“Yes, I noticed that too,” Taz replied.
The captain led us into the palace which was similar to Emperor Xamand's digs. I had to ask myself why the average Trillond, at five foot six, would have to have doors that were twelve feet tall. Harry was nine feet tall and the tallest of any life form I had ever seen on two legs. I really hoped they knew someone close to twelve feet tall. Either that, or someone had a severe case of little dick syndrome.
The craftsmanship of everything was superb, I had to give them that. We came through a door into a waiting room that was already occupied by Alliance officers and a few sailors. I had to chuckle, seeing they were disarmed. I remembered Captain Mahajan. he knew enough to know who I was. He walked easily towards us with his people in tow. When he was six feet away, I stepped in front of Taz.
“That’s far enough,” I said. “You can come closer, but the rest, they stand back — at least six feet away.”
Captain Mahajan turned to his crew. “Wait here.”
“Queen Tazleaha,” he said, stepping forward, “it’s an honor to meet you. I am Captain Rashid Mahajan of the Alliance Destroyer Mace.” He held out his hand and so did Taz. He bent slightly at the waist, bringing her hand to his face and kissing it.
Taz looked up at me to confirm the action, but I still had my visor blacked out. “That’s a smooth move practiced in circles I don’t travel, Your Highness,” I told her. “It’s proper where monarchies with too much money like the semblance of being polite.”
She nodded, unsure I think about whether to believe me or not.
“He is mostly correct as viewed by someone of low breeding,” Mahajan said.
“Your Highness,” the captain said, “the ambassador is running a little late, so in his absence I will tell you we have warrants for the arrest of this man and a number of others who might just be here for the inauguration.”
“What inauguration?” I asked Taz.
“Your Princess E'Aria is about to become the Princess Regent and take over the duties of the King. This king has always been forward-thinking and loved by his people. He did not want to wait till he was on his death bed and throw E'Aria into fire,” Taz explained.
“He seems very wise, except in the case of certain Alliance criminals he is harboring,” Mahajan added. “We are going to petition the princess to consider turning them over to us after it’s official tomorrow.”
I looked at him. “You know that those so-called criminals are her friends. What makes you think you can get her to turn them in?” I asked.
“We aren’t sure she will, but we think there might be one she would give us as a sign of good will. We understand there has been a falling-out between her and her friend,” he said with the look of a mongoose. Guess that makes me the cobra, I thought.
“You can ask her and she can say yes. But those are only words, Ricky,” I told him. “You'll be the first one dead, and I’ll blow the Mace to pieces this time. I took it easy on you when you came to Anubis. I am not the same person who you faced last time.”
“Your threats do not scare me,” he said. “I know what my ship is capable of, and a corvette class ship is no match.”
“You know, I wouldn’t put it past her to give you the go-ahead to apprehend me. Just do me a favor and ask her to back your people, here and up there, and let me know what she says.”
“We won’t need her support,” he replied. “We have sufficient numbers and fire power.”
“Okay, whatever you say, Ricky,” I said. “By the way, what's your ship’s compliment? Three fifty, four hundred? You should have them start on the letters to the families.”
Captain Mahajan turned and walked back in the direction he and his crew had occupied earlier. He seemed to be so angry that he was talking to himself. None of his people were stepping up to take one for the team.
“Did you see that? We argued and he still walked away alive,” I said, gesturing at him as he walked away.
“Until tomorrow,” Taz added.
“That depends on E'Aria,” I said. “If she says no, then he might as well get in his shuttle and leave. I'm sure I’ll have to deal with him some day.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you would all follow me, the king will see you now.”
“Is that the chamberlain?” I asked.
“Yes it is,” Taz answered.
Chapter 13
The King sat on a hover chair. It reminded me of a magic pillow, round, overstuffed and floating in the air. E'Aria stood behind him, looking over the crowd of people who all entered hoping for an audience with their King. He scanned the crowd and his eyes fell on the three of us. He smiled a huge smile and clapped his hands waiving us forward. He really did seem genuinely happy to see us.
He lowered the chair and put his feet on the floor. The chamberlain ran forward, carrying a staff that was about six feet tall. He had a slight stoop, which made him all of five two. The staff was ornate, with stones placed within fine scroll work. It wasn’t magical, but it was definitely made for a king.
He came to a stop in front of Taz, looking her up and down, but not in a creepy way. It was more like someone astonished to see a person after many long years.
“Tazleaha, it has been such a very long time. You were a child about my size the last time I saw you here with your mother.” He laughed at his reference.
“Thank you, High King of the Trillond Ortho Aok, for your warm welcome,” Taz said very formally.
“Good, good, we got that out of the way.” The king smiled, still holding Taz's hand. “Tell me about this one here, who stands ready to rip the heavens down in your defense.” He turned, looking up at me.
I knelt before anyone could say anything and opened my visor. I didn’t know what to do. I was panicking. How was I supposed to greet him?
“Why do you kneel before me?” he asked sincerely.
“I would not look down on a High King in his house and the father of a cherished friend.” I clasped my hand gently around the king’s forearm and the king did the same. It was more of a warrior’s shake than the hand-in-hand of the Alliance.
