Under Different Stars

by Amy A. Bartol

  “You can see the future?’ he asks me point blank.

  “I don’t know. I saw a version of it that didn’t come to pass—”

  “Because you changed it.”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. It all happened so fast. But I’m sure you heard the communication. What do you think?” I ask, curious to hear his interpretation of the event.

  “I think you intercepted an event in the future and changed it.”

  “I have no idea how I did it or if I can ever do it again. I can’t tell you what triggered it or even how to recreate the event, so…” I see his smile broaden.

  “You’re so humble…it’s an endearing trait, Kricket. Do you know that?” He approaches me and lifts a piece of my hair, letting it slip through his fingers.

  “Okay,” I say, feeling uncomfortable with him this close, touching me.

  “When you first arrived here, I was astounded by you,” Manus admits. “You’re such a beauty, but it’s as if you’re not even aware of it. And the way you speak to me, like we’re friends, but you never overstep…and you never underplay…you just glide effortlessly along…”

  “You like my flow?”

  “Yes,” he gives a small laugh, “your flow. You have such a colorful vernacular, it makes me want to sit with you for hours just to listen to not only what you’ll say, but how you’ll say it.” His hand lands lightly on my shoulder.

  “You’re a ‘best behavior’ friend, Manus,” I say, moving away nonchalantly. “I walk a fine line around you because you have the authority to affect my life adversely.”

  “Yes,” he agrees. “That you can do it so seamlessly is what is so intriguing, Kricket. Most females your age are playing at seduction while you don’t need to. You can intellectually spar with my top advisers and then leave them tongue-tied watching you walk away.”

  “I have the advantage of knowing when they’re lying.” I try to deflect his compliment because he’s making me more and more uncomfortable.

  “I had decided to give you to Kyon before I met you. Did you know that?”

  Turning to look at him, I can see he’s being truthful. “You changed your mind.”

  “Not at first. I merely wanted to see just how much I could gain from Kyon in exchange for you. But then, not only did I begin to enjoy the information that you could glean from every conversation to which you were privy, I also enjoyed being with you more and more each rotation.”

  “In a paternal way?” I ask in a hopeful tone.

  “Hardly,” he replies, smiling. “So, now I have some decisions to make.”

  “Which are?” I ask, quirking my eyebrow.

  “I’m in an inconvenient position. On one hand, I have the Alameeda who will begin to smear you if I refuse to turn you over to them. I’ve been in meetings all evening with ambassadors from Alameeda, Wurthem, Peney and Comantre. Each is urging me to give you away to avert a war.”

  “Nice of them, let me guess, Em Sam is involved?”

  “Quite involved,” Manus replies. “And on the other hand, I have Skye who is insisting that you be turned over to them for intelligence purposes.”

  “Are you asking for my input? Because I’m all for saying ‘hi’ to Skye,” I reply, knowing he’s really telling me something completely different.

  “Yes, that would make you an emancipated minor, wouldn’t it?” He comes nearer to me.

  “And that bothers you?” I stand my ground as he stops in front of me. “I can take care of myself.”

  “I’m sure you’re quite capable of that, but I have grown attached to you and I’m unwilling to part with you,” he says, touching my cheek lightly. “I had thought to make you my inamorata after you were of age, of course, but now all that has changed.”

  “What has changed?” I ask, feeling dread creeping over me as fast as the flush of red in my cheeks.

  “Word will spread about the attack on our soil and how you thwarted it,” he replies, seeing the blush staining my cheeks and giving me a sensual smile.

  “So?” I try to shrug.

  “You have elevated your tier. You’re a hero.”

  “Only for the moment,” I counter. “When the Alameeda attack, I’ll be the mutant that brought war upon our people.”

  “No, you’ll be my consort, the royal who is attempting to protect her people.” He touches my hair gently.

  “WHAT?” I grasp his hand and push it away from my hair. “Are you insane?” I ask in shock.

  Frowning, Manus says, “I believe I’m speaking rationally.”

  “No, you’re not,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re like my parent!”

  “I’ve never treated you like a daughter…a pet maybe, but never a child,” Manus replies, amused by my reaction. “Do you know that what I’m offering you is a great honor?”

