Undaunted (Battle Born Book 6) by Cyndi Friberg Page A

one corner of the bed and walked across the room, intentionally banging his foot against the door as he opened it.
    Cerkitta, a curvaceous blonde, looked up, her gaze still rather hazy.
    “Clear the room,” he told her. “I wish to breakfast alone.” He didn’t wait for a response. He knew she’d heard him and knew she’d obey. She’d managed to hold his interest for several years now, with an intriguing combination of spirit and submission. Too bad they weren’t genetically compatible. She would have made a fine royal mate.
    He entered the outer room and crossed to his workstation, anxious for confirmation from Rex Dravon that Garin Nox was in custody and on his way back to Rodymia. Without their notorious leader, the battle born rebels would quickly lose focus. Quinton couldn’t wait to tell the guild masters that Garin Nox was no longer a threat and their treacherous plan to dethrone him had failed.
    Unlike the night before, Dravon didn’t immediately respond to his ping. Odd. The Marauder should be halfway back to Rodymia by now. Well, there were any number of reasons why Dravon could have been delayed.
    Rather than fixate on the possibilities, Quinton pinged Apex General Bidon Paytor, Rodymia’s oldest and most highly decorated military leader. The only person more exasperated by Garin Nox’s involvement in the battle born rebellion than Quinton was AG Paytor. Garin had been his protégé and many thought his eventual successor. Paytor was elite to the marrow of his bones and the only person in the military that Quinton trusted implicitly.
    Paytor’s image expanded within the control matrix in response to Quinton’s ping. Well past his prime, the apex general’s experience was written in the deep lines on his swarthy face and the shrewdness gleaming in his blue-ringed eyes. His hair was clipped short, yet the vivid blue strands created an undulating pattern among the black. “What can I do for you, sire?”
    “Have you located the Undaunted ?”
    “Negative.” Paytor didn’t bother with excuses or explanations. Pointless details only slowed down conversations.
    Quinton tensed. He wanted to hold a news conference announcing Garin’s capture and impending punishment for his treachery. Garin’s former ship would have been the perfect backdrop for the announcement. “It’s the largest ship in our fleet. It can’t have just disappeared.”
    “Garin left Sedrik Lux in command. Lux is nearly as wily as Garin. They have the Undaunted tucked away somewhere between here and Earth. I will find her, sire. It’s just a matter of time.”
    “Carry on, but sooner would be better than later.”
    “Understood.” With his usual briskness, Paytor closed the connection and his image disappeared.
    Quinton slumped back in his chair. Why couldn’t anything work to his advantage? It was as if Creation herself had decreed that he should fail.
    “Your grace, Rex Dravon is responding to your ping,” the central computer told Quinton.
    “Put him through.” He quickly sat up and overlapped his chamber robe, concealing his naked chest.
    Dravon’s image formed within the matrix. He smiled, but there was a cunning gleam in his gold-ringed eyes. “There’s been a minor complication, sire.”
    “Do you have Garin or not?”
    “At present, that would be a ‘not’, but I’m confident the situation will change in the very near future.”
    Quinton braced his hands on the desktop and leaned toward the translucent image. “What in all of hells rings does that mean?”
    “He slipped past me last night, but I know where he went. It won’t happen again.”
    Quinton studied Dravon’s face. He looked just embarrassed enough to seem sincere. “If you fail me again, I’ll send someone after you and their orders won’t be to capture.”
    All humor left his expression and resentment sparked in his eyes. “I understand what’s at stake.”
    “Good,” Quinton snapped. “Com me when you have him.” Before Dravon