“Stand up now if you would, you are making them all look bad and will probably have to kill a few of them,” the king said.
“Let me walk you to your seat, your Highness.”
“If time allows, I would like to talk to you in private later, Benjamin Jamison, savior of my people, killer of my enemies, and Reaper to those who would harm the innocent.”
“Did you just make that up?” I asked.
“No, I can’t take credit for it,” he smiled. “Some of my people began calling you that. Some even wrote songs. Lucky for you, I can’t sing.”
“After you retire,” I told him, “we can go get drunk and sing dirges and ballads and woo the ladies with sad songs of heroes long gone.”
“That is a grand idea. Speaking of ladies, who is the beautiful one standing behind the two of you?”
I turned and looked over the top of Shawna's head. “I don’t know, your Highness, I don’t see anyone.”
The king laughed and Shawna pushed me out of the way. “I am Shawna Ellison, your Highness. I am here to try and keep him out of trouble, and fly the queen anywhere she wants to go.”
“If you can do that, Miss Ellison, then you are worth your weight in gold and I would want to marry you,” the king said.
“You’re a smooth talker,” she replied. “Bring on the gold and we’ll see what's what.”
“Tazleaha dear,” the king said to her, “thank you for bringing these two with you. They have brought this old soul some joy in the past few minutes.”
“Think nothing of it, Ortho. Benjamin says we aim to please.”
“E'Aria!” the king yelled. “Take me to whoever is next. I'll talk to you later, Benjamin.”
The king floated off and over to some men who looked like merchants. They opened a case and pulled out material that looked like could be used for making clothes. There was a black so deep it was like looking
into another dimension, and a rich-looking scarlet red.
Taz was paying particular attention to them at first, but then she leaned into me. “You did well for someone who doesn’t like ceremony,” she said. “I remember you on Allond, coming to the table with the most important and influential members of our empires in a state of partial undress and barefoot.”
“What can I say,” I chuckled. “I improvise.”
“What will you say to her? Or will you improvise then also?” She motioned with her head to E'Aria, standing on the dais and looking down at them.
Captain Mahajan approached with his crew behind him. They stayed six feet away. He looked at us, then settled on Shawna. “I am wondering if we are wrong about apprehending you,” he said. “But I don’t think they will care if we present a warrant for Shawna Ellison of the Warhammer.”
“Captain, really,” I said. “You are trying to be diplomatic, doing your duty, which I understand.” I paused for effect. “Let me explain this to you very simply. You fuck with my people, you'll regret it. I’ve got no time for you.”
Mahajan began muttering something. I was sure that if I missed what he said, I didn’t miss anything but bullshit. What caught my eye was the overdressed Trillond who seemed to be having a heated discussion with the king. I looked up at E’Aria, who stood watching them intently. Her brow creased; she was definitely getting angry.
E'Aria gracefully walked down the steps of the dais and towards her father. I saw her hand move to the dagger she wore at her waist. It was ceremonial, or a formal dress type of weapon, but still it would do the job. She moved her hand away, now knowing exactly where to reach. I didn’t excuse myself; I just walked away from Mahajan and Taz.
“Father, maybe your discussion should be behind closed doors,” she said, looking back and forth between them.
“You are not Regent yet, Princess,” the man said. “I will stand and speak where I choose.
E'Aria ignored him. “Father, how long have you allowed this fool to speak to you in this manner? I would assume it has been far too long, and now he wishes to speak this way in public to disgrace you.”
The king and the first lord both were looking at her, but differently. The first lord's face had grown a dark green, which I knew from experience meant he was pissed. The king looked as if his daughter had just slapped him.
E'Aria turned to the first lord. “Tomorrow you will kneel or I will break your legs. If you do not attend and pledge your loyalty, then I will hunt you down and you will see what the inside of a cell looks like.” She spoke in low tones, but the intensity radiating from her could be felt ten feet away.
“Princess, you forget who controls your whole military,” the lord said loud enough for a number of guests to hear.
“Enjoy it for one more night. Tomorrow you will be replaced.” E'Aria answered his hostility with her own.
The first lord lost it and reached for her with both hands. E'Aria's hands came up faster than he could fathom and grabbed his. In a lightning-fast motion, she twisted both his thumbs and he screamed, immediately going down to his knees. A small group of officers came to his aid. The palace guard moved in around the king and whisked him back twenty feet.
There were six Trillond officers standing there, trying to decide what to do. I eased in behind E'Aria.
“Hey fellas, what you got in mind? If I could give you a piece of advice, I’d leave now. I know for a fact she can take all of you by herself.” They glared at me. “Okay,” I said. “I would think there is a law against attacking a member of the royal family. Most monarchies frown on that kind of shit. You do want you want.”
“We will not serve under her! We will replace the king and her by force if he appoints the Princess as Regent,” one said.
“A coup,” I said, “and you’re standing here announcing it. You think the whole military will follow you losers?” I looked at E’Aria. She was dark green, darker than I have ever seen her, and I’d pissed her off before.
“Who will stand in our way?” the officer said.
