“Good morning, Your Highness!”
Alexander immediately knew it was a robot. Only a machine could be this chipper this early in the morning.
“Who is this?” the prince asked, tasting something awful in his mouth.
“Cornelius, Prince Richard’s execubot.”
“Right,” Alexander said, coughing.
“Did I wake you, Your Highness?”
“As far as I can tell.”
“Please accept my humble apologies then, Prince Alexander,” Cornelius said. “It’s just that your brother would very much like to talk to you this morning.”
Alexander touched his phone, switching from audio only to video. The faceless faceplate of Cornelius filled the screen.
“Oh, dear,” the robot said.
The prince instinctively ran his hands through his hair, trying to mat it down. He knew he hadn’t shaved in at least a day, but there wasn’t much he could do about that now.
“Can’t this wait?” Alexander asked.
“Unfortunately, no I’m afraid.”
“Screw it. Go ahead and put him on.”
“Very good, sir!”
Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Alexander started feeling a sharp ache in his jaw where Lord Tagus had punched him.
Prince Richard’s face appeared on the phone.
“Good god, man!” Richard said.
“You’ve seen me look worse,” Alexander replied.
“Sadly, that’s true.”
“What do you want?”
“I should think you know exactly what this is about.”
“I swear I thought she was eighteen,” Alexander said.
“No, Alexander, I’m talking about your brawl with Lord Tagus last night. Wait, what did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“This is no time for jokes,” Richard said. “I didn’t complain when you slept with that archsenator’s wife or when you and the archsenator fought a duel over it — which is illegal by the way – and you put him in the hospital. All of these things pale in comparison to fighting a member of the Tagus family. Do you actually know what this means?”
“Awkward stares in the palace cafeteria?”
“No, you nitwit. As long as the Five Families stay civil, the Imperium survives. If any of us actually fought each other, all hell would break loose.”
Alexander made a snorting sound.
“Oh, please,” he said. “The Families are constantly at each other’s throats.”
“Behind the scenes perhaps, but the status quo is always maintained,” Richard replied. “There’s too much to lose otherwise for all of us.”
“Whatever. None of that is my problem.”
“You’re the emperor’s son, Alexander. You represent the family, whether you like it or not, so I suggest you take it seriously.”
After a pause, Alexander said, “Alright, what do you want me to do?”
“Well, for starters,” Richard said, “you should probably stay out of the public eye for a while.”
“Good idea.”
“To that end, Katherine is heading to Revenna, apparently to see Mother. I think you should go along.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously,” Richard replied. “It might do you some good...”
Archsenator Tarkio was used to the open spaces inside the Imperial Senate, but the Emperor’s Council chamber seemed almost intimate in comparison. Granted, the flooring was teak and the walls were covered with priceless paintings, but the furnishings were understated, even business-like. A long, oval table filled most of the room. At the head was a throne of sorts, but even the emperor’s chair seemed designed to avoid extravagance.
The archsenators, individually and in small groups, began filing in from the adjoining parlor. A few were commoners, but most were nobles from the lesser families. Members of the Five Families themselves could not become archsenators since, by law, they were considered too powerful to run for the Imperial Senate in the first place.
The prestige of sitting at the Council table with the emperor was the pinnacle of each senator’s career. To secure enough senate votes to be named archsenator meant bending arms and parliamentary rules until outright bribery was not out of the question. It would be worth it, Tarkio thought, knowing the good he could now achieve in such a high place of power.
They took their seats around the oval table and waited until, through a door behind the emperor’s chair, Prince Richard entered, nodded to the others, and sat down. Then, Counselor Kalidas came in.
“His Majesty, Emperor Hector Augustus!” Kalidas announced.
Everyone stood as Augustus swept into the room, shook the hands of those nearest to him and sat. Kalidas placed a datapad in front of the emperor while the others took their seats.
“Thank you all for coming,” Augustus said. “What’s the first order of business?”
“The matter of the recent spate of pirate attacks, Your Majesty,” Kalidas said.
“And that bastard Durant Blixx, I suppose,” Augustus said.
“Indeed,” Kalidas replied.
“What does the senate have to say about these attacks?” Augustus asked, addressing the archsenators.
Several of the elder politicians mumbled answers, but Tarkio, sitting at the far end of the table, could barely make out what they were saying. He lacked seniority to sit closer, but he was also determined to be heard.
“If I may,” Tarkio said in an emphatic voice, “these pirate attacks tear at the very fabric of the Imperium!”
Everyone in the room, even Prince Richard, stopped and looked directly at Archsenator Tarkio.
“Is that so?” Emperor Augustus said.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It’s good to hear from the back of the room for a change!” Augustus said. “Get on with it then...”
Tarkio’s throat tightened.
“Well,” he said, coughing into his fist, “the provincial governors, the trade guilds, and even the public are up in arms about Durant Blixx and his raiders. We can’t sit in our ivory tower, hoping these attacks will just go away. We need to do something and do it now!”
Silence.
Then, someone began cackling. Tarkio realized it was the emperor himself.
“Well said!” Augustus shouted.
