After the Crown

by K. B. Wagers

  Emmory tightened his fingers on my shoulder when the sob escaped. “Yes, ma’am. Keep us posted. Majesty, Admiral Hassan has rescue craft inbound to the site to look for survivors. It’s radio dark over there. We’re not sure if there was a smati disrupter in the blast.”

  Or if everyone was dead. The unspoken words hung heavy in the air. I pushed out of my chair, turned the news on, and put it on the wall with a flick of my wrist. It wasn’t great as intel went, but it was better than the voice in my own head repeating the names of the dead over and over again.

  “An explosion rocked the abandoned Hethan District just a few moments ago. The area is cordoned off, but from what our reporters have learned there was some kind of military operation going on.” The newscaster’s face was appropriately solemn. “We’re going to Talia on the scene now.”

  The camera cut to a pretty young woman with the smoking ruin of the building in the frame behind her. “Thank you, Kalini. I’m here just outside of the blast zone, which is as close to the destruction as the ITS troops on the scene will allow us. If you’ll look up, that sound is several naval medical transports coming in for landings in that field to our left. I haven’t been able to figure out who is in charge just yet to get more information on what caused the explosion and what the ITS troops were doing here in the first place.”

  I paced the confines of my office for close to an hour. Dread evolved into certainty as report after report on the survivors trickled in with no mention of Taz or Captain Gill. Fasé was unharmed; the Farian had been far enough away from the back side of the building when it blew that she’d been protected from the blast.

  “They found them.” Emmory grabbed for my arm, already moving toward the door. “Roger that, Admiral. We’re en route, we’ll meet you at the hospital.”

  “Are they alive?” I matched Emmory’s stride, Alba hurrying behind us as Zin and Gita cleared the way. Teams Four and Six met us at the garage entrance.

  “Captain Gill is hurt badly, but Fasé was with them when they dug her out and used what juice she had left to stabilize her.” Emmory’s mouth thinned, the way it always did when he had news he didn’t want to tell me.

  “Tazerion is—it’s not good, ma’am. They’re not sure if he’s going to make it.”

  “Shiva. Tell them to hurry, Emmory.” I sank back against the seat and knotted my hands in my lap.

  12

  The Royal Indranan Hospital was a scene of organized chaos that stilled only briefly when my grim-faced BodyGuards marched into the emergency area.

  “Your Majesty.” The bright-eyed young man at the desk leapt to his feet and bowed.

  I was all too aware of the eyes on me and chose my next words with care. “We have come to see our people.”

  “Yes, Majesty. I’ll—”

  “I can take them back, Ishan.” An older woman with steel-gray hair patted his shoulder and gave me a smile as she hit the button to open the doors. “Your Majesty, I am Head Nurse Oni Suggitt. I’m sure your Ekam would like to go ahead of us?”

  Emmory passed instructions over the com. He didn’t move from my side. Team Six moved through the doors, hands on their weapons. I stayed where I was until I felt Emmory’s hand on the small of my back.

  “Majesty.” Fasé bowed. “They won’t let me in to see Lieutenant Saito.”

  The ITS sergeant was dirty and disheveled but otherwise appeared unharmed so I pulled her into a hug, trying not to squeeze her too tightly. “I am glad you are safe,” I murmured as I released her.

  “Dr. Flipsen is in the operating room with Tazerion Shivan,” Oni said. “I’ll let her know you are here, but it’s hard to say how much longer she’ll be in with him. Captain Gill is resting, as Sergeant Terass is supposed to be.” The nurse gave the Farian a stern look that the red-haired woman acknowledged with a wan smile. “And she can’t see Lieutenant Saito because they are prepping her for surgery in the hopes they can save her other leg, and you have exhausted yourself already, young lady.” Oni stopped at a room and tapped lightly on the half-closed door.

  “Come in.”

  “Stay down, Captain,” I said as we came into the room.

  “Majesty.” Ilyia struggled to sit up anyway until Oni clucked at her and moved around the bed to set it in position. Captain Gill’s face was bruised, a partially healed gash near her hairline evidence of Fasé’s aid. “I am so sorry. It was a trap. The whole thing was a trap and we—I stepped right into it.”

