Kia stood behind Rial’s chair in the command center as they waited for the station’s instructions to approach and gaped at the view.
The Ylväs Suq was a staggering sight. Originally an early transport ship of the Colossus category that had become stranded far from the usual space routes or a wormhole, the ship’s enterprising survivors had turned the hulking carrier into the largest free trade center in any part of the empire’s territory. The result was a haphazard growth of habitats extending at least ten times beyond the original, and despite its out of the way location, it was a place where you could buy anything you desired—providing you had the funds to pay for it.
“What do you think of this?” Rial tapped a button, and the external view disappeared, replaced with one of the station’s energy signature.
Kia gazed in amazement at the vibrant bands and raw splotches of color. It resembled her young sisters’ attempts at art except this phenomenon was constantly moving and spread far beyond the actual station, a skeleton ghosting behind the energy.
“What gift would you enjoy next, my beloved consort?”
“Anything, if you’d quit the beloved consort addition to every sentence.”
“I told you she wouldn’t appreciate it,” Nagavi said with a snicker.
“How about second-in-command?” Kia demanded.
“Not pushy, are you, lass? And that post is mine.”
“How about co-commander? A consort has to mean something more than purely a name, doesn’t it?”
This time Rial snickered. “Oh, that’s rich coming from you,” he muttered. “Okay, my sweet Kia. If I agree to name you co-commander, how many gifts would that be equal to? Fifty?”
“Ten.”
“Twenty.”
“Done.”
“Comunit, record the following in the Kadaugan archives. I name Kia O’Afon, who is my consort, as my co-commander. If I am incapacitated in any way, ownership of this vessel shall pass to her, along with command of the Chenjerai. Nagavi, my second-in-command, will give his allegiance to her until I can retake control.”
A look passed between Rial and Nagavi that Kia didn’t quite grasp. Her gut instinct was she’d been tricked into something, she didn’t understand what, but she’d hazard that neither of them would tell her what it was.
“There, seventy-nine—soon to be seventy-eight—left to find.”
Rial’s great big smirk made Kia nervous. At this rate, the game would be over before it started.
“I’ll collect my thanks later,” he said, his shoulders shaking as he took in Kia’s downturned mouth. “All’s fair in—”
“Love and war. Okay, okay. We say that on my planet, too.”
“I’m not sure I understand what’s happening here,” said Nagavi, looking from one to the other.
“Me, neither,” added Kia grumpily. “But I can tell you who’s winning.”
Two space bugs, one in front and one aft, escorted the Kadaugan to its docking bay. This wasn’t an official visit, yet the area around their section was empty, a politeness offered to Rial from the independent station’s governor, who wished to stay in the emperor’s good graces.
The Chenjerai were preparing to disembark, except Shaba and Toinen, who would remain on board to perform essential maintenance checks. Tamaiko, Cheydii, and Annen were in uniform. Tamaiko was representing the Heir and calling on the station commander. Rial had come to an amicable agreement about such matters, and his stand-in would deliver a fat bribe to keep the man quiet. Everyone else had free time on the station, while Rial, accompanied by Nagavi and Kia, conducted his personal business.
Rial had given Kia a clean, well-worn long-sleeved dun-colored tunic and matching loose pants tied around the ankle to wear. She fidgeted as he tied a matching scarf around her head. “We’re not wearing those disguise masks?” she asked, irritably yanking the scarf off and rearranging it.
“We’re being discreet, not trying to hide from those we wish to meet.”
Rial and Nagavi wore similar tunics with peaked caps hiding most of their faces. When Rial was satisfied with their disguise, she and Nagavi followed him into the docking tunnel. Taking her by the hand—she lifted one eyebrow, he shrugged—they entered the station. They walked through a quiet section where the men and women were expensively dressed, displayed lots of jewelry, and strolled leisurely along the concourse.
With Rial on her left, Nagavi walked behind on her right scanning for undesirable attention as the boulevard widened and the number of people, shops, and noise increased.
