Shadow Run

by Michael Miller

  She grumbled, but retreated to her station. Arjan exchanged a look with Basra—and gave him a smile that was less showy than a kiss, but that still lit up my brother’s eyes in a way I’d rarely seen. Basra, in actuality, was working wonders on him, whatever Arjan might have been doing to him in return.

  “Ready when you are,” Arjan said.

  I nearly wondered if he was speaking to me or Basra. The latter was looking at Arjan like a particularly perplexing set of accounting figures.

  Nev assumed he was talking to me. “Then let’s go.” He strode down the ship’s ramp as if he owned the massive bay we were entering. As heir, I supposed he practically did. The waiting group of soldiers—Bladeguards, all ten of them—certainly treated him like he did.

  But they looked at me, and at our linked hands, as if they weren’t sure I should even be here, let alone touching their prince.

  Everything I was afraid of.

  “Welcome home, Your Highness. Might I advise against such proximity to the…Alaxan,” the head guard said, clearly searching for a suitable word as we approached, “until we know whether she is safe.”

  At first I was horrified, ashamed…and then I was furious. As if those who had stolen everything from my planet thought they had any right to say what I could even touch from theirs.

  At least, this time, Nev was furious too. He dropped my hand, but not in any sort of chastised fashion. In fact, as soon as he turned his ferocious silver-gray eyes on them, it was the whole group of Bladeguards that looked thoroughly chastised, if not cowed. His now-freed hand twitched at his side as if he wanted to move for his own blade strapped to his back.

  “Never, and I mean never, speak about Captain Qole Uvgamut in that tone again. She is our guest, to be accorded every honor befitting a diplomatic envoy. You will hereafter address her as Captain, and never question my actions with regard to her.”

  His words lent me some pride, even though the fact that he had to give it to me stung. My back straightened, and my shoulders squared. I glared at the guards.

  “Yes, my prince. I beg your pardon.” The head guard bowed to him, and then, shockingly, to me. “My apologies, Captain.”

  “It’s fine.” Angry or not, my voice still sounded so tiny, so out of place in the cavernous space. I was used to it filling the Kaitan, the comms.

  On the other hand, I’d never seen Nev like this, and yet he was undoubtedly in his element. He was Prince Nevarian here. That, followed by a bunch of other names, ending with Dracorte.

  “And this is her brother, Arjan Uvgamut,” he said, “also to be accorded due respect.”

  Arjan nodded nervously and they all nodded back. The head guard even said in a careful tone, “Sir.” I was pretty sure Arjan had never been called that in his life.

  “Now,” Nev—the prince—commanded, “escort us to my father.”

  Qole, Arjan, and I strode across the landing bay with the Bladeguards flanking us. My hands burned with the effort of staying clenched, of keeping my outrage under control. These were my visitors, and I wouldn’t tolerate their mistreatment.

  I glanced at Qole and Arjan as we made our way to a series of turbolifts at the end of the landing bay. Arjan seemed to have retreated inside himself, but his eyes were taking in every detail around us. He was wary, but fascinated. Qole, in contrast, wore the same expression she had when the Treznor destroyer had boarded the Kaitan. There was a bubbling fury underneath the mask of her features, which she was keeping contained as she focused on the task at hand. She had a job to do, whether or not it was unpleasant.

  With such a bad start at pleasant, I had my work cut out for me.

  When I’d spoken to my father over the QUIN, he’d assured me that Qole would be received properly. Perhaps our definitions of proper differed, though our perspectives on something so basic had never varied that much before. What else might have changed, since I’d been gone?

  Being surrounded by familiar walls and faces filled me with elation and relief, but a new sense of unease tainted it all. I supposed, if I strained, I could see why my father had ordered out the guard. I had been at risk on this voyage, and Qole was an unknown element, possibly dangerous, and of unfamiliar standing. But I would soon correct that perspective. My father would know Qole as the astonishing person she was, worthy of the utmost respect. Even from princes and kings.

