After the Crown

by K. B. Wagers

  Privately, I thought it was a brilliant move on Rai’s part. Forcing people to enact their own justice was really the only way to battle the endless temptation of having the rock right there for the taking.

  Though I’m sure it helped that the ridiculously expensive cost of the drug meant it was out of the budget for most of the population of Santa Pirata. This was not AVI. This was a drug for the rich and powerful.

  The noise level rose as we moved deeper into the public area, and I watched the set of Emmory’s shoulders tense when people began to point and whisper to each other. “You have my word you are perfectly safe here,” Rai murmured as we wove our way through the crowded bazaar.

  I’d loved coming to the market the times we’d visited. Something about the crush of people ironically made it easier for me to relax about the idea of being underground. The first two times Portis hadn’t even let me meet Rai, so I’d killed time at a little café, drinking chai and watching the crowds flow back and forth.

  It was as diverse a group as you could get outside the Solarian Conglomerate, and certainly the more colorful elements of society were here. I chuckled as I watched a trio of young boys expertly lift a wallet from an unsuspecting man in a deep blue suit.

  The eldest of the three threw a little salute Rai acknowledged with a nod. The thieves would transfer five percent of their score to Rai’s accounts. That little cut kept them safe as long as they kept their pocketing to nonresidents and weren’t clumsy enough to get caught.

  “According to Emmory I’m never perfectly safe,” I replied to Rai, grinning a little when the boy’s gaze slid to me and he winked brazenly. He wasn’t even half my age.

  “He doesn’t know you very well then.”

  I smothered a laugh, mostly to spare Emmory because I knew he was listening to our conversation. “Actually, he’s fully aware of my abilities. I think that’s what makes him nervous.”

  “He has my sympathies. I cannot think of a more demanding and less rewarding position.”

  “That would depend on your idea of rewarding, wouldn’t it?” Emmory asked without looking back at us.

  “I think you already know the answer to that one, Ekam.” Rai spread his arms wide and gave Emmory a smirking grin. “The gods were gracious enough to grant me this life. I would be remiss if I ignored their gifts.”

  Emmory ignored the comment and we passed out of the bazaar into a quieter tunnel of the same shiny black rock. The silence was only momentary; as we moved farther into it, a wave of noise rushed up and slapped me in the face.

  It was the roar of the arena crowd, a sound that raised a spark of feeling out of the deadness in my chest. Portis wouldn’t ever let me fight—for reasons I now understood. But I’d wanted to, wanted to so desperately we’d had some amazing rows about it over and over.

  I couldn’t explain the need if you’d put a gun to my head. Maybe it was the same driving force that fed my longing for the military service, something in my blood or in my very soul.

  The crowd to my left broke slightly, revealing a familiar profile, and I veered abruptly with a curse.

  “Majesty.” Emmory caught me by the arm before I’d gotten two steps. The crowd shifted again, hiding away the angular golden face and unusual blue eyes of Bialriarn Malik, my mother’s former Ekam.

  “Did you see him?”

  “See who?”

  “Bial,” I hissed. “Emmory, I saw—”

  “Majesty,” Emmory murmured, and I could hear the concern threaded into my title. “Even if you did, we can’t go after him right now.”

  “Even if?” Only Rai’s curious gaze kept me from shoving Emmory. Instead, I pulled the recording up in my smati and sectioned out the playback, sending it to Emmory with a raised eyebrow.

  He muttered his own curse and looked at Zin, who nodded and melted into the crowd.

  “Dailun, go with him,” I said, and my new pilot followed Zin without question.

  “Anything I can help with?” Rai asked.

  “No,” Emmory and I said simultaneously.

  Rai watched us, a knowing look not quite hidden on his face, and gestured ahead of us. “Johar’s match is about to start. I don’t recommend being late; they do not usually last for very long.”

  As always, stepping into the arena took my breath away. It was designed to be glorious, after all: a monument, Rai said, to our darker natures, to the violence and bloody majesty of the human race. I’d thought it was pretentious the first time he’d said it, and told him so.

