by V. St. Clair
“Of course…” Topher responded warily. It went without saying that he was supposed to tell the truth to his superiors.
“If you heard there was an attack on my family, what would you do?”
Unsure of where this was headed, Topher said, “I would come to your aid with all possible speed, Excellency.”
“Would you, Topher?” the Viceroy pressed him. “Would you come to my aid first?”
An icy sensation washed over him as Topher finally understood the question.
There was only one correct answer to give, which would be to go first to the Viceroy and only worry about Jessamine after he was safe. There were a few people designated solely to Jessamine and Shellina’s defense, but he had no idea who they were, other than he wasn’t one of them. It was something they kept a secret, to prevent anyone from knowing which group of people needed to be suborned or killed in order to get to the heirs.
“I…” Topher began hesitantly.
“Do not lie to me, Major Augen,” the Viceroy cut him off. “I gave you your Talents and I can take them away.”
“Knowing that every available Major was rushing to your aid, Excellency, I would likely go to Vicerina Jessamine. You cannot live forever, and she is your heir and must be protected.”
“There are other people who are designated to protect my heirs,” the Viceroy said coldly.
“I don’t know who they are, so I can’t trust their competence. I’m sorry, Excellency, but I would go to Jessamine, regardless of my orders.”
Depending on the Viceroy’s mood, Topher may have just signed his own death warrant. The Provo-Major were supposed to be absolutely loyal to the ruling Viceroy or Vicereine, before all else. Admitting he would leave the ruler of the planet to die in favor of protecting his daughter could be considered an act of treason, a plot to collude with Jessamine to kill her father and put her on the throne.
“I thought so,” the Viceroy nodded curtly. “I’ll admit I’m not thrilled with one of my best Majors choosing my heir over me, but I believe your punishment will be sufficiently unpleasant to make up for it.” He seemed to exhale some of his tension away. “Since this is the way of things, we might as well acknowledge it and make it official. In the event of an emergency, I command you to report to Vicerina Jessamine and render her all services necessary to her survival.”
“But, Excellency—”
“As you’ve just pointed out, there will be plenty of people coming to my defense. As you also explained, I am getting older and cannot rule forever, and Shellina is still too immature to take the mantle of responsibility involved in governing a planet.
“It must be Jessamine, and since you are the only one I know for certain is not betraying me, you are the only one I can completely entrust her to.”
Topher wanted to know a few more details about the aforementioned punishment, but blinked and said, “A few weeks ago you had me on your short list of people who might be trying to overthrow you, and now I’m the only one you can trust?”
The Viceroy met his gaze and said, “I can believe that you would kill me and anyone else necessary to take control of the government if you really wanted it, but I do not believe you would ever harm Jessamine. Whoever attacked her today, I am confident you had nothing to do with it, because I know what you feel for her.” He looked cool and speculative in the face of Topher’s embarrassment. “Though if Darius Hamish were to drop dead mysteriously, I confess, you would be my first suspect.”
Jessamine let out a soft groan from her bed and Topher almost jumped out of his skin, forgetting she was in there with them.
Did she hear any of what her father just said!? He wondered frantically, but she appeared to still be unconscious.
“I—it is true that I would never harm her,” Topher allowed, blinking and looking away from his superior.
“Good. Then whatever happens to me, you do everything in your power to protect my daughter.”
“Of course,” he nodded uncomfortably, before continuing. “About my punishment…”
“That is your punishment, Major.” The Viceroy had a strange look on his face that was hard to place.
“Excellency?”
“You are assigned to Jessamine now. You are accountable for the safety of her, her husband, and their future children, regardless of your feelings for her. I think that will be a unique form of torture, don’t you?”
Topher swallowed and tried to ignore his feelings at hearing this. The Viceroy mercifully dropped the subject.
“I need to make a statement about the incident today before things get completely out of hand.” He glanced at his daughter one last time as he said this. “The media has already begun preliminary reporting on the attack, though they don’t yet have Jessamine’s identity confirmed as the target.”
“Given the quick response of the municipal police and the sky-ambulance running through government emergency lanes to the top level of GMH, I’m sure they can tell it is someone very important.”
The Viceroy nodded confirmation of this.
“Call me on my personal comm when you have a status update on her chances of survival and recovery.” And with that, he was gone.
If Topher had ever survived a longer stretch of unpleasantness he couldn’t remember when. Aside from the team of specialists who came into the room periodically to draw blood or adjust her medications, there was nothing to do to pass the time. Jessamine occasionally stirred in discomfort but never fully woke, and these moments were usually followed by a visit from a doctor who would check her bandages and adjust her medication again. The doctors didn’t have much to say to him, other than there was nothing to do but wait and see.
He paced the room until his legs were tired, alternating between sitting at the far end of the room and sitting right beside her. At times he didn’t think he could be near her without his anxiety getting the best of him, and at others he couldn’t bear the thought of being away from her in case this was the last time they would ever have together. During those moments he would sit in a chair beside her bed and gently stroke the back of her hand, on the off-chance she had any level of awareness and could sense his presence.
