They twirled around each other, dodging under blows meant to cleave the other in half, only to deal out the next. Corden saw the inferno in Worgen's eyes, bared to him at last, but it wasn't the sort of careless fury often seen in Brions when they’d been angered.
It was similar to what he'd found in General Faren—a rage with a purpose, sharpened into the terrible weapon of a man. It didn't make Worgen clumsy; on the contrary, it drove him on as the need to protect Lana gave Corden strength. Something he definitely needed, matched against the man who'd been a general longer than anyone else in Brion history.
One of Worgen's strikes nearly knocked him down, but he managed to roll out from under the death blow that followed. Worgen's spear cracked the floor open where he'd lain a heartbeat ago. Corden was up before he finished rolling, aiming a stabbing strike at the other general's heart, but Worgen had managed to dislodge the spear and blocked.#p#分页标题#e#
It was almost like a dance instead of a battle, only every second posed the threat of one of them dying. They fit together too well, knowing exactly what the other had in store. Corden started to believe it would come down to luck or a mistake when Worgen stepped back.
"You're not bad, boy," he said, grinning that humorless smile. "I haven't had a good workout in years. But now it is over."
Corden had thought he'd seen Worgen move, but clearly he'd been wrong. He'd heard non-Brions describe the way the warriors became a blur when they fought. Now he got to experience that when Worgen moved so fast he seemed to teleport right in front of him, sweeping his feet from under him. Corden went down hard, striking back even as he fell, but Worgen had a much better angle to block. He landed, the other's spear on his throat.
Worgen lifted it to deliver the final blow when the howl pierced Corden's world.
"No!" Lana screamed.
It distracted Worgen for a fraction of a second. Long enough for Corden to do something he'd been taught never to do since he first took up his spear. He dropped the weapon and caught the blade coming to nail him into the ground. The pressure was immense, bearing down on him, Worgen's dark eyes promising oblivion soon.
Corden refused that offer, refused it with every inch of his body. The recognizing moment was still beating in his veins, Lana's scream had reminded him that dying wasn't an option. Of the bad and worse options he had left, Corden chose another incredibly risky one, knowing it was his only chance.
Instead of pushing the spear away, he pulled, ripping the spear out of Worgen's hands with one great, punishing effort.
Everything happened impossibly fast after that. Realizing the loss of his weapon, Worgen turned and dashed away from him. It took a moment for Corden to get up, now holding two spears, only to see the other general hadn't gone for the fighter like he'd thought.
He was standing a few feet from the vessel, holding Lana in his arms. The beautiful captain's eyes were flashing with rage and fear and an emotion Corden couldn't decipher. All he knew was that somehow, he'd lost.
Worgen knew it too, judging by the crooked smile.
"You see, this is what you've forgotten," he told Corden, backing into the fighter. "Only victory matters. Nothing else."
The doors slid shut after them, leaving Corden more alone than he'd ever been in his life. In the place of Lana, there was the absence of her and sheer, blinding fury.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lana
This is not my kind of fight, Lana thought, this is so much above my level I can't even express it.
The fighter moved away from the Raptor, leaving Corden behind. Lana still couldn't wrap her head around half the stuff she'd seen and heard. Her overall impression of it was that she was a tiny pebble, watching giants fight. She barely even saw them move when the two warriors battled. Their speed was greater than her ability to see.
This is crazy, she thought, it's like a story, happening to someone else.
And now the captain found herself in the company of the one man in the galaxy she didn't want to be anywhere near. Lana was grateful Worgen's attention was not on her until she realized what he was watching.
The Raptor.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
It was immediately clear to Lana that unless she did something in the next few minutes, her ship would be destroyed. Along with her crew, her friends. And Corden. She pushed the thoughts of her being his fated firmly away. That had to be a joke, right? Things like that didn't just happen out of the blue. She knew the guy for a few hours. And yet there was a part in her that hurt when she even considered the possibility of him dying.
Think, goddamn it. You heard him. You know what he wants. Think!
"Once I'm clear, fire upon the Raptor," Worgen spoke into his comm link.
