Four, Julie Steimle [book club reads .TXT] 📗

“A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men.”—Carlyle—

Anzer Zormna Clendar stared at her glass of tsilk and stirred it as Aver Mersesk talked to her. The blond freckled soldier boy had been giving her advice that entire hour, and all she wanted to do was go back to the flight hall to work on her ship. They were former cadet ‘friends’—though the word friend for her usually meant those people who went out of their way to talk to her rather than avoid her. Bullies learned long ago not to stick around. Real friends were rare—and very busy with other things.

“Zormna, it is really simple. You can’t be Zeta until Alea Tenngar is out of his spot, and he isn’t leaving it anytime soon. Your career is basically in the scraps,” he said with a smirk.

“I don’t really care,” she replied, brushing her fiery gold curls away from her face. It was getting a little too long again. She would need to get a trim soon.

The Anzer next to her laughed. He was a tiresome redhead, a friend of Mersesk that Zormna hardly knew though of course he knew all about her. She thought his name was something like Bren, but she wasn’t sure. He said, “What do you mean you don’t really care? Of course you care. Alea Tenngar talks of nothing else but of the Kevin’s efforts to get you into the Zeta District.”

Zormna smirked. “All the Kevin cares about is that he gets the right officers in the right places. And right now I belong in Alpha.”

Aver Mersesk laughed. “What, with that undercity recruit Dzhon? I saw how Alea Arden has you training him.”

She smiled. “So?”

“So, the Kevin also has an eye for him to go to Zeta. Don’t you think that is a little sad? Your trainee will make it to Zeta before you.” The blonde took a nice swig of his drink then cackled again. “Alea Tenngar has been laughing about it for weeks.”

Zormna rolled her eyes. “I really don’t care what Alea Tenngar thinks.”

The other two smirked at each other and glanced at Anzer Zormna Clendar, the fastest, craziest pilot of the entire Surface Patrol. A natural, striking beauty, everyone also knew now that she was a better pilot than Alea Tenngar. She had earned that well enough from reputation. The only thing that kept her from the Alpha District was Alea Tenngar himself (who hated her), and her rank. She was still an Anzer and there was no way she could enter the Zeta District as an officer ranking below Alea. Not that her rise in rank had been slow. In fact, it had been rather quick for someone her particularly young age (thirteen QZR). She earned every promotion, made clear that it wasn’t just favoritism from the Kevin. But currently, Alea Arden had her working with the recruits. She and her former instructor, Alea Sholda, had been supervising their progress in flight and combat. And though the job was a pleasure for Zormna, Alea Sholda hated the idea of working with her—especially with her flight techniques. Zormna, as always, said she did not care.

“What about Salvar?” Aver Mersesk continued.

“What about him?” Zormna said, ignoring his smug looks. It took some effort.

The Aver snorted. “Zormna, he’s surpassed you. Didn’t you hear? He’s in Zeta now, taking rank in the Londor level.”

“Good for him,” she said, though not enthusiastically. Alea Tenngar would not mess with Anzer Salvar as he was the Kevin’s son. Even Tenngar had certain scruples.

“He didn’t tell you?” the Anzer, probably named Ben, asked.

Zormna grimaced, wishing this conversation would change subjects. “No, he didn’t. He’s been busy.”

The Anzer snickered, enjoying her discomfort.

Aver Mersesk kept shaking his head, enjoying her discomfort as well. “Zormna, the world is passing you by. Do you really think working with Alea Arden is really going to make a mark at all?”

Zormna nodded doggedly. “He’s the best officer in the Patrol, second in command. I’d say so.”

“You’re his puppet,” Aver Mersesk said with a gentle, but well-meant sneer.

Zormna stared at him blankly then shook her head. They had their biases and so did she. She admired Alea Arden for a thousand reasons. “Alea Arden doesn’t have puppets. He’s not like Tenngar.”

Pulling away from her Aver Mersesk looked suddenly ruffled. “That’s Alea Tenngar Zormna. Don’t forget he outranks you.”

Rolling her eyes, Zormna looked at the Zeta District Anzer with annoyed sarcasm. “I tremble.”

“You should,” a voice from out the crowd said.

Zormna looked up from her drink toward the speaker and then turned away with disgust. Of all the people to walk to their table….

“Alea Tenngar is the best pilot in the Patrol, and knowing the Zormna Clendar, she is riddled with envy.” Lenn, now an Aver in the Omega District, walked through the doors of Sandi’s restaurant with a teethy, oily grin. She hated the very sight of him. Always had. He bullied in a completely different way—he destroyed reputations.

Zormna’s reply was acidic, as her green eyes went dark on him. “And since you really don’t know me at all, Aver Lenn, I hardly think you are the best judge.”

Aver Lenn sauntered over, not slighted in the least. He enjoyed the social ripples he made in those around him. He turned to Aver Mersesk and started to speak in English. “She’s a pain in the posterior, right on Mersesk?”

