After the Crown

by K. B. Wagers

  As I’d learned in the last month, Zin was frequently right. I worried about Taran for nothing.

  “Aunt Hail!” My nephew would have rushed me but for Leena grabbing him by the collar. Taran jerked to an unwilling stop. “Your Majesty.” Throwing his guardian a look over his shoulder, he gave an awkward bow.

  At the insistence of Matriarch Desai and Matriarch Surakesh, I’d agreed to strip Taran of his princely status and allow him to be formally adopted into the Surakesh clan. He was officially just a noble now and not a member of the royal family.

  “In private there’s little need to be so formal,” I said with a smile. “Either of you.”

  Leena’s answering smile was cautious. “I’m trying to teach him some respect for the throne, Majesty. Given the circumstances I thought it would be best.”

  “True.” I crouched down and held out my arms to my nephew. “But we are family and that is also important.”

  I pressed my cheek to Taran’s curly hair as he hugged me. He was the only family I had left, the only Bristol offspring from my mother’s line besides me to survive. The tragedy was that the traitors had managed to wipe out my mother’s direct line in the end. There were distant second cousins, the offspring of my grandmother’s siblings and their children, but Taran would never take the throne, and I couldn’t have children of my own.

  Not that I’d shared that secret with anyone. An ambush on a backwater planet had destroyed any hope of an heir from me, but the only man who’d known about it was dead and I wasn’t about to announce it after narrowly surviving a coup attempt by my cousin and nephew.

  Besides, with Indrana hovering on the verge of a renewed war with the Saxon Alliance and my own grip on the throne still tenuous, it was the last pot of oil I needed to throw on the fire.

  “Mr. Joshi says I have a real talent for quantum mechanics.” Taran babbled on about his day as he released me and sat down. I shook off the chill and forced my attention back to him, and before I knew it dinner was over.

  “Young man, let me show you a puzzle. If you can figure it out I’ll believe your tutor’s high praise,” Zin said, gesturing for Taran to follow him to the window so that Leena and I could talk in private.

  “Have you had any luck?”

  “Nothing, Majesty.” Leena glanced over her shoulder at where Taran was happily chattering at Zin. “I’ve looked through all Laabh’s communications that I could access. He was smart enough to keep it off the house servers.”

  I kicked myself again for listening to everyone who’d told me I couldn’t violate Laabh’s privacy and forcibly download his smati before he’d had a chance to delete all his files. There’d been very little information after his death, and all that we’d gotten from Ganda’s computer was proof that she hadn’t known any of what Laabh and Wilson were planning.

  “I’ll keep digging, Majesty. We did get some leads on his repeat visitors, and my security is following up on that now.”

  “Do that, Leena. I don’t want to be blindsided by whatever he claims is coming.”

  “Absolutely, Majesty.”

  We said our good-byes, Taran too busy trying to figure out Zin’s puzzle to notice that the adults were equally preoccupied.

  I boarded my aircar behind a privacy screen, my BodyGuards splitting into the decoy cars Emmory insisted upon. Given that Mother’s first Ekam had died in an aircar crash, I couldn’t blame him for the precaution.

  “Pity we can’t just meet with Caspel now,” I muttered, staring out the window at the night sky. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he just appears if you say his name three times.”

  My Ekam shook his head and laughed. “He’s neither demon nor wizard, Majesty.”

  “Neither are our enemies, and yet they seem to have vanished like it.” I picked at the stitching on my skirt for a moment and then looked up at Emmory again. “Sometimes it feels like we’ve done this for a lifetime.”

  We hadn’t though. Over a month ago my Ekam had been a Tracker, sent by my older sister to bring me home. I’d been determined to stay as far away from Indrana as I could, the thought of returning to the confines of the palace unbearable. But the deaths of my sisters and my mother’s decline into what we’d thought was Shakti dementia hadn’t given me much of a choice once I’d returned home.

  “Sometimes it does.”

  I wasn’t sure if him agreeing with me was a good thing, so I looked back out the window, keeping my thoughts to myself.

  3

  Majesty?”

