I lay my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, thrilled by what he said, and I decide to speak my heart. “I'm happy about that too, Jensen. I know that there's a dark side to me, and I'm glad that my future husband is strong enough to pull us back.”
Jensen's hand comes to my chin and tilts my face up to meet his eyes, and he's looking at me as if he's not sure I understood what I just said. “Kel...”
I pull my head back, looking directly into his eyes so he knows that I'm totally telling the truth right now. “I know what I said, Jensen. And I'm not asking you, and I'm not putting pressure on you. I'm just saying.... if you ask, I already know what my answer is going to be. I love you, and I want to be by your side forever.”
Jensen nods, and steps back out of my hug to take my hands. “You realize what you're saying, right? Kel, the reason that I didn't think of pursuing a relationship with you earlier than we did was because at the time I was stupid enough to think that you were too young. Now I know that's not true, but... are you sure? I'm not the sort of man who thinks marriage is a temporary thing.”
I nod, smiling. “I'm very, very sure. I don't care if you're a Lord, a commoner, or even if this was back in the old system and you were nothing more than a runaway slave. Live in an estate, live in a Ranger shelter, or live in a cave.... my answer's the same.”
Jensen nods, and reaches up, stroking my face. “Then I guess the only thing left to do is... Kelbara, out of Gwyndolen by Ambaris, would you....”
An explosion rips through the air, a sharp clapping sound that snaps off the building behind us and causing both of us to jump in surprise. There's the sound of shattering glass somewhere, I think on the staff's side of the estate from the distance involved. I can hear screams, and Jensen lets go of my hands, the two of us reacting immediately by running into the house, towards the sound of the explosion.
It's chaos, there's smoke coming from the staff wing along with panicked, screaming people everywhere, staff that barely can get through a day after their traumatic pasts suddenly immersed in more trauma. Jensen points to the communications terminal, issuing orders. “Kelbara, call the fire department. And the Rangers, I want twenty Rangers here providing security right away. And the palace, they need to know.”
I stop, and Jensen gives me a look before he takes off towards the source of the smoke. While we were interrupted, now is not the time to finish his question, and I know I have work to do.
* * *
“My Lady?” one of the firefighters says as I help the Ranger medics with the treatment of some of the staff who were injured in the blast. Thankfully, most of the damage was contained in the room, other than some smoke inhalation there haven't been any major injuries. Most of the injuries I think are going to be more mental than physical, and that's something that medics can't do much to help with. “My Lady.... we've found a body.”
I gulp, getting to my feet shakily. “Show me,” I say, adjusting my thigh holster. After making the call, it was the first thing I put on, the weight comforting even as the smoke continued to pour out of Neyilla's old parlor. Thousands of Neyla crystals worth of items ruined, either through the initial blast itself or the smoke and chemical damage from the fire department's response. “Take me to it.”
I didn't care about the items in the room beyond knowing that we wanted to sell these things off to take care of the staff. Tapestries, clothing, even things like the furniture are just things. My only wish, heaven, and stars, was that nobody was inside the blast, that nobody was killed. Walking through the double doors, which hang drunkenly on their ruptured hinges, somehow obscene in the lack of damage since they were blown out against the wall and didn't get covered in smoke, I look around at the room. The air is hazy still, reeking in the smell of fire, smoke, and chemicals, a rich acidic stench that makes my eyes water. I see the kolonite brush set that Mom showed interest in, the bristles melted and clumped, the metal warped from the heat. “What type of bomb was it?”
“A crude one we think, my Lady,” the firefighter says. “Over here.”
I follow him, hoping that the little fear that's been nibbling at my brain is wrong. Jensen's been working hard to try and make sure everyone's safe, and the list of staff not accounted for has gotten smaller and smaller. But still...
“No... oh no, no...” I moan, seeing the rich chocolate brown skin. She's face down at least, I can see blood already soaking into the carpet that she was thrown into, and her dress is singed, a few spots on her flawless skin burned. I kneel, but the medic puts his hand on my shoulder before I can reach out to her.
