Born of Defiance

Talyn snorted at her question. “Not a damn thing. If I had, they’d have stopped. Maybe. But you know me, Ma. I don’t like to answer questions. From anyone. And my relationship with Felicia is none of their damn business. She’s my best friend and that’s all they need to know on the matter.”


Her brow knit with furious concern, she reached through the bars to brush her hand against his throbbing jaw. “Don’t worry. She’s getting everything together to set you free. As soon as she can reach her mother and get the file number, they’ll take it to the repository and have a copy made of your contract.”

Talyn had no idea what his mother was talking about. She had to be high. But, he wasn’t quite dumb enough to contradict her when he was sure they were being watched. Probably recorded.

Nor was he dumb enough to indict himself on anything. Hence the beating they’d given him. If his childhood, and Ring training, hadn’t taught him how to endure pain, his armada basic training had. Name, caste, rank, CO. That’s all anyone was entitled to. And it was all they’d ever get out of him. Which had pissed them off to no uncertain end, and made him quite happy with being their personal barnacle.

Talyn glared up at the camera in the ceiling outside his cell and smiled. “I know why I’m here and who’s responsible for it. One day, we’re going to meet in the Ring, you coward, and I will bathe in your blood. Probably your urine first, as I’m sure you’ll piss your pants in fear. So keep hiding like a scared human bitch. It only makes me that much more determined to have it out with you, Andarion style.”

“You shouldn’t taunt them.”

He shrugged. “What are they going to do? Beat me? Ooo, so scared of that,” he said sarcastically. “Besides, they’re all a bunch of quivering cowards, hiding behind their mamas. I am a Batur and an Andarion officer. I don’t fear lesser beings, no matter what blood they believe flows in their veins. Personally, I think they should be tested to make certain they have the lineage their mothers claim. Surely those impressive families couldn’t produce such inferior pansy stock, and if they did, then it’s time to clean their gene pool. One fatality at a time.”

She winced at his growled words. “What happened to my baby who would never say more than three words, and never anything so harsh against anyone?”

Talyn fingered his swollen lips. “He got tired of being force-fed shit.”

The door behind his mother opened. A huge mountainous Andarion walked in and eyed Talyn. For several seconds, Talyn expected the bastard to haul him back to the interrogation room for another fun-filled round of I-ain’t-telling-you-shite.

Instead, the guard applauded. “You’re bold, boy. Stupider than hell, but bold. And you ain’t got nothing compared to the fight in your female.”

Talyn scowled at him as a sick sense of dread went through him. If anyone had harmed Felicia, he wouldn’t rest until he’d slaughtered them where they stood. His back tingled with a fierce warning of the hell he was about to unleash. “How do you mean?”

The guard turned on the wall monitor and stepped back to let Talyn see the screen.

“All the stations have been playing this on a loop. Your female has started one serious firestorm.”

Talyn’s frown deepened as the scene went from two anchors to Ferrick and Erix at a press conference he’d forgotten was being held today about his upcoming fights. It had Andarions from every major news agency and even species from other planets. All hungry for information and stats on who would kill whom in the Ring.

Dressed in Talyn’s custom fighting robes and carrying the Warsword Talyn used for his Ring matches, which looked gigantic in her delicate hands, Felicia made her way to the podium to address the bemused crowd.

Stunned and a little scared over her actions, he met his mother’s gaping stare that said she’d had no idea Felicia had planned this.

After leaning his Warsword against the podium, Felicia lowered the hood and stared out at the swarm of reporters. “Obviously, I’m not the Iron Hammer. But I am here with important news.” She lifted her hand that held a link and pressed it. Immediately, it began playing the call from Chrisen where he insulted Talyn and boldly propositioned Felicia.

Growling, Talyn charged the bars and glared at his mother. “Why didn’t you tell me what that putrid bastard said to her!”

Before his mother could respond, Felicia spoke again. “All of you have come to ask about Talyn, and I’m here to tell you that, right now, this very instant, Major Talyn Batur, the Iron Hammer and a national Andarion hero who, as a fighter pilot, has bled in protection of his homeworld and for all of us, sits in jail. Not for a crime he committed, but over a personal vendetta started by a royal coward who has refused Talyn’s repeated invitations to handle it like a true Andarion… in the Ring.” She enunciated each word slowly.