Hearing his words, Zormna laughed right away. “That’s pain in the butt, Aver Lenn. They’d never say posterior in that context, and they certainly would say worse. And the term right on is outdated. Besides you are using it all wrong.”

Aver Lenn first cast her a dirty look but then ceased, changing his mind with a lift of his smug chin. “I may have some of their colloquialisms wrong but your accent is as dismal as ever, and you still can’t do their contractions.”

With a yawn, Zormna rolled her eyes. “Who cares? It isn’t like I’m ever going to Partha anyway.” Then she added with a smirk at him, “What’s up with you anyway, Aver Lenn? You usually avoid me.” Because he did.

The Aver glanced at her two table partners and cocked his head. “I came to see Aver Mersesk actually. Alea Brensk has been having us work with Zeta lately, and Alea Tenngar has not been available much so I have to go through…” He stopped, a little flustered. “Why am I explaining this to you anyway? This really isn’t any of your business.”

Zormna chuckled with a shrug. “Your call.”

Shaking his head, Aver Lenn sighed and continued. “Anyway, since Alea Tenngar is being difficult, my supervisor has been working through me and a few others.”

“Difficult?” Zormna asked innocently, peeking at Aver Mersesk. “Unbelievable.”

Aver Mersesk turned red at the mention of his leader’s petty quirks.

Giving a nod, Aver Lenn said with narrow eyes on her, “Yeah, you piloting types are all alike. Competitive, bull-headed, and cocky.”

“Me? Competitive?” Zormna said, leaning back with a dramatic eye-batting smile, feigning innocence.

Her table companions laughed.

Even Aver Lenn had to laugh without malice. Zormna’s teasing smile broke into a chuckle with a mild glance over the room. She didn’t want to have this argument either. As much as she hated Lenn since their cadet days, it was better not to perpetuate an argument.

Unfortunately, due to the opposition from various Aleas in the Patrol and her bad record against her, there were days when she wondered if it was not better that she leave the Patrol to become a cop like her uncle had wanted her to be. The only downside of doing that was that they had a shorter lifespan as a Surface Patrol officer did. They combated gang violence—and covert P.M. assassinations. And they didn’t have as many resources to use, allotted according to what the government though each region of the city was worth. It was one of the reasons why that boy Dzhon Niizek had joined the Patrol. He said the Surface Patrol offered more freedom, which was true. He told her that had been inspired by a really amazing cop who had been killed in action trying to protect his Undercity neighborhood—a cop who had been raised in the Surface Patrol much like her uncle had. Like a good number cops, really. They went home to where the Patrol did not roam.

But she had come to the Surface Gate to not think about that. And that was why she had come to Sandi’s specifically. Even though her peers were only there to tease her, she felt at ease in Sandi’s. Lots of Surface Patrol officers came and went from there. So did the average Middlecity citizen, and even an Undercity person when they could manage the long trip. She liked seeing them. She liked seeing the reason why she had remained in the Surface Patrol as an officer rather than going back into the population as a police officer.

But then her eyes caught on something she wished not to see. She blinked with dismay as her eyes fixed on those unspeakably fathomless midnight-blue eyes in the crowd looking right at her. The face she knew instantly. The owner of those eyes was casually pointing toward her for those standing with him, though she hardly noticed his companions. All she saw was that boy, that stupid, frustrating fifteen-year-old rebel boy.

He stopped pointing the moment their eyes connected. One word whispered to those with him and they gasped, then scattered out of the restaurant—him also. He darted out of there as if she were already on his tail.

Instantly, Zormna jumped up, shoving both Aver Lenn and Aver Mersesk out of the way. She sprinted to the entrance of the restaurant and out onto the high level walkway within the enormous shopping district.

The boy, Jafarr Zeldar, dashed through the crowds where he tried to disappear—only this time Zormna did not lose sight of him as she had before. Her glare pierced his back like an arrow, and she sprinted through the people and scooter traffic, taking each leap with force until she was right on his heels. With a determined leap, Zormna pounced onto his back.

Both of them slammed flat to the ground. Breath completely knocked out of him and even out of her somewhat—but she did not lose that second. She pinned him right into the stone tile and pressed hard on nerve points so that he could not even manage to fight back.

“Get off!” Jafarr shouted with what little air he managed to regain.

Zormna pressed harder into his spine, glaring at the back of his dark head as she braced his arms. “Not a chance.”

The other Surface Patrol officers that were with her in Sandi’s caught up with her and stared down at the two. Aver Lenn was panting. Aver Mersesk grabbed his own chest. Whatever his name was, Ben the Anzer, rushed out stared after them, also gasping for breath when he caught up.

“Zormna, what in the Tarrn’s name are you doing?” Aver Lenn asked. “It isn’t good for you to pick on the Undercity seers like