In spring, there had been a profusion of flowers, riotous colored blooms that had delighted. Yet Rivek found the various hues of green, blue, and gold of the autumn season lovely too. More cohesive and calmer. He walked in sedate silence with the handsome Dramok at his side.
Ospar spent the first few minutes of their walk as silent as the priest. Perhaps he was soaking in the tranquil atmosphere, Rivek surmised. Or, more likely, ordering his thoughts before he spoke.
At length, his unexpected visitor observed, “We should have had the clanning ceremony out here. Except my Nobek would have had a fit over the security. He would have seen enemies behind each bush and tree.”
“You lead a dangerous existence, if the news vids are any indication.”
“I’m thinking about making it more so.”
That piqued Rivek’s curiosity. He looked at his engaging companion. “Oh?”
“How much have you heard of my past, Master Rivek?”
“The owner of Pladon Industries tried to have you killed. He is dead under suspicious circumstances. The crime syndicate he was connected to has attracted Global Security’s attention, and that entity has gone quiet. Your company, Itga Mining, has the Eruz mining contract now that Pladon is out of the picture.”
“You are well informed. To a point.”
“To a point. You’ve helped me do better in that regard, believe it or not.”
“I have?” Ospar looked pleased.
“I did some research on you and your Nobek.”
“Oh, you did, did you?” Ospar’s grin stretched wide.
“Your situation with the syndicate inspired me to take an interest in what’s been happening in this territory. Thanks to the curiosity you incited, I’ve decided aspiring to an elevated state of spirit is no reason for a priest to ignore the outside world. I can hardly advise those seeking counsel if I’m unaware of the troubles of society at large.” Rivek bowed with the respect due. “For that lesson, I thank you.”
Ospar pulled a comically saddened face. “Oh. No personal interest since you assisted in my clanning ceremony then? I’d half-hoped you might have found me worth learning more about.”
Rivek laughed at the outrageous flirting. He was positive it was more teasing than actual attraction. “I agree that you and your Nobek are an intriguing pair.”
“Good. I was afraid I was losing my touch.”
“Not at all, I’m sure. But let’s get to what has brought you to me today.”
Ospar nodded, serious again. “My recent altercation with Dramok Urt has implications for the empire. He wasn’t so much the bad guy as a puppet for the real power. He was not the leader of the syndicate.”
The Dramok told Rivek what he knew of Syodab, and how the Eruz mining affair had driven it into the shadows. “They’ve had to go into hiding. Jol discovered that territory judges, police, and other officials are on the payroll of the syndicate.”
“Which has resulted in a major shakeup of those entities.” The scandals for the last few weeks had the oldest and sedatest of the priests commenting. Now that Rivek had become aware of the situation, he listened closely to what they were saying.
Ospar said, “It’s not over, Master Rivek. Not by a longshot.”
“You are sure of it?”
“Syodab went after Eruz. The syndicate had every intention of extending their reach into the rest of the empire. I doubt they’ve given up on that.” Ospar’s gaze was narrow as he walked at Rivek’s side. “They’re laying low for the moment, but they’ll be back. They won’t settle for this one territory when they return.”
Ospar had said he was considering something that could endanger his life. “You wish to stop the syndicate?”
The Dramok went from charming to dangerous in an instant. “I want to eradicate it. In order to do that, I have to gain some measure of governmental authority. I’m considering a run for political office.”
Rivek crooked a brow. “Your Nobek does not agree with the idea?”
Ospar expression was affectionate. “Of course not, but that’s not what bothers me. Jol understands what drives me. He won’t interfere with my career and aspirations.”
“If he’s not fighting you on the issue, what is bothering you?”
Worry creased Ospar’s brow. “My uncles rely on me to run Itga. It takes a great deal of my time and energy. I’m good at it, if you’ll forgive the boasting.”
“The Eruz contract makes your company the biggest and most profitable in the Empire. Naming facts is hardly boasting.”
The disarming smile switched on, and Rivek was caught in its beam. He pushed aside the rush of attraction he felt for his companion.
Ospar said, “If I run for local office, I could handle those duties and Itga’s. That initial step is no problem. That’s not what I want, though, at least not within the next few years. I want to be in a place to end the syndicate. To erase it once and for all. To guarantee nothing similar to it can ever get a foothold again.”
Rivek asked the first question that occurred to him, “This is a personal vendetta?”
Ospar shot him a startled look. “Not really. The syndicate has too much power, and it does harm. For the sake of the territory, maybe for the entire Empire, it must be stopped.”
He sounded sincere, but Rivek had advised too many bent on vengeance for wrongs, large and small, during his priesthood. He pressed. “You’re definite that it’s not about you?”
He was glad that Ospar didn’t take offense. The Dramok said, “I admit, I wouldn’t mind getting retribution for them trying to kill me and Jol. But taking them down would help everyone. If you’d heard the stories from business owners who have been targeted by Syodab—well, what’s reached my ears keeps me awake some nights.”
Could Ospar, born with money and rank, trouble himself over the needs of others? For the Empire itself? Rivek’s estimation of the man cautiously inched up a notch.
