by Robyn Bachar
“Oh? Such as?”
Andelynn took a deep breath. “I’m an aleithir. It’s possible that you carry the aleithir gene because Sabine is one, though she may have gotten it from her father’s family. If you do carry it, it is likely that our children would inherit it. It’s a difficult burden to live with, and as much of a curse as it is a blessing.”
He blinked, startled, and then his brow furrowed as he processed the information. Was she reading him now? How fascinating. Questions about how her ability functioned filled his thoughts, but Galen could ask them another time. Andelynn seemed to be waiting for him to comment. “That’s remarkable. There are several records of Sunsinger empaths, so it is possible that I carry the gene. Are there tests for it?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Perhaps we could sponsor research on the subject. You aren’t worried? Some males would balk at the idea of taking a mate who can read their emotions.”
“It doesn’t change my decision. It may be helpful, because you can sense the sincerity of my feelings for you.”
“True.” She smiled dryly as she studied him. “This is the first time we have been alone together. When I sensed attraction from you before, I assumed it was directed toward Cariana. Most males are attracted to her.”
“She is lovely, but I see so much more than that in you,” he assured her.
“Thank you, my lord. There is more you must know, and I would appreciate your discretion on this subject.” She sighed and took his hands, running her thumbs over his knuckles in an extremely distracting manner. “I served my father as a spy of sorts. I used my aleithir abilities to gain information for him. I also have combat and flight training, but I wasn’t allowed to become a shadow sword or a pilot.”
Galen’s brow rose. It did explain her weapons and armor. The idea would have been shocking to him once, but Talena and her mates had acclimated him to females in combat roles.
“I trust you,” he said. “I’m certain that could be useful. I’m miserable at self-defense. Talena is a much better shot than I am.”
Andelynn continued to study him, and he smiled sheepishly under her regard. Thankfully he had nothing to hide, at least not about this. It could become problematic if she read his attraction to Malcolm, but since he had explained matters to the indexer, Galen was confident that things would remain professional between them from now on.
“I accept.” Andee brushed a light kiss against his lips as Galen’s heart soared, and she stepped away. “I’ll speak to Jace about arranging the ceremony.”
∆∆∆
Malcolm wrung his hands as he waited in the hallway for Andee. He never should have kissed Galen—Lord Degalen, he corrected dutifully, despairing of ever being able to remember the Cy’ren’s proper name and title. Kissing Galen had just seemed right at the time, but apparently it had been entirely wrong.
Andee smiled when she joined him, and relief flooded Malcolm. He needed to be far away from Galen’s quarters. Really he needed to be away from Cyprena entirely, though he had no idea where he would go. The jump station was gone, nothing left of it but scrap metal scattered across space in U-territory. His Master would take him back, but Malcolm’s stomach churned with anxious bile at the idea of being near Archivist de la Cruz. Never again, if he could help it.
“What’s wrong?” Andee asked, frowning in concern.
“I don’t feel well. Can we leave now?”
“Of course.”
She took his arm and led him to his quarters. Some of his tension eased just being near her. Andee understood him, and that was rare in his experience. When they arrived at his room Andee spoke into the comm. for a few moments while he took a seat on one of the stiff, creaky couches—why have furniture if it wasn’t comfortable? Made no sense.
Malcolm didn’t speak Cy’reni, but he enjoyed listening to it. The language had a lyrical quality, as though it should be sung instead of spoken, and it appealed to him as a music lover.
Andee took a seat beside Malcolm. “You did a wondrous thing today. Many people owe you a great debt.”
He blushed under her emerald gaze. He’d always had a weakness for women with green eyes, like Kai. Andee even had long black hair like Kai’d had, though Kai had been a human slave and Andee was a Cy’ren lady. Important, like Galen, and off limits to a nobody like Malcolm.
“It didn’t feel wondrous. I was terrified,” he admitted.
“You had every right to be.” She squeezed his shoulder. “What’s troubling you? The battle?”
