by Jaleta Clegg
"She's not as safe as you think, Will," Tayvis said. "Stop teasing her or I'll break your face."
Will gave me a measuring look.
"You said you had something important," one of the men said to me. "Some kind of rebellion brewing?"
I told them about Mayguena's plans, as much as I knew and guessed. I also answered all the questions I could about the Trythians. I'd learned more than any of them, probably because Mayguena had talked to me and answered my questions. But her motives and her information were suspect. I made sure they knew the source of my information might be biased and not entirely truthful.
They started discussing things among themselves then. I didn't pay too much attention. The food was the best I'd had on Trythia. The bland nutrition mush Mayguena got for me was not much for taste.
"What we really need is access to their information network," Bylon said.
I stopped paying attention to the food and paid attention to the conversation.
"It's biologically impossible for any of us to access it," Will said. "We've tried in Sylena's library when we thought she wasn't looking. It's no wonder she never bothered to restrict it. I had a headache for a month afterwards."
"I can interface with it," I said.
They stopped eating and talking and stared at me, including Tayvis.
"And you know this how?"
"Vallius," I said. Everything in my past was coming back to haunt me, except maybe my experiences with organized crime families. Dadilan, the Sessimoniss, and Vallius were all part of Trythia now.
"And Vallius is what?" Will asked.
"One of their colony ships crashed in the Kumadai Run several hundred years ago. The colony was barely surviving. Somehow the intelligence unit in the ship started luring ships in and taking the crews as slaves. I found the computer when we were looking for a way out."
They were staring at me. I didn't quite know what to do so I kept talking.
"It doesn't use language to communicate. It uses taste and smell and color and texture. It's hard to explain." I finally ran down, my voice trailing off. They were still staring at me.
"I told you she was full of surprises," Tayvis said to Bylon.
"And she doesn't work for Lowell?" Bylon shook his head.
I put my plate down carefully before I hit one of them with it. Their reaction was why I rarely said anything about myself and what I could do. I didn't want people looking at me strangely everywhere I went. They still did anyway, thanks to Lowell and the Patrol rumor mill.
"I don't know how or why I can access it," I said, "but I can. How is that going to help us?"
"Information is always useful," Will said.
"Not always," I answered. There was some information about myself that I wished I didn't have. Maybe this was more of my past getting involved. Fate, as Lady Rina would say, had a hand in making me who I was.
"What we really need," Tayvis said, "is a plan that will get us off this planet soon. Dace doesn't trust Mayguena to keep her word. And I don't think her planned rebellion will get very far."
"High Festival?" It was a man I didn't know. He'd stayed in the back, listening while the others talked. "Sometimes they take slaves there. I went five years back with Sylena, when her husband was still alive."
The others turned their attention to him.
He searched me out, his eyes locking onto my face. "I'm off what you'd call a pirate ship. I've been here almost eight years. Long before your Patrol started investigating."
"We're all the same now," Tayvis said. "You want a full pardon when we get out of here? You can have it."
"As if I'd trust your word." He glanced at Tayvis then back to me. "I'll help because it's the only way I'll ever fly again. You promise I'll get that and I'll tell you what I know."
"Why are you picking me out?" I asked.
"Because you don't look like typical Patrol, like the rest," he said. "And because Will seems to trust you. I trust him."
"Good enough," I said. "I promise you I'll do whatever I can once we're out of here."
"Then what you need to do is steal a ship at Festival. Gather up twelve who can fly and make a break for it."
"And what of the rest?" I asked.
"What of them?" he said with a shrug. "Go to the Federation, tell them Willet and Gregar sent you."
"Why not back to the Empire?" Bylon suggested.
"And bring back Lowell and the entire Fleet," I said. "Why not?" It sounded like an impossible dream.
"Why not?" Tayvis said. "It could work. If anyone can convince Lowell to come, you can."
"You've got an inflated idea of his opinion of me," I said.