  I turned from the bedroom window at Emmory’s call and wiped the angry tears from my cheeks with the heel of my hand. “We should go; you know how nervous Caspel gets when we’re late.”

  “You didn’t sleep.”

  “I did.”

  “Liar.” My Ekam gifted me with a rare smile. “You dozed. Same as you have for the past week. You can’t keep staying out of dreams, Majesty. It’s not good for you, and neither is the Phrine.”

  “Neither are the nightmares.” I crossed to the closet. Emmory would stand there all night and lecture me rather than get moving. Pushing aside the clothing, I tapped the code into the hidden doorway and looked over my shoulder at him. “I’m tired, Emmory, but it’s more exhausting to have to watch Portis die or Jet get blown up than it is to go without sleep for a bit.”

  Emmory didn’t counter me, but I could feel his disapproval boring into my back.

  I crawled into the confines of the tunnel, and thankfully Emmory didn’t pursue the conversation as we headed out of the palace. I could wrestle with my claustrophobia or argue with my BodyGuard—but not both.

  “Bugger me.” The cold hit like a knife in the kidney, and I huddled deeper into the hood of my dark coat as I pulled my SColt 45 free. I grabbed Emmory’s hand and helped him to his feet. After a quick nod at me, he put a hand on my back and we started off down the alleyway.

  The night was dark. The sky above filled with stars winking through the thin veil of scattered clouds. Cold air stung my lungs, a sharpness I could only counter with shallow breaths. The streets were empty; only one other figure in the distance hurried to their destination without the slightest glance toward Emmory and me.

  Half an hour later we were down by the docks. The sound of the waves was loud in the early-morning air and the chill sank past all the layers of clothing, biting deep.

  Emmory stepped in front of me when a shadow separated from one of the buildings.

  “It’s just me, Ekam,” Caspel said, his hands up.

  “It is flat-out ridiculous that I have to sneak around just to be able to meet with the head of my spy agency in private. We could be in my rooms, Caspel. Warm.”

  “My apologies, Majesty. It is the nature of the game. Walk with me. There’s a fire around the corner.”

  True to his word there was a vacated heating coil that spat blue flame in an alcove off to our left. I stuck my hands as close as I dared while Emmory turned his back on us, scanning the darkness with unforgiving eyes.

  “What is so damned important, then? Or do I have to stand out here and freeze before you tell me?”

  “I was finally able to get in touch with my operative aboard Admiral Shul’s vessel.” Caspel’s grim look accompanied his words and made my stomach twist.

  “How bad is it?” The fire forgotten, I wrapped my arms around my waist and tried not to shiver.

  “Bad, Majesty. The admiral is behaving as though everything is fine for the sake of the rank and file. However, most of his command crew and a significant portion of the ship’s crew have voiced displeasure over your ascension to the throne.”

  “That’s not really a new thing.”

  “True,” Caspel said without a hint of irony. “Admiral Shul has a higher-than-normal percentage of males on his command ship and in the 2nd Fleet as a whole. Also, my asset hasn’t confirmed yet, but they suspect Major Bristol is still on board the ship.”

  “He doesn’t deserve that name. He only got it when he married my sister.”
>
  “My apologies, Majesty. I was using it out of expediency and to avoid confusion.”

  I nodded only because it was too cold to argue, but I had formally revoked Albin Maxwell Bristol’s standing from the Bristol ranks at the same time I’d removed Laabh, and I didn’t want to hear that name in conjunction with mine again. “Can they confirm without blowing their cover?” I asked.

  Caspel wiggled a gloved hand. “Possibly. Given what we know, Majesty, my first thought is that my operative have an exit strategy ready for themselves and as many loyal subjects as they can gather should—”

  “The proverbial shit hit the fan?” I returned Caspel’s nod of agreement. “Yes, absolutely. And I want an idea of how many other loyal subjects I have in the fleet entire. Let’s not allow Shul to run off with any more of my ships than we have to.”

  “Absolutely, Majesty.”

  “We’re out then; I’m freezing and Emmory is no doubt getting antsy.”

