Power Nexus (Vorcian Imperial Chronicles Book 3)

by Taki Drake

  “You were not stupid! Though I can’t say much about the intelligence and wisdom of the rest of us,” a hard male voice said, followed by heavy steps. Corda cringed a little bit until she realized that the voice belonged to her brother, Bertor. He leaned in from the other side of her, and both his large hands came down to cup her face.

  “We failed you, little one. All of us owed you protection, and we took the easy way out and left you defenseless.”

  Corda tried to laugh, but the noise that came out sounded strange even to her. Bracing her chin up, the young girl asserted, “There were many that defended me, brother. I even did a little bit of the defense myself.”

  Bertor smiled and acknowledged her, saying, “We already ran into your defenders. When both of us arrived, you were encircled by a whole group, deployed with almost military precision. I do not think anybody would have been able to get into this room and close to you. I even had to get one of the senior Healers here to vouch for me before they would let me close to you.”

  Nona laughed, saying with amusement covering her voice, “But they wouldn’t totally stand down until I got here and my old friend, Advocate Amity, vouched for me. We sent them off to get cleaned up and get some rest, although none of them wanted to leave you.”

  “I am fortunate to have such good friends. And thank you, Nona, for sending the Advocate to me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him.”

  “When I couldn’t get hold of Bertor, I called Epheth Amity immediately. He was a childhood friend of your grandfather and has been a good friend to me all these many years. I knew that he was powerful enough to protect you and the sort of person that you would know that you could trust.”

  Corda heard the sound of the door open and an old man’s voice saying, “I think that’s my cue.”

  Nona half-shouted, “Eph, what on earth are you doing back so quickly. You can’t have had enough time to get any rest!”

  “Misha, you and I both know that I need to contribute during this part of the conversation with Corda. There some decisions she needs to make from a legal stand, and I’m the best person to explain those. You are just worried that my old carcass is not up to a few extended hours.”

  “You need to remember just how old you are and not push yourself!”

  The Advocate walked over to where Nona was sitting by Corda’s bedside in place both of his hands on the older woman’s shoulders. “Hush now, let me do my part and then I promise I will go and rest.”

  “Humph, go ahead then because you’re going to do what you want to do anyway, irrespective of what anybody else says!”

  Wordlessly, Bertor pulled another chair up next to Corda’s bed to the left of his grandmother, and the Advocate carefully took a seat. The young girl could tell that he was tired but trusted him enough to know that if he was trying to tell her something, it was necessary.

  The chill ran through Corda from the top of her head down to her furthest extremities, as dread and a hanging doom threatened to push the breath out of her body. Warm hands loosely clasped her left forearm on the other side of the bed as her brother sat. She could feel warm Healing energy flowing into her, and knew that he was there for her. The presence of the three around her struck a chord within the young girl as Corda’s eyes burned with unshed tears, but she tightened her control and waited patiently for them to speak.

  Clearing his throat, Advocate Amity began to explain in a calm, factual voice, “You had fainted before your father pulled his dramatic set of threats.”

  Corda caught her breath in a tiny gasp of fear. She stared first at her grandmother and then whipped her head over to look at her brother. Her heart plummeted when she saw that both of them were nodding. “What is he going to do to me? Or is he going to hurt the people I care for?”

  A low-toned growl from her brother and a sharp hiss from her grandmother did nothing to dispel Corda’s fear. Clinging to the dispassionate voice of the Advocate as if it were a buoy in turbulent water, the young girl listened with every fiber of her being.

  “Your father threatened to disown you, although, in the end, he admitted that he is not allowed to do that while you’re under the guardianship of the Academy. However, he warned you to never set foot inside your family home again. He made some other vague threats of retribution but was hustled out of the Academy grounds by the Advocate that he hired to defend Pharyl.”

  Corda knew there was more bad news from the tightening of her brother and grandmother’s hands. Tucking her fear away inside the protective shell she had built many years ago, the young girl was left with a calm and receptive expression as her eyes encouraged the old man to continue.

  Smiling in appreciation and approval, Epheth continued, saying, “before he actually left the physical Academy campus, Ealtert had wiped out and closed your allowance accounts and attempted to get your tuition returned to him. Of course, he was unable to get a refund on your tuition, but he did inform the Academy administration that he would be no longer paying for any portion of your education.”

  Corda whispered, “Does that mean that I have to leave the Academy?”

  A chorus of the word “No” came with emphasis and heat from both her brother and grandmother. However, it was the old Advocate's face that the young girl stared at, waiting for verification from him.

  His look of approval grew even stronger as he saw her composure and her attention, even smiling at the relief that she showed when he also answered, “No.”

  Continuing, Advocate Amity explained, “I believe this effort was your father attempting to punish you again. In response to that, I have taken several steps, but I will drop them unless you give me approval.”

  When both Bertor and Misha attempted to interrupt, the Advocate turned to them and said sternly, “This is Corda’s choice, not yours. She has shown that she is capable of expressing her desires, and you will be doing her a disservice if you try to wrap her in protective shrouds. If she chooses to ask your advice, then feel free to give it. Otherwise, let her decide.”