"And you can be totally blind," Tayvis said. "The biggest question is if any of us could fly their ships. Anyone learn how to read their language?"
"Most of it isn't written," Will said. "It's a polyphonic, hard to transcribe. Dace said their interface was tactile more than verbal, that explains a lot." He grinned at the looks he was getting. "I really do have a degree in linguistics."
"So we break into a ship and try to figure out the controls and meanwhile, they catch us and lock us up even more securely. Great plan. How can we fly a ship when we can't understand the controls?"
"I can do it," I said. I was getting tired of admitting such things. "One of the tapes Lilliasa accesses regularly is a flight tutorial."
"So we have one pilot," Tayvis said. "Who else is in on this?"
"Who else can we guarantee will be at Festival?" Will pointed out.
"I can spread the word among the slaves," I said. "And whoever is there at the right time will get to come with me to steal a ship."
"While the rest of us fight off Mayguena and all the rest of them," Bylon said sarcastically. "Sounds like a plan for disaster."
"It's better than anything else we've got," Tayvis said. "I don't like it any better than you, but it sounds like our best shot."
"So how do I get to meet Lilliasa and Mayguena?" Will asked me. "Lilliasa des Tuarik, correct? Youngest child and only daughter of the leader of the Triad?"
I nodded and stood. "If she's not in a bad mood or too tired or too concerned with her hair, I can introduce you to her. Don't expect too much, though. She's as blind to slaves as anyone else on this rotten world. I'm probably supposed to be taking care of that horrible pet of hers anyway."
Will was on his feet next to me, eager to go. Tayvis stood and pointedly stepped between us.
"I think I'll go, just in case," he said.
Will gave him a speculative look. "Roland wins that bet," he said cryptically as Tayvis took my hand and we walked out of the grassy area.
Chapter 26
Lilliasa wasn't cooperative. She ignored Will. She handed Shadita to me with instructions to bathe her and brush her. Then Lilliasa declared she was exhausted and shut herself in her bedroom.
Mayguena watched all of us with sharp eyes that missed nothing. She smiled at me in a way that made me shiver inside. She turned her attention to Will and began to question him. He handled himself well, giving her answers that didn't reveal everything he knew.
Sylena took Tayvis off to show him where she wanted him to repair her fountains and build a new one for her.
I did what I was supposed to and bathed Shadita. She was grouchy and kept snapping at me.
Pretend as we might, we were all still slaves and subject to the whims of our owners.
I didn't get another chance to wander the gardens after that. I was kept busy sewing and embroidering and fetching things for Lilliasa. I didn't get more than glimpses of Tayvis, either. Mayguena watched me constantly, suspicion in her eyes. I did my best to be what Reashay had beaten me into becoming.
The three of them, Sylena and Mayguena and Lilliasa, kept their heads together planning their new world. It sounded like the old one, except the women would be in charge and the men would be the pets. I bit my tongue to keep from pointing it out to them. What was the point in changing things if you were only going to k
eep them the same?
The weeklong visit was tiring. Shadita hated the heat and humidity and was grumpy the whole time. That meant I was got to deal with her and her tantrums. And her upset digestive system from eating different plants.
We finally packed to leave, except for Tayvis. He'd be staying behind. Tayvis was a gift to Sylena from Lilliasa. I wondered when I'd ever get to see him again.
I slipped away while they were arranging luggage and saying goodbyes to Sylena.
Tayvis was working on the fountain, where he'd been assigned. He caught sight of me as I came into the courtyard where the fish swam and water fell. He looked behind me, watching for Mayguena to be there.
"I left her arguing with the steward about where the luggage should go," I said.
"So this time it's you walking away from me."
"Not by choice, Tayvis." I wasn't sure what I wanted to say.
He put down his tools. I crossed the courtyard to him, unable to keep my distance.
"I didn't want Mayguena to know," I said. "She knows too much already."
He stood and took my hands in his. Cement crusted across the back of one. I couldn't look up from it. I didn't want to see the look on his face. I wasn't sure I could keep from throwing myself at him if I did. I didn't want to leave him.
