Chapter 26: A Mistake

With Minara safely out of the way he could move to the second part of the plan. The Grojan would be gathered in one place tonight so it was time to visit the City Guard and make his presence known. First he changed into his traveling leathers, then he made for a local stream and removed the hair dye he had smothered into his hair. Once it was all removed he walked back to the city. As he reached the outskirts people started to notice him and a crowd started to build behind him. He heard the whispers.

"It's General Arron, General Arron has returned to rid us of those harlots, General Arron...

By the time he had reached the Guard offices the crowed had grown to several hundred strong. He was well aware that the rumor of his return would be spreading through the city like wild fire. He climbed the steps to the Guard offices and turned to the gathering crowd and held up his hands for silence.

"People of Halcyon, the powerful invaders who arrived in the invincible flying ship will be in prison by tonight. Return to your homes and lock your doors, and by tomorrow morning the city and the country of Halcyon will be ours again."

They all cheered and a chant started. "Arron, Arron, Arron..." He waved then turned and walked into the Guard offices. Officers had gathered in the entrance hall and saluted him. "Is Captain Cartis in his office?" He heard movement up the stairs and looked up as Cartis clattered down the stairs.

"General Arron, we were told you were dead, thank the Ancestors it wasn't true." Cartis remembered himself when he reached the bottom of the stairs, stood to attention and saluted. "General, welcome back."

"It's good to be back, Captain."

"You know the other Generals have been killed and the royal family has disappeared?"

"Yes, Captain, but first we take back the palace, and once that is done we can find who if any of the government and royal family has survived. Please send our runners and gather all the Guard and Nightwatch here and then I need a meeting with you and your lieutenants."

Cartis issued a string of instructions to the officers in the hall and in moments the place was empty. He turned back to Arron. "What about the Army, General?"

"There is not time to get them organized, Captain. There is only the Palace Garrison and I do not know who is still loyal. I hope when I walk into the Palace many will rally to us but there will be some who will fight on the side of invaders."

"There flying ship worries me, General, it has powerful weapons that we cannot stand up against."

"It is no longer a factor, Captain, I destroyed it the night before last."

The Captain gaped. "You did?"

"Yes, Captain, I destroyed most of their weapons as well. We will only be facing a few hand held blasters and I have a couple of my own - he tapped the blasters at his thigh.

Cartis smiled, the first time he had in months. "General, you're a wonder."

Arron laughed. "I don't know about that, Captain, but anyway we will convene a meeting here in the common room once everyone has arrived."

Captain Cartis saluted. "Yes sir."

Varna paced the Royal reception room and her three remaining crew watched her. Two of them sat, concern on their faces, the youngest and most recent member, Theasa, was visibly shaken, tears welling in her eyes when she spoke.

"What are we going to do, Varna?"

They had just received the news regarding Minara's disappearance and the bloody message on her barn door. Something had niggled at Varna, she had suspected the human would attack Minara next so the news had been no surprise, and Minara had not been found. The fact there was no earless body lying next to the barn doors to reinforce the bloody message seemed strange.

"Theasa! Pull yourself together..." The doors burst open, interrupting her, Varna spun around her hand reaching for the pistol on her hip. She relaxed as soon as she saw it was the palace guard commander, a scarred shifty looking thug who was nothing if not loyal to them.

He bowed. "I'm sorry, My Lady, but I have just heard news that General Arron has appeared in the city and is making for the city guard headquarters."

A knot formed in her gut and she heard Theasa gasp behind her. They had not yet replaced the city guard commander as he had not given them any cause - yet, but Varna knew they could not trust him to be loyal. They had also heard whispers of this General Arron and that he had been killed rescuing some member of the Royal family before Minara had taken over. "How do you know it is this General Arron suddenly come back from the dead?"

Varna noticed the commander knot his fists before answering. "He is unmistakable my lady, he had golden hair and blue eyes like you."

Petara, one of her other crew members, voiced what they were all thinking. "Ancestors, a Grojan!"

Varna held up her hand for silence. "Thank you, commander, please secure the palace and double the guard, and don't be concerned, we are more than a match for him."

"Yes, my lady." He saluted, turned and left the room to do as he was ordered.

She turned back to her crew; Theasa tears openly tumbling down her face as she sobbed, the other two had fear in their eyes.

Petara shook he head, "Varna, you know we cannot face a Grojan."

