“So you and Glin, huh?”
I ignored my sister while we climbed over a wall like graceful adult women.
“You can ignore me all you like, but he looks at you like you hung the moon.”
“I don’t want to talk about him. I want to actually enjoy my day with you.”
“That bad, huh?”
Sisters are the worst.
Just as the damp was beginning to chill my nose and fingers, Evie brought us back to the main house. “I need to do some baking. Do you mind?”
“Is it cookies? Because I haven’t had fresh, out of the oven cookies in years.”
She laughed, curls bouncing. “Sure. Sugar or chocolate chip?”
“You have to ask?” Chocolate chip. The answer is always chocolate chip.
I stayed mainly out of Evie’s way. She started with making loaves of bread then went into cookies. I fetched ingredients. I stirred when told. I loaded used dishes and bowls into the washer. Apparently I will work for cookies.
“So how is it, you know, being royal and stuff?”
Evie leaned against the slightly-too-tall counter. Everything in here was made for Fremmian height. “Well, his mother hates me, but besides that, they’re really nice people.”
“Even the King?”
“That man loves anything I bake.”
“Mad skills,” I said.
“Every member of the royal family has a job,” Evie said. “Sindre does the diplomatic stuff because he’s the heir. Faren runs the palace. Altan has command of a ship, like Aster. Oh, and my husband has been doing double duty running between the Interstellar Union and the Ambassadors. When his commission is over, I think the plan is for him to teach the Academy. So they don’t sit around being rich and royal all day.”
“Everyone but you,” I said.
Evie’s shoulders sagged. “I haven’t found my place yet. I can’t run the palace’s kitchen. I just can’t. They need me upstairs smiling and shaking hands with guests, but I do get some kitchen time. Mainly I’ve been planning the meal schedule and giving the head chef some recipes.” Her tone conveyed that this was only a part time job.
“You’re bored.”
“I’ll think of something.” There was my sister’s bright optimism. “Tea?” Hot water was ready in an instant and Evie set out mugs and sugar on the kitchen table.
“Are you happy?” I asked her.
Evie smiled over her cup of tea, letting the steam warm her red and raw nose. “Aster loves me with every molecule in his body.”
“You love him?”
“I shouldn’t,” she said, sipping the hot beverage, “but I really do, Vera.”
“He kidnapped you.”
“It was a misunderstanding.”
“Evie…”
“Look,” she said. “I know I should hate him. I tried. I did. But, if I’m being honest, I was drawn to him the moment I saw him. I love how possessive Aster is. How driven he is to protect me. He loves me completely and that’s really... intoxicating.”
I snorted, looking sourly into the bottom of my cup.
“Don’t be that way,” Evie said. She took my empty cup and refilled it.
“And how should I be?”
A timer dinged. Evie opened the oven and withdrew two loaves of bread. The rich aroma of hot, fresh bread enchanted me. Suddenly I was a kid again, waiting impatiently for cookies to be cool enough to eat. Evie caught the giddy look on my face and smirked. She turned out the hot loaf onto a cutting board and brought it, a knife and tub of butter to the table. My sister knew my needs. The knife cracked into the crust and I bit down on a thick slice, scalding my tongue. Totally worth it. “Ohmigod,” I said with my mouthful. “I forgot how good this is.”
Evie wiggled in her seat, pleased, as she buttered her slice and ate like a civilized person. Bread consumed, she licked the butter from her fingers, just like a princess. I giggled.
A serious looked settled on her face. “Aster’s not too popular with his people,” she said. Which sounded crazy to me, because the media news cycle talked nonstop about their storybook love and the splendor of the royal wedding. “I know this kompli-komplan bond is real. I feel it pulling me.” She tapped her breastbone and then rubbed the spot, as if soothing an ache. “But there is a large faction that considers our bond to be old fashioned at best, superstitious and regressive at worst.”