“No. Yes. A little.” With a grimace he dragged a shaking hand through his hair, and then hugged his arms to his chest. “I’m glad that I helped everyone, but I did something stupid after it, and that bothers me. But it’s more than that. I don’t have a place here. I don’t know what I’m going to do. An indexer and a data miner is all I know how to be, but I’m useless if I don’t have a handler and don’t have access to the Collective.”
“Is Galen not working out as your handler?”
“No, he’s fine. But he’s a lord. He can’t stay as my handler and…” Malcolm trailed off with a sigh. How could he have read Galen so wrong? He’d thought that Galen was attracted to him, but had that all been in Malcolm’s mind?
“I see. What did you do that was stupid?” Andee asked.
“You won’t tell anyone?”
“Your secret is safe with me,” she assured him.
Malcolm nodded, relieved to have someone to confide in. “I kissed Galen. Just a quick kiss, because I was celebrating, but I didn’t know that it was wrong. Well, I knew that it was wrong because he’s a lord, but I didn’t realize that Cy’ren males didn’t do that. With each other. Because the females do, so it didn’t occur to me. And why is that? It seems like a double standard.” Malcolm drew himself up, indignant, and Andee considered his words for a few moments before replying.
“It is, and it isn’t fair. Many of the old traditions encourage inequality.”
“Why?”
“Usually to keep the powerless oppressed,” she replied dryly. “Did Galen chastise you for kissing him?”
“No, and he said he understood why I did it. I just feel guilty. I don’t want to force myself on anyone. I know how awful that feels.”
Andee squeezed his shoulder again after he trailed off. “It’s all right. You’re safe here. Besides, you apologized and Lord Degalen forgave you. He isn’t angry.”
“Did he…are you going to marry him?”
She blinked at the change in subject, but then she nodded. Malcolm’s heart sank a fraction, but he forced a smile.
“That’s good,” he said. “You’re both very nice. You’ll be happy together.”
“I hope so. I know you feel very lost. Have you given more thought to what you want to do? What would make you happy?”
Malcolm frowned and tugged at his shirt collar. Had Alexi made him happy? He’d loved him, but Malcolm had never fulfilled Alexi as Alexi did for him. Alexi had always wanted more—more credits, more liquor, stims, women, men. Nothing was ever enough. It would be nice to be enough. To be wanted. Not as an asset or a possession, but to be loved.
“I don’t know. I’ve been a slave for as long as I can remember. There’s no point in dreaming about the future when your fate’s decided by your Master. You just try to get through each day.”
“Now you are the master of your fate,” Andee said. “You could work in a data center here, or in the Alliance. Own a home, start a family.”
Malcolm winced and fidgeted even more. “I’m not real good at being in charge of myself. Little things trip me up—I forget to eat, or to sleep, because when I’m working on a search all I can think of is how to acquire the data until I’ve found what I’m looking for. Alexi reminded me about the day-to-day details, when he was alive.”
“I’m sorry that you lost him.”
“I’m sorry about your father, and your brother. You have my condolences,” Malcolm said.
“Thank you. We have lost so many,
but there isn’t time to mourn them. When this is over, we’ll have time to honor our dead and build new lives.”
“I never thought about building a life. Data miners burn out young. The rest of the miners I trained with are dead.”
“Then this is the perfect time for you to retire and lead a life of leisure.”
Andee hugged him, and he smiled. Even in her severe black armor she still smelled of delicate flowers. Did they have flowers on Cyprena? Seemed like they wouldn’t grow underground… It was too bad he couldn’t stay with her. She was good to him. Andee was kind, patient and beautiful. Galen was a lucky man. Lucky Cy’ren. Malcolm wouldn’t mind staying with Andee and Galen on a permanent basis, as long as he remembered not to flirt with them. He’d never had a handler who wasn’t also his lover, but maybe it would be a good thing. After all, he had never had the option to not be lovers with his handler. It would be personal growth.
“Could I stay with you when you go to House Sunsinger with Galen? Lord Degalen,” he corrected. Damn it, he was never going to get that right.