Rial seemed to be familiar with the place, and they walked briskly, slowing as the boulevard ended at an immense circular arena packed with buyers and sellers.
Kia was reassured when Rial took her arm, keeping her close before the crowd swept her away. The entire station was loud and bright, imitating the station’s energy signature. People came in all sizes, shapes, and races. She saw men twice as tall as Rial, with hair as white as hers used to be, and with elongated thin bones who must come from gravity-light planets; others from homeworlds with denser gravity were short, squat and muscular. All shades of skin from alabaster to ebony, and hair, dyed every color in the universe and styled in the latest fashion, was on display. Kia blinked, overwhelmed by the extravagant carnival. Some wore clothes that revealed everything, others were covered from head to toe, and every stage in between could be seen in materials that glowed, shone, twinkled and rippled as the person wearing them moved.
Stalls, three rows deep, lined the walls, selling every imaginable item from fresh and cooked food to the latest tech gadgets to exotic rare gems from the outer reaches of the galaxy. The mixture of aromas overpowered even the faint metallic tang of the station’s atmosphere.
The weapons on display were as varied as the station’s inhabitants and their apparel. Everything from the latest miniature pulse beam weapons to a huge man with a gigantic ax strapped to his back was in sight.
“I love this place,” she muttered under her breath. Her eyes strayed to a seller setting up a stall and laying out a display of knives. “Is this where you do your shopping?”
Rial followed her gaze, smiled, and murmured in her ear. “Half a day here, and I’d have my way with you.” He guided her out of the stream of shoppers toward the merchant.
“No, no. It’s all right. The Chenjerai have the best weapons, anyway.” She tried to pull him back into the main concourse.
They came to a halt in front of the stall, and he laughed. “Relax, Kia. This one’s for free.”
The merchant looked them over, assessing and dismissing them as poor tourists from some backward planet.
“Which one do you prefer?”
Kia picked up the one that had caught her attention; a plain simple dagger with a single deep turquoise jewel in the handle.
Rial took it off her and balanced it across his index finger. The clear sharp edge of the blade caught the light as it found its center of gravity. “How much?” he asked the trader, whose gaze was now more calculating.
“One hundred ranifs,” the seller responded.
“Include that belt with the sheath,” he pointed to a plain brown belt hanging from a line on the side of the stall, “for one gold teyrn.”
“Done.”
“Nagavi, could you pay the gentleman for me?” Rial flipped the knife into the air, caught the end of the blade and proffered it to Kia with a bow. “This one won’t count, but I’ll require a gesture of acknowledgment.”
Kia eyed him from under her eyelashes. She didn’t appreciate how easily he was gaining the upper hand in this game, but she sheathed the dagger and buckled the belt around her waist. A perfect fit. “Thank you, my lord. I’ll show my appreciation at a time and place of my own choosing,” she informed him, raising her chin, and shooting him a haughty look.
“Teasing you is such fun,” he said, grinning as he took her arm and guided her into the traffic.
When they emerged on the other side of the main arena, Rial enter
ed a small, inconspicuous alley wedged in between two shops with exuberant displays of clothing, one for women and one for men. Kia was glad of the change from the unaccustomed chaos of the marketplace to the quiet dimness. Half an hour later she couldn’t have said how many twists and turns they’d taken or how many levels they’d ascended or descended when Rial entered a tea shop. Instead of stopping, however, he nodded to the waiter, walked through the back, climbed a set of rickety stairs, and knocked on the door at the end of a corridor.
A burly rosy-cheeked man, whose head, upper lip and jaw were covered in bright red curly hair, answered the door. The instant he saw Rial, his face lit up. “Jenèz! Come in, come in. It’s good to see you.” The second they were inside, he embraced Rial in an enthusiastic bear hug, lifting him off the ground. He acknowledged Nagavi, “Commander.” He assessed Kia. “And who is this beautiful woman you bring with you?”