Several of the senior archsenators scowled at Tarkio, but began applauding anyway. A few statesmen closest to him, who shared his thirst for attention, shook Tarkio’s hand and even patted him on the back.
Tarkio knew it was a risk speaking out of turn, but he knew it would be worth it. It would all be worth it.
After the session adjourned, Tarkio stood making small talk with the other archsenators in the parlor next to the council chamber. Tarkio felt the excitement of completing his first session. This was compounded when Prince Richard appeared and wanted to talk to him.
“Very impressive,” the prince said.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” the archsenator replied.
“Sometimes the gulf between the palace and the senate can seem like an ocean,” Richard went on, “but I agreed with what you said, especially about the pirate attacks.”
“There doesn’t need to be a difference between common sense and common ground.”
The prince chuckled. “Indeed.”
“I wasn’t raised from nobility,” Tarkio said, “but a threat to the Imperium affects me as much as you.”
“If I’m being honest, I’ve followed your rise in the senate with interest. I was happy to see you elected to the Council.”
“Really?” Tarkio said, not entirely believing what he heard. “Most of the time the palace ignores what’s happening in the senate.”
“Not at all,” Richard said. “We’re not as isolated as you might imagine. Of course, some politicians seem more concerned with their own reelection than passing legislation.”
“Maybe,” Tarkio said, “but it’s the nature of the institution. We’re not born into power as others
are.”
Both men grinned, eying each other. At that moment, several of the other archsenators began talking excitedly.
Tarkio grabbed one by the arm.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Terrible news,” the man said, showing them his datapad. On the screen, a news bulletin was flashing:
SENATOR JOAN MARSHAL FOUND
DEAD FROM APPARENT SUICIDE
MORE DETAILS ON VOX NEWS
“Dear lord,” the prince said.
Tarkio remarked, “The loss of her son was a terrible blow.”
“I see what you mean. They say there’s nothing sadder than a parent who outlives her children.”
“Actually, she still had a daughter.”
“I had no idea. I thought her daughter died years ago.”
“Apparently not.”
“My condolences to her daughter then,” the prince said. “But to my original point, I wanted to thank you for taking these pirate attacks so seriously. I swear some in my family couldn’t care less.”
“Not the emperor, surely?” Tarkio asked in alarm.
“Heavens, no!” the prince replied. “I meant my brother and sister...”
“Ah, of course. Siblings can be difficult at times, I’m told.”
“You have no idea,” Richard confided. “At least they’re headed to our mother’s on Revenna. Hopefully that will keep them out of trouble for a while.”
Tarkio smiled politely. “Well, let’s hope so...”
Chapter Eight
Lord Maycare’s yacht, the Acaz, descended into the thick cloud cover enveloping Hekla VII. Watching through the window as the ship descended into the atmosphere, Jessica Doric stood behind the captain’s seat where Maycare sat at the controls with Bentley next to him in the co-pilot’s chair.
After minutes of nothing but curtains of gray, the Acaz broke through the clouds. Just as the survey team’s report had said, the terrain was nothing but bleak snow and jagged, granite cliffs. As the ship skimmed along at a few thousand feet, a volcano came into view. From the crater at the top, a shower of ash fell across the surrounding heights, giving the mountain a dark outline against the white landscape.
Following the coordinates Doric had given him, Maycare flew to a grouping of stone obelisks at the base of the volcano. From their shapes, the rocks were clearly man-made, although Doric doubted men had actually made them. Maycare set the ship down, sending a whirlwind of snowflakes swirling around the cockpit windows. Doric, Maycare, and even Henry Riff donned winter gear for the frigid temperatures outside. Bentley elected to stay aboard to look after the ship.
“I don’t care for the cold,” the robot said.
A ramp in the belly of the Acaz lowered, letting in a gale of biting ice crystals. Doric winced at the pain and pulled her fur-lined hood down a little tighter over her goggles.
“Alright,” Maycare said, “let’s get going.”
Stomping down the ramp, the three trotted through the snow toward the stone grouping. Within minutes, they came to a set of steps. They followed the stairs up a short hillside, the volcano dominating their view just beyond. When they reached the top, the knoll flattened into what Doric assumed must have been a temple long ago. Now, only a few wind-worn columns remained. A little farther on, not more than twenty or thirty feet, Doric spotted a low altar.
“This must be a thousand years old,” Henry said.
“I’d say at least five,” Doric replied.
“There’s something coming out of the ground,” Lord Maycare pointed to a spot just in front of the altar. “What is that? Smoke?”
Doric came closer. One of the pillars had toppled over and severely damaged one of the slabs making up the floor. From between the cracks, threads of vapor dissipated into the wind.
“No, I think it’s steam,” she said.
In a semi-circle, they stood over the cracked stone.
“I wonder what’s under there...” Henry said, his voice trailing off.
“One way to find out,” Maycare replied.
He lifted a sizable piece of lava rock and, before Doric could stop him, dropped it where the steam percolated up. It made a hollow thud.
Maycare pounded the slab again and then a third time. The crack widened into a crevice while clouds of hot moisture billowed from the hole.