  “So, it’s an offer? I can say no?” I watch his frown deepen.

  “You may not refuse,” he counters, somewhat shocked by my reaction.

  “Of course I can refuse. I’m not in love with you!”

  “You’re young, love may come—”

  “And it may not,” I retort, pacing.

  “True, but that’s hardly relevant.”

  “It’s relevant to me!” I argue, stopping in front of him again.

  “You love him,” Manus says accusingly, a scowl beginning to grow on his face. “Kyon warned me that you were falling in love with your guard, but I thought you were too intelligent for that. He is not even on the same tier as you.”

  “What does that MEAN?” I ask, completely disgusted. “If by tier you mean honor, then yeah, he has more of that than any of us.”

  “You will forget Kesek Trey. He is lust, nothing more. You will be my consort, and together we will take down the Alameeda. You may work with Skye, in an advisory capacity only, but at the end of the day, you’ll be here with me,” Manus states in an even tone, just like he’s discussing the way he expects his table to be set or his spix to be saddled.

  “I’m not a bobble head, Manus. I’m not going to agree to commit to you just because you order it.”

  “Yes, you will,” he says adamantly, “or I’ll crush Trey and his family.”

  “What?” I breathe as my knees weaken.

  “I’m not letting you go, Kricket. I’ll give you to The Brotherhood before I see you with Kesek Trey.”

  “WHY?” I ask, unable to stop myself.

  “Because there is nothing in that for me.”

  “That’s so sucky,” I retort.

  “You will be my consort. Please refrain from using words that demean your stature,” he warns me.

  “You’re a knob knocker!” I growl at him. Instantly, he backhands me in the mouth, causing me to fall against a small table. Catching myself before I fall all the way to the ground, I lean against it heavily. Then, straightening, I look into his eyes, seeing his anger as I touch the back of my hand to my mouth while tasting blood. Reaching into the pocket of his robe, Manus pulls out a handkerchief and hands it to me.

  “Our new relationship is off to a rough start,” I murmur, refusing to cower while touching the linen to my lips.

  “As long as you are aware that it has started,” he replies evenly. “We’ll announce our engagement at your coming out swank. It will be awkward with Allairis in attendance, but it will be gossiped over if your Cavar is not there to wish us well. Do not embarrass me, or he pays for it.”

  “You’re hurting me,” I whisper, deciding that maybe honesty will sway him.

  He touches my hair gently, saying, “I’ll make it up to you. Give me a daughter and you can do as you please.”

  Too shocked to say a word, I just stare at him in confusion. “I had hoped that you would want to stay with me in my room to celebrate our engagement, but I can see that you will need some time to adjust to the idea.” Manus watches me. Pressing a button on the remote on the table, he summons one of his attendants. “Please make the room next to mine ready for my intended consort, Fay
Kricket, and have all of her things moved.”

  “It has already been made ready. Shall I show her to her room now, Haut Manus?”

  “Yes,” Manus turns to me. “You need to get some rest, Kricket. You look tired.”

  Straightening my shoulders, I nod to Manus before following the attendant. I don’t see anything as I’m led to the bedroom that adjoins with Manus’s room. As soon as I’m alone, I crawl into the enormous bed and cry myself to sleep.

  CHAPTER 20

  SWANKS AND TANKS

  I stay in my new room for most of the next rotation, feeling fragile and upset about my forced engagement to Manus. But hiding is not my style, so the following morning I dress in a riding outfit and ask Aella to cancel all my scheduled meetings. Walking through the halls of the palace, my guards trailing me, I have to contend with the well wishes and congratulations of the staff. Manus must’ve already announced his intentions to them, so I grit my teeth and plaster a crocodile smile on my face.

  I head to the stables and number twenty-two is saddled for me. Riding out with my guards, I ignore them, trying to concentrate on finding a strategy to get out of committing to Manus. Several options come to mind, everything from sneaking out and joining the Cavars to escaping back to Earth, but all of these options have desperate consequences for Trey.

  “I wish I knew a way out of this,” I mumble to myself.

  “What?” Ustus asks, riding next to me.

