The Fractured Empire (The World Apart Series Book 1)

by Robin D. Mahle

  Five years later, and they still had no answers on the kind of weapon that could cause such destruction. People speculated that General Noble had found the technology across the Ever Falls before he destroyed the bridge. Maybe that was why he had destroyed the bridge. None of it made any sense, and having so few answers made it that much harder to move on.

  A triple knock at my door interrupted my thoughts. Nell came bouncing into my room.

  "I came to cheer you up," she announced without preamble. Today, she was wearing fitted black leather pants tucked into boots and a puffy-shouldered, short-sleeved tunic cinched with a wide black belt. Pants were a daring choice for a woman on Central Island, but she never cared. It was just like her to show up here looking like a runway model when my face was swollen and I donned the ugliest, most comfortable pajamas.

  I shot her an irritable look. "Appreciated, but unlikely."

  "Again with the doubt. I brought you a present. And don't try to pretend you aren't a little excited, because I can see your eyes perking up somewhere behind that nest of hair. Someone hasn't been in front of the mirror this morning." Nell softened the blunt appraisal with a smile.

  "Well, in all fairness, I wasn't expecting a parade traipsing in and out of my bedroom while I was still in bed."

  “Well, in all fairness, I wasn't expecting you to still be in bed well into the afternoon."

  I arched a skeptical eyebrow.

  "Fine, I was expecting it, but only because I know you so well. Now, on to my present. I meant to give this to you the other night, but when tall, dark, and sexy showed up to whisk you back home—"

  "Gross. He's like my dad's age!" I really hoped she was only trying to get under my skin, but I was afraid she might be serious.

  "All that experience.” Nell pretended to fan herself while I did not have to pretend to gag.

  I rolled my eyes. "Moving right along."

  "Yes, yes. So, I was going to give this to you to end our fabulous outing, but since that was a bust, now will have to do." With a flourish, Nell produced a book from her bag and handed it to me.

  Whatever I had been expecting, this was not it. The tome was heavy and ancient-looking, bound with supple leather and staggered heavyweight pages. "It's a collection of fables and myths, said to be from Levelia. I didn't really know Amelie, but from what you've described, this seems like something she might have liked."

  The ancient city of Levelia was a myth, but Ami and I had loved to read about it. I flipped through the aging yellow pages, full of varied and colorful illustrations interspersed with scrolling, artful text.

  "Yes, my sister would have loved this," I replied softly. Nell and I rarely discussed our pasts. She had her own demons to battle, and I had no desire to rehash mine. The gesture of remembrance for my sister was unexpected and touching.

  “This thing is amazing. How old is it?"

  "I'm not sure. My family has passed it down for generations, from mother to daughter or aunt to niece, as long as it stays in the family, but I don't know when it started."

  "So why didn't you?" I asked, instead of inquiring about the lineage.

  "Why didn't I what?"

  "Keep it in the family."

  "I did." She didn’t look at me when she said it.

  I swallowed a lump forming in my throat.

  I wondered sometimes whether Nell and I would have been closer if I had allowed it. That seemed to be a theme in my life. She was as close as anyone, though, and I wouldn't have made it through the last five years without her companionship.

  The only person I had spent half as much time with had been Prince Perry, and we hadn’t been more than casual acquaintances for the past couple of years. Thinking his name reminded me of the course of action I had settled on sometime during the night, but it wasn’t something I wanted to discuss with my friend. I knew she wouldn’t approve.

  So, I enjoyed her company for the next couple of hours. When she left, I dressed for dinner with my father. The life I had dreamed about in my childhood was beyond my reach now, but I still had one thing left to do.

  And now I had a way to do it.

  The Renegade

  I had been there the day my father gave the order to demolish the Great Bridge, the only means of crossing the Ever Falls that divided the world. He had effectively cut off the sole access between worlds. Well, there was technically one other way, but no ship had ever returned from the Tempest Sea.

  When the people of the lands across the Ever Falls had decided they weren't content with their lot, they had come across the bridge in a great wave. Their forces had overwhelmed the port city on this side of the Falls, murdering not only those who got in their way, but also those who had tried to hide. They had then pirated the ships that had been in port and used them to invade our unprotected outlying islands.

  People said we would have been decimated by the unprecedented attacks if not for General Noble's outstanding military prowess. They hailed him as a hero and named a day after him. My brothers and I were proud, but we had always known what an amazing man he was. Then, those same citizens crucified his memory and came for his sons only two years later.

  Chapter Six

  Clark

  I was on my way to the briefing room less than twelve hours after I had run into Jayce in the hallway. I had left that lovely encounter and gone straight to the dilapidated training room, demolishing the punching bag until the seams and my shoulder were ready to give. In the end, I had decided not to get my brothers' hopes up, so I kept what I had learned to myself.

  We didn't have uniforms, given the need for secrecy. It was just as well since I wouldn't have worn one anyway. I put on a variation of the same outfit every day: brown pants tucked into leather boots, a cotton shirt, and my father’s high-necked, leather military jacket. The insignia was worn, but the collar was high enough that it helped hide my prominent scar. Besides, I liked having a piece of him with me everywhere I went.