“You are always welcome in my house. I will speak with him about the arrangements.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled, and Malcolm was struck again by how pretty she was. Must be a Cy’ren thing, because he’d never seen one that wasn’t beautiful, male or female. Galen was beautiful… Malcolm sighed and shook his head. No flirting. He would remember, somehow. Maybe he should write it on the backs of his hands.
Chapter Three
The warning was broadcast planet-wide. Lord Bildanen Rathe’s smirk gloated on vid screens across Cyprena as he announced his takeover of the high council, naming himself High Lord of Cyprena. Houses that swore allegiance to him would be rewarded. Houses that stood against him would be punished. Lord Bildanen “graciously” granted the other houses two galactic standard weeks to put their affairs in order and surrender. After that, he would release the Lazarus plague in “enemy” cities. He’d even used his Syndicate contacts to bring in mining drills that could drill to the cities in lockdown, bypassing their security measures and ensuring his ability to make good on his threats.
Andee watched the clock in the corner of the screen as it dispassionately ticked down toward the moment when Lord Bildanen would loose the virus and murder the thousands of Cy’ren living in the Morningstar enclave. The city’s panic pricked her skin, her heart raced nonstop from their terror and her hands ached from being balled into constant fists.
“Surrender is not an option,” Jace announced. Andee wished she shared his confidence.
“I agree. What are our options?” Galen said.
A small group had gathered to discuss just that, occupying a conference room with uncomfortable chairs and refreshments that no one had the heart to touch. As Lord Degalen’s soon-to-be mate, Andee was allowed to participate. That, and she was one of the few people who could keep Malcolm calm. The indexer alternated fidgeting with his fraying collar, pulling at the cuffs of his sleeves, adjusting his spectacles and picking at his nail beds until his fingers bled. Jace’s mates joined him, and Captain Hawke’s two mates, Talena and Lieutenant Mordackai Loren, joined her. Commander Soth, the former head of the Sunsinger shadow swords, and Commander Maysen rounded out the group. Maysen was now head of the Morningstar swords, promoted after his predecessor died during the high council massacre. Andee was proud of him but wished that the circumstances of his promotion had been less dire.
“We need to get word to the Alliance,” Captain Hawke said.
“The Alliance won’t interfere in Cy’ren politics,” Jace scoffed.
Mordackai stiffened and turned to the captain. “He doesn’t know?”
“No. Lord Najamek did,” she replied.
“Know what?” Jace asked. Andee silently echoed the question, curious about the answer—she thought she had known all of her father’s secrets. Not because he had confided in Andee, but because she was an excellent spy. Even her father would forget that she was in the room.
“I’m with Alliance special forces,” Captain Hawke explained. “I was never discharged from the military, dishonorably or otherwise. My mission is to support Cy’ren independence in hopes that one day you’ll join the Alliance. There are several other Alliance agents with the resistance, but only the lords of the high council knew our identities.”
Jace was stunned, but he nodded slowly. “If Cyprena joined the Alliance it would give you a foothold in Syndicate space, because millions of enslaved Cy’ren would become free Alliance citizens. The Alliance has the firepower to support Cy’ren freedom that the resistance could never muster. Clever. I suppose Bildanen just advanced your timetable. Will the Alliance send aid, then?”
Andee knew little about the particulars of the Alliance—they had warred with the Syndicate in the past, which Andee appreciated. It spoke well of them that they had been covertly aiding the resistance’s efforts to free Cy’ren slaves. Alliance space was rumored to be filled with liberty, education and peace. Andee was suspicious of what was wrong with the Alliance, for that was surely too good to be true.
Captain Hawke smiled thinly. “You’re looking at her. There’s no telling if any of our other agents are alive while the city’s in lockdown. And we don’t know how far the virus has spread in Alliance space. They might not be able to send aid if they’re dealing with an outbreak.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Our focus is to save Cyprena, but regardless of what happens here, the Alliance will be at war. At the very least they’ll go after the Eppes for producing and releasing the virus, but depending on who the Eppes are tied to, they may target the entire Syndicate.”
