“Wait. You said they haven’t made any official announcements about her. What have they made announcements about?”
Beatrice shifted. Even that small delay was enough to make Judit’s skin crawl. “There’ve been some bombings on Nocturna Prime. Word got out through unofficial channels before the Nocturna government put their official spin on it, and now they’re saying it was Meridian terrorists.”
Judit’s belly went cold. “Does Meridian have ships in orbit? How the dark did they get that close to Nocturna Prime?” Had her grandmother launched the fleet without her? Had Annika and Antiles been able to get out in time, or had they been there when the bombs dropped?
“The reports say it was a ground-based attack,” Beatrice said.
Judit frowned hard. “Why would Grandmother put boots on the ground when she could rain death from orbit?”
“A terrorist attack, Jude,” Beatrice said. “In secret.”
“That’s not possible!” As much as Judit hated it, the execution of her father made sense, at least as far as her grandmother was concerned. She’d realized that as she wept with Noal. But secret terrorist bombings? Her grandmother would call that cowardly. Surely Nocturna had to know that.
Would it matter if they did? “Do they have proof?”
“They claim to,” Beatrice said slowly, and by the way her gaze wouldn’t meet Judit’s, there had to be more to the story. Beatrice knew Meridian couldn’t be behind the bombings, so why was she so nervous?
Judit bit her lip. Secret bombs were the sort of thing a Nocturna would do if she had to—maybe if part of her wanted to—as angry as she was at her own house. “You think Annika did this.”
Beatrice’s lack of eye contact spoke for her. She thought Annika had bombed her own people, maybe to create a distraction; maybe she’d had to do it in order to get away. Or maybe she’d done it out of revenge. Those were the reasons the crew would be betting on.
“No,” Judit said. “She didn’t do it.”
Beatrice didn’t argue as Noal might have, but her nod was lackluster.
Judit pounded a fist on her console. “She didn’t do this, Bea! I may not have known about her training, but I know her. She kills in self-defense. She wouldn’t blow the dark out of a bunch of random people. She wouldn’t risk taking innocent lives!”
It was what her heart told her, but now a tiny part of her mind was saying, “You don’t know.” She curled her hand into a fist. “Keep looking for her,” she said aloud.
“We will.”
And when Annika got back, she could tell everyone what had happened, and the crew would love her as much as Judit did.
Beatrice cleared her throat. “I’ve been sorting through the data that…you collected. There are lots of reports of unrest and fights, like cracks running across the galaxy. We’re trying to find a main cause, but several incidents appear to have incited the others. If someone was planning all that’s happened, they unleashed several strings of violence at once.”
“And still no idea of who that someone is?”
“Your father and his contacts had a lot of different ideas. Some of them are good. And more interesting, he had some notes about searching through the hierophant database.”
“They were looking for prophecies?” That didn’t make a lot of sense. Judit and Noal had looked through the prophecies out of desperation, but her father had so many other resources. Had something led him there? Meridian believed the prophecies like everyone else, but they clearly hadn’t let that stop them from doing whatever the dark they wanted. They’d even taken the famous prophecy about the chosen one and twisted it to mean that peace between the two houses was best achieved if Meridian wiped Nocturna out. If they were looking through prophecies for clues, it had to mean they thought they had a good chance of finding something.
Beatrice touched her jaw, telling Judit she was getting a message. Judit wondered why the bridge hadn’t contacted her directly. Maybe they thought she was too fragile. She stiffened her spine as Beatrice listened. They had to know they could still depend on her.
Beatrice finally nodded. “Understood. Jude, we’ve caught wind of several ships leaving Nocturna space that don’t have a Nocturna signature.”
Judit’s heart leapt even though there was little to hope for in that statement. “Any clues?”
“Roberts is sorting through the data. One of them appears to be heading this way, no house signal.”
It could be an unaffiliated trader or a mercenary. A pirate. But it was dangerous to go about with no allegiance in house-held space. “It could be her.”
