The queen cleared her throat. "Members of the council, I have a dire matter to discuss. The Trimutians are on our borders and are mercilessly pressing into our territory. We have issued restraints and they ignore them. Our next step is to declare war. I'm here today, per League orders, to let all of you know our intentions."
His father scowled. "Why have you waited to tell us this? You should have sought counsel to help police the Trimutians."
"We are a private nation. Proud. We don't seek help when we can deal with the matter on our own."
What that...?
Caillen told himself to keep silent, but as the council began to back her war, he couldn't. He saw through her plan as easily as he saw through her clothes and he couldn't stand by and let an innocent nation be victimized by a profiteering bitch. "The Trimutians are on your borders you say?"
She passed him the most scathing glare of his life--an impressive feat, really, considering how many people he managed to piss off on a daily basis. "I don't like to repeat myself."
"I can respect that. But I am curious, Your Majesty. Can you tell me how long they've been pressing you?"
"Almost a year."
Really? Caillen scowled as he digested that. Seemed odd and off. Then again, she was lying and he knew it. "How many of their armada would you say have been harassing your borders?"
"The majority of it. Every time we turn around, one of them is attacking. They've taken up refuge on one of our colonies and have been holding its inhabitants as hostages, demanding we pay or they'll kill them."
Oh yeah... Bull. Shit. It was so thick, they could grow a garden.
Caillen looked around at the faces of the senators whose glares were silently telling him to shut his mouth. But he couldn't. Nothing she said made sense in his world. A colony of Qills would be armed for war and woe to anyone dumb enough to try and take them hostage. It would have been a bloodbath so severe, they'd still be running news segments on it. "For a year?"
"Is that not what I said?"
Nice tone there and if his father wasn't sitting to his left, he'd elevate it up a notch. As it was, he kept his tone level, nice and calm. "It is indeed, Your Majesty. However, I find it odd that they'd be on your borders and occupying a foreign colony when the bulk of their armada is in the Brimen sector for training and has been for the last six months. Their borders are manned by a skeleton fleet that has its hands full dealing with runners and pirates. Therefore, I'm baffled by this phantom group holding your people hostage. Have you considered they're rogues and not backed by the Trimutians?"
Her cheeks flushed as she realized he'd caught her in a lie. "Are you daring to question me?"
The Gondarion governor cleared his throat sharply as he glared at him. "Prince Caillen, we don't speculate here. We only discuss facts."
Caillen took offense at the man's censoring tone that said he thought Caillen was an idiot. He narrowed his gaze and spoke slowly so that the imbecile could follow him. "And I'm giving you facts, Senator. Look it up. The Trimutian territory is the shortest run from Starken to Altaria. Pirates call it the Golden Lightyear because for the last two years, it's been the easiest payday they've seen in decades. It's why the Trimutians have sent their armada in for training. They're trying to come up with some way to catch the pirates and rout them out of their system without losing their entire fleet. The major revenue stream for Trimala has always been shipping and their cargoes are easy pickings. Their colonies are rich in resources, so it doesn't make sense that they'd go after Qillaq territory which only has a pittance of raw materials and open another front to their war while their armada is stretched perilously thin by the thieves plaguing them. However, it makes total sense for the Qillaqs to declare war on them and attack while they're weak and then claim their resources as their own."
The queen shot to her feet. "How dare you!"
Desideria pressed her lips together as the Exeterian prince held his cool against her mother. It wasn't often that anyone got the better of their queen and she was impressed that he'd managed to do so. He was intelligent and courageous to speak his mind when it was obvious the others wanted him to remain silent.
font size="3">Even with her mother's fury, his eyes held a teasing light in them that said he was used to conflict and found the sparring entertaining. How odd...
"There's no need to be angry, Your Majesty. We all understand profiteering. Me more than the others. I respect your plan. Good luck getting it past the League."
"I already have their backing."
Desideria cringed at her mother tipping her hand. No doubt that was Prince Caillen's intention.
One corner of his mouth turned up into an evil grin. "Then you better attack quick because the minute I leave here, I'm making a call to a friend. I assure you, the League might back you, but the Trimutians won't be as weak as they were before and when my friend hears about this, the League won't be so nice either."
Sarra's gaze left Caillen and went to his father. "You allow a child to speak for you?"
To Desideria's surprise, his father didn't back down. "My son is far from a child and he has more battle experience than the commander of my armada. I always take his advice... as should you."
The look of hell wrath on her mother's face said that they should tighten their borders too. "I'm done here." Her mother stormed from the room.
Desideria stood quickly, but not before she caught a wink from the prince.
Oh what a moron. Had he no idea what he'd just done? Stupid fool. Her mother wouldn't rest until she had him in chains. In the end, it would be her mother laughing, not him.
Once the room was cleared of the Qills, every eye turned on Caillen who suddenly felt like he'd sprouted a second head.
The Gondarion governor curled his lip. "Sarra will want all of our lives after this. None of us are safe. Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut? Better the Trimutians than us."
"What have you done?"
"You idiot! How could you do this?"
"Damn it, Evzen, did you have to bring him here?"