  “Of course, Majesty. We’ll speak again when I know more.”

  “Somewhere warmer.”

  “Of course, Majesty.” Caspel bowed and vanished into the shadows like a ghost.

  Rolling my eyes, I looped my arm through my BodyGuard’s and headed back out into the light. “Thoughts on that?” I asked through our smati link. “We can trust him, right?”

  “As much as I trust anyone, Majesty.”

  “That’s not at all reassuring.”

  “Being reassuring isn’t part of my job, Majesty.”

  The image of Jet, reminding me that his job wasn’t to keep me happy, lanced through me. It was followed by the memory of my demand that he not die and his smartass comment that that was in his job description.

  “Majesty?” Emmory stopped, his gloved fingers closing on my wrist. I must have gasped out loud.

  “Memories,” I managed, and forced out a smile. “I’m not going to cry here, Emmy, my face will freeze.”

  I met the sun the next morning with bleary eyes and an edgy temper that carried itself into the daily briefing in my mother’s office. I hated this room; the decorations were all wrong and I swore I could feel my mother’s judgment raining down on me from the painting on the far wall. I didn’t belong here.

  “Majesty?”

  I looked up at Clara and blinked. She raised an eyebrow, glancing at my desk where my fingers were drumming. I stopped them. “Sorry, what?”

  “We are still clearing the rubble of the Imperial Tactical Squad headquarters. For the moment General Vandi and the remains of the ITS command staff are using offices generously provided by Matriarch Tobin, but we need to discuss the long-term plan for rebuilding the site.”

  “And the cost,” Phanin murmured. “Apologies, Majesty, but our budget is stretched tight as it is.”

  I nodded. I’d seen the numbers myself and even though I didn’t understand half of what they meant, I could understand the big red mark of an ever-increasing debt.

  We were stuck in the eternal struggle of being rich in resources but poor in available credits.

  “Is there any reason they can’t stay where they are for now? I’d prefer to not rush a reconstruction; that’s how mistakes get made.”

  “I can’t see why not,” Admiral Hassan replied with a shrug.

  Clara nodded in agreement. “Matriarch Tobin has said the ITS is welcome rent-free for as long as it takes to get the new buildings up, though we should probably discuss paying her something if it takes longer than a year.”

  “Okay, get someone on reconstruction plans and keep me in the loop. I don’t really need to sign off on any of it. I trust you’ll find someone competent enough.”

  Clara smiled slightly and swiped her finger through the air, scrolling down the list of meeting minutes on her smati. “You are meeting with the Upjas this afternoon, Majesty.”

  “Yes. Abraham and Tazerion are coming to the palace. Alice and Zaran will be in attendance.” I arched an eyebrow at Phanin’s poorly concealed frown. “Something to say, Prime Minister?”

  “With apologies, Majesty, I believe this is a bad idea.”

  “You’ve said that the last several mornings. I get it. You don’t want me to meet with them, but you’re not in charge here.”

  Phanin bowed his head. “With ap—”

  “If you say that again, I’m going to get out of this chair and punch you in the throat.”

  Phanin paled. Clara blinked at me. And the others around the room froze. I hadn’t raised my voice at all, but my reputation still held the floor. I wondered if I’d still be able to command so much fear in twenty years or if I would have to actually punch someone in the throat occasionally to make sure it stuck.

  “The Upjas are not the problem, and the throne will listen to their words. Then we will make up our minds. Indrana has enough enemies. I’d rather start looking to make some allies, and there is no better place to start than with our own people.

  “If you don’t like it, Phanin, that’s fine. But I don’t want to hear another word about it, and that includes talking to the press. Are we clear?”

  “Perfectly, Majesty.” He bowed his gray head.

  “Bugger me, you people make me need a drink.” I got up and crossed to the bar and poured myself a single shot of whiskey. Everyone found other things to look at as I tossed it back and returned to my seat.

  Admiral Hassan cleared her throat after a minute. “Unless you have something else, Your Majesty, we have a meeting with the rest of the Raksha in half an hour and I’d like to go over the recent information on Canafey before that.”

