by Val Roberts
They pulled into the parking area outside the Barian consulate half an hour later, after Vallan had handed over her diplomatic passport and explained the appointment with the Consul. Silean climbed out of the coach with the hood of her cloak pulled far forward, because this wasn't a state visit and she wanted as few Bariani as possible to see the Matriarch herself arriving like a common petitioner.
They were escorted through the public areas of the main building until they reached an office door flanked on both sides by large men with modern guns. Silean eyed the weapons as the male secretary knocked softly, then went in by himself at the muffled acknowledgment. The weapons looked sleek and very, very deadly, making her wonder how many Zonans each could kill before requiring a new battery, or whatever powered the evil things.
Praise the Goddess that Zona had never seen need to create things like them. Women had always been able to talk their way into resolving problems without killing their children, praise the Serene Mother. She would hate to think what would happen if women didn't, because when they fought, they gave no quarter and had no mercy. That was the main reason all of the Matriarch's Own were women.
The door opened again and the secretary gestured them in. She allowed Vallan to precede her, only raising a hand to twitch her hood forward a little more, since the Barian Consul—really an ambassador but she would never admit that publicly—knew her face well.
"Let me guess, Vallan,” Tomal Codreascu said as he rose from his seat behind the desk. “Somebody fainted when the airship took off this morning."
To her credit, Vallan laughed and moved forward to shake his hand in the Bariani greeting of equals. “Nothing so silly as that, I'm afraid. Tomal, we have a problem that I think my companion can best explain.” The secretary took his opportunity to leave, pulling the door shut behind him.
Silean pulled her hood back and was satisfied with Codreascu's split-second of frozen shock. “Your negotiator has disappeared with my daughter, and I want her back. Now."
"The p—the negotiator is missing? How very odd.” Codreascu said smoothly. He was good at his job, she'd give him that. But she wasn't in the mood to put up with diplomatic stonewalling. “I will begin an investigation immediately, Your Majesty."
"You can start at the Balsom city morgue. Three of his party are being prepared for burial there.” She forced a superior sniff. “Perhaps you can identify them, since we were never presented with the necessary papers and everything is missing but the dead."
Codreascu paled again. “Gods, could one of them be the ... negotiator?” Something in the way he kept stumbling over the term flagged an alarm in Silean's mind. This negotiator wasn't a simple diplomat. He was someone much more important, and in Barian, that meant someone who didn't have a clue when it came to Zonan morality. She had no fear that Taryn couldn't handle one bored and amorous Bariani, but the man had six others with him who might be just as inept. Even her little fighter couldn't take on that many. Her analysis had to be brief, because he was waiting for an answer, a comment, some sort of response. Something Codreascu had no ready defense for, and he was male. And Barian.
It would have to be the Outraged Mother.
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Chapter Three
"Goddess, man, what have you brought into the Lady's Jewel?” she demanded, advancing on him. “What Bariani animal has Taryn in his clutches, and what is he going to do to my baby?"
Codreascu backed away and licked his lips as if he were thinking furiously. “I'm sure that His Excellency will, in the finest traditions of Bariani nobility, protect any woman in his custody.” He winced immediately after the final word, probably realizing it was an unfortunate choice. As far as Silean was concerned, it was an incredible relief, because she couldn't order her own people killed to protect Taryn any more than she had been able to keep Commander Varakis in the Matriarch's Own after the woman had saved her child's life.
"If he does not, I will hold you, Barian, and the person of the Barian Crown wholly and individually responsible,” she told him in as cold a voice as she could command. “Can big, bad Barian manage the international and interplanetary scandal of picking on defenseless little Zona because one of their diplomats couldn't keep his pants fastened?"
Codreascu swallowed audibly and seemed to be at a loss for several seconds. “If you ladies will excuse me,” he finally said in a faint voice, “I must consult with my superiors before taking any direct action in this situation."