  “You couldn’t have known, Captain.”

  “How many did we lose?”

  “Not right now.” I shook my head. “We’ll discuss it after you’ve healed. Taz is in surgery. Rest, Captain.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she replied, but we both knew she was lying.

  We fell into an uneasy silence. Fasé dozed in a chair by the window. Emmory spoke quietly with Ilyia and I tried not to pace.

  “Majesty, sit,” Zin said quietly, pulling a chair in from the hallway. “They’re going to be a while.”

  I drifted in and out of wakefulness as reports filtered in from Admiral Hassan and others. The building had been leveled by the blast and it would take them days to uncover all the bodies.

  Or what was left of them.

  “Empress Hailimi.”

  I sat upright in the chair, blinking at the woman standing above me.

  “Your Majesty, I am Dr. Eleanor Flipsen.” She held out a pale hand and smiled as she bowed.

  “How is he?” I took it and stood.

  “Still alive. He suffered massive internal injuries and a nasty concussion. We have repaired the worst of the damage, but it will be a day or two before I know for sure if he’s out of danger.” Her Indranan was heavily accented.

  “You are not from here, Doctor.”

  Despite the exhaustion in her blue eyes, Eleanor smiled. “I am not, Majesty. Though I have lived here most of my life. My parents came here on missionary work from Sanctaria when I was ten, and I fell in love with your empire. I returned after I graduated from medical school.”

  “I am grateful that you did. Can I see him?”

  “He’s in post-op, Majesty. When he wakes.” Her eyes unfocused as she checked her clock. “Shouldn’t be much longer. Let me go check with the nurse.”

  I crossed to where Emmory was looking out the window. “Dr. Flipsen is one of the best trauma surgeons in the empire, Majesty,” he subvocalized over our private com.

  “Are you telling me not to worry?”

  I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye. “I know you are worried, ma’am, and with good reason. They dropped a building on him. He’s lucky to be alive.”

  “Have you gotten anything new from Admiral Hassan?”

  “No. They found the rest of the ITS team who went in ahead of Captain Gill. No survivors.”

  “Christoph is lucky he’s dead.”

  “What makes you say that, ma’am?”

  “Because I’d kill him myself if he weren’t.” I turned around as Dr. Flipsen came back in the room.

  “He’s awake, but still pretty groggy, Majesty. If you’ll come with me?”

  We headed down the hallway. Zin and Gita already stood outside the room Taz was in, and my other BodyGuards were spread out at either end of the corridor. Emmory gave the nurse and Dr. Flipsen a pointed look and then shut the door behind them when they left the room.

  Taz’s face was even more battered than it had been when he’d called me this morning, and his olive skin had a sickly yellow cast to it that turned my stomach.

  Bolstered by the privacy, I couldn’t stop myself from touching his face. “Hey, you.”

  Taz’s eyelids fluttered up, closed again, and then snapped open liked a kicked-in door. Emmory was more prepared than I was and pressed him back against the bed, speaking low and quick in his ear.

  “You’re safe, Shivan. Safe. At the hospital.”

  “Tresk?” Taz’s voice was rough. “Where am I? What happened?”

  “Christoph dropped a buil
ding on your head.” I curled my fingers around his bandaged hand. “You just got out of surgery, so try not to mess up Dr. Flipsen’s handiwork.”

  Taz blinked at me, hearing the words but clearly not quite comprehending them. But his fingers closed around mine as he relaxed against the bed. “I don’t—I remember waking up this morning and then nothing. Captain Gill and I were—” He tried to sit up again, glaring at Emmory when my Ekam pushed him down.

  “Is Ilyia okay?”

  “She’s fine. Took a worse beating than you, but Sergeant Terass got to her in time and she doesn’t have your issue with Farians.”

  Taz mustered up a smile, but it faded. “Who didn’t make it?”

  “Corporal Danse still hasn’t been found. According to Captain Gill she was right next to the building when it blew. Lieutenant Saito is in surgery. They’re trying to save her leg.”

  “What about Madu? And my people?”

  “I don’t have a count on the Upjas.” I’d been more concerned about Taz and the ITS troops. Guilt swamped me and I had to look away. “Corporal Chaturvedi didn’t make it.”