Varna continued her pacing. "Be quiet! Something is not right here, something I'm missing..." She started to think out loud. "When we arrived Minara was pregnant, she said the father had died." She turned and paced back across the room. "How many Grojan have we seen or heard of since we have been here?"

"None except for Minara," Petara answered the question.

"Exactly!"

"What are you getting at, Varna?" Petara asked.

"Don't you see? He has to be Minara's mate."

"So? The human has killed her."

"But has he? Think for a moment, the message said he would kill us and chop of our ears. We found Sisanna dead and without her ears, but there is no sign of Minara. Why didn't the human leave her body minus her ears by the message?"

Petara shrugged. "I don't know, Varna?"

"Didn't you notice Minara's reaction when she saw the human's message?"

"She was concerned like the rest of us, well, except for that vicious bitch Sisanna of course." Varna knew there had been no love lost between Sisanna and the rest of her crew, but while Sisanna's violent ways helped her reputation she had chosen to ignore the dissention.

"No Petara, the expression on her face when she first saw the message was shock, but she masked it quickly so I thought nothing of it at the time, then she started to tremble, we thought with fear and concern."

"B ... but, Varna, his face was covered." Theasa took a shuddering breath and wiped her tears with her fingers.

"She didn't need to see his face, his voice, she recognized his voice, they are a bonded pair!" Varna snapped.

"A human?" Petara spluttered

"A hybrid!" Varna threw her arms in the air in frustration and glared at her crew. "Don't you see? This General Arron and the Human are one and the same."

The three women facing her gasped in unison. "Minara mated with a human, a hybrid?" Perara shuddered. "It's disgusting."

"She didn't know, because as far as she was concerned he was a Grojan, an unmated adult male. What did you expect her to do? We cannot escape our primitive instincts."

Petara shook her head. "I know, but it is still disgusting, and she had a child by it. Ancestors, do you think she killed it now she knows?"

Varna shrugged. "I don't give a fuck, but think for a moment, what can stand up to a battle raged Grojan male?" All three women looked at her blank expressions on their faces. Varna rolled her eyes. "Ancestors, I'm surrounded by idiots - another battle raged Grojan male, and if he were in a mating rage there would be no contest!"

"Oh yes, we have adult Grojan's hanging from trees I suppose!" Petara retorted, a sarcastic edge to her voice.

"No, but we might have another hybrid."

All three of her crew looked at her stunned. "You mean the stasis chamber we took from that strange ship?"

Varna sighed. "The penny drops! Yes of course."

Catana, who had sat silently through the conversation so far, frowned. "Varna we are not certain that is what it is."

"I know that, but what if it is? We could revive it then I let it see me just at the right moment and tell it I'm in danger and need protecting, and you know what will happen."

Catana shook her head. "Varna, it will go berserk, and that is extremely dangerous. What happens when it has you alone after it has killed everyone else, you know what it will do to you, Varna, and you won't be able to stop it, in fact if you bonded with it you would welcome it. You will end up like Minara."

"Ah, but I know it's human, I will resist it, then once their General Arron is dead I will shoot it."

"What if you can't, Varna, we don't understand on what level these changes have been made, we cannot fight what we are. Even you, Varna, cannot deny your Grojan heritage."

"Don't be ridiculous, I know it's human, to mate with it would be nothing short of bestiality, disgusting!" Varna shuddered. "Anyway, until we revive it we can't be sure that is what it is."

Petara shook her head "It's too risky, Varna."

"What alternative do we have? It's that, prison, exile or death!" Varna snapped.

"On your head be it, Varna, we will hide in one of the bedroom closets, then we can surrender if it goes wrong and there is no chance of it turning on us before it has taken you."

"Cowards!"

She summoned the palace servants and ordered them to help carry the large white casket from their ship's hold to one of the royal bedrooms. She instructed them what needed to be done after the human was revived. It had to be fed and rested so it would be ready when she needed it. The others were to hide, and when the time came the servants were to lead it through to the main reception room where she would be waiting. She planned to then act out the charade and launch it at their enemies, what could go wrong? Varna caught herself trembling. Everything could go wrong. It might not be a hybrid, it might not bond with her and the part that worried her the most; what if it were close to the real thing? And she could not control her primeval instincts. Her trembling increased. "Ancestors help me." She ran her hands through her hair and sat down.