Page 18 of A World Enough

All the council members were experts in their fields. But Davor had always admired the beautiful Ninti. Unlike other races they’d encountered, the Abnobians were not heterosexual. They paired up with anyone who attracted them. Ninti had been with a person of her own gender for quite a while now, but Davor had never given up hope.

Enough daydreaming. Davor knocked a black ternite globe on the council table, calling them to order. “We sent out a group of bounty hunters, and only two have returned.” He turned to the guard at the door and nodded.

The Drazani opened the door and two men walked in, one tall and confident, and the other shaking with a slight tremor to his body. Maybe it was Davor’s warning of what would happen if they came back empty-handed.

Weakness infuriated him, and this blue-skinned individual was showing it in spades.

The confident dark-skinned man with red eyes was the epitome of cool confidence. Mind you, he was a Derag Due, a vampire, who, like the rest of his people, was supremely confident.

“You did not bring what I wanted,” Davor said.

Cardo, the Derag Due, said, “A wolf came in to help the target, just as we had her cornered. This excuse for a hunter ran off. I had to drag him here with me to face our consequences.”

The blue man finally spoke. “Davor, listen—”

“I always knew it was a bad idea to let you search for her,” Davor said. Then he lifted his hand and brought an invisible pressure down on the terrified man, so he was kneeling. “Supreme Commander of Defence, you may have the honour.”

All Abnobians were tall, seven foot or more, but she was that extra bit taller and muscular, having been bred for war.

“Thank you, Davor.”

“No, please no. I beg you.”

Without any ceremony, Matok, the commander of defence, took a knife with a large red stone on its hilt from its sheath by her side, thrust it into the quivering man’s neck, and severed his spinal cord.

He fell, and blood pooled on the floor. Matok looked at Davor, waiting for a signal to take the vampire’s head next.

“Cardo,” Davor said, “our people and yours have always had a good relationship, but you did fail me. Ninti?”

Davor looked to Ninti to play along, as they’d already agreed. Ninti wore a green badge and green accents on her blue uniform, and a green jewel adorned the hilt of her ceremonial weapon of honour.

“Why don’t we allow Cardo another chance. He didn’t run—he had the courage to come back and face us, dragging that coward with him.”

Davor put his fingers together and then to his lips. “Madam Ninti, you make a good point.”

They had discussed this earlier. Giving Cardo his life, this time, made political sense. Although the Derag Due were far beneath them, they held an uneasy alliance, as they fed on the weak of this realm and were people you could do business with.

“You have another shot at this, Cardo. You may take a team of our Drazani warriors and hunt Camber down. I want that Map Keeper.”

The vampire bowed his head and said, “I will bring this Map Keeper back to you, or you may have my head.”

Davor brought the ball down on the stone table. “Dismissed.”

As everyone was filing out, Davor said, “Ninti, we need to find this Map Keeper. Have you made progress with the plan to control her when we find her?”

“Of course. When we find her, she will comply,” Ninti said.

Davor took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I can always rely on you, madam. I shall keep you no longer from your escheal.”

“You are most gracious, Davor.”

Ninti walked back to the science centre at headquarters. Ninti said to one of her subordinates, “I’m going back to my home now. I’ll be leaving on a mission tomorrow. Let me know if you run into any problems.”

He bowed to her. “Yes, Madam Ninti.”

She walked to the exit of the building, where a transport car was waiting for her. She gazed at the triple moons in the sky and took in a breath of the cool evening air.

Abnobians controlled their own weather systems, but they all preferred cooler air towards the end of their day.