  Our arrival at a single turbolift set apart from the others stopped our procession and my thoughts short. Optic filigree with the family crest pulsed softly above the doorway, the only indication that this might lead anywhere different from the other lifts we had passed.

  The Bladeguards flanked the official entrance to my family’s private quarters. As I approached, the doors silently slid apart. Attuned to my biometric signal, they would open only for a member of the royal family. There were other ways to the family quarters, but this was the fastest.

  “Thank you.” I nodded to them as I entered the turbolift, and turned, clasping my hands behind me. “That will be all.”

  Qole and Arjan entered behind me, arranging themselves somewhat awkwardly to one side of the circular space. The Bladeguards at the entrance saluted and stepped back, and the turbolift doors slid to a close. Someone not born with people listening to them wouldn’t have noticed the beat of hesitation after the dismissal. I did.

  Anger nipped at the heels of my unease again, but I brushed aside the feelings sternly. It was uncommon for anyone, let alone strangers from offworld—one of whom was known to possess unusual powers, at that—to be so summarily invited into the depths of the family chambers. The guards were on edge because the king clearly was. As with any other rare occasion that my father and I were at odds, all I would have to do was demonstrate that my judgment was sound in how I was proceeding—pass another test—and all would be well.

  I raised an eyebrow at the two Uvgamut siblings standing so close together and grinned. “Feel free to spread out. There’s plenty of space.”

  “I wasn’t sure how many guards you might need to ride a turbolift,” Qole replied, her fury giving way to familiar irritation as she sidestepped away from Arjan.

  There you go, I thought, just make her annoyed at you and she’ll forget to be angry about everything else. What a strategist you are, Nev.

  “With people I trust and respect? None.” I gestured upward with my open palm, and the lift began to rise slowly, before accelerating with stomach-dropping speed. “Pardon the lift. It has a ways to go, and some people find the velocity unsettling.”

  Arjan actually laughed. “Let us know if it hits escape velocity.”

  Of course. They had practically grown up violently leaving the atmosphere of their planet. I felt foolish, and distracted them by moving my palm again, this time sweeping it sideways. The walls of the turbolift became transparent, the entire cityscape revealed before us.

  The arches of the tower surrounded us on each side, acting as both supports and a frame for the city below. The lift was perfectly positioned, drawing the eye to different landmarks in rapid succession as it rose. There was the Temple of the Great Unifier, its crystalwork dissolving into the river. There was the Luvos Intersystem Starport, its myriad landing pads and docking bays sweeping out to disappearing points that made the ships look as though they were dispersing like pollen from the stamen of a blossom. Then the residential district, the foliage of the trees and the width of the streets sweeping in patterns that stood in stark contrast to the outer city we had seen in Ranta.

  “This view is one of my favorite things,” I said to no one in particular. “Function and beauty are celebrated at the same time. It demonstrates everything we believe in: practical idealism, working toward the benefit of all.”

  Qole stepped forward, and I was acutely conscious of her standing next to me. This was who I was, bared before her. What did she think of it?

  Her brown eyes took in the city below us. “Where I come from, nothing about this is simple. Or practical.”

  Apparently, n
ot much.

  “Your bodyguards sure didn’t seem happy to see us,” Arjan observed. “What are they so jumpy about?”

  “It’s their job to be jumpy,” I said. “Don’t worry, my family is going to be delighted to see you.” Which was probably not entirely true, since I was breaching protocol. But I knew my family, and they would treat these people, who were risking a great deal for a good cause—our cause—with the respect they deserved.

  Not that he had asked about my family. I might have been reassuring myself a little.

  At the top of the tower, the turbolift walls went dark again, and the doors slid open to reveal an antechamber. Tall double doors stood opposite the lift. Two smaller doors led off to each side. Waiting for us was a man of medium height whose blue and silver officer’s uniform fit his well-built frame perfectly. His black goatee and sideburns were streaked with gray, standing out against his dark skin, but his bearing and movements spoke of nothing but vitality.

