by Beth Reason
Chapter 18
Tenet woke early, as he normally did, and found that Violet was still fast asleep. He smiled to himself as he tucked a shiny lock of hair over her ear. She would have to get used to waking up early again once they got home. He leaned forward and kissed her head and wondered if he'd ever be able to stop kissing and hugging her and making sure she was safe and well. He pushed up from the small bed and groaned as his back creaked. He rose and stretched, then checked the door to the suite. It was locked, as he expected. He went back into the bedroom and locked Violet's door from the inside before using the bathroom that connected. He wasn't taking any risks with her ever again.
After he used the bathroom and washed up, he went back into the bedroom and woke his daughter. "Come on, sleepy head. No lazing around."
Violet yawned and groaned. "But I don't hafta get up early here."
Tenet sighed. "You and your mother with your sleeping." He shook his head and pulled the blanket right off her. "Rise and shine."
"But Da," she began.
Tenet almost started crying. Just like that, they were back to their usual selves, as if nothing was happening, as if nothing had gone wrong. Just like that, she was moaning about him waking her up, and he was pulling the blankets off and giving her a hard time. He almost said she'd be late for school until reality came back with a bitter slap. They weren't in their normal routine. They still had so far to go. He let go of the blanket and walked to the closet. "What should we wear today?" he asked as casually as he could.
"Did you bring me leathers?" she asked hopefully.
"Sorry, nope. We need to wear, uh..." He pulled some sort of frilly dress from the rack and brought it out, holding it up and making a face. "Whatever this is supposed to be."
Violet glared at the offensive garment before giggling at the horrified look on Da's face. "Do I hafta?"
"'Hafta' is not a word. It's 'have to'. And yes, you have to." He motioned toward the closet. "It's this ugly, crinkly rag, or another one of those ugly, crinkly rags. I don't suppose it makes much of a difference which ugly, crinkly rag you wear. You'll look absolutely hideous in any of them." He was making another face and Violet laughed again.
"You're supposed to tell a lady she's pretty!"
Tenet shrugged. "Sorry. I calls 'em like I sees 'em, and these 'ems is ugly."
Violet shook her head, unable to stop laughing. "Silly Da. I..."
There was a pounding on the door, and Violet jumped up and threw her arms around Tenet. He picked her up as calmly as possible, the rage at her fear making him pause for a slow ten count before he opened the door.
"This door is not supposed to be locked," said a man that Tenet didn't recognize. He was dressed as a servant, though, and Tenet decided to treat him as such.
"This is the door to my daughter's private inner chamber, and you are a man. You will turn yourself around and leave this room at once!"
The man quirked an eyebrow. "Right. Well, seeing as I've been hand picked to be your guard, that means I pretty much go where I need to go. Get yourselves dressed and come out to the parlor. Your father expects you to join he and the Mrs. for breakfast." The man turned and left without giving Tenet the chance to respond.
Tenet stared after him for a minute before turning to look down at Violet. "Well. He was rude." He picked his daughter up and brought her to the bathroom to wash her face and make sure she brushed her teeth. He handed her clean underclothes and left her to get herself changed, then helped her get the abomination of a dress on. It took forever to figure out exactly how all the little doodads and frilly bits were supposed to go, but eventually he got it. He helped her do up the hooks on the most comfortable looking pair of shoes he could find. Once they were on, he picked her up and pulled her to him for a hug. "There's going to be a lot of pretend today," he whispered in her ear. "And I need you to remember that what I say and what I do is just pretend. The wraith will come, okay?"
Violet nodded. "Always."
"Good girl." He kissed her again, then they went to the parlor.
"She stays," the guard said, motioning a maid forward to take Violet.
"No." Tenet said firmly, squeezing Violet's hand.
The guard sighed. "Look, pal. I'm just doing my job. And the boss man said you, not her."
"I'm not leaving without her."
The guard looked to the maid, who, having no idea what to do either, offered only a shrug. "Fine," he said eventually. "But you tell him it was your idea if the you-know-what hits the fan."
Tenet followed the man out and along the familiar corridor, through a series of rooms, and down the back stair case. Unless things had been moved around, it was not a direct route to the formal dining room and Tenet wondered at that. They reached the dining room, and Tenet saw that it was in the same place. Interesting. He picked Violet up and settled her on his hip while the guard announced them.
