Perdition (Dred Chronicles 1)

The spymaster inclined his head. “If I’d caught her talking, it would make me doubt, too. But she seems fully invested in the Death’s Handmaiden persona. It’s my assessment that she couldn’t betray us without losing face with her followers.”

“Why would they care?” she asked.

“In her mythos, Death is unknowable, but even-handed. If he makes a bargain, he keeps it.”

She said thoughtfully, “I remember some stories like that, where Death comes for one person, but through cunning or negotiation, another soul is taken, or the reaping is deferred.”

“Exactly. Death is inexorable but not treacherous.”

Dred pushed out a breath. “I wish you had been able to get indisputable confirmation, but I imagine she must be wondering if we’ll follow through on the frontal attack.”

“The thing that troubles me,” Tam said, “is that she wins even if you lose. You agreed to her demand for the new fish as payment if our stratagem fails.”

Breakfast forgotten, she pushed to her feet and paced before the table. “I had to entice her somehow. What else did I have that she wanted?”

“I’m not saying it was a poor gambit, only that I can’t fully trust allies who stand to gain from our defeat.”

Dred muttered, “I suppose we have to wait and see what she wants more, additional space and resources or a single man. Even one like Jael.”

“There is that. From her followers’ perspective, annexing more territory would be the greater coup. And Silence cares about how she appears.”

“Does she? I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“Oh, it’s all studied. I don’t think she’s entirely mad.”

“I know there will be casualties, but . . . do you truly think we’re doing the right thing?” She spoke quietly, so the men nearby couldn’t overhear her doubts.

“I do. There’s no guarantee, of course, but I don’t like our odds without this alliance. We had a chance against Priest on his own. Less likelihood of defeating Grigor. He has too many soldiers. Together? We were doomed.”

Dred could always rely on Tam for the honest analysis even when it didn’t paint a pretty picture. With his verdict, she squared away the last of her uncertainties. The Dread Queen couldn’t permit anyone to see her waver even though she was largely a figment of Tam’s imagination. Life had shaped Dred into a killer, not a leader.

But we make do.

She left Tam to finish his breakfast and made her rounds. Unlike Artan, she made a point to circulate among the Queenslanders. It was impossible for her to know them all well personally, but she remembered names, at least. Dred called out greetings as she went, but Martine stopped her. The other woman had been angry since Priest’s raid, but she didn’t look hostile at the moment.

“What’s up?” Dred asked.

“First, I’m apologizing for what I said the other day. I wouldn’t have Artan back unless you were offering me his head on a stick.”

Given that Martine had been instrumental in blocking Lecass, Dred’s smile was sincere. “I hear some people feel that way.”

Others missed him because he’d had his special pets, who didn’t have to work or do anything but sleep with him.

There had been less organization, less attention to detail, under his regime. And he made the mistake of ignoring Tam once too often. The place was also filthier, smellier, and there had been a lot more drinking. She marveled that Grigor and Priest hadn’t moved on the territory when that jackass ran it. But maybe it took them this long to come to terms. Wouldn’t surprise her, as the two weren’t the most reasonable of men.

“But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. This way.”

Warily, Dred followed the other woman back to the dormitories. She’d never slept in here, as Artan had claimed her as part of his harem straight off the prison transport. He had found it amusing to encourage rivalry between his females, driving them to fight for his favors. At first, she refused to participate, only to discover that one didn’t survive Artan’s wrath more than once.

With some effort, she pushed those memories aside. Martine seemed oddly nervous, an expression at odds with her normally pugnacious demeanor. The other woman paced a few steps, before blurting, “I’d like more responsibility. Tam said my loyalty would be recognized, and I’m not sitting around, waiting for you to decide on a reward. I take what I want, right?”

That was such a turnaround from her rage a few days ago that Dred wondered if this was a setup. But surely if somebody wanted a cat’s-paw, they’d pick a pawn more subtle than Martine. The woman didn’t have a beguiling bone in her body; she was blunt to the point of rudeness, and her hair-trigger temper got her into as many fights as the men.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“I want to be in charge of some worthless sons of bitches when the pain starts. I could get with giving orders.”

That didn’t sound like a bad idea to Dred, especially since it might raise her stock with the remnants of Artan’s harem. It’d be nice if the women in Queensland didn’t want to kill her. “Remind me before the assault on Abaddon, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“You won’t be sorry.”

“I owe you. And I’m sure I won’t be. I can’t wait to see you driving those convicts to push on and fight harder.”

Martine offered a scary smile. “Me either.”

24

Challenge Accepted

The mood was shaky the next day when Jael joined the rest of Queensland in the hall for breakfast. As he went through the food line, he listened to a lot of heated discussion, but he couldn’t get a complete picture of the situation. Trying to be subtle, he took a seat with his plate nearby, listening to the conversation.

“Did you hear?” a man said, as another sat down.

“What?”

“We’re aligned with Entropy for this attack.” The first inmate gestured with his fork. “Don’t you think it’s stupid to put all our eggs in Silence’s basket? That crazy bitch is probably just trying to get all of us killed.”

“What do you recommend the queen do instead? She can’t wait until the stars align, ass**le. Priest and Grigor won’t.”

“You don’t even have any proof they’re coming. Maybe she just wants more territory, and she’s telling people what she wants them to hear.”