  He’d merely smirked at me and led me into the arena without another word. It was the most effective move at that point and stopped my derisive commentary with stone-cold efficiency.

  The arena at Santa Pirata, where people fought for pay, for punishment, for glory, was known across the stars.

  My smati could give me the specs on the size of the place. But reciting how many meters deep and the number of seats was a poor replacement for the sheer immensity you experienced when walking into it. Tiers carved into the rock above us stretched on for what seemed like kilometers, leaving the action on the floor nearly invisible to the spectators above were it not for the viewscreens embedded into the walls and floating through the air.

  We were on the bottom where the privileged sat, in a wide box filled with tables and comfortable chairs, close enough to see the blood spatter and smell the stink of the fighters’ sweat.

  I was ushered to a seat, Hao sitting down on one side. Emmory took a spot directly behind me while Cas assumed an easy stance by the door. Rai settled down on my left, speaking quietly to the young woman who’d appeared. She bobbed in acknowledgment of whatever orders he issued and vanished as quietly as she’d come.

  “I trust you’re hungry?” Rai asked. “Johar pitched a fit when she was told I wasn’t in my seat yet.” He rolled his eyes skyward. “So we’ve got a few more minutes. Once she calms down, the match should begin. I would—” He broke off, snapping a hand out so fast I couldn’t stop myself from jumping.

  Luckily for Rai, Emmory had better self-control.

  Rai shot me an apologetic look and held up the camera that had just flown into our box. “Given the circumstances I am assuming you would rather your presence here be as low-key as possible? I had the bazaar cleared of news cameras before we came through. Shutting them down in here will be somewhat trickier to explain, but it is possible—”

  “No, leave them on.” I smiled.

  “Majesty, they will know where we are,” Emmory said.

  “Point.” I glanced at Rai.

  “You will be safe here, you have my word on it.”

  “I have a message to send to my enemies and it may as well start now. Unless this is a fight you’d rather stay out of. If it is we’ll go—” I started to get out of my chair and Rai stopped me with a hand on my forearm.

  Emmory’s snarl was practically silent, but Rai glanced upward anyway. I noticed he didn’t remove his hand, so for the sake of my BodyGuard’s blood pressure I moved it for him.

  “I wouldn’t cause any trouble for you, Rai.”

  “It is nothing we can’t handle.” He grinned at me. “Whatever your preference is, Your Majesty, is what I would be pleased to do.”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “Let them film.” Leaning in, I gave Rai a smile. “If you touch me again though, Rai, they’ll be filming Emmory wiping the floor with you. Is that understood?”

  He blinked at me, and the laughter that rang into the air was genuinely delighted. “Completely, Your Majesty.” He stood and executed a flourishing bow that rivaled anything I’d seen back home.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, before the match today I have a special guest I would like to introduce to you all. She has something she would like to say.” Rai’s amplified voice rang through the arena. “I present to you Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Hailimi Mercedes Jaya Bristol.”

  You could have heard a rifle cartridge drop in the silence that followed. I shared a look with Emmory as I rose and stepped
to Rai’s side.

  “My thanks,” I said. “Citizens of Indrana, as you can see, I am alive despite Prime Minister Phanin’s assertions to the contrary. Like so many before him, he has learned I am hard to kill.” I offered up a mirthless smile. “He will soon learn the cost of that mistake.

  “At a time when we most needed to be unified, Eha Phanin and his cronies have torn us apart. Proving beyond a shadow of a doubt they care not about you and they care not about Indrana. The Saxon Alliance may not have been responsible for the destruction at Red Cliff, but they are responsible for our recent troubles. I have the truth of that from their king’s own mouth.

  “Stand strong, my people. Stand firm against those who would put a bootheel to Indrana’s neck. We will be home soon and justice will be done.”

  I nodded and the windows around the box went dark, cutting us off from the cameras, then shifting to a one-way view. The crowd shook off their stunned silence and burst into cheers.

  “Dramatic, determined, and a little scary,” Rai said with a grin. “Nicely done, Your Majesty.”

  I sat back down and crossed a leg over the other. “I’m angry, Rai. I lost good people back on Red Cliff because these idiots want to play at owning an empire.”