  “Nothing,” I sigh. Then searing heat, like sparks of molten dust from a white-hot sun, passes over my skin. Fear and pain erupt in me as I try to clutch the reigns in my hand tighter. A part of me ascends into the air as my body slips from the spix and falls limply to the ground. Thrusting forward, I travel ahead in time while my guards scramble off their spixes to crowd around my body on the ground.

  **

  Waking up in Ustus’s arms, I shy away from him, feeling deathly cold in body and spirit. “Fay Kricket! How do you feel?” he asks anxiously.

  My hands tremble along with my entire body as I just shake my head mutely. His expression changes to one of determination. Standing up, he hands me up to Fex who holds me on his spix while wheeling it around and taking me back to the stables. Once there, they transport me via skiff to the palace.

  Tofer and Yaser meet us at the entrance, hovering over me while I insist on walking to my room. They do a complete physical on me, listening to the details that Ustus provides.

  “Was it a seizure?” Tofer asks Yaser, puzzling over what just occurred.

  “It wasn’t a seizure,” I say at last, finding my voice. “I need to speak to Manus. Please just…can somebody get him?” My throat sounds gravelly.

  Waiting impatiently for Manus to arrive, I try to think of what I can tell him about what I saw in the future. I have to make him believe me, or he’s dead. “Manus!” I say in a rush as he enters my room. “I have to speak with you.”

  “I was informed that you fell from your spix. Are you well?” he asks. Putting his arm around my shoulder, Manus pulls me to his side.

  Yaser rushes to reassure him. “She is quite well—”

  “I have to talk to you. Alone,” I say, my eyes going to Yaser and Tofer and the attendants in the room.

  “I would like to speak with you as well. Leave us,” he orders. Watching everyone in the room clear out, I pull away from Manus’s side, wringing my hands. When they’re gone, Manus sits in the high-backed chair by the fireplace. I take the soft chair across from it. Manus frowns, “I’ve had time to think about our last conversation. I lost my temper…with you…I’m not used to anyone saying no to me and I could have been more persuasive when I told you that you will commit to me—”

  Holding my breath through his dissertation of the events of our last meeting, I finally interrupt him, “I don’t care about any of that right now, Manus.”

  His eyebrows rise in surprise. “You don’t?” Manus asks, watching me shake my head no. “Then, you’ve decided to comply willingly with my wishes?” His face lights up with pleasure.

  “Manus, if I comply with your wishes, Kyon will kill you.”

  “How is that possible when Kyon is currently in a military prison near the Comantre boarder?” Manus asks me softly, his face falling a little.

  “I don’t know, but when he gets here, he’s gonna be really annoyed with you.”

  “And when will that be?” Manus asks in a calm tone, looking stony.

  “Tomorrow night, at the swank. He knows about it, it’s been planned from the first day I arrived here,” I explain, watching his face.

  “And he will, what? Show up and kill me?” Manus sounds doubtful.

  “You, your guards, your friends, your enemies, your staff…everyone standing around,” I reply, remembering the bloody terror of the future.

  “And you? Do you survive?” he wonders, raising his brow.

  “Yes,” I nod. “He has special plans for me.” My face grows pale.

  “Kricket, really, this is absurd. I know that you have a special talent, but to try to lie to me like this is really beneath you,” Manus says, rising from his seat.

  “I’m not lying!”

  “By tomorrow morning, Kyon will be executed for his escape attempt and his subversion against Rafe,” Manus informs me coldly. “He cannot kill me if he’s dead.”

  “He’s not dead yet,” I point out, feeling ill. “You and I know that his escape is possible. It nearly happened the other night. I’m begging you to stop this. Committing to me makes you and everyone around you a target.”

  “You’re very convincing, Kricket—such passion. I cannot wait to taste it,” he smiles, reaching out and cupping my chin. “I’ll move up Kyon’s execution. He dies tonight instead. Does that please you?”

  “No,” I answer, my voice cracking as I cover his hand with my own. “Manus,” I plead, “he kills everyone—none of you get away. They have people everywhere. It’s an invasion.”

  “Alameeda is in no way ready to invade Rafe.”

