by K. B. Wagers
My chamberlain seemed to think a nonverbal murmur of assent was her best option as she gathered up her things and headed for the door. I watched her go, my fond smile slipping some as I looked at Emmory.
“Between you and me, I’m tempted to cancel this tour,” I said. “I know you won’t argue with me.”
“Everyone else will.” Emmory’s smile was surprisingly apologetic.
“Caspel sent my message to the Shen.” Making a face, I got up from the couch and rubbed my hands over my arms. “I want them to reply, but I’m afraid of what they’ll say.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “And that’s the worst part of it. How am I supposed to keep my people safe if I don’t know what’s coming?”
“No one expects you to be able to see into the future, Hail.” Emmory’s quiet use of my name was a rare enough event that it shook me out of my growing panic. “We’ll handle it as we always do—when it’s there in front of us.”
I smiled. “So that’s where Portis got that saying from.”
“You can blame our mother for it,” he replied, and held a hand out to me.
I took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “She gave me both of you; I’d never blame her for anything.”
13
You know I love you, right, Cress?”
I slanted him a sideways look. “What are you on about? How much of that have you had?” Snatching the bottle out of Portis’s reach, I laughed when he grabbed me and pressed his lips to my throat. “Cheater.”
“I haven’t had anything to drink,” he said, skimming his lips up to my ear. “I love you.”
“Is this about that pretty little Solie who owned the casino on Windenheim? She was too damn adorable and a whole lot of fun, but you know I’m not leaving you to settle down on a planet.”
He laughed and kissed me again. “I’m too damn adorable for you to leave, we both know it.”
I melted into the kiss, and after a long moment surfaced for air. “I know you love me. I love you, too.”
The dream I woke from slipped away; only the lingering feel of Portis’s breath on my throat and murmured words in my ear remained, and the sweeter side of grief wrapped itself around me in a comforting embrace. He’d been in my head a lot more lately, but without the sharp pain of loss, and I smiled up at the ceiling for a moment as I remembered that drunken night right before my past had kicked its way back into my life and changed everything.
I slid out of bed and shrugged into the robe lying over the back of a nearby chair. The main room was quiet, the lights dim as I padded across the floor to the balcony window. Gita looked up from the tablet in her lap when I put a hand on her shoulder.
“Morning, Majesty. Sleep well?”
“Well enough, I’m getting some air.”
She nodded and went back to her book. I pulled my robe closed and pressed my hand to the panel, slipping through the open door and out onto the balcony into the cool morning air. The city was awake, even at this hour, and the sounds of aircars and ground transport filled my ears in an easy hum.
The sunrise coated the buildings in a wash of purple and blue that faded the farther east it went until it disappeared entirely into the golden light.
As I pulled up the files Caspel had sent me overnight, the background of Krishan’s buildings faded to almost nothing at all with a few blinks.
Mia Cevalla
Daughter of Javez Cevalla and unknown human woman.
Approximate age: early thirties.
Height: 180 cm
Weight: estimated 85 kg
Brown hair. Gray eyes.
I studied the photos as I cued up Caspel’s audio notes. “Based on our limited interaction with the Shen, building profiles on the new leaders has been somewhat difficult, and nothing in these files should be taken as absolute unless specifically stated. According to my resources, Mia oversees the military side of things. Recent encounters between the Shen and the Farians leads me to believe she’s relatively inexperienced and somewhat reckless, though it’s hard to say for sure if that’s due to the influence of the mercenary forces or just in her nature. At the present her strategy seems to be to harass and confuse the Farians as much as possible. Running battles and quick strikes are going to be preferable for their outnumbered forces.”
There were three photos of Mia: the one Caspel had shown me earlier, and two others that were long-distance shots. That pair was of poor quality, grainy and out of focus, but I could see Aiz standing next to his sister in one of them. Their fingers were brushing, a moment captured as Aiz smiled at his sister.
It made me ache for my sisters.
I blinked, partly to clear away my tears and partly to switch files.
Aiz Cevalla
Son of Javez and Estella Cevalla
Approximate age: early forties.
Height: 185 cm
Weight: estimated 91 kg
Brown hair. Brown eyes.
“Aiz appears to be the diplomat of the pair,” Caspel said in my ear. “He’s had more interactions with the Farians that we can track and more face time in the press, though even that is limited.” My intelligence director’s sigh was so heavy as to be audible on the recording. “I wish I had better profiles on both of them, Your Majesty, but I don’t. I’ll continue to see what information I can gather and update these as that becomes available. Until then—”
“Her Majesty is on the balcony.” Gita’s voice drifted out to me. “It’s a little early, though. Let me see if she’s—”
“I didn’t come to talk to her.” Hao’s reply had me stopping Caspel’s recording entirely, but I didn’t turn toward the door.
“You should go,” Gita said, her voice even more formal, though I wasn’t sure how that was possible.
“You should tell me why you’ve been avoiding me since I got back, and don’t lead with the Saxons because we both know it’s not because of that.” Hao’s voice was clipped, a tone just this side of annoyed that I was extremely familiar with, having been on the receiving end plenty of times myself.