  Xavier stopped me in the circular lobby before I opened the briefing room door. This was odd, because I was intentionally late, as usual, where my brothers were almost always on time. Gunther liked to be punctual, because he was a people pleaser, and Xavier was just unbelievably anal. Even now, his white button-down shirt was free of wrinkles, and his black leather vest was pristine. I raised an eyebrow at his presence.

  Xav lowered his voice and his eyes avoided mine as he leaned closer. "Look, I know how you get this time of year. Just do me a favor and don't volunteer today. You're still injured, and you need time to heal." His face was pinched with worry, and his eyes shot to my scar.

  I sighed. I’m never going to live that down, am I?

  I considered his plea. I didn't love being told what to do, but it was just one mission and it seemed to mean a lot to him.

  "Sure. Whatever." I brushed past him and his weirdly-relieved expression and strode into the meeting room.

  It was a small space occupied only by an oval table and eight chairs. Aegis, his son Jayce, and Gunther filled up three of them. Another higher up in the MOHP group sat to Aegis' left. The walls were white and unadorned and the floor concrete, but at least it wasn't falling apart like the rest of the building.

  Jayce glared at me, so I shot him a grin while I plopped down next to Gunther and kicked my feet up on the table. Gunther frowned at my insolence, and Xavier knocked my feet down before taking the seat to my left. I knew the other two men only in passing, but they were at least somewhat more competent than the average MOHP.

  Aegis cleared his throat pointedly but didn't go so far as to call me out. His indulgence further irritated his son and probably accounted for at least half of my motivation to flout the rules. Still, I gave the large man my attention now, folding my hands in front of me, the picture of professionalism. Then I laughed under my breath when Jayce's face turned redder. I stopped when Xavier kicked me under the table.

  "We have received word that the missing Tear of Hila has been found by Professor Henry Trauman,
" Aegis began.

  Whatever he said next was lost to the whirring in my mind as all traces of amusement vanished. Hila's Tear was widely believed to be no more than a legend, but my father had known better. Whether it was really from the fabled land of Levelia was another story, but the stories of the amulet itself came from reputable sources. Its power was said to be similar to that of the crystal that had caused the explosion. More than that, though, Professor Trauman had likely been the last person to have seen my father alive.

  My father had been going to meet with him the day of the explosion. Whether Trauman was directly involved in what happened or only had information I needed remained to be seen, but the man had been impossible to track down. Since the explosion, he had been on one remote dig after another, and I had been stuck impotent on the remotest islands in the empire.

  Was this why Xavier had tried to get me to agree not to go? He was closer with Aegis than most of the men, including myself. It was possible he had some foreknowledge of this mission.

  Well, all bets are off now. I refocused on Aegis.

  "… and will be on display at the Grand Museum Opening. We need to retrieve it, and we need our best." He looked at me when he said that. I grinned, deliberately not looking at my older brother.

  "I'd be glad to," I said as I felt Xavier's stare burning into me. I did feel a twinge of guilt. A small twinge. I had made a promise three years ago not to go down this path again, but things were different now. I was older, more experienced, and stronger. No one would get the better of me ever again.

  "He can't go. He's injured." Xavier's face was smug. Now it was my turn to glare.

  "Oh, that silly little shoulder injury? It's great. Never better. I was hitting the bag just last night." And it had nearly killed me. Gunther had pilfered some of Xavier's experimental injections just to get it functional again. But no way in hell was I missing out on this mission. "I'd like Gunther as back-up," I added.

  Those injections might be necessary again.

  Aegis hesitated. My expression turned hard, and I hoped he wouldn't say what I thought he was about to.

  "Now, we've talked about this, and the boy's a liability.” He did say it. Or started to, anyway. Xavier's dark face turned stormy. He started to cut him off, but I jumped in.

  "Gunther?" I asked.

  He turned his attention immediately to me, having been taking in the whole room like he always did. His lip reading was unparalleled, a combination of learned skill and a natural ability to piece things together and fill in the blanks. In addition, Xav and I occasionally made clarifying hand gestures without even thinking about it. I wasn't worried he would have a hard time interpreting what I was asking of him.

  "Assess the situation," I said.

  "Let's see. Commander Aegis is carrying three knives, a sword, and a canister of ShutEye, in addition to the short sword he's got down his back. His knees are giving him trouble. Humidity doesn't help the arthritis, does it, Sir? And I strongly suspect he skipped his bathroom break in his hurry to be early to this meeting." He moved to the left. "Jayce looks disappointed about something. Kitchen girl turn you down again? But since him sulking isn't anything new, I'll move on to his weaknesses in a fight." His voice was light, but his jaw was hard as he spoke. Yes, Gunther was a people pleaser, but he was nobody's doormat. He neither deserved nor appreciated being underestimated.

  Aegis waved his hand to stop the assessment. "That won’t be necessary. You'll have your back-up," he conceded.

  Jayce spluttered. "This mission was supposed to be mine," he growled.

  Aegis raised his eyebrows, daring his son to contradict him again. "And now, it's Clark's.” And then he added, “I have something else for you to do anyway." That mollified Jayce slightly, but my wink set him off again.