Flabbergasted by their assault, Caillen couldn't hear the rest of the attacks because they all melded together into a cacophonous amalgamation of insults. But it was the disappointed look on his father's face that cut him. His father looked ashamed.
And that set his temper on fire.
That's it. He'd had enough. No more of this shit. How dare they attack him, a lying, smuggling thief, for having morals. They were supposed to be the ones who kept the laws. The hypocrisy made him sick.
Rising to his feet, he flung his robes to the ground and glared at them. "Shame on you. All of you. I have met some of the lowest life forms in the universe. Beings who would sell their own mothers and children for the right price. And to say that I'd rather swap watered-down drinks with them in the back dive of hell than sit here and listen to you whine about the fact that you're all willing to throw an entire system into war because you're all afraid to stand up to one queen from one tiny empire. What kind of cowards are you? If this is your idea of diplomacy, then why have you bothered to sign League treaties? Why not just let the governments go back to the free-for-all they were before the League took power? No wonder the League runs over all of you." He raked them with his own disdainful sneer. "This isn't civilized. It's selfish and it should be criminal. And with all due offense, I'd rather hang with the criminals than any of you. At least they have a moral code, fucked up though it is."
Disgusted, he stormed from the room and left them there to condemn him for it.
If he was going to be judged, it would be for who he was. Not who he was trying to be. And if the Qill queen wanted his head. Let her take a number.
In the meantime, he had places to go, a life to live and a universe to set on fire...
9
Desideria watched as the Slexan governor bowed low before her mother. For the last half an hour, he'd apologized profusely for Prince Caillen's actions and had assured her mother that the rest of them did n
ot support the prince's position.
Bloody cowards. She had no respect for them. At least Caillen had spoken his mind and the fact that he stood alone made him even more heroic in her eyes.
The governor had also promised her mother that the prince would be adequately punished for insulting her.
I'd pay money to see that. Prince Caillen didn't seem like the kind of man to bow down before anyone. Never mind coming here to apologize in person like her mother demanded.
It should be entertaining.
After the governor left, her mother rose from her desk to stare angrily at them. She was still seething over her public set down and had ranted nonstop since their return to her office suite. "I'd leave this place, but I refuse to give that bastard the satisfaction of thinking he was the cause of it. I will remain if for no other reason than to be a thorn in his ass." But it was obvious that staying here was the last thing her mother wanted to do. Not that she blamed her.
She didn't want to be here either and a small part of herself that she didn't want to acknowledge had enjoyed seeing her mother receive a little bit of what her mother been shoveling at her for years.
Go, Caillen, go.
The door opened to admit Pleba back into the room. She'd left right before the governor had shown up to attend some mysterious errand her mother had sent her on.
Pleba bowed low before she spoke words that shredded Desideria's entire world. "As per your orders, I've sent for Desideria's replacement, My Quen. Burna will arrive within the next four hours to relieve her of her post."
Desideria pretended not to hear the words that stung so deeply they might as well be hitting her soul. Worse were the smug and snide looks the others turned in her direction. They were thrilled to see her sent home in disgrace. I should have stayed in my room. But she'd thought to prove herself by rejoining them for the earlier meeting and taking her post here.
Big mistake.
Obviously her mother had already made the decision to relieve her.
Fine. No doubt her mother would demote her back to child status as soon as they reached home. And for what? Trying to protect her? Yeah, that did make her feel a childish urge to scream out that it was unfair.
Whatever. There was nothing she could do.
Look on the bright side, if they kill her while you're gone, you won't be executed for it.
True. But she wasn't that petty and as she stood flanking the room with the rest of the Guard, she knew at least one of them was a traitor. One of them was plotting her death and that of her mother. Right now. While that person pretended to do her job, she was one step away from attacking.
The hypocrisy of that churned inside her.
But who?
How?
Most of all, when would the betrayer attack?
Her mother's bedroom would be the most likely place. As per her mother's request there were no cameras there. Only a panic button. But if her mother couldn't get to it...
Or if it was deactivated...
A bad feeling went through her. She needed to check the wiring to make sure no one had messed with it. Think what you will of me, I won't neglect my duties. She would protect her mother no matter what. So long as she was on this ship, she would do her due diligence even while they all laughed at her for it.
She cleared her throat to get her mother's attention. "May I be excused, My Queen?"
Her mother didn't even bother answering verbally. She waved at her dismissively. Desideria balled her hands into fists to keep from returning that gesture with an obscene one of her own that would get her into even more trouble.
Without another word, she left the room and headed down the hallway, toward their bed chambers to check her mother's personal quarters. And after that, she needed to pack to return home.
In shame.
Profanity danced in her thoughts as she imagined what she'd like to do to her mother over this latest humiliation. Honestly, she was sick of it. She wasn't a child and she was through being treated like one. Too many years of humiliation and condemnation left a raw bitter in her heart. She didn't deserve this.
Not when she'd been doing her duty.
Desideria had almost reached her mother's chambers when a door opened behind her. For the tiniest moment her heart skipped a beat as an image of Prince Caillen popped into her head. She could just imagine what he'd look like with his eyes dancing in fury as he stalked toward her with a warrior's lethal grace to apologize to her mother...
