’s eyes flew back to Grim as he handed the tablet to Wells. “This is a list of the energy crystals we scanned yesterday.”

  “It is.”

  “I don’t understand. Did we not file the report properly?” Fyfe asked.

  “You did.”

  “Then I don’t see….”

  “This states that twenty-six of the crystals we verified were of substandard power,” Wells interrupted Fyfe, his eyes locking onto Grim’s. “That’s not truth. We tested each of those crystals with two different scanners. There’s no way any of them were substandard.”

  “It says what?!!” Fyfe grabbed the tablet back from Wells to read it more closely.

  Wells maintained eye contact with Grim the whole time, and within them, Grim found no sign of guilt or deceit. He shifted his gaze to Fyfe and found only disbelief and the beginnings of anger.

  “Whoever wrote this is not only unfit and unworthy but a liar!” Fyfe growled.

  “I wrote that report. After I personally retested every crystal.” Grim watched Fyfe pale when he realized he’d claimed the king of Luda was not only unfit but unworthy. Something not so long ago the Assembly of Lords had done.

  “I… I apologize for my words, Majesty, but I stand by our original report on the crystals’ condition.”

  “You are vowing before your king that you tested every crystal in that shipment and found them within acceptable levels?”

  “Yes,” they immediately said together.

  A knock on the door had him ordering, “Enter.”

  Alger, Agee, and Kirk walked in when the door opened and flanked Fyfe and Wells.

  “What did you find?” Grim demanded.

  “Nothing,” Alger informed him.

  “Nothing?”

  “Absolutely nothing. No crystals, no extra credits, nothing that wasn’t available to them through the House stores.”

  “You searched our quarters?!” Wells didn’t attempt to hide his outrage.

  “I ordered them to,” Grim told the warrior. “Twenty-six crystals didn’t switch themselves out. Someone had to do it. Which means they have to be somewhere.”

  “We didn’t take them!” Wells claimed. “Why would we?”

  “For extra credits.”

  “What do we need those for?” Fyfe asked. “You provide for our needs. What you don’t is easily covered by our compensation.”

  “What about obtaining a female?”

  “Since the emperor’s decree, amassing a fortune is no longer necessary,” Wells told him.

  Grim’s gaze traveled from his captain to the captain of his queen’s Guard and Agee’s second. Three males he trusted above all others. In their faces, he saw they believed Fyfe and Wells, as did he.

  “Then if it wasn’t you, who?”

  “Majesty, there may be a way to discover that,” Agee spoke up. He wasn’t happy to have just been informed there had been a threat to his queen, especially when she’d been carrying the newest princess. This problem might have been resolved sooner without accusing two fit and worthy warriors if he had been.

  “How?” Grim demanded.

  “If you remember, after Luuken breached Luanda’s defenses, recorders were placed at all House access points.”

  “Which doesn’t assist us,” Grim growled.

  “They were also put in strategic locations critical to Luanda’s defense,” Agee growled back, not intimidated by his king. “One of those locations is in the storage room where we keep the energy crystals.”

  Grim’s brows drew together. Had he known that? He remembered giving the order but never looked into the specific locations. He’d entrusted that task to his most worthy warriors. Yet he’d only entrusted Alger with the knowledge of this threat. Something he saw enraged Agee and Kirk, as it should. How could they protect their queen against a threat they knew nothing about?

  “You’re saying there is a recording of everything that has occurred in that room?” Grim asked.

  “Yes,” Agee replied.

  Grim slid his chair back and stood, gesturing for Agee to use his comm. “Show me.”

  Stepping around the desk, Agee tapped a few icons bringing up the recording device in the crystal storage room. “What time do you want to see?”

  “Show me the delivery and put it on the large screen.” Grim gestured to the one behind his desk.

  Pressing an icon, the screen came to life, and everyone in the room watched as crate after crate of sealed energy crystals were placed in the room. Agee advanced the recording to the next time the room was entered. It was Fyfe and Wells.

  “Goddess,” they heard Fyfe say, “what’s with so many crystals? Is the new lord of Vesta running a sale?”

  “Callen doesn’t set the price, you idiot. The Kaliszians do.”

  “Then why does he control the flow?” Fyfe demanded.

  “How would I know? Next time you see Lord Callen, why don’t you ask?”

  “Ha. Ha. Right. I’ll do that.” Fyfe gave Wells a playful shove. “Come on, let’s get this done. I hear Cook is serving some of those Earth cookies at last meal and I want to get there before they’re all gone.”

  Over the next hour, the group in the Command Room watched Fyfe and Wells each test every crystal, marking down its energy reading and placing it in the appropriate container. The container was dated when received per protocol. When they were finally done, they left the room.

  Grim looked to the two warriors. He’d been watching closely and hadn’t seen any crystals switched.

  “The room was entered again during last meal,” Agee said, regaining Grim’s attention.

  “Play it,” Grim ordered. Turning back to the screen, Grim’s eyes narrowed as a warrior he didn’t recognize entered the room carrying a bag.

  “Hold,” Grim ordered, and the image froze. “Who is that?”

  “Warrior Taabu,” Alger informed him. “He’s been here less than a year.”

  “Why don’t I remember him from the training fields?” Grim questioned.

  “He serves under Captain Oya and spends his days on the walls,” Alger told him.

  “Where did he come from?”

  Alger pulled out his tablet and looked up the information. “He came from Vesta and served under Reeve for three years.”

  “How in the name of the Goddess did he get into my House?” Grim’s voice was coldly quiet.

  Alger looked to his tablet, then bac
k to Grim. “Captain Oya requested him.”

  Grim didn’t like where this was heading. He turned back to the screen. “Resume.”

  As the recording continued, they watched Taabu tip the bag over, crystals spilling out. He then moved to the bins Fyfe and Wells had carefully tested and sorted and pulled out empowered crystals, replacing them with ones he’d brought in.

  The entire exchange took less than a minute from start to finish, and Taabu was out the door as if he’d never been there.

  Grim turned and faced the two warriors he’d accused. “Warrior Fyfe. Warrior Wells. I owe you the deepest of apologies for doubting your honor.”

  Wells and Fyfe looked at each other, and after a nod from Wells, Fyfe spoke. “No, Majesty, you don’t. The facts presented couldn’t have led you to any other conclusion.”

  “I will see to it that it is known neither of you did anything unworthy or unfit.”

  “That would be appreciated, Majesty.”

  “In fact.” Grim looked to Alger. “Take Warrior Fyfe and Warrior Wells with you to arrest Taabu. Give them the honor.”

  “Yes, Majesty,” Alger said, bowing his head slightly.

  “Agee and Kirk, bring me Oya.”

  “At once, Majesty.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Rebecca? What’s wrong?” Lisa asked, shocked to find Rebecca outside her resting chamber door.

  “I just got off the comm with Luol,” she told her.

  “Luol?” Lisa’s eyebrows drew together as she tried to remember who that was. “The Kaliszian healer on Pontus?”

  “Yes. He’s worried about Mac. Her blood pressure is getting extremely high.”

  “She has about another four weeks. Right?” Lisa was pretty sure that was right.

  “Yes, but with this being the first Kaliszian/human baby ever born, we don’t really know. Luol wants me on Pontus as soon as possible.”

  “I can understand that. Are you taking Amanda with you?”

  “No, it’s already been arranged for her to go to Tornian to meet and check on Abby. I don’t want that delayed.”

  “You’re okay with her going alone?”