Ospar returned to his most pressing concern. “I’m worried that my uncles would regard me leaving Itga on a daily basis as a personal rejection.”
“Their esteem means a great deal to you.”
“You can’t imagine. Even if I was loutish enough to not care for such wonderful men, the fact remains that they paid for my schooling. They’ve made me the heir to all they’ve built. I want to be worthy of their trust, of their investment. It would be thankless of me to walk out on them, even though I would leave someone of great ability in charge of the daily operations.”
“However, putting yourself in a position to make a difference against the syndicate means a lot too.”
“Exactly. I want it more than anything. I want to finish those criminals once and for all, before they hurt more people than they already have.” He shook his head. “This is why I keep going round and round on the issue. I need an objective opinion on my choices.”
They continued walking the wandering paths of the garden, quiet as Rivek mulled the matter over.
He grew irritated with himself when his thoughts lit on Ospar several times, rather than his plea for counsel. Once more, the Dramok himself absorbed Rivek. Ospar’s worry for those affected by the syndicate. His readiness to admit to failings real and perceived. His charming personality and physical attractiveness.
The third instance his musings strayed from Ospar’s quandary, Rivek pinched his thigh through his robes. Concentrate, you foolish thing.
He kept his annoyance with himself out of his tone. “Let me tell you what I hear, Director.”
“Ospar.”
“Pardon?” Rivek crooked an eyebrow at the correction.
Ospar reddened. “Sorry. I do that out of habit. Titles bother me. I’d rather be called by my name.”
Rivek found that detail significant. Such a quirk could be a sign of either modesty or the need to stand out from any category—to be recognized as an individual and unique force.
It was a harmless tic in any case. “All right, Ospar. I’ll try to remember that.”
; “Thanks. You were saying something before I interrupted you?”
“What I’m hearing from you is a lot of ‘I want’. You keep repeating that over and over.”
“I do?” He frowned.
“That leads me to ask, what is it that you aspire to? Are you happy being in control of Itga?”
Ospar threw his hands up. “See, there it is. The challenges are few and far between. For the most part, I’m bored with being the general operations director.”
“Even when it nearly kills you?”
Ospar snorted. “A blip—okay, a very significant blip—on an overall pattern of the same thing every day. Now that Pladon and the syndicate have lost out on the mining game, my life is settling down to normal. I’m not fulfilled.”
“Do you believe politics will be more relevant to your aspirations?”
Ospar’s face lit with the excitement of a young boy receiving gifts. “I’ve been fascinated with affairs of state from a young age. I watch the vids of the Royal Council arguing and wrangling the same way others watch sports. I want to be in the middle of all that, in the center of making law and having an impact.”
Rivek pursed his lips. “There’s that ‘I want’ again. What about what everyone else wants?”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“What about the voters of Wenza Territory, those who would elect you? Have you factored them into the equation?”
Rivek’s question brought a resounding silence from Ospar. The Dramok’s brow furrowed in concentration as he appeared to turn that consideration over.
Interesting. Ospar had been thinking of the citizenry’s welfare as he saw it, but hadn’t wondered how those same people would feel about what he identified as their problems.
Hoping to drive the point home, Rivek added to his observation, “I guarantee you, the territory—the empire, if you decided to be that ambitious—is concerned with what you will do for it. No one cares what you want.”
A burst of laughter behind them made both men whirl around. The hems of Rivek’s robes snapped as he faced Jol. The Nobek bowed to the priest before smirking at Ospar.
He said, “Poor Ospar. It sounds as if the master is saying what I’ve been telling you all along: you are not the center of the universe.”
“Speaking of things no one cares about: your opinion.” Ospar complained to Rivek, “This is what I live with every day. This!” He gestured dramatically at Jol.
Rivek thought about reminding the Dramok that he had chosen to clan the man. Prudence won out, and he kept his mouth shut.
Chapter 18
After he’d finished speaking to Imdiko Rivek, Ospar didn’t contest Jol to pilot the shuttle. He had thinking to do.
Rivek had scored a point when he’d noted Ospar had focused on his own priorities, his own desires. Jol did that as well, but Ospar tended to tune out the brute’s relentless teasing. For once, he should have heeded his Nobek. Jol had been correct. This time.
Rivek had said something else that resonated with Ospar. “Perhaps you should consider your definition of the term ‘public servant’. What meaning does that title have for you? If you don’t plan to serve the interests of the public good, first and foremost, then you have no reason to run for office.”
Had Ospar ever thought of his aspirations in that way? He was ashamed to acknowledge that he had not.
Jol’s deep voice broke in on his ruminations. “That priest—he’s a smart one. And a decent influence on you.”
“How do you mean?” Ospar glanced at his Nobek, wondering if Jol would say something profound or irritating.
Jol’s smile had none of the mockery that warned he was going to serve Ospar a dose of provocation. “You’re wearing an expression I rarely see on your face. Usually you only get that relaxed after sex.”
As hard as he’d been pondering, Ospar was surprised that he did indeed feel peaceful. “Master Rivek calms me. Maybe because he doesn’t speak in a way that makes me want to argue.”
“Whereas I come up short, in that regard.”
“You say what you mean. Believe it or not, I appreciate that you don’t dance around. You’re blunt and don’t pretty stuff up.”