Beatrice frowned. “It could be a lot of things. If we leave the Scipio, we might miss her.” Judit clenched a fist until it hurt. Beatrice looked as if she was about to say something when she put her hand to her ear again. “We’re getting a message. It’s Antiles.”
“Where is he?” Judit asked.
“On his way here. He couldn’t say much.”
Because anyone could be listening. “Find his position. We’ll meet him.” She strode past Beatrice and headed for the bridge. If Antiles was sending a signal instead of coming to the Scipio, something had gone wrong. And the Damat was faster than his little ship. They’d be able to get to him before he could get to them.
And even though it could be very bad news, at the moment, it seemed like a piece of good luck. They were under way at least, and any direction was better than standing still. When Judit arrived at the bridge, she was happy to see her crew busy at their stations. Beatrice walked past her and took the helm.
As the Damat headed for the nearest transmission gate, Judit leaned back in her chair and tried to contemplate all the possibilities. Any number of things could be happening. Perhaps Annika was on Antiles’s ship, but they were being followed. In that case, Annika would want the Damat with her for the extra firepower, especially if the ship following them was faster than they were. Maybe Annika had caught a ride on a different ship, following closely behind Antiles. Maybe she’d had to sneak onto a ship going in an entirely different direction, and Antiles was summoning the Damat to tell them where she’d gone and why. Whatever the problem, Judit had to believe it was one she could solve. Darker thoughts knocked at her consciousness, but she refused to let them in. Fate wouldn’t be so cruel to take two people who loved her within days of each other.
She wanted to stay on the bridge, but as it was, they were at least a day away from meeting Antiles, and that was if he didn’t get delayed. Judit longed to call him again, to hear what was happening, but they couldn’t risk anyone else knowing, especially if Annika was somewhere she could be captured. She’d still make a valuable hostage, both to Nocturna and to Judit. Meridian would pay well for her if only to have something to hang over Nocturna’s head. They’d probably find a way to execute her for treason, too.
Judit’s stomach cramped at the thought. It was too soon for such comparisons, and they would only lead deeper into shadowy thoughts.
When Noal pinged her comm to ask her to dinner, Judit nearly refused, but she needed something to distract her even if she’d be horrible company. When she arrived at his quarters, she found Spartan there as well. He stood as she entered, as if he were under her command. She tried not to chuckle at the thought and waved him to his seat. Noal had wrangled an extra chair from somewhere. It stood at his small table laid with bowls and cups. A steaming pot of noodles sat in the middle, and he’d found a bottle of wine. He probably had them stashed in many different places. He never seemed to run out.
Judit had a sudden flash of memory. She and Noal had been dining with Annika while Feric guarded the door on the small satellite where they met. Annika’s grandfather had died not long before, and Annika had been downcast and thoughtful for the whole visit. Feric had remained by the door, stoic as always, and Judit remembered being angry with him for not comforting his charge.
After trying to cheer Annika up and failing, Noal had given Judit a stricken look, but she didn’t know what to say. I
t didn’t seem the time for jokes. They’d already given her their condolences and offered to listen if she wanted to talk, but she’d declined with a smile and then picked at her plate.
“Let’s have a picnic,” Noal had said, putting his napkin down.
Annika had blinked at him. “A what?”
“Come on.” He’d gathered up all the food and plates and took them into the living space.
Judit and Annika had exchanged a glance, but Judit trusted Noal when it came to the cheering-up department. With a smile, she’d followed suit, and Annika did the same. Feric had followed but stayed by the door as always, staring straight ahead. Noal had lit some candles and turned the lights down. He’d called up a star map on the holo and projected it on the ceiling so it looked as if they were under the night sky on some faraway world.
Even then, Noal had secured more than a few bottles of wine, far more than he should have been able to get since they’d just turned sixteen, but the chosen one got his hands on a lot of things he wasn’t supposed to have. Since none of it was illegal, Judit usually didn’t care, but when he kept pouring that night, she’d given him a few warning looks. But Annika seemed to relax, and there was even some joking and giggling while they’d eaten with their fingers under an artificial sky.
