The Final Key: Part Two of Triad (Saga of the Skolian Empire)

by Catherine Asaro

  Jazar drew her to a stop. “Soz.” The dusk shadowed his face.

  She hesitated, puzzled. He was shielding both his mind and expression. “Yes?”

  “When the invasion came and I knew you were out there, I—” He shook his head.

  “What?”

  “I kept thinking of one thing.”

  “You going to tell me what it is?”

  “No.”

  She crossed her arms. “What, I’m supposed to guess?”

  “No.” Softly, he said, “I’m going to show you.” He grasped her elbows and pulled down her arms.

  “What are you doing?”

  “This.” Drawing her into his arms, he bent his head.

  Then he kissed her.

  “Oh,” Soz said. It came out like “Oomph.”

  Jaz lifted his head with a frustrated noise. “I swear, you have the romantic instincts of a rock.”

  “I’m in uniform. No public displays of affection.” Her pulse was doing odd things, acting up even more than when she had gone into the Dyad Chair. “Ah, hell,” she said. She pulled him down again and kissed him good and hard.

  They stood that way for a while, on a path hidden in a maze of buildings. After a while, Jaz moved his lips to her ear. “I looked it up in the manual. After you graduate, it’s no longer fraternization.”

  “When we’re out of uniform.”

  His voice turned wicked. “I can take care of that.”

  “Heya, Jaz. Behave.” When he laughed, she pulled back to look at him. “Will you come to the palace with me later, for dinner with my family?”

  “Are you sure?” He spoke awkwardly. “I’m not any nobleman, Soz. I’m just a tech’s son. I don’t want to embarrass you.”

  She touched her fingertips to his face. Maybe this was the real reason she had never dated. She wanted Jazar. She couldn’t have him until she graduated, so she had waited, grumbling and lonely, but patient.

  “My family will like you just as much as I do.” She thought of how the noble Houses had treated her father. “My father, especially.”

  He brushed his lips across hers. “In that case, Quaternary Valdoria, I would be honored to accompany you tonight.”

  “Good.” She put her arms around his neck. “But let’s not go anywhere with people right now. No pub, no palace, no nothing. Let’s just walk for a while.”

  “I would like that.”

  Soz went and changed her clothes. Then they strolled through the academy grounds, enjoying simple moments they had never had the time or permission to enjoy before. It was a good night. Soz didn’t fool herself that they faced an easy future, but it also held promise. She had seen what her people could do. She had no doubt they would endure.

  Tor Books by Catherine Asaro

  THE SAGA OF THE SKOLIAN EMPIRE

  Primary Inversion

  Catch the Lightning

  The Last Hawk

  The Radiant Seas

  Ascendant Sun

  The Quantum Rose

  Spherical Harmonic

  The Moon’s Shadow

  Skyfall

  Schism: Part One of Triad

  The Final Key: Part Two of Triad

  “A monumental work.” —Publishers Weekly

  Catherine Asaro has won numerous awards for her Saga of the Skolian Empire novels, including the Nebula Award and two Romantic Times Awards for Best SF Novel. Combining cutting-edge scientific theory with grand romantic adventure, this series represents space opera at its finest.

  The Final Key is the second and concluding part of the story arc known as Triad, which began in Schism. Schism ended with the Skolian Empire torn asunder by personal conflict within the royal family, as Sauscony defied her father and joined the Skolian military.

  Now in The Final Key, the Skolian Empire comes under all-out assault from its nemesis, the Euban Concord, who have undermined the Skolians via subterfuge and assassination, leaving them ripe for conquest. The war is devastating. And the Skolian Empire’s only hope is Sauscony, a young woman barely out of her teens who hasn’t even completed her training as a cadet.

  The fate of a vast interstellar empire rests in her untested hands.

  “Fans of this series will celebrate the return of these fantastic characters … . This is an outstanding book.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  Family Tree: RUBY DYNASTY

  Boldface names refer to members of the Rhon. The Selel name denotes the direct line of the Ruby Pharaoh. All children of Roca and Eldrinson take Valdoria as their third name. All members of the Rhon within the Ruby Dynasty have the right to use Skolia as their last name. “Del” in front of a name means “in honor of.”