"You promised," he said quietly. "Remember that."
He lifted my chin with one hand and kissed me. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him back. I didn't want to leave him. I wanted to stay with him. I couldn't find the words to tell him.
Shadita yapped somewhere nearby. I hugged him, up on my tiptoes to reach.
"I love you," I whispered in his ear. I let go reluctantly. "I have to go now."
I stepped away from him, turning so I wouldn't have to see his face. He caught my hand and kissed it.
I couldn't do it. I couldn't walk away from him. I turned back. His arms were warm and tight around me. I tucked my face against his chest, breathing in the slightly spicy scent of him.
"It will work, Dace," he whispered. He pushed me away. "Mayguena is waiting for you."
I didn't say what I was tempted to say about her. I didn't know swear words bad enough. I squeezed Tayvis' hand, reluctant to let go. But I had to go. I turned and walked away, to the door where Mayguena waited with a superior look on her face. She turned on her heel in front of me, leading the way to the landing pad. I didn't look back because I knew if I did, I wasn't going to leave unless she dragged me physically away.
This time I rode in the cabin. Shadita yapped and pranced over me. I got to sit on the floor. The flyer lifted off smoothly. Lilliasa yawned.
Mayguena nudged me with her foot. "That was weak of you. What does he mean to you?"
"You wouldn't understand." I felt empty, my heart back in the courtyard with Tayvis.
"Don't forget your place," Mayguena said.
"You would marry one of them?" Lilliasa asked. "And everything you own, everything you are, becomes theirs. You would be their property by your own choice?"
"It doesn't work that way in the Empire. Have you thought of what you're trying to do with your rebellion? You're just going to reverse the current situation. It isn't going to solve anything."
"It will solve my problems quite nicely," Lilliasa said.
"There are a lot more people in this universe than just you." I was tired of her shallow, selfish posturing.
"And you forget yourself," Mayguena snapped. "You're still a slave."
"And probably will stay one, even if I help you." It slipped out, I hadn't meant it to.
"So you plot with your little friends." Mayguena smiled, tight and calculating. "I'm very much aware of what you planned. Clever, but not enough."
I felt myself sinking, emotionally and physically. I was never going to get free. My head drooped, my shoulders slumped. It was all a trick, an illusion of freedom that I was never going to taste again.
"Perhaps I should let you go, just to see what happens," Mayguena said. She was playing with me. She sat back and looked out the window, dismissing me.
I shifted to one side. Shadita peeped, crawling into my lap and demanding to be brushed. I had nothing else to look forward to now. I got the brush and brushed her.
The flight was long, dragging well into the night. I slept propped against the wall, Shadita warm and furry in my lap. Lilliasa and Mayguena both stretched out their seats and slept much more comfortably.
Sunlight was beginning to creep over the horizon when we finally landed. The side of Tuarik's mansion was almost welcome, a familiar sight by now.
Tuarik himself was on the landing pad, waiting for us. He didn't look pleased. Lilliasa got out of the flyer and went to greet him, smiling her blankly happy idiotic smile. Mayguena walked behind her, at her shoulder, with her head ducked down in the appropriate submissive gesture. I lagged behind, fussing with Shadita's leash.
"I have heard reports about you," Tuarik said angrily when we were out of the flyer. He was speaking to Mayguena. "Filling my daughter's head with dangerous ideas. Keep your thoughts of treason to yourself. You are dismissed from my household."
Mayguena looked ready to spit fire.
"She did no such thing, Father," Lilliasa said, jumping to Mayguena's defense.
"You will go to your rooms and stay there," Tuarik said to Lilliasa. "There will be no more of these social outings."
Lilliasa slunk into the mansion. I followed her, my head down as I tugged Shadita out of the shrubbery. I begged her silently not to draw attention to me. I didn't want to know what Tuarik would do to me. Shadita snapped but she came.
