“Oh yes, sir. I would do anything to help you find those poor girls and make sure they are safe,” she answered, walking with Varick to the door.
~ * ~
The grief of Lord Hanoree appeared genuine. His tear-stained face was on every communications port as Ninallia watched the daily newsfeeds. It would be simple to go to see such an honorable man and explain.
She spotted the housekeeper at a small eatery with outside tables. She took a seat a nearby and eavesdropped, hoping it would be possible to return to Madama Ector’s. Soon the housekeeper was joined by a woman Ninallia recognized as one of the women who worked in the kitchen. Both women were haggard and upset.
“I can’t believe it. Madama would not kill herself. Why would she kill herself? She was a wealthy woman. I won’t believe it.” The cook wiped her eyes.
“I saw the note myself, and it was in her handwriting,” the housekeeper said. She glanced around and lowered her voice to say, “Why do they want to know about Madama’s girls? She sent the girls away and burned the records. Imperial officers have been asking questions. What can I say? I am the housekeeper. I never saw any of the files. Madama handled them personally.”
“I don’t know,” the cook answered. “Maybe one of the girls was into something bad. Maybe Madama was involved in something illegal.”
“I won’t believe it. Madama Ector was a good woman. She treated those girls well. I never heard of one complaint, not one.”
Ninallia hid her shaking hands under the table and pretended to study the menu. She suppressed a squeak as the waitress’s approach startled her.
“I’ll have white ale, eggs, and bread.” Remembering she was passing as a boy, she added, “Can you bring a big slice of honey cake?”
The housekeeper and cook continued to talk, but she stopped listening. Tears wanted to pour down her face, but she fought them back. Madama was dead. Had she killed herself or been murdered by someone trying to find the emperor’s unborn child?
A sudden fear came over her. What if the Imperial Soldiers discover who I am? Would they find mother and Aunt Rese and kill them? I must warn them.
After finishing her meal, she made her way to the old neighborhood. No one she knew appeared to recognize the boy walking down the cobbled street as Ninallia. She drew near and noticed there were no curtains in her aunt’s window. She circled the building and climbed the back steps with a mounting sense of dread. It was empty. Her mother and aunt were both gone. Heart pounding, she raced back down.
~ * ~
Lord Hanoree stormed around his meeting chamber. He was furious that he could not interrogate Madama Ector, but her suicide confirmed his fear that a true heir to the emperor would be born. How did the empress manage that coup without anyone in his network learning of it?
“Here, drink this my lord.” Varick handed him a glass of wine.
Hanoree sipped the wine, confident that Varick added the correct amount of sedative.
“From what this housekeeper reports, the first of the possible babies won’t be born for months. By my own calculations, the earliest the royal heir could be born is five or six months off. Three women can be eliminated from the list.” Hanoree began to feel the effects of the drug and smiled. Varick knows when I need something to unwind. I should give him a minister’s position when I ascend the throne. He shook his head. But, it’s too bad I have to kill the man. Loyalty like his should be rewarded.
“We don’t have the time or luxury to wait until the baby is born and have the child tested,” Varick commented. “It would be better to track down these twenty women and kill them, all of them.”
Hanoree agreed. It would be so. In the back of his mind he began to doubt himself about Varick’s fate. Perhaps he did not need to be killed. He was brilliant, ruthless, and a loyal aide.
Hanoree shook himself. Varick knew too much. Knowledge gave him power over his master and that could not be tolerated. Soon, he would deal with the man. Soon.
Ten
Houston checked the address on the com screen on his wrist. The house was large with a marble and stone façade—a home suited for a minor Noble. Whoever Madama Ector had been, her house spoke of wealth and taste. After learning that she sent the women away before committing suicide, it was probably pointless for him to be staking out the place. He was here because, when one doesn’t have any leads, ones must start somewhere. He was almost at the point of giving up and telling the general to get him off this frigging planet. There wasn’t any coffee, and his disguise itched. He watched the housekeeper come and go as the long evening meandered into night. Houston fought the urge to go find a bed in a local hostel. Well-honed instincts were telling him this was the place he needed to be.
A slender figure walked past the Madama’s hostel before slipping behind the next house. Alert for any movement, he headed to the other side. Oh yes, the woman, and it was a woman, crossed the street and was approaching Madama’s house. She pushed open a back window and climbed in. Silent as a cat from years of training and missions, he followed.
As he drew closer he tried to decide what to say to her. She would be scared and wouldn’t trust strangers. Why would anyone in her position come back? She must know she isn’t safe here, or did she? He checked the voice activated translator, satisfied it was working.
Inside the house he could see the woman going through what appeared to be an office. Her back was to him as he moved into position. Before he could grab her, she whirled around, and in one smooth action reversed the tables. She was standing behind him and holding a weapon to his neck. What the fuck?
“I’m a friend,” was all he could think to croak. The metal of the weapon nudged further into the back of his neck. “I know about Madama Ector, the emperor, everything. I can help.”
She gave him a shove in the back, and he stumbled. “League spy! What are you doing here, and how do you know about Madama Ector?”