“My Lady, it is best to leave her. The investigators will want all the evidence they can to find out what happened.”
I nod, swallowing the gorge in my throat, and turn away, refusing to look anymore. I don't want to remember Justine like this, an empty, burned shell. I want to remember the smart, beautiful woman who I thought of as my friend. I want to remember the times we laughed together, or the times she helped me. I leave the burned parlor, finding the nearest staffer. “Where is the infant Olivia?”
“She is with Piedra, my Lady. We couldn't find Justine.”
I swallow, nodding. “She was in the blast. Please have Piedra bring Olivia here.”
It's not long before Piedra comes over, nearly incoherent with grief, her eyes brimming with tears. I understand and take Olivia in my arms, the baby squirming when she smells the stench of death and fire on my clothes. I stroke Olivia's cheek once before I hand her back to Piedra, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Piedra, I need you to be very, very strong right now. Lord Jensen and I will get you help, but you must watch Olivia right now. If you can't do that, I need to know it now.”
Piedra swallows, then nods. “I can take care of her, my Lady.”
I pat Piedra's shoulder, swallowing. “Go to Chef, get Olivia a bottle. We'll figure out the rest as we go.”
It isn't until after Piedra leaves that Jensen returns, his face grim. “The firefighter told me. They've closed off the parlor until after their investigation is complete. Kel, are you...?”
I turn, my mouth set and my eyes burning with intensity. “I want to find whoever did this to that beautiful, innocent woman and put them in the fucking ground, Jensen. Then we're going to end this war because you and I both know this was something connected to Tauria. Then... then we can finish our discussion, and figure out how we're going to take care of Olivia.”
Jensen nods and pulls me into a hug. “Okay then. My question can wait until after that.”
* * *
My eyes burn, I should go wash my face after being exposed to the smoke and other chemicals in the air in the parlor, but I can't. I'm too driven, and now as midnight approaches, I'm sitting in the dining room, watching the video.
Tauren arrived soon after the firefighters discovered Justine's body, and he's talking with Jensen in the garden. Most of the staff wing reeks so much that we can't ask the staff to stay there, and Jensen's having everyone stay in our personal wing until we know what to do next.
I wish Audra were here, but I can understand why Tauren's asked her to stay at the palace. Not only does it keep her safer, surrounded by Royal Lancers, but a woman this close to delivery shouldn't expose herself to the shit that I'm smelling right now.
I wipe at my eyes, blinking the tears away for a moment to focus on my flexi. While Jensen and Tauren might be worried about the security, what this means in the overall larger war effort, I just want to catch the asshole who killed my friend. I've spent the past hour going over the security camera footage from the area around the parlor, trying to find out who needs to be questioned.
As I do, I'm reminded for the hundred thousandth time why it's horrible to be the type of monsters Neyton and Neyilla were. Perverted, obsessive, egotistical, and more than slightly fucked up beyond all recognition, they were still smart enough to recognize that their actions would look bad if it got out to the public, or could be used as leverage against them by their po
litical enemies. So, while the corridors and outside of the estate have the normal assortment of security cameras and recording devices, many of the interior rooms are observation free.
What this means for me is that the parlor where the bomb went off didn't have a camera, and in fact, the nearest camera at all is at the corner of the hallway, and it doesn't have a clear view of the doorway. The view isn't that good at all, the human staffers sort of didn't clean the lens that well after a similar blast killed Neyilla right before Tauren took over, I guess they didn't give a shit about a security camera once the repairs were complete. Other than the last few meters before the turn, everything's a blur.
Still, it's the only video I have of the blast area, and as I rewind the video, looking for any help at all, my heart stops. Black boots, navy blue pants... a tunic with white piping and platinum blond hair. I can't see the face before the turn but still...no, not her, anyone but her. Of all the people in the world, why? I swallow and get up, going into the other room. Tauren stops his conversation with Jensen and looks up, his face concerned when he sees me.