  Taz swore, the words cutting through the air. “Her birthday was tomorrow.”

  I glanced at the doorway as the sound of voices filtered into the room. “I’m so sorry, Taz. Captain Gill thinks that Christoph wanted to take out as many of you as he could when he detonated—”

  Emmory stiffened at the escalating noise outside the room and we both went to see what the commotion was. A man was holding the hand of a young girl, pleading with Zin and Dr. Flipsen. I would have recognized him anywhere. The younger copy was behind me in the hospital bed.

  “Easy,” I murmured, putting a hand on Emmory’s arm when he moved to stop me from leaving the room. “It’s Taz’s father.”

  “Your Majesty.” Benton Shivan dropped to a knee. “I beg you to let me see my son.”

  “He is outcast. You don’t deserve to see him.” I arched an eyebrow. “Where’s his mother?”

  “She doesn’t know we’re here, Majesty. I snuck Ahlaya out of the house.” Benton raised his eyes to mine. “I have regretted every moment since my wife banished him. When I heard the news I thought my chance to see him again had been lost forever.”

  I bit back the harsh words that leapt into my mouth. Standing up to Vama Shivan would have left him out in the street the same as his son.

  “Your Majesty. Don’t blame my father. He was only doing what Taz had asked when he left.” Ahlaya watched me with dark eyes that were identical to her older brother’s.

  “Which was what?”

  “To stay and take care of me.”

  The girl would have only been a baby when Taz was banished from his home. It didn’t surprise me he would have felt responsible for his younger sister and asked his father to watch over her. I’d never cared for Vama Shivan and her unpredictable temper.

  “You may go in. If he says you stay, you’ll stay. If he says otherwise or you upset him, I’ll have my BodyGuards throw you both out in front of the news cameras.”

  “Yes, Majesty.” Ahlaya curtsied and slipped around me.

  I didn’t need to worry about her, as it turned out; Taz’s face lit up and he held out his arms for his little sister. Ahlaya embraced him gently, resting her head on his chest and whispering something my ears couldn’t catch.

  Benton hung back by the door, uncertain or unwilling, I couldn’t tell which until Taz raised his head and the utter shock at seeing his father crashed over his face. “Papa?”

  “My son.” There were tears in Benton’s eyes.

  I moved out of his way and quietly closed the door on my way out. “Let them stay,” I said to Dr. Flipsen. “And if Vama Shivan shows up, don’t let her in without contacting me first. I don’t care what she threatens. I’m in charge, not her.”

  “Yes, Majesty.”

  “You will let me know about Lieutenant Saito as soon as she’s out of surgery?”

  “Of course, ma’am.”

  I held my hand out. “Thank you for everything, Doctor.

  “Let’s get back to the palace, Emmory. Tell Admiral Hassan to meet me there. I want a full report on her findings within the hour.”

  “As far as we can tell, Christoph had a central charge strapped to himself with several secondary incendiary charges scattered about for maximum damage. It’s doubtful we’ll find his body intact, but they’re scouring the wreckage for DNA to confirm he died in the explosion.” Admiral Hassan rotated the image in the air above the War Room table, highlighting the spots she was talking about as she pointed to them.

  “How many casualties?”

  “All ITS personnel have been accounted for. We lost seven. Captain Hilts and her team were wiped out and Corporals Chaturvedi and Danse were also killed. Thankfully the other two teams were far enough behind that they only suffered cuts and bruising from the debris. Of the Upjas who were present, we think at least a third of them died since they were already in the building when it blew. I suspect Christoph’s people took them out as they came in to sweep the building. We’re still working with Tazerion to get an accurate head count.”

  “The only bright spot, Majesty,” Caspel said, pacing the length of the table with his hands clasped behind his back, “is that this seems to have broken Christoph’s radical faction rather than energized them. We don’t know how many men Christoph had in the building with him, but I’m not hearing any chatter. Anyone who survived has gone silent.”

  “High price to pay,” I whispered, scrolling through the ITS files of the team who’d died.

  “Without a doubt, Majesty,” Caspel agreed. “A necessary evil. Those of us who make the decisions have to live with it.”