“What’s so bad about it?” Having a man love you unconditionally seemed like a good deal to be. “Is it because you’re human?” I asked. Glin’s words echoed in my mind. Terrans are weak. Terrans are liars. Terrans cannot be trusted.
Evie shook her head. “They worry Aster will pull Fremm back into the dark ages.”
“That is ridiculous.”
“You don’t understand, before the Unification, Fremm was in chaos with conflict and bloodshed every day for petty slights. If a Prince will be ruled by his emotions so strongly, he is not fit to rule Fremm.”
“Aster’s not the heir.” I did listen to Glin’s debriefing on the trip.
“Well, it’s a slippery slope argument. I didn’t say it made sense.”
“But people have threatened you?”
“Which is why I am confined to Bitterot with my guards.”
“You didn’t answer my first question,” I said.
Evie sighed. “Yes, happy, but also bored. Here I am on a whole other world and all I’ve seen is the palace and a tauter farm.”
“You can leave, right?”
She shook her head. “Aster says-”
“He can’t keep you prisoner here!” I interrupted. “That’s barbaric.”
“See, this is why I didn’t answer.”
“So you’re unhappy and imprisoned on a purple sheep farm.” I am so not impressed.
“No, you got the wrong end. It’s not entirely safe for me. There have been...incidents.”
Incidents like her sister’s shuttle being sabotaged and held for ransom. Or assassins during the third trial. I felt ashamed of myself for forgetting the fear and struggle my sister has been living under but that didn’t stop me from saying, “So the big blue Fremm man keeps you under lock and key.”
Evie pushed the tea cup towards me. “Aster thinks the unrest will settle down after Queen Baris’s trial.” The Queen tried to have Evie assassinated. Aster and his brother, Sindre, were able to stop the last attempt and have her arrested.
“But you can’t be cooped up here all the time.” I would go crazy. Just the thought was suffocating.
“The plan is to take you back to Juno and then Aster completes his commission.”
“And you’ll be here alone?”
“No, I’ll be on the ship with him.”
That did not sound better.
“It’s better, trust me,” she said. “There’s more freedom on the ship.”
Being on a starship did not sound like freedom. It sounded like a cage. Maybe my judgment was skewed. So far my experiences of interstellar travel were on a cramped colony ship and then a crashing ship, so I didn’t have the greatest frame of reference. Evie did live and work on a star liner and space station for years. She must like breathing canned air. “You always did like travel,” I said. “I’m more of the homebody.” Big open sky and lots of fresh air.
“Let me buy you a farm,” Evie said.
“No,” I said immediately. “It’s too big.”
“You’ve only been talking about this farmhouse since we were kids. Come on. It’ll be the Mourning Gift.”
I have dreamed about owning a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere since I was twelve and went to the countryside for the first time on a school field trip to a working dairy farm. The green fields enchanted me. All that space and silence, no tissue thin walls and shouting neighbors. Land was too expensive on Earth so I colonized. I’ve spent years working hard and saving and was only halfway to the purchase cost of a land parcel on Juno. I know my idea of living in the countryside is romanticized and a farm is never ending work, but h
ard work hasn’t scared me yet.
“Think of it as an investment,” Evie said, leaning in to me with her shoulder. “Beef is crazy expensive to import to Fremm and I want a steak. The cattle here are okay but it’s not the same. So my sister raises cattle and sends me shipments.”
“Always thinking of yourself,” I said.
“You’re the who will doing all the work. So you’ll let us do this for you?”
I nodded. No more living in that tiny apartment. No more neighbors. No more crowded morning commutes. “I’ve wanted this for so long but I don’t know where to start.”
“Here’s the amazing thing about marrying a rich man,” Evie said. “There are people to do anything you need. We’ll get an agent started looking at properties.”
“Thank you, Evie,” I said, still slightly stunned.
“Not doing it for you,” she said with a smile. “I’m doing it for a nice, thick porterhouse.”