“This is Kia O’ Afon, my consort and co-commander,” Rial draped his arm possessively around her shoulders. “Kia, meet Gorau Alye, my rebel brother-in-arms.”
The two men looked at each other with affection.
“I’m honored you consider me in that way, my lord, and welcome to our humble meeting place, Lady Kia.”
Kia snorted. “Oh, I’m just Kia.” She almost said, I’m no lady but managed to stop that nugget leaping out of her mouth.
“Your guest awaits, Kia.” He glanced at Rial as if checking it was all right to address her without a title.
“My guest?” Kia asked.
“This makes seventy-eight left to give.” Rial’s expression softened. “Nagavi and I have business to attend to. I’ll return in an hour, Kia, and we must leave without any fuss. Do you understand?”
“Of course.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I place her under your protection, Gorau, and thank you.”
“I am honored. This way, Kia.”
Kia looked uncertainly at Rial. What was happening?
“Go,” he shooed her toward Gorau. “Each minute is precious.”
The cheery rebel leader opened an inner door to another room and gestured for her to enter.
Kia turned to check with Rial, but he and Nagavi had already left. She nodded to Gorau, who ushered her inside and shut the door behind her.
The room was small and clean and a man sat at the table with his back to her. His cap and tunic were similar to those Rial and Nagavi wore.
Kia’s hand rose to her mouth, and she stifled a cry as the man stood, removed his hat, and turned around. Then she was across the room, hugging him and burying her head in his chest as tears poured down her cheeks. “Jared, Jared,” she whispered.
“Hello, little sister.”
The hour passed far too quickly. Kia glossed over the period between the empire’s troops’ arrival and becoming a candidate for the Chenjerai. The both shed more tears as she related how their father died, and together they mourned the loss of their mother and siblings.
Jared related how Rial, whom he’d met a few years ago as Jenèz, had arrived soon after Sestris’s capture and spirited over a hundred men, women, and children away from Emankora to safety on the Kadaugan. All he would say about his whereabouts was that it was a safe place, and it wasn’t the Ylväs Suq, which made them both laugh. He told her he would soon confirm a union with a young woman he’d met whose love had saved his life. Jenèz had gone looking for Kia, but contact from him was sporadic, and the message telling him Kia was safe had arrived barely a week ago. “Look at you,” he laughed. “Tell me, sis, is it true you’re his consort?” He raised his eyebrows in mock disapproval. “What would mother say?”
Kia blushed.
“Ah, I see. You're in love.” He giggled, as they had when they were young and found out a piece of gossip they weren’t supposed to know.
She punched him in the arm. “Don’t you dare spread any scandalous rumors about me, and if you tell anyone I shall be forced to kill you.”
They were sitting in comfortable silence, her head resting on his shoulder, when they heard the murmur of voices next door. She gazed at him in soft affection as they waited for the knock.
She studied her brother’s familiar face, reached up and ruffled his hair. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“I feel the same, but you have Jenèz. He treats you well doesn’t he?” A quick flash of worry crossed his face. “I wouldn’t have thought the—”
“It’s not that, Jared, but you’re all the family I’ve got left; and being his consort, it’s… it’s complicated.”
“This isn’t the last time I’ll see you, Kia. Believe me, he’s aware how important I am to you.”
A quick rap and Nagavi poked his head into the room. “We have to leave.” He closed the door, giving them privacy to say goodbye.
“Soon, Kia. I’ll be seeing you soon, and you’ll meet Kultaseni.” Jared smiled, a look of deep affection in his eyes. “I’m sure you two will get on.” He folded her in his arms, and she squeezed him tight, not wanting to release him even after she felt the pressure of Rial’s fingers on her shoulder.
Chapter Fourteen: Transit
The separation from Jared hit Kia hard. She had gone with Rial and Nagavi without a single word of protest while her heart felt as if she was leaving half of it behind.
