Seed- The Gene Awakens by Jane Baskin

Author:Jane Baskin [Baskin, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Vel, riding out alone.

His army, on high alert. The castle: defended fiercely. Even some of the women, armed with rifles, defending the bedrooms like forts.

Nayan, wanting at first to go with him. But Vel, looking at the young lord as if he were looking at one of his own sons. A sad smile. “No, Nayan. This, I must do alone. You understand, don’t you?”

Nayan, nodding. “I will do all I can, here.”

Vel, bringing his personal weapons out of the place he had stored them. Putting on his armored tunic, sleeves, boots. Feeling odd for a moment. Had thought, at the time, that he would never don such things again. But. I was drunk.

What have I done? The words like blades inside his head. Over and over. Even the question: how could I have been so wrong?

Riding out, now. Oddly, knew where he was going. Knew Gwildan would strike at Vel next. Knew it as surely as he knew his own name. Knew it.

Remembering: back at the great hall of Cha-ning. Staring the bastard down. And knowing, as he looked hard into those faraway eyes, that he faced a madman. That nothing in all heavens and all hells would stop such a man. Nothing would bring him to reason. How could I have forgotten?

Knew also, that his hope of appealing to other elements of leadership had been … yes, stupid. I was a fool. He is their only leader. They are fully controlled by him. If they act alone … they act as rabble.

Knowing also, in the pit of his stomach, that he and his, had made Gwildan so. Had made him exactly what he was. As surely as a sculptor carved a stone, had they made Gwildan. Had made … the whole thing.

Cha-ning had been right.

Now, hunting. A good hunter, him. One of the best. Could match wits with a Cha-ning lion, most likely. Thinking now, of that consummate predator. How the animal could hide so still a man could look straight at it and not know it was there. How it could wait with the patience of all eternity. How it could watch, could follow until it had its prey staked out perfectly. Close to the others but separate too. Just separate enough for the strike.

Vel knew: Gwildan would have to piss, sooner or later.

Also knew: every secret route from Darleigh to Vel. Every imaginable pathway a man – or an army – would use to cover, as best as possible, an approach to the keep. Haunted these routes. Took his time.

He will come to me. Like it was ordained. For he too, had the knowing. That Nayan found so weird. That his daughter found so ordinary.

Now: had been in sight of them for hours. Less than two hours’ ride between Darleigh and Vel. But so much longer, when one was trying to be stealthy. Vel, having had them in his sights for quite a while. Sticking to dense cover, him. Just watching.

Watching them ride. Watching them confer quietly, as if someone were listening.

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