Chapter Twenty One
Vera
The outing was my idea. No one liked the idea, except Evie. Her eyes were wide with excitement as she pleaded the virtues of the idea to her mate. Part of me was sickened by my sister having to plead with her husband for permission to leave the house. Was this the manacles Glin spoke about, possessiveness to the point of suffocation? No, Aster had good reason to fear for his mate’s safety. I understood his reasons. Until the trial, Evie was not safe.
“It’ll be good for the public to see their princess,” Evie said. “We’ll go to a few shops and the botanical garden.”
“I do not know, my kompli,” Aster said.
“We’ll bring Glin and whoever you like,” I said. “You can’t say he’s not good at keeping Terrans safe.”
Aster frowned, rubbing his chin.
“I’m not a prisoner, Aster,” Evie said, voice growing hard. “I would like to see something of this planet if it’s to be my home. Besides,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing gently. “It’s not publicized. This is spur of the moment. No one knows, not even the Queen’s Guard.” At first I puzzled as to the significance of the Queen’s Guard but remembered Queen Baris, now in prison, headed the conspiracy to murder Evie. There must be lingering sympathizers ready to complete the mission. I almost questioned why they hadn’t found the traitors out as the Fremm could not lie but I know Glin is perfectly capable to denying his feelings. I’m sure it’s not easy but with determination they could keep a secret.
“Tell me what you wish to see,” Aster said, “and ease my mind.”
“Well,” Evie said, pulling out her glass tablet. “There is a knife maker in the capital. I want a set of good knives.”
“I can get you a set of knives,” Aster said.
Evie set down the tablet. “And would you just blindly accept whatever battle axe was provided or do you test them out, finding the best one for your grip? These are my tools. I want the right one.”
He nodded. “And where else?”
“And a stop at the Three Swords monument. I’ve always wanted to see it.”
“It would be good for the people to see their princess give respect for the elders.”
“And the Royal Botanical Gardens. It’s near the palace, right? So plenty safe.”
Gardens sound nice. I know Evie is trying to keep me entertained. “I would really like to see more native Fremm plant species,” I said, inner plant nerd ready to shine. “There’s a carnivorous water lily.”
We went through the transporter and picked up a skimmer at the palace.
The palace grounds were to the north of the capital city, Forsa, which sat on a natural harbor. The city was a jumble of stone and timber buildings. It looked positively ancient but Evie assured me it was thoroughly modern. Ancient was just the Fremm aesthetic. The city had wide boulevards and green spaces but became more crowded the further in we travelled.
The first stop was a knife maker and Evie was like a kid at Christmas. This was her element. I must look the same when I’m in a greenhouse, interested deeply in the varieties of perennials and talking off the ear of an employee. Evie spent some time bent over a case, talking in great detail about quality of the steel and balance of the blade with the salesclerk. The clerk seemed stunned that the Terran princess walked into his shop but quickly recovered. He produced a selection of lightweight blades, as most equipment was designed for slightly large Fremmian hands. Evie was pleased. Finally she selected an expensive set. The package would be delivered later in the day.
The next stop was to pick up a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread for the Three Swords monument.
“Are you sure we need this?” I asked.
“Traditionally, you leave an offering,” Evie said.
The Three Swords monument was at the water’s edge, on a slight hill. The grey stone of the stone hilts went high into the sky. I recognized it at the symbol of Fremm and the same badge Glin wore on his uniform. One sword was rough and elderly looking, with the edge worn and uneven. The middle sword had a thick blade and simple hilt. The third blade was clearly meant to be a modern weapon, the kind with an electrified edge, much like the battle axe Glin used. Monks in bright orange and white sashes and loincloths sat in meditation. At least I think they were monks. Some of the monks were young men, hardly more than children.
Evie climbed the steps of the monument and a small crowd parted. Inside the three massive stone pillars of the sword blades burned a flame. Evie brought the offering to the flame, adding the wine and bread to the other gifts. She knelt on her knees and bowed, pressing her head to the stone floor. The crowd murmured. I followed her example, not sure what we were doing or why. I heard a grunt from Glin and realized he did the same genuflect.