“Kelbara, did you find something?” he asks, and I nod, swallowing. “What?”
“The last person I can see coming out of the room before the blast.... is Gwyndolen,” I say, handing him the flexi. Tauren doesn't say anything but reviews the video and sighs. “Tauren, you know you have to,” I say.
Tauren nods and looks to the Royal Lancer by the door. “Contact the palace. Order the arrest of the Lady Gwyndolen for questioning.”
The Lancer salutes and leaves and Tauren gave me the flexi back. “I'm sorry, Kelbara.”
“Yeah,” I whisper, letting the tears fall finally. “Me too.”
Chapter 17
Jensen
This probably isn't the best idea, but I feel like it's my duty.
It was my house that was attacked.
It was my staff member and friend who was killed.
It is the mother of the woman I was just about to ask to marry me who is in custody.
The cells are familiar, which I guess I could understand. The last time I was here, Ambaris had just broken out of his cell with Tauria's help, and my life was about to go in ways that I could barely understand. I wonder if Tauren's in some of the secret escape tunnels that Tauria used to get away from the palace.
Gwyndolen's sitting in one of the cells, and when I enter the cell block she looks up. She's composed, but underneath I can see so many emotions flickering across her face. She's hurt, angry, maybe even confused.
Or she could be faking it all very well.
“Jensen.... I didn't think that you'd be the first person to question me,” she says, sitting up straighter in the chair she has. “I thought it'd be just some random Lancer.”
“Tauren felt that it would be more fitting for your station and the severity of what happened last night, you should be questioned by another noble. Mogar and Tauren are busy trying to figure out the best response to this, and Audra is in no condition to do this. Kelbara.... she's trying to help the staff as best she can.”
“And there's nobody else you trust fully for this,” Gwyndolen says, wringing her hands in her lap. “I can understand that. Let me start by saying Jensen, I had nothing to do with this. I don't even fully know what's happening, I just know there was a bombing at your estate, and then the Lancers arrested me while I was trying to help Audra. Since then, other than bringing me some food, I haven't gotten any information from anyone.”
I get a chair from the hallway and set it up, sitting down and turning on the flexi that I'm using to record this. “Gwyndolen, first I have to notify you that you do have rights. You can refuse to answer any questions I have.... but understand that this is being treated as an act of war. Do you understand?”
“I understand. And I assume that flexi is recording this?” she asks, her face tense but still she's holding onto her composure. She's a born and bred noble, and she's holding herself with the dignity that comes with that position, I have to give it to her.
“Both audio and video,” I reassure her, setting the flexi against the bars. “Now, first question. What were you doing at my estate yesterday afternoon?”
“Talking with Justine,” she says. “I.... when I visited, I looked at some of the things in the parlor, and I wanted to look again. I know that it's silly, but I was interested in maybe buying some of it. I wanted to see one of the tapestries in particular.”
“Is that when you set the bomb?” I ask, and Gwyndolen's eyes widen. “That's where the bomb went off, in the collection of things that we had stored.”
“I never planted any bomb!” Gwyndolen says, shock on her face. “Jensen, why would you think that?”
I swallow and switch the flexi to showing the surveillance that Kelbara found last night. Gwyndolen watches silently, then shakes her head. I turn off the video and resume my questions. “Is that not you?”
“It's me, but I didn't set any bomb. When I left, Justine and I had agreed....” she says, before her face goes pale. “Jensen.... who was hurt in the bombing?”
I study her face and see the dawning horror that I've felt since seeing Justine's body taken out by the doctors for an autopsy. “A half dozen of my staff were treated for various minor injuries, mostly from the smoke and chemicals the fire department used. There was one death. Justine.”
Gwyndolen's face tenses, then cracks, her eyes shimmering in tears. “No.... not Justine. Not her....”