  Characters and Family History

  Boldface names refer to Ruby psions, also known as the “Rhon.” All Rhon psions who are members of the Ruby Dynasty use Skolia as their last name (the Skolian Imperialate was named after their family). The Selei name indicates the direct line of the Ruby Pharaoh. Children of Roca and Eldrinson take Valdoria as a third name. The “del” prefix means “in honor of,” and is capitalized if the person honored was a Triad member. Most names are based on worldbuilding systems drawn from Mayan, North African, and Indian cultures.

  = marriage

  Lahaylia Selei (Ruby Pharaoh) = Jarac (Imperator)

  Lahaylia and Jarac founded the modern-day Ruby Dynasty.

  Lahaylia was created in the Rhon genetic project. Her lineage traces back to the ancient Ruby Dynasty that founded the Ruby Empire. Lahaylia and Jarac have two daughters, Dyhianna Selei and Roca.

  Dyhianna (Dehya) Selei (separated) = (1) William Seth Rockworth III

  = (2) Eldrin Jarac Valdoria

  Dehya becomes the Ruby Pharaoh after Lahaylia. She married William Seth Rockworth III as part of the Iceland Treaty between the Skolian Imperialate and Allied Worlds of Earth. They have no children and later separate. The dissolution of their marriage would negate the treaty, so neither the Allieds nor the Imperialate recognize Seth’s divorce. Both Seth and Dehya eventually remarry anyway. Spherical Harmonic tells the story of what happens to Dehya after the Radiance War. She and Eldrin have two children, Taquinil Selei and Althor Vyan Selei.

  Althor Vyan Selei = ‘Akushtina (Tina) Santis Pulivok

  The story of Althor and Tina appears in Catch the Lightning. Althor Vyan Selei was named after his uncle/cousin, Althor Izam-Na Valdoria. Tina also appears in the story “Ave de Paso” in the anthologies Redshift, edited by A1 Sarrantonio, and Fantasy: The Year’s Best, 2001, edited by Robert Silverberg and Karen Haber.

  Roca = (1) Tokaba Ryestar (deceased)

  = (2) Darr Hammerjackson (divorced)

  = (3) Eldrinson (Eldri) Althor Valdoria

  Roca and Tokaba had one child, Kurj (Imperator and former Jagernaut). Kurj marries Ami when he is about a century old, in The Radiant Seas. Kurj and Ami have a son named Kurjson.

  Although no records exist of Eldrinson’s lineage, it is believed he descends from the ancient Ruby Dynasty. Skyfall tells the story of how he and Roca meet. They have ten children.

  Eldrin (Dryni) Jarac (bard, Ruby consort, warrior)

  Althor Izam-Na (engineer, Jagernaut, Imperial Heir)

  Del-Kurj (Del) (singer, warrior, twin to Chaniece)

  Chaniece Roca (runs Valdoria family household, twin to Del-Kurj)

  Havyrl (Vyrl) Torcellei (farmer, doctorate in agriculture)

  Sauscony (Soz) Lahaylia (military scientist, Jagernaut, Imperator)

  Denric Windward (teacher, doctorate in literature)

  Shannon Eirlei (Blue Dale Archer) Aniece Dyhianna (accountant, Rillian queen)

  Kelricson (Kelric) Garlin (mathematician, Jagernaut, Imperator) Eldrin appears in The Final Key, The Radiant Seas, and Spherical Harmonic. See Dehya

  Althor Izam-Na = (1) Coop and Vaz Majda

  = (2) Cirrus (former provider for Trader emperor)

  Althor has a daughter, Eristia Leirol Valdoria, with Syreen Leirol, an actress turned linguist. Coop and
Vaz have a son, Ryder Jalam Majda Valdoria, with Althor as co-father. Althor and Coop appear in The Radiant Seas. The novelette, “Soul of Light” (Circlet Press, anthology Sextopia), tells the story of how Althor and Vaz met Coop. Vaz and Coop also appear in Spherical Harmonic. Althor and Cirrus also have a son.

