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unassuming. Sorreth had never seen her coming. A ghost, with
many different pasts. Belief is a matter of perception. Ensure
that yours are not lulled.
 How many? she asked, but thought as she did that maybe
she didn t really want to know how many traitors to the
rebellion Bal had assassinated.
 More than enough.
Silently, Torri thanked her for that answer.  And now?
 I ve been reassigned. The hint of a smile played on her
lips.  The Coalition, as you know, doesn t approve of certain
information going too public. They are most grateful for my
vigilance in this matter, and my unwavering service to their
interests. Humor and sarcasm tinged her words.
Torri smiled, as well. No, the Coalition didn t want
information about a longstanding Coalition soldier with a
rebel past, a faked promotion, and a rogue bioweapons facility
getting out. The Ori, Kai had said this morning before she left,
were calling for an investigation. That was a public relations
disaster for the High Council, and something like-minds would
exploit only too well.  How did Sorreth die, then?
 In an explosion. Bal lapsed into silence again then spoke
after a long moment.  There are a few among us who would
like to know that you survived Shanlin, she said, lacing the
statement with caution and respectful distance.
So Bal had heard Sorreth. Or maybe she had guessed.  I
know. Torri stared at the farthest mesas and thought about the
training runs she and Kai had made as Cadets across bombing
ranges that looked a lot like this one, skimming past hoodoos,
dodging into canyons, skirting rock walls so close that had the
hatch been open, she could have reached out and run her fingers
A Matter of Blood 191
across the stone. Kai was the best pilot the Academy had seen
in a century, but Torri knew Kai was the best ever better than
that first legendary ace, better than anyone since, though the
Academy was now a breeding ground for half-assed Coalition
flyboys and girls who would never know what true expertise
in the air was about. And she remembered the skies above
Shanlin, and the explosions all around and the sizzling, glow-
ing hulks of metal of her fellow rebel fighters, plummeting to
their final resting places in the swamps below, their pilots often
trapped within. She shook her head, as much to dispel the
images as to respond to Bal s suggestion.
 I understand, Bal said, with something like regret in her
voice.  But should you change your mind or should you need
anything, Mondri s Imports at Magellan would be a good place
to start.
 Thank you. Torri turned and stared hard at Bal.  Well
met, Lieutenant. May you find what you re looking for.
 And you. Well met. She turned and walked away.
Torri resumed watching the sunset, listening to Bal s
footfalls as they crossed the roof then dissipated as she
descended the stairwell down into the main galleries of
Tinsdale Holdings, leaving Torri to the evening and the failing
desert light.
A like-mind contact. The information rolled around her
brain like the round stones holder children used in games. A
rebel network, expanding and maybe strengthening through
the efforts of hunters and informants, seeking survivors and
new recruits. She d known they existed, and that they d gladly
take her in. Some of them she probably knew personally, but
they thought she was dead, and in some ways, she was glad
of it. The more she stayed unknown, the better. She hooked
her thumbs on the waistband of her trousers. Maybe she didn t
want to fight this war anymore. Maybe she just wanted to be
a trader and create a life that didn t require that she constantly
look over her shoulder, and constantly worry about where the
next Coalition checkpoint was.
192 Andi Marquette
What kind of life would that be? And how might Kai fit into
it? Torri caught herself. Kai didn t fit, and never would. Not in
the expected ways. She was a soldier, and a damn good one.
It was in her blood, her very bones, and she needed to use it,
or she d wither, like parts of a soul left untended. The thought
of Kai piloting with her, working the trade routes, and keeping
abreast of Coalition plans was pleasant exciting, even but
utterly unrealistic. The circumstances of their lives were such
that they d forever be connected, but never share physical
proximity for more than a few hours or days at a time, with
long stretches between. And perhaps that was as it should be.
A breeze ruffled Torri s hair and blew it across her face. She
brushed it away and tucked it behind her ear.
 I remember the first time you did that.
Torri shut her eyes at Kai s words, a strange but welcome
ache filling her chest, and she listened to her approach, so
familiar, so safe. Damn her.
 Or rather, the first time I noticed you do it. Kai stood to
Torri s right, but she wasn t watching the sunset. She was
regarding Torri, a half-smile on her lips.  We were studying for
the history of air strategy during second term. You were on the
practice deck, running holoflights against the archive. And one
of the flights you d mapped did something unexpected, and
you stood staring at the readouts for a good ten minutes. Kai
reached over and brushed another strand of hair out of Torri s
face. She gently tucked it, too, behind Torri s ear.  You do it when
you re thinking hard about something. She lowered her arm.
 You know me too well. Torri crossed her arms, trying to
protect herself from the emotions Kai stirred and the past they
shared.
 I might say the same about you. Kai half-turned and
stared out into the deepening twilight. Torri imagined she felt
Kai s body heat, rolling in gentle waves across her chest and
down her thighs.
 I m not sure I m that fortunate, Torri said, studying Kai s [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]