Someone put out a contract on me. I wonder how, since I concealed my true identity. But that hadn't stopped them from discovering I was still alive. The client? David Anderson, Sessota's chief executive officer. I had been their lawyer. Knew their secrets. So naturally, they came after me.
I concealed my relationship with Maeva for almost seven solar cycles. My strength. My weakness. The woman who made me seek redemption for my past was now also the cause of my sleepless nights. She had become everything I had fought to avoid. It was a matter of time before they found out.
Maeva, too, was confronted by her own past. It caught up with her like an avalanche, demanding its due. The threats were significant, and I had become her weakness.
Our fears weren't for ourselves. They were for each other. Continuing to live knowing I had caused her death would be impossible. And she couldn't endure the reverse either. We would be our own undoing.
Then a light appeared. It was him. The last person I would have expected anything from.
I've been through a lot, fräulein. Dealt with people who awakened in others the urge to take their own lives. But him… he was different.
Both of them were. They radiated the aura of predators at the top of the food chain. Neither the Patriarch nor the Mother gave me the shivers those two did. I can't even explain why. It was an instinct that made my hair stand on end from head to toe and said: Stay away. Stay alert. Be cautious.
I'm talking about Maia and Saymon.
They were the ones I most feared owing favors to, and unfortunately, I ended up indebted to one of them.
They never mingled with anyone. Not in Nobody's Land, not in Netheria. Maia was almost always accompanied by Kiara, the android who dealt with everyone else. The white-haired girl kept her distance, carrying the air of someone beyond reach.
Her brother was different. Wherever Saymon went, everyone withdrew. His aura seemed too large to occupy the same space as the others, crushing people, diminishing them before his own frivolity.
They feared and admired him. He possessed a peculiar magnetism. He drew people in and dispensed smiles and charm as though casting a spell over them. They approached him out of both need and fascination.
But in my case, Saymon came to me. Once again, my world turned inside out. "Hey." A dark voice sounded behind me. Saymon leaned against the wall of an alley in Nobody's Land. A black mask covered his face, leaving his golden eyes visible as they watched me. He beckoned me closer with his fingers.
I approached warily until we stood face-to-face.
"Wanna save her?"
A chill passed through my stomach. "What—"
"I know who Maeva is."
I nearly grabbed his neck.
"Rethink wanting to do that."
I restrained myself, as though an invisible force prevented me from acting. "What do you want?"
His eyes narrowed in a smile. "I wanna help you."
Help me? Perhaps it was desperation, but a flicker of hope appeared in my heart. I raised an eyebrow. "Why would you do that?"
Saymon hissed, "I know who you are. Damon Hawkins."
Ah. How long had it been since I'd heard that name? I had killed Damon. He no longer existed. Or at least, he shouldn't. Something dormant awakened inside me. That name vibrated within me as though announcing: I'm alive.
"Shouldn't go around saying meaningless names."
Saymon's low laugh pierced me like a blade. "How about relaxing? We can terminate your contract. Become a mercenary leader, and you'll receive contractual immunity. As long as your leadership lasts, not even those up there…" He pointed at the sky. "Can do anything about it."
If that was true… "But…"
"Say yes. The gun's aimed. I only need the trigger." His eyes seemed friendly but emanated indifference. The smile he offered was an unspoken contract in itself.
The trap lay before me. And I wanted to fall into it. "Why are you doing this?" The opportunity he offered was undeniable. But as a good lawyer, I knew how to read between the lines. I could recognize the invisible message of an abusive contract and the sacrifice hidden in its clauses.
His amber eyes shone. "Because you have what I want."
Ah. Nothing more needed to be said. What I had. What he wanted. Data.
I smiled. Finally, I was moving toward my destiny. Toward nature's second chance. Toward her prophesied retaliation. I was ready to become the instrument of her retribution. "And Maeva? What will happen to her?"
"Of course. Maia. Find Maia." Saymon handed me the Page of Swords and disappeared into the corridor's darkness.
Shortly afterward, a former mercenary leader died mysteriously. Dropped dead on the floor. His heart simply stopped. They appointed me the new leader. My contract? Terminated. I became untouchable.
It was my turn to seek out that girl Maia. But she was impossible to find. There were no signs of her whereabouts, and few knew anything about her. Most of the information was inaccurate. Only when Kiara crossed my path did I manage to give her the card. A knowing look was enough to convey the message.
The following moon, I was sitting on my throne, minding my own business, when Maia burst through the door, hands in her pockets. She examined everything around her, even the dust above us. Her presence unsettled me. I grew uncomfortable when her feral eyes settled on me.
I swallowed. "You…"
"Yeah, man, can't blame you. It was irresistible for me too." She sighed. "Who is it?"
I drew my brows together. "Maeva. My contract was suspended, but I know them. They'll keep fighting."
Maia approached. "I know. You won't be able to go after her."
A pang pierced my heart. She seemed to convey more than her words said. A feeling struck me unexpectedly.
"Understood?" Maia raised an eyebrow.
It was hot that day, but her coldness occupied the entire room. I straightened and swallowed, though it took an effort. "How will you do it?"
Why had I asked? Maia smiled, came even closer, and touched my arm. Her skin was as cold as a block of ice.
I shivered and nearly drew back.
"I'll show you." A disturbing tingling appeared in my neck and slowly began spreading.
It was a sensation of disappearance. Painless. But terrifying. One of the worst things I've ever felt. My body knew what my mind refused to accept. I stood before something that surpassed existence. Then the numbness stopped.
My eyes widened. "You… you…" The words remained trapped, unutterable. She was… She was that. Nothing else mattered. My strength, my power, my ascent. If Maia wanted me dead, I would die. Without a fight. Without a chance. Without even understanding how.
"Yes, I am." Maia turned to leave. Before crossing the doorway, her voice pierced me like a bullet. The only bullet capable of hitting me. "When the time comes… I'll return to collect."