Irmara stood and had to force herself not to run to Tenet. As it was, she ignored Bradwin's look and walked to the door to greet him. "I...I see you brought Violet. I will call for her maid and she can eat breakfast later with the children as she normally does."
"Violet normally eats breakfast with me, Mother." Tenet smiled, but Irmara felt no warmth. He walked in and set Violet down in an empty chair, then took his own seat next to her. He reached for the coffee and poured himself a cup while he asked Violet what she would like to have for breakfast.
Irmara watched him. He looked so much at home, as if he never left. And yet, there was a world of difference, and Violet was only a small part of that change. Tenet himself was different. Confident. He didn't even look in his father's direction, where he used to always constantly seek his father out in spite of the pain he knew he would cause himself by doing do. Irmara looked at Bradwin. He seemed to grow older and older by the moment. It bothered him that Tenet wouldn't look up, wouldn't acknowledge his presence. Forcing her smile to remain aloof, she walked to the table and sat down.
Bradwin watched Tenet and Violet, tapping his fingers on the table impatiently until Tenet finally looked up. "I see you still buck my orders."
"I will not go anywhere without my daughter."
Bradwin snorted. "The prisoner tells the warden what will and will not be, eh?"
Irmara rolled her eyes. "For goodness sake, Bradwin. Can't we just welcome our son without hostility?" She shot him a knowing look and Bradwin had the good sense to shut his mouth. "Welcome home, Tenet."
"I told you Da would come," said Violet, beaming as she took a bite of the sliced apple in front of her.
"That you did," Irmara said, giving her granddaughter a kind look.
Tenet buttered his bread and wondered at the looks his mother gave Violet. He hadn't received looks like that as a child. In fact, he couldn't remember anyone getting kindness from his mother. Perhaps the years had softened her. "Yes, well, it's been a long time coming." He took a deep breath. "Feels good to get out of there and be back home in civilization." He hoped Violet would just keep remembering that this was all a game like he told her. Bradwin snorted again, and Tenet looked him dead in the eye. "It's true. You upped the time line, but I've been working at escape for years."
"And you expect me to believe that you made her against your will?"
"Bradwin!" Irmara hissed.
Tenet schooled his features, relying on his years of growing up in the Bradwin family to keep the emotion out of his expression. He was trained by the best, after all. "I don't expect you to believe anything. Speak with your man, Nori. He'll tell you how long we worked on a plan to escape." He turned back to his meal and tried to eat with relish. In truth, he wished he had some bacon.
Irmara and Bradwin had a whole silent conversation with looks between each other, and in the end, Bradwin let it go for the time being with the flick of a wrist. "I'll have rooms prepared for you," Irmara said, trying to steer the conversation onto friendly ground.
"Thank you, Mother, but I'm quite content to stay with Violet."
Tenet could see that his mother wanted to balk and object, but she held it in and Tenet had to force himself not to smile. The impropriety must be killing her.
"Yes. Well." She cleared her throat. "I'm sure that would make Violet's transition a little easier." She looked to Bradwin for help.
"Yes, it's fine while we're here," he said, surprising her. In truth, it would be much easier to keep an eye on both of them if they were in the same place. "However, once we reach New Canada, it'll be a different story." Bradwin watched Tenet, looking for any sign that would give away his son's plans. He saw Tenet get angry, but couldn't tell if it was because he would be ordered apart from his daughter or if there was something else afoot. He wished Udin was present. The man was very good at reading people. He made a motion to the servant who stood in the doorway, and the man scurried over. He whispered to the servant, then the man nodded and left the room.
"I am surprised Nada is not dining with us," Tenet said, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence as he always had in the past.
"Your sister is...unwell," Irmara said carefully. "It could not have escaped your attention that she and her family did not attend last night's banquet."
Tenet gave a shake of his head. "No, I didn't really notice. There was a lot on my mind." He smiled down at Violet, and she returned the gesture.