“You say you didn't set the bomb. Then tell me exactly what happened from the moment you left the palace yesterday to the moment Kelbara and I saw you getting ready to leave my estate.”
Gwyndolen takes a deep breath, closing her eyes to compose herself before answering. “When Audra said that you were coming to the palace for breakfast, I could tell that it was the sort of breakfast that was for just the four of you. I wasn't hurt, I know that you four are a group that exists as a sort of family separate even from family, and I thought it would be a good chance for me to just indulge in some personal pursuits. So, first I tried to call Tryion, but he told me that he wasn't going to be in the capital yesterday, so I decided to do a little shopping. You know, I have tried to adapt myself to Audra's more austere style, but still, I've grown used to certain indulgences. And with Tryion on the mind, I decided to go shopping for.... feminine items.”
“Huh?”
Gwyndolen's mouth quirks, but she doesn't fully smile. “I meant I went shopping for lingerie and something sexy, Jensen. I was going to see if maybe I could convince Tryion to be.... quicker on the pace of advancement for our dating. Kissing is nice, and there was.... well, I was hoping... never mind. Anyway, after finding a few items which I stashed in the cargo compartment of my hoverbike, I thought that since I'd found something nice so quickly, I still had a few hours to relax, that I'd go out to your estate. I sent Justine a message, and she was more than happy to receive me. I got there.... oh, it was still before noon, and when Justine greeted me, she seemed upset.”
“About what?” I ask, leaning forward. “And how did you know?”
Gwyndolen wipes at her eye taking a moment before continuing. “Because I'd come to see Justine as a friend. Maybe it was the time she and I helped Kelbara with just girl talk. Ironically, that was part of what was on Justine's mind, and so as we went into the storage parlor, I asked her what was wrong.”
“And what did she say?” I ask.
“She was telling me that Liston was pushing her for sex,” Gwyndolen says, sighing. “She thought that he'd figured out, or maybe he heard somewhere, about Justine's past as one of Neyton's sex slaves. He was pushing her she said, and she was worried. He knew how to push her buttons apparently, and she was finding it hard to say no, even though she didn't want to. Apparently, Liston's a pretty dominant type and Justine....”
I nod, understanding. “She played that role when needed, but she's the opposite at heart.”
Gwyndolen nods. “I got that impression too. Unfortunate
ly, I know very little about dominance and submissive relationships. So, I just offered her a chance to talk, to let her air her concerns. In the end, I gave her some advice, and told her that if she needed it, I would give her whatever support she needed.”
“What advice did you give?” I ask, intrigued. “And why didn't Justine come to me or Kelbara?”
Gwyndolen, for the first time, looks like she's recovering from the shock of Justine's death and gives me a look of mixed amusement and deep regret. “I told her that I wasn't sure, but that regardless of the setup, every sexual relationship is built on mutual trust by everyone involved, or else it wasn't a relationship. I told her that if Liston kept pushing her, she needed to say no, and if she wanted I'd back her up. I know how to use a powerlance, after all.”
“Yes.... for example, the bomb yesterday used a powerlance's energy cell. The fire department gave me the report this morning.”
Gwyndolen swallows then shakes her head. “Jensen, I'm telling you, I didn't set the bomb. When I left the parlor, Justine was alive, she was smiling, and she said that she would give me a call after I made her promise me that she was going to talk about things with Liston.”
“Then you left and met us at the landing pad,” I interrupt, and Gwyndolen shakes her head. “What?”
“I left the parlor nearly an hour before I met you guys. After that, I decided to just wait for your return, so I went to the library and read books. You haven't changed them out, and Neyton had some rare flexis that I wanted to copy.”
Huh? That doesn't match up with what Kelbara found last night. “Okay. There are some things that need to be checked out, but for now, you need to stay here.”
Gwyndolen exhales sharply, shaking her head. “I didn't do anything wrong, Jensen, unless someone wants to say I copied some flexis without permission of the owner.”
Red Planet: The Rebel War (Tamarians Book 3) Page 15