“The Eppes were always hard to get ahold of,” Jace said. “Aside from Bildanen, there’s no telling who else they have ties to.”
“We can look into that. For now, our best option is to get off-world and locate the facility producing the cure.” She turned to Malcolm. “Can you do that?”
“Find the cure?” he asked, startled. “I’m not sure. Eppes data encryption is a bitch to crack. Without access to the Collective, it’ll take a lot longer, and I can’t do any mining without a handler.”
Andee stilled. As the only handler available, Galen would need to travel off world with them. “Have you ever been away from Cyprena?” she asked him.
“No. Have you?” he countered. Andee shook her head. Would it be quieter in space, with only the energy of the ship’s crew to contend with? Or would charging off to war expose her to enough death to push her over the edge?
“My lord, you can’t risk your life on a dangerous mission like this. You have no heirs, and your sisters can’t inherit,” Commander Soth said.
“There is no point in protecting me if I have no house left to rule. We must find the cure. I will accompany Malcolm as his handler.”
“Then I’m going too,” Andee said. Malcolm and Galen would need her protection, because neither was equipped to fight a war. She couldn’t sit at home while they were in danger.
“With all due respect, Lady Andelynn, there’s no room for more civilians on this mission,” Captain Hawke said.
“I’m not a civilian.” She glanced from Jace to Galen, wondering if she should explain further. Aside from the negative view of liathlinn, there was little use for a spy that everyone knew about.
Commander Maysen spoke up in her defense. “Lady Andelynn has trained with the Morningstar shadow swords for years. She may not have the official rank of shadow sword, but she is proficient with firearms, blades and hand-to-hand combat. I would trust her with my life.”
“She also has pilot training. I taught her everything I know,” Jace added with a wry shake of his head.
Captain Hawke nodded, eyeing Andee speculatively. “We’ll need the extra blade. I assume Harrow and Viera will be staying here.”
“No,” Jace said, while Commander Maysen and Sabine chorused “yes”.
“Lord Najacen, we cannot allow both you and Lord Degalen to leave,” Maysen pointed out. “He i
s necessary to the mission, but you are not.”
Bryn took Jace’s hand. “He’s right, a’gra. We’re going to have to sit this one out.”
Jace nodded. “That will leave you with Soth as your only shadow sword, Captain.”
“Go with them.” Talena nudged Mordackai’s arm insistently, and he blinked at his mate in surprise.
“I can’t leave you here alone. What about the baby?” he asked.
Talena snorted. “The baby will be here when you get back. Carmen needs you. I’ll be fine. Besides, if you stay, all you’ll do is worry about her.”
“Talena will be safe here,” Jace assured him. “We will defend her with our lives. You have my word on that, Lieutenant.”
Mordackai eyed him with suspicion, but Sabine spoke up, adding a diplomatic, “Talena is family, and our houses are allies. Any arguments you and Jace had in the past are over and done with.”
“All right,” Captain Hawke said. “Dack comes with us, along with Commander Soth, Malcolm, Lord Degalen and Lady Andelynn. Malcolm, did you find anything about the Eppes that might help us in your other searches? Give us somewhere to start?”
“No. I had well-defined search parameters, and their data is very compartmentalized. The facility that researched the virus didn’t communicate with the lab that tested it, the place that tested it didn’t talk to the plant that manufactured it, and so on. They just reported back to the people in charge, and I’m still not sure who that was.”
“It wasn’t Lord Bildanen?” Jace asked.
“No. He’s a bad guy, but he’s not the bad guy.”
“Understood.” The captain grimaced and nodded. “Next time, widen your search. We can share anything we learn about the Eppes with the Alliance. We’ll prep the ship to leave at 0800 tomorrow. It’s going to take some fancy flying to get us past that blockade, so I’m open to suggestions.”
“Our house has a number of small, short-range fighter ships for the city’s defense,” Andee said. “Many of the pilots fought with the resistance and have combat experience. They could provide cover for our escape, and then go to ground afterward. Or check on the welfare of our allies.”
