Read The Soterion Mission for Free Online

to break the principles of a lifetime.”
    “Lifetimes are short, Cyrus, and not all principles are equal. Might your duty to all Constants be greater than to just those of Della Tallis?”
    “Maybe. If I knew for certain you are what you say and Taja is wrong to mistrust you…”
    “Taja? Well, only you can make that decision, Cyrus.”
    They remained there for some time, side by side, gazing at the starlight on the black surface of the stream. When Cyrus eventually spoke, he found it difficult to keep the tremor out of his voice.
    “Alright, Roxanne. Count me in. Your mission has just doubled in size.”
    His hand reached out in the darkness and grasped hers. She did not withdraw.

    Cyrus had been on a number of forays out of Della Tallis. Some were scavenging expeditions, collecting remains from the time of the Long Dead; others were military operations to drive back nomadic Zeds camped too close to the settlement’s boundary. He had no trouble, therefore, in drawing up a plan to get out unchallenged.
    Inviting other warriors to join him was trickier. He could approach only those he trusted absolutely. At the same time, he did not want to put his friends in a difficult position by forcing them to choose between keeping his secret and their loyalty to the community. He was, after all, asking them to disobey the Emir’s express command. The punishment for that was death.
    Navid was the obvious choice. Even so, Cyrus hesitated. To his surprise, it was his friend who ended the agonising.
    “To save you asking, yes, I will,” Navid said suddenly on the afternoon following Cyrus’ pact with Roxanne.
    “Eh?”
    “Come on, Cy. I might be slow but I’m not Zed speed.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Roxanne’s had her eighteenth winter, yes?”
    “Yes. I think that’s right.”
    “You know it is, Cy. Her Death Month can’t be that far away, and it’s pretty obvious she’s not going to wait here until it starts. She’s a woman on a mission.”
    “Is it that obvious, Nav?”
    Navid grinned. “Well, I worked it out so others probably have. And I also worked out that she can’t do it alone. She needs companions, helpers. So I asked myself, ‘Navid, who do you think she would turn to?’ Answer, clear as a dew drop: Cyrus.”
    “I see. But you can’t come, Nav. What about Salama? She will have your second baby soon.” He was fond of Navid’s wedun and did not want to be responsible for separating the couple.
    “She agrees. I’ve told her.”
    “You what?!” cried Cyrus, looking round to see if anyone was listening. “Nav, you didn’t –”
    “Hey, don’t worry! All I said was that if I was to leave on some incredibly important mission, would she mind? Well, you know Salama. She said straight away it was up to me. No questions asked.”
    Although Cyrus was not sure that she really grasped what was suggested, this was not the time for quibbling. If Navid had guessed that Roxanne was going to ask others to join her on the mission, who else might have reached the same conclusion? Leiss, perhaps. Certainly Taja. Cyrus looked around again, anxiously. They had to go that very night.
    The two men agreed immediately on who should be the third warrior in the party. Zavar was the finest swordsman of his generation, wielding his steel blade with dazzling skill, and he was also terrifyingly brave. A few months ago, he had rescued a fellow Defender by charging alone into a band of Zeds and slaying all eight of them. Now in his final year of life but still on the lookout for fresh adventure, he instantly accepted Cyrus’ invitation to join them.

    So it was that shortly before dawn the following morning, a band of four Defenders, tightly wrapped up against the cold and accompanied by a large dog, approached the watchtower manned by Obadis. Cyrus greeted the one-eyed Mudir cheerfully, explaining that he was leading a small scouting party to check that the Zeds who had pursued Roxanne had now left the