Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 424
Calandria had stolen for her the day before. She had been
taught that clothing was primarily an invention for sexual
display, but the people who told her that had like herself been
raised in an environment of perfect climate and hygiene
control. She wouldn’t abandon the cloth now, uncomfortable
as it was, because she needed it to keep her warm.
The argument across the fire had shifted back to whether
they should continue with their mission, and attempt to stop
Armiger, or whether they should try to escape the planet. Axel
wanted to use their implanted radio to signal other ships that
might be in the system; Calandria was adamant about retaining
radio silence. She seemed frightened of attracting the attention
of the Winds. And yet it was she who proposed that they
confront this Armiger, whom Axel said might be hiding in the
depths of a besieged fortress. The argument went back and
forth, back and forth, and nothing was resolved.
Axel had told Marya the story as they walked, though he
glossed over the extent of his and Calandria’s interference with
local affairs. Covering his ass, apparently. But this General
Armiger was an off-world demigod, and somehow a young
man named Jordan Mason had gained the ability to see through
his eyes.
"I heard about the war with 3340," said Marya. "So
Armiger is really one of that monster’s servants?"
Axel nodded. "And devilishly dangerous, for that. 3340
corrupted entire planetary systems. He seduced people by
offering them immortality and almost infinite power," he added
with a glance at Calandria May. "Then he absorbed the
resulting entities into himself. Armiger may have been an
early victim."
"He was human, once?" She was surprised and disturbed
at the thought.