  Havyrl (Vyrl) Torcellei = Liliara (Lily) (deceased in 2266)

  = Kamoj Quanta Argali

  Havyrl and Lily marry in 2223. Their story appears in “Stained Glass Heart,” a novella in the anthology Irresistible Forces, edited by Catherine Asaro, February 2004. The story of Havyrl and Kamoj appears in The Quantum Rose, which won the 2001 Nebula Award. An early version of the first half was serialized in Analog, May 1999-July/August 1999.

  Sauscony (Soz) Lahaylia = (1) Jato Stormson (divorced)

  = (2) Hypron Luminar (deceased)

  = (3) Jaibriol Qox (aka Jaibriol II)

  Soz’s experiences as a cadet at the Dieshan Military Academy appear in Schism and The Final Key.

  The story of how Soz and Jato met appears in the novella, “Aurora in Four Voices” (Analog, December 1998). Soz and Jaibriol’s stories appear in Primary Inversion and The Radiant Seas. They have four children, all of whom use Qox-Skolia as their last name: Jaibriol III, Rocalisa, Vitar, and del-Kelric. The story of how Jaibriol III became the emperor of Eube appears in The Moon’s Shadow. Jaibriol III married Tarquine Iquar, the Finance Minister of Eube.

  Denric’s story of his harrowing introduction to the world Sandstorm, where he teaches after graduation, appears in “The Edges of Never-Haven” in the anthology Flights of Fantasy, edited by Al Sarrantonio.

  Aniece = Lord Rillia

  Lord Rillia rules Rillia, which consists of the extensive Rillian Vales, the Dalvador Plains, the Backbone Mountains, and the Stained Glass Forest.

  Kelricson (Kelric) Garlin = (1) Corey Majda (deceased)

  = (2) Deha Dahl (deceased)

  = (3) Rashiva Haka (Calani trade)

  = (4) Savina Miesa (deceased)

  = (5) Avtac Varz (Calani trade)

  = (6) Ixpar Kam (closure)

  = (7) Jeejon

  Kelric’s stories are told in The Ruby Dice (novella, Baen’s Universe, 2006; novel to appear in 2007). The Last Hawk, Ascendant Sun, The Moon’s Shadow, the novella “A Roll of the Dice” (Analog, July/August 2000), and the novelette “Light and Shadow” (Analog, April 1994). Kelric and Rashiva have one son, Jimorla (Jimi) Haka, who becomes a renowned Calani. Kelric and Savina have one daughter, Rohka Miesa Varz, who becomes the Ministry Successor in line to rule the Twelve Estates on Coba.

  The novella “Walk in Silence” (Analog, April 2003) tells the story of Jess Fernandez, an Allied starship captain from Earth who deals with the genetically engineered humans on the Skolian colony of Icelos. The story of Dayj Majda, the Prince who was betrothed to Roca in Skyfall, appears in the novella “The City of Cries” in the anthology Down These

  Dark Spaceways, edited by Mike Resnick. “The Shadowed Heart” tells the story of Primary Harrick, a Jagernaut traumatized by the Radiance War. It appears in the anthology The Journey Home, edited by Mary Kirk.

