by J. Naomi Ay
Jim had always liked Joanne, and not because she was human. There was something about her that just appealed to his senses, and right now, he was sadly lacking a girlfriend. If she was intent on leaving Steve, and it sounded like she was, after a suitable time, it would be open season.
Joanne didn’t think she was interested in Jim beyond his ability to help her escape. Actually, as she drove to Donika-hahr in her pool SdK speedster, she was wondering if she might not escape, but rather, do something else.
Her father-in-law, the Evil Emperor, was now truly living up to this moniker. His return had not exactly brought peace and prosperity back to the Empire. Instead, it seemed he was bent on destroying it. Joanne was the one person who was uniquely close enough to him that she could take him out.
Frankly, it would be quite simple. He ate breakfast in the Family kitchen every morning. He had black coffee, and eggs, the same thing every day. The coffee was in an urn. Joanne only drank tea or decaf, and with Steve and Rent gone, no one else would be sharing from that pot.
She could poison it. Joanne could put something in his coffee, something so strong and so lethal, all he would need was one sip. No one would know who did it either, as long as Jim kept his mouth shut.
One of the cooks might take the fall, or one of the maids. Maybe, even Eva, that Minister of Finance would be blamed, as she was spending an inordinate amount of time with HIM. No one would think to look at Joanne, the ardently grieving daughter-in-law. Joanne would never get the credit she would deserve for ending the Reign of Terror once and for all.
But, she didn’t care. She’d take her kids, Sara too, and immediately head back to Earth. She’d move back to Ohio, or Michigan, a normal Midwestern place where an evil man, or whatever he was, didn’t rule their lives with his whims.
Cyanide. Jim was a little surprised by the request. Actually, he was hugely surprised.
“What exactly do you need it for, Joanne?”
Joanne set down her coffee cup, and picked a crumb off the roll on her plate.
“My cat,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “My cat is dying. I hate to see her suffer.”
“Have you thought about taking her to a vet?”
“I can’t, Jim. You know I’m not allowed outside of the villa except to come here. Furthermore, she’s old. Sam and I got her even before Rory was born. I just want to put her out of her misery, give her a gentle death.”
Jim wondered if Joanne was suicidal. He knew damn well she didn’t have a cat. It was common knowledge around SdK, and the inner Court circles, that if small animals were on the premises, the black eagle would eat them.
“I don’t have any,” Jim said, forgetting the rat poison he had just laid down in the pool house.
Lately, rats were everywhere on Rozari, crawling out the bushes, and running freely in the road. Only last week, Jim’s sister, Gwen had gone searching for an inflatable mat when she encountered a family of humongous brown rodents feasting on the container of powdered pool chlorine.
“You can get some for me,” Joanne insisted. “I know you can, Jimmy.”
She stared deeply into his eyes. She pursed her red lips, and batted her dark eyelashes, causing Jim to recall the rats.
“Well, I guess I could,” he murmured, softly. “How soon do you need it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes, although I suppose the next day would be okay too,” Joanne whispered. A trickle of excitement raced down her spine as she realized the end might be in sight.
This would be easier than she imagined. This would be over before the weekend. Maybe fate or the gods were on her side for once, or maybe somebody out there really wanted her to take HIM out.
Chapter 20
While Joanne was convincing Jim to help her poison her father-in-law, Steve and Rent were walking on the side of an old road. It was really just an expanse of dust and dirt that ran from the national park property into the city of Takira-hahr. Most vehicles, these days, flew high above it. Occasionally, and hopefully soon, an old lorry might still come rolling along the ground.
Both princes were soaking wet, although after a few more hours of walking, they would be dried out completely. In fact, before the Rozarian star crossed the noon sky, the men would be sweating out all pores.
Already, they were exhausted from a night spent out, on, and in the water. They were also famished from lack of food. Rent was certain he had acquired several blisters on each of his toes, and Steve was suffering with chafed skin in several delicate places.