“I have been busy.” Gita sighed and I could picture my mentor staring her down with that implacable golden gaze of his. “Look, Hao. What we had was fun.”
“Fun?”
“Okay, maybe it was more than fun. But it was easy. The rules were different. We were outside.” Gita paused and I imagined she was shoving a hand into her short hair the way she did when she was frustrated. “Now we are home, Hao, and you … whatever Her Majesty was, you’re still a gunrunner.”
Part of me wanted to cover my ears while I sang loudly. The other part stood frozen as my BodyGuard broke up with my brother.
“Are you saying I am not loyal to her?”
“Keep your voice down.”
My eyes went wide at the snap of command in her voice, and I suspected Hao’s face wore an identical look of surprise.
“I know you. Her Majesty knows you. Others? People talk, Hao, and the fact is you are still marked as Po-Sin’s.” I knew she was gesturing at his arms and the ink proclaiming his loyalty to his family. “It means you are not one of us. You never will be. You’ve made your choice same as all the rest of us have. I care for you, but I’m her Dve. I can’t risk anyone suggesting my loyalty might be split from her by a gunrunner.”
“Understood.”
My heart broke. So much hurt in a single word.
“Hao—”
“No, it’s fine, Gita. I understand. It explains the last few days.” Hao would be smiling: that careful, formal smile reserved for deals with strangers. “Far be it from me to interfere in Her Majesty’s protection or the running of her empire. Whatever you think of me, I care for her and I would sooner cut off my own hand than see her come to harm.”
“Hao, don’t do this—”
Unable to stand it any longer, I stretched my arms over my head and turned back to the balcony door with more noise than was necessary. “Morning!” The fal
se cheer in my voice as I came through the door made me wince, and I rolled my eyes at the ceiling.
Hao was closer to me, standing at the window, his back to both of us. His shoulders straight as the lines of traffic under Solarian orbital control.
Gita was trying, with relative success, to hide the sorrow on her face. For just a moment I considered saying something, anything, to ease the hurt in the room, but the door opened and Stasia came in, bearing a tray and chatting with Zin. Others followed, and any hope I might have had of talking to the pair was lost to the morning bustle.
I didn’t miss the look that passed between Gita and Zin, or the gentle hand he wrapped around her forearm for just a moment as he passed by her.
“Good morning, Majesty.”
I took the cup of chai Stasia handed me with an answering nod and joined Hao at the window.
“If I were looking to hire mercenaries to go up against a foe that was superior in both technology and numbers, who would be worth the money?”
“Is this about the Farians wanting you to come fight for them?” He lifted his hands when I gave him a stern look. “People talk, little sister. I didn’t even have to ask anyone important and I pieced most of it together myself. Hell, it’ll probably be in the news tomorrow.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
Hao frowned in consideration. “Since I assume we’re taking about hiring someone to go up against the Farians, the Shen had better have something really worthwhile. You know as well as I do it would depend on the payout.” He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. “That said, the Barton boys would probably do it for kicks. Half a dozen other smaller outfits would consider it a good payday. Jamison could be persuaded with the right amount.”
“Ugh.” I made a face and sipped my chai. “I hate that guy.” Jamison fancied himself something special, dressing the part of a gentleman and scholar even though he was neither.
“I hear the feeling is mutual. Word out there in the black is you cheated him.”
Shooting Hao a sidelong glare, I set my mug down on the windowsill. “You know I would never. I stopped him from snaking a job out from under us. He didn’t want to admit that he’d been bested, so he started spreading that stupid story around.”
And now that I was the only one left of my crew, there was no one else to tell the truth of it.
“I didn’t say I believed him, just that he was telling the story differently.”
“He hates me.” I rolled my eyes. “Always has.”
“I’m pretty sure the three broken ribs you gave him that time he grabbed you has something to do with it, too.” Hao grinned at me.
“Possible. Portis warned him not to touch me. Jamison just thought the punch was coming from him.”
Instead it had come from me. I’d kicked his feet out from under him and put my boot into his side hard enough to snap three of his ribs before Portis pulled me off.
“I’d actually pay good money to have seen his reaction when the news about me hit,” I said with a smirk.
“Majesty, breakfast is ready,” Stasia said, and I waved a hand in acknowledgment.
“Has Po-Sin said anything about the Shen making him an offer?” There was no delicate way to ask that question, and only I could see the flinch that echoed in Hao’s utter stillness.
“They have. He hasn’t given them an answer.” He shook his head. “Don’t ask me anything else, little sister. You know I can’t tell you specifics.” A wry smile twisted his mouth. “And it occurs to me I owe you an apology, or at the very least an acknowledgment.” He pressed a hand to his heart; despite his numerous tattoos, that spot had always been oddly blank. “You have an empire to run, one I am not part of, and just like there are things I cannot share with you, so it is the same with me.”
“I appreciate your understanding.” I leaned against him briefly, enjoying the warmth. “You know I have a place for you in this empire I’m rebuilding, if you wanted to join us.”
Hao sighed, and I told myself I was imagining the longing held in his exhalation. “You know how Po-Sin would react. I think we have enough troubles at the moment, sha zhu.”