"You do that, Tomal Codreascu,” Silean agreed. “You tell Ramondar this is exactly why Zona has been asking for a female consul for so very long. I will be waiting for his response.” She pulled her hood back up to cover her face as a signal the conversation was over, then swept out of the room with Vallan in her wake.
"That might have been a bit thick, Your Majesty,” Vallan murmured when they reached the coach.
"With luck, they'll be nervous enough of their reputation not to ask any questions about why a Zonan prince was escorting the negotiator,” Silean murmured back. “And with all the luck the Serene Mother has to give, Taryn won't have killed the son-of-a-bitch for trying exactly what Codreascu is now afraid of.” She opened the door. “Besides, the one thing I've learned in thirty years of negotiating with the von Stassos crown is that you always lay it on thickest when you're in a position of weakness."
"What happens when they figure out the Bariani party was attacked by Zonans?” Vallan asked as she climbed in.
Silean seated herself and closed the door behind them. “We start dancing as fast as we can and wait for Taryn to get us out of this mess."
"What if she can't?” Vallan's question was quiet, but tense.
"She's never failed me before,” Silean responded with all the grim expectation she felt inside, then rapped the wall to let the driver know they were settled. She chewed her lip, deep in thought for the entire trip back to the palace, and bit it hard enough to taste blood when the coach passed through a pothole.
* * * *
Talyn swept through the outer offices of Silvergard headquarters with her head held high and her stride purposeful. She ignored the wake of twittering clerks and made her way directly to the captain's private office.
"Your Royal Highness, please allow me to announce you,” the captain's secretary said, trying to interpose herself between Talyn and the door to the inner sanctum.
"Oh, I think I'll surprise her,” Talyn said with a casual air as she fixed the woman with a look that said her career was over if she made waves. The insignia on her shoulder said she was a major, which meant she had aspirations of sitting in the inner office someday. Talyn stretched her lips in a soft smile she knew didn't reach her eyes, and the woman shrank back.
"I'm afraid she's in conference. There was an incident in the temple district this morning, and—"
"That's exactly what I've come to discuss,” Talyn interrupted the excuse and pushed the woman aside, though it was difficult since Silvergarders all had the musculature necessary for swinging large swords or cocking ballistas in full armor, even if the major wasn't really resisting. “So I'll just go in, shall I?"
She didn't wait for an answer but pushed her way through and into a meeting of the top Silvergard officers, who all stopped and looked up.
"Captain Sillivan, I need to know what measures you're taking against the officer who killed my Prime this morning,” Talyn said without any preamble.
"We're still not sure what happened this morning, Your Royal Highness.” Auran Sillivan stood and motioned her officers to go. “I have dogs tracking the missing party, but they went through the sewer and it's making it difficult."
The door closed behind Talyn, leaving the two of them alone exactly as she had planned. “I've seen the body and there was a Silvergard dagger in his brain. I want Taryn's head for this. Find her."
"She could be halfway to the Jags by now, Prince Talyn.” Auran didn't appear intimidated, which was annoying. She had hidden behind the Matriarch's
skirts and that ridiculous oath to the crown for far too long. “And if Prime Mychell was killed—if indeed he's not ensconced with another member of the court even as we speak—my officer will have the chance to speak in her defense. She would not have done so without extremely extenuating circumstances."
Talyn strode forward and pounded her fists on the desk, allowing her frustration out for the first time. “I don't care about extenuating circumstances, you hide-bound little bitch. I want her dead. She killed the man I love, and I'm not letting her get away with destroying my life again.” Oops. That had been a slip. It was vitally important that no one know about the Dozen Worlds operation.
"Your life looks fairly well intact to me, Your Royal Highness.” Auran sat back down, which was a supreme insult in the presence of the royal family. “And just how do you propose I break my blood oath to the crown and wreak your vengeance on a member of the royal family when nobody knows where she is?"
Talyn suppressed her rage and let her face fall into a satisfied smirk. “Ah, but I know where she's going. Do you like your job, Auran Sillivan?"