He dozed uncomfortably, slumped over in his chair with his neck and back aching. He was offered a bed in a neighboring room, but he declined the offer. Thinking back on it, it was a particularly cruel punishment of the Viceroy’s, who must be taking out his fury over her injury with him. Knowing how Topher felt about Jessamine, the fact that he was forced to sit alone with her in a room and watch her until she got better or died seemed unnecessarily harsh.
This is nothing to what I’m going to feel for the next thirty years or so, watching that undeserving lout spend his days with the woman I love. He doesn’t even appreciate how wonderful she is.
Time felt so distorted that Topher had no idea what day it was when Jessamine finally woke up. In fact, he wouldn’t have even noticed her miraculous return to consciousness had she not said, “My mouth tastes terrible,” all of a sudden.
Topher, who had been slumped over with his head resting on the edge of her bed, sat bolt upright and said, “Jessamine? Are you awake?” like an idiot.
She was still lying on her stomach, but her eyes were finally clear instead of glassy and unfocused. With a wince, she forced herself to roll slightly onto her side so she could face him, propping herself up on some rolled-up blankets.
“My neck hurts like hell,” she admitted. “How long have I been lying on my stomach with my head turned to the side like that?”
“I have no idea,” Topher confessed, light-headed with relief. It was still too soon to know whether she was clear of infection, but just having her awake and coherent was a blessing right now.
“This looks like a hospital,” Jessamine observed mildly, glancing around behind him. “And since I’m lying in a bed, hooked up to monitors, and you look like absolute hell, I’m going to assume my dream about being attacked by hired hitmen wasn’t a dream.”
&n
bsp; Topher snaked his arm under the wad of blankets to find her hand and said, “I’m afraid not. Both assailants were killed, but I’ve been in an information blackout ever since. Your father asked me to stay with you until further notice, and I haven’t heard from him since.”
Jessamine quirked an eyebrow at him and said, “That explains why you look and smell terrible, but it doesn’t really address why you’re stroking my left breast right now.”
She said it with such a neutral tone that it took Topher a moment to realize she was serious, and when he realized the mistake he jumped backwards so quickly his chair toppled over backwards with a loud crash and skidded towards the door.
“I’m sorry! I thought it was your hand!” he called out before the door slid open behind him. The doctors must have been drawn by the noise, or else they noticed from her vital signs that Jessamine was awake and were coming to check on her, because several people now entered the room in rapid succession.
The doctors and nurses were expected, but the presence of Shellina came as something of a shock to Topher, who straightened up more formally as she caught sight of him.
“Good heavens, Topher, you look spent. Has Father not given you permission to go wash up and get some rest yet?” she rattled off immediately, as she was wont to do when given the chance. Before he could respond, Shellina noticed her sister and said, “Jessa, you’re awake! How are you feeling? They said you were alive and stable, but you can never really be sure until you see for yourself. I wanted to bring you a nice warm blanket from home—that one Mother made for you years ago was always your favorite—but they said it didn’t comply with their hygiene requirements for your back, so I brought you some flowers instead.”
Topher thought it would be a miracle if Shellina ever stopped talking long enough to let Jessamine get in a word, but was touched by the sisterly concern all the same.
“They said you were hit by razor-spikes,” Shellina continued with a scowl, eyeing her sister’s bandaged back while the doctors checked her readouts. “What a nasty weapon to be hit with; only a heartless coward would use such a thing. Did it hurt? Well, that’s silly, of course it hurt…but do you think it will scar? I don’t suppose it matters since you’ve already got a husband locked in, but what a shame if you can’t wear backless dresses anymore at dances.” She sighed ruefully. “Father has made an announcement already—well, he had to since the news was already covering the attack and speculating that it was either you or I who was injured. He hasn’t said it’s Hera’s work—but who else could it be?—so the media is having a field day with it. They’re also in love with Topher, of course, but that’s hardly surprising.”
“What?” Topher interrupted the endless babble of information at this point, unable to keep his silence any longer. Jessamine, for her part, looked to be mildly amused by her sister’s rambling, possibly comforted by the familiarity of it.
“Oh, don’t you know?” Shellina asked innocently. “Well, I don’t guess you would, seeing as how you’ve been stuck in here for so long. Word got out that both hired killers were taken out by one lone Major who didn’t even have his weapons or armor on him, so of course you’re a sensation now. Father likes the publicity around it because it goes towards showing people how invincible the Provo-Major are, so he leaked your government photo for them to use in the news vids, which has all the lovesick ladies going wild, by the way. I was having lunch with Bessa and Laura when we heard about it all, and would you believe Bessa was giggling like a schoolgirl over how romantic it was that you were willing to sacrifice yourself to defend Jessa like that.”
Topher made an involuntary face at all of this, which Shellina misinterpreted the meaning of, because she said, “I know, right? I mean, you were only doing your job by protecting her; you would have done the same for me or our Father. But Bessa is a hopeless romantic, and she’s always liked the idea of you and Jessamine being secretly in love, though I told her it’s ridiculous to make up nonsense like that. Besides, there’d be no point in you wanting Jessamine, because she’s the heir to the Viceroyalty so she has to marry someone influential and well-connected. It doesn’t matter quite as much for me, since I’m not going to be in charge of running the planet one day, so I suppose I could marry a Major if I wanted to, even someone from common roots like you—”
“Shelly,” Jessamine interrupted abruptly, which was good because Topher was about to run out of the room screaming at this point. “The doctors want to look at my back and change my bandages. Do you think you could come over here to hold my hand and lie to me about how bad it looks, while Major Topher steps outside to check in with Father?”