Irmara dug her fingernails into her palm fighting back the bitter jealousy at the exchange between parent and child. She wondered if the girl had that same relationship with the Mumma she was always talking about, and an image of a whole family flashed tauntingly in her mind. She could picture them around a small, tribal table in some little hut in the wilderness, just the three of them against the world. She didn't care what Tenet told Bradwin. She had no doubt that he never would have left if Bradwin hadn't taken Violet. He would have stayed in that wild land with nothing around him but two people he loved. She knew a jealousy so deep in that moment that she knew she'd never again question how it was she could have raised such an awful daughter as Nada. The apple did not fall far from the tree and it took a tremendous willpower to pick up her spoon and eat her grapefruit as if nothing was wrong.
"Aunt Nada takes a lot of pills," Violet explained.
Tenet quirked an eyebrow in Bradwin's direction. When the old man gave a small shrug, Tenet turned and accusatory glance at his mother.
Irmara waved a carefully manicured hand. "You know she has always gotten head aches since her child hood accident. And of course there is her back."
"Ah," was all Tenet said. She must still be in great pain, and he suddenly felt very sad for his sister. "Well, I hope she feels well enough to say hello today. Your Aunt Nada and I had some fun times together on this ranch." Violet gave Tenet a bland look that made him laugh. He almost told her how much she looked like her mother when she made that face, and caught himself just in time. "Oh, I know she must seem like a proper old lady to you now, Violet. But there was a time when she was a little girl who liked to run around and have fun."
"I believe that was your father's doing more than anything else," Irmara said to Violet.
Violet tilted her head, then nodded. "Yes. Da is much more fun than Aunt Nada."
Tenet laughed. "A real stuffy pants, is she?"
Irmara could not help the quirk of a smile. "She is exactly as she is expected to be."
Tenet clapped his hands. "Then a challenge it is. Miss Violet, will you join me in the great undertaking of making your stuffy pants Auntie Nada laugh?"
Violet giggled. "Good luck with that one!"
"Violet!" Irmara chastised through her smile. She noticed that even Bradwin found humor in the conversation. That was what they had missed over the years. More than anything, it was Tenet's easy humor and good mood that was lacking on the Bradwin estates since he left. Even if Bradwin himself would deny it until he was blue in the face, life was just more lively when Tenet was around. "You must not speak ill of your aunt."
"I was the one who spoke ill of her," Tenet pointed out. "And I shall continue to do so until she graces me with her presence and I tickle her silly."
"Aunt Nada's ticklish?" Violet could not imagine her aunt doubled over and laughing while being tickled.
An evil little smile spread on Tenet's face. "When we were young, I could get her to do anything I asked simply because she would cry tears of hysteria if I so much as wiggled my fingers in her direction. Is she ticklish? Is the sky blue?"
Udin cleared his throat as he entered the room. All good humor was lost, as if a vacuum sucked it from the air itself. Tenet sighed and motioned for Violet to eat her breakfast as Udin came in and sat opposite him. In a second, there was another presence in the room. Wren. He sat right beside Tenet without saying a word and Tenet instantly felt more at ease. He had wondered what happened to Wren and planned on digging for information after they ate. He was glad that wasn't necessary. He turned in his seat and stuck his hand out.
"We made it, Nori."
Wren gave a curt nod, shook Tenet's hand, then accepted the plate the servant brought and began eating without a word.
"I trust they are treating you well?"
Wren nodded. "I have been given a large set of rooms to live in."
"Where?"
Udin quirked an eyebrow. "Awful intent on Mr. Nori, aren't you, Tenet?" Bradwin was instantly glad he sent for Udin. He'd be able to figure out what eluded his old mind.
Tenet turned to face his old adversary. "Udin, for the past six years, I have been at the mercy of a group of people who...well, I'd rather not look back. My one saving grace was the knowledge that this man was working tirelessly for my safe return. I've had six years of being unable to trust my life in anyone else's hands but his. Yes, I am concerned. I would feel much more secure if he was housed closer to me, as I have seen first hand this man's skill, loyalty, and devotion." Tenet wiped his mouth on his napkin and threw it on the table.
"You seem tense, Tenet," Udin said, trying to get Tenet to slip up.