“I’m too old for this,” Steve complained, stopping to check the soles of his feet. “It’s too bad neither of us inherited the ability to grow wings.”
Rent looked at Steve with his usual perplexed expression.
“Wings?” he repeated, holding up his arms.
“Yeah, wings, like Dad, and Arsan, his little mini-me. You and I ended up short-changed when it came to the gene pool.”
Rent didn’t think that was entirely true. He actually liked himself. He thought he had good genes, and given the choice, he much preferred his normal physiology to one with wings. However, at the mention of Arsan’s name, Rent’s mind drifted to the boy, who was either his nephew or his baby brother.
It had been some time since the men had discussed Arsan. In fact, since the lad was away at school, he was conveniently out of sight, and out of mind. Both princes seemed to prefer it this way, as Steve wasn't anxious to acquire another dependent, while Rent’s concern primarily centered on his mother. He was worried about her reaction if it turned out Arsan was sired by their dad.
On the other hand, now there was also Eva in the picture. Finding Katie and bringing her home might set off the galaxy’s most murderous rampage, which would probably not be initiated by the old man.
"Steve," Rent began to say, “Who do you think Arsan really is?”
“We’ve discussed this, dude,” Steve said, sticking out his thumb. “I don’t know who the kid is, and frankly, I don’t care. I’ve got more problems than worrying about who Dad screwed when Mom was away. I’ve got more problems than worrying about who he’s screwing now, or who I did, for that matter. The kid’s here and he’s here to stay. Come on. Put your thumb out. You never know, somebody might just come along.”
Rent put out his thumb, but he wasn’t happy about it. The princes walked for several more miles, while the day grew hot. The sun beat down on them from high above.
“I really could use some water,” Rent moaned. “How much further until we get to Kalika-hahr?”
“Shut up, Rent. What are you, six years old?”
It was right about then when the men heard a strange noise. It sounded like an engine, and something scraping along the road. There was also a smell which accompanied the sound, assaulting their nostrils as well as their ears.
"Look, dude!" Steve exclaimed. "It’s a truck."
Rent had never seen a real-live truck. He was surprised how large it was, and how white. As it came to halt in front of him, red dust swirling in clouds around sweltering rubber tires, Rent studied the side panel upon which was printed the word, Milk in bright red letters.
“Can I help you, boys?” a voice called, as a tall, narrow door slid open. Inside at a wheel, a Rossorian man waited. As all Rossorians, he was dressed head to toe in a hooded blue robe. “Need a lift somewhere?”
Steve and Rent exchanged glances.
“Kalika-hahr?” Steve asked, taking a step into the truck. “We…uh…work at the Duke’s estate.”
“As pool boys,” Rent added, helpfully. “He cleans the pool, while I do the spa.”
“No problem,” the guy replied. “That’s on my way home. Hop aboard. Name’s Rogak.”
“I’m…uh…Bob.” Steve sat down on the one available seat, and indicated Rent with his thumb. “That’s my brother…uh…Roy. Our speeder broke down a few miles back.”
Rent climbed into the truck, and finding no other seats, ended up on box that was
also marked, Milk.
“Yep,” Rogak snorted. “That’s why I prefer this old truck to those flying things. This ancient set of wheels keeps on rolling no matter what.”
Steve smiled politely and waited for the rolling to begin, but instead of driving away, they just sat.
Rogak climbed out of his chair, and heading to the back of the truck, he lay down on the metal floor between two more boxes.
“Oh Lord Rosso,” Rogak intoned. “Keep me blessed.” He also chanted a few other things about keeping his cows full of milk, and his fields full of grass, and fresh water. “May Hank, my favorite bull, be calm enough for me to sleep tonight. Thank you, oh Lord Rosso, giver of the Book.”
Steve and Rent exchanged glances, while Rogak bowed in every direction, and then, returning to his seat, he began to drive.
