“Yes, Ara, because that matters.”
“Teams One and Two? Really? How does it help our morale if you can’t even bother to give them decent names?”
I sighed. “Do whatever you want. Just pay attention to Drill, please.”
“The field is live, ladies!” my brother shouted, trying way too hard to sound like me. I couldn’t help but smirk.
The battle began.
Each team had half an hour to take out their opposition. We used firearms with red ink bullets that made it impossible to argue a hit. As the soldiers decorated the arena with red splatter, Ara pushed the mic away from his mouth.
“I’m proposing to Ceram tomorrow,” he said.
I tried to hide my shock. The idea of Ceram joining our family made me a little nauseous, but part of the discomfort was due to the fact that my younger brother would be betrothed before me. That wasn’t tradition, and though I wasn’t usually one for tradition, I knew the Eye of Akul (and my sister) would start pressuring me to marry. “Congratulations. Have you planned a date for her inking?”
Inking was a pre-marriage ceremony, where the bride was adorned in permanent ink with her husband’s family name and her vows. It was kind of like a brand. Women didn’t wear semi-permanent ink. The only time their bodies were decorated was when they were married, and those decorations lasted forever. You could imagine the complications of a divorce.
“Not yet. I haven’t talked to her about it. Don’t want to get ahead of myself; she might reject me.”
“She won’t.”
“No?”
“You’re an Eltruan.”
“I’d like to think she won’t reject me because I’m charming and intelligent.”
“And an Eltruan.”
Ara frowned. “Are you saying she’s only with me because of my family name?”
I looked at the field. “No, I’m just saying she won’t reject you. I wish you all the best.” Before he could reply, I grabbed his mic and yanked him over to me so I could speak into it. “Lt. Samay, what the fuck are you doing? Stop standing in the middle of the street like a moron and take cover!”
As soon as I’d said that, Lt. Geiss nailed him in the head with an ink bullet. I sighed, while Ara laughed.
“Why is Lt. Samay acting like fresh meat?”
“He was up all night fighting with his girlfriend,” explained Ara. “She kicked him out and now he’s living in his craft until further notice.”
“Wow, that sucks.”
“Sure does. Not everyone has it like us.”
No one had it like us.
“Lt. Assev, the enemy you’re sniping is too far away!” my brother shouted into the mic. “Cover your team and let them get him!” He shot me a sidelong grin. “I could totally get used to this.”
* * *
It was one in the morning when we wrapped it up at the research lab. We’d still had a lot to do, but called it quits when Yahweh fell asleep in mid-sentence.
Leid and I staggered back to my estate, our exhaustion mutual. All this work was starting to wear on us, and there was no rest in sight.
Tomorrow was going to suck even worse.
Work from seven to three, and then my induction ceremony from six to whenever. I couldn’t leave until most of our guests did, and considering the ceremony was more like a party, I figured I’d be there at least until midnight. Yay.
That reminded me. “Did you buy a dress for tomorrow night?”
“No, I haven’t had the time,” Leid said, stifling a yawn.
“Why don’t I take you to the Agora during lunch tomorrow?”
“Alright.”
It’d been three weeks since my father died, and we never discussed the ordeal that had taken place that night. But things had changed between us. We held a strictly platonic relationship in public, but behind closed doors—;
Well, that was another matter.
When we got to my room, I changed into informal clothes while Leid groggily filled a syringe.
“This is your last week of injections,” she said as I rolled up my sleeve. “How does that feel?”
I grimaced at the idea of her giving me a dose while half-asleep and reached for the syringe. “Here, let me do that. I don’t want you severing an artery.”
Leid handed it to me. After I injected it, I sat on my bed beside her. “Don’t know,” I murmured. “I don’t even think about malay anymore.”
“That’s good to hear.”
I held out the syringe and she reached for it. I grabbed her wrist with my other hand. “Why don’t you stay in my room tonight?”
Leid shook me off. “No.”
My grin fell. “Why not?”
“I’m fairly certain your idea of staying doesn’t entail sleeping. If I don’t get any rest before work, I’m going to croak.”
She was right. I really needed some sleep, too. “I’ll see you later this morning, then.”
Leid took the syringe and headed for the door. “Goodnight, Qaira.”
“Good morning, you mean.”
“Yes, that too.” And then she left.
I watched the door close, and then my gaze fell to the mirror on my closet. For a second, I didn’t even recognize myself. The blight of worry and regret had all but vanished from my face, the dark circles under my eyes now only due to sleep-deprivation and not malay infirmity. Leid was my new drug of choice.
Everything was changing; little pieces at a time. If I thought about it for too long, it confused me. Scared me, even. For decades, the darkness was the only thing that had kept me going. It was the only thing that fed my ambition to see the angels dead. And now here I was, playing chess with one of them. What was happening to me?
Leid was making all the shadows recede, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted them to. Happiness was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Not yet.
First, Lucifer Raith had to die.
XVII
THE TROUBLE WITH COMMITTMENTS
“OW,” I HISSED, FLINCHING. “Go easy!”
“Stop moving.”
“You’re gouging out my eye!”
“Because you’re moving.”