"You're damn right I'm tense!" Tenet felt Violet's nerves beside him and put his arm around her shoulder, silently begging the Mother to let Violet know it was all just pretend. "Look. I know things. I know about their military and their government. I'm as much a liability to them as I could have been to you. You think they're just going to let me go?" He shook his head. "Oh no. They may be barbarians, but have you ever seen a dog with a bone? They will never let go."
"You believe they will follow you?" Udin said with a frown.
"They already have," Wren butt in. He knew when to stay silent and when to help. This was a time to help. "I killed four of them myself as they chased the transport."
Udin looked at Bradwin and gave a small tilt of his head. Bradwin rubbed his chin slowly. So he really did see riders approaching as he and Violet took off.
"We nearly made it to the pick up location in time," Wren continued, looking right at Tenet's father. "The weather did not cooperate. We just missed the ship."
Bradwin frowned. "How did you know about the pick up?"
"I was in contact with your man, Jace. How do you think you found Tenet in such a vast wilderness?" Wren said it with all the scorn he could muster, as if Bradwin was the biggest moron in the world not to have already figured that out for himself.
Udin sat back and mulled over what the alleged agent was saying. On face, it seemed plausible. Reasonable, even, from what little he knew about the search for Tenet over the years. Things added up. And yet, there was still the doubt he couldn't shake. He was rarely wrong. If his gut was calling bullshit, then there was bullshit. The old man was buying it, that much was clear. Udin frowned and made a mental note to shake Bradwin down for the story, the whole story. He couldn't help if he was left in the dark, and Bradwin did not seem to realize how precarious the situation really was.
"What happened to the hunter?" Udin asked, trying to judge Tenet's reaction.
Tenet shook his head. "I don't know. He wasn't there when we arrived at the specified
location."
"Hm. Were you aware that he didn't reach the loading dock for the deserts?"
Tenet shrugged easily. "I have no idea what that means."
"His payment. He was supposed to get a free ride to a new, cushy life. He never showed up. Neither did the lady hunter."
"Udin," Irmara warned. It seemed she was bound to spend her whole morning warning people not to discuss certain things in front of small children. "Perhaps this is a discussion for another time."
"We saw no one but the warriors," Wren said, needing to make his point before the conversation was stopped. "By the time we reached the clearing, there was a transport on the horizon and the air ship was flying away. We decided to follow the air ship and let the hunters go. They were only a means to the end." Wren was proud when he was finished speaking at how smooth and casual he sounded. He knew his speech wasn't quite as polished as the others around the table, but he believed it would pass their test.
Udin assessed the man. There was something out of place, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "And these warriors. You said you killed them?" Wren nodded. "How? I thought the warriors from the north were supposed to be almighty, if the gossip from our borders is to be believed."
"Gossip is only a story not to be trusted. The warriors are men, like any others. If you shoot them, they will die."
Tenet knew how much it had to be killing Wren to say such things about Celtist warriors and he jumped in. "Mother's right. I don't think talk of death and killing is appropriate for everyone here."
Wren turned and went back to eating his meal, relieved for Tenet's interruption. He was mere seconds away from jumping across the table and proving to that sniveling little man Udin just how almighty an Ogden warrior could be, and that would not help their mission one little bit.
It was curious to Udin that Tenet wanted the subject to end, and he filed that away in the growing mental file. For now, he'd do as they wished and change topics. There would be plenty of time later for further digging. "Well, however you did it, you're here now, right? And that means that I've got myself yet another family member to prep for the press."
Tenet lifted the corner of his mouth in a wry smile. "I may have been gone for awhile, but I think I know how to handle the press."
Udin scoffed and sat forward. He never liked Tenet. The boy just rubbed him the wrong way. "Yeah, you really did a stellar job last night, didn't you? Do you have any idea how I spent my night?"
Tenet waved a hand and sat back in his chair. "I did do a stellar job last night." At Udin's glare, Tenet shrugged. "You have to do a little dance in front of the press. Get over it. That's your job. At least everyone is talking about the Bradwins again. At least there is press. Unless things have changed drastically in the last six years, the Leader's Ball is about as interesting as watching a slug cross the yard."
"The Leader's Ball is supposed to be a ceremony of reverence, not a three ring circus," Bradwin pointed out, more than a little offended at the truth behind Tenet's statement.