“Have you read the Book of Rosso?” he inquired conversationally. “There’s revelations in there for all mankind.”
“No kidding?” Steve murmured, forcing his mouth into a tight smile. “Revelations for your livestock, as well?”
“Yep. The Book of Rosso is the way for everyone. Did you know our bulls are sacred? Rosso orders that I sleep on him to ensure our milk supply.”
“What?” Rent asked. Over the wheel and engine noise, he wasn’t certain he had heard all that correctly.
“Just as I said,” Rogak repeated. “Commandment four thousand, two hundred and forty-three says that the dairy farmer must sleep on his sacred bull’s back every night. It’s a difficult rule to follow, but I still do it. I don’t question Lord Rosso’s wisdom. He obviously knows a whole lot more about the universe than me.”
Steve and Rent exchanged another glance.
“What about your wife?” Steve asked. “Where does she sleep?”
“Oh, I don’t have a wife,” Rogak said. “Not in this life, anyway. Dairy farmers must be celibate, but we’re promised a whole bunch of virgins in the next one. Lord Rosso knows what he’s doing, so I trust him.”
Steve chuckled politely, while Rent coughed.
“You boys ought to consider reading the Book. It’ll change your whole life just like it changed mine. Until I found Rosso, I was a lost soul. I used to think the Emperor was some kind of god, but now I know better.”
“Really?” Rent inquired. “What is he?”
“Why, he’s the Devil’s own son. Isn’t it obvious? He’s bent on destroying the universe, which is why all Rossorians have to unite. We’ve got to fight his evil ways before he destroys Rozari just as he did Rehnor. Two fine young men like you would be useful on our team.”
“It sounds to me like it’s all a bit backward,” Rent mumbled.
“Are you sure about all this, dude?” Steve asked.
“Positive,” Rogak said. “I used to be a doctor. Back in the day, I worked for SdK. I made plenty of money and had all sorts of material things. That was bad. I was greedy and unhappy. Then, I discovered the Book.”
“And, now you sleep on a cow,” Steve nodded.
“Bull. But, I’m much happier because I’m not an evil capitalist pig.”
Once again, the milk truck rolled to a stop.
“Sorry, boys. I need to pray again. It’s my fourteenth time today. For each day I manage all twenty-seven, as it says in the book, I’ll be given an extra virgin when I get to the afterlife. You two ought to join me. Come back here and lay on your face.”
“That’s alright.” Steve opened the door and jumped outside. “The Duke’s estate is just over there. Come on, Rent, I mean, Roy, we’re going to be late to work.”
“Coming, Bob!”
Rent bolted from the truck, landing in the gravel ditch at the side of the road.
“Rosso blesses you!” Rogak called from the truck. “Someday you too will see the light of Rosso shining in your way.”
The Princes ran as far and fast as they could in their damp clothes, chafed skin, and midday heat. Fortunately, it wasn't far to Jim's place. In fact, the milk truck had parked just outside the ducal gates. Steve paused to enter the code, just as Jim had instructed, and then, he and Rent walked up the long drive.
"Are you totally sure about this?" Rent asked, as they strolled beneath the trees, which provided a shady canopy, a welcome relief from the intense sunlight.
"What do you mean, am I sure?" Steve snapped, pausing for a moment to shake a pebble out of his shoe. "Of course, I'm sure. After meeting Rogak, I'm more sure than ever. Don't you see it’s only a matter of time until Dad wipes them all out? I'm no lover of Rossorians, but I don't think they all deserve to die just because they’re fools. If he killed everyone for their stupidity, there’d be no one left in this galaxy.”
Within in an hour, the Princes were aboard Jimmy's Chariot, an old wreck of a spaceplane that had been rotting in the estate's back yard. It could fly, Jim had promised, although Rent had serious doubts.
Steve, on the other hand, was excited. For the first time in several years, he was going to fly. There were ten lightyears to cross with only himself at the helm. There was no one else to rely on in case something went bad. It was going to be a test of his piloting abilities, as well as his endurance.