Houston had a bad feeling. His eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful woman holding a weapon in very steady hands. She stared at him. Something told him this was not the dumas he was looking for. “I believe I’m doing the same thing you are, trying to find a pregnant woman who used to live here. We need to locate her before she is killed.”
The woman slid the sleeve of her robe up revealing a multicolored pattern tattooed on her arm. Houston clicked a picture with the camera imbedded in his right eye. He blinked again and sent the image to the computer identification system.
In less than five seconds a tiny voice spoke into his transmitter ear bud. “Sister of the Order. The Order is a semi-religious group located in the Bananok Kingdom. It has its own independent city and is politically neutral. The Sisters and Brothers of the Order are highly trained in mental and physical abilities. They can be dangerous.”
He eyed the weapon aimed at his recently installed and very expensive artificial heart. She was dangerous. He doubted either this Sister or her Order were politically neutral. “You’re not the dumas.”
“No, and you are not Bengarian. What business is this of the League?” she demanded.
“The League does not support murder or the takeover of the Empire. We know she carries the heir, and I have been sent to get the woman and the heir off planet to safety.”
She huffed in disgust. “Are your leaders stupid enough to believe anyone in the Empire would support an emperor who was raised by the League?”
She asked a very astute question. Houston was silent for a minute. He didn’t think she was going to shoot him, not if he kept her talking. “What does the Order have to do with the Empire?”
“Everything on Bengar concerns the Order. What do you know about the woman?”
Houston was getting tired. His heart-lung capacitor was beating erratically. He backed to the wall and slid down into a sitting position. He glanced up at the beautiful woman. There was a puzzled look on her face. He held up his hand. After a few minutes the heart resumed its normal rhythm, and he could speak. “I know she is pr
egnant and is carrying the heir to the late emperor.”
She nodded. “Unfortunately, too many sources seem to know this. Madama Ector was dead because too many people did. I am here to find Madama’s records. There must be something, some clue to help identify this woman who carries the true emperor.”
Houston asked, “Wouldn’t the authorities already have taken everything when they searched?”
“Yes, if they found it.”
He could have launched himself at her and disarmed her. Instead, he studied the fine-boned face with those incredible eyes. She frowned.
“The housekeeper gave the authorities a list of the names the women used and their descriptions.” Houston didn’t know why he was telling her or how the general acquired the list.
“You, have it?” Excitement shone in her eyes. When he patted a pocket, she smiled. It was the kind of smile that could light up a room.
“Partners?”
“I believe we can work together. Where are you from?”
“Houston.”
She looked at him with confusion.
He reached out a hand. “I’m Colonel Benjamin Houston.”
She nodded again. “I am Tegani, senior Sister of the Order. May I see the list?”
~ * ~
The smell of the human, Colonel Houston, affected Tegani’s senses in ways she couldn’t understand. She was trained to suppress emotions and physical reactions, but something penetrated her guards. She bit the inside of her cheek hard; the pain helped her focus. There were twenty names on the list and brief descriptions. Not as detailed as the housekeeper provided the authorities, but sufficient. She read each name and description.
Finally, she pointed to one name. “This one, her name is Ninallia. She is a girl of fifteen. Purity would have been important to the empress. Another clue, and an important one, is the girl’s physical description. The dark hair and violet eyes are common in the Northern Plains people. The empress, whose coloring was similar, came from the northern part of the Empire.”
Houston stepped closer. His nearness sent a wave of energy flooding Tegani’s senses. She stepped back and handed him the note. “Ninallia is not an uncommon name.”
Tegani was not much of a telepath. Her gift was one of affecting physical objects. She was far from the Temple City and in need of help if she wanted to find this girl. There were Sisters and Brothers living in the Imperial City.
She focused her mind and sent a short message, Name: Ninallia. Age fifteen. It would be relayed until it reached My Lady. She panted from the effort that sending always caused those who pushed the limits of their gifts.
“Are you okay?” Concern furrowed Houston’s brow.
She smiled. As a human, never having seen anyone sending, this must seem very strange. She tried to imagine how it appeared to him. The frozen, vacant expression and rapid breathing might appear to be a seizure. “Yes, I’m sending the information we found.”
His reply was interrupted by a sudden noise at the front of the house. Someone else was there. She concentrated. The door closed, and the lock clicked. “Out the window before they find us.”
She headed toward the window, turning to see Houston sitting and staring at her in an odd way. Was he ill? She then realized he had never seen anyone manipulate matter before. “It’s called telekinesis on Earth. Let’s go!”
He struggled to his feet and moved toward the window. Tegani jumped and landed in the alley behind the house, stepping to the side in time to avoid being smashed by his heavier body. He landed nimbly with his weapon drawn. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The window slid closed and locked. He whistled as he turned to the left and headed down the alley.
When they were away from the house, he grabbed her arm. “There is a small café over there. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
She was starving. Using her mental powers always left her drained, plus her legs were aching. “I need to eat too.”