"Right," Tenet said sarcastically. "Because parading your newfound granddaughter in front of the nation like a trained monkey is the pinnacle of reverence." Bradwin had the decency to look uncomfortable. Tenet turned back to Udin. "When was the last good press this family had, hm? And now you have two juicy tidbits, two pieces of happy news." He picked up his fork and jabbed it into a half eaten slice of peach on his plate. "I'd say I did you a favor." He bit the peach and then pointed the fork at Udin. "In fact, I think you should be thanking me."
Udin's face turned hot with rage and he stood up. "Why you little..."
"Enough!" bellowed Bradwin, rubbing his chest. He snapped his fingers at a servant and the man brought over a little packet of powders. Udin sat down slowly, glaring at Tenet, and Tenet forced himself to eat the peaches as if everything were normal. He had been instructed to act as he used to, and needling Udin had been one of his favorite pastimes.
Bradwin stirred the powders into his glass of water and downed the concoction in two gulps. He'd forgotten just how poisonous Udin and Tenet were when they were in the same room. Six years made a lot of memories fade. He watched as the rest of the group ate in silence for the remainder of the meal and waited for the medicines to take away the burn in his chest. When it was clear everyone was finished, Bradwin called for Violet's maid. "Take the young lady back to her room and dress her properly."
Tenet stood to accompany Violet, but Bradwin told him to sit. "We need to discuss a few things away from little ears," Bradwin said. When that didn't work, he tried a different tactic. "You also need a thorough examination. I need to make sure you aren't bringing some wilderness fever or pox into my house."
"I assure you I am not," Tenet insisted.
"I want my Da," Violet said, gripping Tenet around the legs.
"See?" Tenet said, pointing to Violet. "She wants her Da."
"And I want to speak to my son about adult matters! Will you be chained to her for life, then?"
"Yes."
Bradwin threw his hands in the air. "Oh, for goodness sake..."
"I will take Violet," said Wren. He knew there was great value in Tenet having a private discussion with his father, and he had been carefully watching for signs of danger. The old man seemed content to simply fortify the house to stop Tenet from escaping, and there had been no indication that they were planning on taking Violet from Tenet again. He was confident they would be safe until the migration.
Udin glanced at Bradwin, uncomfortable with the plan. He had hoped to speak with the agent some more, but Bradwin waved a hand in dismissal.
Tenet looked at Wren, then down at Violet. "Violet, you remember Mr. Nori, don't you?"
Violet lifted her head from Tenet's leg and then tilted it. They were playing still, and she knew she had to play along. "I think so."
Tenet gave her a small push. "You go with Mr. Nori and get changed. I'll be up soon and then we can find something to play, okay?"
Violet nodded, then took Wren's hand and they followed the maid out. Tenet watched until he saw them turn down a hall and out of view, and he silently prayed that Wren knew what he was doing. He sighed and turned back to the group.
Irmara rose and moved to Tenet. She went to put her hand on him, then drew it back. She was frustrated with herself that she didn't know how to act or what to say to her own son, and in the end simply dismissed herself from the room with a hasty excuse about seeing to Nada and making her rounds.
"I'm a healer, Mother," Tenet said as she got to the doorway.
She turned. "Truly?"
He nodded. "Yes. There aren't many educated healers up north. Perhaps I could do rounds with you sometime?" He saw a look of pleasure in his mother's face and felt a warmth through him. How many times had he begged to join her as a child? And always she'd allow it only as a means to get him to stop pestering. For the first time, she seemed truly interested in having him join her.
"That will not happen," said Bradwin firmly. He ignored the glare from Irmara. On this, he would not budge. "You are not to leave the grounds."
Tenet quirked an eyebrow at his father, trying to look amused on the outside to mask his sudden and deep disappointment. "Ever?"
Bradwin rubbed at his chest again. "At least until we figure things out."
Irmara pressed her lips together tightly and turned from the room, fuming and aching and needing to get away to sort things out in her head. Tenet watched her go and felt the chill in the room when he was alone with his father and Udin. It might have been his imagination, but it seemed even the sunshine had dimmed. Tenet knew he had to be careful. He knew he had to look for the signs and cues of danger that Scarab had spent years teaching him. He knew he had to take everything that was said with a grain of salt, and keep his eyes on the end goal no matter what manipulative tactics his father had up his sleeve. He took a careful breath to fortify himself, then turned with a smile plastered to his face.