Only a few minutes into their flight, having breeched Planet Rozari’s thermosphere, after passing Spacebase Rozari, and heading out into the traffic lanes of the Milky Way, Jimmy’s Chariot encountered a starship.
“Who is that?” Rent asked, pointing off the starboard bow.
“Looks like Queen of Rozari,” Steve noted. “Her prow is a little more upswept from the earlier designs. She was the only one built in that configuration before we cancelled the program.”
“Will they stop us?”
“Apparently not.” Jimmy’s Chariot was already several hundred miles away. “She’s here for another reason.”
“Protecting Dad?” Rent watched the starship’s running lights disappear among the stars.
“Or, preparing to destroy the planet.”
“Do you think Mom can really stop him?” Rent asked, sitting tentatively in the co-pilot’s seat.
Rent hated flying in space, and sitting in the cockpit made him incredibly nervous. The view was too vast, too wide, and too open. The stars and their planets too far apart to offer any sort of reassurance should something go wrong. One malfunctioning part, a stray asteroid, or a wrongly plotted navigational sequence might send them spiralling off into the abyss.
“Well, if she can’t stop him, no one can,” Steve snorted, reaching into his pocket and extracting a pack of cigarettes.
“Do you have to smoke now? What if there’s a stray gas leak? Are you sure this old plane won’t blow up?”
“I’m not sure of anything.” Steve leaned back and inhaled deeply, while watching the contrails of comets far off on the horizon. “It’s not like we have any other choices, Rent. We have to get to Earth. We have to find Mom, which will be like searching the desert for a single grain of sand. And, we have to bring her back to Rozari, which may be the hardest part of this whole mission, as I don’t expect she’ll be willing to return. If she was, she’d already be there, so you and I are going to have to coerce her somehow.”
Rent didn’t have a clue how they could do that, and he didn’t really want to start a fight with their mom. He was also distracted by a noise in the passenger cabin.
Steve heard the noise too, and abruptly pulled himself up in his chair. He tamped out his cigarette, and patted the pockets of his clothes, as if searching for the gun he didn’t have.
“What is it?” Rent asked.
“Could be anything,” Steve replied. “Could be a small animal like a rat. They’re all over everywhere now.”
“I hate rats.”
“You think I like them? Open the door and look in the cabin.”
“Me?”
“Who else do you think I’m telling? I’m the captain of this ship, and you’re my command.”
Rent rose to his feet, and tentatively reached out for the door button. Then, he took his h
and away and sat back down.
“You do it,” he told his brother. “You were the one in the SpaceNavy. You’re brave.”
“Yeah, but you were the guy who used to work on some frozen planet. You’re plenty brave too.”
“Except when it comes to rats and other small rodents.”
The noise sounded again. It was getting closer to the cockpit, as if someone was walking in their direction.
“Get up and open the door,” Steve ordered.
“You can’t order me around,” Rent declared. “I’m an Imperial Prince, just the same as you.”
“I’m older.”
“So? I’m younger.”
They stared at each other and neither blinked.
“We do it together,” Steve decided, grabbing Rent’s arm. “On the count of three, we open the door.”
“Then what?”
“If it’s big, we tackle it together. If it’s small, we look for a broom, or something to hit it with.”
The princes stood in front of the door.
“One, two, three,” Steve counted, pressing the button while Rent closed his eyes and waited.
“Ah!” Steve screamed when the door flew open.
“What?” Rent cried, his eyes flying open as well. They discovered someone was standing on the other side.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” Steve demanded.
“I thought you might need my help. I’m very good at finding lost grains of sand,” Arsan replied.
Chapter 21
While Walter went to fetch Adrienne from the foyer, Katie was left alone in the interrogation room. She was chained in place, one handcuff around her right wrist, the other looped around one of the table legs.