  Looking back at the young girl, the old man continued, saying, “The fact that your father did not make any effort to check in with the Healer team that was treating you, nor did he visit you, or allow any other member of your family to visit is a justifiable reason to request a different custodial agent.

  “He has demonstrated almost a criminal neglect, and as such, there is a precedent for having someone else appointed to the position that takes over as your guardian when and if the Academy releases that control. Normally, that position would be held by your parents, but since neither of them have made any effort to visit you, check up on you, or in any other way see to your welfare makes Barkin Prime law clear cut.”

  Corda felt as if her heart was ripping in multiple pieces, clouds of deep depression and unsatisfied yearning swirling through her core. What about the twins? Will I see them again? Are they safe? Knowing that each emotion that scraped along her nerves was going to have to be dealt with soon, Corda made the decision to put it off until it was safe to grieve.

  Gulping slightly, the young girl looked at the old Advocate and said, “I would like you to do that. If Nona is willing, I would like it to be her.”

  Bertor objected, rushing into speech, “It should be me! I am here almost all the time, and Nona needs to obey the Emperor when he calls. I’m younger and stronger, and, dammit, I should have done more to protect you. You’re my little sister, and I failed you.”

  “Oh, Bertor, you know I love you. I don’t think you failed me because I know how hard you have tried to protect me. It has been horrible for you too. You also understand that Father could hurt you worse than he can hurt Nona. After all, he still is Healer Secondus, and you are a newly-made Master Healer. He is higher in the Healer political arena and could destroy your career. Sacrificing your future and well-being is not necessary.”

  Bertor raised her hand up to his face and kissed the back of her knuckles, whispering brokenly, “What happens when Nona has to le
ave. I won’t even know you need the help.”

  Clearing his throat, Advocate Amity said quietly, “Misha can leave me authorization to stand in for her just as she did during this unfortunate Tribunal.”

  Surprised, Corda turned her head to look at the old man, seeing both the slight redness of his face and the gentle caress that her Nona gave him. The young girl heard her brother draw in a surprised breath, and a flash of intuition exploded in Corda’s brain. Before she could put any thought into the way of her speech, the young girl blurted out, “That would be fine, but I have a condition.”

  Finally, she has succeeded in surprising the Advocate. Eyebrows raised, the old man tilted his head to one side and asked, “And what is that condition?”

  Sparked by a devilish impulse, Corda said, “That I don’t have to keep calling you Advocate Amity.”

  The first full laugh she had heard from the Advocate rang out, and he asked her, “Done! What would you like to call me?”

  Warmth filled her body as well as her voice when Corda said, “Bonpa. I want to call you a name that means grandfather.”

  Corda had to clamp down control over her facial muscles when she saw the identical looks of astonishment on both her Nona’s and the Advocate’s faces. She heard a strange snort that sounded like swallowed laughter from her brother but kept her focus.

  After a speechless moment, the Advocate said in a shocked voice, “I would be honored. That is if it is acceptable to your grandmother.”

  Tears standing in her eyes, Misha answered, “Perfectly acceptable.” The glow in her grandmother’s face was the perfect antidote to the grimness of the discussion that they just had. Corda smiled but was unable to keep her eyes open as she slipped once more into unconsciousness.

  Chapter 14 – Piecing the Puzzle

  The next time that Corda woke, her Nona and several of her friends were in the room. Her grandmother quickly explained that Bertor had returned home for some sleep and would be back after his meetings of the following day. Carefully, Corda avoided asking about the Advocate, knowing that her grandmother might be embarrassed in front of Corda’s friends.

  This time, the young girl felt like her brain was more clear. Looking over at where Liz and Gerald sat, she said, “I have no way of thanking you enough for everything that you’ve done. I certainly don’t know what I did to deserve such good friends.”

  Liz made shooing motions with her hand, saying lightly, “You didn’t have to do anything to deserve it. You would do the same for me, I know it.”

  Corda smiled but switched her focus to Gerald, seeing his face twist in pain. “What is wrong, Gerald? Did you also get hurt?”

  The young man burst into an impassioned speech, his words tumbling over each other as he nearly cried out, “We were not fast enough to help. I was not fast enough. And you got hurt!”

  Misha’s voice snapped out as she ordered, “Stop that. No, you were not fast enough, but consider the fact you were ambushed. What counted was that you did not cringe away. Instead, you came to Corda’s defense. By the 1001 gods, boy, you got there faster and did more to protect her than the professional Security man that was actually standing nearer to the problem. None of you are perfect or all-powerful. Stop blaming yourself for things that you could not reasonably handle and focus on those that you can improve on for the future.”

  “That was a perfect example of a useful admonishment. I’m so glad that I came in to check on Corda just in time to hear it. In fact, I’m going to shamelessly steal part of it to use it as advice for the very new Security Guard that has been beating himself up for not breaking up the fight and preventing Corda from being so badly hurt. I’m even going to repeat it to myself since I still feel guilty for not cushioning her pain and Healing her faster.”