Now, in Noal’s quarters on the Damat, Noal and Spartan were staring at her, and Judit realized she hadn’t been paying attention to anything they’d said or done. Spartan’s eyes were wide, apprehensive.
“I’m sorry, what?” Judit asked.
Noal tried a hesitant smile. “Did you fall asleep sitting up?”
“I was thinking. Remembering.”
He nodded but didn’t press, probably thought she was reminiscing about her father.
“I’m sorry about your dad,” Spartan said. “I lost mine a few years ago. It’s rough.”
She blinked at him. She’d forgotten the rest of the galaxy had fathers, too. “Thank you.”
“And I’m sure Annika is okay,” he said. “She’s…really tough.” He rubbed at his throat and looked at nothing as if lost in his own memory.
“So I’ve been told.” And she was grateful then for all of Annika’s training. If it frightened the dark out of anyone who’d seen it, she was probably okay.
They ate slowly, quietly, and Judit was reminded of state dinners. She much preferred the intimate little dinners with Annika, Noal, and the silent Feric. But as Noal and Spartan started talking, letting Judit decide whether or not she would participate, she began to relax. They spoke of normal things, a bit of their pasts, but it sounded like any old conversation, and Judit could sigh and let it happen around her. No decisions. No talk of the future, of plans, of what-ifs and maybes. When she left after dinner, she was glad she’d gone.
The next day, they were close enough to spot Antiles’s ship on long-range scans, and Judit kept a close eye from the bridge while Evie scanned for other ships, other threats. Roberts listened to chatter. Antiles’s ship seemed as if it was alone, but they couldn’t tell who might be aboard. Judit nearly dug her fingers into her armrests as her stomach roiled. By the time Antiles was close enough to speak ship-to-ship, Judit’s hands had cramped into claws. She had Roberts put Antiles through on the bridge comm, and his face appeared on Judit’s screen.
He seemed worried, that was her first thought. She didn’t know him well, but the smug, slightly suspicious look he’d sported every time they’d met had been replaced by a wrinkled brow, a tightening of the eyes.
“Where is she?” Judit asked.
He took a deep breath. “Straight to the point, eh? Last I heard of Calliope, she was looking for a way off the moon Caligo and onto Nocturna Prime.” He arched an eyebrow. “But I did hear a rumor that Annika Nocturna, heir to the house, was captured on Caligo, then escaped to Nocturna Prime.”
Escaped. Judit let out a slow breath, unable to hide a smile. Of course she’d escaped. “Anything else?”
“Oh, so you do care what happens to Annika Nocturna? I thought your two houses were at odds?”
She wished Noal would hurry to the bridge. What did this odious man want from her now? “She’s not aboard this ship, if you’re looking for payment. And since you no doubt still want information, it’s in your best interest to tell me everything you’ve heard about Annika Nocturna.”
He gave her a pitying look. “You’re not nearly as smooth as your cousin Noal.”
Well, she’d suspected he knew who she was. She hadn’t even thought to put on a disguise before taking this call. “And so?” she nearly growled.
He sighed as if disappointed she wouldn’t dance, but his nervous look came back. “I have to assume she made it to Prime. You heard about the bombings?”
“That wasn’t her.”
He lifted his hands. “Never said it was. Just that there was trouble. And quite a few ships fled the system after that unfortunate incident. Rumor has the Nocturna heir on one of them.”
“Any idea which one?”
“I have a few ideas.” He sat back in his chair.
Judit waited, impatience growing. “And?”
Noal arrived at the bridge, breathing hard as if he’d been running. He limped to Judit’s chair, holding his side.
“Ah,” Antiles said, looking to him. “Finally, the negotiator.”
“Negotiating for?” Noal asked.