Bradwin looked at his son with intere
st. In the light of the morning sun, he could see himself fifty years younger. He had doubted the results paternity-matching he had done when Tenet was a baby, but any lingering suspicions evaporated. He wondered idly if being sure back then would have made any difference, if he would have felt more for Tenet or acted differently towards him. "You've changed," he said at length.
Tenet shrugged. "Six years in the wilderness will do that."
"Hm."
Udin looked between the two. If he didn't know his boss so well, he would have thought the old man was softening in his old age. But, he did know his boss. All he had to do was give the man a little nudge. "Yes, well as touching as this father/son bonding moment is, we've got a lot of things to clear up."
Tenet leaned back in his chair and waved a hand. "Ask your questions," he said with his haughtiest voice, the one he knew pissed Udin off like nothing else. The man had always hated him, even though Tenet couldn't imagine why. He was a young teenager when Udin joined his father's press team, and they barely saw each other. To his knowledge, he had never done anything to offend Udin. Over the years, he chalked it up to a basic personality conflict and learned to enjoy setting the normally composed man on edge.
"They aren't my questions," Udin said through clenched teeth. The kid might look different, but he was still the same pampered, self-possessed brat he always was. "They're the nation's questions. You know, the people we do all this for? You were dead to them. And they cared, they really cared. But did you? No. You didn't. You thought you would be all big and bad and traipse off on a wild adventure and..."
"Udin."
Bradwin's quiet command stopped Udin's rant, and Udin was grateful. He remembered how much Tenet's loss had torn at Irmara. He remembered holding her night after night while she sobbed. His perfect china doll, the woman he had always put on a pedestal of poise and grace was reduced to a blubbering mess for months, and all because of Tenet. All because of his selfishness. All because he was a bored rich kid looking for adventure, with no thought or care to the fallout. Just looking at the punk's face brought those memories rushing back, and he almost said so out loud. He almost went there, and none of them in the room would benefit in any way from him unleashing that particular rage. He took a breath and ran a hand through his thinning hair.
Tenet took measured breaths and strove for calm. He didn't want to be goaded into saying something rash that would give them all away. He watched Udin gather himself and rein in the anger. He did not want to push the man enough to make him snap. His own emotions would get the best of him then and that was something he could not risk. "Yes, I did act rashly. I was a child."
Bradwin snorted. "You were a few years into your majority."
Tenet turned to his father. "In years, not experience. Look at me, Father, and tell me I wasn't a child when I left." He didn't let Bradwin answer. He didn't have to. "I was immature, at best. I was hurt and angry at the loss of my military post, I had no marital prospects, no plan for a future, and a lifetime of being shuffled around as someone else's problem."
Bradwin clenched his jaw tightly. "You had everything you ever needed."
Tenet sighed. "I'm not bringing your parenting skills to task. They were lacking in certain ways, as you damn well know, but that's negligible. At this moment, I'm sitting here telling you that I understand what a child I truly was, well past the time I should have been. You can't disagree with that."
Udin's eyes narrowed. "What are you playing at?"
"Everyone keeps asking me that. I'm not playing at anything!" Tenet gave a small, sad laugh to emphasize his point. "I ran. It was stupid and shortsighted and believe me, I've spent the last six years paying dearly for that mistake." He turned to Bradwin. "Father, you were there. You saw that place. You saw the village, how primitive it was. You were there." Tenet hoped he looked hurt and lost. "Why didn't you look for me just a little harder?"
Bradwin felt a niggling of guilt. Just a twinge that was gone almost as it was felt, but guilt nonetheless. It was unfamiliar and entirely unpleasant and he looked to Udin for help.
Much to Udin's surprise, the old man was buying it. If he wasn't in the room, if he wasn't looking at the expression on Bradwin's face for himself, he never would have believed it. The tough buzzard was eating it up just as Irmara always had and Udin's hatred for Tenet grew. "Oh for the love of..." He had to pull in his emotions again. "Nice story, kid."