After an appropriate time, Evie stood. She spoke quietly with the monks, genuinely interested in their quest for balance. Her Fremm was halting but the crowd seemed pleased she learned the language. My translator chip picked up the murmurs and the crowd reactions. Glin leaned in and said quietly, “Male children are sent here to learn patience and control over their inner warrior.”
“Did you?”
He nodded. “A place like this, yes.”
Evie returned to us, eyes gleaming. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
We found a cafe. Ornamental trees with tiny red and green leaves lined the wide boulevard. Two Terran women sitting and having coffee with one gruff soldier over their shoulder wasn’t a common sight but no bothered us.
“I trust you to order something I can eat,” I said, leaving the menu closed. Evie nodded and rattled off an order to the waiter.
“So how is the Princess’s day of rubbing elbows with the common folk going?”
Evie laughed. “The Princess is glad to get out of the house.” She tossed Glin a look and turned back to me, “You know,” she said. “I never would have thought Glin would be the one I trusted most.”
“Why’s that?”
“I mean, at first he wanted to feed me to the Edder but Aster beat that out of him. Plus, he wasn’t here when shit went down, so I know he’s not in on Baris’ conspiracy.”
Right, the shit that went down. “How many more conspirators does Aster think they are?”
Evie shrugged. “Everyone. He’s worried sick about something happening to me. He won’t be satisfied until...I have no idea what will ease his mind. But I do know that Glin is good at keeping Terran girls safe.”
Sure, he keeps them safe. He doesn’t like them very much but he’ll keep them safe.
That was the moment the world exploded into glass and screams.
Chapter Twenty Two
Glin
I continued to fail Vera.
Glass, wood and steel shatter around us. I flung myself over my princess. My arms reached for my kompli and pull her toward me. We huddle there on the floor while smoke billowed overhead.
I knew one guard was not enough. I told my Prince this but he did not listen. He said the people need to see the Princess out and not surrounded with a small com
pany of guards because she is not a prisoner.
The Princess is not a prisoner but she is in danger. I know that the men of my crew, Aster’s men, are nearby. They have shadowed us all day, out of sight but within shouting distance. Aster does not trust the Palace guard, as well as he should, because it is a nest of vipers. No one knew where Princess Evie would be today, not even herself. The only way a person with a bomb could find her was dumb luck or with access to our communications.
Vera is next to me. I can feel the fluttering of her heart just under that fragile Terran chest. She didn't cry or scream, despite being frightened. She was silent, determined. They have endangered my mate for the last time. I will find them and end them.
The smoke cleared. My crewmen arrived. The Princess has a laceration on her cheek. Vera appears unharmed but she cannot hear me shout at her. A vehicle arrived and we went to the medical bay at the Palace.
Prince Aster is beside himself. I did not blame him. He strode towards me and before I could salute, he gave me a hard punch to the gut. I bent over but not before delivering a jab to his side. Aster is slimmer than me and faster. He twisted away and a sharp elbow to my back knocked me to the ground.
Satisfied, Aster wiped the back of his hand across his mouth before extending me his hand to help me to my feet.
Chem, Aster’s Second in Command, was already there before I could voice my suspicions. “We have a small window of when the bomber knew where the Princess was. We also have a list of everyone with access to our communications.”
A list was always good. “I will go through the list one by one and find the traitor,” I said.
Aster held up his hand to me and spoke to Chem. “Can we narrow the list down?” Chem nodded. “Good. Give the short list to Glin. He will find the solution to this problem.”
I turn to Chem. “Can you find any communications to Juno before or shortly after I was dispatched to retrieve Vera?”
The man studies me with clever eyes. Always too clever, Chem made me uncomfortable but my Prince values his input. “What are you thinking?”
Alien Warrior's Mate: Alpha Alien Romance (Alpha Aliens of Fremm Book 3) Page 10
