Chapter 5

“Security’s taking his office apart as we speak,” the on-screen image of Portent’s C.E.O. said.

“And the forensic team that arrived with the Master Necromancer?” Lyrissa asked.

“Thoroughly professional,” Farketh replied. “If there’s anything, they’ll find it.”

“Good.” Lyrissa thought for a moment. “You still agree that Belica’s team should handle the executive reviews?”

“Starting with myself,” Portent’s troll chief executive confirmed with a nod.

Lyrissa inclined her head in return. The green-skinned troll’s pale yellow eyes looked out from the viewscreen steadily. Lyrissa had worked with Farketh a long time. By the determined angle of his long and expressive ears, she could tell he was about to say something which he needed to get off his chest.

Insightful as she was she had no doubt what it would be. After all, it was bothering her too.

“I’m not ashamed to admit that this enthralling business gives me the shivers, Lyrissa,” Farketh said quietly.

“You and me both, my friend,” Lyrissa agreed.

“Competition is one thing. A little data hacking, some industrial espionage - I can live with that.” The green-skinned troll shook his head. “But taking over someone’s soul? Assassination? Frankly I thank the Spirits you and Belica had the forethought to start her ‘Watchdog’ initiative. You’ll have my full support in future phases to expand the team’s mandate.”

“Based on today’s ... events we need to accelerate our plans for the Watchdogs.” Lyrissa smiled but it barely reached her eyes. “I’ll contact Belica next and tell her what we discussed. She’ll be thrilled at your full support.”

“And I’ll personally contact the other board members to tell them what’s happened,” Farketh said.

“Thank you,” Lyrissa responded. “Let me know what else develops.”

“Of course,” the troll nodded and Lyrissa disconnected the call. The viewscreen set into the limousine’s partition went dark.

Lyrissa’s limousine was driving her back to her home away from home in Hacon’s Vision, the Torvan Interchange Centre. After the assassination attempt and the surprising call from the Avatar Empress had ended, Farketh had immediately seen to the task of cleaning house at Portent. With no knowledge of how long one of his senior executives had been enthralled or if he’d been the only victim, Portent’s chief executive had made ensuring the integrity of the rest of his team his highest priority.

Lyrissa turned to her right and looked out the vehicle’s tinted windows. Traffic was slow and the driver was only able to move forward at a crawl. After a few moments of quiet consideration she spoke out loud.

“How does the Imperial Navy deal with this kind of threat, Ser dun Maltos?” she asked coolly. She refused to turn and face the man beside her.

Orthin dun Maltos stirred beside her. There was a large gap between the two of them on the plush seat, the physical space representative of the emotional rift which yawned wide between them. Orthin stared at the blonde ponytail at the back of Lyrissa’s head, his face an unreadable mask.

Empress Shalini had given him his orders at the end of her call. Neither Orthin nor Lyrissa had been entirely thrilled.

Lyrissa recalled the conversation clearly.

The former naval naval officer hadn’t left her side since. To say their interactions had been strained would have been a gross understatement.

“They have dedicated counterintelligence teams,” Orthin responded to Lyrissa’s inquiry. “Trained analysts and skilled necromancers who identify weaknesses and are authorized to act when necessary.”

“Thought police?” Lyrissa asked. Behind her as he was, Orthin couldn’t see Lyrissa’s eyebrows rise on her forehead. “The military doesn’t have time for such inconvenient niceties as civil liberties, I take it?”

“The necromancers are only allowed to go that far in extreme circumstances,” Orthin explained.

“So they say,” Lyrissa replied sharply. “But who’s to know if they secretly do otherwise?”

“They’re still members of the I.G.N.M. The Guild polices its own.”

Lyrissa finally turned around. Her companion’s arms were crossed in front of his chest. He looked back at her evenly as she met his eyes.

“And who watches the watchers?” Lyrissa asked softly.

Orthin looked ready to reply, then shook his head and remained silent.

Lyrissa nodded slightly then turned away. She touched the pad set beneath the partition between the back seat and the driver. The viewscreen came to life once more, displaying a blinking prompt, and a tone sounded.

“Call Belica’s cell,” Lyrissa stated clearly.

The words she spoke appeared on the screen briefly. They were replaced by the icon of a stylized cellular phone with the picture of her blonde personal assistant. The sound of a phone ringing was cut short as the call was answered on the third ring.

“I can’t believe this happened. Are you okay, Babes?” Belica Meadow’s deeply worried voice asked as soon as the connection was established.

“I’m physically unharmed,” Lyrissa replied. “Emotionally...” she debated how frank she wanted to be with Orthin right beside her. “The idea that someone wants me dead is taking some getting used to,” she eventually decided to say.

“I can’t even imagine,” Belica said. “I shudder just to think of it.” Lyrissa could picture her closest friend doing just that and she smiled. “Anything you need, I’m here for you. Where are you now?”

“I’m heading back to my rooms at the T.I.C.,” Lyrissa responded. “Ser dun Maltos is with me.”

“That big, stinking liar is still with you?” Belica sounded shocked.

Lyrissa’s glanced at Orthin and saw he remained stoically unmoved.