“For the data I have on the ships that left Nocturna space, those most likely to be carrying the Nocturna heir.”
Judit’s hands curled into fists, and the cramps came back with a vengeance, making her snarl. “You son of a darking—”
Noal pushed her back in her chair. “Easy.”
“We had a deal!” Judit cried.
Antiles waved a hand. He seemed more relaxed by her anger than worried by it. “A deal for transportation that I still haven’t been paid for.”
“You can get paid when we find her!”
“Judit, let me take over!” Noal said.
She stabbed at the console. “Tell him—”
“In your office,” he said. “Alone.” He waved at Roberts to transfer the comm.
Roberts looked to Judit, who turned to Noal in disbelief. “I have to be there!”
He leaned close. “To do what? Make this worse? You trusted me to speak with him on the Scipio. You just have to do the same thing now that you did then.”
But then she’d been on the Scipio, able to listen. Noal had needed her physical presence in case he got into trouble. She took a deep breath. He didn’t need that now. And if her temper had gotten the better of her on the Scipio, she could have tanked that deal. She could easily dark this one up. She already wanted to shoot Antiles out of the sky.
“Fine,” she said.
Noal hurried from the bridge, and Judit went back to mangling her armrests. She kept her eye on the ship’s clock; the next twenty minutes felt like hours. She wondered what Noal was promising Antiles. She should have insisted on going with him, she should have—
The door to the bridge opened, and Noal walked in. He gestured to Beatrice. “Antiles’s ship should be sending you some intel.”
“Got it,” Beatrice said.
On Judit’s console, Antiles’s ship began moving away.
“Wait!” Judit said. “Where’s he going?”
“We finished our deal,” Noal said.
Evie was looking to Judit. “Want me to stop him?”
Noal put his hand over Judit’s. “Trust, remember?”
She gritted her teeth. “He gave us the information on the ships leaving Nocturna space?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re sure he gave us all he had?”
“It’s commerce, Jude. That’s how it works.”
Judit waved at Evie to let Antiles go. “Beatrice? Roberts?”
“Looking at the intel now,” Roberts said.
Beatrice nodded. “I’ll move us closer to the nearest transmission gate.”
Judit turned to Noal. “What did you prom
ise him?” she asked softly.
“I gave him some of the information your father gave to us. It will help him make some deals, maybe tap into some new markets. I also told him we’re spreading the word that your father wasn’t a traitor. He said he’d pass it on.”
Judit felt a catch in her throat and a headache starting in her temples. On the one hand, she loved the idea of more people knowing her father wasn’t a traitor. On the other, a criminal like Antiles spreading the news left a bad taste in her mouth.
Noal put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I didn’t give him anything that should directly hurt our house, though why you still care, I don’t know.”
“It’s not that,” she said. “It’s…” She didn’t have the words to explain. Her own feelings for her house were so complicated, she couldn’t think the words, let alone say them. “Thank you.”
He nodded and smiled.
“Anything?” Judit asked Roberts. All this reminded her of the search for the original kidnappers’ ship, but she’d been looking for Noal then, too. At least she’d managed to hold on to one of them.
Roberts frowned at his console with the same intense look he always sported. “There were a lot of ships leaving the Nocturna system after the bombings. Those leaving right before seem like normal traffic except for two. Most ships leaving Prime stop at the station or one of the moons. Since Antiles left right before the bombings, he recorded two other ships leaving Prime, and neither stopped anywhere; they headed right out of the system.”
“Why is that unusual?” Judit asked.
He blinked at her. “Because the data says it is.”
So he didn’t know the real reason why, just that it went against the norm. Well, she hadn’t chosen him for her crew because of his imagination. “Go on.”
“One of the ships went to a transmission gate just outside of the system, the main Nocturna gate. The other looks as if it was headed toward the next nearest gate, which would have taken it at least two days to reach. If they weren’t headed there…” He fussed with his console again. “There are a few systems in the way, all held by Nocturna.”
House of Fate Page 25