“Do you think Rai would work for the Shen?” I asked, rubbing a hand over my heart as I changed the subject. His refusal stung for reasons I couldn’t quite understand.
“If the money was good enough?” Hao wiggled a hand. “Rai will do anything if the numbers work out. Best to ask Johar about it, though. You’re not actually thinking of getting involved in this, are you, Hail?”
“Even if I were, the Matriarch Council is going to say no. I’m not about to fight them on it. I know I’m needed here. We’re headed out for this whole victory lap in just a few weeks. What?”
Chuckling, Hao shook his head. “Nothing, I just never expected—” He waved a hand in the air. “For you to want to stay.”
“So everyone keeps telling me.” I tapped a hand on the windowsill and made a decision I knew would raise more than a few eyebrows. “You want to join me at this meeting? We could use your knowledge about the various merc factions.”
“Even though I’m not part of your empire?” Hao’s tease had an edge of bitterness he couldn’t quite hide, and I reached out, laying my hand on his forearm.
“You’re important to me, gege, and I value your advice.”
“You need your head checked.” But my words had chased the rest of the sadness from Hao’s eyes, and he nodded. “I don’t have anything else to do today.”
“Besides, it’ll be fun.”
He groaned. “The last time you said that to me I ended up getting shot by an Earth cop.”
“That was in no way my fault.” I punched him in the shoulder and headed for the table before Stasia dragged me to it.
“Admiral Hassan.” I held a hand out to Inana, gripping her forearm and feeling the solid weight of her hand on mine in return. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course, Majesty. It was the right call to involve the Raksha in this. This is a matter that concerns all of Indrana.”
Last night I’d sent a message to the Raksha with a brief overview of the situation for the five members of Indrana’s military council and an invitation to join us at the meeting. Inana’s words confirmed my intuition that no matter what the Farians were saying, involving me meant it would impact my empire in the end. I exchanged greetings with others as they filtered into the hotel conference room, watching how they interacted with each other.
When Heela came in with the prime minister trailing behind her, I hissed out a breath that had my Ekam tensing.
“Majesty?”
“It’s nothing,” I said, and caught Caterina’s eye across the room, jerking my head toward the pair. She nodded once in acknowledgment and went back to her conversation with Alice and Taz.
“What’s that about?” Inana asked.
“I’ll tell you later. Caspel?”
“Yes, Majesty?” He bent in at my beckoning finger.
“I don’t want to mention Fasé just yet. I think it’s better for all of us if the Farians don’t know she’s here, and some of us in this room enjoy speaking with the press a bit too much.”
He followed my gaze over to Shivali and nodded in understanding. “It’s not written down on the agenda, Majesty. I won’t say anything if you won’t.” He glanced at Inana, who shrugged.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Director.”
I laughed softly and then murmured, “Would you look at that?”
Adi Desai came into the room with her younger brother Valmiki following her.
“Surprised, Majesty?” Inana asked.
“A bit,” I admitted. “Though Adi’s protests over integration were more moderate than the others. If anyone from their side was going to offer that kind of conciliatory gesture, she’s the one I would have put money on.”
“Majesty,” Adi said, dropping into a little curtsy. “May I present my brother, Valmiki Hon Desai.”
“Your Imperial Majest
y.” Valmiki Desai had close-cropped brown hair, and his bow was practiced perfect, if stiffly formal.
In the heartbeats of the exchange, I debated my response. Everyone in the room was watching—some of them more obviously than others—and my reaction to this would no doubt set the tone for the integration and our continued path to equality.
When Valmiki came up from his bow, I reached out and gripped his forearm the same way I had Inana’s. I felt his jolt of shock, knew it was rippling through the rest of the crowd. “Valmiki, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you’re ready to be Indrana’s future.”
“Yes, ma’am—uh, Majesty.” He fumbled, squeezing my forearm back as he stammered, and I couldn’t resist the wink.
“If everyone is here, take a seat and let’s get started,” I said as I released him and moved toward my chair at the front of the room. “Director Ganej, if you will proceed?”
Caspel cleared his throat and stood. “As stated in the briefing you should have all received yesterday, Her Majesty was approached by a Farian ambassador several days ago with a request from the Farian ruling body, the Pedalion.”
We’d planned on also discussing Fasé and Sybil, who was still at my country estate with Indula and Iza to look after them. But the unexpected appearance of the prime minister was enough to make me change my mind. Shivali liked to run her mouth on nightly news programs, one of the many reasons I didn’t make it a habit of inviting her to meetings like this one despite my desire to increase the General Assembly’s participation in Indrana’s governing. We couldn’t run the risk of the Farians finding out about Fasé before the request for asylum was officially relayed and granted.
Capel cleared his throat. “The Pedalion requested that the empress travel to Faria to discuss strengthening Indranan’s ties with Faria. Her Majesty refused, citing the impossibility of her leaving Pashati when there is still much work to do—”
“Never mind we’re not in a position to help anyone at the moment,” General Vandi, head of the Imperial Tactical Squad, muttered. Heads nodded in agreement around the table.