“Orders from Avatar Empress Shalini Dalvoer herself,” Lyrissa said. “I’ve been assigned my own personal bodyguard, it seems.”

“Oh,” Belica replied, nonplussed. “I guess that’s okay then.”

“Are you able to switch to video?” Lyrissa asked. The desire to see her friend’s familiar face had come over her strongly.

“Of course,” Belica said immediately. “I was on a video call with Paula. Let me tell her goodbye then I’ll call you back.

A slow smile spread across Lyrissa’s lips. “No need to cut your call with her short,” she said. “Just conference us in together.”

“Really? Okay ... I’ll see if she knows how to do that,” the technically unsavvy woman said doubtfully. “Umm, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back. I hope.”

There was an uncomfortable cough from Orthin beside her. Lyrissa ignored it and leaned back in her seat contentedly.

“ ... flay your hide and toss you in a cage with hungry wyverns! Right after I blighted fire you!”

Paula Perez’s image glared daggers through the screen. If she’d been physically present Lyrissa could very well picture the silver-haired woman carrying through with her threat, and all the ones before. Through it all Orthin hadn’t spoken a word in his own defense.

A small part of Lyrissa - the suspicious inner voice which had become increasingly vocal after the assassination attempt - wondered if it was just an elaborate act. Was Paula a little too angry? Were she and Orthin secretly laughing together behind Lyrissa’s back?

“Is that really necessary, Mrs. Perez?” Belica asked, unaware of Lyrissa’s darkening thoughts. “I mean the firing part. I know you don’t mean ... that other stuff.” She added the last with a visible shudder.

Belica was in her office at Prism Corporation’s headquarters in Astagar; Lyrissa could tell by the pastel-coloured wall behind her friend. She could also see that Belica had changed her furniture yet again since the cushioned green sofa on which she lounged wasn’t one Lyrissa recognized.

“You’re actually defending this son of a dragon matriarch?” Paula asked Belica disbelievingly.

“I’m not defending him, exactly,” Belica temporized. “But he did save Lyrissa’s life. Even if it was all part of his secret little spy mission, or whatever.”

“Paula can go ahead and fire him if she wants,” Lyrissa said. Paula and Belica looked at her - one with satisfaction and the other with surprise. “It’s actually better that way. I’m guessing the rest of Eclipse isn’t too happy with Orthin right now.”

“Not all of them know what happened yet,” Paula said. But by her tone, she didn’t disagree with the assessment.

“Returning to his previous role as an engineering consultant would be a problem,” Lyrissa explained.

“Good point - I didn’t think of that,” Belica admitted.

“Neither did he, I’m sure,” Paula said with a sniff.

Orthin spoke for the first time since Paula’s tirade began. “Actually, I did.”

“But you just didn’t care, did you?” Paula snapped.

“My feelings didn’t enter the equation,” the man shook his head. “Protecting Lyrissa was the mission and took precedence.”

“You had your orders,” Lyrissa said coolly.

Orthin gave her an unreadable look.

“Yes,” he agreed.

“And will your orders present any problems with leaving Eclipse’s reusable launch project?” Lyrissa inquired.

“No,” Orthin shook his head.

“It’s that easy for you to walk away?” Paula demanded. “You’ve worked with us for years. We’re... they were your friends!”

Orthin’s eyes focused somewhere past Paula’s shoulder, as if he were looking through the other side of the video screen. Sitting right beside him, Lyrissa could see the muscles of his jaw clench, then relax.

“It’s better this way,” he said distantly.

“Then consider your wish granted,” Paula said disgustedly.

Lyrissa could tell that Paula’s anger at Orthin came from the same place hers had. Rationally, Lyrissa knew her own feelings were unwarranted. She’d barely met the man and his ‘betrayal’ had saved her life. Paula, though, had every right to her outrage.

The doubtful part of Lyrissa’s mind whispered that Eclipse’s C.E.O. was a little too outraged. Yet another irrational suspicion that she immediately suppressed.

Or at least, she tried to. But it wasn’t that simple.

Doubts and questions clouded Lyrissa’s thoughts. Her mind raced through endless scenarios in search of hidden motives. Was Paula really as upset as she seemed or did she know of Orthin’s true allegiances in advance? Would Farketh try to find out what happened or was he secretly involved himself?

The suspicion swirled within her - suffocating, stifling. It gripped her like a looming shroud and she couldn’t let it go.

“Is that what you want, Lyrissa?” Belica asked.

At the sound of her name, Lyrissa dragged her attention back to the ongoing conversation. She tried to recall the last part of what was being discussed but gave up with a shake of her head.

“Sorry, I was distracted,” Lyrissa said, a little testily. “What was that?”

“I was telling Ms. Meadows about the conversation you had with Mr. Nur’ja,” Orthin said. “You’d mentioned contacting her about increased surveillance.”

Lyrissa turned to Orthin, her eyes narrowed.

“That was none of your business,” she told him.

Orthin looked taken aback, then his face went blank. “I apologize if I overstepped myself.”

Belica’s face had an expression of surprise. “If you didn’t want to discuss it with Orthin present then why’d you call me?” she asked. “Orthin said you asked about how the military handles these kinds of problems. He just thought you wanted to get started right away.”