“I think I see a staircase!” Maycare said, discarding the rock and crouching down on one knee. He reached into the crevice and pulled open the slab with a heave.
Doric grabbed a scanner from her pocket and took a reading.
“These energy signatures match the ones from the survey,” she said. “The source must be somewhere inside the mountain.”
“Well, this looks like the easiest way in,” Maycare said. “Unless you want to climb the side of that volcano...”
A puff of smoke belched from the volcano in the distance, followed seconds later by a tremor beneath their feet.
“On the other hand,” Doric said, “it might not be safe underground if the ceiling collapses.”
Maycare smiled.
“You know just what to say to win me over,” he said and disappeared down the hole.
Lord Maycare landed in the dark. Switching on a flashlight, he sent the beam down a long corridor. Like the temple above, the walls and ceiling were constructed from stone slabs.
“Come on down!” he shouted.
After Doric and Henry joined him, the three of them began shedding their cold-weather gear in the warm steam of the tunnel. Now suitably dressed, they followed the corridor a few hundred feet until it opened into a natural lava tube running left to right.
“Which way now?” Maycare asked.
Doric pointed her sensor in both directions, but the readings to the right were more pronounced.
“That way,” she said.
They followed the tunnel for several minutes, the air becoming progressively hotter with every step. The incline also turned steeper, headed downward.
“It really stinks in here,” Henry coughed.
“That’s sulfur from the volcano,” Doric said. “We should be close to the mountain by now.”
“I see light up ahead,” Maycare said, turning off his flashlight.
The lava tube glowed orange that only grew brighter as they went deeper. Reaching the end, they emerged into a domed cavern laced with rivers of molten magma. The lava, churning between dark and bright red, lit the ceiling above with flickering, hellish shadows.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Doric said. “This room must have been part of a larger magma chamber. I see more lava tubes farther up the walls.”
“There’s a path to the other side,” Maycare said. “We could walk across.”
“Um, that seems kinda dangerous,” Henry said.
“Where’s your spirit of adventure?” Maycare asked him.
“In my luggage?” Henry replied. “I could go back and get it.”
“It’s alright, Henry,” Doric said. “Lord Maycare and I can go on without you.”
“Alone?” Henry asked. “I think I’d better stay with you guys, if that’s okay.”
“That’s the spirit!” Maycare bellowed, heading off across the cavern.
Above Hekla VII, the dull gray shape of the Sorcerer slid into orbit. On the bridge, Oscar Skarlander waited while the sensor chief scanned the surface.
“I’ve detected the Acaz,” the chief said.
“Show me,” Skarlander replied.
On the main monitor, the view of the planet from orbit changed into a topographic map covered in light blue contours. Not far from a tall, volcanic peak, a ship’s outline was visible.
Skarlander resisted the urge to gloat. Reading through the information on his datapad, he saw the emails between Maycare and Jessica Doric. If his lordship’s robot hadn’t left such an obvious trail when it hacked the University’s system, Warlock would never have even known about the breach. Then, it was just a matter of backtracking until Warlock’s team had
hacked into Maycare’s own servers.
“Prepare the transmat,” he said.
Lord Maycare was nearly halfway across the lava chamber when he heard a warble from inside his pants pocket. It was Bentley on the communicator.
“There’s a ship in orbit,” Bentley said. “It won’t answer my hails and I detected a transmat signature a few moments ago.”
“You better take off and wait in orbit until you hear back from me,” Maycare replied.
“What’s going on?” Henry asked.
“I think we’re about to have visitors,” Maycare said.
A man’s voice, as if floating above the floor, pierced the gloom.
“Hello down there!” he bellowed. “So nice to finally meet you in person, Lord Maycare.”
Looking up, Maycare saw three men standing at the lip of one of the lava tubes about ten feet off the ground. The man in the center had both hands on his hips and smiled behind a dark beard. The other two, larger and more menacing, carried blasters pointed in their direction.
“Who the hell are you?” Maycare shouted back.
“I’m Oscar Skarlander,” he said, “from Warlock Industries.”
“I’ve heard of you,” Maycare said, shooting a glance at Doric beside him.
“And who’s that with you?” Skarlander said.
“I’m Professor Jessica Doric,” she answered for herself.
“Ah, yes,” Skarlander said. “I’ve read your papers from the University.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Your findings were amateurish, but your grammar was impeccable.”
“Son of a—” Doric started.
“What do you want?” Maycare interrupted.
“Same as you,” he said. “There’s a power source in this volcano and I’m here to claim it.”
“Well, you can’t!” Henry shouted.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I can!” Skarlander said.
Two blooms of yellow light burst through the semi-darkness, lancing the lava rock on either side of Maycare and his companions.
“Hold your fire!” Maycare shouted. “We’re unarmed!”
“An oversight you may not live to regret!” Skarlander yelled back.
Maycare felt a tremor and saw the magma around them starting to bubble. Before he could process the significance, Jessica Doric was grabbing him by the arm.
Imperium Chronicles Box Set Page 8