  “My lord.” He bowed deeply. “It is a pleasure to see you home again.”

  “Master Devrak.” I smiled and bowed in return, if not as deeply. Custom was custom, although my respect for my teacher and our head of security was limitless. “It’s wonderful to see you as well.” I straightened and gestured to Qole and Arjan. “These are my guests.”

  Devrak nodded and reached out a hand. “Captain Qole Uvgamut. I am Devrak Hansen. Thank you for returning our prince safely to us.”

  We were all caught a little off guard, although I ought not to have been. Gravity was the only force in the systems as dependable as Devrak at doing its job. Or maybe Basra.

  “Uh, no problem,” Qole replied and shook his hand. “We’re all glad to be in one piece.”

  “I’ve heard snatches.” Devrak solemnly turned to Arjan to shake his hand. “Arjan Uvgamut, thank you for your services as well. It is a pleasure to meet people from Alaxak, which I have heard so much about.”

  “Really?” Arjan said, surprised. “That’s weird. I mean…” He trailed off. “Um, thanks.”

  Devrak spread his hands. “My prince, I need to scan all of you before you enter the royal quarters. You are fresh from offworld, and we have to make sure that everything is safe for His Majesty.”

  “Of course,” I said.

  Devrak produced a small rod that had a long loop on one end. It beeped and whistled at me, and he smiled. “You are wearing quite the arsenal. Shall I take it for you or are you comfortable with its weight?”

  “If you would, Devrak, I would appreciate it.” I shed my overcoat and unstrapped the holsters holding my plasma pistols and sword while he scanned Arjan. To my surprise, I did miss the weight a little when I passed the bundle to Devrak; the past week had made me associate being armed with a certain level of security.

  When he passed the scanner over Qole, the light on it flickered and died. Devrak frowned and examined it. “It seems to have broken.”

  Qole shifted uncomfortably.

  “Well,” I said, “it didn’t make any noise, did it?”

  Devrak glanced up at me, amused. “I suppose not. Thank you for letting me do my job. Now, go reunite with your family. Please pay my respects to them.”

  Before I could stride to the double doors and fling them wide, one of the side doors burst open instead. “Nephew!”

  I blinked. Rubion stood before me, his sleek dark hair and deep blue lab coat as meticulously in place as ever, except he was perhaps breathing harder than usual. “Uncle?” I said. “I wasn’t expecting you here. At least, not outside the royal quarters.”

  He tossed his head at the double doors in a smooth, dismissive jerk. “I thought you would be arriving elsewhere, and besides, you know I haven’t the time or the stomach for banal family gossip.” He turned to Qole with an eager light in his Dracorte silver eyes. “And I thought our special guest might feel the same.”

  My eyes narrowed a fraction before I quickly smoothed my expression. I wanted to be in total control in front of my uncle, not to mention Father—especially since it was Father’s fault we had nearly arrived in the containment block, not Rubion’s. But we’d already made it this far; I wasn’t about to get derailed now from giving Qole a welcome with at least marginal fanfare.

  “Uncle, our guests have come a very long way, and proper introductions are in order before we get down to business. Speaking of which, Qole, this is my uncle on my father’s side, Rubion Dracorte II, and Uncle, this is Captain Qole Uvgamut and her brother, Arjan Uvgamut, of Alaxak.”

  My uncle swept up Qole’s hand and brushed his lips lightly over her knuckles in a graceful gesture before she could respond. “Pleased. I’ve heard much about you. And you, of course, Arjan.” He held out his hand to Arjan. “Both your data sets were the most promising I’ve ever seen.”

  Arjan’s smile turned puzzled.

  “Right, apologies,” I said hurriedly. “I placed biometric sensors on both of you when we first met. I forgot to tell you.”

  Both Qole’s and Arjan’s looks could have killed me.

