“I won,” she told the two of them.
Graydon’s grin was seductive. “Debatable.”
“First out. I count that as a win,” Kira shot back.
The tension in Wren and the rest of the oshota distracted them from their friendly argument.
Graydon straightened, the relaxation of before falling away. Everything about him changed. Gone was the mischievous playmate who'd dodged the lu-ong with her. Now, he was the Emperor's Face. Someone who wore his power like a mantle, not like it was a burden but rather a duty he cherished and respected.
"What is it?" Graydon asked in a normal voice despite the fifteen feet between them.
"A distress call came in," Wren said.
"Where?" Graydon demanded.
"Lenay quadrant. Fishing boat. It sounded like a lu-ong had attacked their vessel," Wren answered.
More than one person slid an uneasy glance at the lu-ong below. Interestingly, the creatures had cleared out in the past few minutes, not breaking the surface as often—almost like they sensed what was happening.
"It's been a long time since the lu-ong have been in these waters," Graydon said. "Perhaps the time away has opened the door for misunderstandings between them and us."
Wren shook his head. "Harlow never lifted the restrictions on the lu-ong’s nesting grounds in the hope they would return. No one should be out there."
"And yet they are," Graydon said, his expression distant as he considered.
His eyes met Kira's, the same thought in her mind as well. It was very hard not to see Tsavitee influence behind everything. They'd been the rot that had destroyed so much of her life already. However, jumping to conclusions and chasing ghosts that weren't there was just as dangerous.
Could be this was someone breaking the rules. Maybe they didn't realize the lu-ong were back. That made this Tuann business.
On the other hand, it could be this was the first move in the war the Tsavitee started on Ta Da'an. Only one way to find out, and that was to investigate.
Graydon made an abrupt gesture. Amila and Isla nodded, dropping out of the formation before hitting their thrusters and racing toward the distress call.
Graydon glanced at Kira. "I want you with me."
Kira nodded.
"You're to follow orders," Graydon told the initiates in a hard voice. "If I get word that you're creating a problem, forget the trial—you'll be kicked out of Roake."
Wren didn't argue. If anything, his expression hardened, becoming even more unrelenting than usual. Kira had a feeling his preference would have been to send the initiates to the fortress.
"On me," Graydon told Kira.
The lizard clasped his tail with his paws, tightening his grip around her neck. Good thing too, because Graydon and Kira didn't wait for the rest to sort themselves out, arrowing after Amila and Isla without delay.
Raider fell into position off Kira's starboard side, keeping pace easily. The rest of Graydon's oshota, and a few of Roake's, did the same around them. They moved with the ease and purpose of people who'd performed this task on countless missions with each other. They didn't wait to be told what to do; they simply did it. They were a well-oiled machine that communicated without a word spoken.
"Kira, try not to do anything foolish," Graydon warned.
"It's like he doesn't even know you," Jin quipped.
Irritation chased across Graydon's face. It looked like Jin's remark hadn't gone unnoticed. "And keep him out of the way."
Kira snorted. Fat chance of that. Jin thrived on throwing himself headlong into danger. He gave her shit, but he was nearly as reckless. At least she employed foresight, thought through some of the consequences before discarding them as unimportant.
His thinking was more along the lines of "I saw, I wanted, I took." Consequences only came into play after the chips were down, and the smoke had cleared.
The small fishing boat came into view. Made of wood with a tall mast in its center, its sail was built from a shimmery, silver fabric. The boat looked fast and sleek if not for the massive lu-ong coil wrapped around its bow, threatening to drag it into the water.
Instead of a propeller, it looked like it had some type of technology that would allow it to hover a few feet above the water under normal circumstances. These were not those.
The crew huddled on the far end of the boat away from the lu-ong. No matter how strong Tuann craftsmanship was, it wouldn't be long before the boat went under or cracked under the strain.
Raider made a small exclamation, the curse carrying. "Looks like you're not the only one those creatures think is a tasty snack."
They traded grim looks as they circled the boat.
Kira saw her first impression had been wrong. The lu-ong hadn't just gripped the boat with a serpentine coil. The rest of its body surrounded the boat as well, creating a small well in the middle where the ocean frothed from its movements.
"Anybody ever seen a mad lu-ong before?" Aeron asked.
Graydon's oshota all shot glances at Kira, the memory of a baby lu-ong attacking her vivid in their eyes. There was one difference, that lu-ong had a Tsavitee control collar on it. It hadn't attacked of its own will.
This lu-ong had no such device forcing its actions.
It made their jobs both easier and more difficult.
"Amila, Solal, get the lu-ong’s attention," Graydon ordered.
Their agreement came in a wordless cry. The two broke off from the formation to dive bomb the lu-ong’s head. Kira held her breath as the lu-ong snapped at Solal, nearly catching him. He swerved at the last minute as Amila came from the other side, a blast leaving her hand and striking the lu-ong’s temple.
They broke off, getting distance before making another run.
The rest of the group circled high overhead out of immediate danger. Watching, observing, analyzing.
The lu-ong was massive with pink whiskers and a neon yellow fringe. Its body was dark. In the ocean, it would be nearly indistinguishable from the waves.
As she watched, it hissed at Amila, baring fangs easily as long as Kira's body. Its fringe flared, like a king cobra's hood right before it struck.
The lu-ong curled closer to the boat, its coils tightening, forcing the boat's bow deeper into the water.
"That boat isn't going to last much longer," Jin warned. "My analysis puts a threat of hull breach due to stress at seventy-eight percent. Your time is limited."
Urgency and desperation beat at Kira as Solal and Amila dipped and wove around the lu-ong’s head, narrowly avoiding being turned into a Tuann-sized snack. They moved almost too quick to follow, but not quick enough.
The lu-ong’s fringe flared again, its mouth opening as a ball of pink light shot out like a laser. Graydon flung a hand out, energy forming around Amila.
The light bounced off the shield with a sound loud enough to break eardrums. A fist punched Kira in the chest, the board bucking under her from the reverberations of power.
Raider cursed as his did the same.
"Get distance," Wren cried. "Indya, Veer, support those two."
The oshota from Roake obeyed, the rest of them climbing.
The lu-ong hissed again, her head snapping forward when one of the oshota got too close.
Amila's hands glowed white-hot, creating a streak of light as she aimed at the lu-ong’s neck. Kira saw the danger before she did as the lu-ong’s tail rose out of the water behind Amila. Kira screamed a warning, already knowing it was useless.