Lana's heart skipped a beat. Okay, so she didn't have minutes, she barely had seconds.
"Isn't that unfair?" she asked hurriedly.
The general turned his black eyes to her, making her feel like she was drowning in a well.
"Unfair how?" he asked.
"I thought you Brions didn't kill people who had done nothing to you."
That sentiment was greeted by complete silence while Worgen waited for her to continue, as if she'd told a joke and forgot to say the punchline.
"We kill those in our way," he said.
"They are not in your way! We have done as you asked! My crew is innocent," Lana protested, desperate to buy herself time, but every second brought the doom of her ship closer.#p#分页标题#e#
"They are unnecessary. Only you might be valuable."
Lana gritted her teeth, plenty of words coming to her mind. About treating people like they were currencies or gemstones, some worth more than others.
"There are Palians aboard," she tried. "You said to spare them."
"I have plenty on other ships," Worgen said dismissively.
"Maybe not the one you need," Lana said, trying her luck with guessing.
To her surprise, that got Worgen's attention. For the first time, it seemed to her, the general was actually listening to her, not only registering her voice.
"Have you heard one of them speak of it?" he asked.
"Speak of what?" Lana said carefully. "First tell them to leave my ship alone."
"Rejuvenation technology," Worgen answered. "You have half a minute."
What? Did he mean?
The story of Palians and their rejuvenation tricks was a complicated one. Everyone knew they had the technology, but to what extent, even the Galactic union was left in the dark. There were definitely many rumors, about people walking around in the galaxy who were centuries old.
Son of a bitch. They did it. The bastards did it.
So that was the answer. To Fraly's guilty dodging of her questions. To Worgen ordering his men to spare the Palians in the hope that one of them knew about the techniques. There was no magic, no tricks, no secrets of time travel or black holes, all of which went hand-in-hand with Worgen's legend. The Palians had given him the secret of longevity and he'd simply been hiding in unknown territories of space ever since.
But it seemed the effects were wearing off. Lana wondered if the white strand in the general's hair was a mark of him aging.
"Ten seconds," Worgen said. "Do you have a Palian who knows the secrets of their scheming race?"
I don't know! And if I did, would I tell you? Fuck.
Lana threw caution in the wind.
"Yes," she said frantically. "I think so. I don't know how much he knows, he might not be able to help you—"
"Do not fire upon the Raptor," Worgen ordered, not taking his eyes off her. "Do not fire."
He shut the comm link, still watching Lana. "You better not be lying this time."
I honestly don't know if I am.
"I will take you to the Abysmal," the general said. "You'll be safe there until I deal with this new warrior and retrieve your Palian. What is his name?"
"Corden," Lana said without thinking, the name coming to her lips unbidden.
Worgen rounded on her. "That is not a Palian name," he growled. "Repeat what you just said."
With horror, Lana realized she'd misunderstood the question.
"Corven," she offered in the vain hope that Worgen would buy it.
The cruel smile on the general's lips told her that didn't work. "You said Corden," he whispered, so close to her Lana thought for one mad moment that he would kiss her. Or bite her face off—both seemed likely with this guy.
She said nothing, cursing herself for being so careless.
"Corden," the general repeated. "I should have expected it. This explains much."
While Lana willed time to turn and let her go through the last minute again, Worgen prowled the cramped interior of the fighter.
"So they sent a general to kill me," he murmured.
What?
"He's not the same Corden," the words slipped over Lana's lips before she could stop it.
Dark, hollow laughter answered her. When she met Worgen's eyes, there was no hint of coldness anymore, only burning, hungry threat. Under her eyes, the ice that the general had been so far was melting, revealing a creature that had been resting for a long time.
He seemed to grow taller as he stood up straighter, the general's wide frame making the fighter seem too small for him. The steaming hot armor was glowing again, now closer to bright red. Lana backed away with a small scream when it came close enough to burn her.
The creature who stood before her was not the cold figure in black she'd met. It was the searing, blazing form of a demon, growling at the world.