Dark Empire Book Four: Revelations - Chapter Four, Scene Three

 

We're almost there! Revelations releases in five days!

Today, Lokmi is feeling the pressure. They couldn't trap even one Dark on their last attempt. How are they supposed to capture all those infecting the Royal Council?

* * **

“Seven,” Lokmi grumbled as he sat next to Hope and studiedschematics in the workspace Clan Tranis had given them in their guest suite.“We couldn’t catch one damned Dark, now we’re supposed to trap seven!”

Hope’s warm presence at his side shifted. “We only have toget the containment configuration right once. Do so, and all seven traps willwork.”

He could have snapped at her, except she was his heart andhis universe. The pressure to capture the barely seen enemy had been intense.Since verifying Ilid’s assertion multiple members of the Royal Council had beenovertaken by Darks, the pressure had become crushing. Lokmi felt physically illthinking of those black blobs perched on the backs and shoulders of fellowKalquorians, tentacle limbs snaking around their throats.

They’d have to snag the lot at once to ensure theinfiltration’s secrecy, as Emperor Bevau wished them to. The failed attempt tocapture Hobato’s rider seemed to have gone unnoticed by the rest of the All. Ifan alarm had gone out among the Darks, there was no evidence of it. The longerLokmi’s group could quietly trap the invaders intent on subverting the empire,the better.

It meant multiple teams converging on the ridden councilmen,because the seven sat or led major committees guaranteeing the security of theempire. Multiple moving parts meant more chances of the mission going wrong, ifit had any hope of going right in the first place.

“My Imdiko.” Hope turned from their work, sliding a slightarm around him. “We’ll do our best. No one can ask more of us. Since we learnedwhere the weak point was on the first attempt, I can zero in my nanos to testthe next.”

He pulled in a deep breath, begging calm to find him. “Iknow. It’s just…I’ve only ever had the empire’s survival riding on my shouldersbefore. Not the whole of civilization.”

She rewarded his attempt at humor with a chuckle and a kiss.“I believe in you. You won’t fail.”

“It isn’t just us and Clan Tranis this time. More operativesmean additional opportunities for shit to go wrong.”

“It’s okay. Now that we don’t have Hobato hamstringing ourwork, Tranis is assigning the elite of the spy division to make the mission asuccess. We will do this.”

He crooked a smile. “Should we change your name to Faith,like your mother?”

She winked and returned to work. Sighing, Lokmi did too.

* * **

Blythe Nelson is certain Clan Deram is keepingsomething from her. The clan of spies finds it difficult to stay a step aheadof the wily reporter who’s winning their hearts. What they don’t know is Blythehas a secret of her own. New love can’t survive without trust, and neither sideis ready when the truth comes out.

Dramok Ospar, determined to return to the politicalstage, strikes up a deal with Royal Councilman Oiteil. Unaware he’s dealingwith a Dark entity controlling Oiteil, he finds himself fighting for his honor,his relationship with his clan…and his life.

The Kalquorian Empire, already struggling against theDarks infiltrating its highest offices, suffers a new blow when it’s revealedit’s keeping a prisoner from the war against the first Earth: Holy LeaderBrowning Copeland. The schism between Kalquor and its allies grows deeper,setting the empire against the rest of the galaxy.

As chaos descends on rioting Earther colonies, theGalactic Council of Planets, and Kalquor, a desperate group of humans andKalquorians race to stop the force behind the turmoil: the Darks. Can theyloosen the grip on their worlds the enemy seeks to tighten, or is all lost?

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