"Not today, I don't.” She scrubbed hands over her face and looked tired. “If it weren't for my oath, Silean would have had my resignation on her desk before lunch."
"Don't you have children, Auran?” Talyn planted her hands on the desk and leaned forward. “Do they have a father? What would it be like for them to grow up in a foster house instead of with their mother?"
Auran sat up straighter, her face a mask. Of course, she was military and they never looked intimidated, even when they were. “Are you threatening me, Your Royal Highness?"
"Someone is going to pay for Mychell's assassination,” Talyn told her. “And if I can't get the whore who did it, I'll take the commander responsible for her actions.” She let her eyebrows rise in mock surprise. “That would be you, wouldn't it?"
Auran sat motionless for almost a full minute before she leaned forward and picked up a pencil. “Where is she going?” Talyn's lips curled, because the redoubtable Captain of Silvergard, the supreme commander of the Matriarch's Own, had made her choice not for honor but for the welfare of her own blood. At last, Talyn had won a round today. Maybe the series of disasters was about to turn in her favor.
"There's an inn, off the northbound road about an hour northeast of Leawindvale. It's run by a retired Silvergard Commander named Leone Varakis.” Auran's hands stilled in her writing and she looked up with round eyes. Talyn straightened away from the desk. “Yes, that Commander Varakis. Taryn goes there for her home leaves and ignores her true family."
"You spy on your own sister?” It was barely more than a whisper, but even the quiet voice couldn't disguise Sillivan's distaste.
"She stopped being my sister before I was sixteen years old,” Talyn said in a tone of ice. “She's been nothing but a disappointment to the Matriarch for her entire life, and someone I've had watched because I knew she couldn't be trusted."
Auran toyed with the pencil. “I'll have to send an entire company if she's going to Leone."
"Just make sure they're in place before dawn tomorrow, or I'll need a new dress for your funeral.” Talyn didn't wait for a reply but stalked back out, slamming the door behind her. She was only a few steps away when she heard something heavy hit it from the other side.
Auran Sillivan was definitely going to be on her list when she took control of Zona. The woman had no respect for royalty and even less respect for true power.
* * * *
"I believe it's only a matter of time before Timarron will be invited into the Dozen Worlds Federation, because our balance of trade with them is highly positive and—” Ramondar von Stassos, King of Barian, paused as an unmistakable tone sounded low in his ear, signaling an incoming message on the secure communication unit surgically implanted in his skull.
"Your Majesty, we have a situation in Zona.” He straightened and stared into space, the question and his answer forgotten in those chilling words. What had his wayward firstborn done now?
Two of the plain-clothes bodyguards pulled him away from the lectern while his press secretary pushed into the amplification field with a hurried, “No more questions, please. His Majesty is late for another appointment.” The media reps all pretended to believe it in spite of the fact that the conference had been scheduled to go on for another hour.
"The negotiation team was attacked in Balsom, three casualties. Prince Blademir, Duke Northshield and Viscount von Stassos are missing, along with their Silvergard escort, a Commander Taryn Penthes,” the emotionless voice informed him while he fought to keep expression off his face. At least missing meant they weren't the three dead.
"Penthes?” he echoed aloud instead of subvocalizing for the mastoid implant.
"We're still tracking it down, sir, but the Matriarch has personally contacted our embassy demanding the commander's return."
Gods and demons, what had Blade done this time? It was going to be worse than the scandal over that vanishing act with sixteen-year-old Lady Tabethe at the last year's spring solstice celebration, especially since he now had that as prior behavior, and never mind that all the medical evidence supported Blade's story and not that of the conniving little minx.
"Understood,” he muttered under his breath, “Let me know when you have her identity.” He wasn't sure if he should bless or condemn the Crown Heir's actions if this turned out to be what it looked like. For Silean Penthes to take a personal interest meant the girl had to be a fairly close relative, and at least she was past the age of majority or she wouldn't be a Silvergard officer. He waved his press secretary over. “I'll need a statement for the media."