Shellina seemed to suddenly remember why she was here, because she perked up immediately and said, “Yes, of course! It would be entirely inappropriate for Topher to see you so undressed, so I’ll make sure the door is guarded by Kristoph and Andro until you’re all covered up again.” She bustled around the room, getting in everyone’s way while Topher beat a hasty retreat, grateful to be spared from Shellina’s exhausting company.
At least she cared enough to come see her sister and to try and cheer her up, even if she is horribly tactless and never shuts her mouth long enough to think.
Topher passed Andro and Kristoph at the door, which made him uneasy because he didn’t particularly trust either of them, though they acknowledged him professionally as he went by. Even if there was a traitor somewhere in the ranks of the Provo-Major, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to try anything at the hospital when it would be immediately apparent who the traitor was.
He exhaled his paranoia and stepped into an empty room, stifling a yawn and calling the Viceroy on his personal communicator to give an update on Jessamine’s status.
“Report, Major,” the man answered on the second ring, looking crisply dressed and well-groomed, if not well-rested. Topher felt particularly grimy by comparison.
“She’s awake and coherent at the moment. The doctors are checking her back now and changing her bandages, but she doesn’t currently seem to be in much pain.”
The Viceroy narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Were my orders unclear? I asked you to remain with her until further notice.”
“Shellina is with her right now, with Kristoph and Andro guarding the door. Jessamine asked me to step out of the room and report to you while they have her bandages off.”
The Viceroy raised an eyebrow and said, “Jessamine isn’t one to care about modesty during emergency situations. It must be Shellina.”
Topher inclined his head at this foresight and said, “So I gather. Shellina seems to be quite worried for her sister, and when she worries she…rambles.”
“Ha,” the Viceroy chuckled in understanding. “That she does. In the future, please remember my orders supersede those of my daughter.”
“I’m sorry, Excellency, of course they do.” Topher stifled another yawn, wondering how effective he was as a guard right now if he was so fatigued that he could forget such a simple fact.
“You look exhausted. My fault, I imagine,” the Viceroy relented slightly. “Go and get a shower and a change of clothing, then send for a meal and a bed—surely they can add one to Jessamine’s room. Get some rest while you can, or you’ll be worse-than-useless when I need you. In a few hours you’ll need to look presentable for a press conference; I’ll have your light armor sent over.”
Oh, right…I need to be their poster-boy.
“I understand, Excellency.”
The Viceroy cut the comm and for a moment Topher closed his eyes and slumped against the wall, exhausted beyond belief. He removed the Talents from his enhancers to see how poorly he was actually feeling, which was a mistake because he nearly passed out from fatigue right then and there. He forced himself to get moving again so he could go follow orders. Maybe things would all be better by the time he woke up for the press conference.
Or maybe things will only get worse from here.
To underscore this ominous thought, the voice in hi
s head whispered, “Three turns of the glass. You have forgotten. It will fall.”
Topher snapped the Talents back into his enhancers and went back to work.
17
Maxton Mercuria
Max was setting the table for dinner, wondering whether Ana would actually show up as scheduled. Not that he would blame her if she didn’t—with all of the craziness going on at the Academy right now, she may not want to take the risk—but he did like seeing her. Ever since he became a fugitive, he had been living in a safe house of Hera’s, apparently one she favored quite a bit, because she often slept there as well. It was centrally-located near the banking area of Silveria, but outside of the wealthy part of town. The house itself was nothing special. In fact, it was identical to the ones on either side of it, down to the fading white paint on the exterior. They weren’t in a bad area, per se, but no one with real money would live here by choice.
It was a great area to hide in. The neighborhood was large enough and dubious enough that it wasn’t uncommon to not know most of the neighbors, so Max was able to venture outside for fresh air as long as he made an effort to change his appearance from the pictures being spammed everywhere by the Augenspire, calling for his arrest.
Living with the leader of an anti-government revolution was a lot more boring than he thought it would be before experiencing it. He had no idea where Hera’s real house was—this one lacked any photos or other personal effects to mark it as such—but even though she returned here frequently, they didn’t see each other terribly often. Sometimes he was alone in the house for days on end before she came back, left to watch television by himself or read books.
Of course, it wasn’t all rest and relaxation. She assigned him plenty of jobs to do, namely, running one of the secret comm networks between various supporters of hers that weren’t supposed to know the others existed. He acted as a middleman for these transactions, routing and relaying information as needed without revealing anything about where it came from. He had also gone out a few times to meet with some of Hera’s technical people, who were hard at work trying to pick apart the Talents Ana had stolen from Major Fox to figure out what they all did. Last he heard, they weren’t terribly optimistic on identifying the function of each Talent, since they lacked the neural network map of Fox necessary to complete the picture, but mapping the electronics themselves was more information than they’d ever had before.