Rial was quiet and withdrawn as the lights of Ylväs Suq disappeared into the necklace of stars dusting the darkness of space behind them. Tajriba was fourteen days away, and Teyrn would arrive before them. The atmosphere on the Kadaugan was somber, and Nagavi worked them hard. In addition to the team’s regular maintenance duties, he put them through a series of practices in different martial arts and weapons practices with space battle simulations.
Most nights Kia fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Rial came to bed later and was usually gone before she woke. The camaraderie and playfulness she’d enjoyed with him before Ylväs Suq was fast fading. Even when she stayed awake studying the new books on statesmanship and battle strategy he’d given her, his response to her queries of what was wrong received a shake of the head. The sense of being a piece of baggage that was collected and dropped, taken notice of and ignored according to Rial’s whim smarted like a splinter buried under the skin.
A week after leaving the suq, she woke one night and couldn’t get back to sleep. Even the almost silent hum of the ship’s engines failed to provide its habitual comforting lullaby. She propped herself up on her elbow, watching Rial sleep in the dim light and willing him to wake up. She was on the verge of prodding him when he opened his eyes.
“Having difficulty sleeping?”
“That’s a stupid question to someone who’s clearly awake in the middle of the night.”
“I’ve heard lack of sleep makes people grumpy, and you’re the living proof it’s true. Rest, Kia, we have three more days before we arrive.” He turned over, giving her his back.
“Hey,” she poked him hard. “You’re ignoring me.”
He turned to face her. “Does my consort lack something? Are you in need of a medic for some imagined ailment?” His tone was mild, but the glint in his eye was dangerous.
She recalled her mother’s admonishment when her father came home in a mood after dealing with fractious members of the Electorate. Leave the man in peace, you can see he needs time to himself. He’ll talk when he’s ready.
“Or are you missing my attention?” He slid toward her.
She drew away, not liking the predatory gleam in his eye, reaching the edge of the bed sooner than she expected. “Stop, Rial.” Her voice rose. “Tell me what’s wrong. If I’m your consort, why are you cutting me out?”
His expression softened, and he pulled her into his chest and held her close. “I had hoped to have the implant removed at Ylväs Suq.” He pressed his lips to her hair, his voice muffled. “There’s a doctor who’s been working on a way to remove it, but he needs more time and that’s something I don't have. The experiments can be… draining, and it takes me a while t
o recover. Once it was almost six months before Nagavi let me speak to anyone because I was too psychotic. I wish to spare you the details.” He looked down at her. “Maybe with you here, it will be different, but with Teyrn there is never any guarantee. Nagavi has strict instructions and will ensure your safety if I cannot.”
Kia closed her eyes, listened to the steady beat of his heart and breathed in the warm fresh smell of him. “What can I do to help?”
“Choose me. Choose me, Kia. That will give me hope and something to hold onto when it becomes… demanding.”
Don’t ask me that, she wanted to wail. No, no. She shouldn’t have to make this decision now. She wasn’t ready. What about the delay the gifts were supposed to give? It was too soon.
“Have I ever hurt you?”
She cast her mind back over the last few months. The damage caused by the protective force field wasn’t his fault, and now that she had the truth of her homeworld’s invasion, could she honestly blame him for implanting a device to help control her rage? Neither could she lay falling into the lake and down the steps in the underground cavern at his feet, and she guessed squeezing her arm when he found her the day she’d gone walkabout wasn’t severe enough to count. “No.”
“I have done my best to keep you safe. When did you join the training program, Kia?”
She couldn't think clearly with the warmth of his breath tickling her ear and the rise and fall of his chest against hers. “A couple of months ago?”
“Hasn’t it been enough for you to realize how attached I am to you?”
Why had she woken him up? Was he right? Was she missing his attention? “If I make a decision, can I change my mind later?”
He laughed. “You can do anything you desire.”
Kia puffed out a breath, a soft exhalation, a release of the comfortless poison of hatred born when her father was murdered, nursed in the brutality of life in the mines, and hidden, coiled, within her heart, eating away at her sanity for too long. “I choose you.”
Awakening Defiance: (The Saoirse Saga Book 2) Page 12