Tuarik and Mayguena began shouting as the door slid shut behind me. I risked a single glance back. Mayguena whirled around and stomped away, anger in every line of her body. Tuarik watched her go, secure in his position and power.
What did this mean for their plans? For my plans? How much did Tuarik know?
Lilliasa slammed the door to her rooms open. She stalked inside and went straight to the bathroom at the back. I heard her running water as I let Shadita into the courtyard. Shadita made a beeline for the nearest pink flower bush, her favorite. She flopped under its spreading leaves and promptly went to sleep.
The luggage was delivered by one of the nonhuman slaves. It put the bags in the bedroom and left as silently as it had come. I went to unpack. I had nothing else to do. And I had to do something or I would go crazy.
I took my time, shaking out creases and sorting those clothes that needed to be aired and cleaned from the others. I wiped Lilliasa's shoes clean as I placed them back in their racks in the closet. I finished much too soon, even though I'd been dawdling.
I went into the bathroom. Lilliasa was up to her neck in bubbles in the tub. She had her eyes closed. Her mouth was set in an angry line. She opened her eyes and glared.
"Your clothes are taken care of, des Shira," I said. "Is there anything else you require?"
"Shadita?" she asked.
"Sleeping in the courtyard."
"Then go embroider or something. I'm thinking and do not wish to be disturbed."
"Yes, des Shira," I said as I backed out of the room.
I went to sit in the courtyard, a length of silvery gray fabric in my lap. I watched water trickle through the tile-lined trough Tayvis had built and felt sorry for myself. Things were falling apart, just as I'd expected them to.
I picked out gray thread and stitched a rain of hopeless teardrops into the cloth.
Chapter 27
The flyer was old, antiquated, a cheap rental. It landed heavily on the landing pad. Sylena watched it woodenly, her face displaying no emotion. Mayguena exited the craft. The driver piled her luggage beside her. Five large cases, it looked as if Mayguena had brought everything she owned. Mayguena paid off the driver and stepped back as the flyer took off in a cloud of blue tinged smoke. Sylena stepped out of the shelter of the porch roof.
"This was not our plan," she told the younger woman.
"Des Tuarik
became suspicious," Mayguena answered. "Lilliasa will still do her part."
"I do not trust her. She is too sharp. She sees too clearly."
"Lilliasa?" Mayguena made a derisive noise. "She is a puppet. She cares more for fashion than politics. I used her because she was handy. She served my purposes."
"Or so she led you to think. Do not underestimate her. Or her ambitions."
Mayguena's mouth tightened into a hard line. "She will do as she agreed. We will make our move at High Festival. As planned."
"Who's plan, Mayguena? Yours? Mine? Lilliasa's?"
"Or perhaps Bradoc's?"
Sylena's eyes widened in surprise.
"Des Tuarik's son plots against him," Mayguena said. "He thinks to steal his father's position from his older brothers."
"They all plot against each other," Sylena said dismissively. "It means nothing."
"Bradoc cannot afford Tuarik finding out about his hobbies," Mayguena said. "He would be disgraced, disowned, and outlawed, banished to the most primitive mining settlement. He has a taste for female slaves."
Sylena frowned thoughtfully. "We could use that to our advantage. Do you have proof?"
"Of course."
"And what of Dace? What of Lilliasa's pet?"
"She is weak," Mayguena said. "We cannot depend on her."
"Quite the contrary," Sylena said quietly. "Humans are not as we are."
"She clings to that male. She shows her fallibility."
Sylena took Mayguena's arm and led her inside, away from the slaves who arrived to gather Mayguena's luggage before the afternoon rains began.
"Humans form emotional bonds," Sylena said. "Do not let your own bitterness blind you. And not all Trythians marry because of dictates of the genetics council."
"You cared for your husband?" Mayguena asked incredulously.
"I grew to care for him," Sylena admitted. "He could have put me aside when it became clear that I could not give him children. The doctors never could find a reason. It did not matter to Rheaven. He cared for me, as a person, as his wife."