“You act like it pisses you off.”
“I don’t always agree with you, especially when it feels as if you’re arguing just to frustrate me. At the very least though, you force me reflect on my actions.” He glared a warning to Jol. “Don’t think I appreciate you busting my chops all the time, Nobek. You do take it too far.”
Jol winked at him, then sobered. “Did the master make you second-guess territorial and global politics?”
“You’re worried since my main focus is the syndicate.”
“Worried isn’t the word I’d use. You caught a break with the mining conflict. Syodab is keeping low because Global Security has gotten interested in them. Even so, if you start pissing in their other playgrounds, they’ll come after you.”
“It can’t continue, Jol. For the public good, they have to be stopped.”
His Nobek snorted. “The public good? One discussion with a temple master, and you’re ready to turn over a whole new leaf, huh?”
Rivek had exposed Ospar’s self-absorption. It didn’t cast him in the most flattering light, and it didn’t leave him proud of himself. “I won’t pretend I don’t have a personal agenda. But politics has always spoken to me, long before the Eruz issue. Why shouldn’t I do right by the empire?”
Jol snorted and rolled his eyes.
Ospar felt the rise of defensive temper and tamped down on it. “Give me a little credit, would you? You said you were impressed with how I weighed the impact to the Eruz communities. How I put them first, ahead of Itga’s interests.”
Jol frowned, but he nodded in agreement. “Besides that, you are committed to worker safety at Itga. You fight to enact better regulations for the entire industry, even if it means a cut in profits.”
With his clanmate conceding that part of the argument, Ospar was more willing to admit his shortcomings. “Maybe I’m considering a change in careers for the wrong reasons. It’s become a priority to destroy the syndicate because they came after you, me, and Itga.”
“Wrong or not, you still plan to pursue it.”
“Consider all the people I could help if I had the power to do so. As a governor or a Royal Councilman—”
Jol snickered. “Don’t dream small, my Dramok.”
“You are impossible.” Ospar gave up. Jol didn’t understand the drive, the need to do great things. I can’t imagine life without a crusade. I have to do something that matters.
Jol sighed. “If you get in office, you’ll target the syndicate. That puts your ass on the line. I hate it, my Dramok.”
“Noted.” At least he bitched because he cared. Ospar was grateful for that.
They flew a few minutes before Jol finished his comment. “I believe you’d be a terrific representative. Not once have you mentioned the money or the prestige such offices would give you.” He chuffed a low laugh. “You may start off with selfish motivations, but in the end, your heart puts everything in its rightful place.”
“That almost sounded like a compliment, my Nobek.” Ospar warmed. He was thankful he meant so much to the proud warrior.
“If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you.”
That earned a laugh. Ospar leaned over to plant a kiss on Jol’s lips.
* * * *
Several days after his garden walk with Ospar, Rivek stood in the central area of one of the district’s busy marketplaces. The bustling shopping area was situated in the mountain that held the headquarters of Itga Mining. It was not lost on the priest that at that moment, Ospar and Jol were probably not far away.
They fascinated him. Often, thoughts of the two men broke in on his meditations. It was an amusing, though not welcome, distraction. He did his best to keep his sense of humor about his continued interest in the pair.
That day, Rivek stood in a mid-level’s central space, near a lov
ely art installation of one of Kalquor’s elite sculptors. The piece was titled Soaring, which the Imdiko found appropriate. The abstract structure loomed over his head, appearing to glide through the air despite being carved from weighty stone. Rivek contemplated it when he wasn’t attending to those who stopped to speak with him.
The marketplace flurried with activity. Shuttles buzzed through the open expanses closer to the middle of the hollowed base of the mountain. Delivery hovercarts whirred along their own lane of traffic, avoiding pedestrians. Hundreds of men and the occasional female Kalquorian had walked by the temple master since he’d shown up two hours before. He smiled and bowed to them, waiting for the intermittent market patron to speak. Recognizing the temple master by his robes and long hair, people often paused to ask for insight on their lives’ weightiest concerns.
It had been an exhilarating morning for counsel and discussion. Rivek watched the lunch rush descend on the market in earnest, when most were in the greatest hurry to run errands or eat before returning to their work. He knew from experience that fewer people would speak with him, intent on getting their tasks done. The Imdiko didn’t mind in the least. He enjoyed observing the activity while contemplating what he would do for his own noon meal.
Rivek’s heart leapt when two familiar faces appeared in the crowds bustling past. His delight expanded when Ospar and Jol’s expressions displayed pleasure to see him too.
Ospar beelined for Rivek, hailing him with enthusiasm. Jol followed in the Dramok’s wake, his fierce features gentled by warmth. The three exchanged bows as they came close.
Ospar beamed that contagious smile of his at Rivek. “What brings you out of your peaceful temple today, Master Rivek?”
The priest gestured expansively. “Those who need to talk, but don’t realize it until they notice me.”
“You aren’t enamored with the cloistered life, are you? You prefer to be out among the population.”
“What makes you say that, Ospar? I enjoy the temple, in being alone with my thoughts and pursuing peace.”
Clan and Conscience Page 19