  Time Line

  circa 4000 BC Group of humans moved from Earth to Raylicon

  circa 3600 BC Ruby Dynasty begins

  circa 3100 BC Raylicans launch first interstellar flights; rise of Ruby Empire

  circa 2900 BC Ruby Empire declines

  circa 2800 BC Last interstellar flights; Ruby Empire collapses

  circa AD 1300 Raylicans begin to regain lost knowledge

  1843 Raylicans regain interstellar flight

  1871 Aristos found Eubian Concord (aka Trader Empire)

  1881 Lahaylia Selei born

  1904 Lahaylia Selei founds Skolian Imperialate

  2005 Jarac born

  2111 Lahaylia Selei marries Jarac

  2119 Dyhianna Selei born

  2122 Earth achieves interstellar flight

  2132 Allied Worlds of Earth formed

  2144 Roca born

  2169 Kurj born

  2203 Roca marries Eldrinson Althor Valdoria (Skyfall)

  2204 Eldrin Jarac Valdoria born

  2205 Prince Dayj Majda runs away (“The City of Cries”)

  2206 Althor Izam-Na Valdoria born

  2209 Havyrl (Vyrl) Torcellei Valdoria born

  2210 Sauscony (Soz) Lahaylia Valdoria born

  2211 Denric Windward Valdoria born

  2219 Kelricson (Kelric) Garlin Valdoria born

  2223 Vyrl marries Lily (“Stained Glass Heart”)

  2227 Soz goes to Jagernaut military academy (Schism)

  2235 Denric trapped on Sandstorm (“The Edge of Never-Haven”)

  2237 Jaibriol II born

  2240 Soz meets Jato Stormson (“Aurora in Four Voices”)

  2241 Kelric marries Admiral Corey Majda

  2243 Corey assassinated (“Light and Shadow”)

  2258 Kelric crashes on Coba (The Last Hawk)

  early 2259 Soz meets Jaibriol (Primary Inversion)

  late 2259 Soz and Jaibriol go into exile (The Radiant Seas)

  2260 Jaibriol III born (aka Jaibriol Qox Skolia) (The Radiant Seas)

  2263 Rocalisa Qox Skolia born; Althor Izam-Na Valdoria meets Coop (“Soul of Light”)

  2266 Lily dies

  2268 Vitar Qox Skolia born

  2273 del-Kelric Qox Skolia born

  2274 Radiance War begins (also called Domino War) (The Radiant Seas)

  2276 Traders capture Eldrin. Radiance War ends; Jason Harrick crashes on the planet Thrice Named (“The Shadowed Heart”)

  2277-8 Kelric returns home (Ascendant Sun); Dehya coalesces (Spherical Harmonic); Kamoj and Vyrl meet (The Quantum Rose); Jaibriol III becomes emperor of Eube (The Moon’s Shadow)

  2279 Althor Vyan Selei born

  2287 Jeremiah Coltman trapped on Coba (“A Roll of the Dice”); Kelric deals with Coba and Jaibriol III (The Ruby Dice).

  2298 Jess Fernandez goes to Icelos (“Walk in Silence”)

  2326 Tina Pulivok and her cousin Manuel go to the desert (“Ave de Paso”)

  2328 Althor Vyan Selei meets Tina Santis Pulivok (Catch the Lightning)

  About the Author

  Catherine Asaro grew up near Berkeley, California. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Physics and her M.A. in Physics, both from Harvard, and a B.S. with Highest Honors in Chemistry from UCLA. Among the places she has done research are the University of Toronto, the Max Planck Institut für Astrophysik in Germany, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. A former ballet and jazz dancer, she founded the Mainly Jazz dance program at Harvard, and was a principal dancer for and artistic director of Mainly Jazz and the Harvard University Ballet. Her husband is John Kendall Cannizzo, the proverbial rocket scientist. They have one daughter, a ballet dancer and mathematics enthusiast.

  In addition to the Skolian Saga, Catherine has also written The Veiled Web, The Phoenix Code, Sunrise Alley, and Alpha, near future science fiction; and the fantasy novels The Charmed Sphere, The Misted Cliffs, and The Dawn Star. Her work has won numerous awards, including the Nebula for The Quantum Rose. To receive e-mail updates on Catherine’s releases, join groups.yahoo.com/group/asaro-announce/. To discuss Catherine’s books with other readers, join groups.yahoo.com/group/asaro/.

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  THE FINAL KEY: PART TWO OF TRIAD

  Copyright © 2005 by Catherine Asaro

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

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  New York, NY 10010

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  Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

  eISBN 9781429983266

  First eBook Edition : January 2011

  First Edition: De
cember 2005

  First Mass Market Edition: December 2006