  The announcer’s call heralded the arrival of the combatants for the main match of the day. I leaned forward in my seat and got my first look at Johar.

  Or rather, my first look at her in this form.

  I’d already clued into the fact that she’d switched genders, thanks to Rai’s not-so-subtle use of the pronoun.

  For Johar, little things like gender weren’t permanent. I didn’t even know which way she’d been born to start with and I didn’t really care. What I did know what she was a loyal friend when she chose to be, a fierce fighter whom I’d much rather have at my back than on it, and a hell of a tactician.

  When the announcer roared her name, Johar strode out onto the black sand coating the floor of the arena. She was as tall as Rai, her lean limbs decorated with wide swaths of black, curling tattoos. Her hair was black also, but her skin was pale as snow.

  The cheers of the crowd filled the air and I flicked my gaze to the screen nearby as a camera zoomed in for a close-up of Johar. Her eyes were the same as always—icy-blue. I swore they looked straight through me.

  Then she smiled, a flashing grin that lit up her severe face, and her attention turned to her opponent.

  Johar’s opponent was taller and stronger than her, but it wouldn’t matter in the end. She had speed and a willingness to beat the hulking man bloody.

  They bowed toward Rai’s box and then to each other. The gong sounded, tolling through the air, vibrating through my bones.

  Johar moved in the space between the inhale and exhale of the crowd. Her left elbow slammed into the man’s jaw with such force I could hear the impact in my seat. His head snapped back, exposing his throat.

  “Oh well, this will be a short one,” Rai snorted.

  He was right. I didn’t even see Johar’s second punch, just the man sliding bonelessly to the sand.

  The crowd lost their minds. Johar walked away from her win with little more than a wave of her hand, an almost lackadaisical recognition of their adoration.

  “She’s gotten better,” I murmured to Rai.

  “She said the other body was slowing her down,” Rai murmured back. “I miss it a bit, but I can see her point.” There was a note of pride in his voice I suspected he didn’t let show very often.

  Rai shook his head and snapped his fingers twice. The sounds of the arena vanished, filling the box with an expectant silence.

  “So, the present first, I think. Then I’ll let you rest a bit before dinner.”

  “You’re enjoying this a little too much,” I replied with a raised eyebrow.

  “Please, it’s not every day I get to reunite old friends. Especially when I think it was pure luck that brought these two here.”

  The doors slid open behind us and my mouth dropped open as Rai’s guards escorted in a tall man with chestnut-colored hair. He was bruised and battered, his arms cuffed behind his back.

  “Vasha?” I gasped as recognition blindsided me. I’d done a few runs with this gunrunner over the years, and we’d gotten on well—very well, actually.

  Even bound as he was, Vasha’s gray eyes burned with fury and he tried to protect the young girl at his side. “Rai, you mangy shitheel, when I get loose I’m going to rip out your spine in sections. You have no idea what you’re interfering in.”

  “Rai, what the fuck is going on?” I asked. The only reason I could think Rai would consider Vasha a present was if he’d been involved in the coup. My hand went for my gun as I slid out of my seat and backed away from Rai. Emmory took his cue from me, and the room filled with uneasy tension as Cas and Hao stiffened and stepped to my sides without so much as a word.

  Vasha’s eyes snapped wide, and a tiny exhale of what could have been relief slipped from between his lips. “Thank Shiva and all the gods,” he breathed. “Your Majesty, you’re still alive.”

  Rai’s chuckle was wicked and dragged my attention away from my old gunrunner pal. “Easy, Your Majesty, everything is fine. I’d rather people not start shooting in here, I just redecorated. First point of order, I’m not responsible for the damage there.” He waved a hand at Vasha. “I believe that was some Saxon Shocker who hopefully looks worse than Vasha does. He’s only in cuffs because he wouldn’t calm down long enough to listen to what I had to say and I needed to be sure he was safe.

  “It would have been embarrassing for him to try to kill you while you were under my protection.”