  “At least we’re living.” I turned from the row of dead faces. “Keep me updated about Christoph’s body. I want to be sure this is over before we leave for the negotiations.”

  “Of course, Majesty.”

  I nodded, which was a mistake. The room spun around me. Caspel’s eyes went wide with alarm and he caught me by the arm, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from sliding to the floor.

  “Majesty!”

  “I’m all right.” I closed my eyes, felt Emmory’s gloved hand on the back of my neck. “Just got dizzy.”

  “You haven’t eaten. Alba?”

  “I’ve already got food headed for her rooms,” Alba replied. “I assumed she’d head back there after we were done. I called Dr. Ganjen. He’s coming this way.”

  Caspel and Admiral Hassan both quietly said their good-byes and left the room.

  “I’m fine. I just got dizzy.” I tried to sit up, but Emmory shook his head. “Bugger me. Do I have to keep lying on the floor?”

  “I don’t like your vitals, Majesty. I’d rather wait for the doctor.”

  I blinked at his serious tone and pulled up my vitals with my own smati. Then I whistled low. “Oh, on second thought I’ll stay right here. Why are those so bad, Emmory? I thought that enforced rest was supposed to help.”

  My tease fell flat. The truth was the new schedule had helped and I’d been sleeping better in the last week than since I hit planetside. In fact, other than being worried about the events of this morning I’d woken up feeling better than I had since the coup attempt.

  “I don’t know, Majesty. I’m running a scan now.” Emmory took the blanket Zin produced and spread it out next to me. I scooted onto it, closing my eyes and resting my head back against a second, rolled-up blanket.

  The door opened and Dr. Ganjen rushed in. Emmory left me with Zin to speak quietly with the doctor.

  “Hey, my blood pressure’s out of the critical range.” I grinned at Zin, who gave me a strained smile. “Oh relax, will you? If you stress out, it’ll just make me stress out.”

  “You’re not going to be able to do these negotiations, Majesty, not if your health doesn’t improve.”

  I made a face at him. “My health is fine. I just got dizzy.”

  “You’re a young woman, Majesty. With no hea
lth issues in your history. You shouldn’t be getting dizzy spells.” Zin moved out of the way as Dr. Ganjen knelt at my side with a smile.

  “Majesty.”

  “Fancy meeting you here on the floor, Doctor.”

  Dr. Ganjen blinked at me, but smiled. “How are you feeling, Majesty?”

  “Fine now. All my readings are back to normal. Can I sit up?”

  “In a moment, Majesty. Let an old man feel useful?” Dr. Ganjen put his hand on my head and his eyes unfocused as he began running his own tests.

  I waited as patiently as I could for what seemed like forever until the doctor nodded and Emmory helped me up off the floor.

  “What’s the verdict, Doc?”

  “You are fine, Majesty.”

  I blinked. “That’s it? I’m fine?”

  Doctor Ganjen smiled and patted my hand. “You are exhausted, overworked, and stressed, Your Majesty. Not to mention still recovering from your Phrine usage, though I am very pleased just how well you’ve recovered. Other than that, there is nothing wrong with you.”

  “My Ekam would possibly disagree with you, Doctor. But thank you for coming. I promise to try to get more sleep.”

  The doctor smiled again at my lie and bowed.

  Emmory wasn’t smiling. “Majesty, why didn’t your warnings go off?”

  I looked at the ceiling and ran my tongue over my teeth before I answered. “I may have turned them off—”

  Emmory gave me the Look.

  “A while ago.”

  “Majesty,” he sighed. “Turn them back on, please?”

  It was my turn to sigh, but I did it. “Happy?”

  “Not in the slightest.”

  “That makes two of us,” I replied. “Now I think I can make it back to my rooms without falling over and since I’m pretty sure you’ve canceled all my appointments for today I’m going to lie on the couch until dinner.”

  “Alba ordered food for you. You’ll eat first, Majesty.”

  “Fine.” I sighed at him. “I’ll eat and then lie around. Bully.”

  13

  Emmory was once again ruthless with my schedule, and despite Alba’s protests he cut out all but the most critical of appointments.