Tenet shrugged. "It's not a story. It's the truth." He held up his palms and showed the callouses. "I've spent six years in a prison camp. My days were filled with hard labor the likes of which you've never known. I had to split logs with my own hands. I had to pump water from a well. Do you even know what a well is? I had to ride horses. Think about that, Udin. I had to abuse animals on a daily basis just to get by under the radar." He leaned forward and dropped his voice low. "I had to eat meat."
Udin snorted. "Big woo. That makes you like ninety percent of the population."
"You don't eat meat, do you, Udin? Not for a long, long time. And you're very glad for the cushy life you live now, aren't you?" Tenet shook his head before Udin could answer, glad for the embarrassment he saw in the man's face. "Put yourself in my shoes. Yeah, okay. I screwed up. But for someone coming from this life, that one was almost the death of me."
Tenet had good points, as much as it killed Udin to admit. Fifteen years. It had been fifteen years since Udin had to lower himself to eat the meat of an animal to survive, and the time before his employment in the Bradwin household had always been a source of embarrassment for him. He understood Irmara better than anyone else. They shared a common history, even though he was merely from a slave family in the third worlds and not tribal, in the strictest sense of the word. Still, he understood the shame that life carried, and felt a grudging sympathy for Tenet in spite of himself. He squirmed in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable with the shift of power he was feeling. "If you weren't a willing participant, then how do you explain the girl?"
It was working. His father couldn't look him in the eye, and Udin was actually fidgeting in his nervousness. Tenet was so stunned he almost blew it. Udin's eyes narrowed again when Tenet took too long to answer, and Tenet had to quickly cover with a bark of laughter. "You're kidding, right?" he said quickly. He shook his head, his mind scrambling to come up with something believable. "Have you ever been lonely, Udin?"
Udin's face turned red and he looked away.
Bradwin cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I imagine it was horrible for you. And I certainly can't talk about picking up a native, now can I?" He watched the anger pass over Tenet's features as it always did when Bradwin brought Irmara's past up and felt like he was on firm ground once again. He knew this Tenet. He was older, stronger, wiser, perhaps, but he still had familiar buttons to be pushed. "Besides, you got little Violet out of it, so there was some redemption for your troubles."
"Yes, I got Violet." Tenet knew his upper hand had been played out. His father was once again back to his old ways, trying to find weak points he could later use against Tenet. At least he had a moment of control with his father, his first ever.
Bradwin looked at Udin. The man was still flustered and Bradwin sighed to himself. Perhaps he should have rid the house of Udin when he had discovered the affair with Irmara after all. If Udin was getting to where he couldn't brush off the most mild of zingers, then maybe it was time for him to go. Still, he was damn good with the press. Bradwin had never seen better. He would spend the day doing different junkets around the sector and by the next morning, the nation would not only be celebrating Tenet's return, they'd be champing at the bit to punish those responsible. On the surface, Tenet seemed to want to be back. Though Bradwin knew he'd be foolish to accept his son's tale completely, for the time being he saw no harm in going along with it and seeing how it played out.
"Well, I think that's enough interrogation for now. As I said before, I expect you to undergo a thorough medical examination."
Tenet shook his head.
"I'm telling you it's unnecessary."
Bradwin shrugged. "Then humor me."
His father was going to discover the missing recorder that Weevil had removed from his leg. Tenet let a few heartbeats pass, struggling to remain calm. He figured he might be able to delay that discovery, but it seemed to be in the forefront of his father's mind. He shrugged as casually as possible, and nodded in concession. "Fair enough. I'll gather Violet and we can leave. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see a real hospital."
"No need," Bradwin said. "Your mother has spent the last few years building a clinic out of our old root cellar." He saw the true surprise on Tenet's face. "Yes, I know. I always said I'd die before I let that happen." He shrugged. "What can I say? I've grown soft in my old age."
Tenet struggled not to laugh outright. Soft? Never. If there was a clinic now in Bradwin's home, Tenet had no doubt it was payment for Irmara's silence. His childhood had taught him that lesson well.
Bradwin called for the guard that had brought Tenet to the breakfast room earlier. When the man entered, he gave him instructions to see Tenet to the clinic and wait until he was finished. "You can spend the day with Violet in the school room afterwards," Bradwin assured Tenet.