After a few minutes they were seated at a table in a corner of the café. It was small, crowded with students and other late-night customers. The scene of roasting meat and ale filled the air
They were a normal enough couple. He was a tall muscular man from the seacoast having a late supper with an attractive woman. She caught a glimpse of herself in a window and turned away. The pain of her shorn braids was fresh, though she understood why the Order could not publicly acknowledge her mission. Her thoughts were interrupted when the waiter approached to take their orders.
“Do I smell fresh mountain goat?” she inquired, smiling at the waiter. It was her favorite meat in the Temple City. When the waiter nodded, she continued, “I’ll have a roast sandwich with strong jarri sauce, a mug of black ale, and maybe a sweet pie later.”
Houston looked at the waiter and smiled. “I’ll have the same, but you may go ahead and bring my pie.”
The waiter hurried off to place their order and bring back their drinks. He sat a pitcher of the dark, fragrant ale and two glasses on the table and said, “Your food will be out soon.”
“You did some trick with the locks and window. How do you do that?” Houston poured two glasses of the ale and slid one toward her after the waiter left.
“It’s my gift. It is my area of training in the Order.”
“How long does it take to learn?”
“If it is your gift, it takes most Sisters ten years of training to develop the skill. It takes a lifetime to master it. If it is not your gift, telekinesis is almost impossible to learn.”
Two platters with large slabs of meat and bread arrived, and they grew quiet while eating. The sauce was perfect, bringing a touch of heat to the dish. They were discussing another pitcher of ale when the waiter approached, bowed, then handed Tegani a small piece of paper. “From the lady by the door.”
She whirled and saw the back of a woman dressed in dark robes leaving. She recognized a fellow Sister of the Order instantly. The robes, intricately beaded braids, the way she walked—all spoke of Temple training.
Tegani unfolded the paper and read the message: Ninallia of Rishual, daughter of Vicori from the village of Shunni. Last known address is in the southern slums of the Imperial City. 215 Runnel House Row # 10. She slid the note across the table.
Houston smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Let’s meet here in the morning and go to the girl’s address.”
A good suggestion. Suffering from lack of sleep, Tegani agreed to rest and meet at the same eatery in the morning to scout the girl’s neighborhood.
Eleven
Houston stood for thirty minutes in front of the café cursing his stupidity. Of course, she’d lied. The fact Tegani was beautiful with an innocent face meant nothing. He raised a hand and hailed a personal transport. After barking out the address, he sat back. He felt like choking her. His temper cooled by the time the transport arrived in the poorer section of the city. In truth he might have done the same thing if his hormones weren’t reacting to her.
Tegani stood near a fruit stand and stared across at an apartment building. He walked up and took her by the arm. “I thought we were working together.”
“I decided to get an early start,” she said. “The apartment is empty. Her family fled after the emperor’s murder.”
“Why are we here?”
Her head jerked to the side, and a finger rose to her lips. She pointed at a boy walking past the apartments. His clothes were too fine for this area, and his walk was stilted. “That’s her,” Tegani whispered.
With the speed of a jungle predator, Houston closed in on the figure as Tegani hurried close behind. One couldn’t snatch someone off the street, even in this neighborhood. Well, apparently, he could and did. He grabbed the girl and yanked her into an alley. His hand was clamped over her mouth.
Tegani dashed after them and spoke rapidly to the struggling girl. “Ninallia, it’s okay. We’re friends. We mean you no harm.” She repeated the refrain for the third time.
The girl stilled then delivered a vi
cious kick to Houston’s non-artificial knee. He grunted but held on.
Tegani raised an arm. The sleeve fell open, revealing her tattoos. “I’m a Sister of the Order. I have been sent to help you.”
The girl collapsed into Tegani’s arms. Her sobs shook the thin body. Tegani patted her back and shared a look with Houston. The girl’s disguise was effective. If her training had made her skilled at watching for signs, they might have passed over the young boy walking in a seedy area of the city.
The trio exited the alley. In case she tried to bolt, Houston kept his arm around the girl’s shoulder. Tegani noted she thought that was unnecessary. The girl seemed relieved to have found help at last.
“How did you find me? How did you recognize me?” The girl turned toward Tegani as if Houston’s presence was unimportant.
“Let’s leave and find a place to rest.” Houston hailed a personal transport.
Tegani frowned and whispered, “No one in this neighbor would have credits enough for personal transport. We should find a public station.”
“I am a well-to-do businessman visiting the Imperial City. I have plenty of credits.”
The transport arrived, and the trio got into the private aircab.
“Your destination, good sir?” the driver queried.
“A family hostel please. We are not from this city and were dropped off in this unfortunate area. Nothing here is suitable for my family.”
The driver rubbed his chin. “How much can you pay?” His question was directed toward Houston, who was likely perceived as the husband and father.
“Nothing is too grand for my wife. A small quiet place in one of the better areas of town would be perfect. Perhaps one with a view of the Imperial Palace.”
The driver smiled. “I know just the place.”
The transport wound its way through the city as the driver pointed out sites of interest. They arrived at a small elegant inn with a view of the palace gates in the distance. Houston paid the driver and tipped generously. The driver looked at him strangely as he drove off.
The Reluctant Empress Page 5