Leid squeezed my face and tilted my head; the ink pen pierced the tender flesh beneath my eye. It wasn’t enough to draw blood, but it sure felt like it. My eyes watered up and I closed them. “Every time you fill for me I’m reminded why I used to pay for a professional.”
“Quit your whining; I’m almost finished.”
“You need to hurry. We’re going to be late.”
“Well it isn’t my fault you didn’t ask me to fill sooner.”
“Yes, quite a mystery as to why.”
“You can’t have faded ink at your induction ceremony. It’s disrespectful.”
“And I giant handprint isn’t?”
Leid laughed. “Stop distracting me.” She finally let go and I jerked away, rubbing my face. “There, good as new.”
I confirmed her statement in the mirror. She’d done a good job. After taking a minute to straighten my black suit and red tie, I stepped back and took a final look.
Leid stood beside me, applying some last minute make-up. I looked good, but she was the real stunner tonight. I’d bought her a white silk dress, form-fitting with a slit that ran up the side of her thigh. Her hair was tied in a halo braid, loose strands slithering over the small of her back. There was no doubt that Leid would get media attention tonight, and if rumor of a relationship happened, I’d let it.
“I feel naked,” she murmured, wrapping her arms across her chest. All she did was emphasize her cleavage even more. I smirked.
“No you don’t. I’ve seen you naked.” Before she could respond I turned and pulled her against me, leaning my face into her neck and sniffing her perfume. I heard her sigh and my hand cupped her breast, thumbing her nipple. As it stood at attention, I whispered, “And I kind of want to see you naked right now.”
“We can’t,” she objected, heavy-breathed. “Our driver is waiting for us at
the port. You’ll be late.”
Leid was right. Damnit.
We headed for the flight deck, arm-in-arm.
* * *
When we landed at Yema Theater, the Eye of Akul were waiting for us at the end of a scarlet walkway, just in front of the rooftop entrance. Media personnel were allowed to stand at a distance, taking pictures and reporting live as Sanctum guards kept order. Four hundred Sanctum dignitaries and Parliament officials were here tonight, along with fifty of my favorite enforcers.
A server led us to our table, closest to the stage. It was round and draped in black tablecloth, candles housed in glass prisms atop it. Forty-five tables just like ours were scattered across the theater, immersing everything in hazy iridescence. A string quartet played on stage as guests took their seats, awaiting the show.
Leid and I sat with the council, along with Ara and Tae. And Ara’s girlfriend, Ceram, who was whining at my brother about a new purse. I still had no idea why he wanted to marry her. She wasn’t even pretty. Well, she wasn’t ugly, but it wasn’t like her looks made up for how superficial and annoying she was. Oh well; as long as he was happy.
The servers brought around our appetizers: fancy vegetable soup and bean salad with tulan cheese. I dug right in because I hadn’t eaten since noon, but all Leid seemed interested in was the wine. Surprise, surprise.
After the servers took our empty plates away, I slipped a folded piece of paper from my pocket and read it over. I was pretty sure that I’d memorized my speech, but you could never be too careful.
“Your dress is beautiful!” squawked Ceram. “Where did you get it?”
“I can’t remember,” Leid said. “Qaira, where did we get my dress?”
“Opallas,” I mumbled, not bothering to look up.
“Opallas! I love that place! You and I should go when their Kiorka season clothing line comes in!”
Leid smiled, wary. “Sure.”
Looks like she made a new friend. Poor her.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt—
I glanced down at my radio, frowning.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
The call was from Eroqam. I had to take it.
Ara’s radio was going off as well. We shared a look. I nodded.
“Excuse me,” I said, getting up and heading for the hall. The servers were still bringing around the main course, which meant I had some time.
Leaning against the wall, I brought the radio to my lips. “This is Qaira Eltruan, go ahead.”
“Regent, this is Communications Analyst Tren. Commander Lucifer Raith is on hold at Eroqam, sir. He is asking to speak to you immediately.”
“I can’t. I’m at Yema Theater for the induction ceremony, which I’m sure he knows. Take a message.”
“I’ve tried that already, sir. He refuses to speak to anyone but you.”
Raith expected me to leave my own induction ceremony and drive all the way back to Eroqam? “If he won’t leave a message with you, then it isn’t that important. I’ll call him in the morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
I disconnected the call and stared at the radio. What if Raith’s message was important? No, whatever he wanted to tell me could wait until tomorrow. I wasn’t going to cancel the ceremony because of him.
As I returned into the theater, the quartet was gone and spotlights flashed across the stage. The ceremony was beginning.
* * *
“I’d like to thank everyone for coming tonight, and a special thanks to the Eye of Akul for arranging all of this. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
Applause.
“It was tough knowing that I was one day going to be the Regent. I admit there were times when I really had to stop and evaluate myself and my future—assess my actions in a way no one else ever had to. When I was six hundred, my father asked me what I thought the Regent did for Sanctum. He had come home from a long day at work and I hadn’t seen him for almost a week. He would leave each morning before I’d wake for school, and arrive home after I’d gone to bed.
“After a long, hard thought, which coincidentally took the same amount of time as it did to chew my mouthful of cake—”
Laughter.