Tenet quirked an eyebrow at his father's sudden friendliness. His childhood had also taught him that was simply a bribe, too. He wondered if his father would be so friendly when he learned his tech had been destroyed. What would Bradwin do then? He nodded his good byes and followed the guard out of the room, hoping he didn't look as nervous as he felt.
"He's up to something," Udin said as soon as Tenet was gone.
Bradwin stood and cringed at the popping noise his back made. "If he is, we'll find out."
Udin shook his head. "I don't like this, boss. He shouldn't be allowed to be with the girl."
"Oh for goodness sake, give it a rest. You've always hated him."
Udin stood and frowned. "And so have you. Don't tell me you're losing your edge."
Bradwin's bushy eyebrows drew together. "Don't you patronize me, young man. I've been doing this longer than you've been alive. I can see bullshit when it's piled up to my knees and it'll be a cold day in deep Summer before some little brat pulls the wool over my eyes. I don't trust that kid any more than I ever have. But what's to be gained by being inhospitable at this point, hm? He can't get out, and, most importantly, no one can get in." Bradwin shook his head. "Did you see how well the girl sat for the meal this morning? No itching, no scratching, no hexing people and all that nonsense. For now, we let it ride. If the time comes when it gets to be a problem, at least we'll be close enough to see it coming."
Udin said nothing. When his boss was in that particular mood, there would be no talking sense into him. And he could see the merits in keeping both the girl and Tenet calm. He could certainly sell Tenet to the press easier if Tenet believed they were playing along. And maybe if they gave him enough rope, he'd hang himself so they wouldn't have to. Still, Bradwin had kept too many secrets. "If I had known about him..."
"Oh not this again," Bradwin said tiredly. He was going to have a long day of meetings with his war tribunal and he did not need to once again attempt to justify himself to Udin. "I already gave you my mea culpa. What more do you want?"
"For starts, I need to know if there are any more skeletons in the closet."
Bradwin laughed. Was Udin for real? If the man knew all of the skeletons in Bradwin's enormous closet, he would probably resign. He stopped and turned to the man, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You do a good job for me. No, an excellent one. That's why I've kept you around when others would have let you go." He saw Udin turn red again. "And one of the things I like most about you has always been your incomparable ability to look the other way. There will always be things I don't tell you, because I guarantee they are things you really do not want to know." He squeezed Udin's shoulder harder. Not enough to hurt, but enough to let Udin know it would be in his best interest to drop the subject.
Bradwin's message was loud and clear. Udin swallowed and gave a curt nod. "Yes, sir."
Bradwin flashed a smile. "Good! Now, you go work the press like no one else can, and I'll go figure out what this little incident has done to our war." Without another word, Bradwin turned and walked down the hallway, carrying the look of panic he saw on Udin's face with him.
Udin felt the weight of his years of blind service pushing down on him. As usual, there were things Udin didn't know about the situation. Normally, he could brush that knowledge off by telling himself that every leader kept secrets. They had to. Sometimes they did it to protect people. Sometimes they did it to keep a nation from panicking. Sometimes they did it because they alone could see a threat down the line. But sometimes they kept secrets because they were selfish and evil. Not for the first time, Udin shut down his personal questions. He turned and started for the press room. Later there would be time to wonder. When Udin was a shriveled old man, when Bradwin was dead and gone and he wasn't the mouthpiece any longer, he'd have time to wonder at Bradwin's secrets. While he still had a job to do, though, he couldn't afford to question too deeply. He knew he wouldn't like the answer.
Udin stood outside the marbled press room. He could hear the murmur of the excited reporters, the whirring of the recording bots gearing up to display his every word and movement to the entire public. He took a deep breath, then another. He flexed his lips, making sure his face was loose enough to look relaxed. He tried a smile, then another until he was confident he could pull off the carefree excitement he wanted to portray. If he did his job well, his exuberance would infect the nation. If he played the game properly, the world would be eating out of Bradwin's hands by the end of the day. He took one more breath, plastered on the fake face everyone knew, and stepped into the clicking, whirring, humming, and shouting of the limelight he loved so much.