“I will, for one, and I have friends,” I said, looking over to Mahajan to make sure he was listening. Taz was walking towards me with an amused look on her face. I unbuckled my helmet and pulled it off, holding it in one hand. With the other I put my arm around her waist and pulled her in, kissing her hard. I heard gasps and felt Taz's hand on my face. I broke the kiss to put my face next to her ear and whisper for a few seconds. She smiled and walked towards the king and his guards.
The Trillond officers weren’t sure what to make of that, but they knew who she was and the army she commanded. The first lord was still whining as E'Aria kept her pressure on his joints.
“Break his fucking thumb,” I whispered in E'Aria's ear. I felt her flex and heard the pop and crunch. The wailing began in earnest. He tried to fall all the way onto the floor, but E'Aria jerked her arms in an upward motion.
“You don’t get to lie down. You try that again and I'll break the other one,” she told him. It was almost a hiss.
The group got real twitchy after that, squirming and mumbling.
“Don’t do anything stupid, boys and girls,” I called out. “Right now you might just get prison time, but you come at her and I can assure you you'll lose your head.” I looked around. The palace guards had moved into place, guarding all the doors. The king stood with Taz and his captain of the guard.
We were silently staring at each other when E'Aria let loose of one hand and nailed the first lord right in the jaw.
“You think you'll take my empire? When I'm done with you, you'll need help to take a shit.” She let go of the other hand and grabbed his head with both hands, pulling into her knee. The pop of broken cartilage echoed in the huge hall.
I hadn’t been expecting that, but it was very good. I was kind of proud. I heard my name from behind and recognized the voice. I turned sideways and looked back. A giant screen held the image of Xamand the Emperor of Allond. He looked at the scene with interest.
“Benjamin,” he asked, “does mayhem and death follow you everywhere?”
“No sir, I haven’t touched anyone yet. Thank you for answering, though. I didn’t think it would be so fast. It seems these officers and the one on the floor represent the Trillond Military, and if E'Aria takes her place as Regent they want to use the military against her and the king and replace them.” I could see he didn’t like the sound of that.
“Is that so, your Highness?” he asked the king. Not that he didn’t believe me, but having the King acknowledge and support what I said would give him an invitation to offer assistance. Which is exactly what he did.
“As I am invited to the ceremony tomorrow, my flagship is at your disposal,” he said. “I will put my navy on alert and have them at the border, or on your order I will move them to Trillond immediately.”
“Thank you, Emperor Xamand. I need to see what other corruption is hiding in wait. I know I have loyal captains and generals. Tomorrow we will see how many. Could you begin moving your navy to the border?”
“I will immediately. What of you, Queen Tazleaha? Do you stand with the King or remain neutral?” Xamand asked her.
“I stand with the Princess and the King, Xamand,” Taz answered. “Our future peace will rest in her hands. While the king guides and teaches her, one day it will be her alone that rules the Trillond Empire.”
“Yes, very true. Princess E'Aria Aok,” Xamand said.
E'Aria stared at him. “Yes, Emperor Xamand.”
“You have the full support of the Allond Empire to ensure your ascension as Regent is uncontested.”
“Thank you, Emperor,” she replied. “You have the gratitude of a princess.”
I turned to the officers. “So what do you guys think? You want to mix it up, see who comes out on top, and get a lot of Trillond citizens killed? Or do you want to end this nonsense and take what you’ve got coming to you?”
“They are going to die,” E'Aria said. No hesitation, decision ma
de. “Even here on Trillond, our laws do not allow for treason. They admitted in front of witnesses they intended to take the throne by force from my father and myself.”
I looked around the great hall. All eyes were on E'Aria. Xamand watched from the screen, and Taz and the king said nothing. No one tried to correct her, which was good for them.
E'Aria walked up to me and reached up with both hands. I leaned forward and she kissed me on the lips. My mind was flopping around like a fish when I heard the katana slide out. She pushed off of me jumping into the middle of the officers.
I drew my pistol and shot anyone who reached for a side arm. Pieces fell to the floor as she struck arms, legs and necks. She couldn’t get the force behind her swings that I was able to achieve, so it took more than one swing in some cases. Men screamed and begged until she struck them a fatal blow.
I stepped over the first lord, putting myself between her and him. Her face and beautiful gown was covered in blood spatters.
“Get out of my way!” she yelled at me.
“Can I make a suggestion first?” I asked. “Then I’ll move out of your way.”
“What?”
“Save this one so you can get some answers out of him,” I told her. “I doubt he will give them up freely, so get some drugs and find out who else you need to arrest. Once you round them all up, then you can kill them. No sweat.”
“E'Aria!” I heard Xamand say from behind me. “Benjamin is giving you sound advice. If you wait, I will have my elite honor guard help you. We also have ways of making traitors talk, if you wish for assistance in that.”
I slipped my helmet on and cued it to record. I got the first lord and his dead henchmen on video, as well as some of E'Aria.
“What are you doing?!” E'Aria asked.
“This is the guy who fired Binda. I think I’ll give her the vid as a present.”
E'Aria just nodded her approval. “Wipe my katana off on one of those jerks and give it back,” I told her, “and don’t ever take it again without asking.”
The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: No More Lies (Book 3) Page 10
