By Deborah Bainbridge
Zai rotated the pendant dangling from his neck, lost in thought. Clanking shackles roused him, and he glanced at Xander, the drug dealer he’d apprehended in the Ketz District. “Maddening, isn’t it?”
A tall man in a red capitol uniform marched past the cell, and Zai shot to his feet. He slammed his huntsman’s license and warrant tablet onto the captain’s desk and pointed to the slimeball cuffed to the wall.
The captain scanned the tablet, then signed a bounty voucher.
Zai snatched it. “This one’s for Ryn!”
A hand gripped his shoulder, and he turned to face Ryn—Prince Oren’s newest chamberlain, who happened to be Zai’s brother.
“Must you say that every time?” Ryn lifted an eyebrow.
“I just want you to feel like you’re out there with me. After all, you’re my hero.” Zai squeezed his brother, hoisting him from the ground. “You working here is the only reason Father let up on me.”
Ryn smiled, then spotted the necklace. “Where did you get that?”
“A memento from Xander’s lair. Reminds me of the one Mother left you.”
Ryn’s eyes flickered to the drug dealer, and his lips tightened. “A pathetic knockoff, no doubt. Walk with me?”
“Sure. I need to pick up my bounty anyway.”
“You might reconsider my getting you a job in the prince’s household. You wouldn’t deal with this kind of scum there.”
“You know I have no interest in becoming a diplomat like Father. Out here, I’m making a difference, one bounty at a time.”
Ryn chuckled. “Wanna make a real difference?”
Zai raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He followed Ryn silently down a deserted corridor. They were alone, watched only by a statue of the paternal prince.
“Someone’s trying to shut down a factory in the Lindon District under my jurisdiction,” Ryn said in a hushed voice.
“What kind of factory?”
Ryn glanced down the hall. “It produces Xenon Arx.”
“The crystal in my data cuff?”
“Yes. And every other electronic device in Er’Rets. And self-charging, sustainable energy sources tend to be valuable. Two years ago, we altered the crystal’s refining process. Many factory workers fell ill from radiation poisoning. Some even died. After an internal investigation, the factory workers were replaced by droids, ensuring it never happens again.”
Zai rocked back on his heels. “Seems our government has been keeping secrets.”
Ryn scowled. “Six weeks ago, Dr. Tara Vindy started snooping around, claiming to need ‘more information’ for her patient’s case. Now she’s falsely accusing the government of mass murder and calling for us to shut down the factory. Our infrastructure depends on those crystals.” He placed a hand on Zai’s shoulder. “The order is shoot to kill, reporting only to me.”
“I’m a bounty chaser, Ryn. Not an assassin.”
“Do you trust me, brother?” Ryn extended his hand.
Zai clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to use his bloodvoice to read Ryn’s thoughts. He kept the illegal ability a secret even from his family, only using it for work. Besides, he trusted his brother. He shook Ryn’s hand. “Upload the information to my data cuff. I’ll leave tonight.”
***
Zai staked out the factory for two days, but nothing of interest happened until, nearing midnight, a cloaked figure slinked beside the building.
It’s her.
The image was fuzzy, but Tara’s thoughts revealed a drainage pipe behind the factory… Her access point.
His gift only worked if he could see his target; the closer the better.
When he reached the base of the pipe, Tara had already climbed halfway to a third-story window. Impressive. He centered the crosshairs and placed his finger on the trigger.
Horrific images flooded his mind—humans with fever and hair loss, vomiting and choking on blood. Tara’s thoughts escalated to anger as the images shifted to mass graves. Hundreds of people. Dead.
Something’s not right.
Swallowing down nausea, Zai holstered his weapon, scaled the pipe, and climbed through the window.
Tara’s small flashlamp dropped onto the files she was reading. “How did you—?” She sprinted toward the door.
Zai leapt forward, caught her wrist, applied a handcuff, and found himself gazing into a pair of lavender eyes. His heart pounded against his chest, and he delayed applying the other cuff. “You sure pissed somebody off. My orders are shoot to kill. Wanna tell me what’s really going on?”
Tara tried to wrench away her wrist, but Zai held fast. “Our government lied about how many people died here. And still are.”
“Droids perform the crystal refining now.”
“So we were led to believe.” She grimaced. “When the number of patients seeking treatment increased, I decided to investigate. I snuck into the factory and found human slaves refining their precious crystals. Droids littered the basement.” A tear streamed down her cheek. “There are fresh graves in the forest.”
Zai sighed, then removed her handcuff. “Someone’s making a lot of money.”
Footsteps echoed outside the door. Tara pressed a finger to her lips and turned off the flashlamp. They slipped behind the desk just as the door opened, then heard beeping.
Zai canted his head until the individual was in view. It can’t be. He rounded the desk and stood, weapon drawn. “Don’t. Move.”
Ryn turned, hands in the air. “Zai? I was just—”
“Removing evidence.” Zai’s jaw clenched as his brother’s thoughts betrayed him.
Ryn’s mouth twisted and he swung his fist.
Zai snagged his brother’s wrist in midair, then cuffed his hands behind his back. “Not bad, eh?”
“You have no proof,” Ryn spat.
Tara cleared her throat, gesturing to the open safe.
Ryn hung his head. “The stupid droids kept glitching. Repair costs were astronomical. I needed the money to pay off Xander.”
“You used me to take out your enemies!” Zai staggered backward. “You sold Mother’s pendant… for drugs?”
“You’d arrest your hero?”
“I don’t let murderers walk. You know me, brother—making a difference, one bounty at a time.” Zai’s heart wrenched. He turned Ryn toward the door.
All this time, this really was for Ryn.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What an ending! I did not see that coming at all. Heart breaking.
I’m glad you enjoyed the story, Rochelle. 💔 Thanks for reading!
I like the twist at the end!
“All this time, this was for Ryn. This one is Ryn.”
Oh my, the shift to the bodies and the violence within Tara’s mind was heartbreaking. I can see this as a small part of a longer story. So much happens here.
💔 Thanks so much.
Wow! This was a really intense story, and it really had a twist. What an end to the story. This is not the type of story I normally read, but I thought that it was a great one and had so much imagination in it.
Thank you so much!
So good! What a great lunch time read!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Dr. Vindy > “The government is doing bad things!”
government > “The fact-check is false. The punishment is death.”
Your portrayal of government is incredibly accurate, well done!
Thank you.
lol you say “Thank you” as though you think i’m a glowie looking for dissidents who I can convince to kidnap a governor.
😂
On a totally unrelated note, are you interested in kidnapping a governor?
Your short stories are so good. I just keep guessing back-and-forth until I reach the end and I’m usually wrong. Brilliant.
Wow!!! Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
Great story! Good betrayal, and super cool ability!
Thank you 🥰
Ooo, really loved this one!
Thank you so much!
Very intense and great twist.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Chilling and, yes, as some of the others said, heartbreaking.
Thank you.