“—I said to him, ‘The Regent controls all the men in Sanctum who carry big guns.’ And at the time, that seemed like a good enough answer for him. But the Regent is much more than that, and I know that now.
“I was forced to take the mantle prematurely. As you all know, Qalam Eltruan was diagnosed with dementia ten years ago and since then I’ve strived to keep this city afloat. We have many, many troubles right now, and I want you to put your faith in me. I’m not half the man my father was, but I promise to protect Sanctum with my life. Should the angels descend on us, I will be the first one on the field with our men, ready to taste the sting of their bullets. I promise to rid our society of malay once and for all; our Health Division is planning to open several new programs to treat addicts in a safe and steady climb to sobriety. Change is coming, Sanctum. We will see stability and prosperity equal to the Adoria Era. Fhazia dia korti.”
Fhazia dia korti. Fire of eternity.
“Fhazia dia korti!” chanted the audience. “Di Sanctum!”
“For Sanctum,” I answered. “And without further ado, it is my pleasure to decorate my brother with the sigil of Enforcer Command. Please welcome Commandant Ara Eltruan.”
I removed the badge from my breast as Ara took the stage to wild applause. After shaking hands, I pinned the sigil to his suit and together we gave the audience the Enforcer salute.
Isa and Kanar appeared at the other side of the stage as we descended, shaking our hands and pinning the Regent crest to my suit. Thousands of cameras flashed from the media-exclusive area, and I shook hands with all who rose to congratulate me on my way back to our table. The servers were clearing the tables and pulling them away in preparation for the after party. My sister hugged me and Leid watched us, smiling.
I had forgotten all about Raith’s call.
* * *
Two hours later, everyone was drunk. The floor was packed and guests danced in pairs along the theater, moving in synch to the rhythm of the music. The dance was called Jarahet; men and women moved differently, forming lines and circles. It was a traditional dance and I knew it well, but I wasn’t one for dancing unless it was a requirement for getting laid. That wasn’t a problem in the foreseeable future.
Instead I watched my sister being courted by a young chairman of Sanctum’s Commerce Division. Ara had proposed to Ceram an hour ago and it seemed Tae felt pressured to start putting herself out there. Ara was the youngest among us, and the fact that he was getting married first put us both to shame. Well, only in a hypothetical sense. I didn’t really care.
But I’d known this day would come. Soon my sister would get engaged to a well-to-do Upper Sanctum dignitary and leave our estate. I would miss her dearly.
Ara and Ceram twirled in the middle of the Jarahet. People were laughing and clapping. Leid stood next to me, sipping her drink.
“When is it considered not rude to leave?” she asked.
I glanced at my watch. It was nine. “Not for another few hours, sorry.”
Leid surveyed the crowd. “Your council is gone.”
“They’re old. It’s way past their bedtimes.”
“Would you be terribly insulted if I went to check on the craft progress? We’re running a week behind schedule already.”
I frowned. “Yes, I would. I want you in that dress when I ravage you tonight.”
She smiled. “Then dance with me.”
I looked at her, hesitating with a response. The Jarahet had ended and the orchestra switched to a classical tune. Pairs of men and women danced closely together, arms locked, gliding across the floor.
“I didn’t realize you liked to dance,” I said.
“If I’m going to stand here for another three hours, then you better entertain me,” she muttered, tossing her empty cup on a tray.
Sigh.
“Alright,” I said, offering her my hand, “let’s go.”
Leid’s smallness was never made more apparent than now. She was barely any taller than Yahweh, putting her at a height of maybe five foot nothing. Since I was over six feet, the mechanical issues of our dance made it kind of awkward.
But her frame added to her allure. I was the only one in the theater who knew that she could put me into a chokehold. Tiny but deadly.
“You dance well, Qaira.”
“So do you. For someone who’s never been to The Atrium, you know how to do practically everything.”
She smiled. “I practiced.”
“Practiced?”
“Yes, I was given several weeks’ time to prepare to come here. The library in our court is immeasurable.”
“You have books on how we dance?”
“We have books on everything. Every world and their cities and people and customs… Most of it is handwritten notes by other scholars, bound into books. Our primary reason for existing is to learn about the Multiverse and its inhabitants. You can think of us as cosmic librarians.”
“And when you go back, will you write about your time here?”
She nodded. “I will make updates into our already-written books about the Nehel. And also the angels, whatever their fate may be.”
Our conversation paused as I dipped her.
“Funny,” I said. “I thought a race like yours who’s seen countless worlds would use something a little more advanced to keep their records in.”
Leid laughed. “Our books are not like yours.”
“What are they?”
“I probably shouldn’t say anything else,” she whispered. “We aren’t allowed to talk about our practices.”
“Who would I tell? I’m the only one who knows your secret other than the council and my family.”
“Your family knows?”
“They know you aren’t one of us. Come on, Leid; it’s pretty impossible to cover that up when you live with them.”
“Have you told them what I am?”
“No, they haven’t asked. I think they know the matter is a secret. I trust you, and that’s good enough for them.”
The Antithesis- The Complete Pentalogy Page 36