  “They’re more than ready. Peney must’ve sided with them, like Kyon said.”

  “Peney hasn’t sided with the Alameeda. Kyon was playing you. He understands your gift.”

  “What if you’re wrong?”

  “The events can’t happen as you describe because Kyon will be dead,” Manus says, like it’s a foregone conclusion.

  “That’s too simple of a solution. Someone else could lead the invasion—you can’t take that chance.”

  “This is about my plans to announce our engagement, isn’t it?” Manus says sourly, dropping his hand from my face in anger. “That plan isn’t going to change, Kricket. I admire your ability to manipulate others; I find it to be your most attractive quality, but don’t think to ever manipulate me.”

  With my hands in fists, I nearly growl at him, “I’m not trying to manipulate you! I’m trying to save you! If you make this announcement, you’re dead. This is called survival, Manus—yours and mine. We need to inform Skye so that they can protect the city—”

  “I’m not bringing Skye here. This is about your Cavar,” Manus says, like it all makes sense to him. “He’s already forgotten about you, Kricket. You know soldiers—they do their jobs and then they go home...to their families. I meant to tell you before the swank that ours will not be the only engagement announced that night,” he says, looking into my eyes.

  “What do you mean? Who’s the other lucky couple?”

  “Trey. He has agreed to commit to his love after all. What is her name…Charisma Foster?” he asks, making my heart twist painfully because he’s not lying.

  “Let me speak to him,” I demand, holding out my hand for his communicator.

  “Let him alone,” Manus says softly. “You’ll only cause him pain.” Seeing the truth in that statement makes my eyes brighten with tears, but I blink them back, refusing to cry in front of Manus. “Don’t be sad. I’ll provide the kind of life for you that you could not have dreamed possible. This is your home,” he s
ays, lifting his hands and indicating his opulent palace.

  “Just do one thing for me, Manus.” I look up at him.

  “What?”

  “Make sure Trey and his brother Victus don’t come tomorrow. I don’t want them here. Will you do that for me?”

  “Of course,” Manus agrees, a smile touching his lips. “I don’t want this to be painful for you. I’ll advise my staff to make the appropriate calls.”

  “Thank you,” I murmur, feeling my throat closing. Turning my back on him I walk toward my closet. “I haven’t even picked out anything to wear tomorrow. Isn’t that silly of me?” I look over my shoulder. “What does one wear to an invasion?”

  “Something has already been made for you,” Manus replies dryly.

  “Pretty?” I ask through my clenched teeth because he’s completely ignoring my warnings.

  “Exquisite,” he replies, but I get the sense he’s not talking about the gown.

  “Well, I’m sure it’ll be perfect for the massacre,” I reply mockingly.

  “Kricket!” Manus barks my name in warning.

  With my back to him, I say desperately, “You have to believe me, Manus. I’m not playing you. This is real.”

  There’s a long silence between us. I look over my shoulder at him. “Kyon dies tonight. I’ll go and witness it myself,” Manus states with a frown, approaching me from behind and hugging me to his chest.

  “Manus, don’t,” I say, struggling to pull away from him. His arms tighten around me.

  “Fight me, Kricket, and I’ll make sure that Trey comes tomorrow night. I’ll make a production of announcing his engagement. You can meet his intended consort.”

  I still and the sound of my heavy breathing is loud in my ears. Manus pulls my hair aside and kisses the nape of my neck. “I’m sore from the fall from my spix,” I murmur.

  “This is going to happen, Kricket. You know that, right?” Manus asks. “I’ll give you until tomorrow night, but you will be mine.”

  “Tomorrow night then,” I murmur, as I cringe over the two possible scenarios for my future.

  Turning me in his arms so he can see my face, he says, “Until then.” I tense as Manus kisses me tenderly on the lips. I don’t kiss him back—I can’t. He doesn’t seem to notice my lack of response as I catch the gleam in his eyes when he pulls away. “I’ll leave you to rest. If you should need anything, you’ll call for me?” All I can manage is a nod as I look down. Manus lifts my chin with his finger. “We’ll be happy together. I’ll make you happy, Kricket,” he promises, believing every word he says.