"Regarding what, Your Majesty?” Deg looked truly puzzled, which meant the communication had been scrambled, for Ramondar's ears only. That meant it was even more serious than it first appeared. What fecal matter had impacted the impeller in Zona? He needed more.
"I see. I have to talk to Tomal Codreascu, stat. There is something going on in Balsom, and it doesn't look good for the Crown Heir."
"Someone got to him in Zona?” The press secretary looked aghast. Maybe a little too aghast, but Deg had always been a bit of a ham. Well, he was about to get a real shock.
"At the moment, the Crown Heir doesn't appear to be anywhere on Timarron, Deg. And Silean seems to think he's got someone near and dear to her with him."
"Not again.” Since he'd said it almost loud enough for the amplifier field to pick it up, Deg cringed.
"It's not as bad as it looks,” Ramondar tried to reassure him. “He was attacked on the way to the Lady Palace. The woman is a Silvergard Commander, but her last name is Penthes."
"Ho-ly...” Deg's face paled. “I had an intel report about a month ago that said Silean has a daughter in the Silvergard, Ramon. There had been a couple of unsubstantiated stories over the years that Talyn had a twin sister, but this was the first nibble that it might be true."
"What are you doing with intel reports?” Ramondar pulled him a little farther into the corner of the dais. “You're the press secretary, by the gods."
"I never said it wasn't misrouted.” But from Deg's expression, it hadn't been misrouted. And he'd been looking for a mythical Zonan heir, which meant—what? He was trying to find a Zonan bride for the Crown Heir? He had to be out of his mind. Zonans were nothing but trouble, and Blade had never needed any help getting into trouble.
"You're not a burgha, Deg. That's not your problem.” He shook the biceps he had hold of. “A Zonan. What in all hells were you thinking?"
Deg colored. “You know what I was thinking. Men marry their mothers."
Ramondar drew himself up with more than a little anger. “Sabinet is his mother."
"Sabinet is his stepmother.” And he was still unrepentant if that tone of voice was anything to go by.
"I don't want to hear another word.” Ramondar let go of his arm. “And I want that report on my desk in less than an hour. I need to know everything there is to know about this C
ommander Penthes."
"Yes, Your Majesty. What shall I tell the media?"
Ramondar considered. “Blade went under the lidar for a reason, and if he gets out of this alive, we'll find out what it is.” He took a deep breath and wished for exactly that, because the boy was the last piece of a life he still wanted to return to almost every day. “Just make sure the media doesn't report that she's been kidnapped by a sex-crazed Barian."
"If she's really a Silvergard Commander, he's the one who's been kidnapped,” Deg retorted, but stepped back to the lectern before Ramondar could do anything but start at the idea. Of course, he wouldn't put it past his son.
In the meantime, he had almost an hour that wasn't accounted for in a day that undoubtedly would end up too full, just like all his other days. And he needed to find out exactly what had happened in Balsom that morning.
* * * *
Even being an officer in the Silvergard for a decade hadn't prepared Taryn for the pain in her legs when she swung down from her saddle. She tried not to wince. Nobody came forward to take the mounts, which was only to be expected in the darkened courtyard. Leone catered to a select clientele, one that didn't believe in calling attention to itself; if you didn't know Leone's inn was there, you shouldn't be going to it. She pulled the scabbard off her back and handed it to the body she could sense a few feet away. “I'll make arrangements with the owner if you all can see to the horses."
The shadowy figure accepted her weapon. “Are you sure they're still awake?” It was the leader, the big one they had called Blade. In the dark, his voice was like velvet, making her wonder what he'd been thinking when he'd cut her bodice laces. She shivered at the memory of the way his eyes had burned into her.
"She'll be awake. It gets dark early in the Jags, and we're only an hour or so late for supper. This inn is used by a lot of traders, so they come in at all hours, but half a dozen Bariani would be a shock."