  Corda recognized the voice and then saw the figure of the Triage Healer that had testified at the Academy Tribunal. Moved to speech, she quickly said, “I know you did everything you could, sir, and I seem to be getting better, so there should not be any guilt to hand around to anyone.”

  Giving the Healer a nod of respect, Gerald said, “Sir, you certainly had nothing to feel guilty over. When Corda fainted, I barely managed to grab her before she hit the floor, but then I had no idea of what else to do. It was you that got things moving so quickly and calmed everyone down when you identified that she was just in exhausted shock.”

  Liz chimed in, saying, “Between you and the Advocate, Corda got down to the infirmary in record time even though Gerald wouldn’t let any of you carry her or put her on a stretcher. I didn’t realize our friend was so strong that he would almost run through the halls carrying her and following behind you. I felt so useless, especially when you told me to stay and listen to the rest of the hearing.”

  Nona perked up, latching onto something that had just been said. Her eyes alight with curiosity, the older woman asked, “Tell me! What happened at the end? Eph did not have time to explain everything before I nagged him into finally going home and getting some rest.”

  Immediately, the Healer, who finally introduced himself as Master Healer Jerroy Tinels, added his voice to the request for information. Corda saw Liz’s posture and expression relax as the young woman realized that she had something to add after all and that she wasn’t just a useless member of their team.

  Liz began to explain, “After the Healer Secondus had his threatening meltdown, he stormed out of the room along with Pharyl’s Advocate. Master Watern still managed to insult the Tribunal as a whole in the 50-foot distance to the hallway. I wasn’t listening very closely at that point since you guys had swooped Corda up from almost smashing into the ground. In just a few seconds, you exchanged some sort of mumbo-jumbo and took off running. Argah ran after you, promising to let us know if we needed to come there right away, while Ricee stayed with me for moral support.”

  “Wow,” said Corda, “I’m glad I slept through that part.”

  Everybody in the room laughed, and Corda felt the tension level go down. After a pause, Liz continued her narrative, “The boys that had helped Pharyl ambush us were also sentenced, but since they had not participated in actual physical damage, their punishment was not as severe. They were each suspended for a full year, at which time they could reapply to the Academy. However, they were not automatically going to be admitted. Instead, they will be reassessed to determine if they have learned a different pattern of behavior.”

  Corda moved restlessly and tried to straighten up a little bit, the memory of that day poking on sore spaces in her heart. Moving more quickly than anyone else response to her discomfort, the Master Healer was instantly by her side and adjusting her bed to allow her to sit more upright. Ignoring everyone else in the room, the man put his wrist to the young girl’s head.

  Corda felt the tickle of both Healing energy and the strange sparkling ripple that went with what she personally called ‘status checking.’ The man gave her a relieved smile and said lightly, “You are doing very well. Just don’t overdo it.”

  Corda nodded and looked back at Liz and said, “Then what happened?”

  “I actually felt sorry for them, because they had no one come to the hearing. No one explained why, but Argah suggested it might be because they don’t have a family, or if they do, it is one that doesn’t care about each other.”

  There was a moment of quiet as each of the people in the room thought about what it would be like if no one cared what happened to them. In her own mind, Corda thought, There have been times when I felt abandoned, but I knew deep in my heart always that I had someone that cared about me and even loved me.

  Shaking himself, as if coming out of a dream, the Master Healer patted Corda’s arm and explained, “I have other duties right now. You are making a good recovery, and I truly hope that I do not have to treat you again for a while. Be well, and if you have any further difficulties, please come back to the infirmary and feel free to ask for me.” With a glance around the room and farewell, the man was out the door before anyon
e else could say anything.

  Nona interjected, saying, “That is a very fine man, and I am pleased that he was the one that was available when you needed a Healer. However, there are some of the things that need to be said that our best covered without outsiders in the discussion.”

  Gerald and Liz started to come to their feet, but Misha said firmly, “That was not a suggestion that you leave unless Corda doesn’t want things like this discussed in front of you. As far as I’m concerned, you have proved to be real friends and more family than most of the others that claim that relationship with Corda.”

  Corda immediately responded, “Please, stay for this discussion. I need your thoughts and your support. Besides which, sometimes things don’t make enough sense to me when they are first said, and this way, you can help me find my way through the confusion.”

  Chapter 15 – Family History

  Both her friends seated themselves back down, and all three of the youngsters paid close attention to the old Seer. With a determined look on her face, Misha said, “There will be no problem with any fees from the Academy. I have already notified them that I will be picking up the bill. Also, I’ve established the usual three accounts for an Academy student. Corda, you are free to draw on those accounts as needed.”

  “Nona, what accounts are those? I didn’t know anything about accounts.”

  Everyone else in the room stared at Corda in blank astonishment. Liz was the first one who broke into speech, exclaiming, “What do you mean you don’t know anything about accounts? The guidelines for the Academy state that there should be three accounts set for each student. One of them is to cover any expenses associated with your courses. There is a prescribed amount that your guardians are to deposit in those accounts based on your specific curriculum to cover the materials and your textbooks.”