  My uncle saved me from falling over myself in further apology—or Devrak from having to intervene in my self-defense—when he said, “Honestly, I was absolutely astonished when I saw the results. I’ve never seen an individual, let alone two, with a greater concentration of Shadow working in their systems. And you’re both so functional. I can’t wait to see—”

  I lightly cleared my throat. “After they meet Mother and Father, yes. No doubt everyone will be excited.” I didn’t want Qole and Arjan feeling any more like lab animals than they already might.

  “Of course, of course.” Rubion’s enthusiasm lessened to such a small extent that only I could have noticed. Still, he wasn’t yet excusing himself, and his eyes kept returning to Qole. “It was ever so worthwhile to send you to that desolate rock in spite of the Treznor-Nirmana threat.”

  My polite cough turned into a choking sputter.

  But Devrak’s response dwarfed mine. “What?” He even took a step closer to Rubion, coming the barest fraction between us. He didn’t raise his voice one iota, but it cut through the air with enough heat to make me cringe inside. I had heard it several times on the training fields, seen it send elite soldiers cowering. “You knew they would be following?”

  “Of course. We have spies in our midst, yes?” Rubion responded blithely. “What spy could resist following a prince off on some lone, lengthy, secretive mission? It couldn’t be helped, and the gain was greater than the risk. And at least my nephew could be trusted not to spill our secrets if caught…or to approach Treznor-Nirmana in the first place with secrets to sell.”

  I wasn’t sure if Devrak caught it, but there was an implication that anyone outside the family couldn’t be trusted…perhaps even our own head of security.

  But Devrak had implications—rather, outright accusations—of his own. “You deliberately sent our prince into danger?” he demanded.

  “Oh, calm down, Devrak. I wasn’t putting him in real danger. It’s all just posturing on the part of Treznor-Nirmana. At worst, we would have had to pay his ransom. The true threat was to our interests. And they’re the family’s interests, not just mine…especially if we want these threats to remain mere posturing.”

  No doubt Qole and Arjan were fuming over the very real danger they and the rest of the crew had been put in, but before they could speak up, Devrak continued.

  “Nevarian is heir to the Throne of Luvos!” His countenance was thunderous. I’d never seen him so angry with a member of my family; I’d rarely seen him so angry at all. Apparently, his duty to look out for my safety far superseded any need to respect my uncle’s station. “He is more valuable to the family than any of your experiments, political games, or publicity stunts!”

  “No doubt,” Rubion said, unfazed. “But what is the point of the Dracorte Flight if not for our heir to learn how to handle the real world on one’s own while still bringing honor to the family?”

  “How would the prince getting taken hostage
and ransomed bring any honor to the Dracorte name?” Devrak’s voice grew softer…and the heat leached out, leaving pure ice. “I would honor it more than that, and I’m not even a Dracorte myself.”

  “Devrak.” I put a calming hand on his shoulder. “You are very much a part of this family, if not in name. I appreciate your consideration, but my uncle is correct with regard to the terms of the Dracorte Flight, which I argued very strenuously to undergo. Whatever his concern for my personal safety, it was my test, and I made it through unscathed. Mostly.”

  Arjan shifted next to me, his discomfort more obvious. Right, the airlock. I’d definitely be keeping that tidbit to myself for his sake.

  My uncle’s charming smile returned as he clapped my arm. “Not only that, but you surpassed our wildest expectations and brought us this young lady and her brother.”

  “Who very much risked their lives to be here, and whom Father would very much like to meet,” I said, shrugging off Rubion’s hand and sidling past him. It was rude, but my uncle had been far ruder. His all-consuming interest in his work didn’t often leave room for social niceties. “If you’ll excuse me, Uncle. We’ll continue this discussion later.”

  Without registering the slight, Rubion took a step back, his eyes sliding from me back to Qole and Arjan, as if he didn’t want to let them go quite yet. “Yes, of course. Later. But let’s not forget the point of their journey, no?”

  Before I could assure him that I wouldn’t, he’d already nodded in farewell and exited through the door he’d come through.