  “No. I think we’re done here. Clara?” I stood, everyone else following me.

  “That was everything, Majesty.” She dropped me a curtsy. “With your leave.”

  “I’ll see you later.” I watched Phanin leave the room, wrestling with my annoyance. I hadn’t liked the man from the first moment I met him, but I couldn’t put my finger on why.

  “Politicians make my teeth hurt, too, Majesty,” Hassan said softly once we were alone. “But they have their uses and Phanin is very popular. Your sister listened to his advice.”

  I wasn’t entirely sure why Cire had listened to his advice; the man set my teeth on edge. But she always had been more patient than me.

  “So have I. I just don’t agree with him.” I rubbed at my forehead and hissed an exhale. “I’m also very irritable right now, Inana. I’ll try to refrain from being—” I groped for the right word.

  “Yourself, Majesty?”

  I shot her a glare. “Ha. But yes, I guess so. Let’s go look at the map before the others show up.”

  “Majesty, the Upjas are here.”

  I dragged myself out of the dreamless doze with a groan and shot Alba a dirty look I knew she didn’t deserve. My chamberlain didn’t flinch, which was one of the reasons I’d hired her in the first place.

  She handed me a metal tube, and the bright burst of orange hit my nose with the cold water that misted over my face. It helped some, but I still looked in Emmory’s direction.

  My Ekam met my eyebrow with the Look. “You need actual sleep, Majesty.”

  “Until I can get it, this is going to have to do. I could just get the Phrine myself, Emmy. It says something that I’m asking you instead so you can keep track of how much I’m using.”

  His look clearly told me he wasn’t sure just what it said, and to be honest I didn’t know myself. What I did know was that I couldn’t go into this meeting with my head full of sand.

  I mustered up a smile. “Please?”

  Emmory let out an almost imperceptible sigh before holding his gloved hand out. I inhaled, my head clearing instantly and my eyes losing their gritty feeling.

  With Alba’s help I brushed the wrinkles out of my black pants and readjusted the white silk top with its dark red flowers chasing down the sleeves. Then we headed out of my quarters and down the hallway to the smaller meeting room off the throne room. It was normally used for visiting heads of state, but the location meant
that Abraham and Taz would have to go through the throne room, and I thought a reminder of who I was would be helpful.

  The location for the first official meeting between the Empress of Indrana and the leadership of the Upjas had been hotly contested in the press for the better part of three days. Many people thought it was foolishness to allow them into the palace. I knew it was the best way to get Emmory to agree to the whole thing in the first place.

  “Your Majesty.” Alice curtsied as we arrived. “Everyone else is already inside.”

  None of us in the chamber would be armed—not even my BodyGuards. It was how I’d been able to convince Abraham to come to the palace, despite my promise of clemency. Emmory had fought me on it and the only way I’d won was to allow him a full contingent of Marines in the room next door.

  “The mood?”

  “Nervous, Majesty,” she replied without hesitation. “Abraham is better at hiding it than Zaran. Tazerion seems quite at ease.”

  I wasn’t going to admit that I was nervous, even though my stomach was doing a strange little dance. My childhood best friend, Tazerion Benton Shivan, was behind that door. I hadn’t spoken to him since the day I left home.

  Cas and Zin were at my back and I shared a look with Emmory before nodding to Alice, who reached out and pushed the door open.

  “Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Hailimi Mercedes Jaya Bristol.” Alba had a good pair of lungs on her, a fact that most people missed due to her soft tone.

  Abraham and Taz bowed in unison.

  “Thank you for coming.” I forced myself to keep looking past Tazerion’s brown eyes to Abraham as I held my hand out to him with a smile. “We look forward to these conversations and hope they’ll be the first of many as we forge a new path for Indrana.”

  “Your Imperial Majesty. We thank you for agreeing to see us.” He pressed his palm to mine, though his smile was guarded and he stepped aside for Tazerion far more quickly than he should have.

  “Your Majesty.” There was a teasing note in Taz’s voice I was surprised my Ekam didn’t take exception to as my childhood friend held his hand out.