  “Your Imperial Majesty.” The child at Vasha’s side slipped around him and I realized she wasn’t a child at all, but a very tiny woman. She dropped into an elegant curtsy despite her bloodstained pants and dirty shirt. “It is a very great pleasure to see you well.”

  “Who are you?” The question slipped out even as Rai muttered a curse.

  “Go on, Jia. Ruin all my fun.” Rai rose with a languid gesture. “Your Majesty, if I may introduce your loyal subject, the governor of Canafey Minor, Jia Li Ashwari.”

  29

  I blinked, unsure if the words I’d just heard were real, but my smati confirmed it.

  “Bugger me. Governor, I didn’t think we’d be seeing each other anytime soon. You were supposed to meet us on Red Cliff.”

  “We were on our way when you were attacked and had to change plans,” Jia replied, a smile curving her bruised face. “This was an unexpected destination, but fortuitous.”

  I glared at Rai. “If he’s not a threat, why is he still cuffed?”

  Rai snapped his fingers and his guards took the cuffs off Vasha. “Behave yourself, Vasha,” he warned. “And don’t be grumpy about the lockup. You know if you try to take my spine out it’ll make Johar mad. I had to be sure you weren’t trying to kill the empress here. That kind of publicity is hard on business.”

  Vasha shot Rai a look of pure contempt before dismissing him and settling those cool gray eyes on me. “Your Imperial Majesty.” He dropped to a knee.

  I groaned. “Oh, come on, Vasha.” Ignoring Emmory’s protest I moved forward and helped him to his feet, embracing him. The wince wasn’t all from his injuries, and I rolled my eyes as he shifted away. “We used to be friends.”

  More than friends, actually, but I figured it was best to not embarrass the both of us by saying so out loud.

  “You used to be a gunrunner, Your Majesty.” His smile was fleeting and he glanced quickly over my shoulder at Rai. “We need to speak in private.”

  “I’ve had rooms prepared for you. Camon will show you the way,” Rai spoke up. “If you could join us for dinner, Your Majesty, I know that Johar will appreciate it.”

  “Thank you. I will.” I dipped my head at him; the movement felt oddly regal. “A physician for Vasha?”

  “Has already been called. We don’t have any Farians, for obvious reasons. He’ll meet you at you
r rooms.” Rai gave another flourishing bow. “Your Majesty.”

  We had a Farian, but she was still unconscious, a fact that grew more worrisome by the day.

  “I’ll see you at dinner, Rai,” I said, when what I really wanted was to tell him to move his ass before I shot him. “Hao, go on back to the ship and get the others. Tell Stasia, Gita, and Indula to stay with Fasé.”

  Hao nodded sharply and left. No one else said a word as Camon led us back out of the arena and to the lavish set of rooms prepared for us. I waited in the hallway with Cas until Emmory gave the all clear.

  The hardwood floors gleamed under the soft recessed lights. Couches of varying shades of gray dotted the front room, and the table by the wide fireplace was already filled with a dizzying array of treats. Most of the splendor was lost to the far wall and the beach scene projected on the viewscreens that stretched from floor to ceiling.

  The moment the door closed behind us, I whirled on Vasha.

  “What in the Mother’s name is going on? Not that I don’t like you, Vasha, but you’re not really one for civic duty. How in the fires of Naraka did you end up with my governor? Caspel was sending an operative in after her.”

  “Your Majesty—” Jia started, but Emmory cut her off.

  “Just a moment, please, before we get too deep into this conversation.” He held up his hand as he and Cas moved through the rooms in a smoothly choreographed search for listening devices.

  “Vasha, sit your ass down before you pass out,” I snapped.

  “I’m fine, Majesty.” Shaking his head cost him his equilibrium, and Jia wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to hold the big man upright.

  Emmory moved before I could, glaring at me so fiercely I actually took a step back. He caught Vasha under the arms and dragged him over to the couch.

  “Don’t worry yourself, Ekam. I’m loyal to the empress.” Vasha’s voice was slurred with pain and he tipped his head back on the deep gray couch. “Even if I weren’t, I’m in no shape to do her any harm. I’ve seen her fight. Just give me a moment. That Saxon shitheel got in a few good licks and I’m running on empty.”