His estimation of the young Queen underwent a rapid recalculation.
“There are many things I do not yet know, Prime Minister,” Queen Anne said evenly. “But I do know that the Dominions have already made one crucial mistake, one that will inevitably lead to their utter defeat.”
Puzzlement registered on the Prime Minister’s weathered face. “And that is?”
Queen Anne leaned forward, her eyes locked on his. “They tried to kill me, Prime Minister, and failed.”
Hiram finally found her in a small tavern on the outskirts of Meknes, the capital city of Refuge. She was sitting alone at a corner table, a bottle of Darwinian brandy before her. From the looks of it, she had been at it a long time. Without speaking, he slid into the chair opposite her and signaled the waitress for a drink of his own. The waitress brought him a tall glass of dark ale. Hiram reached across and clinked his glass against hers.
“To a victorious battle,” he said, sipping his ale.
Emily shook her head with the exaggerated slowness of someone who has been drinking hard. “No, no, to absent companions,” she said. She took a long pull on her glass, then shakily refilled it. Brandy splashed on the table, but she ignored it. “I’ve been here all afternoon, but I can’t get drunk.” She would not look at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever needed to be drunk so much in my life.”
Hiram did not say anything. Emily stared down into her glass, avoiding him. The moment dragged on.
“Emily,” he said gently. “I saw the tapes. I understand. I’m not blaming you, Em, I mean it.”
In a sudden frenzy, Emily swept the bottle of brandy against the wall. It fell to the floor with a hollow ‘clunk!’ and rolled crazily in a circle.
“No, you don’t understand!” she half shouted, half sobbed. The bar tender looked up in alarm.
“I sent her,” Emily said harshly. “I sent her with no chance of getting her back.” Tears streamed freely down her cheeks. “I sent her…I lost her.”
Hiram reached across the table and covered her shaking hands with both of his. “Then we’ll just have to find her, Emily. We’ll just have to find her and get her back.”
FB2 document info
Document ID: fbd-11cd03-ba77-814f-969f-d054-1a05-7e45f3
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 05.12.2012
Created using: calibre 0.8.56, Fiction Book Designer, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6 software
Document authors :
Kennedy Hudner
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Alarm of War v-1 Page 44