Before she could think better, she turned her head, hoping to catch a glimpse of him again.
It wasn't Caillen.
Instead a figure in a hooded dark gray cloak moved past her with quick strides. Not thinking anything about it, she started forward only to find her way blocked as the figure stopped and turned as if heading back toward his or her room.
"Excuse me." She tried to pass the stranger.
The person stepped in front of her, intentionally blocking her way.
A sudden flash of silver caught her attention as a blade came out from under the cloak's folds to dart toward her throat. Her training kicked in. She caught the attack and head butted her assailant. Another knife came up in the other hand, slashing for her arm.
Desideria dodged and went low to sweep at the legs. But the moment she did, someone came up behind her and caught a garrote around her neck. Gasping, she was jerked back, off her feet, and dragged down the hallway toward her room. She tried to call for help, but the tightness around her throat kept her from making anything more than a hoarse croak.
"We need her dead. Remember, it has to look like she committed suicide in shame."
Her vision dimmed as she kicked her feet, fighting for her freedom and her life. She would not die. Not like this. Not at the hands of a coward who attacked from behind. Desperately, she clutched at the hands holding on to the garrote, but she couldn't get a good grip on them. Rage scorched her. She couldn't stand someone getting the better of her. The fact that they were going to kill her if she didn't win made it all the worse.
Her vision dimmed.
She was losing this fight...
Suddenly her attacker went flying into the wall beside her. The cord dropped from her throat, allowing her to breathe again. The sudden rush of unencumbered air into her lungs left her light-headed and faint. She wheezed and coughed, trying to get her bearings as she turned over on the floor. But all she saw was a dark blur as it attacked her assailants and threw them every which way.
It wasn't until he caught the first attacker and rebounded the masked figure into the wall that she realized it was Caillen who'd saved her.
And just as she suspected, he fought like a seasoned soldier, not an aristos.
She'd barely pushed herself to her feet when she saw Pleba and Tyree rushing down the hallway to assist them. Now her attackers would pay and her mother would know she wasn't stupid for trying to protect her.
But her relief was cut short as they went for Caillen and not her attackers.
Holy gods...
They were in on the plot!
Caillen saw the assassin's eyes narrow past his shoulder. Since the Qill Guard was in front of him, he knew it meant reinforcements were coming at his back. He turned just in time to catch the first one and launch her into the assassin.
The second one lifted a blaster. He dodged the blast an instant before it would have exploded his head.
The one he'd thrown picked up her link and shouted into it for security. "Help! We're being attacked by the Exeterian prince! He's mad. He's trying to assassinate our princess. We need immediate assistance." She leveled her own blaster at him as she muted the link. "Give my regards to the gods."
He gaped, then dodged her blast as he realized they were setting him up to die. "You harita!" he snarled at the cute Guard he'd thought he was saving when he entered the fray. How could he have been so stupid as to think a Qill would be hurt?
Idiot!
Not only had he embarrassed his father--again--he was abo
ut to be charged with a crime he hadn't committed. And all because of her.
Nice revenge from their bitch queen.
Desideria was baffled by his insult and the look of hatred blazing in his eyes as he glared at her. But her confusion died as she saw Pleba set her weapon for kill and open fire on them. She had to do something or they were both dead.
Reacting on instinct, she launched herself at Caillen and knocked him into the wall, out of the line of fire. The moment she did, the wall shimmered and opened, dumping them into an escape pod.
Thank the gods for small favors. She hadn't realized a portal was there.
Now she had to seal it before Pleba and the others shot through it. Unable to read the panels which were in a language she didn't know, she made a guess as to which button would shut the door and notify security. Red most likely would launch them, so she hit an orange button in the center of the console. The door shot down, protecting them from the others.
Relieved she let out an elongated breath and sat back to wait for security.
Until she realized the engines were firing and the pod was launching while they were trapped inside it.
Crap...
10
His head throbbing from being slammed into a hard steel wall by a wom/fo wanted to throttle, Caillen cursed as he regained his equilibrium and realized what was happening.
They were launching away from the Arimanda.
Mobilizing, he climbed over his female annoyance who appeared frozen in horror by her actions, but by the time he reached the console, it was too late.
They were adrift and the ship was leaving them in its wake. Son of a...
Would the misery of this day never end? He sat down in the black leather chair next to hers and shook his head as deep aggravation filled him.
There was nothing he could do to stop this. Nothing. He let out a slow, agitated breath and cursed his crappy luck that had betrayed him yet again. Of all the flipping shit...
"Can't we catch up to the ship?"
Oh yeah, there was an award-winning question of the day and it set his temper boiling.
He gave her a withering glare. Not even the vulnerable look on her face that made her extremely attractive could cut through his need to want to launch her out an air lock head first. Still, he forced himself to keep his tone even and his sarcasm at an acceptable level that wouldn't quite motivate her to murder--no need in both of them being pissed in tight quarters. "We have one small thruster that's only strong enough to safely land us on a planet."
Born of Shadows Page 9