  This time, Xavier just shook his head. "Why do you have to antagonize him?" he whispered so only I could hear.

  I chuckled in response. Because he had proven himself to be such an easy target. But that wasn't the answer Xav was looking for.

  Jayce had made it his mission to make our lives difficult, treating us with suspicion since we arrived. It wasn't entirely unwarranted. We had lied about our names to distance ourselves from our father's alleged crime and because we were, technically speaking, wanted for questioning by the government. But Jayce didn't know that, and his suspicion was rooted more in jealousy than actual cause.

  For some inexplicable reason, Aegis had sent Jayce to the outer islands with us, apparently, to help us acclimate. Those memories were unpleasant enough to make me want to find something else to mock him about, but Aegis' voice interrupted that plan.

  "We'll meet at fourteen hundred hours to discuss details. Need to know only. Be ready to move tomorrow," he ordered.

  I nodded then headed back to the room I shared with my brothers.

  Gunther immediately pointed a finger at me once the door was shut. "Don't think I don't know you only need me on this mission because Xavier won’t give you the injections for your shoulder, and you don't want anyone else to know it's injured."

  Xavier had studied medicine more extensively than Gunther or me. We knew basic emergency first aid, but that was about it. But, Gunther could at least hold a steady needle for my shoulder.

  "That's not the only reason.” I nodded at Xavier. “Besides, you didn't have to go and mention it in front of Mommy here." I ruffled his red hair until he shooed me away.

  "This isn't a joke, Clark," Xavier fumed. "Don't act like we don't all know what happens when you lose your head and refuse to let things go." He gestured on his own face to the area where my scar fell.

  My blood boiled at the reminder. He was one to talk about letting things go. That was years ago, and if the time on the outer islands had accomplished nothing else, I was better trained than I had ever been.

  I ran my fingers through my hair. Why doesn’t he care more about proving Father’s innocence? The man gave us everything. Is a little loyalty too much to ask?

  Xavier wasn't finished, but his tone did soften a bit. "I had hoped a few years on the islands would cool your head. I know how much this means to you, but Father wasn't a saint, Clark. We don't know what he did or didn't do."

  I reared back like he had slapped me. I waited for him to take the words back. When he didn't, I looked to Gunther. Father had saved him, too.

  Gunther placed a hand on my shoulder. "He was a great man, but he wouldn't want you to die pursuing this. You already almost have. You promised, Clark." He wasn't agreeing with Xavier, but he wasn't backing me, either.

  Unbelievable.

  Since the explosion — and more so since I had gotten the scar — I sometimes felt as though I had no control over my emotions, like someone else was in the driver’s seat. I seemed to have an easier time keeping them at bay for missions than during conversations like this one.

  I balled my hands into fists, well aware of the tremble in my voice. "Well, fortunately, it isn't up to either of you. It's up to Aegis, since you were so desperate to put us under someone else's command, Xavier. I'm going. You can help or stay the hell out of my way." I stormed out of the room before I could say something I would truly regret.

  The Heiress

  I was only twelve when my mother left this world. I'm sure she thought there would be time for the sex talk. Not the one about the mechanics of things, but the one that's supposed to instill in you the importance of the act. In any event, I didn't take it as seriously as other girls. My virginity hadn't been some prized thing to hold on to, but rather another hurdle towards feeling like an adult. I hated the mystery surrounding it, the pressure of this momentous event. So, on my sixteenth birthday, I marched into the prince's room and stripped my clothes off. He stared wordlessly.

  "If everyone wants us to get married," I said, "don't you think we should have some idea of what it will be like?"

  Perry was not one to coddle or doubt my decisions. He asked me once if I was sure, and that was that. I was sure. I knew his
bed was full most nights, so he had the advantage of experience; this was the logical way to handle the situation. I was sure, I told myself. My voice and legs were both steady when I answered him aloud.

  He was kind and gentle, but despite years of friendship, spending time together, and a few stolen kisses over the years, there was nothing more between us. As soon as it was over, I threw his robe on, collected my clothes, and prepared to head back to my room.

  "Where are you going?" He sounded confused.

  "Back to my room. I've heard you complain about the ones who overstay their welcome," I said wryly.

  "We're friends, Addie. Maybe more than that. You should stay and…" He trailed off, perhaps just realizing that this wasn’t going to happen again.

  I shook my head, smiling, and sauntered out. My mother may not have imposed upon me the gravity of sex, but I never forgot how she felt about clingy girls. As much as she had loved my father, she maintained that the only thing a woman should hang on to unconditionally was her dignity. So, I left, my smile fading as I walked down the dimly-lit corridor.

  I was expecting something to feel enlightened or complete or at least different, but when I fell into bed, I didn't really feel anything at all.

  Chapter Seven

  Adelaide

  I fought down a wave of nausea when I saw the gleaming ivory automobile of the royal family pull up to the hotel's front drive. There was an extra set of wheels in front to accommodate the length of the hood. Tiny green and gold flags adorned the vehicle, and I focused on those instead of the man seated in the backseat. There was no going back after tonight. Perry and I would allow ourselves to be seen, let speculation stir, and then announce our engagement at the end of the evening.