Page 1 of House Divided
Chapter One
On the screen was one of the most notorious faces in the galaxy. His frost-white hair was trimmed short, and his powerful features were set in grim determination. The man’s rainwater blue eyes glittered as he regarded them.
“Do you know who I am?” the man asked brusquely.
How is this possible?thought Madeline.You’re supposed to be dead.The man’s features were like iron: grim, uncompromising, and stern. Madeline had seen pictures of the man from history books and holographs, but they had failed to capture the ruthless majesty of the man. He simply projected absolute power.
He was also the most notorious killer the galaxy had ever known. Enoch Immanuel, the Pilgrim of Hate. Leader of the Onin Rebellion. Missing, presumed dead but clearly very much alive.
“Yes,” managed Madeline, “we know who you are.”
“Good,” the man snapped crisply. “That saves time. I’ve come for my daughter, Aria. Be prepared to surrender her immediately or face total destruction.”
Madeline sat back, stunned. She fought to process her thoughts in the face of such dramatic and sudden events. It was also incredibly intimidating to be talking to a figure who was literally out of the history books.
She took a breath and said, “Aria Gryffin is in our medical facility, receiving treatment.”
“Treatment,” sneered Enoch. “Her tracker has gone dead. I assume that’s the result of yourtreatment. Give me my daughter, now, or face the consequences.”
Madeline was recovering rapidly from her initial shock. “Consequences,” she repeated, imitating his sneer. “What kind of consequences do you propose? Bombardment, like on Palamar? Only if you want to bury your daughter in the rubble with the rest of us.”
Jack held up a tablet outside of the camera range of Madeline’s screen. It read,PDF sending interceptors.
Enoch Immanuel’s eyes flickered for a moment, and he gave a faint nod. “You are Madeline Marx, correct?”
Something in Madeline shivered at hearing him say her name. “That’s correct,” she managed.
Enoch’s eyes glittered, like an eagle sighting its prey. “Miss Marx, I do not need to destroy the section of your establishment that houses my daughter. I can destroy other places, one by one, until you hand my daughter over to me.”
Jack held up his tablet once more, a worried look in his eyes.PDF interceptors destroyed.
“You could certainly do that, Lord Enoch,” replied Madeline, keeping her expression neutral to hide her racing thoughts. “But I have another offer for you to consider.”
Enoch’s face revealed nothing. He simply said, “Go on.”
“You don’t have a lot of time, Lord Enoch. Even now, there must be ships in other systems assembling to capture or destroy you.”
“You are wrong, Miss Marx. We are currently jamming all off-planet transmissions. And you have not made an offer, merely an inaccurate statement,” he replied evenly.
“A ship escaped the system just as you arrived. It is carrying news of your presence to the galactic authorities even now,” Madeline shot back. In reality, she had no idea what had happened to theMaracaibo, but she was willing to gamble that no one on board Enoch’s ship knew, either.
Enoch’s face darkened, and he murmured something inaudible to someone off-screen before turning back to face her. Even through a comms screen, the intensity of his gaze made something inside Madeline shiver once again.
“State your offer.”
“We are offering Aria no harm; in fact, she is being treated quite well and is in no danger,” said Madeline. “I invite you to come and see for yourself.”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up, Aurelian and Marc gasped, and even Cornelius’ eyes widened slightly.
“Come down to the planet. Bring however many men you feel is appropriate then send your ship out of system,” continued Madeline. “I pledge your safety and anonymity here. No one will attack you or attempt to betray you to the authorities.”
Enoch regarded her silently for a full ten seconds. Finally, he announced, “Expect our arrival in twenty minutes.”
The screen went blank.
“Are youinsane?” exploded Jack. “The most dangerous killer in the galaxy comes knocking on our door, and you open it and invite him in for tea?”
“Your brother has a point, ma’am,” added Aurelian. “On top of which, he’s not coming alone. He’s bringing a murder squad with him.”
