Revenant Slaves Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Luna

Read chapter 56 of Revenant Slaves by Zee on NovelPedia.

Luna shivered at that casualness in Ingram’s voice as he suggested genocide. She involuntarily tuned her gaze to stare at the Inquisitor. Ingram’s gaze shifted and settled on her. “What, girl? Do you have something to say to me?” Luna shook her head at once and lowered her eyes. Ingram seemed content with that and looked instead toward Avraham. “I was interested in seeing what kind of apprentice you finally chose for yourself, Avraham. What you did was once-in-a-lifetime, really. Do you think any young rat could do well in the same way? You also had the backing of a high house behind you. House Lunaris, wasn’t it? And you have been serving as their personal dog for how many years now? Sixteen? And still you were unable to tame their little princess, or her mother.” His smile sharpened. “Inquisitors are not supposed to be like this. You are pathetic, and I only hope for a swift death for your apprentice here as well.” “Enough, Ingram,” Azarea snapped before anyone else could react. “You will learn to behave yourself, or I will cut your tongue out and mark you for the Stitch, so you may serve as a glorified knight for the Emperor.” “Yes, High Inquisitor,” Ingram replied, though he kept smirking at Avraham. The meeting dragged on. Most of the moons were already under rebel control. That was where Lady Azarea intended to go with her own retinue and take command. Avraham was to go planetside, where things were more complicated. Ingram, meanwhile, would board and take control of the ships in orbit; his task was to seize their command center, from which all the broadcasts were leaking. Mortrum’s lone habitable continent was now at a standstill. Three of its four cities had fallen or been isolated. The central city, built around the only world elevator, was surrounded on all four sides by rebel forces. But its defenses were intact. Its Temple of Living Flame still functioned. For now, it remained relatively stable while the outer regions of the continent died. As the three Inquisitors reviewed the data and discussed their separate strategies, Luna found a spare moment to step toward the snack bar arranged in one corner of the conference room. Zuri took that opportunity to approach her. The past few days, the two of them had spent a surprising amount of time together, and Luna had been a little shocked by how normal Zuri really was. At least, when she was away from the other Inquisitors and not being watched too closely. In front of others, Zuri was stiff, severe, and almost aggressive. In front of Luna, she became something else. Not softer exactly, but awkward, almost shy. As if losing to Luna had somehow given Luna a strange hold over her. Or maybe, Luna thought, all Zuri really wanted was a friend. That part, Luna understood very well. Luna’s life as Lord Whiterock’s heir had been one of deep isolation. That was why she had clung so fiercely to Avraham, to her mother, and in her own way, even to her siblings. Now that she wore the guise of Yelena, some of the social restrictions placed on her had eased. Even so, it had taken time for the crew to grow unrestrained around her. And Zuri had undone a lot of that in the short time she had been here. On one occasion, when two younger crew members — a man and a woman only a little older than Luna — had approached them in the mess hall, Zuri had almost bitten their heads off for daring to interrupt. Luna had sighed and later tried explaining to her how things worked on Avraham’s ship. That had only confused Zuri more. High Inquisitor Azarea ran her ship in a rigidly military way. All the humans aboard it had augmentations. They had been bioengineered and built for fierce combat, for war, even if there hadn’t been one for centuries. Luna had not fully understood what that meant until Ingram and his people arrived. Zuri was already a frightening specimen of strength and muscle, but she was an Inquisitor’s apprentice. When Ingram came aboard with his knights, the difference between the two s